Wednesday, October 26, 2016

14 Fall Shoes | Under $200

There are so many great shoe options for Fall right now.  I rounded up a few favorites and they all are under $200!!

I am slightly obsessed with these metallic Nikes.  Yes Please.
My favorite shoes from NYC also come in black.  You better believe I ordered a pair. 


My over the knee boots are now restocked in all 3 colors.  These fit like a dream and are so comfy and easy to get on and off.


I love lace up flats for fall.  They look so good with skinny jeans.  These come in 5 colors and are under $70!

Every time I see someone wearing these I want a pair.  I love the cut out detail and lower heel.
This gray color is perfection.   These are a good casual option.
Another open toe bootie but with a sexier heel.  These come in several colors and I love the braided detail.

These would be cute with dresses or jeans.


I am kind of on the fence about mules but I am digging these.  They seem so easy to slip on with jeans. 

I have these in the brown color and love them.  They are easy to slip on and comfy too.  I wear mine paired with leggings and jeans.  I love this new lighter color.

Always classic and they go with everything.

The perfect low heeled bootie.
These look just like the Chloe ones but for a fraction of the cost.
My sister has these and they are so cute on!  






Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Chicken and White Bean Chili with Cornbread Croutons + Favorite Soup Pot + New Tee


The slightly cooler temps have me craving Fall foods.  After being out of town a few days and eating every meal out I was more than ready to get back in my kitchen and cook.  I love dining out and experiencing new restaurants but I really love creating something tasty at home.   This chili could not be easier and it is packed with flavor.  The cornbread is super simple and a favorite my mom always makes.  You can eat it by the slice but it is fun to cut it into croutons for garnish!  Added bonus both my kids loved it.  I did serve theirs before adding the jalapenos in so it was less spicy.

||  C H I C K E N + W H I T E  B E A N  C H I L I  
W I T H  C O R N B R E A D  C R O U T O N S ||

- 1 Rotisserie Chicken shredded
- 2 cans cannellini or great white northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 white onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- (2) 4oz cans green chiles
- 1.5 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne 
- 1 or 2 tablespoon pickled jalapenos depending how spicy you want it
- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 6 cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- sliced  green onions

In a large pot or dutch onion heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes.   Add in oregano, cumin, and cayenne.  Then add in chicken and stir all together. Let this cook about 2-3 minutes.  Add in drained beans, green chiles and chicken broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Let this simmer 30 minutes to an hour.  Right before serving add in the pickled jalapenos and 1 cup shredded cheese.  
Garnish with the rest of the shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream and cornbread croutons. 

|| C O R N B R E A D  C R O U T O N S ||

- 2 packages Jiffy Cornbread
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 stick butter
- 1 14oz can creamed corn.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in a 9x12 baking dish.  Mix other ingredients and pour in pan over melted butter.  Bake 30-40 mins.  Let cool and then slice into squares.  

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If you are looking for a good soup pot I have this one and love it.  It was a wedding gift 9 years ago and I still use it often.  Le Creuset is expensive but totally worth it.
This is a less expensive version and I have heard great things about the Martha Stewart line. This one is more than 50% off right now and under $100!



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I wanted to share one of my favorite NYC purchases.  I am a sucker for a good tee shirt.  This one is so soft and I like the fit.  I am wearing a size small. I probably could have worn the XS as this runs on the larger side but I like my tees looser.  
I went with the white color but I really liked the green too.





Monday, October 24, 2016

NYC Recap

Happy Monday!  I got back in town yesterday from such a fun girl's trip to NYC.  My dad was so sweet and booked a trip for me, my mom, my sister and sister in law.  We actually flew back in Saturday but I was not breathing well and had to go to Urgent Care in Charlotte after we landed.   One steriod shot, a new inhaler and steriod pills and I am on the mend. 
 I was so happy to see these loves yesterday.  They always request that I bring them back NYC tee shirts.

Wednesday morning we flew out bright and early to NYC.  This tote is my favorite carry on.  It fits so much and can fit under the airplane seat.
Tee | Jeans | Similar Scarf under $20
Chilling with my sister on the airplane.

We landed,  checked in our hotel and headed to lunch.  I had a mile long list of restaurants I wanted to eat at while we were in NYC.  First stop was Jack's Wife Frieda.  We all loved it.
The breakfast bowl + Greek Salad.  The breakfast bowl was insane and it came with this avocado jalapeno dressing that was out of this world.  
Grilled Halloumi cheese.  I loved the addition of grapes with the cheese.

That afternoon we shopped and then headed back to shower for dinner.

We had dinner that night at Buddakan.  Matt and I ate there last year when we visited and loved it.  I seriously dream about these edamame dumplings.
This was a cauliflower pop- filled with cheese and wrapped in breadcrumbs.  

The next morning we were up bright and early for Live with Kelly.  My dad won VIP tickets at a silent auction.  
Waiting for the show outside the studio.
I have to say I watch Live with Kelly most days so it was so cool to see it filmed LIVE.
 The guest host was John Leguizamo.  I loved him he was so funny.
We had awesome seats on the third row and during commercials Kelly would walk over and talk to us.  She is even cuter in person and so tiny!!
The two guests were Matt Leblanc and Dakota Fanning.


The girls. 
What I wore:
I bought this sweater during the shopbop sale and it was my favorite purchase.  I am wearing a size small.
After the show we headed to Magnolia Bakery for a small nibble.  I had the sugar cinnamon muffin and it was incredible.

My mom had the caramel cake and it was legit.
We strolled through Central Park.  It is so gorgeous in the Fall.
Then we headed to Fred's at Barney's for lunch.

I loved the atmosphere here.  I had the chopped chicken salad.  This was however probably my least favorite place we ate at.  The food wasn't bad it was just not as good as some of the other places we dined at and pretty pricey.
We shopped a little more and then headed home to change for Happy Hour.  My blouse has the cutest split back.  It runs on the large side, I am wearing a size 2. 
What I wore:
We had happy hour at the Crosby Street Hotel and loved it.  Fun atmosphere and great drinks!


Dinner that night was at Mario Batali's new restaurant La Sirena.  This may have been our favorite dinner.  We loved the decor, atmosphere and the food was incredible.
I loved the tile floors.
We shared four dishes.  The pesto lasagna, ravioli, gnocchi and meat pasta. 
All 4 of us ladies.

Friday it was a rainy day but we ventured out anyways.

I had a meeting at the Baublebar Showroom and got to preview some of the new Holiday collection and trust me it's good!

I especially loved these earrings that are now online.
After that we headed to ABC Kitchen for lunch.  I had heard great things about ABC kitchen and it did not disappoint.  It is all farm to table and I wanted to sample everything on the menu.

We all shared the Squash Toast for appetizer and it was so good! I have plans to recreate this at home!
Then mom and I split the burger and carrot/avocado salad.
 I don't eat burgers often but this one was really good.   It had jalapenos and a delish herb mayo.

My outfit that day:
I ended up not packing my blush Joie sneakers after several people commented the NYC streets would ruin them.  I bought this Ugg pair after seeing my sister's and I think I like them even better than the Joie pair.  I walked miles in them and they were so comfortable.

That night we grabbed drink at The Highline hotel.  Kind of a gothic vibe and super chill.

The bartender made us a tasty drink with vodka, grapefruit, and mint.  
What I wore:
I love this blouse because of the length!  You can even wear it with leggings because it covers your bottom.  I am wearing a XS.
We then headed to dinner at Cookshop. 

 I had the Mezze Platter and it was so good.  It had roasted beets, cauliflower, broccoli rabe, eggplant, and farro.  

These three items were favorites that I packed and I got so much use out of:

This clutch is super flat and easy to pack.  I love the size and the fact that it can hold so much stuff.  This driftwood color is new for Fall and the perfect neutral.  It comes in 10 other color options.
These are so comfortable and the color went with so many of my outfits.  I am now addicted to the casual sneaker.  They are also water resistant which worked out great since I had to wear them in the rain one day.  I went up a 1/2 size in these.  I am normally a 9 and did a 9.5.  They are under $100 too!

I didn't walk miles in these heels but I walked several blocks and they didn't hurt my feet.  The caramel color went with all my outfits. They run TTS.