Recipe: Mexican Chicken Soup

My mom brought this recipe with her when she visited a couple months ago, and I wrinkled my nose when she mentioned V8 as an ingredient. Growing up I hated anything having to do with tomatoes, and that included the juice variety. Although I ate ketchup like it was going out of style. (That's probably because it's all sugar. What kid doesn't love sugar?) Now that I'm more mature and wise, I can eat a tomato here and there without gagging. My mom said her friends loved this Mexican soup, so we cooked up a batch for dinner one night. Let me tell you... this is one tasty way to enjoy tomatoes!

This recipe is supposed to be made in a slow cooker,

but I just use our large stockpot and cook it on the stove top.

Mexican Chicken Soup

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (cubed)

2 teaspoons olive oil (it calls for vegetable, but I use olive oil)

1/2 cup water (I used a little less)

1 envelope taco seasoning (you can do this, but the sodium content scares me... I use spices and seasonings like cumin, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper... etc. pick your favorite taco spices)

1 can (32 ounces) V8 juice

1 jar (16 ounces) salsa

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed

6 tablespoons cheddar cheese

6 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, saute the chicken in oil until cooked through.

Add water and taco seasoning (or spices of your choice) and simmer until chicken is well coated.

{ if using a slow cooker transfer chicken to slow cooker and add all ingredients except for the cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.... cook on low for 3-4 hours }

Using a large stock pot, place coated chicken in pot. Add V8, salsa, beans, and corn; mix well.

I bring to a boil then simmer until for 30 minutes or longer if you want it hotter in temperature.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro!

Happy Tuesday!

Arm Candy. Yum Yum!

Today I'm sharing some tasty new candy.... of the arm variety.

These cute little cuff bracelets instantly caught my eye,

so I scooped them up before they have the chance to sell out.

I may have overreacted, but you can never be too careful when you see something you love!

{ remember the lesson learned from these shoes... they're actually back in stock now though }

bracelets: anthropologie

Rarely do I buy multiples of things, but all the colors of this bracelet were gorgeous. They look great on your arm alone, but they stack very nicely too! Not to mention, the blue and orange will be perfect to wear in support of my favorite NFL football team. Go Broncos! (:

I see some arm parties happening in the near future....

Delicious Chicken Dinner

Lately Pinterest has been such a great place for recipe and food inspiration.

you can view my food pin board { here } It's where I found our latest favorite meal!

Just last night I made blackened chicken with cilantro lime quinoa.

We topped it with an avocado cream sauce.

This dinner turned out much better than I had imagined.

recipe here: blackened Chicken with avocado cream sauce and cilantro lime quinoa

Although my husband says he likes everything I cook (like a good husband should),

I actually think he really really enjoyed this meal.

I'm sure we'll be having this meal again sometime soon.

- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -

Meal planning has never really been my thing, but it is something I'm trying to get better at.
Finding great looking food on Pinterest has made me want to try more new things that I may have not come across on my own.

This weekend I'm making Macadamia Nut Chicken... yum!

Source: coastalliving.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I definitely don't have much time to sit around (thought I do try) and watch
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, read food magazines, or eat out more often...

although those are my ideal ways to learn more about food. (:

For now, browsing the beautiful photos on Pinterest will have to suffice.

Have you found any great recipes lately?!
Or do you have a favorite that you want to share?

Say Yes to the Dress(es)

I wanted to share some of the dresses that I
tried on during my wedding dress search.

There are so many gorgeous dresses out there, and I had the pleasure of trying on some very beautiful ones. It's always fun playing dress up, so I hope you'll enjoy these photos!

Maybe I'll eventually get around to sharing some of our actual wedding day photos,

but chronologically the dress search comes before a wedding anyways, right? (:

tip from the past bride (that would be me):

{ give yourself plenty of time when searching

for the perfect wedding dress! }

giving yourself 8 months or more is not a bad idea.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here are some of the dresses I tried

but obviously did not end up with....

I tried the following dresses on at Anna Bé bridal boutique in Denver.

It was such a beautiful place to try on wedding dresses,

and their gorgeous mirrors, free champagne, and natural light didn't hurt.

{ this was one of my favorite dresses while searching for dresses online

before actually trying any on in a boutique }

This next dress was actually the first dress I tried on, and I loved it right away.

It had a sweetheart neckline that I wanted, it was fitted through the torso, and it had a dropped waist.

The bottom zipped off to make a fun short dress for your reception. We dressed it up

with a cute green sash and crystal belt on top to give it a little personality.

It was strange falling for the very first dress that I tried on, but I continued trying more dresses.

I tried a few that I did not love as much.

{ these ruffles are adorable, but still not exactly me }

They "clamp you into" the dresses if the sample dress is too big, and I'm sure that it took a few inches off my waistline in the process. It's nice to feel skinny while trying on possible future wedding dresses. I think the salesgirl knew exactly what she was doing. ;)

{ this one was nice, but it did not suit my personality as well as others }

After trying a few different styles and fits, you really start to hone in on exactly what types you love.

I fell for the cute sweetheart neckline, a dropped waist, and ruched material.

Then it happened....

{ I tried on this dress, and I did not want to take it off.... I wanted to wear it home }

Had we had the money and time for it to arrive in my size, I would have chose that dress!

It was gorgeous. It felt nice. It made me feel beautiful, and I just loved it.

Don't get me wrong... I loved the dress I ended up with (which I will share photos of later),

but I absolutely fell for that dress I tried at Anna Bé.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I almost want to try on wedding dresses again just for fun. Is that allowed?

Did you end up with the wedding dress you wanted?

I hope to share wedding photos sometime in the near future. It has been a couple of years after all. (:

Come Fly With Me

It's been a while since I've blogged, and I have so many things to share with you!

Today I wanted to share some photos from an air show that we went to last month.

(it was actually much more than just an air show)

To finish off the month of March, we spent a day at the

2012 Sun 'n Fun Fly-in and Expo in Lakeland, Florida.

Sun 'n Fun is a whole week long display of airplanes, fly-bys,

exhibitions, events, and even includes rides for kids!

You have to experience it for yourself to fully understand

the enormity of this event. It's pretty incredible.

Our household just so happens to be rather interested in airplanes and flying.

I did marry a man who flies airplanes for a living, so it should be expected, right?

Throw in my obsession with airports { read about that here } and we're a pretty well rounded family

The Sun 'n Fun Fly-In & Expo in Florida was pretty amazing for a lot of different reasons.

You can actually get pretty close to the flying

that takes place over the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.

See? We were darn close to the action!

It was honestly a bit scary hearing loud booms and seeing smoke while at the show. Don't worry though. I prayed it wasn't a plane crash and was relieved to find out it was all just part of the show.

Nate's father and stepmother were here visiting from Colorado, so they went to Sun 'n Fun with us!

There was always something going on throughout the day, and when the sky wasn't full of airplane action (which was almost never), there were plenty of airplanes on the ground for your viewing pleasure. You could sit and relax or get as close to the flying as a fence and the security guards allowed.

My husband and I really loved the P-51 Mustang that flew around for quite a while, but it's always amazing to see a fighter jet in action. Those things are so incredibly loud and powerful!

{ Here's the front end of a gorgeous P-51 Mustang }

I really enjoy getting up close to the aircraft, so one of my favorite parts of Sun 'n Fun was just walking around and browsing the assortment of airplanes.

We dream of having our own airplane some day. It would be pretty incredible taking our own plane out of a hangar and taking off into the wide open sky. How freeing it is to have all that open air surrounding you! We can dream. Winning the lottery would help make that dream come true much faster than saving for eternity. (:

Winning the lottery would also make having a luxury jet a much more attainable goal.

If I had a cool ten million laying around, I just might buy this lovely little jet that we explored while at Sun 'n Fun. See that smile on my face? That's a smile that says I can go wherever I want at the drop of a hat. (That is if you can afford gas for your jet)

All joking aside, we had a great time at the 2012 Sun 'n Fun Fly-In & Expo!

We would surely go again another year.

I hope your week is flying by!

too cheesy?

Do you enjoy air shows too?