Healthy Food Review: Black Bean Burgers

I am no vegetarian, but I have always wanted to try a vegetarian type burger. It's just that, when given the choice... an actual beef pattie always seems so much more appetizing.

Yet, after I saw this yummy recipe for homemade Spicy Black Bean Burgers at Eat Live Run I decided it looked too good to not give it a try.

It really was quite delicious especially when paired with thick avocado slices. The black beans and spice gave the burgers a bit of a Mexican flare (different from a normal burger taste, but still very good!)

Plus, it's a great option if you are trying to cut back on fats and red meat!

Would you try a black bean burger over beef?

I Wash My Face With Honey

Those of you who have experienced acne problems know how horrible it can make you feel.

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but this last pregnancy brought on the worst acne I have ever had in my life and many days I didn't even want to leave the house because of it.

My doctor kept reassuring me that it would go back to normal once I had my baby. Yet, weeks after the delivery nothing really changed. In fact, it even worsened a little.

Then I thought after my 6 week postpartum appointment I could get back on the pill, and that would help straighten things out. So, I patiently waited for my 6 week appointment only to find that while breastfeeding I would need to take the "mini" birth control pill which apparently doesn't help acne much at all. I was totally bummed to hear this and then my Dr. said "but don't worry when you stop breastfeeding we can put you on the normal pill and things will clear up."

"When I stop breastfeeding!?!" That could be a whole year from now! I had already dealt with severe acne through 9 months of my pregnancy, another whole year seemed like torturer.

So, I started researching different natural acne treatments which is how I stumbled upon Crunchy Betty's Honey Face Wash Challenge. At first I thought the whole concept was really weird but after reading through her post, I found that honey can actually kill bacteria on your face and is a great anti-inflammatory (which means it will help get rid of zits and lighten acne scars).

I decided I didn't have anything to loose by trying the face wash and I am SO happy I did!

I have now been using pure organic honey to wash my face twice a day for 2 weeks and my face is looking so much better (I also add a little baking soda to the wash 3-4 nights a week for an exfoliator). I haven't had any bad break outs, and the scars on my face have started to lighten and fade away!

I am going to continue to use the Honey face wash daily, although I haven't seen much throughout the blogosphere about using honey for long periods of time.

If any of you have tried this face washing method, I would LOVE to hear how things worked out for you, and if you are interested in taking the challenge, visit Crunchy Betty to learn how to wash your face with honey!

photo credit: via

Outdoor Furniture

I have always wanted a cozy outdoor dinning space but until about a year ago my husband and I had been living in little tiny apartments with absolutely no yard. Now, we have a good sized yard and when the latest West Elm summer catalog arrived at my house, I couldn't help but swoon over their incredible outdoor furniture collections.

I fell in LOVE with the Dexter Dining Set and haven't been able to stop thinking about it! My favorite part is the simplistic rounded shaker-like design of the benches and chairs.

Now, if only I could convince my husband that $2,000 is a fair price for a Mother's Day gift!

A Healthy(er) Appetite

Since posting about my post pregnancy weight loss woes, I have been inspired (thanks to many of my readers :)  To make a conscious effort to start eating better. After talking to my husband (it's important that you don't go it alone...it's much too hard to make separate meals), we have decided to change a few of our current eating habits...

*We have been getting rid of our less healthy snacks, like crackers and chips, and we are replacing them with things like dried fruit, cut veggies, and nuts.

*We are lowering the amount of meat based meals we consume and have decided to eat healthy meatless dinners at least 3-4 days a week. (we typically always have some sort of meat at dinner so this is a big improvement).

*We are attempting to only eat dessert every other day (this is the hardest one, because we have gotten into the habit of eating something sweet after dinner EVERYDAY!)

I have been browsing Pintrest and a few other great food based blogs for new healthy recipes and I have slowly been adding them to my permanent recipe collection.

Although I know healthy eating is a major key in living a happy long life, if it doesn't taste good I just can't make it a habit (sad but true). So, if you are anything like me, you will be happy to hear about my plan to start posting reviews about healthy recipes I have found online! I will let you know if I truly liked the dish and if it is something I would be willing to make again.

Up first we have these Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos from Style & Grace.

Honestly... I loved them! I always seem to forget how much I like sweet potatoes, they really do make this meal very tasty. Also, parring them with black beans and cilantro flavoring created a perfect combination of flavors. Definitely adding this to my recipe box!

Have you seen any great healthy recipes lately?

*Ps. I have made a goal to loose 5lbs by my birthday, which is exactly 1 month from today...I figured if I blogged about it I would be more inclined to stick to it. Wish me luck!


photo credit: top, bottom

The perfect Swimsuit

Summer is right around the corner...which means swimsuit season is almost here (yikes!). I've been browsing some different options online and I'm really loving the retro 1 piece styles (a perfect option for my post-pardom body :)

Here are my top choices...

1 2 3 4 5 6 

I can't decide which one I like the best. I think I'm leaning towards the blue and white gingham suit from Anthropologie...(though the price tag may be a bit too high!)

But then again, #1 and #4 may be the most slimming because of the vertical lines on the sides...

Arg, If only I didn't live 7 hrs away from the nearest Anthro. I could actually try these on (one of the downsides of living in a small middle of no where town) 

What do you think? What style of swimsuit will you be sporting this summer?

A Crazy Wonderful Life

I'm sure you've all noticed my blogging absence lately...let's just say things have been a little crazy around here.

First off...I have yet again given birth to a fussy/colicy baby who rarely lets me put her down. She does this "cat nap" thing where she sleeps in 5-10min. increments during the day. I swear every time I think she is dead asleep, I carefully place her in her crib, and 2 min. later she is wide awake! I have tried sticking to a dairy free diet to see if her fussiness is because of a food allergy but it didn't seem to help. Now my Dr. has me giving my baby soy based formula for the week...but it doesn't seem to be helping either.

Secondly...My already demanding 2 yr old has decided to start getting into EVERYTHING! He now thinks that it is ok to get into the refrigerator and cupboards to retrieve his own snacks (which always results in a mess of crumbles or gooeyness on the floor). The other day he got a gallon of milk out of the fridge and proceeded to pour himself a glass! Luckily I caught him in the nick-of-time! In addition, he has decided to become the worst sleeper in the world (but thankfully my wonderful husband has stepped in and takes care of him when he wakes up in the middle of the night :).

And last but not least... (remember when I wrote about my nursing problems?) Well, I have now become an "exclusive pumper." Which is a whole nother story on it's own... just know that it is INCREDIBLY time consuming.  But, so far so good because I am actually feeding my baby 100% breastmilk, which is a miracle for me!

On a happier note...

I truley do love being a mother of 2 even though it seems my life has literally been turned upside down. A couple of weeks ago my husbands family came to town and they were able to attend Charlotte's baby blessing at our church (see above photo). It was a great day and so nice to have them here to share it with us!

Also...a big THANKS!!! to the person who created "white noise" sound clips, it's one of the only things that will calm my fussy baby!

Losing Baby Weight

Its been 4 weeks since I gave birth to this little one, and I have to admit, I am already brainstorming the best way for me to shed my lovely leftover baby weight...especially considering that I now have 2 children, and going out for a daily jog is just not going to be as easy this time around (I don't even own a double jogging stroller).

It's funny, because I really was feeling pretty good about my current weight loss until I started trying to fit back into some of my old clothes (I should have just stayed in stretchy sweat pants forever!).

With my first pregnancy, I decided I could shed the last 15lbs or so of baby weight by training and running a half marathon. Go figure, even though I worked by butt off and trained for the race in about 3 months, I didn't loose a single pound! I attributed this to the fact that running 5-10 miles 5-6 days a week made me incredibly hungry, and I wasn't watching my diet as closely as I should have been.

Around 8 months post pregnancy, I had had enough of wearing the same "get me through" clothes and I finally kicked things into gear and really started watching what I was eating (which was no easy task) and I continued to exercise daily. I never did get quite back to my pre-pregancy weight, but I could fit into all but 1 pair of my pre-pregnacy jeans and that was good enough for me.

This time around, I gained exactly the same amount of weight as I did with my 1st and I dropped a little over half of my total pregnancy weight 2 weeks postpartum (which I also did with my 1st child). Like I said before though, the amount of exercise I did with my first most likely isn't going to happen this time so I'm going to need a little extra help (or will-power I should say).

Any advise? Or do you know of any good blogs I could read on losing baby weight?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Photo Source: Via

4 Fun Ways To Display Your Easter Eggs!

The other day I thought...

It's a shame to spend so much time dying eggs when they end up going straight to the fridge until they are ready to place in an Easter basket.

So, I played around with some of my random dishware and found a few fun ways to display my freshly dyed Easter eggs...

A few days ago we were able to dye our Easter eggs and it was so much fun! With all that has been going on lately, I didn't have time to do anything extravagant like I did last year with the Onion and Tie Dyed eggs.

So, we went the old fashioned route and bought the plain old box dye from the grocery store. I think they still turned out pretty nice! I used a white crayon to make the designs on the eggs before dying them.

Wake-Up Casserole

Wake-Up Casserole is a great recipe for breakfast or brunch and would be perfect to make this Easter Sunday!

It's easy to make, pairs well with any other breakfast foods, and feeds large groups.

It's also one that little hands can help with because it only requires a few basic ingredients...

View the recipe and tutorial below!

What are some of your favorite Easter brunch foods? 

Chevron Potato Stamp Art

So, I have this wall in my living room that has been looking a little lonesome and awkward. Mostly because I have all of these awesome vintage frames from thrift stores hung on the wall... but most of them don't actually have any art/pictures in them.

A few weeks ago, and right before having baby #2 I decided it was about time to start filling the empty frames with a little homemade art. I have seen so many fun chevron inspired wall prints all over Pintrest and really wanted to do something similar.

I really didn't want to buy any art and I didn't want to have to run to the store for DIY supplies either. After spending a little time brainstorming, I remembered making 'art' out of cut up fruit and veggie stamps when I was a kid, and then realized that I could make my own "potato" chevron stamp!

The wall has made a little progress since, but as you can see it still needs a little help.

Click below to get my tutorial, it's super easy and tons of fun!

A Minted Giveaway!

Have you thought about sending out personalized cards or even egg hunt invites this Easter?

Minted has a beautiful selection of Easter cards and even Easter related birth announcements that are absolutely adorable! 

Lucky for you, they have kindly offered to do a giveaway for 25 free cards!

For those of you who have never heard of Minted, it is one of my favorite online card and stationary stores that offers stunning designs for a variety of occasions!

Here's how to enter...

Visit Minted, and choose your favorite card from their Easter collection. Then, simply come back here, leave a comment below, and let me know which card you chose!

*For en extra entry, you can blog about this giveaway or share it on Facebook (make sure to include a link back here :)

The giveaway will close This FRIDAY - the 30th ! So, hurry and enter!

An Update

I can't believe it's already been over a week since Charlotte was born! It was a tough first week especially without family here, but I have some great friends that have been so very helpful and have made the adjustment so much easier.

The toughest part about last week was our first trip to the Dr. office to check on baby's weight and overall health conditions. The first thing my doctor said to me as I past her in the hallway was..."uh-oh, she is looking yellow." Then after weighing Charlotte, she informed me that she had lost too much weight (about 1lb) and I needed to start supplementing with formula. She said if her weight wasn't up in 2 days she would have her admitted into the hospital.

The words "You need to start supplementing with formula" was something I have been dreading through the whole pregnancy.

With my first child, I had wanted to nurse exclusively but found that right from the start, I wasn't producing enough milk to do so. In an attempt to increase my milk supply I would first nurse my baby, then rig-up this unpleasant SNS tubing system, followed by about 15-20min. of pumping. Each feeding would take 1-1/2 to 2 hours...the whole thing was incredibly exhausting and I'm sad to say nothing worked.

So, you can imagine my frustration when I began to re-live my last experience. Following the Dr. visit I spent the rest of the day with the "Baby Blues," (I had really hoped that my body would respond differently this time around and that I would be able to nurse like a normal mother).  After meeting with a lactation counselor and spending A LOT of time weighing my options... I have decided to just deal with what I have been given and not stress over it too much. I am just going to nurse my baby whatever I can and supplement when needed.

Other then that, things have been going very well! Baby Charlotte still spends a lot of time sleeping, and Nolan (my 2 yr old) has been adapting much better then expected.

I am planning on posting a great DIY project this week (since my mom is now here to help out) hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Meet Charlotte . . .

Charlotte Rose arrived early Friday morning...

March 16th 2012...6:16am

She weighed... 7lds 4oz

& measured... 19-1/2" long

Although I was completely stressed and nervous through the whole thing, the labor and delivery went very well and we are now at home (attempting) to get some rest!

I wish I could say I had some great posts lined up for the next few weeks...but I can't.
I will most likely be posting here and there until things normalize around this place :)

My mom will be coming at the end of next week to help out a bit :) and then my husband's family will also be visiting shortly after (Yay, can't wait to have company, and especially entertainers for my already "cabin-fevered" 2 yr old!)

It still doesn't seem real that she is finally here, and even more daunting is the fact that I am now officially a mother of 2! So far, things have been going better then I had planned (except of course the no sleep thing). Charlotte has been such a wonderful and perfect addition to our family. She really has been a pretty relaxed baby so far, and I am so excited to see what the future will bring.

Celebrating St. Patrick's

St. Patrick's Day is one of those holidays I don't typically spend a ton of time preparing for, but it's always fun to put together a little something special for the occasion.

Here are some of the "green" things I put together last year...

1 - A Green Breakfast  

2 - Green Table Decor   

3 - Shamrock Pretzel Cookies

I hope to at least get around to the green breakfast this year...and maybe something fun like THIS for dessert!

How do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Handmade Vintage Baby Blanket DIY

There's something undeniably special about handmade baby blankets. My very talented mother made a blanket for me when I was born and it was something I could never part with.

Growing up, (and somewhat still today) I have been a worrier. My blanket helped bring me the comfort and security I needed to get through those childhood moments when I felt scared or alone. Although I don't remember my blanket going everywhere with me, I do remember sleeping with it every night, taking it on every vacation, and especially bringing it along to slumber parties.

I am now 26 years old and secretly still have my "blanket" in my bedroom closet. It is so worn out you can hardly see the original pink rose bud design on the fabric, and there is a large tare on the front where I use to hide all of my favortie "Pogs" so no one could steal them (tricky right?!?).

I thought it was only appropriate that I make my first daughter a blanket of her own. I designed it to look similar to my original blanket (which is why I used the vintage floral fabric and eyelet trim).

Just for fun, here are a few shots of my own baby blanket...

Click below to get the details on how I made this blanket!

"Wonder Mom"

Have you ever met one of those unbelievably talented moms and thought to yourself...
"How on earth they do it?"

I'm talking about those moms who are the incredible multi-taskers. Who have multiple children, their homes always seem to be sparkling clean, they are above awesome cooks, you've never seen them without make-up or in a pair of sweat pants, they volunteer at every school or church function, and may even manage to keep a part-time job on the side.

and to top it all off...

they have an incredible blog and somehow manage to have amazing posts every.single.day.


Ok, so maybe I've never met a mom who possessed all of these qualities, but I know I have met a few that have come very close.

Since I am now coming up on 39 weeks of pregnancy, I've been thinking a lot about those "Wonder Mom's." Because honestly, I have no idea how I am going to manage with 2 children. I feel a little silly even admitting that, because I know 2 kids really isn't that many. I just don't see myself as being the type of mom that can do everything. I have only had 1 child for the past 2 years and although some days went fairly smoothly, there were A LOT of days where I felt completely stressed and overwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong, I am super excited for our next little one to come into the world...but if anyone has any tips for me (on how to keep my cool ;) I would LOVE to hear them!

photo credit: via

Bran Muffins

I realize that the name "Bran Muffin" doesn't give off quite as much excitement as "Lemon Poppy Seed" or "Apple Streusel" but trust me when I say these really are delicious! 

These little muffins are something I like to make in large quantities because they are perfect for bagging up and placing in the freezer for numerous occasions. Like when you need a quick yet nutritious breakfast, road trip snack, or if your just looking for a way to get a little more whole grains into your diet.

My super picky 2-yr old LOVES them...and that makes me more then happy to whip up a batch or two when we are running low!

Click below to get the recipe and details...

Vintage Bassinet Bedding

Have you ever been a little over ambitious about a craft project?

This bassinet bedding ended up being one of those projects I thought I could crank-out in an afternoon or two (not sure where that idea came from considering the fact that I am definitely still a beginner sewer). I came to find I may have over estimated myself. This vintage bassinet was a great thrifted treasure (it only cost me $3!) but due to it's odd and outdated dimensions I had to make all of the bedding myself.

I started with the fitted bumper, which ended up being the hardest part (I think it took me a whole week of 'nap-times' to complete!). I found some great DIY crib bumper tutorials online and thought I could just use those and shorten the measurements to what I needed. Turns out, the shape of my lovely bassinet is actually larger on top and smaller on the bottom so I had measure and sew all of my pieces at an angle.

I know it doesn't look like I did much, but I actually ended up sewing a baby bumper, 2 fitted sheets, 1 cozy mattress topper, and a baby blanket (as well as giving the bassinet a fresh coat of paint).

It was a lot of hard work...I'm pretty sure half of my time went to re-cutting, re-sewing, and seam ripping...

But I am SO happy with the way everything turned out and glad that I chose to stick with it and finish the project!

*if your feeling ambitious and would like to make your own baby bedding here are a few great tutorials that can help you along the way...
Baby Bumper - at Vanilla Joy
Fitted Crib Sheet - at Made
I will also have my own DIY baby blanket tutorial posted shortly :)

Get a few more photos and details by clicking below!