Well guys, I took it easy all weekend long and it was so nice (and needed!)
I’ve still been feeling pretty tired, groggy and “out of it” ever since my weird migraine experience…not to mention nauseous and grody from the pregnancy. Blah.
Ya, I’m kind of hatin’ it right now. 🙂 I spent most of my weekend just like this….
It was nice and I know my body (and mind!) benefited greatly from the R&R.
I’ve been taking an anti-nausea medication (Zofran) that my doc prescribed me and it’s been helping quite a bit. It doesn’t make me feel 100% awesome, but it definitely takes the edge off! However, I read that some of the side effects are fatigue, weakness and dizziness. Soooo, I’m not sure if my “weirdness” is from my migraine, medication or pregnancy!
Probably all of the above!
But, despite all of my issues, I still feel pretty decent for the most part. I did a killer workout from home today and it seriously kicked my can! I’ll share the details with y’all soon. It was wonderful.
On Friday night, Kev and I went to see the movie Saving Mr. Banks. It was a darling show and so well done. Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks were both marvelous. For those of you that don’t know, it’s basically the story of how Disney made the movie Mary Poppins. It was so cute.
On Saturday night, we decided to take the kids out to dinner. I pretty much spent most of Saturday chillin’ at home, so I really wanted to get out of the house for a bit. I also didn’t feel like cooking anything, so we took the kids to Pizza Pie Cafe and it was great! I had a coupon too…score!
Pizza Pie Cafe is basically an All You Can Eat pizza, pasta and salad buffet. It really tasted good to me. I started out with a small salad…
Then I had some spinach fettuccine with some Alfredo and marinara sauce and a couple slices of pizza.
That pasta tasted so good to me! Oh, and yes if you think I look like a giant frump and totally out of it, it’s because I WAS! I probably shouldn’t have even gone out in public looking like that.
Yes, I felt pretty nasty. Pizza and pasta are good food for the soul though! I also had a small piece of brownie pizza for dessert too. I really loved Pizza Pie cafe. Oh, and the kids loved it too…
They wanted to sit at their own table because it was in a cute little nook. Kev and I sat at a table right next to them.
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Yesterday, I took my little three year old cutie to McDonalds for lunch. It was the first day back to school for all the big kids, so when he asked if we could go to “McDonalds had a farm,” I just couldn’t say no.
Sooooo, we had a fun time chillin’ out together. Once again, nothing sounded good to me so I just ordered a small cheeseburger and shared some fries with my baby. It tasted surprisingly good to me.
Just so ya know, I’ve still been eating pretty well for the most part despite my McDonalds and Pizza Pie food. I’m eating random things at random times of the day, but I’m trying to keep it as healthy as possible. I’m also trying not to eat too much!
I’ve found when I eat too much, I feel absolutely disgusting. I feel much better if I just snack on small things throughout the day.
I also made a yummy comfort food meal last night that I want to share. It was for Chicken Broccoli Divan and it turned out so good! Most of my kids liked it too!
I found a recipe on All Recipes.com that inspired me, but I added a bunch of spices and other ingredients to it and made it healthier too! It’s definitely a keeper.
Chicken Broccoli Divan
- 2 pounds frozen broccoli; cooked
- 3 cups chicken; cooked and chopped
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup (I made my homemade version!)
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 cup light sour cream or non-fat Greek yogurt (I used half of each)
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- extra shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- dash of black pepper
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs or crackers**
**I made my own breadcrumbs by combining 2 pieces of toast, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon dried parsley in my mini food processor (you could use a blender too.)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook and chop broccoli. Cook and chop chicken. I chopped them both in my food processor and it was so easy.
Make sauce by combining Cream of Chicken soup (I used my homemade recipe), milk, sour cream/yogurt, cheese and spices.
Place chicken and broccoli in a 9×13 pan. Add sauce and mix thoroughly. Top with breadcrumb mixture and extra cheese (if desired.)
Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes until bubbly and lightly brown. We served ours with some mixed fruit and it tasted so good to me!
I really loved this recipe and it was pretty quick to make, especially if you use leftover cooked chicken (I always have a stash in my freezer.)
I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. Have a great night!
**Nutritional facts calculated using homemade Cream of Chicken soup and no extra cheese on top.
- Serves: 12
- Serving size: 1/12th of recipe
- Calories: 194
- Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 14
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 353
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 20
- Cholesterol: 48
- 2 pounds frozen broccoli; cooked
- 3 cups chicken; cooked and chopped
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup (I made my homemade version!)
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 cup light sour cream or non-fat Greek yogurt (I used half of each)
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- extra shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- dash of black pepper
- ¾ cup bread crumbs or crackers**
- **I made my own breadcrumbs by combining 2 pieces of toast, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon dried parsley in my mini food processor (you could use a blender too.)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Cook and chop broccoli. Cook and chop chicken.
- Make sauce by combining Cream of Chicken soup (I used my homemade recipe), milk, sour cream/yogurt, cheese and spices.
- Place chicken and broccoli in a 9×13 pan.
- Add sauce and mix thoroughly.
- Top with breadcrumb mixture and extra cheese (if desired.)
- Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes until bubbly and lightly brown.
The Vegan 8 says
I’m glad you are feeling better Melanie! Omg, zofran is the BEST anti-nausea medicine ever invented. That is what they give to chemo patients and I’ve had it a few times when I’ve been really ill with a stomach virus a couple times in the past… It’s the ONLY thing that would work. I’m not big on taking meds unless absolutely necessary, but sometimes you just need relief …and that stuff is awesome. Anyways, glad you are feeling better and again , so excited for you! 🙂 Cute pics, as always.
Melanie says
I’ve been very thankful for the Zofran too! I’ve only been taking it when I really really need it though. I’ll be so happy when this whole sick part is over….it is so not fun. 🙁
Tina@GottaRunNow says
I have some leftover roasted chicken that would be great in this recipe. Thanks for sharing the nutritional information. 20 grams of protein is a plus!
Melanie says
It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken! I hope you enjoy it. 😉
Alex @ Kenzie Life says
You’re already really beautiful but you definitely have that amazing pregnancy glow! All of your kids are adorable and I’m sure #6 won’t be any different 🙂 I don’t eat meat but that casserole looks really good! I love cheese and broccoli together–maybe I can sub some tofu in instead?
Melanie says
Thanks so much, you’re so sweet. I’m sure this casserole would be good with tofu too!
Davida @The Healthy Maven says
Glad to hear you’re feeling better! Man are your kids lucky to have such an amazing cook for a mom!
Melanie says
Awww, you’re so sweet. I’ll have to tell them you said that because most of the time I think they would rather I cook very simple, bland and boring things. 😉
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
Even though you were feeling down and out, is it weird that I wish I were chillin’ on the couch like you were in that photo – You look so comfortable, I want to do that right now! 🙂
Melanie says
It was actually quite nice! I’ve been trying to slow down a bit and have been appreciating the down time.
Kim says
You look better in that picture at the Pizza Pie than I look on a normal day!!! I hope that you can continue to take it easy when necessary and just relax as much as possible!!!
Lately I’ve been craving pasta – I think it’s the cold weather!!!
Melanie says
Ha ha ha, you’re so funny! Thanks. I really am trying to slow down and simplify life a bit. It’s been nice.
Ja @Ja on the RUN says
I love the combination of Chicken and brocolli! Will definitely make this!! 🙂
Melanie says
It’s one of my favorite combinations too! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 😉
Rushfit says
Melanie,
First, it sounds like you had a really enjoyable night out with your family and Pizza Pie café sounds really good and economical as well. Though I don’t have a Pizza Pie Café in my area we do have very similar restaurants here. Also the Chicken Broccoli Divan sounds (and looks) great! I will definitely have to try this. Thanks for such a great post!
Melanie says
Thanks! We did have a great time at Pizza Pie Cafe. It was so good and very kid friendly. We really enjoyed the casserole too. YUM!
Deborah says
Melanie, I really enjoyed reading your blog! I’m with Kim who wrote how good you looked when you were sick. I’d take that over how I look when I feel great! I am ashamed how much less energy I have than you also, when I only have two kids. You have inspired me to make your broccoli-chicken divan so I can copy something you’re doing and maybe improve myself. Glad you’re feeling better, I hope you’re 100% soon!
Melanie says
Thank you so much; you are so kind. I love kids so much, but I think even one kid is hard work! I’m sure your life is crazy with your two kids. I’ve definitely been slowing down quite a bit since I found out I was pregnant, but I’ve just been trying to take it a day at a time.
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero says
So sorry you are feeling badly. Hope you feel more like yourself again soon.
Melanie says
Thanks so much. I sure hope so too. 🙂
FitBritt@MyOwnBalance says
Oh man! I hope you feel better soon. Did you have sickness with all your children or is this new?
Melanie says
Yes, unfortunately I was sick just like this with all of my kids. It’s pretty much torture….but obviously so worth it!
Debbie@HealthyHappyFitandFine says
Glad you are feeling better. I’m going to try your homemade cream of chicken soup. So glad to have a healthier version to try!
Melanie says
Thanks so much! I love this homemade Cream of Chicken soup recipe and use it all the time. I hope you love it too!