Healthy chicken salad!

I decided to try this recipe when our marriage class at church had a "picnic" theme for our potluck dinner and I was determined to find a HEALTHY chicken salad. When I think picnic, I think chicken salad for whatever reason. I found a Weight Watchers recipe and modified it by adding extra things that sounded yummy to us and changing some of the measurements! It came out delicious! I also took the leftovers to work in a whole wheat tortilla for lunch today <3 

What you need

• 1lb chicken breast
• 1/2 cup diced dill pickles
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mayo
• 2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 handful of walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped red grapes
• Salt & pepper to taste

How to make it

1) Boil chicken until there's no pink inside. Drain water and set chicken aside to cool. Cut into small cubes. 
2) Pour chicken into a bowl and add pickles, celery, mayo, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, walnuts, grapes, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well and store in refrigerator until just before serving. This is delicious with crackers or a whole wheat tortilla! 

Whole Wheat Andes Mint Cookies!

It's been a while since I've posted new recipes and I've recently been trying a couple new ones per week, so I figured it was time to post again! My sweet friend Dayna, introduced me to the idea of whole wheat cookies since we've been trying to eat healthier in our home. I've been experimenting with diff cookies for the hubby this week & I ended up creating these one day! I had Trevor and several coworkers try them and the consensus was that they were good, however, if you're not a mint lover, you may want to try 1/2 Andes Mint baking chips and 1/2 regular chocolate chips! 

{These cookies are the REGULAR whole wheat choc chip cookies I made & sent to
Afghanistan but you get the idea! I had to at least post a pic of cookies on here....yummm}

What you need

• 2 eggs
• 3 cups sifted whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups Andes Mint baking chips
• 3/4 cup margarine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 

How to make 'em

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease your cookie sheets
• In a bowl, mix together the margarine, white sugar and brown sugar until fully mixed and smooth. Stir in vanilla and eggs. Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda & salt. Mix well! Fold in the Andes Mint baking chips. Use a small spoon to drop spoonfuls onto your cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. Enjoy :) 

We're moving to MISS-ISS-IPPI

Trevor and I recently found out that we will be moving to Keelser AFB in Biloxi, MS! Yup, that's the good ole' south! Trevor will be teaching as a weather instructor at the Air Force weather tech school that he attended when he first enlisted in the USAF. We have been considering applying for this position for over a year and decided it was either between there and Hawaii during his deployment. Our best friends are moving to Hawaii in November and we thought "Why not?! It's Hawaii AND they will be there"...but the Lord obviously had a different plan ;) When the overseas list came out in May and Hawaii was not anywhere on it, it was pretty clear that we were being called there. But we will DEF be visiting the Walker's there...hopefully in 2013! So we decided to have Trevor move forward with our first choice of him being a weather instructor and it was a lengthy process. He definitely got the run around with being currently at any Army post and wanting to apply for an Air Force assignment and it took him over a month to apply for the position. We kept hearing that there was a huge need for instructors at Keesler, but we didn't realize just how big that need was! Trevor submitted his application and within 24 hours he had an official assignment sent to him with a report no later than date of October 31, 2012. We were thrilled!! It was such a relief to know where and when we'd be moving and we love the idea of Biloxi! :) Trevor will get to teach what he loves and we will be in one place with a very LOW chance of deployment for the next 4-5 years! 


We were already planning a road trip to Florida to attend our good friends Ben and Britt's wedding and it was PERFECT timing to stop in Biloxi for 2 days to check out the area and look at housing! Trevor immediately felt like he was at home again :) As much as I know I will LOVE it there, it was def a bit of culture shock for me... the best way I can describe it is that it's like Port Aransas (a Texas beach town) with Las Vegas type casinos and a southern flare (fried food and alligator!). It's going to be so much fun living so close to the beach, here is a pic of a birds eye view of the base next to the gulf! The green part of the base and one of the base gates is on the bottom of this pic by the beach and the other is back by the bay! Sandwiched by water :) 

Keesler AFB

The beach! 

Base housing where we will live :) 

We are REALLY going to miss our friends/family here at Fort Hood but we are also excited to see what God has for us in Mississippi! I surely never thought I would ever live in MISS-ISS-IPPI :) We are not sure when we will be leaving Texas quite yet, but we are thinking sometime around October 20th! <3