Recipe {Chicken and Kale ::two way::}

The other night I made braised chicken and kale for dinner. After dinner we had chicken left over as well as some of the kale so I grabbed a can of white beans out of the pantry and more chicken stock and made it into a quick soup for lunches. I love when we eat something for dinner and I can quickly turn it into a new dish. Helps make leftovers more interesting and not feel like leftovers. 

Chicken and Kale {two ways}

Recipe {braised chicken and kale}

4 chicken leg quarters

1/4 cup flour

4-5 garlic cloves 

1/2 onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups of kale

1 cup chicken stock

1 tsp. poultry seasoning 

In a Dutch oven or heavy pan add olive oil and heat pan on medium high heat. Preheat oven to 325*. Once the pan is hot dread the chicken in flour (seasoned with poultry seasoning salt and pepper) and then place in pan. Cook on each side for 2-4 minutes (you just want to brown the chicken) remove chicken from pan. Add in the garlic and onions until softened. Then throw in the kale. Once the kale begins to soften add in the can of tomatoes and cup of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken back in the pan and cover with a lid. Transfer the Dutch oven into the preheated oven and let bake for 1.5-2 hours. (I baked it for 1 hour then turned my oven down to 225* and baked for another 2 hours) Serve the chicken on top of the kale mixture. 

Recipe {chicken and kale soup}

Leftover braised chicken and kale along with the pan drippings

1 can white beans (drained)

1-2 cups chicken broth 

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 tsp thyme 

Use the recipe above for braised chicken and kale. Remove chicken from pan and shred it. (Discard skin and bone) Add the can of beans and chicken stock to the pan (with whatever leftover kale and tomatoes are in the pan) and bring to a simmer. Stir in the chicken, thyme, and cheese. Remove from heat. Cool slightly then put in containers for lunches or save for another meal later in the week.

Menu plan

Trying to get myself back in the groove of  posting menu plans. I know not everyone is interested in it but I think it's a good way to hold myself accountable to sticking to a plan and to share some ideas with you all. {as I always love reading what others are eating and gaining ideas off their menus}.

I am also going to post an approximate price for each dinner this week. (Lunches I don't budget for as they are free bc i use leftovers from dinner and/or pantry staples to make them) I always find it helpful to know the cost of a meal before I put it on my menu so I can plan my budget accordingly. Feel free to ask questions and share your own ideas too :) 

I make a plan for the week but not what day I serve things. I like some flexibility in my plan as I may not feel like chicken one night or it may rain so we can't grill. Leaving a little wiggle room helps me a ton. 

Also, I do my planning a little different in the summer as produce is so cheap and the farmers market always has new things I want to try and our garden produce comes in at differing increments so I may only have 2 tomatoes one week but 20 the next. For summer time I do my shopping first then menu plan. I know it sounds a little backwards but I love to cook and often as I'm shopping can think of what I will use the item for. For example this week I picked up a giant bunch of kale for $1. I instantly knew I would use some of it in quesadillas for the kids lunches and some in smoothies for breakfast. I then did a quick search and found a recipe I could add it to with the chicken quarters I picked up on the cheap at the store.

The best tip I can give you is if you have a smart phone use it at the store or farmers market! If you see a great deal on some meat or produce but don't know what to make with it google search recipes with that ingredient, you'll be amazed at what new dinner entree you can make. 

Menu plan for this week:

Breakfast:

Egg scramble x2

Yogurt and fruit x2

Overnight oats

Smoothies x2

Lunch:

Cheese and veggie quesadillas x2 (use our garden Swiss chard, leftover squash, onions, kale and cheese)

Chicken sausage ragu with penne (use the chicken spinach sausage from dinner with garden tomatoes, garden Swiss chard, and garlic)

Grilled cheese and fruit

Leftovers x2

Homemade pizza (make my own dough with bread machine, tomatoes from garden, leftover veggies, and cheese)

Dinner:

•Brats and chicken sausage with roasted red peppers/onions and grilled peaches 

Cost breakdown: 

4 brats: $2.50

4 chicken sausages: $5 

Red peppers/onions: $.50

Buns: $1

3 peaches: $1.25 (bought for .99 cents a pound)

•Braised chicken and kale 

3 chicken quarters: $2.50

Kale: $1

Homemade chicken stock: .25 cents

Onions, carrots: .25 cents

•Veggie stir fry 

Kale: (free from leftover)

Bokchoy: $2 (farmers market price)

Red pepper: $1 

Broccoli: $1 (farmers market price)

Onions and carrots: .25 cents

Squash: $1 (farmers market price)

Rice: .25 cents

•roast and califlower purée 

Roast: $8

Can of tomatoes: free (from our garden that we can ourselves)

Onion and garlic: .25 cents

Bottle of wine: $7 (I cook our roast in wine, but when we don't have the money for this splurge I cook with beef stock)

Head of califlower: $2 (farmers market price)

•shredded beef tacos with black bean/corn salsa

Beef: free (use leftover roast and add taco seasoning to it)

Tortillas: $2/pack of 10

Black beans: .25 cents (I make my own and then freeze them in 1 cup bags)

Corn: .25 cents (I use one ear of corn)

Red peppers and red onion: $1

•bierocks and salad

Ground beef: $2.50 (one pound)

Cabbage: $2 (a giant head I grabbed at the farmers market)

Cheese: $2

Onions: .25 cents

Dough: .50 cents (I make it myself with pantry staples so this is the high end of cost)

•cabbage and noodles

Cabbage: free (leftover from previous)

Onions: .25 cents

Bacon: $2

Noodles: $1

 

Total for the week: $50.75

(1 also spent another $30 this week on milk, fruit, yogurt, eggs, and other staples I was out of)

Father's Day interview with LB

For one of W's gifts for Father's Day I did a little interview with LB. It was pretty funny to see how he answered these questions and to see W's reaction when he read them. Thanks, Jennifer for the idea :)

How old is Daddy? Two and a half

What color is his hair? Brown 

What color are his eyes? Brown and white 

What does Daddy like to wear?  Shirts

Daddy is smart because:  he poops and pottys and light candles and sings and reads

Daddy always tells me:  about Jesus died

It makes Daddy happy when:  he builds

It makes Daddy sad when:  he puts me in time out

I love it when Daddy:  takes me to the zoo

If I could give Daddy anything in the world I would give him:  a sandwich with tomato, salad, ketchup and cheese 

My favorite thing about Daddy is: him singing me songs  

For fun Daddy likes to:  be a farmer, take me to the children's museum 

Lately...

Didn't mean to disappear from blog land but life is flying by around here. AB is almost one and so close to walking and so much fun! LB turned 3 and is so full of energy and imagination! He loves to tell me stories all day long and he loves to play with his sister. 

I am one blessed mama to be raising these two bundles. Some days are very long but I am trying to enjoy each and every moment knowing soon they will not be as cuddle and not enjoy being home all day every day with just their mama. I could not imagine my days being any more fun than they are now.

W and I just celebrated 7 years of marriage. And man am I one lucky wife. He blesses me each and every day and works so hard so I can stay home with these two kiddos. 

I have so many fun post I want to do but haven't had any time so here are a few pictures :)

LB's third birthday 

Summer fun

Kansas family time

 AB's personality

Celebrating 7 years of bliss

Ten months

AB turned 10 months old a few days ago. I say this every month but time is still flying by.
Her personality is coming out more and more and LB just adores her to pieces. It is so fun watching them interact more and hearing them laughing at each other.
AB is in mostly 18 month clothes, size 4 diapers, and loves to eat everything big brother has on his plate. Luckily, she is a great eater and will eat almost everything we put in front of her. Her favorites are chicken, blueberries, watermelon, peas, and cheese.
AB now has 6 teeth and 2 more on the verge of popping thru. I feel like she always has a tooth about ready to appear. She has such a fun and sweet personality it really is a joy to spend each day with her. She is full of laughter and sass. Just the other night she was wide awake at 3am laughing in her crib and pointing yelling "dat" at the door. She was just waiting for us to come in and as soon as one of us did she would laugh and laugh and try to escape her room.
Speaking of words she is talking up a storm. Dada, mama, (brothers name), dat, nitenite, buhbye, and hi. Those are all the words I can think of right now but I'm sure she will be a talker just like her big brother.
We love you AB. You are a joy and delight. We pray God always captivates your heart and soul. Love you sweet girl.