Comfort Food: Chicken Pot Pie Edition

Isn't winter the perfect time of year for comfort food?  What is better than eating a warm meal in your softest sweats and only having a few dishes to clean afterwards?  This is a quick and easy chicken pot pie recipe that won't ruin your diet and when we are on a more serious diet we usually leave one of the crusts off (either the top or the bottom, your choice!). You can simplify this recipe even more by using pre-made pie crusts.

Ingredients:

One bag of frozen mixed vegetables (between 3 and 4 cups depending on size of pie dish)

One can of Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup

One or two chicken breasts cooked and cubed

Pie crust(s) (Either pre-made or a really great homemade oil pastry)

Recipe:

Mix frozen vegetables, can of soup and cooked chicken.  Pour into pie crust.  Position second pie crust on top and pinch sides of top and bottom crust together.  Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until cooked thoroughly and top is golden brown. 

Seriously, could it be much simpler?

Making Your Own Baby Food: the Basics

Making your baby's food takes a little effort but is totally worth it to know exactly what he or she is eating. All you need is something to purée with (food processor, blender or my favorite, an immersion blender), something to store the food in (freezer tray, small containers, ziplock bags) and food!  Warning: You may become obsessed with puréeing!

Below is a list and quick directions with foods I fed baby girl from 5 and a half months to 8 and a half months.  These are just suggestions, check with your doctor if you have concerns, every baby is different!

Apples - fresh apples, dice, boil then purée

Peas  - frozen sweet peas, steam, then purée

Carrots - organic baby carrots, steam, then purée

Green beans - frozen green beans, steam, then purée

Winter Squash - cut in half, remove innards and roast in the oven (400 degrees in 2 inches of water for 30-45 minutes), scoop out and then purée

Lentils - khaki colored dried lentils, follow directions on bag (Soak overnight, boil for 30 minutes in the morning), drain, then purée

Pears - fresh pears, dice and then purée

Peaches - fresh or canned (in 100% juice and no artificial sweeteners), just purée

Bananas- fresh bananas, just mash them up!

Sweet potatoes - fresh sweet potatoes, bake them whole, scoop out and then purée

Spinach - saute covered in frying pan until wilted (you don't need to add any oil unless you want to), then purée (I don't give her spinach plain, I add it to carrots or peas to give her a little extra nutrients)

If your baby doesn't love your purées like they love the Gerber ones, don't fret!  I found that it was usually a consistency issue (not thin enough or too chunky).  To fix that just add breast milk or formula or keep blending until the consistency seems right.  Sometimes when I would give her a new vegetable she wouldn't eat it but if I mixed it with carrots she would.  I would just gradually add less carrots until she liked the new veggie by itself.  One more tip, one of my mommy friends would add parmesan cheese to green beans or other veggies until baby liked it without parmesan.  Mommy's try just about anything to get baby to eat (and love) greens!

From one mama to another, enjoy and happy puréeing!
xoxo

Vegetarian Chili

We've had several winter storms lately that have been pretty disappointing if you are like me and love snow.  We've gotten snow that is pretty while it is falling but nothing has really stuck yet, definitely not enough for a snowman!  These storms have brought the cold air though and on days when it is too cold for a walk through Clarendon even with baby girl's Bundle Me and a hat and mittens we like to stay in and stay warm.  While baby girl plays with her new favorite standing toy I  like to cook a good quick vegetarian chili.

I've tweaked this chili for years now and I think I've finally got the best combination.  My husband ("Daddio") hates when I change a recipe so I try not to tell him when I do it!  I can make this meal on the fly since most of the ingredients are usually in my pantry.

Chili Sin Carne

1 large onion

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 can of diced tomatoes (use the tomatoes with chilis if you want to add some extra spice)

1 can of black beans (drained)

1 can of dark red kidney beans (drained)

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. paprika

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of cilantro and a little extra to garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Optional (add 1/2 can of garbanzo beans or 1 can of corn)

In a large pot, saute onion until translucent, add diced garlic towards the end.  Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes, stir. Add cumin, chili powder, paprika.  Stir and simmer for a few minutes.  Add beans and cilantro (and optional corn, if desired) and simmer for at least ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with a garnish of cilantro.  You can make this early in the day and just turn the stove back on when you are almost ready to eat.

Total cost: $6 (6 servings) (Not including on-hand spices.  Note: I did not have cilantro on hand and I paid $2 for an organic bunch from Whole Foods.  I love cilantro so it was worth it to me but Daddio could take it or leave it, so omitting the cilantro would make this $4 for 6 servings.  Whaat?)

A New Beginning

"They" say that having a baby changes your life.  Well, yes, it's true.  Life is good, everyday is good and for us, life with a baby is even better.  We were blessed with a smart, strong, determined and healthy baby girl in 2013.  I left my job as a paralegal in DC to become a full time mama.  I'm used to being challenged and while the first 6 months of my daughter's life were extremely challenging, she seems to be in a good place now.  I'm not especially proud of it but I've memorized a ton of children's books, all of Rock and Roll Elmo's songs, and have discovered some pretty effective tickle spots.  As exciting and impressive as it all may sound, I need an outlet and I'm planning on this being it.  My chance to write, to release, and hopefully connect with others through my stories and recipes.

xoxo