radio silence

yall, it snowed this week. life as we know it shut down for days, and i'm still getting back into my routine. [dramatic, i know]

new posts to come next week!

spray paint magic [living room tray]

happy monday people!

we managed to squeeze in a lot of fun stuff this weekend: a girls' night for the history books on friday, relaxing and date night on saturday, and church/napping/baking/yahtzee yesterday. poor michael filled in all of his free time with homework...the life of a student!

i also fit in a little diy project yesterday that took hardly any time, but made a big impact in our living room.

when my grandpa moved out of his house last year, i was lucky enough to grab a few things for our house in the process. part of my haul was 2 wood trays, which i wasn't really sure what to do with at first, but i found uses for them on our old coffee table and in our kitchen. trays are good at corralling random things on surfaces so it looks a little more organized.

anyway, we recently made a few big changes to our living room (namely getting a new sectional couch and hanging curtains) that made my coffee table tray look not-so-awesome.

our old coffee table was white, so the dark brown tray gave it some color contrast. our new couch came with a matching ottoman, which we now use as our coffee table. brown-on-brown is not so cute.

all brown everything.

when we were pulling in the garage coming back from church yesterday, i saw my row of spray paint cans and figured i might as well try to give the tray a makeover.

here's my super sophisticated spray painting setup.( kraft paper in the yard)

fancy

i used krylon's indoor brushed metallic spray paint in champagne nouveau, satin finish. i used 3 coats of that, with about an hour of drying time inbetween each, then finished it off with a clear acrylic gloss coating spray from treehouse studio.

loki wanted to pose with the finished product. tada!

he's so photogenic

here's the living room after photo. excuse my wonky curtains; of course i didn't notice that until now. :)

such a simple change that took less than 20 minutes of actual work time, but it made such a difference to the brightness of our living room. our only real pops of color are the pillows and some wall hangings, so lightening up the humongous brown mass of couch was the perfect finishing touch to our living room changes.

now i'm itching to spray paint something else! watch out house...

v-day gift ideas

since the saddest month of the year is finally coming to a close, valentine's day is on the brain! (yes, i hate january.)

february is a fun month for us because we love being sappy and romantic on valentine's day, and it's also michael's birthday on the 10th. that's always a fun week for us.

this year i'm taking my annual work trip to asia for 12 days starting on february 17th, so the week prior will be even more special trying to cram in some quality time with my man!

while i actually already got my valentine's gift this year (an awesome carry-on/purse to use during my trip-thanks babe!), i still enjoy checking out all of the more traditional lovey dovey gifts that are everywhere this time of year.

here are a few of my favorites (get on it, guys!):

tiny silver heart earrings
via motekk etsy shop

red heart brooch
via sweetkeetle etsy shop

heartbreaker sunglasses
via urban outfitters

be mine pendant
via kate spade

wild hearts scarf
via stella & dot

heart sweater
via old navy

just because

taking a break from the usual today. here's a picture of my typical view in the bathroom while i'm getting ready...just because they're cute. :)

happy this-is-a-slow-week wednesday!

new favorite smoothie

happy monday everyone!

i hope you all had a great weekend. ours was full of fun and friends as usual...how lucky we are!

i've talked about my love for both smoothies and peanut butter before, and i'm still somewhat of a smoothie fanatic. these days, though, i either make a green smoothie with fruit, yogurt, and spinach/kale, or something with almond butter.

i typically buy the mara natha no-stir crunchy almond butter. i always try to have some in my fridge for smoothies and banana sandwiches:

this morning for breakfast i had this concoction, which is one of my recent favorites:

• 2 spoonfuls of almond butter
• about 1/3 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt 
• 1 banana
• about a teaspoon of honey
• almond milk

while i shared a homemade almond milk recipe last week, this smoothie was made with store-bought almond breeze (unsweetened). :)

blend until smooth and enjoy! i made this one early this morning and will drink it for lunch, so i didn't add ice since it'll just be sitting in the fridge for a few hours. if i were to make it and drink it shortly after, i would take out some of the almond milk and replace it with ice. icy smoothies are hands-down the best.

this smoothie packs a ton of flavor and protein...can't beat that!

homemade almond milk

cow's milk alternatives are pretty popular these days for several reasons. almond or soy milk contain no dairy, which is great for people with allergies or lactose intolerance. alternative plant-based milks typically have lower saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as higher fiber levels.

on the other hand, milk from cows is higher in calcium and vitamin d.

i think all types of milk are great for you in some capacity or another, assuming you choose the lower-fat versions. i've been using skim milk in my kitchen for years, but recently michael and i decided to try to make soy and/or almond milk more permanent staples in our kitchen.

i came across a recipe for diy almond milk on pinterest and decided to give it a try. it was really easy and turned out really well! if you prefer to make your own products, or if you're at all sensitive to any of the thickeners used in commercial almond milk, this recipe is perfect for you. it's also great for people on a paleo diet, since most of the added ingredients you see in grocery store almond milk are definitely not paleo friendly.

it only takes about 5 minutes to make, and uses only 2 ingredients: almonds and water.

start with 1 cup of raw almonds and 3 cups of water

put both in a blender and blend on high for about 3 minutes

line a medium-sized bowl with a clean dish towel

pour mixture on top of towel and let it drain through.
you'll be left with almond "pulp" on top

pulp + milk

pour into a jar and refrigerate!
this will keep for several days in the fridge.

the milk will separate a little, but it's fine if you just shake it before you use it. i used mine up in 2 days by using it in my coffee, drinking it as-is, and making an almond milk/almond butter/banana smoothie for breakfast.

this milk is a little thinner that what you would buy from the store, simply due to the lack of any added thickeners, but the taste is really good! you can also add any kind of sweetener you want to if the raw almond taste is too much for you.

all you paleo people - give this a try for sure!

january birchbox

birchbox time! i still look so forward to getting these in the mail. if any of you men are looking for something different to get your ladies for valentine's day, i highly recommend a birchbox subscription! [there's also a men's version]

anyway, this month brought a box with products that i actually think i will use fairly quickly. lots of times there's one or two random things i don't think i'll ever use, but not this month! way to go, january.

• burt's bees intense hydration day lotion: this little tub of lotion is already half-gone! the smell is really fresh and different. the lotion is heavy enough to really feel like it's moisturizing but doesn't weigh you down or make your skin sticky at all.
  
  
• nail rock nail polish: i am dying to try this! i love unique nail polish textures, so this is right up my alley. each nail rock set comes with a base polish as well as a textured topper. mine is a dark purpley-red color and came with the "velvet" top coat. nail rock also has glitter, sequin, and caviar top coats. can't wait to see how it turns out!
  
  
• 100% pure fruit pigmented mascara: this mascara claims to be made from naturally pigmented fruits and veggies. the one i got is derived from black tea, and i like it! it doesn't work quite as well as your typical (not-"natural") mascara, but it smells amazing, which is kind of weird for a mascara. it took a few more coats than i would normally apply, but the cute package and smell are totally worth it. :)
  
  
• serge normant meta revive dry conditioner: i am a dry shampoo devotee 'til i die, but i've never tried dry conditioner before. i'm not really sure why it's necessary, but i used it this morning after i dry-shampooed my day-old hair and it was nice! it smells great and tamed down my fly-aways pretty well. i'm not sure it's something i would buy, but it's fun to try and i will definitely use up the sample.
  
  
• harvey prince journey perfume: i love a perfume sample. i rarely find one i don't like, so this is just another in a string of samples in my drawer. it will definitely be in rotation over the next few days.

mexican chicken & veggie casserole

i've had this recipe in my cookbook for quite awhile, and i'm not sure where it came from. regardless, it's a really simple, healthy casserole that could quickly become a go-to dinner meal.

you'll need:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cups chopped or sliced zucchini (i thinly slice mine, but either will work)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
• 1 can ranch-style beans
• 1 1-oz package taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (i subbed in non-fat greek yogurt since i don't love sour cream)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 8-oz package low-fat cream cheese
• 12 5" corn tortillas
• 3 chicken breasts (the original recipe did not include chicken, and this is a great vegetarian meal if you'd like it to be. we added chicken this time though!)

1. preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x9" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. add zucchini and onion and cook for 8-10 minutes.

3. add corn, black beans, ranch-style beans, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. stir and turn heat to low.

4. in the meantime, if you prefer to add chicken, cook it any way you like. i used my grill pan, but you could bake it or cook it in a saute pan. once the chicken is done, slice it into bite-sized pieces.

5. in a small bowl, combine 1 cup of cheddar, cream cheese, and sour cream/greek yogurt. mix until blended.

6. layer 4 tortillas on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. top tortillas with 1/2 of the zucchini mix, then top evenly with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. you can add the chicken to the zucchini mix or just place separately on top of the cheese layer.

7. place 4 tortillas on top of the cheese layer, then top with remaining zucchini mixture. add the rest of the cheese mixture on top, then cover the casserole with 4 more tortillas. sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

i forgot to take a picture before we dug in! this is
after we each had a serving so excuse the rough appearance :)
it's way prettier when it's fresh out of the oven!

enjoy!

making outerwear fun

while i am 100% in favor of fall/winter attire (namely jeans, boots, cozy sweaters, and scarves), i've never gotten quite as excited about the outerwear that goes along with it. coats don't thrill my soul.

i am realizing more and more how important coats, vests, etc. are to a winter outfit. who cares if you have on cute clothes underneath if all you can see is a shabby peacoat on top?

i do have a few outerwear pieces that i do really love and think elevate outfits instead of hide them:

-a fur vest (duh)
-a belted, bright red coat with a high collar i got forever ago at h&m
-a new trench coat i just got from my parents for Christmas this year. it's navy with black leather trim, sleeves, and belt. i'm a sucker for leather sleeves.
-a velvety black ralph lauren blazer that's perfect for dressing up jeans in the wintertime

i'm still itching for some more options to spice up my winter wardrobe, so the internet search began...here are a few favs i found!

textured moto jacket [anthropologie]
this jacket has a classic fit but a super cool pattern

warehouse striped cape [asos]
i really want a cape! i love the stripes and fringe on this one

sherpa collar open jacket [ann taylor loft]
y'all. this thing is beautiful.
so beautiful, in fact, it's currently sold out. keeping my eye on it!

floral bomber jacket [gap]
you had me at "floral bomber". again, a classic fit, but such an
unexpected print for a jacket. good call, gap.

skinny banana bread

another recipe for you! i've been baking up a storm lately so it's dominating my blogging world :)

we typically buy 1-2 bunches of bananas a week. i usually eat one a day as a snack at work, and i also use them when i make green smoothies for breakfast. we rarely have them around long enough to get too ripe, but we had 3 or 4 hanging out last week that were a little too brown for me to eat as-is.

i searched pinterest for awhile and finally found a good banana bread recipe that i already had all the ingredients for. i was lazy and didn't take pictures. :) next time!

[recipe modified from cheerios and lattes]

what you'll need:

-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-3/4 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 cup honey
-1/4 cup butter, softened
-2 eggs
-3 ripe bananas, mashed
-1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

notes:
-i added the chocolate chips in because i love them. that's my only justification.
-i didn't have any regular yogurt on hand, only greek, so i just diluted the greek yogurt down with some milk until it was roughly the same consistency as regular yogurt. it worked well!

1. preheat oven to 350. spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, then coat with flour and tap out excess.
2. combine baking soda, salt, and both flours. whisk until uniform.
3. put honey and softened butter in the bowl of your mixer and beat at medium speed until blended.
4. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
5. add bananas, yogurt, and vanilla and beat until blended.
6. add flour mixture slowly, and beat on low speed until moist.
7. spoon batter into prepared loaf pan, and bake for 1 hour.

i am IN LOVE with this recipe. it's fairly healthy thanks for the yogurt and whole wheat flour substitutions, but it tastes so good and indulgent, especially with the chocolate chips. we munched on this for breakfast and snacks for almost 3 days!

enjoy!

organizing la casa

along with a new year comes an itch for organizing...for me, at least. this time of year in particular is an especially good time for us to get some organization in our lives since michael switched schools and is now a full-time unc charlotte student! (so proud. can you tell?)

anyway, the paperwork jungle that goes along with new school registration and all that, we realized we needed some improvements. once i get going on one thing, i want to do it all!

here's what we've tackled so far:

-reorganized all of our files

i don't know about yall, but over the years i've accumulated about 10 different expanding file folders that keep all of my important documents. once michael and i got married, the folders grew a little more. i don't go through them and toss out what i don't need as often as i should, so they were starting to take up more room than i'd like in one of our downstairs cabinets.

i had one folder with a section for each of us (michael, kona, loki and me) containing birth certificates, social security cards, vaccination records for the puppies, etc. that's also where i kept certified copies of our marriage certificate.

yet another folder (or 2) held our house files (deed, loan information, etc.). a 3rd was humongous, and i've had it since college when it used to be my only file. it was divided by letter and kept everything from the title for our car to the user manual for the microwave.

i could tell you every detail about the rest, but you get the idea :)

we bought 2 sturdy plastic file boxes and added hanging folders. one box is for our personal stuff (school info, bank paperwork, id cards, taxes, dogs' records, etc.) and the other is for the things we own (house files, car info, manuals/warranties, etc.) it's working really well so far and looks so much better than a stack of different-sized plastic folders!

-tackled the utensil drawer
our kitchen utensils (spatulas, wooden spoons, serving spoons, etc) take up 3 spots in our kitchen: the crock beside the stove for the ones i use most often, and 2 drawers on the other side of the stove. all 3 were nearly overflowing.

we only had about 50 wooden spoons. ok, i exaggerate, but really we have a lot. some of them were starting to get kind of worn and splitting on the ends, so i threw these out.

i also tried to organize the drawers a little better. the first drawer, which is wider than the other, holds an assortment of everything (bottle opener, can drainer, spoons, rubber spatulas, measuring spoons, etc.) there were several smaller things floating around that i could never seem to find, so i just put a small tupperware container in the front of the drawer to corral those. shop your house, people!

looking a little better. (this is how it actually looks with no arranging...which might be obvious based on that backwards whisk!) i don't know if i'm ready to commit to drawer dividers for one that holds as much as this does, so i think we'll live with it as-is for now!

-tidied up the drop-off spot

the cabinets where we keep our file boxes (aren't they pretty?) are part of our house's random filing/storage/drop-off point. there's a counter with 2 cabinets underneath (with drawers that slide out-i love them) and 2 cabinets above with 4 shelves. [do you like how one whole side of the bottom shelf is devoted to candles? i might have a problem.]

the counter underneath these shelves is always somewhat of a mess. it's where we put mail, where we charge the iPad and laptop, where we keep concert tickets, receipts, etc. it builds up quickly. :) we used to have a letter tray sitting at the back corner of the cabinet to keep it all, but that can turn into a pile before you know it.

i wandered around wal-mart until i found a storage solution that i thought would work.





tada! storage for letters and mail, as well as change and whatever other little things that don't have a place. best part is the iPad fits in perfectly if you turn it upside down. and it takes up about half the space of the original letter tray!

another good thing about moving the letter tray is that it found another home: our bathroom! i love our white table in there (from ikea) that holds our towels, but the top of it was sporadically decorated with a picture frame, vase of flowers, and 3 spice containers holding hair ties, bobby pins, and q-tips. putting all of that on the pretty tray and turning it sideways made it look so much more intentional!




who else is taking on home organization this january?

quinoa for breakfast: 250 calorie egg bake

quinoa strikes again!

i posted last week about using quinoa, and that challenged me to figure out a new use for the rest of my lingering quinoa bag.

while quinoa for breakfast doesn't feel like a natural choice, i really love this recipe! it was easy to make, it's very filling, and it will last michael and i for at least 2-3 days.

the nutrition facts are also pretty impressive. the recipe makes 6 servings; each serving has 247 calories and 18.9 grams of protein.

[recipe modified from fit sugar]

you will need:

-1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
-8 eggs
-1 1/4 cup skim milk
-1 tbsp chopped garlic (or sub in garlic powder)
-chopped thyme
-salt & pepper
-2 cups (packed) baby spinach
-1 cup shredded parmesan

1. preheat oven to 350 and spray an 8x8" pan with cooking spray.
2. add all ingredients except parmesan and spinach in a large bowl.

that looks appetizing, huh?

3. whisk together until well blended.

4. fold in spinach. *note: recipe originally said to use chopped spinach, but i find that spinach cooked for this long is easy to cut with a fork when it's done, so i just added the whole leaves.

5. pour mixture into prepared dish. cover with tin foil, and jiggle slightly from side to side so quinoa settles to the bottom.

6. bake 45 minutes.

7. remove pan from the oven, and sprinkle cheese on top. bake 15 more minutes, uncovered.

8. let cool for roughly 10 minutes before serving. the eggs will still be hot, but the cooling time helps the dish set.

keep covered in the fridge and heat up in the microwave. tastes just as good reheated, if not better!

enjoy!

quick meal ideas

i don't know about y'all, but i think having an arsenal of quick-to-make meals can be a lifesaver.

i'm lucky to have a husband who currently cooks 90% of our meals, but if i happen to forget to buy an ingredient, or it's the weekend and we don't have a set meal plan, i am always thankful for a familiar meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make.

here are a few of my favorites:

• breakfast for dinner: we always have eggs, grits, and pancake mix in the house. we also typically have bacon, so we can have a good breakfast made in about 15 minutes.
  
  even though my mom is probably disappointed by this, i make only instant grits. i actually don't think i've ever made "real" grits. oh well, these taste good to me! i love the cheese flavored kind from quaker.
  
  as for pancakes, we always have one of the "complete"/just add water mixes in the pantry. i try to always buy whole wheat if it's available. whole wheat mixes are becoming more and more common, so these are increasingly easy to find!

• almond butter & banana sandwiches: i know a lot of people enjoy peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but if you've never tried it, i highly recommend subbing in almond butter instead. i buy the crunchy version, and it is too good for words with some ripe bananas and a little honey.
  
  

• black bean burgers/frozen veggies: i don't eat frozen burgers very often, but i am always so thankful i have them in a pinch. i eat these mostly when michael isn't home, or for lunch at work. in fact,  just this week i didn't have leftovers for lunch so i took a black bean burger, stuck it in the freezer at work, and warmed it up for a minute and a half. voila! instant lunch.
  
  frozen vegetables are also used all the time in our house. we typically do all of our grocery shopping on the weekends, so depending on the quality of the fresh produce in the store, it might go bad by friday. we always have a few bags of veggies in the freezer so we don't miss our veggie side with dinner. a few favorites: brussels sprouts, broccoli, and the standard target "italian blend".
  
  
  
  
• spaghetti: spaghetti might be michael's favorite meal we ever make. if not his favorite, it's in his top 5. we always have some sort of whole wheat pasta on hand, and 9 times out of 10 it's spaghetti or angel hair. i also try to keep an extra jar of pasta sauce in the pantry (or make your own! see this post for my take on gwenyth paltrow's simple tomato sauce). i prefer my spaghetti with ground beef/turkey and mushrooms, but even if we don't have either of those on hand, noodles with sauce will always work. pair it with a veggie side and you have a meal!

must try recipe: quinoa pancakes

do yall ever have one ingredient in your pantry that just sits around...you look at it for weeks...you always consider using it...and it still sits there?

that ingredient for me was a little bag of quinoa:

i bought it forever ago, and while i've used quinoa before, i kept this around for awhile just thinking of something different to do with it.

thanks to pinterest, i found what i was looking for: this recipe from the patrician palette. patricia made quinoa pancakes with blueberry maple syrup. since we had a couple of lazy mornings this past weekend, i knew this would be perfect to try.

[side note: for anyone who's scared of quinoa, don't be! it's a grain-like product that's high in protein and gluten-free. it makes a great side instead of rice, pasta, etc. it's really easy to make and will take on any flavor you add to it.]

here's what you need:

pancakes:
-2 eggs
-2 1/2 cups buttermilk (see substitution below)
-4 tbsp shortening (see substitution below)
-2 1/2 cups flour
-2 tsp sugar
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1 cup cooked quinoa

syrup:
-maple syrup
-6 oz fruit (recipe called for fresh blueberries, but i used frozen strawberries, thawed)

substitutions:

-i didn't have any buttermilk on hand, so i subbed in skim milk + lemon juice. for each cup of milk, you need 1 tbsp lemon juice (vinegar works too!). mix and let stand for 10 minutes before using.

-i prefer not to use shortening, so i used 4 tbsp vegetable oil instead.

directions:

1. beat eggs well. add remaining ingredients and mix until blended.

2. pour onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle. cook until golden brown on each side.

3. add syrup and fruit to a small saucepan. heat on low until syrup is warm.

4. pour syrup over pancakes. i served these with bacon, because really...what is better than bacon and syrup? yum.

i highly, highly recommend making this recipe. it's so filling, and the pancakes are a really unique texture thanks to the addition of quinoa.

enjoy!