Turkey Day Tummy Pleasers

It's Thanksgiving week and we all have food on the brain. I'm certainly looking forward to using the eating for two excuse and I'm sure Fallon will actually eat for two. My mom hosts the big day for our family so I just bring a dish. I hope to do the whole shebang at my own house one day but currently the thought of making an entire meal overwhelms me. So until the whole menu is my call, I'll stick with picking one fun side to make. Whether you're running the show or just showing up with your lone creation here are some recipes for inspiration that have my mouth watering. 

Cranberry Orange Bread

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash

Cranberry Brie Bites

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Nut Crumble

5 Fall Baking Recipes

It's been hotter here in Northern Kentucky this first week of fall than it was at the beach last week! But the temps are supposed to be dropping back down so fall baking is back on my mind. When it was feeling all autumn like earlier this month I pinned some must try recipes for the season but so far I'm only 2 deep. I'm planning to get back on the horse this weekend and hopefully I'll have a tiny helper to make it really fun. Cooking just isn't my thing but I love to bake and all the flavors of fall make my mouth water. It probably also has something to do with my huge sweet tooth. So I'm sharing a list of 5 recipes we should all indulge in as the leaves change and the temperatures dip. 

Country Apple Fritter Bread

Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

Mom's Homemade Apple Pie

Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Bars

Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Poptarts

Favorite Finds

I'll be honest, the end of summer left me feeling so uninspired I felt like I didn't have much to share, hence the lack of posts. But September has brought fall like weather and I'm suddenly all kinds of motivated to share new things as we welcome my favorite season. Fall fashion, fall decor, fall recipes, I have so many post ideas swirling around in my head now and I can't wait to get back into this blogging groove. It's a 60 something degree morning and Fallon and I are off to adventure. But first, my latest favorites.

The cutest little jogger pants for babe and total bonus points because they match mama's!

A cozy + festive blanket for all the cool weather snuggles

Hands down the best cardi coat of the season, I want to live in it, and I just might

Must try pumpkin muffin recipe for chilly fall mornings

My new favorite accent pillow that's perfect all year round

The perfect pair of OTK boots to go with everything fall fashion

Floral jams for Fallon that I wish came in my size

Want more favorites? Check out what Ashley, Heaven and Arin are posting about today.

Happy Friday!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Some of you are probably thinking chicken tortellini soup sounds delicious. And some of you are probably thinking, but you don't eat chicken. If you're new around here you may not know that I am a vegetarian. But it's just a choice I've made and not something I preach about. The rest of my family happily eats meat and I'm just fine with that. So the reason I'm even talking about this personal fact is to share that this recipe is easily made for both meat and non-meat eaters. 

I chose to make this soup for a few reasons. There were 4 cooked chicken breasts in my fridge, I only need a few additional ingredients and it was a chilly + rainy first day of September. Cooking the chicken obviously requires some additional prep if you do not already have some ready but vegetarian part of the soup only took about 5 minutes. The recipe I used as my base calls for the chicken in the soup but making it separately allows for non meat eaters to enjoy it as well. If you're a family of chicken eaters then go ahead and follow the directions for cooking the chicken into the soup. 

It's been awhile since I made a crockpot soup but last fall and winter I tried my hand at a variety of recipes. When I think of cooking in a crockpot I think of an easy, minimal prep, let the gadget do the cooking kind of meal. But I found that so many recipes call for lot of chopping and sautéing veggies before tossing them into the crockpot. This recipe just requires a few minutes of cutting and then everything goes into the crockpot for hands free cooking. I shredded the chicken for my meat eaters to add into the finished soup and ate it straight up myself. We all agreed it was delicious and will definitely be on rotation for fall meals. 

Adapted from this recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ pounds boneless chicken breast
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic pepper
• 2 cups cheese tortellini
• sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker except for the tortellini.
2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and shred or cube and add back to the slow cooker. (or cook chicken separately then shred)
4. Add in the tortellini and cook for 15 minutes or until they are cooked all the way through.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4th Of July Pie

Every year for the past several years I've made this sweet summer treat we call 4th of July pie for its namesake holiday. It's a totally made up dessert that's quick + easy and can require ZERO baking. It's served cold but tastes just as great half melted in the summer heat and we cannot get enough of it. Last year I was 39.5 weeks pregnant and ate nearly the entire pie by myself. #noshame

Food photography is not my strong suit, clearly, but my hubby insisted I share this little recipe. The fruit colors make this dish perfect for all the patriotic summer celebrations but really you could use any toppings your little heart desires. So if your skills are lacking in the baking department, you need to throw something together for a party really fast or you just want a delicious pie to treat yo' self with, here you go!

Crust 

I make my own crust but you can certainly go the no bake route and buy a premade one. 

1.5 cups crushed graham crackers

5 tablespoons melted butter

1/3 cup cane sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 for 7/8 minutes. 

Filling

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup cane sugar

6 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat with a mixer until smooth.

If you made your own crust, let it cool for about 10-15 minutes. Then pour the filling over the crust in an even layer. Top with whipped cream and garnish with strawberries and blueberries. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 

Happy 4th fellow Americans!

Fall Quinoa Salad

So I'm not very creative with my food and tend to eat the same meals over and over again. When I find something I like, it takes me a while to get sick of it. As a vegetarian I have to find ways to get enough protein from plant sources and it's especially important now that I'm breastfeeding. Quinoa is the only complete plant protein and I love that it's a such a versatile food. I always buy butternut squash when the temperatures begin to cool but sometimes have a hard time deciding how to eat it. So last Sunday I went ahead and roasted the one I had while making quinoa just to have for the week and had an aha moment. Mix them together. 

I cubed the squash and started pulling out other ingredients I had on hand. Of course my seasonal loving heart wanted to make it into a fall salad and luckily everything blended together really well. The end result is a an easy lunch or dinner full of nutrients that tastes great and fills me up. I don't measure anything but here's the list of what I threw together.

Quinoa

Butternut squash

Dried unsweetened cranberries

Sliced almonds, walnuts or pecans

Avocado

Sunflower seeds

Honeycrisp apple

Goat cheese

Cranberry Vinaigrette 

Enjoy!

Friday Favorites on Sunday

It rained all day yesterday but the sun finally greeted us this morning. I'm sitting on my desk with iced coffee and donuts and doggies in the yard, the prefect start to a Sunday. I was going to just wait until Friday for this post but I've come across so many great finds lately that I just couldn't wait to share them with y'all!

I usually like to add some fun new pieces as well as a few great basics to my wardrobe each season. But since I've got this belly to contend with now I'm sticking with things I already have that still work mixed with maternity and a few other basics a size or 2 up from what I normally wear. I'll have to wait to jump back into many of the of the moment fashion trends until after this kiddo is born, but I can still keep up in the shoe department! I am loving the lace up style and had to order these pink ones to spice up the mostly neutral palette I'll probably be working with for the next couple months.

Capri leggings are an absolute staple in my closet year round and I like to have options to mix it up. Hands down GapFit gFast performance capris are my favorite. They are beyond comfortable for daily wear or to sleep in and perfect for working out since they are breathable but you definitely cannot see through them. I'm really loving the heathered look right now and the versatile color options.

I've been using my favorite bronzer for years and years and really never considered switching to a new one. That is until I read about how amazing this one is and dared to give it a try. Sometimes change is a good thing. Trust me.  

Several weeks ago I posted an army green utility vest I was eyeing but sadly it sold out before I could order it. Luckily I found another very similar one here. It goes with everything, is soft and quality made and even the preggos can rock it. You're welcome.

I keep seeing different recipes for chia seed pudding and pinned one recently but have yet to try it. The past few days it is just sounding amazing so I'm going to have to whip some up this weekend. I'll probably swap the mangos out for blueberries. Shocking, right?!

Does anyone else suddenly feel like you don't have enough cake stands in your life? My IG and Pinterest feeds are covered with them not only holding cakes of course but showing off all kinds of other glorious desserts and party food, decorating open shelves and displaying candles on sofa tables. This one is currently on sale and so pretty I can't even decide how I want to use it yet.

Happy Sunday Friends!

Baker, Messmaker

I really like to eat food, but I'm not the best cook. I have a few dishes that I feel like I've mastered but anything new, I read through the recipe several times contemplating whether or not it's worth the effort in case it doesn't turn out. For years I didn't do much in the way of baking, even though I totally have a sweet tooth, because I was sure that if I wasn't a great cook I definitely wouldn't make a great baker. But once I really got into the whole Pinterest craze, I couldn't help but start trying my hand at baked goods. And shockingly, I'm pretty good at it! I think the most perplexing part about it is that, in general, cooking is a lot more "a little of this, a little of that" whereas baking tends to be precise and requires exact measurements to achieve the correct results. I typically lean toward the cooking perspective on life aka I'm right brained. Math and science make me cringe but words are my jam. Funny how a girl who gets through life with a calculator is able to follow equations if they involve butter and sugar.

I know that for several weeks now I've been all blueberries, all the time, so you're probably assuming that's what I'm tossing in my batter these days. Wrong-o. My 2 latest creations were made with fruits of the red variety. Chris is not much of a cake person but for his birthday he requested cheesecake. He wasn't expecting me to make it but I decided that's just what I was going to do. I had never made a real cheesecake before, just cheesecake type treats. I found this recipe for raspberry cheesecake and picked up lots of cream cheese, fresh raspberries and a fancy little jar of raspberry currant for the topping. The recipe seemed fairly easy, and it was, but I should have read through the end. I started making this on Saturday evening for the party on Sunday thinking I would have plenty of time to finish it and have it in the fridge to set up overnight. Well after I put it in the oven I realized there was an entire cooling process. Oops. Chris told me to scrap it and just get a cake from the store, but I was determined to tackle the challenge. So yea, I set my alarm and got up in the middle of the night to finish the job. I told everyone they would eat it and like it, even if it wasn't good. Luckily, it turned out pretty delicious if I do say so myself.

This past Sunday while grocery shopping the strawberries looked so red and juicy and were on sale. I grabbed 2 cartons and found this recipe I had saved on Pinterest forever ago and whipped up a batch of strawberry muffins. They are basically like biscuits alone and only sweetened by the berries, which is fine if you ask me. But when you add the glaze on top, total yumminess. I love making sweet treats and enjoying the end result but I think what is the most fun about baking is the MESS MAKING.

Blueberry Lemon Crumble

 

Hopefully you all had a wonderful Easter weekend and either have the day off or are making it through the dreaded Monday after a holiday. Chris and I celebrated with family both Saturday and Sunday and the weather was just perfect. Saturday afternoon we headed out to lunch and a big egg hunt for the kids at Chris's aunt and uncle's house. I made popcorn mix with Easter egg M&Ms Friday night and hoped Chris wouldn't eat it all before we made it to lunch. That stuff can be quite addicting! I also thought it would be fun to jazz up some Peeps for the kids so I bought the bunny shaped variety in pretty pastels. I had sprinkles on hand and Candiquik in the fridge so I just stuck them on cake pop sticks and coated the ears then rolled them in chocolate or colored sprinkles. So simple but so fun.

 

 

Sunday morning I got up early and made the recipe I posted a link to last week. Since I still am eating/drinking my way through all things blueberry I had to go with a blueberry crumble. I mostly followed this recipe but made some minor changes. Instead of an 8x8 pan I used a 10 inch round pie dish. Why? Well because it was prettier. Seriously. I used fresh blueberries and didn't measure them but I'm pretty sure I used more than the recipe called for. Oops. I just can't get enough. I had one fresh lemon so I zested (is that a word?) it and added that to the blueberry mixture plus I just juiced the whole thing instead of measuring. Do you see a pattern here? I avoid measuring where possible. Finally, I used slightly more crumble on top than the recipe called for. I didn't make extra, just used less for the bottom layer and left a bit more than a cup for the top. It took the full bake time listed even though my blueberries weren't frozen. I watched for the edges to set and top to brown but it took the entire 55 minutes at 350 degrees. The turn out was juicy and delicious but more of a pie result than bars. There is a tiny bit left and I was so full yesterday I couldn't eat it but if you would bet money that tonight I'll have it for dessert with vanilla ice cream, you would win.

 

Have a great week!

Bananas for Blueberries

My kick for the past week has been blueberries. I typically buy them on my weekly grocery trip but last week they tasted especially delicious and I was hooked. My daily brown sugar cinnamon Pop-tart was no longer going to cut it so I ventured out to find some of the blueberry variety. OF COURSE all 3 places I checked were out, except for the original kind. Who wants frostingless Pop-Tarts? Not this girl. They don’t even look right, like they’re naked or something. I finally got my fix on Friday when I stopped at Walgreens and to my surprise a man was literally stocking the shelves with blueberry Pop-Tarts in all their frosted glory. I nearly gave the poor man a heart attack when I squealed with delight and asked him for the box in his hand. 

Saturday morning I made a parfait for breakfast with layers of Greek yogurt, organic blueberry cereal and of course, blueberries. Thinking back to the raspberry French toast I made a few weeks ago, my mouth nearly started watering as I imaged blueberry French toast. So I grabbed more blueberries and a loaf of French bread on my grocery run and made that little dream come true Sunday morning. I don’t have an exact recipe for French toast but I am a huge fan of using fresh French bread and fruit and the rest goes something like this:

1 egg

½ tsp cinnamon (I probably use more)

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Whisk it all together and then dip your slices of buttered French bread in and cook with olive oil over medium heat. I use Earth Balance original buttery spread. Chris is a cow milk, cow butter kind of guy but he doesn’t even notice that I use almond milk and vegan butter instead. The amount of bread slices you’ll get out of this mixture will vary depending on how thick you want them but I coated 8 fairly thick slices. I topped ours with blueberries and a bit of powdered sugar and I could have eaten 3 platefuls I’m sure. I’m thinking blueberry overnight oats are in tomorrow’s future. At least there are lots of healthy options when you’re craving blueberries!

Friday I'm in Love

TGIF! I’m extra excited about this weekend because our bathroom update is going full throttle. I cannot wait to show y’all pictures of it when it’s finished. Some of you asked about our new fixtures I posted about and they are all from Home Depot. It is amazing what a new light fixture can do for a space. The new fixtures for our bathroom are replacing the old school dressing room bulb look that I can’t stand. I am so sorry if this is your style, it’s just not mine! I have some other new favorites to go along with the post name update this week so let’s get to it.

 Yesterday was my girl Kristina’s birthday so I whipped up some lemon squares for her because she loves all the lemon things. I used this recipe and added my own twist with a bit of vanilla and lemon JELLO mix. It was so easy and although I didn’t try them myself (wasn’t feeling the lemon) she did and gave it the seal of approval.

I have never been a foundation wearing girl. It’s not that I think I don’t need it but rather that I tried several different kinds years ago and never found one I liked so I gave up. Pregnancy has been kind to my skin this trimester and I mentioned loving the new Philosophy products I received as gifts for Christmas, but some days I feel like I look a bit washed out. I have been wanting to try BB Cream as an alternative to foundation just to even things out and give my face a boost. I researched and read reviews and finally purchased this one via Amazon. I cannot even believe how much of a difference it makes without looking or feeling like I’ve buried my skin under layers of makeup. I absolutely love this and now I’m not afraid to test out some other brands since I know this one is a keeper!

In our house we love blankets. Lots and lots of blankets. You might even say we are blanket hoarders. Okay, it’s not really that bad. We have 2 sets, one for the humans and one for the furbabies. When the old ones get ratty they go to the furbabies and when theirs get ruined, well, they go to blanket heaven. Since it’s pretty easy for blankets to get beat up when dogs use them with their claws and slobber and the occasional accident, we buy them cheap. Typically we get fleece blankets from Old Navy for $5-$10 depending on the sales they have going on but I came upon some for $2.88 yesterday and had to stock up.

The new Lucy & Co. hoodies I ordered for the boys came in this week and I can’t get over how cute they look in them. These fit my little monsters so well and look so adorable I want to buy them in every style! I might even have to get the Hello Apparel matching tee for mama.

Did you know that dogs can have sensitive tummies just like humans? Well, a lot of people don’t! We’ve known since he was a baby that Chaos is one of those dogs. Our Pittie is just sensitive all the way through.  It’s not the most fun thing to do, but checking out your dog’s doo doo is a surefire way to tell if there’s a problem. First of all, they shouldn’t have to go #2 all the time and it shouldn’t consistently be soft or diarrhea like. Your vet will tell you that dog poop can tell you a whole lot about the health of your pup so even though it’s icky, if you pay attention you could learn something! Back to my point, the trainer Chris is working with gave a recommendation for Show Stopper. It’s an antioxidant blend for dogs that has really seemed to make a difference for not just Chaos but Ares as well. They have shinier coats, shed less and digestion seems like a much smoother process if you know what I mean.

Friday Favorites

Schools closed early or closed all together, grocery stores were raided for milk and bread and the rest of us watched out the windows at work awaiting the snow storm. Well after a full day of nothing, Winter Storm Jonas finally decided to show up. I'm cozy on the couch, pups by the fire, HGTV on as I write this, watching the snow fall. My mind has been on dog training, home decorating and baby registry research lately but a girl has got to make time to find some new favorites right? 

I mentioned Bundle Organics in my 15 week post. These drinks aren't cheap but they are so delicious and I feel so good knowing I'm getting amazing nutrients in my body for me and for baby.

All this planning has me typing up notes on my computer at work, my laptop and my phone. 2 weeks into the year I decided I really needed a planner and I love the cute cover on this one. If I'm going to carry it around with me all the time it has to be pretty to look at!

Lucy & Co. has some of the best hoodies for pups around. The fit is perfect for Ares and Chaos and I can't get over how adorable the new heathered blue and gray designs are.

I've been hearing all about this Boom Chicka Pop popcorn so I finally picked up 2 flavors at the store last week. Beyond the beautiful packing, this stuff is delicious. But I am warning you, it's addicting!

As y'all know I've been on a sweets kick with the pregnancy big time. I love waffles and was practically drooling on the keyboard when I found this recipe to make them with cake batter. The waffle iron we got for our wedding will be put to good use making these babies. I'm thinking we might even need some snow cream on top since fresh snow is now available.

Happy Weekend!

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

 
I love breakfast. I look forward to eating it every morning so much so that I’m immediately hungry when I wake up. But when your wake up time is 5AM every week day morning, sometimes a few extra minutes of sleep sound better than making breakfast. And then I discovered overnight oats. There are about a million ways to make this delicious and easy first meal of the day but today I’m going to share one of my favorites.

One of the best things to eat in the fall would have to be honey crisp apples. I have always liked any kind of apple but these are hands down my favorite. So naturally I decided that apple pie overnight oats would be amazing with some chopped honey crisp apple on top. If you’ve never heard of overnight oats, you’re in for a real treat. They literally sit overnight in your fridge soaking up all the goodness you mixed in with them the night before and are ready for you to grab and go in the morning. As a vegetarian, I love quick, easy and delicious ways to get protein into my diet and this is tops on the list. You could definitely make these more of a dessert with different ingredients but for weekdays I like to keep it as healthy and full of nutrition as possible. So here it is.

½ cup dry rolled oats

½ cup milk (I used vanilla almond)

1 tbsp nut butter (I used Justin’s maple flavored almond butter)

2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey)

1-2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp apple pie spice

Mix everything together in a bowl, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning you can just grab it and go but I like to add some chopped apple, a few walnuts or pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I feel like I am actually eating dessert for breakfast but it’s all healthy!

TGIF y’all!