Day 181: Travel jewelry

When I travel, I like to keep my wardrobe (for the most part) color coordinated.  Meaning I'll stick to mainly neutrals with a few accent pieces and accessories.  I do the same with my jewelry.  I believe that just as much as your clothes and shoes are important to pick appropriately for trips, so are your purses, scarves and jewelry.

For a recent trip, I decided to go with a gold theme of mainly fun, but wear-with-anything pieces.  I call it my "Mall Collection."  They are just simple pieces from the mall and they are all in the color (not material!) gold.  Now I'm a fan of good quality jewelry, but I was going on a touristy family vacation where I was not going to be going out to swanky parties, or posh lounges.  I believed my Mall Collection would be sufficient, and I was right!

It included:  a glass stoned and satin weaved bracelet from The Limited; bell earrings from J.Crew that I got on sale around Christmas time; a bar ring from Pull & Bear (it came as a set of four stackable rings, but I opted to only take one); a $10 bird necklace from H&M that I always get many compliments on; and a monogrammed necklace from Urban Outfitters which is probably the most expensive but cheaply made piece which goes to show you a high price tag doesn't necessarily mean quality!

I put them in a convenient burlap bag I got with a ring I ordered online from Giles and Brother.  I have a jewelry roll I usually use, but it's nice to change things up a bit!  These were the perfect accents to my casual American Boho style as I toured Central Europe.

Day 161: Simply THE BEST Chocolate chip cookie recipe

It has been my purpose in life to make the best chocolate chip cookies for my kids.  It is my duty!  Luckily my kids love to help, so it has become quite a bonding experience in the kitchen.  Though with them, I tend to have all my ingredients out and ready so that I can move fast.  Who knows what mischief can happen when my back is turned while getting something?  I tend to mix all the dry ingredients together first, then the sugars, and then the wet ingredients.  Wet ingredients go in with the sugars and then slowly mix in the dry ingredients.  I've grouped them as such.  

Dry ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Sugars

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

Wet ingredients

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

1.  Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, the sugars in another bowl.

2.  Mix the wet ingredients quickly, so that the coconut oil doesn't solidify.  Add the sugars to the wet ingredients.

3.  Slowly add the dry ingredients in, mixing thoroughly.  When the dough is nice and stiff, add the chocolate chips last.

4.  Spoon onto an oiled baking sheet at bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are firm.  

5.  Cool for 10 minutes on baking rack, and then enjoy!

Day 151: Mango and Banana Smoothie

I'm officially in love with my blender.  As the summer heats up, cool off with this easy and healthy drink!

Ingredients:

2 mangoes
1 banana
2/3 cup milk
2 ice cubes

1.  Peel and cube 2 ripe mangoes.  Slice up banana.
2.  Put in fruit along with the rest of the ingredients into a blender.  Blend and enjoy!

Ps.  The recipe I found also called for vanilla extract and honey, but mine was already so sweet and flavorful that I skipped those.  Based on how ripe your banana and mangoes are, you may want to add one or both to sweeten the smoothie.

Day 150: Fun with baking

When I was in my twenties, I would walk around the housewares section at Anthropologie and swear that once I could, I would outfit my kitchen with all their trendy ceramic crockery.  But after after getting my first real job and spending a mere $48 on an apron, I reconsidered.  Nice novelties they were, but not practical or realistic, especially at such hefty pricetags.

However, I did come across this Anthro-esque measuring cup set on sale at Pier 1 Imports.  I bought it a few years ago, and it was promptly stored away in on the top shelf of my kitchen cabinet.  It stayed that way until earlier this year when we moved into an apartment with ample counter space.  It was so pretty, that I used it mainly for decoration.  Not that baking isn't fun in itself, but I do find myself using it from time-to-time for added fun.  Just like drinking tea from a fancy teacup on a random Tuesday, using this measuring set is a way for me to break up the routine.  It hasn't broken or chipped yet, but when it does, I won't be crying about spending more than $10 on it!

Day 149: Make your own mocha frappuccino at home

Summertime is when we coffee drinkers swap out our hot beverages for cool ones, and instead of running to Starbucks every time you want to cool down, try this easy recipe instead.  Not only is it more than half the calories, but you won't have to leave home to get it!

8 ounces coffee or espresso
1/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon sugar in the raw
1 cup ice cubes (roughly 4 ice cubes)

1.  Mix the coffee, milk, cocoa and sugar together.
2.  Put the ice in a blender.  Pour coffee mixture over ice.
3.  Blend on ice pulse until everything is blended.  Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings.  56 calories/serving.

Day 35: Dark chocolate obsession

We all know the benefits of dark chocolate, especially it's anti-oxidant properties!  There are so many exotic varieties to try like this pear and almond flavor of belgian dark chocolate from Harris Teeter.  I'm not sure why, but I find a little bit of chocolate helps me sleep better and warmer at night!  

Day 32: Quick chicken salad

I'm always looking for new ideas for lunch.  One can only subsist on peanut butter and jelly for so long!  I'd pinned a number of chicken salad recipes and figured I'd give one of them a try.  But when perusing my pantry, I found that I had some ingredients from one recipe, and some from another, so I decided to combine two recipes and give it some flair of my own.

I, for one am a fan of the sweet and sour, the tart and tangy, not to mention the soft and crunchy.  Meaning I like to incorporate whatever fruits and nuts I have available to take this chicken salad to the next level.  One recipe used avocado instead of mayo.  I didn't have an avocado in hand, so we'll have to save it for next time!

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken - diced (I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)

1/2 cup low fat mayo (can substitute with Greek yogurt, or the avocado if you're feeling adventurous!)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 small red onion, diced

1 small apple, diced

1/4 cup silvered almonds

1/4 cup raisins

1.  Put the mayo in a large mixing bowl, add onion powder, salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust to your liking.

2.  Add chicken, onions, apples to the chicken and mix.  Add raisins and almonds last.  Enjoy on its own or with bread or crackers.

If I had grapes, I would have split those and added them as well.  The next day, I used the rest of the chicken and used a pear as my fruit, and pistachios instead of almonds, and I have to say it was some of my best work yet! It has become a fast favorite for my husband and kids!  Going to be lunch time staple in my house from now on!  Now to try to find a good egg salad and tuna salad recipe...