Good-Bye Blogger

I have decided that I am going to officially be closing out this blog. I have not written in it forever so I think that it is time begin a new blog and shoot for a fresh start. For any friends and family that read this check my facebook for the new blog address where news of Laiken and I will be posted.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos #2

With minimal preparation, you can make a delicious Mexican-style meal for your family or double the recipe and entertain a crowd. A bonus is that the leftover chicken is incredibly versatile and can be used for a number of dishes.

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• A chopped onion (optional)
• A chopped green pepper (optional)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 16 ounces salsa (that's 2 cups if you're using a larger bottle).
• Flour tortillas, corn tortillas, or taco shells
• Toppings: your choice of lettuce, sour cream, grated cheese, tomatoes, salsa, diced purple onions, olives, guacamole, etc.

Two cups of any sort of salsa.

edit Steps

1. 1
   

   Chicken and onions.
   Put the chicken in a Crockpot. Add the onion and pepper if you want.
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2. 2
   

   Pour the other stuff over the chicken.
   Mix the seasoning with salsa and pour over chicken. You can add some more water if you think it needs more liquid, but the salsa and the chicken will produce ample liquid as it cooks.
3. 3
   Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.
4. 4
   

   Done cooking.
   The chicken is done when it can be shredded easily with a fork.
5. 5
   

   Shred with a fork.
   Lift the chicken out and shred it with a fork.
6. 6
   

   Tortillas and toppings.
   Serve with soft flour tortillas, a spoonful of the veggies if you used them (lift them with a slotted spoon to drain out excess liquid), and your favorite toppings. Try any combination of lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and tomatoes.

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

By Heather ·  Print This Post

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This is a standard dish in our house because it is so easy and yummy. My kids even like it! The chicken is cooked slowly in the Crock-Pot, so it falls apart easily with a fork. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer white meat. Or, if you’re interested in saving a little money, you can use chicken thighs. I use boneless chicken so I don’t have to remove the bones later. Use the cooked chicken for a variety of Mexican dishes: tacos, enchiladas, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, etc. We typically have tacos the first night, and then use the leftover chicken for rice bowls or enchiladas later in the week.

Slow-cooked Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:

1.5 – 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or boneless chicken thighs)
1 (1.5 oz.) pkg taco seasoning mix (Make sure it’s gluten-free. We use McCormick brand – mild for my kids.)
1 Cup chicken broth or water (Make sure it’s gluten-free. We use Pacific brand.)
1 Cup salsa or picante sauce

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a slow-cooker and sprinkle taco seasoning mix on top of chicken. Then, pour on chicken broth and picante sauce. No need to stir.
2. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. After 8 hours, the chicken is so tender it usually falls apart with a fork. So, use forks to shred, or pull apart, the chicken. Stir it around and let it stay warm in the slow-cooker while you prepare the rest of dinner.

Additional notes:

• In the picture above, we’ve made tacos with cooked corn tortillas, and filled it with the chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese, sliced black olives and diced avocado. Yum!
• You can also use the meat for enchiladas, taquitos, salads, and more.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

This is one of three recipes that we will be trying at home over the next couple of weeks.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

• 2-3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 jar salsa

1. Place chicken in crockpot.
2. Sprinkle taco seasoning on top  of chicken
3. Pour salsa over top.
4. Cover and cook on Low until the chicken shreds easily with a fork, about 6-8 hours.  When the chicken is cooked, remove from slow cooker, shred with two forks and return to salsa mixture.
5. Serve with flour tortillas, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and black olives.

Okay so I want to find out if this will publish to the correct blog or not. You Can ignore this post!

The Darkness of Life

Even surrounded by people, your darkest moment will usually be the one when you feel most alone. Most people are not going to care, and the ones that do will not understand what you are going through.

It's Been A While

Okay so since it has been so long since the last time I wrote this is just going to be an overview. So much has happened that there is no way I can put it all down in one entry. So here we go one family member at a time.


Laiken is getting so big and he is such a little boy. He is a social little guy that absolutely loves to be around people. He is pretty much potty-trained during the day although we still have to get him to poop in the potty. He has friends in the neighborhood that he goes outside and plays with on a regular basis. Ryan and I finally got him a big boy bed because he was starting to mess up his crib by jumping on it so hard. Where last year he was totally and completely about Elmo now he is beginning to branch out a little bit. He now loves all the Sesame Street characters and two of his favorite movies that do not include these characters are Annie and Old Yeller. He is very much an outdoors kind of boy. He loves sports and his favorite one at the moment is football. He loves riding his trike and running behind all the older boys that live on our street.





I just began my third full semester at ASU and am taking 5 classes plus an internship. I am in what is call my Professional Teacher Preparation Program which is just basicaly a fancy way to say the teaching program in the college of ed. I am in my first of three semesters of field experience and then I have my student teaching. So with 4 semesters left I am feeling good and ready for this to be over. I still like to try to workout but it doesnt always work like I want it to. I have a workout program that I am trying to master at the moment it is called Insanity and the name is a perfect description of what it entails. I have tried it several times since I got it for Christmas but so far everytime I do I wind up stressing out my knee or my shoulder so it is slow going. Plus with this new class schedule that I have I am getting home later so most nights there isnt time to workout before bed. I will get there though.



Ryan, well what can I say about Ryan. He is doing well just working and doing his thing. I think that he and Laiken get closer everyday and now that Laiken is older he is like Daddy's little shadow. No matter what Ryan tells people I will testify that he is a wonderful dad. You can look at Laiken (his mannerisms) and he is so much like his daddy that it is hilarious sometimes and aggravating at others. Other than work and Laiken Ryan trys to stay home as much as possible although I am usually able to coerce him to go out when I want him to. I couldnt have asked for a better husband even if I wanted to.

A New Better Michelle

Okay so as many people know I have begun upon a new journey this year. I have decided that I am going to work at making myself the best me that I can. I am doing this for my family (extended and immediate) but most of all I am doing this for me. Those that have known me a while know that I have been bigger all of my life. With this came many problems that I personally wish that I could have been willing to deal with earlier. For many years I ignored so many aspects of my personal life. I have decided however that I am going to take control of my life from this point forward. I am going to stop neglecting myself when it comes to my physical, emotional, & spiritual well-being.

Well now I can honestly say that I am ready.

I am ready to be healthy.

I am ready to lose this chain that is known as obesity.

I am ready to deal with the fact that I am a diabetic (or was anyways).

I am ready to work on my emotional health since that too has taken a beating from the way I feel about my physical self.

I am ready to get back to church and working on my commitment to God and myself.

I am ready to be a better wife.

I am ready to be a better mother.

I AM READY TO BE A BETTER ME!!!

For anyone that wants to follow my progress you are more than welcome. As you can imagine this is not going to be an easy journey but I am ready for whatever may come with it. I welcome the support of all my friends and family as I work my way through this process of improvement. If you would like to track my progress you can follow me at http://maricopamamasmovement.blogspot.com .

The Waterpark

So this past weekend Ryan and I along with our neighbor Angela decided to take the kids to the waterpark. We had so much fun while we were there although I have to say that by the end of the day everyone was completely wiped out. We went to Sunsplash which for those of you that dont know is a huge park with slides, a wavepool, a river with tubes you can ride, and so much more. I only went on one slide but my tube tipped over and I got totally freaked so for the rest of the day I stuck with the wave pool and riding the tubes on the river. Ryan, Angela and Nefertiti went on the slides multiple times however.

There was one slide called the sidewinder that Angela and Ryan were supposed to go on but one they got up to the top I guess the story is that Ryan backed out. This slide was probably like 3 or 4 stories up in the air and was probably an 80 to 90 degree drop straight down. After you go down it goes back up, down again, and so forth. So they got their tube (a double) and waited in the line all the way to the top. Once they got up there Ryan looked down and said that he so was not going to do it. Angela said that the fact that Ryan backed out was okay with her because she didnt want to go anyways she just did it so that Ryan wouldnt have to go by himself (I'm afraid of heights).

We did most of the day without eating because the food was so expensive inside the park and you arent allowed to bring food inside with you. We got a snack about 2/3 through the day to tide us over until we left. We decided that after we left we would just go to this place called CeCe's and eat because it is an all you can eat pizza buffet for like 4 dollars.

Overall we had a ton of fun and I am so glad that we got to go. I hope that we get the chance to do it again before the summer is over because it is such a good family activity. We got lots of pictures some of which are included in this post and they are just fun memories to have.

Michelle's Journey

Okay so as some people know I have recently set upon a journey to lose weight and become a healthier better me. This is my own personal journey and I have chosen to keep track of my progress on a second blog that is not linked to other family matters. In the second blog I talk about my dietary, workout, and lifestyle changes that I have made to try to achieve my goal. I welcome anyone that wants to to read and comment on this new blog. I will also be periodically posting updated pictures of myself so that I have a running record of my progress. If you would like to check out what I have been up to lately you can go to http://maricopamamasmovement.blogspot.com.

Update

So okay I can now send messages to blogger from my phone. Let's find out if this helps me to post more often.

The Graduate!!!

YEAH!!! Okay so this is kinda hokey but I am totally psyched. I finally graduated from Mesa Community College last night and I fell so good. It was a nice ceremony even if it was a little long and all of my immediate family was there. My mom came in from GA for it and my uncle was even there from South Lake Tahoe. These past 2 days have been absolutely awesome having all of my family around again. It has been years since we have all been together. Ryan even held up okay with all the family events and usually they are just exhausting for him. We put my mother on a plane back to GA today and while I will miss her I have to say that it was wonderful to see her and have her here for this.

MOTHERS Real Mothers don't eat quiche;

They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils

Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,

Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough

Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what

The vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'

And get their answer when a little

Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth

Is not measured by height or years or grade....

It is marked by the progression of

Mommy to Mom to Mother...

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,

the figure she carries,

or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,

Because that is the doorway to her heart,

The place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,

But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she

Shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Please send this to 5 Moms today.

If you don't, nothing bad will happen,

But if you do, something good will:

You'll boost a Mother's spirits.

Entire Family

Things have actually been going very well for us even though they have been extremely busy. I have been getting ready for graduation and attended my convocation ceremony this past Sunday. It was fun for me to be included in something like that although I should have listened to Ryan and gotten a babysitter for Laiken. All he wanted to do during the entire ceremony was to run around so Ryan was out in the hallway for most of it. Angela did the front of my hair in two french braids and then that morning I did the back of it in spirals so that it was hanging down my back. Our friends Chris and Randi were able to come and see me get the certificate that was presented so that was cool. None of the other family was able to make it because it was just not enough notice. We tried to get pictures as I walked in and as I got my certificate but all of them turned out blurry and you can hardly see me so I will not include them in this post. Hopefully I will get better ones at convocation since I will have more people there and I know of at least 2 that are going to be bringing their cameras.

I cut Laiken's hair so his hair is now as short as Ryan's is. It is so cute because the night that I cut it Ryan had me cut his as well so that they had matching hair cuts. Once Laiken's hair was short though man he looked so much like Ryan that it was scary. His hair grows as fast as Ryan's too because it is already starting to grow back. I have to say though that I will not be cutting it this short again. It was good for me to see it like this and I liked the break from having to comb it but I really miss his curls; he just doesn't look like my baby boy without them. He is finally getting used to being without them however so that is the good news. He is just getting so big and having such a close cropped haircut makes him look like such a little man. I can not say how many people told me how much older he looks since he got his hair cut off.

Other than that everything has been good. Ryan has been working all of his usual days. I am trying to get through the last of my finals and then I get a small break until I start summer school in June. I am only taking on class however and that is online so I will not only have a lighter schedule but after July 2 I don't have anymore classes until the 24th of August so I am excited about finally getting a break. Well that is about it so I will write again once there is something new going on.

Okay so the end of the semester is here and I have to say that it is quite a relief. The next couple of weeks until the 15th of April are going to be my busiest yet. I have several research papers due and still have to study for finals but I am breathing easier now than I have over the previous couple of weeks. There is something that is reassuring when you get to the end of the semester and you are so close to it being over. At this point I have to say that while my grades are not as high as they were last semester I am still passing so that is definitely saying something. I have managed to take a full load, take care of Ryan, Laiken, and myself, and while all have suffered somewhat nothing has completely fallen apart.



I look forward to the two week break before summer school. Finally I am going to get to spend some real time with my hubby and my son without having to worry about homework or what else I am neglecting to do it. I think that Ryan is going to enjoy it too because I have to admit that he has gotten the bulk of the neglect this semester since he is the grown-up and able to care for himself.

Our new playground...AKA our backyard

Okay so I am going to try once again to post the pictures of the backyard through the stages of the landscaping process.

Okay so these first two pictures (above) is the day that they came to do the curbing. I was actually hoping to be there but they were gone before I got home from school. As you see we went for the standard and the only thing back there was the trampoline. It actually turned out really nice though although we couldn't go out in the back yard for like 2 days afterward while it dried to avoid any accidents that may have ruined the job.

Now about a week after they did the curbing they came out again to do the actual landscaping. Because of my allergies all the plants that we picked had to be ones that wouldn't bloom. So Ryan and I decided to go with a hopbush for all of our shrubs (pictured far left) we put 2 sissoux trees in the far corner of the yard (center picture) and inside the curbing we decided to go for a giant sandbox for Laiken. We figured that since artificial turf was so terribly expensive sand would be the next best thing so that we could be sure that he didn't hurt himself on anything. We also had the landscapers move the trampoline to the far northeast corner of the sandbox to make room for the swing set that we were planning to put back there. I have to say that it was actually kind of interesting watching the guys do this part and I am really glad that I was home for the bulk of it.

Of course the last pictures of the yard have to be the finished product. I personally feel that the company that did our yard did an excellent job. I am happy that we chose them. But then again you have to check it out for yourself so here it is.

Around the outside of the curbing is all rock and shrubs with 3 stepping stones for Laiken to walk on. Now that we have that all finished and the swing set finally arrived Ryan and I decided to brave attempting to put that together this past weekend. It was definitely not an easy task. There was so much wood that our living looked like a lumber yard ad first.



It all worked out though because our neighbor was actually putting a play set up for his son and when he was done he actually we so sweet as to come over and help us get ours going. So we actually worked out a really good system where Ryan and Jarod did most of the physical work and I read them the instructions that were in the manual. These pictures are from day number one. This is when Ryan and Jarod were trying to piece together the first wall of the fort. They actually had a difficult time with this until they found out that they were using the wrong board (did I mention that none of the wood was marked) for the center support. Once that actually was figured out most everything else went pretty smoothly.

Below if you want to see kind of what was going on I have loaded up the first video that I shot that day. I promised Ryan that I wouldn't videotape the whole time so I have little bits and pieces from various stages of the process. After two straight days of working on this we finally got most of the set together. The only things that we still have to complete are the monkey bars, the picnic table and the toy box. When I get home I will be posting an addendum to this blog so you can see the play set as it is now with what we have gotten completed. So far I think that it was totally worth all the work that it took to get it together.