I’ve been having some old lady issues lately. Back pain. BUNIONS. Hungover after 1 drink. WHAT IS THE DEAL!? I turned 34 on July 2nd and it has been an interesting month, to say the least.
A few weeks ago, my hockey team had a double-header and by the end of the night, my bunions were on FIRE. Since that time, I’ve also suffered from something hockey players call “lace bite”. It’s a very painful inflammation of the top of the foot, right where laces are on hockey skates. I also broke my favorite stick that same weekend.
Needless to say, Mark and I took the afternoon on Thursday to travel up to Kalamazoo. While I visited a hockey store, Mark went to both CostCo and Trader Joes. He came back ready to go, and I was in the midst of “baking” (heating up to have molded to your foot) my new, and rather expensive hockey skates. I received a big eye roll, but he rolled with it pretty good.
As we were driving home and I was giddy about my new skates, I realized that I wouldn’t have any opportunities to break them in before my game on Sunday. A few emails later and having secured a babysitter, I’ll be joining Mark’s beginning drill and play that is immediately before my 7:25pm game. We’ll see how this goes! New skates SUCK, but it has to be better than bunion pain!
My visit to the hockey shop was not a quick one, after having ruled out all other options. You know, everything that wasn’t custom fit or under $400. Mark was finally giving me the eye saying, “We need to get back to St. Joe to pick up our kids from daycare!” (a 45 minute drive from where we were). Cue the mom guilt – my kids have been at daycare past 5:30pm on only a handful of occasions.
We were pulling into the driveway at just after 6pm and I was running through dinner options. I was thankful for a TON of leftovers from this recipe that we enjoyed on Monday night. It was a hit among everyone and while Mark and I enjoyed as carnitas on corn tortillas, the kids had the meat as a part of a quesadilla. We had another carnitas showing on Friday night with nachos before freezing the rest for a later date. Flavorful and super easy, these carnitas are a crowd-pleaser and make enough to feed an army! Enjoy!
- 4½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp chipotle chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- 12 oz amber beer
- 2 fresh limes
- Add the chicken, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and salt to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Pour beer over the top and cover with the lid.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the chicken is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Once the chicken is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat (550 degrees F) and mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Use a fork to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, placing on the prepared baking sheet. Spread chicken into an even layer. Reserve liquid remaining in the slow cooker.
- Place baking sheet under the broiler, 2 racks down from the very top, and broil for about 5-6 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken begin browning and crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven. Drizzle ½ cup of the reserved liquid over the chicken; toss to coat and spread into an even layer. Broil an additional 5 minutes and repeat with ½ cup broth and an additional 5 minute broil.
- Squeeze the juice of 2 limes over the top of the meat; toss. If meat seems a bit dry, you may add additional reserved liquid and toss. Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Weekly Menu: July 28th – August 1st
- Sunday: french toast with chicken sausage and fruit
- Monday: Summer Peach Salad (with rotisserie chicken added)
- Tuesday: leftovers / faux chicken patties and salad
- Wednesday: grilled pizzas and balsamic veggie skewers
- Thursday: hamburgers, corn-on-the-cob, roasted potatoes
Be well,
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