{My Recipes} One Pot Wonder Greek Chicken

I am fascinated by the latest one-pot recipes swirling around on Pinterest lately that involve, quite literally, dumping various ingredients of a particular flavor theme into a pot and coming up with a fabulous meal 20 water-boiling minutes later. And I love Greek salads and pastas, so naturally I had to try the Greek Chicken variation. I made a few edits to the recipe I found here, and it got a thumbs up from the husband, my parents and all four kiddos so I'd say it makes the list of go-to easy dinners!

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA
2-3 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

One 14-ounce can or jar of artichokes, drained
1/2 cup olives, any kind (I use olives from the grocery's olive bar, not canned)
1 lb pasta, any kind
1 handful fresh grape tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
1/2 sliced red onion
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
7 cups chicken stock
One packet Zesty Italian dressing mix
Crumbled feta

Put all of the ingredients into a large pot except the feta cheese. Stir it together and bring it to a boil. When it is at a full boil, reduce the heat to medium high. 

Make sure you have a pint-sized helper in the kitchen to assist. Logan loves emptying the silverware from the dishwasher! ;)

Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the chicken and pasta are done. Remove from heat and strain servings into bowls then top with a generous handful of feta cheese.

You can also find a link to my recipe pinned onto my Food board on Pinterest!

Happy eating :)

{Quad Squad} Sisterly Love

The quads have looooong been aware of each other's presence (hello, elbowing for room in the womb), then they were soon aware of each other post-birth and spent much time cuddling and rolling all over one another. But the past several weeks they've been becoming more affectionate—and also occasionally more aggressive—towards each other. The affectionate part is almost too much to handle!

I mean, four cuties running around the room giving each other hugs?

And then there's that slightly awkward moment afterward when you want to tell your sister how much you adore her but just don't quite have the words yet.

Be still my heart. I think it's going to burst!

{DIY} Cooking Spray & Veggie Wash

As time goes on and I read new magazines and scavenge Pinterest for the latest crazes, I glean more and more tips on how to eliminate chemicals from my kitchen. I've long been a fan of Seventh Generation's dishwasher tabs (we used them for all the baby bottles we used to wash!), their dish soap and their plant-based anti-bacterial cleaning spray. (For those wondering, I typically buy all their products at Target or Kroger, but a quick search revealed you can order them on Amazon, too!)

So I'd seen a few pins about making your own olive oil cooking spray versus using something like Pam, that contains a lot of added chemicals. I vowed to try it for myself as soon as I'd finished using up what I had and that day came this morning. I grabbed a clean, empty spray bottle and filled it with one part olive oil to five parts water. So, for instance, my spray bottle held 1/2 cup olive oil and 2 1/2 cups water.

The oil and water definitely stay separated in the bottle, so you just have to shake it up real good before you spray anything. I tested it out on some cinnamon rolls I baked for the babies' breakfast this morning and it worked great! They didn't stick to the foil at all and weren't crusty or burnt. I look forward to using this healthy alternative for all my stove-top cooking as well!

For the past several months, I've been making my own fruit and veggie wash as well. It's really complicated, though. Are you ready for this? Fill a spray bottle with half white vinegar and half water. Like I said... complicated. ;) I thoroughly spray down all the fruits and vegetables we eat, including potatoes, and then rinse them in cold tap water. There's no taste of vinegar left behind and I've read that it kills 99% of bacteria on the food. You can use it on salad greens, berries, anything.

I even pour a half cup or so of vinegar into my washing machine sometimes when I've got some bibs or baby clothes that are smelling a little rank and they come out super fresh. It's also great for getting the musty smell out of towels and bed linens. And, again, there's no vinegar odor left behind as you long as it's rinsed!

What's your favorite chemical-free kitchen product?

My Favorite Views at the End of the Day

Y'all, I am tired. Like almost all the time. My last blog post about weathering the hard days drew some really awesome comments and emails and I'm so glad that I can keep it real with you guys. Because that's the whole point. My fellow quad mom, Becky, just recently blogged about the truth of it all when it comes to raising multiples. We don't have it all together. No mom does! Some may come close but every mom, every parent, has their faults. Their breaking points. Their days that they just don't do it well. Blogging is great for sharing the good moments, the positive things, a place to post about what makes you happy. And I definitely like to throw in a good dose of "keeping it real" now and then, too.

This is how my babies look quite often...

...and this is how I look at the end of a typical day. I know, tell me about it.

Having quadruplets is no walk in the park. I rarely look good during the day and I'm constantly sweating from running around cramming laundry into the washer, trying to write articles for work from my kitchen island, throwing together last minute meals and often being on the verge of breaking out into tears or sighs because I'm so tired and overwhelmed. I have a lot of hard days. A lot. My feet hurt so bad at the end of the day sometimes it's hard to walk. Sure, there are a lot of great moments that make it all worthwhile, as I mentioned in my previous post. But do not be fooled! I'm working my ass off to keep it together the best I can every single day. So in that same train of thought, here's some of my absolute favorite views at the end of a very long day with four 20-month-olds. :)

The kids on their way up to the stairs. This means my day is nearly done and they're about to go to bed!

A glass of wine, fresh flowers and candles always make me happy. In this case, tonight included a sweet treat of red velvet cake to go with my red velvet wine. Delish.

The husband and I make it a priority to spend some time together nearly every evening. It's usually on the couch with our favorite shows and we love it. Tonight's episodes are from Elementary and Chicago PD.

A turned-down bed with fresh sheets spritzed with a lavender chamomile aromatherapy spray. I hurriedly put the new linens on our bed tonight in between cleaning up the kids rooms before we brought them upstairs and I'll appreciate my efforts so much when I sink into those good-smelling sheets tonight.

And those are some of my favorite things to see at day's end! I think it's really important to carve out a few minutes for yourself or have a little something to look forward to. Whether it's wine, cake, a TV show, a hot shower with a new body scrub, something. Anything. 

I read this article to the husband the other day and it really struck a chord with us. It's so true about how parents feel the complete range of emotions on a daily basis. Especially when you're at home with your kids all day! It helps to invest in each other and asking the right questions and sharing your emotions is a great way to connect when you feel like you're surrounded by chaos.

No one's perfect, I'm sure not. And boy, some of my days lately have been very trying! But I'll just keep trudging along one day at a time and wait for the clearing in the fog when I can regain my ground. Thanks for sharing in that journey with me. :)

Keeping My Calm!

I'm sitting at my computer at the desk in my room, drinking my second cup of hot tea (Celestial's Sleepytime) with Champagne-scented candles burning and the lights dimmed. It sounds blissful, but it's literally everything I can do to try and relax right now. The husband just got back in town this morning from an overnight work trip and had to go straight to the office, where he's also working late tonight. The last few days have been really hard, in fact the last week or so has been hard. I feel like some of the days lately have been so hectic and non-stop and it's everything I can do to keep up!

Teething is largely to blame. It's killing me. Slowly and painfully. With a vengeance. One kiddo will be miserable all day—crying, clingy, unable to be satisfied. But then once that magical moment comes that they improve or the Advil kicks in and they feel better, another one bites the dust. And so it continues day in and day out right now, constantly! Silence has been something completely non-existent. I didn't realize just how much I missed the quiet until I was in the car headed to a doctor's appointment this morning. Although that appreciation was momentarily ruined by a pounding headache that came on, likely from the four hours of sleep I got last night. Harrison woke up with teething pain and once I got him situated Trystan woke up (a rare occurrence) and I had to rock her for awhile. Once she was quiet again, Kailey woke up and then Harrison woke up twice more after that. I didn't even close my eyes for the first time until 2:30am. Thankfully, those kind of nights are few and far between but when they come, they floor me. A night of sleep deprivation is really hard-hitting these days. And then I think back on those first few months with the babies and the severe lack of sleep we endured on a daily basis and wonder how in the hell we survived!?

And don't even get me started on working from home. I've been trying to write some articles for a book on Texas weddings and most of my sentences come out jarbled and dry. Then when I do hit a good streak, it's immediately interrupted by someone shrieking from the play room because Oh my gosh, someone took my ball and I don't want any of the other 48 balls in the room, I want that one!

Fortunately there are a few moments in each day that seem to salvage the chaos. Like the moment when I realize I've got the latest episode of Nashville on the DVR and can actually watch it because everyone actually went to sleep for nap time. Or the moment I decide today is simply not a good day to do laundry and it can wait until tomorrow. Or the moment my nanny or my mom and step-dad are here and I realize I can go to Target and roam the aisles or throw on a sweat shirt and enjoy a quick pedicure. Or when my sister comes by after work for a visit and spends time playing with my kids. Or the moment the day is officially done (like right now) and it's time to kick back and relax for an hour or two with the husband. Who I'm hoping is here very soon.

I also need to extend a heartfelt thanks to my mom and step-dad for helping pick up the slack while said husband was out of town, as well as my friend, Jo Ann. Sweet people sure do make life a whole lot easier and good moments make the craziness a little less insane.