Tuesday 30 April 2013

Meals in 20 minutes or less: Wraps

If there is one thing I have learned from being in Grad School this semester, it is that TIME  is at a premium, and spending more than half an hour on making dinner just isn't worth it.  So if you're interested in FRESH and FAST, wraps are a good way to go. Not to mention they are a perfect summer food. 

Here are a few of my favs.  I made these recipes myself, and though we really like the way they taste, I won't be offended if you tweak to taste :)!

 (Sorry about the funny formatting... who has time to make the formatting perfect anyway?)


{Spring Rolls (salad style)}
          Ingredients        
       Rice Paper (8 " - purchase at local asian market)
       Rice Noodles
       Romaine Lettuce
       Chopped tomatoes
       Cubed grilled chicken
       Chopped green onions
       Chopped celery
       Grated carrots
       Oyster Sauce and/or Sweet'n'Sour Sauce and/or Spicy Chinese Dragon Sauce
Directions
Prepare rice noodles according to package.  Dip rice paper in warm water for 5 seconds to soften.  Place on a flat plate.  Place small amount of rice noodles, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, celery, carrots and oyster sauce in the center of the softened rice paper.  Fold the rice paper over the filling creating a half circle.  Fold over the sides on top of the filing.  Finish the wrap by taking the remaining rounded edge and folding over on top.  Enjoy.


{Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps}

  Ingredients
  •  Large Romaine lettuce leaves
  •  Maifun rice sticks
  •  1 cup Grilled cubed chicken
  •   2 Chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
  •  1 can Black beans
  •  ½ cup Frozen corn kernels (warmed)
  •  ½ cup Chopped red onions
  •  1/3 cup Greek Yogurt
  •  ½ tsp Garlic salt
  •  ¼ tsp Red pepper flakes (or more)
  •   2 tbs Orange zest
  •   half an orange fresh squeezed Orange juice
   Directions
Prepare crunchy rice by deep-frying it in a small amount of hot oil.  Set aside.  Make the sauce by combining greek yogurt with orange zest, orange juice, red pepper flakes and garlic salt.  In a large bowl, combine chicken, tomatoes, corn, beans and onions and mix with yogurt mixture. 
To assemble the wraps, take a large romaine lettuce leaf and place a small amount of fried rice sticks in the center.  Place a 1/3 cup chicken mixture on top.  Wrap the lettuce around the filling and eat.  

{Tortilla Wraps}
   Ingredients
  •   Flour tortillas
  •  Grilled cubed chicken
  •  Chopped Romaine lettuce
  •  2 Chopped tomatoes
  • 1 Chopped red onion
  • 1 Chopped red bell pepper
  •  2 Avocados
  •  2 Tbs Lime juice
  •  ½ tsp Garlic salt
  • 1 Tbs dried Cilantro
  • ¼ tsp Red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tbs Greek yogurt
Directions  
Combine avocados with greek yogurt and spices.  Mix until smooth.  Assemble the tortilla wraps by placing small amount of chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and peppers in the center.  Top with avocado mixture.  Wrap tortilla and enjoy.  

 

Thursday 25 April 2013

So true!

I had a good laugh reading this article.  I remember feeling incredibly stressed by my first daughter's sleeping routine.  I wish someone had been able to get it through my head that I wasn't damaging my child when she didn't get 18 hours of sleep per day.  I also wish more of the "professional parenting" books would just tell you to take it easy, learn to read your baby's cues, and do whatever feels "right" to your child and your parenting style!  This is proof that there are too many voices out there, and they can't all be right.  So you just have to find someone you trust and ask for their advice, adjusting it to your specific needs as necessary.

Hope you enjoy this article as much as I did:



Saturday 6 April 2013

I liked this too much not to share...


I have been thinking a lot about this very topic lately.  I especially like how he encourages parents to stop comparing themselves to the people who write how-to-be the-perfect-parent blogs.  I plan to write a lot more about this topic very soon (the title will be "The Iron Rod does NOT go through the Great and Spacious Building"), but for now I want to remind those who feel desperately inadequate because of the many mommy blogs out there (or facebook, pinterest, magazines, TV, novels etc) that these sources are NOT gospel truths.   They are personal opinions and experiences. Period.

What is truth?  Scriptures, patriarchal blessings, spiritual affirmations, general conference talks, direction from priesthood authorities, and family relationships.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because I also struggle with comparing myself to others, especially when it comes to parenting.  I think everyone does to a certain extent.  The good thing is that if you're struggle with comparing, it probably means you really care about your kids.  A LOT.  Which is the most important thing in parenting anyway :)