Chicken... Its whats for dinner

Chicken and Asparagus

SERVES: 8, POINTS: 6

Olive oil nonstick spray
1/2 cup honey-dijon mustard
2 tsp dried tarragon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 bone-in chicken breasts, skinned
1-2 lbs fresh asparagus
1.5-2 lbs baby carrots
4 cups scrubbed baby potatoes halved

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Coat baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper. Then toss chicken breasts in the mixture. Place the chicken in the center of baking dish(es). Toss carrots in remaining mustard mixture and place in baking dish. Add potatoes to baking dish. Spray chicken and veggies with cooking spray then bake in the oven for 25 mins. Add asparagus, covering with juice from the dish and returning to oven for another 10 mins (or until chicken is cooked thoroughly).

Remove the chicken from the bone and slice. DONE!

This was actually really easy to make and my first time trying asparagus (I am surprised that I liked it) This meal was REALLY good and I recommend trying it... It tastes much better then the pics lead you to believe, I promise! I used two baking dishes to prepare mine since I doubled the entire thing (above explanation IS the doubled version so you can halve it if you want. I like leftovers!)

**I am not making any claims to having invented this recipe!!

Kid Tested... AND approved!

I have been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen lately and its been a lot of fun!! I had been hearing about "diet soda" cakes on a weight watcher board I am on and decided to try it out for myself!!

SERVES: 12, POINTS: 5

1 box Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Cake mix
1 can Diet Coke/Pepsi
16 oz Cool Whip Lite
2 Fat Free chocolate Jello Pudding individual cups

Mix dry cake mix and diet soda with mixer. Bake according to back of box disregarding additional ingredients.

Blend thawed Cool Whip with Jello Pudding.

In serving dish alternate layers of crumbled chocolate cake with Cool Whip mix.

YUMMY!!

**I came up with this little number after having a "fail" moment making my cake... LOL

FAIL....

FIX!!...

Carsyn was nice enough to taste test for me - he approved! Diet Soda cake is IN!

Chris and Alec... not so helpful

Mr. Clean

Carsyn has hit the copy cat stage! It is so cute!!!! While he was eating his lunch today I was scrubbing his paw marks off of my hallway walls. He must have been watching because after lunch he grabbed his bib and started scrubbing away. Excuse the pacifier... he thinks it is funny to steal it from Alec. Ugh!!

Up to speed

Ok. I admit. I didn't have all the free time I thought I was going to have while Chris was away! So, my blog got zero attention. I need to revamp it so I am currently trying to think of a good title! Just to catch you up to speed....

April 5th I started having problems with my gallbladder. Because of this they decided they would do an amnio at 37 weeks to check little man's lungs to make sure he was ready. He ended up passing the amnio on April 11th so they started the process of ripening my cervix that night. Chris made it home for the birth!! Alec Daniel, 7lbs 10 oz was born 2/12 at 2:44 pm after an extremely easy labor. He inhaled fluids and was in the level two nursery from the get go and was released a day after me. He is doing amazing and Carsyn loves his brother. My gallbladder was removed the day after Alec was born and it was awful. I had a very hard time afterwards but am doing great now!

Chris is home now and everything is going great!! Alec is 10 weeks and Carsyn is now 22 months. It is a LOT of work. My maternity leave ends next Monday, May 3rd. I am really sad to be going back to work. Well, I will try and actually keep this thing up to date from now on!!

Alec in the hospital

Alec 2 months old

Carsyn getting is getting so big!

Chris and I took a day to experience Target Field