Stir-Fried Thai Chicken Salad

I have had several requests for this recipe. I also got this one from the Better Crocker web page! This is how the recipe is written. I changed it up a little. I did NOT add the crushed red pepper, bok choy or peanuts. I just forgot to buy the bok choy. If you can find baby bok choy - I think that would be best. Oh, I didn't use the green onions either - I used regular onions and cooked them with everything else. I also added mushrooms and extra zucchini as well. You could add anything really. One last thing...I used leftover rotisserie chicken. I made jasmine rice with it. YUM....

Let me know if you try it and what you think. BTW...did anyone try that Thai Shrimp? I think I am going to make it again this weekend!


Stir-Fried Thai Chicken Salad


Sweet-and-Sour Dressing

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Chicken Salad

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound cut-up boneless chicken breast for stir-fry
1 medium zucchini, cut into julienne strips (2 cups)
1 1/2 medium carrots, shredded (1 cup)
6 to 8 green onions, cut into 1-inch julienne strips (1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups chopped bok choy (stems and leaves)
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


1. Mix all Sweet-and-Sour Dressing ingredients.
2. In 12-inch skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
3. Add zucchini, carrots, onions and pepper flakes; cook and stir about 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in dressing. Cook and stir 1 minute. Serve over bok choy. Top with peanuts and cilantro.


Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker® Kitchens
You can use an equal amount of spinach or green cabbage for the bok choy. To julienne means to cut food into long, thin matchlike strips. You can also cut the zucchini, carrots and onion into thin slices to save a little prep time. Time Saver Purchase preshredded carrots in the produce section of your supermarket.

Nutrition Information: 1 Serving: Calories 335 (Calories from Fat 205); Total Fat 23g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat ncg); Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 290mg; Total Carbohydrate 15g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars ncg); Protein 23g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 58%; Vitamin C 34%; Calcium 12%; Iron 10% Exchanges: 0 Other Carbohydrate; 3 Vegetable; 2 Lean Meat; 3 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: nc *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
© 2009 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved

What was for dinner #3...

It has been a busy week for me - hence, the lack of blogging. You will see it also effected our meals. Nothing too fancy this week.

Sunday - Leftovers.
Monday - Chicken Thai Stir Fry (This was sooooo good. Better than any Chinese takeout).
Tuesday - Chick-fil-a - I ended up working late unexpectedly - I took a pregnant client to the hospital. So, Jake took the kids "out to eat".
Wednesday - Pasta (rice pasta), Meat & Mushroom Sauce. Watermelon.
Thursday - Chicken Tenders, Collard Greens, Peas & Carrots.
Friday - Pizza (Donatos has a crustless pizza - it was okay. I think I will try this myself next time).
Saturday - Leftovers (we had a lot of pasta & chicken left).

I also made Rice Pudding from scratch - Amazing.

So, there you go. Not that fancy at all. Wait until next week though....I have some GOOD stuff planned. Just if I can execute the plan.....

Check out what Steph had for dinner.

Uh, Excuse Me....I'd like to get off this emotional roller coaster - PLEASE!!!

I could be talking about so many aspects of my life..........................

But today I am feeling a little crazy about the weather.

Tuesday it was sunny. It was cold but it smelled like spring and I heard birds chirping. How could I NOT get my hopes up?

Wednesday it was raining, gloomy and gray. Boo Hiss.

Today. Snow. Not just a little. There is enough to cover the grass and roads.

I'm just so sad about it.

What was for dinner #2

Over at Stop the Ride, Stephanie has been doing this little "What was for dinner" play along. Apparently I was the only one playing along (well, I did once) but if you want to just stop over at her blog and leave a comment with your link. I think it is interesting to see what everyone else eats.

I am an adventurous cook. I LOVE to try new recipes. In fact I am always making something new. This week was no exception. Check it out.

Sunday - Chicken & Mushroom Soup. I skipped the corn and added sharp cheddar instead of parmesan.

Monday - Chipotle Style dinner - Pinto Beans, Cilantro lime rice, avocado, sauteed onions & red peppers, sour cream, cheese, salsa, shredded, seasoned chicken & corn chips.

Tueday - Thai Seared Shrimp & Jasmine Rice.

Wednesday - Mahi Mahi grilled with onions & peppers & Quinoa

Thursday - Thai Seared Shrimp - yes I made it again because I had leftover coconut milk & curry. It is sooooooooo good.

Friday- Rotisserie Chicken, Smashed Potatoes, Green Beans & Salad

Saturday - Thin Pork Chops w. Apples, Onions & cheddar cheese, roasted sweet potatoes and collard greens.

I also made Rice Crispy treats, pudding and chocolate cupcakes (from scratch).

Now I need to get to work on a plan for this week.......

A Friday Fill In!!!

1. It seems like winter is over.

2. Put your pencils down and look up - when you're done, please?

3. If I thought you dance I'd sing you a song!

4. Birds singing & hearts floating by - is what I think of most when I think of you.

5. To me, Valentine's Day means flowers, hearts and a bunch of pink stuff.

6. Breakfast gives me strength.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to catching up with my DVR, tomorrow my plans include maybe baking some cupcakes, doing laundry & hanging with the family and Sunday, I want to do more of the same!

More Fill-ins.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

My Poster...

In KINDERGARTEN????

As many of you know, I was planning to homeschool my children. Then life happened and it didn't seem like much of an option for our family. Since we can't afford a private school and didn't get around to signing up for "financial aide" in time, we decided to send Jude to public school. I mean it is only kindergarten....... Ha ha ha ha ha. Famous last words. I will start by saying school has been good for Jude. He has done very well. He isn't as shy and he really enjoys learning. He was always so reluctant to learn from me.... Well, he was learning but he wouldn't admit to knowing anything. LOL. Jude does like school. I have had my complaints about the public school system, but honestly I have very high expectations. I joined the PTA so I could have some say! HA. That was a laugh. I decided the PTA was not for me after I caused a little bit of a stink in a meeting which consequently caused the other PTA Mom's to look in the other direction when they see me! The meetings pretty much consisted about grown women complaining and arguing over things like: the high schoolers swearing in the parking lot (they were afraid to ask them not to swear in front of the children. My question is: When did High Schoolers get so scary???) and the teachers not having a standardized school supply list OR the prizes for some stupid fundraiser. I should just stop talking about them....my blood pressure is going up! I do volunteer in the library once a week. I went on the field trip, help with parties and even went in to do a craft with Jude's class. It was fun. I know all the kids names in Jude's class - and they all know me. So, two weeks ago Jude's teacher had a "minor surgery". She said she would be out for a week. It ended up being two. The kids were not on their best behavior. I wasn't thrilled with the sub. I met her and thought she yelled too much. So, this is a conversation I had last week with Jude:

Jude: [Boy in class] got a red card today.
Me: Why? He is usually good.
Jude: He said a bad word.
Me: Oh. What word did he say?
Jude: I don't know.
Me: How did you know it was a bad word?
Jude: The other kids told me.
Me: Grrrrrr.....

I was proud that Jude didn't know the bad word.

So, Saturday we go the zoo and as we were getting out of the van this was the conversation we had:

Jude: Mommy, do you know about the F-word? (he actually said f-word not f***)
Me: Uh, which F-word?
Jude: I don't know? The F-word that is bad.
Me: Where did you hear about the F-word?
Jude: Aaron told me.
Me: Why was Aaron talking about the F-word?
Jude: I don't know but [a different boy] called the teacher a bad word.
Me: Oh. Did she hear him?
Jude: No, Ian whispered it in her ear.
Me: What did she do?
Jude: She made him go talk to Mrs. Burris (the other kindergarten teacher), that is what she does every time someone says a bad word.
Me: Oh, what does Mrs. Augustus do?
Jude: I don't know! People don't say bad words when she is there!

Apparently, they only cuss at the sub.

Saturday....

Yesterday we went to the Akron Zoo. I've mentioned before how much I love that Zoo. It is close (only a few miles away). It is small and manageable - it doesn't have to be an all day event. AND the animals are always so close up. I love it. They may not have some of the bigger (& smellier) animals but the kids always love it. In fact, Elise asks to go to the zoo every night before she goes to bed. Since the weather was (what people in ohio call....) nice yesterday - we took advantage of it! Here are some (well a lot) pics from the day!

The Search....is still on!

Some of you may have heard that Jake had a big interview last week. He had to buy a suit....he was told to "dress to impress". Suits are not cheap. He looked cute but not very comfortable. I think I'd rather see him in his camo shorts and a pair of hiking boots. LOL. He went to the interview and he felt pretty good about it. Over the weekend he kept talking about ideas and I could tell he was very excited. I was already feeling relief...thinking things we would be able to do with the gazillions of $'s he was going to be making. Unfortunately the company called on Monday and said they decided they weren't going to go forward with the project. Phooey. We were both very disappointed.

Currently we are doing okay... We are keeping our heads above water BUT his unemployment will be running out. We don't really have a plan. We have cut the expenses that we can. I could sit here and list them all but it makes me want to cry. Every day I listen to the news and it is so depressing. As I am typing I just heard PNC bank is cutting 5800 jobs - mostly from National City Bank that they just purchased - which is based in NE ohio. With my job I have contact with ODJFS and I see how backed up they are...things that used to take 2 weeks is taking 2 months because they are overwhelmed by the amount of people who need assistance. Jake looks every single day for a job. I see him pouring over job postings and sending out his resume. He isn't getting much of a response. It is very stressful.

I know God has a plan for us. I trust him. I just don't trust that I will like the plan.

Obama...

Okay, you might remember I criticized Sarah Palin during the presidential campaign. I also let you know that I voted for Obama...much to the disappointment of many of you. LOL. Well, it has been nice watching history and I think Obama has a lot of wonderful things to say. BUT...today I am mad at him. Back in May Obama said this:

We can't drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees at all times, whether we're living in the desert or we're living in the tundra and then just expect every other country is going to say OK, you know, you guys go ahead keep on using 25 percent of the world's energy, even though you only account for 3 percent of the population, and we'll be fine. Don't worry about us. That's not leadership.

Last week it was reported that Obama has set the thermostat at the White House at 80! Are you kidding me?

I was already a little annoyed that the Obama inauguration cost $160,000,000! I know it was history making and there was cause for celebration but COME ON people....even if it wasn't tax payers money - it was still extravagant and wasteful.

Then on the radio today, Howie Chizek has been talking about the Obama's only eating some special and very expensive beef. Some type that costs like $200 per pound.

I don't know. He worked hard and he is the President of The United States of America. I think he should get some perks. But he has preached the message of "lead by example" that I feel seriously betrayed. I am not giving up on him yet but I am mad.