Chopped Greek Salad

Alot of you asked me to share my daily lunch recipe for my chopped Greek Salad. I have been making small tweaks weekly but this is currently what I think is the perfect combo. I use spinach as my lettuce because I love it and dark greens are so good for you. I have tried it with Romain and it is good as well, so use whatever lettuce you have/like. I have also used white beans if I am out of chickpeas, so make substitutions with what you have. I love the addition of the crumbled pita chips it gives the salad a great crunch.

I added the ingredients of this salad in my "Lose It" app on my iPhone to calculate the calories and it came in right over 400 calories which I think is perfect for a lunch. Trust me I always make a huge salad, so you can eat alot for 400 calories. This is a healthy lunch you don't have to feel guilty eating because you are getting so many fresh vegetables in one serving. Enjoy!

CHOPPED GREEK SALAD
-spinach julienne sliced
-handful chickpeas rinsed
-1 small tomato diced
-diced cucumber
-diced red onion
-diced yellow bell pepper (I usually quarter it so I can use it for 4 salads)
-diced kalamata olives (I always use 7)
-crumbled feta cheese (I think it makes such a difference to buy fresh good feta. I use the kind that comes in water.)
-handful of crumbled pita chips (I prefer Stacy's whole wheat pita chips)

Mix all ingredients together and toss with red wine vinegar dressing. I usually let my salad sit for a minute or two so the dressing gets absorbed and covers everything.

RED WINE VINEGAR DRESSING
-about 1 tablespoon olive oil
-about 1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar
-dash of salt and pepper
Whisk all together. Add more red wine vinegar if needed. I occasionally add in a bit of fresh lemon juice if I have a lemon. I sometimes also add a little chopped fresh dill or parsley to the dressing. Just taste as you make it, I love the red wine vinegar flavor so I use alot of it, but you can definitely do less.

Obsessions

I can not believe July is almost half over already!! Where is the summer going? Here are my weekly obsessions, I should probably add dreaming about cooler weather to the list!

STRIPES
Lately I have been loving stripes. I love to wear them and to decorate with them. I am seriously considering doing stripes when I do Sterling's big boy room.

{via pinterest and marcus design}

NAAN WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
We love this stuff in our household. I make pizzas on it at least once a week. It is so easy to saute some veggies, add pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella, bake for a few minutes and you have a delish healthy pizza. It is also tasty heated with olive oil, salt and pepper dipped in hummus. I buy mine at Harris Teeter because they have the wheat kind but Costco sells big packs of the regular Naan.

KELLY RIPA'S DVF DRESS
Ever since seeing Kelly wear this dress last week on Live with Regis and Kelly I have been obsessed. Love it, sadly it is pretty much sold out every where. I did see this shorter version at Shopbop but I think I love the long version more!

CUPCAKE WINE
I bought a bunch of this wine for my supper club last week and had quite a bit leftover that I have been enjoying. I forgot how tasty this wine is. For the price you can't go wrong. It is $8.99 at the grocery store but at Costco it is only $7.50. I love both the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. They are the perfect summer wine.

KENDRA SCOTT DANIELLE EARRINGS
Ever since Monda (from the Daily Stroll) emailed me the link to these gorgeous earrings, I have been dreaming about them! Problem is I can't decide what color to order them in, they are all gorgeous. I am thinking turquoise or salmon. Her website has fabulous jewelry and if you enter your email address you get 20% off your entire purchase.
www.kendrascott.com



BIRT AND TANG DETOX TEA
I just recently found this tea and love it. I have been drinking it at night to curb my desire to eat dessert. Milk thistle is supposed to be so good for your liver and mine can use all the help it can get.

Monday Eye Candy

I thought it was time to share some Monday eye candy again. All these pretties are images I found on Pinterest, my new obsession besides blogging. You can follow all my pins HERE

Awesome Light fixture and chair

Pink Office perfection

The ideal home bar

Alex's amazing bathroom re-do. Dying over the chevron walls. via

This Starfish mirror is so gorgeous and unique. Would love it in a bathroom.

Painted floors= amazeballs

The perfect wavy hair.

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies. Need I say more? Eat your heart out little Debbie.
You can find the recipe HERE. Happy Monday Lovelies!

Confessions

In the words of Usher "These are my Confessions." I thought it might be fun this Friday to share a few confessions.

I get Redbook in the mail (still have no idea how or why I got a subscription to this magazine) and kind of love it. I am not gonna lie I just read the Brooke Burke issue and it kept me entertained. I always thought of it as an old lady magazine but it totally is not. It had decent fashion, beauty, and recipe stuff in it.

I watch an obscene amount of Reality TV. I mean like really any reality TV show on Bravo I watch it. Thank you Andy Cohen for making me a reality TV whore.


I eat the same thing for lunch everyday unless I am going out to lunch. I make a chopped Greek salad with homemade dressing and crumbled pita chips. I am even known to order a Greek salad when out to lunch too.

My current job obsession is wanting to be a wine rep. I mean what a fabulous job to get to sample wines all day. You all know I love my wine.

I have a thing for blouses. I wear them daily. In the summer with jean shorts, in the fall with skinny jeans. Matt calls it my daily uniform. My blouse collection is out of control but also quite impressive I must say:) A peek of all the blouses in my closet and one of my daily uniform's this week. Anna Sui Blouse and Jbrand shorts.


I go to the grocery store everyday. Seriously, the people that work at Harris Teeter and the Piggly Wiggly here all know me and Sterling. I am such a bad meal planner, I wish I planned my meals out for the week. Instead I decide what I want for that day and hit up the grocery store.

When I was pregnant, I really wanted a girl. I am so girly I didn't know how I would handle all the boy stuff. Now I absolutely love all the boy stuff. I hope I have another boy because now I can't imagine having a girl! I love this little nugget so much and want him to have a brother. I never thought I would say I want two boys but it is true!

So, what are your confessions? I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Addicted

Hello my name is Natalie and I am addicted to virtual shopping. You know, where you fill up your online shopping cart with all the items you want to buy and then debate and debate and never buy them. I love to online shop but now that I am not working and staying at home with my little angel we are on a tight budget (I never liked budgets). I am trying to be responsible which is not fun especially when you love clothes as much as I do. So, it is virtual shopping for me most of the time. Here are a few things that have been sitting in my carts unpurchased.

From Shopbop:
DVF OLVIA DRESS

DVF CARPREENA MINI

REBECCA TAYLOR CARNATION FOREST BLOUSE

TIBI OCELOT LONG DRESS

From Saks
SEE BY CHLOE RUFFLE MINI DRESS

GUCCI LEATHER WALLET

From Net a Porter
MILLY LEAH PRINT MAXI DRESS

TUCKER PRINTED SILK BLOUSE

Please tell I am not the only one that does this! For some reason it makes me feel like the item is mine even though I don't order it. I have found it is better to think on purchases for a few days to determine if you really love the item. Half the time I put the stuff in my cart and go back and say wow, I didn't love that anyways. BTW can you tell I love online shopping for blouses and dresses? They are my two favorite things to buy.

Sausage, Bean and Spinach Dip

I am totally a dip lover, I could easily eat it everyday. I am always excited when I find a new tasty one. I made this dip for the 4th of July and it knocked my socks off. It was so darn good. There were only 4 of us and we seriously almost ate the whole dish. I had saved this recipe out of one of my old Southern Living Magazines. I swear Southern Living never disappoints with their recipes. My picture isn't quite as pretty as Southern Living's but I can assure you it tasted fabulous.



Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip

Ingredients
1 sweet onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 (1-lb.) package hot ground pork sausage
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (6-oz.) package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese
Serve with: Corn chip scoops, red bell pepper strips, pretzel rods

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Cook diced onion and next 2 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid has almost completely evaporated.
2. Add cream cheese, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until cream cheese is melted. Stir in spinach and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Gently stir in beans. Pour mixture into a 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with corn chip scoops, bell pepper strips, and pretzel rods.

Print Recipe HERE

Obsessions

Hope you all had a nice and relaxing 4th of July weekend. We took the boat out, went to a pool party, grilled out with some friends and watched the fireworks, it was a perfect long weekend.

PURPLE + GRAY COLOR COMBO
I am really loving this color combination for interiors which is funny because I am not a huge purple lover. But I love it mixed with subtle gray.

ROCCO DISPIRTO
I have a new chef crush thanks to Bravo. I had heard of Rocco before but didn't know too much about him. I am now hooked on his TV show, Rocco's Dinner Party. He can be kind of an arrogant dick but that makes me like him even more. I think he is so sexy. I have a soft spot for men that know their way around a kitchen.

DANYA DECKER CANDLES
I have a slight obsession with candles. These are my new favorite candles. They have a sleek modern look and smell amazing! They are made with an Eco wood burning wick instead of a regular wick, so they last longer. I have been loving the Yasmin and Tuberose scents.

MILLY BIKINIS
Milly makes some of my favorite bikinis. I am partial to a strapless bikini because I hate a strap tan line. I bought my first Milly bikini 4 years ago right before our honeymoon and I have been hooked ever since. They fit perfectly and look cute. Here is my new favorite.

NARS EYELINER + BRONZER
I have had the hardest time finding an eyeliner that I like. One that is not too thick and goes on smooth. I have tried gel, the flat liner kind you wet, you name it I have tried them all. Oddly enough my new favorite is a good ole black pencil by Nars. It goes on perfectly smooth. Their bronzer is also amaze, it is the perfect color without being too orange.

HOMEMADE RESSES CUPS
Enough said, I am making these this week, even though I am supposed to be on a diet after my binge filled weekend. I can't resist. I love a Reese's Cup and I imagine these are scrumptious.

Get Recipe Here