Mellow Monday: Chicken Taco Chili

I'm baack!!! :)  Did you miss me?  Wait, wait...don't answer that!  I am just going to go on with the assumption that you missed me last week and are super excited to see my email/post.

After two weeks of camping with our goslings, grandparents, brother/sister in-law, our bestest friend and his girl, plus the numerous visitors, I am soo ready for MELLOW MONDAY!  Yet, today marks the beginning of a very busy week that leads into the first week of school!  Where did our summer go?

I am so excited to share with you the activities of our vacation, but that will have to wait.  We have much more important things to discuss.  Dinner for tonight!  I will be relying heavily on my slow cooker this week.  I pulled today's recipe comes from Ziplist.com, but they pulled it from Ginna's Skinny Recipes at Skinnytaste.com.  I've used many of her recipes and love her site.  Make sure you check it out.  I will be making a little extra so that I can use the leftover meat for a meal the following night.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream.

Enjoy this yummy meal!  Check out below how I'm using my leftovers.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I like to menu plan.  I follow several other bloggers who do the same, such as OrgJunkie.com.  I love looking at what others are eating to gain ideas, but mostly drool over what I could be eating.  I thought this week, I'd share with you what is on my meal plan.  Hopefully, you'll be able to gain some ideas...and maybe even drool a little.

Monday:  Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili
Tuesday:  Chicken Chili Taco Pockets - (Stuffing leftovers from chicken chili and into crescent rolls, serving with sour cream and guacamole)
Wednesday: Crockpot Beer Chicken
Thursday:  Crockpot Chili Dogs
Friday:  Guacamole Burgers (BBQ'ing hamburgers and adding guacamole)
Saturday:  Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Sunday:  Lake day - Leftovers

Do you like to menu plan?  It helps me to stay on budget, stay on track with food choices and frankly, just makes life easier.  If you'd like to see more menu plans, head over to OrgJunkie.com.

Always - Momma Goose

A thought...

After almost a week of beautiful weather, the clouds have turned gray and the rain is falling on our campsite. It started this morning around 6:30 and has been on and off since. It is barely enough to make your hair wet, but just the enough to allow for the wonderful aroma of wet wilderness.

Some people would be miserable in these conditions. But these four geese love it! Well...come to think of it, I bet geese in the wild love these conditions, so I guess its not that surprising.

Which got me thinking...What are some of our favorite activities for rainy day schedule?

We build a fort in the living room.

We bake cookies.

We have an indoor beach day, hanging out in the bath tub in our bathing suits.

We play on the back covered patio, while watching and listening to the rain.

We pop a big bowl of popcorn and drink hot chocolate and watch a movie.

But...today our options are limited. So what are we doing?

Brother Goose is racing and spinning donuts with his remote control car,  Baby Goose and I are hanging under the "Easy-Up" watching the race, we are listening and singing along to our favorite tunes while Daddy Goose is keeping a fire going. Don't worry...we have the popcorn and hot cocoa!

Its days like these that are hard to come by at home. No distractions from work, school, bills, household chores, etc, etc, etc.

What do you do on a rainy day schedule??

Always ~ Momma Goose

Practical Christianity

"In God we trust."

Its written on our money. Its written on buildings. You see and hear those words countless times throughout your life.

Yet...is it true?? Do we trust God??

I'll just go out on a limb here and say, I don't think it is true. We (as a nation) don't trust God. In fact, we are constantly questioning God. We question His motives, His plans, His power and even His actuality.

We love to praise Him when things go our way or when something good happens. "He knew what he was doing when He..." Fill in the blank. But when we're having a bad day or life gets messy, its "Why God? Why did he have to die?" or "Why did I lose my job." or "Why me?"  You've said these things before. Heck, I'll admit, I've said these things before.

But...wait...I thought we trusted God.

Shouldn't we trust God regardless of the situation? Shouldn't we trust that His motives, plans, power and existence are true and right?

Trust is a tricky thing. Its one of those emotion you have to blindly believe. Most people have a hard time trusting if they can't see or feel something.

I am one of those people that has a hard time trusting if I can't see or feel it. I want to change this about myself. I want to blindly trust God and His motives, plans, power and existence. Don't you?

Trusting in God IS something you can feel. You can feel it in your heart, mind and soul. We just have to be better about trusting OURSELVES. Trusting that feeling God places in our heart, minds and souls.

My goal: "In God I trust." Completely. Without question. How about you?

Always ~ Momma Goose

Toddler Tuesday: Camping

Remember when you could throw a few things in a bag and run to the coast for the weekend? Or when you left for a week long vacation and all you needed was what you could fit in one bag?

I've blogged about how much stuff I take with me on a simple walk around the block...can you imagine how much stuff Daddy Goose and I pack for a two week camping trip??!!

The two week camping trip tradition dates farther back than me being a part of my in-laws family. In fact, it pre dates Daddy Goose. These geese have had a long standing date with the last 2 weeks of July and a certain lake in central California. We love it here and hate when "life" gets in the way of our trip.

So, last summer when Baby Goose was born, we were already planning to fit this trip into our vacation plans. And...finally...here we are!! Camping for two weeks with two toddlers!!

We practically brought EVERYTHING we own!!!! And Im still thinking of stuff I'd like to have here.

Yet, the best part of this trip is not all the stuff we brought, nor the stuff that we could have brought.

Its the dirt. Its the lake. Its all four of us sleeping on a queen size mattress. Its giggling with Daddy Goose by the fire after our goslings are asleep. Its the smell of fresh air. Its uninterrupted family time. Its teaching Brother Goose about what Daddy Goose did here as a kid. Its making awesome memories with our family and friends that come to visit.

Its camping!!

Always ~ Momma Goose

Freezer Friday: July 13, 2013

Source

Da, na, na, na. Da, na, na, na. (Insert Friday the 13th/Twilight theme music here).  I decided a long time ago that I wasn't superstitious about Friday the 13th, but there are plenty of people out there that stay in their house on days like this.  Are you one of them?  Do you have any bad luck stories?  I'd love to hear them!

However, I don't like to dwell on bad luck, so let's move on to something funner and yummier! Freezer Friday.

It has been so super duper hot here this past week, we are eating frozen everything.  Frozen grapes, frozen blueberries, frozen chocolate bananas, popcicles, ice cream.  Brother Goose has even tried to get into the freezer a couple of times.

You all know that I love freezer cooking.  It makes life here so much easier.  While I don't always have the time to do one big freezer cooking day, I like to double my recipe and save the extra for another day.  But, today's freezer recipe is one of those that I just know you'll want to make over and over. You may end up making quadruple the recipe so that you have some for the rest of the summer.

This recipe is from Once a Month Mom.  She has an excellent Diet Menu prepared by several contributors.  This recipe is from Abbi.  Just look at them - they won't be anything less than delicious.  Here is the bonus part for you Weight Watcher fans...THEY ARE ONLY 1 POINT!!

Tri-Berry Yogurt Pops

Author/Source:
Abbi @ Onceamonthmom.com

Photo Courtesy of: Once A Month Mom

Ingredients:

• 2 cups low-fat Greek yogurt, plain
• 0.5 cups blueberries
• 0.5 cups chopped strawberries
• 1 cup water
• 2 raspberry tea bags
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• Popsicle Molds

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  Turn off, add teabags and allow to steep and cool.  Mix remaining ingredients, swirl in tea.  Divide among popsicle molds.

Freezing Directions:

Freeze until solid.  To remove from the mold, dip mold in warm water to loosen.  Popsicles can be wrapped individually and stored before serving.

I hope these help your family cool down during these hot summer days!  We are definitely going to be making these ASAP!

Happy Friday the 13th friends!

Always, Momma Goose

A thought...

It is 1:00 a.m. and I am still awake...again!  For the past few weeks, Daddy Goose and I have been staying up way too late.  Apparently, we are on a vacation schedule.  1:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m. and even 4:00 a.m. the other night.  Well, technically, it was the other morning, but lets not get technical at such a crazy hour of the day/night.  For some reason I keep putting myself through this torture.

What is wrong with me? It's not like Daddy Goose and I are up doing something productive. We watch our favorite DVR'd programs, we pause said shows 1500 times to discuss the crazy things that happened during the day or we play slot machine games on our phones while cuddling next to each other on the couch and celebrating each others' big "wins." (Don't worry it isn't for real money.)

Yet, we can't seem to get all of this productivity accomplished prior to the date changing on the calendar.  Part of it is Daddy Goose's late work schedule and part of it is that we lose track of time when we are together.  The latter, is a great problem to have after being together as long as we have...so no complaints about that here.

Here's the thing, my goslings do not care what time I go to sleep.  They will be up between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.  They will be ready for the day, regardless of my alertness.  Never in a million, zillion years did I think I'd be one of those people who's first thought as they step out of bed is about coffee.  Yet, here I am in my mid-30s and I am that person.  Daddy Goose and I are like zombies getting out of bed, risen by our goslings or the blaring alarm clock.  I'm sure mornings are a sight.  In fact, one of Brother Goose's favorite activities is to "push" Daddy Goose out of bed in the morning.

Source

Which got me thinking...

• When will I learn that 10:00 p.m. is a better bedtime for me?  

• Will staying up this late end up causing long term problems for me? How will I know? Will I be too tired to realize the problems?

• How do I train myself to go to bed earlier?  By the way...that was sort of a rhetorical question, I know the science behind going to be earlier.

• I guess the better question is not how to train myself to go to bed earlier, but when will I train myself to go to bed earlier?

What are your thoughts?

~ Momma Goose








Its OK that...
I stay up way to late with Daddy Goose.I bought Brother Goose an umbrella in July.I am going to bed (at some point) with dirty dishes in my sink.Baby Goose ate her dinner wearing only a diaper...it was hot today!Coffee is one of the first thoughts on my mind in the morning.

Toddler Tuesday: Self Soothing

A couple of months ago, Baby Goose started pinching me on the chest and neck.  I don't even think I noticed it at first, but then after a couple of days I started to get sore.  Now this has become Baby Goose's self-soothing mechanism and she cannot go to sleep without pinching.

It was funny at first...not funny, like "ha-ha," but funny like what a strange self-soothing mechanism.  I'd never heard of a baby pinching to feel better.  After a few weeks of a painful bedtime routine, I decided that it was time for some research and a change.  To my surprise, Baby Goose is not the only baby that pinches to self soothe.  In fact, I found a lot of mommas who had the same issue.

Don't get me wrong, I have tried a lot of things to get her to stop. I've introduced loveys, put on high neck shirts, placed a blanket in between her and I, held her hands down, placed my hand over the area as well as anything else I could think to do.  None of them have worked.  She either moves whatever is in her way of my chest/neck or she is unable to calm down and get comfortable.  I'm sure what I'm lacking is consistency in any of these methods.  If one of these substitutes doesn't work within a week, I try something else or I give in to her need. I have days when I'm at my whits end with the issue, mostly because my neck and chest are hurting so badly. Then there are other days, when I "suck it up" and think to myself that she will not do this forever and I will miss her needing me to soothe.

I try to be one of those mommas that believes that every stage of life will not last forever and I must enjoy each and every moment - even if it is a little annoying or in this case painful.   If and when this pinching becomes something other than soothing (like out of anger, frustration or to be hurtful), I will change my attitude and technique.  That type of behavior is unacceptable regardless of the stage of life. Thankfully, at this point, that is not Baby Goose's issue.  For now, I will keep trying new ways to help her learn to self soothe and I will enjoy each and every painful second.

Do you have a baby that had the same type of self soothing mechanism?  If you have any suggestions on helping Baby Goose find other ways to self soothe, I am happy and open to hearing them.

Momma Goose

Mellow Monday: Creamy Summer Vegetable Stew

Happy Mellow Monday, all!

It always amazes me how quickly time goes.  Since I started Momma Goose & Gaggle, time has gone even more quickly.  It seems as though I was just writing a Mellow Monday post.  Today is going to be a great day.  Brother Goose, Baby Goose and I will be working on laundry, baking yummy S'mores Muffins, making chocolate covered frozen bananas and hopefully spending a lot of time cooling down in our "pool."

I was perusing Facebook & Twitter last night and noticed a lot of you spent yesterday doing chores and/or running around having fun.  I hope that you change your pace a little today, enjoy a slow cooked stew and have a Mellow Monday.

Today's slow cooker meal comes from Family Circle.  They have a fantastic website!  I've found many things there that have helped me along the way as a wife and momma.  From food to style, they have it all!

Creamy Summer Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

• 8 ounces frozen pearl onions
• 2 cups baby carrots, halved
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
• 1/2 pound zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch half-moons
• 1 15 1/2 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese
• 2 cups cooked white rice (optional)

Instructions

Place onions, carrots, corn, broth, vinegar and 1-1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours.

Stir in zucchini and chickpeas; cook for 45 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together cream, cornstarch, salt, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence; set aside.

Stir in cream mixture and tomatoes and cook an additional 15 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with Asiago and serve with rice, if desired.


Over the weekend, I had a chance to stop by my favorite strawberry stand. They have always had THE best strawberries, but now they are selling vegetables, too! I love farmers' markets, but there isn't one where I live...yet...so this stand is the next best thing! I bought baby tomatoes, they are perfection! I cannot wait to try out more of their veggies

What are you doing today?  Share your Mellow Monday activities with me!

Momma Goose

Sunday Social

Around here, we call Sunday, "Sunday Funday."  It's usually our day to go to church, the lake, hang with friends and, well...socialize.  Which is why, when I found this "Sunday Social" at one of the blogs I follow, I was excited to socialize with other bloggers and make it a part of my Sunday Funday.

Neely from A Complete Waste of Makeup and Ashley from Ashley's Carnival Ride are our hostesses.  Check out my post below and then make sure you visit our hostesses as well as other bloggers that have participated in the social.

This week's Sunday Social topic is TV

1.  Favorite TV show of the past

Hands down,#1 favorite TV show from the past, Beverly Hills 90210

Although, I really miss Entourage and Sopranos.
They run a very close tie for second place.

2.  Favorite current TV show

Our DVR is full of my favorite current TV shows, but I'd have to say the one that we never get backed logged on is Nurse Jackie.
I am always on pins and needles waiting for the next show.
And...now new season!
Darn you Showtime for having such short seasons!

Daddy Goose and I also really enjoy Parenthood. 

We relate really well with several of the characters.

3. Which reality show would you NEVER do?

Even though I love to camp and be outdoors,

I am sure that I would never do well on Survivor.

Still, I need a frequent shower and REAL FOOD

4.Which reality show would you LOVE to do?

Daddy Goose, Brother Goose and I love to watch Wipeout!

It is always entertaining and lifts your spirits after a tough day.

It looks painful, but like a ton of fun.

5. What is the TV personality/character that you feel is most like you?

Well, according to my brother-in-law, I am exactly like Whitney Cummings
from the television show on NBC, Whitney.
Which, by the way, I have absolutely no problems with,
she is pretty,quirky AND hilarious!

6. Which TV character would you want to date?

This question took me the longest to answer.  TV men are all very good looking.
You already know that one of my favorite shows is Nurse Jackie,
so I have to go with Peter Facinelli.  Not only is his character good looking,
but he's an ER doc, funny and a little air-headed.
Plus, his character is one of my favs in the Twilight saga!

Thank you Neely and Amber!   This was a ton of fun and a great way to spend my Sunday Funday!

Momma Goose

Five Minute Friday: Story

On Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write gather to share what five minutes buys them.  Just five minutes.  Unscripted.  Unedited.  Real.  Check out mine below, and then see others at  Five Minute Friday.

Story

What is my story?  Is it the Disney prince charming one?  Or is it a nightmare on elm street horror type book? From where I sit, it is a combination of both.  I have the prince, I have the fairytale life (minus the millions of dollars), but it has taken a lot of nightmares (well, more like rough roads) to get to this point.  But, who doesn't have tough roads?  Who doesn't have a little nightmare chapter in their story?  If you say you don't, I say...your nightmare chapter just hasn't been written yet.

Its these chapters in life that make the fairytale chapters that much sweeter.  Like the prince that has to fight the dragon to get to his one true love.  She loves him even more because he fought so hard for their love.

The only thing we can hope for in our story is that the fairytale chapters far out weigh the nightmare ones.  And that while living through those nightmares we hold on to the light at the end of the tunnel and know that the fairytale WILL be back.

That's my story...and I'm sticking to it!

Momma Goose

My New Years Resolution

Okay, okay so I know I'm a little late with this topic.  But, if you know me, I don't seem to do many things "on time."  I will probably be late to my own funeral. (Isn't that how the joke goes?)

I once read that most people give up on their New Years resolution by January 22.  Seriously!!  That's only 21 days...3 weeks!! (Although, you know no one starts their diet on New Years Day.  It's always on Jan. 2) Have you ever quit your resolution before the end of January?  It's okay to admit....I have totally given up before the end of January.

Image courtesy of:  Directory Journal

I'd like to suggest a redo of our resolutions.  Sunday, July 1, marked exactly halfway through 2012. (I'm even a little late for July 1st...but better late than never, right??) So, let's start over.  Either rev up your enthusiasm for the resolutions you made six months ago or make new commitments. 1/2 Year Resolutions.  Maybe success won't be as hard because the hype and pressure of the New Year is gone.  I honestly could not come up with any resolutions at the beginning of the year, but this time I am prepared.  Here are my 1/2 Year resolutions:

Drink more water each day.

Be more consistent about jogging/exercising.

Find new ways to show Daddy Goose how much I appreciate his hard work.

Be more patient of and forgiving to those who hurt me.

Are you ready to do this?  I will help you, will you help me? We need accountability partners to make this work. If its not me, find someone who will help you stick with it.

Good luck with your 1/2 Year Resolutions! Let's check-in frequently to make sure we're succeeding.

Momma Goose

Toddler Tuesday: 4th of July Craft Projects

Wow did I have big plans for today.  Between MOPS, crafting here with my goslings, blogging, finishing up my catch up cleaning and the town fireworks display tonight, it was going to be a non-stop day.  However, I should know that the only thing I should plan for as a parent is not to be to attached to one plan, because it doesn't always work out exactly how I'd planned.  Today's plan buster, Brother Goose is sick.  (Don't worry, I'm sure its nothing serious.  With a little extra snuggling, sleep and Tylenol I'm sure he'll be back to running me ragged tomorrow.)  To make things a little more interesting, both of my goslings were up at 6 a.m.!!!!  If you don't know this about Daddy Goose and I already...WE LOVE TO SLEEP!  Usually, so do my goslings.  It's generally pretty quiet around here until around 8 a.m. unless we have somewhere to be.  So, while I'm always planning and hoping for naps, I am sure they will be a little longer than normal today.

Even though WE may not be crafting, I didn't want you to be neglected.  Here are a few of the ideas I gathered for today:

A 4th of July Noise Maker from Toddler Craft.

Photo courtesy of: Toddler Craft

This flag color by number from Kids Soup.

Image courtesy of: Kids Soup

Or this Craft Stick Flag from Projects for Preschoolers.

Photo courtesy of: Projects for Preschoolers

Who knows, we might even still get to them.  Sometimes a little quiet crafting is a good way to pass the time when you're not feeling well.  I'm not planning anything for today, we'll just take it as it comes.  Good luck to you and your crafting today or whatever you have planned.

Momma Goose

Mellow Monday: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders

After a lazy weekend with Daddy Goose, I'm feeling like this will NOT be a mellow day.  While I did do dishes and a couple loads of towels/sheets yesterday, that was pretty much all I did.  I didn't even cook!  My lazy weekend is even more reason to have a slow cooker meal tonight, we'll be able to have a home cooked meal without all the work in the kitchen.  I can save all my time and energy to accomplish the rest of my chores today.

I'm starting the holiday week off with a classic 4th of July meal, BBQ sauce smothered on...well, anything will do, but we will be having pork roast.  I found today's recipe on Holidays Central. This the first time I've been on the site, but I will definitely be adding it to my bookmarks.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders

Ingredients

• 1 boneless pork roast (about 2 to 2.5 pounds
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 12 slider rolls

Instructions

In the pot of a slow cooker, add olive oil, barbeque sauce, apple cider vinegar, water, brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion and garlic.  Whisk together until thoroughly combined.  Create diagonal lines to score the roast. Place the roast in  the slow cooker.  Coat the roast rolling it in the sauce. Cover.

Cook in the crockpot on low for 7-8 hours. Alternatively, cook the roast on high for 5-6 hours. The roast is done when it shreds easily with a fork.  Shred the meat in the slow cooker pot and use a spoon to coat the pork with the sauce.  Toast the slider rolls. Spoon the pork onto buns. Makes 12 sliders.

I'm really excited about this kid-friendly meal.  Brother Goose loves sliders because they are perfect for his little hands, while Sister Goose enjoys the meat from my slow cooker because it's juicy and practically melts in her mouth.

Do you have any classic 4th of July slow cooker recipes?  Share your recipe link with me on my Facebook or Twitter page.

Enjoy your Mellow Monday!

Momma Goose