grilled chicken / quick and easy

grilled chicken every way you can think



Around here there isn't much time to spare around lunch hour. It's like all of a sudden my kiddos see me in the kitchen preparing lunch and they are suddenly starving, like they want it NOW. 

Thinking of QUICK, healthy meals can be oh so tricky. 

 I'm just not a Pb&j kinda girl. I can have it every once in a while, my children on the other hand would eat it daily. Me not so much.. And I can only take so many grilled cheese sandwiches. 

During the summer we grill chicken on the reg. It's fast, delicious and the kids love it too. They will eat several tenders per meal. We got soooo lucky in the FOOD department with our children. Thank you Lord! When we grill in the evening we like to grill an abundance of chicken. We always have plenty for lunches the following day.

a few of our favorites

+grilled chicken quesadillas (shredded cheese & I throw spinach in and they have no idea) Mom win right there! AHHH!

+grilled chicken & rice (sometimes I add squash or zuchinni)

+grilled chicken tacos (black beans, cheese, diced tomatoes)

+grilled chicken wraps(tortillas, corn, sometimes black beans, shredded cheese, sliced avocado with a tad of Marie's ranch)

+grilled chicken sandwich (I lightly toast wheat bread and put a slice of cheese, pickle + a little mayo)

+ grilled chicken and steamed brocolli (sometimes i sprinkle in a little parm cheese.)

+grilled chicken and noodles. (i sprinkle in olive oil and sea salt for yummy tasting noodles)

I hope this gives you an idea for everyday lunches.

It's always nice to change it up. If y'all have any tips for lunchtime let a Momma know.

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I even have friends who like to take salads to work. Eating healthy on the go doesn't have to be hard. Try this for a tasty, healthy lunch at home or work.

easy grilled chicken salad:

ingredients: 

grilled chicken + green pepper + lettuce (the greener the better) + tomato + shredded moz cheese + Marie's dressing. 

Marie's has the best dressings. My favorite is avocado poblano.

You can find it in the produce section. It's a much healthier version. 

does this not look so much better than the average pb+j day?

 so good, & good for you.

I'm all ears for your favorite grilled chicken dishes. 

xo Brittany 

lake trip//part two

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lake trip // part two

tuesday

First off, I could watch Heidi and her Daddy play all day lonnng. It makes me the happiest Momma in the world seeing these two love the way they do. It melts my heart. The older she gets the more of a Daddy's girl she becomes. 

I think these pics have become my favorites of them, ever! 

John Thomas took his very first boat ride. He didn't show a ton of emotion, per usual. But I think I spy a thumbs up, so I'd say he liked it!? 

they look the same size here.. crazy

The weather was PERFECT the rest of the week. We had tons of fun on the water.

The babies took a nice long afternoon nap, which meant Mommy+Daddy time. 

We sure needed it.

On Wednesday we packed up and headed south. Just a tad south, to his parents house. 

We stretched out for a bit and chowed down on lots of pizza. We played with family and got ready for the final stretch home to Tennessee. 

You can find me in the back seat. Believe it or not, I still had to bend over backwards to nurse this little fella a few times. 

back cramps galore.. carseat nursing for the win. 

we finally arrived to Dee and Papa's for the evening, time to play + run.

you know it's summer when you're drinking from a hose, barefoot! 

There is a happy face boy! He loves to be outside. Especially being pushed around in a wagon.

Thursday came, and we headed back to the car for a bitter 10 hour drive home! 

I felt it was necessary to wear my HOME Y'ALL shirt back to TN. 

life at the lake is good, but 

it's great to be home. 

XO Brittany 

lake trip//part one

What a week it has been.. Life at the lake has been f u n ! We have had several sleepless nights (teething child of mine), endless amounts of bug spray, a whole lotta sunscreen applications and an abundance of late night s'more roastin'. My children have just about overdosed on s'mores, and so have I! 

ignore the wind blown boat hair above. i think i washed it twice this entire week. 

Shhh... just a tad gross. 

We have had so much fun with family. We don't see them often, so the kiddos routine has been pretty much thrown out the window for the week. So many mixed feelings about routine. But for now it'll have to do. It took a little bit of time to adjust to the new time zone for the babes. Not to mention it's still light out at 9 pm on the lake. Who wants bedtime with all that going on?! 

So we arrived on Saturday evening and all we did was eat and play. 

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On Sunday the weather was crummy and cold so we ventured downtown Marquette for the day. 

It had the best views, surrounded by the lake. Such a neat little city. We took the kids to a children's museum for the morning. They needed to burn some major energy after being trapped in the car for over 14 hours the days before.  

a little pink bench makes the perfect photo opp. 

 The rest of the day was spent watching boats and shopping around the local shops. Including a yummy candy shop where we purchased some fresh taffy (that I'm currently snacking on as I blog about it). 

So close to walking. Come on little man! 

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On Monday we had better weather. To the paddle boats we went. The littles really hated 
lifejackets.

They looked like cute little mummy's when we strapped them on, they could hardly move. 

We stayed pretty close to the shore not knowing how they would do.. Their reactions were 

so hysterical. Really looking like little twins here lately.

lake trip // part two to come 

Xo Brittany 

weekend prep

Happy Friday sweet friends. We had an exciting end to this holiday week. First, John surprised us with the day off yesterday. We went to one of our favorite spots to brunch, Puckett's. I love nothing more than a good brunch, especially when it's with these sweet people of mine! 

coffee + him

Coffee to go. Errands as a family. Nothing better. 

he never wants to smile for the camera. ever 

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Friday 

On Friday we ventured to Nashville to spend part of our day in 12 South with my sister-in-law and her kiddos. The babies had a blast at the park and we finished strong with popsicles from the one and only, Las Paletas. It was such a fun day. 

Sweet boy loved his Momma's popsicle.

And I know what you're thinking.. Yes, I have basically worn that same hat for the last 3 consecutive days straight. 

the roots are real around here. 

The kiddos + their popsicles

I told ya'll we would be downing a ton of popsicles this summer.

We're ending our Friday with a ride around the land and MORE ice cream from their Aunt Abba. 

We are ready for the weekend. 

XO Brittany 

july 4th weekend fun

We celebrated the 4th of July a few days early with sweet friends and family.

 It was the perfect day to be at the pool. Not just any pool. We were invited to the best pool party around. We felt like we were taken on a mini resort-style vaca for the day. 

We had such a FUN time. The weather was perfect, the water was just the right temp, and the babies had a blast, (mom and dad had fun also).

This was Thomas's first time ever in a big pool. Last year he was a tiny one, so we didn't put him in. 

He loved it, but he liked laying with Mommy the most of all. 

I have yet to shop for a bathing suit that fits this post-partum, lost all the baby weight + way MORE, breast feeding body. Like where did the booty go? I tried on one of my old suits that fit not long ago, and it was not pretty. I kind of felt like a 12 year old.. But that's okay, could be worse.

I'll be on the search for a new suit soon.. With two big vacations coming up. I'll have no choice. 

Anyways.

We had to drag Heidi out by the end of the day. This was the first time she was old enough to actually play and "swim" with the help of her Daddy and Papaw. 

When we first got in she was terrified of that gigantic giraffe float. Like terrified!!!!! I just knew we wouldn't be there for long, she finally warmed up to the idea of it just floating around the pool, that it wouldn't attack her.. The cow she was totally cool with. It didn't bother her a bit. Just Mr. Giraffe!

Daddy saving her from the giant giraffe 

Heidi's cute suit is from h&m. thanks to her Aunt Abba.

She had the holiday spirit in her red, white and blue. 

My Momma and I relaxing poolside, watching the kiddos play. She was rocking one of her grand babies to sleep. Such a baby whisperer.

We had such a sweet time at the pool. 

On the actual 4th we took a road trip to AL to visit family for the day. John had to work but we still had a sweet visit with our family.

We made it back home in time for a ranger ride with Daddy, plus lots and lots of really LOUD fireworks.

Thank heaven for sound machines. 

pardon the humid mess on top of my head. I could see the birds thinking of nesting in it while taking this pic.  

 this little guy squeezes out of my arms constantly, but still not walking.

Have a great week and Happy 4th from the Minelli Tribe.

XO Brittany