Homemade chicken nuggets!

Now that we are diligently trying to improve our health, can I say I get so darn tootin' excited when I attempt a homemade recipe & my kids love it? Last it was the jello (I'm making grape jello later today!) & now, these! My kids absolutely loved these nuggets & I am thrilled! Add in simple & boy howdy, I am one happy camper!

Recipe:

16 oz. (2 large) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit (bite?) sized pieces.
salt/pepper to taste.
2 tsp. olive oil.
6 tbsp. whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. (I used plain - had it on hand.)
2 tbsp. panko. (I used Italian - had it on hand.)
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese. (I used shredded - had it on hand.)
olive oil spray.

Preheat oven to 425. Spray baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Put olive oil in one bowl & the breadcrumbs/panko/parmesan cheese in another.

Season chicken with salt/pepper, then place in the bowl with the olive oil & mix well, so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken.

Put a few pieces of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray. Bake 8-10 minutes. Turn them over & bake an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Devour!

(Ok. I added that last word. Ha!)

I actually used chicken breast tenders. So simple! Also, per Google (how did I ever live without Google?), I read that placing the chicken in the freezer briefly to get it good & firm will make the cutting easier. It's true! It was so easy to cut into pieces.



Feeding a family of 6 (really just 5, I typically eat salad for dinner but I did try a few pieces!), naturally, I had to increase all of the ingredients. Cutting the chicken was easy, but so time consuming. Next time, I will cut the chicken in advance, then all I'll have to do at dinner time is bread & cook. I'll also purchase the accurate ingredients - I bet they'll be even yummier! I will continue to use chicken breast tenders, though. The only obstacle I ran across was turning these little puppies over. I didn't want to use a spatula, because it knocks the breading off. So I used my fingers. And yelled "ow!" a lot.

Mmmmm. Nom nom.



I cooked two sheets of nuggets, so some was left over. I ate them for lunch yesterday & they were even better! I dip mine in ranch. #winning



Enjoy!

Original recipe here.

Shaklee membership reminder!

Quick reminder!!

I have SO many of you that love & order Shaklee, but are not yet members. I encourage you to pay the $19.95 membership fee to join! That is a one-time fee & it is for a lifetime membership! Joining as a member allows you a 15% discount on every single product!! Some products are available for Autoship (shipped monthly) & those particular products are an additional 10% off! Many of you order regularly & I do NOT want you to have to pay more in retail prices than you would for the one-time membership! I'm sorry I have not sent this reminder sooner - I will send out an email later tonight that includes a fun little perk for all my members! Join as a member & save 15% on your next order!

Again, my apologies for not reminding you sooner! Click here to join as a member!

Homemade jello!

I despise jello. Blah! But my kids love it. And I always feel so bad because I just don't let them have it very often because well, it's just crap.

Not long ago, I stumbled across a recipe for homemade jello. Who woulda thunk? I printed the recipe & purchased the very few, simple ingredients. I would link back to the original recipe, but it's on the side of the gelatin box. So, last night, I made my kids some jello!

Here are the ingredients. 100% fruit juice (my husband chose Organic Orange Juice, which believe it or not, tastes great!), gelatin & sugar/honey (optional). I read somewhere that Knox gelatin is one of the best & I was able to find it at Target.



In a large bowl, one cup of cold juice with 4 envelopes of gelatin sprinkled on top. Let sit one minute. This step was really cool to watch & kind of like a little science experiment, watching it gel.



Pour in 3 cups boiling juice, add sugar (I added 1 tablespoon) & stir until all is diluted. Pour in dish, put in frig. I admit, it did look a little gross & I was a bit skeptical. That said, I was doing something on my phone & kind of over boiled - oops! Not sure if that made a difference or not.



Voila! Jello! Tonight I cut it up (cut effortlessly) & handed it to my taste testers - hey Mikeys! They loved it! And it's healthy! No food coloring!



We can't wait to try grape/strawberry/whatever juice! I have very happy kids which makes for a very happy mom!

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Kit 2:

The Lean & Healthy Kit - for those looking to maintain their healthy weight:



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(Products are gluten free and low glycemic.)

Price: $149.95 for 30 days worth of products.

Click here to learn more & for more information regarding this phenomenal program! If I can help you in any way, it would be my pleasure! Please email me: adoringthesimple@gmail.com!

Moments.

Happy 5th Birthday, Mercedes! My precious, beautiful girl! ♥

Using & deodorizing humidifiers!

For many years, I have used a humidifier(s) when someone had a cold. I'd use them as needed & then store them away until needed the next time. Seems I'm always a day late & a dollar short, but this winter season, I am using humidifiers consistently. For a good month or so now, I have 4-5 humidifiers running 24/7. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have been doing this every winter. Texas has been (& typically is) so dry & now with running the house heater, there just isn't much moisture to be found.

A few months ago, my Shaklee Distributor shared a little humidifier tip with me - add a bit of Shaklee's Basic G Disinfectant to the water, to disinfect the machine & deodorize the water/air. So, of course, I did. Oh boy. I LOVE it! My machines & filters stay cleaner longer & I'm so happy knowing the mist coming from the humidifiers is sanitized! And of course, Basic G is non-toxic, so I don't have to worry about myself or my family breathing any toxic chemicals! Love, love, love!



I use small humidifiers, so the tanks aren't huge. When adding Basic G, I don't measure. It's highly concentrated & a tiny bit goes a very long way - so I just add a tad. Just a teeny amount. All of my humidifiers are cool-mist, so I then add cold water. It starts to foam up just a bit, but the bubbles dissipate immediately.

All of my machines have filters, except for one. I have one Vicks machine that has no filter. When adding G to that one, if I add too much, the machine starts sweating & everything gets soaked around it. I have to be very careful not to use too much with that one. But the others are fine. Should I add just a bit too much, they work fine. No condensation at all.



Because I run them daily, I keep a close eye on the filters. When they start to discolor and/or begin growing mold/bacteria, I replace them. The standard filters can be purchased anywhere & I always keep a few extra on hand. Rule of thumb is to replace them every few months to prevent contaminated water being released into the air. Ew.



Though it's a pain in the rear (trust, it is), I rinse/clean mine daily & refill with fresh water. I never let mine run while dry & I never let mine sit with water in them when not in use. I strive to keep them working effectively & efficiently. I keep the smaller units in each bedroom & the slightly larger Vicks unit in the downstairs area. I also keep a hygrometer upstairs & down, so I can monitor the moisture. I don't ever want it to reach & stay over 50%.



Also, you can add a bit of essential oil to your water, too, if you want your rooms to smell yummy. I haven't tried that yet, but I plan to. I love vanillas & cinnamons & soothing fragrances, so I plan to pick some of those up soon.

Being a family of 6, with 3 kids in school & the youngest in dance weekly, I think we've had a pretty mild winter concerning illnesses. A month or so ago, my husband & I got Bronchitis (we have got to take our vitamins consistently! Doh!) & my youngest son go it, too. His stemmed from allergies. After that, the girls & I got colds & then my husband did. My boys did not. That's it! I think that's pretty good being this is the first of January.

Between vitamins, humidifiers & now flu shots, everyone is healthy & has been, since the colds ended. We don't even have one runny nose. And that makes for one very happy mom!

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Moments.

Happy 8th Birthday, Jaguar! I adore you! ♥