SLOW DOWN!!!

I've already disclosed to you that I am a perfectionist. I am also very neurotic, and I do not like when unexpected things happen. I have my schedule, I stick to my schedule, and life is good. So when one of my kids gets sick it's hard for me to pump the breaks. In the past, I used to call my mom, and send the kids over there. I am very grateful that I am in a position to do that. My daughter came home from school yesterday with a low fever. 100.5. She has an extremely strong immune system. She rarely gets sick, and when she does, it's usually over as quickly as it began. I can count the number of times she's been really sick on 2 fingers. Today she didn't have a fever, but the rule at school is that they need to be fever free for 24 hours before they can return back to school. I understand that this is to give the child an ample opportunity to recover, and to keep the other children, who may not have such strong immune systems from getting sick. I get it. That doesn't mean I like it. I followed the rules and kept her home today. I canceled my sessions for the day and kept her home. I really don't like to cancel sessions, but I know that the reality is that my clients will survive just fine without me, and I'll see them at the next session. I actually had one client send me a text celebrating a hike that she completed. I could tell she was proud of herself, and I was very proud of her. It makes me happy when clients, past and present workout on their own.

I spent the day taking care of things that I've been neglecting, and taking some much needed down time, that I rarely allow myself. Today's dinner was an easy crockpot dish that everyone in my family loves. Since this was a parkour and Toastmaster Wednesday, I had to make it easy. We won't be able to eat at the table together tonight, but I know we will all eat well. I found this recipe on Pinterest, and I've made it quite a bit. Whenever I bring kale home from the grocery store, David gets all excited, I can see his face drop when I tell him it's for a smoothie, or something else, then he will request for me to make this recipe. I make it as is, and don't change anything. Sometimes I will change up the type of sausage I use, and I always use chicken sausage, but sometimes it's Parmesan and basil, sometimes it's sweet, and sometimes I use spicy. Tonight I used spicy. The weather earlier in the week was rainy and cold, and had I made this then, I might have dragged out the bread machine. Today was lovely, and I guess I could have made a loaf to go with it, but I didn't.
I didn't tell the truth. I actually leave out the bacon. The first time I made it, I added the bacon, and it was delicious! I just think it tastes just as great without it, and if I can save some time and steps by not adding it, then I usually will. Keep in mind that I'm usually at work or busy when I choose to use a slow cooker recipe, so that leaves little time to fry up some bacon. However, since I was home today, AND we also had some bacon leftover from last night's bacon cheeseburgers, I added it.

Ingredients

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• 1 pound(s) Italian Sausage (spicy)
• 4-6 Russet Potatoes :bite sized cubes
• 1 Onion :minced
• 1/4 cup(s) REAL bacon pieces
• 2 tablespoon(s) Garlic :minced
• 32 ounce(s) Chicken Broth
• 1/2 bunch(es) Kale (or Swiss Chard) :destem & cut/torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup(s) Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 tablespoon(s) Flour

Preparation

1. 1. Brown sausage links in a sauté pan.
2. 2. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut slices.
3. 3. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker.
4. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat.
5. 4. Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft.


6. 30 minutes before serving:
7. 5. Mix flour into cream removing lumps.
8. 6. Add cream and kale to the crock pot, stir.
9. 7. Cook on high 30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly.
10. 8. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.