A New Fave & 2 Recipes

Breakfast is usually a hard meal for me to figure out. I need something filling with protein to get me through the morning, but I am perpetually running late, and I never have the time or energy to bother with an elaborate breakfast.

Recently I have been enjoying a yogurt parfait for breakfast. I make it with my new fave yogurt, Kroger brand {fat free} vanilla greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia. I love that it is quick to make, and if I am really running late I can throw it in a container and take it to work with me.

Reasons I am obsessed with this yogurt: it has the perfect amount of sweetness and vanilla flavor, it is loaded with protein, it is fat free, it is all natural, and it is sweetened with Stevia! Stevia is a plant based calorie free sweetener that is considered a safer alternative to artificial calorie free sweeteners. Although I have recently read several articles that claim Stevia is not as safe as people believe...who knows...at this rate anything and everything we are exposed to is toxic, unless you live a 100% clean eating lifestyle, which as much as I would love to, is insanely hard to do.

Once I get some of my yummy yogurt into the bowl I top it with Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal (also high in protein) and fresh fruit. Last week's choice was cantaloupe. The cantaloupes I have had so far this year are already so sweet and juicy, yum! I have also used blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple to make my parfaits. Here is a past post about a blueberry yogurt parfait I made.

Because I was so excited about my yogurt I decided to try it another way by making a delish dip I found via Pinterest.

This dip combines vanilla greek yogurt, honey, cinnamon, and peanut butter. I used mine as a dip for apples, but honestly it was so delish I could just eat it with a spoon for dessert. As is typical I didn't measure. I just spooned a little of each into a dish and mixed it up, but here is the source where I got the recipe and she shares her measurements.

Do you have any other yummy ways you use vanilla greek yogurt? Now that I am obsessed with it I am anxious to try it in some other recipes. What about Stevia? Do you use it or do you prefer another natural sweetener?

FYI--This post was not sponsored. All opinions are unsolicited and 100% my own.

Going Bananas!

Well, I am going bananas for two reasons. One, I just made a delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Bread, and two....read to the end of my post and see.

I was recently faced with the problem of 2 over ripe bananas. I thought about making my Healthy 3 Ingredient Cookies, but decided to switch it up and make something heartier instead. I decided on an oatmeal banana bread.

I found this Weight Watchers recipe, and changed it up a little to make it what I wanted.

Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Bread

1 1/4 c. all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. canola oil
1 egg, beaten
2 egg whites, beaten (not to peaks or anything...just mix 'em up with your fork a little)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large over ripe bananas
1 c. uncooked old fashioned oats
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan, set aside. In a large bowl mix together all dry ingredients. Add in eggs, oil, and vanilla extract, and mix well.

In a small bowl mash the bananas with a fork. Add bananas, oatmeal, and chocolate chips to the batter and mix well.

Pour batter into the greased loaf pan and bake 40-50 minutes until the top is golden brown, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

This bread was super delicious! Not quite as healthy with the chocolate chips added, but chocolate makes everything better, and if you don't believe that then I am very sorry because you are missing out. I also love that this recipe is really simple. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kitchenaid mixer, but the dang thing is so heavy to drag around. It's nice to throw everything in a bowl, mix it up, and be done.

I am a total dork, because as I started writing this post it made me think that I remember making a bread like this one other time. Well friends, I did. Click here to read my post about my Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Nut Bread. I liked this version better because of the chocolate, much easier recipe, and while still dense it did seem to be more moist than my other version (if I am remembering correctly!). Reason number two that I am going bananas. As in...Losing.My.Mind.

Enjoy!

Bonnets, Birdies, and Pearls

First...holy cow, I can't believe it's been a month since I have chatted with you all!!! I have been so consumed with enjoying (and checking things off of the to-do list) during these last few months of pregnancy, that the blog has fallen to the bottom of the list. Although, the thing I love about blogging is that even when I take a break it is still here waiting, and all of my bloggy friends are still out there too (I hope!).

A few weekends ago I had my baby shower. It was the most amazing weekend full of family, friends, good food, and of course fabulous baby goodies!

Two of my aunts hosted the shower, and it was held at my parent's house which means my mom was a huge part of the planning and preparation too. I can't even begin to describe the love and time that these three put into the shower.

Here are the girls...me, my mom, Aunt Kathy, and Aunt Darlene:

Here are some picture highlights of the theme and decorations. If I can get my act together I'll post a part 2 with more shower fun!

The entry way; thank you note station where guests addressed their envelopes (by the way...I AM working on those...40 thank yous is a lot to write!), filled out their note for mom and baby, and got their little clip for the baby game; the favor table--amazing handmade baby booties filled with chocolate, and yummy homemade sugar scrub in the cutest packaging you have ever seen.

The most fabulous diaper cake and sweet little bloomers, and a fun pink and pearl wreath!

The main room. The hosts and guests brought lots of sweet little bonnets and hats, several of which were displayed. There were also lots of pictures of hubby and I as babies, and of course everything was dripping with pearls. The centerpiece was the most beautiful bouquet of tulips and hydrangeas from the same florist that did my wedding, Richardson's. Their flowers are always amazing!

Since I am not big into party games there was a craftivity instead! Guests used the materials provided to make onesies for Emma. There were tracers, embellishments, fabric markers, and iron on fabric to create one of a kind designs.

Mmm, dessert! I had the most beautiful (and delicious!) cake which came from the same bakery that made my wedding cake, Desserts by Rita. The cake balls were even done in the same flavors of the layers that made up my wedding cake. What a sweet touch!

Some pretty pink dogwoods to add a touch of spring!

I hope you enjoyed a peek into my shower. It was such a wonderful and special day! Thank you to everyone who was a part of it. 

Liebster Award Round 2!

I was happily surprised to receive two emails a week or so ago about Liebster Award nominations from two different bloggers that I recently started following.

The Liebster Award is an award that bloggers give to each other to recognize up and coming blogs. I was nominated for this award back in December from my sweet bloggy friend Samantha of Designer in Teal. Click here to read that post.

 Liebster Award Rules:

1. Link back to the person who nominated you.

2. Write 11 facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions from the person who nominated you.

4. Nominate 11 blogs with 200 or less followers. Notify them.

5. Create 11 questions for those bloggers you've nominated to answer.

11 Facts About Me: 

1. I love food and trying new foods. I will try most anything at least once. 

2. I am an only child.
3. I am not crafty. I don't really have the patience for it.
4. I have wanted to have every job under the sun, and growing up I shadowed both an FBI agent (in his office, nothing exciting) and an anesthesiologist (actually exciting...I got to see a brain surgery and twins being born via c-section!)
5. I love wearing fun crazy nail polish colors.
6. I love cheese.
7. I love sparkling wine.
8. I kind of want to live in the country and grow and can my own veggies. Not sure how I would fare as a lifelong suburbs girl. I would definitely need a Target and good grocery store options within 15 minutes of my house.
9. I am a serious creature of habit.
10. I love Bravo TV.
11. I am usually cold and can't stand it!

The first recent nomination came from Ashley of Horseshoes & Pearls. I love Ashley's blog because she is really genuine and open. She is strong in her faith and posts lots of things that are inspiring to me. It's also pretty awesome that she also lives in Virginia AND has pearls in the name of her blog! 

Ashley's Questions:

1. What was your most embarrassing moment growing up? Hmm...I could probably think of a lot. I am going to go with one that felt so embarrassing at the time--my mom and a friend's mom doing the macarena on a school field trip where they were chaperones. My mom claims that all the kids loved it and thought it was hilarious....I was mortified. No middle schooler wants to see their mom dancing in front of all their classmates. Sorry mom, you know I love you.

2. If you could pack up and move anywhere you want, where would it be? Somewhere outside of Winchester, VA. I love that we could be in the mountains and have some land, but still be equidistant from our families, and be so close to D.C. The perfect combo of city and country living!

3. If you could swap lives with someone for a week, who would it be? Hmmm that is a hard one. I love my little life so its hard to say who I would want to have the chance to be instead. I'll say some gorgeous movie star. I'd like to have tons of fabulous clothes and jewels at my disposal for a day, as well as someone to do my hair and makeup (I hate doing that every morning!), cook my meals, and well basically wait on me hand and foot. :)

4. Did you play any sports growing up? I took dance (mostly ballet) for about 10 years, I played softball for a few years in middle school, and I ran track in high school. I also took some random tennis lessons in there. Tennis is something I could see myself getting back into.

5. What was your first vehicle? A 98' Honda Civic. I still miss that thing sometimes. It was sporty and fun.

6. If you won the lottery tomorrow what would be the first thing you would buy and/or do? Pay off my student loans. I'm just practical like that.

7. What's your favorite meal? That's hard for me. I am a foodie and love to eat anything and everything. I am going to go with a wine and cheese spread. A glass of wine with cheeses, meats, warm crusty bread, olives, fruit, good dark chocolate, ohhh I am drooling...

8. Do you have any fears/phobias? If so, what are they? I don't think I have anything that qualifies as a fear or phobia. Don't get me wrong, I definitely have some quirks, but I don't think any are phobias.

9. If you were to sing karaoke, what would you sing? Oh my, first I would hand out ear plugs and then I would sing Material Girl by Madonna. Not that I am a material girl, but that is a classic song from my childhood. I just love it.

10. Name one thing on your bucket list and why its important to you. To travel. I have been blessed to travel many wonderful places so far, but there are so many more places I want to explore.

11. If you could give any advice to new bloggers, what would it be? I would say find your voice and be genuine to it. Just like in other aspects of your life it is not worthwhile to compare yourself to others. Stay true to what your dreams are for your blog and don't worry about what anyone else out there is doing.

My second recent nomination came from Beth of Clothes & Cocktails. I love Beth's blog because she is a fun loving southern girl. How could you not like someone who loves clothes and cocktails?! AND she is a Delta Zeta, so we are technically sisters too! 

Beth's Questions:

1. What is your favorite workout? Definitely Barre, although I have not really been since I have been pregnant. I have been sticking to a lighter workout these days.

2. What social media do you check most often? Probably Facebook. I have a goal though to start using my Instagram account.

3. Who in your life do you most admire and why? My mom. She is just an amazing person who always handles things with such grace and positivity.

4. Are you in love? If so, give us the short story of your first meeting. Yes, with my fabulous husband. We met in a class in college. He claims he had his eye on me and I was clueless. Luckily we got paired up for a group project and the rest is history...

5. What is your most favorite item in your wardrobe? My collection of statement necklaces. They are the perfect way to transform an outfit and make the most of the basic pieces in your wardrobe.

6. What is one thing you have to do everyday? It is not always every day, but most days I talk to my mom either on the phone or by text or email. She is one of my closest friends.

7. Who is your favorite sports team? Honestly, no one. I am totally not into sports.

8. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Reading, being outside when the weather is nice, baking.

9. What is one thing you can't live without? My planner. I could never remember everything if I didn't have it. I write down my life in there!

10. What is the wildest/craziest thing you have ever done? Hmm I'm not too wild and crazy {and the moments that I was I think I'll keep to myself...} but one of the craziest hardest times in my life was deciding right before college graduation that I regretted giving up on my childhood dream of being a teacher, to pursue my degree in business and economics. After graduating {with my business/econ degree} I took a job {making basically minimum wage} teaching preschool, and took out student loans to go back to school for my teaching license. All the while living on my own in an apartment, surviving on grilled cheese sandwiches, and being 30 minutes away from my friends and boyfriend, and 3 hours away from my family. I wouldn't trade those days for anything though because they had such a big impact on who I am today.

11. Why did you start blogging and who inspired you to do so? Starting a blog was really just a random idea I had. Once I get an idea I tend to jump on it and my blog was born.

I nominate:

Meredith @ Cotton's Pickins

Katie @ Dreaming in Lace and Pearls

Amanda @ The Barstow's: Our Little House on the {West Texas} Prairie

My Questions for the Nominees:

1. What is your favorite sweet treat?
2. If you could go on any vacation where would you go?
3. What is one wish you have for your blog?
4. What is your favorite beauty product?
5. Mountains or beach?
6. Sweet tea or unsweet?
7. What is your favorite season and why?
8. What is one talent you wish you had?
9. If you could change to any other career what would it be and why?
10. What is your favorite accessory?
11. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

You Know You Wanna Win This....

Hop on over to The Belly Blog to read my latest post, Budgeting for Baby, and enter our fabulous giveaway (it ends tomorrow, so hurry!). Even if you are not expecting there is some great advice on creating a budget, and how to pay down debt and increase savings.

As part of the post you can win a fabulous coupon clutch from Thirty-One Gifts! The clutch has five sections, which I use to organize my cash categories for our budget. Although, if you are a couponer it would be great for that as well.

The clutch has been donated by my fabulous friend (and Independent Thirty-One Consultant) Dory over at The Doyle Dispatch. She is super crafty and creative and even has her own business, Personally Yours. Definitely stop by and say hello!

The giveaway ends TOMORROW, so hurry up and get on over to The Belly Blog and enter!

Power Lunch

One of the best parts about being on Spring Break is being able to make lunch at home. For teachers, who don't get the option to run out on their lunch break, trying to pack a lunch every day gets so old!

Today I experimented with some produce that needed to be used up and I ended up with a delicious lunch. I present to you...

Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad:

{Sorry for the terrible picture. I was super hungry and in a rush, so when I stopped half way through to take this pic with my phone I was not too concerned with the quality. Although, I wouldn't say I'm known for my great photography anyway...}

Peel and dice one sweet potato. Put onto a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally (I like mine to be a little crispy on the outside so I let it go for longer).

Let sweet potatoes cool slightly. Put a generous handful of fresh baby spinach in a bowl, top with sweet potatoes, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

That's it! It tasted really fresh and delicious and had some awesome vitamins and nutrients for me and baby girl.

Spinach contains: Vitamins A, K, C, and folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium {source}

Sweet Potatoes contain: Vitamin C, calcium, folate, potassium, and beta-carotene {source}

I enjoyed some cheese and crackers and greek yogurt with my salad to make up the rest of my meal. This power lunch full of vitamins, minerals, whole grain, and protein definitely made up for my Easter brunch yesterday of cinnamon baked french toast and bacon (...with a side of fruit, if that counts for anything)!

{Healthy} 3 Ingredient Cookies

On one of my recent Pinterest pinning sprees I came across this recipe for healthy 3 ingredient cookies. They looked pretty delish, and it seemed like they would be a good balance between my love of baking and sweets and my goal to eat healthy.

Here is my version:

Mash 2 very ripe bananas in a medium bowl
Add 1 cup of quick cook oats
Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix well and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

This recipe was super easy and delicious! Next time I am going to experiment with adding peanut butter to change up the flavor and add some protein.

Enjoy!