Lettuce Wraps with Ground Chicken

One of my favorite meals to make are lettuce wraps. They are quick and easy - two things that I love even more while cooking! I came across a recipe for lettuce wraps last summer, made with ground beef and other toppings, but I put my own twist on it to make it more healthy - and we've been enjoying them in our home ever since. Hope you guys enjoy!

Ingredients:

- Ground chicken 

- Seasonings for your ground meat

- A head of iceberg lettuce 

- Brown rice

- Shredded cheese

- Fresh salsa

- Hot sauce

- Plain greek yogurt

You'll want to start by cooking your ground meat. For this meal, I used ground chicken. Once it's done browning, you should drain the meat and add any desired spices to your pan. We've also used ground turkey in the past and it was great as well.

Next, you'll want to start making your rice. We typically make brown rice, but Eric was recently given a 25 lb. bag of jasmine rice at work, so we used that instead. 

While your ground meat is browning and your rice is cooking, you'll want to wash your lettuce and separate the leaves into different pieces. For the "wrap" you can also use romaine lettuce - whichever you prefer.

For our toppings, we like to use pepper jack cheese, fresh salsa (if we don't have fresh salsa, i like to dice a tomato and dice an onion), and hot sauce. We also had bell peppers previously cut up for other meals this week - so we had those with our lettuce wraps too. When we have greek yogurt, we like to substitute that for sour cream, as a healthier option. 

When all of your ingredients are ready, you can build your wrap! Here is what our wraps looked like tonight: 

Here is a picture from when we used romaine lettuce, instead of iceberg lettuce a few months ago - it was just as amazing!

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

One of my goals for this fall was to try more soup recipes in the crock pot. 

I came across this one and it sounded so good. I'm glad we tried it - it turned out amazing! :)

Ingredients:

- 1 lb chicken breast (cooked and shredded or cubed)

- 1 15 oz can of corn

- 1 1/2 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained 

(I used Rotel for more flavor and spice)

- 6 cups chicken stock

- 1/2 tsp. cumin

- 1/2 cup chopped onion

- 1 small can of diced green chills

- 2 tsp. minced garlic

- 1/4 tsp. chili powder

- 1 1/2 tsp. salt

- 3/4 tsp. pepper

- Monterey jack cheese, shredded

- Corn tortillas for topping

(I crushed tortilla chips that we already had for this topping)

- Avocados (cubed)

You can also add  a can of drained black beans to this recipe; however, I'm not a huge bean fan, so I decided to leave it out.

Not pictured - cheese, avocados and tortilla chips.

First, you'll want to cook and shred or cube the chicken. I wanted the soup to be heavy on the chicken and less "brothy" so I baked 3 big chicken breasts in the oven for 40 minutes on 350 degrees. To add more spice to the soup, I used cajun and Italian seasoning on my chicken. When the chicken was cooked, I shred the chicken with two forks. 

Note: I knew that I wanted to start the crock pot early on Sunday morning so that it could cook all day, so I baked and shredded my chicken Saturday night to save time for prep in the morning.

Add all ingredients except for the cheese, corn tortilla strips and avocados to your crockpot.

Cook on Low for 8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours).

When you're ready to serve, add the cheese, avocado cubes and tortilla strips!
We also served ours with corn bread and sprinkled this amazing hot spice "Slap Ya Mama" from Louisiana that I received from a sweet LEOW that lives there!

Enjoy! :)

EXTRA: Here is Tucker helping with blogging this evening :)

Mini Apple Pies

After a failed attempt at a fall Pinterest craft, Alison and I decided to make mini apple pies! I've had this recipe printed for a little over a month now that I've been wanting to try - so it was the perfect opportunity! We had all of the ingredients to make them except for the apples and pie crust, so we made a quick trip to the grocery store. 

Ingredients: 

- 8 cups of apples (approximately 7 large apples)

Note: We used honeycrisp apples and they worked perfectly!

- 12 tablespoons of flour

- 1 1/2 cups of sugar

- 4 heaping teaspoons of cinnamon

- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg 

- 4 tablespoons of chilled butter

- 2 boxes of Pillsbury pie crusts (4 chilled, not frozen crusts)

This recipe makes 24 mini apples pies.

Start by cutting up eight cups of apples into small 1/2 inch pieces. 

In a large bowl, mix the apples with the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. (Note - it will be a little dry at first, but once it sits for a few minutes, the moisture from the apples with make the mix more wet). 

Unroll your pie crust and cut several circles out. Continue this until you have enough pie crusts. (Originally the recipe said to use a lid from a widemouth mason jar; however, we used the top of a glass because the mason jar lid cut the pieces too small for the tins.)

Spray your tins with cooking spray and begin to line each muffin tin with a tiny pie crust. 

Begin to gently fill the crusts with your apple mixture, so that they are slightly mounded on the top.

With the chilled butter, you will want to cut the pieces into 24 equal portions. Once you have all of your pieces, place them on the top of each individual pie.

With the left over dough/pie crust, cover each mini pie with small pieces as desired.

Brush the tops with melted butter (this will make the tops brown in the oven).

Bake at 400 degrees for 22 minutes. (You'll want to start checking the mini pies after 10 minutes, and about 2-3 minutes after that until they look ready).

When you're done, you'll want to place each mini pie on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes.

When they're done, you are ready to enjoy! Your kitchen will smell AMAZING!  Dad suggests adding a little scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you'll have the perfect little treat for a fall afternoon. I recommend popping them in the microwave for a few seconds right before you're ready to enjoy - they're so good warm!!

A huge shout out to Alison - thank so much for your help with these!! :) Our husbands were very happy with the final product!!

Creating An Office Space That Fits You

I recently moved into a new (much larger and more private) office at work, and because I spend so much time at work and in my office, I wanted to make sure that I really enjoyed my space. This weekend while one of my best friends Bree was in town for my birthday, we made a trip to HomeGoods to pick up a few things to spruce up my new office space. 

The things that I had on my "want list":

- Lamp

- Pillows for my two chairs

- Mirror

While my office already had lamps and office supplies, I wanted this space to be my own and represent more of "me" and be cozy and more enjoyable.  Of course, there was no "need" to upgrade these items but I knew I'd love my space even more to have a few new pieces for my space. Plus, who doesn't love to decorate new places?! We had a lot of fun roaming through HomeGoods and thank goodness I had her there, she was a huge help (I think she has a new calling as an interior decorator!) 

Here are a few pictures of my new (almost finished) office - it's a great start!

A few of my favorite pieces/areas:

We found this mirrored piece that we knew I could use to either put post-its, containers of pens, etc. on. It actually turned out better than I had imagined. As you can see - I have a bunch of funny post-it notes that I love to use (thanks to a co-worker), so I ended up placing them here so that I could easily grab them when needed! Also pictured, we picked up this cute little vase of daisies. They're one of my favorite flowers, and they look so rustic with the twine wrapped around the bottom - something that I always love! I was also excited to pick up these flameless candles. We can't have regular candles in the office, so these were perfect! They also have timers so that they turn off on their own after 4 hours. Another plus - they are scented!

As many of you have seen Eric's funny Instagram post, I carried this big lamp into work on the train. I got numerous funny looks (and comments) on the train but it was definitely worth it - I love the way it looks in my office! And, I've received lots of compliments on it! Funny story about the lamp - we almost didn't select this one! I had chosen this other lamp that looked more glassy/rustic and I believe it was an iron color. I loved it and Bree said that it looked too stuffy haha! She suggested a few others that we both weren't really in love with, but then we saw this one (on clearance!) and we both loved it! I'm really glad we stuck with this one because it adds the perfect pop of color and texture to my office. Also pictured - I picked out two white frames for new pictures. I had a ton of pictures on my old desk on the cork board, and under a plastic desk pad that I could see all the time - but I opted to get rid of the bulletin board for a cleaner feel/look and will eventually fill my shelves with more frames, pictures, and updated photos of my family, friends, and precious kids/babies in my life!

We also found this cute grey organizer. I definitely loved the look better than the older black file stand that I had before - so I'm glad we picked this one up too!

My boss has two really cute pillows on the chairs in her office, and I knew I wanted cute pillows to spruce my chairs up as well. We found these cute white and silver pillows (also on clearance) that I fell in love with! They definitely spruce up my chairs and pull out the metallic colors in the mirror that is hung in my office as well. 

I had this little shelf on my old desk that I really liked. I like to keep all of the things that I use often on top of my desk so that they are easy to grab when I need them. I brought in two mason jars that we used in our wedding to replace my big pencil/pen jar. 

One of the things I had on my "want" list was a mirror to hang on the wall. (Note: It still needs to be hung) :) I didn't want something too big, but wanted something that was a good size so that it didn't look too small on a large wall. I really liked the metallic look of this mirror but I was surprised because I'm typically not a gold-colored person. I love silver and don't typically buy gold toned items. I liked this one, and Bree also commented that the metallic in the pillows kind of tie the mirror in with the rest of my office. We threw it in the cart (and had to turn it around many times inside the cart to better see it in order to pair it with other items - haha Bree always ended up on the wrong side of the cart when picking up other items, it was really funny!) I'm glad we chose this one - I think that it looks great on the big wall!

As you can see, everything is so bright and I love it! When I'm feeling like the lights are a little too much and I'd like to make it a little low key, I also have the option of dimming my lights and using the light from my lamp as my main source of light as shown below :)

Now of course, my office definitely doesn't always look this neat - there are papers and files all over my desk (so definitely don't think that it looks this neat all of the time). These pictures were taken when I first moved in the office yesterday morning. 

Upcoming things I plan to also add - black and white canvas pictures on the wall above my computer of Tucker and from our wedding, my bachelors degree and masters degree above my office supply organizer, and other framed pictures on the many shelves that I have left open :) It's exciting to finally have a big place of my own, that I was able to put so many personal touches on, and that I look forward to working in each day. Definitely makes a difference having a spruced up space to work in, 

especially when you spend so much time there. 

Hope this inspires you to spruce up a little space that you use often in your home or office! :)

My new obsession - Alex & Ani Bangles

My new obsession....

Bangle Bracelets from Alex & Ani!

I have my Mom and Sister to blame for this obsession (as they were the original ones that turned me on to these amazing, American-made bracelets).

Before two weeks ago, I had no idea what they were. Boy, was I missing out! I'm a huge fan of bracelets, and bracelets that you can pair together - 

so these definitely struck my interest (once I knew what they were!)

Mom had come home with two little boxes when I was home a couple of weekends ago for a friend's wedding - one for Madison and one for me. She gave us each the "Daughter" bracelet. It was so dainty and simple (which I love), 

and the meaning behind it was so special. 

I learned that each bracelet from Alex & Ani has a meaning and a special story behind it. It was my first Alex & Ani bracelet and I was so pumped to show it off! (I was surprised to find out that apparently everyone had already known what they were except for me) Haha!

Lucky for me, I just had a birthday. For my birthday, I ended up getting completely surprised by numerous people, with more awesome Alex & Ani bracelets - 

each with their own special meaning.

My parents gave me the birthstone bracelet for my birthday, with the pink dangle gem. I love the pop of color that it adds to the other bracelets, 

and I think of my parents each time I see it!

My sister had sent me a package for my birthday that included the penguin bracelet and the sister bracelet. Not only do these bracelets come with little cards that explain the special meaning behind the bracelets - which for me, usually make me cry - but the company also donates to certain charities or organizations for certain bracelets that are purchased. 

Madison knew that my favorite animal is a penguin. For all sales of the penguin bracelet, Alex & Ani donates proceeds (minimum of $25,000) to the Association of Zoo & Aquariums, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of wildlife conservation and science education. How awesome? A cute bracelet, with my favorite animal, AND a portion of the proceeds go to an amazing organization?

One of my best friends Ashley gave me the the Tree of Life bangle. This bracelet represents strong roots, consistent growth and fruition. I absolutely love it!

One of my bosses in Atlanta also surprised me with an Alex & Ani bracelet in the mail for the completion of a huge project that I just finished at work. She gave me the gold New Beginnings bangle. This one has an 8-sided sun that represents the universal law that life's outcomes are a reflection of your efforts. It encompasses opportunity, positivity, energy and encompasses new beginnings. Another cool thing about this bracelet, is that again, proceeds from the sale of this particular bracelet (with a minimum donation of $25,000) go to the ONE campaign, a global campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 3.5 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease.

Before any of these bracelets were given to me (other than my mom's original "Daughter" bracelet), Eric had asked me what I wanted for my birthday. Since we will be vacationing in Jamaica soon, we decided that we'd do something special there. He wanted to get me something on my actual birthday and he decided to get me an Alex & Ani bracelet (since I had been so excited for the bracelet that Mom had given me the weekend before). Keep in mind - this was before I had received any of my other bracelets 

(that I obviously had no idea about). 

Eric gave me this awesome "J" initial bracelet:

And from Tucker, Eric gave me this Paw Prints charm. Another awesome fact - proceeds from the sale of this bracelet (again, with a minimum donation of $25,000), go to the Mayor's Alliance for NYC animals that focuses on supporting, healing and finding caring homes for dogs and cats. 

And that makes my collection thus far! 8 totally different, amazing bracelets that I love to pair together and love to remember all of the amazing people that gave them to me, along with the special messages and meanings behind each of them. 

Here are some fun pairings found on their website - I love the way they look together!

Whole Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

One of my (many) favorite things about fall is crock pot cooking! I have a few recipes already that I can't wait to try - lots of soups and stews! I love coming home to a house that smells amazing from whatever yummy goodness has 

been cooking for hours in the crock pot! 

While I was scrolling through Pinterest on one of my morning commutes to work (don't panic, I take the train), I came across a recipe using a whole chicken, that seemed extremely easy. I was a little hesitant at first because I thought it was too good to be true, but I'm so happy that we tried it! It was by far the easiest meal to make, and was delicious! The meat literally fell off the bone.

Another plus about this recipe - I usually buy whole chickens when they are on sale for 99 cents/pound, so not only are they cheap, but you can make many meals (and can make so many different dishes) out of one whole chicken. We're looking forward to trying this recipe with other seasonings and marinades this fall!

Whole Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

The only two ingredients you'll need are a whole chicken (approx. 5 pounds) and the seasonings/spices that you wish to use.

Unwrap the chicken and remove any internal organs from the inside of the chicken.

Rinse the chicken with water. 

Use Pam or another cooking spray to spray the bottom of the crock pot.

Place the chicken in the crockpot.

Season with desired spices.

Set the crockpot for 4 hours on high. You will want to use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is throughly cooked before removing.

When the chicken is finished, you're ready to slice and serve! We used Cajun and Old Bay Seasonings for ours this week - the meat was practically falling off the bone and was so juicy! We sliced the chicken to use for meals throughout the week.