Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

My husband is about to embark on a very strict, six-week long diet and exercise routine. To prepare for it, we started searching for dinners that I could make that would 1.) Fall within his diet plan and 2.) I also liked because I am not making two dinners. I found this Hawaiian Chicken Kabob recipe on Pinterest, and it is amazeballs. I changed a few things. For example, I didn't have rice vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar instead--small things like that.

Ingredients

• 1/3 C ketchup
• 1/3 C packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 C low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 C pineapple juice
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2-4 tsp minced garlic (about two cloves)
• 1 Tbsp powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 6 chicken tenders, chopped into 1 1/4-inch cubes
• 3 C (heaping) fresh cubed pineapple 
• 1 large green peppers, diced into 1 1/4-inch pieces
• 3/4 large red onion, diced into 1 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

Whisk together your ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sesame seed oil in a bowl. You can also add salt and pepper if that is your preference. Set aside half a cup of the mix in your refrigerator. Place your cubed chicken in a gallon size bag and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Let it sit in your refrigerator for 1-2 hours. I only had an hour on my hands, but it was still very flavorful. Soak seven-ten wooden kabob sticks in water for one hour as well. I only ended up needing 7, but I also packed my kabobs to the max. 

I used my Foreman Grill for this, so no preheating was required. If you are going to use an actual grill, preheat to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, drizzle the remaining Tbsp of olive oil over your pepper and onion, then toss well. Season the pepper and onion with salt and pepper.

Begin threading your kabobs with your green pepper, onion, pineapple, and chicken until they are filled to your liking. The end result should look like this:

Spray your Foreman Grill with Pam (or lightly brush with olive oil). If you are using a real grill, brush olive oil onto the grates. Brush 1/4 of a cup of your remaining 1/2 a cup of the marinade, then grill for five minutes. Rotate your kabobs 180 degrees and brush the other side with the remaining marinade. Grill another 4 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. This should be the final result:

Nutrition Information

	Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
Chicken	129	0.6	0	231.5	0	0	0	29.6
Pineapple	82	0.2	0	2	22	2.3	16	0.9
Pepper	13	0	0	1.7	2.6	0.4	1.2	0.4
Red onion	8	0	0	0.5	1.8	0.2	0.8	0.2
Olive Oil	51	6	0.81	0	0	0	0	0
Marinade	53.23	2.18	0.30	256.87	8.37	0.18	6.91	0.47
Total per 3 kabobs	336.23	8.98	1.11	492.57	34.77	3.08	24.91	31.57

Figuring out the marinade is a little tricky. It will change depending on how much of the marinade your chicken absorbs. My chicken absorbed roughly 1/4 a cup of the marinade out of roughly 1.5 cups total. I then further divided the nutrition info to get the amount for three kabobs. Below is the nutrition info for the marinade if you need to adjust it based on how much your chicken absorbs. Longer marinating time will result in more absorption.

	Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
1/3 C ketchup	89.33	0.13	0.03	725.67	21.00	0.23	17.33	1.00
1/3 C packed light brown sugar	276.33	0.00	0.00	28.67	71.37	0.00	70.57	0.00
1/3 C low-sodium soy sauce	45.00	0.07	0.03	2834.33	7.23	0.67	1.43	4.40
1/4 C pineapple juice	34.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	8.17	0.23	7.03	0.23
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided	238.00	28.00	3.80	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar	4.50	0.00	0.00	1.50	0.15	0.00	0.15	0.00
2 garlic cloves, minced (4 tsp)	20.00	0.12	0.02	4.00	5.28	0.40	0.16	1.00
1 Tbsp powdered ginger	18.00	0.00	0.00	2.00	4.00	1.00	0.00	0.00
1/2 tsp sesame oil	20.00	2.25	0.30	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Total ~ 1.5 C	745.16	30.57	4.18	3596.17	117.20	2.52	96.67	6.63
Total for 0.25 cups absorbed	124.19	5.09	0.70	599.36	19.53	0.42	16.11	1.10
Total per 3 kabobs	53.23	2.18	0.30	256.87	8.37	0.18	6.91	0.47

This is a decently healthy and surpsingly filling meal. I originally planned to make rice to go with this, but I ran out of time and I'm glad I did. Three kabobs were enough for me. 

Mexican Quinoa Salad

I found this delightful little recipe while searching for Mexican-inspired side dishes. We had some friends over for dinner and I was making Chicken Salsa Casserole. Our friends were bringing fruit salsa with cinnamon chips, but I wanted another appetizer as well (because I love food, duh).

Ingredients for Salad

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
• 11oz canned corn, drained
• 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 avocado, diced

Ingredients for Dressing

• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 2 TBSP vegetable oil
• 3 TBSP honey
• 2 TBSP lime juice
• 2 tsp fresh jalapenos, minced
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard or deli mustard
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black 

Directions

1. Put your quinoa and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
1. Optional if you want to serve this chilled: Once your quinoa is cooked, place the saucepan on a hot pad in the refrigerator while you are prepping the rest of the dish.
2. Dice you peppers, onion, avocado, and cilantro. Mix the peppers, onion, avocado, cilantro, black beans, and corn in a large bowl then set it aside. 
3. Blend the dressing ingredients in food processor. I don't own a food processor, so I used my blender. It worked fine. 
4. Once the quinoa has cooled, add it to your vegetable mix and stir. Pour the dressing over the mixture and stir again to thoroughly coat the ingredients. 

That's it! It's really simple and really tasty. 

Dicing and chopping

Mixing the veggies

I meant to snag a picture of it once it was all mixed together, but our friends arrived and we started eating it before I remembered. Oops.

Even though this has jalapenos in it, it is not spicy at all. One of our friends does not like spicy things (because she is obviously an alien), so I split this salad into two: one with jalapenos and one without. After tasting both of them, we determined there wasn't much of a difference. One was slightly sweeter than the other, but there was not a noticeable spice-factor to this dish. Maybe I had faulty jalapenos.

Nutrition Information

This makes 6-8 servings.

	Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
1 cup quinoa	688	11.2	0	4	124	12	12	24
2 cups vegetable broth	30	0	0	1060	6	0	4	0
1/2 red bell pepper	25	0.25	0	3.5	5	1.75	3.5	0.75
1/2 orange bell pepper	25	0	0	4	4	2	0	1
11oz canned corn	253	2.8	0.6	930	58.5	6	9.5	8
15oz black beans	385	3.5	0	1295	66.5	24.5	0	24.5
4 green onions	20	0	0	8	4.5	1.5	1.2	1.2
1/4 cup cilantro	1	0	0	2	0.1	0.1	0	0.1
1/2 avocado	161	14.5	2.15	7	8.5	6.5	0.65	2
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar	6	0	0	2	0.2	0	0.2	0
2 tbsp vegetable oil	240	28	4	0	0	0	0	0
3 tbsp honey	192	0	0	3	51	0	51	0.3
2 tbsp lime juice	8	0.1	0.1	1	2.6	0.1	0.5	0.1
2 tsp fresh jalapeno	2	0.1	0	0	0.5	0.2	0.3	0.1
1/2 tsp dijon mustard	2.5	0	0	60	0	0	0	0
1 small clove garlic	5	0	0	1	1	0.1	0	0.2
Total	2043.50	60.45	6.85	3380.50	332.40	54.75	82.85	62.25
Per serving (6)	340.58	10.08	1.14	563.42	55.40	9.13	13.81	10.38
Per serving (8)	255.44	7.56	0.86	422.56	41.55	6.84	10.36	7.78

Rodan + Fields Soothe Review: A Tale of Perioral Dermatitis

I have always had very dry skin, but otherwise nice skin. It minded its manners, said please and thank you during meals--all of the things you would expect of skin that you raised and cared for your entire life. Then in my early twenties I developed permanent redness around my nose. Nothing I did made it better. I went to the dermatologist about it a handful of times and finally came out with elidel cream, cetaphil moisturizer, and vanicream moisturizer (both are dye and fragrance-free). I was told to use whichever moisturizer I felt worked best after trial and error and the elidel cream whenever there was redness (there was always redness).

After a few weeks, I gave up on the Elidel cream. The Vani cream and Cetaphil cream both work equally well for my super dry skin but did nothing for the redness. I looked like I had a constant cold, but I could deal with it since cover up worked just fine. Then perioral dermatitis showed up to ruin everything.

I'm fairly certain my perioral dermatitis was triggered by childbirth. All those hormones were running around pissing on the lawn, graffiting the sidewalks, and being a general pain in the butt. My dermatologist told me no one ~really~ knows why perioral dermatitis happens, just that it is more likely to happen to women. Joy. Also, topical steroids make it worse. The only known treatment is to wear nothing on your skin. I was told to wash my face with a gentle soap and water, apply my cetaphil/vanicream moisturizer if absolutely necessary, and ride out the storm.

One slight problem with this approach. I looked like a leper. Even with makeup, the best I could do was conceal the redness. I was, to quote Clueless, a full-on Monet. Perioral dermatitis causes an acne-like rash to spread around the mouth and eyes. For me, it was under my nose, around my mouth, across my chin, and under my eyes. It also made my skin very dry, very itchy, and very sensitive. My well-mannered skin became a gross mask. I was miserable and after months of no-makeup-every-damn-day, there was little improvement.

It was around this time, a girlfriend of mine made a post about how she was starting as a Rodan + Fields consultant. Nearly everyone has heard of Rodan + Fields by now. It's likely someone you know has sent you a FaceBook message or twenty about how you should consider being a consultant. You've probably seen similar spiels from consults for lularoe leggings, pure romance, beach body, it works, etc. The direct sales thing is nothing new.

I avoided anything direct-sales because, quite honestly, it annoys me. It annoys most people I know. Not that I have anything against these ladies--they have to make a living too--it just was not my cup of tea and still isn't. I have zero desire to do direct sales. However, I finally reached my breaking point when it came to using the products themselves. I could not walk around with this horrible rash on my face any longer.

Funnily enough, I reached out to this friend because she had never harassed me about joining or buying from R+F. I had seen her FaceBook posts including her own before picture. I figured what did I have to lose? I already look like my face was molting, so why the hell not? Plus, they have a money back guarantee. If I didn't like the results, I could send the empty bottles back and get a full refund.

I ordered the Soothe line and began using it as soon as it arrived. At first, I was disappointed. Two weeks went by and nothing seemed to be happening. My skin felt a little less itchy, but that was about it. I was incredibly disappointed. My friend urged me to keep using it. Around the 5 week mark is when I noticed a dramatic change. The change itself wasn't abrupt or overnight, it was simply the first time I realized I didn't cringe looking at my face in a mirror. I am now at the 7 week mark and I am sold.

My before and after. I am not wearing makeup in either.

I wish I had a better quality picture of the gross perioral dermatitis for my before, but this is the only one I have (when one's skin resembles a sunburnt orange peel, one does not take many pictures). The rash is gone around my eyes, nose, and mouth. I still have some under-nose redness, but nowhere near the "Do you have a cold?" levels it used to be. The itchiness is also way down. The dryness persists, but I also live 4780 ft above elevation. The environment itself is dry. That being said, my skin is not as flaky as it used to be. Before, I would put on my moisturizer, then apply my foundation and my forehead and nose would instantly flake (out of spite, I believe). While my skin is still dry, it is no longer sloughing off my face

Another product I now swear by is Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation. It is "eco-chic" (their language, not mine) and has never once caused a breakout of the acne or perioral dermatitis variety. It does not contain parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. I recommend going to an Ulta or similar store. The associates will help you find the right color for you. Ulta will also let you trade it if you realize the color isn't quite right (I had to do this--lesson learned: do not buy foundation at night).

If you have any questions and you don't want a sales pitch as a response, feel free to ask me. Like I said, I'm not selling the stuff, but it worked for me when nothing else did.

One Year Old!

My baby is one year old! I can't believe how fast the time flew by. I know everyone says that, but holy moly it is true. So far in her little life, she has visited 10 states (NC, VA, WV, KY, IN, IL, MO, KS, CO, and UT), started walking, and can say a few words. She's a busy little bee that never stops moving and playing.

For her birthday, I made her a smash cake and we visited a children's museum.

We are also officially done with the helmet! When she started with it, there was an 11mm difference between the sides of her head. Now it is down to a 3mm difference! We are super pumped to not have to deal with the helmet anymore and that E's head is round again 😂.

It's starting to warm up here, so we go to the park a lot. E likes to walk there and back on her own while holding our hands. Her little legs tire out pretty quickly, so she gets to ride on her daddy's shoulders the rest of the way. She loves the slide and the big, grassy field. She likes to run down the hill and usually face plants half way down. Apparently, it is hilarious because she giggles the whole time.

She also had her one year checkup. She's a tall, slender girl. She weighs 20 pounds and 5 ounces, which is the 34th percentile. She is 30.25 inches tall, which is the 84th percentile. Her pediatrician says she's doing great and is right on track developmentally.

We had a funny moment at the checkup. E's pediatrician was asking us questions about her eating habits (girl eats like food is going extinct), walking, talking, etc and then she asked if E claps her hands. The hubbinator and I couldn't remember, but as the doctor asked the question, she clapped her own hands. In the middle of our explaining that we didn't know if she could or not, E starts clapping her hands imitating the doctor. Guess she answered that question for us. Now we clap like morons all the time around her so she will do it right back. Sometimes she will high five if hubs and I do it first, She's an amusing little girl.

I went through all of the pictures from my phone that I saved to my computer over the course of her first year of life. I had over 650 pictures of E, which I whittled down to a mere 391. I ordered 4X6 of them, which should arrive today! I may have been a liiiiittle over zealous, but I refuse to be one of those people who only has pictures on Facebook, Instagram, whatever. I have picture walls in the house from our professional shoots, but I want memorabilia of actual day to day life as well.

I also have three picture frames I need to fill. Two of them look like windows, which I love. The other one is a window frame as well, but a different style. It doesn't have all the window panes. Instead, it has wires with clasps to hang pictures or whatever you want. I'll post pictures of them once I have them finished.

Update:

The pictures are all in photo albums and the wall art is complete and up on the walls :)

The pictures took up three albums.

Here is a close up of the window picture frames. Don't mind the sun glare.

It's so hard to get a shot during the daytime, and I always forget at night.
Oh well, bright light it is. 

My mom made that wine cork wreath. It's awesome. 

Chicken Salsa Casserole - 100th Blog Post!

100 blog posts, woo! Time to celebrate with tasty noms.

My mother found this recipe when she was staying with me after I first gave birth to E. Like any mother who recently gave birth, I was ravenously hungry all the time. Having someone around to make food for you is awesome. It's doubly awesome when that someone make fabulous meals like this.

Another great benefit of this meal is the prep is absurdly easy. Chop up some chicken, plop everything in a casserole dish, and bake. This is actually the primary reason I make so many casseroles. They are so simple and delicious. This dish has the added bonus of being relatively healthy for you as well. Here is what you will need.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 small can or corn
• 1 15oz can of black beans
• 1 16oz jar of salsa (I use medium)
• 1 cup chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup of water)
• 1.5 tsp cayenne  pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 chicken tenderloins
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 2 green onions, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Drain your corn and black beans (give the beans a quick rinse). Add your corn, beans, dry rice, salsa, chicken broth, and spices to an 8x8 pan and mix well.

Quick tip: Line the pan with aluminum foil first for super fast clean up later.  

2. Cut each chicken tenderloin in half. Push them down into the mixture ensuring they are evenly dispersed as well as completely covered. The original says to cover the dish tightly in foil, but I've forgotten to do that plenty of times (mom-brain, derp), and it comes out the same every time. Cook for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes (you want your rice to be soft). 

Another tip: If you are using brown rice, you will want to soak them in very hot water first while you prep. Brown rice takes a lot longer to cook and your casserole will dry out if you attempt it without the pre-soak. Or just use white rice and you won't have this problem. 

3. When your rice is cooked, sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top and allow it to melt. If you are super impatient like me, you can stick it back in your oven for a minute to expedite the cheese melting process. Add your green onions on top and you are good to go!

Mmmmm, cheeeeeeese.

I eat everything out of bowls (no idea why, I just do), but you should now have a very delicious chicken salsa casserole. You can serve it on tortillas if you like or eat it as is. 

Nutrition

Here is the nutrition data for 1/6 of the casserole

	Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
Brown Rice	113	1	0	0	24	1.3	0	2.7
Medium Salsa	26	0	0	396	5.3	0	5.3	0
Black Beans	73	0	0	266.8	13.3	3.3	0.7	4.7
Corn	10	0.2	0	53.4	2.2	0.3	0.5	0.2
Chicken	50	0.2	0	95	0	0	0	11
Cheddar cheese	55	4.5	2.5	90	0	0	0	3.5
Total	327	5.9	2.5	901.2	44.8	4.9	6.5	22.1