Join Me at my New Website!

Hello Friends!!

Thank you for joining me on my writing adventure! You all have the sweetest and most encouraging things to say to me that I truly cherish! Though my blogs have not been as frequent as I would like, I am still writing. Please join me at my new website to continue reading my latest posts.

https://pamelajune.wixsite.com/website

With a humble Love, 

Pam

I am His

When I was younger, I struggled with the idea of last names. Unless you happen to be the queen of England, last names are passed down through males. I was labeled by one man’s name and when I got married, my name would change to a different man’s name. I sort of felt like something that was simply exchanged. Like as kids when we had to have our names on school supplies, I felt like someone had taken a Sharpie marker and written across my forehead to whom I belonged. Whenever I would think about this, bitterness and anger would stir up inside me and I thought about how I should go about life with just my first name. It seemed to work out okay for Madonna or Cher. Then I wouldn’t belong to anyone. I would be my own person.

Then, Troy Carlson came along and when we started dating, I knew I wanted to be with him forever, but that idea of being tagged by even him still nagged at me, though I loved him. I realized that there would come a day when I would be a Carlson longer than I was a Kohler and decided to embrace this new title of Mrs. Carlson. Honestly, I didn’t really have the energy to fight the social stigma that would come from just being Pamela. Plus, my name isn’t cool enough to stand on its own.

As Troy tenderly loved and cared for me, those feelings of bitterness began to melt away. I no longer felt that I was a piece of property to be owned by a man, but I began to feel more like a treasure who was valued. Then the day came when I felt in my heart that I loved being labeled as Troy’s, not because I was something to be possessed but because I loved that my place was with him. I wear the Carlson name as a badge of pride and honor. I love being a Carlson because I love being Troy’s wife. Troy is loving, safe, wise and thoughtful. Belonging to him means I have a better idea of who I am as a person because I can exercise that within the freedom his his love.

Most of us struggle with this idea of control and the illusion that we have it. Our need to be our own boss and have our own identity has become the standard of our time but goes against the plan that God has for us. He made us and so we do belong to him, whether or not we choose to accept this reality. The thing is, God never meant for us to feel like we were just another marker in his school supplies box with his name written across the side. He too tenderly loves and cares for us and when we realize that we are His, then we also have a better idea who we actually are.

We are treasured. We are loved. We are valued. We are cared for. We are worth the transgressions that Christ bore for us. We are forgiven. We are co-heirs with Christ. We are children of the Living God.

I don’t know about you, but I love all those labels. I love those labels so much that I don’t mind at all that I belong to God. In fact, I gladly grab that Sharpie and write his name on my heart! In his fold, we are safe and loved and while that doesn’t mean we get to live easy and cushy lives, it does mean that our lives have purpose and meaning.

Today, when I think about to whom I belong, the bitterness and anger are gone. They have been replaced by love and gratitude.This realization did not happen overnight. I am still continuing to grow into the woman that God wants me to be but I can say with great pride that I know who I am. 

My name is Pamela Carlson. 

I am the wife of Troy and the mother to Zachary, Sadie and Ellie. 

I am organized, positive and on occasion, really funny. 

I am a mistake maker and a forgiveness receiver. 

I am a tuna hater but a french fry lover. 

I am a writer, a reader and a mover and a shaker. 

I am a radio rock star and a family dance party participator. 

I am Rock, Paper, Scissors giant and a directionally challenged navigator. 

I am a lose-motor-functions laugher and label maker queen. 

I am the kisser of the boo-boos and the celebrater of birthdays. 

I am deeply loved by my favorite person on the planet - who then showed me how deeply loved I am my by Creator.

But above all, I belong to the Lord.

I am His and He is mine.

One Handed Meals

A couple summers ago, we went to the zoo and there was the cutest little baby gorilla. We loved watching her as she held on to her mama and her mama didn't seem phased by the fact she had an infant holding on to her. She continued to swing and jump wherever she pleased as her little one held on with the jaws of life. That summer, we nick-named our Sadie, who was a baby at the time, our little gorilla baby because she was the same way. If Sadie was awake, she needed to be strapped on to me at all times. as she got older, I could even take my arms away from supporting her weight and she would still be clutching onto my body. Since then, I have gotten pretty good at doing things one handed or planning ahead for when I needed both of my hands. I have gotten back into the one handed groove as my Ellie is also a mama's girl and being baby number 3, she wants to make sure that she doesn't miss out on any of the action, so my one-handed skills have come in handy.

I was thinking about how I know so many stellar mamas, who are also rocking out daily tasks with just one arm and I thought maybe we could collaborate our secret skills when it comes to one of the hardest times of the day - dinnertime. Besides the fact that everybody seems to be COMPLETELY losing it during this time, and we are all desperate for Daddy to come home, in this season in my life, I am not a fan of planning, shopping, prepping or making dinner. I also, don't want to eat take out or frozen pizzas every night so you see my conundrum. I decided to hone in on my craft of one armed meals and I have been quite pleased. I thought I would share a few of my dinner recipes that are family favorites that you can make with one hand doing the cooking and the other hand snuggin' on your sweet babe. I will break down the recipe to tell you what you need to prep with both hands during a nap time or quiet time and how to prepare the meal with just one hand. Alright, let's get cooking!



CROCK POT CHICKEN - I use this for lots of recipes and whenever I make this, I always make a ton so I can freeze in batches for future recipes which also helps with one handed cooking.
Ingredients:
4 Large Chicken Breasts (at least, if you have a large family, maybe cook 6)
2 Cups Chicken Broth (or enough to cover the chicken to keep it moist - sorry for those of you who detest that word)

Directions:
2 Handed Prep:
Cut fat off of chicken and discard fat. Put chicken in a ziplock bag. Put in fridge until morning.
Get Crock Pot out and put on counter (This always helps to my mom brain to remember that I need to put something in the pot in the morning)

1 Handed Prep:
Open ziplock bag (okay, you need to hands for this, but you can still do it while holding a baby) and slide chicken into crock pot. Cover with chicken broth (again, you may need 2 hands to open the can but you are a pro and you totally got this.) Cover crock pot and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. 

When cooked, shred chicken then place back into the pot and stir with the broth. At this point, you can use for your meal tonight or freeze in small batches for future meals.


BBQ Chicken Pizza - this is stupid easy and a family favorite. Double win!
Ingredients:
Shredded Crock Pot Chicken (The above recipe will make about 4-6 pizzas depending on how much chicken you like on your pizza)
Store Bought Pizza Crusts (I usually buy a 2-pack and make 2 pizzas so I can freeze one for a future meal)
1 Bottle of your Favorite BBQ Sauce (We usually use Sweet Baby Rays or if we are feeling fancy, Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce)
1 Small Red Onion, Chopped
1 - 8 oz bag of Shredded Mozzeralla per pizza
Oregano

Directions:
2 Handed Prep:
Chop red onion

1 Handed Prep:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees or whatever the pizza crust directions say. Put pizza crusts on pizza pans. Squirt a healthy amount of  BBQ sauce all over the pizza crust. (I often have my 4 year old and 2 year old help me. They each make a pizza since I always make 2 at a time. I have found they are more willing to eat a meal that they helped to prepare.) I give the kids a spoon and have them smear the BBQ sauce all over the crust. 
After squeezing the excess broth from the chicken, spread the chicken all over the pizza as well as the onion (I usually do this part because the chicken is messy and I don't want onion juice getting in the kids' eyes.) 
Cover with cheese (I give each kid a bag of mozzarella and they dump the cheese - I just help them spread it to the edges.) 
Sprinkle with oregano and pop in the oven for the amount of time the crust package says, usually about 10-12 minutes.

Serve with a pre-made salad bag and you have a yummy dinner that is a crowd pleaser, which you made almost entirely with one hand AND you included your older children in the process which built life skills for them and patience for you AND counts as quality time AS WELL AS having a hot meal that the husband loves which essentially makes you Mom of the Year or Wonder Woman or both. Probably both.


CHICKEN AND GRAVY w/ MASHED POTATOES- this is soooo good, you will eat until your belly hurts.
Ingredients:
Shredded Crock Pot Chicken (The top recipe will make about 8 servings - we generally have enough to make 2 full meals out of this which feeds 2 adults and 2 children)
1 Small-Medium bag of Russet Potatoes
Sour Cream and/or Cream Cheese
1 Stick of Butter, unsalted
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
Corn Starch
2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
4 cups Chicken Broth (If you are making your Crock Pot Chicken the same day, you can use the broth that cooked the chicken and then add more chicken broth until you get to 4 cups)

Directions:
2 Handed Prep:
Peel and chop potatoes. Put in a stock pot and fill with cold water until the water covers all the potatoes evenly. Put on the stove until you are ready to cook. (Sometimes I leave the potatoes on the stove like this for hours because I will do this during nap time.)
Cut the stick of butter into 2 - 4 TBSP (or in half). You will use half for the gravy and the other half for the mashed potatoes.  Then cut each of the halves into smaller pads to make the melting processes go quicker.
Measure out the spices and combine in a small bowl. 
Measure out the flour and put in another small bowl.
Unwrap bouillon cubes.

1 Handed Prep:
Turn on burner to cook the potatoes. Periodically, stir the potatoes so that they don't burn at the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 20 minutes on medium high heat or until the potatoes are very soft and break apart easily when you put a fork through them.
Combine the chicken broth and bouillon cubes in a glass measuring cup. Microwave and stir until bouillon cubes are dissolved.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and spices and cook for 1 minute to cook the flour. Slowly whisk in the stock until smooth and bring to a boil. Slowly add a tablespoon at a time of cornstarch until you get your desired thickness. Reduce to a simmer and cook, whisking, until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Add all the shredded chicken (drain if you did not use the broth from the crock pot for your gravy.)
Once the potatoes are soft, use a slotted spoon and transfer the potatoes from the stock pot into a mixer bowl. Add the remaining 4 TBSP of butter, a healthy tablespoon full of sour cream and/or a half a brick of cream cheese, as well as 1-2 TBSP of salt. Cream together. Mashed potatoes are a taste test process. You may need to add a little bit (like a 1/4 a cup) of milk to make them more creamy. You may want to add more salt or sour cream for flavor. My grandma always said to season lightly; you can always add more but you can't take it out.

Plate this dish with a healthy helping of mashed potatoes and then the chicken and gravy over top. Serve with your favorite steam-in-the-bag frozen veggies seasoned with a little salt and pepper and then snap a picture of your delicious meal to Instagram to all your followers that shows you are a culinary goddess, who just made a slammin' meal for your beautiful family - all while holding your gorilla baby. Sure, you'll need an extra application of deodorant, but your family will praise you and this meal has a pretty good tract record of ending with your husband doing the dishes.




Alright! Here are a couple of recipes to try and you should be able to get at least 2 meals out of both which is a bonus in my book because that is one less meal to plan in the future. I hope you enjoy these meals! Please feel free to send me your favorite one handed meals that I can post here and allow you to bask in the one handed culinary glory. Extra credit goes to those who also send me a picture that I can post along with your recipes.