Mexican Style Chicken

Mexican Style Chicken

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (defrosted or frozen)
• 1 package Taco seasoning
• 1 Lime
• 3/4 cup Water
• 1/4 large Onion roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro
• 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese Grated
• 10 Flour or Corn tortillas
• Sour Cream
• Salsa
• Shredded Lettuce

In your crock pot on high add Chicken, Taco seasoning, Onion, and water. Cook for 2 hours if frozen add an hour. Add Cilantro & juice of lime. Cook for another hour. I sometimes need to chop the chicken other times it seems as though it shreds itself just by stirring the crock pot. Warm your tortilla, top with chicken, cheese, sour cream, salsa, & lettuce.
I use leftover chicken for enchiladas or burritos!

 

Fresh Green Bean Salad

Fresh Green Bean Salad
Summer is here..I’ve been browsing the local farmers markets and in season is a great bunch of veggies for a green bean salad. Here’s my recipe…

• 1 pound Fresh Green Beans
• 2 Tomatoes, seeded, cut in strips 
• 2 tablespoons table salt plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/2 cup Kraft Italian Dressing (light, or creamy is good too)
• 1/4 cup Fresh red onion finely diced
• 1 clove Garlic minced

Trim one side of the green beans, then cut in half so as to reduce the size to fit into your pot. Bring a large pot of water to boil salted with the 2 tablespoons of salt. Add green beans and boil for 5 mins. Mean while, have a large bowl of ice water prepared. Then mix together the remaining ingredients for the dressing. Drain beans and immediately put into ice bath. Let cool completely. Add beans, tomato, and onion to dressing. Serve immediately. If making in advance add dressing just before eating.

December Already?

Sorry blog for I have neglected you! But I have been busy. I am working 2-3 days a week now. Joey started occupational therapy. He is continuing speech therapy. We are currently off the gluten free diet. I wanted to share what our typical week looks like-
Mon- Dad works till 7am, Mom works from 8-6 then we do dinner and bed time stuff and bed about 12am.
Tues-Same exact thing, we did have class from 6-9 but it has ended!
Wed-Mom stays home- OT @ 1030 and usually grocery shopping
Thurs-No commitments! woohoo Some times we do play group @ 900 am
Fri-Joey is starting an OT sensory play group in Jan. Speech @ 230
Sat-Church @ 6pm
Sun-Football and sometimes dinner @ The Great Grandparents

There are a million other little extra things we have been doing each week also. Last week, We did family pictures, which was an experience in its own! I am thankful for the wonderful shots we did achieve though! 

We spent 5 days in Oregon at my parents for Thanksgiving. We had a great time. Nick and I even got to sneak away on Black Friday and get most of our Christmas shopping done. Not only was it nice to spend some time together but also a quick shopping trip for the holiday. I have not put up a Christmas tree, as I am fearful of how Joey will treat it, or react to the sensory effect of the lights. So needless to say I'm not really feeling the holiday cheer. I hung our stockings and wrote out my Christmas cards. I haven't made bread, or cookies, or crafts. There is a paper wreath hanging that Joey made though. We experienced our first taste of the cold season too. Joey ran a 100 to 102 fever for 3 days, has a runny nose and cough. We are going on 5 days so far. Nick sort of pulled out his back but of course he is toughing it and working through it as he usually does. I have really been enjoying working. I am getting to do so much more than I learned in school. On a side note, as much as I felt like I was so ready leaving school, I felt confident and knowledgeable, I have learned so much more in 2 months working then I learned in 9 months in school. I was some what disappointed in PIMA when it comes to the proficiency of the basic tasks, yet I was appreciative that I learned front desk unlike some of the other colleges. You win some, you lose some.

Joey is in the process of doing genetic testing. He is talking some, says all gone, all done, and I got it! He is really in to Cars right now. We bought some news toys to help with his developmental delays. We just keep working hard and praying. For that is really all we can do.

Here is a composed list of some of my favorite Autism websites,

MyAutismTeam

SafeMinds

Talk About Curing Autism

Generation Rescue

My Five Men- Blog by Betsy

Friday Fun!

What were doing today?
A.m. -Got coffee at Starbucks wonderfully made Venti Extra shot Peppermint Mocha Then got muffin paper liners. Came home and made triple berry muffins (Joey made them!) Played with cornstarch and water mixture! It was a blast to see Joey really starting to open up to sensory things. The feeling of the cornstarch was even a little hard for me to get used to. So he did a good job! Then the Husband came home from work. We went over Joeys childrens hospital assessments. Nick did dishes. Jessica is packing and moving out today. 
Afternoon-Going to look at houses up north. The bothell lynnwood area. I guess I should start looking now. 
P.m.- For dinner I'm going to make Pineapple Chicken maybe on the bbq. With some Mac-n-cheese along side, and salad! Sounds weird but yummy! 

Happy Friday to everyone!

Updating.

I am reaching the end of my extern hours finally! I can't believe how long it has taken me, granted I did have a tonsillectomy mid way through, but most of all I'm surprised at how much I have learned. I have been really fortunate to get the opportunity to full fill my hours at not one, not two, but 5 offices. Each office has been unique in its very own way. Every Doctor I have worked alongside has also been special and different. I have learned so much more then I ever imagined. I am especially grateful for the "foot in the door" Kristen has given me. I was more nervous about working with her then anyone or anywhere else. Not to many years ago I was in the teacher position showing her some of what I knew about retail. Boy have the tables turned. I feel like a lost puppy needing guidance in the dental world. Kristen has been respectful, and encouraging. I feel bad that I often let my nervousness get the best of me. I am hoping in the following week that I will be able to spread my wings a little and shine to show the office what I am really capable of. 


Nick on the other hand has been doing an amazing job working with Joey doing at home therapies. We have a long road to go and starting now making the progress we have already seen is helping us to stay focused. 


Our lease will be ending (yay!!) in December. We couldn't be more excited to be moving. We are looking for a house that fits our needs and wants. Thus far we have found quite a few that we like, the hardest part will be deciding where we want to live, Federal way, Kent, or maybe Renton. I just keep chugging along knowing that Joey will love a back yard. He needs to be a boy. I want a house with a separate family room so that he can have a play room. Nick severely needs a garage and a drive way. I want a kitchen and patio so we can have holidays and parties. It's going to be exciting to get into a house again. Bye bye apartment living! 


Lastly, I want to sign off by saying Thank you to those who have been supportive of Joseph. Nick and I have come to a point in our lives where the drama must go, those who "just don't get it" must go, and we have to deeply and passionately focus on bringing Joey back into our world. He deserves the best treatments, and therapies money can buy. I need my family and my friends to be supportive in many ways. I hope we all can work hard to make the holidays easy yet memorable for him.     

on to the next...

We've been doing great on the gluten free diet thus far. Its been 2 months and Joey has continued to make progress. I wanted to share our current list of vocabulary;


up down mama dada ball dont stop yes no hi hello dog duck come good tree one two three woooow thank you cookie tickle please open more apple
quack cheep ribit tweet moo meow woof neeeigh
check this out. i did it. i got it.


Amazingness!


Speech therapy is making its way along. We are doing that in home every week.


He was evaluated at Children's hospital this week. He did a hour long evaluation with the occupational therapist. Where he blew through each task she asked him to complete. (Why can't he do that at home?)


Nick and I are continuing our More than words class on Tuesday nights. We have learned so much already. The techniques have helped Joey to better communicate and we all are having more patience with each other.


It's the start of the fall season, the weather is quickly getting cold on us, the trees are losing their leaves, and I'm thinking about soup and sandwiches. I made fried zucchini this week, enjoyed some heirloom brown cherry tomatoes, and had a wonderful brown sugar acorn squash. Nothing better than enjoying the seasonal foods each year. I think I've decided fall is my favorite time of year.


The things to do with a child who has Autism are few and far in between this time of year as the weather keeps us in doors. I had a great idea to try out with him, we painted with poster paints 3 we-be-little pumpkins. I want to give one to my Mom and Dad, one to Nicks grandparents and keep one on our table. I need to pick up a few more of the gourds to make a nice table center piece but I think it is coming along nicely. He did a pretty good job staying on task and focused on the activity. This was the first time Joey has painted anything and to my surprise he loved it! 

Gluten free we shall be!!

Never in my son's little life has he spoke and added words to his vocab at the alarming rate of 10 a day like he has the last two days. I read several books the last few weeks bowing down to the Gluten free world of food for Autistic children. They swore up and down how with in a few days or weeks their child was speaking and behaving so much more appropriately. Well after an epic tummy ache and a melt down, due to ingesting gluten some screaming and crying we rushed to the grocery store to stock up on some Joey safe foods. He took a probiotics for children and ate some food, he turned from a demon child to a little angel. No screaming no crying no tummy ache. We had eye contact, words, focus, he was playing with his toys in the "correct" way and he was so loving to his Mommy and Daddy. 

I became a believer. I have made a vow to God to do whatever it takes to prevent him from ever eating gluten again. For the first time in about 6 months Joey said Mom. He didn't just say it once he said it 3 or 4 times in a row, a good ole' MOM MOM MOM!! I instantly started crying tears of sheer joy! He's has become a whole new person. It's like he was trapped inside his own little world lost and looking for help. He is starting to enter our world. 

To date he has said, yum, mom, dad, no, stop, yes, food, fuck(not great by he did use his words lol), up, down, hot and on. Were sure we missed a word or two because we can't keep up! It is a grace from God at this moment in time. We are continuing to work with him on his signing, but in realty he is getting the talking faster anyway. 

I know things will be different for Joey, no cookies from Grandma, no happy meals, and he may have a hard time with not eating school lunches like the other kids, but I know its all for the better. I am so proud and excited, but now I must start getting together more GF recipes!