Take a Hike: Mediterranean Chicken

Thatbaby is at an awkward age for long leisurely walks.  He's old enough to want to be independent.  He's curious and dying to explore.  He works on his own timetable.  All of this makes it very difficult to take him for a hike.  I tried explaining this to Thatboy, who was convinced that the problem lay with me.  He was sure that in the right environment, Thatbaby would be the perfect hiking partner.

And so every day he insisted we go on a long hike.  Made even longer by Thatbaby's desire to TOUCH ALL THE ROCKS.  RUN THE OTHER WAY.  SIT DOWN AND REFUSE TO MOVE.  And of course, the desire to be carried every 5 feet.  Thatboy was wrong.

Instead, I present you with a snap shot of what our walks looked like by demonstrating Thatbaby's favorite positions.

There's the classic: NO BACK! NO BACK!

The Airplane:

The Shoulder Sit:

And the ALL DONE!:

Hiking was not a success.  You win some, you lose some.  If you want to guarantee success, you have to go with what you know.  For me, this is easy in the food realm.  I can ensure a winner by incorporating a ton of vegetables.  I'm lucky this works for my family.  We're not against meat by any means, but veggies are a great way create a more healthy, filling meal.  This chicken dish utilizes this method.  Looking at the pictures, you may not even realize there's chicken in here.  With loads of bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes the chicken is almost an afterthought.

Mediterranean Chicken

2 chicken breasts

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup red wine

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced

2 portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup black olives, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1 Tbsp basil

1 tsp oregano

2 Tbsp capers

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place the chicken in a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, vinegar, wine, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, olives, raisins, basil, oregano and caper.
3. Pour the vegetables over the chicken an cover with foil.  Bake for 40 minutes.