Quarantime with my kids — a different kind of mom guilt

Holy smokes, COVID-19. You. Have. Changed. My. Life. Everyone’s lives. Drastically. I’m fortunate to have a role where it’s possible to work from home—and that my company is doing well during these unprecedented times. It’s something I don’t take for granted. (By the way…how many times have you heard the term “these unprecedented times” in the last couple months? Only original content here, folks!)

We’re also fortunate that our daycare remains open. However, we only take the kids when there are no other kids there to minimize their exposure to other people. So, once or twice a week.

Like so many other parents, over the last month and a half we’ve worked our full-time day jobs while balancing full-time parenthood at the same time. I don’t know about you, but any mom guilt I felt from going to work and being away from my kids 10 hours a day evolved into feeling bad that I’m around my kids all day, but not giving them all the attention they want from me.

I know, it’s not my job to give into every fit they throw or let them have whatever they want. I feel very strongly about not raising entitled brats. But it is my job to nurture and teach them (something our daycare provider does so well during the days when I’m at work!).

It’s also my job to do…my job. The one that helps pay bills and keep a roof over our heads.

Don’t get me wrong, my manager was clear that with kids at home it’s not expected that I’m available every second of the day — our company is very family friendly. But I’m not the kind of person that can’t put my all into EVERYTHING I do. It’s nearly impossible for me. So here I am, wishing I could smother my kids with 100% of my attention during this extra time with them (that I’ll likely never get again), while also wanting to still kick as* at work.

I finally realized I needed to ease up on myself. I can’t be everything every second of the day, and I’m allowing myself to be forgiving when I need to be one thing at one time. It’s gotten easier as the weeks go on, but it sure was a struggle when all of this first started.

Do any of you feel like me? If so, take a deep breath and remember you’re doing your best. For everyone.

 

Do the damn laundry so I don’t have to air it

It’s 8:17pm on a Sunday. I have to get up early for work tomorrow, as many of you do. And I just sat down after giving the kids dinner, putting them to bed, cleaning up the kitchen and then folding two heaping mountains of tiny kid laundry. Oh, and putting it away as silently as possible while my 20-month-old nugget slept quietly in the crib just feet from me.

Why should you care? It’s not so much that you care that I’m doing laundry. It’s WHY I’m doing said laundry. And before I get too far into this, Jeremy said it was okay for me to write this blog. He is great and does a lot for our family. This is just one thing that comes up so often it’s now somewhat comical. In his own [text message] words about me writing this blog: “I deserve it tho.” (Though*)

You see, I had to fold this laundry because one clean basket of it had been sitting in our room for probably three days. Then Jeremy hastily threw in another load today right before he left for an out-of-town work trip. He did manage to switch it over to the dryer, but it was still there waiting for me. As well as one more load of kid laundry that needed to be washed, dried and folded.

I’m not great at math, but let’s add that up. One huge load of clean laundry that was loitering around, annoying the hell out of me for three days. Then two more loads of laundry today. In total, these three laundry loads created the two heaping mountains mentioned above.

It took me just over an hour to do everything. Not too bad, right? But if it only took me that long, why wasn’t it already done?!

Did I mention the laundry to the hubs yesterday since we were home for hours in the afternoon/evening/night? Yes. Did I [firmly] suggest to him that he should “just get it done so that it is done” and so that I wouldn’t have to keep nagging? Yes. Every yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Okay, let’s stop here for a second. I hear some of you wondering why I’m complaining and don’t just do the laundry myself. Well, we divide and conquer around here. We both work outside of the home full-time during the week, so I do most of the cooking, dishes, straightening up and bathroom cleaning, and Jeremy handles the laundry and running all the errands like Costco, Target and getting gas. Sound like a good split, right? It is.

But the difference is that, like in many relationships, one of us just likes to get things done so that they’re done…and the other likes to do one thing, like throw a load of laundry in the washer, and go on with their day until six hours later when they realize they literally threw in one load of laundry in an entire day and haven’t even put it in the dryer.

That literally drives me crazy. Insane. And it’s a common topic of [less than friendly] conversation in these here parts. Can anyone relate? If I washed a dish every six hours, we’d have no dishes to eat off of. If I only fed the kids once a day, they’d probably be upset. If I cleaned the toilets once every six months, we’d have no friends. Get my drift?

I’m by no means the cleanest, neatest person in the world. Believe me. But I am someone who likes to just get things done as soon as possible so they aren’t lingering over me — and so there is some semblance of order amidst our chaos.

And I’m not saying that my way is the “right way.” It is however the “done way.”

So, come on…just do the laundry.

 

My postpartum anxiety was no joke

When we had our first daughter, I struggled with the normal sleep deprivation and crazy hormones the first couple of weeks. I literally cried every single day for two weeks when my husband would leave the room. I was scared of being alone with the baby. What do I even do with this tiny thing? What if she cries and I can’t make her stop? I was terrified. That subsided once my husband headed back to work and, while the sleep deprivation went on for longer than that, I felt like my hormones and crazy mood swings were pretty much leveled off after that.

My experience with our second daughter Piper has been completely different. I had postpartum anxiety like no other. Not to be confused with postpartum depression–I wasn’t sad. I was anxious, I was angry as hell, and I was ready to go on a rampage at any moment. Jeremy can tell you about the times he probably thought my head was going to explode.

He won’t, though. If he knows what’s good for him. (I kid, I kid…#ordoI?)

The first four to six weeks of maternity leave after Piper arrived felt a little like torture to me. She was SO GASSY (Amelia never really was) and would scream every time I nursed her. Which in turn led to me being annoyed with breastfeeding. We tried the gas drops, we tried the gripe water, we tried the probiotics, I cut out dairy. Nothing worked. Finally, her gas troubles seemed to just subside on their own and today they’re almost non-existent.

But on top of this, all I could see every day was how messy our house was. How dusty it was. How much crap we had. I felt like the house was closing in on me and I was angry every day. Thoughts I had included throwing EVERYTHING in the trash and starting from scratch. Or just selling the house so that when we move I can throw stuff out that we don’t need. These are the last things I should have been worrying about when I had a newborn to take care of, but I couldn’t help it.

I’d lie awake at night thinking about finances with two daycare payments coming up soon. I’d also wonder what we would do if a sinkhole opened in our house and we had to figure out how to save the girls. How far could I throw the baby up to Jeremy if I was in said sinkhole? Would he be able to catch her?

Seriously.

This is the stuff that was racing through my mind while I should have been sleeping. While the baby was sleeping. (Did I mention that this baby sleeps 8-10 hours a night, usually?!) Yes, the baby was sleeping. But, I was not.

I was a mess. I was mad at Jeremy for not cleaning the house every day. I was mad at myself for not being able to clean the house every day. I was mad at everything. I snapped at my mom when she’d come over to help. Everything everyone said annoyed me. I didn’t want to see anyone or go anywhere. I wanted to be in one room in the house where I felt like I had a little control.

After the first couple of months, these feelings slowly calmed down. I still worry about things all of the time, but I think that’s just part of being a parent. That part will never change. But the uncontrollable feeling of being anxious ALL THE TIME has gone away and I am feeling more like myself again. (Which, I’m sure Jeremy would say is still kiiiinda intense. In his head, though. Not out loud.)

I’ve read lots of blogs about this and I was happy to see that I wasn’t the only one who felt like this. It’s something that people are finally starting to talk about more. And that’s good. Because suffering in silence just makes it worse.

Here’s to all the new moms out there who feel like everything is crashing down around you. There is light at the end of the tunnel. If I found it, so can you.

What you do matters

Today was the day. I took Piper (our now 4-month-old baby girl) to daycare for the first time. Of course, this wasn’t the first time I’d done this. Amelia is almost 3 and she’s been going to this daycare since she was 5 months old. She loves it. We love them. They’re like family. That doesn’t make it any easier, though.

I put on my happy face when I walked in. I told them about Piper a bit. Letting them know that when she gets tired they’ll know because her cry sounds like an “ay yay yay” when it’s her sleepy cry. I smiled. I left.

I got in the car. I cried. Is it because I’ll be away from her for a bit? Maybe. But it’s mostly because this is the last baby I’ll take to daycare for the first time. We have two. And that’s all we’re going to have. I’ll never take a baby to daycare for the first time again.

Now, flash forward a few minutes. I stopped at Starbucks on my way home…because basic mom on maternity leave. But, really, I just wanted to order something and sit by myself for 20 minutes and actually enjoy what I ordered. Maybe even remember consuming it. With the threat of tears looming behind my eyes, I ordered a venti coffee with almond milk and [the only food item I could order because my husband and I are on a diet right now] the bacon/cheese egg bites.

Got my coffee and sat down. Then the egg bites were ready. I dug in. First bite warm and delicious. Second bite…cold. I cut into another area to see if it was warm. Nope, cold. I wanted to cry. Not because of the stupid egg bites, but because I am sad about my baby so everything is the end of the world right now. And, I hate being that person–the one who complains if something isn’t “perfect” for them. This, though, was not a case of being needlessly needy–the eggs obviously weren’t warmed up long enough. I went up to the counter and told them that they were still cold inside and asked if they could just put them back in for a bit.

This could have gone one of two ways. I’ve been in fast food places where they act like you’re inconveniencing them with your request (when they are the ones that messed up. I’m looking at you, El Pollo Loco) and make you feel horrible for asking them to fix it. Then, there are places like Starbucks today. The guy apologized and said they’d fix me some new ones. I said they didn’t have to and could just warm mine up and he said no really they can’t put anything that’s been eaten at all back in the stove. Alright. Sat down. Then they were ready again. And they were the best damn egg bites I could have dreamed of eating. Browned on the outside to perfection.

Wow, that was a long story about egg bites. Sorry. I just wanted to be sure I explained it well. If I had gone up to the counter and they acted annoyed or gave me “the look” I might have actually stood there and cried. And they would have thought I was just some crazy lady who loves eggs and cries when they aren’t warm enough. But, it would have been because I just wanted some time to sit and wallow and drown my sadness with hot coffee and something edible [that is allowed on my diet].

What you do matters. You don’t just serve coffee, you start someone’s day. And how you do that can have a big impact. And you don’t know how one small thing can make a difference. Today, it did.

What you do matters. Whether you’re a barista, a cashier, a mechanic, a janitor, a CEO, a stay-at-home parent, a marketer…you have the power to make or break someone’s day. We all do.

Let’s make as many as we can.

P.S. This was a quick blog–please excuse any typos!

100% Honest About 100% Pure

A month ago, I posted about my new 100% Pure products and how excited I was to try them out because I’m trying to use less chemicals in my daily life. We eat a lot of organic food and I use vinegar for cleaning as well as some other less chemical-filled things whenever possible. I did do some research on other natural (and claim-to-be-natural) makeup brands, and 100% Pure just stood out to me as one that I really wanted to try.

With my initial order, I got the Organic Flax Seed Cleansing Oil, Luminous Primer, Fruit Pigmented Healthy Foundation: Alpine Rose and the Fruit Pigmented Pomegranate Oil Anti Aging Lipstick: Dandelion. Here’s how they each worked for me:

Organic flaxseed cleansing oil – this stuff works GREAT for getting my eye makeup off. You can either apply it to a cotton ball and wipe it all over your face and then rinse with warm water, or use your hands to apply it and rub it around using warm water, then rinse completely. For me, it was the cotton ball way because without that, I felt like it didn’t really rub my eye makeup well. What I do is use a cotton ball for my eye makeup, a new one for my face, and then a washcloth with warm water to really get all of it off. I don’t personally prefer this for an all over facial cleanser because it feels a bit just like putting oil on your face, rather than giving me the sudsy/clean feeling that I’m looking for when washing my face. I will be trying a different face wash from them soon!

Luminous primer – really, it feels and smells amazing. I could wear this just as lotion on my face without putting any makeup on it. It makes my face feel fresh and ready to take on the day. And, it definitely lasted all day. If you’re a primer person, I think you’d like it. I am not currently using it (you’ll see why below), but whenever I do need primer again, this will be my go-to.

Fruit pigmented healthy foundation – the color of this foundation matched my skin PERFECTLY. I am very pale, and even when I buy foundations that are light, they often leave a line. This one seriously blended SO WELL and I never had a line to worry about. The only problem was that it felt very, very dry on my skin. My face even started peeling in a couple areas. The foundation is definitely more matte than the BB cream I was previously using, so I thought that maybe my face needed to adjust. The weather was also super cold and dry when I first started wearing it, so I thought that could also be contributing to the problem. I gave it two weeks, but the dryness didn’t improve. I even ordered a new face lotion (the Organic Matcha Anti-Aging: Moisturizer) to try underneath it, but the foundation just didn’t work out.

This leads me to a side note: 100% Pure’s customer service is 200% amazing! I went online to return the foundation (you have up to 30 days to return products) and followed their easy process—and they gave me an instant credit in case I wanted to apply it to something online right then (if not, they would refund it to my card). But, wait—there’s more! They let me keep the foundation as a thank you for my patronage. I could give it away to let someone else try it, or save it and give it another go in the future. I thought that was so customer-friendly and just super classy.

Fruit pigmented pomegranate oil anti-aging lipstick – I have always had issues with lipstick because I think I’m allergic to something in them. Maybe coconut oil? It makes the back of my throat slightly itch every time I wear lipstick—and sometimes lip gloss, too. I thought I’d give this one a try because it uses pomegranate oil. The result? Lovely color and, while I thought I felt irritation in my throat the first time I used it, I think it’s because I was psyching myself out. I’ve used it since and have had no issues whatsoever. Definitely a keeper in my book and I’ll invest in a couple more shades soon.

Organic matcha anti-aging moisturizer – I bought this lotion to use under the original foundation and I really like it. It makes my skin feel moisturized and healthy, and I’ll consider buying more if there isn’t another one that I want to give a go to. I haven’t noticed that I look 10 years younger, but I’ll give it some more time.

Now, once I got that refund for the foundation, I immediately purchased the BB Cream Shade 10 Luminous SPF 15 because I read that it made your skin look radiant and provided medium to full coverage, which is just what I was looking for. I have to say that I absolutely LOVE this BB cream. The color matches me very well, it doesn’t seem to sink into fine lines on my face and definitely provides great coverage. I can’t use it with my foundation brush because it’s a bit more sticky than liquidy and it just stayed put on my brush. So, I use my hands. But, I seriously think this is one of the best BB creams I’ve ever tried. Very, very happy with it. And it already has primer in it, which is why I don’t need to use the other one right now. I might try it underneath still just to see what it does.

Along with the BB cream order, I decided to try the Bamboo Blur Powder becauase it got rave reviews on their website.

Bamboo blur powder – okay, I think this stuff is magic. I’ve used it three times now and the laugh lines by my mouth have pretty much disappeared and stayed gone ALL day long. Today, on the drive home, I was looking in the rearview mirror and couldn’t believe that I didn’t see the lines AT ALL. I’ll continue to try it for another couple weeks to be sure it isn’t just because it’s so new and maybe once your face gets used to it, it doesn’t work as well. Of course, not every line and imperfection is erased, but the powder over the BB cream has been a great pair for me!

Finally, I ordered the Fruit Pigmented Eye Shadow: Star Bright because it was on sale and I wanted to see how their eyeshadows held up.

Fruit pigmented eye shadow – I love the color and it seems to stay on all day at work, so I’d say it’s a win! I’d like to try more colors soon.

They’ve also given me free samples with every order, and with a couple orders I’ve ordered enough to earn the free gifts. All in all, so far 100% Pure has been a great choice, and I look forward to investing in more natural products. In addition to the way it makes me look on the outside, I feel great using products that are more organic, cleaner and plant-based. I’ll be sure to blog again once I purchase my next round of products. Now, where is our tax return? 😉

Here’s an awkward photo of me wearing the BB cream, bamboo blue powder and eyeshadow:

 

The hardest part of being a parent

When you’re pregnant, the hardest part of being a parent is dealing with morning sickness, trying to get comfortable in bed when you’re so big you feel like a bus, and fitting in some exercise when you can. (Of course, there are other things that can happen during pregnancy—I am referring to a non-eventful pregnancy).

When you have a newborn, the hardest part of being a parent is functioning on little to no sleep. Amazingly, it can be done. (In addition to checking their breathing every 5 seconds and making sure they aren’t too hot, too cold, or too anything in between.)

When you have a toddler, the hardest part of being a parent is the mini heart attacks you get every time they take a tumble because they’re being too brave for their own good. (Or because their dad thinks it’s cool to let them flip off of his lap. It really isn’t.)

But none of that is the hardest part of being a parent.

The hardest part of being a parent, at least for me, is the unknown. 

Especially lately (probably due to pregnancy hormones from baby #2), I have been terrified. The things I’ve seen in the news (from little kids losing their battle with diseases, to elementary school bus crashes, to the soccer team that was killed in a plane crash, to what is going on in Aleppo) have been hanging like a black cloud over me and sometimes I fall asleep with tears in my eyes and fear in my heart.

I know that is no way to live, but I can’t help it. I don’t want Amelia to go to school in a few years, I don’t want Amelia to grow up and venture out on her own, and I don’t want Amelia to be genuinely terrified for one second in her life (except for when she comes home late and fears the wrath of mommy). This isn’t possible, of course. Or realistic. Or sane. The hardest part of being a parent is the fact that I can’t protect Amelia 100% of the time.

This isn’t something that will ever change, and maybe it’s something that you slowly get used to after you’re a parent for longer than two years. But for right now, it will continue to be the hardest part of being a parent for me.

(blog photo credit: b.wise photography)

The world I want for you…

My sweet little Amelia Mae. Yesterday I saw you chasing bubbles for the first time ever. Care-free with your baby mullet blowing in the wind. I saw the innocence in your eyes and the beauty that you see in the world. The simple moments that I wish you could experience for the rest of your life. When you were first born, I wrote about the kind of person that I hope you’ll turn out to be. No, that I know you’ll turn out to be (as long as your dad and I have anything to do with it). But, today, I want to let you know the things that I wish I could give to you. The world I want for you…

A world where I don’t have to joke with my friends about whether or not I’m going to use a baby “leash” because the thought of not knowing where you are in a crowded place terrifies me. (Yes, friends, I’m still on the fence about this one.)

A world where you’ll be able to go to a concert and get an autograph from your favorite music artist without being scared.

A world where you can enjoy a night on the town with your bffs without looking over your shoulder.

A world where it literally doesn’t matter what color your skin is because people aren’t ignorant.

A world where even if you don’t agree with someone else, there are still only kind words said between you.

A world where politics doesn’t make people turn so ugly.

A world where whether you believe in God or not, everyone still gets along because we want the same thing: to do good, help each other and make a beautiful life.

Unfortunately, though, I can’t give you this world. At least, not right now. And I’m so sorry.

I’m sorry that when you are old enough to go places with your friends and do things on your own, I may hesitate to let you go.

That when you’re able to drive, I’m going to be thinking about you every second until you come back home.

That when you go out at night, I probably won’t sleep until I know you’re safe in your bed.

That when you move out, I’ll be in the bushes outside of your house every day making sure you’re okay.

Alright, maybe not the last one. Just maybe.

I know you’ll think it’s because I don’t trust you, that really isn’t it. It’s because I don’t trust some of the other people in this world. And yes, it’s only some. The majority of people are good people–remember that. It just so happens that the bad people do things that mommy has to see online and on the news, and it scares her.

I know you’ll be one of those good people. And I hope that you, along with all of the other good people, can turn this world into a place where a blog like this will never be written again.

For now, though, keep chasing those bubbles.

(Thai)m for another recipe…

I’ve been wanting to cook something using rice noodles for the longest time, but like I mentioned before, I don’t like following recipes–especially ones with 12 ingredients and 42 steps. And, most of the Thai dish recipes had both of those issues. Ain’t nobody got (Thai)m for that! (See what I did there again?)

Plus, lately I’ve kinda been tired of eating chicken, so I wanted to find a way to use ground turkey instead. I was worried that the ground turkey flavor and texture wouldn’t really mesh with a Thai-inspired dish, but boy was I wrong.

One day last week, I came home after work and decided to go for it–and the result was something that Jeremy said he could eat the entire pan of. I’m not one to toot my own horn about cooking but even I said, “This is SO GOOD,” a few times while we were eating dinner. It was great for lunch leftovers a couple days later, too. I also had to remind Jeremy that I created this dish from scratch, while simultaneously washing the dishes that I was using to cook and watching/entertaining Amelia. (Because if I ever get home after him, there are dishes everywhere, the high chair is filthy and he’s all like, “She’s alive though.”) But, that’s a story for another blog. 😉

So, without further ado…the recipe. (Anyone else find it ironic that I hate recipes, but I share a lot of recipes?) Mine are easy though, so it’s cool.

Ingredients

• 1 package of ground turkey
• Handful of baby carrots (chopped—I actually put mine in the food processor and they got super tiny)
• Two zucchinis (chopped—I did food processor)
• 2 eggs
• Rice pad thai noodles (about 8 oz)
• Pad thai sauce
• Onion powder (the one day I didn’t have a real onion…lol)
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Brown the ground turkey and season with onion powder, salt & pepper
2. Once the meat is browned, add chopped carrot and zucchini and cover so that they cook through
3. Cook the egg:
   Add a little water to the two eggs and beat/scramble them
   Pour egg into separate pan and let cook
   Break up into little pieces
4. Add egg to meat/veggie mix
5. Make the sauce:
   I used about 9 ounces of the pad thai sauce, added a little water and lemon juice and mixed together in a cup
6. Pour sauce over meat/veggie mixture and let simmer on low while you cook the rice noodles (according to instructions on the package)
7. Strain noodles and add to meat mixture. Mix well, let noodles soak up sauce for a bit before serving.

There you have it. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

Homemade Refried Beans

I was going to post this “recipe” last week, but  Amelia Mae got super sick and then so did I. And I am still sick with what we’ll just call a self-diagnosed sinus infection. Mucinex Sinus and a Neti Pot have been my best friends the past few days! Plus, we visited Jeremy’s parents over the weekend and got our taxes done by their family tax guy. Can’t wait to get that return! 🙂

Anyway, I digress. This recipe is from what our daycare provider has told me about how she cooks her beans. Mind you, hers are still a million (maybe, trillion) times better than mine AND she uses actual lard. I just can’t bring myself to do that, though. I’ll totally eat beans with the lard in them, but for some reason the thought of buying lard and scooping it in to something just doesn’t sit well with me. Totally mental!

Here’s the recipe I have been using–and I use this loosely because as you’ll see, I don’t have exact amounts for anything really.

• 2.5 cups dried pinto beans (rinsed and drained)
• 8 cups of filtered water (then a few cups on the side to add during the cooking process)
• crushed garlic (from the kirkland jar)
• salt
• butter (I use unsalted)

For 1 cup of beans, you need about 3 or 4 cups of water! That’s why last time when I used 2.5 cups of beans, I started with 8 cups of water.

While you’re bringing the water to a boil in a large pot, rinse the beans a couple times in a colander. Add salt and garlic (to taste…I change the amount every time) to the water while it’s warming up. Now, I was told that doing it this way, rather than seasoning the beans when you’re done, is better!

Once the water is boiling, stir in the dried beans. Lower the heat to low/low-medium (basically enough to keep it bubbling). This step is very important! One time I accidentally left it on high and the beans dried up into little burnt nuggets of death. It was horrible. And it smelled.

Let the beans cook for about 2 hours, checking every 20 minutes or so to be sure the water level is still covering the beans. If it’s getting low, add more. A little extra water really won’t hurt.

After about 2 hours, check a bean to make sure it’s soft. If it is, great. If not, let them cook a little longer and again, be sure they’re always covered with water.

Once the beans are cooked, I use a ladle to scoop them into a pan and turn the heat on about low-medium. I add chunks of butter and some of the bean juice from the pot into the pan and once the butter is all melted, I start using a smashing tool to smash up all of the beans and then I use a spoon to stir. Smash, stir, smash, stir. Taste. Add more butter if needed. Add more juice if needed. Until it’s the consistency you like.

Now, you can also let the beans cool for a while in the big pot when they’re done cooking. I do that sometimes if we’re busy doing things around the house and I can’t refry them right away.

Once they’re the consistency I want, I typically let them cool a bit. Then it’s time to get the foil, tortillas and cheese out to prep the burritos for the week. I prep a bunch of them and let them lay out to cool a little more and then roll the tortillas and use the foil to finish them off.

You’ll totally come up with your own way of doing them, too, once you start! I hope this helps you at least begin your frijoles journey of deliciousness.

I actually have another yummy recipe that I cooked today for the first time. I’ll share that one soon! Until next time…

 

Easy Chicken Fried Rice

A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of the ingredients I used to make some Chicken Fried Rice. I said that, if it was good, I’d share the recipe on my blog. Well, it was delicious—and it’s better late than never to share the recipe! I can’t take credit for this one because I found it online.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken, about 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 cups cooked rice *
2 Tbs sesame oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp chopped green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook and shred the chicken.
2. Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Pour sesame oil in the bottom. Add white onion and peas and carrots and fry until tender.
3. Slide the onion, peas and carrots to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side.
4. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetable mix.
5. Add the rice and chicken to the veggie and egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce on top. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until heated through and combined. Add chopped green onions if desired.

I didn’t follow the instructions exactly—for example, I cooked the egg separately before I started the wok. And, I did cubed chicken instead of shredded. Next time I plan to cook the chicken a little longer and probably season them a little more because the chicken tasted blah to me. I also definitely used more soy sauce than 2-3 Tablespoons (low sodium, organic soy sauce).Ffor my first time making it, it came out delicious—and the house smelled divine for hours and hours. That sesame oil made all the difference. My friend commented on my photo online that it tastes even better with day-old rice, so I will try that next time, too.

Here’s to meals that taste like they made hours to make, but are really easy to make!