Spring has Arrived

It was winter here in south Louisiana for a blink or two. It appears spring has arrived and isn't going anywhere. My boys have completely embraced the weather change in the Sportsman's Paradise since it is now fishing season! Luckily we have a pond in our back yard so the Mr. can fish after work while I enjoy the sun. Afternoons in the spring usually involve Jackson (fur baby) lounging in the sun like a cat, the Mr. catching fish in the pond, and me piddling around. The boys are much easier to keep occupied than me... I'm constantly getting into something different, it usually switches between working out, reading a book, crafting, or prepping dinner while I watch the boys. 

What are your favorite things to do on a spring afternoon that we could try?

xoxo
A & J

Balsamic Chicken Salad

We are vegetable people and the Mr. LOVES salad. He makes it easy to eat healthy and clean out whatever we have in the refrigerator!

Balsamic Chicken Salad

xoxo

A & J

Thoughtful Gift Giving

Attention anyone in need of a Valentine's Day gift! 

Disclaimer: I am not being paid for this. 

One of my good friends is a graphic designer, Elise Apffel. She did the majority of the print items for our wedding. A few weeks after the wedding I got home from work to a large flat package at our front door. I'm extreamly impatient so waiting to open the box with the Mr. was a very lofty goal! 

Elise had the most thoughtful gift made! She took one of our engagement pictures from Double Windsor Photography, overlaid the lyrics from our first dance, and had it printed on a large canvas. We absolutely love this thoughtful and personal gift!

If you're in need of any type of gift, I highly suggest reaching out to Elise to personalize something like this for you!

Update: 2-7-17

We heard back from so many people who love this idea that we encouraged Double Windsor Photography and EA Designs to team up for a Valentine's Day special. There are now 7 variations for love quotes with your custom photograph available from EA Designs, use the coupon code "lovequotes" for 20% off now through February 13, 2017! 

We love all of these! Which is your favorite? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xoxo

A & J

Bridal Portraits (Round One)

My bridal pictures turned out to be more of an event than anticipated. I was certain I wanted my hair all up for the wedding, so we had my hair fixed that way for the bridal pictures. Double Windsor Photography did a great job shooting the pictures at Race + Religious and then at The Roosevelt Hotel. After the pictures came back, as beautiful as they were, I did not like my hair all up and neither did anyone else. Hello Gorgeous and Double Windsor Photography did amazing work. The pictures from Race + Religious and The Roosevelt came out stunning! We ended up getting a large canvas print of a picture from this day for our house. Round two for bridal pictures was put on the calendar a few months later once the weather cooled down a bit. We will share that event with you soon! For now, here is round one of bridal portraits. 

Shortly after my wedding shoes arrived, Jojo wrote a sweet message on the bottom. I wanted a good picture before they gotscuffed and broke in since the bottoms were just as pretty.

 

Once that was out of the way, it was time to put the shoes on and get to breaking them in while we took pictures at Race + Religious!

 

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

 

Huge thank you to my little sister and maid of honor for being such a trooper! She carried my dress around and even hid under it in some pictures to keep it from touching puddles on the concrete.

After we finished at Race + Religious my mom and sister could tell something was wrong. I said I wanted to go to The Roosevelt to take pictures in The Blue Room, so we packed up and headed over there. Since it was completely unplanned, we made a quick call to get permission from The Roosevelt for a couple pictures where we would be having our reception. Thankfully, they agreed!

XOXO

A & J

Vendors:

Hair and Makeup: Hello Gorgeous

Venue: Race + Religious and The Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans

Photographer: Double Windsor Photography

Bride Attire: Dress by Allure Bridals purchased from Ashley Renee Bridal. Shoes by Betsey Johnson. 

***All photos in this post were taken by Double Windsor Photography.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Dinner last night was very boring in comparison to the last meal we shared since the fire department didn't join us... 

I decided to try something new for a healthier version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. We were quite pleased with the results! 

 

Healthy Chicken Cordon Bleu:

Total: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1.25-1.5 pounds) 
• 1/2 teaspokn fresh ground pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese 
• 1/4 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
• 4 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped ham (approximately 1 ounce)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt. Combine cheeses in a bowl. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon peppe with breadcrumbs, parsley, and 2 teaspoons oil in separate bowl. 
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in (ovenproof) skillet over medium heat. Cook until brown on both side, approximently 2 minutes per side. Move chicken to center and touching. Spread with layer of cheese mixture. Sprinkle layer of ham. Top with layer of breadcrumb mixture. 
4. Bake in oven for 5-7 minutes (chicken no longer pink). 

Here's what it looked like after step 3. 

 

Our final product!

 

Let us know how it you like it! Send us any of your favorite dinner recipes we need to try!

XOXO

A & J