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BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

we are on a quinoa kick over here. maybe it’s because of it’s light, toasty character or that you can add it to just about anything. this salad was no exception. it made for a perfect sunday afternoon lunch paired with a refreshingly cold margarita.

barbecue chicken quinoa salad

serves four.

what you’ll need:

1 cup dry quinoa cooked according to directions

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 can black beans, drained

1 ear of corn cut off the cob

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1/4 green onions, chopped

4 TB pepitas

baby salad greens

here’s how:

combine shredded chicken and barbecue sauce, toss to coat. in a large bowl combine all ingredients except for pepitas, avocado and salad greens. plate the salad on top of a handful of greens. top with avocado and pepitas. enjoy!

* you could easily add some pepperjack cheese for an extra kick or a tad of ranch dressing. however, i am working on cutting out cheese from a portion of meals and the dressing isn’t necessary since the barbecue sauce coats everything nicely.

caramelized onion & roasted pepper crisp {recipe}

i am on a kick this week with easy, flavorful meals. this meal could easily be transformed into a savory appetizer for a warm summer evening or paired with a warm bowl of soup in the fall. give it a try.

here’s what you need:

one sheet of puff pastry
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
caramelized onions, i like this recipe
1/4 cup roasted bell peppers, sliced
1 cup micro greens

here’s how:

remove the sheet of puff pastry from the box and thaw for forty minutes. unfold the pastry and cut along the fold lines. place pastry onto a greased baking sheet and poke holes along the pastry. preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.

while your pastry is doing it’s thang, caramelize those onions.

remove pastry from oven and immediately place blue cheese onto the pastry.

place the pastry back into warm oven for five minutes to melt the cheese slightly.

top with onions.

top with peppers.

and then the greens.

cut into squares and enjoy.

strawberry quinoa salad

over the weekend i was planning our weekly meal plan and i stumbled upon love and lemons. not only is this a gorgeously designed blog but the husband/wife duo make beautiful, healthy food. i think i read the entire blog while originally searching for one recipe, the good thing is, i came out with several others that made it to our menu this week. meet jeanine and jack’s, strawberry quinoa salad.

this salad is refreshingly light with toasty notes. it’s definitely going to hang around here for a weekly appearance over the summer.

twitter handle necklace {BlogHer’12 product review}

as BlogHer’12 is quickly approaching i have began brainstorming what to pack for my trip across the country to NYC. last year it was so easy because the conference was literally in my backyard and i came home every night, so i could easily switch out clothing or over pack. one thing i knew i wanted to wear was a twitter handle necklace. of course, i would love to have a tiffany’s necklace with my twitter handle engraved but that one will have to wait. insert where i found kayce of kayce jones designs. kayce is a local san diegan which is a plus for me, plus she is also a stay at home mom to two children, a second plus! all of her jewelry is hand stamped and completely customizable! i thought my twitter handle might be too long but she said it work perfectly, and it did! i was so surprised how fast it was delivered and i honestly cannot wait to wear it while at BlogHer.

if you’re looking for a great personalized gift for an upcoming birthday or the holidays make sure to check out kayce jones designs.

want to win one?

kayce has so generously offered to give one of her 1″ disc necklaces with a birthstone charm to one lucky reader as a part of my giveaway on a night owl blog next sunday, july 22nd. make sure to come back here for more info or stop on by a night owl blog.

cell phone mishap {$40 itunes or amazon.com gift card giveaway}

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i have issues with cell phones. last year alone i went through four different EVO’s. i would love to blame these mishaps on the product versus the user but i cannot. my old boss used to laugh at me because more than once i went into work with my screen smashed, shards of glass flaking off and still very determined to text and e-mail away. i am slightly addicted to my social networking best friend, but who isn’t these days? half way through my shift i applied some clear packing tape because i had those shards sticking into my fingertips. you might be asking, well, how did you break it? or, how did you manage to break four different phones in one year? by dropping them of course. here’s the thing, my phone captures my growing children, i probably snap at least fifty images a day. so when i see something cute happening i whip my phone out of my back pocket and start clicking away. the first phone tragedy was my attempt to video payton on her power wheels truck. i barely bent over, my hand less than twelve inches off the ground and smash! i literally cried. the second one fell out of the baby bag while attempting to juggle both children in the doctor’s parking lot, a lot of swearing and my dear daughter saying, “oh no! daddy’s gonna be mad…” my list goes on. i consider my klutzy self lucky because my phone carrier provides insurance through Asurion.

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Asurion.

even though i have issues with breaking phones i rest a little easier knowing my phone is covered by Asurion and I only have to pay a minimal fee to receive a replacement phone. the process is super easy: pick-up the phone, let them know your phone has been lost/damaged/stolen, they collect some info, the deductible is added to your next bill and your new phone arrives within a few business days, sometimes even the next business day depending on the day of the week. can you tell i have been through this a few times?

a few months ago i upgraded to an iphone. you better believe that before i walked out the door i had an otter box and protective screen on the phone and insurance in place. the sales rep even made a joke that i better not fall or do anything silly. while i might be a little more careful with my iphone i still have little ones that love to get their hands on the device and when we’re out in public it helps them settle down. Asurion estimates that nearly 60,000,000 people in north america will lose, damage or have their phone stolen this year. if you’re not covered with phone insurance you could be paying nearly $700 to replace a broken iphone 4s. the choice is pretty clear to me, protect your phones and your memories.

visit: Asurion.com for additional information.

have you had a mobile device mishap? or, are you a lucky one? either way, i have the perfect giveaway for you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

disclaimer: I received a gift card free of charge for editorial consideration, and I’m also eligible for additional incentives. However, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.