Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

I found this pin the other day that looked too delicious not to try.  I don't normally even really like teriyaki but it just looked so good.  Luckily it turned out really great...

 because not all Pinterest recipes do.  

Here is the link to the pin.  I thought my picture looked pretty good until I went back and looked at the pin again and saw how great their picture made it look.  Oh well, all that matters is how good it tasted :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (use low-sodium if desired)
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• (optional toppings: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds)

DIRECTIONS:

Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker in a single layer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and black pepper until combined. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Cover slow cooker, and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and shred it using two forks. Transfer the remaining teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a medium saucepan.

Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and pour the sauce on top of the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.

Serve topped with scallions (green onions) and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Halloween 2014

Blake picking out the perfect pumpkin ;)

Our obligatory family pumpkin patch photo.

Us getting our "real" pumpkins at Pavillions after visiting the pumpkin patch.  Seriously, they were way cheaper and a lot better looking.

Blake's costume #1.  She was a doctor, in her official hospital scrubs and a head mirror that I whipped up, for the Main Street daytime trick or treating.

Then in the evening, both of us were bumble bees.  We passed out candy and waved to all the neighborhood kiddos.

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Toss pumpkin seeds in mixture and spread out on baking sheet.  Bake in 300 degree oven for about 50 minutes.

The Bear Rug

Naked pics on a bear skin rug are a family tradition on my side.  

I should have done this when she was a little bit younger (and less mobile) because she was a total pill during this photo shoot :) She was 9 months and I think I will do it at about 6 months for the next kiddo. 

Looking at these, I can't believe how much she has changed in just a few months.

Here's me ;)

and here's my sister

Blake's Nursery

I finally feel like the nursery in the new house is complete.  I really wanted a full polka dot wall and intended to do that when I bought the decals online.  I waaayyyy underestimated how many I would need so I ended up with this triangle which actually turned out looking pretty good.  So I'm keeping it....for now.

Here was my inspiration for that wall.  It looks awesome, doesn't it?

Here's how it turned out.

My Little Mermaid

As a little girl I really wanted to be a mermaid. 

I  mean...

It doesn't get any cuter than that!

Blake Olivia Turns One!!!

I can't believe it!  This year has gone by so fast.  Even with our sleepless nights, it still flew by.  I swear I'm going to turn around and she will be asking for a car.

The party was awesome, except for the fact that Orange County is baking right now.  It must have been 95 degrees inside my house that day.  Ok so the theme was luau but I got really into flamingos towards the end of my planning so it was sort of pineapples and flamingos.  I don't really know what that technically is but I don't care...it was super cute.

Some highlights:
-We had a great turnout and Blake had tons of amazing people to celebrate with.
-There were tons of babies here, all about the same age, and not one meltdown.  Good job moms and dads.  We have some really great kiddos :)
-Blake participated in the cake eating but didn't really love it.  Yessss, I hope she doesn't get her mama's terrible sweet tooth.
-She wore her adorable gold Gap sandals all day and didn't have a fit about it.
-She received tons of really cool toys and super cute outfits.

And for my last monthly post for the 1st year...
Here's what's been happening this month:

• Cruising and walking holding on.  She is so fast now and has even taken a few steps on her own.  She's really close to just letting go.
• She had a clingy phase toward the beginning of the month and a total sleep regression.  This could be tooth related or just developmental, I don't know.
• She now has 8 teeth in and 2 more cutting through.  We brush twice a day every day now and she loves it.  I have to sing the Raffi "Brush Your Teeth" song every time of course.
• She loves to be sung to and we sing at every bed time and nap time now.  I have to sing to get her to eat, to let me change her diaper, etc etc.  She must love my terrible singing voice.
• She also loves Sesame Street songs which I will admit right now that I'm a terrible mom and she does get a little "screen time" on the ipad watching them. She dances and sings along to them.  I highly doubt I'm doing that much permanent damage ;)
• I'm still nursing on demand and my stock answer every time someone asks when I'm going to wean her is " when we are ready."  So basically I have no idea and we are totally fine with that.  It's so hard in the beginning and we have just gotten to the good part a few months ago so I'm definitely not ready to give that up yet.
• I tried to stop nursing to sleep to see if that might help her sleep longer and it backfired on me.  She was just going through a phase and we are back to the old routine and she's getting better and better.  This week I've had a 8 hr stretch and a 7 hr stretch, which makes me feel like a new person in the morning.  I might try some more light training in a month or two and see how she does.  By that I mean trying to night wean for part of the night and keeping her in her own bed for the whole night no matter what.  We are already starting some of that so it won't be a huge transition. 
• Blake's current loves: books, bath time, Curious George, doing things she's not supposed to and getting caught (she's an adrenalin junkie), flirting, waving, her sippy cup, driving (going for walks in her pink push car), swim class, and cheerios.
•  She's waving and saying bye bye but it sounds like buh buh buh.  I have heard hi a few times also and of course the mama/dada babbling still but they don't have the real meaning like bye bye does.

Over the course of this year, I have experienced extreme sleep deprivation, highs of confidence, lows of insecurity, the fear of baby's first fever, the thrill of her first crawl/steps/word, the amazing feeling that comes when she leans in for a kiss without being asked.  I learned how to do just about anything with a baby strapped to my chest/back or on my hip.  I'm learning to let stuff go, to lead by example (put myself in check), to take one day at a time because you just can not predict what will come up, and I'm even (a year later) starting to find myself again and do some things just for me.  This year, I have learned more than I have in the last 25 years in school.

It's been the most challenging and most rewarding experience of my life and I can't wait to see what I have in store with year #2.