Good afternoon all!  I would like to start out apologizing for my absence.  The snow we are getting here in the Northeast has turned our lives upside down.  Some days, the logistics of navigating a city with 4’ of snow is exhausting.

I’m happy to say that, in my absence, we have survived another oncology appointment with a clean bill of health.  We are adjusting to a winter season of our new “normal”.  Other survivor spouses out there know that there is a new normal for everything.

This year, I have noticed that I appreciate the life that I have a lot more than I used to.  I appreciate that the stolen moments alone with my husband, even though they are few and far between in our busy life.  I see how much our daughter, who will be twelve in a few weeks, is growing into a beautiful young lady.  I even appreciate the joys of potty training our almost 3 year old son.  Who would have thought anyone would find happiness in that?

Aside from the pleasure I’m finding in the mundane, I am pleased to be able to tell you that our family is continuing our successful quest to live a healthier life.  I am cooking almost every day.  We are making much better choices on the rare occasions when we dine out.  We are using our YMCA membership regularly.  So far, I have lost 10 lbs. and my husband has lost 15 lbs. Disclaimer:  I started out much lighter than my husband and all of my fitness savvy friends tell me that the more you weigh, the easier it is to lose.

In addition to the obvious benefits of looking and feeling better, we have discovered a perk that we had not anticipated.  We have found another way to bond with our children.  Our daughter is a competitive swimmer, as we both were at her age.  She loves spending an hour with one of us in the pool…and has even beaten me in races more often than I care to admit.

Our son loves to sit in his stroller while we walk or run in the neighborhood.  Admittedly, we haven’t been doing much of that lately, but the weather has to get better sometime, right?

Lately, I’ve been cooking in the crockpot a few nights a week.  The cold weather makes me crave stews and I love way it makes the house smell for the whole day.  This weekend, we had one of my favorite new recipes.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Winter Comfort Chicken Stew

1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 lbs. butternut squash, cut into cubes

1.5 cups of fresh cranberries (our grocery store has them year round in the frozen fruit section. Just thaw them out.)

1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

1 white onion, thinly sliced

1 cup of low sodium chicken broth

2 Bay leaves

2 tsp. Herb de Provance

I always start by spraying my crockpot with non-stick spray.  It saves time on clean up.

Place the cubed butternut squash in the crockpot.  Place chicken on top of squash.  Add 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp. of the Herb de Provance.  Add the cranberries, apple, onion and remaining spices.  Pour chicken broth over the top and cover.

Cook on high for 2 hours and low for 1 ½ hours.  I serve this with roasted red potatoes, but it would be great over rice too.

See you all soon!