We didn't have to go to Philly for this philly

One of my favorite sandwiches is a Philly cheesesteak. But I've never been to Philly..........

It's always the really yummy stuff that is not the best for your figure. So I had to come up with a solution. And I did. 

Pepper Philly cheesesteak

It's so easy and yummy!!

These are the ingredients you need. This picture is for a serving for two. You can use any type of bell pepper you want. To be specific here are the ingredients. 

- bell peppers

- roast beef chopped

- swiss cheese chopped

- onion

- olive oil

- garlic powder

- black pepper

- crushed red pepper (we like spice....add if desired)

Sautée the onions in olive oil

Add meat and let brown

Once browned to your desire add cheese and stir for about a minute. 

Slice the bell peppers in half and clean out. Then fill them with the steak, cheese and onion. 

Cover each half with a slice of cheese and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes on 350°

And just like that you have a deliciously healthier Philly cheesesteak. 

Veggie tacos

I never thought I would love veggie tacos more than meat filled ones!  But I do!!  I started making them about a month ago for lunch and they are now pretty much my go to lunch quite a few times a week.  Chris even asks for them for dinner too!

They are crisp and refreshing for these HOT summer days!

So some ingredients I switch up depending on what I have in the fridge, but I mostly use the same key things. For example I either use fresh spinach or lettuce, guacamole or this new edamame guacamole (pictured above) that I found at Trader Joe's. 

So layering.....here is how I layer the tacos 

- A dallop of guacamole

- Sliced then halved cucumbers

- Spinach or lettuce

- Drizzle of shredded cheddar cheese

- Salsa

- Light drizzle of sriracha sauce (I like my tacos on the spicy side)

These are seriously amazing. They are filling but refreshing light. 

Have fun stacking them with some of your favorite veggies. Maybe give them a whirl on your next Taco Tuesday ;)

Pocahontas times two

A new obsession to add to my children's clothing OBSESSION is moccasins. Those little shoes are too precious! This is when I decided I needed to find some for the girls.

After following about ten different moccasin shops on Instagram I fell in love with Hello Moccs. And I loved how they were handmade and in USA. One of my challenges for the future is to buy more American made products. So it was meant to be for me to stumble upon this shop. 

While scrolling through IG I saw she was having a flash sale for half off! Convenient that I have two girls. So it was like a BOGO. So I order two pair. And then a week later the owner hosted another flash sale and I ordered another pair. I know.......I have a problem......

So they just came in the mail and I am extremely pleased. Let's start with how precious the packaging is. 

Each color has such a cute and creative name. And they were packed in the box like this. Mommy's Makeup was my first order. 

And Lily was my second impulse buy. Once I opened them I couldn't wait for the girls to wake from their naps to try them on!!

I know you are drooling as much as I did ;)

Master bedroom renovations....part 1

As you know we just celebrated our 5 year anniversary. We decided to finally start our master bedroom renovation!  We moved into our house 18 months ago and have mostly designed and decorated each room in the house except our room. 

We wanted our room to be AMAZING so we wanted to be able to focus all of our attention on it. This post will be the first of many posts while it is a work in progress.  All of our old furniture including the mattress was mine from when I lived home with my mom as a teen. It was a great set, but time for us to do what we wanted style wise. We tossed around the idea of refinishing the furniture. In the end we decided the style was not the look we were going for. 

Sorry I don't have a full view picture of our old room but here is the vibe. 

Chris and I decided to start with the bed as that was our first need in the room. As I was researching mattress I decided to post our old furniture for sale on a few pages on Facebook and also Craigslist. It sold within a week and went to a good home to someone who needed it. Back to the bed..... It was Memorial Day weekend so I figured it was time to make a decision as the sales only lasted through the weekend. We ended up finding an AMAZING deal on a Temperpedic Rhapsody Breeze. 

This bed is life changing. A new bed is life changing!!

So once we had the bed due to arrive in a week I was in a RUSH to find our bedding. I knew I wanted this headboard

So I needed some bedding to go with it. And that's when I stumbled upon this New bedding from Pier One and fell in love. I figured pairing some ivory sheets would work best. So once I ordered everything and the waiting game began......

Once everything arrived I was like a five year old on Christmas to get everything together. And I was very pleased with the end result!

The Mr. and Mrs. pillows I already had as you saw in the before picture. Our next item is to purchase the matching bench to our headboard. Further posts to come on the rest of the room :)

Lazy day

We had a busy start to our weekend with the kids being away from each other for two days. They were both busy with grandparents. So it was only appropriate that Sunday was a nice, quiet and lazy day together.  And the rainy weather helped us stay cozy on the couch. 

The girls enjoyed playing together and watching some Disney. Or really more like being mesmorized by Lilo & Stitch. 

So of course with lazy days comes snacks......

This house loves popcorn, especially Giada!  I really do not care for the microwavable bags. Mostly because of all the butter and salt that is in there. Even the "natural" versions are still extremely salty. Last week I was at Trader Joe's (my new obsession) and found organic popcorn kernels. WINNING!! I found the answer to my conflict with bagged popcorn. 

Let me tell you how EASY it was!

These two ingredients and a saucepan with a lid is all you need!  I put about two teaspoons (they were slightly heaping) of coconut oil in the pan and turned the stove top to medium. I added a few kernels at first to wait for them to pop before adding my half a cup of kernels. That is probably what took the longest, about 3 minutes. 

Then I added the half a cup and placed the lid on tightly. While waiting for the kernels to pop I was shifting the pan back and forth to get the kernels moving. And after about a minute and a half......

Freshly popped organic popcorn!!  I was very excited and happy how easy and fast it was. 

I served the popcorn to the girls as it was and I think I can say it was a hit. 

What else is better than popcorn and a movie?!  And especially dressed as Princess Belle!

And for Chris I did add a bit of Himalayan pink salt. All I will say is his bowl was empty pretty quickly...

I saved the leftover popcorn in a plastic container for later. Did you really think those little ladies ate the entire bowl of popcorn?! ;)

HAPPY MONDAY.....

Final introduction

This blog's introduction would not be complete without getting to know my eldest daughter. 

This pretty much sums up Giada! As her half birthday is this weekend I am also reflecting on her and how she is turning into such a little lady and exiting the toddler phase. 

She the most amazing Christmas present Chris and I could have ever received. She was born three days before Christmas in 2010. So being able to take her home on the eve of my FAVORITE holiday was the greatest gift. 

Giada is so full of personality and is full of complete happiness every waking moment of her life!! I always wanted a girl first and she is every bit of little girl I dreamed of before I had her. 

And she is an even more amazing big sister. I was nervous having the girls so close together, 18 months apart, but they are amazing together. All Giada knows is always having her little sister by her side and she loves every minute of it! 

So now I am going to go and stop time before she turns 4!!

Juicy juice

In the beginning of the year I decided I was going to look into the health benefits of juicing, because it was something I felt I would really enjoy. And it is also a great way to make "juice" for the girls. So I did some research ( like I do with everything in my life) and decided on the Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed. 

I really liked the option to adjust the speed based on what fruit or veggie you are juicing. Since I planned on juicing everything from beets to strawberries I wanted to make sure I was going to yield as many nutrients from each one. And I also wanted to keep the cost at a desirable price. This is where Bed Bath and Beyond came into play. Since I was able to use one of their 20% off coupons I was able to save about $40, so I was SOLD!

I knew I wanted to use juicing as a meal substitute instead of a snack option. So my plan was to use more veggies than fruits to help obtain the feeling of being full but also for the nutrient aspect of it. So when it came time to make some "recipes" I did a bunch of experiment ideas to see which veggie and fruit combos I liked together and what I didn't. 

So every now and again I will be sharing some of my favorite juice recipes with you. Always know that I use the quantity I feel is best for how many people I am giving the juice to or how hungry we are. So in other words eyeball your quantities to what you feel best. I will be giving each juice a fun name to help us remember what is in them to reference down the road. 

Last night's juice: 50 shades of green and a hint of pink

I often use cucumber and celery in my juice because it yields a lot of juice (being diuretics and all) and has a subtle taste. So as you can see (from left to right) I used all the watermelon, two heaping handfuls of spinach, one red pepper, celery, half a cucumber and two gala apples. The other thing I liked about this juicer was that you could add the produce pretty much whole with skin, except for a few exceptions. Once everything was washed and cut to fit the opening of the juicer we were ready to rock and roll. And I had a little help.....

Even Giada enjoys the fruits and veggies of our labor, pun intended. 

And here you have a glass of deliciousness. So I pour mine over ice, even though the produce was juiced directly from the fridge. I like my juice very cold. As you can see it has the froth on the top from the juicer. But if you stir it up the froth will go away. And I also want to show you how much of the fiber of the fruits and veggies was left at the end. 

The fiber is at the very bottom, I would say it was about a cups worth. So from all the produce pictured above a cups worth of fiber is great! And you can even find uses for the left over fiber which I will get to on another post. 

HAPPY HUMP DAY!!

Vinegar

One thing I am trying my hardest at is to improve the household items that we use daily. By this I mean cleaners and sanitizers. Don't get me wrong I have used all the products out there on the shelves and liked them but......they are not the best for our health. 

This has come into play with our cleaner eating lifestyle we have incorporated, like I said in the previous post. So I have done some research and I am also involved in some online groups to become more educated on what works well and isn't harmful to myself or my family. In comes the VINEGAR!!

That's it folks. Plain old distilled white vinegar. This stuff is like magic. There are so many uses for it that you wouldn't even think of. And I love the price tag, cheap! I purchased this large jug at Costco for under $4. There is something about making your own products that makes me feel happy inside. Maybe it's the fact that I know exactly what I am using to clean with, especially since my girls are right behind me touching everything I have just wiped down. Now I know vinegar has a very strong scent that can be pretty unpleasant to some. And there is a solution for that!

So the first thing I used the vinegar for was an all purpose cleaner.  In the all purpose cleaner I use citrus fruits peels to help give the vinegar have a nicer smell to it. Here is what I do. I use a mason jar, one or two orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit (whichever is your favorite) depending on the size of your jar and vinegar. Place the peels in the mason jar and pour the vinegar over the peels until it reaches the top. Seal it tight and store it in a cool dark place for at least two weeks. I store mine in the pantry. 

 

After it has fermented pour the all purpose cleaner into a spray bottle and VOILA! 

(The mason jar pictured below has been in the pantry for about a month waiting to get used)

Not only is this cleaner very cost friendly but it is also toxin free and safe around your whole family.  Here are a few other ways I like to use vinegar around the house daily. 

- Add about half of a cup to your laundry. This works especially well for towels. They come out feeling plush and soft. The vinegar really helps to also cleanse the clothes of detergent buildup they may have. I don't use the vinegar in each load. It gets added based on what is being washed and need for it.  

- Add a few teaspoons to your floor steamer or about a quarter cup to your mop bucket. 

- Use it plain or the all purpose on your windows and sliding doors. They will be sparkling afterward. 

So go and make some for your house! I bet you will enjoy using this as much as I do! 

Summery goodness, but first a little story

So some other things I will be sharing with you in the blog are some recipes. I have always liked to cook, not saying I am a gourmet chef or anything. But I have quite a bit of experience under my belt. I want to share these recipes or ideas with you because most are things I just "make up" or put together. I'm not good with recipes because I always forget about them or just do not have the time to follow step by step with two little ones at my feet. That could be a recipe for disaster.....pun intended. 

A little history for you. When I first began cooking I would cook anything and was not very conscience of the calories involved. You know, in college no one really counts calories!  Now that I'm on that downward rapid slope to 30 I put things more into perspective. Actually I did about 5 years ago, I took the plunge a little slower in the beginning but now our house is mostly full of healthy options. 

We really started eating cleaner and choosing healthier items when Giada was born, three and a half years ago. Chris and I wanted to raise our kids eating healthy from the beginning so they would not have to make the life change later on in life, which is much harder. So with that it meant us eating much cleaner as well. Now we love eating the healthier choices in life. I will not lie to you, that wouldn't be right, it was harder in the beginning but we knew it was a lifestyle change and would take time. Don't get me wrong.......we still have our guilty pleasures or cheat meals here and there. But overall we truly enjoy eating healthier. 

Now that you know a little bit about the types of food ideas I will be sharing with you, I want to assure you that they ALL taste great or I would not eat them myself ;)

So one recipe that I created this week is perfect for these hot summer days that are rapidly approaching.....

Chilled quinoa salad

The thing I love about this salad is that you can change up your veggies in it each time to create a different salad with the same yummy taste!

These are the ingredients I use for cooking the quinoa. I use a rice cooker and prepare it as if it were rice, if you do not have a rice cooker prepare the quinoa on the stove top as the directions state on the package. I add the garlic powder, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste. Each ingredient is mostly just a splash. 

Once the quinoa is cooked let it rest and cool in a large mixing bowl until it is about room temperature. This is the time I use to wash and chop my veggies of choice. 

For this salad I chopped red onion, pepper and cucumber. I steamed and cooled the corn and edamames. Once all the veggies were ready I folded them into the quinoa. After they were nicely mixed in I added about half a cup of balsamic vinaigrette. For the dressing feel free to use which ever is your favorite. I like the suddlety of this dressing with the quinoa and veggies. 

Once I'm ready to serve I add some blue cheese crumbles and a few drizzles of the vinaigrette.....and VOILA!!!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did ;) and note make your quantities to your needs. I made enough to feed an army and that was mostly because I planned on it being lunch for a few days. 

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

The day before

Today is a sad day for me! Any Mommy out there would understand.  My baby, Nicolette, is turning two tomorrow. Tomorrow she will no longer be my one year old toddler but a young preschooler. I have milked referring to her age for as long as I can, and tomorrow she will just be TWO!  Even though she is wise beyond her age and acts as if she is three or four she will forever be my baby. 

I have realized the more children you have the faster time flies by. I only have two, so I could not imagine having three or four children! I swear it was just yesterday that she surprised us with her arrival being 4 weeks early. 

My labor with her was so fast, yet very vivid, that I will always remember every detail leading up to her arrival. My first labor was induced and a long waiting game that it is more cloudy. Maybe also has something to do with that fact that once you have a second child all memories from the first become harder and harder to remember. 

I know this will not be the last time I say, "time is flying with my children" or "I can't believe you are __ years old" but today I will continue to say it because I'm allowed to on the last day of her being one!!

Nicolette, tonight I promise to hold you extra tight, snuggle you even more, kiss you one hundred times more and remind you that.....

You are my sunshine,

My special sunshine,

You make me happy when skies are gray,

You will ALWAYS know dear

How much I LOVE you!

Please don't take my sunshine away.......

Crazy in love

So a little back story of how I got to be here, wife and mommy to the most amazing people EVER!

My husband and I met in college 11 years ago! We both went to The Florida State University and met as freshmen in our fall semester. We had seen each other before but not again until we shared a class together. Since then we have been inseparable. We can honestly say it was love at first sight. 

This is our first photo taken together in 2004. Wow how young we were!

We graduated together in the spring of 2007 and both of our families were there to cheer us on. After graduation we went to study abroad in Spain for 6 weeks. An experience together we will never forget and will definitely encourage our children to do also! At the end of our program our moms came to meet us in Spain to vacation around the country for a couple of weeks. An amazing 8 weeks it was!!

We got married June 2009 and these have been the most amazing 5 years together. Our day could not have been anymore beautiful or special with all of our family and close friends there to shower us with their love! It was a dream wedding that only a princess could wish for.  And a party to never forget :)

Since our wedding we have had the best 5 years, that have seemed to have flown by. We have bought and sold our first home together, brought two amazing and beautiful little girls into the world and now live in our second house that I am working hard at to make a home. 

Future posts to come on our two little girls and their adventures, our natural healthy lifestyle I've been slowly incorporating daily and making our cozy house an even cozier home!