Things have continued to be busy here... oy. We have had 5 straight days of long car rides (helps that everyone is so spread out, and it takes us usually at least 30min to get to our normal places...), and I have got to say... I dislike car rides with my baby girl.
Harsh?
Maybe.
But let me explain...
Our daughter was born at home... what a wonderful experience! This may just be her, or it may be a by-product of such a birth scenario, but she HATES being in the car. Loathes it, even. It started with her throwing the largest scream fest the second she would get in the carseat... but she and the carseat have seemed to reconcile their differences (she's 4.5mos now). She and the car, however, are still at odds. Screamo, insane guttural vocalizations are what I have faced over the last 5 days... well, mostly just Thursday and Friday (when I had it all by myself... thankful to have hubby for Saturday and Sunday... and for a wonderful day of a car ride today!).
When my baby is screaming... even just crying... it tears me up... I have such a visceral response. The sounds she makes leads me to believe she's being attacked (by what... only her little mind and God's know the answer to that... I can speculate all I want)... which throws me into super uber protective momma-bear mode. Seriously. Only... there's nothing to protect her from... so where does all that energy get thrown on? My kiddos. It's horrible. It's ugly. And I know it. And yet, too many times, I let myself go there. And then I apologize profusely. Thankfully, there's such a thing as grace.
You wanna know how grace is present?
My children are so young, they'll not remember my outbursts (as long as they are not the norm... as long as they don't become my default... as long as it does not become my identity). They may recognize it to some extent, but as long as I am seeking Christ and striving to grow in my walk... I ought to always seek forgiveness and be willing to apologize, especially to my kiddos in these times. And THAT they will also remember :) They will remember that we're not perfect, but that we also cannot hold so tightly to our own pride and selfishness (ie--refusing to admit when we're wrong... even to our own kiddos in regards to wrong reactions toward them).
Something that helped the car ride today... prayer, time in the Word, and PRAYER! I was praying... my hubby was praying... and God was at work. Even as the Father of Lies was trying to get me flustered and frustrated enough to get me going at my kiddos... via me hitting every possible red light... God was giving me strength, peace, and control over my emotions/reactions. When a 40min trip takes about an hour or more solely from the red lights... you know it's a long tedious trip lol.
I finally installed one of those seat mirrors too... finally... that may have had a hand in the happiness too ;)
And now, for What's For Dinner?!!
We ate all leftovers yesterday... meaning, we finished off whatever we had left... except for the pizza we ordered in a few nights back. Which will make Aaron super happy... he's been requesting "meeena!" (aka pizza) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner ever since we ordered it ha! It's an easy way to get him to eat all sorts of veggies ("eat your veggies and you'll get somemore pizza...")... he's really good about veggies anyway, but sometimes motivation is needed.
Anywho, back to the topic at hand. I'm needing to make a grocery trip... so we don't have too many options available for meals... usually leaving me pacing, and opening up multiple cabinets, fridge, freezer, and repeat with exasperation. Then I saw it... a partial carton of whipping cream... still good... hmm, what to do? What to do? I should be creative!
So, I peruse the fridge further... boneless, skinless chicken breast; fresh broccoli, fresh asparagus, celery, carrots, chicken broth... I shall make chicken noodle casserole and make my own cream of something sauce! Yep... that's what I'll do!
I've never made any cream of something sauce before... so I'm punting. And I decided to go into it without any sort of recipe reference :) Schwoah!
Long story short, it was delicious! My hubby loved it! And my toddler GOBBLED (and I mean GOBBLED) it up! So, without further adieu, here is the recipe (ish... I don't really have exact measurements for the cream of something sauce):
1 boneless skinless chicken breast (rinse in cool water, dry with paper towel, place in ungreased baking dish, cover with foil, and cook for roughly 20min at 400* or until juices run clear)--small diced
Egg noodles (cook for about 5min, they will cook further with all ingredients)
Fresh broccoli florets
Fresh asparagus (I used about 5 spears)
Fresh carrot (I used one)
Fresh celery (About 3 stalks)
**amounts of veggies depends on number you're serving, how large a casserole dish you're filling, etc.
Cream of something sauce:
Whipping cream (I probably had half to a little less than half a pint--I used what I had left in the carton)
1 cup Chicken broth (I use the 33% reduced sodium)
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
Garlic powder (I didn't have exact measurements for the spices....... so, add to your taste!)
Onion powder
Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Celery (I used about a 2-3in. section of a stalk cut into very small dice)
Directions:
In small saucepan, combine whipping cream, 3/4 cup chicken broth, garlic, onion, pepper. Heat till bubbling. In measuring cup or small dish, mix cornstarch in 1/4 cup chicken broth. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture in to contents in saucepan. Bring to boil, let boil for 2-3min while stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally. Add celery and olive oil. Continue to stir occasionally. Sauce is ready for use when it begins to "stick" to the spoon, means it is thick enough.
In casserole dish, have fresh veggies cut into small pieces, diced chicken, and noodles. Pour sauce over all, and mix thoroughly with spoon. Add about a tsp of salt and mix thoroughly. Cover with lid and place in oven for 30-45min at 350*.
Serve hot. Add some fresh fruit and water and you've got a complete meal! We also decided to have a special "crunch factor" in eating some plain potato chips (gives a nice little crunch, a little more salt to the meal... just be sure to exercise self-control in how many you eat! A little goes a long way :) )
Tomorrow is our "baby" boy's birthday! The big 2! Can hardly believe it... I'm in denial haha! Better get some sleep so I can make sure to sneak in to his room at the exact moment of his arrival (5:46am!).
May God bless you! His Mercies are new every morning! What a blessing! :)
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