Often times, I catch myself saying “I’d be happier if only…” all the time. More times then is probably healthy. I’m sure many of you out there have felt similarly. The need to ”Keep up with the Joneses” is something I’ve always struggled with– I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before. I have a widely discussed shopping addiction that I have a hard time dealing with and every time someone bumps over a milestone I haven’t reached yet, I’m instantly jealous. It’s just the way it is.

In order to keep myself from going crazy trying to keep up, I force myself to think of several things that I am thankful for. Here is my current list:

1. Owning (or buying?) our own home. Small as it is, messy and cluttered as it gets and “unfancy” as it may be, I love that we have a home to well, come home too. We don’t have to answer to anyone if we want to do anything around the place and it’s ours! Nothing beats that.

2. A husband who works hard and loves me. We may not always get along perfectly, but it’s wonderful knowing that at the end of the day, I’ve got someone who loves me as much as I love him and is an honest, hardworkin’ dude. It’s hard to come by these days.

3. Food on the table. We don’t have gourmet meals all the time and we can’t afford to eat organic food, but we are able to eat well and always have enough. In a world where this isn’t always the case, it’s a blessing you can’t argue with.

4. A decent paying job. Sure, I’m not ringing in a six figure salary– heck, both of us combined don’t even bring that in. But my job has amazing benefits and they pay me enough to be able to help my husband support our lifestyle. Being a stay at home mom or wife may never be in the cards for me– but that’s something I can live with, knowing that unlike many people, I have a job.

What are some things you’re thankful for?

1. I’ve almost finished the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I really wasn’t into the whole sexy element in the book, and it’s safe to say I did forward through the millionth sex scene to get to what I call the “good stuff” which is the plot. It’s not a bad plot… all the action in the book made me blush a little– it’s not for the conservative. that’s for sure

2. I’m stoked for the sunshine that’s made it’s way into the T.C. and I can’t wait for more 80 degree days in the near future! If only all the shows I watch were not ending. I’m also a bit sad that I’m going to miss True Blood, especially now that the premiere is only 2 months away!

3. After figuring out that I have indeed been depressed, for years now, I’ve gotten myself on some anti-depressants. It’s a tough adjustment, the pills make me a little “off” but I’m hoping that once I get used to them, I’ll be more balanced. It’s perfectly safe to be TTC while on this brand, the doctor gave me the a-ok.

4. I bought myself a Bento box and am planning to pack myself extraordinary lunches a la A Packable Feast let’s hope this sticks!! I remembered to pack myself something this morning, and it turned out well. I had a decent lunch and I didn’t have to fork over any extra cash to do it!

5. I received the most hilarious fortune cookie last weekend… that encouraged me to engage in insider trading..

What have you guys been up to?

I’ve joined in over at That Weight Loss Challenge 3 and starting April 16th, I’ll be on the race to loose the most! I’ve started myself a little food diary/weight loss blog, so if you’d like to follow my progress, you can do so by clicking the  image below!

I’ve chosen 60lbs as my goal, since that’s how much I’ve gained since being married… but I’d be happy to loose even 30lbs at this point! I hope you’ll join me over there! Also, before April 16th, you can hop on over to That Wife and join the party if you’d like!! There’s an option to enter for a cash prize, a photo shoot from her (she’s amazing) or both!

I just made this tonight, with several modifications, after seeing the recipe for Slow Cooker Orange Chicken on Six Sisters’ Stuff. My husband and I both absolutely love anything Chinese food. My husband however, was pretty skeptical about using the crock pot for anything that should have a slight crispiness to it– and so we opted to make it a “quick stove top” meal instead. It’s not a copycat for Panda Express, I feel that it’s a better/healthier version… with a stronger orange flavor. This recipe will probably take 15 minutes to put together can also be easily doubled or tippled to feed a larger family– this was enough for 2 very generous portions.

Ingredients

1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. ketchup
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate thawed + 1 Tbsp extra
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Thai sweet chilli sauce
Red Pepper Flakes- to taste

1-2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked thoroughly and chopped into small chunks (we used one, it was HUGE, you could use 2 smaller ones)
1/3 cup flour
2 tbps of cornstarch
vegitable oil

Steps

1. In a small saucepan (use your best judgement, this has about 6 oz of liquid in it) mix first 6 ingredients and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally. You want to be sure that the sauce is combined well– it needs about 10 minutes of steady heat- don’t let it get to a boil. You’ll also want to heat a large skillet with some oil– we used enough to coat the bottom of the skillet– just enough to get a good pan fry. You can always add more as needed depending on how much chicken you use.

2. Add the flour and cornstarch into a large zip lock bag, and shake until covered. Go ahead and add the chicken to the skillet you’ve  heated- pan fry until the chicken has a good light brown color.  This should only take a few minutes– you can add more oil as needed, but not too much– so the orange sauce doesn’t get greasy.

3. Once all of your chicken is browned, turn the heat down to low and add the orange sauce into the pan with the chicken. The sauce will need to cook with the chicken for about 3-5 minutes– it should thicken pretty quickly from the cornstarch on the chicken.

Serve immediately.