Sweet and Sour Chicken

I made up this quick Sweet and Sour Chicken dish for my girls. I used a sweet and sour sauce recipe based off of Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist blog.  The girls loved it! I used a small skillet and only made up enough for their lunch. I should have double the batch because they licked their bowls and asked if they could have it for lunch again tomorrow.
-Amanda

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 chicken thigh (or breast)
1 tbsp arrowroot
2 tbsp coconut oil/lard
1 carrot
handful of peas
sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup (I used homemade)
1 tbsp of grade b maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger (not in original recipe)

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Place in a bowl and sprinkle arrowroot, salt and pepper and stir until well coated. Get oil hot in a skillet and then place the chicken in it, shaking off extra arrowroot powder. When browned on one side, flip over and cook the other side. When chicken is about halfway cooked, add vegetables and continue stirring. Add sauce and bring to a boil. The arrowroot powder will help thicken the sauce and have it cling to the vegetables and chicken.

What's For Dinner at My House: Nachos!

No recipe, but a quick and easy dinner idea. Homemade nachos really hit the spot for us tonight. I bought the corn chips, store bought tortilla chips are a treat for us lately, but when I do buy them I get the organic ones now because GMO corn is just scary. I topped them with some grass fed beef that I seasoned with a homemade taco seasoning blend of oregano, cilantro, chili powder and cumin with sauted onions and garlic too. Added in some of the roasted tomato salsa I just made and then whipped up a very quick "queso." The queso was basically a very thick bechamel sauce with lots of cheese! A dallop of sour cream on top and it was a yummy quick dinner. John added a bit of lettuce to his, but I went just ooey gooey tonight. The girls ate this UP.
-Amanda

What's For Dinner at My House: Toddler Hors d'œuvres

We had a fairly big lunch today, followed by a late snack. I wasn't anywhere near hungry so I made up a quick plate of toddler hors d'œuvres. A few grapes, cubes of cheese, black berries, nuts (already eaten before I photographed it) and deviled eggs made a quick dinner. Presented on a fun tray in the toy room while they are allowed to play while eating(!?!) made it a special treat instead of a boring and sparse looking dinner. 
-Amanda

Maddie's Recipe

Not the best photo, but I was in a hurry to leave for a meeting. Last Tuesday, I had a PAMOM meeting to go to and I was looking to make a quick dinner for the kids. John was going to eat leftovers so I didn't have to worry about him. Izzie was off in the other room playing and Maddie was with me in the kitchen. As I was staring in the refridgerator for inspiration I asked her what she wanted for dinner. She said, "I want broccoli, carrots, hot dogs, cheese, and bananas. Mix it all together. Okay... that's what I want."

So I quickly chopped up the carrots, broccoli and hotdog. I sauted the carrots and broccoli in a pat of butter until soft. Then I tossed in cut up hotdog. I added a tbsp of flour, a bit of cream and half a cup of freshly grated cheddar cheese. Luckily I was able to convince her that the banana would taste better on the side. So here  you go, my three year old's first recipe! Enjoy!
-Amanda

Kale Chips

Why haven't I tried this sooner? These are so good! Next time you are craving a savory salt treat, try these. Kale is super good for you and you won't even know you are eating something healthy when you munch into this crispy treat. As a matter of fact, my three year old twin daughters who have been known to turn their noses up at a vegetable or two literally couldn't get enough of these tonight. I should have made twice as many!

-Amanda

Cristpy Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
garlic powder
sea salt
splash of apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 with your cookie sheet in the oven. Cut the stems out of the kale leaves and cut the kale into smaller pieces. Place them in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt and apple cider vinegar. Coat really well, make sure the olive oil is on each part of the leaves. Remove cookie sheet from oven and pour kale onto hot sheet. Spread in one layer. Bake 10-12  minutes. Remove before they start to turn brown. The brown parts are a bit bitter. Enjoy! I've known people to crumble this up on their popcorn, it's that good.

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

Say what? Soaked Pancakes? I have to tell you when I first heard of soaking wheat bread overnight I was skeptical. Soak it in what? Milk? Water? Buttermilk? I finally learned that buttermilk or water with whey (the runny part of yogurt) or even water with lemon will do the trick. Then the next step is to leave it on the counter loosely covered for at least 24 hours. Sounded pretty strange to me. So I kept digging and found out the 'why' behind soaking your wheat. Grains, nuts and legumes all contain something called phytic asic. This is something that isn't easy to digest for humans that only have one stomach. Not only is phytic acid hard to digest, when it is in your system, it robs you of other minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

Have you ever heard of soaking beans over night to make them more tender? The reason that our grandmas and great grandmas did that wasn't to just make them tender, it actually was breaking down the phytic acid. They may not have known the science behind what they were doing, but through trial and error our ancestors were pretty smart people! Now we know that all grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes should be soaked before digested.

Which brings me back to my recipe....
-Amanda

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

2-3 cups of whole wheat
enough water to fully absorb into the wheat
2-3 tbsp whey

1 egg
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp cinammon
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla
(raw) milk to thin if necessary

The morning before, place whole wheat flour in a bowl. Mix water and whey together and pour over wheat. Stir thoroughly to get all of the flour wet. It is actually pretty hard to stir. But it should be wet enough to be a gloppy dough, not runny. Cover and let sit on the counter over night.

The day you make the pancakes. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add melted butter, honey, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Whisk thoroughly. Add gloppy wheat dough from yesterday. I ended up getting out my hand mixer to try and get the dough to incorporate. For a minute there I thought it was alive! It is a strange dough the first time you do it! Finally I got it incorporated but it was still too thick to make pancakes with. I added a splash of milk and got a great pancake consistency batter! Cook on a greased griddle just like you would any pancake.

Pizza Soup

The flavor of pizza without the carbs. This soup was surprisingly really good! And after I took my first bite, I did exclaim, "This DOES taste like pizza!" That was followed by... "hum... although since I can't remember the last time I ate a pizza I could be off, but who cares, it tastes great!" It's basically a parmesan cream tomato soup with pizza toppings stirred in. It was a hit with the husband and both toddlers.
-Amanda

Pizza Soup

• 2 tbsp butter or left over bacon drippings
• 1 onion, diced small
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tsp dried italian seasonings
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 - 1 lb hamburger meat
• 2, 28 oz cans of tomatoes
• 2 (more) cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp (more) of dried italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 green bell peper
• whole milk mozzarella cheese
• kalmata olives, sliced
• pepperchini sliced

In a large pot, melt butter or bacon drippings. Sauted a diced onion and 3 cloves of garlid chopped fine. Add one sliced bell pepper. When onions are soft, add ground hamburger meat. As meat is cooking add salt, 2 tsp italian seasonings, 1 tsp oregano and fennel seeds. When meat is cooked through, remove it to a bowl and set aside.

Put two cans of tomatoes in the pot. Add roughly chopped garlic, more of the italian seasonings and butter. Bring to a boil. With an immersion blender, puree the tomatoes until they are very smooth. Add heavy cream and blend it in. Pour meat mixture back into the pot and stir in with the tomatoes. Dice the green bell pepper and add it to the soup. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve with grated mozzarella cheese, kalmata olives and pepperchini on top.

Simple Chicken Parmesan & Easy Tomato Sauce

My dear hubby, John, has been out of town for a couple of nights for work, and so upon his return tonight I wanted to make him his favorite dish of all time. Chicken Parmesan. Since he is watching calories too, I made a simple skillet version that isn't as caloric as the traditional method.
-Amanda

Simple Chicken Parmesan

1-2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp dried basil
3 tsp dried oregano
salt, pepper
olive oil
Mozzarella sliced thin, enough to cover chicken breasts
pasta
tomato sauce (I make my own, see below.)

With a very sharp knife, cut chicken breasts into 'scallopini.' Meaning, cut lengthwise across the chicken to make very thin pieces. I had a very huge chicken breast and was able to get 4 pieces! In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken very lightly through the flour. You don't need an egg wash or anything, the moisture from the chicken will be enough, this is a very light coating.

Lightly grease a large skillet with olive oil and get it hot. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet, do not crowd them. Do it in two batches if necessary. Do not try to move them once you set them down. If you are using a non-stick skillet it will feel like they have stuck. Do not panic. Wait a few minutes and gently nudge with your spatula. If you feel it start to give, flip them over. If they still feel stuck, give them a few more seconds. When the meat "releases" it should be browned and you can flip them. When you flip the chicken, cover the browned side with the thin mozzerella slices, lower the heat and cover. Cook for another 5-6 minutes. The chicken won't take too long since you cut it so thin to start with.

Serve with pasta and tomato sauce.

My Easy Tomato Sauce:

1 large can of whole tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
1 small onion
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano and chili flakes. Let simmer covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and let simmer for 15-30 minutes longer. The longer you simmer the thicker the sauce will be. If using whole tomatoes, mash with a potato masher or use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes smoother. Season with salt to taste.

Taco Mini Mufins

I loved the response from my homemade chicken nuggets! Many of my friends told me they were going to try out the recipe. Please let me know how yours turn out if you do!

Today's recipe is another very toddler friendly meal idea. Although I'm going to serve this for dinner for the adults too, paired with a salad. These Taco Mini Muffins can also be made in bulk and frozen. Reheat in the toaster oven or microwave. This isn't an exact science, you can change the recipe to your preferences. Oh and I actually doubled the meat and veggies so I could have easy taco salads later this week.
-Amanda

Taco Mini Muffins

Cornbread Mix
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce
2 eggs
approx 2 cups of milk, start with slightly less and add until you get a "pancake" batter consistency.

Taco Mix
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 small onion
1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn
1/4 cup drained black beans
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
3 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup (I used homemade)
salt & pepper to taste

Dice onion into small bits. Place oil in a skillet (I used cast iron.) When it gets hot, add onion. While the onion is cooking, dice red bell pepper. Add it to the onion, stir occasionally. When onion and bell pepper are soft, add corn and beans, heat until the corn is thawed. Remove vegetables from skillet (Or if pressed for time, cook them at the same time as the meat in a separate skillet.)

Once vegetables have been removed from the skillet, add the meat. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, tomato paste or ketchup, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until meat is cooked all the way through.

Add meat to the vegetables and stir.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the cornbread mix, except the milk. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and stir. Add enough milk until you have a loose "pancake" like batter. Stir in the meat/vegetable mixture. Dish about 2 tbsp in mini muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. If you do larger muffins, adjust your cooking time. A toothpick should come out clean and the tops of the muffins should start to brown.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets for your Toddler

I've done versions of this before, but everytime I do something I do it a bit differently. This is what I did this time. I made up a batch and like usual will freeze it on the cookie sheet over night. Then I take the frozen nuggets and place in a freezer bag and just reheat a few at at time for lunches for my girls. They have the texture of "McNuggets" that kids like, but somehow I don't think the McNuggets have carrot grated up in theirs! Serve it with homemade ketchup and your kids are in for a tasty treat!
-Amanda

Place chicken in food processor with grated carrot and oil. Pulse then add egg. Pulse until well ground up.

This is what the chicken/carrot mixture looks like. Scoop into little balls and roll in breadcrumbs.

Makes about 3 dozen nuggets.

Healthy Toddler Chicken Nuggets

3 chicken boneless, skinless thighs, some of the fat removed
1 egg
1 carrot
1-2 tbsp flaxseed oil (healthy omega-3's!)
bread crumbs (I used the ends of my homemade whole wheat bread)
Italian seasoning blend

Cut chicken thighs into 1-2 inch pieces. Put them in a food processor. Grate one carrot and put it in the food processor with the chicken. Add the flaxseed oil. Pulse until the chicken is ground up. Add one egg and pulse until it is incorporated. Dump the chicken mixture into a mixing bowl.

Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish and mix in the italian seasonings.

Using a one tablespoon scoop, scoop out the chicken mixture into little balls. Roll in the breadcrumbs and place on a sprayed cookie sheet (or parchment paper.) Flatten the balls and shape into little ovals. Spray the tops of each nugget. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen nuggets.

Cheese Crackers

Ever since I started reducing the amount of processed foods we eat, Goldfish cheese crackers haven't found a spot in our pantry. The girls for the most part haven't missed them, but the other day they did ask for some fishy crackers for snack. I just ordered some mini-cutters and I think these crackers will be perfect for them.  These crackers were a huge hit!
-Amanda

Cheese Crackers

• 1 1/2 cup flour (I've done it as all whole wheat or half whole wheat/half white)
• 3/4 stick of cold butter cut into pieces
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3-4 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put flour into a food processor. Place the butter cubes around and pulse a couple of times until the butter is mixed in. Reserve 1 tbsp of the beaten egg for brushing on top* and mix the rest into the flour. Add a few tbsp of ice cold water, cheese and salt. Mix until dough forms. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into an 1/8 of an inch. Cut out using whatever shape you want, or cut into strips. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

*I did not take the time to brush the tops of mine, so they aren't as pretty and golden as they could be.

Beef Lo Mein with Thai Peanut Sauce

I took a shortcut tonight and used a bottled sauce. One I could have made from scratch, but I had bought it before I started making sauces from scratch and I decided I wanted to try and use it up. It was pretty tasty and it was fast to throw this dinner together.
-Amanda

Beef Lo Mein with Thai Peanut Sauce

8-10 oz sirlion beef
1 red bell pepper
2 handfuls of sugar snap peas
1/2 pint of button mushrooms
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup peanuts
1/2 cup bottled Thai Peanut Sauce
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Prepare noodles according to package directions.
Slice beef into very thin strips going against the grain of the meat. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips too. Slice the mushrooms. In a large pan, add some of the vegetable oil and get it very hot. Add beef but do not try to stir it right away. Let it start to sear. Then after a minute or two, stir it and cook until almost cooked through, only about 4 minutes total. Remove meat from skillet. Drain any fat. Add a bit more vegetable oil and saute vegetables until cooked through. Add beef back in and peanut sauce. Cook until meat is done. Pour over noodles and top with some raw peanuts.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Popsicles

I made these popsicles today for my twins. They were a huge hit! They especially loved the "clean up" fun after wards! Read here for more details!
-Amanda

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Popsicles

1 banana
6-8 strawberries
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup whole milk

Blend in a magic bullet or blender. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for a few hours. Makes about 4.

Sit back and enjoy! (Maddie and Izzie Dittlinger.)

From Scratch Chicken Nuggets

Instead of relying on high priced, processed chicken tenders, I've been making my own for my kids. I make them in bulk and then freeze them in my deep freeze still on the cookie sheets. After they are frozen I move them to a ziptop freezer storage bag and pull out a few to cook for lunch occasionally. I tend to reheat them in my toaster oven, but however you reheat prepared chicken tenders will work too. The entire batch (family size package of chicken) took me about 45 minutes of prep time (although I was cooking mashed potatoes in that time too.) They take about 25 minutes to make in addition to the prep time.
-Amanda

From Scratch Chicken Nuggets

1 large package of chicken thighs
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2-3 inches of the end of a loaf of homemade loaf of bread (or about 2.5-3 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Chicken Thighs. I trimmed the fat from each thigh. I've done this with chicken breasts too, which I prefer (I don't like dark meat!) But the chicken thighs are a bit cheaper, the higher fat is good for the kids and they don't dry out as easily as breast meat.

I cut them into lengths and then into 1" cubes.

1 bowl of chicken thighs. I bowl of 2 eggs and milk whisked. In the last bowl I pulsed my homemade bread in my magic bullet. Then I pulsed the coconut flakes and added them to the bread crumbs. Stir in the seasonings and you are set.

Dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash and then the bread crumbs and lay out on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil. I put a handful of chicken in the eggs, then scooped them out, letting the egg drain away between my fingers. Then I tossed them in the bread crumbs to make it go faster. You want to dust off as much as the excess breadcrumb as you can. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Banana Ice Cream

Izzie eating her Banana Ice Cream

Maddie enjoying her Banana Ice Cream.

What a healthy fun treat for the summer! Banana Ice Cream, made with ONE ingredient. Yep, one. Frozen Banana slices. I diced 3 bananas and froze them overnight. Then pulse in food processor until creamy and delicious. They thought they were getting a real treat, and yet, it was just a banana...
-Amanda

Another Beef Taco

I have really been enjoying the homemade from scratch cooking I've been doing. Everything tastes so much better. Meals have become simpler because the ingredients are more complicated. Instead of fixing a fancy side dish to go along with these tacos, I cut up a fresh pear, because my focus was on making homemade wheat tortillas. I used to take about 30-45 minutes to cook a meal. I got this one on the table in 30 minutes and everything was fresh. My dough was already prepared ahead of time, but I did roll it out and cook it in the 30 minute time slot.)
-Amanda

Another Beef Taco

8 small tortillas
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 small red bell pepper
1 small onion
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
favorite cheese as garnish

Saute beef in a large skillet (I prefer cast iron.) When it is about half way cooked, add diced onions. Add seasonings as beef is still cooking (oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt.) Add corn and last bell pepper. Cook just a few minutes, but leave bell pepper a bit crunchy. Put about 1/4 cup of meat mixture on each tortilla and grate fresh cheese on top. Serve with fresh fruit.

Carrot & Applesauce Puree

Lately my two year old twins have gotten picky about certain vegetables. I think it's a phase most two year old's go through, but I'm determined to power through it and get to the other side. Right now, they love peas almost every time you serve it to them. Broccoli on the other hand is hit or miss. One day they "love" broccoli, the next day it is, "yucky, NO like it!!" As for mushrooms, Izzie likes them, Maddie has eaten them on accident. And for reasons beyond my comprehension, they don't like carrots. I thought carrots were supposed be one of the "give" veggies that all kids liked. They don't like them raw, cooked, shredded or roasted. Today I decided to go back to the babyfood days when they actually loved carrots and puree them. I got the idea watching Food Network. On some of the fancy cooking shows the contestants will serve a "puree of blah blah blah vegetable." I always laughed at the critics who were basically eating baby food and saying how wonderful it is. Now all this is to say, I made pureed carrots for the girls, and they did turn them down, but I'm going to serve them again at dinner and see how it goes. I think the fact that they saw me make the carrots was my downfall in this instance. One success I've had with the girls is to offer the same vegetable several meals in a row, until they get so used to it, they don't think about "not liking" it.
-Amanda

Pureed Carrots & Applesauce
for a Toddler palette (I hope!)

2 large carrots
1 tsp olive oil
pinch of salt
1/2 cup plain, full fat greek or organic yogurt
1/4 cup natural, no sugar added applesauce

Cut carrots into round slices and place them on a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and salt over them and toss to coat. Roast in the oven at 475 degrees for about 25 minutes or until tender. (They are great for adults this way! I pulled out some for me to eat at this point.)

Scrape all the carrots and oil into a blender. Add yogurt and applesauce and puree until smooth. This dish is really sweet, too sweet for me, but if you like sweet vegetables, I'm sure it would be a good side dish even for an adult.

White Bean Chicken Chili

This recipe was posted on a message board I'm on by Amberly. She got it from Ame. I think everyone in my mom's group is trying out their variation of it! It is really good! I made the white beans from scratch a couple of weeks ago and froze them. So tonight I just pulled those out of the freezer and mixed them with the rest of the ingredients instead of using canned beans. (My beans had carrots, celery and a bit of bacon so it added a depth of flavor that is a bit different than canned.) But either would work fine. My twins ate this up and Izzie even asked for more!
-Amanda

White Bean Chicken Chili

about 32 oz chicken stock
3 cans white beans undrained (I use homemade dried beans that had been previously cooked)
5 cups cooked chicken
1 - 16oz jar salsa or homemade salsa
1 - 8oz block pepper jack (I used colby jack because it was what I had)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tortilla chips (crushed), optional... makes chili thicker
 avacado to garnish

Place all ingredients in large pot over medium-high heat until cheese is melted. When chili is ready, add crushed chips, if using, and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.

10 Minute Toddler Dinner 2

Well, this one really is only 10 minutes because it combined a bunch of leftovers that were in my refridgerator, otherwise it would have taken longer to cook. I labeled this for toddlers, but it really is delicious and comforting for an adult too.
-Amanda

Creamy Mushroom Chicken Rice

1/2 cup leftover rice
1/2 leftover cooked chicken breast, diced
2 button mushrooms, diced
3/4 cup fat free half and half (or heavy cream)
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup mozzarella
dash of oregano & salt

Stir cooked rice, chicken, mushrooms together in a pot. Add the cream, butter, seasonings and cheese. Stir until cream thickens and mixture is warmed through. I added leftover green beans, canned fruit and a smoothie that didn't get finished at snacktime to round out the meal.

10 Minute Toddler Dinner

Last night I had the opportunity to go to a MNO. That acronym is one I would never had known before I was a Mom, but it stands for Mom's Night Out and it is a wonderful acronym to have on your calendar. On MNO, I sure don't want to cook dinner, so my hubby was left with leftovers and I made this quick, easy and healthy 10 minute dinner for my twin toddlers. My chicken was already defrosted, so it would have taken a few extra minutes if it was frozen.

Toddler Chicken Dinner x2
1 chicken breast, diced
a few tbsp of a favorite dip (I chose Bar-B-Q sauce)
Refried Beans (they were leftover in the fridge)
2 minute microwave cheesy broccoli
applesauce with cinnamon

Dice your chicken and season to your kids preferences. I dusted them lightly with some ground thyme. Spray a pan and put the chicken in it to start cooking. Then cut some broccoli florets and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1-2 tbsp water and cover with some grated cheese. Cover tightly with saran wrap and microwave for 2 minutes. Uncover carefully and stir. Remember to stir your chicken, but it will cook quickly if you diced it small enough. Then warm up some canned refried beans. A bit of all-natural applesauce with a touch of cinnamon (a favorite of my girls,) and you are good to go as soon as the chicken cooks all the way through.