Mediterranean Chicken Skewers

Ever since my last pregnancy, I have been craving all things Greek! One of my favorite dishes to make is Mediterranean chicken skewers with grilled pitas and tzatziki sauce.

You can get the chicken skewer recipe  at SimplyCook's website. I haven't tried their feta dipping sauce (though I'm sure it is delicious!). I like to skewer mine with lots of onion and serve it with this tzatziki sauce recipe:

3/4 cup Greek yogurt (or strained plain fat-free yogurt)
juice and zest of one lemon
1 t minced garlic
1 medium cucumber
1/2 t dried dill

1. In a medium bowl, add the yogurt. *If you are using plain instead of Greek yogurt, it needs to be strained. The easiest way for me to do this is to line a strainer with a paper towel and set it over a bowl for the liquid to collect.
2. Peel the cucumber and finely grate it over a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth. Then use the towel/cloth to wrap up the grated cucumber and squeeze out the extra liquid over the sink. Once you've removed the extra liquid from the cucumber, you can add it to the mixing bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper to taste.

It is best to let the sauce sit for at least an hour or more so that the flavors can really develop. Serve with grilled pita bread. I always have Chase (a.k.a. my personal grill master) grill extra pita bread so that I can eat the leftovers with my cannellini bean salad :)

Cannellini Bean Salad

It has been too incredibly HOT here that cooking is almost entirely out of the question! So, I've been resorting to quick and easy meals and this is one of my favorites. I originally got a recipe for cannellini bean salad from watching an episode of "Everyday Italian" on the Food Network. You see, when Chase and I got married my cooking skills were less than desirable. In an effort to become more domestic, I watched tons of cooking shows. It really did help me learn techniques and experiment with different recipes. Anyway, I can't find the original recipe anywhere on the internet so here is my variation:

1/2 can cannellini beans (or great northern white beans) drained and rinsed
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup of finely chopped onions (more or less based on your preference)
1 t dried parsley
2 t minced garlic
parmesan cheese
sea salt

1. In a small saucepan, saute onions in a small amount of olive oil until softened.
2. Add the garlic, beans, zest and juice of 1/2 of a lemon, parsley, a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stir to coat beans evenly over low heat.

4. Top each serving with grated parmesan. This makes enough to serve as a side dish for four or a main dish for one...maybe one and a half but I just go ahead and eat the extra half ;-) You could double the recipe to use the whole can of beans.

So easy and yummy! I like to eat mine with pita bread. Just cut whole wheat pitas into triangles, brush with oil, sprinkle with sea salt and grill. This makes for a very filling and healthy meal.

*Disclaimer* I am the only one in my family that eats this dish. I'm lucky to get Chase to eat bean soup or refried beans so this is pretty much out of the question. I asked Ellie if she wanted to try some of mommy's beans and she said "No ma'am! No like beans. Mommy's beans scare me." So....maybe someone out there will appreciate this recipe :)



Linking up with...

Run 13.1 miles? Yes please!

Back before the wonderful life of parenthood began, I started running after making a New Year's resolution to get heart healthy. When Chase and I got married, I realized I needed to do something about my high cholesterol levels (220 yikes!). Between running and taking a fish oil supplement daily, I was able to drop my cholesterol 100 points within a few months. I even ran in the Nashville Country Music half marathon with my love. Here is a picture from that day - it was a blast!

About to start running...we were nervous...

Now that I have my two precious angels, I see how important it is for me to be disciplined enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So...when my good friend Katie asked me if I would run in an upcoming race, I decided that was just the motivation I needed to get back into a healthy routine. Boy, running is not so easy now that I have two kids and a whooole lot less sleep! I hope fellow moms are taking time each day to take care of their own health so that we can be our best for our families. If you choose to not go the 13.1 mile running route, I won't blame you ;-)

Gifting Oatmeal Cookies

Hope you all had a great weekend! I just wanted to share this gift giving idea. A friend of mine gave me a batch of delicious homemade oatmeal cookies that she packaged in a Quaker Oats container. I love this idea - great re-use of an oatmeal container and a cute way of packaging it :)

Surprising Finds

As we begin the building process, I have been scouring craigslist.com for deals on building supplies, fixtures, etc. Here are my finds (so far!):

I scored two of these bathroom fixtures for $10 each!

I love the detail on these. I spray painted them white and am going to change out the glass globes.

LOTS of commercial grade paint by Valspar for less than half price!

Bathroom light and vent brand new in the box - retails for $80 but we only paid $20.

Marble vanity = $20 and just needs a little cleaning :)

Dream Home

Hello blogging world! Wow, I have really slacked off since HR was born. Since both girls are snuggled in bed for the night I thought I would explain another reason I haven't had time to blog - we are building a house! This has been in the works for the last couple of months but today we finally signed the papers for the closing. I hope to share some of the projects as we go through this journey. We went house hunting this past Spring only to find that most homes we could afford would be real fixer-uppers. When Chase and I sat down to look at our budget, we realized we could not really afford the houses in our price range once we factored in all the renovations that would need to take place. However, we can afford to build a house and, just to ensure we stay under budget, I'm putting my thrifting and frugality into overdrive! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and look forward to the coming months. I also discovered Pinterest today and have already spent entirely too long getting inspired by house decorating boards. I ought to be careful since these days it is hard enough to sleep with visions of cabinets, light fixtures and paint colors dancing in my head.

Here are some pictures of our new lot and neighborhood:

I am so thankful for this opportunity that God has blessed us with and I pray that we will be wise in each step of the process. When I get too overwhelmed I just remind myself that it is just a house. Although it is very exciting and will hopefully bring us great memories, it is just a house. I dwell on these lyrics from the beautiful hymn "This World is Not My Home"

This world is not my home I'm just passing through 

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore 

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

 

Raspberry Smoothie

Summer always seems to be the time that we focus on getting in shape so we can look our best. Sporting my summer with a new baby means that I definitely have some shaping up to do! Shortly after HR was born, I started working on a healthier diet for myself. My inspiration came from The Biggest Loser recipe book that I borrowed from our library. Not all the recipes are great but there are some good ones and just reading it was motivating. Since sweets are my weakness, I started making this raspberry smoothie to help curb my cravings. I'm not a huge smoothie fan but I've been drinking this just about everyday for the past month and I love it! It only has around 160 calories and everything in it is healthy! It is also great for making and taking on the go when I'm too busy too eat or when I don't feel hungry but I know I need  to get something in my system so that I have energy!

What you'll need:

1/2 cup *Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup Fat Free Plain Yogurt (Greek yogurt is even better for you to use but I don't keep it on hand)
1 cup frozen raspberries (I throw in a couple frozen strawberries too as a natural sweetener)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

*In a pinch I've used regular milk but it isn't nearly as good and you'll need to add sugar and extra vanilla.

Blend for about a minute until smooth. The cocoa in this makes it taste so rich. Yum!

 I put my smoothie in this clear glass so that you can see how pretty and yummy it looks but normally it goes in a lidded cup with a straw so I can take it on the go...and better guard hide it from Ellie :)

Oh and here is a random tip - You know how yogurt tends to separate in the refrigerator and look like this:

 The liquid contains the sugar so I just pour it out each time before using the yogurt (instead of stirring it back in). This allows you to get more protein from your smoothie and less carbohydrates. You could also strain your yogurt but I'm not that crazy ;-)

God sightings

"...we as mothers cannot fathom the mighty works God may accomplish through the tiny babies in our wombs, then in our laps and always in our prayers." -Women of Deliverance by Cindy Colley

In a previous post, I mentioned our family Bible Time. Something else we are working on is "God sightings." When Chase goes to Honduras through Torch Missions, all the volunteers get together in the evenings for a devotional and singing. They also share with each other how they saw Jesus that day. We want Ellie (and ourselves!) to always be mindful of God in the little details of life - from a flower in the yard to the food on our table.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. - Deuteronomy 6:6-9