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  • Mom On-The-Go Chicken Fajitas

    Mom On-The-Go Chicken Fajitas

    Are you always on the run? Easy dinners make your life easier? Love Mexican Food? Well these Chicken Fajitas are for you. I am always looking for easy, fast, and delicious recipes. I work a full time job, have a 15 mo old little boy at home, and don’t always have time to cook a healthy meal. I didn’t think these would turn out as amazing as they did at first. And talk about almost no prep time. Check it out, you’ll be shocked at how tasty these fajitas turn out.

    Chicken Fajitas

    Prep Time: 15 minutes

    Yield: About 9 fajitas
    Ingredients
    2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
    1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

    1 red and green bell pepper, sliced

    1 large red onion, sliced

    4 cloves garlic, minced

    1 Fajita Seasoning Packet 

    2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

    1 Cup of Water

    For Serving:

    Flour or corn tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, jalapeños, or cheddar cheese

    Directions

    Pour canned tomatoes into the slow cooker and spread into an even layer. Top with half of the peppers and half of the onions. Sprinkle garlic. Place Chicken Breasts in crockpot. 

    In a bowl whisk together seasoning packet, water, and lime juice. Evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning over chicken breasts then flip chicken and sprinkle in remainder. Top with remaining half of the tomatoes, then layer in remaining peppers and onions.

    Cover and cook on HIGH heat 3 – 4 hours or low heat 6 – 8 hours, until chicken has cooked through and veggies are tender.

    Remove chicken, and cut into strips, or shred. Serve warm in warmed tortillas with sour cream, guacamole, cheese, jalapeños, or salsa.

    Tada! Super easy chicken fajitas that you can turn on before you leave for work and have a complete meal ready by the time you get home. Enjoy!

  • Determination

    Determination

     Everyone has dreams and goals they strive for. But life is not a steady ride, nor a walk in the park. Life has it’s ups and downs. For some, they are able to be whatever they hope easily because of knowing the right people or being in the right place at the right time. But let me tell you, for most people if you want to achieve your dreams you are going to have to work hard at climbing towards your goals.

    I have had my share of uphill battles. People in my life have laughed at my goals and have even tried to stop me from achieving my dreams. I have listened at times and felt as if I will never be able to accomplish what I have a passion to do. Through lots of hardwork, experiences, and meditation, I just kept telling myself to keep on going. I can’t quit now, I’ve come too far. I can do whatever I set my mind to.  Don’t let people knock you down. It’s so easy for others to criticize and judge you because they don’t have the drive themselves to shoot for their aspirations. When it happens to you, and it will at some point in your life, just pick yourself back up and continue on your journey. Because in the end, you will respect yourself more for the determination of your drive to complete your goals. The world is your oyster. Go out there and strive to do whatever makes you happy! 

     

  • And Then There Were Two

    And Then There Were Two

    Being mom is never an easy job, whether you are a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, especially with a toddler. Just a little over ago, I had the most perfect little boy. Now, I’m 17 weeks pregnant with the second one. This one was definitely a shock. The plan was to wait another year before we would even start trying for the second one but I’m excited that my kids will be close in age. Some of best things in life can be accidental. The initial worries always come flooding in of how will we be able to afford another or will they both get the needed attention deserved? Will I favor one more? Will they get enough educational time from my husband and I? Silly questions that just unnerve you while your hormones are already going crazy.

    When I had my first, I knew that sleep was going to be limited and now with the other on the way I know it will be basically nonexistent. What I didn’t expect was how tired I would be baking the new bun in the oven and raising a one year old. Somedays during the first trimester, I was lucky to accomplish keeping the family fed and giving my son a bath. Which to me was the bare minimum of keeping everyone alive. It took so much out of me to not come home from work and pass out. I give props to all the mommas that have already gone through this. Pregnancy isn’t a cake walk in the first place. Well maybe for some, but they are either lying or I’m just not that lucky of a lady.

    I can’t wait to meet the new bun in the oven. I even think my toddler is starting to understand that there will be a new addition coming soon. Or he just thinks, “Wow! Mommy’s starting to get a belly.” I’m excited to see how similar or different my two children will be. I know that it will be tough some days. Life is never easy in the first place. I may feel like I’m focused more on the new baby at first, but I’ve already promised myself to make special playtime just for my toddler. Especially time for hugs, which my one year old is always so good about giving. It doesn’t matter if I have a to do list a mile long, when my little one says mom and snuggles, I drop everything to give him special attention. Bottom line, I can’t wait to see what life unfolds and want to give a shout out to all the mommas out there. Mom is a tough job that you are never truly prepared for but that’s why  women are so resilient and strong! 

  • Cooking Up the Holidays

    Cooking Up the Holidays

    Can’t help but cook up all my favorites during the Christmas Season. I am sure everyone has their favorite dishes for the season. I wanted to share my favs to spread the joy of the holidays. If you have a particular recipe you love, feel free to comment and share! Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!

    Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

    Total time: 25 mins
    Cook time: 10 mins
    Prep time: 15 mins
    Yield: 36 cookies

    2 cups of sugar
    1 stick of butter
    1/2 cup of milk
    3 1/4 cups of oatmeal
    6 tbsp of baking cocoa
    1/4 cup of peanut butter

    In a saucepan, melt butter and mix in sugar and milk on low heat. In a mixing bowl, combine oatmeal, baking cocoa, and peanut butter. Mix in sugar, butter, and milk mixture. On a sheet of wax paper, drop cookies. Let dry. Enjoy!

    Chocolate Pecan Pie

    Total time: 1hr 10 mins
    Cook time: 55 mins
    Prep time: 15 mins

    3 Eggs, lightly beaten
    1 cup Sugar
    2/3 cup Corn Syrup
    1/3 cup Honey)
    1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
    1 tsp Vanilla
    1 ½ cups Pecans
    1 cup Chocolate chips
    1 Pie crust

    Heat oven to 350°.

    Prepare Pie Crust in lightly buttered Deep Dish Pie Plate. Put chocolate chips in pie plate. Mix eggs, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Vegetable Oil, & Vanilla. Once liquids are combined, add Pecans. Pour Mixture into Pie Crust.Place Aluminum Foil around top edges of Pie Crust. Cook for 50 – 55 minutes.

    Sweet Potato Casserole

    Total time: 1hr 15 mins
    Cook time: 1hr
    Prep time: 15 mins

    4 Large Sweet Potatoes
    1/2 cup Brown Sugar
    1/4 cup Sugar
    3 tbsp of creamer
    2 tbsp Cinnamon
    1 bag of Marshmellows

    Preheat oven to 450.

    Cook sweet potatoes in the oven for 45 mins. Take out of oven and let cool for 5 mins. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes and add to the bowl. Add milk. Mash potatoes and mix until well combine. Put mixture in a casserole dish. Top with Marshmellows. Cook for 15 mins or until marshmellows are slightly browned.

    Green Bean Casserole

    Total time: 1hr 10 mins
    Cook time: 45 mins
    Prep time: 25 mins

    For the topping:
    2 medium onions, thinly sliced
    1/4 cup flour
    2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
    1 tsp salt

    For beans and sauce:
    2 tbsp salt
    1 pound fresh green beans
    2 tbsp butter
    12 oz mushrooms, sliced
    1/2 tsp ground black pepper
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1/4 tsp nutmeg
    2 tbsp flour
    1 cup chicken broth
    1 cup half-and-half

    Preheat the oven to 475.

    Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400.

    While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

    Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

    Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

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  • Taste of the Holidays

    Taste of the Holidays

    Christmas is almost here. One of my favorite parts of the season is all of the baking. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh baked cookies in the house. I have so many favorite cookie recipes it’s hard to choose. A couple staples of the holiday season are of course sugar cookies and oatmeal cookies. I adapted my sugar cookie recipe to make them slightly more fluffy. You could add raisins or nuts to the oatmeal cookies but it’s just my preference to have them simple. Hope your families have a beautiful and blessed Christmas! Happy Baking!

    Holiday Sugar Cookies

    Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
    Prep: 40 min
    Inactive: 30 min
    Cook: 10 min
    Yield: 24 cookies

    Ingredients

    3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup of French Vanilla Cake Mix
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    2 eggs
    3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
    2 teaspoon vanilla

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

    In a bowl, stir together flour, cake mix, and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minute, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks.

    Oatmeal Cookies

    Total Time: 40 min
    Prep: 30 min
    Cook: 10 min
    Yield: 36 Cookies

    Ingredients

    2/3 cup granulated sugar
    2/3 cup packed brown sugar
    1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
    1/2 cup shortening
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 eggs
    3 cups old-fashioned oats
    1 cup All-purpose flour

    Preheat oven to 375°F.

    In large bowl, beat all ingredients except oats and flour with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in oats and flour. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

    *****

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  • OCMS Knows How to Raise a Ruckus

    OCMS Knows How to Raise a Ruckus

    The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium was the place to be for some boot- scooting bluegrass last night. The crowd was in their best blue jeans and plaid. The show started at 8:00pm. Marty Stuart was the opening act and then Old Crow Medicine Show came out with a bang. Their lively and spirited performance had everyone up from their seats. The seven piece group put on a show like none other. I haven’t seen a concert so energetic. They promoted their new album, “Remedy,” but yet still played all the crowd favorites such as “Humdinger,” “Carry Me Back to Virginia,” and “Wagon Wheel.” The show lasted almost til 11:30pm including an encore performance with Marty Stuart invited to join the band. If you weren’t able to go last night, you missed an exciting show by some very talented musicians. Hopefully, Old Crow will be coming back to Chattanooga very soon!

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  • Lactose Intolerant and Cheesecake?

    Lactose Intolerant and Cheesecake?

    I know by reading the title you must be thinking how do those two things work together. Well, I found the solution to having your cake and eating it too in this situation. And no, the solution is not to take lactose enzymes to be able to eat the cheesecake.

    My husband unfortunately is lactose intolerant and has not been able to eat cheesecake for the longest time even though it’s one of his favorites. So, I had the grand idea of finding a way to make him a dairy free cheesecake. Now, let me get started by saying if you are not lactose intolerance just say a quick “Amen!” right now because you’re very lucky. It’s not always easy to make dairy free recipes turn out with a similar taste or texture as regular recipes. I strive very hard to make delicious dairy free meals and desserts for my hubby. Sometimes the recipes turn out funky and sometimes the recipes surprise me with a fantastic taste.

    This cheesecake not only looks amazing but it’s hard to even notice that it is dairy free. It’s a super simple recipe to put together. I know I love to always find new and exciting recipes that are dairy free and I hope that someone will be as excited to discover this great recipe.

    Dairy Free Cheesecake w/ Strawberry LimeTopping

    Prep: 30 mins
    Cook: 1 hr 15 mins
    Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins
    Yield: 1 10″ Cheesecake

    Crust:
    1 1/4 c Graham Cracker Crumbs
    1/4 c Sugar
    5 tbsp melted dairy free Butter

    Filling:
    4 8-oz packages dairy free Cream Cheese
    1 1/4 cup Sugar
    3 Large Eggs
    1/3 c dairy free Sour Cream
    1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

    Topping:
    1lb Strawberries, sliced
    1/4 c Water
    1/4 c Sugar
    1/2 c Lime Juice

    Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 10″ spring-form pan with dairy free Butter and set pan aside.
    In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar until well combined. Add the melted dairy free butter and mix until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place in the oven for 5 minutes. Let cool while preparing the filling.
    Using an electric mixer, beat the dairy free cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to mix for 2-3 mins or until smooth. Add the eggs, beating until well combined, then add the dairy free sour cream and pure vanilla extract, beating well with each addition. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 1 hr and 15 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake is lightly golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely for 1-2 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill completely. Top with the Strawberry Lime topping.

    Strawberry Lime Topping:

    Slice strawberries and put into a small saucepan.
    Add water, sugar, and lime juice into saucepan. Mix together.
    Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 mins.

    *****

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  • Time flies when you’re having fun!

    Time flies when you’re having fun!

    Oh, the joys of being a mom!

    My little one is 3 months now. What an experience it has been so far! I went back to work when sweet pea was 6 weeks old. And goodness, was that ever the hardest thing emotionally I have ever had to deal with. Luckily, my husband is able to work from home so he can watch our little one. Leaving sweet pea that first week felt like I was abandoning him. I cried the whole way to work, but as the weeks kept going it got easier.

    Being a working mom is no walk in the park. Before while I was at home, cleaning the house was a breeze, running errands came easy, working out was a piece of cake, and free time for little one was no problem. Well, REALITY CHECK!!! Add a full time job and you’ll start to wonder where your time went. I am a planner though so once I found my routine it became easier. But my first month back to work, my schedule was so up in the air. I would spend as much time as I could with sweet pea when I got home from work, occasionally would clean up the house, and would run a couple errands here or there. But to workout? Who has time for that with everything else. Are you sure walking around during the day at my job doesn’t count? And to cook dinner? Dinner better come out of a bag or you better pray hard a delivery boy shows up at the door with something to eat. Things started to get behind, and a chaotic schedule just does not fit my personality. I have to be organized and structured or else I won’t get anything done.

    Now, I have my planned daily schedule, and can go with the routine. My house is clean, my errands are caught up, I’m able to workout at least 5 days a week, dinner is cooked every night ( and it’s an actual homemade meal), and I get a bunch of time with my little one still everyday. I give props to all the working moms out there, it’s not an easy job! It takes time to stay organized and plan out a daily schedule to meet all the demands of a daily life. And to all the stay at home moms and dads, you guys rock, because the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s hard work to keep a little one entertained and happy all day long. What I have learned from having my sweet little boy is thank God for planners and structure and how much fun it is to be a mom. This is only the beginning and I can’t wait to see what exciting adventures lie ahead!

  • New life, New Beginnings

    New life, New Beginnings

    On March 25th, my husband and I were proud to announce the birth of our sweet baby boy. All the months before imagining what he would look like and how he would be was being answered right then. I never have felt so much joy until I held him in my arms for the first time. My husband gives me a hard time for shouting at the doctor, “Give him to me!,” as soon as he arrived.
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    I was worried that I might not know how to take care of him or keep him happy, but as soon as he was here it was like my husband and I flipped a switch and we became parents. Now don’t get me wrong, parenthood is a learning process and we are learning something new everyday. And thank goodness for grandparents and great grandparents, because they have always got some good tricks up their sleeves. We are learning the ropes pretty quick though.
    We couldn’t put him down during the first 36 hours, we were so in awe. We just kept passing him back and forth to each other. We didn’t know how much we could love a person until he arrived. We feel every emotion he feels, and can’t stand to see him sick or upset. He developed Jaundice a couple days after he was born. To watch him under the phototherapy lights was torture not only for him but for us as well. My husband and I took shifts holding his little hand all day so he wouldn’t feel alone. Now, that sweet boy has been home and healthy for over a week now. We couldn’t ask for a better baby. He’s so calm. We are loving every minute of parenthood. Being a mom is an amazing job and I’m so glad I get to experience it. My husband is an amazing dad too. I don’t think he would ever quit holding him if he didn’t have to. When he gets home from work those two are inseparable.

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    There are going to ups and downs ahead and challenges that we may not know how to handle at first, but I know that we will eventually figure out the best solution together. I love my family and can’t wait to see what the future holds for my little one.

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  • Waiting on Baby…..

    Waiting on Baby…..

    So these last couple weeks, my husband and I have been trying to be as prepared as possible for our sweet baby boy to get here. The anticipation has been driving us crazy. I’ve constantly been keeping the house spotless and organizing all of the baby items. We decided to use cloth diapers for our little one and trying to figure out the best way to fold them much less pin them was a bit of a challenge. I can’t tell you how many times I pinned a diaper on a teddy bear just to make sure I get it right. We put the car seat in the car to be prepared if he came early. Watching my husband get that secure in the backseat was a memory I will never forget. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in awhile. Putting together the cradle rocker for little bit was a feat in its self as well. For things made for babies, you wouldn’t think that they would be so difficult to install or assemble. But you live and learn. Now we are completely ready for our sweet bundle of joy to arrive any day now. We’ve learned so far that there are going to be plenty of tasks along the way that will be taxing, but together we will make it through them. We will only get wiser and stronger through each test we pass. And we may even get a few laughs along the way.