Spinach and Caramelized Onion Frittata with Sweet Potato Crust

Oh my goodness, Friends, do I have a delicious recipe for you!  First, let me apologize for being a little absent the passed couple days.  I'm still getting back into the swing of posting every day (sometimes several times a day).  I'll try to do some catching up this evening.  :)

OK, onto the good stuff!  We had a delicious dinner tonight!  A Spinach and Caramelized Onion Frittata with Sweet Potato Crust!  It was amazing!  There was a hint of sweetness in both the crust and in the caramelized onion.  Overall it was savory and scrumptious and I can't wait to have it again!  It might become a weekly staple!  It was that good!  And it was made entirely out of stuff we usually have on hand!  #winning  So click the link and try it yourself!

Michael and I give this recipe 4 stars!  Avery didn't feel like eating dinner tonight, but Connor ate as much as Michael and I did!  So it's a wonder in his book as week!

One final thought, it you haven't discovered frittatas yet, let me go ahead and suggest you try them!  If your family essays a lot of eggs (like mine does) and you're wondering how to sneak a few more veggies into their lives, frittatas are the perfect solution!  When I have veggies that need used up in a hurry, I make a Frittata!  Healthy and Easy!  What more do you need in a recipe?!  This one had a crust on it, but usually I don't have a crust, just lots of eggs and veggies, cheese and spices!  You can even add meat if you feel so inclined!  They are very customizable!  Try one this week!

Peanut Butter Banana Wrap

Breakfast this morning was easy peasy!  I've made something similar to this before, but this time I had an actual recipe to go with it.  This is a winning recipe for several reasons...
1.  It was easy!  Took just a few minutes to put it all together.
2.  It was tasty!  Always important in Michael's and my book when speaking of healthy food.
3.  The kids loved it!  Any time I can make the same recipe for the kids as I do for Michael and I and have less work, is a good time.

For these reasons, specifically the tasty one, Michael and I give this recipe 4 stars!  :)  Instead of the tortillas that the recipe suggested, I was Flatbread wraps from Aldi's.  They are only 90 calories each!  They were also the perfect size to wrap the bananas!  That's about it.  If you need a quick and easy breakfast for a morning on the go, I recommend this recipe!  Enjoy!

Margherita Panini

First off, sorry there are no pictures with this blog.  We were eating the sandwiches as soon as they came off the Panini press.  Also, they just look like flattened sandwiches, not much to see.

I'm also going to start with our rating of this recipe instead of explaining it all and ending with the rating.  That's because we didn't give this recipe 4 stars.  Michael and I each gave this recipe 1 star, for a total of 2 stars.  Which means I'm throwing out the recipe.  Here's why we thought it wasn't good enough...

It was flavorless.  There just wasn't enough to the sandwich.  We like grilled cheese sandwiches (which is basically what this was), but this one just wasn't great.  I made it on the Panini press, which squished the sandwich bread down (Texas toast may have been a better bread).  The cheese squeezed put the edges, leaving not much inside the sandwich.  The tomatoes were plenty hot, burning your mouth if you got too much.  Overall, it was just ok.

However, there was an upside.  Upon realizing that the sandwiches were bland, I experimented a little with the remaining ones (Michael and I split a couple of sandwiches).  The recipe we ended up liking the best looked like this:
Mix 1 tsp olive oil with 3/4 tsp balsamic vinegar, a dash of salt, a little garlic powder (sorry, didn't measure these), and a shake of Italian Seasoning.  Brush this mixture on the outside of 2 slices of bread.  Place a slice of mozzarella in between the bread slices.  Grill on a Panini press until lightly toasted.

This one was the best for us, but took a lot of work to make the recipe up to standard for us.  Which is, once again, why we only rated it 2 stars.  Since our review is a little critical, I'm not going to include the link.  But you're welcome to try our version if you're still interested.  Sorry this one didn't work out.  You can't win them all.  ;)  Better luck next time!

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 17

So it's taken me a while to wrap my mind around this weight loss.  When I look in the mirror, I don't look much different, in my mind's eye, than I did 40 lbs ago.  I've told Michael and Sis that I think it's a conspiracy.  Size 10 is still a size 10, but now all the stores are calling it a "size 4".  Same goes for a size small.  I've always worn mediums or larges.  So when I grab a small off the rack, I never expect it to fit.  Last night Sis and I went shopping for a Little Black Dress for me.  I tried on 4's, 6's, smalls, and mediums.  And, to my surprise the 6's and mediums were too big.  Weird.  This cant-wrap-my-head-around-it feeling was what I was feeling yesterday when I put on this K-State shirt.  I have got a few size small t-shirts in my life when I'm feeling optimistic about myself, but on the whole, it's always been medium.  This K-State shirt, like virtually all of my others, is a medium and, as you'll see in the pictures, plenty big.  I think I'm going to need to sift through my t-shirt drawer (not included in the wardrobe capsule) at the end of this first month of my capsule blogging and take several of them out.  Because they just don't fit anymore.  Anyway...  Onto yesterday's outfit...

Top - K-State Willie the Wildcat t-shirt, Varney's (not included in capsule wardrobe)
T-shirts like this are not included in the capsule wardrobe.  They are your basic free college shirt (although I did pay for this one), it's not something that goes with the other pieces in the collections, and it's too big.  Didn't realize until I put it on just how big it was.  To recap, when I was at my highest weight I was wearing Michael's size large shirts in order to get something somewhat baggy that didn't make me feel as big.  Like I said, hard to wrap my mind around...

Bottoms - Cuffed Denim Shorts, The Loft
Once again, go-to summer favorite.  I probably need to think about getting one more pair of shorts to divide the summer load.  Target had some cute cut-off styled ones, or maybe Gordmans, since I have gift cards...

Shoes - Gray Braided Sandals, Target
Love these, but I seriously need shoes that fit.  Once again, maybe Gordmans, they have cute ones for a really great price.  :)

Nothing new to add to the capsule from this outfit, but the t-shirt will go in the non-capsule items (although possibly not for long, if I take it out and put it in the basement with the other clothes that don't fit).

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt
Beige Leopard Print tank top
Green cap sleeve blouse

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Accessories -
Black belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter Dress)
Black sunglasses
Brown belt

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers
Gray K-State Willie the Wildcat T-Shirt

35 Capsule Items, 5 Non-Capsule Items

Breakfast Pizzert

Ladies and Gentlemen, do I have a breakfast for you!  Another gem from Chocolate Covered Katie, the Breakfast Pizzert!  This meal was like eating dessert for breakfast.  And since my hubby loves fruit pizza, this was a perfect single serving way to get that fix without a ton of calories. 

I know we talked last week about how baked goods were better with oil than with applesauce.  So when I was presented with the choice again today I was really conflicted on which to choose.  Ultimately, I went with the applesauce and, to my surprise, it turned out great!  Win!  :D  I was also given options of Stevia, sugar, or powdered sugar.  I am happy to report that with the exception of 1 tbsp powdered sugar, all the sugar I used in this recipe was low calorie Stevia!  Winning again!  Yesterday on our smoothie bowls the serving size was 1-2 servings.  As usual, I opted for more food, which ended up being a lot, possibly too much.  Today I was faced with the same situation, but today I made a better choice and split the recipe between Michael and me.  It was more than enough!  And since I split it and baked it in two containers, we eat got to customize our toppings (which ended up being virtually the same anyway).

It only took me one bite to decide that this was a 2 star recipe in my book.  Michael didn't take much longer.  ;)  He asked, "Jen, why are we having cake for breakfast?"  Because seriously, Friends, it's just like cake or a cookie!  Delicious!  Michael gave it 2 stars as well.  That gives us a total of 4 stars!  And, in my opinion, the best recipe of the four we've tried so far in the last couple of days!

Just to be clear, I did use Katie's Cream Cheese Frosting recipe as well.  I was leary, as I have not had good luck with tofu in the past.  However, this was wonderful!  I made it exactly the way the recipe suggested, with the exception of the additional milk at the end.  I thought the frosting was thinking enough and didn't need milk.

There won't be a lunch post today, because we're having more of the Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps for lunch.  However, stay tuned after dinner time when I'll be posting about tonight's dinner, Margherita Panini!  Looks tasty! 

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 16

Well, we had nothing to do and no where to go today, so you would have thought I would have worn sweats all day, but I'll have you know, I was up and dressed before 7 today (which is saying something in this SAHM's world).  Of course, I didn't want to take a picture earlier in the day because I didn't take a shower this morning.  By the evening when I was taking my pictures, I did have a shower, but I let my hair air dry.  I had already had dinner and managed to spill something on my top.  And finally, I thought I had taken both my close up and full body pic, only to discover that one of the pictures didn't save and now, even though I'm already in my pajamas, my OCD requires that I get dressed again to take that last picture.  Ugh.  So, I'll keep the rest of the post brief...

My capsule wardrobe
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt
Beige Leopard Print tank top
Green cap sleeve blouse***

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans***
White Capri pants

Accessories -
Black belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter Dress)
Black sunglasses
Brown belt

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals***
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

35 Capsule Items, 4 Non-Capsule Items

***Indicates items worn today***

More pictures tomorrow.  I'm going to bed.

**Edit: Photos added.  Please don't pay attention to my hair.  Like I said, I let it air dry.**

Monday Dinner - Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Parmesean Sweet Potato Fries, and Green Beans

Dinner time!  Probably my favorite time of day next to nap time!  ;)  So I have this thing about dinner, especially when we have company over, that we need at least 3 items on our plates for dinner.  Not sure where I got this, but it always seems that my plate is too empty or unbalanced without at least 3 foods on the plate.  Anyone else feel this way too?  Maybe I'm the only crazy one...  Anyway, tonight I planned these Homemade Chicken Nuggets for dinner, but I couldn't have just that on our plates.  Partly because it's not enough calories, partly because it would look like a three-year-old's plate, and partly because I need at least 3 things on my plate.  So I added Sweet Potato Fries and Green Beans.  Both of these recipes are loosely based on other recipes (see links below), but I change them to make them my own.  I LOVE my sweet potato fry recipe!  However, I don't usually measure anything.  But, just for you guys, I measured things today so I could pass on a decent recipe.  :)  Here's the components in a little more detail...

*Note - I started with fries, then chicken, the ended with green beans.  I didn't realize how long fresh green beans take to cook.  I should have started them first, because they finished waaaaay after the rest of our dinner.  Oops!  Lesson learned!

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
This is your basic homemade chicken nugget recipe.  When I make Chicken Parmesean it's a very similar recipe.  These were good, not amazing, but good.  They certainly fill that need for Chicken nuggets when you get the craving.  And they are healthy so you can even add your favorite dipping sauce (in moderation *boo, hiss*).  This was the only actual recipe for this meal that Michael and I were really rating.  I give it 2 stars.  Michael gives it 2 stars.  Another winning, 4 star recipe in our household!  Like I said, good, not amazing, basic chicken nuggets.  We'll definitely make them again, but I'll probably play around a little more with seasoning in the breading and see if I can't make them a little more flavorful.  :)

Parmesean Baked Sweet Potato Fries
I love this recipe!  When I make my own sweet potato fries I use it as a reference (mostly for the cooking temp and time anymore).  I do alter it based on the amount of sweet potatoes I have on hand and because I like more or less of some different flavors.  I encourage you to use their recipe or my own as a jumping off point, and that you make your own blend of spices that your family will love!  If you're interested, my recipe is slightly different from the link above. 

Here's my recipe:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut 1.5-2 lbs (or more) sweet potatoes into sticks (I aim for 1cm x 1 cm in size, if you cut them too small they tend to burn)
Put sweet potatoes in a gallon-sized zip lock bag, add the following ingredients to the bag:
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
Close bag and shake potatoes and seasoning until potatoes are well coated.
Spread potatoes in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet (I usually have to use two cookie sheets because I like to make a lot of fries).
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
Flip fries over and return to oven for 10 minutes.
When fries are done baking top with shredded parmesean and parsley.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!

These are always my favorite part of any meal.  We aren't rating this recipe, but if we did, it would be a 4-star recipe!  They are wonderful!  Try them!  You won't be disappointed!

Green Beans
So here's what I learned today...  Fresh green beans take a lot longer to cook than canned green beans.  :P  I started my green beans last, thinking, silly me, that they wouldn't take long, much like the canned green beans I usually use (in fact, if you click the above link, you'll discover that it's a website about how to serve canned green beans and dress them up a little).  I based it on the same recipe I usually use.  I cooked a bit of bacon and onion, then added the beans and some water and let them steam for a (long) while.  Eventually they softened and in the end, they were quite good, but it took a while getting there and the rest of the food was gone before they were done.  Oops!  (Can you tell I'm still learning, yet?)  Oh well, they ended up good!  And now I know for next time!  ;)

So that was our dinner tonight!  Hope you'll try one or two of the recipes and enjoy them as well!  Be sure to check back in and let me know what you think of them when you do!  Thanks for reading!  See you tomorrow!

Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap

Hey Guys!  So lunch today was delicious as well!  I live wraps, sandwiches, soups  and salads for lunch because I can make them ahead of time, wrap them up, and have them waiting in the fridge for Michael the next day when he goes to work.  It also ensures that his meals can stay in the fridge all day and maintain (most of) their structural integrity until lunch time comes around and he gets a chance to eat it.  This recipe said it made 6 wraps  but it ended up being 7, so for us the nutrition information won't be perfect, but since we don't count calories exactly, it shouldn't be any big deal.

Michael and I both gave this recipe 2 stars, for a total of 4!  Another winning recipe!  The picture isn't much to look at since it's all wrapped up already.  I forgot to snap pictures along the way while I was assembling them.  My apologies.  I didn't use as much dressing as the recipe called for.  It said 1/2 cup dressing, I used closer to 1/4 cup.  Because it was sopping wet with dressing, the tortilla stayed in tact and didn't get wet down and fall apart.  I liked that!  More veggies would be great in this mixture, but I stuck to the recipe for now.  ;)  If you want an easy and delicious lunch recipe, this one is a winner!

Banana Berry Smoothie Bowl

Good morning, Friends and family!  Boy, do I have a breakfast for you today!  So, I was on Pinterest looking for new recipes last week.  One of the ones I came across was this Berry Banana Smoothie Bowl.  In the blog the author talks about how she likes smoothies as a snack, but not for a meal, because she needs to eat food, not just drink her meal.  As a girl who's done slim fast as well as plenty of other shake based weight loss programs, I totally understand where she's coming from and feel the same way.  It's hard to convince my brain I'm getting plenty when I'm limited to an 8-16 oz drink.  :\  Just another reason this recipe looked so appealing.  This recipe makes a smoothie, puts it in bowl, and puts a slew of toppings on it to give it crunch, texture, and substance.  It was delicious! 

I made the recipe for one person, including the following toppings:
1/2 banana
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup strawberries
2 tbsp granola
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1 tbsp sweetened coconut (Thought I bought unsweetened, but noticed this morning I was wrong.  Whoops!  Oh well!)
1 tsp Chai seeds

All the toppings alone are quite the mixture, but add it to the top of a Banana Berry Smoothie (with a cup of spinach snuck in for a serving of veggies) and you've got a healthy filling meal!  And, as it turns out, a decent number of calories...  Whoops again!

So after I made one of these bowls for Michael and one for me, I plugged in the nutrition facts to MyFitnessPal.  Turns out, my breakfast cost me 500 calories!  The recipe had the smoothie recipe as 1-2 servings, but my eyes are always bigger than my stomach.  I think next time I make this recipe I'll probably split the smoothie between Michael and me and give us each our own helping of toppings.  ;)  Not because I'm worried about the calories, this recipe is seriously packed with all sorts of great stuff, but because it was a LOT of food and now I'm REALLY full!  :P  That being said, it was delicious and I recommend you try it!

If you're wanting new recipes, this is definitely a week you'll want to stay tuned to the blog.  This week will reflect what the first couple months looked like when Michael and I started dieting.  3 new meals per day, lots of new recipes, and a 0-4 star scoring system on how we liked each recipe. 

So, without further ado, here's the score:
Michael - 2 stars - He liked the crunch of the granola and didn't notice/mind the coconut (I considered leaving out this component, but decided to keep it and see what we thought)
Jen - 2 stars - Yum!  I liked the crunch of the granola and almonds.  I also love putting chai seeds in things because they help you feel full for a long time!

Total: 4 star recipe!  That's as big of an endorsement as you'll get out of us, Folks!  Hope you give it a try and enjoy it as well!  If you do, definitely let me know what you thought of it!  :D

Love you, Guys!  See you at lunch time for Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps!  :)

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 15 - Casual Daytime Outfit

Hello, again!  One more outfit for today, then I'm off to bed to watch TV with my awesome hubby to end his Father's Day celebration.  :)  I didn't want to wear my dress all day, so I threw on a comfy outfit after church to bum around the house, get groceries, and make lunch for the week.  Here's what I wore, although, I'm sure you have a good idea what's coming if you've been keeping track up until now...

Top - Beige Leopard Print tank top, Charming Charlie's
You've seen this shirt before in the gray version.  Today was the first time I wore the beige one.  I wouldn't have bought it in two colors (unless it was solid-colored), but I needed to spend a little more to get more money off and it's a cute shirt.  ;)

Accessories - Brown belt (casual), New York and Company
This is very similar to the black belt I got from New York and Company.  It's a basic brown belt  that holds my pants (that I bought in a size too big) up.  :P  It looks nice with my boyfriend jeans (not to be confused with my boyfriend's jeans).  ;)  Your can't see it in the pictures because my shirt is too long, but it's there, keeping my pants from sagging too bad.  ;)

Bottoms - Boyfriend Jeans, New York and Company
They're too big, but what can I say?  They're comfy (not that my other clothes aren't), so I keep on wearing them.  Maybe they'll shrink up some more next time I was them.

Shoes - Black Decorative Sandals, Target
The straps of these sandals are black, but the bottom is brown, and it's the closest I had to brown sandals to match the shirt and the belt.  I suppose I should look for brown sandals to add to the list (maybe some with heels).

That's all I've got!  Onto the totals...

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt
Beige Leopard Print tank top

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Accessories -
Black belt (<---- Just realized I had this listed as brown for the passed two weeks!  Oops!  Fixed now!)
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter Dress)
Black sunglasses
Brown belt

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

34 Capsule Items, 4 Non-Capsule Items

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 15 - Church Clothes

Good Evening, Friends!  I had two outfits today!  Is it any wonder I'm constantly doing laundry?!  First, my church clothes.  Let's get to it!

Dress - Chevron Stripe Dress, Gordmans
I got this dress as my Easter dress this year.  I really love it!  Unfortunately, on Connor's birthday when we went out to eat for dinner, it ripped right down the back, about 18 inches long!  And, of course, right over my butt.  :\  Needless to say, it was interesting trying to get out of the restaurant.  But I sewed it back up and think it's as good as new now!

Accessories - Brown belt (that goes with my Easter Dress), Gordmans
I used this with another outfit in the last couple weeks, but this is the dress it's supposed to go with!  ;)

Shoes - Nude Wedges
What a great buy!  I love these shoes!

I've just begun week 3 of my capsule wardrobe!  Let's see how many pieces I'm up to!

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Accessories -
Brown belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter Dress)
Black sunglasses

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

32 Capsule Items, 4 Non-Capsule Items

Whole Wheat Banana Waffles

For breakfast today I made us waffles!  I've posted the recipe on facebook before, but I figured if anyone was checking in here regularly, I'd make it available here as well.  I didn't take any pictures because it was good and I was starved (the kids needed two helpings each and I made Michael his breakfast as well).  So the link will have to do.  They are delicious!  I highly recommend you try them out!

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 14

Finally!  Onto today's wardrobe!  I think I look pretty stinkin' cute today!  Michael liked my outfit today too!  Score!  :D  Not that he hasn't liked my other outfits, but he really liked this one!  Which is great, because he wasn't sure about the Chambray shirt.  I think I have won him over on it!  Here's the outfit breakdown...

Top - Chambray Shirt, Banana Republic
I was so excited to find a Chambray shirt when we were shopping a couple weeks ago that I bought it right up.  Now I'm wishing I'd waited because I found it for cheaper at several different places here in town.  Oh well, better shopping next time.  I like that I can use this shirt to layer (like I did last time) or button it up and wear it by itself (which is what I did today).  I didn't think I'd use this shirt much, but I do think it's cute and fun!  :)  I look forward to finding more ways to style it!

Bottoms - White shorts, Banana Republic
I get so nervous wearing these shorts, but air think they're so cute and they make me look super tan!  This is basically the outfit I tried on together when we were shopping in Kansas City, then I turned around and bought both items I loved it so much!  :)

Accessories - Sunglasses
I have had these for several years and can't remember for the life of me where I got them.  They are just a cheap pair from somewhere like Target, Charlotte Ruse, or anywhere else that sells cheap sunglasses.  I wear these all the time, figured I might as well add them to my accessories list.  ;)

Shoes - Gray Braided Sandals, Target
Still don't fit, wish I had a size 8.5.  Also, wish I could find some sandals with heels.

Here are the contents of my capsule wardrobe thus far...

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Accessories -
Brown belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter dress, not counted in wardrobe yet)
Black sunglasses

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

31 Capsule Items, 4 Non-Capsule Items

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 13

When Rhythm and I were out shopping I got a few new items (several of which will show up in the wardrobe later).  The top I wore yesterday was a part of that shopping trip.  Yesterday's outfit was just casual and comfy, I was still recovering from my long day the day before.  I didn't even take pictures of it!  I might put the pieces back on today to snap a couple pictures.  :)  Here's what it consisted of...

Top - Gray T-Shirt, Gordmans
This shirt is nice and loose and comfy.  It will be great for layering.  The dark gray color reminds me of Fall, I'm sure I'll wear it a lot with sweaters and things later in the year.  It's super light-weight which also makes it great for summer.

Bottoms - Boyfriend jeans, New York and Company
They are so slouchy and comfy!  I was super casual and comfy.  It was glorious!

Accessories - Black belt, New York and Company
To keep my pants up

Shoes - Gray Flats, Gordmans
They were handy when Michael and I went out for dinner.  I really need to clean my house so my shoes can be on purpose and not just conveniently not-lost.  :P

That's it.  Simple and casual, comfy and loungy.  I was recovering from a long day and didn't have the energy to get fancied up.  :P  I didn't even dry my hair after I got out of the shower.  I'm basically a lazy bum.  ;)

Here are the totals to date...

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Accessories -
Brown belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter dress, not counted in wardrobe yet)

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

30 Capsule Items, 4 Non-Capsule Items

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 12

Hey Friends!  Sorry I'm behind!  I have just been feeling very lazy the last several days.  I probably feel wiped out because the day I wore this outfit I took the kids and Rhythm to the zoo with my mom for about 3 hours, then Rhythm and I went shopping for about 4 hours, then in the evening Michael and I went to Life Group where we were for 3 hours in the evening.  So I was exhausted that evening and yesterday as well.  I'm finally getting around to posting today, so I have a lot of catching up.  I'll keep these brief!

Top - Navy and White Striped Tank Top, Old Navy
I got this tank top the summer that Connor was born because I didn't really have any tank tops that weren't maternity or spaghetti straps.  It feels flattering no matter what my size is.

Bottoms - Cuffed Denim Shorts, The Loft
My go to summer favorites!  Nothing new.  ;)

Shoes - Black Decorative Sandals, Target
These weren't the shoes I wanted to wear, but I couldn't find my Under Armour flip flops, so they worked.

The only picture I took was a selfie while Rhythm and I were shopping, before my phone died.  The outfit wasn't anything super special, so it's ok.  ;)

Wardrobe Totals:

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Accessories -
Brown belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter dress, not counted in wardrobe yet)

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

29 Capsule Items
4 Non-Capsule Items

Coffee Cake in a Mug with Applesauce

Hey Guys!  As promised, I'm doing another review of the Mug Coffee Cake.  However, today instead of using melted butter in the cake or olive oil in the strudel topping, I used applesauce.  I'll make short work of this review...

If you need this recipe to be fat free for some dietary reason (because you have gallbladder disease for example, not because you want to lose weight faster by consuming fewer calories), then the applesauce substitution is fine.  However, if you're looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth, something on the healthy side, reasonable portion size, and still feel like your allowing yourself some of the great things in life, like coffee cake, use the butter and oil.  I'm with Katie on this one, fat free baked goods are just not as great.  :\  Don't  get me wrong, it still tastes good, but I'm not scarfing down every bite the way I did Tuesday with the delicious butter/oil version.  I recommend if you want to give this recipe a try, try the butter/oil version first, then try the applesauce.  Because I don't want you thinking this recipe is anything less than amazing because you went the healthier/lower cal route first.  :P  It's already a low cal recipe.  Enjoy all 200 calories of buttery/oily goodness!  ;)  Love you all!  Happy Thursday!

Double Chocolate Chip Homemade "Ice Cream"

Oh my goodness, Friends!  This "Ice Cream" is soooo good!  Those of you who are on Pinterest have probably seen this or something similar before.  The reason I used quotes when I say "Ice Cream" is because this isn't your traditional ice cream (although we did make Old Fashioned Kick Can ice cream with the kids tonight).  The five ingredients are simple:

2.5 frozen bananas
1 cup milk
2 packets sweetener (It probably could have used a little more, but it was still very good, I was making it up as I went.)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips (More for topping if you desire, I didn't think it needed extra.  You could also top it with chocolate sprinkles if you desired.)

That's it!  Add it all to the blender or food processor and blend until smooth (except for the chocolate chips, which are present in each and every bite once they're blended in).  It ends up like soft serve, a little on the runny side, but add it to a Tupperware container and stick it in the freezer and it should scoop out like regular ice cream.  :)  This stuff was sooo yummy!

To make it even better, it's fairly healthy for you!  The ice cream the kids made tonight was 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Talk about the calories!  I altered the recipe I found online a little in my version.  They used 2 bananas, I could fit 2.5 in my food processor, so I did.  They used sweetened almond milk, I used skim milk and a dash of calorie-free sweetener  (which I know should be avoided, save your lecture, use Stevia if you're concerned with the yellow packets).  They measured their chocolate, I approximated (on the heavy side).  ;)  It was great!  Looking forward to snacking on it when I get a craving for sweets over the next week (it made quite a bit and should last a while).  If you have bananas in your freezer, you should give this recipe a try as well!  Yum!

Next time I think I'll try adding peanut butter to my mixture!  That would take this awesome recipe over the top!

PS - I included pics of the kids eating their vanilla ice cream!  They're so cute!  :)

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 11

Hello again!  I'm knocking both of these out at once!  Yay!  I had a doctor's appointment today, which is not a reason to dress up, but I wanted to wear something that would be ready to get on and off (tmi, I know).  This would be a nice date night outfit as well.  Here's what it consists of...

Dress - Black dress with white flowers, Sis hand-me-downs
I don't know where Sis got this dress, but I like it and got a couple compliments on it today.  It's not as lightweight as some of the other dresses I've had in the past, but it does have pockets, which is always a plus in my opinion.  :)

Shoes - Black pumps, Target
I've had these for quite a while, I'm pretty sure I got them at Target.  I'm pretty sure I got them when I was teaching, but possibly when I was at Beldens.  They are just basic black pumps. But it's one thing I didn't have to buy for my capsule wardrobe.  Leaves money for nude pumps later!

Pretty basic outfit.  But another couple of items into the capsule wardrobe! 

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Accessories - 
Brown belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter dress, not counted in wardrobe yet)

Shoes - 
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) - 
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

28 capsule items and 4 non-capsule items.  It's starting to look pretty complete, but I have a few more items yet to share!  :)

Wardrobe Capsule: Day 10

Sorry, guys!  Missed my wardrobe post from yesterday.  But, a day late isn't too bad, right?  Yesterday we had a meeting for the Next Generation Team at church.  Otherwise, we didn't have a lot going on.  I wanted to be casual, but also light because it was supposed to be hot yesterday, although not as hot as today.  Here's what I wore...

Top - Gray Leopard Print Racer Back Tank Top, Charming Charlie's
I've worn this top once before.  I have another one that's exactly the same, only in beige instead of gray.  I wouldn't have got two of the same shirt, but I needed to spend just a little more to get more money off the day we went shopping.  I would have worn the beige one, but I already had my black belt.  :P  Such is life.  ;)

Bottoms - Boyfriend Jeans, New York and Company
Old news.  These are nice and comfy (probably because they're a size too big).  I have decided not to return them, even though they are too big, and just wear a belt.  :P

Accessories - Black belt, New York and Company
Basic belt.  Keeps my pants up.  ;)

Shoes - Black Decorative Flip Flops, Target
Same old, same old.

Check that out, folks!  A whole outfit in pieces I've used before!  Woohoo!  I probably won't be as excited when all my clothes aren't as new and shiny anymore.  :P.  But for now I'm excited!  No new items means we have the same totals, 26 wardrobe capsule items and 4 non-wardrobe items.

Single Serving Coffee Cake in a Mug!

Oh my goodness, Friends!  I have to tell you about this DELICIOUSNESS that I had for breakfast this morning!  As I recommended yesterday, you SERIOUSLY need to go check out the blog Chocolate Covered Katie!  There were so many good recipes on there that I pinned yesterday, but I'd already had breakfast by the time I found them.  So today I went right over to Pinterest for breakfast and I totally scored!  Mug Coffee Cake!  Can you say, "Amazing!!!"?  Because it was!

Now, if you're a Pinterest-er like me, you've probably tried a few of those "mug" recipes.  Chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookie, brownies, there are a bunch on there.  The draw to these recipes is that they are quick and a single serving.  I myself have tried a few different ones with varying degrees of success, always coming to the conclusion that the full versions are better.  So I was reluctant to try this coffee cake, because I have just never had a ton of success in the "mug recipe" area.  Well, I am happy to FINALLY report that I have found one that works and tastes wonderful!  It was great!  I hope you'll try it and enjoy it as well!

Katie talks in her blog about using applesauce instead of oil or butter in recipes.  I have done it before and it's great!  Keeps your recipes moist without the calories.  However, Katie also mentions that she, personally uses the butter or oil because she doesn't care for the fat free baked goods.  I told you she was a woman after my own heart, right?  ;)  Today I used the butter and oil, but I may try the applesauce tomorrow and let you know which I like best.  This recipe was great and certainly worth repeating!  Here are the specifics that I used for my recipe...

3 tbsp all purpose flour (It's what I had on hand, and I don't buy a lot of crazy ingredients anymore without knowing I can use them all up - notice the prunes still sitting in my pantry...)
2 packets (yellow) zero calorie sweetener (I don't have Stevia, but I should probably buy some, and the regular sugar has more calories, so I opted for the yellow packets that I put in my coffee)
2 tsp melted butter (Like I said, I went the oil and butter route this time, and 2 tsp was approximate, as I was cutting it off a stick of butter)
1/4 tsp olive oil (Way easier than trying to melt 1/4 tsp of butter)
5 Pecan halves (I used more, nuts are healthy and tasty, and broke them up with my fingers when I added them to the topping mixture.  This ensured a bit of Pecan in every bite, which was delicious!)

Other than that, I used her recipe to the letter.  (OK, maybe I added just a little extra brown sugar...)  ;)  I cooked it in the microwave for 1 min 15 sec and it was perfect!  I don't allow myself coffee until I've had 3-16oz glasses of water, so I had to chug my 3rd glass pretty quick because it's coffee cake, you need coffee with it!  ;)  All in all, it was soooo good, Folks!  My pictures don't do it justice.  But seriously, click on the link and try this recipe!  You won't regret it!  Happy (microwave) Baking!