Make Your Marriage Better and Barbecue Maple Chicken Kebabs Recipe
These Barbecue Maple Chicken Kebabs are one of the easiest summer entertaining dishes you can serve at a casual party, also perfect for Father’s Day!
The other day, I received a gift from one of our sons. He was thanking his dad and me for the gift of living out a healthy marriage for him, his brother and sister—he said “for setting the bar high.” It caught me off guard, because sometimes his dad and I don’t always do it right. But we sure try, and commit to working hard to be healthy–spiritually, emotionally, and physically connected as a couple.
The painful times and years, like every marriage goes through, has helped us grow and become stronger people. Marriage is hard work, and our children have seen that. They have seen us fail, get mad, be exhausted, worrying and fretting over “life.” They’ve also seen us elated, making up (conflict resolution), loving, respecting, and building our healthy selves (living out our passions).
Life is a commitment and a journey, it’s not always easy, and each day there is a lesson to be learned.
Move toward “better.”
You make changes with your attitude, come up with a new plan, change the way you respond … you pray, you act, you learn to bend. Quite honestly, when I have a bad attitude, I just suck! I don’t like myself, and I know it. My goal is to always be moving toward “better” in my relationship with Paul.
We’ve also prioritized our marriage (we’re going on 25!), sometimes making it more important than raising our kids. Yes, we put hard work into them, but we never gave up on “us,” or tossed “us” aside, because we didn’t have time or money. You have to decide what you want your marriage to be about, and then decide what you need to give up to make it the most that it should be. This is where most people fall … they aren’t willing to give certain things up to make a good thing better. We decided early on that we wanted to really be in love with each other when our kids were gone, and be excited making new adventures together.
Being “real” pays off.
One thing I love about our close friends is that we often talk about our marriages. We talk openly as a couple with other couples, and then individually with our friends. We support, share struggles—sometimes our discussions make us feel uncomfortable. But that is being authentic and real. It’s not the standard “how are you doing” and “everything is perfect” response.
Surround yourself with good people.
Recently, while spending a weekend together with our friends, we exchanged some funny and similar stories about our marriages. Sometimes by sharing with others, you don’t feel so alone. They do that, too? It’s also good to be connected with those you feel safe with. One of the things we’ve shown our kids is the importance of a good network of healthy friendships. These people have been a big part of our childrens’ lives. Raising our kids has been our job as parents, but “it takes a village” is also very true. We’ve surrounded our family with good, strong people, who have influenced our kids for the good. (And the ones that weren’t for the good is another post for another day.)
Setting the bar high.
Back to our son. I know he’s in his twenties now–more mature, working, watching other relationships, but I found it very honoring to hear those words that he considered a gift … setting the bar high.
I think this gift will serve him well in life. It is my prayer.
Barbecue Maple Chicken Kebabs.
Last night, Paul and I sat out by the pool and enjoyed a simple summer meal.
Our first kebabs for the summer, this recipe is simple, delicious (with a hint of maple – yum!), and I always ask myself why I don’t make kebabs more often. I mean, how much simpler can they be?
They are one of the easiest summer entertaining main dishes to serve to company!
We bought the McCormick’s Grill Mates® Smokehouse Maple Seasoning at Costco (it’s really good on sausage, too). How about grilling green onion for a pretty garnish?
Meat, veggie, meat, veggie … so healthy, too!
Drizzle with balsamic glaze … even better!
Give something up every day.
Enjoy, and thanks for letting me share my marriage thoughts with you today.
Bottom line, give something up every day to make your marriage better with your spouse!
What do you think about setting aside a few minutes each day to think of something that you can either give up or change, or do, to make your marriage better?
Get the Recipe:
Barbecue Maple Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp. maple seasoning, I use McCormick’s Grill Mates® Smokehouse Maple Seasoning
- 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- Green onions, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Mix oil and seasoning in a small bowl. Place chicken in large Ziploc plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade; discard any remaining marinade. Alternately thread chicken cubes and vegetables onto skewers.
- Lightly sprinkle chicken and vegetables with additional Smokehouse Maple Seasoning, if desired.
- Grill over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, turning frequently.
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Another stellar post. Thank you Sandy for sharing something so personal, again. xoxo
Possibly the highest compliment… for your grown child to acknowledge the hard work you’ve put into your marriage, and for him to claim that it has helped his life. That is just beautiful. One more time, happy anniversary!! Hugs from Oklahoma.
Thank you, Marie! xo
Wow! I love your challenge. I’m going to set aside some time each day to think of/do something to make my marriage better! Such a terrific way to truly work on your marriage daily. And these kabobs look amazing! Definitely going to find that maple seasoning!
You live, you learn, you grow! Thank you Sandy for always keeping it real! I enjoyed this post and the challenge to think of something each and every day to give up or change to enhance my marriage! Chicken kabobs are one of my favorite and since my husband loves to grill, its something we both can do together for a quick and easy dinner (easy clean-up too)!