Rosemary Bacon Chicken

 

Since Sundays are generally a pretty busy day for us,

mondays i usually spend around the house. 

in running clothes, playing with the kids, 

catching up on laundry and cleaning.

today i spent around the house, 

making Easter egg countdowns with the kids, playing dart guns,

and fighting off a sinus infection.

{this is making me sound super-interesting, right?}

anyway, here's today's super-easy, really yummy chicken recipe.

{i didn't take a picture of it with our roasted asparagus and salad!}

 

Rosemary Bacon Chicken

ingredients:

a little bit of garlic

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 thick slices bacon 

{nitrate-free is the best!}

salt and pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 

directions:

1.pre-heat oven to 425*

2. rub about 1/2 teaspoon garlic on each chicken breast half. i used this kind, but you could totally use garlic powder or even real garlic.

3. season with salt and pepper.

4. lay one rosemary sprig on each chicken breast.  i love rosemary! it will add a great flavor, but I promise it won't be overpowering.

5. wrap the bacon around the chicken.

you could totally use a thick toothpick to hold it in place, but I just made sure each end of the bacon was tucked under the chicken, and it baked fine. 

6. bake until a thermometer says the internal temp has reached 165* - this took my chicken about 24 minutes. 

enjoy!

grant and grace inhaled this. 

seriously, inhaled.

it has fabulous flavor.

{found a photo with our yummy asparagus!}

tips on roasting asparagus, coming soon.

Wednesday.

Tonight was roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli for supper.

super, super good.

{roasted chicken for the rest of the family. 

my mostly vegetarian self just cannot eat chicken}

the day didn't start off as smoothly.

we spent 40 minutes {forty minutes!} looking for Grant's shoes this morning.

he was about to go barefoot to preschool.

seriously, folks. FORTY minutes to find shoes.

they will now religiously go where they're supposed to. 

at least until the 2-year-old shoe thief walks off with them again.

the kiddos are now sleeping. my wonderful husband that spent the forty minutes shoe-searching with me this morning is at an evening meeting.  i squeezed in a quick run and am about to make some dunkin' donuts decaf coffee, add lots of half and half, and sit down. i'll browse some recipes from magazines piled up {clean eating and fine cooking are a couple of my favorites!}, look at some road race calendars and try to convince myself to register for an upcoming 10K, and keep reading in Colossians.

{a good way to end a day that didn't start so smoothly!}

oh, about the roasted chicken?

so good even the animals liked it.

Weekend.

{Saturday brunch}

 

it's not feeling like fall, but we had a lovely fall brunch Saturday morning.

simple-but-pretty deep red carnations.

fresh fruit.

spinach quiche.

pumpkin bread.

 and really good friends.

A beautiful start to the weekend, 

which ended with Sunday afternoon naps and early-to-bed kiddos. 

I'm making more pumpkin bread for some friends coming over tomorrow night, and will probably double {or even triple!} the recipe into muffins, because the kiddos?

they like it. a lot.

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Bars

I spent Gracie's naptime today baking.

Move into our neighborhood, and you'll get these.

 New Neighbors. New Friends.

{who happens to like to run and has kids our kids' ages}.

And that was my Tuesday. 

A quick grocery run. Making blueberry bars. 

Meeting new neighbors.

Playing with kids. 

Folding a few {dozen loads of} laundry.

Laughing over orange popsicles.
Racing on our bikes.

It was a very, very good Tuesday.

Crockpot Oatmeal

I am not a morning person. At all. Seriously, not.at.all. So, when I came across a recipe for crockpot oatmeal, I decided it was definitely for me.

So, at 10 o'clock on a Sunday night I haul out our crockpot, steel cut oats, water, an apple, and some half-and-half. SO EASY.

Results? It isfor sure going into our recipe rotation. and I am now on a mad hunt for more breakfast crockpot recipes! Our preschooler is starting, well, pre-school, in the fall for the first time and I so want to give him a nutritious, delicious breakfast (that he'll actually eat, ya know?)...he LOVED this oatmeal, and the Baby Girl ate her fair share, too.

Crockpot Oatmeal

3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup steel cut oats
1 diced apple

Mix everything together. Place in crockpot on WARM for 8-10 hours. Serves about 4.

Recipe hints: You can replace the half and half for non-fat milk for a lighter option. It serves about 4, depending - for our family my preschooler at a good-sized bowl, the Baby Girl had a bowl, and the husband had a generous portion...AND we still had what was left for the picture.

Definitely put it on WARM on the crockpot, or it would have started to stick. I did turn it to low for about an hour when I got up this morning to help it thicken - and, it was definitely thick! Depending on how you like your oatmeal, you can add more milk to your bowl and just stir it up to thin it a tad.

Enjoy!