Chicken Vegetable Soup

Chicken Vegetable Soup

This bad boy isn't your ordinary chicken soup. She has a kick to her. This is also considered Paleo friendly for those of you that our into that kind of eating. Just a healthy, but delicious soup.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

5-6 Chicken breasts

3 cans of low sodium Chicken broth

1 pkg. of McCormick Taco seasoning

1 28 oz. can of green beans, drained

1 28 oz. can of corn, drained

1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 15 1/4 oz. can of peas, drained

1 small can of diced chile's
2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

1 ripe avocado, diced

1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of Creole seasoning

Mix all ingredients except avocado and cilantro into a stockpot and bring to boil. Lower heat and shimmer for about 20 minutes. Chicken should be cooked after 20 minutes, if not, simmer longer. Pull chicken out of stockpot and shred, I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and return chicken to the stockpot. And avocado and cilantro. Served with bread or crackers. I like to also add a little shredded cheese as a topping.

Fridays!

Thank God it's Friday here in Japan...not that it means much to me being a Mom now :( Friday's usually mean nothing to me anymore, except the hubby has been home all week and wouldn't you know it, the Friday he is actually home I woke up sick. (Karma is coming for me...I know it)

Sore throat, headache, chills, you know, that crazy sickness that just sneaks up on you. So trying to lay low this weekend and recover so it doesn't get any worse. Boring :( I was even planning on trying this cleanse called the GM Diet but with not feeling good, I didn't think it was a good ideal to start it. I think by Monday I will be ready to go and will even blog the progress for anyone who is interested.

On a good note, my camera strap came in and I'm in love with it.

iMo Sailor Camera Strap

And since I'm not feeling so hot right now, my Chicken Vegetable soup is just the trick. It isn't your normal vegetable soup, this girl is spicy and has chunks of avocado in it.

Yes that is pot full of yummies that should fix me right up.

Hubby brought Christmas early in this house by going out and buying Chrispy is very own Bat-Moblie yesterday while I was at the gym working out. After my workout I stopped and picked up Chrispy's very first pumpkin for craving...I thought he would lose his mind...until I walked in the door and found them (hub's and babe) putting together his new wheels.

So this is what we did....instead of pumpkin craving :(

My poor neglected pumpkin will just have to wait I guess :(

Have a happy weekend y'all! And now I leave you with a picture of cuteness, melt-my-heart, omg, they are mine, picture ;)

Brotherly Love

As many of our friends and family know, we love our dogs. They were our first babies together and will always have part of our heart. The day I found out I was pregnant to the day I gave birth I had so many people ask me if were going to "get rid" of our dogs. This question always made me so upset. Yes, I know some animals can be scary around children and some just aren't "kid friendly" animals, but these were our babies! It was like asking me if we had another kid if we were getting rid of him in replacement of the next baby. Really? This is actually an extremely offensive subject to most pet owners. Now, let me get off my soap box.

The week after finding out we were knocked up we started some serious training to get the boys ready for their new sibling. After all, they needed to be the best big brothers ever. After lots of discipline and corrections, they are Chrispy's best friends. They watch over him and protect him from everything....and he supply's them with an endless menu of food (he drops it off from his high chair).

For example, this is just one morning of Chrispy and Titus hanging out on the couch after breakfast. They were watching cartoons and doing some snuggling. Can't you see how vicious Titus is?! ;) They love each other. At one point Christian was even laying on him and Titus was licking his hair. Precious.

We have always kept a close eye on Chrispy with the boys. We teach him how to pet the boys and to be gentle. Chrispy has never been alone with the dogs once where he could touch them. This is not because we don't trust our animals, but we always want to be safe than sorry. 

On a different note, I cooked a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin and it was pretty amazing. I have decided also that I am going to try a cleanse known as the GM Diet. It should last about 7 days. I will be sure to post as I go about how it is working for me.

And now I leave you with this delicious picture of bacon (pork) and pork......

Yummy! Have a Happy Day Y'all!

Case of the Tuesdays!

Monday was Columbus day so my hubby had the day off but with that said, it was also a Japanese holiday which means...don't go anywhere! The Japanese fill the streets, trains, and subways to go eat food and shop and it is like a circus to get anywhere...which could take hours!
We decided we were just going to lay around, watch movies, go to the park, and just enjoy the day. We did just that and I even managed to squeeze an hour to go thrift shopping. I ended up finding some major goodies and stayed within a good price range.

Like these little beauties....I love the gold design on them.

Tuesday morning, bright and early, Mr. Chrispy woke up super early and decided that he was going to be a Grinch for the day. After our morning dance of "milk this minute screaming fest" and "I don't want eggs this morning so I will throw them on floor sit-down" I was so thankful to find that my hubby had taken off the rest of the week from work to just hang out with us at home. THANK GOD!!! Okay, great, as I go running out of the house in my pj's to go check the mail.

Since the Government has decided to "take a break from work" our mail here in Japan has been coming a little slow to be an understatement! So I was so happy to find one of my many purchases from Etsy.com had finally come in. Don't you just love getting packages in mail?! It's like Christmas!

THE ALTERED CHAIN is becoming my new favorite place to buy inexpensive trend jewelry. Just look how cute the packaging is when you receive your order.

Love it! Would fit perfectly in a stocking for Christmas! (Just in case my hubby reads this post :) )

I just love this brass scallop necklace that looks so great for fall! This little package was enough to make me have a better day! It's the little things that make you feel like a million bucks, like a shower, a blow out, and some new jewels :)

Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Recap with The Backstreet Boys

So, this was an eventful weekend for me and the first time I have every left Chrispy for the entire day. I knew it was long over due for me to have a girls day/night out so, it had to be something worth staying away from my little man....and they are called The Backstreet Boys! Hellz yes!!

After running around all morning with the hubby and babe trying to get a few things done before I would leave them for the entire day so they could do what men do, I somehow managed to get ready and make it to the "party bus" that we rented to take us to Tokyo.

But of course, this is the reaction of what I get when I leave my house to go anywhere these days.....

yep, kill me now! My heart is like breaking....this moment :(

We loaded up our butts on the bus and was headed to Tokyo with plenty of treats and booze on hand to make any girl lose her mind by the end of the evening.

Case in point.....

I'm so red and glossy eyed by this point and it's still day light, maybe 3 pm, and I've already been drinking for an hour....slow your roll honey!

My dear friend Krista was my seat buddy and she is just about as happy as I am for being buzzed on a Saturday at 3 pm going to see The Backstreet Boys.....Lawrd have mercy!!!

After slowing our drinking down and eating tons of Red Vines, chocolate covered raspberry's, and these Japanese version of Cheetos that are ten times better, we made it!!!

We got there just in time to get through the gate and managed to grab passes to a after party....that's right, hot stuff! The show was amazing and so different than any concert I have ever been to. I could actually hear and see everything since the Japanese tend to be very polite and quiet during performances!

So happy!!! And almost fully sober at this point!

After the show, we lined up to go to the after party and about an hour after the concert we managed to finally see the boys up close...kinda :)

This is probably the worst picture ever taken in my life but had to share. I was screaming to get their, the Backstreet Boys, attention since we wouldn't have time to have personal photos taken. I got their attention alright as Nick waved to me :)

We finally were at the after party and there was a huge crowd around the stage and from what our new friend, Eddie, had told us we needed to get the front the stage so we could get pulled up on stage and take a picture. EASIER.SAID.THAN.DONE. After almost losing an ear, suffocating, and being pushed up against the stage with my shins about to break, we made it!!!

Thank you Kevin for recusing me from almost getting my legs broken! He has always been my favorite :) Heart Swoon

And here is Nick who was our DJ for the after party. We managed to make friends with a few guys from the crew too who later invited us to go out for karaoke in Tokyo. We passed. Had an amazing time and even got home, in bed, by midnight...same time Cinderella had to be home :)

I don't get to go out very often, but when I do, I always party like a rockstar. :)

Happy Weekend Y'all!

DIY NAIL POLISH REMOVER PADS

So, the other day a good friend of mine, Deborah, and I were walking around our local BX, looking for goodies and things we don't really need, you know, shopping :) She kept commenting on how she hated the fact they didn't carry nail polish remover pads and she wanted to make some of her own. Genius! These are so easy to make and will be great when you are ready to swap in that old polish for the new.

You need bottom round pads, nail polish remover, and a container that has a tight lid to secure liquid. I  used this glass jar that came with a screw on top that  I bought at the Diaso, which is a Japanese store equivalent our dollar stores.

1.  Stack appropriate amount of pads up to the top of container.
2. Pour nail polisher over pads.
3. Screw top on to container.

If you are like me, you tend for forget what is in your containers so I have to label mine, and so my hubby doesn't mistake whats in it either. I bought these amazing chalkboard labels on Amazon.com and love them! Great for pantry's and anything you want to label really.

Happy Friday Y'all!

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

So, I'm actually not a huge fan of the flavor of buffalo sauces out there. My husband is obsessed with buffalo flavoring and whenever we go out for wings he always orders his in this flavor as I jump more towards the teriyaki or a honey bbq. We do not see eye-to-eye on this subject and it is something we both take very seriously as we both are huge fan of wings!!!

One evening at a friends house for "Bachelorette night", where a bunch of us housewives get together and watch the drama unfold and drink and eat till we feel better about our lives, she served a buffalo chicken sandwich that was amazing. She said she got the recipe from Skinny Taste, but added a few things here and there. I had to make this sandwich, the only time in my life I like buffalo sauce! OMG! The hubby is going to shit a brick.

So, after making it the first time, I wasn't too impressed and needed to add some of "me" into the mix. This is a great recipe for game days, weekends, and bad weather. Serve with celery, pickles, maybe even a cole slaw. A ranch dressing on the sandwich wouldn't hurt either :)

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

About 5-7 chicken breasts

1 can of chicken broth

1 celery stalk

1/2 of a white onion, diced

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1/2 cup hot pepper sauce

Your favorite buffalo sauce

8 oz. cream cheese

1 tablespoon of butter

your choice of favorite rolls

In your crock pot, throw in chicken breasts, broth, celery, onion, garlic, hot pepper sauce. Cook on low for like 6 hours or until chicken is cooked. Drain your mix into a bowl with a stainer and reserve the liquid. Next, throw out the celery and onion. Shred chicken. Return chicken to the crockpot. Add cream cheese, butter, and about 1 cup of reserved liquid. Add more liquid as need until you reach your desired "thickness" of a chicken sandwich. I only added about 1 cup or less since I don't want my chicken to be too runny. Get it? Add in buffalo sauce to the amount that covers enough of the chicken for you. Everyone is different in how much sauce they like so add slowly and stir until you are happy. Add chicken to rolls....eat...it....all!!! Yummy.