multitasking

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http://eatingrd.com/?feed=rss2

http://feeds.feedburner.com/eatingrd

I am having the darndest time getting up in the morning lately!  ugh, 5am is just too darn early and when the alarm goes off I moan and groan wishing I could just stop time for a few more hours.  I’ve always had this fascination with wanting to be able to stop time.  Wouldn’t that be awesome?  ha, in the mean time I’ll keep wishing for that day and get my butt out of bed!  I think it does have a lot to do with not getting to bed till close to 11pm, which I need to fix.

I’ve been trying to get

most morning tasks done the night before so that if we do end up pressing the snooze a thousand times we don’t end up running around like chickens with our head cut off to get to work on time.  Muesli has been one of those tasks, and boy it sure tastes good!

I tried a new blueberry muesli mix from TJ’s for this morning’s batch and it was pretty good.  I didn’t like it as much as Bob’s Red Mill, but it was still tasty.  I think it may be the freeze-dried blueberries in it.  After soaking they get kind of spongy and taste a little funny to me.  Here’s what went into each batch:

• 1/3 cup Muesli mix
• 2 tbsp quick-cook barley (I found this at Walmart and love the texture it brings)
• 1/3 cup NF milk (or any non-dairy substitute)
• 1/3 cup Wallaby vanilla yogurt (Wallaby is my favorite yogurt style/brand, besides Greek)
• 1 tsp flax meal
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1/4 naner
• cinnamon

In the a.m. I just added a handful of Kashi Warm Cinnamon, some pistachios and some pb.  Yummy and quick!

Much of my cooking philosophy revolves around making several meals that are easy to prepare ahead of time, and then finding other ways to use them throughout the week.  Yes, I would love to go to the farmer’s market and find ingredients for a new dish to make every day, but life doesn’t really allow that kind of time.  boo!  I am definitely a multitasker, anyone else?  I always have to keep my mind busy and focused on many things at a time it seems.  The other night I was on the bike trainer, all while watching SYTYCD, texting and tweeting  But a lot of times thinking too much about all the things that need to get done just leaves me frustrated and overwhelmed.  Or I focus on one thing too much and everything else goes to the wayside.  I saw this funny comic from Oh She Glows (she has some great tips on how to NOT multi-task) and found it very fitting for the society we live in nowadays . . .

Here’s a great recipe that will give you enough time so that while it’s cooking away at home you can be at work, running errands and not have to worry about it.  Nice!  It’s also great for sandwiches and salads for lunch the next day.

Crock Pot Pesto Chicken

Serves:  a butt-load (about 4-6)

Ingredients

• 3 cloves of garlic (whiz these in the food processor first)
• A nice big handful of fresh basil leaves (I used about 1/2 pkg from TJ’s)
• 2-3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1/3-1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• few splashes of white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
• 4-6 lb. young chicken (preferably no-salt/broth added) – you could also use some bone-in chicken breasts which I want to try next time
• 2 onions, chopped
• about a pound of small yellow taters, chopped (you could also add other hearty root veggies)

Directions

For the Pesto:

Pulse the garlic in the food processor, add the next 5 ingredients (through olive oil), and pulse until a nice paste forms. Save half to serve alongside & for sammies later.  Use the other half to pat over the chicken and underneath the skin.
Place the chopped onion and taters in the bottom of the crock pot, place chicken on top (up to this step can be done the night before, just place the crock in the fridge).

I really like these potatoes from TJ’s because they cook super tender and not mealy.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Be careful when taking the chicken out because it falls apart!  (Note:  There will be a lot of juice and fat at the bottom, so that’s why I’d like to try just bone-in, skinless breasts next time?)  Drain and scoop out the veggies onto a sheet pan and roast in a 400 degree oven until golden, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Reserve skimmed broth for another use (I think I’m going to make soup).

What’s great about this recipe is that you can multi-task in a good way by making pesto panini sandwiches for lunch the next day with the leftover pesto.  I also schmeared a light laughing cow on one side with a few slices of mozzarella.  You could stuff all kinds of things in there too like roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, etc.

Gotta love that crispy, gooey pesto cheese!!

Are you a multi-tasker?  What are your best strategies to staying sane?

*~REMINDER~*

The Chic Life is hosting the Bake Sale for Haiti starting tomorrow the 27th!!!  Check out all the awesome baked goods that are up for bids here .  I’m going to be whipping up a batch of Gina’s crunchy and nutty granola too, so be sure to bid on it if you want some amazing oat-y goodness

Hope you all are having a nice week so far!

Tagged as: chicken, crock pot, oatmeal, pesto