pulling the plug

Last night, while reading my book, 10 Mindful Minutes by Goldie Hawn, I decided to make a mindful decision and cancel my Facebook account...lately I have felt completely consumed, my own fault, yes, but I obviously have no control over myself when it comes to checking posts, looking at pictures, and updating my status. It has become a part of my morning routine...I get up, make my coffee, make breakfast for the kids, sit down and log in to Facebook...its terrible, along with the numerous times throughout the day I sign in to see what's new, and what's happening. I love the information that I get off of it, its a powerful source, but I just feel consumed....for me, its embarrassing to see how much it has become such a part of my life. I need to take the time I spend online interacting with my kids...I want them to know how important it is to communicate, something I still am learning about....

"Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience."

Today will be the last day of my active account, it has been a pleasure being a part of all your virtual lives. This doesn't mean I can't be reached. Give me a call, 604-209-7776, send me an email, kristenvalente@shaw.ca or lovelylittles@shaw.ca.....I will continue to do my blog, so check me out :-)

I am pulling the plug, its been a slice.

xoxo

K

Pulled Chicken Tacos

This has to have been the easiest recipe ever! The hard part was all the goodies to put on them! I must say that I prefer a soft taco over a hard one, they seem more authentic, does that make sense? And I do prefer flour tortillas over corn ones....the corn ones seem too dry...but that is just my preference.

This is another slow cooker recipe, and takes about 6 hours, the recipe calls for 6 pieces of chicken, I used 3, and cooked it for 4 hours, but if you use all 6 breasts, cook for the full 6 hours.

Pulled Chicken Tacos

6 chicken breasts

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 jar of salsa (16 oz)

Put chicken in slow cooker, add taco seasoning and salsa, toss together, cook for 6 hours. When the time is up, use a fork and pull all the chicken apart. I used 3 chicken breasts, but still the same amount of seasoning and salsa, it was just a bit juicier, 6 breasts is a lot of chicken! I would make sure you had company for dinner!

I used the small flour tortillas, but you can use the yellow or white corn ones. I also topped them with fresh guacamole, sour cream, cheese tomatoes and a bit of tangy coleslaw.

Tangy Coleslaw

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp white vinegar

2 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2-3 chopped green onions

1 green cabbage thinly sliced and chopped

(cut the recipe in half if only using half the cabbage)

Whisk all the ingredients together, and add to cabbage and green onions

This is definitely staying in my recipe book! They were delicious! And they were even better paired with a cold beer!

K

Rainy Day Potato Soup

This morning, while being drenched by the rain, I got excited for tonight's dinner...it was going to be cozy, and quick, soccer night, its always a rush...soup seemed like the right answer...the kids can catch swimming goldfish crackers in it...always a hit!

I found this recipe on Pinterest, from a website called The Tidy Nest. Its called slow cooker potato soup, but it also gives the option of stovetop...tonight, I did the stovetop, it didn't take long at all.

I served it with some nice grainy bread, smeared with butter, and cut into hearts and stars for the kids, after every dip, all I heard was Anabelle saying "mmmmm...mm"

Potato Soup

6 cups cubed peeled potatoes

3 cans chicken broth

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1/4 cup of butter

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked pepper

1 12 oz can of evaporated milk

3 tsp dried parsley (I omitted this, Noah doesn't do well with green things in his food)

Melt the butter in a large pot on medium heat, add the chopped onion, celery, carrot and potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft. Add the broth, bring to a boil. Simmer until vegetables are tender, 20-30 minutes. Add evaporated milk, simmer for another 10 minutes or so, until heated through. Garnish with parsley if you are using it.

Inexpensive, tasty, and takes care of a few food groups, if served with a whole grain bread, and apple or pear slices!

Enjoy!

K

first attempt at dinner with a slow cooker...

Last night was my first attempt at dinner using a slow cooker. I threw it together before I went to work, put the rice on before I left for my appointment later in the afternoon, and voila, just like that it was all hot and ready! I knew it would be simple, I just always brushed the idea of a slow cooker off to the side...why did I need another huge appliance to take up counter space!? I realized that the Krups rice cooker that I got as a wedding gift, was also a steamer and a slow cooker!! SO I already had a home for it in the cupboard! It's not a huge capacity, but big enough for my family.

My girlfriend sent me a recipe she had tried. It was delicious!! I knew my husband would appreciate not having to make dinner, instead just open the lid and serve! This sounds good especially for the nights the kids have swimming, or soccer!

If you have a slow cooker, this is a must try...or, there is a good Hamilton Beach one on sale at Canadian Tire starting today for $29.99, regularly $59.99....

TEX MEX CHICKEN

1 lb chicken breasts cut into strips

2 tbsp taco seasoning mix

2 tbsp flour

1 red pepper cut into strips

1 yellow pepper cut into strips

1 cup of frozen corn (I used one can of niblets)

1 1/2 cups chunky salsa

1 cup shredded cheese

Coat your strips of chicken in the combined taco seasoning and flour, put in slow cooker. Stir in all the other ingredients except the cheese. Close the lid, set slow cooker for 6 hours. Get on with your day....serve over rice when ready (this you have to cook separately), and sprinkle with cheese.

Sorry, no pic, it got eaten up.....but take my word, DELISH!

K

Happy 1st Birthday Everett!!

Happy 1st Birthday to my nephew Everett!! I can't believe a year has flown by!! What a story you will have to tell your buddies about being born at home! I wish you were here so we could hug and kiss you, and celebrate with you on mastering your first year of life!

I remember feeling so sad and happy as a received all the messages from your Auntie Megan, updating me on the progress. She was there through it all, I would be flying out the day after, I was disappointed to miss your birth, but was excited to spend all my days watching your sweet face, and being witness to your first days in this crazy world!

Enjoy your day today, and your party with all your friends! I hope your mom lets you eat some cake, dig right in!! Enjoy having your Nana and Papa there, we all love you so much!!! Sending you lots of love, hugs and kisses all the way from Vancouver

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERETT!!!

xoxoxoxoxo

Auntie Kristen, Uncle Alfredo, Noah and Anabelle

What was I so nervous about!?

Today I went about my day, like any other...however there was something hanging over my head..I knew that at 7:55 tonight I had my first Zumba class.....I was truly nervous, I even thought about not even going..I don't know why I let these things consume me, why can't I be like a kid, who just lets go, has a good time, laughs all the way through...

I survived! It was a blast! The music was great, I messed up, I laughed, nervously, I checked out how the others were doing, they were messing up too..we all kept going, this certainly was not an audition. The whole time I kept thinking "man, I could never be a dancer!!" As good as I think my body can move in my mind, is certainly not how it goes in real life! I think I have rhythm, um, not so much....

I think what I liked best was that our instructor was not skin and bones, she wasn't overly fit, she was shapely, her body looked amazing when it moved to the music! Her boobs bounced like mine, and her bum shook, like mine! She looked so beautiful, and sexy.

I signed Noah up for Zumbatomic, its a Zumba class aimed at ages 4-7 (which I was informed they will cancel if they don't get 7 people registered) so sign your kids up!! Go to WebReg with the City of Burnaby, the class number is 268197. I think Noah will have a BLAST!!

I always come home feeling so great after a class, like I want to sign up for all these others. I am glad that this class was a workout, it got my heart pumping, my body sweating. I will tell you that I am looking forward to next week!!

K

The Big K

No I am not talking about myself, I am talking about Kindergarten........I nearly died when I realized that registration starts on the 1st of February.....my heart sunk while I read about Kindergarten details on the School District website....I am having severe Kindergarten anxieties....I am confident Noah will have a great time, do well with the all day class, and no doubt make some friends. I don't feel sad that he will be away for the day, I actually think it will be healthy for me, a way to possibly regain some patience...I am finding it hard to believe that now he will be part of the public school system, the counting of the grades will start, and I know that before I know it, I will be at his high school graduation....I can't help but feel a bit sick when thinking about the types of friendships he will make, and not make, will he be nice, will kids be nice to him.....kids can be mean...I really hope its not my kid. My sisters and I had a terrible time with being bullied, and I really hope Noah doesn't have to go through what we did, and I hope to god he doesn't inflict pain like that on another person. I hope he falls into the right crowd......remembers his manners, to be polite and courteous to those who are older than him, treats girls with respect....my mind goes crazy thinking of things I hope I have taught him, I hold my breath hoping that he really is listening when I drill him on "what would you do" scenarios and asking him is that a "bad decision" or a "good decision" the thing is, its a shit show when they walk through those school doors....school can be the most amazing experience, or the most painful. You could not pay me enough money to go back to high school....

I hope he will walk in the hallways, eat his lunch and be thankful for a full lunch box, be nice to the monitors and supervisors (like myself).....be respectful and safe. Be curious and kind. Acknowledge others feelings as well as his own. I hope he skips to his own beat, and doesn't follow a crowd. I hope he makes the right choices, the majority of the time, I know he will make bad choices, we all do.....

I hope he is allowed to be a kid.

K

kristen's telling details...

I just bought the February issue of Chatelaine, I am certain there will be more blog posts coming from this magazine, but let me start here.....I was intrigued by these questions and answers...from an interview with Natalie Frenkel, a photographer from Toronto. I thought I would post my answers, ask yourself these same questions, pretend someone is interviewing you...

my proudest moment is...

moments..the births of my children

I define downtime as...

surfing the net with a glass of wine

I wish I was better at...

public speaking

My favorite moment of the day is...

when my kids say good morning to each other

The biggest mistake I ever made was...

being so shy, and letting it hold me back from doing things

I'm currently reading...

February issue of Chatelaine magazine :-)

My guiltiest pleasure is...

eating a whole bag of sea salt and malt vinegar chips and a chocolate bar

K

Gingery Oatmeal Molasses Cookies

I remember reading this recipe before the holidays...it got shoved behind all the Christmas baking...I re-visited this magazine yesterday, found the recipe again, and gave them a go! These cookies are so yummy and chewy!! Certainly a healthy back to school treat! I got it from the Winter 2012 issue of Canadian Family. They are telling me these are good for my family...oats are high in fibre and great for cholesterol, cinnamon helps control blood sugar and lower blood pressure (thank goodness), ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, and that oats, cinnamon, ginger and molasses are all very high in magnesium which helps muscles relax (hallelujah).

Great to enjoy with a glass of milk or a cup of creamy earl grey tea (Secret Garden's Creamy Earl Grey).

Gingery Oatmeal Molasses Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

3/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup butter softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 cups rolled oats

1. preheat oven to 375

2. combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt, stir with a fork until combined, set aside

3. beat butter and white and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, add egg until combined, then molasses, mix well. Add the flour mixture, combine, then add the oats.

4. chill dough for 15 minutes until slightly firm

5. scoop out heaping tablespoons of cookie dough and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 12-13 minutes, or until cookies are browned on the edges and puffed, but still soft in the middle. Let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 20 cookies

Something delicious to make on a disgustingly rainy day like today!

Enjoy!

K

welcome 2012

I have been waiting for you...I have high hopes. Hoping for some changes, some different challenges, adventures...this year, I want to try and not sweat the small stuff. For the last while, I haven't felt like a very nice person...I will try and fix what I am not happy with, and move on from there...if everything and everyone cooperates. I am hoping for career changes, mothering changes, marriage changes...I am hoping to smile more, laugh more, love easier...I am hoping to find more of myself, love myself, treat myself better. Be nice to my body, be nicer to my kids, be nicer to my husband. Exercise more, if not a vigorous workout, a walk in the park, to breathe fresh air, get my heart pumping...clear out the clutter in my head, the over thinking, the trying to make others happy.....I want to spend less, but do more. Take in more of our city, the islands, take my kids on the ferry....visit my grandmother...I want to feel more passion..this is a great life, and I want to make the most of it in 2012!!

K