Coconut Ginger Chicken + Gratitude Beads

I am so excited to share this recipe with you guys, it was incredible.  I made it a few weeks ago and have been dreaming about it ever since.  The whole family loved it and we all ate seconds. At first glance the recipe may seem complicated but I promise it is not.  The hardest part is blending the onion, garlic, and ginger and cooking the meat.  After that your pot or crock pot does the work for you.  We served ours over white rice and you could brown rice but I really do recommend white rice for the recipe.  I think white rice just soaks up the sauce better and brown rice has more of a nutty flavor.  The sauce on this dish is the real winner, I am not kidding Sterling and I sat and ate it like soup it was that good.   You can use any veggies you want in here, the original recipe called for snap peas, but I did a mix of broccoli and bell peppers.  I also let this simmer for almost 3 hours.

Enjoy!!

|| C O C O N U T  G I N G E R  C H I C K E N ||

original recipe via Simple Bites

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 inch cube of ginger roughly chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, peeled, quartered
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into four
• 2 cans coconut milk, not shaken
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 can of baby corn cobs
• 1 bag frozen broccoli and frozen peppers or any mix of veggies you choose)

For the spice blend

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground tumeric
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients from the spice blend together and set aside.
2. In a mini food processor, combine garlic, ginger and onion and pulse until it forms a paste.
3. In the bottom of a slow-cooker placed on a burner heat olive oil and melt butter. Add pureed aromatics and stir well. Cook for a few minutes, then add spice blend. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Move aromatics to one side of the pot and add chicken pieces to the pot. Cook chicken slightly on all sides, using a sturdy wooden spoon to move it around the pot. It should get thoroughly coated with the spice mixture.
5. Open the cans of coconut milk and remove the cream from the top using a soup spoon. You should have about 1 cup. Pour the coconut milk over the chicken and with both cans, it should just barely cover the chicken.
6. Drain the corn cobs and chop in half. Add to the slow-cooker.
7. Place the slow cooker in the base and cook on low for 4 hours.
8. Whisk flour with coconut cream until smooth and add to the chicken. Stir well. Add frozen broccoli and peppers or other vegetables of your choice. Cook for another half an hour or until you deem the chicken cooked and the vegetables hot.

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This time of the year with all the hustle and bustle, and holiday madness I think it is especially important to be thankful and grateful for what we have.  I am trying hard to teach my children this.  We are so fortunate compared to so many others.   It is easy to get caught up and forget the real meaning of Christmas.  It is also easy to get caught up thinking about the challenges and negative parts of our life.  I find it helps me stay centered to take a moment to sit and quietly thank God for all I have and have been blessed with.

I mentioned these gratitude beads and prayer beads last year but this time of the year I tend to use these beads more often. 

I always let Sterling help me,  each day we make a point to sit and say what we are thankful for and pull a bead (or several) aside.  It is a nice reminder especially during this time of the year to be thankful.  As overwhelmed as I feel, I am so lucky, I really do have such a blessed life.  There are so many people fighting way bigger battles out there.  I can't help that I am a worrier by nature (although my dad claims I can change this) but I can change my outlook on things and choose to look at the positive side and be grateful.  I read a great verse in my Jesus Calling the other day about starting your day thanking God, such a good reminder.  Often we pray for help and things we want but sometimes it nice to just stop and Thank God for what we have.  I try to sit with Sterling and we each pull back a bead and say what we are thankful. 

One of my mom's dear friends makes and sells these prayer/gratitude beads.  They are such a wonderful gift for someone.  A new mom, a teacher, someone going thru a rough time, a fab stocking stuffer.   Anyone can benefit from these gratitude beads.   She will hand make them in any color you want.   I love the idea of gifting these to friends and family.  I am thinking of doing these as end of the year gifts for Sterling's teachers.  I love the idea too of bringing these to new moms post baby.   Such a wonderful idea for anyone to be thankful.

  The beads start at $22. 

You can email my mom's friend Kathy at Heron39@aol.com to see a full catalog of the beads or to place an order.  The beads usually come with something attached to the end think a disc or cross etc but my children  ripped mine off- go figure:) They still serve a purpose!  They come in so many different colors and materials and they come packaged in a sweet little bag with a small book filled with some gorgeous photography and inspirational quotes.  I am telling you guys this would be an amazing stocking stuffers!