Things I learned on Pinterest: 7UP chicken and rice

Typically, in order to get me interested in a recipe, it either has to have very few ingredients, can be made in an individual pot/pan, or is cooked in the slow cooker. This recipe has all three of those things, so I figured I would try it out!

pinned by me, picture and recipe borrowed from Six Sisters' Stuff



Slow Cooker 7UP Chicken and Rice, with my changes noted

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used two thin breasts for just the Husband and me, probably less than 1 pound of chicken)
10.5 oz. can of cream of chicken soup
12 oz. can of 7UP or lemon lime soda (I used Shasta 'cuz I'm awesome)
1 c. rice (I used white Minute Rice)
1/4 c. chicken broth

Spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray. Lay chicken breasts down in the bottom; cover with 7UP and cream of chicken soup. Cover and cook on low 5 hours. Add the rice and chicken broth; re-cover and cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.



I actually followed the times listed over at Six Sisters' Stuff, and the rice was too mushy for my tastes, so I made changes to the recipe above accordingly. I served this with steamed and candied carrots, and it was pretty good. It's pretty sweet, and I didn't think Husband would like it, but he did! Yay! I'll make this one again, with my changes in cooking time, to see if I like it better. The flavor was awesome but the texture of the rice totally killed it for me. You could also skip the rice part entirely, and just cook the chicken for ~6 hours on low, then make your own rice to serve it over. That's also a good option.

It was perfect for a Zumba night - I came home from work to start the slow cooker, then added the rice after I got home, and then it was ready when I got home from Zumba. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Change is good.

I've been blonde for almost 10 years. This Saturday, I'm going back to my natural color (sort of*). For those that don't know, I'm naturally a redhead. Not like fire engine red, but more of a dark strawberry blonde red. Ir really is a pretty color but I've loved being a blonde SO MUCH! And I'm super nervous to change that. *I'm not going completely natural - I'm going to do ombre hair, like this:

source But mine will be a bit more red at the top. What do you think? I'm scared! And my hair is angry pants right now so I literally cannot go back to blonde once I make this leap. Here's hoping it turns out how I see it in my head.

Wordless Wednesday - I like ocean animals. Especially this one.

Orange juice + toothpaste = no bueno. Plus, people kinda suck.

Why is it that when you drink orange juice after you brush your teeth, it's one of the most vile tastes this world could conjure? Seriously, it's overly disgusting.

Anyway.

They say relationships go two ways, and when one side stops responding or stops giving, you should let it go. Anyone who doesn't make time for you isn't worth holding a spot in your heart for, right? I can't stop running this through my head. I have a really hard time letting go of people and just dropping the relationship, even though it hurts me to try to keep the contact alive because it's such a one-way street.

I've gone through a lot of close friends in my life. And it's me. I'm harsh and I tell the truth too much and I forget to sugar coat things. Or I choose not to; whatever. I don't have this group of friends I've had since I was little, and sometimes it makes me sad. So I think it makes me hold onto the friendships I have now too hard, to the point where it hurts my feelings to be the only one showing any interest but still refusing to let it die. Person calls once in a blue moon and I make time for them, catering to their schedule just so I can see them, only to not hear from them again for another month or two. Texting and calling and trying to make plans in the meantime, to be ignored.

How do you just let go? How can I stop myself from being the person who is constantly calling and trying to make plans, only to have said person (or persons) just ignore that relationship entirely? It's currently killing small pieces of my heart to hold on but I can't let go. Is it just me?

Here's a somewhat related song I cannot seem to stop listening to.

Small bedrooms equal small space.

I've been loving loft beds lately. I think it's the fort-like concept that I find most appealing (I'll never grow up, I swear!) but I also like them because other than our master bedroom, the rooms in our house are somewhat small. Right now it's okay for Punk to have not much space because she's still kinda little, but I think she'll want more space as she gets older.

Here's my question - do you think she would outgrow a loft bed? I think they're awesome! I would love to get her one and then set up somewhat of a study space underneath; bookshelves, a desk spot, maybe crafting room. I think it'd be sweet but I don't know if I'm alone in that thought. Here are a few I've been considering (click on the picture to be taken to the bed's home):

this one is customizable, which is cool.

this one is metal (read: durable), which is also cool.

Or this one which has all the desk stuff built in. This is probably my favorite so far.

Or we could go a different route and just have a raised bed that fits a desktop underneath it, like this one:

I kinda like that idea, too; I feel like she'd be less likely to "outgrow" this one. Except that nearly eliminates the concept of saving space.

Just some thoughts. I have redecorating on the mind lately, even though it's really not going to happen for awhile now that we have lots of medical bills to pay. Hmph.

It's Friday the 13th today, so enjoy it. I love Friday the 13th!

Easter in the hospital just isn't as cool.

So, Husband wrecked hard on his BMX bike at the skate park on Saturday, and after much questioning and back and forth, we ended up at the emergency room. The left side of his abdomen was swelling and I was worried he was bleeding internally; plus, he was having a hard time breathing through the pain.

I'm estimating around $12,000 later, he's home and mending on the couch. We have health insurance that kicks in on May 1st. Dammit.

He lacerated his kidney. Who does that? He's never really wrecked hard, never been in the hospital overnight, never had surgery, never had pain killers stronger than ibuprofen, and he goes and lacerates a kidney. Of all of the things he could hurt himself doing, he does the most damage on the slowest of contraptions he enjoys. Whatever, right?

So I spent the night in a chair, trying to sleep through the evrey-45-minutes interruptions. I think I got a total of three hours of sleep, in 20-minute increments. Awesome, right?

Punk spent the night at her grandpa's and got to do an Easter egg hunt the next morning with the neighbors (what sweet people!) and then came to hang out at the hospital with us. Lucky for her, they started letting Husband have solid foods early Sunday morning, so the Easter bunny graced us with his furry presence, bearing baskets. Full of candy, of course. I wasn't going to bring them into the room if Husband couldn't have solids yet; that's just mean. But all was well.

Now that I think about it, we should have done an egg hunt in the hospital. How fun would that have been? Check under the old lady's butt! Okay, maybe not, but still. Random placed eggs in a hospital might be a good time.

They released him Sunday evening and now he's home, realizing how bad kidneys can hurt when they're mad.

And I'm playing nurse. I even got pee on my hands and didn't vomit (you'd think they would check the little tester cups for leaks before giving them to patients, but I guess that's just me). Are you all proud of me? You should be.

I hope your Easter was less eventful than mine, for the sake of your sanity!

Can you crush on inanimate objects? Certainly.

I read a quote...

“Make yourself so happy so that when others look at you they become happy too”
― Yogi Bhajan

This is profound and I love it. In no particular order, I wanted to share some things I'm crushing hard on right now.

building my own Tesla coils and making music with them... like this:




cupcake warmer (just bought this; can't wait to get it!)

shark sleeping bag. want this asap.

hollister hoodies. the most comfortable hoodies ever. not sure why, but they are magic.

warm weather. a nearly snowless winter (so far). driving with my windows down.

sweet potato fries.

crock pot recipes. need to do more of these before it gets too warm to eat warm food.

in-season pineapple, cantaloupe, mango; yummy fruit!

my kid. she knows there's no such thing as the easter bunny (this was last year's revelation) but still wants me to do baskets and hide eggs anyway. love it! I hope she never gets too old to do an egg hunt.

my husband. works so hard all the time, even when there are so many other things he'd rather be doing.

snail mail from cute friends. you know who you are, and watch for a thank you :).


what are you crushing on right now?

Another new favorite thing. It's all good here in Kendahl Land.

I've loved the Simply ... juices since they first came out. Starting with Simply Orange, then Simply Lemonade, and Simply Limeade is complete genius, plus Simply Apple is pretty darn good as well. I really like everything they have to offer.

Well, I've got news. You need to make way for the new genius from them: Simply Cranberry Cocktail and Simply Lemonade with Mango. (!!!) They sent me coupons to try both of them out for free, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find Simply Lemonade with Mango (this is me shedding a tear). So, let's talk about Simply Cranberry Cocktail.

I don't typically like cranberry juice in any form. I drink it because my kidneys are wussies but I have to force it down my throat. Let me just say, I have a new solution. The Simply Cranberry Cocktail is actually tasty! I'm not just saying that, I mean it. It's the best cranberry anything I've ever had. It's not from concentrate, so it's actually a good form of cranberry (you hear my kidneys rejoicing right now [and my mom interjecting comments from left stage "concentrate is bad..."]) and it tastes good. I cannot wait to taste the Simply Lemonade with Mango because I'm crushing hard on Simply Orange with Mango right now and I know I'll love the lemonade.

Want more reasons to give them a shot?

- With an all-natural, not from concentrate taste, Simply Cranberry Cocktail and Simply Lemonade with Mango serve as a great and (and nutritious!) alternative to cocktails at family gatherings or dinner parties. Guests can treat themselves and still be the life of the party! (the Simply Cranberry Cocktail would make a phenomenal vodka cranberry)
- Simply Beverages are all natural and embody a fresh-fruit taste!
- Cranberry juice is appreciated for its great taste and health benefits- but everyone agrees it’s best served cold. Simply Cranberry is currently the ONLY national juice sold in the chilled section of supermarkets.

Go out and try them both. And if you find the Simply Lemonade with Mango, let me know where so I can jump on it.


***Like I said before, I was sent coupons to try both juices out for free. But my opinions are all my own and not influenced by the company or the freeness of the juice. kthanxbye***