5 Must-Haves for Spring

What are your must-haves for spring? I've come up with a list of five things that I think every lady should have to get her through the spring weather and into the summer.

Neutral Sandals

A good pair of neutral sandals goes a long way. I keep drooling over these by Rag & Bone.

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Tortoise Sunnies

My love for tortoise never tires. Michel Klein created pure perfection when he added the pop of color on the sides of these caramel-colored glasses. 

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White Denim

I'm on the hunt for new white jeans. I need a good pair of skinnies that I can wear with anything and everything. I feel like jean sizes have been changing in fit lately and I've had a hard time finding a pair that fits properly. A pair of J Brands is on the list to try. Do you tend to wear a lot of one brand or another?

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Anorak

With rain and cool temps in the spring months, a gal should never be without a cute jacket to keep herself warm. I've been contemplating purchasing an Ali Ro anorak for a long time, and when I saw all of the new spring color...well, it has to be mine.

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Chambray Shirt

 If you do not own a chambray shirt, go purchase one. Now. I recently got one at J.Crew and now I wonder how I ever survived without it. I am actually wearing it as I type this.

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What are your must-haves for spring?

Stuffed Portobellos

Anything with goat cheese catches my eye, so when I stumbled upon this recipe of stuffed portobellos I knew that I had to try it. Yummmm is all I can say. It was super easy, tasty and delicious. Bryan and I enjoy eating a good vegetarian meal at least one night a week at our house. This one filled us up and left us very satisfied.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushrooms, about 4" across

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. finely chopped shallot (optional)

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

 4 ounces of plain goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1 tablespoons fresh chopped chives

1 recipe of oven roasted tomatoes 

(I use the roasted tomatoes from the fresh pizza section at Whole Foods.)

Directions:

If you have not made the oven roasted tomatoes go ahead and make them first. They take just a few minutes of prep time and 20-25 minutes in the oven. I frequently cook with the roasted tomatoes at Whole Foods. They came in quite handy for this dish. All you have to do is chop them and they are ready to go.

While the tomatoes are roasting, clean the mushrooms by gently wiping the outside of the caps with a damp paper towel or brushing any dirt off with a soft brush. Next, pop out the stems by pushing them from side to side until the snap out. Scrape the gills out with a spoon until the underside is mostly clean. Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot and garlic. Brush mushroom caps inside and out with the olive oil mixture (or plain olive oil). Broil the mushrooms 3-5 minutes until they are hot and the edges are starting to brown. They will start to release moisture and get juicy.

 Mix together the goat cheese, tomatoes and herbs. If your mushrooms are as large as mine were, you might want to consider making more of the stuffing. I like mine overflowing with deliciousness.

 Stuff the mushrooms and bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Serve them with a side salad for a healthy meal. Is your mouth watering yet? It should be. These babies are so delish, I guarantee you are going to want to run to the store, pick up all of the ingredients and make them for dinner tonight. 

Month of March

When my schedule got so crazy around the Christmas holidays, I did something I would never do. I purchased a dry erase board for my fridge. I cannot explain to you how much I hate those things. Half tacky, half just plain yucky, I do not like them. There was literally no room in my kitchen to hang a cute calendar where I could write notes.  So now, I am one a person with a dry erase board on my fridge. To help a bit, the hubby took me on a date to Michael's where I purchased all sorts of fun colored dry erase markers. They make it a tad bit better.  

I stumbled across this calendar on Pinterest. No, you cannot make notes on it, but it would be perfect in a frame on a counter or desk. Click here to go to the website for a free printable version.

 

Speaking of believing, these are some things I believe in...

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I'm beyond giddy with excitement that tomorrow night I am taking a class on how to make the perfect French Macaron. I've wanted to learn for such a long time and it is finally happening! The University of Utah offers tons of classes on everything from the art of tea to how to grow herbs. 

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Even more exciting, my best friend and her hubby are coming to visit this month...and then a week later my sister is coming to visit!! March is by far the best month that has happened in a while. I'm looking forward to lots of girl time spent giggling and sipping on fruity drinks.

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March is also the perfect time to add spring flowers to your table. If it were up to me, there would continuously be fresh flowers on our table at home. My Valentine's Day flowers have just about had it. I've got to remind myself to pick up new ones at the grocery store.

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Anything you are looking forward to this month? My dry erase calendar is full of fun events!

Spring Tops

It has always been hard for me to start shopping for spring clothing when it is cold. Now that I'm living in Park City it's even harder since there is going to be snow on the ground for a long time. I guess I'm going to be purchasing bright, spring colors in long sleeves and knit sweaters. 

This Theory shirt caught my eye a while back when I first saw it in yellow. A local boutique has it in the coral color, which is perfect for spring. How cute are the zippers?

The mint and blue combination of this Plenty by Tracy Reese blouse is my favorite part about it. I think it would be adorable with colored skinnies in either color.

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The color of this Joie top is called Fiery Red, but I think it looks a bit more coral. Either way, I would love it with a pair of white jeans. 

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Aztec is still popular this spring, and this mosaic blouse by Shoshanna is right on trend. I'm smitten with the ruffled neckline. Wear it now or wear it in the summer with denim shorts and sandals.

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Equipment makes some of the best silk shirts that I own. The mint of this makes me think of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Hum...I think I want some now.

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I think I must really be into Moroccan, Aztec, and mosaic type prints. This shirt is another one of my favorite picks of the moment.

 

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This Tibi sweater had me at "Hello". Come one, it's one of my favorite colors and my favorite brand. It would be perfect for cool spring nights.

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I also like this knit sweater by Michael Stars. We have it at the boutique where I work in a sweater and tank. 

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Which do you like best? Have you been spring shopping? What are your must-haves right now?

Sunday Inspiration

Enjoy your Sunday!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday, lovelies! I hope you have a wonderful night...whether it's spent curled up at home sipping a glass of wine or out on the town with your besties.

Do you have any plans for the weekend? Please share!

Get Moving

It's been a while since I've done a Workout Wednesday post, so here it goes. How many of you made a New Year's resolution to get out and exercise more? Are you still on your plan or have you strayed? We all need a little motivation now and then. Let's be honest, some of us need motivation every single day. If you struggle exercising, try something different. If you are tired of Pilates, try yoga. Mix it up and don't do the same thing every day or even every week.

Running is my thing.

Some days I choose to go to the gym and spin or work out on an elliptical. For me, the hardest part is physically making myself not sleep in that extra hour or deciding that I have to eat a meal as soon as I get home from work. Splash some cold water in your face, grab a granola bar and get moving, ladies. 

Speaking of water, are you drinking enough water? I was more than thrilled when I was told last week after a facial that my dry skin is only on the surface and that my skin is hydrated. I guzzle water all the time. I saw this idea on Pinterest and think it is a great way to make sure you are drinking enough water. 

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Find cute workout clothing. If that's what it takes to get you motivated, do it. Go to Target and get something bright orange or teal. Stop by the Nike store and get some new kicks. Since the big move, I have fallen head over heels in love with Lululemon workout gear. When I went in on Saturday I realized it might be a tad bit bad when the girls ask if I had ordered the running crops that hadn't come in on their Thursday shipment. Or is that a good thing?? Maybe a bit of both. All of you southerners are enjoying warm weather, but the snow is still falling here. My picks of the week are the Layer Me Long Sleeve Shirt and the Wunder Under Pant. The shirt is medium thickness, between the Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve and Runder Under Long Sleeve. And the pants...well, just go try them on. They are my favorites. 

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Make your workout fun! You don't have to kill yourself to exercise. Find a friend and go for a hike or break out your old tennis racket. It is amazing how much better you will feel after you get out and move. 

Do you have any tips or favorite workout clothes? Please share! Happy Wednesday, lovelies!

Wildlife

Before Bryan and I moved, I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen a moose in the wild. With the mountains covered with snow, the moose have come down much lower to find food. Now I can't even keep track with how many of these creatures I have seen in the past week. One morning when I let Ivy out, she starting barking like crazy and a baby moose popped his head out of the alcove beyond our back deck. Scared the living daylights out of me! 

On Valentine's Day, this guy went through our yard, into the neighbor's yard, and proceeded to much on a bush. Bryan saw it as he was leaving for work and called to tell me to run outside. I threw on my down coat over my polka dot pajamas and grabbed my camera. So cool. I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing a moose walking past my car or on my font yard. 

I hope you all are having a good day. It's good to be back in the blog world!

{Healthy} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Back a few weeks ago when all of you normal people were baking red velvet cupcakes and heart shaped cookies, I was being strange and baking pumpkin chocolate chip bread. You all know how I go nuts over pumpkins in the fall, and I couldn't satisfy my craving for something chocolatey and pumpkin. I could have gotten in my car and driven about two miles to a local bread company, but I had the morning off work and decided to try and come up with a healthy version myself. Not until I had devoured a muffin that I had posted on Instagram, did I realize that others might want the recipe. Click went the camera for this one picture.

Is this truly healthy? I don't know, especially when you stuff your face since it is so delish. I substituted the oil with unsweetened applesauce and the pudding with Greek yogurt. That makes it much more healthy in my mind.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread / Muffins

Ingredients: 
2 cups sugar (next time I'm going to try honey or agave)
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
4 large egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (I guessed with both of these spices and adjusted)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Directions: 
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

*I halved this recipe and it made 6 muffins and one loaf. The muffins didn't take as long to cook--I started checking after 30 min.

Quick Recap

Hello, my sweets! I did not completely fall off of a cliff, I managed to hang on and I'm now back on my feet. After Thanksgiving my schedule went from busy to absolutely nuts. I started a new job, which I love, but was still working at the boutique, as well. I went from not working and being a content house wife, to having two jobs, working 7 days a week and never seeing my husband. Long story short, I'm working for a restaurant group pretty much full-time and I've cut my hours at the boutique to only one afternoon/evening a week. This has been my first "normal" week in months. I have missed all of you tremendously! 

Bryan and I spent our first Thanksgiving and Christmas away from our families. Thankfully, we have made some wonderful friends here, and we were able to share the holidays with them. Here are a few pics from Christmas... 

Bryan and I have loved settling down in Park City. I sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure we are really living in such a beautiful place. Hopefully now that my routine has slowed down a bit, I'll be able to get back into blogging regularly.

{Any tips on blogging from an iPad? My computer screen crashed and this is what I'm working with for now. Can I not go in and write a post in safari? Do I have to use the blogger app? I'm not a fan...}