Kitchen Experiments: White Bean Chicken Chili

Cooler weather to me means breaking out the crockpot and making some sort of comfort meal that fills my house with amazing smells. I love white bean chicken chili and have seen it done so many different ways. Every year I make the same recipe but I decided this year to find a new one to try. I was pleasantly surprised.

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

INGREDIENTS

6 skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 lb)

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 3/4 cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce

2 cans (15 to 16 oz each) great northern beans, drained, rinsed

1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Niblets® white shoepeg corn, drained

3 tablespoons lime juice 

1 bag cheese of choice (we did sharp cheddar)

Tortilla chips to top

STEPS

Step 1: Remove excess fat from chicken put in crock pot (3 1/2- to 4-quart)

Step 2: Mix chopped onion, garlic, broth, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper sauce. 

prepare for your house to smell like heaven

Step 3: Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 5 hours.

Step 4: Remove chicken from slow cooker. Use 2 forks to remove bones and shred chicken into pieces.

Chicken will just fall off the bone, so tender!

Step 5: Discard bones; return chicken to slow cooker. 

Step 6: Stir in beans, corn, lime juice and cilantro. 

Step 7: Cover; cook on Low heat setting 15 to 20 minutes or until beans and corn are hot.

Step 8: Top with cheese and tortilla chips, enjoy!

j+k

Baby Hamra: So what are we having?

We had our 17 week check-up today and everything went great. The heart beat was much easier to find this time, immediately when the nurse put the machine to my belly a healthy 156 heart rate came through. Unfortunately, I am coming down with something so I couldn't get my flu shot but we did get to set up our Gender Ultrasound. The best part....we will find out if Hamlet is a he or she on John's birthday, October 6. Stay tuned for the big reveal.

Here is my 17 week photo, this week we are the size of an onion (or according to another website a Sweet Potato), about 5.1 inches and 5.9 ounces. It is also getting more and more often that I feel little kicks. I even purchased my first pair of maternity work pants (thanks Megan for the moral support).

We have the nursery all cleaned out and ready to start decorating but we are going to wait until we find out the gender. We have lots of ideas for our little one's new room

j+k

Baby Hamra: 16 Weeks

We're 4 months pregnant! Seems like it is already flying by.
Hamlet is the size of an avocado this week, about 4.5 inches.

Hello there!

so little yet so much bigger than last week

Birthday Weekend

This past weekend was my 29th birthday. It was sort of bittersweet being my last 20s birthday as well as my last without a little one. Friday, Megan and Trina helped me celebrate with a pedicure, dinner at Kremer's and a movie. Saturday I spent the afternoon thrifting with my mom and we grabbed an amazing lunch with Rachel at The Aviary Creperie. Saturday night John planned a dinner at Flo with a few of our close friends. We finished the weekend Sunday with lunch with my in-laws and brownies/ice cream at my parents. Thanks everyone for helping me celebrate!

Hamlet even got a couple present. Pillow Pet from Trina and Bib from Megan

Nutella and Sugar & Spice Crepes, AMAZING!

Thanks Megan for the belly laugh, literary!

Megan and me at FLO for dinner

Kitchen Experiments: Parmesan Chicken Sandwiches

Some times I get creative and whip up new recipes with items we already have at home.
Monday night we had a lot to do for the holiday so we decided to eat at home and Parmesan Chicken Sandwiches on Pretzel rolls were born. The Pretzel Rolls really make the sandwich, we are obsessed with Trader Joe's Pretzel Rolls. It is worth the drive to St. Louis!

Ingredients (for 2 sandwiches)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Egg
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Bread Crumbs
Pretzel Rolls (we prefer Trader Joe's)
Cheese (we used Smoked White Cheddar and Chipotle Cheddar)


Steps
1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees

2. Put egg in a dish and Parmesan and bread crumbs in a separate dish

3. Coat chicken in egg and dip in Parmesan/bread crumb mixture, set on non stick cooking pan

4. Bake Chicken in oven for 20-25 minutes.

5. If desired add some butter to pretzel rolls and broil for a few minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese to melt.

6. Add chicken to pretzel rolls and Enjoy!

j+k

Bump

I am not a huge fan of pregnant belly posts BUT now that mine is starting to be noticeable I had to post one pic just to mark the occasion. I promise not to overwhelm you guys with tons of pics of my bare abs.

Baby Hamra (aka Hamlet), 14 weeks, 5 days