Our favorite, one pot DIY Ramen Bowls

This recipe is always on standby at our house for when we are tired of the usual or want something that feels special, without the time special normally takes. 

            

It is simple, quick and always a pleaser because everyone can build their bowl exactly as they please. It’s a recipe that takes your every day I stand noodle pack and makes it a little more bougie. ;) 

Here’s what you need to get started: 

(serves 4 as is)

•4 packages of Instant Ramen Noodles (any flavor will do because you won’t be using the seasoning packet)

•48 oz. beef broth 

•2 cups water 

•1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs, sliced into strips (we prefer the garlic herb pre seasoned breasts from Walmart)

•4 eggs, boiled and peeled (we LOVE using our Instant Pot to “boil” ours while I work on the rest of the recipe 

•2 cups chopped Kale 

•3 tbl. Soy sauce to taste 

•2 tbl. Chopped garlic  (or more to taste)

•1 tbl. Grated fresh ginger (a must! Don’t skip this step! It really adds so much goodness!)

Additional ingredients we like to add in to customize our bowls:

Sliced mushrooms

Limes, quartered 

Green onions, sliced 

Kimchi (found in the refrigerated produce section at your grocery store- just try it!)

Sriracha or red chili flakes for spice

To begin, use a non-stick, deep pan or pot to cook your chicken. You’ll use the same pot/pan to make your broth, so you want it at least a few inches deep. 

If using pre-seasoned garlic herb chicken, cook as is. If not, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, cook until done and then set aside. 

In the same pan, on medium heat, sauté your garlic in a tbl. of olive oil until fragrant. Add soy sauce and stir. Pour in beef broth and water and stir to combine. Bring to a rolling boil and then add the noodles only from your instant ramen packages. (Save the seasoning packets for another day).

As your noodles cook in your broth, chop your mushrooms, kale, limes, and green onions and set aside. I will put all the add ins, boiled eggs included, on a plate for presentation or, if I’m wanting to keep things simple, it all stays on the cutting mat. I’ll also set our soy sauce (Because my husband always wants extra) and the kimchi. If you’ve never tried kimchi, give it whirl. I didn’t for years and regret all that lost time with this probiotic powerhouse. Our whole family loves it for a crunchy, slightly spicy, zesty addition. 

            

Once noodles are almost done, add in the kale and simmer on low until tender. Hate kale? Skip this step or throw another leafy green in it's place. It's a great boost of vitamins and texture.

Grate in fresh ginger (seriously, it makes all the difference- grab a small piece in the produce section, peel the skin off and grate the inside “meat”) 

Now you’re ready to serve! I totally failed you here by not taking a picture of our bowls all together and prettied up with a slew of toppings, but.... we dove in too fast to snap one. 😂

I spoon broth and the noodles into a bowl and pass off to my fam for them to build the rest as they please! Each person gets to create their bowl exactly as they’d like which means no complaints to the chef, because they are the chef! 😉 Your family can add exactly what they want from your chopping board to their bowl and create their own masterpiece. 

If you give our recipe a try, we’d love to hear what you added to yours and what your fam thought! Happy eating! 

Boredom Busters for kids & teens

Whether it's because you're forced to stay home during a pandemic or 

are trying to survive Summer break, keeping kids occupied can definitely be tricky.

As we navigate this season of being home, I want to be mindful in helping keep us all healthy, both physically and mentally. My girls are missing weeks of schooling & are out of their normal routine, but that doesn't mean all heck should break loose. 

It would be easy to be lazy and fall into a funk that would then be hard to come out of once things get back to normal. Not just for them, but myself as well.

  Since I still have a business to run, a team to lead and home to take care of while we are self-quarantined,  I can't constantly be guiding every moment of their days, so today, I sat down and created a list of activities to keep them busy, entertained, inspired and moving. 

Each category lists some ideas to go with, but I will also encourage them to think outside the box and see what else they can come up with. 

Each day, they'll pick something to do from all 6 categories. They can choose how much time they spend on each thing (no minimum or limit), but they have to do something from all 6. I'll be doing it with them, although my activities may be a bit different, I think the balance of the 6 will help me keep my sanity as well. ;) 

There will be a "prize" at the end of the week if they complete all 6 every day. It may be a favorite treat, their pick of meal or movie, or something else that makes them feel rewarded for keeping their brains busy.

Feel free to use this for your own family! You'll find a PNG  file below, as well as, a PDF printable version just below that. Be sure to come back and leave a comment sharing what you're doing with your Boredom Buster list. I'd love to know what activities, projects or other fun things you and your family do with it!

Stay home and stay healthy! - Amanda

Printable PDF Version

When the right-brain gets it wrong.

It's the first day of a new year, a new decade and I find myself with an intense urge to write.
But there is a problem.
I have no idea what to write about.
In this moment, just the feeling over my fingers sliding across the keys at 100 miles a minute (backspaces for corrections included), is good enough.
Good enough for me anyway, but for you, the reader, it's probably seeming pretty lame.
The thing is, I constantly feel the need to create.
Whether it's through words or actions or crafting or cooking or.... it's always there.
Always this push to make something better than it was before or make something new or plan.
Like some weird creative addict looking for a fix, I didn't realize it was so much a part of who I was until the last few weeks.

We went into our holiday season with a big trip planned. A Disney Cruise and it was awesome (even with the crummy weather).
 I worked getting gifts bought and wrapped, loose ends tied up, my kids situated with school stuff and our house in order before we left. I wanted to come back to quiet and calm and rest as we entered the week of Christmas and subsequently, the New Year. No to do lists, nothing to finish up. Just time to enjoy the holidays.

But the second we were back, I became restless.
As we went through family gatherings and did all the normal Christmas activities and traditions, it lurked even still.
That restlessness turned into aimlessness.
The aimlessness into frustration and a general BLAH-ness.
Not depression, because that is a BIG word I have walked through before so I NEVER use is to describe moments of blah, but just a general "what's next?" feeling with no direction. Much like this post started with.

What I do know is that next week, the girls will go back to school and "normal" life will pick up once again. There will be needs needing met and projects come up that need done. There will be moments of inspiration that fuel crazy dreams causing me to non-stop think or work on them until they're done.
It's inevitable. It WILL happen. And I will love it. I'll eat it up,  it will consume me, I'll over commit and spend nights lying awake while I map whatever the newest thing is in my head. It's what I do. It's a part of who I am. Who God has (quite) uniquely designed me to be.

But why can't I do that now? In this blah, blank space between seasons?

Because I asked God for time of rest.
And He gave it to me.
And I've been fighting it.
Wait.
What?
BOOM!
Did you catch that?

All that ranting I did before about feeling restless and aimless and not having anything to do... I ASKED for! I asked God before we left for our trip for a time of peace and rest and calm and time to "gather" myself as we step into the next season.

And then as gracious as God was to grant it, I, in my always need to be busy self, totally wished it away and didn't even take time to SEE what I was being given.

Something we all do far too often in so many things if we are honest.
Asking God to move, Him granting our heart's desires and then we just stand there like "now what?"

So God and I had a chat today. I apologized and asked for Him to continue to teach me how to find stillness. That, even in his design of who I am to always be creating, I don't miss the opportunities to just be. To enjoy the moments of not necessarily being needed instead of counteracting those moments by finding something to do so I feel valuable, useful, worthy?

Because is that really what this boils down to? Do I need to create so I feel worthy? There is a whisper that says yes, but I pray it isn't true. Regardless, I don't want that ever to be what I become, so maybe it's okay to recognize it and get it handled. I want the crazy creative brain of mine and willing to work hands to always be doing and moving how God intends for them to do and move.
Even if that means sometimes that they are both totally still.

So I guess I did figure out something to write today. It's scrambled and silly and self reflective and totally a right brain way to write I guess, but instead of just deleting it, my guess is there is someone else like me, out there, who needs to hear the same words.

That rest is ok.
That being still is ok.
That letting your mind and hands take a break is ok.

Even if it feels blah or restless or uneasy for a minute.

Because for you, for I, to be able to continue to serve the way God has designed us to serve, we HAVE to be able to take those moments, sit in them fully, and prepare ourselves for what's next.

2020, you're what's next.
I'm ready.


And as a bonus- this...
because it's hilarious and 100% accurate