Mediterranean Chicken + Veggies!

This is one of my absolute favorite summertime meals (Ben's too)! While I was making it tonight I decided to snap some pictures and share the recipe with y'all. I'm sure you'll love it as much as we do!

It's a known fact that diets comprised of Mediterranean foods are extremely healthy. Ben and I love this recipe because it calls for loads of good things that your body needs (Olive oil, fresh veggies, chickpeas, and quinoa just to name a few!). If that sounds good to you then read on my friend, read on...

First you'll begin by cooking 1-2 chicken breasts in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I like to add salt, pepper, and fresh parsley to give it an extra *zing*. Once your chicken has finished cooking, set aside in a bowl. 

Using the same pan you cooked the chicken in, sauté (1) onion, (1) yellow bell pepper, (1) orange bell pepper, and (1) tablespoon of minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of fresh olive oil. Do this until everything smells heavenly and the veggies are cooking down or becoming more translucent. 

Next you will add in (1) 14.5 oz. can of chickpeas and (1) 14.5 oz. can of Italian-style diced tomatoes. Mix together well and heat thoroughly until it looks something like this:  

Mmm.... Is your mouth watering yet?? 

Add the cooked chicken back to the pan and heat it through. Then it's done! >>

We like to enjoy this meal served over quinoa, however, you can also eat it with rice or couscous! *Some options may be more budget-friendly than others depending on the store. 

We buy our organic quinoa by the pound at the most wonderful supermarket on the planet- Horrocks. It's like a ginormous farmers market with everything you could imagine under one roof. Do your research and try to find a co-op or farmers market in your home town. It's always best to buy local and fresh!  

Have a wonderful day friends and thanks for reading!

Summer Basics + Co-Hosting a Link Up

If this is your first time to The Bee's Knees, Welcome! I like you already.  :) 

Today I'm sharing a few of my favorite summer basics that I just can't live without. It's heating up here in the Mitten (81 degrees today!) and I'm breaking out some summer essentials... Finally!

Is there anything hotter than a maxi dress right now?? If you don't own one you should really consider making the investment. And when I say 'investment', that can mean as little as $10. Take this dress for example- $10 dollars on sale at Old Navy (buy it HERE), and it's WAY comfy and effortlessly cute. Score!

Because I'm a bargainista, I managed to score this color blocked Vera Wang purse from Kohls for only $19.99. I've had it since last year and I STILL love it. Check Kohls, for real. 

No one can survive summer without a pair of shades. Try spicing it up with a pair of trendy cat eye frames! 

I'm a firm believer in leather sandals. Buy cheap- your feet will hurt. Buy leather- be happy! :)

I purchased these gladiator sandals last week from DSW (get them HERE). They are Audrey Brooke and were normally $80. I got them out the door for $24 on sale (with coupons)! Cha ching... 

I love head scarfs for a few reasons: 

1.) They are adorable

2.) They spice up any outfit 

3.) They keep your hair out of your face in the hot sun

I thrifted this scarf last summer in Wichita, KS.

Today I'm 'really' excited to be co-hosting a link up with Carly and Molly! These are two amazing girls with beautiful blogs that I look forward to reading every day. I know you will love them so please hop along and join in the blog-hopping fun!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Happy YOLO Monday! Each week, Molly & I will be selecting a few of our favorite posts from the Monday before to feature……it’s a great way to put the spotlight on a few of y’all each week! Please be sure to link up an ACTUAL post, not just a link to your main page.

Our favs from last week?

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Neon Pink and Polka Dots

Coffee Cake Recipe

Glitter Nails

The Rules for #YOLOMONDAYS Link-Ups:

1. Follow your hosts Molly @ still being [molly] ,Carly @ Lipgloss & Crayons , and your guest host for the week Melissa @ The Bee's Knees
2. Grab a button and / or post a link back here in your BLOG POST (NOT your blog’s main page) so your readers know what all the #YOLOMONDAY-ness is about. We love you guys linking up and we do go through and read all your posts… so if you do not give credit, we will have to remove your link. That’s no fun, right? Right. So be nice and share a link! Pretty please?    
3. Link your blog post up using the linky tool below! It can be ANYTHING! An outfit post, a giveaway, a story, a recipe, whatever. Why? Cause it’s #YOLOMONDAYS!
4. Visit a blog or four that you’ve never been to before and leave a #YOLOMONDAYS comment – you never know, you might “meet” someone new that you will lurve!
5. Have fun! Cause #YOLO!

 

Want to cohost #YOLOMONDAYS? We will be accepting weekly cohosts starting next week..........please email us at carlybrydon@gmail.com for more info!

Best Glambag EVER? May 2013

Say hello to the best Glambag I've ever received! Can we say 'loaded'?? This baby was packed to the brim with tons of goodies. There's not a thing in here I don't like. Just for the record- this monthly beauty subscription is only $10.00. Yes, 10 measly dollars for all that you see pictured above. ^^

This is not a sponsored post, I just love my Glambag, people! ;) If you'd like to get in on the action, sign up by clicking here to be redirected to their website. 

Let's talk about my favorites... 

~The Pacifica Island Vanilla perfume roll-on is 'dreamy'. U.S. based, this company is vegan and leaves out the unwanted perfume 'yuckies' so you don't have to worry about what your putting on your skin.  

~Zoya nail polish!?! Are you kidding me? I love this stuff. I was ecstatic when I received a 'full-size' polish in this month's Glambag. The color is the most gorgeous baby blue and I will be featuring it in some upcoming posts for sure!

  

~Urban Decay's NEW Moondust eyeshadow in Glitter Rock. I love Ipsy because they are always offering new giveaways on their Facebook page. I received this brand spanking new Urban Decay shadow (worth $20) by participating in their Facebook page discussions! I was beyond excited when I found out I would be getting one in my bag. Bonus!! Ok, let's do the math- for a $10 bag I probably squeezed $50-70 dollars out of it this month. Can you believe that? 

Bag Contents:

Zoya Nail Polish in Blu

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Glitter Rock 

Pacifica Island Vanilla Perfume Roll-on

Yarby eyeshadow in 'Honey'

Mirabella Lipstick 

St. Tropez Instant Glow Body Lotion 

That's all for me today friends! I'll be back with you soon. :) 

Easy Chevron Nails

First of all let me say- I am 'not' a nail art expert. If I can create these nails, you can too! I've received soo many compliments on these babies over the past few days and all I can say is this: buy some nail art polish! I purchased this Sinful Colors nail art polish for $1.99 at Walgreens and I use it for everything. Remember my Geo Nails?- Yep, same polish.   

To create this particular look I used Color Club's 'Age of Aquarius' as a base and then created the chevron effect with Sinful Colors. *See below*

So easy. Just take a deep breath and steady your hands. Here's what I love about nail art polish- it's very forgiving. The long, pointy brush makes creating straight lines a cinch. Try it and you'll see what I mean. Time to get the creative juices flowing friends!! Have a great weekend. 

Spring Salad Inspiration: Part 1

There's nothing like a delicious spring salad on a gorgeous 78 degree day! Sometimes it's so hot out that nothing else even sounds good. Anyone with me on that? This incredibly healthy and filling salad is totally delicious. I made this for my mom and I to share last night for dinner and it was a hit! I didn't have a recipe, I just added what I thought would be good and well, it was. ;)

The mixture of spinach, feta, chicken, red onion, cucumber, and walnuts provides you with nutrients from almost every food group! Score. I served this with fresh corn on the cob and sweet potato fries- perfection. 

I (personally) prefer free-range natural chicken raised with no hormones and organic lettuce & spinach. I am excited to see more and more hormone-free chicken making it's way to the market, and the price 'is' coming down. Look for managers specials or know the days when your local grocery store puts meat on sale. 

This is one of my favorite dressings in the whole world. I love the blend of strawberry and poppyseed and it goes well with almost any savory/sweet salad. 

The Ingredients:

3-4 cups fresh spinach 

1 head red romaine 

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts 

1/2-3/4 cup feta

1/2 cucumber 

1/4 red onion sliced into thin strips

1-2 chicken breasts grilled in olive oil, pepper, and salt