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Hello, Sarah here! A few weeks back, when I saw the introduction to Melanie, I found myself thinking “I want to contribute too!” While pregnant, I reunited with Melanie at a hypnobirthing class and we have kept in touch during our recent transition into motherhood. Just before she was about to have Avery, I suggested she register for The New Mom School and to my relief, she had already registered at the advice of a friend. Similar to Melanie, The New Mom School has been the best investment for myself after having my little guy, Nolan. I will be forever grateful for my Yelp! search at two weeks postpartum when I stumbled upon The New Mom School and clicked “register” without thinking twice.

I recently wrapped up the Infant Series and found myself missing the community and wanting an excuse to stay connected because I really believe in what Alex has built and I want to help other mamas during the postpartum period. Reading Melanie’s introduction gave me the courage to reach out to Alex and see if and how I could contribute to The New Mom School. And thankfully, Alex was open to the idea of incorporating new material into the newsletters. So that’s where I come in – I will be adding some recipe inspiration to the newsletters in hope that it inspires others to make something new and encourage families to enjoy a meal together.

The struggle is home cooked meals generally take time and effort and planning. And sometimes all of that can seem more like a burden rather than a benefit. But I hope to minimize the burden and create a moment for loved ones to gather and spend time together, which I believe is very beneficial. To accomplish that I will focus on meals that require minimal prep, are freezable or a combination of the two.

A little bit about me: I was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. I completed my undergrad and graduate school at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and took the Tax Accountant career route straight out of college, obtained my CPA license and have nearly 10 years of experience specializing in international tax planning for multinational corporations under my belt. I’m surprised that I have stuck with it and wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about my career after returning from maternity leave. Thankfully, I can say that working fulltime is actually working out and I am surrounded by family oriented colleagues who support prioritizing family. I have also gained this new passion for supporting/advocating for working moms, especially while transitioning back to work from maternity leave.

My husband and I met in the produce section at Ralphs. We went to high school together but didn’t think anything of one another at the time. Fast forward 10 year later, and we are on our first date at Beachcombers in Crystal Cove. And now we are married and have a 7 month old son, which is still crazy to me.

Between work, pumping, being a wife, being a mom, and staying in touch with the outside world, there is MINIMAL time to spend meal planning, meal prepping and grocery shopping. However, I am determined to have dinner time be a priority for our family. I have been constantly adding new recipes to our rotation from different sources and I hope that what I have found will be of use to other families and simplify one aspect of the juggling act – dinner time. So with that said,

What’s for dinner?

 

 White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock

2 (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cans Great Northern Beans* (rinsed and drained)

1 can Pinto Beans (rinsed and drained)

2 cups (16 oz) salsa verde

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Optional topping ideas: crumbled tortilla chips, crumbled queso fresca, diced avocado, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream, chopped green onions

Directions:

  1. Add chicken stock, chicken, cumin and salsa verde to a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  2. Roughly an hour or so before serving, add 1 can of Great Northern beans and the pinto beans. To thicken the stock, puree 1 can of Great Northern Beans and stir to combine – this is optional.
  3. Taste and season with salt, as needed.
  4. Serve with desired toppings.

* To puree 1 can of Great Northern Beans, use a hand held emulsion mixer or blender

See link below for stove top and instant pot method of cooking.

Link to original recipe source: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/5-ingredient-easy-white-chicken-chili-recipe/