The domestication of Jill Smith

Tonight I cooked baked chicken. Pretty much my staple when it comes to cooking. In college I would always bake frozen chicken drenched with Italian dressing for an hour and a half at 375 (take off the tin foil with 30 minutes left to let it brown). Ben has been over that for a while now.

Since I have been home on maternity leave (in the afternoons specifically), I have had an overwhelming desire to be a domestic goddess. I have been cleaning and organizing the areas in the house that I wanted to while I was preggers but just didn't have enough energy. The kitchen counter has been cleared off every day this week when Ben got home from work (trust me, this is a BIG deal. Especially to Ben)! I even vacuumed most of the rooms in the house on Friday. Again, a big deal to have the house this presentable when we aren't presenting to people for a party or other social function.

Early this week I decided to get organized. I wrote out a schedule for the week where I listed my plans for breakfast, dinner, and a specific chore for the day. I figured this way I would ensure Cadence was getting a balanced diet, would be able to use some of the food and meat that has just been sitting in the freezer, and feel a sense of accomplishment around the house since I am not working.

Breakfast was spot on most days, the fruit that I served with the grain changed a bit based on what I had leftover that was going bad or about to go bad.

I scheduled dinner to minimize difficulties with feeding Chloe, the pickiest diner on the planet. On Tuesday we did a kids eat free night out and Friday we had hot dogs and green beans! We ended up with leftovers on pork chop day (Ben was not thrilled with the breading I used) and ground beef day (one too many hamburgers). So I need to schedule a leftovers day or figure out how/when to eat them for lunch (I smell pork chops for Sunday lunch). At a minimum I was satisfied that when Ben got home each day dinner was either plated and ready to eat or ready shortly thereafter. Call me traditional, but I would love to stay home during the day and clean the house and prepare food for my family - at least for a few years.

For tonight's dinner, I baked chicken. I used a recipe that I had cut out of a newspaper a while back. Crunchy Onion Chicken. Yum. It was from a French's Friend Onion article. Somehow I always end up with extra crunchy onions after Thanksgiving, so I wanted a recipe that would use them. The chicken was delish! Ben even liked it - HOORAY! (There is nothing that bums me out more than when I cook and he doesn't like what I have prepared, boo-hiss).

I am hoping that I can keep up what I started this week, even when I return to work. Life is so much more smooth when I can stay organized! Ben's out of town this week so our dinners will include less stressful options for me: pizza, Taco Bell, and chicken nuggets (he is SO missing out).

Per Brian's request, here is the recipe - which can also be found directly on the French's Onion container:

Prep: 5 mins
Bake: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups French's Fried Onions (can be more for extra breading)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used two of the individually wrapped Costco breasts)
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1) Crush - Friend onions in a plastic bag with hands or rolling pin (I actually had a rolling pin! I know, I was shocked too!)
2) Dip chicken into egg. Coat in onion crumbs; press firmly to adhere.
3) Place chicken on baking sheet. (I used a square Pyrex sprayed with Pam). Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until no longer pink in center.

Makes 4 servings - or one husband who eats a lot and a wife and kid who just eat some.

Enjoy!