Tag: treat yoself

Chocolate chip zucchini bread ingredients_header

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

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It’s too early for chocolate chip pumpkin bread, but not to worry. I have a solution. I’m celebrating summer squash season (and Game of Thrones season) with this chocolate chip ZUCCHINI bread! This recipe contains two entire zucchinis, so I’m considering it a health food.

Chocolate chip zucchini bread plated

Is butter a carb?

This recipe is just about as easy as baking gets, but you wouldn’t know it! No mixer required. And, it does not taste like zucchini. I found this gem over on Love & Lemons, where you can also find instructions for a vegan version.

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Fleastyle baner

Flea Style Dallas Recap

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I had the opportunity to attend FLEA STYLE for the very first time last weekend, and it is decidedly not to be missed! Mimosas and a big variety of Texas-based artisans and retailers make for a fabulous time. Hunter and I just purchased our first home, and I’ve realized that moving to a four bedroom ranch style from a tiny (however much loved) downtown apartment requires a lot of new decor.

cactus photographs

Give me all of the Southwestern flair!

I always like to support local companies, and many of these shops also make philanthropy and giving back to the local community a priority. I loved meeting some of the owners and hearing their stories!

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Boxes

Celebrate the latest Girl Scout Cookie with S’mores Brownies!

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It is #TXCookieTime, AKA the best time of year to put your New Year’s resolutions on hold to indulge in a treat for a good cause. Fun fact: did you know that girl scouts have been selling cookies for 100 years? As a former girl scout, I can attest to the fact that my family bought at least 50% of my boxes every year. And we ate them. Because they are delicious.

Smores

We’re really treating ourselves around here lately, guys.

In addition to tasting great, selling cookies teaches valuable skills, and the proceeds are used to provide unique local experiences for girls! This year, we received a special package from Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas complete with a brand new cookie. And I’m pleased to say that it is 100% Hunter approved (obviously it’s also approved by me, it’s a cookie). Girl Scout S’Mores™ are graham cracker sandwich cookies with marshmallow and chocolate filling – basically a S’more without the mess! I’ll take it!

We decided to celebrate Texas Cookie Time and the launch of probably my new favorite girl scout cookie by making What’s Gaby Cooking’s S’mores brownies, naturally.

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Caprese

Pistachio Pesto + Caprese Salad

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I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’ve had a pretty strong pasta theme going since we came back from the honeymoon. It’s become a Friday night tradition. And, I’ve had some requests for easier recipes…so allow me to introduce a delicious, easy to execute pesto pasta dish that you can throw together in less than 30 minutes. It also requires VERY little grocery shopping. You’re welcome!

Pistachio_pesto

Hello, lover!

Bonus: I’m throwing in a caprese salad as an appetizer. This blog post is all about major flavor and minimal effort. Ask and you shall receive!

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Candied_Citrus_cake

This Candied Citrus Cake is the perfect summer treat

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Cake cake cake cake! I was craving something sweet over the weekend, and What’s Gaby Cooking’s Candied Citrus Cake hit the spot. Plus, a little baking was the perfect excuse to use my new KitchenAid mixer! In case you all haven’t noticed, I’ve got a major copper theme going on with our wedding registries.

This cake is beautiful, buttery and just sweet enough – it’s an impressive dessert that doubles as a delicious breakfast. What more could a person want?

Candied_Citrus_cake

I mean…

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sheet_mask_travel

Treat Yourself While You Travel: Sheet Masks

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At this point, you all probably know I’m on board with the treat yo’self movement. One of my absolute favorite ways to relax is an at-home facial, mask, eye treatment, hair treatment…you name it. Thanks to my Birchbox subscription I have a steady stream of samples arriving on my doorstep on a monthly basis (dangerous).

chicago_boat

Chicago – one of my absolute FAVORITE cities!

However, when I travel for work, the at-home options aren’t always available. So today I’m sharing some of my favorite (and for the most part, carry-on friendly) beauty treatments. This trip’s theme: sheet masks. If you follow me on Snapchat, you already know that I’m a big fan of these babies. They’re easy to execute, feel amazing, and come in enough varieties for me to spend entirely too much time perusing the aisles of Sephora. Do they look awesome on? No. But that’s okay, because you’ll get a laugh out of my sheet mask selfies too.

In this post, I’m featuring:

Oh and don’t worry, I’m including plenty of non-sheet mask pictures from the trip – including deep dish.

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Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings: My New Spicy Obsession

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Oh Chrissy, how I love thee. Thank you for the spicy blessing that is CRAVINGS.

There are so many things I love about this cookbook. One being that most dishes require hot sauce, butter, or both. As you can see, I have quite a few recipes bookmarked:

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I’ve been out of town every weekend since the end of March, and was really feeling like celebrating my first relaxing weekend back home with some carbs. Pepper’s Spicy Clams and Pasta was calling to me. Seafood, pasta, herbs, crushed red pepper? Yes, yes, yes, yes. I opened one of my bottles of cab franc from Fredericksburg and…perfection.

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scallops and risotto

Valentine’s Dinner Recap: Scallops with Porcini Risotto

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Valentine’s Day is all about love, and I love risotto. Scallops are Hunter’s favorite seafood. Therefore, this meal is everything.

Our Valentine’s Day tradition is simple. We stay in, I make a fabulous meal! I made this exact same meal for our anniversary dinner last year. Hunter loved it so much, he asked for it again. It was my first attempt at risotto, and my first attempt at scallops. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that neither was very difficult to prepare (yay! More time to eat!)

This year, the holiday fell on a Sunday, so I had nothing but time. I did hit a quick Zyn22 class in the morning to prepare for the Valentine’s eats. Could be my fave new cycling studio! A quick trip to the grocery store, a few minutes of prep, and lots of risotto stirring later, voila! These recipes always seem to get better the second time around.

This recipe was developed by Paul Palop and can be found on That Other Cooking Blog. I’ve adapted it just a little. An easy shortcut is to buy the arborio rice with porcinis already mixed in – I used a brand called Manitou, which I picked up at Central Market (they had no porcinis, or at least no porcinis that I could find.)

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skin smoothie and Rodan + Fields

Give your Skin Some Love this Valentine’s Day + Giveaway from Rodan + Fields

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One of my favorite things to do on Valentine’s Day (or any holiday, for that matter) is treat myself.

Spending some time lounging in a facial mask and using products that make my skin feel healthy and hydrated usually does the trick. I’m also a firm believer in the fact that the foods you eat make an impact on not only how good you feel, but how good you look. Needless to say, the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday I was looking and feeling pretty rough. This Valentine’s Day, treat yo’self and spend some time taking care of number one.

My dear friend Deanne with Rodan + Fields sent me a “Glow on the Go” mini facial kit to try out, and is offering each reader who takes the Solution Tool Quiz the same thing (plus, one lucky winner will get an eye cream!) Keep reading for my feedback on the products, more info on how to get your free mini facial, AND a skin glow smoothie recipe.

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