Recipe round-up: healthy edition

I have been trying to slim down for summer and improve my eating habits in general. I love fried food in an unhealthy way. I would fry just about anything. I am not a big sweets eater but I am a dedicated carb lover. This is not good for my waistline. So I have been searching Pinterest for recipes that will help me meet my summer goals. Here are my reviews on what to try and what to skip.



Broccoli and Italian Sausage Egg Muffins

This recipe is super easy to whip up during the week. I give it a solid A and will definitely make it again. A shortcut I would try next time is to use a steam bag of broccoli instead of trying to sauté the broccoli. This would save time and the broccoli would be even more tender. I refrigerated the leftovers and we had breakfast for the rest of the week. Next time, I think I'll try spinach.



Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I am not going to lie and say that I love Brussels sprouts because they are definitely not my favorite. This recipe actually made me like them a little more. I give it an A-. It has vegetables, starches, and protein all in one dish. It was very easy to make and is the perfect dish for a weeknight meal.



Shrimp Quesadillas with Tomato Avocado

I love shrimp and I love avocados so I thought this recipe was a match made in heaven. I have made a few recipes from Skinnytaste and really enjoyed them. This recipe ended that streak. I would give it a D. It was super bland and I just don't think that any recipe can make low carb tortillas taste good. If someone knows of amazing low carb tortillas, please share. They tasted like cardboard and made me sad I wasted my shrimp and avocados.



Buffalo Chicken Bites

This recipe was another fail and I had really high hopes for it. It sounded like such a great idea. Who doesn't want to eat a healthier version of buffalo chicken wings? I think it was the corn flakes that ruined it for me. They tasted out of place and didn't make sense. I give it a C and think I'll be sticking to my fatty wings.



Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

I am not sure how healthy this recipe actually is, but it is a vegetable so I am letting it count. I give this a B because it was good but I'm not sure that is that great for you. It definitely did not replace twice baked mashed potato casserole in my heart, but it is a nice alternative.

march photo-a-day part deux

So this post is a little belated. I got caught up in the excitement of getting a new garage door. For the first time EVER, I am parking in a garage. It's pretty much the height of luxury.





Someone you talked to today - the bulletin from church


Fork - I think this is pretty self explanatory


A sign - from my classy husband's bachelor days


Clouds - from our backyard



Car - my car


Sunglasses- my Bans


Green - love colored denim


A corner of your home - our bookshelf


Funny - this dog is hilarious


Before - what my bed looks like when I decide to conduct my daily business from it


After - and after I decide to stop being lazy

fill in the blank friday

The weekend is here again! We have lots of plans tomorrow and no plans on Sunday. I foresee a nap in my future. I took one today and it was delightful. Midnight premieres are hard on my feeble body. In fact, I think I'll take another nap.



1. My favorite color is purple. Oprah fun fact: green is her favorite color not purple.

2. My home decor color palette includes a lot of reds, greens, browns, and black.

3. Other people always tell me I look good in the color navy and green. This works out well because I own lots of navy clothing.

4. The color I detest is chartreuse. Now that is a horrible color that no one looks good in. Except for the Lucky Charms Leprechaun.

5. If you were to look in my closet most of the colors you'd see would be white and black with a few pops of color. I don't think I will ever own enough black clothing.

6. A color that I simply cannot pull off no matter how hard I try is orange. Maybe it's because I am not a huge fan of the color. It is going to be a hard summer since tangerine is the color of the season.

7. The color of my favorite dress is my black dress from Sandro that I got in Paris. I love that dress more than words.

Things we're loving: March

The Hunger Games



I read these books last summer and I still cannot stop talking about them. If you are one of the four people left who has not read them, you must. They are such good books and I am SO excited for the movie. Did I buy my tickets for the midnight showing the day they went on sale? Yes I did. Is this the first movie I will ever be going to see at midnight? Yes it is. The books are not anything I thought I would like but if you are open-minded you will not be disappointed. My husband refuses to read the books because he says he doesn't want to ruin the movie. Don't be like him.

Downton Abbey



Why I am just now learning about the greatness that is Downton Abbey? I have heard people talking about this show for almost a year, but I just recently decided to buy the DVDs and decide for myself. I even bought the British version because I read that PBS edited the show for us simple Americans. I LOVE this show. I cannot get enough and am so sad that I am done with the second season. How am I going to wait until September to find out what happens to Lady Mary and Michael and Anna and Bates? The Dowager Countess is obviously my favorite. The scene with her in the swivel chair was amazing. You can watch the first season on Netflix and I am pretty sure you can watch the second season online at either PBS or ITV if you want to see the unedited version. This show makes me wish that we still dressed for dinner. Instead I wear pajamas. What would the DC say?

Photography



I am officially loving photography! I understand my camera so much better after my one-on-one class and I cannot stop taking pictures. I even bought my first prime non-kit lens! For those of you who are wondering (or care), I got a 50mm f/1.8 because it had amazing reviews. I feel like such a grown-up. I am planning on borrowing my nephew so I can practice my non-canine photography and may even have two jobs coming up. I am so happy to have found something that I love SO much. I can't wait to take tons of pictures in Spain and share them with all of you.

The Wanted



I loved *N Sync. I mean I loved them. I consider myself a legit Justin Timberlake fan because I was there for the cornrows. If you can love a man through cornrows, you deserve some sort of award. Anyway, after my long love affair with *N Sync, I thought I would never have room in my heart for another boy band. I am in my late 20s and you have to grow up at some time, right? Wrong. These sneaky Brits have weaseled their way into my heart. This is my favorite song of the moment and if you see me dancing in my car, I am mostly likely listening to this song. Listen and try not to dance. Impossible. And all I have to say is viva la boy band!

fill in the blank friday

Since there was no official fill in the blank friday on the little things we do, I thought I would find an old one to do. I have a paper due for school this evening and I have no desire to start it. None. Zero. Goose egg. Can you have senioritis at 27?



1. Today I am wearing a green and blue striped boatneck tee, boyfriend shorts, and my new Mulberry sandals (which I am having a major love fest with at the moment). It feels like summer in the Panhandle!

2. My favorite childhood food was probably the fried chicken Kid Cuisine (why my parents let my sister and I eat those is one of life's great mysteries) and my favorite food now is lobster, mashed potatoes, almost any type of cheese, and strawberries.

3. A day that I am too busy to stop and appreciate my blessings is a day that I am too busy.

4. The last movie I saw was Safe House and the next movie I want to see is The Hunger Games! A week from today this wish will be fulfilled.

5. My favorite smell is rain because it is a very rare occurrence in our area. Just ask a farmer.

6. A weird little quirk I have is that I am super anal about where things are in my house. I usually spend half an hour post-housekeeper rearranging everything to my exact specifications. I have a hard time handling house guests because they move my stuff. I am getting more neurotic by the day.

7. When I take personality quizzes they always say I'm that I am creative and walking a fine line between being social and a homebody. I like to go out but I also like to sit on the couch for hours.

A belated Christmas craft (#27)

I started this project two months ago but you cannot rush greatness. I saw this idea on Pinterest, shocker I know, and I thought that it was the perfect way to make a keepsake out of all the Christmas cards we get. I always feel awful throwing away Christmas cards because I know how much money people spend on them. This is a perfect and super easy solution.

Begin by punching two holes in all of the cards. I did horizontal cards first and then the vertical cards, but it doesn't really matter. I am super OCD but even I didn't get too crazy about punching the holes symmetrically. Honestly, you can't really tell if they are perfectly straight so calm down.



After you get holes punched in all of your cards, stack them so that the holes line up. I didn't place my cards in any real order but you can. You could do family and then friends. You could even do favorite to least favorite friends but I guess that wouldn't be keeping with the holiday spirit.

So after you've finished ranking your friends, place a binder ring through each hole. It is seriously that easy. I made a cover for our little book with the year on it and then laminated it so it wouldn't tear. The plan is to the set the books out every year at the holidays. This is such a fun way to look back on how your friends and family have changed over the years and save some trees in the process.


The finished product


Ta da!

Papa-paparazzi (#20)

I went to Lubbock last weekend to have some fun and more importantly take a photography class. I posted that I got a new camera for Christmas and I admit that I was super intimidated. I have never had a DSLR and my trusty point and shoot seemed so simple compared to my new camera. My husband was very thoughtful in buying me that camera and I wanted to get his money's worth.


My first fancy camera

That is when I found the wonderful Melanie Pittman. Melanie is a photographer in Lubbock and she teaches a one-on-one camera class that teaches you all about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. The best part is that since the class is one-on-one, she uses your camera. I left the class feeling excited and not intimidated at all! I am so thankful that I took her class.

I am definitely still figuring things out, but my hope is that by the time we have kids, I will have this camera down. I want to be able to take photographer-quality compositions so I can really capture our lives. That brings me to the photo a day challenge.



I thought that doing the photo a day challenge would be the perfect way to practice my new skillz. It would push me to take pictures of things other than my dogs (don't judge) and really learn my camera. Here are my first 10 days of pictures:


Up - the light fixture in our living room


Fruit - the fruits (and a veg) in my morning smoothie


Your neighborhood - Overexposed but I like it


Bedside - the pretty mirror was my grandma's


A smile - Designer handbags put a smile on my face


5pm - This is around the time the dogs start begging for dinner


Something you wore - my engagement and wedding ring


Window - The windows on our garage (which is being replaced soon!)


Red - and black! The new t-shirt I designed and had custom made.


Loud - The very loud painting in our purple office
The next step in my photography adventure is to practice with Lightroom. I think editing pictures is half the battle and I am even more ready to learn now that I have a better idea of how to use my camera.

fill in the blank friday

Who is ready for the weekend? In the words of the Dowager Countess, "What is a weekend?". The husband and I had a little chatty-chat about how he is feeling about me staying at home. He had no complaints which was music to my ears. I love staying at home! But it is nice to work every once in a while. We don't have a lot going on this weekend which will be nice since I was out of town last weekend.

This fill in the blank friday is all about home decor. I feel like we are always remodeling something so I have a lot to say. Enjoy!



1. My favorite room in my home is our kitchen because I love to cook and it is the biggest remodel transformation we've done in this house.

2. My current decor style is traditional but I wish it were more I love traditional everything so I am happy with my style. I do wish I could find a way to bring in a little more transitional furniture because I keep pinning them on Pinterest.

3. I wish I could redecorate the laundry room! It's next on my list (along with the guest bedrooms). Why someone would build a laundry room with no cabinets is beyond me. I'm thinking harlequin floors and a countertop for folding.

4. My dream house absolutely has to have a HUGE master bedroom closet. I want an island and seating. I'm not kidding. I want to be one with my clothes and accessories.

5. One house item I am willing to splurge on is an interior designer. Jennifer is a gift from above and she has helped more than I can say. She has amazing taste and her accessorizing has helped to transform our house into a home.

6. A decor trend that I just don't "get" is stark modern. I'm talking lucite, a lot of metal, super clean lines, and so on. I just don't think that a house should look like a modern art museum.

7. Accessories and pictures are little touches that makes my house feel like home.

What's cooking, good looking?

In addition to Facebook shopping and auctions, I am officially obsessed with cooking classes. You learn some tricks and get to eat a fabulous meal. This my friends is what we call a win-win. I am constantly on Hubbell and Hudson's website looking for new classes to take. Currently I am praying for a New England clam bake/lobster roll themed class. How amazing would that be?

The latest class we took was a "Seafood Date Night" theme. The chefs told us about it in September and it took almost six months to be able to get into the class. They are becoming very popular in the 281/713.

We made a relish tower with a jumbo lump crab salad, lobster risotto, lobster tails, broccolini and citrus-glazed scallops. Everything was so good and I love that you learn some tricks during the class. Did you know that you should sear scallops on each side for 2-3 minutes and then stick them in the oven for another 2-3 minutes? This helps cook the scallops all the way through because raw scallops are nasty. Life changing.

We also learned the correct way to make risotto, which is something I have always wanted to learn how to make. It is a little intimidating, but it really only requires patience. I have been lifting weights, no big deal, so I knew my guns were ready to do some stirring.

My one piece of advice is to maybe take the class with a group of four people. There are usually four people to a station and just like there are jerks at rock climbing facilities, there are jerks in cooking class. We had a couple of know-it-alls and I was very thankful that I wasn't in their group. The chefs keep the wine flowing which is very helpful when you have people like that in your class.

Our book of recipes

Chef Wallace

Crab and avocado salad with a relish tower

3 cups of clarified butter (shout out Paula Deen!) and the lobster tails

Risotto after 30 minutes of stirring
Scallops and a citrus glaze

The finished product

Blood orange and honey sorbet

Pistachio gelato because one dessert is never enough


My mom and I are taking a class full of recipes inspired by The Help in June. I love fried chicken so I am excited to learn how to make it for myself. I am a little worried that this knowledge might lead me down the wrong path to Jessica Simpson-ville. I'll just have to practice some self-control. If you live in the Houston area you should look up the classes at Hubbell and Hudson. They are a little expensive, but they are definitely worth it.