Powerful.

A healthy alternative to fried chicken

I'm making this for dinner tonight. It's a favorite around here and it's SOOO easy. It's crunchy and salty like fried chicken but doesn't have nearly as many trans. fats, cholesterol and calories. Since it's made with Goldfish crackers, my kids devour it..

you'll need:

6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut length wise into chicken finger style strips
about 4 or 5 cups Goldfish crackers, smashed up into crumbs
ranch dressing, and you can use a lowfat variety too, it doesn't change the flavor


- preheat oven to 425

- pour some ranch dressing into a shallow bowl, and do the same with the Goldfish crumbs in a second bowl

- line a baking pan with tin foil, and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray

- Dip the uncooked chicken into the ranch dressing, letting the excess drip off, then into the Goldfish crumbs

- arrange on prepared baking pan

- bake for 10 to 15 mins (this is what the recipe says, but mine always cook faster...more like 7-9 mins...so keep an eye on them) or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees internal temp)

- ALL DONE!! wasn't that easy?? Tonight I'm making rice pilaf and a green salad for sides..but I've also served this with homemade Spanish rice and that was a yummy combination!!

Dress up!!

I love to get dressed up. Dresses, heels, make up and curling my naturally poker straight hair just make me giddy! It's funny because when I was little, I was a tom-boy who HATED dresses. I guess I'm just making up for that now. Easter is a great excuse to get a new sun dress...so tonight, that's exactly what I did! Here it is....
...super cute, right? The shoulder straps convert into a halter too, which I prefer due to the large nature of my upper torso. I have a little white shrug that I'm gonna wear over it to church, but in the summer, I'll probably live in this adorable little thing all by it self.

The kids are gonna match. Someone handed me down an ADORABLE mint green, with white polka dots, dress from Gymboree for Addisyn. I got her this white shrug from The Children's Place (i LOVE LOVE LOVE the Children's Place!!!) to go over it...


PJ was handed down a sweet little grey suit from his cousins, so he's gonna wear that with a green and white pinstripped shirt (to match Addisyns dress) that I also got from The Children's Place...
And Tim...well...I have no idea what he's gonna wear :)

More Than Conquerors.

Coffee. That yummy, energizing nectar we all crave. Well...for me it's a no no...

Right before I had Addisyn, I was downing about 3 (sometimes more) cups a day and never really thought anything of it. Then I found out I was pregnant. I had heard all the horror stories of what caffeine does to unborn babies, so I decided it was time to cut back *my OB told me it was ok to drink 300mg of caffeine a day.* That's when I found out how bad my addiction really was. I started out only having a small cup in the morning, and sure enough, by lunch time I'd be craving another cup and usually would be trembling. This scared me at first, so I gave into what my body was telling me and would have another cup. Then I'd realize what I just did to my baby and feel guilty and try and quit cold turkey. This vicious cycle continued until I had to FORCE myself to stop drinking it, and when that happened it gave me horrible headaches and would make me tremble. That's when God spoke to me.

Now, I'm not saying coffee is a bad addiction for everyone, but for me it was. I don't judge ANYONE who drinks it. **I also don't think caffeine or coffee is inherently bad, but just as with other addictions - drugs, alcohol, sex, food etc - Our Enemy has taken something created by God, twists it and convinces us that we need these things more than we need Him.** But I was abusing the caffeine and relying on it to "just get me through the day." When I denied myself, I DIDN'T have the self-control to say no to it and would cave. Essentially I made a god out of it, because it took the place of my Heavenly Father - who has given me everything I need to be more than a conqueror. WOW! I had no idea...

This is just my example, but God wants us to rely on His strength for EVERYTHING!! There are tons of addictions out there - drug, alcohol, food, sex, caffeine, attention, control, money. He gives us the power to overcome these, but only if we want it - and we need to want holiness more than fleshly desires. It simply takes the courage to ask and trust.

There are also boundaries. I've learned moderation with my caffeine intake. I'll still drink a cup of coffee here or there socially (and ENJOY it SOOO much! :] ), but it's few and far between. On mornings I'm especially sleepy, I'll pour myself some green tea *which has a fraction of the caffeine in it* to wake me up - not to push me through the day.

Is there something you RELY on other/more than God to "just get you through"? If He has saved you, then you are MORE THAN A CONQUEROR! Don't feel condemned, you're only human! Just seek His will! Be encouraged today - He loves you and has given you power through the death of Christ!

Running shoes and brand new babies.

So I started running. I love to run SOO much. I used to run when I was younger, before I had kids, but because my pregnancies were such nightmares, it became less and less of a priority until I stopped doing it all together. I'm glad to be back into it. I've got my first 5k coming up on April 24th and I'm SOOO excited!! But not only that, I've kicked my aerobics and weight training regimen up a notch too. I really want to be in the shape I was in before I had kids. It's not a lofty goal and it's not impossible. I just gotta keep pushing myself.

I was also bit by the baby bug pretty bad a few months ago, and Tim and I decided we wanted to add to our little family again this year. However, every time we'd talk about it, something just didn't sit right. We tried for 3 months and obviously I'm not pregnant. Apparently, the time just isn't right. But now, EVERY time I see a new baby, it makes me want another one...Jim and Pam's baby episode on the Office last Thursday was a killer. I think this is a lesson I'm supposed to learn, though. I've never had a problem getting pregnant (and not that 3 months of trying and failing constitutes a "problem") so clearly God's hand is in this. I've made peace that we'll have another baby (or two...probably two) WHEN and IF He says so.

So the baby thing has been put on the back burner...and the fitness thing is on the front burner. Be ready for updates. Here we go!!...

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Made this last night and it was SOOO yummy, quick and easy...thought I'd share! You can up the fiber and lower the fat by using whole grain pasta, unbleached whole wheat flour and low fat chicken stock (but to be honest, I've made it both ways and for some reason this tastes better with plain old regular pasta)...

1 16 oz box bowtie or penne pasta

16 oz skinless/boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)

3/4 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup frozen peas

optional - fresh snipped parsley and Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, toss together chicken and flour in a gallon size Ziplock bag or bowl until chicken is lightly coated. In a large skillet, cook and stir chicken in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil and garlic to skillet; cook and stir about 1 minute or until tender (omit this step if using garlic powder, and just add it when you add the salt and pepper). Carefully stir in broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced to about 2/3 cup. Stir in chicken, capers and parsley until heated all the way through.

Toss pasta with chicken mixture and serve with Parmesan.

Trials produce perseverance.

February 26th 2009 to February 24th 2010 was definitely a difficult year. On Feb 26th, '09, my Grandmom Aust passed away. It was a very difficult time for the entire Aust family. She was so special. My Aunt Cindy described her as the "glue the held us all together" and I think that's a perfect way of describing her role in the family. The Aust family is very large - my dad was one of 6 children - but I remember spending every single holiday, and most Sundays, at my Grandpa and Grandmom's house growing up. My dad and all of his brothers and sisters (except for Uncle Bruce, Aunt Nanci and Chris who live in Orlando) and all of their spouses and children would be there. My cousins and I had all kinds of make believe games that we played at Gram's house, and we couldn't play them anywhere else because Gram's house was special. It was big, there was a lot of land and she had a big pool. Gram was also an amazing cook. I'll never forget her cream chicken, mashed potatoes, chicken soup, keiflies and all kinds of other delicious food that made those holidays and Sunday dinners so special. She always made us feel welcome and her house was truly my second home. I miss her so much.

But anyway, that was only the beginning. Just a few weeks later, my uncle (dad's brother) was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. I don't know if you've ever had a loved one ripped away from you suddenly and unexpectedly, but I will tell you, it's the HARDEST thing. It's shocking and horrifying and a really hard pill to swallow. I remember when my mom called me to tell me. I felt like I was punched in the stomach and I just wanted to throw up. My dad was so torn up and that was difficult too. He lost his mother and brother in a matter of weeks. And my cousins, too. They lost their Grandmom and Dad. It just all doesn't seem fair...even now, a year later.

In April, our (only 2 yr old) car needed hundreds of dollars worth of work.

In August, my mom lost the man she provided home care for for the last 20 years. Needless to say, she loved that man and it was very very hard for her to say goodbye. Because my mom and I are soooo close, I took on a lot of her pain.

Then later in August, we found out I was expecting our 3rd child. At first we were so angry - this was the THIRD time I had gotten pregnant when we were actively trying to prevent it. We did the math and realized PJ and Baby 3 would be 14 months apart...Addisyn and PJ are only 13 months apart. After being angry, we were stressed out. We couldn't imagine having three kids all so young. Then, we got used to the idea and we started to get excited. Right about that time, I had an ultrasound that showed the baby's heart wasn't beating due to a heart defect. This was the hardest bad news for me personally. After all the other loss, this was just the final blow as far as I was concerned. I spent a week in bed convinced I was dying of a broken heart.

In November, a friend of mine's baby girl died of complications from whooping cough and an old family friend died of cancer.

In December, Tim barely got a raise, and what's more, our health insurance got more expensive, so it's like he didn't get a raise at all. We're very thankful he has a job at all, but it's almost like he's running in place in his current position. This never ending hamster wheel of a career is discouraging.

In January, Tim applied for a job in Bensalem, PA...about 15 mins from where I grew up. Our hopes were SOOOO high. On February 24th, he was offered the job, but at a much lower salary than discussed in the interview, and Tim declined. Again, I felt like I was dying of a broken heart.

I miss my family in PA/NJ. We've been through A LOT in a year and I just want to be with them. I feel so far away and I'm still trying to process all of the loss.

And this is where I am. Broken, but hopeful for the future. I don't really have anything else profound to say.