This blog is to aid in my professional venture, as well as my own personal interest, Pinterest! Pinterest gives us a list of anything we could possibly imagine, but I want this list to be about my personal testimony. I constantly see my friends pinning clothing, recipes, and everyday household products that become their holy grail. However, I rarely see people actually committing to their pins. Therefore, I decided to religiously use all of the things I wanted to give a try myself!
Let's get artsy. Let's get crazy... Let's get colorful!
But not until we fill up our bellies!
By "we," I mean my nephews and myself. I absolutely adore babysitting my nephews. They are the sweetest, funniest, and cutest boys in the world! See for yourself....
Okay, so maybe that's not what they really look like, but the point of this blog is to show how much fun we have together.
Lunchtime is usually the typical hotdog, french fries and apple slices (especially since we have picky eaters on hand). This time I wanted to spice things up for lunch....
- White Bread - American Cheese - Salami for the Tongue - 2 Toothpicks - 2 Green Olives for the Eyes
Lady-Bug BLT Sandwich -
- White Bread - Lettuce - Touch of Mayonnaise - 4 Pieces of Bacon - 1 Tomato for the Wings - Black Olives for the Head and Spots - 2 Small String of Celery for the Antennas
Monster Sandwich # 2: Fruit & Veggie Monster -
- White Bread - PB&J
- Apple and Celery
- Paper for the Eyeball to Remove before Eating... Unless you eat paper.
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SOURPATCH KIDS POPSICLEDESSERT
- Sprite - Sour Patch Kids Candy
- Ice Tray
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Cool for 3 hours in the freezer and enjoy your sugar rush.....
In the words of my 3-year-old nephew, Simon, "WHAT A TASTY TREAT!"
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This is PERFECT if you're having troubles with a picky eater. If that doesn't convince you, then maybe the fact that it only took me 35 minutes to complete all these meals will... Give creativity a try!
Do you find it hard to get out of bed? Are you more irritable, short-tempered, or more aggressive than usual? Or maybe you wake up and crawl right back in back so you don't have to face the world...
.... It sounds like you have a bad case of the MondayBlues.
HAVE NO FEAR, COFFEE IS HERE!
"Yeah, but I like Starbucks."
What if I told you that you could have Starbucks EVERY DAY for HALF the price in YOUR kitchen?!
Well hang onto your broomsticks, witches and wizards, because I discovered the GREATEST morning cure that will turn that frown upside ......
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HOMEMADE NUTELLA MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO
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Are you excited yet?!
I was so happy, that I nearly died in excitement! I mean, it's NUTELLA!!! __________________________________________
Ingredients:
1. 2 TBSP of Nutella
2. 2 TBSP of Caramel
3. 2 TBSP of Instant Coffee
4. 1/2 C. of Milk
5. 1 Cup of Ice __________________________________________
Steps:
1. Pour the ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend the contents for a minute.
3. Pour your homemade "better than Starbucks coffee" into a mug.
4. Enjoy your morning buzz! __________________________________________
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Kick your morning off with a delicious, affordable, and buzz-fulfilling drink. Watch yourMondayBluesdisappear!
With the semester coming to an end and the final projects piling in, I haven't been able to keep up with my blog. Fortunately today was more of a relaxed day for me. Because I'm such a proactive person, it almost seems wrong for me to just sit around. The term, "lazy," isn't in my vocabulary, so I had to meet myself in the middle. Why not relax with a hobby of mine? Pinterest and cooking!
ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!
Due to my new healthy lifestyle, my goal was to find a meal that was nutritious yet fulfilling. That was going to be difficult seeing as I was stuck in Thanksgiving mode.
TickTockTickTock...
.... 6:31pm?! I only have AN HOUR to make a meal before heading to the gym and I haven't even found one yet!!
HOW IN THE WORLD WILL I FIND HEALTHY COMFORT FOOD IN LESS THAN AN HOUR?!
OH, MAN!!!
THEN SUDDENLY.......
Substitution for mashed potatoes - Mashed cauliflower!
1. Carefully cut the head of cauliflower in half. Take one half and cut it into small pieces. (1 1/2 inch cubes) -- Put the other half in the fridge to use in the future. :)
2. Place the cauliflower in a steamer with 2 cups of water. (If you don't have a steamer, you can microwave the cauliflower in a microwave-safe container with a 1/2 cup of water)
3. Let it sit until the timer automatically pops up OR cook it for about 5-10 minutes in the microwave. 4. After the cauliflower is softened. Take a fork or a blender, add 2 Tsp of Chili Powder, 2 Tsp of Garlic Powder, and 2 Tbsp Light Sour Cream and mash away!
1. Grab a large bowl and place the ground turkey inside.
2. Pour2 Tsp of Oregano, 2 Tsp of Chili Powder, 2 Tbsp of Garlic Powder,1 Tbsp of Chopped Onions, and 1/2 the Can (10 oz.) of Cream of Mushroom Soup into the bowl.
3. Use your hands and mix up the mush!(If you're a clean freak - grab a pair of latex gloves :p)
4. On a large skillet, cook your seasoned meat on medium high temperature until browned.
5. When your meat is cooked all the way through, add the rest of the Cream of Mushroom Soup and 1 Cup of Milk and cook for 10 minutes.
WHO SAID COMFORT FOOD COULDN'T BE HEALTHY?! MOVE OVER MASHED POTATERS!!
This meal was so stinkin' good. My boyfriend liked the mashed cauliflower, even though he was ambivalent to the idea. We converted our health options tonight! Weeee! :)
Today is the first day of our Fall break and most of the college students have packed up and headed home for the weekend. Then, there are the rest of us who are sitting around wondering what to do on a Thursday night in a small college town. Typically, "Thirsty Thursday," is practically a holiday for college students, but I don't join in on those festivities - I'm a homebody! Tonight feels like a movie night cuddled up to a wonderful boyfriend and a fulfilling cup of hot cocoa.
Instead of the, "Swiss Miss," instant pack of hot chocolate mix, I wanted to give homemade hot cocoa a try. After all, I did I sucker my boyfriend, Ryan, into watching the movie, "Chocolat." So naturally, I felt even more inspired to make homemade hot cocoa! (If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend that you do. It's absolutely wonderful!)
(Dun-Dun-Dun-Dunnnnn!) Pinterest to the rescue!
I came across an interesting take on hot cocoa...
SpanishSpicedHot Cocoa!
Here's what you'll need to make thisSpanish Spiced Hot Cocoa:
NOTE: These ingredients make 6 cups!
1. 6 Cups of Skim Milk
2. 3 tbsp cocoa powder (I prefer Ghirardelli)
3. 3 tbsp white sugar
4. 1 tsp vanilla extract
5. 2 tsp cinnamon
6. 1/2 tsp chili powder
7. 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
8. Fat free cool whip for topping
Pour all of the ingredients into
a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the
ingredients are fully combined and the milk is hot. Pour your cocoa into a crafty mug. Add the cool whip on
top to make it cutesy, and a pinch of cinnamon for style!
Enjoy!
There's nothing like homemade hot cocoa. It's rich, creamy, and has a nice little kick from the chili powder. I absolutely love it! Give it a try! I promise you'll love it!
It's Thirsty Thursday! Grab a blanket, your favorite movie, and a loved one.... because we're getting chocolate wasted!
It's a beautiful Sunday morning. The Autumn leaves are changing colors, the neighbors are decorating for Halloween, and to top it off, it's my little brother's birthday party! Well to be honest, he's not so "little," anymore. Today, we are celebrating his 17th birthday.
Sadly as many of you may know, buying a 17-year-old boy a gift can be a challenge. Not to mention the little amount of money I have being a full-time student.
LIGHT-BULB
PINTEREST TO THE RESCUE!
Personally, I prefer homemade gifts. I believe that homemade gifts are the most favorite of them all because they come from the heart. What better to explore your creativity than to search for "pinteresting" ideas on Pinterest!
Inspired by last year's Halloween costume my roommates and I made, I decided to look for a gift filled with Minions. Why not?! Everyone loves the Minions from "Despicable Me," I don't care what age you are.
Finally, I found a crafty gift:
MINION BALLOONS!
Here are the materials you're going to need for your minion project:
1. Yellow Balloons (and purple if you want to create an evil minion) - I got mine at Bart's Party Store.
2. Tape them onto your balloon with your scotch tape
3. Take your pieces of black ribbon, and tape the ribbon on top of the minion's ballon head to create wacky hair
4. Depending on how big your box is, take all of your minions (in my case, one minion balloon) and tape the bottom of the attached string of the balloon, to the INSIDE of the box at the very bottom
5. Tape money on the back of the minion's head, as a gift
6. Close the box and secure it with tape
7. When the birthday boy/girl opens the box, they'll get a minion surprise floating toward them with their gift attached!
Sunday is the day of relaxation; An afternoon full of our favorite television shows, football games, hot tea with honey, and a bundle of our favorite snacks to share with loved ones. Inspired by the Autumn weather, I decided to search for tasty treats on Pinterest to enjoy with my cup of tea! My guinea pigs for this recipe experiment were my boyfriend and his roommate. Because they left for the weekend from our ghost-like college town, I figured I would surprise them with a treat when they arrived back to their apartment.
.....What did I make?
FUNFETTI CAKE BATTER DIP!
ALL YOU NEED ARE 5 INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Cups of Plain/Vanilla Non-Fat Yogurt OR Plain/Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Lately, there has been a rave about the benefits of coconut oil. Being as curious and skeptical as I am, I decided to take a look at this using Pinterest (what else?!). Studies have shown that coconut oil and coconut milk is the most hydrating product out there. (See for yourself: http://www.nataliaxsuarez.com/?p=447) When I say, hydrating, I don't just mean orally. There are several different uses to this product, however there was one that stood out more than the others for me and I swear by it now. 1. COCONUT OIL IN YOUR HAIR -- That's right, I said hair. Apparently many have been buying coconut oil and using it as a deep conditioner for their hair. They kept gloating about how soft and long their hair was after using it, so naturally I had to give it a try. I bought Spectrum's Unrefined Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in a glass jar at Walmart in their baking section the other day for about $10. (If you can't find the UN-refined oil at Walmart, try any other grocery store nearby, such as Trader Jo's. They have their oil for $5.99)
I took 2 quarter sizes of the oil and rubbed it in my hand. The oil melted into a liquid when I rubbed it between my hands. After the oil
melted, I applied it directly onto my scalp and massaged it for about 5
minutes and worked my way down to the ends of my hair. After applying
the oil, I twisted my hair into a bun and clipped it in.
I kept it in over-night and washed my hair out the next day. Even while
showering, I noticed how soft my hair was, and how much healthier it had
felt. I didn't even need to use conditioner! Ever since my first use of
it, about 3 weeks ago, my hair has gotten shinier,
thicker, stronger, less frizzy, and grew half an inch. That's right, my
thin, ugly,
split-endy hair, GREW! I deep condition my hair about 3 times a week and use a dime size everyday to help with frizzies or when I curl or straighten my hair.
What I used BEFORE Coconut Oil: Moroccan Oil used to be my daily regime for my hair, but then I found out that it contains silicone polymers. Silicone polymers are very popular for hair smoothing, however it's actually terrible for your hair... Charles Barkley terrible. TRBL. According to Kevin James Bennet, "The silicone builds up and becomes increasingly harder to remove with
just standard shampooing. This buildup eventually repels the moisture
and nutrients your conditioner is trying to deliver to the hair shaft,
leaving the hair severely dehydrate." Essentially, don't use products with silicone in it. Coconut oil is your best choice.
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