Two of my favorite things - a book review and an easy, delicious recipe. 😀 We'll start with the food. After all, who can enjoy a good book when hungry? Have to get our priorities right. 😉

Easy Crockpot Chicken & White Bean Chili/Soup

This recipe is so great. It's really just chop, open, toss into the pot and let the crockpot do it's thang. It's kind of in between a chili and a soup. The ingredients all remind me of chili, but the consistency comes out a little more like a very hearty soup. I am not the most talented cook in the world. So if I am able to complete a recipe and it turn out well, then you know it's a fail-proof winner. 😉

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package chicken breast, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 large can Cannellini beans
• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 1 can black eyed peas
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 can Diced Green Chilis (optional - if you want extra spice)
• 3c chicken broth
• 1T minced garlic
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Now the step by step...

1) Dice chicken breasts into around 1" pieces.

2) Chop the zucchini and onion into even peices.

3) Toss the chicken and veggies into the crockpot.

chicken, zucs, onion

4) Add all the beans, Rotel, chilies, and seasonings.

with the beans, rotel, and chilies

5) Pour in chicken broth and stir mixture to evenly distribute all ingredients.

broth joins the fun and we all mingle together

6) Pop on the lid and let cook for 8 hours on low.

7) Have a hefty bowl of the warm, slightly spicy, healthy concoction.

up close and personal

That's it!!! Super simple, yet very delicious. And very healthy too. I did use low sodium broth and for the beans you can rinse them to get off some of the extra salt or use a lower sodium brand as well. This is a very satisfying meal. Other benefit = it makes a TON, so you have plenty to freeze and have on hand for when in a pinch with dinner. Frozen packaged meal? No, thanks! I got my soup! 😀

Next stop on this post = my belated book review! I actually finished this book over the weekend, because I could not put it down. What book is it?? This one!

The Time Traveler's Wife

I know, I just got done reading a book from another popular movie (Dear John), but this one finally became available at the library and I had to read it. This was definitely one of the best books I have read in a long time. I loved how different it was. Now, I adore chick lit and light hearted reads, but I also really like books that have a deeper plot and more to mull over. The Time Traveler's Wife delivered on that very well.

The story is about a man who has a genetic disorder which leaves him being thrown into different times without warning. He time travels against his will, and usually to places in his own past. For example, much of the beginning of the book describes instances where he time traveled to his present day wife, but when she was a young girl and teenager. Later, after they finally met in the present, the plot shifts more to the difficulties of loving someone with this "genetic disorder" and all the troubles they encounter trying to build their life together. The narration goes back and forth between Henry, the time traveler, and Clare, his wife and love.

What I most enjoyed about this book is the fact that while it is a beautiful love story full of emotion and relatable characters, there is a LOT of intriguing things to consider in the bigger picture of our own life and worlds as we know them. Henry will often be sent into times he does not enjoy from his past, but with no ability to change them. He just has to watch what has happened, knowing what is coming, but with nothing he can do about it. Clare, from a young age has had visits from Henry and has grown up knowing that he would one day be her husband. She often times will make comments about Henry being her destiny and she has known nothing else but to love him.

All of this led me to ponder the ideas of predestination. How much of our lives are tied up in things that have already happened somewhere else that we have no clue about? Does fate play a role in our lives? Are there parts of our "destinies' that we don't really have control over? It was actually fun to read such a wonderful story, but have it bring so much more thought out of it. I highly recommend this novel. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't speak for it. But this book is something special, that's for sure. 🙂

I'll end this now with some links to all of the giveaways going on around here....and one last request for votes for M. The poll is back up and it should be open until later tonight. This is the last time I'll ask, but please click here and vote for #24 😀

Lauren at Eat, Drink, and Be Hopeful is having a Chobani giveaway

Lara at Thinspired is having an Attune Bar giveaway

And check out my giveaway of Gnu Bars if you haven't already!

Firstly, thanks for all of your input on M's picture. It seems #1 and #3 are the most popular, although quite a few liked #2 as well. I'll have to decide shortly and send something in. I think I'm leaning toward #1 for the smile and how it shows her goofy personality at the same time.

Also, I have a few questions that I will be answering in a post tomorrow. I have about 5 questions to answer and would love to have more 🙂 I was informed my link wasn't working properly before, so if you tried to click it and it didn't work you can give it a shot now. Click here to ask anything 🙂

This weekend has been quite the enjoyable one. Yesterday afternoon we headed out to drive down to Atlanta to my parents' place for some family time. We did have to make a pit stop for a shopping excursion on the way though. We hit up the mecca of baby stuff (Babies R Us) to pick up our gifts for my good friend's baby shower which is coming up fast.

Babies R Us

Oh, Can we buy that?!

After that, we quickly made our way through a ton of Atlanta traffic to a fun afternoon with my family. The afternoon hours were spent laughing at all of M's attention hogging ways...

playing with a giant duck

laughing with Papa

...playing some cards....

...laughing...

we are a goofy trio...this is a traditional photo we do...don't ask! LOL!

with my awesome bro

...and getting a good family picture.

I love them!!! Although I can never get over the fact that I am the oldest of the siblings by quite a few years and look younger than my sister. I know I'll appreciate it more about 10 years from now. Right now it's no fun to be in your mid-upper 20s and people to think you're a teen mom.

Onto dinner though. We went to my all time favorite Mexican restaurant. Tijuana Garage.

This place serves great Mexican food. And what I love about it is that it's not the same old stuff you find in other Mexican restaurants. There is a lot more variety and I love the various sauces, slaws, and toppings for all their food.

We enjoyed dining on the patio with some chips and salsa and margaritas...my 2nd favorite thing to drink. Surprisingly though, I didn't have any. I try not to drink when working on the baby. I know it probably does nothing for or against our chances of conceiving, but I prefer to play it safe for my own peace of mind.

patio seating

chips & salsa

I ate lighter in the day since I was fully planning on indulging here. I ordered a trio taco plate for my dinner. My choices - 2 fish tacos + 1 BBQ pork taco. Sounds odd, but oh so very good! The fish tacos had a chipotle jicama slaw and the BBQ had a pickled jalapeno slaw. Fun, interesting flavors and delicious.

may not be healthy but sure was YUMMY!

Today has been a bit of a pain. I woke up feeling AWFUL again. Not stomach sick this time, but with a severe headache and that deep to the bone type of bodyaches and a sore throat and foggy head. (sigh) Maybe it will be a one day thing. It hasn't gotten any better though. So, I went and just taught Sunday school and then went home to curl up on the couch.

And that brings us to our Good Life Sunday lesson. The lesson today was about the prophet Elijah and how he lived a life that demonstrated his faith in God's power. Elijah was a prophet who testified to King Ahab about a drought that was a consequence to King Ahab's actions of worshiping other gods in detestable ways (like sacrificing people's children detestable ways). Ahab refused to believe Elijah and sought counsel from 850 prophets of the other gods in the region.

Eventually, Elijah was distraught with the King seeking advice from these other prophets and the fact that all of the people weren't being faithful to God. So God sent Elijah to Mount Carmel to basically challenge the other prophets in a test of which God had the true power. The 850 Baal prophets brought a sacrifice to the mountain and called to Baal to accept the sacrifice by fire but the fire wouldn't come to their sacrifice, despite their calls. Elijah's sacrifice, however, did carry through with the fire and was so strong the other prophets finally claimed their belief in God.

The lesson from this is that we are to live as examples of trusting God, following Him, and expressing our faith and commitment to God. It won't be easy and there will be numerous people against us, but if we stand up and proclaim our faith then God will be on our side and carry us through. It is easy to get confused in our culture and turn to other things that seem to have the answers for a fulfilling life. We have to work hard to continue to be a living testament to trusting God and not follow other paths that may seem easy, right, or justifiable.