Back to the Routine

 

Summer was a blast! We had a great summer, jam packed full of sun, fun and lots of trips. Last week when the weather abruptly changed to fall, I got excited. Not because the rains started or because the sun went away but because the start of school was near!



Molly has been going to school all summer but it had a different feel, a camp-like feel. And Maggie has been home with me all summer except for a few hours on Thursday mornings when she went to daycare.



But tomorrow morning, both girls will be in school! Maggie will be going three mornings a week while Molly will go two long days and two short days. I'm excited for their year of preschool and all the growth that will come with it BUT I'm really excited about having three mornings a week to myself. I'll hopefully fill them with paid work but I'm also looking forward to getting a few long neglected things taken care of around the house and maybe doing a few things for myself.

I started getting back into the routine last week. I finalized my monthly meal plan which had fallen by the wayside. I marked my planner with house deep cleaning plans. I finalized all the things the girls needed to start school from new rain boots to coats and their first day of school outfits.



Tonight as we slid back into our school routine, we refocused on the family meal and getting back to The New Comfort Food. I made one of our favorite dishes inspired by Family Fresh Meals - Cool Ranch Chicken Tostadas. Molly loves what she calls, Pass Meals where I set all the ingredients on the table and we pass the food around. It doesn't always work to do meals this way so when I do, she gets super excited. Taco Tuesday is always a "Pass Meal".



I love this recipe because it is so easy. You literally take 4 chicken breasts (or thighs as I prefer), 1 packet of taco seasoning, 1 packet of ranch dressing mix and 20 oz of chicken broth. Toss them in the slow cooker and walk away for 5 hours. If you want to make this quicker, bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan. Coat the chicken in the taco seasoning and the ranch dressing mix. Add to the broth and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Shred before serving with all the taco fixins'. My family loves the taste and I love that I can sneak extra veggies onto their plates under the guise of chicken tacos.

This is my definition of The New Comfort Food - A modern interpretation of a classic comfort food dish, implying “comfort,” but with a modern, healthy twist. It’s about balance rather than indulgence.

I also love that I can serve my family Foster Farms Simply Raised fresh chicken which is locally grown in California and the Pacific Northwest with no antibiotics ever. It’s fresh, all natural chicken that is American Humane Certified and fed a 100% vegetarian diet, without any added hormones or steroids. Foster Farms has been family-owned since its founding 1939, Foster Farms has been committed to producing only the highest-quality poultry for you and your family.

It’s also local, partnering with local family farms in the Pacific Northwest (depending on consumer location) so you can be rest assured the chicken you’re buying is delivered fresh within 48 hours or less.

I'm excited to get back to making healthy comfort food for my family and sharing it with all of you. I'll have a delicious and original Foster Farms chicken recipe for you early next week. Let me know if you have any requests! Until then, check out The New Comfort Food and some great recipes on Foster Farm's site.

Foster Farms is offering a $1.00 off coupon to ReeBeckiSupergirl Readers! I hope you can use it for some delicious chicken.