Ready for Spring

Sometimes I take pride in the fact that I actually enjoy cold weather. I like wearing coats and scarves. I like sitting by the fire and I love snow. Whenever the husband and I travel to places like Boston, New York or Chicago, I always think to myself "I could totally live here". I love the thought of big city life with a snowy winter. Well, the reality is, I do like the cold.. but only temporarily it seems. As we are looking at March 1st tomorrow with a high in the 40's, I find myself very ready for some warmer temps, flowers and spring clothes. Here are some things I'm looking forward to most.

From here, here, here and here.

Mystery Trip 2013

This past weekend was a first for K-Life. We took 9 high schoolers on a "Mystery Trip"... meaning they loaded up on the bus Friday afternoon not knowing where we were going- only that we would be back Monday. About two hours into the trip at a Chick-fil-a dinner stop, we let everyone know that we were going to Disney World! We stayed at the Orlando K-Life house and spent Saturday at New Smyrna Beach and Sunday at 3 out of the 4 Disney parks. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Our ride. The official K-Life "park 'n fly" affectionately known as "Pat". There is always some confusion regarding whether it's a bus or a van...

 

Sitting in glorious Atlanta traffic on a Friday

 Saturday morning pancake breakfast and devo

 The ladies at our Saturday night dinner at Kobe Steakhouse. YUM.

We set the bar pretty high for next year's trip. Luckily, there is a year to plan...

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

There's nothing better than coming home from work on a cold day and having a warm dinner waiting for you. I've been making this for quite some time and it always hits the spot. It is so so easy, doesn't involve a lot of ingredients and tastes so yummy.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use Campbell's healthy request)
1 container of Philly cooking cream (I usually use the plain, but they were out of that so I used the Italian herb and cheese)
1 packet of Italian dressing mix
1 container of mushrooms of your choice (I used sliced white)
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 bag of egg noodles (I actually used no yolk noodles)

Directions
1. Place chicken on the bottom of your slow cooker and pour soup, chicken broth and dressing mix on top. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

2. Once the chicken is cooked, coarsely shred with two forks. Mix in the Philly cooking cream and mushrooms. Cook on high for another 30 min or so.

3. Cook the egg noodles according to package directions.

4. Serve the chicken mushroom mixture over the noodles. I usually serve alongside some easy steamed veggies.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

All of this cold and rainy weather we've been having lately has really gotten me in the mood for some comfort food. This recipe is super easy and definitely healthier than your typical frozen version.

Chicken Pot Pie
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 pk pre-made frozen pie crusts (contains two; I used an organic brand from Publix. You can make your own crust if you'd like)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used Campbell's healthy request)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (I used Campbell's healthy request)
- 1/3 cup low fat sour cream
- 1 bag frozen mixed veggies
- 1/2 sweet onion chopped
- poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Place chicken in crock pot and and pour soups on top. Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

2. Shred the chicken with two forks and mix in the veggies, onion and sour cream until blended. Cook on low for about another hour and a half.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 400 and allow the pie crusts to thaw out of the freezer for about 10 min.

4. Fill one pie crust with the chicken/veg mixture and top with the other pie crust. I poured a little low fat melted butter on top once it was sealed. Also, cut a few slits in the top so the steam can get out. Bake at 400 for about 45 min or until the crust is golden.

Enjoy!

Bacon Caprese Pasta

So I was originally going to make just caprese pasta, but when I opened the refrigerator- the bacon was staring me in the face just begging to be eaten. I love bacon, I really do, but I tossed it in the pasta with a bit of uncertainty. Let me tell you, I am so glad I did. It was oh. so. yummy.

Bacon Caprese Pasta
1/2 lb of linguine (1/2 box)
1 small carton of grape tomatoes
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (about the size of a baseball) chopped into small pieces
2 handfuls of fresh basil chopped
4 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup white wine
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for drizzling and coating the pasta

Directions
1. Heat some EVOO in a large saute pan.

2. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook on low/med for 5-7 min. Once the tomatoes begin to cook through, use a wooden spoon and smoosh them until they pop. Be careful not to completely crush them, as you just want to let the juices out.

3. Meanwhile bring a large pot of nicely salted water to a boil and cook your linguine until slightly firmer than al dente (about 5 min).

4. Add the white wine to the tomatoes and gently stir through. Cook for another 3-4 min.

5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to your large saute pan with the tomato/wine sauce.

6. Toss the pasta in the sauce until nicely coated. This is where you can add some EVOO as needed if the pasta is sticking.

7. Once thoroughly combined, sprinkle the bacon, basil and chopped mozzarella on top. Cover and Let cook on low for about 3-4 min until everything is heated through.

Serve with fresh parmesan and enjoy!