So, I Got A Crockpot

Photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash

About two weeks prior to me writing this, it was my birthday. (Happy Birthday Me!) One of the gifts I received was a slow cooker and I finally got a chance to try it out. So, I went online, searched for some recipes and got started.

The recipe I decided to try out was for "Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Tortellini".

Ingredients
1 jar (24ish oz) of tomato basil pasta sauce
2 cups of chicken broth
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 20oz package of cheese-filled tortellini
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese or 4 oz of non-shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1. Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Mix pasta sauce, chicken broth and salt in cooker
3. Add chicken breasts to slow cooker and cover.
4. Cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours (or until juice of chicken is clear when cut)
5. Remove chicken from slow cooker and transfer to cutting board.
6. Stir tortellini into cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 15 minutes
7. While pasta cooks, cut chicken into strips or chunks (you can also shred it with a fork, if you want)
8. Top tortellini with chicken and then over chicken with mozzarella cheese.
9. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Verdict

I picked this dish because it sounded like something easy to make. While I've used a slow cooker before, I hadn't used this model before, which has different features than my mother's which is about 15 years old. This was also my first time cooking chicken in a slow cooker and I'm very paranoid about accidentally giving myself salmonella. 

All of that being said, this recipe was a pretty good choice as a "I need to test this out" recipe. I did put a little bit too much chicken stock in, because I wasn't paying attention, but overall, it tasted good. Will I make it again? I'm not sure, but at least I know how to use this device.

Here is a picture of the tasty fruits of my labors:

(While this was a post about cooking, I'm not going to suddenly turn into a cooking blog. I might post some cooking/food related content in the future, but it won't be on a regular basis. I just wanted to talk about my slow cooker adventure.) 

What's your opinion about slow cookers? Are there any recipes you'd recommend?

Five Habits I’m Hoping to Abandon in 2020

As the saying goes “New Year, New You”. As 2019 comes to a close, and what a year it’s been, I’ve started looking forward to the new year. I’m pretty sure everyone is and people have already started discussing their New Year’s Resolution. Personally, I never make a resolution. I’m not going to criticize anyone who sets a resolution, or any goal really, but that kind of thing never works for me. I set a resolution and if I fall behind or I mess up, I start beating myself up about the delay and/or setback and that causes me more stress than fulfilling the resolution itself.

With all of that said, I’ve compiled a list of five behaviors or habits I’m trying to rid myself of in the coming year. I hope posting it on here, and doing check-ins every now and then will motivate me to actually stick with this.

5) Saying “No” Out of Fear

I mentioned in an earlier post that people don’t like change because its scary. I’m reluctant to try new things because they might not be fun or I might not be good at it. But, as you can probably see, there’s no way I can know until I try. This habit doesn’t just refer to say, learning how to rock climb, it also encompasses a habit I know I’m guilty of. If I’m invited to something, and I don’t think I’ll know enough other people there, I don’t go. Looking back at how many times I’ve sent the “sorry, something came up, I can’t come” text in the last few years makes me sad. How much time with my own friends have I missed out on because I’m scared of being awkward or not knowing many people? So, my aim in 2020 is to do less of that. To still go to the party, even if only two or three people I know are there. To actually go to that art class or on that trip.

4) Eating Unhealthy Foods

So, I kind of have a problem. I love junk food. I know pizza, Doritos and Oreos aren’t healthy for me, but I love them none the less. I also know that there are improvements to my diet I can, and should be making. Eating more vegetables and whole grains, trying to reduce the amount of sugar and saturated fats in my diet. I’m not planning on making any huge lifestyle changes, such as going vegan or cutting out all carbs, but I’m going to try and eat a little healthier in the new year. Less fast food, less red meat, less processed food, etc. I’m hoping this change might help improve my energy levels and reduce some other occasional issues I've been dealing with.

3) Holding Onto Anger

I’m a human being. We don’t always act rationally. When people wrong me, or anger me, I hold onto it. I know that’s not healthy. I acknowledge that its not healthy for me mentally. I don’t enjoy being angry all the time. So, I’m going to try not to be. Instead of focusing on how Person A cut me off in traffic, or a confrontation I had with Person B three days ago, I’m going to start learning how to let things go. After all, anger hasn’t helped me get anything constructive done in a long time.

2) Spending on Things I Don’t Need

I feel like this one is a no-brainer, but I’ll explain anyway. I’m in my 20s. I’m pretty much broke, as most people are in their 20s. However, I don’t want to stay broke. Part of this comes from having debt I’m paying off, or just not having enough savings. In order to build up your savings, though, you need to actually save. My hope is that in 2020, I’ll be a little bit wiser and be more fiscally responsible. I don’t need to order takeout as often as I do. I can bring lunch to work instead of buying it from the closest sandwich shop. Now, that’s not to say I won’t splurge occasionally, but I’m going to put a serious effort into reducing my day-to-day spending.

1) Procrastinating

At time of writing, it is December 23^rd. Christmas is in two days. I still haven’t finished my shopping. A lot of my day-to-day stress comes from the fact that I procrastinate. I convince myself I have way more time to finish something than I do, then I freak out when the deadline is right around the corner and spend more time worrying about getting the task done and the quality than it would have taken if I’d either completed it earlier, or slowly worked towards finishing. I feel that procrastinating less will hopefully make my 2020 less stressful.

Those are the habits I'm hoping to abandon in 2020. Wish me luck!