Citrus Chicken Salad

I feel like Summer is the season of the sandwich. Our family is always super busy, whether we're headed to the beach or Busch Gardens or just scrambling to make a quick lunch after a long morning in the backyard. That's where the sandwich comes in, because it's fast + easy to make + and super tasty. 

Now I'm a chicken salad girl, I just feel like there is nothing better than a fresh chicken salad. Since we grill out a lot when the weather gets nice there is almost always leftover chicken to be used. So here is my tried and true recipe. 

Citrus Chicken Salad

2 grilled chicken breasts, shredded
1 rib of celery, finely diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lemon, just the zest
1/3 cup mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add/subtract mayo to your preference. Sometimes I squeeze in a quarter of the lemon juice as well, it just depends on how lemony you want it. Feel free to toss in some grapes too. I usually alternate between batches when I add them in.




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Mint-Lemon Pound Cake

Y'all I am back. Last week I took a little sabbatical to just enjoy life. I ate up the little moments. BK's new smile, the 3 new words she started saying, dinners with my husband, pretty afternoons sunbathing in the backyard. It was wonderful and it was much needed. 

I spent a day on blog organization and flow. I've decided that my week will look like this:

Monday - Recipes

Tuesday - BK + Motherhood

Wednesday - Lifestyle

Thursday - Lifestyle

Friday - Fashion / DIY / Randoms

Hopefully those are all things that will interest you. My advertising spots got a makeover and I'm pretty excited about them. Take a look, this week you can get 30% off using code REVAMP. 

I also made a super delicious Mint-Lemon Pound Cake that I am super excited to share the recipe... 

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 package lemon pudding mix 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

8 oz. sour cream

6 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (it took me 3 lemons)

1/4 cup fresh mint + more for garnish

Icing:

2.5 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 

1 - 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your pan. Mix cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, and milk. Add mint, oil, sour cream, and lemon juice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add mint mixture to cake mixture. Pour into pan. Bake on middle rack for 35-40 minutes or until knife comes out of cake clean. Run butter knife around the edge of pan for easier removal. Let cake cool for ten minutes.

For glaze add all icing ingredients together until preferred consistency. Pour glaze over cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and add mint for garnish. 

{Mine didnt have a very strong mint taste coming through so feel free to add more if you want a stronger taste}

Enjoy!

I have a vegetarian baby

Truth. I think my baby is a vegetarian. This doesn't bother me except for the fact that I dont know very many recipes to keep her satisfied. 9 times out of ten that I offer her meat {unless it is Chick Fil A and even then she will only eat so much}, this is the reaction that I get...

Ok, not really, but she does turn her head and clamp her mouth closed. She will go to town on some fish, veggies and carbs though. To be honest, it doesnt completely surprise me. For one, I hated meat when I was pregnant with her. Like I probably ate meat less than a dozen times the whole ten months. And even now I'm still not a huge meat eater. Unless we're talking about Chick Fil A or seafood. Every once in a while I will get a hankering for a nice juicy steak, but it isnt very often. I dont eat ground beef at all. Most chicken meals I make are kind of carb and veggie heavy because I tend to fill up on more carbs + veggies than chicken. So maybe she kinda gets it from me. Maybe she will grow out of it. I dont know.

I do know that I am thankful for summer. With summer comes better fruits and veggies and much better seafood. So our options are about to expand. I do need to grow my vegetarian recipe collection though. Are any of yall vegetarians or know any super yummy meatless meals? I'm open to all suggestions.

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I also wanted to introduce some of the fabulous ladies that have graced my sidebar this past month!

My sister from another mister, Ashley from It Is What You Make It

My favorite part about spring is the beautiful flowers that it brings out. People seem to start taking time to literally stop and smell the roses. I love seeing families out taking pictures in the bluebonnets that we have all along every road in Texas. 

My go to spring recipe or cocktail.....hmmmm good question.... I'll have to go with a mojito... I could sip them all day while sitting by the pool or the beach or on our boat. hehe 

My staple piece in my spring wardrobe are my fuschia pants or my white tops. I have an obsession with white tops and LOVE wearing them during spring with fun colors to spice it up a little. 

Kiersten from A Good Day Sunshine 

1) My favorite part of spring is that everything starts blooming again, and the snow finally melts.

   2) I know it's not really a recipe, but I seem to eat more fruit in the spring and summer.  I guess it's the warm weather.

   3) My spring wardrobe staple is Flip flops.  Everything else seems to change from year to year, but you'll always find at least a few pairs of flip flops in my closet.

Lacey from Charm and Sass

1) My favorite part of Spring is all of the festivals!

2) My favorite recipe is my mother in laws' noodle salad. No one makes it quite like her - it's so fresh and light. I can't get enough!

3) My Spring wardwrobe staple are my flip flops, but then again, they are always my staple piece :)

On the go + a yummy recipe

I wrote this as a guest post for Nicole a few months ago. I wanted to share it though because this week I am running around like a crazy person trying to prep for Brooklyn's first birthday extravaganza! Needless to say eating {and definitely not eating healthy} is not at the top of my priority list.

So I thought that I would share a very easy & healthy shake recipe today. It's sweet, but not full of calories, and can definitely serve as a meal replacement.

Ingredients:
1 cup of spinach
1/2 cup strawberries
1 banana
1 cup greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup almond milk
ice

All you have to do is blend it together & enjoy!

A foodie confession + a recipe

I wont lie, I'm a bit of a food snob. The husband and I LOVE going out to eat at new and exciting restaurants. We also really enjoy getting creative in the kitchen, we even have our own Iron Chef competitions. But I do have a chain restaurant weakness... The Olive Garden. I don’t know about yall but I could eat my weight in Olive Garden. When S and I first started dating I think he fell in love with me the night he took me to the OG. He was amazed at how much I put away. But those darn breadsticks and soup are like crack I tell ya. While I was pregnant I craved it! I decided that I just needed to make my own version of my favorite OG soup so that I didn’t have to go so frequently. So here is my take on Zuppa Toscana {it's a bit healthier as well} 

OG Mayor Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 Head of kale, chopped
¾ can of cannellini beans
¾ cup chopped mushrooms
2 large red potatoes sliced
1 package sausage
1 tablespoon garlic
1 teaspoon pepper
1 quart low sodium chicken broth
15 oz can of fat free evaporated milk
½ tablespoon butter

Brown sausage in pot until fully cooked. Remove sausage and drain all but 1 teaspoon of grease.

Add butter to pot and melt. Sautee mushrooms, garlic, and onions until onions are translucent.

Add potatoes to pot and cover. Cook for three minutes.

Add kale and beans and stir. Replace lid and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in pepper, broth, and evaporated milk. Cover and bring to a boil.

Remove lid and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Cherry Cheesecake Dip + A giveaway

Today the fabulous Tiffany is taking over my blog. Y'all this recipe looks delicious! I will definitely be making it for the super bowl.

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Hello Brooklyn State of Mind readers! I am excited to be featured here today. My name is Tiffany and I blog over at Little Gems. To avoid a really long, boring introduction of myself I am going to pretend I am limited to 6 phrases. Here goes:

Follower of Jesus  

Wife to an awesome man for 5 years

Mommy to a 6 month old beauty

Nurse extraordinaire (not really) 

Lover of Coffee

Etsy Shop owner (Little Gems Creations)

There you go, that's mostly it. As you can imagine I blog about all sorts of family and mommy things. Of course I can't resist showing you a picture of my little family so here you are...

Today I have 2 awesome things for you readers today! The first is an absolutely yummy recipe for Cherry Cheesecake Dip and the second is a giveaway! 

Let's Get Started

Warning: This recipe may sabotage any New Years resolution to stay away from sweets. 

 Cherry Cheese Cake Dip. I have made this dip on several occasions, for parties and family get together's and the like. Each and every time I come home with an empty dish with only a few sad crumbs in the bottom. Everyone always raves about it and I just do an evil laugh to myself because I know how easy it is to make. You can see the original recipe here. This lady gets all the credit for it. See, it's not even an original recipe and people still think I'm a genius when they taste it. 

You will need:

1 box of Graham Crackers (I used Honey flavored but any kind will work)

2 tubs of cool whip (I used generic)

1 block of cream cheese

1 jar of Marshmallow fluff (aka heaven in a jar)

2 cans of Cherry Pie filling

*These ingredients were enough to make 2 small dishes or 1 large dish.

Steps

Crush a sleeve of Grahams and pour into bottom of dish, smooth down

Mix Cool whip, cream cheese and Marshmallow fluff in a big bowl

Layer that on top of the crushed grahams (be careful when you smooth this layer down not to mix the crushed grahams in, you have to be delicate) I divided this between 2 dishes.

Pour 1 jar of Cherry Pie filling on top. If you make a large dish you would but both jars on top. 

Break apart the rest of your grahams to dip with and enjoy!

I have tried this dip at room temperature and after it has chilled over night, both taste great!

Now for the giveaway.

Because I love the nail polish craze that is currently everywhere you look (I may or may not have a Pinterest board devoted to it), I have decided to give away 2 fabulous colors : Grey and Mint, 2 full size nail files, and a 5 piece pedicure set. Who wouldn't want that? So Enter away! 

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Mint Cocoa Brownies

While I was sick last week I got a serious sweet tooth. I mean that's only natural when you can't keep regular food down right?!? Anyways, I raided my pantry to see what I could whip together with the ingredients I had and this is what I came up with. They're fudgey and delicious!

Mint Cocoa Brownies

• 3/4 cup salted caramel hot cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 3/4  cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 12 mint truffle Hershey kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease and flour 9x13 inch pan.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda, add 1/3 c veg oil and boiling water. Mix until well blended and thickened.
4. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3 c veg oil. Mix together.
5. Finally add the flour, vanilla, and salt. mix just until all of the flour is absorbed.
6. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Space out Hershey kisses evenly & press down into batter.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting.

Next time I will probably chop the kisses up and then mix them into the batter. So you might want to try that. I just gave the recipe directly as I did it.

Sick Soup

Happy Monday y'all. Did you have a nice weekend? Saturday was fantastic for me, it was filled with family, food, and shopping. Yesterday however I got sick. Womp Womp. I spent most of the day in the fetal position while BK played around me in the playroom. Not my finest mommy moments. So  I pulled myself together and the baby and I set out to enjoy the beautiful weather. We went on a walk to the park and a quick trip to the grocery store. I wasnt feeling particulary hungry inspired so I grabbed some random ingredients and threw together a soup. It turned out delicious so I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Sick Soup
Ingredients:
3        stalks of celery, chopped
1        small onion, chopped
2        tablespoons minced garlic
1        tablespoon black pepper
1        teaspoon salt
1        cup chopped mushroom
32oz  chicken broth
5oz    evaporated milk

I just threw everything into the crockpot and put it on high for four hours. It was very easy and very delicious. Bonus points if you have a super cute sous-chef.

I also wanted to introduce my premiere sponsor to yall. Tiffany is just as sweet as can be.

My name is Tiffany and I blog over at Little Gems. I am a wife to Jonathan and a mother to a darling little girl named Emerald. I started my blog after the birth of my daughter. It has been such a great way to record her special moments, little and big I love that I have them so accessible and with pictures to boot. I also own an Etsy shop called Little Gems Creations where I make little girl headbands and bows. I hope you enjoy reading.

Unplug + a super yummy recipe

Our trip to Jamaica reminded me of one very important thing... time is precious! We were completely unplugged on our trip, and it was heaven. Honest to goodness I didnt miss the constant stream of technology.

Now don't get me wrong #Ilovesocialmedia. What I realized though was that I dont have to have my phone ipad laptop glued to me. I need to unplug throughout the day and really be PRESENT in those moments.

My daughter is only this small once. We will only get to experience the Firsts, once. My husband and I only get so much one on one time. There is only so much quiet and peace in every day.

So I made a new family rule. From 5-8pm every day we are unplugged. No social media. No texting. No phone calls.

We will cook and snuggle and talk and truly enjoy eachothers company. We will do bath time and story time and bed time routines together. Then the hubby and I will snuggle and spend some quality time together. It definitely is going to be an adjustment, I'm "trained" to keep checking in with technology. But I definitely think this is going to be huge for my family. Plus, we need to start setting an example for BK. I dont want BK sitting at the dinner table or in the car glued to her ipod or iphone. I want her to grow up with dinners at the table, a family that talks and interacts. We started last night, and if last nights meal was any indication as to how things will go then Hot.damn. we're in for a treat!

I thought I'd share this recipe because it is delicious!

Ricotta Stuffed Shells w/ Lemon Champagne Sauce

Ingredients:
1     box jumbo stuffed shells
1     tablespoon minced garlic
1     15oz container ricotta cheese
2     lemons (juice and zest)
1/4  cup chopped dill or basil
1/2  pint heavy cream
1     bag mixed italian cheese
1     bunch fresh spinach, chopped
1     stick butter + 1 tablespoon
3/4  cup of Champagne

Directions:
1. Mix ricotta, juice of one lemon, zest of both lemons, garlic, and dill (or basil). Sit to the side.
2. Cook shells according to package until al dente. Strain and let cool.
3. While noodles cook/cool, melt butter over medium heat. Add in heavy cream, 1/2 bag of cheese, champagne, and juice from second lemon. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add or subtract champagne for thickness.
4. Melt tablespoon of butter. Add spinach in batches until all is cooked. Set to the side.
5. Fill shells with ricotta mixture. I found about a teaspoon per shell was a good ratio.

6. Sprinkle with half of leftover cheese. Spread spinach over shells.

7. Pour champagne sauce over shells and cover with remaining cheese.

8. Bake for 15 minutes at 350.

9. Let settle for 3 minutes & enjoy!

Guest Post + A Super Yummy Recipe

I hope y'all had a fabulous Christmas yesterday! I know ours was amazing. BK even got to meet Rasta Santa! More on that later though. Today's guest post is courtesy of the fabulous Kaitlyn.  Not only is she beautiful and extremely kind, she was the mastermind behind the iPad Mini giveaway!

 

Hi! I'm Kaitlyn and you'll normally find me over at Wifessionals.

Brandi was kind enough to have me over here today, so I wanted to share with you one of my favorite NEW holiday traditions.

It's a recipe, and it is AMAZING!

This is the first year I am hosting Christmas & I plan to make these every year on Christmas morning.

If you make any of my breakfast recipes, make this.

I am not kidding - I had no words when I put this delicious pancake in my mouth.

I wanted to figure out a way to make these by using a pancake mix, instead of having a laundry list of ingredients.

Success.

There are three parts to this: The pancake, the swirl and the topping.

Don't be afraid, I made these in less than 20 minutes!

Ok, here we go:

1// Cinnamon Swirl

- 1/4 cup butter, melted

- 1/4 cup & 2 tablespoons brown sugar

- 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl.

Pour into a freezer Ziploc bag and seal.

Place in the refrigerator.

2// Pumpkin Pancakes

- Pancake mix/batter for 6-7 pancakes

- 1/3 cup pure pumpkin

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Make enough pancake batter for 6-7 pancakes.

Follow the directions on the box.

To the batter, add the rest of the ingredients.

Stir.

Remove the Cinnamon Swirl bag from the fridge.

Snip a small hole in a corner of the bag.

Spray a large skillet.

Heat over medium low heat.

Drop pancake batter in circles on the skillet.

When it starts to bubble (about 4 minutes), grab the Cinnamon Swirl mix.

The swirl mix should be thick like toothpaste - not runny.

Pushing the tip of the bag slightly into the pancake, swirl, starting from the outside and working in.

It will look like a cinnamon roll.

Flip the pancakes.

Cook 4 more minutes.

3// Cream Cheese Topping

- 1/4 cup salted butter

- 2 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese

- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

-  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place butter and cream cheese in a bowl.

Microwave on low until butter is melted and cream cheese is soft.

Mix in the vanilla and powdered sugar.

Stir until smooth.

Take a pancake.

Smother it with the cream cheese topping.

Do not, under any circumstance, skip the cream cheese topping because you are lazy.

Welcome to heaven.

Enjoy!

Holiday Survival Guide

Happy Friday y'all! We made it through the week! Woo hoo! I know that this weekend marks the holiday CRAZIES for most everyone so I thought that I would give yall my best holiday survival tips!

1) Do the holidays YOUR way!
-You dont have to do what every one else is doing for the holidays, do what feels right for you! Dont like ham? Have Mexican. Don't want to participate in the hussle and bussle? Go on vacation. {Like us, Jamaica here we come!}
2) Get in the spirit.
-Whether that means wearing reindeer antlers and drinking eggnog or bumping 50 Cent + drinking wine coolers + driving through the Christmas lights*. Enjoy the holiday spirit, it only comes once a year.
3) Put a bow on it.
-If your wrapping resembles something you did when you were 5 years old mine or something wrapped up at Pottery Barn, it is ALWAYS better with a bow.
4)Relax
-Easier said than done, I know. But if you need to squeeze in a massage while finishing your last minute shopping, do it! Hey you deserve a present too!
5)Eat + Drink + Be Merry
-Dont worry about overindulging. If ever there was a time... This.Is.It.

In the spirit of #5 I leave you with a super yummy recipe that the baby and I whipped up last night. Also, I had to throw away 5 good eggs because I conveniently forgot my fridge was broken and the recipe only calls for one.

Ginger Snap Cookies
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup cinnamon sugar

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly, and sift a second time into another bowl.
3.Place the shortening into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the egg, and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the shortening mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture, and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.EAT!

*True Story. I did this my freshman year of college. Though now that I'm old & grown, I do not condone drinking and driving. Get a DD.