My Perfectly Pretty Mess

Life can be messy...

Whip It Up Wednesday: Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

To say I’ve been a little uninspired in the kitchen would be an understatement! The issue has not been meal planning, the issue has been executing my meal plan. By the end of the day, I really just don’t feel like cooking. I want something that is either already cooked or something that is very simple. This week I decided to change up the way I meal planned. (I plan to share that with you on Sunday). This meal was super quick and easy and also healthy. Did I mention the girls didn’t HATE it? That is a win in my book?

I adapted the recipe from this site I found on Pinterest. I cut it in half and changed it a bit to make it less Weight Watchers Freestyle points.

 

You’ll Need:

1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 teaspoons of olive oil

Bell Peppers of your choice (I used 1 red bell pepper because that is what we had)

Onion

Pack of Fajita Seasoning Mix (I used Chicken Taco mix because I had it on hand)

Now it is time for the easy part! Put the olive oil in bottom of your crockpot. Place your chicken in next. Layer your veggies and Fajita seasoning pack on top of that.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Once your fajitas are finished cooking. Shred your chicken into 1 inch pieces. Serve them up however you like best!

These came out to 1 Weight Watcher Free Style Point per serving.

Enjoy!

 

 

Whip It Up Wednesday

A topic that commonly comes up when a group of moms are together is “what are you cooking for dinner?” or “how do you come up with your meals?” Personally. I have a few ways that I come up with meals to keep my family fed (and by family I mean my husband and I, because my kids love a “cheese plate”). I typically turn to Pinterest, cook books or family recipes.

With that being said, I’ve decided to start Whip It Up Wednesdays! I’ll share recipies that you’ll love and add to your meal rotation! I have a 4.5 year old and almost 2 year old, so you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll be recipes that can be cooked with kids hanging on your legs!

This week I found a recipe on Pinterest that I was able to change up a tad and make a little more healthier. We had grape tomatoes from our garden that I needed to use up, so I started there! I’ll share the original recipe and also tell you what I changed! Here is the link for the recipe I loosely followed: SPAGHETTINI WITH ROASTED TOMATOES, FRESH BASIL, AND TOASTED GARLIC BREADCRUMBS

INGREDIENTS:

Roasted Tomatoes:

  • 2.5 lbs small heirloom tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes I used three Roma tomatoes and maybe 15ish grape tomatoes from our garden. 
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil I cut it down to 1 tablespoon. 
  • 6 large cloves of garlic, smashed I used two teaspoons of minced garlic from the grocery store (what mom has time to deal with fresh garlic)
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Crispy Garlic Breadcrumbs: So I completely skipped this step!! Not on purpose, but I forgot about it until the end! 

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Spaghettini: 

  • 3/4 lb dried spaghettini pasta (otherwise known as ‘thin spaghetti) I used whole wheat spaghetti.
  • 2 ounces fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnishing
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • parmigiano-reggiano cheese, for serving We decided to skip this and mix in a package of Fat Free Feta Cheese (we had it and it was about to go bad).

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Roast Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot (8 quarts or larger) of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Rinse the tomatoes and pat them dry. Place the tomatoes and smashed garlic cloves on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread them out on the baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them every 5 to 10 minutes or so, until they are soft and have just begun to collapse. Meanwhile, prepare the breadcrumb topping.
  2. Prepare Breadcrumb Topping: In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped shallot and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots have softened and become translucent. Add the panko breadcrumbs and chopped garlic. Reduce the heat to low and toast the breadcrumbs for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the breadcrumbs from burning–or until they are golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
  3. While the tomatoes finish roasting (and the breadcrumbs are prepared), boil the dried pasta until al dente. In the last minute or so of cooking, add the fresh basil leaves to the pasta water. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water (avoid any basil leaves), and drain the pasta. Place the pasta (with basil) back into the pot and drizzle with olive oil. Add the warm, roasted tomatoes and toss gently. Add reserved pasta water as necessary.
  4. Garnish each pasta serving with basil (torn or sliced into thin ribbons), a generous sprinkling of toasted garlic breadcrumbs, and serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

What I ended up doing was draining the pasta and mixing it with the basil, tomatoes with garlic, feta cheese and about 1/3 cup of pasta water. It would be FANTASTIC with grilled chicken on top! 

**This was around 11 smart points for Weight Watchers- I didn’t measure, but next time we make it I will measure everything out and update the points!

I hope you enjoy this and please let me know if this is something you’d like me to continue!

Bye Bye Baby Weight

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! This week is a short week for me because I am leaving Thursday morning for a secret destination for a friend of mines bachelorette party! This momma is ready for some girl time!

This weekend, I posted about the mom funk I am in. Part of this is getting rid of the last of my baby weight. I guess this baby weight from Millie Cate is stubborn just like she is!

Some of you know that I lost around 60 pounds after I had Brynlee with Weight Watchers. I have been doing Weight Watchers off and on since Millie Cate, but I am seriously lacking in motivation! You can see in the photo above that I skipped my meeting this past Sunday- oops! Here is where you come in- I need you all to be my accountability partners! So if you can make my ass get in the gym, stay out of the wine and stop indulging in my girls snacks- that would be fantastic!

Here is my plan:

I am going to actually stick to my Weight Watchers daily points. I get 30 points per day. To give you an idea, a glass of wine is 4 points. So….. at least 8 of my points go towards that, which leaves me at 22 points for the rest of the day! Most fruits and vegetables are free. Snacks are what get me. I’ve always loved a snack! I’ll do a post next week going into more details about Weight Watchers if anyone is interested?

I really wish I could say that I am going to wake up at 5:25 every morning and go to the 6am Pure Barre class Monday-Friday. Is that even realistic? So maybe next week we will say three mornings and work up from there? That seems doable!

I have an Apple Watch, which I love BTW. I do track my activity on there but never get 10,000 steps? It must not be right because I feel like I never stop moving! Do you have one? Is it correct and I am just a slug? Next week I am going to be more mindful and try to get in my 10,000 steps! I just noticed you can now share your activity and do challenges with friends that have apple watches. Does anyone have one and want to do it? **Edited to add: there is an app called Stridekick where you can use any activity tracker, let me know if you want to be added to the challenge group!

So that is my plan starting Monday and I AM GOING TO STICK TO IT! Maybe I’ll take some before pictures and measurements. Heck, maybe I’ll have one too many glasses of wine and post them here for the world to see. I have to stick to my plan now that I shared it with the 3 followers I currently have, right?

I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday! We are off to the pool so I can lounge poolside and sunbathe! Just kidding, I will be one of those moms one day! For now, I will enjoy every second of fighting over pool toys and “mommy, watch this!” every 5 seconds!