Chicken Pasta Salad

On Friday, knowing that we would be working on our house all weekend, I made a fabulous Chicken Pasta Salad that we could munch on all weekend. I thought I'd share the recipe...because it is definitely worth making. I even thought to take a picture of it, but with moving...I am not sure where the cord is that connects the camera to the computer, so the picture will have to wait. I got this recipe from a friend Julie...and it is quick, easy, feeds a crowd, or just a few and keeps really well!

photo credit

Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 Box bow tie pasta--cooked and rinsed
a couple of stalks of celery (more or less if you would like--I like the crunchies)
red and green grapes (I like it a lot with both flavors, but if you want to just buy one--I bet it would be good to0--also, I cut mine in half, but you don't have to--I just have little kids.
2 packets of Hidden Valley Ranch Salad dressing (dry mix)--mixed up like a salad dressing (not a dip) with the mayo and milk
Chicken--I used 2 huge breasts, and just sprinkled with seasoned salt when I cooked them, then diced.

What to Do:
It is really as simple as making sure that the Chicken is cooked and diced, the celery is diced, the grapes are cleaned and halved (if you choose to cut yours), and the pasta is cooked and rinsed. I mixed up the dressing and used lite mayo and low fat milk. I suppose you could use whole wheat pasta too to help with the healthy factor--I just had plain, so that is what I used. Initially, if you are going to eat it right away, you probably won't need all of the dressing...just enough to coat everything--it will be just too much otherwise. If you are cooking ahead and aren't going to eat it right away, add most of it...the pasta absorbs the dressing moisture and you don't want it to be dry. Mix everything together and enjoy! It is such a summer meal--and an easy lunch!

Love and Blessings,

Amanda

Linking up at:

Dining with Debbie

Easter

Two post in one day... I know...I can hardly believe it myself. It is amazing what you can do when you have time.

This Easter season, even during the move, we have been trying to take extra time to teach our children about the love of God. I have enjoyed using the Resurrection Eggs that I purchased last year at Hobby Lobby 80% off (what a steal!). The boys really enjoy them and loving holding the different objects as Aaron reads about them. It creates so much interest..they are only three, and sometimes have time focusing the whole time, but they love the story book, the eggs and the little items inside. We have been doing one each night at bedtime. I also have picked up some story books that tell about Easter, at the Christian bookstore last year. I have particularly enjoyed reading A Holy Experience, a site I found via MoneySavingMom.com, at Christmas. It is amazing--you should definitely check it out!

Focus on Jesus this year...and on the sacrifice of the Son of God. We are so thankful for His love.

Be Blessed,

Amanda

Cincy Homeschool Convention

This weekend I am attending the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. Aaron is attending the Great Banquet Mens weekend in Decatur. The boys, they are with grandparents, and of course...Lydia is with me. I have enjoyed this time of refreshing after a time of chaos. For those of you who don't know...we moved again! Aaron had an opportunity that we just couldn't refuse, so we packed up and moved. He has been in Northern Indiana since December, traveling home on the weekends, until a few weeks ago when we closed on our new "project". It is a foreclosure and was a steal of a deal, so we snatched it up and are painting, cleaning, etc. SOOO, a weekend away is certainly welcomed! I am enjoying exploring curriculum programs and sitting in on seminars and enjoying it a lot. Since Aaron and I made the decision, that homeschooling is the right decision for our family, I have been looking online at materials--It has been neat to see them in person and explore some I didn't even know existed. I am thankful for my own educational training and can't wait to get started. Today I purchased just a few items, as I am mostly getting ideas and exploring this weeknd, I purchased 3 items from the Toddler/PreSchool materials that My Father's World produces. My kids love music, so of course I bought WeeSing Bible Songs, a new Bible Verses CD by Steve Green called Hide It In Your Heart, and some PreSchool Activity Cards (to use with some materials that I have). I am so excited to get home and use them.

Our new home has a garden area and I am so excited to grow starts and plant our veggies this year. We will be watching things grow, make a book about how God grows things, and doing a lot of canning and freezing. There is no TV connected in our new home, so long days will be spent outside.

Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread recipe is wonderful! I made it this weekend, a little altered and froze one loaf and ate the other one! Definitely, easy and worth sharing!

3 c. Flour
3 c. Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 c. oil (I always bake with Canola)
3 Tbsp. cinnamon
1- 15 oz. or 16 oz. can of Pumpkin (the original recipe said 16oz. but I used 15oz.)
3 Eggs
Chocolate chips (about a 1/2 bag)

I just used my Kitchen Aid for this one. I used the paddle attachment. I put the dry ingredients in first, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda--and mixed it well. Then I added the eggs, one at a time, oil, pumpkin and then cinnamon. After well mixed, I added chocolate chips (about 1/2 a bag) yum! Definitely made the house smell wonderful! I put this in 2 loaf pans that were well greased. When they were done, I turned them out of the pans onto a cooling rack. You can add nuts if you want, but I just stuck with chocolate!


**Adapted from a recipe printed in the Decatur TV Review-- October 31, 2010

Money Saving McDonald's

Here is an idea for all of you money savers out there...our McDonalds has Valentine's Day coupon books with 12 coupons, milk or apple juice, apple dippers, ice cream, and a hamburger. I bought 2 of them today and they cost $1 each. They expire in May, so I figure with all of the time we are on the road, they will get used (they pay for themselves the first purchase). A great money saving idea!