Slow Cooker Chicken Verde and White Bean Soup

Happy Fall! I am so thrilled that Fall is officially here! I love everything about this time of year, the beautiful fall foliage, the cooler temps and the anticipation of the holidays that are quickly approaching. Also, I love October because almost all of my family member’s birthdays are in October, including mine. And as fate had it, my husband’s birthday is conveniently October 1st and mine is just three days later on October 4th. It’s safe to say that we will never forget each other’s birthdays.

Now that cooler temperatures have arrived, I’ve been resurfacing some of my Fall and Winter soup recipes. Soup is always one of my go-to weeknight dinners because it is typically pretty low maintenance. It’s always nice to throw into a slow cooker in the morning and come home to a piping hot pot of soup. Soup is such a comforting food and perfect for this time of year.

I’m kicking off the Fall season with this delicious Mexican inspired soup recipe, Chicken Verde and White Bean Soup. I love Mexican food. We probably eat it at least once a week, so I have a nice arsenal of Mexican inspired recipes that I like to rotate through. This soup is perfect to serve if you are hosting guests for football game day. It’s also an easy recipe to throw into the slow cooker in the morning and come home to after a long day of work. Packed with flavor and a little heat, this soup will surely spice up your day!

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 Slow Cooker Chicken Verde and White Bean Soup
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Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
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Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
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Instructions
  1. Slice 1 fresh jalapeno in half length wise, remove the seeds, dice finely and then set aside. If you aren’t a huge fan of spicy food, feel free to use half of the jalapeno in the soup or omit this ingredient completely.
  2. Cut 1 lime in half and set aside.
  3. Place 2 boneless chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
  4. To the slow cooker, add 1 can of green chiles, 1 can of navy beans, 1 cup of frozen white sweet corn, ½ cup of salsa verde, 1 packet of taco seasoning, fresh jalapeno to taste, squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and finally pour in the container of chicken stock over top all of your ingredients.
  5. Stir the ingredients together, cover with the lid and set the slow cooker to “low” for 8 hours.
  6. After cooking for 8 hours, remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker, shred the chicken and return the chicken back into the soup once completely shredded.
Recipe Notes

This soup is great on its own, but it’s also great to top with shredded cheese, cilantro, crushed up tortilla chips and you can even squeeze in some extra lime juice.

Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad

It’s hot outside! Originally, I was scheduled to post a slow cooker soup recipe this week and then a major heat wave swept over the East Coast. I could not even fathom consuming a bowl of hot soup this week, so instead I opted for something chilled.

Recently, I asked y’all what kind of recipes you wanted to see on the blog and I received a request for easy lunch prep recipes. You ask, and you shall receive! So here it is, Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad.

I discovered this amazing homemade ranch dressing recipe a couple years ago in “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays” cook book, which is authored by Ree Drummond. She is seriously one of my food blogger idols and if any of you are familiar with her Food Network show, you know that she has several variations of ranch dressing. This version is my favorite and I’ve tweaked it a bit by increasing the amount of cayenne pepper in my dressing, so that it’s even spicier. I appreciate spicy foods, but if you don’t you can certainly decrease the amount of cayenne pepper.

My brilliant idea? Use this insanely creamy ranch dressing as the base for chicken salad. The spicy ranch combined with chopped green onions and tender chicken makes for a chicken salad that is loaded with flavor. Disclaimer, I like to load this chicken salad up with ranch so that it is more of a creamy texture opposed to chunky. If you prefer a chunky chicken salad, simply decrease the amount of dressing. However, you might want to taste the ranch first before making that call because its seriously life changing. My favorite thing about this chicken salad is you have so many options as to how to serve it. You can serve it in a wrap, on crackers or over a bed of crisp greens. My favorite way to enjoy this chicken salad is over a bed of crunchy romaine with fresh veggies and some extra ranch dressing. This chicken salad is perfect to meal prep on the weekend and eat throughout the week.

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 Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad
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Instructions
  1. Add approximately ¼ cup of water to the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the boneless chicken breasts in the slow cooker, cover with the lid and set the slow cooker to “low” for 8 hours.
  2. After cooking for 8 hours, remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker, shred the chicken and set aside to cool.
  3. Rinse and chop your green onions. Set aside.
  4. Press and mince 2 cloves of garlic.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of mayo, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp white vinegar, 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp of cayenne pepper, and the minced garlic. Whisk together until completely combined. I like to reserve half of the dressing, so I have a little extra to drizzle over greens. Pour approximately half of the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.
  6. Once the shredded chicken has cooled, add it into the large mixing bowl with the remaining dressing and stir to combine. This will make an extremely creamy chicken salad, almost like a spread. If you prefer a chunkier chicken salad, just simply mix in less dressing. Mix in chopped green onions to taste and spoon into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Grilled Veggie Quinoa Bowls

This summer is flying by! It’s been an awesome, but a super busy summer! I thought that after I got through the wedding and grad school things would slow down. Honestly, I feel like things have been just as busy, if not busier. Work has been steady, and I’ve also been attending some trainings and working on some professional development opportunities this summer. Derek got a new job, so he is busy preparing to start his new role next week. On top of that he is also renovating one of our bathrooms. And by renovating, I don’t just mean throwing on a fresh coat of paint and installing a fancy new toilet paper holder. I mean he literally gutted it and is starting from scratch. It’s rather impressive the things he can do on his own and it also makes for a rather chaotic home environment.

When things get crazy I like to meal prep as much as possible, so I don’t have to stress over what I should pack for lunch or cook for dinner. I’ve been meal prepping a lot and it’s been helpful. Summer is also the perfect time for grilled food, which is always a treat. I love grilling for variety of reasons. One, grilled food always tastes better. Two, grilled food involves less dishes, which helps cut back on time spent in the kitchen. Washing less dishes is always a plus!

Most people associate grilling with meat and although I do love myself a grilled steak, sometimes I just want something light and fresh. Recently, I’ve been grilling veggies more often, which make for a perfect side dish or even the main dish. Like in these Grilled Veggie Quinoa Bowls I dreamed up. Brightly colored grilled bell peppers, zucchini and red onion, spooned over a fluffy bed of white quinoa, tossed in lemon juice and butter, and sprinkled with a light dusting of feta cheese. Grilled veggies just scream summer time and I’m going to savor my grilled food and hold onto this summer for as long as I can. These bowls are a perfect meal prep recipe, which can be eaten cold or warm. I love packing these bowls for lunch. They make for a quick, healthy and filling weekday lunch.

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 Grilled Veggie Quinoa Bowls
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Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
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Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
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Instructions
  1. Cook the quinoa according to directions on the packaging or use a rice cooker. I cook my quinoa in a rice cooker by simply adding the 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of olive oil into the rice cooker. Once all the ingredients have been added to the rice cooker, stir the quinoa and water, so that the quinoa is totally coated and lock the lid. I cook my quinoa on the brown rice setting and it comes out perfectly every time!
  2. Rinse your kabob skewers with water and set aside.
  3. While your quinoa is cooking, prep your veggies. Cut the onion into chunks and slide the chunks of onion onto the kabob skewers. The onions will grill faster than the rest of the veggies, so it’s better to grill them in large chunks, rather than individual petals. Wash and cut your veggies into large bite size pieces and skewer the veggies on the kabob skewers. This is the most time-consuming part, but trust me the end result is worth it.
  4. Drizzle the veggie kabobs with a little bit of olive oil, so they don’t stick to the grill.
  5. Now it’s time to fire up the grill! If you are using a gas grill, set your grill to low heat. If you are using charcoal, you are going to want to make sure you let the coals cool off an adequate amount of time before placing your kabobs on the grill. Place the veggie kabobs on the grill on low heat and grill for 7 minutes on one side, flip the kabobs and then grill for 7 minutes on the other side. Keep an eye on the grill and make sure your veggies don’t get over cooked. Grills vary in temperature. I had to pull my onions off first because they cooked faster than the rest of my veggies. Once the veggies are cooked to your liking, remove them from the grill. The veggies should have a light char. Set the veggies aside to cool.
  6. While your veggies cool, melt 4 tbsp of butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to the butter and mix together. At this point, your quinoa should be cooked. Drizzle the butter and lemon mixture over your cooked quinoa, fluffing your quinoa with a fork. Lastly, mix 1 tsp of pepper and ½ tsp of salt into the quinoa. Feel free to add more salt to taste. I ended up adding a couple extra dashes.
  7. Divvy your quinoa into four food storage containers. Disassemble your veggie kabobs and spread the veggies equally amongst your four bowls of quinoa, placing the veggies over top of the quinoa.
  8. Finally, sprinkle the grilled veggie quinoa bowls with some crumbled feta cheese. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bowls can be eaten cold or reheated in the microwave if you prefer them warm.

A Tale as Old as Time: Our Beauty and the Beast Inspired Wedding

It’s been exactly two months since our big day, so I figured it was time to share some magical moments from our Beauty and the Beast inspired wedding. Before we get to all the beautiful details from our special day, let me give you a little background on Derek and I’s relationship.

Derek and I have been together for four years. We met on an online dating website in spring 2014, dated for a little over two years and then we got engaged in October 2016 in Disney World. Since we got engaged in Disney World and since I have literally been obsessed with all things Disney for my entire life, it only made sense for us to have a Disney themed wedding. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite Disney movie. When I was little, I used to walk down the stairs of my grandparents’ house, toting a basket and a book while singing “Belle” from the movie. I would play Belle and my grandfather would pretend to be the Beast. I have such fond memories of this movie, the characters, the beautiful imagery and of course the beautiful love story between Belle and the Beast.

When I started planning my wedding, I knew I wanted it to have all the Beauty and the Beast vibes, but I didn’t want it to be over the top Disney. I instead went for a more subtle and elegant Disney theme, using the 2017 Beauty and the Beast movie starting Emma Watson as my inspiration. For our wedding décor, I collected vintage clocks, candelabras, books and created my own version of the enchanted rose that I placed under a beautiful glass dome. Our colors were light pink with gold accents.

The wedding ceremony and reception was held at the historic Mount Airy Mansion in Upper Marlboro, Maryland on June 3, 2018 and it was the perfect backdrop for our Beauty and the Beast styled affair. It was a beautiful day, filled with memories that Derek and I will cherish for a lifetime. So here are all the fun wedding day details!

The morning of the wedding, my bridesmaids, mom and I headed over to the mansion where we got our hair and make-up done upstairs in one of the mansion’s suites. The boys arrived around 2 p.m. and they got ready downstairs in one of the mansion’s suites. As we were getting ready in our own rooms, a gift was delivered to me. Derek gifted me a surprise award, highlighting all my accomplishments in 2018! It was a bit of an inside joke, since over the course of the year I kept giving him a hard time about how I wanted an achievement award for juggling buying a new house, getting a new job, completing graduate school and planning a wedding all at the same time. Derek did not disappoint. I laughed, as well as shed a couple tears as I opened the gift and read his very sweet card.

Our ceremony was scheduled to take place outside on the mansion grounds at 4 p.m. but was moved inside due to the rain. They say rain on your wedding day is good luck and it poured, so I would say our marriage is off to a good start! Despite the rain, our wedding ceremony was perfect. The ceremony took place inside the mansion in a room with large windows that brought in lots of natural light. Guests enjoyed a scenic backdrop of the lush greenery on the mansion’s grounds.

My favorite moment from the wedding was walking down the aisle to see Derek waiting for me at the altar. As I walked down the aisle, my youngest brother played “Beauty and the Beast” on the steel drum.

I shed a few happy tears as I approached Derek, who was beaming ear to ear. He kindly wiped my tears away with his pocket square.

My brother Dylan was our officiant and we all enjoyed a few laughs throughout the course of the ceremony. After we exchanged rings and were pronounced husband and wife, our guests enjoyed cocktail hour while we took pictures with our wedding party.

Once cocktail hour ended, we all entered for the reception. We entered the reception, along with our wedding party to the song “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis. Following our entrance, we had our first dance to “Beauty and the Beast” sung by Celine Dion. Isn’t it amazing that I got Derek to dance to a Disney song at our wedding? I would say he is a keeper!

We then enjoyed a dinner catered by Mission BBQ and listened to some beautiful heartfelt speeches from our friends and family. After visiting with all our guests, we snuck outside for some private photos with our amazing photographer Ashton Kelley. Keep in mind it had been raining all day and the grounds were really wet. I knew that my heels would sink in the wet ground. Ashton literally threw off her flats, gave them to me and ran around barefoot outside so she could capture our gorgeous wedding shots. Ashton, you are my hero! Taking pictures outside was another one of my favorite moments from the day. It was so nice to sneak away and share some intimate moments with one another. We are so thankful that these moments were captured in photos that we will cherish forever.

After returning to the mansion, we cut our wedding cake.

We then changed into some more comfortable clothes and joined our guests on the dance floor. At the end of the night, we shared one last slow dance before saying goodnight to our guests.

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding day. The beautiful venue, delicious food, great music and dancing were all amazing. Beyond that, the most special part of day was getting to marry the love of my life and share this special milestone that we will look back on for years to come. It was a day that I will never forget and it was truly a fairytale.

For more special moments from our wedding day, you can view our wedding highlight video here!

Sweet Strawberry & Chocolate Chip Muffins

I’m not going to lie, but it’s been difficult to get back into my normal routine post honeymoon. I’m still reminiscing back to our mornings of sleeping in and our long, laid back, beachfront breakfasts. Derek and I rarely take the time to sit down and have breakfast together at home. We are more of the spring out of bed, grab a granola bar and go-go-go type of people, which again is why it’s been hard to get back into the swing of things.

Our nice leisurely Jamaican breakfasts were such a treat and the perfect way to start the day! So now that we are back, I’m vowing to cook us a home cooked breakfast at least once a week. Sitting down and having breakfast together is such a nice way to spend quality time together, especially on the weekends.

One of my favorite breakfast items in Jamaica were the freshly baked pastries. We indulged in English muffins, bagels and of course delicious muffins. I love muffins because it’s kind of like eating dessert for breakfast. Feeling inspired after our trip, I spent a Saturday morning whipping up these delicious Sweet Strawberry & Chocolate Chip Muffins. Strawberries are in season and they have been amazingly sweet this summer. Also, I’ve been picking up 16 oz containers of strawberries for less than $2 at my local grocery store, which is awesome!

Strawberries and chocolate are the ultimate pair. These muffins are sweet, moist and the perfect summery morning treat. Whether you prepare them for a leisurely Sunday brunch or so that you  can easily grab one out of the fridge on your way to work, these muffins are sure to be the perfect start to your day.

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 Sweet Strawberry & Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings
muffins
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Melt 4 tbsp of butter in a microwave safe bowl and set aside to cool.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, gently whisking together 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of sugar, 4 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt.
  4. In a stand mixer, crack 2 large eggs into the mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of milk and ½ cup of vegetable oil to the eggs and mix together for 2 minutes on low speed. Next, add the melted butter and 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the egg mixture, mixing on low until combined.
  5. In small batches, slowly mix in the combined dry ingredients, mixing on medium speed, until the batter is completely combined and lump free.
  6. Next, wash your strawberries and pat them dry with a clean towel. Dice your strawberries. Once your strawberries are diced, put them in a clean bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of sugar. The extra sugar will help to bring out that sweet strawberry flavor even more.
  7. Add the chocolate chips and diced strawberries to the batter. Mix in the fruit and chocolate on low speed until combined.
  8. Line your muffin pan with muffin liners. Scoop the batter into the muffin liners, approximately 2/3 of the way full.
  9. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes until the muffins are golden brown. Remove the muffins from oven. Immediately remove the muffins from the tin and place them on a cooling rack.
  10. After the muffins cool completely, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes

I prefer these muffins cold, so most definitely refrigerate these after they are cool for the best results.

Our Jamaican Honeymoon at Sandals South Coast

I’m back! And I’m officially a married lady! Derek and I were married on June 3, 2018. We had a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Mount Airy Mansion in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. It was a very special day that we shared among family and friends. I will be sharing a wedding recap, along with our wedding photos in an upcoming blog post. Stay tuned!

Until then, don’t mind me while I gush over our phenomenal honeymoon at Sandals South Coast resort in White House, Jamaica. I found out about this resort through a fellow food blogger (check out her blog here), who honeymooned at Sandals South Coast in May 2017. She and her husband loved it and we took their word for it. After honeymooning there for a week, we are obsessed with this resort and deemed this our best vacation EVER!

The day after our wedding, my husband and I flew to Jamaica. It was our first time traveling to Jamaica and we were so anxiously excited! When we arrived at the airport, we got our passports stamped, grabbed our bags and headed to the Sandals kiosk. After checking in with the Sandals staff members, they took our bags, provided us with complimentary refreshments and directed us to complimentary shuttles that would transport us to our resort. Our resort was approximately an hour and a half away from the airport. Although it was a bit of a drive, I really enjoyed the scenic ride.

The view from our room.

As soon as we arrived at the resort, we were immediately greeted by friendly Sandals greeters, who provided us with cool towels and champagne. They quickly took our bags and whisked them away to our room. After a quick resort briefing, we headed to our Beachfront Luxury room in the French Village. Our room included a king size bed, couch, standard bathroom and a balcony that overlooked the beautiful sparkling blue ocean. Clean and very well kept, our room was cleaned every day, mini fridge was restocked every afternoon and we received turn down service every night.

Beachfront Luxury room in the French Village.

The resort was breathtaking. Set on a 500-acre nature preserve, the resort’s landscaping, as well as it’s wild life was picturesque. Turquoise waters, surrounded by rolling mountains, covered in lush greenery was the perfect backdrop for our romantic getaway. It was truly a tropical paradise. Enchanting creatures, such as majestic peacocks, beautiful birds and funny looking crabs were often seen roaming the resort.

One of the beautiful peacocks that roam the resort.

Sandals resorts are all-inclusive, which means that alcoholic beverages, meals, water sports and entertainment is all included in the price that you pay for your stay. This was my first time staying at an all-inclusive and it was such a treat! It was so nice to know that everything was paid for, so we could easily walk around the resort with no wallet and not have to stress about money.

My husband and I enjoying a beautiful evening at Sandals South Coast.

One of my favorite things about our trip was that we had no agenda and it was pure relaxation. Each day on our trip, we slept in and started our day by enjoying a nice hot breakfast at Bayside Restaurant prior to hitting the beach and pools. During the day, we relaxed on the beach and participated in some of the many water sports. We did it all! We took a glass bottom boat out to see the coral reefs, went kayaking, tubing, sailing and Derek paid extra to learn how to scuba dive! The beaches were gorgeous and so much fun to play on during the day!

Fun in the sun!

After going to the beach, each afternoon we headed back to the room to shower and get ready to go out to dinner. Sandals South Coast had a total of 9 restaurants, which offered a variety of cuisines. The food was fabulous and some of the best meals that I’ve ever eaten! One of my favorite dishes  was the lasagna at Giuseppe’s. It was literally the best lasagna I’ve ever had in my life! I actually gave my compliments to my chef, that was how impressed I was.

I also was able to try some Asian inspired dishes that I don’t get to eat back home. Asian cuisine is often prepared with peanut ingredients, which is a no no for this peanut allergic girl. Sandals was extremely accommodating with food allergies and dietary restrictions. I was able to meet with the head chef at the beginning of our trip and he provided me with a background of things to avoid, how they prepare the food and notified me that if I wanted any alternate menu options, to just let the restaurant know and they would make something special for me. Every time we sat down at dinner, the server asked if we had any dietary restrictions and would make a note for the kitchen. I honestly can’t say enough wonderful things about our dining experiences at this resort and I’m pretty sure I came back 5 pounds heavier because we ate a lot!

My first time trying Sushi! The chef made me a special veggie roll.

Following dinner, we typically would hang out at the bars or go to see a show. They had a lot of fun evening activities like a dance party on the beach, a newlyweds game show and my favorite was the Silver Birds Steel Orchestra! In addition to the complimentary activities, we also booked some other activities at an additional cost. We booked a romantic candle lit dinner on the beach and a relaxing couples massage. We also went out on a Catamaran cruise. Another important note about Sandals is that it is adult only, so there are no kids on property. This is a nice perk for couples who are looking for a quiet and romantic getaway.

Derek and I on our Catamaran cruise excursion.

Derek and I had such a fabulous time at this resort. More importantly, we were able to relax and enjoy some much-needed time together as newlyweds. If I can provide any advice to those who are planning a wedding, I would recommend leaving for your honeymoon the day after your wedding. I was told from various people that I was nuts for flying out the next day, but I’m honestly so thankful we did! It was so exciting and such a relief to wake up the day after our wedding and know that we would shortly be in paradise, and on a fun adventure together as newlyweds!

Romantic candle lit dinner for two.

The entire Sandals experience was nothing short of amazing. The beautiful beaches, friendly staff, delicious food and all the fun activities made for a honeymoon that we will never forget. Derek and I were so pleased with our experience that we have already booked our next Sandals trip for our 1 year wedding anniversary at Sandals Royal Caribbean in Jamaica. We are already missing Jamaica, but we are so excited to go back in a year! If you have ever considered booking an all-inclusive stay with Sandals…DO IT! You surely won’t regret it.

 

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage

OH, MY GOODNESS! It’s been over a month since I last blogged, which is way too long! I guess that is a reflection as to how crazy things have been! The month of May has flown by! It’s been such a fun month, filled with milestones and major accomplishments.

Cinco de Mayo Bridal Shower Festivities

On May 5, my family and friends threw me an awesome Cinco de Mayo themed bridal shower, filled with lots of yummy Mexican food and sangria. It was such a fun time to get together with family, friends and celebrate Derek and I’s upcoming nuptials. That same night, my closest friends and I went out to Annapolis for my local bachelorette party. We did a paint night, which was super fun, low key and a perfect ending to a very exciting day!

Paint Night Bachelorette Party

On May 19, I graduated with my master’s degree from Loyola University Maryland. After three years of working full-time and pursuing my graduate degree, I was so relieved to walk across that stage and receive my degree.

On May 25, Derek and I went to the courthouse to get our marriage license. It’s so surreal that in just four days we will be married! Amidst all the craziness and excitement in May, I’ve also taken some time to reflect on my life as a “Miss.”

I’ve been very fortunate over the last 27 years. I come from a very loving and supporting family. They have supported me in all my endeavors and continue to do so every day. As I grew up, they have been there along the way as I discovered my passions, dancing, performing, writing, cooking, baking and education. Their unwavering love and support has been a constant force in motivating me to continue to grow each day of my life.

As a “Miss”, I’ve had the opportunity to receive a wonderful education. I attended college and discovered my love for marketing and communications. I joined Tri Delta, where I met some of my best friends and was able to grow as a leader. I also had the opportunity to intern for The Walt Disney Company and participated in the Disney College Program, which had been a dream of mine forever.

My best friend, sorority sister and maid of honor. Sarah and I met at Towson University and she was my little sister in Tri Delta.

After college, I met my best friend and almost husband Derek. Shortly after, I got my first “Big Girl Job” in marketing at a major healthcare institution. And in the last four years of our relationship, I feel like I’ve done it all! I successfully completed my master’s degree, we bought a house, started new business ventures and got new jobs. I continued to do the things that I love most, dancing, performing, cooking and I launched Stress Less, Cook More.

And of course, life is not perfect and it’s not sunshine and rainbows all the time. In my lifetime, I’ve had my fair share of challenges, faced heart break, hardships and individuals who have hurt me, treated me unfairly or hurt other’s that I love. But without those challenges, I wouldn’t be who I am today. They have made me stronger and I am so thankful for every experience, whether good or bad.

Most importantly, in the last 27 years I’ve come to love myself. I am proud of who I am today and all that I have accomplished. I’m a true believer that you must love yourself first, before you can truly and deeply love someone else. I am beyond grateful for my friends, family and Derek, the people that I get to walk through life with, who have helped to shape who I am. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Because of you, I’ve grown to love myself and because of that I know that I’m ready for my next big adventure, marriage!

I am confident that Derek and I’s marriage will be successful, one filled with lots of laughter, accomplishments and lots of love. As I transition from “Miss” to “Mrs.”, I am very hopeful for the future and all that it will bring. Here’s to happily ever after and all of our dreams coming true! See ya at the alter Derek! Cheers!

 

Low-Carb White Cheddar Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese

I have 52 days until I need to squeeze into my wedding dress, which means it’s time to detox from all the Easter candy and treats I’ve been indulging in over the last week. I also had my cake tasting last weekend at Sandra’s Cake Studio, which was AMAZING! If you live near Bowie, MD, I highly recommend her cakes for all your special occasions. That being said, I’m taking a break from sugar and embracing veggies.

I like to eat low-carb whenever I can, but I also love macaroni and cheese. Quite problematic, I know. Solution? Substitute the “Mac” with cauliflower. Genius! Cauliflower is a great veggie to substitute for starches like pasta and rice. It has a mild flavor that pairs well with a variety of ingredients. One of my favorite versions of macaroni and cheese is Panera’s white mac and cheese. It’s super creamy, decadent and a must try. That was my inspiration for this dish. Ooey-gooey white cheddar cheese, perfectly melted with cauliflower and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Talk about a dream. I also like to sprinkle on a little Old Bay Seasoning at the end for extra flavor. For my readers who are non-Marylanders, this seasoning is a staple in Maryland.

This dish also reheats really well in the microwave, so it’s perfect to meal prep on the weekend to eat throughout the week. This cauliflower mac and cheese may cut back on the carbs, but it definitely does not cut back on flavor!

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 Low-Carb White Cheddar Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
servings
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Instructions
  1. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a microwave save bowl. Drizzle the melted butter into an 8x8 baking dish, greasing the bottom and sides of the dish.
  2. Shred the white cheddar cheese and add it into a large bowl. Reserve some for sprinkling on top of the cauliflower. If you buy bagged shredded cheese you can skip this step. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you. I’m all about convenience.
  3. In a microwave safe bowl, soften 4 oz of cream cheese. Add the softened cream cheese, ¼ cup of sour cream, ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of ground black pepper to the shredded cheese mixture.
  4. Steam 24 oz of frozen cauliflower, approximately 4 cups. I just microwave 2 of the cauliflower steam bags.
  5. Dump the cooked cauliflower into the bowl with the cheese mixture and gently mix with a spoon, evenly coating the cauliflower with all of the cheesy goodness.
  6. Transfer the cauliflower mixture into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded white cheddar cheese on top. Lastly, sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese on top to taste.
  7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning if you are feeling adventurous. Lastly, indulge in the cheesy goodness of a low-carb “Mac” and cheese.

Easy Lemon Sheet Cake

Today I’m sharing a delicious recipe for an Easy Lemon Sheet Cake that is to die for. Before I get to that, I wanted to catch you up to speed on the rest of my bachelorette party.

For those of you who may have missed last week’s blog post about my struggle with epilepsy, I had a seizure while in Florida for my bachelorette party and was hospitalized. Although the situation was not ideal, I was still able to enjoy the weekend thanks to my bridesmaids and some very special cast members at the Walt Disney World Resort. I wanted to take some time to share my experiences at Walt Disney World and how they made my bachelorette weekend truly magical, and something that I will never forget.

Enjoying a beautiful night at the Magic Kingdom.

Being hauled off by ambulance and hospitalized for a day was obviously not part of our bachelorette party itinerary, so I was super bummed knowing that we were missing out on all the fun. When I had the seizure, I was at the pool at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and one of the resort managers rushed to the scene to help. He provided my friends with his card and told them to contact him if we needed anything.

Goofing around with my Maid of Honor at Epcot’s 2018 Flower and Garden Festival.

Once I was discharged from the hospital, I really wasn’t sure if we should even use our park tickets. We had purchased two-day park hopper tickets and I wasn’t sure if it would be worth the money spent to use them when we were only going to be in the parks for partial days. One of my bridesmaids called the manager at the resort, explained our dilemma and he kindly offered to give myself and each of my bridesmaids two 1-day park hopper tickets, free of charge to use in the future. I was beyond thankful for the kind gesture because we were able to use the tickets we already purchased and enjoy the parks, without stressing about getting our money’s worth.

Lunch at The Garden Grill Restaurant in Epcot.

When I got back to the resort after being discharged from the hospital, the resort had also sent a complimentary wheel chair and a gift basket with bridal Mickey ears and four beautiful champagne glasses. People always ask me why I continue to travel back to the Disney Parks repeatedly, and this is exactly why. Despite the circumstances, Disney did their best to make me feel comfortable and make my weekend as special as possible. Even though we only got to spend a short amount of time in the parks, we still had a blast! We were even able to get a reservation for a character meal and the resort manager got us VIP access to a special viewing of the fireworks at Epcot. It was truly magical!

Complimentary VIP viewing of Illuminations Reflections of Earth fireworks at Epcot.

Now I’m back home and getting back into the regular grind, work, blogging, wedding planning and school. With all that has been going on, I’ve felt the need for some sweet treats to brighten up my spirits. When I’m feeling down, stressed or anxious I head to my kitchen to bake. For me, baking is so therapeutic. Now that spring is officially here, I felt compelled to bake something fruity and lemon cake sounded like the perfect spring time treat! And lemon things just make me happy! This lemon cake is great because it’s just the right amount of lemon and the flavor isn’t overbearing. I love this cake because it has such a complex flavor. It’s dense, but very moist with a slight lemon flavor and a buttery finish. This cake is pretty much perfect. So if you are having a rough day or just feeling a little down in the dumps, don’t fret! When life gives you lemons, you make lemon cake!

Print Recipe
 Easy Lemon Sheet Cake
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 35 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Lemon Sheet Cake
Lemon Frosting
Prep Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 35 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Lemon Sheet Cake
Lemon Frosting
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Lemon Sheet Cake
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 pan with butter.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk together.
  3. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave and set aside.
  4. Add the eggs, melted butter, sour cream and lemon juice to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
  5. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove the cake and press a tooth pick or fork into the cake, ensuring that it comes out clean and that the cake is completely baked. Set the cake aside to cool, while you make the frosting.
Lemon Frosting
  1. In a stand mixer, beat 1 cup of softened butter on medium speed.
  2. Zest a lemon and measure out 1 tsp of lemon zest.
  3. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice to the butter and beat on medium speed until combined.
  4. Finally, add in powdered sugar to the mixture, one cup at a time and mixing until thoroughly combined and the frosting is smooth. Frost the cake once it’s completely cool.

Seized

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“I feel dizzy. I feel like I’m going to have a seizure. Oh my god.” These were the last words I uttered as I faded away, transitioning into a foggy state of consciousness and eventually slipping into total unconsciousness. It was a feeling that was all to familiar, a feeling that I never imagined I would experience again.

On March 2, 2018. I departed for my bachelorette party at Walt Disney World. I was beyond excited for a trip that had been planned for almost a year. Who wouldn’t be excited for a girl’s trip to the most magical place on earth?! It had been a super busy week and I was so anxious for a much-needed break.

At the airport heading to Orlando, FL.

We arrived in Orlando around 1:30 p.m., headed to the resort, checked in and got settled in our room. We decided to spend a couple hours at the pool before our dinner reservation. Upon arriving, I didn’t feel quite right, but I figured I just needed a bite to eat and some water. I hadn’t slept well the past couple of nights and I had attributed my weird feeling to tiredness. We ordered some food at the pool. My friend offered to buy me a drink and I declined. I just wasn’t feeling totally right and was more focused on eating and lying down to relax. I ate my lunch, drank some water and went to lie down on a pool chair. As soon as I sat down, I became disoriented, got a weird taste in my mouth and I had a scary realization as to what was about to happen. I was going to have a seizure.

As my mind slowly slipped away, I could hear my friends scream “Brittany! What is the passcode to your phone?”, but I couldn’t respond. In that moment, I was totally aware, but I knew that I was losing control. My body wouldn’t allow me to respond. I was quickly whisked away to the hospital by ambulance. When I came to, I was being admitted to the hospital. My perfectly planned bachelorette weekend was quickly becoming my worst nightmare.

My friends keeping me company in the hospital.

As a child, I was diagnosed with epilepsy and would have Focal Onset Impaired Awareness Seizures, more commonly referred to as Complex Partial Seizures. Epilepsy is a disease in which a person has repeated seizures. It is the fourth most common neurological disease and 1 in 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy at some point in their life. Up until my most recent seizure, the last seizure that I had was in elementary school and I was on medication to prevent me from having seizures all throughout high school. My pediatric neurologist slowly weaned me off my medication leading up to college, after consecutive years of not having a seizure. At that point, my family and I believed that I had outgrown it and seizures would just be a distant chapter of my childhood.

To say that I was shocked that I had not one, but two seizures 17 years later is an understatement. I was distraught. I stayed overnight in the hospital for tests and saw a neurologist the next morning. Luckily, my MRI and EEG were normal, but the doctor felt strongly that I needed to be put on an ongoing regiment of medications to prevent future seizures and follow up with a neurologist when I returned home.

When I returned home, reality sunk in that I was now an adult living with epilepsy. I was filled with great sadness and guilt. I felt like it was my fault that my epilepsy had resurfaced. Epilepsy was always something that for me was historically triggered by me being run down, sick or stressed. It’s no secret that this year has been extremely busy and hard for me. It’s been a year of change and with that comes inevitable stress. My stress level is something that I’ve been trying to work on, but obviously that is something that is difficult to manage when you are juggling working a full-time job, grad school, managing a blog and planning a wedding. I’ve always believed that I can do anything that I set my mind to and strive for perfection. The fact of the matter is that our bodies do have limits and I’ve hit mine. Although I’m still following up with doctors at home and trying to pin point the exact cause of my seizures, it is very possible that the seizures were my body finally telling me that it’s time to slow down.

My life has changed drastically in the last couple of weeks. I’ve lost part of my independence. I can no longer drive. According to my state laws, I am required to report my seizures to the Motor Vehicle Administration. My license will be suspended for 90 days and may be renewed at the discretion of a Medical Advisory Board if I am seizure free for 90 days.

I’m also now taking a new medication to prevent me from having seizures. Unfortunately, this medication has caused many undesirable side effects. It gives me headaches, makes me tired and makes me feel extremely moody. For me, the biggest change is the newfound uncertainty and anxiety that I’m experiencing, knowing that I am an adult living with epilepsy. Questions and thoughts flood my mind. What if I have a seizure at work? What will people think? What if I have a seizure while driving? I’m slowly, but surely adjusting to my new reality. Although it’s a tough pill to swallow, I’m aware that this could have been a lot worst. I’m very thankful that my seizures occurred in a safe space and I wasn’t driving. I’m also blessed to have amazing friends who took care of me and tried to make my bachelorette party special, despite the circumstances. I am also so thankful for my family and my fiancée who have given me the upmost support upon returning home. They have become my personal chauffeurs, driving me to work, to run errands and to doctor’s appointments. I could not get through this without them.

Post hospital stay and enjoying Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World.

My epilepsy does not define me, but it is a part of me. I know that this is just another obstacle that I will have to overcome and will make me stronger. I hope that sharing my story will help raise awareness about epilepsy and some of the struggles that individuals living with epilepsy experience. Beyond that, I hope that I can prompt others to reevaluate their work load. In today’s world, it’s easy to get caught up in the craziness and pressure of everyday life, but we all need to learn to let go and relax. Stress does take a toll on your body and will catch up you.

I’m very hopeful that through raising awareness and continued medical research, we will be able to take strides in helping individuals like me to become seizure free and bring peace of mind, so that we can all live our lives to the fullest. For more information on epilepsy and how to become involved visit https://www.epilepsy.com.