Chicken Chili Verde

I haven't made this yet but I don't want to forget about it. I'll post a review once I've cooked it.

http://paleopot.com/2012/07/paleo-chicken-chili-verde-with-butternut-squash/

Roasted Red Pepper Sweet Potato Soup

Deliciousness. And it freezes well. Thanks Paleo Pot.

2 huge sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed. Measured this is about 6 cups of cubes.

One 14 ounce jar of roasted red peppers in water (drained).

One 14 ounce can of coconut milk. I use TJ’s light brand as usual.

1 cup of chicken stock.

1 small yellow onion, large dice.

2 cloves of garlic.

1/2 tsp black pepper.

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.

- See more at: http://paleopot.com/2012/11/paleo-roasted-red-pepper-sweet-potato-soup/#sthash.oAwy8mXz.dpuf

 http://paleopot.com/2012/11/paleo-roasted-red-pepper-sweet-potato-soup/

2 huge sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed. Measured this is about 6 cups of cubes.

One 14 ounce jar of roasted red peppers in water (drained).

One 14 ounce can of coconut milk. I use TJ’s light brand as usual.

1 cup of chicken stock.

1 small yellow onion, large dice.

2 cloves of garlic.

1/2 tsp black pepper.

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.

- See more at: http://paleopot.com/2012/11/paleo-roasted-red-pepper-sweet-potato-soup/#sthash.oAwy8mXz.dpuf

2 huge sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed. Measured this is about 6 cups of cubes.

One 14 ounce jar of roasted red peppers in water (drained).

One 14 ounce can of coconut milk. I use TJ’s light brand as usual.

1 cup of chicken stock.

1 small yellow onion, large dice.

2 cloves of garlic.

1/2 tsp black pepper.

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.

- See more at: http://paleopot.com/2012/11/paleo-roasted-red-pepper-sweet-potato-soup/#sthash.oAwy8mXz.dpuf

Up All Night

  With Scott away on business the girls have been a little extra rambunctious at bedtime. I can't put all the blame on them. There has been a lot of excitement with a ballet recital, gymnastics show, and the end of school. After a night of pure frustration I was determined there would not be a repeat.
  Things were going so well. Lights were out, books were read, a last drink of water was obtained, and all by 7.15. Woohoo! After 10 minutes of quiet the giggling and squirreling around began in earnest. Quickly the girls were separated, Kate in my bed Leia in her own. It quickly became clear that Kate was fast asleep and Leia was having a full on circus in her room. After all the yelling last night I decided to just ignore her as long as Kate stayed asleep. This has worked in the past, tonight was not going to be in my favor.
  After the 3rd cup crash in the bathroom I went up to lay down the law. Only to find....Leia in the bathroom covered in nail polish and eyeshadow. Covered. After a quick lecture (and many stifled giggles on my part) I scrubbed the floor, counters, and her face. She had a raccoon mask of silver and black eyeshadow. At this point Leia revealed she had also painted Kate's nails, in her sleep!
  You have GOT to be kidding me! Nope. I turned the lights on a sleeping Kate to see 5 freshly painted fingernails, a streak of pink on her chest, and a mask of eyeshadow on her face. That kid must have been tired! My bed survived unscathed, whew. I can't wait to see her reaction when she wakes up in the morning.
  So yet again it's after 9pm and the little one is just going to sleep. Ugh. Thank goodness for wine!

In 2 days my big kid will be 5. Some days I'm not sure how that is true, other days I am very aware. The only thing she wanted for her birthday was a party. Kid parties are not my thing. I don't like planning to entertain lots of kids or cleaning up after them. And knowing that my youngest is a "tad" feisty, I don't like the constant monitoring to head off her emotional explosions. With that said I have told my girls they will have adventure birthdays. We hiked Candy Mountain when Kate turned 3, and went camping when she turned 4. This year we planned a train ride to watch the Sounders game in Vancouver. My attempts at planning where thwarted by poor train schedules and the overall cost. Did I really want to spend $500 for her birthday, when she's 5? Not to mention she was heartbroken every time I told her we weren't having a party. So in the end I decided to continue crushing her hopes of a party (I'd already laid the foundation) and plan a surprise party.

Who knew within a day of making that decision I would be all consumed with planning how to turn my backyard into a pink and green themed wonderland. Polka Dots and Pinwheels basically planned itself. A few hours of Google searching and wandering through Pinterest and it all came together. Not to mention a good friend volunteering to make the cake as soon as I told her my plans.

Another friend planned a party for the same day and it worked out for Kate and her daddy to attend that while I did set up and greeted the guests. All the kids were a bit young to understand what we were doing but they rallied and made it work. I placed my bet on Kate bursting into tears. I almost cashed in on that. When she came to the door she was confused, then shocked, then pleased, then shocked again. It was adorable. When it finally sunk in she took off and the smile didn't leave her face. Make your own Pinwheel, tattoos, and Balloon Whacking made the afternoon pass quickly. Aided by an endless supply of cookies and lollipops.

Thanks to all the friends who pitched in with decoration help and who kept the party a secret. It was a great afternoon. And my nearly-5-year-old thinks I'm great again, so that's a plus.

Ooh and a big thanks to the husband for enduring 3 hours of someone else's kid's party and THEN another 2 hours at his own kid's. What a trooper.