Tom Kha Yum! Crockpot Thai Cococut Chicken Soup

I was looking to change up my go-to chicken noodle soup recipe and found this super easy recipe for Thai Chicken Noodle Soup. After a pretty tasty trial run, I made some even yummier adjustments and came up with my fav version of a Thai Coconut Soup.  ps. a 1 1/2 cup is only around 250 calories. Cheers!

Thai Coconut Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 organic boneless chicken breasts
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 stalk lemon grass, minced OR 1" piece fresh ginger, grated
• 8 cups organic chicken stock
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2-3 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos OR low-sodium soy sauce OR fish sauce
• 8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 4 ounces brown rice noodles
• pinch Sea salt to taste
• a few pinches red chili pepper flakes
• 1/2 jalapeno, finely sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• fresh lime wedges
• 1/4 cup cilantro

In a 4 quart slow cooker, cover chicken with garlic and lemon grass. Add chicken stock, Liquid Aminos, and coconut milk. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is very tender.

Remove chicken from the crockpot 30 mins before serving. Shred with a fork, then return chicken to crockpot. Add mushrooms and rice noodles. Cook for 30 mins, until the noodles are soft. Add salt and red pepper to taste.

Serve topped with bell pepper, jalapeno slices, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and cilantro.

Orgasms and Elbow Room

"Are you sure you're not just afraid? Afraid of getting hurt?"

I'm 1000 percent sure. In fact I'm so completely sure that I could've walked out his front door right then and never looked back. Leaving at that particular moment would've cost me fabulous reunion sex 20 years in the making. But that's how sure I am. I wasn't mad at him for asking the same tedious questions that I've been asked countless times before. The supposition is always the same. Why would a perfectly 'available' and seemingly well-adjusted women, or man for that matter, choose singledom over a committed relationship? Why couldn't he be THE guy that made me change my wanton ways? Why won't I settle down?

5 Types of Guys to Avoid Like the Plague

Face it ladies, online dating is here to stay. Me being me, I dove in head first, eyes closed shortly after my divorce.  In the immortal words of Yoda, "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try". I didn't just try online dating, I ate it for breakfast. 

Being new to the digital world of dating, the learning curve was pretty steep. And by steep, I mean a sheer cliff overlooking the dark abyss of bad date purgatory. Lucky for me I'm a quick learner. Once I got the hang of it, online dating was fun and proved to be a great way to meet new people. Whether you're looking for your one true love or just want to hook-up with a few Mr. Right-Nows, online dating can be a whole lot of fun and the best way to get out there and mix it up.

Guns Do Kill People and Other Obvious Thoughts From a True-Blue Conservative

If you must label me, you'd think of me as a Libertarian.  I'm an Originalist in terms of our Constitution, meaning I believe in interpreting the Constitution with original intent in mind while carefully and thoughtfully considering the times in which we live (ie. slavery may have been all well and good in 1787, but it doesn't quite go over in 2013).

I passionately believe that less government is best government. And I firmly support our right to bear arms, as well as any other right afforded to us as US citizens. I have been a card carrying member of the NRA. Not to mention, my girls have been trained on proper firearm usage and go to the gun range on a regular basis.

Dating After Heartbreak

Trust me... it does get better.

Dating after a tough breakup can be about as much fun as having a root canal while undergoing laser hair removal. But it doesn't have to be. I've been through the trenches and have some real life tips to help you enjoy dating again and feel stronger than ever. Really!

The last thing you need is sugar-coated advice on "how to get over your man in 3 easy steps." I get it. No sugar coating here. Only real deal advice, forged in the fire of down and dirty life experience. I've been there more than my fair share of times. Not in a Taylor Swift sort of way, but you get the picture. After my divorce, I thought I'd never want to date again. Date was truly a four letter word in my book and the thought of online dating made me queasy.

Not that I didn't like men or sex. Fact is, I really like men and sex. I mean who doesn't want amazing sex and fabulous companionship all wrapped up in a handsome package? I just didn't know how the heck to get myself out there again. And honestly, I felt less than confident about my dating mojo. I know you can relate. No matter how a relationship ends, your confidence is shaken. 

4 Post-Break-Up Confidence Boosters

"When life hands you lemons, make a lemon-tini."

That's my motto. I know breakups are never fun. But after you do the hard work of getting through it, it's your time to shine. All you need is a little polish! Here are 4 sure-fire ways to get your groove back.

Get back on your feet

"What defines you isn't how many times you crash but the number of times you get back up." - Sarah Dessen.

Sarah knows her stuff. There's no time like the present to change your Facebook status back to Single and loving it. Don't let that old baggage drag you down one more day. I know it's hard to click on that drop-down menu and hit 'Single', but you've got this.

10 Lessons I've Learned from Past Relationships

Why learn the hard way when you can learn from the comfort of your iPad? Easier said than done right? I wish I took my own advice sooner rather than later. After years of breakups that could rival Kim Kardashian's ex-list, I hope I've learned a thing or two.

My mom left when I was fairly young, so most of the dating advice I got from my dad sounded like this, "don't do it." Whatever 'it' is, just don't. And when my little 4th grade heart was broken for the very first time by David D, my loving but not so tactful dad said,  

"Stop crying like a little girl. You're better than him, now go play."

Thirty years later, I can see with an experienced heart just how spot on that advice really was. And experience has a way of teaching us lessons that we refuse to learn any other way.

An open letter to Jon Hamm's penis

Dear Jon Hamm's Penis,

I think it's high time to tell your main man to pull up his big girl panties and stop cryin' over all the attention you're getting. You're obviously fabulous. He's obviously green with envy and green's not his color. And hey, it's not like he's not benefiting from your studliness. I mean really, are there any men out there that are sympathizing with your man right now? Nope. Nada. Zilch. That would be none.


So my question to you is, is he really that private about his privates? Mr. Penis I think not. You know what I think? I think he's a little squeamish about being objectified. And for the record, women know a thing or two about body part objectification. And we're not impressed by Jon acting like a little girl. I would go so far as to say, it's kind of a turn off. And that my friend is not good for you. Whining is never an aphrodisiac. Good luck with that Mr. Fabulous.

Signed,
a woman that used to think JH was hot

Reference article: Slate.com

How Sixteen Candles Ruined My Life

Let’s get this out of the way first, shall we? My love life isn’t exactly considered mainstream or even acceptable in some polite conversations. You won’t go to your local Cineplex and see the latest "it" girl starring in a heartwarming Hollywood rom-com with my name on it anytime soon. The crazy part? There is a happy ending, several in fact! But my happy endings aren't exactly the formulaic ones we were brainwashed with as sweet little girls. The crazier part? My happy endings just might be your happy beginnings.

(Not) The Biggest Loser-White House Salad

 

YUMMY!

My inspired version: I don't know about you, but I've seen this salad recipe everywhere. Rumor has it 'no one can get enough of the original version'. Not that it's not tasty. I mean who can say they know better than a White House chef how to make an amazing salad? It's like telling Wolfgang Puck, "Who needs your pizza, I got this". Still me being me, I thought I could yummify it. So my daughter and I did a little experimenting and came up with our 'Not' Biggest Loser-White House Salad. It's pretty spectacular if I do say so myself. The best part is you can toss in any fresh veggies that you have on hand and it's always fabulous. This is by far our FAV salad recipe!