Mothers and Fathers

I found some really cute, inexpensive ideas for my students to make for their parents for Mother's Day and Father's Day!

For the mommas, we are making them breakfast in bed! I am really excited to see how these turn out! Inside will be an apple, granola bar, napkin and tea bag.

For the dads, I am still deciding between this...

and this...

Fun!

I kind of want one of those road shirts...

Laura

Nut Organization

...what? I couldn't think of a better title so there you go.

In oatmeal, cookies, bread or even a mid-afternoon snack, I love to have fresh cashews, walnuts or other nuts on hand.

That can add up!

Nuts aren't cheap, let me tell ya. I like to buy them in bulk from the dispensers at the grocery store but, fun fact, nuts can go rancid (in other words- nasty and bad) pretty quickly. In fact, nuts only last one month at room temperature.

I can't remember where I read this tip but I've been using it ever since. I keep my nuts in a bag in the freezer (they can last up to a year there!) and within that bag are smaller bags separated by nut variety.

This is super handy, the nuts last longer and there is no need to thaw! Throw them right into batters, oatmeal or on a salad! How easy is that?

Rancid things are scary things,

Laura



Baked Oatmeal

I guess I inspired myself the other with my Bake-Ahead Breakfast post! At least somebody is getting something out of this blog! This past weekend, I made the Baked Oatmeal and it has been a hit for breakfast this week! They are simple to make and even more simple to grab and go in the mornings!





I love knowing what is in my breakfast and that it is sugar free, oil free and low in calories! Win, win!

I halved the recipe because I only had 1 c. of applesauce on hand and still came out with 16 medium sized baked oatmeal cups. For the toppings, I did some with chocolate chips, some with dried cranberries and walnuts and, lastly, fresh strawberries and walnuts. I sprinkled brown sugar on them all before baking, too.

Make sure to push your toppings into the batter before baking so it's easier (and less messy!) to eat!

I will definitely be making these again and again!

Click here for the original recipe from Sugar-Free Mom's blog!

I'm glad I could inspire myself...
Laura

I really love my...{Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray}

(see here for all previous posts in the I really love my... series!)

I really love my Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray! I am a huge fan of dirty hair, let's not beat around the bush here, and this spray really helps my hair last longer throughout the week between washes. I've tried more dry shampoos and spray than I can count but when my hairstylist recommended this one to me- I've been hooked ever since.



via

It is a little more pricey than I was typically spending but it is worth every penny! There are few hair products that I religiously buy over and over again and this is #1 on that list. It's invisible when sprayed on, removes grease and oil and is also great for adding texture and body when teasing.

Check with your hairstylist or you can buy it on the Oribe site here, Amazon.com, or multiple other online sites. The cost I've found consistently across the board is about $39. But who can put a price on dirty to clean hair?

Don't judge my lack of hair-washing,
Laura

A Monday List

1. I can't express how glad I am that I got married before Pinterest was a hit. With things like this to inspire me, I would've gone DIY crazy.

2. The other day my students asked me to put on some music while they were painting their spelling words. "Baby" by Justin Bieber was up on AOL Radio and it turned into a quiet chorus of singing and painting...including the breakdown by Ludacris. I'm in love with them.

3. We are under contract on a house! Woo hoo! First time home-buyers, here. Any advice? Best place you know to buy paint? Lighting? I'll take any advice you have. 

4. When we moved from Dallas to Denver and left Yumi-Licious fro-yo behind, I took a break from the amazing treat. We reunited last week at Yogurt Land in Denver and I have a feeling it is all downhill from here. How is it so good?

5. In addition to the fro-yo reunion, I also baked these amazing chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cream cheese brownies last week. And went to the gym because of all my indulging. I should spread this out a little bit. 

Enjoy your Monday.

Now I can't stop singing Bieber, 

Laura

Dog Shakes

Happy Friday!

via

Hope this added a smile to your day!

Laura

Pretzel Chicken

2 things I love:

1. Recipes that are easy to memorize and don't take a lot of prep time.
2. Quick ways to make chicken fancy.

I love more things than just that...and that might be three things...but that's all that applies to this recipe...anyways!

I saw this recipe a year or so ago in Martha Stewart Living magazine and it is one of those yummy, quick dishes that is now a go-to for us!

It's only 3 ingredients (plus more for the sauce if you want that!): pretzels, chicken and Dijon mustard. Sold.

P.S. I know this picture looks nasty...but it's really good...

Pretzel Chicken

Recipe from: Martha Stewart Living

Yield: 4 chicken breasts

Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

4 c. pretzels, crushed

Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (regular works fine, too)

4 chicken breasts, thawed (pork chops or chicken tenders would be good, too!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil sprayed with cooking spray.

2. Pour crushed pretzels into a shallow bowl. Coat both sides of chicken with Dijon mustard and then dredge in pretzels and place on baking sheet.

3. Bake for 25 min. or until chicken is no longer pink (or pork reaches 160 degrees).

This is great served with veggies or on top of a salad!

It's even better when dipped in this sauce...

1/4 c. Dijon mustard

1/2 c. mayo

1 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. dried dill (or 2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped)

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and set aside until ready to serve!

Enjoy!

Laura

Booty Wrap

My mom and I recently got these booty wraps, just in time for warmer weather!
What is a booty wrap, you ask? That's actually a great question because the name could really imply multiple different inventions...but I'm going to assume it's not any of those ideas that you are thinking...anyways...

A booty wrap is a flat, bulkless clothing piece that only has sleeves and pockets. The idea is whenever you're running, walking, out at the park, wherever, and you are carrying around your keys, phone, chap stick stuffed in your running shorts, sports bra, tennis shoes...it all goes in these pockets and lies flat around your booty!

It comes in 4 colors and 3 different sizes and you can buy it online here for $39.99.

Wrap that booty,
Laura

Bake Ahead Breakfast

I am loving all these ideas from Pinterest for easy, healthy twists on breakfast! Anything that I can make ahead of time and get 5 extra minutes of precious sleep in the morning gets a thumbs up from me!

Puffins

Pancakes baked in muffin tins

Another version of Puffins with the toppings baked into the mix

Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast Cookies

Baked Egg Muffins

Breakfast for dinner sounds good now, 

Laura

LifeProof

Have y'all seen this new iPhone case? It's called LifeProof and it's like an amped up Otter Box.

It's $79.99 and it's completely waterproof. Let me say that again, COMPLETELY WATERPROOF! Sorry for yelling.

That means you can take this surfing, skiing, snowboarding or in the shower to sing along to your Broadway musical Pandora station! You can even get waterproof headphones and go swimming with this! Might be hard to have a conversation like that, but you could listen to some good tunes.

I love that it comes in other colors like pink and purple, too.

It took me a while to pick out my current case, which I kinda, really love...



...but I'm thinking the LifeProof case is on deck next!

LifeProof...what a clever name,
Laura

Easter Bark

I am a sucker for anything holiday themed- including candy. Since I was at my parent's house for Easter, I came home with a bag full of Easter treats!

Since I know myself and know that I would want to eat all the candy and that they are in small bags so I would feel like I wasn't eating a lot of candy but then would eat multiple small bags at a time, I knew I had to do something about this. Whew. Long sentence.

Enter Easter bark. I did this same concept at Halloween when my adorable students each brought me in all the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups from their trick or treating adventures. Brown-nosing? Maybe, but I enjoyed it.

It couldn't be simpler. First, chop up your Easter candy, pulse it in a food processor or (what I did) throw it in a Ziploc bag and hit it with a Pyrex measuring cup until chopped but still has large chunks. Bonus- I didn't even have to clean my food processor! Win, win.

Next, I melted chocolate candy melts (from Hobby Lobby or Michael's) with a splash of vegetable oil in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until completely smooth then poured it onto my Silpat and spread it into a thin layer. It's up to you how much chocolate and how thick you want the bark to be. I only had a half bag of candy melts and spread it pretty thin to make it easier to eat.

Sprinkle the chopped up candy onto the melted chocolate and then sprinkle with salt, to help cut out all the sweetness! Let it harden in the fridge for about 5 minutes.

After the chocolate is hardened, melt about 1/4 c. white chocolate chips and a splash of vegetable oil in the microwave. Use white chocolate melts if you have them and if not, do like I did and just melt them until somewhat smooth and stir slowly to melt the rest but not too much that it thickens up. White chocolate can be so moody.

Using your spoon, drizzle the white chocolate over the bark and let it harden in the fridge for 10 more minutes.

Break into small pieces, take to your office or hand them out to your neighbors and, I promise, you will be so glad you got rid of all that candy with bikini season right around the corner!

Everybody loves somebody that brings them dessert. It's a fact.

I really need to give all mine away,
Laura

I really love my...{silpat}

(click here for all previous posts in the I really love my...series!) 

I really love my Silpat baking mat! I recently purchased a Silpat after being intrigued by them for years and I haven't regretted my purchase once. Only that it took me so long to get one! 

According to the Silpat website, they are: 

"...a must-have for all bakers. SILPAT® is the original non-stick baking mat. Since 1965, Demarle has been committed to improving your baking experience by introducing top quality products. SILPAT® products never need greasing and replace parchment paper. Using SILPAT® products saves time, money and reduces waste in our environment. SILPAT® products are great for working with sticky materials such as gooey batter, taffy, caramel, doughs and anything your imagination allows. Nothing sticks to SILPAT®."

I couldn't agree more. I was a little nervous about ruining a batch of cookies on here because I was doubtful in the nonstick ability but, boy, was I wrong! Cookies, chocolate, scones, etc. have all come off the Silpat seamlessly and without being burned. 

They are easy to clean and don't take up a lot of space when stored. It's official- the Silpat is a hit in my house! 

I bought mine at Williams-Sonoma but you can also get them from Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond.

No more parchment paper here, 

Laura

Brown Eyed Baker Blog

Do y'all know Brown Eyed Baker? This is one, if not my number one, favorite baking blog that I read. Everything I have tried of hers has been a hit! Not to mention simple to make and so delicious!

Here are some of my favorites...

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe!



Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Incredible. Simply incredible.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Seriously.

Blueberry Muffins

Hubby approved.

Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars

Now, I want these...now.

This is just a very small sampling of all the yummy treats she bakes! Check her out here and let me know what you think!

Now I want to bake something,

Laura



Vanity Affair

I love the idea of a beautiful, romantic and girly vanity and here are some that have been inspiring me lately...

1/2/3/4/5

On the hunt for some antique trophies...

Laura

Now Playing

I have to share the new-to-me artist that I can't stop listening to! His name is Jadon Lavik and he has the most beautiful voice and renditions of old hymns and some new, original songs.

I have the album Roots Run Deep and, although I love every song, the version of Come Thou Fount is addicting. If you've driven by  me on my way to work the past few weeks and wondered what I was belting out, this is it.



Click here to listen to the album (and his other albums, as well) and you can buy them on iTunes!

Hope you enjoy!

Any other good music suggestions to keep me singing on my drive?

I may or may not be singing this right now,
Laura

The Real Meaning of Easter

Although all the festive holiday decor and treats are fun, the real reason for celebrating Easter goes much deeper than that. One of my previous students sums it up pretty well...

"Jesus got on the cross so we did not have to get dead. Bad people did it to him."

Remember the real reason for the season this weekend and celebrate Christ's death and resurrection for us! 

Amazing truth, 

Laura

Bunny Food

A holiday isn't complete in my mind without corresponding, festive treats! Here are some ideas to get you in the Easter mood!

Chocolate Covered Carrots (Strawberries)

 

Chocolate Shaving Nest Cupcakes

 

Peep S'mores

 

Bunny Bark

 

Bunny Bottom Cupcakes

(would be cute with the bunny bottom garland from yesterday!)

 

Easter Basket Cones

 

People are so creative! Hope this got you in the baking/Easter zone! 

It made me crave Cadbury mini eggs...

Laura

Easter Decor

 Easter is coming up and (if I had more time) I'd to DIY some of this cute decor! 

Who wouldn't want a giant carrot on their door?

Bunny Bottom Garland

 

Shredded Paper and Egg Nest

 

$7 Plastic Egg Makeover

(I'm really swooning over this one)

 

Time to get crafty! 

Laura

He says, She says

 I found this cute bridal shower game idea on Pinterest and thought it would be fun for the bachelorette party in Vegas! 

via

I stalked perused the bride and groom's facebook for previous status' and everyone had to guess who said what! It turned out really cute and a fun and actually pretty tricky game!

I made it on Microsoft Word and I'd love to share it with you if you'd like! All you'd have to do is enter their status' and names! How easy is that? If you'd like it, leave your email in the comments and I will send it your way!

Gotta love stalking,
Laura

Updated Utensil Holder

 I am so inspired by this easy update to the dreary kitchen utensil holder by Heather Bullard!

Here are two options I found while antiquing the other day that have been on my mind for this project. 



What do you think?

Why didn't I think of that?

Laura