Simple dinner with a new marinade & my favorite vegetable...bok choy!

Today, I needed to create an easy & quick dinner. After recovering from my daughter's birthday weekend that included some unhealthy food, I needed to get our family back on our nightly dinner routine of meat, a vegetable and starch.  I had very little time but wanted to cook something delicious.  Tonight's menu: Chicken, brown rice, and bok choy!

Brown Rice

Cook the  rice first as this takes the longest. I am a big fan of most organic brown rice.  

Chicken

I marinated boneless chicken breasts with my new find at Trader Joes...Soyaki Sauce! It is a teriyaki sauce and marinade for meat, poultry, fish, tofu, and vegetables. It contains fresh garlic, fresh ginger and preservative-free soy sauce. It is DELICIOUS! I took the chicken and marinated it for a few hours in zip lock bags earlier in the day. I used a large skillet pan and cooked the chicken on medium heat with the marinade. I added a little extra sauce from the jar (I had plenty left) . I cooked it until the chicken was done.

Bok Choy

This may be my favorite vegetable to eat! You can find Bok Choy at most grocery stores. In my case, I found it at my local Publix. For those of you not familier with it, it is an Asian cabbage. It is popular in the China, Vietnam and the Phillippines. Bok choy is very low in calories and a rich source of phyto nutrients, vitamins, and health benefiting anti-oxidants. There are 9 calories in a cup of bok choy and no sugars and fats. It is a significant source of vitamins A, C and K.  

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Yes...she says the darndest things!

Reflecting on (some) of the funny things my Little Love has said...

There are a million and one things that I absolutely LOVE & ADORE about my child. She is SWEET, LOVING, CARING, SMART, CURIOUS, BEAUTIFUL, and of course...FUNNY! Four years has brought the funniest sayings from this birthday girl!

"My butt made noise!"

Yup, that is the official phrase for...well you know....

"You swallowed me when I was a baby and kept me in your belly right?"

What she thinks...

"There were eggs in you and they came out, they hatched, and you picked me!"

What she sometimes thinks...

When you are ten, you can drink coffee, have long hair like Rapunzel, have a tower like Rapunzel, but you can't drive NOT yet!"

On what it's like to be older...

"I love sausage bi-ckits!"

Yes she does!

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Three Men, Three Fathers, Three Loves...

 "To be in your children's memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today." 

 My Dad...

  

One of my favorite memories of my Father is a cross country trip from California to North Carolina when I was 14. At the time, I probably had very little appreciation for it. Being stuck in the car for days, pulling over to take power naps, asking when we could stop, demanding hotels with pools even on the coldest days, holding giant paper maps trying to follow our route, listening to the various news stations, classical music, and on and on...My poor dad may have been just as tired of me as I was with him during that trip.

My Dad and Little Love

But as an adult, what I now remember was our stop at the Grand Canyon and soaking in all it's grandeur with my dad by my side! It was a sight to see. I remember him telling me random tidbits as he drove and stopping at quirky little towns and shops along the highways. I remember convincing my dad a pool was warm and he jumped into the freezing cold water! Before that trip, I also recall dad and I just exploring new towns. One of my favorite memories was the Redwoods (one of God's masterpieces)! Although we didn't have a lot of money at that time, we had each other... and the open roads.

 "A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there. But a guiding light to show us the way."

In college, I asked  my dad to come and spend the weekend with me. We sat at the local bar, shared a beer, memories, and dinner. My dad has never been one to show emotions, but he showed his love in other ways. Then there was the smile...that was undeniably his way of saying I LOVE YOU! College years introduced new milestones in my relationship with him. I began to look at him as more than a dad...he was also becoming my friend.

It is from my dad that I have this constant thirst for learning new things, research, reading, travel, and yes...recipes. I LOVE my dad!

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Resilience: Lessons learned from a child…

Baby Olivia

My daughter’s friend, Olivia, was born with bilateral club foot. She had her first cast when she was one week old. Her casts were changed every week turning her precious feet little by little for six weeks. For a whole year, she was in a bar brace for 24 hours a day…she started walking at 13 months. Since then, she has had to wear a bar and brace taper every night during sleep. Earlier this year, her mother told me that Olivia would be heading back to Shriners Hospital to get another cast. This cast would be from her toes to her hip. Olivia is only 3 years old… 

Friends: Olivia (left) and my
Little Love (right)

Several nights a week, this beautiful child is at my house playing with my daughter. We absolutely adore her and her sister! So I prepared my Little Love for what was about to happen to her friend. We PRAYED about it at night (and continue to); I explained to her that we may have to help Olivia get up and down the stairs. I told her to be GENTLE, be PATIENT, and to HELP her friend if she needed anything.

The day Olivia got her pink cast; I took my Little Love to visit with her. I remember my sweet child carrying around a baby wipe (for 2 hours) and continuing to place it on Olivia’s cast…it was supposed to make her feel better. I also remember my daughter tripping over Olivia's cast and hitting her tooth on it...discovering just how hard a cast is (yikes). Wow, there went being gentle with her!

Leaving Shriners with a pink cast!

But Olivia is a tough cookie! Her needing help...what help?  By the end of the first week; she was up and down the stairs.. She scooted her little body all over the house, we continued to go to our Sat morning breakfasts, shopping, and she even goes to the pool (one foot dangling in the water). The night before she got her full cast off (in a shorter one now) she walked down the hallway (walked as in STANDING UP), one leg in a pink cast, the other in a high heel Disney princess shoe! My friends and I sat there in complete awe over her! Although I do admit, she did make us giggle a bit.What a sight! (Click on read more)

Mac & Cheese (with bacon)...Ooh la la!

Sometimes, I  just want to cook a good meal on the weekend or have a family gathering so I can try a new recipe. My husband can certainly relate to this. For him, when Monday comes, he is already thinking about what to cook on the grill for the upcoming weekend (I LOVE summer months!). I think about the various dishes I may want to try. I break out the cook books at night and read them like a well written novel and devour all the new recipes (as I did this evening!).

Tonight, thanks to my friend Erin who uttered the words "Mac & Cheese" in the car, I came home and searched for my Food & Wine Annual Cook Book (2007). I have been thinking about Grant Achatz's recipe all night. I have never been one to really like "boxed foods" and my family does not typically buy them. So most of the time, mac & cheese is not something I eat because it takes time to make it the way I like it. I have made this dish a few times and it is officially my favorite mac & cheese recipe by far!


Did I mention it has has bacon in it?

OK, so this is definitely a "special occasion" dish for my family as we do try our best to follow a healthy no preservative, mostly organic diet Monday to Friday. But once in a while...you do have to TREAT YOURSELF. This is the perfect side dish for a special family/friend  gathering. Nothing says comfort food like mac & cheese!

(By the way...to my bacon loving friends...I always add a little extra!)

So here it is, Grant's Mac & Cheese (Click on read more for recipe):

Welcome to my blog!

Well, I am definitely new to the blogging world, but I have been wanting to do this for some time. After a year or more of simply talking about it, here I am taking the leap!

 

Through this blog, I hope to share my personal reviews of recipes, restaurants, and travel destinations. I will also share my passion for photography, health and fitness (new to this), reading scriptures and my constant drive to learn new things! One of my greatest source of happiness, is time spent with my family and friends. I am constantly inspired by these amazing people in my life and I am truly BLESSED.  I have no doubt their stories will also inspire future posts. 

"Surround yourself with good people. They make you smile brighter, laugh louder and live better. "

This blog is simply my way of staying connected with my family & friends and to share my discoveries with anyone who is interested. For those just stopping in to read the blog, I hope you enjoy all the future posts.