It's been awhile......AGAIN

I am such a slacker blogger lately! I have been feeling like time is getting away from me. There just have been so many appointments, part of the territory with children in general, never mind when there are special needs involved. I have a standing play date once a week with an old-time friend of mine, and preschool co-op once per week with Aiden, let's not forget one swimming lesson per week for all four boys (getting the most out of one stone there!!), and AWANA on Wednesdays, and we have some type of get together once per week. I have also been babysitting two full days per week for the last 6 months.

It doesn't sound like too much for a family of 8, but the next thing I know it is afternoon, time to pick little boys up, and the snowball is rolling faster right up till bedtime. I feel like I can barely keep up, and the house is never quite the way I would like it to be running. WHEW...blogging has fallen to the wayside. I don't know how those "supermoms" do it. I just want to be at home with nothing extra to do for a solid week (grin), putter around our house, arranging things, messing with the garden and not fearing having enough time, get to all those little things that really make a difference, and that I have been really missing lately.

Today is a mental health day. I cancelled a dentist appointment, and I am not sorry. We will be home all day doing what needs doing, and every other day this week we are busy. I'm going to get lots of laundry put away, counters cleaned, rooms freshened up, read some of The Pursuit Of God by A.W. Tozer, breathe. Tonight I'm going to take my time and cook something with joy and hope Mike will be home to partake with us. Maybe we'll even break out a game, though I enjoy a game without little pieces to worry about, say charades. hmmmmmmm......
I hope to have some pictures of *something* to share next time.
Have a beautiful week~

*update 6:27pm*
Just realized that we missed the swim lesson today. I am not one bit sorry. Dh reminded me a few minutes ago, and I honestly forgot all about it. I SO needed this day at home to do what needed to get done, to refresh myself with reading etc,... and to be able to make a really nice dinner with my love put into it and family time rather than the usual (lately) irritation while trying to cook something mediocre and eat it fast enough to get out of the house and to wherever on time, and then to arrive back with no time or energy for homework. I wish I could have more days like this. Weird thing is all winter long we didn't do much, but I was lonely and bored to tears. I need some balance and some down time more often.



I came up with this version of chicken parm tonight, plugged into a nutritional calculator and it came up to 454 calories per serving, so I am quite pleased with myself. It was actually delicious as well, and the info input is saved for easy tracking next time I make it. =)

Here's the recipe:

trim chicken parmesan



Ingredients

1 lb. of whole wheat pasta

3 pieces of chicken breasts

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup romano cheese

1/4 cup shredded parm cheese

1 Tbsp granulated garlic

1 TBSP basil

1 tsp dried parsley



Nutritional Info


Fat: 9.8g
Carbohydrates: 48.4g
Calories:453.4
Protein: 42.9g



Set a pot of water with a pinch of salt over medium high heat to boil for the pasta. Add the pasta once boiling, and cook according to package instructions. When done, top with 1 cup of the sauce and divide up between six plates with a piece of the done chicken.

Take 3 pieces of chicken breast and butterfly cut them so you have six thin pieces. You may also use mallet to flatten if you have very thick pieces.

Next, mix 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs with 1/2 cup romano cheese. Add 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 Tbsp basil and 1 Tbsp granulated garlic. Take chicken and coat in this bread crumb mixture.

Line 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Add the coated chicken so they are not over lapping.

Top each with an equal amount of the half cup of sauce, then equally top each piece of meat with the 1/4 parm cheese.

Place in 375 degree oven 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Number of Servings: 6