Bacon Chicken Poppers

The other weekend we had plans to watch the Michigan vs. Notre Dame football game at our friends Holly and Brandon's house so naturally I wanted to make a snack that was healthy but still scrumptious all at the same time! I found these Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites and decided they were the perfect thing to make. With only three ingredients {well four if you count the tooth picks which I forgot...} these should be super easy and affordable.

The recipe calls for using toothpicks, which as I mentioned earlier I forgot.... This made the process of making these a lot more difficult.... Thankfully, I had skewers on hand from making shish kabobs a while back so I made those work. Because the bacon chicken poppers were so close together on the skewers, rather then being on their own individual tooth pick, it took much longer for these to cook in the oven. However, if you plan to make these, buy toothpicks and you'll be just fine! I served these with duck sauce and they were truly amazing! :)

Parmesan Corn Muffins

I have never been a fan of corn bread, like at all. It's always dry and flaky, yuck…. Tom, however, loves corn bread so when I found this recipe for Parmesan Corn Muffins I figured I should give this whole corn bread thing one last try…. Verdict: I'm in love! These muffins were moist and cheesy with a splash of yummy corniness {if that’s even makes sense..}. 

They have another variation of these muffins containing bacon, onion and cheddar that I have to try! Look for the post soon!

Big Bag Heaven

Big purses are the best! I tend to carry everything and {not but} the kitchen sink in my purse so the bigger the better! A big leather bag is a definite Fall must-have. I like to wear them with super skinny jeans and big sweaters {like the first two pictures below} or you can work it like the Olsens!

[Pictures #1 and #2 taken from here; Picture #3 from here]

Below is a collage of BIG purses I've found on some of my favorite shopping websites which are super fabulous! Check 'em out!

1. Modern Deco Bag - Ruche [$52.99]
2. Wingate Satchel - Free People [$108]
3. Desert Bloom Bag - Ruche [$59.99]
4. Antik Leather Combined Bowling Bag - Zara [$89.90]
5. Samantha Tassel Satchel - Ruche [$54.99]
6. Bowling Bag with Metallic Ornament on Handles - Zara [$89.90]
7. Kimchi Blue Doctor Weekender Bag - Urban Outfitters [$99]
8. City Messenger Bag - Zara [$49.90]
9. Brompton Mini-Hobo - JCrew [$258]

I just bought #8 a couple days ago and I'm so ready for it to come in the mail!! Hope y'all have a great Tuesday! :)

Grilled Chicken Florentine Pasta

Tom and I have this charming little porch at our new apartment which we love! However, it isn’t big enough for a huge grill so Tom’s parents bought us this awesome portable grill top which works flawlessly on our porch without taking up too much space! I found this Grilled Chicken Florentine Pasta in one of my Cooking Light issues and it sounded very tasty plus gave me {…. Tom} a reason to use the grill! I followed this recipe exactly down to every ingredient and direction. Best part about this pasta is that you get the whole creamy sauce effect without an exorbitant amount of calories. It was very good, not to-die-for but still super yummy!

:)

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

 As y'all know I've been on a low calorie diet for the last couple months and its been great!! That being said, there are somethings I miss so so so much, like cheese! This chicken rollatini recipe incorporates lots of cheese {parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta} but still manages to remain low calorie. Each piece of chicken, cheese and all, is only 194 calories! I followed this recipe exactly except for two things. First, I seasoned the chicken with garlic powder, along with the directed salt and pepper before I added the spinach ricotta spread. Second, I used shredded mozzarella atop of the chicken because I already had it and I didn't want to spend more money on sliced mozzarella.... Oh and as for the marinara sauce I used Bertolli Vineyard Marinara with Burgundy Wine. Here are some pictures!

I finished this meal off with steamed asparagus! Now, up until a couple weeks ago Tom wouldn't touch asparagus.... However, his friend and business partner Sam, fellow amazing cook, made him try it and he liked it!!! I was so excited about this news because asparagus is one of my favorite veggies and I could never cook it..... Now I can!! Hope y'all enjoy! :)

Contrast

Contrast is one of my favorite things when it comes to fashion. I love when an outfit has contrasting colors, shapes, or in this case, fit! I always see girls in magazines and fashion websites wearing mini skirts and baggy sweaters and it looks adorable! The mixture of a hard tight skirt and soft loose sweater appears structured yet comfy all at the same time. It's somewhat like that messy look, which took you 2 hours to perfect yet appears like you got ready in a minute.... Anyways, I finally found the right mini skirt and sweater to pull this look off for myself, however, I got them both from Marshalls so I can't really tell you where they are from other than that.... Below are some options I put together that you can buy!

1. Skirt - H&M [$5.95]
2. Sweater - Mango [$49.99] {Other wonderful options: here, here & here}
3. Boots - Zara [$99.90]
4. Skinny belt - Banana Republic [$29.50]
5. Leather bows - American Apparel [$16.00]

I paired this outfit with knee high boots because it adds another element of contrast [short skirt + high boots] plus have I mentioned that I love boots?! I also think that mini skirts look less scandalous when you have your legs covered up with boots.... You can also throw in a skinny belt to tie the sweater up just right! Lastly, adding a leather bow to your hair and a leather satchel over you shoulder gives this outfit it's final touches! Hope you like! :)

Honey Mustard Cornflake Chicken

I feel as though I should rename my blog "a million ways to abuse chicken," because almost all my recipes contain chicken...  That being said, this recipe is by far one of the best chicken ones I've made yet! Who knew cornflakes could taste so good!!

The mashed potatoes picture here are a skinny version of my FAVORITE FOOD. Seriously, ask anyone who has ever eaten Thanksgiving dinner with me. It's mashed potatoes with a side of everything else.... These mashed potatoes are delicious and not terrible for you because they are made with fat free chicken broth and sour cream instead of butter, heavy cream and/or milk.

Ingredients for mashed potatoes:
- 1.5 lbs yukon gold potatoes [peeled and diced]
- 3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
- 2 tbsp fat free sour cream
- salt, pepper, and paprika

Directons:
1. Boil the potatoes in water until cooked and soft
2. Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper
3. Top with paprika and serve! 


Yum yum yum. Happy Tuesday!!