I thought about that last week when I made buttery roasted red potatoes for church. Unfortunately, church was canceled due to the snow, but I made them anyway. I followed the recipe and I found that I would have preferred less butter, but I was very proud of myself for following the recipe in the first place. I never would have known if I hadn't tried it out first!
And then today I made a yummy crock pot chicken dish with mandarin oranges. Let me just say that the crock pot is a great thing, because you just throw in the ingredients and then when you get home hours later, dinner is done and the meat is tender. I was especially appreciative of that today, as it took me over an hour to get home after my counseling appointment-I didn't get home until 7:45! I hate rush hour traffic in Atlanta and I'm always pretty emotional and a little drained after my session, so if I hadn't already made something, then I would not have felt like making anything.
I'll have to remember that when I'm not living with my parents! Right now, since I made a loose agreement with my parents that I would make dinner if I was home, I have an incentive to cook and eat, even when I don't feel like it. Cooking ahead of time is something I used to think would take a lot of extra time, but I have learned that planning ahead really does save time! I know that seems like common sense, but I am a procrastinator who has always been low in the common sense department.
Recovery is not just about taking medicine, though that is a big part of it! But is also about learning, planning, and trusting in common sense-once one has regained their common sense, of course.
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Mandarin Orange Chicken (from "Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly" by Phyllis Good)
Ingredients:
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
1 Medium-Sized Onion
1/4 Cup Orange Juice Concentrate
1 tsp. Poultry Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Salt
11-oz Can Mandarin Oranges, Drained, with 3 T Juice Reserved
2 T Flour
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Combine onion, orange juice concentrate, poultry seasoning, and salt. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on low 4-5 hours.
4. Remove chicken and keep warm. Reserve cooking juices.
5. In a saucepan, combine 3 T reserved mandarin orange juice and flour. Stir until smooth.
6. Stir in chicken cooking juices. Bring to a boil. Str and cook for two minutes to thicken.
7. Stir in mandarin oranges. Pour over chicken.
8. Serve with rice or pasta.
Ingredients:
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Rock on! That's a huge accomplishment, girl. Ooo, and coolio on the chicken- I have that crockpot recipe book too (a gift from my mother-in-law). I'll have to look for that recipe sometime! 🙂