One Year Ago: Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese and Cream Puffs
Two Years Ago: Recipe Ideas for Cinco de Mayo and Citrus Almond Salad
Three Years Ago: Best of 2011-Bahn Mi So and Curried Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
Four Years Ago: Baked Eggs in Potato Skins and Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Wheat Oat Flax Buns

One Year Ago: Austin Eats
Two Years Ago: Thin Mint Brownies and Slow Cooker Whiskey Pulled Pork
Three Years Ago: (Almost) No-Bake Nutella Pie with Peanut Butter Crust and Chicken Paninis with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
Four Years Ago: Strawberry Banana Bread and Oven-Baked Potato Chips

Soooo at first glance, it might seem that Ryan and I failed dramatically on our date for the month of April, in an attempt to complete our Dating in 2014 challenge. And it's true, we didn't manage to make it out on a true "date" in the past four weeks. That being said, we had a really fun month and we did a lot of eating out! Ryan had two bachelor parties. I had a bachelorette party and spent a week at my parents' house in Illinois, where we ate out several times. Both Ryan and I enjoyed a fantastic meal with family at The Turf Room over Easter weekend. Needless to say, we did plenty of good eating over the course of the month, we just never made it out just the two of us.

Our little fam on Easter morning

We did, however, sneak in a non-food date this weekend! Friday we spent the night at Ryan's parents' house. While the grandparents soaked up some Brecken time, Ryan and I hit the roads running. Unconventional, yes, but running together is actually one of our favorite things to do, and something we haven't done much since Brecken has been born (we can't wait until she's big enough for the jogging stroller!). Some of our best conversations take place when running, and yesterday was a great chance to catch up and talk about something besides Brecken (although she still made her way into the conversation a few times!).

Barbacoa Beef Salad with Black Bean Avocado Salsa

Funnily enough, the Foodie contributor post for the month of May revolves around salads, which is perfect timing after all of the indulgent eating we did throughout April. I hastily put together a collection of 14 Sensational Spring Salads, including some of my favorites from The Sweets Life as well as some new ones I'd love to try over the next few months. When I'm menu planning this month, I plan to use this collection as inspiration. I'm guessing you, too, are looking for some lighter meals to enjoy amongst all of the celebrations of the season (between Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations, weddings, etc. there is plenty of party foods headed each of our way!) and hopefully this collection will inspire you as well! 

Note: If you can't see the collection above, it's likely because you're viewing this in Google Chrome. Check the post out in another browser OR go directly to Foodie to check out the collection!

This post is sponsored by Foodie via Glam Media, but the collection of recipes and words are completely my own. 

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Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake

4. Lately my Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake has been getting pinned and repinned like crazy on Pinterest. I'm guessing now's the time of year that people are hunting for lemon recipes...this is definitely one you can't go wrong with!

One Year Ago: Carrot Bread or Muffins
Two Years Ago: Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Three Years Ago: Chili Glazed Pork with Sweet Potato Hash
Four Years Ago: Caprese Sandwiches

BLT Salad with Sriracha Ranch Dressing

One of the best parts of maternity leave, besides hanging with Brecken of course, is being around during the day. Do you have any idea how much easier it is to run errands or go to the grocery store on a Wednesday at 10 am vs. after work?! Another bonus? Lunch dates! Lunch at work consists of scarfing down whatever I've packed in about fifteen minutes before getting back at it...a far cry from the leisurely lunches I've had at home or, better yet, out with friends.

Twice since I've been on leave, I've gone to Half & Half restaurant. I had previously been for breakfast (review here) and now it's one of my new favorite lunch spots. The first time my sister and I went and fell in love with a chicken salad that I still plan to recreate. More recently, my friend Maggie and I went and I ordered the arugula BLT with sriracha ranch. It won me over and not a week later I was making my own version at home!

I used mustard greens rather than arugula because I already had them on hand and I figured they were a decent substitute, but if you're making, I would go with the tender arugula (or whatever your favorite green is!). The salad is simple, much like a classic BLT, but the sriracha ranch dressing makes it something special. Even better, I made my dressing with a Greek yogurt, instead of mayonnaise, base to try and keep things on the healthier side. The only change I'd make next time would be to add some homemade croutons, like the ones in my panzanella caprese. 

Since my maternity leave is up in a few short days, I'll have to stick to recreations of my favorite lunch dates...and this salad will definitely make the list again!

One Year Ago: Green Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette and Southwestern Lentil and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Two Years Ago: Arugula Salad with Browned Butter Vinaigrette and Turkey Burger Sliders
Three Years Ago: Breakfast Tortilla Strata 
Four Years Ago: Whole Wheat Baguettes and Pasta and Shrimp Primavera

Sweet Potato Asparagus Flatbread with Goat Cheese

It's been way too long since I've posted a new pizza or flatbread recipe on The Sweets Life. In fact, a quick dig through the archives showed that it's been almost a year...the last flatbread posted was this Bacon Apple Butter Flatbread with Caramelized Onions and Gouda. Pizza's on the menu at least once a month around here, but it's usually a "whatever's in the fridge and can be put on a pizza" type meal, which isn't usually blog-worthy.
This flatbread, on the other hand, is definitely blog-worthy! Inspiration came from Martha Stewart, but I opted to use sweet potato instead of a Yukon gold. The best part of this flatbread was how crispy the crust was. Usually when I make pizza at home, I pre-bake the crust, but only at a temperature of 400F. Little did I know, the secret for the best, crispiest crust lie in a 500F oven!! From here out on I'll bake my pizza at a much hotter temperature! 
The toppings were simple, but satisfying...and not to mention pretty! Skip the red pepper flakes if you have picky palates, but I liked the tiny bit of heat it added to the freshness that the asparagus and sweet potato contribute. Be sure and give this a try while asparagus is in its prime!

One Year Ago: Avocado Egg Salad and Monster Cookies
Two Years Ago: Brownie Macadamia White Chocolate Cookies 
Three Years Ago: Mini Truffle Tarts and Open-Faced Teriyaki Chicken Burgers
Four Years Ago: Lemon Bulgur Salad with Asparagus, Spinach, and Goat Cheese

Lemon Cornmeal Waffles with Berry Compote

Skip the maple syrup and opt for making the fruit compote to top the waffles along with Greek yogurt. I think you’ll love this Spring breakfast as much as we did!

One Year Ago: Onion Focaccia
Two Years Ago: Banana Nut Bread Waffles and Orange Sour Cream Muffins with Poppy Seed Streusel
Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Milky Way Blondie Cups and Mango Chicken
Four Years Ago: Broccoli Mushroom Almond Chicken and Panzanella Caprese

1. I love the majority of Allison's blog posts, but How I Learned a Mess Could Be Beautiful really spoke to me! Ryan and I are both pretty anal about keeping our house clean, but the reality is our house is messiest when it's full of people we love...our friends, our family, and now...our sweet Brecken. Instead of letting messes stress me out, I'm determined to find the beauty in the mess!


2. Ha, and speaking of messes, I went through a major desire to spring clean a few weeks ago. While I still have time on maternity leave, I decided to take advantage of the urge and do some serious purging and organizing. Over the course of a few days, I cleaned out closets, organized cabinets, and donated lots of clothing (pictured above!). It was pure coincidence that The Handmade Home posted "purging: 10 mantras to live by" that same week, and it totally guided me as I found myself amidst my projects!

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3. I recently bought Brecken these Chambray Pull-On Shorts and I'm just dying until she can finally wear them! ...And, not going to lie, totally wish they came in my size so we could match!


4. Need a last minute Easter treat? You can't go wrong with my very favorite Coconut Almond M&M Easter Nests or Crispy Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Eggs...both are easy enough to whip up today and will look so cute at the Easter brunch or dinner table!

One Year Ago: Barbacoa Beef Salads with Black Bean Avocado Salsa
Two Years Ago: Braided Cherry Danish
Three Years Ago: Oatmeal Raisin Bars
Four Years Ago: Pesto Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spinach, Zucchini, and Goat Cheese

One Year Ago: Chocolate Mocha Almond Blondies and Pear, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Two Years Ago: Greens, Beans, and Chicken Panini and Cheddar, Bacon, and Spinach Egg Casserole
Three Years Ago: Breakfast Brownies and Coconut Pomegranate Scones
Four Years Ago: Lindsay's Chocolate Cafe Chocolate Chip Cookies and Crispy Tilapia Sandwiches

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

One Year Ago: Banana Cream Pie and Spiced Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Kale Pockets
Two Years Ago: Tiramisu Ice Cream and Favorite Spring Dishes
Three Years Ago: Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Four Years Ago: Make Ahead Lasagna and Breakfast Bulgur

One Thursday morning, Erin headed over with Eoin, my nephew, and Kate headed over with Huxley, her babysitting charge, and we had a playdate of sorts. Nevermind that the kids were all less than half a year old and didn't necessarily "play" together, doing more eating and sleeping than anything else. Us ladies took advantage of the chance to hang out and eat muffins! True to their name, these are basically individual portions of coffee cake. The tender muffins are sweet and cinnamon-packed and topped with a buttery, crumbly streusel, like all good coffee cakes are. They're good warm from the oven or at room temperature, and if you can't eat all of them at once, freeze them and pull them out on a day you're craving coffee cake but don't want to whip up a huge pan of it!


One Year Ago: Sour Cream Pancakes
Two Years Ago: Favorite Spring Dishes and BBQ Chicken Pizza
Three Years Ago: Raisin and Pine Nut Asparagus and Chocolate Bird's Nest Cookies
Four Years Ago: Lucky Charms Treats and Cranberry Orange Sour Cream Loaf

1. Lent is nearing its conclusion and Easter is only a week away, but my pastor's blog post Be Broken is still a poignant reminder about this season of the church year. 

Open Faced Chicken Sandwiches with Green Pea Spread and Parmesan

2. A few weeks ago, Buzzfeed Food published a list of 29 Gorgeously Green Recipes to Get You Excited About Spring. It's an awesome roundup, and I was honored to have my Open Faced Chicken Sandwiches with Green Pea Spread and Parmesan included! Check out the list and get inspired for next week's meal plan!

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3. You've heard of Nutella, but what about Nocciolata? This was a new name to me, until a brand rep contacted me and offered to send me some of their product. Like Nutella, it's a cocoa hazelnut spread, and like Nutella, it's good used in alllll sorts of ways (my favorites include dipping pretzels in it or using it in a no bake pie with peanut butter crust!). I actually thought Nocciolata tasted more chocolaty than Nutella, something I didn't know was possible! It's also organic, which isn't a necessity for me, but for those who might want an organic option to Nutella, here you go! 

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4. I'm the queen of workout videos, and have amassed quite the collection over the years, especially ever since I quit my gym membership and work out solely at home. Recently I've further broadened my exercise horizons via youtube! There are tons of workouts on youtube and I like that you can find very short or very specific ones--useful when I don't know have a ton of time to workout during Brecken's naps! Some of my favorites include this Tracy Anderson 30 minute cardio workout and this 10 minute abs workout! I also really love all of the Fitness Blender workouts--try the 20 minute HIIT ladder workout or this strength training video. Send me links to your favorites, if you're a fan of YouTube workouts too! 

One Year Ago: Chocolate Guinness Cake with Whipped Cream and Berries
Two Years Ago: Tiramisu Cupcakes
Three Years Ago: Lemon Cranberry Coconut Bread
Four Years Ago: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing