It's Almost Time For Setting New Goals, Not Resolutions

Hello friends - Today I'm long winded, so keep with me and you'll get an awesome recipe below as your reward!

In the fall of 2006, I was watching Rachael Ray and she had a guest named Toni Eicher on who was about to have a birthday and had made 30 goals for herself to accomplish in that year proir to her 30th birthday. I thought that was a great way for me to refocus my life to do those things that are important to me while making great accomplishments in the process. So that year, from 2006 - 2007, I was able to cross off 12 of my 32 goals. So in 2007 when I turned 33 I sat down at a coffee shop and wrote out my 33 goals for the year.

Below is my list of goals and the status on each of them. Some of them I've carried over from last year as they are things I want to do every year, but I have increased the goal a bit from the last year. Some of these are new for me. Not everything is deep and full of meaning, but things I don't generally do for myself as a busy wife and mom of two beautiful kids. So I've added things I'd like to do at least once this year. Again, if I don't cross off those I'm serious about doing, I will put them into next years goal list. Some won't get crossed off until the end of the year due to the nature of the goal.

My 33 Goals from Dec. 2007 - Dec 2008

1. 2008 Lifetime Triathlon - Short Course
*Completed July 12, 2008, 2 hours, 7 minutes and 36 seconds.
2. Go Skydiving
3. Have a Bunco Game night, proceeds for charity
4. Organize my closet - Take out old clothes that don't fit or I don't wear
*Completed 5/13/08
5. Run 5K race - beat prior year's time
*Completed 9/20/08 - 7 seconds better than last year
6. Learn a magic trick
7. Memorize 1 Bible verse a month
8. Clean out oven once a quarter
9. Go through kid's toys and organize for garage sale
* Completed 1/1/08
10. Save $$ every month for all gifts (Birthday, Christmas, Mother's and Father's Day)
*Completed 9/15/08
11. Date each child alone once a month
12. Decorate all Christmas Stockings
13. Premake all special event cards for 2008
*Completed 4/1/08
14. Read 6 Chapter books to my kids this year
15. Write to my grandpa 2 times a month.
16. Knit a scarf
17. Read the Narnia books, all of them
18. Make 4 new recipes a month
19. Volunteer 16 hours this year (outside of normal church, school or other normal activities)
20. Read book on helping/guiding mebe a better parent for my children.
21. Get a pedicure
22. Go to New York with Cyrus for a little trip
23 Organize my recipes into 3 ringed binders
24. Go to New Orleans and help with clean up
25. Read a chapter a week in my mom's devotional.
26. Get a manicure
27. Take kids camping for 3 nights - 4 days
28. Send 2 encouraging notes to a family member or a friend each month.
29. Build a house with Habitat for Humanity.
30. Go through boxes in the garage
*Completed 9/25/08
31. Send an audition tape to Survivor
*Completed 6/5/08
32. Finish mom's crosstitch.
33. Cross off 15 or more goals this year.

So as you can see, some are things that might seem silly, but things that I wanted to be sure that I kept track of this year. Some might take time to cross off, but they are things I for sure want to keep on my radar. I'll update right before my birthday as several of these are in the process of being completed, but won't be checked off until my birthday and I review what I've done for the year. This has been a great source of balance for me to make sure I'm doing those things that are important to me so I don't lose "me" in my life.

Now 33 is a lot of goals, but it's my way of doing it. Maybe you want to start small so here are a few steps to doing your own goals for the next year.

*Find the right amount of goals for you to cross off for the next year.
*Type up your goals and paste them into the front cover of a composition notebook.
*Number each page of the notebook and write down one goal per page.
*Take pictures or put evidence on the pages you can to show you completing that goal. Write the date you completed it as well.
*Give a copy of your goals to someone who'll help you stay focused and ask you how you are doing on them.

I have the pleasure of writing new ones soon so stay tuned!

Here's today's quick and easy recipe, it's delicious. I wrote it down for my # 18 goal.

Mexican Crock-Pot Meat
Makes 12-16 servings
8 - 10 hours on low

3 pounds chicken, beef or pork roast
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
*enough water to cover the meat
1-2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Place meat in the crock pot and add all the ingredients in order except the pinto beans. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meat and shred with 2 forks. Place shredded meat back into the crock-pot and add the pinto beans. Stir and cook one more hour. Remove meat and use on nachos or in tacos or burritos with all your desired Mexican toppings.

Until next time,
Kirsten

Politics and Popcorn

For me Politics is like popcorn!

*There are many different flavors and colors of popcorn, but when you strip all the flavors and look past the different colors it's all still bland little pieces of popped corn.

*It's fun when you hear it popping and it smells so good, but it doesn't take long for the action to stop happening and can get burned if not done properly.

*It tastes great with butter and salt, but the greasy butter gets a little too slippery after a while and the salt sticks to your fingers and you just want to wash it off quickly so you can change the channel on the remote.

*Popcorn is great and crunchy right away, but gets soggy pretty quickly.

*It tastes great, but the leftover hulls in your teeth are a PAIN to clean out.

That's my comparison and how I am currently feeling about the politics going on right now. Only 2 more weeks and we are DONE! Whatever that will look like.

GO VOTE!

Here's a great recipe I created for a contest that is a new twist on an old favorite. Just what we all need right about now, politically speaking.

Chicken, Zucchini and Arugula Quesadilla
With Creamy Piquante Pepper Dip
Created By: Kirsten Shabaz
4 Servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25minutes

INGREDIENTS
½ cup sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
10 Peppadew® Piquante Peppers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, sliced in strips
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons butter
1 large red onion, sliced in 1/8 inch rings
8 flour tortillas, taco size
1 12-ounce package Cacique® Queso Quesadilla cheese, shredded
1 large yellow zucchini squash, julienne
1-5ounce package pre-washed baby Arugula

COOKING DIRECTIONS
Place the sour cream, softened cream cheese and piquante peppers in the blender. Blend on high speed scraping down the sides as needed until the mixture is smooth. Put in a bowl and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Next, place the extra virgin olive oil in a 5-quart non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the sliced chicken breasts and garlic to the pan and cook for 6 minutes stirring a few times until chicken is no longer pink. Remove and set aside. Add the butter to the pan, when melted add the red onions. Sauté for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are caramelized and a light brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Wipe out the bottom of the sauté pan with a paper towel to remove leftover butter and onion pieces. Place a tortilla shell on the bottom of the sauté pan. Sprinkle the tortilla with 2-3 tablespoons of the shredded quesadilla cheese, 1/3 cup of cooked chicken strips, 2-3 tablespoons of red onions, ¼ cup julienne zucchini squash and about 12 arugula leaves. Sprinkle with 2-3 more tablespoons of cheese and place a tortilla on the top of the ingredients. Gently press the top of the quesadilla or place another skillet on top of the quesadilla to press it together. Cook over medium heat flipping after 4 minutes. Cook another 4 minutes and remove from the skillet and place on a cutting board. You can also use a Panini press or George Foreman grill. Using a large knife, cut quesadilla into 6 wedges and serve with a ½ cup of the creamy pepper spread.