I Will Fear No Butter!

March 6, 2009

I used to be afraid of butter. Actually, I used to be afraid of a lot of things and a lot of foods. I know this may seem unbelievable to many, but I remember that when I was hospitalized in 2005, just how revolutionary the concept of putting butter on my bread was.

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.

One comment on “I Will Fear No Butter!”

  1. 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! 🙂

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