My baby is 9. Yep, NINE!

October 4, 2013October 4, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 2 Comments

Last week my baby turned 9. She may be my oldest but she’ll always be my baby! Try as I might, I couldn’t keep her from growing up. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that a whole 9 years have passed since I brought this little miracle home from the hospital! I’m so proud of the little person she is becoming. She’s smart, beautiful, helpful, kind, and loves Jesus. I couldn’t ask for more in a daughter. I had her tag along on a session last week in the outfit she picked for her party because A. She’s amazing with babies and I knew the sweet 1 year old I was working with that night would love her B. It was a lovely wooded looking area that I though would compliment her outfit well. She took one of her favorite American Girl Doll’s along too!

Several weeks ago we had 12 of her favorite little ladies spend the night for a back to school bash. Everyone had a blast but I told her right then and there that we wouldn’t be having a huge party for her birthday this year since she got to do that. Her birthday weekend also fell sandwiched in between 2 trips to Dallas for the American Girl Fashion Show & rehearsal, and a Bitty Baby tea party we won through House Party. All this traveling and partying combined with school and soccer didn’t leave me much energy for another big bash. Besides, when you have 5 girl nieces and 3 daughters, you have a built in party at every family gathering! lol I told P she could invite 4 friends to join her and her cousins for a camping themed party. Poor child had such a tough time narrowing down her list. We’re so fortunate to have so many sweet girls in our lives! When all was settled, she selected 3 school friends and 1 soccer pal and we got to work on hand delivering invitations. We dipped oversized marshmallows in chocolate and sprinkles on skewers and drove around to present the invitations, pre-party snack, and a tiny little compass to all our cousins and 4 friends.

When our guests arrived, they were asked to “Register” at the camp welcome center. Here they would grab their “welcome packs” (goody bags), sign a frame for P to keep as a memory, and pay their “camp dues”. P has so much of what she wants and much more than she could ever need so instead of gifts, she asked her guests to bring their spare change to donate to one of our favorite charities. We printed out little name labels for each of our guests and used ribbon to tie them to canvas tote bags we got 2/$1 at Dollar tree. They also had a “camp journal”, mini deco tape, a cool wooden pencil, flashlight keychain, scratch off ticket, a little thank you note, and camping sticker scene activity. We got the mini flashlight keychains and sticker sheets from oriental trading. The flashlight and tape are “doll sized” which is perfect for my little AG lovers.

The girls snacked on mini pretzel dogs and cheeto puffs and drank their “bug juice”. It was lemonade that I added strawberry flavoring and green food coloring too. Then we froze plastic bugs in muffin tins to use as ice.

I had cute little chevron printed paper treat bags set up near a pink tackle box full of candy “bait” and cups full of different flavored teddy grahams and gummy bears for the girls to make their own sweet trail mixes.

Then we moved on to our table to do a few crafts and the scratch off tickets. We passed out lucky pennies and the girls got a kick out of them. The winner got a bigger backpack style “camping pack” filled with a nifty journal, flashlight, sports bottle, stickers, etc. I got all of this stuff at Michael’s in the fun finds section. Nothing I bought including the bag were over $1! After the winner got her goodies, we moved on to arts and crafts. I got these cute little peace, love, and s’mores kits at oriental trading ($6/12pk) and they were the perfect addition to a girly camping party. We also made s’more necklaces out of polymer clay. We LOVE polymer clay!

The kids also enjoyed the “fishing hole” and visited it on and off throughout the party. We got a few packages of ping pong balls at dollar tree and hot glued foam tails and magnets on them. We used dowel rods with fishing wire and a large washer on the end for fishing poles and a plastic kiddie pool I borrowed from my bestie for the pond. The girls paired up and raced to see who could catch the most fish in 1 minute. The winners got to pick a prize from the prize box (sticker sheets and more Michael’s fun finds).

After fishing, the girls all climbed into the tent we had set up with their dolls and played with the doll sized s’mores and campfire we had made before the party. We made the s’mores using polymer clay and toothpicks for doll sized skewers. The fire we made using a scrap piece of cardboard for the base. We traced LED tea lights we got at the dollar tree and cut a space out on the cardboard for them. I sent my kiddos on a scavenger hunt for small rocks and twigs and used hot glue to secure them. It was a hit! We set up the doll tent inside the real tent with some adorable doll sized sleeping bags my mother made. P had one of her dolls giving horseback riding lessons to the other dolls too! hahahaha She might be my kid!

While the girls played in the tent, Dave and I hid plastic bugs I got at dollar tree around the yard. I used a sharpie to write “winner” on 4 or 5 of the bugs before we hid them. When we were done, the girls had to find 3 bugs each. Those who found winning bugs got a prize from the prize box.

After all the fun, Dave lit the fire pit while we finished our remaining crafts and the girls got to enjoy their s’mores. We had 2 different kinds of chocolate, 2 different kinds of graham crackers, and 4 different kinds of marshmallows to choose from! It was fun watching the girls make different s’more creations. They grabbed their skewers and had a great time laughing and roasting marshmallows together. We had cupcakes earlier in the evening so I limited the girls to 2 s’mores each so they wouldn’t be bouncing off the walls for their mothers later! lol

When the s’mores were done and the moon was out we handed out glow sticks and let the girls run free in the yard with their flashlights and lanterns before it was time to go home. I have to say it was nothing super fancy, but it was by far one of my favorite parties we’ve hosted! I kinda wanna do it all over again! Hope all the girls had fun too! On top of all that, our generous friends and family raised about $100 for charity and brought P some goodies too! She got some great books, a guitar, the rainbow loom thingy she’s been dying for, and her first bow and arrow set from her grandparents. She’s dying to get to the ranch and get some lessons from Grandpa! Love my sweet girl and hope she had a great birthday! Have lots of camping themed printables I will probably upload later in case anyone is interested 🙂

In the perfect ending to a great weekend, we participated in the baby dedication at church the next morning and even better, P got baptized! What an incredible moment it was watching my Daddy baptize my daughter!

I washed my hair in the sink of a tire store-and other misfortunes.

September 19, 2013September 19, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

Last Thursday, I woke up feeling great! I was seriously ready to take on the day! I got up to make lunches and get the girls ready for school while Dave slept in a little later before heading out for work. I did my first morning drop off and only had to take 1 kid with me so I fully enjoyed a little praise and worship with the windows down and sunroof open kinda drive home. When I got back, everyone was up and at um so I went in to make the bed because an unmade bed just irks me all day!

Any guesses as to which side of the bed is mine?!?!? Geeeeez… I don’t understand how that man sleeps!

Ah yes, that’s more like it!

Dave took T to school so after the bed was made, I moseyed on over to my Keurig to brew myself a cup of heavenly Coconut Mocha coffee in my favorite “Shhhh… Mommy’s not coherent yet” mug. I plopped myself leisurely on the sofa to snuggle with the littlest menace of the house while watching “toons”. I tried to get a picture with her but she told me “no” seems to be her favorite word these days!

We hung out watching “toons” for a bit then went into her room to do about 18 wooden puzzles and then read about 15 touch and feel books. By 10:30, little miss priss was ready for a nap! I lay her down and said “I love you” and she gave me the usual “tooooooooo” in reply. I shut the door and practically skipped to my bedroom to grab my bible. Yep, it was going to be a great day!

I opened my bible and sprawled out on the bed for my daily (okay, you caught me, more like my thrice weekly) devotional. It was actually a really good word about allowing God to guide you through the nine billion decisions you have to make a day instead of relying on your own judgement. Yep, I needed that! I’m really enjoying this “Daily wisdom for Mothers” devotional journal.

I was just wrapping up when my phone started ringing and P’s school was flashing on the caller ID. I answered assuming they needed a volunteer for something but nope. It was worse. Much worse! They informed me a child in a lower grade had a confirmed case of lice and that I needed to come inspect my child’s head with the nurse to ensure that she hadn’t become a buggy breeding ground! Lovely! I called my mother who was luckily available to come stay with the sleeping baby while I dashed off (without so much as showering mind you) to bug hunt. When I was a few blocks from the school, my phone begin to ring again. It was Dave, I figured he was calling to tell me he had made it to his rig in one piece. “I need you to call me a tow truck” were the first words out of his mouth. It seems he had a double blow out in the middle of nowhere about 2 hours from home. Thank God he was alright! The damage to the truck was minimal and he didn’t flip despite both the right tires being ripped to shreds. His fender was a little messed up and his step rail on that side was bent as well. But thank you Lord he was okay! I sat in the parking lot of the school and made some phone calls for him as his service was pretty patchy where he was. As I waited on some calls, I went into the school to see what the situation was with P. There were a couple of girls in the office and the nurse informed me that she thought she had seen a single “nit” on her head but was unsure as P has very dry scalp and it could have possibly been a flake instead. We searched and searched and never found it but thought it best to treat her just the same as a precaution. Better safe than sorry, so I brought her home with me.

Meanwhile, back on the side of the road, we had determined that a towing company could pick Dave and his truck up and tow it to the closest town’s tire shop to get him back on the road. Long story short, after quite a few phone calls back and forth, we determined the local tire shop didn’t have the correct size tires in stock so they wouldn’t be able to fix it that day. He had to get back on the road to work so this wasn’t an option. I called our local discount tire and determined that they had the correct tires in stock and ready for pick up. As luck would have it my mother was off and available to keep the kids so I could go pick up the tires and drive them 2 hours to meet Dave at the tire shop in Pecos so that they could mount them and he could be on his way. By the time I got there it was around 3:30 and Dave was on the way with the tire crew. Poor guy had spent 4.5 hours on the side of the road waiting for tires! I had a little time to kill before he got there but I was starting to panic because I hadn’t yet showered and had my hair in a tangled ponytail under a baseball cap. I was wearing athletic shorts, a t-shirt, and running shoes. Normally, this wouldn’t have been an issue but it just so happened on the crazy day that I’m running around like a nut, I have somewhere to be at 6:30! My best friend had made us a reservation weeks earlier to a dinner/painting class at a nice restaurant. So naturally, like the dysfunctional domestic diva that I am, I stopped in to the friendly local Wal-Mart in Pecos and rummaged through the racks for something suitable to wear to dinner! I snagged a black dress, a mustard yellow cardigan, some colbalt blue flats, baby wipes, a travel bottle of shampoo, mousse, and a package of elastic headbands and was on my merry little way out the door after spending a mere $32.81!!!

Once I arrived at the tire shop, I moseyed into the bathroom, locked the door behind me and slipped my new ensemble on. I used the baby wipe to “wash” my face, and then took my cap off to survey the damage. Just as I suspected there was no way in hell to spruce that rat’s nest up so I did something that I’m not quite sure that I’m proud or ashamed of… I took my tiny little travel bottle of garnier fructis out and washed my hair in the sink of a tire store. I grabbed a handful of paper towels and dried it the best that I could before scrunching it with the t-shirt I had been wearing earlier and a little mousse. Dave about fell over when I walked out in a whole new outfit with wet hair! Once in the car, I slapped on some makeup, a spritz of perfume, and hauled a$$ back to Midland! Not too shabby for a Wal-Mart makeover in a tire store huh? hahahaha

I don’t wear flats often but, I actually think these are pretty cute for $11!

I pulled up to the restaurant at 6:35 and we found our seats and joined right in with the rest of the group on our peacock painting lesson. Even though I had a crazy terrible day, it ended with friends, fun, good food, a couple of glasses of wine, and pretty peacocks.

Okay, I won’t be selling any paintings in the near future, but not too shabby for my first major painting. It was so relaxing! I’ve been trying to think of something else to paint all week!

They had a contest to see who could come up with the best name for the painting and the winner got a pair of hand painted peacock feather wine glasses so I gave it a go with “Do these feathers make my butt look big?” and wouldn’t you know I WON! Yay!

As I sit her tonight, almost a week later, testing my new wine glass out, I have to think to myself. Geeez. that was a stressful day, but all is well that ends well. They say God never gives you more than you can handle and I guess maybe that is true. Or maybe when he gives you so much to handle, he likes to toss in a happy ending to lighten the load. Whatever the case, even though 2 new tires cost me close to $1,000 and I spent half the day running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I’m grateful that His protective hand was on my husband in a scary situation. I’m also grateful for the 1 random clearance dress in all of Pecos, Texas, a fairly clean ladies room at Pecos tire, a great mom who came to my rescue on her day off, and good friends who laughed with me about my day. All in all, I would say it’s a beautiful life even when it doesn’t go the way I plan. Yep, I’ll drink to that! Cheers!

Taco wraps

September 15, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

When we were off shopping for a few essentials at Albertsons last week, these ginormous burrito style 10″ tortillas caught my eye. Nope they weren’t an essential, nope they didn’t look healthy, but they sure looked like fun! So, I grabbed a package! I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them but they were super thin in opposed to most flour tortillas so I thought they would make an excellent wrap of some sort. I was right! Mmmmm… these were so quick, easy, and delicious. They were a crowd pleaser with everyone for sure!

You know the drill! Gather your ingredients-you’ll need:

10″ tortillas or a similar wrap/bread
ground beef
frozen (or canned) corn
1 can of black beans
instant brown rice (or rice of your choice)
greek yogurt (or sour cream)
salsa
shredded cheese
Chili Powder, Comino (cumin), Ground Cayenne Red Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder (or pre-made taco seasoning if you choose)

In a small pot, begin to boil your rice according to the package directions and desired servings and add in your corn. The amount you use is entirely up to you. Simultaneously, in a large skillet, season and begin to brown your ground beef adding in the drained black beans when your meat is almost completely done. I use about 1/2 a can per 1 lb of ground beef but you can use more or less. How much seasoning you use is entirely up to you but remember, you can always add spice later but you can’t take it back! I accidentally added a bit too much red pepper and chili powder to my meat and 75% of us thought it was perfect. My 4 year old on the other hand said “Mommy, don’t get me wrong, these wraps are delicious but they make my breath spicy and my tongue burn!” lol Luckily, adding a bit more greek yogurt to hers helped tremendously and she at it all up!

When we visited my cousin in Fort Worth over the summer, she made us some taco salad with some really delicious sauce that my kids and I really loved. When I asked what was in it, I was shocked by how simple it was and have been making it since. She used equal parts sour cream and salsa to make hers but I always substitute sour cream for greek yogurt when possible as it is a little better for you. You can use either you would like. I use a small personal sized blender and scoop in equal parts of greek yogurt and chunky salsa and blend until the chunks are gone and it’s a nice pinkish-peach color.

When your meat and rice are completely cooked, remove them from heat, lay your tortilla on a plate, and begin adding everything in layers. I first added the rice/corn, then the meat/beans, I drizzled with a little sauce, and topped with some cheese.

Take the ends of your wrap and fold them over and then do the same with the sides rolling it as tightly as possible. Heat a small skillet and place your folded wrap in to crisp tortilla on both sides

Remove from skillet and cut in half to serve. They were HUGE so 1 fed both of my kiddos. I gave them blue corn chips and a spoon full of organic peach salsa. You’ll want to buy some of this at your closest HEB for a future recipe anyway! 😉

Mmmm… migitas!

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

When I was a little girl my Daddy used to make the greatest breakfasts! His paps (or potatoes) were always a crowd pleaser but my favorite were always his migitas or migas as most of you have probably heard them called. Now that I’m all grown up, Daddy doesn’t make me breakfast much and I’ve never perfected his breakfast papas but I’ve learned to make the perfect migas and I’m going to share how with you if you’ve never attempted it. They’re actually super simple to make and extra delicious!

First gather all your ingredients. You’ll need

corn tortillas (I use white corn but yellow corn would be just fine too)
tomato
eggs
onion
cilantro
garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper
avocado (optional)
shredded cheese (optional)

stack your tortillas and either cut them with a knife into small squares or you can tear them with your hands if you prefer. Once they’re all cut up, put them in a skillet and drizzle oil over the top. You’ll want enough oil to coat all the pieces but not so much that they become super greasy and soggy. Obviously how much oil you use will depend on how many tortillas you used. I for instance use about 10-12 tortillas for my family of 5 and usually have leftovers. I mix the tortillas in the pan to coat them in oil but I don’t turn the burner on just yet.

You’ll then need to chop your onion, tomato, and cilantro. Once you’re done, crack your desired amount of eggs (usually about 1 per serving), into a bowl and add your onion, tomato, cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, & pepper. Whisk until mixed well and set aside. Meanwhile turn your burner on to medium heat and begin to fry your tortillas constantly mixing to ensure even cooking.

Once your tortillas are mostly cooked and a lovely golden shade, you’ll want to stir in your egg mixture. Continue mixing making sure your tortillas and eggs are nicely intertwined until your egg is fully cooked.

Once eggs are fully cooked, remove from heat and serve. My kids and I like ours with a little bit of shredded cheese sprinkled on the top and I usually serve it with sliced avocado as well. Dave doesn’t really like avocado so he usually sticks to drizzling his with salsa. See? Super simple! Are you absolutely drooling over there?!?!? I am just thinking about them! May need to repeat tomorrow, enjoy!

Packing lunches

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 2 Comments

We do most of our grocery shopping at HEB but yesterday, I realized we had no food in our house so we ran into Albertsons super quick to grab a few things to tie us over. I really had no desire to take 3 kids on a full fledged grocery expedition. I’m not a huge Albertsons fan. They don’t have a very good organic selection, their produce is not great, and they’re more expensive than HEB but they have baskets in the shape of cars so my kids actually go willingly! Moral of the story, it was slim pickings for lunch boxes today!

P asked for turkey roll ups, they’re one of her favorites. I make them with cream cheese on whole wheat tortillas.

I spread cream cheese on the tortilla then add turkey and cheese.

I then roll the tortilla tightly and use cream cheese as a “glue” then I cut the ends off and toss them out (or eat them) and slice the rest.

She’s like her mama and loves veggies dipped in Greek yogurt ranch so I gave her some baby carrots and broccoli and a tiny bit of ranch. I tossed in some bunny fruit snacks for dessert and the apple for afternoon fruit break. She took water to drink.

T on the other hand hates turkey roll ups and broccoli and carrots too! She asked for a peanut butter, banana, and Nutella sandwich butterfly.

It’s ridiculous I know but last year, she was super nervous about going to school so I persuaded her to go those first few weeks with elaborate lunches. She eventually got over being away from mama and I didn’t have to ridiculous lunches all the time but today she asked for a butterfly.

The spots on the wings are m&ms and she got an applesauce, nila wafers, and a juice pouch.

Have you guys tried peanut butter, banana, & Nutella sandwiches?!?!? Oh my gosh! So delicious! Tastes more like dessert! Mmmm… What’s your kids favorite school lunch? Lets share some ideas! Email me or leave a comment 🙂

I love you because…

September 7, 2013September 7, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

Positive reinforcement is such an important key when dealing with our children and spouses. Sometimes just saying “I love you” isn’t enough. Sometimes your significant other and those precious kiddos need to know WHY you love them. Everyone needs an extra pat on the back and a sweet little reminder of the things that make them so special and so very loved! I saw a post on Pinterest once with this idea and although it was just a photo that lead nowhere with no link, it looked simple enough so about a year ago, I designed 1 for each of my children and they got such a kick out of them I got to thinking we might need one in our bedroom too!

Dave may not be very pleased that I used his most recent love doodle for my blog but I don’t get them often so I would like to forever embed it into internet history! haha Sorry honey! I made one for the baby’s room too but she’s not old enough to appreciate it yet so I change it less often than the others and it’s more for my sweet memory. I leave a dry erase marker by each and although I don’t change them daily, I try to change them at least once a week. Every once in a while, I’ll find a sweet something written just for me too! It’s no grand gesture, just a little something that says “Hey! You’re pretty awesome and I love you for it!”

You can make your very own “I love you because…” sign too and remind the people you love what makes them extra special to you. All you need is a picture frame, a dry erase marker, and a printer! I’ve created a few downloadable printable signs for you but you can create your very own to match your child’s personality or decor. These were created in a 5×7 size so all you need to do is select the image you like best and print! There’s a little something for everyone-even the boys with legos and camo hearts! Just click on the link to view, print directly, or save and send to your favorite online print company. They sometimes look a little blurry when you first open the file but they don’t print that way, it didn’t for me anyway. Enjoy! ❤

Steak tacos

September 4, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

Steak tacos are a favorite go to meal in the Latch house. The kids love anything involving steak and cheese, and I like anything that doesn’t make a gigantic mess, takes less than 30 mins to make, and is delicious!
Gather ingredients-you’ll need
-Steak- I typically use sirloin but have used filet or ny strip before.
-Colby jack or other favorite cheese
-1 lime
-white corn tortillas
-cilantro
-steak seasoning (optional)
-margarine or butter

Slice steak into thin strips and place in large skillet with about a tablespoon of butter or margarine. Take this time to add whatever seasonings you normally would a steak should you choose to do so. I use this fabulous Weber Chicago Steak seasoning that my hubby does when he grills. I also add a dash of onion powder and garlic powder. I often slice some very thin onion and toss it in with the steak but I was running late for an appointment so I skipped it this time. Cook the steak on medium heat till its at your desired heat.

While your steak is cooking, take a second to grate your cheese if its not already done, slice your lime, pick and wash your cilantro leaves, and begin to hear your tortillas in a small skillet or in a griddle if you’re one of those kind of domestic divas.

Once your tortillas are warm and toasty and your steak is cooked well enough for you get your plates handy and begin to assemble your tacos. Add the steak then squirt with some lime juice and top with cilantro then cheese. Fold in half and serve. We often serve with rice but they’re pretty tasty all on their own too so it’s not needed!

Laundry lessons

September 3, 2013September 3, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 1 Comment

Dear Diary,
It’s amazing how one little load of laundry can make you feel like you’ve really earned your title as the Dysfunctional Domestic Diva! I’ve done so much laundry in the last 9 years you would think I was a pro at it by now. I used to like to think laundry was one of my domestic strong points. I’ve always been great and on top of my game with getting clothing clean and dry. Sorting, hanging, folding, and putting it away not so much but that’s another diary entry for another day. This morning as I sorted my latest load I learned that maybe I’m not quite a domestic diva in the laundry room after all. Now I have come to share this valuable knowledge with other dysfunctional domestics like myself. Carry on good and faithful sorters, but go and ruin clothing no more!

7 lessons I learned from this mornings laundry load

1. Always check your pockets. Husbands and children are notorious for tossing things in the hamper with full pockets. I’ve been known to find nails, screws, nuts, bolts, hair accessories, lip gloss, magnets, toys, electric razor attachments, and even my husbands brand new iPod in the laundry!

2. It’s probably not a good idea to wash athletic shorts with sequins and fancy lace tops together. EVER!

3. You may think you’re only doing laundry for your husband and 3 daughters but apparently, American Girl Dolls don’t do their own laundry either!

4. When washing cute little Etsy creations with drawstrings or ribbon ties, it’s probably a good idea to remove said ribbons and drawstrings or tie them into a snug little bow so that they do not meet other cute little Etsy creations in the spin cycle to create one giant ball of cute fabric ribbon that will undoubtably take hours to untangle

5. When your 4 year old says she wants to help with laundry, let her but don’t take your eyes off of her for 2.5 seconds or she may toss in an object that has no business in the washing machine like oh I don’t know, a white cap with hot pink sequin apple! Hot pink sequin apples have the potential to not only ruin the item they are on but other items as well. Like her sisters brand new stripey shirt for instance.

6 & 7: This one tiny little pink ruffled shirt taught me 2 very important lessons. First of all, no amounts of oxyclean, peroxide, baking soda, or shout will get fudge pop stains from a light pink ruffled cotton top. Second, and probably more importantly, never, I repeat never send a child to grandmas house in a light pink ruffled cotton top. Grandma gives candy, popsicles, and red punch out like it’d going out of style! Black or brown are the only appropriate colors for Grandmas house!

Spinach stuffed chicken cups

September 2, 2013dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

I’m not one to follow recipes. That’s a little too well thought out and planned for a dysfunctional domestic diva like myself. But every time I make this dish, someone undoubtably wants the recipe. So here we go, I’m going to attempt to give you the “recipe”. Please know that I don’t use very technical measurement terms when I cook. You will never hear me say “add a cup of this or a tablespoon of that”. More than likely you’ll hear “add a dash of this and a pinch of that” so bear with me. Maybe some day I’ll be more organized and technical.
The fist thing you’ll want to do is gather your ingredients and supplies:
-chicken breast (how much obviously depends on how large they are and how many people you need to feed)
-cherry tomatoes
-frozen spinach
-shredded mozzarella or other Italian cheese
-seasoning of your choice (I keep it fairly simple and use an Italian blend, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper)
-extra virgin olive oil
-lime juice (optional)
-muffin tin
-cutting board
-sharp knife
-a small mixing bowl

You’ll need to preheat your oven to 350 and slice your chicken breast in half vertically. I used 2 chicken breasts and was able to make 6 chicken “cups”.

Chop your cherry tomatoes into 4ths and set them aside. In your small mixing bowl, add the frozen spinach, a dash of all of your seasonings, a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of lime juice, and your shredded cheese and mix well. I used about a cup and half of spinach and 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella but you’ll have to eyeball amounts dependent on how many servings your making.

I used heb organic naturals frozen breasts so they weren’t huge but I cut the larger one in half again to make 4 cups from just 1 breast! The other one was smaller and only made 2. Once they’re cut, use a meat tenderizer or your fist if you have pent up aggression to beat the chicken into thin pieces. You may lightly season the chicken with the same seasoning you use for the spinach if you choose to do so. I do! Next, spray your muffin tin with cooking spray and put the chicken in forming individual hollow “cups”. Fill each cup with spinach/cheese mix and put in the oven.

Obviously your oven and what not will make a difference as well as how thin you were able to beat that chicken but after about 8 mins (exactly 7 mins and 44 seconds in my case) remove the muffin tin and add your tomatoes and I like to sprinkle a little bit more cheese to hold it all together and clog my arteries a little more. Then put back in the oven another 5 mins or so until the chicken is fully cooked and the cheese is nicely melted.

Remove from the oven and serve with your choice of side dish. My kids like it best with angel hair pasta tossed with a dash of rosemary and olive oil but we’ve served it with white rice as well.

Mmmmm… Delicious! My kids will eat anything in the shape of a cupcake but if your littles despise spinach you can fill with anything they like really. We’ve filled them with broccoli and velveeta before and they were pretty darn tasty too!
Hope you enjoy!

Diary of a Dysfunctional Domestic Diva

Whining, Dining, and Nursery Rhyming

Domestic Diva