Incredibly Easy Homemade Dip

Behold the power of the magic bullet!!

I'm a huge fan of dips in general but find that they're always made with super fatty ingredients.

I wanted to make a quick dip that I could eat with veggies and pretzels and not feel like a tank after said consumption.

Enter the homemade bean dip. So good & easy it's not funny!

You'll need:

1 can pinto beans -- (15 ounce) drained
4 bottled jalapeno slices (nacho slices)
1 tablespoon juice from bottled jalapeno slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Gracefullly put everything in your magic bullet or food processor, blend, enjoy!

It really is that simple. 

Sweet Summer Drinks

I am a huge fan of refreshing summer drinks.

Few beers rival Leinenkugel's Pink Lemonade.

It is refreshing, light, and easy.

Mix equal parts of Summer Shandy and Berry Weiss.

Enjoy!

recent purchase reviews

the other week i blogged about jcrew's fantastic sales & free shipping offer.

i just got my two packages in the mail and i'm happy to report i'm a fan of it all!

this belt will be around a lot this summer!

as will the hat! perfect structure and light-weight.

I think the necklace is adorable too.

I don't know if I should keep it bc I have so many necklaces!

Yay for free shipping! I recommend all of these products from JCrew. I'm super happy with both the quality and price!

simple & delicious

I am a huge brunch person. It's funny to me that about 10 years ago I couldn't stand breakfast food (besides my dad's homemade biscuits & gravy)

One of my favorite treats is Eggs Benedict. Unfortunately it's not that good for you. Hmpf. So I figured why not try to make something somewhat similar?

I found that by subbing the hollandaise sauce with a creamy laughing cow cheese that I got the creamy taste of a sauce/cheese without the heaviness of hollandaise sauce.

Sure, it's not gourmet. And you might not like laughing cow cheese. But if you're craving an eggs benedict without the need for an hour in the gym, give it a shot! I swear, it's tasty!

Simply toast an english muffin.

Spread your laughing cow cheese of choice (this time it was swiss)



Layer a slice of deli ham....I'm a sucker for black forest ham.

Add a poached egg, or sunny side up, or whatever you want.

(I have a weakness for fried eggs!)

Enjoy!

sweet treat

in the summer i'm all about fruit & sweets.

Normally I'd like to eat every ice cream out there, but I realize that my clothes don't appreciate this and in return like to tighten up around my hips....

so I try to eat a ton of fruit to get my sweet kick. here is quite possibly the easiest fruit dip to make. It's sweet, you can pick your favorite yogurt to flavor it up, and it's low fat. works for me!

so grab some cool whip and a yogurt and get mixing.

see? i told you it was ridiculously simple!

Do you have any summer dessert recipes?

BBq

I am a huge fan of barbecue and Southern home cooking. So when a friend wanted to meet for dinner I hopped on the chance to try Chicago q.





It did NOT disappoint.

You are given homemade BBQ chips and Bread & Butter Pickles right when you sit down. YUM!! The pickles were absolutely delicious.



I ended up getting the pulled pork sandwich with honey butter cornbread. My friend, J, got the BBq flight with brisket, chicken & pulled pork. We also split the mac & cheese that came in the cutest little cast iron skillet.




Everything was so good. I mean, seriously, taste bud overload. Plus the best part of q? You don't have to choose just 1 type of BBq. They give you 4 of their sauces! So you can try their: Original Mild, Spicy, Eastern North Carolina Vinegar and South Carolina Mustard Sauce! They did not disappoint.



The restaurant is in the heart of the Gold Coast at 1160 N. Dearborn. If you're a fan of q you definitely need to make time to head around the corner to 52 W. Elm and try Table Fifty-Two. Indescribably delicious.

New Obsessions

Recent discoveries that have since become obsessions...

More Cupcakes...especially the truck that comes around the loop.

Martha Stewart tape & glitter to add some flair to the shower invitation's envelopes

CND Shellac No-Chip Manicure. Love, love, love. going on day #18 and no chips!

Skinnygirl Margarita. It's about time I've been able to track it down! Geesh!

Fekkai Full Volume Mousse. It definitely works!

images via 1, 2

Fiesta Rice

I'm a sucker for Mexican food. I literally think I could eat it every day.

This dish is so easy to make it takes little time and minimal effort-My kind of meal!



You'll need:
-Rice
-Black Beans
-Corn
-Tomatoes
-Lime
-Cilantro
-Salt

(you can always add avocados, jalapenos, anything!)

Boil the rice and heat up the corn and black beans.



Dice the tomatoes, chop the cilantro, and cut the lime in half for juicing.

Mix everything together! Add salt if you'd like.



Enjoy!



I added some grilled shrimp which was incredibly tasty. Plus the Skinnygirl Margarita was the perfect touch.

adapted from skinnytaste.com

Orzo Salads

Once the weather warms up I find myself instantly drawn to all things salads. Salad greens, fruit salads, pasta salads. You name it, I'm on it.

I'm a big fan of making a larger batch of a salad and munching on it all week. This week was no exception.



Orzo is a great foundation for any salad. My favorites include:

tomatoes, cucumbers, onions & feta.

tomatoes, green peppers and olives.

Or tomatoes, goat cheese and onions.

See? The possibilities are endless!

This time around I threw in cucumbers, green onions, salt, pepper, and mixed it up with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and juice from 1/2 a lemon.




1/2 of a box of Orzo was enough for 4 sides and definitely 2-3 lunches. It's a pasta that really goes the distance!

Oats. Bananas. Chocolate. Perfection

Everyone needs a good cookie recipe. For me, that includes the priceless recipe box previously owned by my Grandma H. She used her typewriter to make recipe cards and some she wrote by hand. If there was a fire in my house, I would definitely run towards this box.

I love finding new recipes too. The internet is great for that. It's also a hot mess because people always say "oh well I added 1/8th more of cinnamon and reduced the butter by 2 TBs and then baked for an extra 2 minutes"

No one needs to read that, do they? We're looking for a recipe here not a tryout for Top Chef.

Yesterday I whipped up a batch of these banana & chocolate cookies with oats.

They are chewy.

They are all different shapes and sizes.

And most importantly.... they are DELICIOUS.



Add this to your must try list and you will not be disappointed!

Philosophy Reviews

I'm a huge fan of Philosophy. Not only are their products fabulous but I love their packaging!

I recently bought some new products and couldn't be happier with them!

First, the Be Somebody shower gel is amazing. It has a light, green tea scent and it smells divine without being overpowering.

The Hope in a Tube eye and lip cream is very thick and creamy. You don't need a lot for under your eyes but I will say it seems at times a bit too creamy and hard to spread. However, the area under my eyes feels dramatically smoother after a week of AM & PM application. I don't know how long this tube will last. It retails for $33 so I hope I get some mileage out of it!

Finally, the Microdelivery Exfoliating Face Wash is a recent discovery of mine and I can't believe I haven't used it before. The Philosophy ladies have always recommended this to me when I buy Purity (their face wash) I always said no and I can't believe I did. I've been using it for almost 10 days and I'm not kidding when I say my skin is MUCH softer and smoother. I have incredibly sensitive skin (we're talking hives from products, etc.) and the micro beads in this are SO gentle.

If I could recommend one new beauty product it would definitely be this one! Microdelivery Face Wash is a miracle in a bottle :)

Are you a fan of Philosophy? What are your favorite products?

Loving LUSH

Seanik

I have to admit...when LUSH first popped up in a lot of the Macy's stores in Chicago I was not intrigued. In fact, I felt overwhelmed by all the fragrances. But every single person I spoke to raved about their fabulous products. I knew I had to take a leap and try them myself.

Before going on vacation my Mom suggested we try the LUSH bar shampoo. Bar shampoo? Uh, that's gross. I smiled and thought, absolutely not.

Fast forward two days later and I'm in Macy's smiling at the nicest LUSH employee ever. She's telling me about all the different kinds of bar shampoos, which ones are good for my hair, the tins you can buy, etc.

I chose to try the Godiva and Seanik shampoo bar. I can't believe it took me this long to find them--All that time wasted not using LUSH!

Godiva-my favorite

THEY ARE AMAZING.

Your hair will actually lather.

It makes your hair feel soft.

You can toss it in your bag and not worry about the 3oz rule at airport security.

It lasts a LONG time.

AND it smells good!

If there is one travel tip I can leave you with...it's don't pack another mini size shampoo.
Buy Lush's bar shampoo and watch it change your life :)

(ok it might not be that dramatic but I'm loving it everyday I use it!)





All images via Lush

Looking For an Easy Read??

Last January I took a cruise with my best friend from college, K. We're both huge bookworms and went through a dozen books. K always finds the light, easy reads we both love to fly through. It was on this trip that she introduced me to Nora Robert's Bride Quartet Series. I immediately loved it and bought book 2 in the airport.

The story line follows 4 childhood friends who run a wedding planning company out of one of the character's New Haven estate. It's an incredibly light read. So if you're looking for a deep, thought-provoking novel...put this down. But the friendship, romance, and details make it a fun and quick ride. I highly recommend it!

The series starts with Vision in White.

Then Bed of Roses.

Onto Savor The Moment

And Finally ends with Happy Ever After (Of course it does!!)

Who doesn't like a good, light read?

Saving Face

I'm a total product junkie. There I said it. Admitting you have a problem is the first step. I wanted to share my problem with you too...I know some of you have a problem like me :)

Here are my go-to facial products:

I recently got a facial and was told I should use a toner after cleansing. I took the aesthetician's advice and bought Aveda's Green Science Replenishing Toner. After 10 days of using it, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. It has a great smell and really feels like it's shrinking my pores and closing them off to dirt, etc. I bought the travel size which was $14.50 compared to the $39 for the larger size. When I'm done with this, I'll definitely buy the large one!



Anyone looking for a light, gel-like moisturizer that will work overtime should try Clinique's 'Moisture Surge' Extended Thirst Relief. It's the lightest moisturizer and it is so good at what it does! I use this nightly.


With cold weather and sharp winds coming our way, it's more important than ever to keep your lips soft and smooth. I have used countless lip exfoliators but Philosophy's is my favorite. It's sweet and simple. Put it on your lips. Smush (very proper terminology here) them back and forth. Rinse. Baby soft lips ;) I'm a big fan of Philosophy and swear by their Purity face wash. I mix it up between the cream cleanser and the foaming cleanser.



For traveling I like to bring Pond's Cleansing Cloths with me. I just saw Philosophy makes Purity cleansing cloths. Although Pond's are quite cheaper....If it ain't broke, don't fix it :)

For my day moisturizer, I use MAC's Studio Moisture Fix SPF 15. I use this under my make-up and like that it has SPF in it. However, I just saw they make one with SPF 50 in it and I'm thinking I've got to go try that now....but I'm worried it might be more primer, less moisturizer. Anybody have it?? Details, please!

What are your favorite face products?