unBearablyGood

Weekly Clean Eats Cheat Sheet :-)!

2014-03-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's time to clean it up y'all. And I'm not talking about your bathroom or a barbell at the gym, I'm talking about your diet. Through trial and error and feeding myself all kinds of different foods this is the weekly eating template that I've discovered works best for ME. My biggest problem has always been lack of planning when it comes to food. 10 hour work day and no prepared food? Okay I'll just hit the chicfila drive thru and grab something fast. And then feel like crap afterwards. Crap.

So this is what works for ME. It keeps me honest and fueled with clean, healthy food. I lift heavy weights and do some kind of metabolic conditioning 3-5 days a week (aka, I do crossfit) so I need food that keeps me fueled for heavy workouts and feeds tired muscles post sweat sesh.

I encourage you to find what works for you! It may not be this exact plan, but concentrate on whole real foods- read ingredient lists on EVERYTHING. It's insane the crazy ingredients they put into our food these days. If there's an ingredient listed that you don't recognize, pull out your phone and google it. We live in a time with far too much technology for ignorance to be an excuse.

You may have noticed this is for Monday- Friday. On Saturday and Sunday I eat tuna dip and drink wine, and last weekend I had a bacon cheeseburger that was heavenly. That keeps me sane. You could totally do this 7 days a week if you wanted to though. I don't eat a ton of fruit. It's high in sugar. I try to stay low in sugar. That's a personal decision for everyone. Again, I strongly encourage you to educate yourself on what you are putting into your body and how it affects you.

Some notes: I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, microwaved with 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk and 1/2 mashed banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I "hard boil" a bunch of eggs on Sunday and eat them throughout the week. This is the easiest way to prep them: http://unbearablygood.blogspot.com/2012/05/easiest-hard-boiled-eggs-in-oven.html

For my balsamic dressing I just mix together 3 parts evoo to 1 part balsamic vinegar, a squirt of Dijon mustard and some salt & pepper. I put this on my salads and my veggies. This is another great, clean option: http://unbearablygood.blogspot.com/2012/10/easy-mustard-vinaigrette.html
I give options for different types of protein at different meals. Eat what you like. That's clean of course & reasonable. Applegate farms turkey slices are excellent, and pretty much everything else they make if you can find them. Chicken breasts, thighs, tenderloins all great. You can do cuts of fish, shrimp, eggs, Aidell's makes great clean chicken sausages & meatballs. Bunless burgers are a great change-up, my husband eats lots of steak (I'm just not particularly a steak fan) you could do that too. Change it up, don't get bored that will keep you going!

I get the big frozen bags of broccoli that you can steam in the microwave. Easy & fast. You can sub cauliflower or any veggie that you love. When buying frozen veggies ALWAYS READ THE LABELS. They sneak very unnecessary ingredients into some of those veggies. The label should read: broccoli. Nada else.
For my servings of chicken we grill up a bunch on Sunday/Monday and use it throughout the week. This is my fave marinade: http://unbearablygood.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-very-best-everything-marinade.html

Post workout & in my protein pancakes I use this paleo protein and unsweetened almond milk:

We find the protein at GNC. I like the triple chocolate post workout and the almond vanilla in protein pancakes (recipe below the table). Again, when you're buying protein powder READ THE LABELS :-)

For my sweet potatoes: I clean them and dice them into wedges, coat them all liberally with olive oil, season with salt & pepper and roast in a 375 degree oven for 30-45 min or until crispy. For a serving I eat about 3/4 cup of the wedges. You could just bake or microwave a bunch of sweet potatoes and eat those as well. I like to have as much pre-prepared for grab & go meals as possible.

The meal #6 of cottage cheese/ Greek yogurt & jam is the night time treat meal. Also cottage cheese & Greek yogurt contain casein which helps rebuild your muscles while you're sleeping.

****always drink lots of water! I have a cup of coffee in the morning and usually a cup or 2 of hot, unsweetened tea throughout the day. Beyond that, I just drink water. Lots of it. Hydration is key!

Also I try to avoid alcohol during the week. It's just not conducive to a healthy, clean eating lifestyle. Save it for the weekend friends!

Meal	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1	½ C GF oatmeal, 2 eggs (however you like them!) ½ banana or your choice ½ fruit -OR- Protein Pancakes	2 Egg omelet with 2 Cups your choice veggies. I like peppers, spinach, broccoli. Top with 4 Tbs Salsa or 2 Tbs shredded cheese	½ C GF oatmeal, 2 eggs (however you like them!) ½ banana or your choice ½ fruit -OR- Protein Pancakes	2 Egg omelet with 2 Cups your choice veggies. I like peppers, spinach, broccoli. Top with 4 Tbs Salsa or 2 Tbs shredded cheese	½ C GF oatmeal, 2 eggs (however you like them!) ½ banana or your choice ½ fruit -OR- Protein Pancakes
2	1 hardboiled egg (or 1 clean sausage or 3 slices turkey- a small serving of protein!) & a small handful of unsalted almonds (or choice of nut)	1 Banana or choice of 1 serving of fruit & small handful of unsalted almonds or choice of nut!	1 hardboiled egg (or 1 clean sausage or 3 slices turkey- a small serving of protein!) & a small handful of unsalted almonds (or choice of nut)	1 Banana or choice of 1 serving of fruit & small handful of unsalted almonds or choice of nut!	1 hardboiled egg (or 1 clean sausage or 3 slices turkey- a small serving of protein!) & a small handful of unsalted almonds (or choice of nut)
3	Salad with 6 oz chicken (or choice of protein: turkey, tuna, etc), 2 cups lettuce (I like Spring Mix), small diced tomato, 1 diced hardboiled egg, ½ avocado, & balsamic vinaigrette	6 oz chicken (or choice of protein) 1 cup cooked broccoli (or cauliflower), & 1 small sweet potato (I like to top my chicken & broccoli with balsamic vinaigrette!)	Salad with 6 oz chicken (or choice of protein: turkey, tuna, etc), 2 cups lettuce (I like Spring Mix), small diced tomato, 1 diced hardboiled egg, ½ avocado, & balsamic vinaigrette	6 oz chicken (or choice of protein) 1 cup cooked broccoli (or cauliflower), & 1 small sweet potato (I like to top my chicken & broccoli with balsamic vinaigrette!)	Salad with 6 oz chicken (or choice of protein: turkey, tuna, etc), 2 cups lettuce (I like Spring Mix), small diced tomato, 1 diced hardboiled egg, ½ avocado, & balsamic vinaigrette
4	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese	1 scoop protein powder, 8 oz unsweetened almond milk **workout days only, post workout shake. If not a workout day sub 1 hardboiled egg (or small serving protein) & string cheese
5	6 oz chicken (or fish or choice protein) 1 Cup cooked broccoli 1 Small Sweet Potato	6 oz. Fish (or choice protein) 2 Cups choice of cooked veggies	6 oz chicken (or fish or choice protein) 1 Cup cooked broccoli 1 Small Sweet Potato	6 oz. Fish (or choice protein) 2 Cups choice of cooked veggies	6 oz chicken (or fish or choice protein) 1 Cup cooked broccoli 1 Small Sweet Potato
6	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in	½ Cup cottage cheese or unflavored., unsweetened Greek Yogurt with 1 Tbs All Fruit Jam ( I like Polaner) mixed in

Protein Pancakes Recipe:

These are a quick morning fix that are high in protein, low in carbs and will fuel you all morning long. Also, they're freaking delicious. You can eat them plain on the run, top with a smidge of almond butter or real butter or a small amount of 100% pure maple syrup.

Ingredients:

1/2 banana (the riper, the sweeter your pancakes will be)

1 Egg

1 Scoop Protein Powder (I Like Vanilla- Almond "Paleo Protein)

2 Tbs unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbs Ground Flax Seed (or meal)

Mash your banana in a bowl, whisk in your egg, protein powder, milk, Cinnamon, & flax seed until well mixed. Heat a skillet on medium- high heat and melt some real butter in the pan, cook in small batches, 1-2 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

SO that's all I've got for now. I'm sure I missed some stuff. Ask away! Let's do this y'all. Let's clean up our diets and do work in the gym :-)

Sunday Supper- Spaghetti Squash!

2014-03-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday friends! Did y'all have a good weekend? I did, but I feel like it was far too short! How can the 5 week days feel so incredibly long and the 2 weekend days just fly right by?!

Have you ever had spaghetti squash before? When I began to really start educating myself on what I eat and how the food I put into my body affects me, I quickly understood that standard noodles just weren't doing anything for me. Well, anything good anyway. I grew up a pasta girl, and I really like pasta! Spaghetti noodles with a hearty meat sauce & a good sprinkle of Parmesan cheese is one of my favorite meals. So when I decided to cut processed grains from my diet (or at least try to avoid them most of the time) I really hoped to find a good replacement for my beloved pasta dish. Spaghetti squash came up quite a bit on recipe blogs, in recipe books, and in any general Pinterest search. I was extremely skeptical, squash instead of noodles? Eh, I don't know about that. But it works. It really does. The great thing about spaghetti squash is that the taste is extremely mild, like a plain noodle would be, so when topped with a hearty meat sauce you almost forget that you're eating super healthy squash & not pasta! :-) And my husband LOVES this dish. He asks for it all the time, our grocery store does not always carry spaghetti squash in store and he's always super sad when I tell him no spaghetti squash that week.

Bonus, aside from the task of chopping the squash up this recipe is EXTREMELY EASY. We love that. Make sure you use a sharp knife and you'll need a little arm power- these gourds can be a bit tough to cut through but the work is worth it!

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small spaghetti squashes

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Your favorite spaghetti sauce, I used organic ground beef & bottled Glen Muir tomato sauce

Step 1: preheat oven to 375 degrees. I generally use 1 large spaghetti squash but I couldn't find a good one today, so I went with these 2 smaller guys.

Step 2: cut off the tops and bottoms of the squashes:

Step 3: cut the squash in half longways like so:

Step 4: scoop out the seeds & pulp & throw those bad boys away:

Step 5: line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Liberally coat both sides of the squash with olive oil. I just use my hands to make sure the oil gets in every nook & cranny.

Step 6: season rind side of squash liberally with salt & pepper.

Step 7: roast rind side DOWN for 30-40 minutes.

Step 8: while your squash is roasting go ahead and make your fave sauce. All I do is brown a lb of ground beef and then add a jar of spaghetti sauce:

Step 9: when your squash halves are done roasting it's time to scrape out your "noodles"! Place a squash half in an oven mitted hand, using a fork just scrape out the insides into a bowl.

The squash will come out very easily and look a little like this:

Top with your favorite meat sauce or butter & cheese or whatever you think sounds good!

Enjoy!

Sunday Supper- Bang Bang Shrimp!

2014-03-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday friends! Did y'all have a good weekend? We sure did. I'm super excited to share this recipe with you- it's pretty much our favorite thing ever. Have you ever had the bang bang shrimp appetizer at Bonefish? If you have, you know the addictive greatness of the sweet & spicy fried shrimp dish. If you have not, you need to make this ASAP and introduce yourself. If you're not a shrimp fan you can very easily sub chicken (and we do use chicken in this same recipe frequently!). Just dice the chicken into about 1 inch pieces, about the size of a small piece of shrimp, and follow the directions below!

Just so we're all clear, this is not a "healthy" or necessarily "clean" dish. I do try to use the best ingredients available, but this is a weekend meal for us. During the week I try to eat super clean, lift heavy weights, drink lots of water, etc etc. Therefore on the weekends I let myself have some allowances; wine, fried shrimp, pancakes, etc. Everything in moderation and with a plan friends! Also I'm going to share my weekly clean eating plan tomorrow so lookout for that.

But for TODAY we have fried shrimp in a creamy sweet & spicy sauce that is to-die-for. Make this. ASAP! Trust me.

Ingredients:

1 lb (ish could be a lil more or less) peeled & deveined uncooked shrimp (or chicken, diced)

2 eggs

1- 1 1/2 cups cornstarch

Extra virgin olive oil (enough to fill a skillet, about an inch deep)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

1 tbsp (more or less, depending on how spicy you want your dish!) Sriracha chili sauce

Spring mix

Green onions to garnish

Step 1: heat olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Make a battering station for the shrimp. Whisk the eggs with about 1/4 c water, that will be station 1. Station 2 is the corn starch followed by the skillet.

Step 2: When the oil is hot & ready (you can check by dropping a wood spoon in, the oil around the spoon will bubble) drop the shrimp pieces individually into the egg mixture, then the corn starch to coat, then into the oil.

Step 3: I cook about 15 pieces of shrimp per round (usually takes me about 3 rounds to cook all the shrimp) you don't want to over- fill the pan or it will drop the temperature of the oil. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

Step 4: while you are frying up the shrimp you can go ahead and make the sauce. In a small bowl combine the mayo, sweet chili sauce, & Sriracha, whisk together until smooth. You can add more or less Sriracha to your preference. We like it spicy, but not overly so! I use this organic mayonnaise, it's not perfect but it's better than most on the grocery shelf. Read your labels people!

Step 5: When your shrimp is ready toss it into a big bowl, pour the sauce over top and stir until all the shrimp is evenly coated. Serve over spring mix and garnish with green onions on top!

This recipe makes enough to feed my VERY hungry husband, me, & leaves a leftover serving for his lunch the next day.

I'm Baaaaaack!

2014-03-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! So I took a bit of a blogging hiatus last year. Things were changing in my life, we had just moved down south to Panama City, FL, I got a new job, adjusting to new schedules & just a new life in general! So I put the blog on the backburner always intending to come back to it at some point but that point never really came. Recently I've been thinking a lot about writing and I have things to say SO I decided to come back & blog again but in a new manner. Same blog, new stuff. Still going to post recipes- they won't all be 100% paleo or 100% clean (Nobody's perfect- Miley Cyrus voice) but they will all be 100% delicious. Still going to post DIY projects when I do them. Going to post about my workouts & hopefully get my husband (who is now a level 1 certified Crossfit coach) to guest post some movement articles! I'm just really going to post & share whatever I feel like. Would that be alright? Well, it's my blog so I guess it will ;-)

What is Crossfit? & a few Workouts to Try @ Home :)

2013-04-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! TGIF folks :) I told y'all earlier in the week I would be sharing something random on Friday's, whatever's on my mind, and today that is Crossfit. What is Crossfit? I get this question all the time and it's kind of convoluted answer. (I know my mom just read that and fist pumped for the word "convoluted" btw, great word;)) In very basic terms Crossfit is a strength and conditioning program. Usually in a Crossfit- style workout there is a warm-up, a strength portion (some kind of weightlifting) and then an interval style cardio workout (Like a high intensity interval training kinda thing). I've been doing Crossfit since September of last year and I'm into it. I wanted to share with you my little story of how it came about and what I love about it now! {Warning this post gets kinda long, sorry I have a story to tell y'all!}

Now here's the thing about me. I'm lazy. I like to watch shows on Bravo and bake things and working out has never ever been my thing. I know that staying active is important, I've just always loathed it. I've done the standard gym thing before, I was a member of a YMCA. I would go in and do the elliptical for a while and then try some of the machines, I really had no clue what I was doing and didn't really feel like it was doing anything for me honestly. I tried the Zumba classes and they were fun but I never got hooked enough to do it regularly. I've tried to go jogging and be a "runner" but that's just really not in the cards for me, and when you're doing solo running it's really hard to hold yourself accountable to stick with it! I just resigned myself to the fact that I'm not an "active person" and I was okay with it. I made little jokes about myself "um I don't work out" "I don't like sweating, ew" and I just decided that was the way it was. My husband on the other hand is super active and started Crossfit about 3 years ago. He is in incredible shape and people are constantly asking for his advice on working out. It was always awkward for me, "Hey here's my super fit husband, he works out like crazy. Me? No, I don't work out. I'm cool" Whomp whomp. He would try to get me to go to the gym with him but I just felt like he was way far ahead of me and I was so out of shape that I could never keep up and I would just be a burden. Fast forward to last summer when he was deployed overseas and I was staying with my mom in Jacksonville for the summer. Our anniversary rolled around in September and I was stuck on what to give a man who is in the desert. Sending him a nice watch would obviously be pointless, new clothes were no good, any material items would be totally out of place in his situation. I thought about it and decided I needed to make a grand gesture. I'm actually pretty good at those, I'm a dramatic person by nature. :) Lo and behold there was a Groupon type deal for a local crossfit gym I came across online. Obviously it was written in the stars, I would do Crossfit, take pictures, and send them to him for his anniversary present. I told my mom my idea and she was super excited, she even offered to go with me and try it out as well! She's really the best :) We signed up for class and I didn't say anything to Nick about it, I wanted it to be a surprise!

The first day we showed to the gym we were TERRIFIED. I seriously could have walked away right there. You have to understand I hadn't worked out in probably 3 years and when we walked in people were lifting heavy weights, flipping around on rings, doing pull-ups, running, tossing medicine balls onto a wall, using a crazy rowing machine, jumping on boxes, it all looked so intimidating to me! I'm actually getting anxiety right now thinking about the way I felt walking into the gym that day! One of the coaches came up to us and introduced herself, she was so nice and immediately made me feel a little better. A little. I was still horrified. She took us through all the different equipment and gave us a little introduction to the gym and then showed us the workout we would try that day. It was a base-line workout just to use as a point of reference so the coaches could know where we were physically. This was the workout:

500 M row (on the rowing machine)
40 Air Squats
30 Sit- Ups
20 Push- Ups
10 Pull- Ups
For Time (Meaning do it as fast as possible)

Sounds easy enough right? OMG I thought I was going to DIE. Literally have a heart attack right there. I got through everything and was more exhausted than I had ever been in my life. It was actually pretty embarrassing, my mom beat me in the workout and I was a 24 year old in terrible shape, dying on the ground post workout. We took a picture of me with the sign to send to my husband that night:

Do I look exhausted?! I was dead. I sent the picture to my hubby that night and said "Happy Anniversary! Here's your present!" It was on Facebook chat and it took him a moment to respond. He was in SHOCK. This was probably the exact opposite thing he imagined I would be doing. He told me he cried a couple happy tears and it was the best gift he had ever received. Grand gesture, check.

Now I had one session down and I was scared as heck to go back. In my mind I would NEVER be able to do the things I saw other people doing in the gym that day. I was weak, out of shape, and SCARED. Luckily I had already paid for 10 sessions and the cheapness in me outweighs the laziness so 2 days later my mother and I took our butts back to the Crossfit gym for our first real workout. I learned that day a lesson that I would continue learning over the weeks I spent in that gym, I could do MUCH MORE than I thought I could. I was out-of-shape, weak, and slow but I could do the same things that everybody else was doing- maybe less reps or less weight or at a slower pace but I could DO IT. Some days were exhilarating as I lifted much more weight than I thought my weak arms could handle, and some days were extremely frustrating as I realized how poorly I had treated myself in the past years. I laughed during some workouts because they were fun and I cried out of frustration in one too. But I never quit, I continued to push myself and felt good about something I was doing for the first time in awhile. The coaches were AMAZING they never let me quit on myself or undermine my worth. They taught me the correct way to do things and encouraged me during every workout. If I didn't show up one day, everyone in the gym would give me hell the next time I came- "um where were you?!". It's a community, a little family! It motivates you to keep going back and it becomes a routine. My mom was KICKING BUTT also, which was a huge motivator to me- I couldn't let my mom be better than me! But she usually was. And I'm okay with that. I've learned that Crossfit is competitive, but not with everyone else- I'm much more competitive with myself. I want to lift more than I did last time, I want to run faster, jump higher, be more efficient.

Crossfit has changed me. I'm so not the same person. I now would definitely consider myself an "active person" and when I went to my check-up at the doctor last week I gladly checked that box. I feel better about myself than I have in years but it's not just because I'm different physically, I just feel STRONG. Feeling strong is an AMAZING feeling. I highly recommend it. It's better than feeling skinny or pretty, those things can come naturally- I WORK to feel strong.

Currently I workout 4-5 days a week. I try to be on a "3 on 1 off" schedule- workout 3 days, rest 1. Some days I can't wait to workout (weird!) and other days I dread it. I always feel better afterwards though. I have a great group of guys and gals I work out with regularly and we all keep each other moving. Like I said, it's a community. It's not like a regular gym where everybody is doing their own thing and no one gives a hoot what you're doing, EVERYONE is rooting for you, everyone is there to help you. My mom is a full-time member of the gym we originally started at- Bold City Crossfit in Jacksonville, FL. I HIGHLY recommend you look them up if you're in the area, they are awesome! I don't know if I started somewhere else if I'd still be doing this well. Check them out here {www.boldcitycrossfit.com}

I did this the other day:

Handstands and power cleans. Yeah, we do handstands- how fun is that?! And power cleans, who am I Arnold Schwarzenegger? I kinda feel like him when I do them, I feel like a beast! But I can do stuff like that now, things I NEVER thought this self professed "No upper body strength" girl could ever do. If you're interested in Crossfit I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you look into joining a Crossfit Affiliate. A lot of the maneuvers, especially the olympic weightlifting stuff- you need a coach for. They are very technical and can be dangerous if done incorrectly! There's just no better environment than a Crossfit gym. The coaches, the members, it's just SO different from any gym you've ever been to. In a GOOD way. If you want to find a gym near you (they're EVERYWHERE, I guarantee there's one near by:)) go to http://www.crossfit.com/ and check out the "affiliate map" Most gyms do a free introductory class or have a free open gym on Saturdays so you can go get a feel for the environment before you join. DO IT! It's fun. :)

AND If you'd like to try some "Crossfit- style" workouts at home with zero equipment to see what all the fuss is about here's a couple:

Workout 1:
4 Rounds for Time (Complete as fast as possible!)
Run 400M (a 1/4 Mile)
50 Air Squats

Workout 2: (This one is BRUTAL we did a couple weeks ago)
50-40-30-20-10-20-30-40-50 (9 rounds, 50 reps 1st rd, 40 second round, 30 3rd rd etc..)
Jump Rope (double unders if you have them)
Sit ups

Workout 3:
On the Minute Every Minute for 12 Minutes complete:
3 Broad Jumps (jump forward as far as you can)
Sprint 30 yards
(IE: Minute 1: 3 broad jumps, sprint 30 yds then rest until min 2)

So that's just a sample... if you want to get into the really good stuff you need to go to a Crossfit gym. I could go on and on about it, but you should really just try it :) AND I want to thank my lovely hubby for introducing me to the world of Crossfit and for my fabulously inspiring mom for joining me in the journey :)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Sweet Little Bar Cart Facelift

2013-04-17T08:04:00.002-07:00

What I'm Working on Wednesday :) Technically, this is a What I've Worked on Wednesday because I finished this bar cart about 2 weeks ago, but I'm still catching up! This sweet little bar cart is probably my favorite project I've worked on thus far in 2013. You see, ever since I saw this blog post last year: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/11/elsies-restyled-cocktail-cart.html I have been on the hunt for a cart of my own. I looked high and low, but didn't come across much. Then I was browsing a Goodwill store out at the beach one day when I spotted this little cart hiding in the corner!

She was a little dirty and missing the piece of glass in the bottom of the cart but I knew I could save her! $11 later she was packed up in the back of my car and I was headed home giddy as can be over my new buy! Luckily for me I have a bunch of different sized glass pieces I've collected from past projects and I had one that slid perfectly into the bottom of the cart. I used some all purpose cleaner on a microfiber towel to clean the cart all over. Next up was a fresh coat of paint. My house is decorated in a beachy cottage style feel so I opted for a beachy blue color! Lately I've been OBSESSED with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for about a million different reasons , the main one being it's ease and versatility. You see chalk paint is different than traditional paint because it's not oil based or water based, it's chalk based and therefore adheres very easily to pretty much any surface. No priming or sanding needed, just wipe down your piece and paint. I've used Chalk Paint on several different wood based projects with great success and even painted a couple of mason jars that came out beautifully but had yet to use it on a metal piece like this cart. Typically I would go the spray paint route, start with an even layer of primer (my fave being Kilz) let that dry and then another 2 layers of my color of choice and maybe finish with a coat of poly or wax, but I decided to try my magic Chalk Paint this time. I chose the color "Duck Egg Blue" loaded up my fave paint brush (Purdy) and got to painting. The paint adhered fabulously and after 2 even coats I was over the moon with the results!

You like?! It reminds of something Don Draper would have at his beach house. That idea makes me happy. Here's a side by side so you can get the whole reveal:

Whadda ya think? I loveeeeeeeeeeeee it.

If you wanna check out Annie Sloan chalk paint just check out their website: http://www.anniesloan.com/ you can find a retailer near you and discover the magic! Just make sure it's actually near you and you don't end up driving an hour and half on accident like I did. That's a story for another day.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! I'm headed out thrifting now :)

Spinach & Beef Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!

2013-04-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon friends :) How's everybody's Monday going? Good I hope :) We have been super crazy busy over here, I've been meaning to post this recipe for about a week now but life just got the best of me! It's GOOD crazy busy though! My husband found out last week that he passed his promotion test and I am now a proud wife of a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force!

My hubby (on the right) accepting his promotion! Whoo!

How cute is he?! Proud wifey over here! Plus I've been super busy painting pretty little things for my shop, you can keep up with those things over at Brittany's Beachy Chic Creations!

So I've decided to set myself a little blogging schedule to keep me on track here and with my other projects as well! Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays will bring new blog posts. Mondays will be "New Meal Mondays" - a new recipe, Wednesdays will be "What I'm Working on Wednesday" and I'll share the details of my latest DIY projects, and Friday will just be whatever I feel like sharing. I've even set little reminders on my phone, it's gonna ring at noon Mon, Wed, & Fri and tell me to get my butt blogging. Done & Done.

Alright so I swear this blog post is actually about a stuffed sweet potato.

If you know anything about my husband and I at all you know that we are OBSESSED with sweet potatoes. We probably eat them with dinner at least 4 times a week. Excessive? Maybe. But they taste great, they're super good for you, and they're so simple to cook! The brilliance of this whole meal is that it comes together lickety split and the flavors just taste good together. And it's REALLY SUPER GOOD FOR YOU! I love this meal post workout because I can just throw the sweet potatoes in the oven to bake while I'm in the shower and then cook up the beef and spinach when I get out and throw them together quickly. Done. Delicious. :)

Ingredients:
2 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (divided)
1 LB. Lean Ground Beef
2 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
3 Cups Baby Spinach
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake your sweet potatoes about 45 minutes or until they're cooked through, this will depend on the size your potatoes! You can also microwave first to speed up the process:)

Step 2: In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp olive oil, add ground beef and cook through. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and mix well. Drain beef and set aside.

Step 3: In same skillet heat 1 more Tbsp olive oil and add spinach. Season with garlic powder, salt, & pepper and cook until wilted.

Step 4: Set up a little mixing station with your spinach, beef, and potatoes.

Step 5: Cut open sweet potato and flatten with a fork to make lot of space for stuffing.

Step 6: Top sweet potato with half of the spinach mixture.

Step 7: Top with ground beef mixture.

Step 8: Use your fork to mix the sweet potato, spinach, and beef all together so you get a little bit of everything in every bite!

ENJOY :)

3 Ingredient Amazingly Easy Chicken

2013-03-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon friends! Sorry I've been so M.I.A lately, I've been busy like a bee! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Busy is good though so I'm not gonna complain. I've showed y'all a few of my fun furniture projects in the past, and I was finally encouraged to turn those projects into a little business! I started "Brittany's Beachy Chic Creations" and you can check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittanys-Beachy-Chic-Creations/131417927037113. I've had so much fun doing this and it's really exciting when people love something that's so personal to you. AND I even have a new chicken recipe for ya today. WHOOP WHOOP! This chicken is awesome. And it might be the easiest thing you've ever made. Like, ever. Here's what's involved:

And a little salt & pepper. Yep, that's it. No marinating, no real prep just a little sauce and bake those chickens up. This is perfect for after a workout when I get home and I'm exhausted and starving, I don't want to exert any real effort but I want to stuff my face with clean protein. Wham bam thank you ma'am. Don't believe the deliciousness I'm promising? I got the recipe here: http://rachelschultz.com/2012/07/11/worlds-best-chicken/ and she calls it the "WORLD'S BEST CHICKEN". I don't know if I think it's totally the "world's best", but it's DEFINITELY the best thing that's ever happened in so little time.

Oh and one more note, I've tried this recipe with 3 different versions of mustard. The BEST one is with Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard. I don't know why but when I used yellow mustard and sweet- hot mustard the chicken just wasn't that good. So make sure it's Gulden's or something exactly like it...

Ingredients:
1 Package Chicken Breasts (I use the "sliced thin" kind because they cook faster)
1/2 Cup Spicy Brown Mustard
1/4 Cup 100% Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl whisk together mustard, syrup, and vinegar.

Step 2: Salt & pepper you chicken breasts liberally.

Step 3: Place your chicken in a ziploc bag and pour your sauce over to coat completely. I let my chicken hang out in the sauce while I'm prepping the side dish, but you can skip and go ahead and bake them if you want- I just like to let them soak up all the flavor they can.

Step 4: Place your chicken in an even row on a baking sheet and pour any excess sauce over top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (this will depend on the thickness of your chicken!)

Enjoy!

Paleo Cinnamon Roll Pancakes!

2013-03-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

Today, we're talking pancakes. I LOVE pancakes. They're quick, easy, and delicious. I love these pancakes because they taste like a cinnamon roll, minus the sugar crash and guilty feeling afterward. Also they make your whole house smell like cinammon-y heaven. Score.

I added some chopped walnuts to this batch because I like nutty pancakes, but you can totally skip those and achieve the same cinnamon roll goodness. Make sure to top with 100% maple syrup (none of that fake high fructose stuff!) and some protein on the side. Perfect Saturday morning breakfast for the whole family!

Ingredients:
4 Eggs
1 Cup Almond Milk
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Honey
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)
2 Tbsp. Butter or Coconut Oil

Step 1: Whisk your eggs together for a couple of minutes until bright yellow and frothy. We wanna incorporate air to keep the pancakes light & fluffy!

Step 2: Add almond milk, vanilla, honey, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to your eggs and whisk together until combined.

Step 3: If you're adding nuts fold them into your batter now.

Step 4: Warm a non-stick skillet or griddle on medium-high heat and melt butter or coconut oil on the skillet.

I used fresh grass-fed butter for super cinnamon roll-y taste!

Step 5: Ladle batter by about 1/4 cup onto skillet to form pancakes. Let cook 1-2 minutes until browned around the edges and bubbling, then flip and cook through.

Stack high, pour on some maple syrup & enjoy! Yum!

A Beachy Striped Coffee Table & An Almost Awkward Situation

2013-03-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! I hope you're not lagging because it's the first day of the week! Here to perk you up: a picture of this beautiful table I painted!

Isn't she pretty?! She didn't start out that way. In fact, she was a rescue! Here's where the almost awkward situation comes in...

A couple of weeks ago a fellow Air Force wife on base posted on Facebook that she was tossing a coffee table and some end tables out on her curb and they were up for grabs. I headed out to check the tables out because we were currently looking to put a coffee table in the guest room to create a "man cave" and we needed side tables for our bedroom. What I found when I arrived were 3 tables in very good shape, just in need of a little facelift!

The Tables

The Coffee Table "Before"

I scrubbed the tables up really good and cleaned out all of the little crevices then gave them a quick sanding. Then I primed them all, I love Kilz spray on primer the original kind. It is so easy, dries quickly, and covers every little thing. I use it on everything. Then I gave the tables about 2 coats of an antique white color I got from Home Depot and let them dry overnight. The next day I distressed them all and the side tables were finished!

I used painter's tape on the top of the coffee table to tape off some stripes and painted them a turquoise-y color I got a little sample pot of from Ace Hardware. After the stripes dried I sprayed on a coat of MinWax to seal in the paint job and also for easy clean-up. Coffee tables are a high traffic area and need to be easily cleanable! I was super happy with the end product.

Oh wait, are you asking yourself where the awkward part comes in? Right, here goes. So after the paint dried and I had obsessed over the tables enough (I was really, really in love with them!) I came to the realization that we really didn't need them. I'm already seeing that a "man cave" isn't going to happen, we have enough guests coming this month and planning to come in the future that we are going to need 2 full-time guest rooms. Unfortunately you only need 1 coffee table per house pretty much and ours is only 2 months old, so replacing that wasn't really an option. So I decided to put the table set up for sale. I calculated my time spent on the tables along with the cost of products used and came up with a reasonable price. Even though the tables were Free, my time and the paint are not! I listed them on Craigslist and on a few local "for sale" Facebook pages. The tables garnered interested buyers almost immediately and I felt so proud that people really liked my tables!! One very interested buyer's name stood out to me, and I couldn't figure out why. I thought about it and realized... she was the same person who threw the tables out originally! ...Awkward. I sent her a text to let her know that she was more than welcome to purchase the tables from me but she should be aware that they are her old tables, just painted bright and pretty! I was nervous, was she going to be mad?! Would she think I just took the tables to paint and make a profit?! Did I look like a total jerk?! I waited anxiously for her to reply. Her response? "WOW! You are amazing!! I would never have thought to do that!" Siiiiiiigh of relief. Turns out she STILL wanted to buy the tables and came by the next day to pick them up. She was so gracious and complimentary of my work and I realized I didn't have anything to be nervous about in the first place. Now the tables have a new (old) home and very happy owners and I feel kinda crazy good about my artistry! Whoo! And in case you didn't get enough stripe-y table goodness here's a couple more pictures:

Have a good week everybody!

The Salty Chihuahua!

2013-03-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

Happy March Everybody! I love March because it means Spring is coming! I am so, so ready for my first Florida Panhandle Spring. Lounging in the sunshine, reading a good book, drinking a sweet cocktail... umm yes I'm ready. I was browsing Pinterest aimlessly the other day like I do and I came across the prettiest pink drink- attention captured immediately, and then the title- "The Salty Chihuahua". EXCUSE ME?! Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a tiny chihuahua named Bo who runs my house. He is evil and wonderful all the same time. 2.5 pounds of furry love. So I knew I would be making this drink, regardless of ingredients, it was going to happen. I followed the link to the recipe and lo and behold it was a fitness magazine (http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/recipecomdetail.jsp?recipeId=25124278) and a low calorie drink! I'm always looking for those.

Not only is this drink beautiful, sweet, yummy, and named after a chihuahua it is ALSO under 200 calories. I think I've officially found my summer drink. Don't be scared off by the tequila, this drink is delicious. It tastes like something they bring you with a little umbrella in it :) And because of the name I had to do this...

That's my chihuahua and The Salty Chihuahua. Bo was less than thrilled about posing...

Ingredients: (for 1 drink)
3 oz. Tequila
1.5 oz. Orange Liqueur
7.5 oz. Grapefruit Juice

If desired salt the edge of your rim with kosher salt (that's where the Salty part comes in...) Fill your cup with ice, pour all ingredients over top and mix well. Garnish with lemon, lime, or grapefruit slices!

I thought my Margaritaville cup was very fitting...

I had a lot of fun taking pictures of these drinks... can you tell?!

And because it's his namesake, here's some gratuitous pictures of my little man:

Posing in the leaves in Little Rock

Lounging on the beach!

Keeping warm in my hubby's hoodie

We were feeling the love on Valentine's Day!

They make the most handsome pair, don't they?! And yes that's a polo doggie shirt, and he popped his collar. He's a diva.

Cheers! Enjoy your weekend :)

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken!

2013-02-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon friends! How is everyone's February going? We just had about 4 days of rain, storms, and cold weather- then today it's sunny, beautiful, and about 70 degrees. Gotta love Florida weather. I'm just so grateful for the sunshine today! The constant rain was making me so lazy! It's just hard to feel productive when the view outside is so dreary. Slow cooker meals are my fave for a rainy day, because they do all the work for you! So you can grab your snuggie and your puppy (or kitty) and catch up on your DVR. Or you know do something productive if you're more motivated than I.

I saw a recipe on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago for a crockpot salsa chicken, and it sounded so yummy! The only issue I had with it was that it included cream of chicken soup and some other kinda sketch ingredients. So I said to myself, let's clean this up a bit and make a meal out of it. Turns out Chicken + Organic salsa + Rotel + slow cooker= DELICIOUSNESS. You don't need anything else. If you want to make it even CLEANER, in place of the salsa and rotel just chop some tomatoes, peppers, and onions. That's essentially what's in there anyways. Make sure to add some seasoning too, of course.

Ingredients:
About 2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar Your Fave Salsa
1 Can Rotel (Tomatoes & Chiles)
1 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning (mine is here)

Step 1: Place your chicken in the crock of your slow cooker in an even layer.

Step 2: Pour the salsa and rotel over the chicken and top with the taco seasoning.

Step 3: Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Step 4: Pull your chicken breasts out and shred with 2 forks, OR if you have a stand mixer toss your chicken in the bowl and use the paddle attachment on 1 or 2 for 30 seconds to get the perfect shred with zero work. (TOLD YOU I WAS LAZY!)

Perfectly shredded chicken, every time!

Step 5: Put your shredded chicken back into the salsa sauce and stir to coat completely. Put slow cooker on "warm" and let the chicken soak up the sauce while you set up your taco bar. Or salad bar. Or however you wanna eat this chicken...

Our Taco Bar! Avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, & Lettuce

ENJOY! We used low-carb tortillas to make to make tacos, but this chicken is great over a salad or wrapped up in lettuce for a carb-less taco! Yum!

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef & Broccoli!

2013-02-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

I've got a good one for y'all today! This is probably my hubby's FAVORITE dinner. Which makes me super happy, because it is sooo easy! The crockpot does all the work for you, you just chop the steak & veggies. It's like takeout Chinese that's waiting for you when you get home. Minus the MSG. And way cheaper. Skirt steak/flank steak is SO CHEAP! I bought the particular one in this post at the commissary for $3.50. The ENTIRE meal ran me less than $5. 2 servings. <$2.50 a piece. Can you beat that at the local Chinese food joint? I DON'T THINK SO.

Pretty right?! Okay I'm done talking- you need this recipe. Now.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Skirt steak or Flank steak
1/4 Cup Corn Starch
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Hoisin Sauce (find in the Asian food aisle, next to Soy Sauce)
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Fresh or Frozen Broccoli

Step 1: Cut your steak into strips.

Step 2: Place your steak strips into a gallon sized ziploc bag. Pour corn starch over the steak and toss to coat. Let rest, & make the sauce while the steak is resting.

Not the clearest picture, but that's the steak in the bag coated in corn starch. Promise.

Step 3: In a medium sized bowl whisk together garlic, soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, & brown sugar.

Step 4: Place your steak strips in the crock of your slow cooker, pour sauce over top.

Place top on slow cooker & cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. When you're about 20 minutes away from eating toss in some broccoli. Stir to combine everything, replace top and let cook an additional 20-30 minutes on low. EAT.

Enjoy :-)

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon!

2013-02-15T08:41:00.002-08:00

Happy Friday everybody! Did you have a super lovely Valentine's Day?! I really think the whole day is blown out of proportion, honestly. No- I'm not one of those anti- V-Day people ranting on Facebook all day about the "Hallmark Holiday" I LOVE love. I just think it puts a lot of pressure on people. The roses and chocolate and teddy bears and expensive dinners- oh my! I just don't like it when it becomes all about the material things. Sure, when we were in high school I loved when my hubbs (boyfriend at the time!) brought me the giant teddy bear and roses so I could show off to all my of friends- because that was HIGH SCHOOL. Nowadays Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are like a High School hallway everyone showing off their goods! We went for a super low-key holiday, I told my boo I would cook him a great dinner and he should bring the champagne and chocolate (chocolate is non-negotiable!). We watched The Silver Linings Playbook which was a great movie and I cooked this:

Bacon. Wrapped. Filet. Mignon. So fancy right?! SO EASY! Seriously one of the easiest meals I've ever made, but it's so impressive! I know Valentine's Day is over, but the next time you really want to knock the socks off of your sweetheart I recommend this steak. They will think you are a gourmet chef- but you will know it was super simple. And most importantly, DELICIOUS.

Let's talk about the filets for a minute. Picking out a good cut of meat isn't an easy task. I was super lucky and received this little package from one of my FAVE companies Certified Steak & Seafood last week:

That's filet Mignon and Chilean sea bass. Um, yum. What's so great about Certified Steak & Seafood? Here's the 411: They used to deliver exclusively to high end fancy schmancy restaurants but have recently begun shipping to regular 'ol Joes like you & I! They have high quality cuts of beef & uhhh-mazing seafood. See those cuts of fish?! GORGEOUS. Check them out at www.certifiedsteakandseafood.com and right now (valid through Feb. 28, 2013!) if you use the code FBR125D you'll get $25 off your order! Winning! I liked to follow them on their Facebook page too (https://www.facebook.com/certifiedsteak?ref=ts&fref=ts) because they're always posting discounts and contests! Alright now let's get to it...

Ingredients:
2 Filet Mignon
2 Tbsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Slices Bacon

Step 1: Season both sides of the filets with Montreal Steak Seasoning (or your fave steak seasoning):

Step 2: Place steaks in a gallon sized ziploc bag and add olive oil and soy sauce. Toss to coat and let marinate for at least an hour:

Step 3: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a cast iron skillet (or a heavy bottomed skillet of choice) heat olive oil on medium- high heat:

Step 4: While oil is heating up wrap a slice of bacon around each filet and secure with a toothpick:

Step 5: Place steaks seasoned side down into hot oil, cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until you have a pretty seared steak:

Step 6: When you have seared both sides of the steak, place cast iron skillet (or transfer steaks to an oven safe pan if you are using a regular skillet) in the pre-heated oven. For a rare steak, cook about 5 minutes, for medium rare about 10 minutes, for medium-well about 15 minutes. (cooking times will depend on thickness of steaks- keep an eye on them!)

Those are my Italian roasted potatoes on the bottom rack! Perfect side dish.

Step 7: When cooked to desired done-ness, pull steaks out and let rest for about 5 minutes to redistribute the juices. Serve! Enjoy!

So fancy, but so easy- right?! And a little love collage I made because I KNOW y'all wanna see how cute my hubby and I are:

Don't forget to check out Certified Steak & Seafood for all of your beautiful cuts of meat & fish!

This sponsorship is brought to you by Certified Steak & Seafood Company who we have partnered with for this promotion.

A Wicker Dresser & A Pinterest Tip!

2013-02-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

I recently let y'all in on my little furniture upcycling secret. It's been a lot of fun and a super affordable way to furnish my new house... Up until this dresser. This dresser sucked. I was going to do a whole tutorial on my process, but this was NOT the piece for that. Instead I'm just going to show you the pictures and tell you that you probably shouldn't take on a wicker piece of furniture unless it's totally free. It's a really big pain in the butt. Here was what the dresser looked like when I salvaged her from a little antique shop:

Yes those are lightning bolts. I don't know what would possess a person to put lightning bolts on a wicker dresser, but that's what it looked like. What you can't tell from this picture is that the paint on the dresser was obviously very cheap spray paint. Shiny and thick and not painted well. A hot mess. I took all of the hardware off, removed the drawers and the doors and the interior shelf and sanded everything down as best I could. Then I sprayed the entire piece with white Krylon primer. I taped off the wood edge details and then sprayed the dresser with Krylon "Ocean Breeze". I went over the wood details with white paint and replaced all the hardware, drawers, doors, and shelf. Finished project looked like this:

Pretty big improvement right?

This dude was a beast. Took me a good long while. I hate wicker. End of story.

ANYWAYS the other thing I was going to tell y'all was this little Pinterest tip I picked up the other day. Shaving with baby oil instead of soap/shaving cream. It's supposed to extend the life of your razor (which I love because I'm a cheap-o & razors are expensive!) and give you a closer shave. I tried it out and I LOVED it. 2 days later and my legs are still super smooth, but the BEST part was that when I got out of the shower my legs were so moisturized! Usually I have to put on a ton of lotion immediately after showering because I have very dry skin, I didn't use any lotion and my legs were perfectly hydrated. Easy peezy. Bonus: saves me money on razors & lotion! Just thought I'd pass that little tidbit along :-)

Hope everyone has a great day... I've got a Thai recipe coming up this week so stay tuned!

Super Super Bowl Food!

2013-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...the BIGGEST sporting event of the year. Super Bowl Sunday! Whether you love it for the game, the commercials, or the food the Super Bowl has a little something for everybody (and umm hello- BEYONCE this year!). We will be having our annual Super Bowl party loaded with food & fun! Today I'm sharing with you my fave football friendly recipes from the past year to get your menu thought train rollin...!

Feta Bruschetta Dip!

Serve with crusty bread or veggies! So yummy.

Buffalo Chicken Bites!

Baked not fried, but super crispy & low-cal! Always a crowd fave.

Guacamole Salsa!

The Guacamole that doesn't turn brown... Magic! And so yummy!

Chicken Satay & Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce!

Something a little different that everybody will enjoy. A family favorite.

Meatzas!

You can be low carb on Super Bowl Sunday! Make your own pizza fun!

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Tenders!

Grain-free, Gluten- free Buffalo tastiness!

Fresh Margaritas!

Margaritas with homemade mix- no high fructose corn syrup or sketchy ingredients. Make a big batch for the whole party :-)

Light, Fruity Sangria!

It's made in a pitcher so it's great for a crowd, and it's so pretty!

Play- De-Doh!

My fave! A sweet rum punch that packs a punch- literally! Everyone loves these.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken!

Great to make for a crowd because you just dump everything into the crockpot and let it cook! So easy, and so tasty!

HOT (or not..) Baked Teriyaki Wings!

You control the spiciness level... baked not fried and the homemade teriyaki sauce is so good!

Hot Turkey Sammies!

EVERYONE loves these. They are so yummy. Turkey & Cheese & Hawaiian Rolls.. Yum!

Caprese Skewers!

Look & taste super impressive but they are so easy. LOVE!

Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges!

Ultimate football food. Bacon, cheese, potatoes. Yes.

Okay that's all I've got for ya today... Make sure if you haven't already that you head over to the unBearablyGood Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/UnBearablyGood) and "Like" it... I am going to be doing a really good giveaway very soon! And everybody have so much fun at their Super Bowl shindigs this weekend! xoxo

DIY Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

2013-01-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday y'all! I've got something super cute for you today...

Mason Jar Soap Dispensers! I'm kind of obsessed with mason jars. There's just some kind of a rustic- country charm about them that I adore. The other day I saw an etsy shop selling mason jar soap dispensers and I was so in love. But... they were $15 each and I just wasn't about to spend $15 on a soap dispenser. I pondered on it a bit and I figured I could make my own. With items I already had in the house... so it was pretty much free. You can find mason jars by the case in your local grocery store or I usually find them at Goodwill for around .99 a piece.

All you need for this little DIY is a mason jar, a soap pump from any soap dispenser, a nail, and a hammer. I painted mine afterwards with a little spray paint I had around the house, you can choose to paint yours or leave it clear.

1 Mason Jar, 1 Soap Dispenser Pump


Place your nail into the center of the mason jar lid, hammer it to make a hole and then hammer around the hole until you have a hole big enough for the soap dispenser to fit in.

Place dispenser in jar lid and VOILA!

Totally adorbs clear or...

Spray paint your lid and jar and let dry completely

I went over all the little letters and markings with a sanding block to distress

Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am

I promise you can do this yourself in Oh, about 5 minutes. Good Luck!

DIY 4 Life!

2013-01-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

So I started this blog to share my recipes. And I love doing that. And I will continue to do that... Here's the thing. I haven't been completely honest with you. Cooking isn't my only passion. Actually currently it's not even my #1 passion! I have been crazy obsessed with...

Upcycling furniture! I've thought about starting another blog to share my DIY projects, but I decided that was a huge hassle and I would just expand this blog to be more than a recipe blog. If you are totally not into the DIY thing and just wanna stick around for the food that's totally cool- I'm still cookin! I'm just going to share more about my random life too. Like those gorgeous chevron side tables I did up there ^^ Here's a better picture:

And my mom's coffee table I did...

And my bar stools I painted...

And all of these other projects...

My gallery wall in my living room!

A beautiful frame I found for $5 at Goodwill and re-did!

Our Pub style kitchen table I bought off Craigslist for $50 and painted!

Candlesticks painted to match

.99 goodwill frame made chalkboard!

More chalkboards!

Glittered chargers!

Anyways you get the point. I like to paint stuff. And I'm going to start sharing it with you! Maybe other random stuff too. Who knows? I'm just not going to limit myself anymore! So stay tuned... :-)

Fresh Margaritas!

2013-01-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

Hola! Guess what? We are almost a full running household! We have internet (woo!), television, and we even have a table to eat on like normal people! Yay! Time to celebrate... time for a margarita! I love margaritas. I don't love that bottled mix that costs $6 a pop and is full of high fructose corn syrup and other sketchy chemicals. Making your own homemade mix is SO EASY & tastes wayyyyy better it's crazy to buy the bottled stuff. This mix is MUCH cheaper too. Then you can buy more tequila. For more margaritas. Winning!

You should also definitely serve them in pretty glasses. Pretty glasses make everything taste better. This mix is essentially what you would call a "simple syrup" mixed with fresh lemon & lime juices for a perfect sour mix. Simple syrup is 1 part sugar to 1 part water- I've also read that you can do 2 parts honey to 1 part water but I haven't personally tried that yet! Let me know if you do... The best thing about making your own mix is that you can make it super sweet if you love a sweet margarita or more sour if that's your thing.

Ingredients:
For the Simple Syrup:
1 Cup white sugar
1 Cup Water
For Sour Mix:
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
+ 1 Shot of good Tequila per margarita

Step 1: Combine sugar & water in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and stir well. Heat on high, stirring frequently until the mix comes to a rolling boil. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and remove from heat.

Step 2: Transfer sugar- water mixture to glass containers, cover & chill completely. A mason jar would be perfect for this step- I just couldn't find any of mine, I've apparently left them scattered all over the U.S. this past year and had to go buy a new case...

Step 3: In a separate container juice 1 lemon and 1 lime.

Step 4: To assemble margarita: Over ice, in a salt-rimmed glass if desired, combine 1 shot (1.5 oz.) tequila, 1 shot simple syrup (sugar water mixture), and half a shot of lemon- lime juice mixture. Stir well, garnish with a lime and enjoy!

Enjoy!

P.S. These are freaking fantastic with Skinny Chicken Fajitas for a full Mexican meal!

Skinny Chicken Fajitas!

2013-01-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

Did you know that just 1 flour tortilla is nearly 100 calories?! For basically zero nutritional gain. It's basically just 100 calories of gluten and carbs. And for what? Something to hold your yummy Mexican food? It's time to ditch the tortillas and eat a plate full of good-for-you Mexican.

This is what I call my chicken fajita remix! It is soooo good. Tons of super fresh ingredients piled on top of marinated chicken- it is heavenly! I think we've had this for dinner at least 3 times in the past 2 weeks.. I'm kind of obsessed with it. Why has it taken me so long to blog? Well for one, the first time I made this I inhaled it so quickly that I didn't take any pictures, sorry. ALSO it's been about 80 degrees and gorgeous all week so we've been going to the beach everyday, sorry I'm not sorry about that one:). And probably the more important reason, we still don't have internet hooked up in the house. That happens sometime next week- so there's that. But we've been eating super good and I am so excited to share with y'all what's been going down in my kitchen. Make sure you stay tuned :-) OH and PS: the other brilliant thing about this meal? Save your leftover chicken & peppers mixture, dice it up and make a chicken fajita omelet the next morning. It is AMAZING! 2 meals for the price of 1 people, you can't beat that!

My chicken fajita omelet! Just the leftover chicken & pepper mixture, some shredded cheese & pico de gallo!

Okay now to the fajitas...
Ingredients:
For the Chicken Marinade:
1 Package chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
For the Fajitas:
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
About 1 Cup sweet peppers (or bell peppers) cut into strips
1/2 Cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
1/2 Cup prepared Pico De Gallo
For the home-made Guacamole (you could buy store-bought, I prefer homemade)
1 Ripe Avocado, mashed
1 tsp. Lime Juice
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 Tbsp. Prepared Pico De Gallo (diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice)
1 tsp. Diced Jalapeno (skip if you don't like spicy!)
1 tsp. Minced Garlic

Step 1: Place your cut chicken strips into a gallon sized ziploc bag. (or a container with a top)

Step 2: Add your spices to the ziploc with the chicken and shake to coat.

Step 3: Add the olive oil and shake again to make sure all of the chicken is coated evenly. Marinate for at least 2 hours, or as long as over-night.

Step 4: Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.

Step 5: When your oil is good and hot add your chicken

Step 6: While your chicken is cooking prepare your peppers for cooking. I used these sweet little peppers:

How adorable are they? But any sweet bell pepper will do!

Step 7: When chicken is cooked through (about 5-7 minutes) Toss your pepper strips in and cook another 2-3 minutes.. I like my peppers a little crunchy still, if you prefer a softer pepper throw in the skillet when the chicken is about halfway cooked through.

Step 8: While the chicken and pepper mixture is cooking prepare your guacamole. Mash the avocado with the lime juice and salt.

Step 9: I use a prepared pico de gallo I get at the local supermarket, feel free to use your own homemade or sub salsa. This is the kind I use:

Step 10: Add pico de gallo, jalapeno, & garlic to your avocado and stir.

I seriously make this guacamole at least 2x a week, it is my FAVORITE thing ever.

Step 11: To prepare fajitas layer chicken and pepper mixture first:

Then top with shredded cheese:

Top with pico de gallo:

And finish with a big dollop of your guacamole:

You can serve your leftover guac with some chips and ENJOY! I will post a fab margarita recipe that goes GREAT with these sometime this week... :-)

And some gratuitous beach pix from this week:

Okay I'm done now I swear. Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Tenders!

2013-01-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I know, I'm like a week late on that one- but it's still 2013 right?! And seeing as I haven't posted this year, Happy New Year! I hope you all had fabulous holiday seasons filled with laughter and love and you are thoroughly enjoying this new year! I definitely had a good time over the holidays, probably a little bit too good of a time! Time to get back to reality and detox a bit. Speaking of reality, I am officially full time in our new house in Panama City, FL! Woo hoo! This is the first blog post I have EVER written in my own house. Isn't that crazy?! I started the blog when my hubby was deployed and I was living with my mom, continued it at my friends home in Arkansas, even wrote a post staying with my husband's family in Chicago- but I have never written from my own home! This week has been the first week we have been settled (sort of) in a home of our own since April 2012. Can not tell you how thankful I am for this house! The first morning back from the holidays we didn't have any food in the house but I managed to make some tea & oatmeal for the hubbs & I and fed the dogs, we were all eating breakfast together and it was just so deliciously NORMAL. Mind you, we had no furniture at that particular point and the house was basically empty, but just being in that moment with my little family felt so amazing. I had nearly forgotten what that was like. :)

The entire time we've been here I've been wanting to blog- and I even made 2 new recipes last week (this one being the first), we just have been so crazy busy I didn't have a moment to sit until today. So MY new year's resolution is to get back into blog mode. I have a notebook of all my recipe ideas and my adorable husband is the best guinea pig out there, so watch out world! We are still trying to keep things as paleo as possible- no wheat, no processed foods, just real foods- but I won't lie to you we both still eat a little bit of dairy. I've found that dairy in small amounts really doesn't affect me, but if I sit down and eat a bowl of ice cream I WILL be sick. A tablespoon of heavy cream in my morning coffee, okay- a scoop of sugary milky ice cream? Sick. If you are trying to be strict paleo feel free to cut the dairy out of any given recipe, this one for example makes a fabulous crispy seasoned chicken tender- you don't have to make the buffalo sauce (which contains butter).

OKAY so buffalo chicken. I love buffalo chicken. I love it when I'm watching football, and I really love it for a weeknight meal because these tenders are EASY. Real easy. They are gluten- free, wheat-free, but not quite dairy free. We use grass-fed butter (KerryGold) feel free to omit the buffalo sauce all together or just use straight up hot sauce if you like spicy! These will DEFINITELY be making an appearance at our Super Bowl party and probably rank pretty high in our weekly dinner menu rotation- my husband LOVED them. And so did I!

Ingredients:
About 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or enough to be about an inch deep in your skillet)
8-12 Chicken Tenderloins, or a couple of chicken breasts cut into strips
2 Eggs, whisked
1 Cup Almond Flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
For the Buffalo Sauce: (This makes a very MILD sauce, if you like it spicier increase hot sauce to 1/2 Cup)
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Step 1: Add olive oil to your frying skillet of choice, I used my cast iron skillet because I feel like it holds even heat the best. Make sure you have enough to be about an inch deep in the skillet. Heat oil to medium- high heat.

Step 2: In a pie pan or shallow dish whisk together your eggs. (I doubled this recipe for company when I made it, that's why it looks like more than 2 eggs!)

Step 3: In a 2nd pie pan or shallow dish whisk together the almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, chili powder, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Step 4: Set yourself up a little breading station: Egg- almond flour mix- skillet.

Step 5: When oil is hot enough (put a wooden spoon in and it'll bubble around it) start breading your chicken. First dip in the egg, coating both sides and then shaking off the excess:

Then into the almond flour mixture, breading both sides and shaking off excess:

Then into the skillet:

Step 6: Repeat with remaining tenders, being careful not to over-crowd the skillet.

Step 7: Cook 4-5 minutes per side, or until tenders are golden brown and cooked through. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. If you are making a large batch, like I was, transfer to a cookie sheet and keep warm in a 300 degree oven until you are ready to dip them in the sauce.

Step 8: For the buffalo sauce: Place butter and hot sauce into a microwave safe dish that is big enough to dip the tenders into. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the butter is melted, stir to combine.

Step 9: Dip cooked chicken tenders into the buffalo sauce, gently (I used tongs) coat both sides with sauce mixture.

ENJOY!

Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Oat Muffins!

2012-12-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas y'all! So I've been missing in action via the blogosphere- you'll have to forgive me, my life has been IN-SANE lately. As most of you know my husband returned from deployment last month, I met him in Arkansas where we were stationed (I was in Florida with my mom for the duration of his deployment), we traveled to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family, we then returned to Arkansas to pack up our belongings and move to Panama City, FL- our new home! We spent a week finding a home, moving our things in and then we drove to Jacksonville, FL to spend the holidays with my family. 2 months, 5 cities, 3 states, no big deal. The good news is I HAVE a home now, I'm just not there currently, hehe. We'll be back and on our way to getting settled after the new year. So that's where I've been...

In other news, this really cool company "Better Oats" sent me some samples of their instant oatmeal. I was super excited because I love oatmeal, it's such an easy breakfast and it actually keeps you FULL. There's nothing worse than eating and being hungry 30 minutes later. Better Oats are great because they're made with wholesome, honest ingredients- you can read every ingredient on their box and know exactly what you're consuming. Love that. Here's some of the fab flavors they sent me:

You can't really read the flavors in the picture but (from left to right) they are: blueberry muffin, apple cinnamon, pomegranate, bare, & oatmeal raisin cookie (MY FAVE!). They also have ground flax in the mix for some extra fiber & nutrition. The other uhh-mazing thing about Better Oats? No measuring cup needed: you measure the water right in the same package the oatmeal came out of.

You just pour the oatmeal into your microwave-safe bowl, measure the water in the pouch, stir into the oatmeal & zap away. How cool is that? I'm a huge fan of using the least amount of dishes as possible, sayonara measuring cup! So after the holidays I'm going to make up a little goodie bag of some of these Better Oats to give away to a reader (and maybe a super cute bowl & spoon combo?!) so be on a look-out for that! For more information on Better Oats and to find a location near you where you can purchase them visit: www.BetterOats.com & you can "Like" them on Facebook here (they have COUPONS on the FB page!): https://www.facebook.com/BetterOats

ON TO THE RECIPE: These muffins are so yummy! Low- carb, high protein, easy to throw together, perfect little breakfast treat. I knew I wanted to use some of these Better Oats for a muffin recipe, my hubby asked for the Apple Cinnamon flavor- he loves anything apple! I added the pumpkin for added moisture (they're super light & fluffy!). These are a must try. Maybe a perfect Christmas Eve breakfast?!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Almond Flour
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree (100% pumpkin, no added sugar!)
1/4 Cup Almond Butter (or your choice of nut butter)
1/4 Cup Honey
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Packages "Better Oats" Cinnamon Apple Instant Oatmeal

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, grease a muffin pan. Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the oats.

Step 2: Fold in oats, stir to combine.

Step 3: Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full with batter. Batter will be thick- that's okay!

Step 4: Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

ENJOY!

“This sponsorship is brought to you by Better Oats's whom we have partnered with for this promotion.”

Chocolate Almond Butter- Almond Bark

2012-12-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks again my husband and I were browsing the bulk section at Whole Foods when I picked myself up a little snack- Almonds dipped in peanut butter & dark chocolate. Holy moleyyy they were delicious. I'm embarrassed to tell you how many I ate and in how little time, so we won't go in to details. I'll just say that they were uh-mazing and I knew I was going to have to find a way to replicate that flavor so that I didn't have to drive the 45 minutes out to Whole Foods to get my fix. That's how this bark was born. It's a quick and easy little recipe that's super high in protein, gluten- free & dairy- free and UMMM there's chocolate. Need I say more? I made this the day before our road trip to Illinois and packed some pieces up in mason jars for the road. Perfect road trip food! Would also be a great Christmas treat to give out to friends, or to keep in the house for family! Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean you need to look like Santa ;)

Ingredients:
1 Cup Almond Butter (I used Justin's Maple Almond Butter)
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar (You may not need this, I needed it to thin out the almond butter because mine was so thick it wouldn't melt enough)
1 Cup Unsalted Raw Almonds
1 Cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips

Step 1: Measure out 1 cup of almond butter into a glass measuring cup or a microwave safe dish. Microwave the almond butter for a minute and stir.

Step 2: Mine wasn't quite thin enough (you want it melty enough to coat the almonds thoroughly) so I added 1 Tbsp. of agave nectar to the almond butter and stirred until it was liquid-y enough to coat the nuts. This is all going to depend on the kind of nut butter you use- just experiment with microwaving and agave or honey until is thin enough.

Step 3: Put your almonds in to a glass bowl and pour the melted almond butter over top. Stir to coat the nuts thoroughly. Cover and freeze for an hour.

Step 4: Measure your chocolate chips into a microwave safe dish and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted completely, stirring between 30 second increments.

Step 5: Pour melted chocolate over almond- almond butter mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.

Step 6: Pour bark mixture onto a lined baking sheet and flatten with a spoon.

Step 7: Pop bark into the freezer and freeze for an hour until the bark has hardened completely. When your bark has hardened completely, pull it out of the freezer and break into pieces. Keep in air-tight containers and enjoy!

Spinach & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken!

2012-11-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and spent lots of time being grateful and just ya know- full. :-) We had the best Thanksgiving in Illinois with my husband's family. A really, really good day with lots of really good food! We did a little bit of Black Friday shopping yesterday afternoon, didn't do the wake up at 4 am thing just went later on and still found some good deals. Today is all about football (GO NOLES!) and spending some more family time while we're still in Illinois! It is freezing here. Like, literally it's 29 degrees. Too chilly for this Florida girl! I see fuzzy socks and warm beverages in my future...

Went out to dinner with the hubbs & some friends last week and I had this "stuffed chicken" dish. It was meh- okay. The "stuffed" portion of the chicken was supposed to be cheese & spinach but it was really lacking. Might as well have given me a plain grilled chicken breast. So I decided to try my own spin on the stuffed chicken and put some actual filling into mine :) Turned out SO yummy. It was a pretty simple meal all together, but looked super impressive. Don't you love dinners like that? I always like it when it looks like I put in a ton of work, but really I got off pretty easy. ;) Your family doesn't need to know that though! Take the praise and adoration, and eat your chicken too.

I used spinach & mozzarella because that's what I had on my mind, and in my refrigerator. You could use this same basic chicken stuffing idea though and use a different combo of flavors. Why not try some sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and chopped olives for a greek stuffed chicken? Or some pepper jack cheese and sliced jalapenos for a spanish version? Yum.

Ingredients: (3 LARGE servings)
3 chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
About 2 cups of baby spinach
A couple of slices of good mozzarella cheese (I used 5 slices)
3 teaspoons seasoned salt
Unwaxed Un-flavored Dental Floss (to hold your chickens together)

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium sized skillet heat olive oil on medium heat. Add your spinach and season with garlic powder and black pepper.

Step 2: Cook spinach down until it's all wilted. Leave heat on the pan to sear the chicken after it's stuffed.

Step 3: You're going to need to "butterfly" your chicken breasts. To do this, use a very sharp knife to cut down the center of the chicken breast, lengthwise, almost all the way through but not quite. Making a little bed for your stuffing mixture.

Step 4: Place cheese into opened chicken breast.

Step 5: Top cheese with 1/3 of your spinach mixture.

Step 6: Close your chicken breast over the cheese & spinach.

Step 7: Using your un-waxed, un-flavored dental floss tie together your new little chicken bundle. I used about 3 strips per breast.

Step 8: Season the outside of the chicken breast with seasoned salt.

Step 9: Place your chicken breasts into the hot skillet, not to cook them all the way through but just to sear the outsides for a minute or two until they get golden brown and pretty.

Step 10: Remove chicken breasts from skillet and place them in a oven- safe dish. Cook for 15- 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.

ENJOY!

Have a good weekend! I'll be back next week starting with some holiday treats... ohh yeah it's that time of year! :-D

Thankful.

2012-11-21T11:26:00.002-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Eve y'all! I don't have a new recipe for you today, let's be real- you've got more Thanksgiving recipes than you can possibly cook already I'm sure. I wanted to just write a little blurb about what I'm really thankful for this year. 2012 has by NO means been an easy or overly wonderful year for me. It's been hard, lonely, challenging, and even displaced at times. But 2012 also brought great reflection to my own personal self and helped me really discover who I want to be. Being a military wife can make you feel like you have absolutely no control over your own personal life. My husband tells me when he leaves and for how long, where we'll live for undetermined amounts of time, basically the United States Air Force has full control and I'm just along for the ride. I found myself at times just being my husband's wife, but I often forgot about being ME. It sounds a little silly, how can you lose your own self? But it happened. I lived for my husband but I feel like along the way I stopped living for me and what I truly wanted. When he deployed I found myself totally lost, when the one person you center your life around is gone you're kinda forced to get your own self together again. I started this blog just to share some of my recipes with my faraway friends (when you're military ALL of your friends are faraway at some point) and family. I NEVER expected people from all of the country to find this little site and read my recipes too. Then I logged on one day and saw that a whole ton of people had been reading. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? That was my initial thought, and then I was super excited! Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I couldn't believe people were actually reading what little 'ol me had been writing. Creating new recipes and writing about them became very therapeautic for me. I had something to actually do, something that inspired me and that I was passionate about. I found ME again. The beautiful thing about this little site is that I can write anywhere! For example, I started blogging in Florida over the Summer, I have been writing in Arkansas for the past few weeks, and I am writing to you right now from outside of Chicago, Illinois! Along the road of blogging and cooking and getting back to everything I loved about myself I've found the desire to take much better care of myself- to eat good nutritional foods and to excercise regularly. Those are things I've lacked for YEARS. I feel better than I can remember, I feel like I am taking care of myself first, not just my husband, and you know what? I think he likes me a lot more for it. So what I'm trying to say (far too long winded-ly) is that I'm thankful for YOU, the person reading this right now. I'm thankful for every person who's read any single word I've written on this site. I'm thankful for the kind words people I've never met wrote me while my husband was deployed. I'm thankful for finding something that brings me so much happiness that it inspires me to be a better me.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday and that you also remember to take the time to think about the things that you're thankful for--- and THANK YOU for reading. :)

xoxox
Brittany