Sunday, July 25, 2010

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice

So I just wanted to share this recipe- not because it is so amazing or tasty, but because it was so easy. (Side note: It wasn't that it wasn't tasty, I am just not the hugest fan of cheese and it was a bit cheesy for my taste...but if you like broccoli cheese soup, this is for you!)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (just fyi- 1 lb. is about 2 good sized breasts)
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) Velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

First, cook the chicken in a large skillet on medium heat...about 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Then, stir in broth and bring to a boil.

Next, add the rice, Velveeta, and broccoli and cover. Remove from the heat and let it stand 10 minutes.

Finally, remove the lid after 10 minutes and stir it all together until the cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended.

That is it! Like I said, nothing too amazing but it was so nice to have a really easy recipe to throw together the other night. And aside from the Velveeta (which I finally found in the store with all the other refrigerated cheese) I usually have all of these ingredients on hand. Plus it was a grain, veggie, protein, and dairy dish all in one! Add some fruit on the side and a piece of toast for Nicholas and it was dinner! Now if only I liked cheese more...

(Side note: I am planning to make it again and leave out the Velveeta...Nick can sprinkle his own cheese on top.)

For dinner today we had lasagna that I made in the crock-pot...again, super easy! I will be posting instructions on that sometime later, so stay tuned! :)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Product Review: Orange Sapphire Shower Gelee

The other week when I ran errands with my mom, she had to go to Bath & Body Works to get a little something for someone. She had a coupon for a free "Signiture Item" and she told me to pick something out for myself...done! I was headed to the Twilight Woods section to stock up on some of my favorites, and then I saw this product. It just looked too good to pass up (the picture does not do it justice!)
It is great! I would highly recommend it :) It smells great- fresh and citrusy with enough sweetness so it doesn't smell like some kind of household cleaner. It has little scrubbing beads, which are nice, but I wouldn't really use it as an exfoliant...just a nice body wash. It makes me feel summery and clean and is by far the best part of my showers these days! If you have a chance to try this out or are looking for a new body wash, pick this one!!!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Product Reviews

So I promise that I am not pouting...I just haven't had an abundance of extra time to take, upload, and post pictures of some of my recent projects. I promise, I am getting there...slowly.
In the meantime I thought I would let you know about something new I am going to be doing on my blog...just whenever I feel like it. Product reviews! Every so often I am tempted to try a new product and one of three things happens: I kick myself for wasting money on something I don't like as much as my tried and true products, I wonder why I waited so long to try this new amazing product, or I don't think much about it because it is no better or worse than what I usually use. When I have experiences like the first two, I wish someone would have told or warned me. Thus, when I find products I love or wish I hadn't bought I am going to pass that knowledge on to you!

Now I know that no one really cares what I think about, but isn't that what blogs are for? To give us the sense that somehow our little opinion makes a difference or matters to someone other than ourselves? Plus it will give me something to blog about...I may not be the craftiest girl on the block, but I at least always have an opinion! So look forward to my future ramblings :)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Who knew?

So I always kind of figured I was fairly low-maintenance; I get my hair cut at Great Clips (or wherever else has a coupon!), could care less what brand my jeans are (again, whatever was on clearance!), and all of my hair/body/makeup/etc. products can be bought when I go grocery shopping.

But I of course didn't consider myself completely low-maintenance; I would shower and bathe every day (time and water permitting), I absolutely love fabulous and impractical way-high heels, and I feel completely naked if I go out in public without earrings.

However today I was perusing some blogs...you know when you look at one person's and they have a big long list of links and then those blogs have more links and pretty soon you are reading about some random acquaintance's second cousin's college roommate. (Just a disclaimer: I did actually know most of the people whose blogs I read.)

And I came to the conclusion that I am very low-maintenance, am not as crafty as I like to think I am, and must be really lazy! There are all these, you assumed, regular-joes who have houses that are completely immaculate and look like they were designed on HGTV or something. I mean, I would love for my rooms to look like they were just out of the pages of some magazine but really all I go for is that they are at least cohesive. Our apartment is pretty small and most of our furniture belonged to someone else before we got it...but I have stayed within a color palette. (Even Koshka's tower thing is, albeit the wrong shade, red to match the living room!) But somehow my efforts to create what I thought was a nice looking apartment seem to not measure up.

And then there are the crafters. I have always been told I was crafty- and I like to craft so I figured people were right. I mean, I was really proud of my latest creation...a lightweight black & white quilt/duvet for our bed...and it seemed like such a massive task, but now it doesn't really seem like it is all the impressive.

Where do these people get their time? I don't have a flock of kids yet and I only work part time...shouldn't I have as much time to craft as they do? I guess it just isn't that important to me- I try to make sure we have homemade meals (frequently if not every day) and when Nick gets home I pretty much stop everything and just hang out with him. I am sure he would not be a fan if I decided to try and be a big time crafter anyway- that has got to cost money! I know they all claim to be frugal crafts, but even a can of spray paint here and a yard of fabric there adds up!

Anywho, thanks for listening to my whining- I was going to post of pics of some of my more recent projects, but again it just doesn't seem all that great anymore...maybe tomorrow! :)