Creamy Tomatillo Avocado Sauce

February 2, 2014 by

I created this delicious #SauceSquad creamy tomatillo avocado sauce as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars by Crowdtap #BottledAwesome

creamy tomatillo avocado sauce with chips #SauceSquad #BottledAwesome
I love Mexican food. Like LURVE it! So when I was asked to create a delicious dish inspired by the new Taco Bell sauces my mind started to go into a thousand different directions before I found the inspiration to create this creamy tomatillo avocado sauce.

What I love about this sauce is that it pairs perfectly with my tequila lime pork tacos. The tomatillos and green chilies in Taco Bell’s salsa verde match the flavor combo found in my tequila lime marinade. And how can this pork not taste amazing coated with this creamy sauce and nestled into a tortilla of love.

And if you have any left overs or want to serve it to a crowd, feel free to serve this sauce as a dip. Because its great as both a sauce drizzled over your meal or as a dip on it’s own. I’m even considering using it as a salad dressing this week with a nice squeeze of lime on top.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hawaii-Inspired Pasta Puttanesca with Seared Ahi Recipe

February 2, 2014 by

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. #ChooseSmart

pasta puttanesca with seared ahi

February is the month of love. And this month I plan on making sure my husband knows exactly how much I appreciate him. While we don’t have a lot of time to go out together one-on-one anymore, I can create a great evening just for the two of us with a special recipe inspired by our favorite places to travel: Hawaii and Italy.

We’ve both loved Hawaii since we were dating and took a trip there with my family. Then we went again for our Honeymoon. And again with our two kids two years ago. The culture, the ambiance, the relaxation. It all screams the perfect vacation to us.

We’re also very interested in exploring and going on adventures and Hawaii is a great place for just that. But so is another country I’ve come to love after traveling there together when I was pregnant with our son. That special place is Italy. So in the spirit of the month of love I’ve combined our two favorite places to travel into this one dish. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Date Night, Dinner, In the Kitchen, Parenting, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Simple 5-Ingredient Skinny Margarita Recipe

February 1, 2014 by

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partida skinny margarita

The Super Bowl is this weekend and many love to celebrate with their favorite drinks. Obviously these includes an adult beverage (so if you’re under 21 you need to stop reading now) and usually that beverage is a nice cold beer. But this year I’m shaking things up with a Mexican theme and celebrating in style with this Skinny Margarita.

In an effort to bring lighter fare to the menu for our Super Bowl shindig and to cater to my Weight Watchers lifestyle, we’ve whipped up some delicious skinny margaritas that are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Especially when paired with the street tacos I have planned.

With a simple ingredient list, easy directions, and a great taste, this is the perfect recipe to replace your cold one this Sunday.

partida skinny margarita tequila

From the gorgeous, sleek bottles, to the smooth taste, Partida Tequila is a delicious addition to any football party.

Now I’m no tequila connoisseur but living in San Diego I’ve had a shot or two south of the border and I have to say that Partida tequila is something that would be kept in my cupboards.

And now that I have this delicious, calorie friendly alternative to my favorite margarita, I may be seeing more of Partida in the near future. Responsibly, of course.

partida skinny margarita ingredients

The  Skinny Margarita recipe starts with 5 simple ingredients: tequila, Agave, lime, water, and salt.

partida skinny margarita lime on rim

If you like your margarita with salt, grab a slice of lime and rub it around the rim of your glass.

partida skinny margarita salt on rim

Then turn the cup over, rim down, into a plate of sea salt to coat the rim of the glass.

partida skinny margarita poured

Now it’s time to make your skinny margarita!

Partida Skinny Margarita

This margarita is a perfect way to relax and enjoy the festivities without going over on your Weight Watcher points. Only 3pp+ for one margarita!

  • 1 ½ oz Partida Blanco Tequila
  • 1 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
  • ¾ oz Agave Nectar
  • lime slice (for garnish)
  • sea salt
  • ¾ oz Water
  1. Take lime slice for garnish and run it along the edge of the Margarita glass. Then flip the glass over and dip rim into salt leaving a light layer of salt around the rim of the glass.
  2. Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake to combine. Strain over fresh ice into a Margarita glass or Old-Fashioned glass.
  3. Taste for balance and adjust if necessary.

 

partida skinny margarita aerial

How do you enjoy your tequila?

Filed Under: Drinks & Refreshments, In the Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bar Recipe

January 30, 2014 by

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Pistachio Health Institute. pistachio granola bar recipe

I absolutely love finding great, healthy snacks that both of the kids and I love. Over the past few months, the kids have expressed an interest in pistachios. Mainly because they see their grandpa eat them but also because they love how fun they are to eat!

Since I’m always up for a challenge when it comes to food, I love that it takes SO long to enjoy an entire serving of pistachios. That means that I get to slowly enjoy my snack instead of rushing through eating it. And the kids love trying to open each one themselves making it a game to them.

When I choose snacks I try to choose ones that’ll keep me feeling full and satisfied. Pistachios are a good source of fiber, providing 12 percent of the daily value per 30-gram serving. And besides the health benefits, eating fiber may help you feel full longer and makes it easier to follow a healthy eating plan. Go pistachios!

pistachio granola bar recipe pistachios

Healthy snacks are great for a healthy lifestyle. They can help make us feel good and taste great as well. And? You get more nuts per serving with pistachios than any other nut out there. If you reduce your serving to 30 pistachios, you have a great 100 calorie snack ready for you to enjoy.

Below are a few great tips from Celebrity Trainer Valerie Waters as she helps us focus on smart snacking:

pistachios shine like the stars large

Since my kids already love pistachios I thought I’d take their love one step further and make some delicious dark chocolate pistachio granola bars for them as an after school treat. Something they could make with me after they got home and enjoy after naptime (because you better believe I still enforce naptime here!).

I took a few ingredients we had in the cupboard, chopped up a handful of pistachios, and made some delicious granola bars that are sure to be a hit when they wake up!

pistachio granola bar recipe ingredients

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bar Recipe

  • 1 cup Chex rice cereal
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup sweetened granola
  • 1/4 cup pistachios (shelled and chopped)
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened)
  • 1/8 cup coconut (unsweetened)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup almond butter (unsalted)
  • 1 tablespoon honey or raw agave (more or less to taste)
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the rice cereal, oats, granola, pistachios, chocolate, dried cranberries, coconut, and salt.
  2. In a small bowl mix together almond milk, chia seeds and almond butter. Stir until almond butter is dissolved into almond milk.
  3. Add almond mixture to dry ingredients and mix everything together until a dough forms.
  4. Press the dough into a wax paper lined 8 x 8 inch dish or a bar pan. Place the dish into the freezer and let set for about 20 minutes, or until hardened. Cut dough into bars. Wrap the bars individually and store in the freezer or fridge.

 

pistachio granola bar recipe bar pan

pistachio granola bar recipe cut out

What are your go-to healthy habits for 2014?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Pistachio Health Institute.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: , , , , ,

Social Fabric is Like a Lasagna Recipe #LuvSoFab14

January 29, 2014 by

lasagna recipe social fabric layers

Sometimes it takes a while to find out where you belong. What you want to do when you grow up, who your friends are, how you better yourself on so many different levels. And I think I’ve finally succeeded on figuring these out with the help of Social Fabric and Collective Bias.

Friends, community, support. These are the words that come to mind when I think of Social Fabric and what the SoFab community has done for me.

Now I have the chance to finally meet the SoFab family I’ve come to love in person at SoFabCon’14 in Arkansas this May.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, Life, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Big Game Party Ideas: Creating the Perfect Football Party

January 26, 2014 by

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big game party ideas

Last weekend I hosted an awesome playoff party for family and friends in celebration of getting our new, amazingly awesome big screen from Best Buy the week before. We wanted to celebrate the playoffs while talking about our new electronic devices with family and friends.

With the geek squad setting up everything for us, the only thing left for my husband to do was mount the screen to the wall. And invite his friends and family over so we could celebrate! The rest was left up to me. And I was up for the challenge!

I love hosting parties and celebrating just about any occasion. So this party was a blast to plan and put together. We used a few things we already had from past years celebrations and mixed them in with some new editions. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Party Ideas, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Make A DIY Football Pennant Banner

January 24, 2014 by

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DIY Football Pennant Banner

Last weekend we hosted a playoffs party for our family and friends and in the excitement of the game I went all out with the decor. That includes this awesome diy football pennant banner. It was so easy to make and, in my opinion, much cuter than the stuff they had at the store!

Plus if you have most of the supplies lying around it costs next to nothing to make!

I enjoyed working with this cute sparkly corrugated paper from Jo-Ann’s and thought it gave a slightly feminine touch to this masculine party.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Party Ideas, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Celebrate the Big Game with Mrs T Pierogies Recipes

January 22, 2014 by

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central Consulting for Mrs. T’s Pierogies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Mrs T Pierogies Recipes

This past weekend I hosted a playoff party for our family and friends and at the top of the line up of appetizers were these delicious Mrs. T pierogies. After making them for a girls night in a few weeks ago I decided they’d be the perfect addition to our game day meal.

I kept it simple and grabbed a box of my favorite low-fat potato and cheddar pierogies and some frozen fire roasted onions and peppers from Trader Joe’s (a freezer staple in our home) and cooked them up in some olive oil.

These were such a hit! Our friends loved them and they paired perfectly with the other dishes we served. They also tasted great with a beer in hand!
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Easy DIY Dinosaur Valentine Printables for Kids

January 21, 2014 by

These easy DIY dinosaur valentine printables are the perfect non-edible valentine to pass out in the classroom this Valentine’s Day! They also make great dinosaur party favors.

dinosaur valentine printable

Ever since my son was little, maybe 15 months or so, he’s been obsessed with dinosaurs. And that all started when he watched his first episode of Dinosaur Train on PBS. So it was no surprise when I asked him what he wanted to pass out on Valentine’s Day and he said dinos.

So I headed to the dollar store (his favorite place to pick up dinos other than Target) and grabbed 10 dinos. Then I whipped up a dinosaur valentine printable using picmonkey. Want to make your own printable? Follow my instructions here!

After that, assembling the valentines was simple and took all of 10 minutes from start to finish. And now I don’t have to worry about either kid for Valentine’s Day (since I finished my daughter’s last week).

dinosaur valentine printable dollar store dinos

DIY Dinosaur Valentines

What you’ll need:

What you do:

1. Place dinosaurs in the plastic bags. If your child is worried about the dinos suffocating, don’t completely zip the tops.

dinosaur valentine printable dinos in bags

2. Cut out the printables and fold in half. Have your child write their name and the names of the recipients on the printables.

dinosaur valentine printable dino tag

3. Taking the bag in your hand, bring the top sides of the bag together and fold down.

dinosaur valentine printable fold top of bag

4. Staple the folded printable over the folded bag to secure tag.

dinosaur valentine printable staple tag to bag

5. Gift to friends and have a roaring good Valentine’s Day!

dinosaur valentine printable finished valentine

If your child is a dino lover like mine then you’ll have to check out the latest DVD from Dinosaur Train! It pairs perfectly with these printables.

“Dinosaur Train: I Love Dinosaurs” is out on store shelves and is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat! This DVD includes two episodes and Be My Valentine Cards. Grab your copy today!

Dinosaur Train I Love Dinosaurs

What is your favorite Valentine’s Day treat?

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Dinosaur Train: I Love Dinosaurs in exchange for this post. This post contains affiliate links.

Love this post? Check out these other great Valentine’s Day ideas! 

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Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Holidays, Valentine's Day Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Simple Success with the Weight Watchers Simple Start App

January 20, 2014 by

I was given a free one month subscription to Weight Watchers to try their new Simple Start plan and write about my experience.Though I was compensated for my time and commitment, all views, positive and negative, are my own.

Weight Watchers Simple Start App success #SimpleStart

Over the past two weeks I’ve jumped back in to the Weight Watchers lifestyle with the help of the Weight Watchers Simple Start app. And during these two weeks I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of.

Now I’ve never had problems losing weight. it’s sticking with a weight loss plan/healthy lifestyle that I have trouble with. But luckily I’ve found over these two weeks that Simple Start is my answer to this problem.

Whenever I get tired of counting points I can simply switch to Simple Start for two weeks to reset myself and focus on eating until I am comfortably full and satisfied while still trying to get the good health guidelines in. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight Watchers Tagged With: , , , ,


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