A Day of Wedding Errands

I am tired. Who knew wedding dress shopping could be so draining?

To fuel up before our appointment with the florist, I grabbed a strawberry Chobani Greek yogurt.

Strawberry Greek Yogurt

I had never tried this flavor before so I was excited when I saw that my mom stocked up on a variety of Chobani flavors. The strawberry flavor is my new favorite (I still haven’t had the pineapple!). It was creamy, sweet and very satisfying.

I also shared  a big smoothie with Ryan.

Berry Smoothie

Into the smoothie went:

• Blueberry Chobani Greek yogurt
• Frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
• Banana
• Milk
• One scoop of vanilla protein powder

It was cold, thick and delicious.

With adequate fuel in our bellies, we took off to meet the florist. The appointment went really well. We explained the color scheme we like and selected flowers, bouquets and  boutonnieres that we thought would make our day oh-so-beautiful. We’ll hear back from the florist with a proposal and price points. I think we’ll definitely be able to go with the guy we met and keep the flowers within our budget. Success! 🙂

Lunch

We came home and enjoyed a quick lunch of turkey sandwiches with Food Should Taste Good olive tortilla chips and salsa.

Simple Lunch

 

Olive Chips

Yummy

It was a simple lunch and provided me with the energy I didn’t realize I’d need to try on dresses for nearly four hours!

Dress Shopping

We first stopped at a boutique shop where I tried on a handful of unbelievably gorgeous gowns. I fell in love with two… both semi-formfitting, but with a little bit of “pick up” at the end. (Maggie Sottero makes some phenomenal dresses.) I have some seriously difficult decisions to make!

We then drove to another shop where I tried on a bunch of dresses that were… meh. Nothing special. I think my heart was stuck on the dresses from the first shop.

Rest of the Night

Now we’re chillin’ out on the couch watching the season finale of The Biggest Loser that my mom taped for us. We have an appointment with a potential photographer at 7:45 p.m. Afterward we may drive around and look at Christmas lights! Fun, fun!

Hope ya’ll are enjoing your weekend!

Chicken It Is!

I was already leaning toward making the roasted chicken with lemon and thyme for my family for dinner last night, and when your enthusiasm seemed to gravitate toward that dinner choice as well, my decision was solidified! Thanks for the input. 😀

My sister Leslie was excited to help me and we decided to make two roasted chickens.

Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

This was Leslie’s first attempt at making a whole chicken and she was shocked at the amount of fat we cut off before even beginning to prep the birds. Naaaasty!

Though it took around and hour and 20 minutes to actually roast, the recipe itself was a breeze and eventually we had moist, delicious chicken without too much effort (we didn’t make the gravy detailed in the recipe below).

Chiiiiicken

We transferred the chickens onto a prettier platter and served them with sweet potato casserole made with brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon and butter and my homemade microwavable cranberry sauce.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Yum

The dinner got rave reviews and Leslie’s first attempt at cooking a whole chicken was a success!

Before dinner, we picked up our family Christmas tree! I can’t wait to decorate it today. It smells wonderful and looks very festive.Yay for the holidays!

Today

Today Ryna my family and I will be meeting with a potential florist and wedding photographer. At 11:30 a.m. my mom, Leslie and I are off to a boutique to try on wedding dresses. I’m so excited!!!

If you are married, how many places did you visit to try on dresses?

This is my second attempt at finding the dress, but we’re going back to the same place since we didn’t get a chance to look at everything the first time.

Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

Ingredients:

1  (6-pound) roasting chicken

2  teaspoons  Hungarian paprika

2  tablespoons  chopped fresh thyme, divided

1  teaspoon  salt, divided

1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided

2  lemons, divided

Cooking spray

1  teaspoon  olive oil

2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

1/2  cup  dry white wine (such as sauvignon blanc)

1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice

2  teaspoons  sugar

Lemon slices (optional)

Thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine the paprika, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; rub under loosened skin. Thinly slice 1 lemon; arrange slices under loosened skin. Cut remaining lemon into quarters. Place lemon quarters inside chicken cavity. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon thyme to chicken cavity.

Place chicken on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Brush oil over skin. Cover chicken with aluminum foil. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh registers 165°. Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cover with foil, and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Place a zip-top plastic bag in a 2-cup glass measure. Pour drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into measuring cup, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Place pan on stove top over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into pan. Add wine; bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add drippings, broth, juice, sugar, remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Remove skin and lemon slices from chicken, and remove lemon wedges from cavity; discard. Carve chicken, and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with gravy. Garnish with additional lemon slices and thyme sprigs, if desired.

You may also view this Cooking Light recipe here.

Nutritional Facts:

(Serving size 3 oz. chicken, 3 tbsp. gravy)

Calories: 174 (35% from fat)

Fat: 6.7g (sat 1.8g,mono 2.7g,poly 1.5g)

Protein: 23.5g

Carbohydrate: 3.2g

Fiber: 0.1g

Cholesterol: 69mg

Iron: 1.3mg

Sodium: 417mg

Calcium: 21mg