Chicken & Dumplings (low fat?)

I had to add the question mark to the end because I don't know if it's a low fat recipe or not, it just seemed that way. I wanted to make chicken pot pie or chicken & dumplings but couldn't find a recipe that didn't ask for something weird so here is my mixed up version. Oh yeah, as usual, all measurements are approximate. :)

3 Large chicken breasts
4 c. water
1 med. onion sliced into quarters (reserve half)
5 baby carrots

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer until chicken looks ready to fall apart (about 1 hour). Strain chicken out of broth into a 2.5-3 quart casserole dish with a tight fitting lid. If necessary, tear apart chicken as you go! :)

Add to casserole dish:
2 c. frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, beans, whatever)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
3 c. broth - or enough to cover ingredients
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. celery salt (whoops, a little too much)
1 t. rosemary
1 t. thyme

Place in 350 degree oven until heated through & bubbling, about 30 min.

Add to dish:
1 pkg. Refrigerator Biscuits (Pillsbury Grands or whatever)
Spoon out as many biscuits as needed to completely cover chicken mixture and replace lid tightly. Follow package directions for baking time - approximately 10-15 minutes.

The broth certainly seemed to be lower in fat than what my other recipes had called for (butter, stewing an entire chicken, etc) so other than the biscuit dough, there wasn't much fat in there at all. Ended up with good flavor but needed more salt & pepper. Also didn't have enough room for all the biscuits in my dish so they were baked alongside and turned out to be a good "sweet" next to the "savory."
So that was my fun for the day!

Girl Stuff

Warning: girl issues, those who can't relate should probably stop reading NOW. :)

Heads up - chocolate craving. A chocolate craving so intense I nearly ate half a pan of brownies to try & satisfy the aching, the longing, the strange hunger that isn't hunger! As the Weigh Down theory goes: my body must need something, that's why I'm craving it; go ahead and fill that craving until it's gone (eat 'til you don't want it anymore!) Since I seem to have grown a miniature fat- and calorie-counter in my brain I didn't actually do this! :) Why am I craving chocolate? And what was that strange stomach ache that suddenly afflicted me in the grocery store? No, it wasn't exactly near my stomach, it was more like (gasp!) contractions. Oh yeah.... I remember this feeling.... It's been a long time though.... No, AF hasn't arrived but it does appear that my body is re-regulating back to a cycle. Is this why I bought 3 candy bars & ate one before I got home; why I am tired and feeling a touch bloated? I haven't feel like this since July 2004! It's hard to remember all those PMS symptoms! :) (insert good-natured and not cranky giggle here)

Life is kickin' my .....

Just kidding! I have felt like that off & on this past week. I'm sure a lot of it is the struggle to get back into our routine. I had a hard time getting laundry done, sorting the mail, having a dinner plan, just general staying ahead of the game. And to top it off, from out of nowhere, suddenly I began to go through friend withdrawal! Ha! I'm the kind of person that most big social situations are draining and I usually only do one a week or several small things. I can handle tea with a friend 3 times a week or 1 football party. This week I did several small things, recouped from our New Year's party, a football party, plus dinner w/ kids at a friend's house (they have kids too.) And all of a sudden on Saturday night, we looked at each other & said, "should we have someone over?" What has come over me? Or am I avoiding my chores (wink, wink)? At least this week I'm starting in a better place. The laundry is done (except for whites) and the kitchen is mostly squared away. One of these days I will get super inspired & clean the crazy corner of my bedroom, but not today. :)

Sleep Update

Saturday-Sunday night Nina got up hungry every 2 hours for most of the night.
Bedtime was 7, got up crying around 8 (dirty diaper) fell asleep again soon after
Crying at 10, was nursed to sleep
Crying at 12, was nursed to sleep
Crying at 2, was nursed to sleep
Crying at 4, was nursed to sleep
Crying at 6:30, nursed & was up for the day

Sunday-Monday night Nina slept so much better!
Bedtime was 7, got up crying about 8:30 fell asleep again by 9
Crying at 11:30, was nursed to sleep (but also checked diaper & put in thicker jammies)
Crying at 4:30, was nursed to sleep
Crying at 6, went back to sleep on her own
Noise at 7 (probably playing), got up with her at 7:30

Now that is what she should be doing at this age! I really don't understand how she can be so hungry during the night. She is eating well during the day both nursing and babyfood, especially applesauce. She's pretty good at holding Cheerios & most of them make it into her mouth. David & I agree that one of these weekends soon we're going to have to make a big step & not nurse her during one of those feedings. She has really mastered a manipulative cry pattern - she can sound like she is stuck or panicking so someone to come get her but when I come & check, she's fine, just happy to see me! I see this tendency in other areas and hope that if we deal with it early it won't become a lifelong struggle.

Pondering...

While my dear husband watches a movie I don't really care for I will take this opportunity to vent my ponderings. And I am truly using those two words intentionally! I think my ponderings have become too volumous for my brain to contain and I need to let them "air out."

Pondering Christmas... I read of a family that doesn't exchange presents. They enjoy the holiday(s) by spending time with those they love and baking or creating things for family & friends. After trying to squeeze in a trip to the mall today and walk out with only 1 item, this thought continues to gain popularity with me. Maybe it's because I'm frustrated with my kids' nap schedules. Maybe it's the distance to the mall. Maybe it's something else entirely. Hmmmm. I love to bake. And at my house I eat most of what I bake - amazing that I don't weigh 300 pounds by now. :) I have a friend that adores my banana bread. I don't know what's different about it, it's just the Betty Crocker recipe in the book. But because I know she loves it, I always make a 2nd loaf for her. In fact, I sometimes make it just because of her. Isn't that a pretty good gift? Warm banana bread and the warm feeling that someone was thinking about you & did something special just for you? Isn't that the same thing that we are doing with other gifts? On another side, I do love receiving gifts. My husband is a wonderful giver. He brought home a jazzy Christmas CD from Starbucks. I love it. He knows and remembers the little things and gives wonderful gifts because of that. I'm not naturally a "giver" most of the time. He has really brought it out the last few years. I know if we were to decide change the way we give gifts it would be a difficult decision for him.

On a lighter note... We were joking around in the kitchen and asking each other to choose between a food item and our spouse. Hmmmm! I asked if he would pick me over Taco Bell. I win! He said, "there's still Taco Time!" He asked if I would pick him over cookies. Oooooohhhh, no you didn't just go there! Ack! I know he makes me happy in ways cookies cannot. But if I were to choose cookies I would eternally regret it and also get really fat because I would try to replace him and the joy he brings me. Would he choose me over bean burritos? Yea, I win again! Would I choose him over peppermint mochas?? Yeah, he's worth it!

Back to Pondering - Cooking.... How is it possible that I can cook all the foods that go into a Thanksgiving dinner but mess up so many other dinners? I make great mashed potatoes. I can make "fresh" cranberry sauce. I have done a turkey (just not this year) and it turned out pretty good. My pies turned out PERFECT. And I'm not even bragging - I'm just as surprised as everyone else! Even after my bread disaster (was in the oven - still in the plastic - when I preheated the oven for pies), I felt so confident with all the things I made. But tonight I made spaghetti. Spaghetti is my back up dinner, I can make it from scratch without looking at a recipe. It's not perfected yet but it's pretty darn good. I thought I would try to thicken up the sauce by adding flour to the cooked ground beef & onions. But then I opened the wrong can - diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. That kind of messed it up. I added tomato sauce also and the big tomatoes tasted good. I was out of oregano. Hmmm, will extra basil make up for that? Probably not, so I tossed in "Italian Seasoning." Yes, I know that bottle has both basil & oregano in it. It turned out okay but all the ground beef seemed to be "gravy-ish." Whoops, probably not a good idea to add flour at that point. Probably should have tried to thicken with bread crumbs instead. Here's the pondering part: is this God's way to keeping me humble? Or should I stick to recipes? And read the recipe? And follow the recipe and not use it as a guideline? I don't know. I like recipes as guidelines - that's how my mom and grandma cook. Never ask my mom what a dish is called! It is always called what it is - chicken on rice with veggies, beef on pasta, chicken on pasta, beef on rice, pork on rice. Nevermind that the sauce could be literally anything: sweet & sour, teriyaki, marinara, alfredo, stroganoff, or a brand new one Mom made up!

Well, I have lost the rest of my ponderings so I will have to stop now. Perhaps I will sleep better tonight now that I have more room in my brain. :) Good night all...