Veggin' Out // Two easy side dishes to add to your meals!

Written with love, by Nikki Lian

Feel like you’ve been busting your butt in the gym and not seeing the results you want to?   Sprint to the finish line by adding some veggies to your diet.  Vegetables contain copious amounts of vitamins and minerals you may be missing from your every day meal plan.  Vegetables also contain fiber, that helps regulate the body’s sugars and will keep your blood sugar and cravings in check.  Try replacing your rice and pasta this week with a couple of my favorite vegetables and let me know how they come out!

Brussels Sprouts

These wonderful little green cabbage look-alikes have a bad reputation if you’ve never tried one.  But in my opinion, they are in fact, delicious.  Not only do they have high levels of Vitamin C and K, they also contain sulforaphane, a phytochemical containing anti-cancer properties. 

Here’s how I cook them:

Chop off the bottoms so their leaves start coming off.  Spread the pieces out in a pan and shake on some salt and pepper.  Sometimes I even spray a little olive oil.  Bake them at 425 degrees for 12-18 minutes depending on your desire of crisp (I even put mine in the broiler for a few minutes so they get extra crunchy). 

Here you have a nice little side dish that goes with any type of protein you want to add to it.  Who needs complex carbs?

Yams

Yams contain antioxidants, which are compounds in plants that protect your cells from damage.  Yams also contain a ton of fiber and Vitamin A, which are great for your immune system.  You have to stay healthy with all this flu madness floating around!  I like to eat these when I’m craving French fries.  And believe it or not, it does the job. 

Here’s how I like to prep them:

First I wash them really, really well, especially if I’m going to keep the skin on.  Although the skin contains the brunt of the carbohydrates, it also has a lot of the fiber.  If you’re not a skin-on type of person, then you can peel the skin off.  Then slice them down.  Again I like crispy, so I slice them thin.  Sometimes I’ll feel a little fancy and cut them into the shape of French fries.  Either way, spread them on a greased (with olive oil) pan and add some sea salt.  These need to be in a bit longer than the Brussel sprouts.  I usually leave them in for about 20 minutes at 425.  You can stick these in the broiler as well, but make sure you keep an eye on them.  Bake them to your desire of crunch. 

Once prepared and cooled off a bit, you can eat them like that or, you can have your own home-made sweet potato fries and add some ketchup.

Look, I’m no Paula Dean, but I don’t have tons of time to be in the kitchen and like a lot of you, I get bored from the same old salads.  Add a boost of nutrients to your meals and take some time to vegg out!!

Today on The Bridal Boutique: Engraved Spoons by Nothing But Glisten

This week on The Bridal Boutique we’re featuring some sweetness from a wonderful Etsy shop called Nothing But Glisten. These heart warming engraved spoons have their own morning endearments for the Mr. and Mrs. Just think, you wake up bleary eyed and stumble into the kitchen, make your coffee, pull out a spoon to stir in your cream and sugar and you look down to see this sweet message, putting your day on the right track.

This shop specializes in hand stamped sterling silver products ranging from spoons and knives to commemorative keychains. Head on over to Nothing But Glisten to look at the rest of their products and to nab these lovely keepsakes for a newly engaged bride, a bridal shower present, or a present for your own husband or wife!

All photos courtesy of Bleudog Fotography

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If you have any comments, feedback, or even suggestions for products, please feel free to contact us at meredith@theoverwhelmedbride.com

The Final Six Months

Maybe you've had two years to plan or maybe you just got engaged last week! But with a wedding around the corner and 6 months left to plan, there are some items that need to be taken care of, and very important tips I have for you to stay on track!

Don't Stress

I know it may seem a bit cliche, but please do not stress. Everyone and their mother tells you that you need AT LEAST a year to plan a wedding but in my eyes, you're getting fed some very false information.

Planning a wedding in six months is far easier than planning a wedding in a year or two time period.

Yes, I said it! The less time you have to plan (to an extent) the easier it'll be!

Of course, that means more items to check off of your to do list in a shorter amount of time, but you still have the same number of items to check off that list as someone who has two years to plan. And here is why...

I once planned a wedding from start to finish in 10 days. Yes, 10 days. And to be completely honest, it sounded almost impossible when I first spoke with the couple, but as we began planning, I began to realize that it was one of the easiest weddings I had ever planned!

As we began booking vendors and making timeline and wedding day decisions, I knew and they knew that a decision needed to be made, and it needed to be made now. So many couples think, "I like both of these photographers and I just can't decide! I have two years to think about it and come to a decision, so that's plenty of time!"

Wrong!

It is now only a couple months before the wedding and that decision you thought you had plenty of time to make, now needs to be made. And it becomes more stressful than ever! You thought you had plenty of time, and you were stressed about making a decision and now with even less time, you become even more stressed about making your decision.

And so, with less time to put these items off, decisions are made quicker and items are checked off of your to-do list NOW, rather than waiting until later.

Limit Your Options

Instead of choosing between 10 venues, only look at three. Don't waste your time speaking to vendors who are over your budget or venues that won't fit your guest count. Limit your choices, and your decisions will be far easier!

Make A Decision and Move On

Deciding between two venues may be a touch call, and putting it off won't help. Whether it's now or in six months, you'll still love the same things about each venue and you'll still have a decision to make. So make it now, and move on.

Boy does it feel great to check items off of that list :)

Quick Tip: If you are having trouble with this, mark dates in your calendar when you HAVE to make these decisions by. These are your homework assignments and they cannot be late. So no matter what, your deadlines have to be met, just as your school work must get turned in on time. There is no other option.

Purchase "Hitched in A Hurry"

One of the best wedding planning guides for those of you who are planning your wedding in 6 months or less, only have 6  months left, or just for any bride in general, is called "Hitched In A Hurry," by Karley Kiker. It can be purchased here.

So whether you have four years or four months left you plan, make your decisions and move on, and have fun doing it! Because as always, if at the end of the day you are happily married, then that is all that matters :)