On Monday I sat on my kitchen floor trying to brainstorm what we should have for dinner. My husband was off to training and it was just my daughter and I at home. I felt sad at the thought of making the same ole same ole again that night. As my husband walked out the door he said "Just make that chicken thing you make" Blah. We pretty much stick to chicken or fish, so you have to get creative or it will all taste the same.
I pulled out my MOPS cookbook and started flipping through the pages. I came across two that I liked the sound of. Baked Chicken or Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes. Because of a busy Tuesday schedule I decided to save the crockpot recipe for then and quickly set about getting chicken thighs thawed out. I decided I wanted to make the potatoes I had tried at a friends house and got the recipe. So that night I got the thighs all prepared and placed into the oven and I set about making these potatoes. They were supposed to be garlic tasting and had garlic, onion, cilantro and green pepper. I had everything but cilantro but gave it a whirl anyway. By the time the potatoes were boiled and fried and the veggies were finely chopped and everything was mixed, I had light green potatoes. We ate them anyway and they were yummy, but definitely something I need to work on.
I could tell my husband was pleased with this new food. Even my daughter who rarely eats dinner ate a few bites of the chicken. Both kids liked the potatoes and my son smothered all of his food in ranch dressing.
Tuesday dawns and I am psyched. It's another chicken and potato kind of day, but this one won't require much effort from me. I get it all prepped into the crockpot then the kids and I head off to appointments. We come home to a yummy smelling house. I add rice as a side dish to the Crockpot chicken and potatoes and some garlic bread. Again the hubby was pleased and again the kids were more than a little willing to try this new food.
Score.
Wednesday dawns and I pull Pork Loins out of the freezer and the hubby begins to frown at them while we are cooking breakfast. I tell him that tonight I am going to bake them make some fried potatoes, since no one in my house likes mashed potatoes except for me, and add a veggie. I could see the disappointment in his eyes. I could tell that he was thinking about sitting in that training all day long and then coming home to a less than stellar supper. Now being the good wife that I like to think I am, I couldn't let that happen. That was a terrifying thought for me. As a stay home wife and mommy I feel it is my job to make things easier for him and to teach the kids how to be good little people. So I turned to Pinterest. I spent a good two hours searching pork loin recipes
I came up with Country-Style Pork Loin. The only thing that I didn't have the ingredients for was the gravy, and that was A-Okay for me because we don't like gravy and it is very unhealthy. So I got them all prepared and ready for the crockpot. I was super excited because the hubby had no idea. I also decided to try my hand at seasoned potatoes once again and pulled a recipe for roasted potatoes with bacon, garlic, and onions. Just the pork loins in the crock pot began to make my mouth water. I decided I would serve biscuits with this meal. Hubby came home and you could see the relief in his face. He eagerly dug in and once again my kids were less hesitant to eat. There was even some left over for the hubby to take to work the next day.
As I was getting ready for bed, I am thinking of the chicken that is thawed. What can I do with it. So I am rolling ideas around in my head as I am going to bed, when I wake up the next day and while I am at the grocery store. It is there that it hits me, fried chicken, like chicken tenders. Then I start thinking about this pull apart garlic bread that I have been wanting to make. So I return home with a plan for a fun supper. This will once again be a surprise for the hubby. I prepared the garlic bread first and set it aside. Then I peeled the potatoes so we could have French fries. They are always a hit with the kiddos. Then the chicken. This would my first time to fry chicken. My hands were a sticky mess by the time the chicken was ready to fry. But I was ready. I turned on some music so I could jam out. The kids loved it. We were dancing around as the chicken fried and the fries were cooking, then I popped the bread into the oven and the house smelled scrumptious. I was on cloud 9. Hubby came in to a messy house, a daughter without a diaper, and his family laughing and dancing and singing and food freshly prepared. It was a magical feeling.
Needless to say dinner was a success and then afterwards we all walked to the mailbox. Through all of this I only slightly burned my right hand on the oven rack and a small slice to my left thumb. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be at home with the liberty to meal plan. I am blessed to have access to technology and books. I am thankful for a husband who has taught me to appreciate trying new foods, and recipes.
1 Corinthians 13-4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth no; charity vauntheth not itself, is not puffed up 5.) doth not behave itself unseemly seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6.) rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7.) beareth all thing, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
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