Hcg1234 recipe: Celery Soup

Celery Soup (added shrimp/scallions/ginger/cilantro)

Ingredients

Celery (may use celery from crock pot cooking or 1 baked celery recipe) -- I used about half a bunch

2 cups chicken broth (or substitute 1 cup water for 1 cup broth)

¼ teaspoon thyme 

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon dried basil 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook celery until very soft or use crock-pot or vegetable broth cooked

celery. Puree in a food processor or blender with broth and spices. Simmer

in a saucepan for 20-30 minutes.

I used Italian seasoning because it contained both basil and thyme. I started with 1 cup of broth to cook celery in, then added a little more. After that cooked, I added 2 cups of broth to cool down for blending, then simmered. Added shrimp and scallions at the last 3 minutes. Topped with cilantro ad a dash of ground ginger.

My boyfriend gave me the idea of adding bok choy, next time. :)

hcg1234 recipe: Mexican Style Cilantro Chicken

Mexican Style Cilantro Chicken 

Ingredients

100 grams cubed or sliced chicken *I used over a pound of chicken, so I adjusted ingredients

Chopped tomatoes

½ cup chicken broth or water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Fresh chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped onion

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ clove fresh garlic minced

¼ teaspoon chili powder

Cayenne to taste

Pinch of cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Lightly brown the chicken with a little lemon juice. Add spices, additional

lemon juice, and chicken broth. When the chicken is cooked thoroughly, add

fresh tomatoes and cilantro and cook for 5-10 more minutes.

Makes 1 serving (1 protein 1 vegetable)

THIS WAS OUTSTANDING!!!

hcg1234 recipe: Baked Apple Chicken

Baked Apple Chicken [I’m putting oven at 400 for 20-30min]

Ingredients

100 grams cubed chicken

½ finely chopped apple

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I wouldn't double up for 2 portion meals)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Stevia to taste

Dash of cayenne

Directions

Lightly brown the chicken in lemon juice. Add chopped apple and evenly

coat with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, stevia, cinnamon,

cayenne and pinch of salt. Put in small baking dish and add additional

vinegar and lemon juice. Serve with the rest of the apple in thin slices on the

side.

Makes 1 serving (1 protein, 1 fruit)

To me this tasted like a tart chicken pie. :) 

My New Chapter

This month I finally got my real estate license! I took a course, passed it. Next, I studied for months for the state exam. I took a cram course, also. I found that to be extremely helpful! I wasn't familiar with the math strategies no matter how much I knew. I literally felt like I was teaching myself that stuff because there was always another way to do a problem. I sadly, failed the first time. The second time, aced it! It all came together. I was shock that I finally was able to implement what I had learned with the math problems by analyzing them and just simply figuring them out on my own. I was so proud of myself!

I've been going to school for over 10 years. I received an Associate of Arts degree through it all, so I guess that time was worth something. I didn't complete nursing school, nor did I finish computer engineering school at FAU (I am still enrolled, so I could still do this.). It's been tough, but it feels good to know that I completed something I finally set out to do.

Now, I'm enjoying the summer and taking some time for myself. I am unable to work at this time. Now that I have my license, I need a new car because it will be an extension to my career. Thankfully, I can decide to work whenever I want to, as long as I pay fees, renew on time, and I could even just decide to be indefinitely voluntary inactive. I can't wait to begin this new chapter in my life!