Jerk Chicken…And 4 ways to say you are sorry

Almost a decade ago I read a book called The Love Dare.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve any relationship in their life.  One line from that book has never left me. It was simply “be a joy, not a jerk”.  So simple, yet these six words can make all the difference in the world in your marriage, in your relationship with your children, or even with co-workers.  Think about it, who wants to live with a jerk?  Nobody.  We all find ourselves gravitating toward people full of joy and who treat us kindly.  This book also says the joy two people find in their marriage is directly linked to the daily level of kindness expressed.  We all want great relationships, but what about those days when we wake up and our inner jerk is just clamoring to come out and say something rude and regretful?  If you are anything like me, you beat yourself up for awhile, then you determine never to be a  “jerk” again only to someday fall short again.  The older I get the more slack I give myself because I realize this inner jerk is within all of us, but it’s in the way we handle ourselves that makes all the difference in the world to those around us and even to ourselves.

1)   Humble yourself.   Never be too proud to say you were wrong.  Even if they share in some of the blame don’t mention their part in it, only your part.   Before I met my husband it was very difficult for me to admit when my behavior was unbecoming.  I was much more comfortable making the other person feel like THEY were wrong to get “off the hook”.  The problem is the other person is not buying it, and they are only conceding to make you go away, which is definitely not winning.  By watching my husband, I have learned to apologize right away.  Not only do all the negative feelings dissolve almost immediately, but I’ve learned humility makes a person more attractive and it also creates a safe atmosphere for the other person to apologize as well.

2) Prove it – forgiveness is immediate, but proving yourself and regaining trust when you hurt someone’s feelings takes time.  Show that person you care about them so much that you will not make that same mistake again and again.

3) Make it up to them – you can’t buy your way out of what you may have said to hurt that person but you can show them how much you care by being your best everyday to be a joy and not a jerk.

4) Be silly – I ordered this T- shirt (pictured above) last year knowing unfortunately someday I would need to wear it.  How can someone not forgive you when you approach them wearing this shirt?  Take what you did to hurt their feelings seriously, but you don’t have to be so hard on yourself and take yourself so serious!  Forgive and move on.  This includes forgiving yourself!

Now on to this jerk chicken!

This dish was really enjoyable to make.  There are so many wholesome, vibrant, flavors and ingredients in this recipe.  Not to mention, so many ingredients are anti-fungal (and cancer fighting) including  ginger, carrots, onion, garlic, cinnamon, and the list goes on!

Jerk Chicken

Erin Porter

Try this wholesome and flavorful Jerk Chicken recipe!

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Dishes

Ingredients

  

• 4-8 Chicken breasts
• 8 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
• 2 Scallions diced
• 2 Limes squeezed
• 1-2 tbsp Coconut aminos (I use this in place of soy sauce-I used Coconut Secret brand)
• 1/4 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
• pinch Salt
• pinch Black pepper
• 4 Sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 Habanero pepper
• 1/2 Serrano pepper
• 1/4 cup Xylitol
• Shredded carrot (used for toppings)

Instructions

 

• Place all of these fresh wonderful ingredients (minus the chicken) in a food processor until puree is pretty smooth.
• Place puree in a zip lock bag and add the chicken breast. Seal zip lock bag and marinate over night.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees (ignore this if grilling)
• Place marinated chicken on baking dish and top with remaining marinade from bag.
• Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

Kaufmann 1 Diet (Kaufmann Phase 1), unless you add the wild brown rice-then it would be phase 2.