Hawaiian Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

I instagramed a picture of our dinner last night and decided to post the recipe since it is one of our favorite dishes and it is so easy to make. I don't really use exact measurements, but here is how I make it:

1 Lb (or more) of Chicken Breast Tenderloins
Flour
2 eggs
Olive Oil
1 Green Pepper
1 large can of Pineapple Chunks in juice

Sauce (I don't measure really, I just add amounts until it tastes good!):
about 1 1/2 cups of sugar 
1 1/2 cups of ketchup
2 TBS of soy sauce
1/4 cup of Pineapple Juice
a little more than half the bottle of apple cider vinegar 

Heat a pan or skillet to medium heat. Add the oil. Dip the chicken in egg and then coat in flour. Cook in pan until golden brown then transfer to a 9X13 baking dish. Once all your chicken is cooked, cut up your green bell pepper and saute in the leftover oil just to get the flavors out. Then put in the dish with the chicken. 
For the sauce: add the sugar, ketchup, soy sauce and pineapple juice. Whisk together until blended then start adding your vinegar. Now like I said, I don't use exact measurements, I keep adding until I get the flavor I want. I like to use apple cider vinegar because it is a bit sweeter and less intense then regular vinegar, but if you like strong vinegar flavor then use whatever kind you like. Pour your sauce over the chicken, making sure it gets well coated. Then add the pineapple chunks on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes then serve over hot rice ( like to butter the rice to add some savor in it). SO DELICIOUS! I would say this could feed a family of 4. We always have leftovers and it's still good when reheated!

Baby update and Spring Break!

Hello! So as most everyone knows, we found out last Monday that we are having a GIRL!!! Yay! So we both had the day off but our appointment wasn't until 2:30 so we had to occupy ourselves until then. We went to Ihop for breakfast and it ended up being super crowded and their kitchen was way behind. We didn't mind since we were trying to kill time but our poor stressed out waitress felt bad that we had to wait so long and I guess at one point they lost Jacob's order. So she didn't even charge us! Whoo hoo free breakfast! Then we decided to go and get Wreck it Ralph and then we took our car through the car wash and got it vacuumed. We went home to watch our movie and then it was finally time to go! I had to drink 20 oz of water beforehand so when we got to the office I was ready to pee my pants. I signed in and the office was packed so I knew it was going to be a while. I bounced around in my chair and I finally couldn't take it anymore, I asked the receptionist if I could just go to the bathroom a little bit because I was about to explode! Haha! She said that was fine. After we finally were called back. The tech started and we immediately saw her spine. She had her back to us and her legs crossed! Stinker! We couldn't see anything so the tech told me I could go and completely empty my bladder so I did gratefully! When I came back she had flipped around so she was facing us, but she had her legs crossed and pulled  up to her chest! No!  She was trying her best to keep her parts covered! Finally we poked her enough where she moved for a split second and we got a good look at what she was! A girl! We were so happy! After the ultrasound we had a Dr's appt. My Dr came in and told us everything looks good, heart rate and size were right on track, but then she told us since she was curled up so tightly they couldn't get a good picture of her heart or her brain. The Dr. wants me to go to a high risk pregnancy clinic to have a more in-depth ultrasound. Now when I heard the words "high risk" I started freaking out. Did she know something and wasn't telling us? I asked her if anything was wrong and she assured me it was just because they couldn't get a good picture. Well I felt a little better but still nervous. My appt is this Thursday and I am hoping all goes well and that she will cooperate too. 

Well onto spring break. Jacob really wanted to go to the Dunes so back in November we started planning a trip with my dad to the dunes to go riding. Well since I'm pregnant I can't ride the atv's but I went for the camping fun. We left on Tuesday and got back Thursday. It was so much fun! Jacob had a blast riding with everyone, my friend Shanae and her family were there as well and so were some other guys from our ward. I had fun sitting around relaxing and eating! By the way I have my appetite back! It's wonderful! I love camping. I want to go back when I'm not pregnant so I can ride! So that's how we spent our spring break. 

Let's see more updates . . . . I am feeling the baby move now! It's so exciting. It's just little flutters but she's definetly  moving now. She likes when I play music. I can eat again which I am so happy about, although there are still some foods that gross me out (like pickles! haha) I have been craving Big Macs (yes, specifically Big Macs) and sour candy. It's so nice to be able to eat again! Anyways, that's all the updates for now! Here are some pictures!

Baby girl!

 Jacob getting ready for a ride!

 Shanae!

 Dad cooking some breakfast

 campfire!

Catching up!

Hello! Whew I'm not very good at this whole blog updating thing. First off I'll update on the story of our pregnancy! Jacob and I found out on December 8th that we were expecting. We had not been planning this baby so we were quite surprised and of course excited. I had not been feeling well that past month but I had attributed it to the fact I was starting a new position at a new store and trying to find my place there. I was very stressed out so that's why I didn't suspect I was pregnant earlier. December 8th however was a really hard day, I had my last day of training in Scottsdale and the whole day I was feeling so tired and just not well. I came home and slept for like 3 hours and I woke up and I immediately had a random thought to take a pregnancy test. I thought that was a weird thought because I was pretty sure I was not pregnant. Jacob was in the front room studying for finals. I snuck into the bathroom and got one of the tests (we always keep a box of them just in case) I took the test and made the mistake of looking at it right away, there was already a positive sign forming. I started to get nervous and excited but  I told myself to wait the full 3 minutes because looking at it right away was not lucky. Well after pacing around the apartment for 3 minutes, I went to go look again. Positive. I then called Jacob to me and he thought I was calling him because there was a bug in the bathroom! haha! He came in and I pointed to the counter where the test was. He saw it was positive and he hugged me. We were so happy, but a little shell shocked because we had been planning on saving up more money before starting a family. But we are so grateful for this little blessing, and you know what? There is never a perfect time to have a baby so we know this baby will bring our family together. 
      I am now 14 weeks and in the 2nd trimester! Finally! I haven't vomited at all so far (fingers crossed!) but I have been very nauseous and barely able to eat anything. My doctor told me I need to gain some weight because I haven't gained any! It's actually harder than you think when the thought or smell of food makes you want to flee a room! I'm hoping now that I am in the 2nd trimester things will ease up on my stomach so I can fatten this baby up. 

     So what else is new? Well for our 2nd anniversary we went to San Diego for the weekend to enjoy some time away from school and work and we got to visit my sister and brother in law and my nephew Bradley! It was so relaxing. We didn't really plan anything, we just did whatever we wanted. On our anniversary, we spent the day at Sea World (we originally wanted to go to Disneyland, but fun rides are a no-no for preggo people) It was so fun because Jacob had never been and we had a blast walking around and going to the shows and even playing catch with dolphins!  

Right now we are just going to work and Jacob is going to school. I am not in school this semester because my new job is all the way out in queen creek and I work 9-10 hour days and that coupled with being pregnant would stress me out so my education is on hold right now. Jacob got me a DSLR camera for Christmas so I have been having fun learning how to use it! New hobby yay! Alright, I'll post some pics now! 

Conference, friends, and family!

So Jacob and I have been busy but we have had a lot of fun the past couple of months. We went to the Constitution fair in support of my father in law who is running for School Board! 

                                            We got to take pictures with Mitt Romney! Haha

      We were excited for Conference weekend so Jacob and I both requested the whole weekend off so we could enjoy it. The past couple years we have both worked and missed some sessions which was really sad. We both have been really stressed with school and work so we decided to treat ourselves and relax and enjoy ALL the sessions of Conference. It was wonderful. I also took a vacation day the Friday before so I had Friday-Sun off which was very relaxing. Friday is Jacob's short day at school so we got to be together all day and then that night we went to dinner with our wonderful friends Ammon and Brelynn and their adorable baby Ammely! We went to Texas Roadhouse which is sooo yummy! Rolls!!! It was so much fun, then we went back to their house and we hung out and talked and watched the Princess Frog and enjoyed some Apple to Apples fun and of course played with the baby :) We all decided to get back together Sunday morning to have breakfast and watch Conference. Saturday Jacob and I went to my parents house to watch Conference and my dad made us waffles and bacon! Yum! Then after the morning session, we all went to the baptism of Edna which was so amazing. Then back to my parents house for the afternoon session of Conference! Later that night Jacob and I just relaxed at home, enjoying the precious time we had with each other. During the week, we barely see eachother because our work and school schedules are completely opposite! It was a happy time to spend time with each other. Sunday we headed to Ammon and Brelynn's house and the boys cooked us breakfast! It was soo yummy!  Then we watched the morning session of Conference. I loved this whole weekend! It was so great to see friends, spend time with family and hear the messages from Conference! I can't wait for April when we have Conference again!

Ammon and Jacob. Best Friends! 

New semester, new car, new changes!

Whew! So it has been a busy month! The Fall semester started for us, it sucked because I got the flu! Yeah no fun! I had to  miss two days of work and it was not the best way to start off the semester! But anyways, we have some good classes this year, I am taking Biology and Intro to Education and Jacob is taking Anatomy and Physiology, Organic Chemistry, and English. We have just been so busy adjusting to our schedule changes, Jacob has class Mon, Wed, Fri, while I have class Tues and Thur. Talk about never seeing eachother! It's a little difficult but we've been adjusting. 
     Another exciting thing that happened over a week ago was we bought a car! We had been searching for a car all summer long to replace Jacob's old 2-door, ford escort. We wanted a four door for when kids come along we can actually fit a carseat in the back. Well we finally found one! I was at work and Jacob had the day off so he texted me that he was going to look at a car we had seen on Craigslist, a 2006, silver Hyundai Elantra. I had liked the look but the ad sounded too good to be true so I was slightly skeptical but I told him if it was a good deal to go ahead and buy it. Well he took my dad with him, who is kind of an expert on cars, and they both agreed it was a good deal when they looked at the car so Jake bought it! He called me 2 hours before I got off work and told me the news. He said he would come pick me up in the new car! In the two hours, he got the title transferred to our name, and got insurance on it as well. So far we love it! It's not perfect, it needs some work done like a new windshield, and get some cosmetic work done but for the price we got it at we feel very blessed. Here's a picture of our new car!

Another event was the birth of my nephew Bradley! My sister Jenna and Brother-in-law Mike had their beautiful baby boy on September 10th. The Sunday before my dad had texted me that my mom was leaving for San Diego (where they live) because my sister was in labor! I was so excited and so glad my mom could be there. I know she was so happy and excited to be there. I will be glad when I can go and meet him! He is so precious and perfect! 

Our Trip to Cali!

So this past  weekend we had a family vacation with Bonnie and Quinn, Tres and Roseanne, and their five kids! We left Thurdsay night (Jacob sadly had to work that day) and we got to our hotel at about 10:30 that night. On Friday we went to Disneyland! We of course got park hopper tickets so we flip flopped between Disneyland and California Adventures! It was so fun! We were there all day! We hit all the good rides like Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, and California Screamin' to name a few! It was a lot of walking but so worth it! It was fun to see the kids have a blast at all the fun things! We ate a lot of food that day! The best was the Ghiradelli Chocolate place. SOOO GOOD! I mean look at this!

We stayed at Disneyland until 10:30 that night. I was so tired I flopped into bed and didn't get up when Bonnie and Quinn brought back Chinese food for everyone. Saturday was beach day. We first ate at this place called A's burgers. Again, it was SOOO GOOD! I had pancakes and Jacob had a burger and Quinn who knew this particular place ordered fried zucchini and onion rings for everyone to share. I want some more! We played at the beach for a couple of hours , the water was a little chilly but after being in the sun for a while it felt good! I had fun taking pictures of everyone while they played! Sadly we had to leave later that day. It was a short vacation but it was so much fun! The drive home was painful and funny. Painful, because we had all been burnt to a crisp! I got it bad on the backs of my legs so it was hard to walk! haha we all laughed about our burns and we were so loopy and tired. We had lots of fun playing Disney songs and telling funny stories. I love family! This weekend was awesome! Now for some pictures!

Day Trip to Payson

So yesterday was a rare occurence, Jacob and I both had the day off, and so did our friends Arianna and Matt! So we decided since this NEVER happens we needed to do something awesome. So we decided to take a day trip to Payson. We left about 9am and got there around 10:30. First, we went to the Tonto Natural Bridge. We had a good time hiking and all the while quoting Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. When we got to the bridge I realized I had been here once before on a Girl's Camp hike! Crazy! But it was still awesome. Arianna and I were occupying ourselves by taking pictures and Jacob fished for crawdads in the water. It was lots of fun! We hung around there for a while and ate a snack, then decided to hike back out. 

After we got out of Tonto, we went to lunch and then tried to figure out what to do next. I remembered one time driving through the Christopher Creek Loop and seeing what I thought were shops so we decided to drive there. We were pretty loopy from the heat of the hike and so we were all being very silly. Well we got to the loop and it turns out the shops were mostly bait and tackle shops. Fail. Oh well, we had a good time driving around. We drove back to Payson and decided to check out a candle factory. It was a shop run by a nice lady who hand makes these amazing candle (I wish I had taken a picture but I didn't want to get in trouble haha) She showed us how she made her candles and we felt bad because she was looking at us like "well, I made this, are you going to buy it?" So we awkwardly walked out haha. At this point we were all pretty tired and the day was getting late so we decided to head home. Cabin Fever started to set it the last 45 minutes of the drive so we were all being crazy and singing Disney songs and making fools of ourselves. But it was so fun! When we got home, we decided to go swimming to work up an appetite and then we would go to Cornish Pasty. While swimming, this guy tried to make friends with us but it was really awkward haha I felt bad. We only swam for about half an hour before we were all hungry so we headed to Cornish Pasty which is amazing! After getting full bellies we went back to Arianna and Matt's place and watched She's the Man where we all laughed. Then it was time to go home and get ready to go back to work the next day :( We had an awesome day with our friends and made lots of memories. I am so grateful to have great friends and my wonderful husband who I always have fun with and I cherish the moments we have together. 

That's right, those are MINI Martinelli Ciders. We were toasting to our friendship! Awww! :)