Braised Chicken in Arugula Cream

So my hubby has one of his late nights at work today so it's just me and the baby for dinner. I had a whole chicken that needed to be used up ASAP so I found this great recipe: Braised Chicken in Arugula Cream

From the title, I was worried that it might be a bit labor intensive - which is tough when I only have two hands and the baby usually has dibs on them. Thankfully, it's a pretty easy recipe (and the baby went down for a nap, hooray!).

Use skin on, bone in chicken thighs, drumsticks and breasts. Pre-heat the oven to 425. Heat an oven safe skillet or dutch oven on the stove top with a little bit of olive oil.

Sear the chicken in batches, skin side down. Place them on a plate once they're browned.

Drain the fat from the skillet and add in two cloves of minced garlic and a shallot. Saute for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add one cup of chicken broth and put the thighs and drumsticks back into the skillet and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes are up, add one cup of cream and the chicken breasts and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.

Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through and transfer to a plate.

Put the skillet with the remaining liquid back onto the stove top and reduce until you have about one cup left.

Put the liquid in a food processor and add one bunch of arugula, roughly chopped. Puree until smooth. You can add 2 tablespoons of butter if you like.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper and serve over the braised chicken.

Pair with rice, boiled potatoes or white beans and shallots.

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Fall Trend: Military Jackets

I was window shopping at the mall yesterday and saw this awesome jacket at Banana Republic. The military look is so in this fall and I'm loving it!

I was inspired to create an outfit featuring this awesome jacket. What do you think? Would you wear this?

Military Jacket ensemble by bekagirl32 featuring high heel pumps

I'm baaaack....

I know, it's been a while since I last wrote. It's been a long few months full of change and growth. My little dude had his first birthday!

Since then, we've experienced walking, weaning, molars, solid foods, running, climbing, words, tantrums and all around adorableness. My sister-in-law who has been staying with us and helping out with the baby and housework has started a full time job outside of the house which means more responsibility is on my shoulders. I don't mind taking care of the house, the baby and working from home part time, but it doesn't leave time for too much else! I think I'm finally hitting a good groove where I'm not just trying to keep my head above water.

One of my last posts was about my success with the Trim Healthy Mama diet. My total loss was 30 lbs, 10 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight! Hooray! I feel very happy in my own skin. I think some women find themselves unhappy with their post pregnancy bodies, but it's been very liberating for me. I'm amazed that my body was able to grow another human so now I revel in all my imperfections - it may not be my ideal in all aspects, but gosh darn it, it's pretty amazing!

Playing off my success with weight loss, I've gotten hooked on a fashion app, Poshmark. It's been pretty amazing to be able to sell off some of my old clothes and buy new stuff. Once I depleted my own closet, I've had a great time shopping sales and consignment stores for items to sell. I'm not trying to make a lot of money on this as a side business, mostly it's just a couple dollars profit, but the enjoyment of being able to shop for clothes and basically get paid for it is really great! Cue my new fashion obsession....J. Crew!

At a local consignment store, I've come across a lot of gems for myself too. One being the J. Crew Swiss Dot Tippi sweater.

Swiss Dot Tippi by janrussell featuring Kate Spade

Gorgeous!! And best yet? It retails for $138 and I paid a measly $12 for it!