Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs

It has been beautiful here in Belgium this week so I finally went and bought myself a grill. This was one of the first recipes that I tried on the grill and it turned out amazing!

Tonight I am going to make Barbecued Shrimp And Peach Kabobs with Jasmine Rice With Coconut And Cherries. Yum! 

Got any favorite grilling recipes? Share them in the comments. I would love to give them a try. :) 

Here is what you need to make these Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs.

Ingredients:

Chicken Kebabs
3 Chicken Fillets Diced In 1-Inch Cubes
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Green Bell Peppers
1 Red Onion

Marinade (For Chicken & Veggies)
2/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Divided
Juice Of 1 Lemon; Divided
6 Cloves Of Garlic (Minced); Divided
2 Teaspoons Paprika; Divided
2 Teaspoons Thyme; Divided
4 Teaspoons Oregano; Divided
4 Teaspoons Salt; Divided
2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper; Divided

Preparation:

Mix one HALF of all ingredients for the marinade in small bowl. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over it. Marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Mix the other HALF of the ingredients in the same bowl pour in zip lock bag with the vegetables. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Thread the chicken and peppers and onions onto skewers. I usually place about 5-6 chicken pieces, and a combo of peppers and onion in between.

Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray the grates lightly with oil and grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the center is no longer pink.

Enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Dip

With summer just around the corner I have been trying to find new and creative ways to eat healthy while still enjoying food! Here is my latest creation. :) 

Peanut Butter Dip

Ingredients:

1 Heaping Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 Cup PB2 Or Peanut Butter

1/4 Cup Honey

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon 

1/4 Tsp Vanilla

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Mix until it's thick and creamy and well blended.

Serve it with apples, grapes, or anything that you like! 

This recipe makes six servings. I like to split it up into six small containers then eat it with an apple for my afternoon snack. If using PB2 each serving has 92 calories and 8 grams of protein. It is a great pick me up! 

I know this stuff is amazing and it's hard to just eat one serving but keep in mind because of the honey and peanut butter one serving has 16g carbs and 13g sugars. They are healthy carbs and sugars though! But watch your serving sizes. :) 

I like to use PB2 because it has less fat and a lot less calories than regular peanut butter. If you have not tried PB2 I recommend it! I would also love to try this recipe with some homemade almond butter. 

I will let you all know how it turns out.

Enjoy! 

Finishing Up Pretty Girls & Starting Luckiest Girl Alive

I loved Pretty Girls. It is one of my favorite books I have read all year. Right when you thought you knew who did it the book threw a curveball. Simply amazing! 

What did you think of Pretty Girls? Were you sitting on the edge of your seat the whole book like I was? 

Book Club Questions About Pretty Girls

1. What do you know...and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you, the reader, begin to piece together what happened?

2. Does the author ratchet up the story's suspense? Did you find yourself anxious—quickly turning pages to learn what happened? How does the author build suspense?

3. Overall, does the book satisfy? Does it live up to the standards of a good crime story or suspense thriller? Why or why not?

Our next book is Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. We will be starting it Monday April 11th and ending it on Monday April 25th.


Synopsis From Goodreads: As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.


But Ani has a secret.


There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.


Lets Get Reading!

Finishing Up Everything, Everything & Starting Pretty Girls

Another book down! What did you think of Everything, Everything? I liked it and thought it was really cute but it wasn't as good as I was expecting. I am really excited about our next book Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter.

Questions about Everything, Everything

1. In which areas of her life are Maddy’s choices limited?

2. What choices does Maddy make for herself, and why do you think she chooses that way? 

3. What are the consequences of these choices? 

4. Does Olly have the power of choice in his life more than Maddy?

Our next book is Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. We will be starting it Monday March 28th and ending it on Monday April 11th.

Synopsis From Goodreads:More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.

The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.

Lets Get Reading! 

Finishing Up The Day the Crayons Came Home & Starting Everything, Everything

I loved the book we read this week! The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt. I also love that I got to have my mom read it to me. :) We had such a great time reading this book together over Skype. 

My mom actually knows the Author of The Day The Crayons Came Home and has been Skyped him as a guest author. Check out her blog post  A Very Special Visit From One Of Our Favorite Authors....Drew Daywalt....And A Few Awesome Crayons Too! 

If you loved The Day the Crayons Came home check out Every Crayon Counts where you can show your support for the Crayons! You get to pick a color and make a message and then share your support on social media. This is such a fun way to go beyond the book. Check out this blog post from The Library Voice to learn more about The Crayons Are Coming Home....And You Can Create Your Very Own Too!.

The next book on our list is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. We will be starting it today Monday March 14th and ending on Monday March 28th. 

Synopsis From Goodreads: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

For a full list of all the books we will be reading this year check out our Tackk here Books Without Borders. 

Lets Get Reading! 

Finishing All the Bright Places & Starting The Day the Crayons Came Home

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven was such I sweet book. I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy and good read. 

What did you guys think of this book? Here are a couple questions to look back on All the Bright Places. 

Questions For All the Bright Places

1.Did the book engage you from the beginning or did it take a while for you to get interested?

2.Which character did you enjoy the most?

3.Do the characters seem real and believable?

4.What passage stood out to you the most?

The next book on our list is The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt. We will start it today Monday March 7th and end it on Monday March 14th. 

Synopsis From Goodreads:I'm not sure what it is about this kid Duncan, but his crayons sure are a colorful bunch of characters! Having soothed the hurt feelings of one group who threatened to quit, Duncan now faces a whole new group of crayons asking to be rescued. From Maroon Crayon, who was lost beneath the sofa cushions and then broken in two after Dad sat on him; to poor Turquoise, whose head is now stuck to one of Duncan's stinky socks after they both ended up in the dryer together; to Pea Green, who knows darn well that no kid likes peas and who ran away—each and every crayon has a woeful tale to tell and a plea to be brought home to the crayon box.

Lets Get Reading! 

Move Of The Day - Cross Reach

I want to apologize for not posting as much in the past week. I was busy finishing up finals and enjoying my week off before I start my next term. :)

Let's jump right back in! The move of the day is inspired by P90X3. My husband and I are on our sixth week of P90X3 and we are really enjoying it. Last night we did Lower Eccentrics. This is my favorite move from the whole workout. 

Cross Reach

Start by standing on one leg with the opposite knee raised and a light weight in the same hand as bent leg. 

Bend your standing leg as if you were doing a squat. 

Extend the weight across your body bringing the raised leg behind. 

Lower for one count and raise for three counts . 

Do ten on each side. 

I love this move because it involves balance while also working the standing leg.

Enjoy the burn!