Indian Spiced Chicken and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I recently discovered Pinterest. People had been telling me about it so I finally checked it out, and now I'm hooked. For those who don't know, Pinterest is basically an online bulletin board that you can share with friends. You can have as many pin-boards as you want with all different categories. You pin pictures you like that link back to their original source. And boy, oh boy, does this thing appeal to my mildly-OCD **cough** organization-obsessed self. Not surprisingly, my biggest board is "recipes to try." Homemade pop-tarts! Stuffed zucchini! Cookie dough party dip!

In all my pinning and linking and exploring and salivating and staying up until after midnight reading recipes, I've come across some really cool sites. My all time favorite kept me occupied for way too many hours last night. And I think I've developed a case of blog envy. This envy has several levels, too. There's the "How come my food pictures don't turn out as pretty as that?" level. There's the "I wish I had the time to cook stuff like that!" level. There's the really embarrassing "My blog will never be that popular" level. Sigh.

One of the things I had to learn (and am still learning) as a new mom was how to be content with how things were. For someone as OCD and organized as I am, having a child who didn't hit his milestones "on time" was a lesson in growth. Did I want him to sleep through the night sooner than 6 months old? Yes. Did I wish his naps were longer than 45 minutes? Yes. Did I read everything and do everything I could to achieve those goals? Yes. Did it work? Um, no. And I learned to just let that be ok. Life is so much more enjoyable when you just accept that some things won't change, and enjoy what you have. I did, and do, and am.

I guess contentment is something I need to learn in other areas, too, huh?

Spiced Indian Chicken

(adapted from Food.com's recipe)

~ 2 tablespoons of olive oil

~ 3 cloves of minced garlic

~ 2 teaspoons of paprika

~ 1 teaspoon of coriander

~ 1 teaspoon of ginger

~ 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

~ 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

~ 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

~ 1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper

~ 1/2 teaspoon of curry

~ 3 chicken breasts, cut into strips

Pre-heat oven to 400. Spray cooking oil on a glass plan lay chicken strips inside. Mix all remaining ingredients thoroughly, then brush half the mixture onto the chicken. Bake for 10 minutes, flip chicken strips, and brush with remaining mixture. Bake 10 more minutes or until center is no longer pink.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Butternut Squash

I didn't measure any of the spices, so add them to taste.

~3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes.

~1/2 a butternut squash, baked and pureed (you can skip this - I did it because I had extra and it was yummy)

Around 1/4 teaspoon of each, to taste:

~curry

~ginger

~cinnamon

~coriander

~pepper

~paprika

~1/3 stick of butter

Boil sweet potatoes until they can be mashed easily with a spoon. Drain them, then mash with a potato masher for chunkier potatoes, or with a hand mixer for creamier potatoes. Add butternut squash and butter, stirring until butter is melted. Add spices to taste.