6 years ago, a friend of mine sent me a link in an email to something that she said “changed her life”. The link was to a housekeeping/organizing/cleaning system by someone known as FlyLady. Intrigued, I clicked on it and read…and read… and read. As a fairly new stay at home mom, and one who worked from home as well, I was finding it difficult to get into a routine of any kind.
FlyLady is all about routines. Routines for decluttering. Routines for laundry. Routines for cleaning out your car. Routines for planning your meals. The FlyLady system was everything I was looking for and more! I quickly started with the first step…shine your sink. My routines evolved and I eventually had a control journal, a rock solid system, and was “FLYing” high. I even was the owner of a local FlyLady Yahoo group that met in person once a month. My FlyLady friends and I would talk Fling Boogies, Purple Puddles and about our “PODA’s”. My house was spotless, my days were well executed and I was on the top of my game as a stay at home mom. It was wonderful!
Then, my son suffered horrible third degree burns on his face in an accident involving our smoker grill. Life was turned upside down and between caring for him, a new baby (Kelly), and the year of every other day doctors appointments I found myself falling off the FlyLady wagon. Years have now passed and I’ve tried many times to regain the momentum that I once had with FlyLady, but never was able to grasp the concept as I originally had. I longed to be that organized again, and I still do and know I will be that way again, or close to it. I just need to buckle down and get motivated to do so.
One thing I was really, really good at when I was practicing FlyLady was menu planning. I would do our menu plan and grocery shopping for an entire month at a time. I LOVED being that prepared and that organized. The one bad thing about being that organized is that we never had spur of the moment meals, like the one we had tonight. I had everything planned down to such detail that there wasn’t room to play around at all. What was on the menu was what we were having (and yes… I was quite anal about it).
As much as I miss being a FlyLady star student, I am glad that we had a night where a meal wasn’t planned because I had the opportunity to play some and discovered this delicious meal. Because of that and other delicious impromptu meals preceding it, being a FlyLady flunkie hasn’t been all that bad!
Love Aleppo Pepper? Here are some other recipes you might enjoy!
- Roasted Spicy Cauliflower from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Aleppo Chili Pork Ribs from The Hungry Mouse
- Potato and Cippolini Onion Salad from Fearless Kitchen
- Pepper Bean Salad from Food Fir a Hungry Soul
Aleppo Pepper Chicken, Asparagus and Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce package dry penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 boneless chicken pieces cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 12 ounces asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo Pepper lovely gift I received from Kalyn and Lydia!
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Follow package directions for pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add chicken and saute until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add garlic, asparagus and Aleppo pepper.
- Saute until asparagus is tender.
- Stir in chicken, and cook for 2 additional minutes.
- Season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Toss pasta with chicken and asparagus mixture. Plate and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese
That sounds so good! I’m an Aleppo pepper addict. My Dad is up in Milwaukee and I’m making him get me a huge bag of Aleppo because I’ve missed it so much! 😀
I want to grow Aleppo peppers next year and tracking down seeds feels like I’m trying to score drugs – there’s so much secrecy and silliness involved. But I’m possessed!
.-= Kristina´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
So glad you like the Aleppo pepper — I’m bookmarking so I can make this recipe.
.-= Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)´s last blog ..White vinegar (Recipe: half-sour dill pickles) =-.
Howo did you possibly have time to do this today? You’re no flunkie.
.-= Amy J´s last blog ..Sweet on Tea – Part II =-.
great post! I am a FLY Lady flunkie too…so are you back on the bandwagon with it or just given up completely?
.-= candy´s last blog ..Mom Must-Have Printables for Simplifying Your Life. =-.
Love it! I was on the flylady bandwagon at that same time and fell off after I was hit by a car while walking across the street. I too have never managed to re-implement those routines, but I take a stab at it at least once a year. 🙂
This post really hit home with me. Like you, I was a Flylady junkie for years. And like you, a personal tragedy derailed me. During my father’s battle with cancer, I just didn’t have the time or energy to keep it up. After he passed away, I decided that life was too short to live my life by schedules and routines. I rarely plan my meals ahead now. I usually stop by the market every day and see what inspires me. I think I’m a better cook now because of it. Although, my sink isn’t all that shiny anymore, and I think I just saw a dust bunny hop under the sofa. 😉
.-= Susan at SGCC´s last blog ..Strawberry Marshmallows =-.
This is the way I love to cook. A trip to the market and/or the pantry to see what’s good, then to the kitchen to combine it all into something that in all probability we’ll never have again. It makes us appreciate it while we’re eating it!
I don’t know aleppo peppers–I don’t even know if they’re available in Belgium–but I’m going to look for them. I have a list of specialty spices that I look for in the markets when I can–finocchio fiori, sumac, etc. I’m adding aleppo pepper to that list.
.-= Kate´s last blog ..MARKETS =-.
I love how that dish looks! I’ve never heard of Flylady but well, I would love to be more organized so maybe I should check it out. Although I will probably never be really good in scheduling stuff, so.. not sure if that’s gonna work. But it’s great to make ‘on the fly’ dishes. Some of the best meals have come from leftovers in the fridge!
.-= Simone (junglefrog)´s last blog ..Rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes: Daring Cooks August =-.
How great that you had fun experimenting with your Aleppo pepper. I can’t take credit though (the spices at the dinner were from both of us, but the Aleppo pepper was just from Lydia!)
I’m interested in your story about trying to stay organized, because now that I work at home I’m noticing I haven’t quite found my way yet and I feel a bit disorganized too!
.-= Kalyn´s last blog ..Warm or Cold Salad Recipe with Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Pepper, Capers, and Basil Dressing =-.
This sounds like a great recipe and using a pepper I believe I have not used before. I need something to help me stay organize too, still trying to…
.-= veron´s last blog ..My 1st Washoku Warrior Challenge – Gyoza! =-.
I never did FlyLady but I was once an organized stay at home mom. Somehow I have fallen off of the wagon over the years too. And, really, I can’t even think of a good excuse. I still admire those who are organized but there must be a certain charm to my new brand of chaos or I would probably find a way to do more about it.
In praise of creativity, your recipe sounds fabulous!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Lemon Meringue Pie =-.
So when I plan my menu, I usually plan it for 1.5-2 weeks and I do not say what we’re having when. I could not do it! There are just some nights when I don’t feel like having such and such. When I tried doing the whole menu planning, and that happened, it would frustrate me. Now I find that just having a list of meals to go off (as well as a few that I always have stuff on had for) helps me avoid those nights when I don’t feel like what’s on the menu.
.-= CrystalsCozyKitchen´s last blog ..Think Thursday: Peanut Butter and Banana Bites =-.
LOOKS DELICIOUS! Bookmarking this for sure for this weekend!
.-= Gaby´s last blog ..Mexican Chop Salad with a Cilantro Vinagrette =-.
I’ve never been able to get as organized as FLY Lady is, but I can appreciate the concept and have tried to incorporate some of the ideas from her site.
This recipe is calling to me because I have some Aleppo pepper hanging out in my cabinet and I’m always looking for new ways to use it!
.-= patsyk´s last blog ..Roasted Veggies, Sausage & Pasta =-.
The dish sounds fantastic. I love the colors and especially that special kick with the peppers. How spicy are the 1-1/2 teaspoons of Aleppo pepper on a level from 1 to 5? Can kids bare the spiciness?
.-= Jackie at PhamFatale.com´s last blog ..Indian Cherry Chutney Recipe =-.
I completely understand the allure of being super-organized. There are days that I wish I was. But like you said, it removes the freedom to create things on the fly, and this dish looks great! I do make a point to create a weekly menu and shop for the week, but I don’t nail down what will be made when, so then if activities prevent me from making a time-consuming dish one night, I can simply switch the menu around. Happy medium, I guess!
.-= Alta´s last blog ..Kids in the Kitchen: Smoked Pork Ribs =-.
Hi Kristen!! It was great “chatting” on the conference call yesterday…:)
I am a Fly Lady flunkie as well…I have been feeling extremely out of sorts lately so I think you just inspired me to pull out my Fly Lady manual and get back at it!! Your pasta dish looks wonderful!!
.-= Aggie´s last blog ..Stuffed Turkey Burgers =-.
FlyLady flunkie here, too. But I learned some very valuable lessons from her. I hope to reconnect with my past flylady self in a few years when my toddler’s stuff isn’t taking over our house, making us look like an official Toys R Us store. Until then, I’m going to relax in the somewhat disheveled state and enjoy having a little one at home.
Your pasta dish looks delicious. I’ve never tried that kind of pepper before. I’ll have to start looking for it! Thanks for sharing.
.-= Tammy´s last blog ..Hamburger Sliders =-.
Kristen, thanks for stopping by Rachel ♥s Food and commenting! I am a huge fan of Dine and Dish.
I have a friend who talks about FlyLady all of the time, I’ll have to check it out.
.-= Rachel in NC´s last blog ..CEiMB: Stuffed Turkey Burgers =-.
I like to plan meals, but it’s nice to not have a plan once in a while. I think some of my best new meals have been spur of the moment creations where I had to figure out what I could make based on what we had and how much time I had to make it. I wish I could get into the FLYLady routine for keeping my house clean though!
.-= Katie @ goodLife {eats}´s last blog ..Sundried Tomato and Spinach Lasagna Rolls =-.
I blame Kalyn & Lydia for my Aleppo addition as well! I love the stuff.
Organization is over rated and you chicken proves it.
I could never get into the fly lady’s routine! I really wish I could, but life is all about being flexible for me! This dish looks amazing. It is proof that great things can come out of flying by the seat of your pants!
.-= Melody´s last blog ..South Dakota =-.
I never really got on the Flylady wagon, but boy, did I fall off it. It was so bad, i got to the point where i was just reading her reminder emails and Kelly’s missions at work and deleting them away.
And to add insult to injury, I mentioned her to a co-worker, who not only joined, but she’s been “FLYing” perfectly fine for 2 years since…..
Aleppo – never tried them, though you have given me some inspiration =)
.-= Zaara´s last blog ..The Goddess is Back…..and She is Green…. =-.
Thanks for the Flylady site. I’ve never heard of this before, but I will be looking into it now that my life is total chaos at all times, and I don’t even have kids yet! I believe you’ve changed your template too (I’ve been a Flunkie on keeping up with blog posts the past couple weeks) It looks great!
.-= Deanna´s last blog ..Paula’s Magical Peanut Butter Cookies =-.
Flylady’s routines seem like something that would just make me feel badly about myself. I try not to compare myself to people in general and particularly avoid comparing myself to people who seem to have perfect lives.
.-= Psychgrad´s last blog ..Georgia Peach Upside Down Cake =-.
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I like that all the ingredients still have a structure. To combine the asparagus with the cheese is delicious.
Thank you!
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