Wow, thank you!!!

Thank you everyone for following me😍 I’m pretty excited to have 200+ followers!! I’ve been busy working on a few things I will share soon. So sorry I haven’t posted much lately! I’ll be back at it soon🤗

I appreciate you all. I truly love this blogging community! 

How to Layer Accessories

how to: layered accessories

How to: Layer accessories

Summer salad | Blackberry, peach, and pepperjack salad recipe

Salads can get pretty boring, pretty fast. I love to throw different combos together to keep my taste buds happy😄 So one night while staring into my fridge I started pulling whatever I had out and putting in a bowl to come up with this super refreshing summer salad!

The greener leaves are the most vitamin rich, and have the best benefits, I’m not a huge kale fan so I tend to add spinach to most salads,  this time I also used romaine to give it since nice refreshing crunch, also adds bulk.

I added 2 fruits to this summer salad,  juicey peaches, and blackberries (this combo was so amazing)! For the cheese I only had string cheese, pepper jack string cheese! So I said what heck – chopped it up threw it in and surprisingly this added an delicious kick to it! – I’m a huge fan of spicey 🔥

Topped it off with some light ranch dressing. Yummmm.This was so good I made it two days in a row and I almost never eat salad two days in a row😉… That right there tells you how much I loved this salad!

Summer Salad | Blackberry and peach salad recipe

Blackberry banana icecream

Delicious blackberry banana icecream recipe 🍧

This is the most simple icecream recipe to make! What’s not to love about this great summer treat?! – it’s easy, healthy,  and extremely tasty!

To make this blackberry banana icecream I just combined 2 frozen bananas **(I always freeze my over ripe bananas, just peel them and stick in a freezer bag), 1/4 C blackberries, and 2 T non fat milk. Blend up all ingredients and enjoy this delicious treat 😊

Blackberry banana icecream | Frozen banana icecream recipe

(Guest post): It’s Up to You

I’m very excited to share my first Guest post from: christinaawritess.wordpress.com  If you love this as much as I do you should check out her blog, she has great inspirational posts about staying positive!

Malibu pier, CA                      Photo by: Christina Svolos

 

It’s Up to You

“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” – John Barrymore

Happiness is completely up to us. It’s our choice to think positively, act positively, and live with happiness. I offer a lot of advice and ways to do this, but I don’t have all the answers. It’s also not my job to tell you how to live a beautiful life. I’m here to write about what matters to me and the things that make my life beautiful in the hopes of affecting others.

My positivity started from another person’s influence. A simple blog on Tumblr that was filled with positive messages and how great life is got me in a positive mindset. Something clicked. Something was right.

I knew that no matter how difficult things got, there was always a way to turn a situation around. Sometimes it is going to be more difficult than other times to see this, but we have to be willing to let happiness in. It’s not something that can be forced, but rather something that can be learned.

There are so many different things that bring joy and positivity in our lives. There are probably things that could make my life even better than it is right now and I just haven’t discovered them yet. The important thing to remember is that I’m going to learn what those things are, and you bet I’m going to share them with you! Life is an incredible journey and we have to stay positive even through challenging times. We have to keep the door open for positivity.

Thanks for reading this post from christinaawritess.wordpress.com!

Best playdough recipe| Easy to make

Easy playdough recipe-

Also I think this is the best recipe that I have come across. I’ve tried many DIY playdough recipes in the past but this one is the best because it molds like store bought playdough and even keeps good for over 4 months!!

The other best part is that it’s super simple to make, also cheap. I’m sure you have all these items  in your cupboards right now. One other great thing abot this playdough recipe is non-toxic, which is great because those little ones always wind up eating it.

Playdough Recipe:

• 1 C flour

• 1 T vegetable oil

• 1/4 C salt

• 1 t cream of tartar

• 1 c water 

• 5 drops food coloring

Combine all ingredients in saucepan, mix together until smooth, THEN heat until it because thicker continuously stirring.

Once it is all one big clump remove from heat, knead it a bit, and there you have the best playdough!

Now let the kiddos dig in and have some fun😀

P.S. I love these playdough toys I bought many years ago and my kids still play with them!

                                                                         

Off the shoulder top

 

Trend that I’m luuuuving – Off the shoulder tops!

This one is from amazon, super trendy, light material, adjustable arm ties. I absolutely love it. It’s long enough to wear with leggings, also so cute paired with  skinny jeans. I wore with Guess floral print denim, charlotte russe grey heels, H&M necklace, layered over Nordstrom necklace, and gold bangles.
FACE N FACE Sexy Women’s Off the Shoulder Long Sleeve Knotted Top Loose Blouse Small Blue

Off the shoulder top

 

Off the shoulder top

Off the shoulder top

*I got this item for a discount for my unbiased opinion… But honestly I love it!!! And so does baby boy as you can see 😉

Amazon Fashion

Dirt Cups | Dirt and worms

Dirt Cups, oh so fun for the kiddos!

 My good Mommy friend and I decided to go on a dinner picnic at a local park, we were brainstorming ideas for dessert and she said what about dirt cups? Yes this is so perfect for our picnic dessert… Mud, dirt, grass (yes I said grass, my tutorial has this extra ingredient of ‘grass’)  worms – What could be better?!

Dirt and worms cups have been around since I was little! I remember my first one I thought it was the best thing ever;) I wanted to add another ‘real’ element to this traditional dessert to try and gross the kids out even more. But what could make these even more realistic… I decided to make ‘grass’ to add to the traditional dirt cups of mud, dirt, and worms.Oh man did the kids think this was real, haha one said “I don’t want to eat grass!”  So here’s how I made this ‘grass’. 1 cup organic oats, add 1/4 cup corn syrup (honey  or agave nectar would have worked just as well), add green food coloring, mix until it’s completely coated and green. Bake on 350º for 15 min. and voila green grass.

*Healthy twist on dirt and worms dessert* My mommy friend suggested we could have done oats in place of oreos, such a great idea! To make this substitute use 1 cup organic oatmeal, add 2 tbs. of cocoa, 1/4 cup of corn syrup, honey, or agave nectar. Mix well. Bake 350º for 15 mins. Throw the granola, once baked, in the food processor to get the tiny granules to make it look like dirt. Then there you have it a healthier version of this classic kids dessert.

Dirt cups Tutorial:

• chocolate pudding cups ‘mud’
• pureed oreos ‘dirt’
• green granola (see how to above or in pics) ‘grass’
• gummy worms ‘worms’

Dirt cups tutorial dirt and worms

 

Flat tummy breakfast

Flat tummy breakfast – steel cut oatmeal recipe

It’s summer so who doesn’t want a flat tummy?!

Well here’s a breakfast that’s sure to kick start your efforts.Steel cut Oatmeal and tea. Not only will this breakfast flatten your tummy it’ll keep you full all morning long to fuel your busy morning  and keep you on track🌅

Oatmeal is heart healthy and full of power packed whole grains. It can get boring but only if you don’t change it up every once in awhile. I love adding new toppings to keep my taste buds happy😋

Black tea has great antioxidants that do the body good, and has been proven to boost your metabolism👍 Which is why it’s an easy choice when wanting to get that flat tummy you desire. Don’t get me wrong I love coffee, but to cut all that milk and sugar out that goes along with it makes a huge difference. Making this simple change, you’ll be sure to see a results in no time!

Oatmeal recipe:

• Organic steel cut Oatmeal 

• Cranberries  (boil in water)

• Dasha of cinnamon (metabolism booster)

• 1 Tbs. Agave nectar 

    

Healthy Popcorn Recipe

easy popcorn snack. healthy lime sea salt popcorn snack

 

Healthy lime sea salt popcorn snack

Here’s the latest in my snack adventures! I love snacks, popcorn has to be my absolute favorite snack to have!! It’s so versatile; salty, sweet, spicy, so many ways to make it, plus one of the best parts about popcorn, it’s super healthy – depending on the toppings but still it beats a bag of chips or cookies any day!

This recipe is probably as simple as they come which is great for when you’re hangry and just need food asap, or have kids asking “Mom where’s my snack? I’m starving!”. I love using my air popper it’s so cute and retro looking, not to mention it’s really cheap – you can check out the one I have here Nostalgia RHP310 Retro Series 8-Cup Hot Air Popcorn Maker on amazon. For my next popcorn popper I plan to get one like this Hamilton Beach 73310 Party Popper Popcorn Maker, Red. Just because no mess involved, goes straight into the bowl, you don’t have to worry about stray popcorns flying about.

Air popping yourself takes almost the same amount of time and it doesn’t have any of the unknown chemicals you may get in a bag of microwave popcorn. So I try and make it this way as much as possible.

Lime sea salt popcorn recipe:

• 1 lime squeeze all over popcorn
• sea salt to taste
• I can’t believe it’s not butter spray (any butter would work, I just love this because no hassle of melting)

 

Thanks for stopping by – Happy snacking! Share in the comments your favorite popcorn toppings or mix-ins!