Helping Grandma

During a class discussion on how we can help our family out, one sweet friend says: 

"You can help your grandma get up the stairs...you know, like push her from behind."

Not exactly the type of help she might have wanted! 

She's gonna break a hip,

Laura

Banana Chai Take 2

I was inspired by yesterday's Banana Chai smoothie post and surfed the web (what an old, yet awesome, phrase) for some more scrumptious Banana Chai combos!

Banana Chai Cupcakes

Banana Chai Bread

Look at that glaze...mmm..

Banana Chai Martini

Gorgeous! 

Banana Chai Granita

Banana Chai Muffins

This might be new favorite combination!

Now, where to begin...

Laura

Going Banana Chai

You've heard me rant and rave about smoothies here before, and that isn't changing anytime soon.

My newest smoothie addiction is inspired by this Banana Chai smoothie from Pinterest!

Spicy, creamy and indulgent- it has a trifecta going on here.

via

Banana Chai Smoothie

Serves 1

Adapted from Choosing Raw

Ingredients: 

2 tsp. chai tea mix (I love this variety from Trader Joe's...and Amazon, apparently)

1 1/2 (or 2 small) frozen bananas (remember my frozen banana trick, here?)

2/3 c. milk 

1 tbsp. peanut butter

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Yum!! 

(You can also make your own chai mix but I like the subtle yet spiciness from the premixed teas better. There's my two cents.)

Enjoy!

Laura

Friday Funny

Surely y'all have seen this but just in case you haven't, it is my duty to introduce you to Neature Walk. Hilarity and so quotable. The perfect combination!

Happy Friday!
Laura

Go-To Dinner

SkinnyTaste strikes again!

I've found our new go-to summer dinner and it is a complete hit!

Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes.



via

It's a light, fresh, scrumptious dish that is easy to make and easy to clean up! I also love that it doesn't require a lot of extra ingredients from what I already have at home so I can quickly pick them up at the grocery on short notice!

Trust me on this one, y'all. It will be your new go-to, as well.

I followed the original recipe found here and added in a large splash of balsamic vinegar inspired by here!

Enjoy!

Laura

Animal Parts

When I was teaching in Texas, I had an adorable student whose mom had just had a baby. Fast forward a few months and we are learning about farm animals. The assignment was to choose a farm animal, choose a body part of that farm animal and tell me why it is important.

I was walking around the classroom helping and monitoring when I saw this sweetie's paper and, although I consider myself an expert at deciphering invented spelling, I didn't want to believe what I was reading. So I asked her to tell me about what she had written.

This is how the conversation went...

Me: So, tell me about what you chose!
Student : The pig.
Me: What part of the pig?
Student: Oh you know the (whispering) b....e.
Me: What did you say? I couldn't hear you.
Student: The part for the baby pigs, you know, the (whispering) b..b...e
Me: (Not willing to believe what I am hearing/reading) I'm sorry, sweetie, one more time.
Student: (As she cups her hands in front of her chest as though she is wearing a bra and she yells...) You know, the BOOBIE!

Here is her paper (pardon the horrible, in class, old iphone photo) and it clearly says, "So the milk comes out for the baby pigs."

Love my job!
Laura

The Best Bag Award

If I could give an award for the best purse ever, it would definitely go to Fossil's Modern Cargo Small Foldover.

My bestie and her mom both have this bag and when I was in the market for a new purse a few months ago, I decided to give this one a try after their raving reviews.

And they weren't lying. This purse is where it's at.

The inside pocket is large enough for my hobo wallet (coming soon on I really love my...), day planner (yes, I still carry a pen and paper calendar), check book, way too many lip products and more. There is a zippered inside pocket and two open pockets that fit my cell phone perfectly.

The outside has two snap closure pockets great for headphones and granola bars...which is exactly what I used mine for.

I love that it has a detachable cross body strap or small arm straps to switch it up for how you need to use it!

Did I  mention the great colors in comes in, too? More are available in Dillard's or Fossil stores.

  

all pictures via

Good purses are hard to find!
Laura

For the Hubbys

Loving this today to start my week...



via

Happy Monday,

Laura

{Belated} Mother's Day

I realized that Mother's Day came and went and I didn't even brag about recognize my own mom! Well, I did when I saw her...just not on the blog.

My mom (hi, mom!) is creative, helpful and reliable.

She works hard at everything she does and is dedicated to people and the activities she helps! She spends the majority of her week leading Bible Study Fellowship, organizing the groups and making sure it all runs smoothly. Add in taking care of the house, cooking wonderful meals for my dad and she also squeezes in time for yoga and manicures to take care of herself, too.

She has taught me many valuable skills and lessons but the most prevalent in my life right now is how to be a loyal and supportive wife and the importance of caring for others while still taking care, and not forgetting about, myself.



Every time we have moved (and every time my brother has moved, as well), my mom doesn't think twice about coming to wherever we are living, packing us up, moving us, painting, decorating, cleaning and being supportive about the situation, even if we are moving from Dallas (a 4 hour trip from home) to Denver (a 10 hour drive).

Happy {blog-belated} Mother's Day to my mom and best friend!



Better late than never,
Laura

Fishtail Tip

It's no secret around here that I am a fan of dirty hair.

But having dirty hair really is an art because it looks best when in a super cute style! Enter the Fishtail braid.

Braids are my favorite (remind anybody else of Elf? "Smiling is my favorite!") because they are effortless and can go from casual day into night. Perfect!

Sometimes the layers in my hair make it tricky to keep all the pieces in with a normal braid but a fishtail braid is perfect for tucking in all those pesky layers!

The Beauty Department, Lauren Conrad's beauty website, has a great video tutorial on how to fishtail braid your hair. In the video, they use a clear rubber band to keep the hair in place at the top and then cut the rubber band out at the end. Well, I didn't like that for two reasons.

1. I'm cheap and don't want to keep buying clear ties.
2. Knowing me, I would forget to go and cut it out and not realize it until hours later.

So, I improvised and simply (and gently) make the tie larger with my fingers and pull it over the fishtail until it's out! Voila- perfect fishtail AND no hair tie waste.

I like these colored hair ties from Sephora that are snagless and stretch easier and last longer than the clear elastic ties.

via

Check out Lauren Conrad's video and add in this trick and there you have your easy Friday hair-do for tomorrow! 

Fishtail is a funny name, 

Laura

Closing Day

Today is the day!

We close on our first house today!



I have an amused/confused relationship with that freestanding light in the front yard...

It's hard to not be consumed by paint colors, carpet samples, furniture ideas and planting flowers but we are trying to take it one step at a time so we are able to enjoy this process!

Any words of wisdom, favorite furniture stores or paint colors to share? I will take all the free advice I can get! It's the only thing that is free in this process...

Off to sign my life away!
Laura

Mocktails

Have y'all heard of these?!

Crystal Light Mocktails!



Sold with the lemonade and other Crystal Light flavors at the grocery store and easily mixed up in a pitcher! We had Peach Bellini flavor at a bachelorette party in March and it was the perfect mixer for whatever you chose. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the peach bellini flavor since but they make up for it with Mojito, Margarita and Appletini.

This is great for when you need a little something besides water and would be so easy in a large drink dispenser at a bridal shower or summer cookout. Or even better, a baby shower to make the mom-to-be feel indulgent!

Also, if you have a Sam's Club near you, I saw a 3 pack with all the flavors there last week!

Makes you feel better about having a mojito with breakfast on a Tuesday,
Laura

Fruit Pizza

Hellooooo Monday!

This past week I made this for our home group and- oh my goodness- it was SO good!



So many times I think I want to make something so fancy and that seems so impressive, but there is really not much that beats a soft sugar cookie, covered with a white chocolate and cream cheese frosting and topped with beautiful fresh fruit!

I was serving it that night so I did not make the pineapple/lemon juice topping but if you are planning to save (or even have...) leftovers I would recommend that or adding lemon juice into the frosting to help preserve the fruit!

Such a great recipe to keep in your file as the farmer's market slowly starts having gorgeous and inexpensive berries!

You can find the original recipe here!

Enjoy!
Laura

Friday Funny

During good things (every morning I ask my students to tell me something good), my sweet friend told me that this summer he is going to have a lemonade stand. This is how the conversation went...

Student: "This summer I am going to have a lemonade stand in my yard!"
Me: "Oh, great idea! How much will you charge?"
Student: "$2.99 a glass"
Me: (looking very surprised by the price) "Oh, wow..."
Student: "Well, unless you want a kid's cup, that's $1.85"

Quite the entrepreneur we have on our hands here!

I better start saving to visit his lemonade stand,
Laura

I really love my...{Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker}

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

I really love my Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Ice Cream Maker! My brother gave me this for Christmas a few years ago and, I'll be honest, it took me a while to finally get it out of the box and give it a whirl. And now, I'm hooked!



It is so simple to use and I love being able to lighten up full-fat ice cream flavors or make homemade frozen yogurt! It's great for using up leftover cookies, candy, cake or fresh fruit from the farmer's market.

You simply freeze the inner freezer bowl for 24 hours before use, mix up your milk/cream/vanilla etc. (see yesterday's post for the most amazing ice cream recipes), pour it into the freezer bowl and turn it on for 25 minutes! Voila!

Everyone will be so impressed! It's a must have for the upcoming summer months!

You can purchase it from the Cuisinart website and Amazon.com, to name a few!

Have fun!
Laura

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

Splendid is defined as: gorgeous; magnificent; grand; sumptuous.

All perfect descriptions of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. It is creamy, thick and full of flavor.

You can buy her ice cream creations in small, high-end grocery stores (Cook's Fresh Market for you Denver, folk) but it'll cost you around $12 a pint. Even something splendid needs a price cap, you know?

So, instead, buy her book, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home on Amazon.com for $13.



With flavors like Scarlet & Earl Grey, Baked Rhubarb, Bangkok Peanut, Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Roasted Pumpkin 5-Spice, how could you go wrong?



I love that she has a simple, step-by-step, photographed ice cream base for making most of her creations. And the fact that it includes cream cheese is only helping her case. It's delicious.

I've made the base multiple times, tossing it add-ins like Thin Mints, Samoas, chopped nuts and fresh fruit. I also tried a simple variation on the base using peanut butter and Reese's PB cups and- oh wow- that was the ice cream that I never mentioned to guests that we had because that meant less for me.

Check back tomorrow for my favorite kitchen gadget to help you make this scrumptious treat!

Headed to that PB ice cream in the freezer...
Laura

(all pictures via)

Baking Wish List

It's no secret that I love sweets and spend most of my free time baking...I know, I'm so domestic.

Here are things on my baking radar...

Ooey Gooey Cookies



Fruit Pizza with White Chocolate and Sugar Cookie Crust

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cheesecake Squares

Pretzel Bottomed Reese's PB Cup Cookie Pie

Where to begin?

Laura



The Laundry Method

I love laundry. I'm being serious. I really, really love doing laundry.

It's a task that can easily and quickly be completed from beginning to end.

And I love that.

I wanted to share my favorite laundry product with you, Method Laundry Detergent from Target.

Method is a plant-based detergent using 95% natural and renewable ingredients in an eco-friendly bottle. I like being able to use the same detergent for sheets, towels, delicates and our normal laundry.

And the best part is the pump top! It is super simple to pump 3-5 squirts, depending on the size load, into the washer and let it go!

To make things better, when you run out, you can buy a refill pack that pours right into your original bottle! So great for our Earth!

Saving our environment one load of laundry at a time,

Laura

I really love my...{simplehuman soap dispenser}

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

I really love my simplehuman Soap Dispenser! My grandparents (Hi, grandma and grandpa!) gave us this soap dispenser for Christmas a few years ago and it's wonderful!

It has a sensor by the top that dispenses the perfect amount of soap without touching the dispenser. This is great for the kitchen when your hands are covered in raw meat, onion, or who knows what else!



The clear back makes it easy to know when to refill and there are 4 options for the amount of soap that is dispensed. You can buy this germ-a-phobe friendly dispenser at Bed Bath & Beyond or lots of places online!

Nobody likes raw chicken all over the place,

Laura

Taco Cookies

Ever seen those two words together? Taco and cookie?

I made these as an April Fool's joke but I think they'd be perfect for Cinco de Mayo this weekend!

I was inspired by this  recipe from Parenting Magazine after a quick google search for April Fool's dessert ideas! With a few adaptions, I ended up with a soft, cinnamon taco shell filled with cake, frosting, fruit roll ups and pop rocks!

Taco Cookies

Makes 12 cookies

Prep Time: 15 min. Total Time: 25 min. for cookies + time for cake and toppings

Taco Shell Ingredients:

1 c. packed light brown sugar

1 1/3 c. whole wheat flour (gives the brown color, don't use regular)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 eggs

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Stir together the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs until smooth. Fold in the butter and chill for 5 minutes in the freezer.

The dough is very runny! Ladle into circle shapes and bake for 5-6 min. until golden brown.

While the cookies are baking, make an aluminum foil log and spray with cooking spray. After the cookies have cooled for about one minute, carefully drape the cookies over the foil to make the taco shell shape. They might crack a little but that's ok, it will be on the bottom of the final cookie display. Let the cookies cool completely before removing the foil.

For the fillings:

Bake a chocolate sheet cake (I used a box) and let cool. Crumble 1/4 of the cake and mix with a heaping spoonful of chocolate frosting. Frost the rest of the cake and give it away to your neighbors.

Sprinkle the taco meat (aka the chocolate cake) into the cooled shells.

Top with sour cream (piped white frosting in a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off), lettuce (green fruit roll-up thinly sliced) and tomato (red pop rocks). If you are not serving these right away, wait to put the Pop Rocks on until you are ready to present. Another option is to thinly slice up peaches and strawberries as cheese and tomatoes!

Enjoy!
Laura





Split Pea & Ham Soup

Remember when I was saying that you think you know a lot about your significant other and then you learn they like scones? Well, then you learn they like Split Pea and Ham soup.

What? That just sounded nasty...and mushy...and baby food-ish. Boy, was I wrong! It is none of those things. Well, maybe mushy, but only because it's soup and soup is pretty mushy.

Anyways, another one of my favorite blogs is Skinnytaste. It's full of healthy, scrumptious recipes all with their Weight Watcher points included. I don't use Weight Watchers but I love knowing that although a recipe may taste decadent or rich, it is low in calories and fat.

So, when my hubster told me that he is a fan of Split Pea and Ham soup, I went straight to Skinnytaste. Her recipe for Split Pea Soup with Ham Hock is anything but nasty, mushy and baby food-ish. It's creamy (without the use of cream), smooth and simple!

I always check our grocery store flyers for what meat is on sale that week to plan my recipes or to buy when it's cheap and throw it in the freezer. Last week, I bought a 10 lb. ham for $12! It's the little things, or 10 lb. things, in life!

After having ham and potatoes for dinner one night, I pulled the ham off of the ham hock and we had soup the next night! (With the PW Rosemary Rolls, of course!)

This recipe is also a great one to freeze and thaw out for a quick, easy dinner! You could even make one batch to have that night and use the ham hock again to make another batch to freeze. A quick tip for freezing soup: make sure to freeze it flat so it is easy to stack!

See here for the original recipe on Skinnytaste!

Enjoy!
Laura

PW Rosemary Rolls

Who doesn't love bread? Not me. Combine warm bread with butter, rosemary and salt? Even better.

The Pioneer Woman's Rosemary Rolls are a go-to, simple recipe for this household. It takes some advanced planning (really, you just have to pull the Rhode's White Dinner Rolls out of the freezer a few hours ahead of time) but it is so very worth it!

In Oklahoma and Texas, the rolls took about 3 hours to rise. In Colorado, with the altitude change, they take about 5 hours, so take that into consideration. Also, it is hard to just eat one and so you might want to plan a trip to the gym while they are rising to make yourself feel better about eating the whole pan one.

Here is a link to the original recipe: Buttered Rosemary Rolls. I promise you won't be disappointed!

I won't tell you how many I ate...

Laura

P.S. You know what goes great with warm bread? Warm soup. Check back tomorrow for that...