Monday, February 21, 2011

my take on Jason Deli's chicken salad

Hello! One of my favorite things in the world (not exaggerating) is Jason Deli's chicken salad. It is truly amazing... and this is coming from some one who really doesn't care for chicken salad. My mom helped me figure out how to make it when I was in high school and because I ate some for lunch today I decided to share it! This is a recipe for one serving.

Here is the ingredient line up:

3 ounces of cooked chicken (can be canned, grilled, boiled... whatever), 2 tablespoons of light Hellmann's, 3 tablespoons of canned crushed pineapple (in their own juices), 1 teaspoon of slivered almonds (broken up even more), fresh cracked pepper


Mix up all of the ingredients really well and serve on crackers, toast, or with a spoon! For a nice side combine 2 sliced strawberries, 1 clementine, and 2 teaspoons of the pineapple juice from the can.

*Chicken salad is 5 Weight Watcher plus points

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Chicken w/ Lemon & Capers- Weight Watchers approved!


Hey there friends! I'm really excited to finally be posting recipes again! I've have some minor changes to my diet recently. I joined Weight Watchers and am learning how to use their new Points Plus program. What I love about WW is that I can enjoy all of my favorite foods, I just learn how to balance it with everything else. Some days I'll eat my fruits and veggies all day so that I can enjoy Pioneer Woman meals in the evenings. Most days I'll enjoy healthier dinners though. So you can look forward to some healthier recipes coming your way from me!

This is for Sauteed Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Capers. I've added cooked carrots and y special herbed cheesy rolls to accompany it. Chicken thighs are great because they are cheap and easy to cook. Add boneless and skinless to the mix and we're game! I'll show you everything without the rolls and I'll tell you how I make my rolls at the end. Quick version is at the bottom!

Here is the ingredient line up:

Baby carrots, Bouillon packet/ cube, olive oil cooking spray, 1 cup chicken broth, cracked pepper, 1.5 TB capers, 1 lemon, 1/4 cup flour, about 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs


First cover carrots with water in a sauce pan. Add the bouillon packet. (You could also use chicken broth instead of water and omit the bouillon) Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer as you finish cooking. Check on it occasionally and make sure it's doing good.



Spray large non stick skillet with olive oil spray. It doesn't have to be olive oil but it's better for you. And the cooking spray has less fat that the actual oil but feel free to use EVOO instead! Heat pan to med-heat.



Next, combine flour and cracked pepper.


Cover both sides of chicken with pepper/ flour mixture


Cook chicken until golden on the bottom, about 6-10 min. Flip over and cook 4 or 5 min more. Then, remove to a platter.

Add chicken broth to pan and stir with wooden spoon to deglaze your pan.

Place chicken back in pan and cover. Reduce heat and let simmer about 3 min.


Meanwhile, juice your lemon. You'll need 2 tablespoons.


Mix 1.5 TB of your capers with the juice and add to the pan. Cover and cook about 30 seconds.
We didn't notice a huge enhancement from the capers but it was a nice little pinch of flavor when you had one. You could leave them out but they are yummy :)

Place chicken on a platter and pour the sauce on top. (5 WW plus points for 2 thighs and 1.5 TB of sauce)


Place carrots in serving dish and sprinkle with cracked pepper. That's it! If you want to indulge add some kosher salt but that's really all they need. ( no points!)


Kristin's Herbed Cheesy Rolls:

EVOO
Italian seasoning
Fresh cracked pepper
minced garlic or garlic powder
Parmesan cheese
Rhodes frozen yeast rolls (or whatever you fancy... I grew up doing this with sandwich bread)

Combine oil, pepper, garlic, and seasoning in small bowl. Before putting rolls in over, spoon small spoonful of oil mixture over roll. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake as directed.

These things are SO good! (5 WW plus point, 3 points if just a plain Rhodes Roll). What's so great about these is that they don't need butter or honey or another adornment. They are amazing as is! Blake says so! Also, if you're eating a low point/ cal meal such as this, you can afford a yummy roll! Whole meal is 1o points. When you get 29 a day (plus 49 weekly allowance points) that's not too bad!



Here is a quick version of the recipe:

Sauteed Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Capers
w/ Cooked Carrots

1 spray cooking spray
1/4 cup flour
1/4 ts black pepper
8 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1 cup chicken broth
2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
1.5 TB capers
1 package of baby carrots
1 chicken bouillon cube/ packet

1. Cover carrots with water in sauce pan. Add bouillon. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.

2. Spray 12 in non-stick skillet, set over med-high heat.

3. In a small bowl, combine pepper and flour. Coat meat with flour.

4. Brown chicken in a single layer until golden on the bottom. (6-10 min) Flip and brown on the other side (4-6 min). Remove chicken from skillet.

5. Pour broth into pan and deglaze by scraping all the bits up with a wooden spoon. Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer about 3 min. Add lemon juice and capers. Heat for 30 seconds.

6. Place chicken on serving platter. Pour sauce on top.

Yields 4 servings
5 WW plus points for 2 thighs
0 points for carrots




Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Ministry Notes: Pastoral Care

As a girl studying to be a children's minister, it'd be easy to think that the term "pastoral care" might not apply to me. I'd be wrong though. I need to be able to care for myself and my family and also for the people God sends to me.

Because my daddy is a youth minister and my mom is a children's minister I've grown up with an interesting perspective on ministry. Ministry is a sacrifice before it is anything. There were so many times when I saw my family not be able to do things that other families got to do because of my parents duty to our church. Love was never one of those things I missed out on though. I believe it's of upmost importance that the minister (of any kind) making love to their family their first priority after loving God. That love is what will hold a family together through all of the ups and downs that ministry will bring into a family. That love will not always be easy to make a top priority, but I believe if it is the minister will be able to honor God and do his work better.

Next, a children's minister needs to be able to care for the families in their ministry. When a family is dealing with a rough time a children's minister needs to be able to just listen to them and pray with them. They don't have to know how to solve everything, but they do need to understand how to pray and listen.

A children's minister needs to be able to care for their volunteers and leaders. They need to offer them the support and encouragement that's needed to keep going!

Of course, I couldn't leave out the kids. A children's minister needs to be able to care for the kids in the ministry. This care can be shown by planning the best programs possible for the congregation. It can also be shown by offering a child a hug.

Pastoral care is all part of the job when one decides to be a minister. It's a part of their whole life.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Ministry Notes: Image

Ministers should most definitely consider their image. Now, I don’t mean so much in how they dress and comb their hair, but in how they behave as a Christian. In fact all Christians need to be very mindful of their image. It is of upmost importance that all believers in Christ hold high moral standards for their image. For the scriptures read:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans, that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

1 Peter 2:9-12

One year at church camp one of our theme songs was “Who Are You” by The Who. No doubt every time I read this passage I hear the repetitive, “who who who who”, But seriously… “I really wanna know…who are you”? Are you a Christian or are you of the world? If you are a Christian than you are to be part of a holy nation. As Christians we are called to be set apart from the world and people need to know who we are.

Christians have a duty to maintain an image that is holy- that is set apart from the world. This duty is for ministers, for elders, for even a newborn Christian. Christians no longer have their own identity; rather they take on one of more importance- Christ’s.

So who are you?

Is your image portraying that of Christ’s?

Link to “Who Are You, by The Who” on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4