Despicable Me 2 GIVEAWAY!

My family is really looking forward to seeing Despicable Me 2 this summer, my husband especially! It is a very highly anticipated movie date day for my son, who watches Despicable Me at least twice a week.

How would you like to win a family 4 pack of passes to the 3D advance screening?  Here's your chance!

Show date: Thursday, 6/27 at 7pm

Location: Regal Citrus Park in Tampa

Please comment below and tell me who your favorite Despicable Me character is and why to be entered.  Bonus entry for sharing the giveaway on Facebook.  Please comment separately that you shared the giveaway.  Good luck!

**Contest ends on 6/22.  The winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter and will be notified on 6/23.  Seating is first-come, first-served**

Tasty Time: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Another dinner hit!  Tonight's dinner comes from http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/recipe/meat/beef-broccoli-stir-fry/.  No, I'm not diabetic, but this sounded delicious!  As always, I made my own changes and it came out so yummy!

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Original recipe from website:

• 2tablespoons  reduced-sodium soy sauce

• 1tablespoon  cornstarch

• 1tablespoon  white vinegar

• 1tablespoon  grated fresh ginger

• 1/4teaspoon  crushed red pepper

• 2cloves garlic, minced

• 12ounces  boneless beef top sirloin steak

• 1small bunch broccoli (about 1 pound)

• 2teaspoons  cooking oil

• 2medium carrots, bias-sliced 1/8 inch thick

• 3/4cup  reduced-sodium beef broth

• 4green onions, bias-sliced

• 2cups  hot cooked spaghetti squash or angel hair pasta

My recipe:

2T reduced-sodium soy sauce
1T cornstarch
1T white vinegar (I only had apple vinegar, so that's what I used)
1T minced ginger
1/4 t crushed red pepper overflowing
1T minced garlic
1lb lean stew beef (hey, I'm lazy)
a bunch of broccoli
a handful of matchstick carrots
2T olive oil

In a bowl, mix soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar, ginger, crushed red pepper and garlic.  Toss in the meat and coat.  Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.  Now my sauce was pretty thick, so I didn't drain it like the original recipe says to do.

In a wok or large skillet, large skillet for me, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil on medium-high heat.  Add the meat and cook it until it's almost done with a little pink.  Remove the meat from the skillet and toss your veggies into it with another teaspoon of oil.  Cook until your desired tenderness.  I covered my skillet for a few minutes to get a good steam going.  Add the meat back to skillet, mixing it all together.

I ate it just like this, but it would be really good with white rice or noodles.  I might try it with chicken next time.  Yum!!

Crock Pot Citrus Chicken

Anything my son will eat is worth sharing.  I made him chicken nuggets tonight and snuck some of this chicken on his plate and he is already asking for thirds!

The original recipe is here: http://luscious-food-recipes.blogspot.com/2013/02/citrus-marinated-roasted-chicken-recipe.html

And here is what I did with it (same ingredients minus the oil, just cooked it different)

4 frozen chicken breasts

2 large lemons (1 squeezed and 1 cut up into chunks)

1 large orange (half squeezed and the other half cut into chunks)

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1T dried oregano

1 1/2 T soy sauce, low sodium

2t honey

1/4t crushed red pepper flakes (I did 1/2)

What I added to it:

baby carrots

broccoli

I don't have a roasting pan, so I brought out the crock pot.  I haven't used it in a while since we are on a low carb diet and all of my slow cooker recipes are pretty heavy on the carbs.  I thought, why not! 

I sprayed my pot with cooking spray and threw the frozen chicken on the bottom.  In a small bowl, I tossed together everything else.  It was at this point that I read in the original recipe that this is a marinade and should have been soaking for hours, but I did not have hours and skipped actually marinading it.

I turned the crock pot on high and cooked it for 3 hours, then tossed in carrots that I cut up into thin slices and broccoli.  After another hour of cooking, I chunked up the chicken, not quite shredding it because my daughter likes to eat big chunks.  I let that soak in for another half an hour and then it was served.  

This would be really good paired with white rice, but since we are low carbing it these days, we ate it as is. Hmm, it would be really yummy in lettuce wraps!

Tasty Time: Crock-pot Thai Peanut Chicken

I've been trying all new crock pot recipes for the last two weeks.  There is nothing better than throwing everything in a slow cooker in the morning and then having a home cooked meal when everyone gets home.  I have found a few hits that I really like, but tonight's dish was delicious!  It comes from http://www.crockadoodledo.blogspot.com/search/label/CHICKEN.  You have to scroll to find it, so I will post it here.  My adjustments are noted.

Crock-pot Thai Peanut Chicken

2.5 pounds chicken (I always use 3-4 frozen chicken breasts)
1 cup hot salsa (Very spicy! If you don't like the heat, go with medium or mild)
1/4 cup peanut butter (I did 1/8 creamy and 1/8 crunchy)
2 T lime juice
1 T soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1t minced fresh ginger (I used minced ginger in a jar found where the jarred garlic is in produce)
rice (I used Uncle Bens Jasmine Ready Rice)
1/2 cup chopped peanuts (I took a handful and chopped them up and then everyone sprinkled their own on)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (I didn't do this)

Place chicken in pot. *I spray mine with cooking spray first*  Mix salsa, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, and ginger together and pour on top of chicken.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve over rice and sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.

I chunked up my chicken and tossed it back in the pot about an hour before it was done.  I decided not to shred it and leave bigger pieces.  You can serve your chicken any way you'd like, chunking/shredding is the easiest for me.

Even Ava loved it!  Spice and all.

**I must note that it didn't smell all that great when I was mixing it together, so don't be discouraged if you don't favor the smell at first.