Kiss Me I'm Irish Subway Art

Inspired by Lulu's Tiles recent post, I created this:

Featured on TT&J

One of my most favorite blogs ever, Tatertots & Jello, just published her first round of St. Patrick's Day ideas, and my Irish Blessings Wreath was the first photo used! Eek! So flattered to be featured. Check it out!

Review: Coconut Chicken & Zucchini Fries

Talk about a happy meal! P LOVED her chicken nuggets and fries with, count them, TWO dipping sauces.

Irish Blessings Wreath

I haven't crafted in a loooong time. Most people got revved up over Valentine's, but the problem is that I'm still hungover from Christmas and P's January birthday. I have a feeling this isn't the only year I'll sit out V Day. So my first big crafty holiday of the year is St. Patrick's Day! And here's what's on our door right now:

Review: Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Whoa! You remember how much I raved about Creamy Avocado Pasta? Several of you tried it and loved it, right? Okay, so trust me when I say that this vegan version of spinach artichoke dip is just as fantastic! (I want it right now, actually.)

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Review:Macaroni Chili Soup Recipe

I've been reviewing several vegetarian/vegan recipes lately, but I assure you that we are not strictly vegetarians. Case in point: this Macaroni Chili Soup from Simply Modern Mom that we love.

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It's like a dressed up, healthier Hamburger Helper that is almost just as fast because it uses many canned ingredients. Perhaps one of the best things about this recipe is that it makes soooo much! We all ate our fill - including the toddler who enjoyed eating so many "oodles" - plus we had extras for leftovers throughout the week. AND I froze half of it for another week. That's a lot of food. (Update: The thawed out version is a bit watery but still tastes great.) Because of the amount it makes, the many palettes it pleases, and the cost effectiveness of it, this would be a perfect dish to make when for someone after a new baby, death, or surgery. 

Review: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Why did I ever think eating healthier was difficult? I make oatmeal all the time. So why not just add a few more ingredients to make it better for me AND better tasting? Enter Oh She Glows (again) and her Comforting Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal.

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Valentine's Treats & New Ingredients

I know it's a bit late to plan your Valentine's treats, but perhaps you can just mark this for future reference (maybe try out a Pinterest board for this purpose???).

Our Hip Mama play group had a Valentine's Play Date this morning. I so wish I had my camera to take pictures of the adorable felt decor my friend had up. Hearts + Felt = Sweet Whimsy!

In addition to our Valentine's, we brought snacks to share. I went with mini heart pies and rice crispy treats with a twist. The mini heart pies were inspired by these Sweetie Pie Pops. I just didn't turn these into pops and didn't make my own pie crust. At about 1.5", I thought they were adorable. (Btw, these gals have out a new cookbook...Can't wait to get it!)

For the rice crispy treats, I made them like normal but also added dark chocolate Valentine-colored M & M's. I was inspired by this post from Chasing Cheerios. She used Cheerios instead of rice crispies, which sounded kind of cool. I'll try that next time. Oh, and I didn't have a large metal heart cookie cutter, so I just went with squares.

Next Topic...Contrary to what this post demonstrates, we are making a real effort to eat more nutritiously. But in this lil' town, there aren't a lot of fabulous alternatives in the grocery store, so I had to hit up Amazon.com for some basic vegan ingredients. (No, we're not going strictly vegan, but I have found some cool vegan blogs with recipes I'd like to try.) So here's what the man in brown brought to my doorstep today:

I have used quinoa before, but they don't sell it where we live now. It's an edible seed but cooks and tastes like a grain (think barely). Here's a good link to describe it. Nutritional yeast flakes freak me out a bit, but apparently it's supposed to take the place of cheese in some recipes. That has yet to be determined in this house. Chia seeds??? I read to think of them as a healthier sesame seed. I'm using them as a topping to a homemade breakfast bar this week. I seriously thought these were just for growing hedgehogs and hair plants. And spelt flour is another I've used before but isn't sold here.  It's a lot like whole grain wheat flour but with more nutrients.

Can't wait to show you what I make with this exciting new stuff!

Car Organizers

A very long time ago, my friend Haley, suggested this project to me as a beginning sewing project. I bought the material, printed the tutorial, and then never made it...until today. It's amazing how a discombobulated car can motivate. I LOVE organization and organizers.

Review: 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

Seriously, this is good. This is really good. And this is really easy. And really inexpensive. And really nutritious. I followed the recipe exactly. Here's the link to it. And here's a picture of it:

Photo courtesy of Oh She Glows

Review: Double Chocolate Cherry & Goat Cheese Muffins

Sounds weird, right? Well, I thought it did. But even after butchering altering the recipe, I really liked the interesting flavor combination.

Photo courtesy of Cara's Cravings

Let me give you the link first. I found this at Cara's Cravings. She is a woman after my own heart - trying to balance indulgence while still being nutritiously responsible. As I browsed her recipes, I think she may have found the perfect combination!

Marshmallow Construction

I finally found some contractors I could love.

Monsterific Valentine's Cards

It's been so long! The semester started up again, and I've been super busy with research, reading, blah, blah. But I've missed my blog.

Today I'm sharing what we did for Valentine's cards. Yes, we're ahead of the game, but with all of the freak snow and ice we've had around here, it was something to do. And now I can share it in time for you to do it too!