Goooooooood!

Chicken Pot Pie

The recipe I loosely used was this one except I didn't use a fryer chicken (too time consuming) and I didn't make my own crusts (falls under baking which I've already said - I don't do). The filling portion, however is a keeper. The filling to me is the hardest part (outside of the dag-blasted crust) since the flling is really the star. I don't like using cream of chicken soup (although I have in the past) because then your filling tastes like: cream of chicken soup. This filling was perfect-o and R was suitably impressed.

Only changes I made were I used leeks instead of celery since my celery was.... flaccid. Sorry, there's no other word to describe it. haha. I added a couple of potatoes since I love potatoes in my pie and I also tossed in some fresh rosemary along with the fresh thyme. OMG, you guys! You should have seen how many helpings R had. I was afraid I made this enormous pot pie and it'd go to waste but between he, Can-man and I it was over half gone. What gluttons. 

I hope you give this recipe a whirl. Pot pie is up there on my ultimate "comfort food" list. 

C & C Yum Factory

I realized today is the 29th... yeah, it took me half the morning, wanna make something of it? I AM a SAHM and ALL of the days, dates, months run together. 

Anyway, the 29th means another milestone for Can-man! He is 19-months-old today. I texted R to remind him and threw off a comment about how we should get cupcakes. To my surprise and delight, R texted back: "I was thinking the same thing." Say what?

This is the man that monitors his carbs like he's Atkins himself, this is the man who has ONE spoonful taken out of his Nutella jar. One, people, one spoonful. And no, he did not just buy it. This is the man who will take the tiniest slice of dessert and then WALK AWAY.

My point is, when a man like that says we should get cupcakes - we get freaking cupcakes! There is only one place we go, the same place we got Can-man's 1st birthday party cupcakes: Azucar in Ocean Beach. 

I have to say the best flavor is Key Lime, which they only make by special order. What we got today were a red velvet, coconut, and a seasonal flavor we hadn't tried before: chocolate mint.

No surprise, chocolate mint was our favorite. I wish we had a holiday party to go to so we could take some along because y'all KNOW I don't bake. Me baking is just a waste of perfectly good sugar.

I asked R what he wanted for dinner, he asked if there was anything I had been wanting and my answer was quick: CHICK-FIL-A! Since I don't get to have it in Portland (probably a good thing), I do try to indulge at least once (or twice) while I'm in San Diego. 

Can-man says, "All this? For ME?" Actually that was at the laundromat earlier today. I don't know what says birthday quite like "laundromat".

Tonight was Can-man's first time trying the yummy Chick-fil-A nuggets and waffle fries and he loved it, which made me feel a whole lot better about picking his birthday dinner for him.  Yay! He liked it! He really liked it!

Full of cupcakes and chicken. 

R remarked how quickly time if flying by and it truly has since Can-man has made the scene. Everyone always tells you to enjoy when they're small like this since it seems like it goes by in a blink of an eye. It's bittersweet to have one son entering adulthood and one being a young toddler. The juxtaposition is a constant reminder of how fast your children grow up.

I'm grateful to R for allowing me to cherish every moment with Can-man, I felt like I did a lot of struggling raising The Teen as a single mom. Some days, the realization of that weight being off my shoulders will hit me and the gratitude I feel towards R overwhelms me. Even if we are not always together in the same household, he is an amazing partner for all he does and tries to do. I love our little family of four.

Going on Tour

Can-man and I have hit up four area 24 Hour Fitness gyms since we've been in San Diego. I plan on hitting up a few more as the group exercise and kid's club hours allow. So far... 

Mission Valley: was small, the front desk person was really friendly and helpful, the kid's club was tiny (they can only accommodate 5 kids at one time), the Turbo Kick class was insane (6 turbos!) but the instructor had a ton of energy so the time flew by. I don't know how often I'll go back, though, the small kid's club stresses me out (if it's full you're S.O.L.) even though the kid's club worker could not have been nicer to Can-man. Between her and the TK instructor, I may have to consider a return trip.

Miramar: Can-man didn't make the trip with me as he stayed home with papa. I took Turbo Kick here as well, the room is HUGE so I will probably go back to this one. Even though California is way better about not letting their classes get too packed, it's still nice to know you'll have plenty of room to maneuver and it makes for a WAY better work out. There is nothing worse than wanting to give it your all in class but being so crowded you end up just feeling frustrated and like you didn't even work out.

Hillcrest: Another small one and another Turbo Kick day. I'm not as obsessed as I am trying to find an instructor I either a) like a lot or b) is doing the most current round (neither of the previous ones did). The front desk person was helpful and informative. The reason I keep bringing this up is when you walk in a cavernous place, not knowing where anything is at, it's nice to have someone point you in the right direction so you don't wander around like a dummie. This location has a parking garage but they do validate the parking. The kid's club worker was super nice to Can-man, she had a very nice friendly way about her so I'll probably be back as I also enjoyed the TK class.

Vista: It took way too long to get here from R's apartment. I would go back, though, if the experience had been a good one but - eh. The front desk person - eh. The kid's club person - eh. The people in the Muscle Blast class - really eh. I broke the cardinal rule, apparently, and took a woman's spot (who was late to class so maybe she should think about getting there on time to secure it). Some people in some classes can get so proprietary about their "spot" in class. As long as I'm not a) in the front or b) by the windows so all the dudes can see me flailing around, I'm good! People need to grow up. However, the instructor was good, the class kicked my ass but the other factors will keep me from returning. 

Next up, we're hoping to hit up Carlsbad and Escondido this week. Hey, whatever gets us out of the house while papa is at work, right? Happy exercising!

Sunset

So THIS is why so many people want to live in Southern California...