Crockpot Whole (Sticky) Chicken

Easy, cheaper and faster than picking up a rotisserie bird from the market.

Crockpot Whole (Sticky) Chicken

Ingredients
Whole Chicken
Your choice of seasonings (some ideas)
Garlic - cloves, powdered, salt
Onion - chopped, whole
Italian Seasoning
Dill
Lemon Pepper
Mrs. Dash
Aluminum Foil

Directions
Spray the inside of crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Take a length of aluminum foil - loosely form into circle that will fit in the bottom of your crock pot.
Wash chicken and remove giblets.
Generously season.
Cook in crock pot for 6-8 hours.
Chicken should reach internal temperature of 180F
Remove chicken and let sit prior to serving.

Save broth in crock pot for a soup later in the week.

We can get 3 meals out of one bird. The first night we eat the roasted chicken. The second night we have a casserole with chicken in it. The last night the carcass becomes soup. This recipe is a great starting point.

Done #81 - Go to a Blues game

It's a Beautiful Day for a Ballgame, for a ballgame, today.
The fans are out to get a ticket or two
From Walla Walla, Washington to Kalamazoo

It's a beautiful day for a home run
But even a triple's okay
We're gonna cheer and boo
And raise a hallabaloo
At the ballgame, today!

I grew up in Southern California. My dad had a share of season tickets and the best seats to see the Dodgers play. I have great memories of Steve Yeager (he was my favorite), Steve Garvey, Rick Russel, Davey Lopes and Roy Cey. I can't believe I remember the Dodger's infield lineup from back in the day. It was always great fun to go catch a game and eat a Dodger Dog.

We have a local team. I've always wondered what their games were like. So much that I put going to a game on my list of things to do. It happened when we were offered FREE tickets.

The team plays in a league that seems to be for players that are between community college and university teams. A lot of the players will be playing at our local university next season. We didn't recognize any names.

We got to the game at the end of the first game of a double header. There was quite a crowd - lots of families. There were seats, but also a grassy hill (note to self - next time bring a blanket) that was perfect for rolling down. The teams played well and work hard. Between games - while the local gymnastics school performed - the players groomed the field. The food was expensive, but Grom got a hot dog. It got cold when the sun went down. We didn't get to see much of the game - it started late and we were ill prepared for the cold.

We'll be back. I might even ask for season tickets.

What's for Dinner - Week of June 25th

Organizing Junkie hosts Menu Plan Monday. Click over there for more menu ideas. Here is what's cooking at my house this week. Our "healthy" eating continues... We are also at the end of the month and the food budget is basically spent. I'll be looking to my pantry to get me through.

Breakfast - Strawberry (Fruit) Smoothies
Snacks - Hardboiled eggs and raw veggies
Lunch -leftovers from dinner the night before
Dessert - Strawberry (Fruit) Smoothies


Monday - Chicken and Veggie Soup - Spinach Salad

Tuesday - Ground Beef Zucchini Pasta-less Spaghetti - Salad

Wednesday - Crockpot Sticky Chicken - Green Beans

Thursday - Chicken, Rice and Bean Chili- Watermelon

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Salad, Veggies

Saturday - Shredded Chicken Tacos in lettuce leave "shells" - Fruit

Sunday - Dinner with my folks.

I've been winging it while I'm cooking. I don't have recipes to share as I'm just putting things together. I want to start writing down what I'm doing and posting them, so that I'll have a source of ideas down the road.

HAVE A YUMMY WEEK!

Smart Habit Saturday

Lara the Lazy Organizer hosts Smart Habit Saturdays. It has been motivating to me and has encouraged me to work on some improvements in my life.

I'm sticking with the habits I've been working on.

I didn't do well this week with my newest habit. I'm disappointed with myself. I feel like Paul... "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." (Romans 7:19)

I won't give up.

FORWARD!
Habit 4 - Daily, early morning devotion time. I want to be out of bed at 5:45 am every morning for 45 minutes with my Lord for reading of the Word, prayer and book study.
Habit 3 - Lights out by 11 pm nightly.
Habit 2 - Drink 3 qts of water daily. Baby stepping is working! Increasing to 3 qts/ day this week.
Habit 1 - Wash my face every night. On track - almost a habit!

Done #94 - Sunset Picnic on the beach

I forgot to put the chicken in the crockpot today. I didn't realize it until 3 p.m. It was way to late to do anything. It was time to punt.

I wanted to go to Farmer's Market for BBQ, but that didn't fit our budget. And then I remembered...

Surferman bravely gave blood recently and received a coupon for a free pizza. It was a perfect reward for meeting his fear of needles head on. We ordered the pizza. I threw together a yummy spinach salad. And we were off to Grom's favorite pirate park. (Every park is Grom's favorite - this one has a pirate ships to climb on and seals to ride.)

We enjoyed our pizza and salad on the longest day of summer. It's a beautiful day.

ARsh Msick

Grom has always been very fond of music. His tastes differ from mine. It's hard to get him to let me play my music. It's worse when I try to sing (but that's another topic).

He favors "world music". I think that's how it would be classified. As a baby it was African Playground. He also has a great world music lullaby CD (I'm bummed that I can't find a link). He likes reggae, Christifari's Reggae Sunday School rocks.

But his favorite is ARsh Msick. He has CDs from an Irish Music Festival in Ireland. They were brought to us by friends from Ireland and I hate to admit that they are bootlegs. I'd buy them if I had any idea of what they are and where to find them. He listens to them ALL the time - over and over and over.

We were excited when we found out that there was a local group of musicians who gather weekly to play Irish music. Surferman and I try to get Grom there once a month. It's fun, but has it's awkard and strange moments.

1st - The place they play is basically a bar. They serve food and it's not a "21 and over" labeled place, it's a brew pub. I'm ok with it because the crowd is very un-bar-like. There are other kids and I've never encountered anyone who has had too much. I have no idea what the place is like when the Irish musicians aren't there.

2nd - Their food is puzzling bad. Tonight they had 3 things on the menu: Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl, Beef French Dip Sandwich, Turkey French Dip Sandwich. The chowder was served with a side of potato salad??? The dip sandwiches were served on croissants???? The pub draws quite a crowd when the musicians are there. I would think that they would want to take advantage of the crowd and serve a bunch of food.

We think the restaurant sold a while back and have noticed that the new owners are making some changes. Tonight they moved out the pool table while we were sitting there. They've built a good sized stage, but Irish musicians don't typically play on a stage so they were crowded onto the floor with the patrons. We'll see how it all turns out.

And I guess in the end...it doesn't matter... Grom sits there enthralled. Watching the guitar players, the flautist, the drummers, the fiddlers and asking me about the stringed instruments that I don't know the names of. We clap when the songs end. He smiles when he puts the money in their tip jug.

A night out at ARsh Msick is always a strange good night

Daily Bible Reading - Ephesians 4-6

Ephesians 4-6

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.
He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2

What's for Dinner - Week of June 18th

Last weeks condiment challenge didn't go so well. We ate well and I stayed with my plan, I just didn't get to toss many condiment jars. Surferman thinks I should just start tossing one into the trash each time I empty the trash. That idea hurts every frugal bone in my body. I'm going to have to work on another plan.

Surferman and I are on a new plan again to eat healthfully. My menus this week will reflect those changes. I'll post recipes as I create and find them. My plan is going to look pretty simple. We'll be eating small portions of lean meat, poultry and fish with lots of veggies for lunch and dinner. Breakfast will be a fruit and whey protein smoothie. Snacks will be hard boiled eggs and raw veggies. Lots of fiber, low sodium and cranberry juice water all day long. It's our variation of Fat Flush if you're familiar with that plan.

We are both hoping to lose some weight and gain some energy.

Monday - LO Pork Ribs, Salad, LO Broccoli, Watermelon

Tuesday - Shrimp and Chinese Veggies

Wednesday- Ground Turkey, Tomato Sauce, Zucchini and Mushrooms

Thursday - Sticky Chicken and Green Beans

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak and Zucchini

Saturday - Women's Event (AM) - Chicken Vegetable Soup

Sunday - Bean and Rice Tacos (Lettuce Shells)

Smart Habit Saturday

Lara the Lazy Organizer hosts Smart Habit Saturdays. It has been really motivating to me and has encouraged me to work on some improvements in my life.

I'm adding a new habit this week even though I have had stellar results with my habit from last week. My habit last week was to be in bed with the lights out by 11 pm. Well... I was in bed by 11 pm each of the nights, but not with lights off.

The habit I'm setting next should help me be better about my last habit. To be successful, I'll have to get to bed.

Habit 4 - Daily, early morning devotion time. I want to be out of bed at 5:45 am every morning for 45 minutes with my Lord for reading of the Word, prayer and book study.

Continuing with
Habit 3 - Lights out by 11 pm nightly.
Habit 2 - Drink 3 qts of water daily. Baby stepping is working! Increasing to 2 qts/ day this week.
Habit 1 - Wash my face every night. On track - almost a habit!

Daily Bible Reading - Psalm 69-71

Psalm 69-71

1 Save me, O God,
for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
2 Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
and the floods overwhelm me.
3 I am exhausted from crying for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
waiting for my God to help me.

Psalm 69:1-3

Sometimes problems and trials come fast and furious, one after another - after another. They don't seem to stop and I feel helpless. I cry out to God, but feel like He isn't listening. He doesn't do what I want done NOW.

This week I had the invitations to my pity party out and addressed. I'm glad they never made it in the mail. Just when I was beginning to feel really bad for myself, God would bring someone into my day who "had it worse".

It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when you are counting your blessings.

Works For Me Wednesday - Frugal Fast Face Washing

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Fast Face Washing. It wasn't an world changing idea. But it has kept me me on task to cross another item off my list of 101 Things to Do.

Tonight will be my 25th day in a row of washing my face. I am blemish free!

The wipes however bother my frugal nature. I don't like the disposable nature of the product either but I'll have to work on that.

Here's my tip for the week... Cut them in half. Half a wipe cleans my face just as well. I cut the wipe in half - stuff half back in the package and use the other half.

Frugally works for me!

Get more Works for Me Wednesday ideas at Rocks In My Dryer.

Daily Bible Reading - Leviticus 1-3

Leviticus 1-3

God gives Moses instructions for Burnt Offerings, Grain Offerings and Peace Offerings.

I thank God for sending Jesus. That His blood would be shed and that blood would be enough.

I see the bloody mess and am so thankful God cleans up my bloody messes.

I read about washing the guts and feet and think about what I need to clean up in my life - my inner thoughts and the places I go and what I do.

I realize that God wants my best, my choicest ingredients creating a pleasing aroma.

Scripture Scrappin'

Finally found some time to do a little digiscrapping. These are very simple - nothing fancy.

I'm going through Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George with a gal from church. I started writing down the scriptures that we were looking up. I plan to have them printed and give them to her as a gift when we finish the book. The layouts are 4x6.

I'm using a kit by Heather Roselli called Play.

Watch for more.

What's for Dinner - Week of June 11th

The weeks just seem to fly by. Summer is almost officially here. Our eating seems to change as the days get longer and lighter. Dinner becomes less important than after work trips to the beach. Dinner becomes simpler.

We are looking for a new refrigerator. The one we have is old and starting to have problems. Any recommendations? We have a definite condiment problem in our old refrigerator. We seem to collect salad dressings, sauces, pickled things and the such. Surferman has issued the "Condiment Challenge". I'm supposed to see what I can do to get rid of some of the condiment clutter in our fridge. Wish me well.

Monday - LO Steak, Zucchini, Mushroom and Egg Scramble, LO Broccoli, Cherries

Tuesday - LO Chicken, Sweet Potato Potato Salad, Green Salad, Watermelon

Wednesday - Chicken Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread, Fruit

Thursday - Pasta with Veggies and Red Sauce, Green Salad, Fruit

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Saturday - Bread Soup, Salad

Sunday - FATHER'S DAY

For more menu plans's check out Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie.

Daily Bible Reading - Luke 9-10

Luke 9-10

Pardon me while I chew and chew and chew. These were a couple of very meaty chapters.

It's the height of Jesus' ministry; a lot is going on.

What stood out in these chapters during this reading was how Jesus sent out disciples on two different occasions. First he sent out 12. He empowered them to cast out demons and heal illness. He gave them directions to take nothing on their journey, to rely on the kindness of strangers, to trust God and His provision. Later he sends out 72. He gives them similar instructions but also commands them to be focused to stay on the job at hand.

It makes me think about my life and how bogged down with stuff I often feel and how that stuff takes my time and energy.

It makes me think about hospitality and being more inviting.

It makes me think about being faithful to the Lord.

It makes me think.

It's the little things

Surferman just walked by my room. He was on his way to watch a SciFi movie. He stopped to see if I wanted anything.

I said a big glass of water.

He asked, "With a shot of juice?"

I replied that it would be nice.

He brought my big orange cup filled with water and a splash of cranberry juice AND one ice cube. Just like during the breastfeeding days.

What a peach!

Smart Habit Saturday

I am a complete failure at drinking water. I just don't think about it. When I do, it's too late to try to get it in my body unless I want to sleep on the potty. I'm not giving up, but I'm going to reduce my goal and baby step up to the 3 qts that I need to drink each day.

And to keep things moving, I'm adding a new habit.

Habit 3 - Lights out by 11 pm nightly.


Habit 2 - Drink 3 qts of water daily. Baby stepping with 1 qt/ day this week.
Habit 1 - Wash my face every night. On track - almost a habit!

Check out SMART Habits Saturday at The Lazy Organizer.

Daily Bible Reading - Proverbs 2-3

Proverbs 2-3

For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will fill you with joy.
Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe.
Proverbs 2:10-11

Done #37 - Find out the name of the Fedex Ground Guy

He came into work today - with a package of course.

I signed and he started to walk away.

I said, "Hey, what's your name? You're in here a lot and I'd like to greet you by name"

He said, "Tom"

I said, "Nice to meet you, I'm Robin"

He said, "I know, you get a lot of packages." And he walked out the door.

I wonder if he knows Rusty, the UPS guy.

Done - #14 Take a weekend camping trip.

I was inspired by the wonderful and romantic picture that Everyday Mommy posted from their camping trip.

I'm really bad about taking pictures. I let so many wonderful moments slip away.

It's not wonderful or romantic, but here's our rig.

And here's a little boy that had fun camping and getting really dirty.


I'll work on a wonderful and romantic picture next time. And this crosses #14 off my list.

Works For Me Wednesday : The Mom-I'm-Bored Edition

This weeks Works for Me Wednesday is themed. Welcome to the Mom-I'm-Bored Edition.

Here's my problem... I have an almost 3 year old. He's never bored. I don't think he's heard the word or know what it means or even knows the feeling. For him there is ALWAYS something fun to do. Yesterday, Grom spent 45 minutes cleaning "the mud" out of the bottom of his and Surferman's toothbrush holder. Notice that my toothbrush was no where near said "muddy" holder.

So, check back with me in a year or two... I'm sure I'll be full of great ideas. Right now, I'm busy cleaning up from all the fun.

Go to Rocks In My Dryer to get some ideas of what to do with those bored kids.

Or send them to my house to clean up after a fun, adventurous, and very messy Grom or a really grody toothbrush holder.

Daily Bible Reading - 1 Kings 5-9

1 Kings 5-9

My mom is a packrat. She saves everything. It could all be useful "someday". She saves the selvages off of fabric, colored plastic bags, and other things that seem ridiculous. Her stuff makes me itch and feel claustrophobic. I dread the day when she passes because I'll get to deal with all of her stuff. Her stashes of stuff, however, have come in handy time and time again. I can't tell you how many times she has come to the rescue when I've had to throw together a quick craft for Sunday School.

In my reading today I saw how valuable David's stash of materials was for Solomon. King David's gathering allowed the building of the temple to take place. King David's good relationship with Hiram didn't hurt either. Solomon was able to build a beautiful and magnificent temple for God to dwell in. It was a sight to see. It took years to build and exhausted all of the materials King David has saved.

The fact that Solomon's personal house took almost twice as long to build... hmmm

Smart Habit Saturday

WOW! Drinking water is harder than I thought. I didn't do well. And I'm sticking with that habit again this week.

Habit 2 - Drink 3 qts of water daily.
Habit 1 - Wash my face every night.

What's for Dinner - Week of June 4th

When I posted my menus last week, I forgot we were going camping on the weekend. We had a great time "roughing it". We ate well, though not on from my plan. Surferman and I are wanting to eat differently - healthier. I hope this menu will start reflecting that decision.

Monday - Salad with leftover bbq chicken and assorted veggies

Tuesday - Crustless Quiche (from the freezer), vegetable, salad

Wednesday - Grilled Salmon, brown rice, vegetable, fruit

Thursday - Farmer's Market - EAT OUT!

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Salad, Baked Sweet Potatoes

Saturday - Hosting Baby Shower Brunch - Crispy Potato Quiche, Fruit, Asparagus, Cake

Surferman's Pizza - looking for a whole wheat crust recipe - topped with veggies, salad

Sunday - Sunday dinner with my folks