I can scarcely believe it's Friday. I'm really hoping that our weather cooperates so my good friend can visit. The idea of her driving on icy roads to get here on her own isn't very comforting. Last weekend they said we'd get snow and ice and all we got was rain. With my luck, we'll get more snow than they're predicting this time because I don't want it. Pray it isn't so!

Dear iPhone, I have to be shallow and say I am SO excited you have come into my life. To make so many things easier and save so much time. Plus apps like Emoji and Pogo Games (Word Whomp!) are super fun. You just make my life a little brighter. Thank you, dear friend, who got the iPhone 5 and sent me your iPhone 4. You know who you are.

Dear Hubby,
I am so thankful for the hard work you do. You make it possible for me to stay home with Michael by sacrificing so much. On top of that, you still do extra thoughtful things like send me flowers on days you know are going to be tough. I don't know or care to imagine what my life would be like without you.

Dear texters and emailers, I am so thankful you don't get annoyed with me for not calling. I am thankful we can still connect even if I don't hear your voice. Some texts to me are like instantaneous letters, and if you know me you know I love letters. You help me feel human on days I don't leave the house or interact with anyone other than Michael. Thank you.

Dear Park, I am so glad we got to enjoy some quality time with you this week. Once again the weather is turning cold and bitter, but we got to have some awesome times running around, sliding, swinging, and so much more. Plus it was spent with good friends. What more could we ask for? Well... perhaps some nice weather so we can do it again very soon!

Dear Self, Congratulations! You have done wonderfully this week. You've kept the house clean, stayed on track (minus a few chocolate chip cookies) with your healthy eating, written at least 500 words a day, read your OYB, and started reading and writing something new. It is always important to make time for yourself, even when it seems like it's the last thing you should be doing. Well done.

Have a great weekend everyone! Share your special plans in the comments! I'd love to hear about them :).

The idea for this post came from Ashley, of The Sweet Season.

Before Clark had to head out to work again, his dinner request was homemade Mongolian Beef. It's one of his favorites to order for take-out, and since we're trying to cut back on doing that, we experimented. When all was said and done, Clark said it was the best Chinese dish we had made at home. Period. Apparently my Sweet & Sour Chicken has finally been surpassed.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb beef tenderloin [ I actually just used stir-fry beef for this because it's WAY cheaper. ]
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp grated/"powder" ginger
- 4 to 6 tbsp soy sauce [low sodium preferred]
- 2 to 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp Chine rice wine or dry sherry
- 3 to 6 green onions cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces [green part only]
- 2 to 4 tbsp oil for the pan [I used olive]

For Fried Rice Recipe go HERE*

- Directions:

- Mix together your soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine/sherry. Set aside.
- Heat oil in pan [I used a wok] over medium-high heat. Add your ginger and garlic. Sautee until garlic is browning.
- Toss your beef in cornstarch. Make sure to shake off any access cornstarch. Add your beef to the pan and saute until lightly browned.
- Add the sauce to the mix. It should boil pretty quickly. Lower the heat and keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken and sort of glaze the meat. It should happen in a matter of minutes.
- Toss in your green onions a few minutes before serving. Turn the heat off after adding them.

Serve with fried or steamed rice.


Recipe adapted from chodivine.com.

This is not something I really planned on sharing, but it seems to be very heavy on my heart this year.

Eight years ago, when I was fifteen, my best friend went missing. Two and a half years later, when I was just starting college, her remains were found. Her case is still unsolved, and who knows if it ever will be.

I used to always go down the roads of "what if" and "I should have", but today I'd rather just focus on remembering. This was a tragedy. It affected so many people, and each one it affected differently. For me, my best friend going missing shoved me into the real world. When her remains were found, it made me want to truly live, and actually inspired my elopement.



Pam was an amazing individual. We were so young. She was so young. And something awful cut her life short and kept her from truly living. It is so appalling to me how this happens so frequently in our world. The young are taken from us in unnatural ways that should, some how, be preventable.

Pam was smart, loving, caring, funny, particular, detail-oriented, beautiful, odd, determined, motivated, supportive, encouraging... the list could go on and on and on. If you could, please take a moment and say a prayer for her, and all other children who are missing with unsolved cases. In the end, uncertainty is always the worst.

Clark was home. It was a bit surreal. We had just enough time to get used to having the other around before he had to leave for M.C.T. (Marine Combat Training... I believe). We had ten days.

Initially we were supposed to go to Hawaii with his family. When we went over the flight information, however, we realized there was a slight chance we would be back late the day he had to report. Plus him having to adjust to the time change... it just wasn't responsible. We were twenty years old and did the responsible thing-- we told his parents we couldn't go to Hawaii. They weren't very happy, needless to say. It was understandable. They did, after all, buy our tickets and were planning on paying for everything while we were there... but we just couldn't do it. We had to find a place to live, had no one to look after the animals, and there were things that Clark needed to take care of before his next step of training.

This decision making all happened on our drive home from his graduation. No joke. We pulled over in a parking lot at one point to talk, because we were supposed to fly out the next day. We had to decide. It was exhausting, and poor Clark just wanted rest, but it had to be done.

The next morning I was rather mean, I have to admit. I woke up early, as I always do, and there was Clark sound asleep next to me. I snuck out of bed, turned on the light, and just yelled, "GET UP!" My husband rolled out of bed and started running for the bathroom to get ready... before he realized that he was, in fact, home and not at bootcamp anymore. This did, however, get him up and we got to enjoy a breakfast together. However, I DO NOT recommend it.

We spent the ten days shopping, celebrating, and apartment-hunting. Looking back on it, it's rather difficult to remember just exactly how everything played out. We were so engaged with the other that little else seemed to matter (except, of course, what needed to matter).

We successfully found an apartment-- a condo fifteen minutes from campus that would come to be home for the next 2.5 years.
We went hiking. We celebrated Independence Day with a picnic and fireworks, something that is now a tradition.
We got Clark things he needed, we spoiled one another... we just enjoyed being together. We didn't need Hawaii to do that. After thirteen weeks of separation, it was just wonderful to have him home.

Thursday morning, when our weather was at its worse (we had five straight days of nasty rain/wind), our coffee pot broke. There was no warning signs, no spewing grounds... nothing. I turned it on... and it wouldn't work. It was thirty minutes before I even noticed, because I'll set it up, turn it on, and do things and then get excited to get my first cup of coffee... but there wasn't any. It was awful.

After consulting my mama on just how to find a substitute way of making coffee, I dulled my coffee-less-morning-pain by making these DELICIOUS muffins. After making them I of course felt guilty (and after eating two of them). Luckily a friend came by to take some off my hands.

They are rich and delicious, and easy to make. Luckily they are rich enough where two was my limit (with a nice glass of milk or cup of coffee).

Ingredients:

- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1 C unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 C sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 C milk (I used skim)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 C vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling if desired

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Wish together your milk and melted butter. Add the oil and eggs next.
- Combine your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the liquid ingredients to this mix well. Don't over mix this. The batter should be somewhat lumpy.
- Gently fold in your 1 C chocolaate chips.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin pan. Use about 1/4 C batter per muffin.
*If you use liners, make sure to spray them!*
- Optional: Sprinkle the top of the muffins with extra chocolate chips for show!
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Check the muffins with a toothpick. Make sure it's batter sticking to the toothpick and not just melted chocolate from the chips when you're deciding if they're done or not!
- Remove muffins from hot pan to a cooling rack and let sit for at least five minutes before digging in. This didn't, exactly, happen when I made them... but then they were very hot and VERY "melty" with the chocolate chips.

ENJOY!



This recipe was adapted from About.com.

Happy Friday! I honestly forgot that today was Friday. It took all my teacher friends (most of whom have snow days) to remind me that it is, in fact, the weekend. Woo hoo!

Dear Anthropologie, Could you please stop being so awesome? I reluctantly hesitantly sadly sign on to your site every week to see what's new. Your spring previews are giving me spring fever. If you could please miraculously become affordable, I would love you even more.

Dear Michael,
Thank you so much for being patient with your mama this week. The weather had us both wanting to escape to some tropical island for some sun, but we made it through the five day streak of rain and now get to enjoy [hopefully] some amazing sunshine time. I am so thankful for you and your company, because I'm certain if I wasn't focused on keeping you entertained in the awful weather I would have eaten my feelings. I have so much fun building forts, playing games, and reading books with you. But I know we both prefer when we get to run around outside.

Dear Weather, You have not been my friend this week. Today, though, I am thankful that the rain has
stopped, that we didn't get any ridiculous snow that made the roads messy, and that Michael and I get to play/exercise outdoors. Apparently our little town is on the brink of being put in the category of a "tropical rainforest", or "temperate rainforest"... or something of that sort, and I could definitely believe it. This past week made me wish for somewhere like Colorado, with snow and sunshine.

Dear Followers, Changes are a-brewing for the blog. I'm so excited to have all you newbies! I really hope you love what you find here. I may not be the most consistent blogger, but I hope when I am you find a recipe, story, craft, or [something else] that sparks your interest.

What are your plans for the weekend? I hope it's a good one! Does everyone have a three day?

The idea for this post came from  Ashley, of The Sweet Season.

Hello, I'm Emily and I'm socially awkward.

Ok, that's not true. In truth I can usually hold my own in social situations, but I haven't always been the one to seek them. I usually hang back and have a friend or someone there with me to break into the conversation. I can only initiate so much small talk. As I've gotten older, I've gotten admittedly better. Still... I tend to always have a moment where I'm awkward.

For example...

1. I'll tell people WAY too much information. Like my life story. They'll ask how I ended up "here", and I start rattling away on how we married when we were 18 and unexpectedly found we were expecting Michael and came to "here" for Clark to be in school, but now he had to leave school temporarily for work...

Yeah. Word Vomit. It happens to the best of us. But it tends to happen to me ALL the time when I meet new people.

2. I'll agree with everything they say. They could say the world is ending, they hate puppies, and chocolate is the worst thing on earth-- and I would nod my head and say, "Oh my gosh, I know!" simply to gain their approval. This is not to say that all of my oh-my-gosh-I-knows aren't genuine, it's to say that when meeting new people they tend to come out more than usual.

There are many others, but not ones that I would care to share. Don't get me wrong. I trust y'all. I just don't want you to stop reading my blog, haha.

I'm getting better. The problem is that Clark and I are "in-betweeners" where we are. We're in the middle of the college kids and the older adults. When I say older, I don't mean it as an insult, but I mean the above 30s. This is simply because we're in our mid twenties. It's hard to find anyone our age and married, let alone with a child. So, we go one way or another and have to acclamate to our surroundings. It makes it a bit difficult sometimes to figure out who I really am. I mean, I feel like I'm trying to be a lot of things simply to have a social network.

I guess that's how we all feel sometimes... or all the time... huh?

What happens when you meet new people? If you have an tricks/advice please do share!

I like to start the week with a sweet recipe. I hope, this way, it's on your mind and by the weekend you're just itching to make it.

I made this New Year's Day. The plan had been to make it New Year's Eve, but our little one prevented that from happening. Although it may not have kicked off the healthy choices of the year, it certainly helped us grin and bear Clark having to leave for work again.

Brie is one of my absolute favorite things. Whether it's cooked in a puff pastry, served with just fruit, or made with a sort of sauce-- I love it. It's why I only give in once or twice a year. This was actually my first time preparing by my lonesome. Normally I get to enjoy it at my parents' or in-law's house, but this year I was determined to make it myself.

Ingredients:

- 1 8 oz round brie cheese (leave the rind on)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp some kind of alcohol (we actually used champagne and it worked deliciously!)
- 1/2 C dried fruit (I used the one pictured below and raisins, so it should be chopped)

Directions:

- Heat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place your cheese on it. Bake for around 10 minutes, enough time to soften the cheese.
- Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan mix together your syrup, sugar, and alcohol. Cook until it begins to thicken into a syrup of its own.
- Chop up your fruit if it isn't in smaller pieces already.
- Move your cheese to whatever dish you wish to serve it in. Put the fruit on top of your softened/warm cheese (with rind) and pour your sauce over it. Serve immediately with bread, crackers, or even apple slices!



Adapted from Betty Crocker.

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to be a part of an awesome giveaway hosted by quite the blog! Check it out below, and Happy Friday!



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I've been so anxious to share this recipe with you! I adapted this from Dana Made it to make them vegan! Well... almost. I did put regular yogurt in them, but I know there are yogurt substitutes. You can also leave out some of the applesauce and use eggs if you like. That's included in the ingredients!

These were to get Michael to have more veggies in his system. Lately he really won't eat them. I think it's important to make sure he gets something green, and nothing seems to be cutting it. So... pureed broccoli, anyone? These may sound gross, but I tried one and I promise they're actually tasty. Just a different kind of banana muffin, really!

Ingredients:

- 1/4 C apple or prune juice
- 1.5 to 2 C whole broccoli pieces, frozen or fresh

- 3 mashed bananas
- 1/2 grated carrots (I used julienne cut carrots because I had them and, well, sometimes I'm lazy)
- 1/4 C yogurt (I used plain non fat, but if you're going vegan you can use a substitute-- you can also use a flavor if you like!)
- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1/4 C to 1/2 C sugar (optional-- if you use a flavored yogurt or sweetened applesauce, I really don't think you need the sugar at all)
- 1/4 C butter (or Earth Balance)
- 2 eggs or 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce (if the batter gets too thick feel free to add a little more applesauce or another type of oil)

- 2 C whole wheat flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare your muffin pan(s). I made one batch of minis plus a batch of regular sized, so I imagine this makes around 24 regular muffins.
- Use a food processor and puree your broccoli and apple juice together. It should come out looking something like this:

- Mix together your sugar, butter and applesauce in a large bowl. Next add your broccoli to it.
- Add your bananas, carrots, yogurt, and vanilla.
- Last, pre-mix your dry ingredients and then add them to your overall mixture.
- Fill your prepared muffin pan(s).

- Bake between 25 and 30 minutes. Check on them every so often, because the minis finished for me before the regular, so if you're making minis perhaps set your timer for about 18 minutes and then go from there.

Enjoy! I took about half of ours and put them in the freezer (after removing the wrappers, of course). If you do this, probably use them within a few weeks as it is. Stick them in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds and they feel like they're fresh out of the oven!

Michael certainly approved (he was watching Monsters Inc, the new favorite in our house)... and our dog was more than happy to try and sample some as well.

Here's the first New Year's Resolution I am sharing with you. I wanted to do it for a couple of days without blogging first, because I was honestly afraid of calling it quits. However, this is one challenge that's hard to stop doing once you've started. It's addicting. It is forcing me to look at what I eat.

There is this amazing blog/site called 100 Days of Real Food (go figure). If you like the Facebook page, you can get four meal plans already laid out for you, including the links to the recipes. Basically, the goal is, for 100 days you cut out processed foods. Get rid of all the nasty preservatives and things that you don't need yet manufacturers are throwing into the food that you eat. It is better explained here.

I started this a couple days into the New Year, once the hubby left for this work period. I was so excited and so motivated, and I'm still feeling that way. Which is pretty awesome. I was afraid by day five or so I was going to give in and just buy a frozen pizza or something and indulge.

The thing is, this challenge goes hand-in-hand with making better eating choices and creating a healthier lifestyle this year. This is one of the reasons I started it. I wanted this year to really be the year that Clark and I start eating better. After all, Michael is on solids. I don't want him growing up on boxed dinners and potato chips. We didn't eat to that extreme before, but we would indulge and have "special nights" that involved a lot of foods that are truly atrocious for us.

100 Days of Real Food makes it easy. She even provides a list of foods that are OK for this challenge.

I have to be real with you, though. I'm cheating in a few areas.

That is, the things we already had that may not be on the approved list are still being used. Like instead of buying 100% fruit spread we're still using the Smuckers Strawberry Jelly we have in our fridge. Or instead of buying organic pasta we're still using the Penne we have from Sam's Club. That sort of thing. But once they're gone, we're going all organic/approved-list-items-only.

I decided to start this while Clark was gone because I knew if we started it while he was home he'd con me out of it. He'd want to make acceptions or talk about how difficult it is for all of us. I'm not saying he doesn't want to make healthier choices, I'm saying he's a southern boy who loves a lot of things that aren't healthy what-so-ever. And I don't want Michael growing up like that.

The truth is, this really isn't that difficult. I have to find creative ways to use fresh veggies and fruits, something I love to do as it is. I have to make some meals in advance, something I've really longed to do. And I have to introduce new foods to Michael, something that needed to be done anyway.

It is difficult, however, because there are certain things that I go to use and then realize I have to come up with an alternative. The other night I made enchiladas and made a plain sauce (thanks to this recipe) using tomato sauce, chili pepper, and cinnamon. A combination I never would have thought of, and it was so delicious. I'd have to add a little more spice for when Clark is home, but overall the changes we're making are fabulous.

Here are some things we've been eating:


Egg salad over spinach. I didn't use mayo. This was strictly mustard, nonfat plain yogurt, and spices.

Veggie stir fry. All I did was use basically all the veggies in our fridge, made a yummy teriyaki sauce, and served it over bron rice.

Veggie Muffins (recipe to be posted tomorrow)! This was to get more veggies into Michael, since he doesn't particularly care for them on their own. I used fresh ingredients only.

Whole Wheat Waffles. This doesn't exactly help with my low-carb desires, but I couldn't resist making these. We lived off the mix for nearly five days! When it's just me and Michael it's easy to make food last longer.


These are only a few of the things we've been trying! This week I have a homemade mac & cheese recipe I'm going to try as well as a plain-pulled-pork recipe for the crock pot! I'm mixing low carb and carb-focused meals to begin with, simply because there are a lot of things we're working on cutting out and I don't want to make all complicated meals. But as it goes on, I'm definitely going to work on cutting back our carb intake as well.

I know, I know. Christmas season just ended. We're only a little over a week into the New Year. How can I be thinking about another holiday?

You may or may not remember from posts past that I LOVE Valentine's Day.

This year it's looking more and more definite that hubby will not be home for it. We are so thankful for his current job, especially in this economy... but boy is it rough. I never expected for him to be gone this much, or for it to be this hard. I mean, I survived 13 weeks of bootcamp, you'd think I could handle three to four weeks intervals. I suppose then I didn't have a toddler. It definitely makes a difference.

Sorry for the tangent.

I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY.

Everyone says it's a card holiday. A day to promote chocolate and love and depressing for those who don't have a significant other. Well, if you remember my first post and second post from last year, Valentine's Day has always been much more than that to me.

I was trying to find a specific craft to do and share with you, but the truth is Pinterest is overloaded with some fabulous free DIY Printables. I couldn't pass up sharing them with you first. I'm promising a craft for later, but for now, here are my favorite ideas/printables from Pinterest. (You can also follow my Holiday Specials and Me & My Love boards for more ideas to come!)

Candy Bar Wrappers from the former Anything But Perfect, now Hello Cuteness!

Valentine Party Circle labels for bags of treats and such. From Anything But Perfect/Hello Cuteness.

S'More Friends Like you! Adorable idea to bag up some marshmallows, chocolate, and grahams and give them to friends. From Domesticated Lady.

Heart Seals from Ms. Martha Stewart.

I hope these put you in the mood to share the love come February 14th! Remember, it doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to let others know you care!

New Year's we had a small celebration. Although you may remember that the little one ended up waking and staying up until almost elevan, we enjoyed the last of 2012 as a family.

We also enjoyed some super yummy food... including these! I'm not sure if they're technically tarts, but I didn't know what else to call them.

Ingredients:

- Follow the dough instructions/ingredients from the pumpkin pasties recipe.
- pears
- honey

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350. Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Roll out your dough or pick of pieces and roll it in your hands. Take sections and line your muffin tins with the dough.
- Cut a pear into small pieces, cubes if you can manage. The pear doesn't have to be extraordinarily ripe, but it should be relatively soft to have the best flavor.
- Fill each muffin tin with somewhere between a teaspoon and tablespoon of pear pieces.

- Drizzle honey over the pear. This part is your preference. I probably used maybe 1/8 tsp of honey for each, but I'm not sure if it was even that much!
- Bake for around 18 to 22 minutes.
- Remove and let sit, giving the melted honey/pear juice time to settle.
- Serve warm and enjoy! Simple and beyond delicious, especially right now when pears are in season!



Linked on:

I decided for 2013 this is something I really wanted to take part in. It's a way to share certain thoughts that maybe don't get whole blog posts, or review things that are on my mind in one post. Whatever way you look at it, it's another way to get personal with y'all. And I love that.

Dear 2013, I am so excited for you. We're on Day [4] and already I just have wonderful feelings about your potential. Maybe this is a "hangover" from the fresh start you have offered, but I intend to seize the feeling and hold on to it for all [361] days that I have left of you. I have so many things I want to accomplish and work on, but ultimately it comes down to just living and enjoying you.


Dear Friends, There are a few of you who I have become so close to, or closer to, as of late. I cannot tell you what this means to me. Clark's new job has added a great amount of stress (although I am so thankful for it) and you help relieve it. Your encouragement and companionship mean the world to me. Thank you.

Dear Journal, I promise to revisit you soon. Sometimes I think I avoid you in fear that I have nothing *substantial* to write, but I should know by now that writing isn't about making things pretty or perfect, it's about writing in my unique voice.


Dear Sweets, I'm very ready to be at the point where I can pass you by without a second thought. Chocolate, candies, baked goods, carbs (in general)... you are constantly at the forefront of my mind. I'm doing my very best to confront you and turn my cravings towards God, but it seems this journey is a lot harder than I anticipated. Please help me out by staying away, or at least somehow start tasting like something gross so I don't want you so badly.

Dear Blog, I must admit I have high hopes for you this coming year. There are many times that I get down because I've been writing for around two years and still don't even have 50 followers, but I'm working on reminding myself that I started you for me. You are a way to keep track of my life and day-to-day projects that I may want to look back on in the future. You are a witness to my life, in a sense. Whether there are 35 followers (who I am so grateful for) or 350, I am going to continue to write.

The idea for this post came from Ashley, of The Sweet Season.

You may recall we left off with Clark's Family Day. When I think of his Marine Corps Boot Camp Graduation, I always think of Family Day. Perhaps because graduation was a blur to me, partially because I was a bit angry at this and that, and I didn't want to focus on it. So, let's not focus on the negatives but the positives.

Clark's graduation was very inspiring. It was the moment in his Marine Corps career that I was the proudest. They played the anthem, told us history, and handed out awards to the battalions and individuals for this and that.

This was still very early in our marriage. I constantly felt like I was battling my in-laws for my rights as a wife. I know we eloped, and both of our parents weren't quite ready to see us as a couple over their individual children. This, sadly, was a situation where I felt like I was fighting to come first in Clark's life. I wasn't fighting him on it, mind you, but his parents.

When we first arrived for the graduation we were sitting in rather poor spots in the bleachers. I really wanted to try to move closer, and knew that Clark's grandparents got handicap seats which meant that one of us could be down there with them. Of course I offered, but Clark's dad insisted on sitting with them. That's only natural, since they are his parents. Well, as graduation began, my mother-in-law said she'd be right back and went to sit with my father-in-law and her in-laws. I was left with Clark's younger siblings, in the bleachers, struggling to see.

I wasn't a very happy camper.

I know it's petty, and looking back on it now I see that it wasn't that big of a deal. At the time, though, it really felt like I was being shorted.

When the ceremony ended and the Marines were released, I saw Clark looking around. I nearly bolted down the bleachers. He saw his parents moving in, but looked to me and came to me first. He even pointed out that he did it. He said he saw them sitting closer to him during the ceremony, but he wanted to share it with me.

It was for us. For our family.

I was so proud of him.


Graduation began our ten days together. Moments where we would have to turn down going to Hawaii with his family (that's another story) to look for a new place to live and enjoy our limited time together before he left for more training. It all worked out in the end. Clark was with me again. I wasn't going to let anything spoil our time together.

This was a time I really had to learn to depend on God to see me through things. Not just because my husband was gone a lot, but because I was really growing up and coming into my own. I had to learn to let go of my anger with people and focus on the positives. God was providing and seeing us through. Not only that, but he was helping us grow together as husband and wife. We were facing trials with family, life, and more that we would not have made it through if we hadn't been focusing on God and our relationship with him as a couple.

I. Love. This. Recipe.

When Clark was gone for round one of his new job, I lived off of it for a good week. Seriously. Serving it over rice, or in a wrap, or just the bean mixture without the chicken (note the vegetarian label)... it's just delicious. And SO easy!

Have I mentioned how much I love my crock pot lately?

Well, I do. I LOVE MY CROCK POT.

OK... on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 14 oz (I think) can diced tomatoes with chiles
- 15 oz can black beans
- 1/2 to a whole 15 oz can of corn
- 1/3 C fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 C chicken broth/ water with chicken bouillon (or vegetable if you're making this a vegetarian/vegan meal... without the chicken, of course)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin (minimize if you don't want so much spice)
- 1/4 to 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you wish)
- salt to taste
- 3 scallions, chopped

Directions:

- Combine your tomatoes, beans, corn, cilantro, chicken broth, garlic, and spices in the crock pot. Mix it up nicely.

- Lightly salt your chicken and lay it on top.
- Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours. Somewhere in there, turn the chicken over so it cooks more evenly.
Can you see the chicken?

- 30 minutes or so before serving, shred the chicken. Stir it into the mix so it's well combined.
- Top with scallions (not pictured) and serve however you wish! Shredded cheese goes great with this as well.





Want some other crock pot recipes? Check these out!!

Spicy-Sweet Crock Pot Barbecue

Beef Tips

Kansas-Style BBQ




Adapted from the fabulous SkinnyTaste.com.