BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

We have been doing "Taco Tuesday" as frequently as possible over the past few years. Tuesday night has become a Mexican fiesta, Glee watching, margarita drinkin' kind of tradition that I just love!

This impressive winter we have been having has really got me thinking of summer. There's something quite summery about a big fresh salad. This week, a BBQ chicken chopped salad was calling my name.. yum!

Ingredients:

Finely chopped romaine lettuce

rinsed black beans

corn

chopped tomatoes

chipotle ranch dressing (I like to use this kind but any favorite ranch/BBQ dressing combo will do)

BBQ sauce

cooked chicken (I use a shredded rotisserie chicken)

tortilla strips, chips or croutons

Directions-

Coat chicken in BBQ sauce. Toss all ingredients together and enjoy!

*Actual amts will vary depending on how big you want to make the salad(s)

In true Jessica form, every delicious dinner needs an even more delicious drink to go with it!

In honor of "Taco Tuesday" we paired the salad with a margarita.

Not that you need an appropriate accommodating meal for a good margarita ;)

Here's to summer!! Just a few short months away!

A Recommendation For You

As previously mentioned, Jakob and I were in Jamestown, NY the weekend before last for a friend's wedding. The whole weekend, road travels included, was really fun and enjoyable! We spent the weekend catching up with Jakob's parents, playing games, and trying out a few local restaurants. With rave online reviews we figured that we would try a local restaurant favorite which will remain unnamed.

Now don't get me wrong, we are certainly not restaurant snobs. In fact, we are just as happy going out for a nice dinner as we are noshing on overly cheesed bar food at Chili's! We are typically easy to please.. for the most part.

The entire meal at said unnamed Italian restaurant was well.. in a word.. hilarious! It was the weekend before Valentine's day. We were expecting the world's more romantic and delicious family dinner gosh darn it! It was Jakob and I, along with Jakob's parents and a family friend.

From the moment we walked in the door the drama began. It was one thing after another I tell ya. Rude host who turned out the be the even ruder owner. Rude waitress who said classy things like "Yea" and "Okay... fine" whenever we would ask questions about our meal selections. And then came the food.. and wow!.. things took a turn for the worse!

Meals (yes, multiple meals) had to be sent back and re-cooked or throw out. We were laughing at those at the table that were even willing to try the "fish", it was just that bad! Now, had we been eating at fast-food type prices we could have just left it but this was a moderately pricey joint and we just couldn't pretend that this wasn't happening. We did our best to be polite and not act too pretentious but by the end of the night all we could do was laugh... and laugh we did.

The ongoing mishaps were just the icing on the cake making the night just that much more memorable and hilarious. We didn't dare try the dessert and asked them to pack up the inedible leftovers.. to be nice of course.. we didn't want them to think we wouldn't want to take their "food" home with us after all.

On the way out the door, laughing and bursting at the seams, we just couldn't help ourselves...

There was no way we were going home with this "food." I seriously laugh out loud every time I see this picture! Doesn't the "food" look so majestic glowing the light?! Haha! While the meal itself may have been a complete bust, I wouldn't take the experience back for anything! The memories were worth every penny.

Road Trip Survival Kit

With my family living in Minnesota and Jakob's family in New York road trips are just a fact of life. We find ourselves driving to MN or NY once a month on average. As a carsick girl, road trips were something I always loathed. In a few years time, I have learned that with a little dramamine, a few snacks, and the right company, a road trip can be.. dare I say it.. fun! With a few necessities, these trips are made much more bearable. We now have our trips on good ole I90 down pat.

Without further ado, I give to you Jakob and Jessica's road trip survival kit.

1. Copious amounts of caffeine

While Jakob prefers coffee, I always turn to my best friend.. Mr. Diet Coke. The larger the cup the better. Where else can you drink 64oz of your favorite caffeinated beverage guilt free?! Nowhere but in the privacy of your own car. Did you know that calories consumed while driving are null in void? True story.

2. The "Snack Shack"

Webster defines "snack shack" as a compilation of all the random snacks sitting in your cupboard that you would simply not eat unless you were.. well.. board. The snack shack has been our saving grace over the years. When there's nothing else to do in the car, you snack. Admit it, you know you do it too. We usually opt for slightly healthier options like fruit, granola bars and pretzels. However, being so close to Valentine's Day we opted for a slightly sweeter snack shack this past weekend.

3. Your favorite sing along songs

Thank God for Glee. Not only is the show one of my faves but the CD's are oh so sing-alongable! I'm not sure I would have made it through the last few road trips without my good trusty friends Rachel and Finn. I know I know, Glee is for 12 year olds, blah blah blah. Well, I have no shame, Glee was made for road trips baby!

For a more adult version of a sing along why not try Michael or Madonna's greatest hits? I promise, you will shockingly know every word to every song!

4. Your favorite reading materials

While I cannot read in the car with out the appropriate vomit receptacle, I still always bring my favorite magazines on the road. Call it instinctual. I think other's in the car always appreciate a little celebrity gossip. Jakob, however, prefers a little more intellectual reading.

Exhibit A:

5. Your favorite road trip games

What do jaw breakers have to do with games you ask? Everything. Who can make their jaw breaker last the longest? Who can get rid of their jaw breaker the quickest? The list goes on and on. Here I am showing off my skills...

And here's Jakob showing off his "I'm wearing my wife's sunglasses because it's so darn bight and I don't have my own sunglasses" skills..

Other favorite games include:

-Playing single handed solitaire with a deck of cards

-Searching for the numbers 1-100 in order outside the car (on highways signs and such)

-Looking for the name of the driver painted on the side of the semi he/she is driving (past favorites include Rusty and Wanda)

-Trying to fill in the ENTIRE monopoly board with McDonald's stickers after stopping in each and every McDonald's along the highway. Must be done with SEVERAL people in the car. Remember what I said about calories consumed while in a car... come in real handy during this game

-And when all else fails, you can't go wrong with 0verly updating your facebook status

6. Setting cruise control at +7mph over the speed limit

See how content I am sitting in my car while we safely allow the cop on the left to pull over the guy that just had to go 8mph over the limit in the hopes of getting to the next rest stop just that much quicker. Lame! We have learned the hard way. You speed.. you lose. The tolls and gas are pricey enough these days without paying for a $200 ticket.

There you have it. Who says road trips can't be fun?

Safe travels everyone!!

Meet Mr. February

Lookin' sexy!

It's too bad he's so shy eh?

Jakob's longtime friend David got married this past weekend. Jakob, being in the wedding, had the perfect excuse to wear a tux and work the camera.

We had a great time road tripping to NY and getting pretty for the wedding! I love any reason to get dressed up and I'm pretty sure Jakob appreciates the laundry aspect of wearing rental clothing.. it's really a win win situation for both of us!

Sarah's New Back

My little sis Sarah had her much anticipated back surgery last Thursday. After an injury this fall, she herniated two discs in her lower back leaving her with horrible back and sciatica pain. She braved it through her wedding and the holidays before finally deciding to go through with surgery. On the day of the surgery, the typically nervous nelly was nothing but positive and brave. Everything went perfectly and she was up and walking within hours and lifting her legs PAIN FREE! Such a blessing... a wonderful life changing blessing!! She is now home recuperating and doing well!

Please pardon the goofy cell phone picture. Doesn't she look adorable as ever and ready to dance?! I'm so proud of Sarah and happy for her new back and new lease on life! Thanks to everyone for their prayers and well wishes, she and the family so appreciate them!

Our Life In Color

We have been living in our condo for 8 months now... surrounded by STARK WHITE walls. Can you say B-O-R-I-N-G?? Over the past week our place has been completely transformed. Jakob's mother Sali and our brother-in-law TK were here to paint the place for us. It turned out beautifully!! We absolutely love it and could not be happier with the finished product. It's so nice to finally have some color in our lives! Here's a tour of our freshly painted condo. Before pics can be seen here.

Welcome to the Ondrey abode. The majority of our great room is a pretty light sage-y green color. Here's the entry way..

The dining room accent wall is army green. We are still looking for the perfect decor for the large wall behind the dining room table.

This wall is opposite the dining room and painted the same army green color. Don't they look crazy different?! These pics were taken at the same time of the day and look totally different! I love it! Still looking for the right framed piece of art to hang over the fireplace. And don't worry, the terrible towel is safely tucked away for next year!

Our sunroom was painted a gorgeous goldy yellow. This turned out to be my favorite color and was initially the one I was most hesitant to go with. Thanks to some great advice I think it turned out great. Most of our light comes from the sunroom and I'm so happy the room still feels bright!

Our hallway is the same sage-y green color as the entry way. Adding color to the hallway really warms the place up. It was so nice to finally get some pictures on the wall. We continue to add to our black framed photo collage each year. It's definitely my favorite decor in our home.

The office is painted a cool gray/bluish color. We are still working on finding the perfect furniture for this room but are so happy with the wall color. Doesn't the blue look so nice against the white trim? The molding and door frames throughout the condo really pop with some color on the walls!

Lastly, our bedroom. This room was painted a neutral beige color. It's nice and simple and really adds warmth to bedroom.

The bathrooms were the only rooms previously painted when we moved in. We liked the colors and left them as they were. The only room left to paint in the guest room. We are still undecided where we want to go with that room and will eventually get to it sometime in the next few months. Now, onto decorating those beautiful walls!!

Happy Birthday Sawyer

Today our sweet nephew Sawyer turns 1. We are so lucky to live so close to him and get to spend time with him on a weekly basis. It's been so fun watching him grow into such a sweet little boy! He is a total character and such a fun kid to be around! And did I mention c.u.t.e?!.. love him!

Happy 1st Birthday Sawyer!

We love you!

My Birthday Boy

Today my wonderful husband turns 27.

It feels like just yesterday I was sneaking him into my dorm room on his 19th birthday. Sneaking him into my room so we could spend as much time together as possible on his last night in Chicago before leaving for New York and joining the Army. We stayed up all night eating birthday apple pie and getting to know each other just in time to say goodbye. That night, on Jakob's 19th birthday, was one of those unexpected life changing nights and a defining moment in our relationship. The rest is beautiful, teary, mushy, romantic history. We have now spent just as many birthdays together as we have spent apart. What a great feeling. Someday our birthdays spent apart will just be a small fraction of our years together, and while those few years apart may have been difficult, they were oh so significant and wonderful at the same time.

So cheers! Cheers to the wonderful birthdays we have spent together, the birthdays spent apart, and the birthdays yet to come! Never in a million years would I have thought that the night of Jakob's 19th birthday would have been the start of something so perfect!

Happy Birthday Jakob! I love you!

Blizzards & BIRTHdays & Babies Oh My!!

February 1-3, 2011.

Dear Diary,

Where do I even begin? It was an incredibly crazy week. Crazy stressful. Crazy fun. Crazy wonderful. Crazy perfect. If you know me at all you know I love me some good drama. I love to exaggerate and embellish as needed to make a great story just that much better. This story needs no exaggeration, it's perfect and full of drama just the way it is.. just the way I like it!

Feb 1.

I joined my friends Kirsten and Joshua early in the morning as they began to prepare themselves for the birth of their baby girl. After a drive with only minor drama we made it to the hospital. Little did I know that when I entered the hospital I would be there for the next three days.The day progressed and the snow began to fall. Late in the evening, I was able to witness the miracle of sweet Matilda Claire's birth. The details of her delivery are those for her mama to share. I was so honored to be a part of their big day. It's an incredible thing to watch a family of two become a family of three. I fell asleep at the hospital in a patient bed at the crazy late hour of 3am listening to the whistling wind of a blizzard just beginning to rev up.

Feb 2.

After three short hours of sleep I woke up and was assigned a group of patients on my unit. The blizzard was well underway and the windows in the hospital were covered with giant snow drifts. From the moment I woke up the snowy drama began. Due to impossible driving conditions, the hospital running low on food, linens, and of course.. staff. Doctors were literally snowshoeing to the hospital to see their patients. Discharged patients were stuck spending an extra night with their newborns in the hospital instead of going home. Hospital staff were sleeping in patient rooms in between shifts. It felt like Grey's Anatomy drama without the random hookups. What did come out of the woodwork that day was incredible teamwork. I can honestly say that I have never had such fun with my coworkers on my unit before. Everyone was helping each other out and making the best of the crazy situation. Most importantly, every patient was well taken care. It was one of those days where I was so proud of where I worked and so proud to be a nurse.

The absolute best part of that day was the time I was able to spend with adorable Matilda. The blizzard baby came at the absolute perfect time.. for me at least! Being stuck in the hospital, I was able to spend two solid days with the cutie pie and her parents. I loved being able to care for Kirsten, she was the world's best patient! It was quite a bonding experience being stuck in the hospital together, there's really no other way to describe it. I loved it!

Feb 3.

After another night in the hospital with my RN friends, I woke up early and snuggled in with Kirsten and Matilda for the morning. It was so nice to have friends in the hospital hanging out on my unit! We enjoyed a quiet morning and I worked in the afternoon and into the evening. I helped Kirsten and Joshua pack up and leave with their new little one that night. It was crazy that we had all come to the hospital together and I was still stuck there after they had gone home.

After work, it was time to venture outside and survey the damage. I had been inside from the moment the first snowflake had fallen. OMG- what a sight! There are no words, only pictures can do it justice. After a s.l.o.w drive home on mostly cleared roads I was able to park in my freshly plowed parking spot and crawl into bed.. as if it were a dream and the blizzard had never happened. It was surreal.

While Chicago was looking at...

I was staring at...

I may have missed Chicago's craziest snowfall in history but I think it was well worth it!!

Let's Go Steelers!