Chicken Stir-Fry

I made this for dinner a few days ago when I was short on ingredients and time. Salean had just gone down for a nap (after a very long and busy day) and I couldn't find much in the freezer and fridge. I went to the Kraft Canada website and filled out their recipe finder. Three ingredients: Chicken, Italian Dressing and frozen Veggies. It came back with a half dozen recipes, and I chose this one, chicken stir-fry.

Chicken Stir-Fry.

1 lb. (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing, divided
2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 tsp. lite soy sauce

Stir fry chicken in 2 Tbsp dressing until no longer pink. Add veggies, remaining dressing and soy sauce. Stir fry 5 minutes, or until chicken is done and vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Yum! It turned out quite nice, but not very filling. I only used one chicken breast, and just threw in enough veggies to make it look like a meal. My only complaint about the recipe is the initial dressing started to burn before the chicken was cooked. I had to take the chicken out of the pan, scrape the burnt dressing off it and the pan and then continue cooking the chicken. Otherwise, it turned out great!

Next time, I may make this with some rice to make it more filling, unfortunately today I did not have any in the cupboard. I managed to get it half eaten before Salean woke from her nap! She still naps only twenty minutes at a time, except for the morning, she will usually take a 45 to 60 minute one.

The week is almost to an end, it's been a long one! With a teething, fussy baby the days seem longer, I look forward to bedtime!

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

~Natasha.

September

The summer has come to an end, it is getting cooler, fast, and Miss Salean has grown. She is now eight and a half months old, and able to do so many things!

So serious, this is from her first Canada Day back in July. There was so much to see and do! She saw her first fireworks, and went on her first trip to the museum, and with Nanny's help, her first bouncy castle!

Also in July, with Daddy's help, Salean first dipped her toes into the Bay of Fundy. The ocean water was quite cold, but she seemed to enjoy it!

In August, we went trick-or-treating with her cousins at their campground! I made her a Wonder Woman costume to match her cousin Jack, who is a month younger and dressed up as Superman! I made it out of duct tape, a Canada Day onesie, a blue diaper cover (from a dress), her Canada Day boots and a bit of ribbon and fun foam.

It was a fun day and we got lots of candy and chips!!

Salean trying out my Lasagna , I'd say this was a success!

On Labour Day weekend, Salean had her first Timbit, which is a doughnut hole for those who don't have a local Tim Hortons. She loved it and now gets one each weekend for a treat when Daddy gets his coffee.

We moved on Labour Day, as well. This is Salean's little nook in our new living room. She is also able to move and play freely in her new bedroom, as it is much bigger than her old nursery.

And finally last weekend, Salean learned to stand! She has been pulling up onto everything this week. She stands up, realizes she does not know how to go anywhere (although she really wants to), and then cries to be rescued. Very soon, she will be cruising the furniture!

As well, I have gotten Salean transitioned completely to cloth diapers in the daytime. I would have to change her at least 3 times at night and don't want to wake her, so I still put a disposable on her at bedtime.

Well, that's my updates for the month, I have some new recipes to share and as the holidays come closer, some crafts as well. I can't wait for Salean's first Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas, followed by her birthday! It's going to be a fun time!

Hope everyone had a great summer!!

~Natasha.

An Update

Baby Salean is 5 months old! Where has the time gone? So much for two posts a week! It has been such a busy time, play groups, walks, cooking and cleaning and playing. Here are some updated pictures of our little Jellybean!

In May, at four months old, Salean was weighed in at 13 Lbs, 8 oz. She had a hard day after her needles; so exhausted, she couldn't even hold her head up! She laid in Daddy's arms moaning until she finally fell asleep.

We have been dabbling in first foods, poor Salean has a fussy palate, it seems. She tried, and disliked, Mango (above), banana, apple and rice cereal. She liked sweet potato, avocado and is starting to like squash. She also tried oatmeal, but it made her sick :-( poor baby.

We took our first visit to a playground, Salean loves the swings! This is the look she gave me when I hopped on a swing beside her!

She loves her toys, especially her jumpers. She has a car like this both at home and at her Nanny's. Her favourite part is the tray, she can play with her toys and toss them on the floor!

Finally, five months old. This was taken May 31st. She is such a happy baby (for the most part), but still only naps 20 minutes at a time!

Summer is coming, we have lots to do and can get out so much more now that the weather is nicer! Can't wait for the new adventures to come in the next few months!

Have a good week!

~Natasha,

Canadian Babies Rule

Just after I found out I was expecting last year, I found some iron on transfers on sale at Michael's. They were so cute, I had to have them. It took me a long time to find plain white onesies to put them on, but finally I found a three pack for cheap at Winners. I've since gone back and gotten two more packages of them because I like to wear them on Salean under her dresses. 

I Also wanted to do one with Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, I had an iron on transfer I had bought years ago at a dollar store, but unfortunately that one did not work. I'm guessing it was to old. 

I had a hard time with the letters on the Made in Canada one, they were so small, they just would not stick! It took forever to get them on! As you can see, I lost the dot on the letter I. 

They are big enough to hold over until July, so I can wear one of them on her for Canada Day. I have not put them on Salean yet as they are to big, but she is growing like a weed, so they will fit soon! 

Hope everyone is having a great week, it's been either raining or cold here all week, can't wait for Summer! 

~Natasha. 

Quick & Easy Lasgna

Yesterday was a rainy miserable day, and to go with the weather, Salean was not feeling well and in a grumpy mood and Mommy has a cold. Yesterday was Easter Monday here in Canada, it is basically a bank holiday, but a lot of people take it off as well. Since Daddy was going to be around for dinner, I offered to make stew, something he loves and would go great on the miserable day. While I was talking about stew, I said something about lasagna, and he said he'd rather have that since we had not had it in awhile. Lasagna is one of my favourites, so I agreed. 

This recipe I found in an issue of Kraft's What's cooking magazine  I don't know how many years ago. I do not like the taste of either Ricotta or Cottage cheese, something that is in a lot of lasagna recipes, so I was very glad when I found this one. It takes five ingredients: Sauce, noodles (quick noodles that you don't have to boil), cheese, hamburger and water. 

Quick Lasagna

1 Lb ground beef

3 cups grated cheese, divided use

3 cups pasta sauce 

1 cup water

About 12 ready to cook lasagna noodles.

In large pan, brown ground beef, drain if necessary. If desired, add onions & green peppers. 

Meanwhile, in large bowl measure out 3 cups sauce (I find a jar has about 2.5 cups; sometimes I will use salsa or plain tomato sauce to top it up if I have some leftover and do not want to open a new jar). Add 1 cup water, stir. Spoon a bit onto bottom of 13X9 pan to prevent sticking. Add hamburger and about 3/4 cup (a couple handfuls) of cheese to remaining sauce.

Layer sauce mixture with noodles in pan. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil; bake at 350 F for 15 minutes, remove foil and bake for additional 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender. 

Let set five minutes on counter before slicing to serve.. 

This was the first meal I made for Mr. Man.I usually serve it with garlic bread, but had so much going on at the time I forgot, much to his dismay. The leftovers are great, to! I usually wrap individual slices in foil, and freeze them. When I want  slice, I pull it from the freezer and let it thaw. At home, I bake it for 10 minutes, but if I was at work I would just microwave it for about 2 minutes. 

They say babies don't understand the concept of missing people until they are about 9 months, which is when separation anxiety will sometimes happen; but I think even at three months, Salean misses her Daddy when he is away. They spent most of yesterday cuddled up watching TV (I know, they are not supposed to watch it before age two, but I think rainy sick days can be an exception). Today I can tell she is still not feeling well,  I have tried cuddling with her on the couch but I have caught her staring longingly at "Daddy's" chair a couple of times. Poor kid :-( When she wakes up from her nap, I will have to try for cuddles in that chair. 

For now, it's lunchtime, and I am taking advantage of nap time to have a slice of lasagna for lunch!

Have a great day, everyone! 

~Natasha. 

One Pot Broccoli Chicken Pasta

The one thing I love about having an infant is that I am still able to cook and eat what  I please (except when Mr. Picky is around for dinner...thus the name Mr. Picky). In approximately a year and a half, I will most likely have a screaming, non-eating, non-napping, cranky, picky toddler. I am destined to meals consisting of hot-dogs, KD and chicken nuggets, smothered in ketchup or peanut butter. Not bad once in awhile, but bleh every night. I am hoping that baby Salean will be more like Mommy and love to try new things, eat everything on her plate and never complain. Who am I kidding...yeah right.

So, I should take advantage of eating what I want while I can. I got a nice head of broccoli cheap this week, and decided to use it in this recipe I found on the Kraft Kitchens website. 

One Pot Broccoli Chicken Pasta

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tsp. canola oil

3 cups fusilli pasta, uncooked

1 can (10oz) chicken broth

1 soup (broth) can water

3 cups broccoli florets

3/4 cup Cheez Whiz

Cook chicken in hot oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 7 to 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

Stir in pasta, broth and water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 15 min., stirring occasionally. Add broccoli; simmer an additional 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Add Cheez Whiz; stir until completely melted and mixture is well blended.

As you can see, I skipped the Cheez Whiz. It is about 6 dollars for a mini jar here, and for something that I am unsure of the chemical make-up of, I can't justify that cost. Just how processed is this processed cheese, anyway?

I added the matchstick carrots and gave each serving a sprinkle of real cheese, and it was delicious!! This is definitely something I will be making again and again. Whenever Mr Picky isn't around (it has veggies, scary!!) This is a simple meal without any messy sauce, and if I introduce it right hopefully something toddler Salean will someday eat.

Speaking of Salean, she is growing like a weed! Last checked, she is up to about 13 Lbs. She will be three months this coming weekend, and so I think I have abandoned my poor blog long enough,. Starting next week, I am going to do my best to start posting at least twice a week. 

Happy Easter, everyone!!

~Natasha. 

Oven Bacon

A quick and easy post while the baby is sleeping (again). She is a cat-napper, so I rarely have more than 20 minutes at a time to do anything in the daytime, then she wakes up screaming and is awake for about an hour to an hour and a half, and it starts all over again! But, at least she is predictable! :-) She is also getting really good a spending ten to fifteen minutes in her swing, so I can have more time to do things around the house. Tummy time does not last long, she starts getting frustrated after about 5 minutes or so, then screams to be picked up. Poor kid :-)

Last week, I got tired of the same old thing for dinner. We are getting in a rut; funds are tight this month and the grocery stash I put away before I went on mat leave is getting low. I had to go to the grocery store for a couple things so I decided to get a package of bacon since it was on sale, and have bacon and eggs for dinner. I have always wanted to try cooking it in the oven, and now I have discovered it is much easier, especially when you have a cat-napper that likes to be held! I will most likely do it this way the next time I cook bacon.

Basically, you foil a cookie sheet or two, lay the bacon out on it and turn the oven on to 400 F. Throw it in (without pre-heating the oven) and about 15 minutes later, ta-da! Cooked bacon:

I gave it another minute or two after this, because we like it crispy. I also had to drain it mid- baking, I just poured it off the corner of the cookie sheet into a small bowl. I had to over-lap the bacon a bit to get it all on two sheets (this is a full package), but it cooked nicely.

One tip I have, though, is to use full sheets of foil. The one on the right is the end of the roll, so I patch-worked it with a new roll. I ended up with a greasy pan; but I suppose not as greasy as it would have been. The one on the left I used a full sheet, and it really did not need to be washed.

So, bacon in the oven, eggs on the stove top. My kitchen is grease free and it did not take 45 minutes to cook a pound of bacon (as it usually does when I use a pan and have to cook 5 pieces at a time). Win-win, I say!

An update in baby Salean, she is getting so big! We went to the Doctor's last week for her first shot (poor baby screamed!) and she weighed in at 9 Lbs, 4 oz. She is also 3 inches taller than when she was born. It has been a few very bitter cold weeks, so we have been pretty house bound until Daddy gets home from work and takes us to the mall to go for a walk. This week, however, the temperature swung upwards, so we went for a walk today to mail off our Valentine's cards. Here is a picture of Salean when she was 4 days old in the snow suit her Auntie bought her:

So big! And she was curled up in a little ball. We tried it on again today, at six weeks old and it fits so much better. Here are a few pictures I took:

Much better, albeit still a bit big! Hopefully it will still fit for a bit next fall when it starts getting cool again!

Well, I hear baby chirping in her crib, a sign she is waking up! Hope everyone is having a wonderful February!

~Natasha.

Easy Caramel Sauce

I know I am supposed to be sleeping while baby is sleeping, but my apartment building is very noisy today, so I am actually surprised that the baby is sleeping! Me, not so much. So, while baby is sleeping, I figured I'd get a blog post done. That way there would be at least 2 posts for January! What a month it has been!

Anyway, on to the sweet stuff. Caramel sauce, yum...I made this before Christmas for Christmas gifts. It is deliciously easy, but takes half the day to make. You start with a can of sweetened condensed milk, or three.

Take the paper wrapper off them and get a big, deep pot. Make sure they are fully submerged in water, then turn them on to boil for two and a half hours.

I had to borrow a pot as none of mine are deep enough. Keep an eye on it to be sure the water does not boil off, they have to stay submerged the whole time. Once the time is up, turn off the heat and very carefully using tongs remove the cans.

Let them cool to room temperature, this will take several hours. Finally, pop the top and enjoy!!

Yum! I made a strawberry syrup and some chocolate syrup to go with this and put it in cute little jars.

 I was not able to get any fancy labels for them, so I just used the stickers that came with them.

I gave a set of these to several people, so I hope they were enjoyed by all! I still have some in my freezer for us, I am thinking of picking up some apples and making a caramel apple crumble, divine deliciousness!

We are in the middle of a deep freeze this week, it is supposed to go until Tuesday, so we have been stuck inside all week; and it has been a long week since Salean is going through her 3 week growth spurt and eating non stop!

But, we have been staying cuddled inside and trying to stay warm, hoping next week brings warmer weather so we can go for a proper walk!

Hope everyone is having a lovely January, stay toasty!!

~Natasha.

She has arrived!

These past ten days have gone by in a whirlwind of sleeplessness, bottles and nappies. Baby Salean has finally arrived!

Salean Elizabeth Marie

Born December 31st, 2012 at 9:43 PM AST. 

Weighed 7 Lbs, 5oz

About 19 inches tall (and already 2 inches taller!)

Our new little red head has come home with no complications (thus far) and loves to sleep and eat. 

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, so if you don't see me around for a bit, you'll know why!

Hope everyone had a great New Year so far!!

~Natasha,