The Eats: Chipotle BBQ Quesadilla

Oh yummy!

This is a great summer meal. Roasted chicken, avocado, mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper, shredded marble cheese, and chipotle BBQ sauce fill this whole wheat tortilla. Heat everything together in a pan except for the cheese and avocado. Put the cheese down first on one side of the tortilla, then add the avocado. Finish off by adding the heated mixture on top, fold tortilla and heat. I always toast each side of the filled tortilla on the griddle. This can be done in a pan as well. To ensure that the filling doesn't fall out, use a large flipper to turn over and keep the closed side down when flipping. Instead of using sour cream we use plain greek yogurt on everything. I rarely ever buy sour cream anymore because the greek yogurt tastes so good and it's healthier for you than sour cream. Side these quesadillas with a fresh summer corn salad and you are good to go. Enjoy!

The Fun: Moroccan Masquerade

This past weekend my friends Nella and Andrea hosted a Moroccan Masquerade. It was to celebrate our dear friend Julie's 30th birthday. Everyone dressed up and wore a mask. There was Moroccan music filling the air and a fabulous six course Moroccan themed dinner. This was the best 30th birthday party I have ever attended. These girls had every detail nailed down. The food was impeccable. Thanks girls for a great night out. All the best to you Julie for the big 3-0.

Julie and I wearing our masks.

The fantastic menu.

'Jewel of Kashmir' was the main course. It was ginger-infused chicken tagine on a pumpkin waffle, topped with yogurt and sprinkled with pomegranate and pistachio confetti. Absolutely fabulous!

The Fun: Pretty Presents

I attended a beautiful wedding shower the other evening. As I was wrapping the gift I was thinking about the level of effort we put into a gift. Some people really take time to make a gift special for someone. Every last detail is personalised for the present. I really wanted to do this for this special friend of mine. It was my mission to wrap this gift with intention. So I took my inspiration from the wedding shower invitation main colour of gold. Even though the paper gets all ripped off, there is just something wonderful about a pretty present. To give a very clean appearance, I used double sided tape so that you wouldn't see tape anywhere. I also folded all the edges under so that there were no rough paper edges. It made the gift look like an envelope.

(The two pictures are of the same gift. The lighting made the colour look different.)

I wrapped each part of the gift with different paper and ribbon to make it a little more unique. I decided to off centre the gifts to change things up a little from the common stacked set. Then voila, I had something special for my dear friend. I hope she liked it and felt special opening it.

The Thoughts: Sphere of Influence

Have you ever stopped to think about the people in your life? Think about why the certain people are in your life that are. What can you learn from them, and how can you be there to encourage and enrich their lives. I have always believed in things having meaning and purpose. I also believe that we know the people we do for a reason. People can teach us good and bad, we have the responsibility of navigating what to allow and disallow into our lives from the influence of others. Perhaps you are having a hard time with someone you know right now. So ask yourself why is this person in my life. Am I supposed to learn something from them? Or, am I supposed to help influence them in a positive way? Sometimes it is so easy to take for granted the people in our lives. Just a reminder for us all to be thankful for who God has placed in our pathway to influence and be influenced by.

The Home: Afternoon Art Project

My friend Amy inspired me to create fun art projects using vinyl or painters tape. I am not that great at painting or drawing, so this is an easy way for me to paint a customised canvas for my home. It is super cost effective, so you can change the design or colours once in awhile. Here is my most recent canvas that I did...

How to:

Paint the canvas in a base colour and allow to dry.
Then use painters tape to create the design of your choice. Be sure to really push the edges of the tape down because the paint can bleed sometimes.
Then paint the exposed areas in a different colour/colours.
Remove the tape immediately and allow to dry.

This is what it looks like with the base colour and the painters tape.

Here is the finished product up on a book shelf.

You can also make some super creative canvases using vinyl which I will post about at a later date. Thank you Amy for this creative idea. The possibilities are endless with this project and it really only took me an afternoon to complete (except for drying time).

The Eats: Greek Yogurt Avocado Chicken Wraps

This is a yummy wrap that my husband Josh always says he would order at a restaurant. It is so easy to make as well. It is filled with shredded cheese, spinach, tomato, breaded chicken, hot sauce, and one mashed avocado with a tbsp of plain greek yogurt mixed in and a pinch of sea salt & pepper (enough to spread on 2-3 wraps). After I wrap them, I also like to heat them on the griddle/grill a bit to melt the cheese. We find them fairly filling, so we side it with some veggies or a salad. Enjoy!