Scenes From Our Weekend

Hello Monday.  Can you believe Christmas is 13 days away??  I have lots of shopping and wrapping left to do.  Hoping to knock it out this week!

Thursday was a long day after my girl's Christmas party.  Taco Bell was needed.  I know Taco Bell can be so gross but I secretly love it, especially a Mexican Pizza.

Later that night we met up with my parents for dinner. 

I had several questions about sizing for this sweater and it runs TTS, I am wearing a small.

Off Shoulder Top | Earrings (30% off with code LOVE30) | Jeans | Booties (40% off in a lighter shade)

For the next 2 days Baublebar is offering 30% off the site with code LOVE30.  This is a great time to buy gifts. These Crispin drops are my favorite.  They are light weight and come in so many great colors.  I am wearing the royal blue above.  

Multi-colored Drops | Blue + Hot Pink | Stripe

The Pinata tassels are another favorite of mine.  I wear my pink and ivory ones often but all the colors are gorgeous.

Tassel Earrings

Friday morning it was so cold here!  I loved how adorable Sterling looked in his cold weather get up.

My mom and I did a little Christmas shopping and stopped in Antiques of Windemere.  Frances was really trying to convince me she needed this leopard chaise.  It was pj day at school that day hence her Christmas jammies.  

Friday night we had our next door neighbors over for happy hour.   

My blouse has the cutest split back, I own the white version too.  They are great basic blouses to dress up or down.  

What I wore:

Blouse | Jeans | Necklace | Booties

I made sugar cookies for the kids to decorate and they had a blast! 

My neighbor Rick (he does amazing photography) entertaining the kids.

Saturday's outfit.  I ran a few errands and tackled laundry.

My sweater is now 40% off and only $23! 

Sweater | Leggings | OTK Boots | Purse

I whipped up a chopped salad for dinner.  This is my favorite chopped salad I make it frequently for lunch. 

I use a combo of kale/romaine then add toppings:  chickpeas + cucumber + cherry tomatoes + hearts of palm + yellow bell pepper + red onion + kalamata olives + pepperoncinis.  

I usually just mix olive oil and red wine vinegar for the dressing.  

Sunday I took the kids to see the Nutcracker with a few of their friends.  I had grand visions of a fun afternoon but the kids weren't feeling it.  They told me they were bored a million times and kept asking when they could leave.  Then Frances started making farting noises and Sterling was asking why the boy's pants were see through. It was then I decided we should leave:)  I thought Sterling would be old enough to enjoy it but I knew Frances would be a wild card.  I will say at the Gaillard before the show they had cookies, ornament decorating and pictures with Santa that the kids really enjoyed.

Frances Moon's dress is available HERE.  If you love smocked clothes Smockingbirds has a great selection and great prices too!!  I just love her Christmas dress.

Frances Moon and her best friend Anna Louis.

Sterling and his best friend Oliver.

We didn't want to spend a ton on tickets since we didn't know how the kids would do so we were pretty high up.  I still really enjoyed the performance.  My friend Sarah and I joked that next year we would leave the kids and come alone!

This face cracks me up.

What I wore:

Dress | Booties

Have a great start to your week!

Lentil Taco Salad + OOTD's Restocked on Sale

I am always trying to think of fun vegetarian spins on meals we love.  I love any and all Mexican food and since I have been trying hard to cut back on carbs I knew I wanted a good salad for dinner last week.  I decided to sub beans in place of the taco meat and it was off the hook good.  The key is to use dried beans and slow cook them and then season them as you would your taco meat.  I absolutely loved this salad and will be making it again!

Enjoy!

L E N T I L  T A C O  S A L A D 

- 1 cup dried lentils cooked according to package

- taco seasning (see below for recipe)

- shredded romaine lettuce

- chopped cherry tomatoes

- 1 avocado diced, sprinkled with salt and lemon juice

- 3 ears corn, cooked and shucked

- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced soaked on ice water for 10 minutes

- 2 jalapenos sliced thinly

- Goddess dressing- I buy this at a local restaurant but also like the Annie's Organic Brand

- salsa and hot sauce for serving.

Cook the lentils according to the package and then season with taco seasoning.

I use this recipe to make my own:

[TACO SEASONING]

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

The beans will be spicy so add less of this seasoning if you don't want them quite as spicy.  

Boil the corn for about 15 minutes and then shuck it.  

Assemble all ingredients in a large bowl and then have everyone serve their individual bowls to their liking.

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I wanted to share a few of my recent outfits that are now reduced.

I love the pattern on this blouse and the fun flirty style.  I wore this floral blouse yesterday paired with my Twine and Twig Necklace.  I love the color combination of pink, blue and purples.  Runs slightly on the large side so if you are between sizes, size down.  I am wearing an XS.

Blouse

My Trina Turk suit is back in stock in only a few sizes.  It is still part of the Anniversary sale which ends the 8th.

TT Suit

One of my favorite beach Cover-ups is now reduced.  It also comes in a pretty blue color!  I am wearing a size XS. 

Piper Cover-up

Alice and Olivia Dress 

Such a great embroidered dress.  Runs TTS.

Marysia Suit

Size down as these stretch quite a bit, I have a small in this style.

Stripe Blouse

Now 50% off making it only $27. I am wearing a size small.

Mara Hoffman Swing Dress

Now 50% off.

Scroll through to see some other items just marked down at Shopbop.

Greek Nachos + Stripes On Sale + Shop Loft Friends and Family Event Early!

Where have these nachos been all my life??  You see I love nachos but I have only really had the traditional kind piled high with Mexican goodness.   These nachos are different, healthy actually and so amazing.  Perfect for lunch, dinner or an appetizer.  I made my own pita chips by toasting the bread with oil and spices and they really take these nachos to the next level.  But if you are feeling lazy and want to skip a step store bought pita chips would work just fine.   I had all intentions of adding feta to this recipe but forgot, so add that on top if you want.  I think the feta would provide a nice creaminess with a slight salty edge.  I used soppressata as the meat on these because I had some left over but you could really use any type of salami, shredded chicken, or no meat at all.  These are best served right after you make them because the nachos will get get soggy the longer they sit.

This has all the flavors of my favorite Greek salad but piled on crispy pita chips!

Enjoy!

|| G R E E K  N A C H O S ||

- 4 whole wheat pitas

- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes diced

- 1 baby cucumber, diced

- 1/4 red onion diced

- 1/2 yellow bell pepper diced

- handful kalamata olives sliced

- handful pepperoncinis sliced

-soppressata or salami sliced into thin strips

- 1- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

- 1/2 cup good hummus

- 1/2 cup tzatziki

- olive oil

- salt, pepper and cayenne spices

Cut the pita into wedges.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil olive.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne.  Toast at 350 degrees about 10-15 minutes until crispy.  I turned them over once towards the end of the baking time just to slightly crisp the other side as well.

Place chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives, and bell pepper in a bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and the red wine vinegar and toss all together.

Remove pita chips from oven and let cool.  Assemble on a platter and top with chopped veggie mix and salami.  Then scoop on a large spoonful of hummus and tzatziki in the middle.  Top with sliced pepperoncinis and feta if desired.

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I showed this Alice and Olivia dress yesterday but today you can save $50 off the price with code INC50.   

Sizing wise I am wearing an XS, it ran slightly on the large side.

It is fully lined and I really like the cut of the dress and the bright stripes.  It looks great with wedges, flats or heels if you want a dressier look.

Alice and Olivia Dress  

I picked up this blouse over the weekend.  I saw it through the store window and fell in love with the bright neon stripes. As I have mentioned before Banana Republic is very hit or miss for me but I was pleasantly surprised with this blouse.  Sizing wise it is pretty TTS.  I tried on both the XS and small.  The XS fit but it was just a touch snug in my hips so I went with a small.  I don't mind a loose boxy fit in a blouse. The material is very nice and thick.  Plus the blouse is under $70.

Sunglasses are Sicky's a new brand to me, but I really like them.  They stay on my face and don't fall down like many Ray-Ban do.  

BR Blouse | Sunglasses

I also wanted to share The Loft Friends and Family Event starts a day early if you have a Loft card.  You can take 40% off everything.   Tomorrow it opens to everyone if you don't have a Loft card.

Use code PREVIEW

I am ordering this blouse and beach romper.

A few recent favorites.

Floral Shift (wearing size small)

I can't tell you how often I wear this.  It is great for church or during the day paired with flats.

Off Shoulder Blouse  (wearing XS)

Shirtdress (wearing size small)

Romper (wearing size small)

Mini Greek Salad Bites + 18 Other Ideas for Super Bowl Appetizers

I love appetizers.  Like really love them, I could easily be content with that being my meal.  I have a fun new (and easy) app to share with you today plus a round of of some of my other favorite apps that would be perfect for Super Bowl Sunday next week- GO PANTHERS!

You may notice many are dips and many contain bacon.  It just so happens dips and bacon are two of my favorite things.  If you click on the recipe name it will take you back to the original recipe post.  for some of the other easy recipes I just listed the ingredients below the pictures.  Going back through all my appetizer recipes made me realize how many of these I need to make again.  They are all so darn good.

I love Greek Salad and I eat it several times a week, so I tried to rack my brain and think of an appetizer I could make that had similar flavors.   Behold the Mini Greek Salad Bites.  They are easy to assemble, require no baking, and are super tasty. The mini phyllo cups can be found in the freezer section.  The creamy hummus and tangy tzatziki paired with the crunchy chopped Greek salad topping make for an amazing flavor combination.  

Enjoy!

G R E E K  S A L A D  B I T E S

- handful diced cherry tomatoes

- 1 baby cucumber diced

- 2 green onions sliced

- 1/2 orange bell pepper diced

2 oz Feta crumbled (I like to buy the block kind and chop it, it tastes better)

- red wine vinegar

- plain hummus

-Tzatziki 

- Mini Phyllo cups

Remove Phyllo cups from freezer and let thaw.  This doesn't take too long maybe 10-15 minutes. 

In a bowl combine cherry tomatoes and next 4 ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with red wine vinegar.  

Take a phyllo cup and place a spoonful of hummus on the bottom, then a spoonful of tzatziki and then a spoonful of the Greek salad mix.  I found using a kid sized spoon made this easy since the cups are tiny.  Assemble on platter and enjoy!

S U P R E M E   P I Z Z A  D I P 

S P I N A C H  A R T I C H O K E   W O N T O N S

L O A D E D  Q U E S O   F U N D I D O  D I P

P I M E N T O  C H E E S E  B A C O N  B A L L S

L O A D E D   P O T A T O  D I P

P A R M E S A N  K A L E  C H I P S

S H R I M P  N A C H O S + P I N E A P P L E  A V O C A D O   S A L S A

7  L A Y E R  M E X I C A N  D I P

7 LAYER MEXICAN DIP

Layer one | Refried Beans 

Layer Two | Guacamole

Layer Three | 16 oz sour cream mixed with taco seasoning (I use our homemade kind but you can use a packet as well)

Layer Four | Shredded Cheese ( I grate my own and use Cracker Barrel Sharp White Cheddar)

Layer Five | Diced Tomatoes

Layer Six | Sliced Black Olives

Layer Seven | chopped green onions

 B A C O N  W R A P P E D  S T U F F E D   D A T E S

3 ingredients : Dates + Gruyere + Bacon.  Stuff the dates with the cheese and wrap with bacon and bake at 350 degrees about 10-15 minutes until cheese melts and bacon is crispy.

C O B B  S A L A D  D I P

K A L E + B A C O N   D I P

B L A C K  B E A N  L A Y E R  D I P 

5 ingredient app

Layer Cream Cheese | Onion Relish ( I actually used a local apricot jalapeno jelly that was awesome) | Black Beans | Crumbled Bacon | Chives

Serve with crackers

2  C  H E E S E  L O A D E D  V E G G I E   N A C H O S

S R I R I A C H A   R O A S T E D  C A U L I F L O W E R 

+ P E A N U T  B U T T E R   D I P P I N G  S A U C E

B A C O N  C O R N  D I P 

M A R I N A T E D  C H E E S E

A N T I P A S T O   K A B O B S

and last but not least you can never go wrong with a good ole cheese and meat plate.  Always a favorite of mine.

All this food is making me hungry and getting excited about the big game!