Chicken Stew with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

Here is a recipe that was originally published in the Taste of Home October/November 2009 issue, but I made a few alterations to it. For one serving there is 31g of protein and 3.8g of fiber for this stew and it smells incredible while it's cooking. This was my first time cooking with wine and it took me a good ten minutes to figure out what kind of wine I needed. I did need to ask Google for help. It does follow the typical stew definition where there is more solid than liquid.

 And I must add, it tastes really good.

Around the World and Other Spot Serving Drills

Serving is the only skill in volleyball that is not influenced by anyone but the player serving. Unlike passing, setting, and hitting which are all dependent on a previous move by another player, serving is entirely controlled by the one person. This drill focuses on placement of the serve and also requires players to judge for themselves if they achieve a certain goal. Make sure players get a few minutes to warm-up and warn them that they will be working on spot serving during the drill.

Easy Breakfasts that Last Until Practice

A few posts ago I mentioned that many high school athletes aren’t taking the time to eat breakfast in the morning. With that in mind, I wanted to do a post that included easy breakfasts that are quick to make and quick to eat that have enough protein to last through the day. Toaster waffles aren’t going to do it anymore. The three recipes I’ve included are all ones that I eat on a regular basis and I quite enjoy. Have fun making your own variations.

Layers of a volleyball

One of the great things about my mom is that she finds a surplus of something in her house and turns to me and says ‘do something with these.’ It works well, she collects and I then create. Thus I know how to crochet with plastic grocery bags bags, I know a few dozen recipes that use various forms of jam with pectin, and I know what to do with a surplus of old volleyballs that won’t hold air.

Drill: Ready Position Reactions

Because I'm very proud I'd like to start this post by announcing that my brother earned his orange belt this last weekend. He is very excited and looks forward to more training. He officially knows how to do something that I know nothing about.

I like to write about a lot of reaction time and quick change of reaction drills. This is partially because I feel they are extremelly important for training purposes. For this drill, you won't need a ball, or even any net set up. You can do this drill with all players at the same time.

Ego Like an Iceberg

All those setter’s out there who feel unappreciated in their role, let’s talk. Moms and Dads feel free to sit in so that you can see what is going on inside your setter’s head.

It sucks to go out and make incredible plays only to have the hitter get all the glory. Liberos even get more glory then setters do because they pick up some incredibly difficult balls. I’m not about to say that they aren’t important, it’s just really hard to only hear everything your doing wrong. You are expected to make these incredible sets and you don’t get praise when you do that. I read an article the other week that said that if you had to put a bad player somewhere, make them the setter. I might have complained rather loudly to my boyfriend for a good hour about how wrong that writer was.

Breakfast, Lunch, and a Snack Before Practice

We all have those days when we rush out of the house and forget to eat breakfast. Hopefully we have enough time to grab a piece of toast or a granola bar or something, but let’s face it, we sometimes have to leave the house in five minutes flat. Unfortunately, a large chunk of the teenage population who do have time for breakfast, don’t actually use that time to eat. They skip the meal.