Back to real life

After a great Christmas break and the luxury of staying in bed longer, visiting with friends and family, and some unstructured days, starting back to work and school was a little tough for us.  Here's a glimpse of my life with three girls these days:

She's getting so big - pulling herself up and getting into everything

Current favorite table food:  Kraft Mac & Cheese

She still remembers how to float!  How amazing is this January weather?!?

Riding her bike

Speaking of getting big . . . can hardly believe how big Big is.

And, sick kids are so sad.  Poor baby girl!

 I'm working afternoons this quarter and walk in the door at dinner time so I'm trying to be more organized so that we don't resort to take out or pancakes . . . once in awhile is fine, but not twice a week!

For my first week back, I made this new chili in the crockpot on Monday and on Wednesday, I left teriyaki marinated salmon for my husband to put in the oven.  This way, I get to come home to a hot supper after work!  The chili might not be earth-shattering (I like variations on chili like this lentil chili and this one with black beans and sweet potatoes), but it was tasty and super easy to throw together.  When I was growing up, we would eat chili on top of tortilla chips and topped with shredded cheese (we called it "Pepper Bellies") and to this day, that combo is comfort food to me!  The good news is that by itself, this chili is loaded with protein and low in calories (only about 150 calories/cup).

Crockpot Chicken Chili (makes 6 cups)
adapted from Skinny Ms

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T tomato paste
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
salt to taste
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 c. chicken broth
sour cream & shredded cheese for serving (optional)

Put everything except the sour cream and shredded cheese into a crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.