Spring Trends 2014

Long time no talk....Spring is officially here and I couldn't be more ready for it. It's been a brutal winter and I feel like I've been in hibernation! I've been longing for warm weather, open toe shoes and bright/pastel colors. Speaking of that, let's talk about some popular Spring colors you're probably seeing a lot of lately.

Nude - Classy, Refined and ALWAYS in Style

I'm not gonna lie, I love nude! It's a classy, neutral color that goes with absolutely anything, and even though it's popular now, anything you buy in nude/beige this year will surely be in style for years to come. You just can't go wrong. I love the look of soft nude with pops of bold or pastel colors. One of my favorite beauty bloggers recently posted a few ootd pics rockin the nude/beige trend - check out Jaclyn Hill on instagram. And check out some pretty ensembles I came across via Pinterest. 

vivaluxury.blogspot.com

Black and White Stripes- Another Classic

As I type this I'm really beginning to think I'm so onboard with all of these Spring trends. Here's another classic look I love. Whoever said horizontal stripes aren't flattering? I love stripes, and just like the nude trend, the blk/white stripes go with anything! Pair a black and white striped shirt with a bold statement necklace and you're good to go! 

Pastels- If This Doesn't Scream Spring...

I have to be honest, I really don't have much in the way of pastels in my closet, but this season I plan on fully embracing these pretty shades. I found a grown up version of an Easter Dress from F21 that I'm really loving. How sweet and feminine is this print? I picture this with a white or nude blazer on top, some nude heels and simple accessories. Not sure about you guys but when I was younger I would get a new Easter dress each year. It was quite the event to go shopping with mom and pick something out. :)

F21

What are some Spring trends you girls are looking forward to wearing?? Keep an eye out for my next post where I share some of my favorite spring nail polishes from my collection. XoXO!!

Fall Fashion Must Have

I <3 Fall. And I love Fall fashion. The scarves, boots, jewel toned colors...I'm all about it! A must have item in your wardrobe for the cooler, crisp weather is a cardigan. I wear them a lot to work, at least several times a week and I find myself wearing them not only to the office, but on the weekends too for a more casual look. They are really versatile and a true must have in your closet. A lot of times I wear my cardigans all year round, depending on how light or heavy the fabric is.

I recently picked up some new cardigans to add to my wardrobe. You can really find some cheap options out there, and one of the best top places to buy is Target. I end up buying several of the same kind, just in different colors if I really like it. No harm in doing that if you wear them enough :)

I also buy from Ny and Co quite a bit. Word of advice...don't ever buy anything from there if it's not on sale or you don't have a coupon. They are constantly having promotions. I picked up the first cardigan pictured below in a pretty plum color. You can't see it in the picture but there are 2 buttons on the sleeve which is a nice little touch, adds a little something extra I guess. I think I bought is for $19.00. Can't really beat that price.

The 2nd cardigan is from Charlotte Russe and although I didn't end up buying it, I kind of regret it.

3rd cardigan is from Target and I already have 2 of these babies. I bought my most recent one in brown.

What is your fall fashion must have???

 

Lighter Mac n' Cheese

 Half way through the week! We're almost there... this week has been busy and I can't wait until the weekend. I started my day off with one of my favorite breakfasts...toast with almond butter, sliced nanners (aka bananas), flax seed and a drizzle of honey. Yum! It's a simple and quick breakfast!

Btw, my workout today just consisted of a 30 minute run. Wasn't in the mood to lift. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow. :(

Last night I made a lighter version of mac n' cheese, a recipe adapted from Cooking Light. Overall I would rate this recipe a B+. It didn't have too much flavor, but I also didn't add any salt or butter (hence the healthier version). You can check out Cooking Light's recipe here and check out my version below!

Lighter Mac n' Cheese

• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt 
• 1 1/4 cups Romano cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) Giant brand Italian cheese 
• 1 pound uncooked elbow noodles
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in cheeses until combined.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with bread crumbs.
5. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

 Hope you guys had a great day. Talk to you soon!

 

Tuesday Ramblings

Hello and happy Tuesday people! Why do I feel like it rains every Tuesday? The weather was miserable today, tornado warnings and all! Thank god I started my day off with a good breakfast! Today I had egg whites with Nature's Promise organic waffles topped with almond butter and raspberries. I loved the waffles and surprisingly they didn't taste like cardboard. Not sure about you, but I could eat pancakes or waffles everyday.

On a complete random note, I follow emilynoel83 on instagram and saw she posted a pic showing how many lip products she has in her purse. Hmmm that got me thinking....how many products do I currently have?????

Obviously wayyyyy too many! What's wrong with me? I need to do a serious purging. This adds an extra 2 lbs to my purse I swear. What can I say, I like to have options...

Right now I'm cooking some somewhat healthy mac n' cheese right now made with butternut squash. It's a recipe I got from Cooking Light. Hope it's good!! Stay tuned for a recipe posting tomorrow!

P.S. Off day from the gym. :) I'll post my workout routine tomorrow!

How many lip glosses/lipsticks do you have in your purse now?

 

Monday Workout

Monday already?! How does this happen? I have been MIA lately, but I promise to make more time for posting this week. I wanted to share my Monday workout with you. Today was the dreaded leg workout.  Ugh that's the worst! I switched things up and did a circuit training routine.  Typically I don't do cardio on leg days.

What's your LEAST favorite muscle group to work out?

 

New Recipe Sunday-Oatmeal Bars

Hope you guys had a great weekend. I thought I would start off this week with a new recipe! One of my goals for the rest of the year is to make at least 1 new recipe a week. I think Sundays are a good day to bake/cook, as that’s the one day of the week where I seem to have a little more free time. I think I’ll make “New Recipe Sunday” an ongoing post each week. I know I'm posting this on a Monday, but I hope to get this up on Sundays in the future.

Lately I’ve been perusing a lot of different healthy lifestyle/fitness blogs. I stumbled upon Kath Eats Real Food blog and thought the Homemade Oatmeal Bars looked pretty good. I love snacking on granola bars, but they can be loaded with sugar, so I thought this was a slightly healthier option.

This recipe is adapted from Kath Eats, and you can check out her version here. Here’s my version:

Baked Oatmeal Bars

1.25 cups of rolled oats

¼ cup Wonderful Almond Accents sweet roasted pomegranate

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

¼ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup chopped/pitted dates

1 tspn cinnamon

1 tspn vanilla

1 egg

1.5 cups organic skim milk

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. 

Mix dry ingredients. 

Separately mix wet ingredients and then pour the wet into dry and mix thoroughly. 

Pour into greased 9x9 oven-safe pan. 

Bake for 40 minutes. 

Keep in mind this isn’t a dessert recipe and the only sweetness you get is from the dried fruit. You can certainly add a little brown sugar though if you want. I think this quick and easy recipe is perfect if you want a little snack throughout the day. ENJOY!

What do you guys like snacking on throughout the day?

 

July Favorites (Beauty+Fashion+Food)

Well July flew by…I feel like that always happens with the summer months. :( Anyway, I wanted to share some July favorites! I think this will be a reoccurring post each month. Let me know what you guys think and be sure to leave a comment about what you’re loving lately!

Makeup

Let’s talk makeup first. I’ve been lovin’ the Loreal Voluminous Full Definition mascara. Makeup by TiffanyD recommended this in one of her videos, so I thought I would give it a try. I’m a big fan of her videos! I’m <3 drugstore mascara and because I throw away mascara every 3 months, I don’t like spending a lot. Plus I’m ALWAYS on the hunt for the PERFECT mascara. The drugstore has so many good options. My beloved mascara for years has been the Covergirl Lash Blast Volume, but the Loreal Full Definition has quickly become a favorite as well. This girl has stick straight lashes and I need all the volume I can get! The Loreal mascara does just that, not to mention it lengthens (which I don’t think the Covergirl Lash Blast does).

Fashion

My Stella and Dot crossbody bag has been a summer essential. I mostly use it on the weekends if I’m going out at night. It’s so much easier than lugging around a big purse, especially if you’re going to a bar or restaurant for the night. I love the gold chain strap. I’ve been wearing a lot of gold accessories lately so this purse matches quite well.   I’m sure you’ll see future posts about Stella and Dot. I love their jewelry and accessories!

 Food

You’ve probably seen the commercials for the Muller yogurts. They seem to be pretty popular. I will always be a Chobani or Fage yogurt fan, but I decided to branch out and try these Muller greek yogurts (had a coupon). They are really delicious and taste like dessert! My favorite flavor is the carmelized almonds. Keep in mind these do have quite a bit of sugar in them, but hey it’s a much healthier snack option than cookies! It’s pretty filling, you get a good amount of protein and if you’re craving sweets you’ll get your fix with this. I like to throw some strawberries and/or chia seeds in as well.

 

What mascara brands do you love?

Are you a fan of Stella and Dot? What are some of your favorite items?

Please share your July favorites!