random happenings... and everything in between.

So.. I've been trying to post the bridal session for awhile.. you see the problem is, I've only been able to cut down my pictures from 214 to 118... and that is A LOT of pictures still... It's a work in progress. Please be patient... they are coming SOON!

In other wedding news... my thank you cards FINALLY (the first package got lost... thanks to the UPS man who never left a notice) came in the mail - so now I will be able to start officially thanking all of my amazing friends/family/guests/vendors! (Asking for  your patience with this one as well, busy summer + lots of thank you cards = may take a while..) But we are SO grateful and cannot wait to remember each and every loving gift and sweet person who helped us celebrate our marriage! So a big thank you now, and a more intimate and official one to come!! There aren't words that we can express, or gestures we can give to show our sincere gratitude.

AND... I got my proofs back from Rebekah from the WEDDING DAY!! Waiting for the CD in the mail and... let's be honest, it'll (sadly) be a while before they get posted - since bridals aren't even posted yet. Nevertheless, I AM SO EXCITED and happy!!! Rebekah Westover is AMAZING. I was so lucky to have her photograph my amazingly perfect day. She is the best and I HIGHLY recommend her! I knew from day 1 that she was the ONLY photographer I'd want to shoot my wedding. Here's a sneak peak!

Lately...

JOB: I got a job, a not very glamorous (I was busy with other little things like... planning my wedding so I didn't have time to look for a design/fashion/wedding internship/job..and trying to save money while working retail at J.Crew seemed like a VERY bad idea (hello discount, which still means I just buy MORE things) and only being here for about 10 more weeks gave me not so many options..) one. But one that pays the bills and should be pretty interesting. And one that I am very grateful for, thanks to a sweet lady I met the first day in our Astoria ward who referred me and set me up with an interview. I am a temp, which basically means I fill in for secretaries/receptionists when they are sick/on vacation/etc. The company I'm with mostly places in financial offices such as Hedge Funds and Investment Banks. Which is perfect since that is what the Wilkins' household is all about! The jobs I've been offered so far have been 2-3 week positions. Then I'm off to somewhere new in the city. Why not add some secretary work to my resume that mostly consists of dancing/fashion/retail, right?!

WEEKEND GETAWAY: Taylor and I are heading to Washington DC this weekend!! So we have been busy planning for that pack-filled-fun weekend! If any of you have suggestions of must-see places or amazing restaurants I'd love to hear. We have about 20 hours (not including sleeping time) to see all DC has to offer!

FOOD and FRIENDS: I met up with some of my FIT dance girls at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park for a much needed 'Shroom Burger! Miss those girls!! So fun to catch up.

 (Flashback to our Picnic in the Central Park from Spring 2011)

PLANNING: I spent this week planning out all of Taylor's and my adventures this summer. All of our must-see NYC places and favorite restaurants are scheduled into the next 9 and a half weeks! (Turned out to be a very time consuming task but I feel so refreshed now that it is all organized!) Again, any suggestions are welcome! We are going to the places I am familiar with but I obviously don't know all the best things to do - so if you know of a great place in the city please let me know!! AND I've been planning for the ten days that my mom and sister are in town!!! They arrive next Thursday. I'm so excited to see Bain compete here at NYCDA. It has been since 2007 since Bain and I have both been in the city together. It'll be fun!

Flashback to NYCDA 2007

More fun date nights to come!! Highline and Chelsea Market last weekend. Post here. 

FOOD: I tried a few more recipes, everything has been a succcess! Here was my dinner menu from last week!

Sunday Dinner: Southwest tilapia with frozen vegetables and brown rice. (notes: Very good, especially the sauce!)

Monday Dinner: Spaghetti with garlic, sweet potato, and salad. (Posted about this recipe here.)

Tuesday Dinner: Breaded coconut chicken pina colada salad. (Posted about this recipe here.)

Wednesday Dinner: Stir fry with brown rice, frozen vegetables, egg, and jalapeno chicken sausage. (notes: SO easy, and with the spicy chicken sausage from Trader Joe's it adds enough flavor that with no salt or soy sauce added it was still extremely flavorful and delicious.)

Thursday Dinner: Taco salad. (notes: this is one of my FAVORITE recipes that my mom use to make, so I made it like my mom did with regular tortilla chips rather than Doritos and chili beans rather than kidney beans. The rest of the recipe is pretty much the same. I don't add sour cream. And usually I add olives. ALSO - we buy the tostada shells in the big pack for $1.99 and crunch those up for chips - SO much cheaper and they taste good!)

Friday Dinner: Garlic lemon tilapia with frozen vegetables, brown rice, and fruit salad. 

(secret to best fruit salad ever: top with lemon, agave, and coconut! yum! I used mango, orange, banana, and blueberry in the salad)

Saturday Dinner: Date Night at Chelsea Market!
Dessert: Our favorite dessert/treat of the moment is mini crunchy oatmeal raisin cookies from Trader Joe's made into a sandwich with sunflower butter in the middle. Yummy!! And Trader Joe's mint ice cream sandwiches.

(via)

AND I know I talk about Trader Joe's WAY too much but guess what!!! I found spaghetti sauce with only 35mg of sodium!!! Most have about 300-700mg or so. AMAZING. And I'll just add some fresh garlic and chili pepper flakes for a little spicy kick. So happy.

GAVIN DeGRAW: Represented the other day running errands just to come home and find out he has a new single. Love. "Best I Ever Had."

via instagram

FATHER'S DAY: My daddy deserves a shout out! He is the most loving and supportive father there ever was. He always helped me fulfill all my dreams and goals. The first (out of two times) I cried at my wedding was dancing with this sweet man I hold so dear in my heart (the second being when I danced with my husband for the first time as his Mrs.). This picture is so beautiful and I am so grateful for Rebekah for capturing this moment with my amazing loving daddy!

MARRIAGE: Life has been so good since Taylor and I got married. I think dating each other for SO many years has left us with not many surprises. It has been so completely normal. Like no change even happened. There have been no real adjustments. It has just been easier, more convenient, and better! We are so happy and are so blessed to have had the opportunity for so many fun adventures this summer. Two week honeymoon to Florida, or first move and apartment together, NYC, weekend trips, etc. The timing was all perfect and everything about our relationship and life together makes so much sense. He is my best friend, my other half (cliche I know.. but so true), and my eternal soul mate. I am so lucky. He makes me laugh every single day, multiple times. By every act he does I can tell his main goal is to put a smile on my face whether it is swiffering the apartment, singing funny made up songs, helping with dishes, making silly faces to get my attention, or massaging my messed up calves and feet he always finds a way to be 100% amazing, sweet, and thoughtful. I am so incredibly blessed to have found him and to be blessed with his presence every day.

P.S. I miss Pilates. 

Zupas @ Home: Pina Colada Chicken Salad

If you know me you know that this is my favorite salad and I've been having withdrawals. I haven't had it since my wedding night at the reception (yes, Zupas catered - best decision EVER)... I had this salad recipe I was planning on making for dinner last night but then got the brilliant idea to look up pina colada salad dressing recipes - I was craving it big time! I picked this one because it was so simple to make. It turned out SUPER delicious and really hit the spot!

We ate this salad for dinner with our chicken warm - right out of the oven (yummy).

And had our chicken cold for lunch the next day (yummy).

Either works.

Oh, how I love pinterest! - Check out my "yummy" board with all the amazing food I would love to make someday. I'm actually amazed at how much I enjoy finding recipes and making meals. Lucky Tay Tay.

Coconut Chicken:

6 chicken tenderloins

6 tbsp shredded coconut

1/4 cup panko crumbs

2 tbsp crushed cornflake crumbs

1/3 cup egg substitute or egg whites

pinch salt

olive oil spray

Pina Colada Salad Dressing:

1 6-ounce container Vanilla Yogurt

2 tablespoons piña colada mix

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Salad:

Romaine

Canned Pineapple

Mandarin Oranges

Coconut

Macadamia Nuts (my favorite ingredient)

My mom sent us these AMAZING Tupperware containers! Perfect for salads! (I also used it for a burrito the other day- tortilla and beans/rice in bottom so it could be microwaved, toppings on top with sour cream in the center.) Martha Stewart is amazing! Found at Macy's.

Taylor's lunch! Pina Colada Chicken Salad with some carrots and "Hint of Salt" Wheat Thins.

And for breakfast..

Detox water, smoothie, steel cut oats with bananas/blueberries/pecans/agave.

Detox Water (via Pinterest):

1 Liter Water (about 32 ounces)

1 Medium Cucumber

1 Lemon

10 Mint Leaves

I also made hard boiled eggs in the oven (via Pinterest) while cooking my chicken.
Haven't tried one yet but I will let you know if they didn't work.

3 dinner recipes + snacks

Friday's Lunch: Leftover Burrito

"Dessert": Sliced apples with Sunflower Butter (Taylor is allergic to all nuts) and Agave ((I needed something sweet and I really didn't want to eat another brownie....well I wanted to but working out is not happening much around here so.. I knew I shouldn't and we had a half of a sliced apple in the fridge from yesterday's lunch... so this is what I came up with.)) It was delicious!

Taylor's new favorite snack is sunflower butter (since he's allergic to nuts this is the alternative he can have). He'd be a good peanut butter lover, he eats it right out of the jar. My new favorite snack is pecans and mini marshmallows. Seriously it is amazing. Perfect mix of salty and sweet.

snack time: pecans with mini marshmallows, dried cranberries, mango liquorice.

Recipes that have WORKED and been YUMMY!

Spicy Bean and Rice Burrito (pictured above) - rather than buying all the spices I simply used reduced sodium taco seasoning, and I added avocado.

Crispy Chipotle Lime Tilapia with Cool Avocado Sauce - made it Sunday night, super delicious (and I'm not a fish lover, I only really eat Tilapia). Loved the avocado sauce.

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino (pictured above) - made it last night. Not a ton of flavor but the chili flakes add a nice kick. I LOVED it. I love just plain spaghetti though so I enjoyed the mild flavor. I used whole wheat spaghetti. 

All 3 were pretty simple! Enjoy.

And a recipe from Utah that I never posted: Breakfast

Buckwheat pancakes with pineapple, pineapple juice, agave and coconut added to the batter, and also on top - sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

healthy lunching

I was searching for recipes on pinterest.. since I'm a big girl now and get to make all of my own food for both my spouse and I. My criteria about recipes, I have to have at least 1/2 of the ingredients on hand (and I don't have hardly anything on hand), or if it's something new I need at least 2-3 recipes that call for that ingredient.. since we are living on a budget and are only here for a couple months. AND it can't have too many ingredients...budget and laziness. BUT I love good food, and I love to eat healthy. So it's been a challenge. I have a few  recipes that I have picked out (mostly Mexican dishes - burritos, taco salad, spicy tilapia, tostata, etc. - thank you cheap beans and brown rice, and some spaghetti, quinoa, and salad) that I will be trying in the next week, if any are successful I will share them so other young, broke, college couples can make yummy food too!

My first recipe was this salad, Autumn Chopped Salad.

Ingredients
*chopped romaine lettuce
*pears
*dried cranberries
*chopped pecans
* thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
* feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

I was already going to the store to restock my lettuce and fruit. I was planning on getting some dried fruit and nuts already, there isn't a Costco which means bacon is out of the questions - I only know how to microwave bacon. The only cheese I had at home was swiss for sandwiches and mexican shredded for tostadas and such. And I have my new favorite salad dressing. So I thought I could pull off a variation of the salad. 

I added strawberries and oranges to  my salad since fruit goes bad so much quicker when there is only 2 of you eating it rather than a family of 6. I probably would have gotten walnuts instead of pecans if they weren't so dang expensive. But the pecans are delicious!! This salad was SUPER yummy and pretty. 

I used (for 1 serving)

*1/2 of romaine lettuce heart 

*1/4 pear

*2 strawberries

*2 orange slices 

*handful of pecans, dried cranberries, and feta cheese

*lightly cover in dressing 

I really love this salad dressing - and I am picky when it comes to dressing. I don't know why Zupas can have such amazing dressing but everything in the store tastes awful. It's bizarre to me. I want to start making all my dressings from scratch but... that isn't going to be happening this summer. I was incredibly happy when I found this. I now pick almost all my  food based on sodium intake (trying to consume the daily value of 2,000mg (and considering that deli meat and pasta sauce tend to average around 500mg, that's not very much). This one had a mere 50mg, and I could read and understand every ingredient. PLUS it tastes SUPER delicious. I was impressed. 

Moral of this long random blog post was that... I am a little bored. Taylor is gone all day and all I have is my computer. Yet I have a long to-do list. I started this while I was eating my salad because I was inspired to take these pictures because it was so pretty. And yes, you know me too well - I ended my lunch with a small leftover marshmallow caramel brownie... so we can rename this post "healthy-ish lunching." 

If anyone has any cheap, healthy, yummy, not too many ingredients, simple recipes then please let me know! 

NYC week 1

Post about Bridals, Honeymoon, Wedding day, etc. to come...

Our honeymoon flew by and soon we were back in Utah again, staying at the Zermatt Villas in Midway - we had so much to do before we moved (see family, open wedding gifts, pack, etc.) and soon enough it was Tuesday night and we were packing until 6:45 a.m. About an hour later we were off to the airport - 6 suitcases in hand, ready for our 3 month journey (don't worry only 2.5 were full of clothes for both of us - the rest was all bedding/towels/appliances/etc.)

Taylor's uncle picked us up from the airport and we staying at his house in Connecticut for a couple nights. It is BEAUTIFUL!!!! up there, winding beautiful roads of green trees all around. Yep, I am definitely an East Coast girl. I love it here. 

We found our little Sunnyside apartment the night before we flew into the city, it was furnished and available for the month of June and only 25 minutes from Midtown Manhattan. We moved in on Friday. We are conveniently close to the subway, grocery store, and laundry. 

Sunday

We went to the Union Square ward for church, I used to go to the singles ward in that building when I was at FIT and Taylor used to go there all the time on his mission.

Then we stopped by Taylor's office building where he'll be interning with CEA capital - an Investment Bank.

We snapped some aBree Fashion photos in the courtyard across from his building

And stopped to take a picture in front of this beautiful front 'yard' between Park and Madison Avenue that we passed on the way to my J.Crew job interview - loved seeing hydrangeas in the city!! And they matched my dress. Perfection.

We also saw George Stephanopoulos with his two dogs heading into J.Crew Men on Madison Avenue. Taylor spotting him out. Love seeing high profile people in the city. Oh, the Upper East Side. While I was stalking him online I found this article with pictures of his GORGEOUS home here in Manhattan. 

And for dinner I made Tilapia for the first time and it turned out perfect! I was impressed with  myself, thanks to my favorite easy recipe that my mom makes.

Monday

Taylor's first day of his internship! Looking so good! 

While he was at work I thought I would surprise him with fresh baked dessert when he got home! I searched pinterest for the perfect thing - Andes Mint Cookies (Andes mints are one of Taylor's favorite candy). Only a few ingredients so I thought it'd be easy (I don't have flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, etc. on hand since we are just in a tiny apartment for a short time). I thought that the CVS would have a wider selection of candy and usually they have boxed cake - at least in Orem they do. Nope. Nothing. So I went to the grocery store about 5 blocks the other direction. I searched and searched through all the aisles to find my 3 ingredients (oil, cake mix, mints) and found out there was no Andes Mints. Now what? Jr. Mints!! Nope..none of those either. Seriously?! So then I thought, maybe they have frozen pie - Taylor loves pumpkin and berry pie... no frozen pie. Apparently people here in Sunnyside don't eat dessert. I went to plan C - rolo cookies, same ingredients just with Rolos inside rather than Andes on top. No Rolos. So I put the cake mix back and grabbed a brownie mix. But that is so boring. I called my mom and she had a genius idea - put marshmallows on top (any food with marshmallows automatically becomes my favorite). So then I searched about 10 more minutes to find where they stock marshmallows - I finally found them under the candy hidden behind a display box. Since I was in the candy section I found a bar of chocolate filled with caramel and grabbed that as well. I realized while searching for the marshmallows - I don't have a mixing bowl or a baking dish at the apartment. We sublet it furnished but apparently those weren't included. I figured I could use the "pot" (which is more like a deep skillet) to stir my mix in and found the aluminum disposable dishes for 50 cents. One last problem the dishes were about a foot higher up than I could reach so I waited and waited by them until someone tall enough walked by. Finally two guys were decently close and I asked for help, they seemed rather confused that I was talking to them and hesitantly came over BUT to my rescue they graciously grabbed the pan for me. This happened while still searching for the marshmallows so I saw the guys at least 5 more times while wondering through aisles - awesome.

BUT in the end it was all worth it because they turned out INCREDIBLE! And Taylor loved them.

(fudge brownie mix (made "fudge like" rather than "cake like") topped with Cadbury Chocolate filled with Caramel and marshmallows) - served warm

Tuesday

June 4th, our ONE MONTH anniversary! It seems like we've been married FOREVER, so it seemed weird that it was only a month. I met up with Taylor after work and we went down to Chelsea. My FIT area. When I started planning what we were doing to celebrate I looked up Key Lime Pie (one of Taylor's favorites) and discovered Billy's Bakery had some. Which happens to be right across the street from my favorite restaurant in the city - Le Grainne Cafe (we call it The French Place). Emily, Katie, and I discovered it when we met up to go to Billy's Bakery and realized we were too hungry to start off with cupcakes and the little French restaurant across the street caught our eye. And thank heavens. I love it. And Taylor did too. I got my favorite Quiche Epinard and Taylor got the Chicken Ratatouille Crepe. At Billy's we obviously got the Key Lime Pie which was super strong and had a gingersnap crust - yummy! and a slice of Coconut Cream Pie - OH MY GOODNESS, it was amazing!! Then I showed Taylor around my neck of the woods - The Fashion Institute of Technology. A little has changed since 2009/2010 but mostly it's just the same.

and I finally hopped on the Instagram train.. We'll see how it goes. @breelena