Christmas Trees and Buffalo Wings

I spent the whole day today decorating the house for Christmas. I didn't do anything else. The dished piled up in the sink, the laundry baskets silently filled up and dinner plans were not even considered until 4:30 when my oldest son asked the dreaded question, "what's for dinner?".

 I said, "go ahead and read the menu" thinking I was oh so clever and ready for this question ahead of time. "It says Shepherd's Pie" he replies to me, RATS! I haven't gotten the ground beef out to thaw, I haven't cooked the potatoes there was honestly no way this dinner was happening and we both knew it.

 He tells me, "I don't like Shepherd's Pie, ya know", so I asked what he did want for dinner. "Buffalo Wings" he says. Now I love those spicy little wings as much as the next gal, maybe even more than the next gal (if she was really thin and didn't enjoy spicy food dunked in blue cheese), but I didn't have frozen chicken wings and I don't think I have any idea how to even make the darn things. He wanted to go OUT to eat, and we both knew that too.

 Lucky for me, (and the whole family, really), I have the new Creates in my back pocket for occasions just like this. I can totally create something that is buffalo chicken flavor. I looked for my handouts for a minute (and couldn't find them - note to self... Find those!)So I brought the handouts up online, I was thinking something like the polynesian skillet that is one of our quick cooking meals. Buffalo Chicken over rice? That was it, now how was I going to create it? I brought my handout up on the computer screen. I was totally confident that I could do this.

 Step 1: Choose a protein - Chicken. Done, I popped it into the microwave to thaw while I planned the rest of my attack.
 Step 2: Choose a starch - Rice. Done, I had frozen rice in the freezer that I could just reheat. Got it out and moved on to the next phase of my plan
Step 3:Choose a flavor - Buffalo Sauce. This was going to be a bit more difficult, I had buffalo sauce in the fridge, but I didn't think I could add it straight on top of the chicken, what was I going to do? Okay, think back to the polynesian skillet recipe I am trying to "follow". (remind myself, I CAN do this) Choose the celery and green pepper option (along with buffalo sauce)
Step 4: Choose a vegetable - I had a bag of frozen mixed veggies in the freezer that I was going to use as a side dish.
Step 5:Choose a liquid - Water. Could I really already be at step 5. I really AM doing this.
Step 6: Choose a sauce - Hey! this is Exactly where my Buffalo sauce comes in!
Step 7:Choose a topping - Blue Cheese. How about some little cheese crumbles, just for authenticity.

So I mixed the water and the buffalo sauce, I put it into the skillet with my chicken and put the lid on to cook. I added a bit of water to my rice and popped it into the microwave to heat. As soon as that was done, I put it into the skillet and put the veggies in the microwave.

I let it cook until the chicken was done and most of the liquid was absorbed into the rice. It turned out really well and the kids were happy with their dinner choice and bellies were full and happy. I made something that was good for them (I even used brown rice) and good for me too. My confidence in the kitchen has increased and I will be ready next time dinner plans fall apart. Remember if I can do this, so can You.

New Utah Food $ense Video

How to Eat a Pomegranate

 Pomegranates are in season in the fall and so that is when they are the most flavorful and cost conscious to buy. I love them, but growing up we didn't know how to cut them very well and so we ending up getting messy and staining everything within out fingers' reach.  Perhaps that was part of the tempting rarity of the treat of pomegranates, but now that I am a mom and in charge of my own kitchen (and I love these fruit) we are going to do it the less-mess way.

 You just need to cut off the top, score down the sides, peel apart the chambers and pop out of the seeds!  EASY!

Here are the two best explanations that I have found. One for you instructional learners and one for you visual learners.  Once I watched the video, I was blown away and have been following his instructions ever since.




You can them use the seeds in salads, wraps, on top of cottage cheese - They are delicate and tart with a great little crunch.  I usually just end up eating them plain and enjoying my cleverness at freeing these delicious little seeds.

Is new always a good thing?

There is so much that is new around here at Food $ense, I'll be honest with you, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, it is exciting and fun and I really really like the "new", but I am not quite sure what to do with it, ya know.

I feel like I was just getting good at my menu planning and my budgeting, and just understanding the dietary guidelines. Now those things haven't "gone away", they are just in a new form and I am not adapting as quickly as I would like myself too.  It is a lot like The Love Boat, "exciting and new" I am all aboard, but it just happens to be a small city in size.

I made a create a ... stir fry two nights ago. I was very nervous because I didn't have all the kitchen tools that I felt I needed to have, but I needed a late dinner quick and my husband had just gotten back from the gym so he was wanting something "healthy".  I had some left over rice and thought to myself, "You can do this". (I say that to myself a lot, I guess I am the kind of person that needs lot of encouragement - the little pom-pom waver in my head must get really tired) So I warmed up the left over rice in the microwave, and opened the pantry to see what protein I could come up with. My husband hates beans so I turned to the trust canned chicken. I didn't have any fresh veggies on hand but I had a frozen bag of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and zucchini and decided to use that. I followed the instructions on the hand out and since the chicken was already cooked it went together super duper fast - like lightening fast! The smell brought the kids up from downstairs with questions of "what smells so good" and my husband suggested "we should make this more often". So dinner was deemed a wild success - the baby ate her weight in it and did the same the next day with the leftovers.

I know there is a lot of "new" that has been arriving and it is exciting and sparks our imagination, but we wonder what to do, it isn't what we know, it is what we are used to.  So hang in there with me as we make these changes.

Progress and change are exciting. I believe in this system and I believe in Food $ense, and most of all, I believe in you and you are amazing!

Are you feeling wildly inspired to be embrace some change? Enjoy this video we watched at Annual Conference. It is fabulous.

How do YOU My Plate contest

Here is a really fun contest that Food $ense is just starting.

It is going to be really exciting to see what creative ideas you all come up with.