Time has really flown by since I was able to sit down to complete my tale of cleaning woes. I felt that I owed it to my followers to complete this story, but since I think I know them all, they will have already heard this before!
One of the reasons I wanted to make sure the house was cleaned and organized was because I needed to be able to focus on work for school all summer and I figured that being organized would allow me to stay on top of the whirling dervishes I have for children. I can honestly say that it did not happen.
I managed to clean my bedroom, both bathrooms, the kitchen, dining room, both children's bedrooms, the playroom, and, wait for it...., my office! However, the two week plan had to be expanded to two months!
I do need to gloat just a tiny bit and explain why it took me so long. Around the three week mark I had completed the majority of cleaning tasks on my list. I had even shampooed the carpets in all the bedrooms and the living room. I was on my way to having all the laundry completed too until the evening before leaving for a trip to Florida I went downstairs to the laundry room. As I stepped down onto the last step, my foot found the little toy that my son had thrown down the steps, I rolled my ankle, heard a pop, and managed to fracture my left ankle. To make matters worse, my husband was just about to leave for work and my two nieces had already been dropped off in preparation for our trip. (Do not fly with a recently fractured/ sprained ankle, it was very uncomfortable plus keeping track of four children is difficult too.) In my husband's normal gruff matter, he looked at my ankle, decided it was not broken and left for work. I had to call my oldest "daughter" and her husband to watch the children while I went to urgent care. Kate and Marco had friends visiting them, so they all came. Marco and Joey took me to urgent care while Kate and Nataly watched the children. In the end, I spent six weeks in an air caste and today must be careful going up and down stairs.
Once I returned from Florida, I did very little in the land of heavy cleaning for about two weeks; however, I could not stand the thought of not getting things totally organized before school started, so I began cleaning my office. I am going to fully discuss the process in another post, but let's just say it took me a full seven days to get it organized. I had things in my office from the move three years ago; making my job a job of discovery. There were many "is that where that got to" and "Oh, shoot, now I have three of those!" during the process, but I am happy to say that it is done. Ok, as done as I am going to have it for now. I removed 18, yes 18, kitchen bags trash from the office and five emptied boxes.
I still have three more projects I need to tackle. I want to get at least two of them done before school starts in two weeks, but I am not sure I will succeed. Look for future posts of my success. Shoot, who am I kidding? Look for my future posts on how I tried but that darn butterfly flew by again!
(will try to post a picture of the office in the future, server is not allowing it right now)
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
I love Pinterest!
Just a quick post, I have joined Pinterest.com to get some ideas for the house and for organizing my life a little more. It has educational ideas, craft ideas, recipes, organizational ideas, penny-pinching ideas... you get the picture. Below is what I have started:
http://pinterest.com/tmnewtonweaver/pins/
Here are a few ideas I have found and will be using!
I will show you the before and after of my home office soon (AKA: the Black-hole of Despair!), right after I have tried out some of these ideas.
http://pinterest.com/tmnewtonweaver/pins/
Here are a few ideas I have found and will be using!
I will show you the before and after of my home office soon (AKA: the Black-hole of Despair!), right after I have tried out some of these ideas.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Crazy cleaning, part 1
Originally I wanted to write about my very organized cleaning schedule I used to clean my house from top to bottom, but I think a butterfly distracted me, because before I knew it, the time I had allotted to complete/write about my accomplishment was gone and I did not achieve my goals at all!
I am guessing others have gone through this themselves. I mean, seriously, how often do we make New Year Resolutions that have failed in less than two days? I gave myself two weeks to organize my life while also taking care of children, cleaning my classroom, and reading new curriculum materials for the summer work I needed to do. No wonder it was unobtainable!
Instead, I have written about my attempts to be more organized, even when it was more like two steps forward and three steps back. Below are my journal entries (written in parts):
Day One: Dropped children off at daycare, went to school to finish cleaning my classroom, planned on finishing by noon and use the rest of my child-free time on the house, but worked until 6pm. Had to have Andy pick up the children and make dinner. Washed dishes, cleaned up kitchen, and then picked up toys in the living room.
Day Two: Dropped children off at daycare, washed two loads of laundry to hang on the clothes-line, went grocery shopping (saved $45 using coupons and bonus buys, plus got Andy 60 cents per gallon off gas which is another $18 savings) with hubby who also wanted to go work-shoe shopping (hit an end of season sale for 70% off), and put away groceries. Went to BB's Grocery Outlet just south of me in Quarryville to see what bargains they had, and all I can say is wow! It is run by an Amish family but it is in a small warehouse- complete with a cooler and freezer section. Spent $53 for items that would have been three to four times the cost even with coupons. For example I was able to get Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleaner for $1.99 a can (normally costs $5.99 at Kmart). I know, I am sure there are other ways to clean the carpet, but seriously, why kill myself when all I have to do is spray this stuff on the carpet and then use the shampooer with plain, hot water to get the stains out of my carpet? I mostly bought cleaning supplies, but will have to go back again to see what else there is, should have gone there first!Folded laundry, put clothes away and picked up more toys (I think they are the same ones!), and then got the children. Convinced Andy to make cheeseburgers on the grill and I made macaroni salad and green beans. Dined alfresco; have five mosquito bites now.
Day Three: Dropped children off at daycare and went to an all day training. Andy got a chance to catch up on sleeping without the children or me making noise. Got children from daycare and then made lasagna with turkey burger and chopped broccoli. Cleaned the kitchen and picked up more toys. Have resolved to go through all the toys to donate/ throw out because the house has become a toy warehouse!
Day Four: Dropped children off for the last day of daycare and then went over to my oldest "daughter's" house to help her clean. Kate is pregnant and suffers from morning/ all day sickness and could not do the cleaning that their new apartment needed. I have a Rainbow vacuum cleaner with a shampooer attachment, enabling me to thoroughly clean the carpets (used two cans of my $1.99 carpet cleaner too). Kate and Marco could not believe the difference when I was done. In fact, we discovered that the carpet patch at the front door was actually a different colored carpet but we previously could not tell! I have decided that cleaning a one-bedroom apartment is way easier than cleaning my own place. Hubby had to pick up children from daycare because I ran out of time, but did pick MM up from ballet. After dinner, laid on sofa, too tired to worry about own house, but got children to pick up toys in the living room!
Day Five: Can't move, back is killing me! Ouch, ouch, ouch! Went to chiropractor and then had massage, not much better. Can't take stronger than Motrin, poop! Children have undone any picking up completed yesterday. Cereal for dinner. Did I clean at all this week?
Day Six: Andy took children to visit his mother and brother to give me time to work on the house; however, woke up with a Migraine and did not get out of bed until almost 11 am. Did manage to get two loads of laundry out on the line, and then spent the rest of the time in MM's room: went through MM's clothes and got rid of the ruined and too small clothing, dusted, cleaned windows, and organized toys. Managed to pick up toys in living room and playroom. My back is still not happy with me either, but better. (Forgot the laundry on the line over night!)
Day Seven: Took MM to day camp and BJ to daycare (decided to pay for one week for him) so could get something done! Vacuumed the living room and playroom. Shampooed the carpets (back felt better for it!) and cleaned the dining room (AKA: the dumping ground), clearing out junk mail, art projects, a half eaten sandwich, something sticky, and discovered that there really was a dining room table! Picked up MM from her half day day camp and hung out another load of laundry after overnight load had finally dried. Washed the French door glass and polished the grateful, antique sideboard with Endust (love the almond smell!) and scrubbed the kitchen floor. After picking up BJ from daycare, made roasted chicken, potatoes and broccoli. Watched Tangled for the millionth time.
Total accomplishments: laundry, vacuumed and shampooed carpet in living room and playroom, found dining room and MM's room, scrubbed kitchen floor, and cleaned someone else's house. There goes a butterfly...
I am guessing others have gone through this themselves. I mean, seriously, how often do we make New Year Resolutions that have failed in less than two days? I gave myself two weeks to organize my life while also taking care of children, cleaning my classroom, and reading new curriculum materials for the summer work I needed to do. No wonder it was unobtainable!
Instead, I have written about my attempts to be more organized, even when it was more like two steps forward and three steps back. Below are my journal entries (written in parts):
Day One: Dropped children off at daycare, went to school to finish cleaning my classroom, planned on finishing by noon and use the rest of my child-free time on the house, but worked until 6pm. Had to have Andy pick up the children and make dinner. Washed dishes, cleaned up kitchen, and then picked up toys in the living room.
Day Two: Dropped children off at daycare, washed two loads of laundry to hang on the clothes-line, went grocery shopping (saved $45 using coupons and bonus buys, plus got Andy 60 cents per gallon off gas which is another $18 savings) with hubby who also wanted to go work-shoe shopping (hit an end of season sale for 70% off), and put away groceries. Went to BB's Grocery Outlet just south of me in Quarryville to see what bargains they had, and all I can say is wow! It is run by an Amish family but it is in a small warehouse- complete with a cooler and freezer section. Spent $53 for items that would have been three to four times the cost even with coupons. For example I was able to get Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleaner for $1.99 a can (normally costs $5.99 at Kmart). I know, I am sure there are other ways to clean the carpet, but seriously, why kill myself when all I have to do is spray this stuff on the carpet and then use the shampooer with plain, hot water to get the stains out of my carpet? I mostly bought cleaning supplies, but will have to go back again to see what else there is, should have gone there first!Folded laundry, put clothes away and picked up more toys (I think they are the same ones!), and then got the children. Convinced Andy to make cheeseburgers on the grill and I made macaroni salad and green beans. Dined alfresco; have five mosquito bites now.
Day Three: Dropped children off at daycare and went to an all day training. Andy got a chance to catch up on sleeping without the children or me making noise. Got children from daycare and then made lasagna with turkey burger and chopped broccoli. Cleaned the kitchen and picked up more toys. Have resolved to go through all the toys to donate/ throw out because the house has become a toy warehouse!
Day Four: Dropped children off for the last day of daycare and then went over to my oldest "daughter's" house to help her clean. Kate is pregnant and suffers from morning/ all day sickness and could not do the cleaning that their new apartment needed. I have a Rainbow vacuum cleaner with a shampooer attachment, enabling me to thoroughly clean the carpets (used two cans of my $1.99 carpet cleaner too). Kate and Marco could not believe the difference when I was done. In fact, we discovered that the carpet patch at the front door was actually a different colored carpet but we previously could not tell! I have decided that cleaning a one-bedroom apartment is way easier than cleaning my own place. Hubby had to pick up children from daycare because I ran out of time, but did pick MM up from ballet. After dinner, laid on sofa, too tired to worry about own house, but got children to pick up toys in the living room!
Day Five: Can't move, back is killing me! Ouch, ouch, ouch! Went to chiropractor and then had massage, not much better. Can't take stronger than Motrin, poop! Children have undone any picking up completed yesterday. Cereal for dinner. Did I clean at all this week?
Day Six: Andy took children to visit his mother and brother to give me time to work on the house; however, woke up with a Migraine and did not get out of bed until almost 11 am. Did manage to get two loads of laundry out on the line, and then spent the rest of the time in MM's room: went through MM's clothes and got rid of the ruined and too small clothing, dusted, cleaned windows, and organized toys. Managed to pick up toys in living room and playroom. My back is still not happy with me either, but better. (Forgot the laundry on the line over night!)
Day Seven: Took MM to day camp and BJ to daycare (decided to pay for one week for him) so could get something done! Vacuumed the living room and playroom. Shampooed the carpets (back felt better for it!) and cleaned the dining room (AKA: the dumping ground), clearing out junk mail, art projects, a half eaten sandwich, something sticky, and discovered that there really was a dining room table! Picked up MM from her half day day camp and hung out another load of laundry after overnight load had finally dried. Washed the French door glass and polished the grateful, antique sideboard with Endust (love the almond smell!) and scrubbed the kitchen floor. After picking up BJ from daycare, made roasted chicken, potatoes and broccoli. Watched Tangled for the millionth time.
Total accomplishments: laundry, vacuumed and shampooed carpet in living room and playroom, found dining room and MM's room, scrubbed kitchen floor, and cleaned someone else's house. There goes a butterfly...
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Surviving the "plague" and other crazy things
Ok, it has been forever since I posted anything! I did not realize it had been so long. I have been battling the "plague" also known as every daycare illness that came down the pike. My whole family had the flu, then I think they had a special flu mutation just for us, I fought a sinus infection for two months, BJ had hand, foot and mouth disease, and currently both children are home again with coughs and random temperatures. I have been sick more times this winter than the previous five combined! It has become a joke in my family that I live in a plague house and that soon they will have to roll up with bell cart and I will hear "throw out your dead!" Yes, my family has a sick sense of humor!
It has also been a year since the children were burned by a pot of coffee. I continue to be amazed and thankful for the wonderful medical staff at Crozer Chester Burn Unit. Because of them, MM has almost no scar and BJ has very little obvious scarring. MM remembers very clearly what happened and continues to be nervous around hot surfaces plus thinks that every accident someone is involved in is related to hot coffee. BJ is completely fearless and does not seem to remember, but every once in a while he will point at the coffee pot tucked waaaayyyy back and says "coffee hot, no, no!" Works for me. I have no desire to ever visit the Burn Unit again or the hospital if at all possible.
I will be hosting a picture day at my house on April 28th, so I am hopeful that not only will I have the house and yard cleaned up, but I will also has no other illnesses. I know that I had high hopes for what I would have accomplished by now, but I am sad to say that I got nothing done around the house in the last few months. I have been planning on painting and organizing and cleaning, but beyond buying the paint, I have not gotten very far. I am going to blame the plague for my lack of motivation.
One big change for our family is that I just got MM's hair cut. Yes for the very first time. She chose a very short hair cut and I almost died, so we went with a longer version. I must say that she is now full of sass because she looks at least like a seven year old! Just to be clear, her hair was down to her butt and now it is just past her shoulders and layered. I cried the whole time. Some asked if I donated the hair and I would love to say yes, but I can not part with it. It will be in her baby book and when I die if she wants to donate it, she can but it will be over my dead body! Ha ha ha. Hey, if no one else will laugh at my jokes, I will!
My son has been improving his speaking over the past few months, but he still does not have truck down. He does not like me at the computer and tells me, "you get up mommy!" When he wants me to get out of a chair because he wants to sit there, he says "you go away mommy!" But my favorite is when he wants me to pick him up he says "I kill you mommy!" I think it is "I want you to carry me mommy" but it could be, as a friend suggested "I'll kill you if you do not pick me up mommy." My sister and another friend said that I am letting him watch too much Akmed the failed Terrorist from Jeff Dunham's show. I keel you! "Throw out your dead!"
It has also been a year since the children were burned by a pot of coffee. I continue to be amazed and thankful for the wonderful medical staff at Crozer Chester Burn Unit. Because of them, MM has almost no scar and BJ has very little obvious scarring. MM remembers very clearly what happened and continues to be nervous around hot surfaces plus thinks that every accident someone is involved in is related to hot coffee. BJ is completely fearless and does not seem to remember, but every once in a while he will point at the coffee pot tucked waaaayyyy back and says "coffee hot, no, no!" Works for me. I have no desire to ever visit the Burn Unit again or the hospital if at all possible.
I will be hosting a picture day at my house on April 28th, so I am hopeful that not only will I have the house and yard cleaned up, but I will also has no other illnesses. I know that I had high hopes for what I would have accomplished by now, but I am sad to say that I got nothing done around the house in the last few months. I have been planning on painting and organizing and cleaning, but beyond buying the paint, I have not gotten very far. I am going to blame the plague for my lack of motivation.
One big change for our family is that I just got MM's hair cut. Yes for the very first time. She chose a very short hair cut and I almost died, so we went with a longer version. I must say that she is now full of sass because she looks at least like a seven year old! Just to be clear, her hair was down to her butt and now it is just past her shoulders and layered. I cried the whole time. Some asked if I donated the hair and I would love to say yes, but I can not part with it. It will be in her baby book and when I die if she wants to donate it, she can but it will be over my dead body! Ha ha ha. Hey, if no one else will laugh at my jokes, I will!
My son has been improving his speaking over the past few months, but he still does not have truck down. He does not like me at the computer and tells me, "you get up mommy!" When he wants me to get out of a chair because he wants to sit there, he says "you go away mommy!" But my favorite is when he wants me to pick him up he says "I kill you mommy!" I think it is "I want you to carry me mommy" but it could be, as a friend suggested "I'll kill you if you do not pick me up mommy." My sister and another friend said that I am letting him watch too much Akmed the failed Terrorist from Jeff Dunham's show. I keel you! "Throw out your dead!"
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A message to new moms
I got a chance to visit with a friend of mine today. She is a new mom, a very new mom. It turns out that the reason I had not been able to visit before now was because she was feeling very overwhelmed. During my short visit, I discovered that she was not feeling like she was being a natural mom. What I mean is that she thought she would be better at this new mom thing. She was not getting enough sleep and she was worried that she was not producing enough breast milk or getting the system down or... She shut out those who could help her because she thought she was the only mom to have had these types of struggles!
So this post is dedicated to all those new moms who think that there is something wrong with them if they needed as an epidural for delivery instead of "sucking it up" and working through the pain, for those who did not breastfeed easily (they have lactation specialists for a reason) and needed to work through a few weeks of tears to get it right, and for those who are so bone tired they fall asleep while rocking the baby. This is for you.
Let's be honest, things are different today. One hundred years ago, for the most part, women were home, taking care of the children. Today, women are expected to be part of the household income. Now, not only are we mothers, housekeepers, wives, but we are also income providers. We are expected to do everything our foremothers did, but now, we must also maintain a career! Is there any wonder we feel overwhelmed at times? In this economy, it is not unusual for mom to be the breadwinner of the home, with all the stresses of maintaining that career, plus all of the stresses of the home. Is it any wonder we feel guilty?
Media does not help. We see these amazing moms on TV, in magazines and on the internet, and we wonder why we can not be like them. There is a reason why they are newsworthy, because they are not the norm! If we were all like those supermoms, then they would not make the news. One of the important things to remember about the supermoms is that they have support. They are married to someone wealthy, they have a nanny, they have grandmoms living nearby, they have a super supportive spouse, they have older children who are helping, or they have a person who comes in to clean the house; what ever it is, most moms do not have that right combination of support to be a supermom. So give yourself a break.
Newborns, babies and toddlers take a lot of energy to care for. Period. With newborns, you are tired because the hormones are out of whack and because of the feeding schedule. If you are breastfeeding, it is very tiring; lactating takes energy, and getting up in the middle of the night, each night, wears you out. I know it is hard to get a husband to be involved in this (he does not lactate); but there is nothing wrong with him taking on a new duty to give you back some of that lost time. He can take the baby for a ride in the car so you can sleep, or take a shower, or any tiny little luxury so you can recharge. If you are a second-time mom, and you have a toddler too, the exhaustion gets worse. I wish I could say it gets better soon, but the truth is, you will not get a real break until they are toddlers, and then it is not really a break, it is just a deep breath.
It is also okay not to like your children sometimes. Think about it: do you like your husband, co-workers, parents- anyone- 100% of the time? No. It does not mean you do not love them, it just means, at that moment, you do not like them. If it goes on for a few days, now, that is something to worry about, but once and a while, it is okay to have that feeling. What you do about that feeling is what is important. But don't feel guilty that you had the feeling, because it will just make you more tired and more depressed. You are human; yes you are a mom, but you are human, with a full range of emotions. Having the emotion- and not acting upon it- is fine. There is not a supermom-fairy watching you, and listening to your thoughts, who is keeping a report card on you. So give yourself a break.
Being a mom is tough. Don't be tough on yourself. Ask for help. If you get overwhelmed, reach out for help. If you do not have the supportive spouse or grandparent nearby, ask your friends for a little help. Now, everyday is pushing it, but a true friend will lend a hand. Give back some of that time later to show your gratitude because he/she may need the break too. You may not have a TV show or a magazine article written about you, but you are not a failure. You are human, maybe superhuman because you are a mom, but still a human.
You will be okay.
So this post is dedicated to all those new moms who think that there is something wrong with them if they needed as an epidural for delivery instead of "sucking it up" and working through the pain, for those who did not breastfeed easily (they have lactation specialists for a reason) and needed to work through a few weeks of tears to get it right, and for those who are so bone tired they fall asleep while rocking the baby. This is for you.
Let's be honest, things are different today. One hundred years ago, for the most part, women were home, taking care of the children. Today, women are expected to be part of the household income. Now, not only are we mothers, housekeepers, wives, but we are also income providers. We are expected to do everything our foremothers did, but now, we must also maintain a career! Is there any wonder we feel overwhelmed at times? In this economy, it is not unusual for mom to be the breadwinner of the home, with all the stresses of maintaining that career, plus all of the stresses of the home. Is it any wonder we feel guilty?
Media does not help. We see these amazing moms on TV, in magazines and on the internet, and we wonder why we can not be like them. There is a reason why they are newsworthy, because they are not the norm! If we were all like those supermoms, then they would not make the news. One of the important things to remember about the supermoms is that they have support. They are married to someone wealthy, they have a nanny, they have grandmoms living nearby, they have a super supportive spouse, they have older children who are helping, or they have a person who comes in to clean the house; what ever it is, most moms do not have that right combination of support to be a supermom. So give yourself a break.
Newborns, babies and toddlers take a lot of energy to care for. Period. With newborns, you are tired because the hormones are out of whack and because of the feeding schedule. If you are breastfeeding, it is very tiring; lactating takes energy, and getting up in the middle of the night, each night, wears you out. I know it is hard to get a husband to be involved in this (he does not lactate); but there is nothing wrong with him taking on a new duty to give you back some of that lost time. He can take the baby for a ride in the car so you can sleep, or take a shower, or any tiny little luxury so you can recharge. If you are a second-time mom, and you have a toddler too, the exhaustion gets worse. I wish I could say it gets better soon, but the truth is, you will not get a real break until they are toddlers, and then it is not really a break, it is just a deep breath.
It is also okay not to like your children sometimes. Think about it: do you like your husband, co-workers, parents- anyone- 100% of the time? No. It does not mean you do not love them, it just means, at that moment, you do not like them. If it goes on for a few days, now, that is something to worry about, but once and a while, it is okay to have that feeling. What you do about that feeling is what is important. But don't feel guilty that you had the feeling, because it will just make you more tired and more depressed. You are human; yes you are a mom, but you are human, with a full range of emotions. Having the emotion- and not acting upon it- is fine. There is not a supermom-fairy watching you, and listening to your thoughts, who is keeping a report card on you. So give yourself a break.
Being a mom is tough. Don't be tough on yourself. Ask for help. If you get overwhelmed, reach out for help. If you do not have the supportive spouse or grandparent nearby, ask your friends for a little help. Now, everyday is pushing it, but a true friend will lend a hand. Give back some of that time later to show your gratitude because he/she may need the break too. You may not have a TV show or a magazine article written about you, but you are not a failure. You are human, maybe superhuman because you are a mom, but still a human.
You will be okay.
Monday, January 2, 2012
What's for dinner: Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
I have finally figured out why I don't like cook books and why recipes bug me... being boxed into exact ingredients and measurements interferes with creativity. I also do not like to have to find exact ingredients that seem to be both expensive and hard to find. I like to make a recipe the way it is supposed to be made the first time but then I change it almost always after that. I also look at ingredients and think, "Hmmm, I bet I can make that with fewer ingredients or cheaper!" So, to that end, I looked at a casserole recipe and then made my version for my extended family last night and everyone loved it, so much that there was only one serving left! Even my niece who is not known for being very cooperative when it comes to anything new or with broccoli, finished her bowl!
So, to begin with, this is gluten free but other than flour to thicken it, it is made of items that are naturally gluten free, so it is not really more expensive as so many gluten free items seem to be. The second thing is, there are no measurements to really follow other than when I paid attention to a package amount. What I like about this is that you can make this as unhealthy or healthy as you want. I make it with chicken thighs, but you can make it with breasts if you like. I get my chicken from BJ's wholesale club and only pay $1.29 a pound for boneless, skinless chicken. I fed five adults, two pre-teens and two children with this recipe.
Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole
6 chicken thighs, cut up into cubes
1 qt container of Swanson chicken broth
1 can of evaporated milk
1 16 oz bag of frozen broccoli crowns (defrosted)
4 cups of cooked rice (I use chicken broth instead of water)
6 Tbsp of GF flour
1/2 stick of butter
salt, pepper and Season All to taste
1 bottle of wine (I like Sutter Home's Moscato)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray and fry the cubes of chicken in the pan with Season All (I like this season so I shake a fair amount, but it is up to you). While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a large soup pot, add the flour to make the roue then pour in the chicken broth and can of milk. I add salt, pepper and Season All to this and stir it frequently. It should be thick, so add more flour if needed to thicken. Once it is thick, add the pre-cooked rice and mix well. Add the broccoli and mix well. At this point the chicken should be cooked so fold it in to the rice and broccoli mixture (do not drain because it adds flavor). Once everything is mixed well, pour in large casserole dish. Place in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Makes a lot, so you will have left overs to eat the next day or freeze for later.
The wine was for my mom, exchange daughter (she was my exchange daughter in 2005 and is now married to a former student of mine and is living in the US full time!) and me to drink while making dinner!
So, to begin with, this is gluten free but other than flour to thicken it, it is made of items that are naturally gluten free, so it is not really more expensive as so many gluten free items seem to be. The second thing is, there are no measurements to really follow other than when I paid attention to a package amount. What I like about this is that you can make this as unhealthy or healthy as you want. I make it with chicken thighs, but you can make it with breasts if you like. I get my chicken from BJ's wholesale club and only pay $1.29 a pound for boneless, skinless chicken. I fed five adults, two pre-teens and two children with this recipe.
Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole
6 chicken thighs, cut up into cubes
1 qt container of Swanson chicken broth
1 can of evaporated milk
1 16 oz bag of frozen broccoli crowns (defrosted)
4 cups of cooked rice (I use chicken broth instead of water)
6 Tbsp of GF flour
1/2 stick of butter
salt, pepper and Season All to taste
1 bottle of wine (I like Sutter Home's Moscato)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray and fry the cubes of chicken in the pan with Season All (I like this season so I shake a fair amount, but it is up to you). While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a large soup pot, add the flour to make the roue then pour in the chicken broth and can of milk. I add salt, pepper and Season All to this and stir it frequently. It should be thick, so add more flour if needed to thicken. Once it is thick, add the pre-cooked rice and mix well. Add the broccoli and mix well. At this point the chicken should be cooked so fold it in to the rice and broccoli mixture (do not drain because it adds flavor). Once everything is mixed well, pour in large casserole dish. Place in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Makes a lot, so you will have left overs to eat the next day or freeze for later.
The wine was for my mom, exchange daughter (she was my exchange daughter in 2005 and is now married to a former student of mine and is living in the US full time!) and me to drink while making dinner!
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