I'm always looking for new recipes and I love eating/cooking chicken. So, I was excited to find this recipe on Pinterest:
I already had chopped spinach, ricotta cheese, and shredded cheese mixed together from making Spinach Rolls, so I just added garlic cloves, bread crumbs, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. From there, I spread the mixture on the chicken breasts that I'd cut in half width-wise. I rolled the edges under, topped with marinara sauce, cheese and basil then put it in the oven for 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees.
The result was terrific and my super picky dad even liked it! I really enjoyed this recipe and hope you'll try it!
White Chicken Chili is one of my favorite soup recipes, especially during cold weather. It's a healthy recipe from Spark People. I made a lot extra and put it in the freezer.
I made a couple of tweaks, I added more cannelloni beans, and more chicken stock. Here's the tasty recipe.
What's your favorite soup recipe?
While out for surgery last month, I watched The Fault In Our Stars. I'd heard of the book and the movie; I had thought it would be a sad, teenie-bopper movie.
I fell in love with the movie and the depth of the characters. Gus, the male lead character, played by new kid on the block, Ansel Elgort, was a dream of a leading man; he was sweet, funny, edgy, super cute, real and vibrantly alive. The lead female, Hazel Grace Lancaster, played by Shailene Woodley. I enjoyed watching Shailene Woodley in Divergent and this was a much different role for her. In Divergent she's strong, brave, and in charge. In The Fault In Our Stars she's sick, weak, yet brave and deep.
The movie focused on teenage cancer patient, Hazel. Hazel's life is full of doctor's appointment, medical tests, and her parents. At the request of her doctor and mom, she starts attending a therapy group for teenage cancer patients. She hates it. There she meets Gus who unabashedly starts flirting with her and spending time getting to know her. No one had ever forced their way into her life and stayed until Gus. On top of that, she finally starts living life. Seeing the pain of what the parents with terminally ill children go through was eye-opening and obviously, I felt their pain. I'll stop there, but I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I laughed and I cried; it was real.
Over fall, I saw the movie, If I Stay. I'd originally thought it would be different than it was, as it featured several genres of music; interesting. Overall, I wasn't not happy with how the movie ended, but it was different. Chloe Grace Moritz the lead star is dating David and Victoria Beckham's son, Brooklyn.
One of my new favorite songs, Nothing is Wasted by Jason Gray. The lyrics really resonate with me and my hopefully healing heart:
The hurt that broke your heart
And left you trembling in the dark
Feeling lost and alone
Will tell you hope's a lie
But what if every tear you cry
Will seed the ground where joy will grow
(chorus)
Nothing is wasted
Nothing is wasted
In the hands of our Redeemer
Nothing is wasted
It's from the deepest wounds
That beauty finds a place to bloom
And you will see before the end
That every broken piece is
Gathered in the heart of Jesus
And what's lost will be found again
(chorus)
Nothing is wasted
Nothing is wasted
In the hands of our Redeemer
Nothing is wasted
(Bridge)
When hope is more than you can bear
And it's too hard to believe it could be true
And your strength fails you halfway there
You can lean on me and I'll believe for you
And in time you will believe it too
(chorus)
Nothing is wasted
Nothing is wasted
Sometimes we are waiting
In sorrow we have tasted
But joy will replace it
Nothing is wasted
In the hands of our Redeemer
Nothing is wasted
I sure hope my pain and tears haven't been wasted and that God can use it all for His good.
Not crazy about the music video, but check it out:
I made my New Year's Resolutions pretty late this year.
1. I'm not dating for at least the first four months of the year, maybe all year (it's up to God). I took myself outta the game and deleted myself from the two dating sites I was on. Some I'd been on for roughly 8 years. I realized that those sites were a continual source of disappointment and reminder that here were 5 new matches today that were also not going to work. I really felt prompted by God to get outta the game. Even if I've said in the past that I wasn't trying, I always was. I decided to stop trying. Yes, I still notice cute guys, but I've decided to not worry about things. I'm feeling MUCH more comfortable with turning 31 this year, than I did turning 30. There was something emotional about 30. Maybe it was because I realized I didn't have many/any of the things I'd hope I'd have at 30 (married, house, kids, etc.) It's actually been pretty freeing to quit trying.
2. I'm also making a conscience effort to cut down my Facebook and Pinterest time. Now this one is definitely a work in progress, but I want to be among the people living life versus living it through social media.
3. I've also trying to be careful about what I see and listen to, as you think about what you spend your time on. So, no 50 Shades of Grey or Magic Mike for me. I want to have a pure mind and heart. Definitely challenging!
What I hope to fill my time with because of these changes is 1) God; 2) actually living life through spending time with friends, traveling more, going to movies and concerts; 3) focusing more on school. When I'm not addicted to catching up on on social media every morning, I read a devotional with scriptures (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young) and have time to pray. This keeps me in a positive frame of mind heading into work. I've been making a conscience effort to not text, but call and catch up with friends; actually share life. I've started this and it's been refreshing and so rewarding.
Any thoughts? I'm feeling inspired! Are you? What are your resolutions?
After talking about it for months, I've gotten rid of cable. I was driven to it by the rising cost of cable. My cable and internet bill was $125 a month. So, after talking with friends who use services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime I decided to make a change. It'll take a lot of getting used to, but the savings are enormous.
Generally, you can stream through your laptop or DVD player. In my case, my two year old DVD player wasn't one of the ones I could stream off of. This was an issue for me since I'd have to stream off my laptop and you can't use your laptop and stream at the same time. So, I went to Wal-Mart and talked to a very helpful employee in electronics. He said I could buy Chromecast and stream from that while being able to use my laptop. I didn't know this, but Chromecast is something you put into the USB drive of your TV. It was $35, so it seemed like a decent deal, compared with not being able to use my laptop. Chromecast doesn't work with Amazon Prime, so I bought a short HDMI cord for use with that. For all supplies, minus service, I paid $44. Hulu Plus is $7.99/month and Amazon Prime is $99/year. Any way you cut it, it's a huge savings.
Click here for an interesting article "8 Things You Didn't Know Your Chromecast Could Do"
Here's an article that made me think through the saving from switching from cable.
I think, I'll enjoy the switch and money saved. Maybe I'll even watch a little less TV...
Now that I've made it through tonsillectomy surgery here's what I now know:
-Ice cream is too sweet and creamy to be enjoyable
-Cold feels best, but eating warm foods doesn't hurt
-A little blood in the beginning is okay
-Nausea is normal; depending on how bad it is, get meds
-You can use a straw without pain
-Pudding is a bit too sweet, but it works
-Applesauce and JELLO are your friends. I put in a cup of oj while making lemon JELLO and that was my favorite
-Popsicles; YES! A healthy, less sweet version is best
-You're not hungry at all the first week, but still need to eat with your meds and for strength
-It's best to have someone to help you out at least the first week. You're not in any shape to keep track of all your meds
-Walking around the house is a good idea; keeps you active
-Propping up your pillows at night feels nice
-Ice water feels the best to drink
-Some blogs say you eat ice 24/7, but that wasn't the case for me. I just liked it in my beverages.
-You sleep a ton
-Talking is difficult and comes out in a loud, mumbled whisper. After a week it gets stronger
-The first week you don't feel like doing anything at all
-Ear pain can start late in the game and bring you to your knees. Try colloidal silver in them.
-It can take awhile for your throat and scabs to fully heal. I'm two weeks out and still not quite up to 100%
-Relaxing in a jetted tub can help with soreness from surgery
-Thumbing through magazines helps pass the time
-The first week, you won't be up for much TV, reading, etc. at all.
With surgery, I couldn't talk above a mumbled, loud whisper. A week after surgery, my voice started coming back. Also, my tongue was swollen at least three times the normal size. By the weekend after my surgery, it started getting back to normal.
Little did I know the tide of misery was changing. Tremendous ear pain started four days after surgery, right in time for the weekend. It almost made me cry. So, we started putting colloidal silver in my ears a couple of times a day and that really helped.
I started having a bit of an appetite, though nothing sounded appetizing.
A week after surgery, I was off pain meds.
I thought I would read, watch TV, and be on the internet a lot, but I was wrong. I slept a ton. As I felt better, I watched TV, read dozens of magazines, spent sometime on the internet (Pinterest and Facebook).
Happy that the worst of it is over! I started back to work, Friday, a week and a half after surgery.
I woke feeling like I'd been beaten up. I had a yummy blueberry, banana, cinnamon, almond milk shake that my mom made with her new NutriBullet.
I was feeling pretty good other than the body soreness. For the soreness which triggered my fibromyalgia in my shoulders and neck, I hopped in my parent's Whirlpool. We added Epsom salt and a stress relief bubble bath. The jets really helped workout the extreme sensitivity I had in my shoulders and neck. Afterwards, I felt better and could move.
I had some oatmeal with chopped, dried apricot, almond milk, and honey for lunch. I took a little nap, but was up for most of the day.
Then evening hit :( Now the doctor had said the pain would get worse before it got better. I felt like I'd been punched in the throat and that it'd been stretched from the inside out.
For dinner, Mom made some terrific broccoli puree that I loved! Alas, the pain was getting real, so I had three blueberry slushies (homemade popsicles) with with a lemon-lime drink and that helped freeze the pain away.
These days were a blur of pain. Literally, in pain at all moments. Waking up several times a night to take pain pills was difficult as my throat had dried out in the hours I'd been sleeping. On top of that, I had to eat something with the meds, so I wouldn't get an upset tummy. Nothing sounded good to eat. I mainly only ate to take meds. With meds, I ate rotated eating what I thought wouldn't make me sick; lemon jello with orange juice, lime jello, chocolate pudding, and applesauce.
Also, during this time, I felt like I was drowning in mucus/phlegm. I had no idea this was even a possible side effect. I called the doctor and they said to drink more to dilute it. That wasn't a fun answer, but it helped.
I did some research ahead of time in preparation for my surgery. I stockpiled:
-Jello
-Pudding
-Frozen fruit
-Popsicle mold
-Juice
-Applesauce
-Gatorade
-Noodles
-Sodium-free chicken and beef broth
-Popsicles
-Etc.
I went for surgery, Monday, January 5th at the Manhattan Surgical Center. I've had several procedures there before. I checked in at 7:15 am for a 8:30 am surgery. The nurses were all really nice, which isn't always the case. My IV went in with very little pain, which was a pleasant surprise. The surgery was estimated to be 30 minutes to an hour. I was out in just under 30 minutes. The doctor told my parents it was a good thing I had my tonsils removed as when he took them out theyere were oozing. They weren't sent to From there I went to the recovery recliner area they gave me a popsicle slushy and I asked for water. Right away there were my parents. I had to spend about three hours in recovery during which time I had two slushies, three waters, and half a lemon-line drink. They were thrilled that I was drinking so much and so quickly. I felt pretty good and the time flew by.
I got home and slept for hours. Mid-afternoon, I ate a little applesauce. That wasn't acceptable to my tummy, so out that went. Then I tried egg drop soup jello. That went even worse. Next thing, I knew there was some fresh blood with it, which was on the list of things that required a trip to the hospital. I called my doctor and he said I should go to make sure, that he would let them know I was coming and that he'd see what they thought and we'd go from there. Mercy Regional Health Center has the worst check-in process. They get general info, send you to triage until someone decides to come see you, then send you back to registration for insurance stuff, etc. Next, you get to go to a room to wait until a nurse decides to see you. What they came up with was that I was probably dehydrated and had probably thrown up the pain meds. So, they started an IV to give me fluids and pain meds. Since the blood was dried and not fresh, they decided I was good to go. I was probably there for 3 hours.
I headed to bed once I got home and was woken up every few hours for meds. Thankfully, it was a pretty uneventful night.
I've been wanting to get my tonsils out for years, I just wasn't "sick" enough. That was until I returned from my trip to Ireland. A day or two after returning, I took a four hour nap and woke up to my throat feeling awful. I called my mom and she suggested I grab a flashlight and look at it. Well, I did and was horrified. I grabbed my shoes, keys and was out the door in 15 seconds; a record for me. What did I see? A throat full of yellow pus! They tested for strep, but came up negative. Still, they saw what they saw in my throat, so I got on meds. When I would eat my throat would be yellow and red from the pus and blood.
Days later I was feeling worse and my mom wasn't so sure it was just strep. So, back we went to the doctor. I told her the left side of my throat felt immense pain. The doctor took a look and saw a cold sore on my tonsil. I had no idea that was even possible, but it was. It was worse than it sounds. They have me a numbing mouthwash that made my feel like my throat was closing. Getting over all that took over a week.
I talked to my primary care physician about getting my tonsils out. He said he'd make me a referral if I wanted, but they looked okay at present. My mom and grandma thought otherwise, so I asked for a referral.
In October, I had both a serious eye infection and an upper respiratory information. With that came back the ever-pleasant (*sarcasm) tonsil stones. Since my tonsils are cryptic, meaning they have holes/pockets in them, I started getting tonsil stones, which are about as fun as they sound. During that time was my appointment with the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Dr. Pease. I made sure to reference all my tonsil issues and even happened to have a stone in there during my appointment. His office waiting room was cheery on that cold October day with giant paintings of birds and flowers. It gave me a warm, comfortable vibe. He was straight-forward which I appreciated; he told me this would be the most pain I'd ever be in, in my whole life. He wanted to talk with my rheumatologist to make sure he was covering all bases, which I appreciated. He said with my immune issues to expect the normal healing time to be a week longer than most peoples; a total of two weeks. I knew we'd have to wait until Christmas break. That was hard at the time since I was having so many stones and pain. So we planned for January 5th.
