Game Day Guacamole

So I had all of these plans to post a sweet, lemony recipe today. As I finished the recipe, I remembered that the Super Bowl is this weekend! Therefore, a party recipe is in order! So I whipped up this guacamole that is a feast for your taste buds!

Let me just say that I heart guacamole. I heart it a whole, whole, whole lot...

I usually don't add red onions or tomatoes to my guacamole, but I saw Ree make it on her show last weekend and she made it look so good! So I thought I would try it out...

I confess that I ate that ENTIRE bowl after I photographed it. So good!

Is your mouth watering? Mines is and I'm not even hungry right now... Here is what you need and what to do:

3 Avocados, diced

2 Tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 of a large red onion, finely diced

Cilantro, to taste

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (if you like it hot!)

Juice of 1 lime

Salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice and salt. Then add the avocado and stir. I like chunky guacamole, so I don't mash the avocados. But feel free to mash them up a bit with a fork if you like.

If you are making this a little ahead of time, place plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole (not just on the bowl, but right on top of the guacamole) and store it in the fridge- but only for maybe a day. It's best if it's devoured a few hours after you make it. This makes about 6 servings.

Are you attending a Super Bowl party??

Linked up with Tasty Tuesdays!

P.S. I will share the sweet, lemony recipe next week!

Image by me

Weekend In Six Pics

Hi there! Whew... I had a busy, busy weekend! How about you? Gosh I wish someone had the power to change our standard 2-day weekend to a 3-day weekend! I need an extra day! Perhaps that is because I spent a good chunk of my weekend in TJMaxx and HomeGoods. Let me fill you in on that...

I am finally getting around to decorating my office at work! I shopped at TJMaxx and HomeGoods and boy did they have some good stuff! My inspiration were the orange lamps with the burlap shade that I found at HomeGoods (see the top shelf of the first photo). I TOTALLY didn't plan on decorating my office with hints of orange, but I really loved those lamps. The photo on the right is a little sneak peek of the office. Whatcha think??

Breaking news people: TJMaxx is selling leopard loafers! Of course they didn't have any in my size. That would be too much like right. But the point is that they are there, so check your local store! I did buy a really cute trench coat for $39 bucks and a pair of Lucky Brand flats that are REALLY comfortable. Like I said, check your local TJMaxx! 

Sorry, but I have one more thing to say about TJMaxx... Is that not the cutest Kate Spade bag?? $149 bucks. TJMaxx was on a roll! I contained myself and didn't buy it. Sigh... After running between TJMaxx and HomeGoods, I was starving! So I stopped for a Mediterranean hummus wrap at Vermont Mustard Company and it was amazing! If you are in the Atlanta area, stop by!

Please tell me about your weekend!

xo,

Fitted & Flared {Dior}

I didn't have time to put together a Friday's Fancies post this week.

Super busy week.

But I thought these amazing Dior dresses would be a great substitute...

I hope you have a great weekend friends. :)

Image via

Things I Love, Not Like

Lately, I have had the urge to buy everything in sight that I just "like," not love or need. Not good. Do you ever feel that way? 

Well, to curb my urges to splurge I have started taking trips around my house with my camera. I photograph little things that I already have- and love. It helps- well, most of the time... 

A stack of books and magazines that share the bed with me.

Reading and flipping through these at night calms me down after long days. They also give me inspiration for the things I share with you here...

Striped straws.

Accessorizing a cold glass of milk, sparkling water or my green drink with one of these seems to make the drink 10 times more appetizing. Love that...

A styled fruit board. 

I love fruit, too. And yes, I sometimes style my fruit board as if I were about to host a brunch for four people. I keep it on the kitchen table to snack on during the day. Styling them makes the fruit more appealing and keeps me from craving things like french fries and massive doses of chocolate chips.

A green plant in my foyer.

It was given to me by my mom- one reason I love it. It brings so much freshness and life to the space- two more reasons I love it. It's actually growing into the middle of the foyer and needs to be repotted. I don't have a green thumb- at all. I don't even know what kind of plant that is (told ya I don't have a green thumb). I just water it once a week and it seems to be satisfied- another reason I love it.

What do you do to control your urge to splurge?

How Convenient...

How convenient are...

Two farm sinks instead of just one...

A basket full of fresh towels right next to the sink, a pretty antique sink at that...

A double-duty nightstand...

And a view of the Eiffel Tower from a workspace... 

I'd never get any work done there. Would you?

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My Favorite Breakfast

Nothing about my favorite breakfast in the world is ground-breaking, but I love it. I start my day with this filling and healthy breakfast 3-4 days a week and have been for about 3 years, so I thought it was worthy of making an appearance on my blog...

It's incredibly simple to make. Here's what you need and what to do...

A toasted, hearty slice of whole wheat bread

Your favorite peanut butter (Smuckers Natural Chunky PB is my favorite)

Ripe, delicious bananas- organic ones taste more banana-ey (not a word, I know)

Sticky, sweet honey

Slather a layer of peanut butter on top of the toasted bread
Sometimes I heat the peanut butter up in the microwave for a few seconds to make it more slatherable...
Add sliced bananas on top of the peanut butter

Then slowly, yes slowly, drizzle honey on top of the bananas

Drink it with a cold glass of creamy milk or your favorite hot tea, then enjoy your day. 

What is your favorite breakfast?

Linked up with Tasty Tuesdays

Images by me

A Perfect Quiet Weekend

Hi there! How was your weekend? My weekend was very quiet, which made doing my regular "Weekends In" a little difficult. So I am switching things up a bit today. I hope that's ok...

The pic above sort of sums up my weekend. The sun never came out over the weekend, so I chose to spend much of my time in the middle of my bed surrounded by magazines, the remote, books, my laptop, my Kindle, and a sleeping cat. It was quite lovely. I snacked on the most delicious strawberries and downed a Synergy, my favorite drink. I also had the kale and spinach smoothie that I posted last week- two times. I think know I'm obsessed with it. I'm currently reading my third book this year, which is a world record for me. It's called Epilogue. Joanna's description of the book last week sucked me right in. It's about love, loss, family and relationships. Right up my alley. And did I tell you I signed up for my first food photography retreat?? It's hosted by Clare and Helene of Tartelette and I am thrilled!

Oh and that gray and navy striped thing in the background is my new StyleMint tee (the Fillmore). I wore it during the day Saturday as I lounged. It's so soft. Love it. 

How was your weekend? Do tell...

xo, 

Friday's Fancies: Navy & Diamonds

Well, I hope you had a good week! I have to say that my week was pretty good, but not better than two days off will be! 

So this week's Friday's Fancies is inspired by my drug of choice: Pinterest. I am currently inspired by navy. Can you tell it's a little more prevalent lately? I did a quick search (on my iPhone while I was in line at the grocery store) for "Navy fashion" and the girl with the blond hair and the navy blazer appeared. That would be the cute girl on the left...

Jeans /Blazer /Shirt /Earrings /Heels /Bag /Perfume /Diamond Band

The blazer said hello. I said hello back. I adore it...

So I did a little work and a little dreaming to recreate this look. I personally am not a fan of rolled up boyfriend jeans. They are cute, but not cute on me. So I opted for a regular boyfriend jean instead. Navy and nude are good friends, so that bag is perfect. It's by J Crew and is currently on my wish list. It has 400 compartments and doesn't look like something my grandmother would carry. Love that.

 Navy suede Prada heels. Enough said. And have I mentioned that I love Chanel perfume?

I thought this look needed a little sparkle. Who doesn't love diamonds?? The diamond earrings are very delicate and beautiful. The ring is equally as beautiful. If only it were $11 instead of $11,000. Sigh...

What are your thoughts about navy?? Oh, and you can find me here on Pinterest if you like!

Linking up with Friday's Fancies!

Beginning To End

I'd love to begin my day here

With a hot cup of tea

An egg white omelette with fresh fruit on the side

And the absence of a to-do list...

And end my day here
With a glass of Sauvignon Blanc
Maybe the bottle, too
Tons of candles
A juicy novel
And ZERO interruptions...

Just sayin'...

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A Tote Of Hearts

When I saw this double-sided organic tote in the latest issue of InStyle, I just smiled. Doesn't it make you smile? Simple. Cute. Perfect V-day gift. 

Kale, Spinach & Pear Smoothie

I must be honest. Before I wrote the Going Green post that I shared last week, I planned to share a recipe with you that I made over the holidays that involved two sticks of butter, three cups of sugar, three cups of flour and six eggs. Whole eggs that is. 

But this green dream of a drink is probably 1,200 calories healthier and dare I say, almost better than what I originally planned to share. 

The drink involves half of one of these beautiful Bosc pears...

and a handful of this Lacinato kale.

I never would put the two of those ingredients together...

But they work. Very well. Promise. 

Here is what you need and what to do:

1 1/2 cups of cold almond milk

1/2 pear, diced

1 cup of spinach

1 cup of chopped kale- stems removed

1 frozen banana

1 tablespoon of honey

Add the spinach, kale and almond milk into a blender and blend until the mixture is very smooth. Then add the pear, banana and honey. Blend again until smooth. 

When you take your first sip, you will taste the banana, the almond milk and a hint of sweetness from the pear and the honey. The spinach and the kale are certainly there, but are hidden somewhere in the background. I could barely taste them. Crazy!

My body and I thank Joy The Baker for sharing this genius of a drink.

Oh and P.S... Drink this with a straw if you don't want to get caught walking around with little pieces of kale or spinach in between your teeth!

Linked up with Tasty Tuesdays!

Images by me

Weekend In Seven

 Hi friends! I hope you had a great weekend! My weekend was great, but between errands, Pilates, laundry, cleaning, cooking for the week- it ended quite fast. Is it bad that we are only 15 days into the New Year and I already feel like I need a vaca? Please tell me I'm not alone. Anyway, despite all of that, I do have a few fun and random things to fill you in on. Here goes...

1. I have a new celebrity BFF- Ree Drummond. If you read my blog often, you might know that I am kinda in love with her and her blog. The new season of her cooking show started on Saturday on Food Network and it was so good. I let her know that I loved it via Twitter. She wrote me back. I love her even more now. Oh, Charlie is her adorable basset hound.

2. Over the weekend, I went to see The Descendants. It was REAL people. SO SO good and funny, too. The actors and actresses were fabulous. The scenery and the decor were beautiful. The walls of Clooney's home were covered in this beautiful grasscloth. Am I the only one who pays equal attention to the decor and the plot of movies? Oh and Clooney was well, just delicious. 

3. Ok bloggers. Be honest. Do you ever have moments were you think, "What the heck am I going to write about today?" I do. And often. Well the lovely Kate of Centsational Girl wrote a post last week about what to write about when you don't know what to write about. Genius idea. I printed it off and filed it as if it were an important document. 

4. And speaking of blogging, I thought this nailed it. Lately, I have been struggling with balance when it comes to blogging. Being creative, responding to comments, commenting on other blogs, photographing food, editing photos, writing posts (at night, during lunch, on the weekends), all while remembering to call my parents every night- well it's a lot! Please let me know if you feel the same way!

5. Remember me telling you that I had a date this weekend with this green drink? Well, we went out after Pilates on Saturday. We went out again on Sunday for lunch. It was surprisingly so very good. I will give you the 411 tomorrow... 

6. My new favorite snack: Sweet potato barbecue chips by Food Should Taste Good. They are crunchy, spicy, and just warm. I might have eaten that entire bowl over the weekend. I'll never tell. 

via

7. There were so many great dresses last night, but my best dressed award goes to Jessica Alba. I loved all of the blush and nude last night, but her lavendar dress was quite lovely. I also loved Hellen Mirren's and Elle MacPherson's gowns. Did you watch the Globes? Who got your best dressed award?

Happy MLK Day! I hope you have a great week!

xo,

Friday's Fancies: Feelin' Green

Happy happy happy Friday! Can you tell I'm happy it's Friday?? Today's Friday's Fancies is all about COLOR. I'll be honest- wearing color is a bit of a challenge for me. Half of my closet is filled with black, brown and gray clothing. I can't help it! That's not to say that I never wear color. When I do wear color, I tend to wear one piece of color and I make it the star...

Scarf /Watch /Bag /Coat /Jeans /Earrings /Ring /Boots

Green is often on my mind during this time of the year. It's fresh, it's the color of vegetables (which I am eating lots of right now), and it gets me excited about spring. The star of the show is obviously that darling coat. The flared bottom has my heart. Does it have yours?

I'm not tired of leopard yet, so I've paired the coat with "light" leopard and gold accessories. I didn't want the leopard to steal the show, so that's why one can only see it if they peek inside that beauty of a Fendi bag. And aren't those fringes on the boots cute? Lovely little detail... I was going to choose a boot with a fierce heel, but my feet are killing me right now as I write this post (from the heels I wore today), so I'm not feelin' heels at the moment. The outfit still looks ok right?

Can you see yourself wearing this? What color is on your mind these days??

Linked up with Friday's Fancies!!

Carrying Cameras In Style

When I bought my camera last year, I just went a few shelves over in the store to get a camera bag. I needed something quick, so I bought this lunchbox looking thing. I'm thankful for it. However, it looks like it should hold a sandwich, chips, an apple and a juicebox instead of a DSLR camera! So on my current wishlist is a stylish, yet functional camera bag. I'm liking these...

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Aren't those cute??!! They are the quite the opposite from the lunchboxes or backpacks I often see in the stores. I love their clean lines and the fact that they are leather- very classy. Some of them even hold both a laptop and a camera! I hope to purchase a new bag soon, so let me know if you have any other suggestions!

P.S. That is my second Photoshop graphic (see yesterday's post for the 1st one). I'm learning! See this post if you are wondering why I am so excited about that.

xo,

Going Green

Over the holidays while I was eating gumbo, cake, chips and candy, I made this collage to get myself prepared for real life eating. By the way, this was the first collage I made in Photoshop. How'd I do?? 

Anyway, to jump start my body and quite frankly my mind, I did some reading on the health benefits of some of my favorite greens like kale, spinach, green beans, and avocado. Seeing words and phrases like "antioxidants," "cancer-fighting," "healthy skin" and "protein-rich" were not new to me, but helped me get motivated. It also made me feel guilty about the five slices of pound cake I ate. Sigh... So I set out to find some new "green" recipes to get me going...

Avocado & Edamame Salad

Green Bean w/ Whole Grain Mustard & Honey Vinaigrette

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Raspberry and Spinach Salad

Kale, Spinach and Pear Smoothie

Do you have a favorite "green" recipe? I've got a date with that smoothie this weekend. I'll let you know how that goes...

P.S. Don't hold it against me if I decide to post a delectable sweet treat next week... :)

Images in collage via