IF ONLY... I had money to go out to lunch

I'm not going to lie. I spend way too much of my money eating out. My weakness is definitely Panera. But, I've realized lately just how much money I spend on fast food and grabbing lunch at a nearby restaurant, and it's waaaay too much. I know a lot of people are in this situation. They enjoy eating out, but don't have the extra money. Now, I also like to cook, so I figured I'd use my love of cooking to end my eating out habit.
I am always looking up recipes online and in the various cookbooks we own, but I never seem to have the ingredients- frustrating! So, I've sort of been left to adapt the ingredients we often have around the house to make delicious meals. I love starting with something basic and adding just a few extra ingredients to make it spectacular! A few of my favorite adaptations are: adding sprinkle cheddar cheese to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (very simple addition, but to me it makes the macaroni so much better!) and adding fresh cut up carrots and celery, and even chunks of freshly cooked chicken, to a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup.

Here are a couple of my very favorite easy recipes for delicious restaurant-quality meals:

1. Tuna Salad Sandwich
Start with: one can tuna (Drain Tuna. Dump in bowl.)
Add: chopped veggies- onion, green onion, celery, hard boiled egg OR diced pickles (you can also use pickle relish)
Put together: Layer a couple lettuce leaves, cheese (provelone is delicious,) and tuna salad between two slices of bread.
Very easy recipe and also very adaptable to the ingredients you probably have at home.

2. Potato Soup
Start with: can Cream of Chicken (You can also use Cream of Celery, Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Potato...) OR you can start by simply boiling milk and butter
Add: First, boil cubed potatoes and chopped vegetables (carrots, broccoli, celery, onion, green onion, cauliflower, virtually any vegetable will work great), cubed chicken, bacon, turkey, or anything else you may have around that seems good.
Cook: Once the potatoes are soft, and the veggies are just as firm as you want them (you could also steam the veggies) drain the water. Add the can of soup + milk (or if you opt not to use the Cream of ____ Soup, just add milk,) Mix in all the veggies, season with salt and pepper, and any other seasonings- I usually use Oregano, Garlic, and Jojo's Potato Seasoning. Once you mix everything together, add shredded cheese. That's it!

I hope you enjoy these recipes and see that you don't have to spend all the money to enjoy a delicious restaurant-inspired meal! And, I would love to hear your favorite go-to recipes as well!

A little update...

1. Live my life with no regrets. I'm sure I could be doing a lot better on this resolution, but I am trying new things and working hard to have a positive attitude. I can already notice a difference- without being so negative all the time, I am already a lot happier!

2. Never again use my bank account as an excuse for not being able to dress as I would like. Hmm... this one is a little harder. I see so many items of clothing I absolutely LOVE- then I look at the price tag. But, I am good at bargain-finding, it's just a little more challenging to find good clothes within the price range, but it is possible. Also, I have a good rule to go by when I shop: I very rarely buy anything that is over $15, if it is any more than that, I have to seriously think about how much I really need it.

3. Organize my life- starting with my room, purse, and backpack. I am pretty organized right now. Currently my room is clean and organized, as well as my purse and backpack. Now, the trick is keeping it that way. But, if I clean my room once a week, it will be much easier to keep it organized.

4. I will set up a date to get together with The Missing Three within the next month. Hmm... I am pretty much failing when it comes to this resolution. I have only talked to them one or two times recently, and we have not set a date yet to get together. I will have to work harder on this one.

5. I will do ALL my homework within one hour of arriving home from school. At first, I was doing very well on this account, but I slowly became lazier, putting off my homework until later. This I will also have to work extra hard to reinforce. 

It's always nice to take a little break, so if you are feeling stressed, or just need to relax, picture yourself here on a warm, spring day- laying in the soft grass watching the clouds move across the sky:

IF ONLY... it was spring already!

I am getting very anxious for the arrival of springtime. Winter was great, but I am very ready to see the snow melt away to a sunny, warm spring day. If you are also excited for spring, here is a picture of what we have to look forward to:

What is really getting me excited is the arrival of spring clothes at the stores. I keep getting magazines full of spring skirts, dresses, and shoes. I cannot wait to take a seasonal shopping spree and fill my closet with new, bright, warm-weather clothes! A few of the items I would love to own...

1) Candy apple red sweater- perfect for a 60 degree spring day.

2) This adorable blue-grey polkadot skirt from Delias

3) These sandals are made from recycled rice bags- so they are bright, colorful, earth-friendly, AND each pair is unique.

4) Currently in LOVE with Hard Candy nail polish, this sunshiney yellow is perfect for spring!

5) Soft tone peachy pink lipstick

And, is it too early to start thinking about summer? I'm not usually a fan of underwire swimming suits, but this floral one from Billabong is adorable!

Two Posts in One Day?

Yes, I am writing again. Only a few hours since my last post, but it's my blog, I can make up the rules, and I say I can post whenever I feel the need to! =]

I'm sure if you're reading this blog, you're probably bored out of your mind. So, I thought I'd give you some other ideas as alternatives to wasting your whole day on facebook (don't get me wrong. I am a facebook fan, but it can get old when you have nothing else to do.)
1) If you have iTunes, check the Items of the Week. There's usually one or two free songs and a free music video, and generally, they're pretty good.
2) fredflare. I cannot get enough of Fred Flare. Some of my favorite items:

polaroid notes

wood bracelet

sweet nothing necklace

airmail pouch

teal clutch

belt bracelet

ipod hoodie

lomo sampler camera

watch locket

Cute gifts any girl would love to get from a guy:

forget me knot ring

key necklace

... and some crazy things that can be found on FredFlare that make you think what were they thinking?

wasabi flavored lip balm

underpants gloves

bacon scented soap

onion flavored mints

3) Read some of your (other) favorite blogs, or find new blogs you would enjoy. Check the Blogger Blogs of Note 

4) Stupid.com and bored.com are full of time-wasting games and activities.

5) If you've tried all of these and still can't find anything fun to do, you've been on way too long. GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER. TAKE A WALk, RIDE A BIKE, PLAY A GAME, WATCH A MOVIE, or CALL A FRIEND.

An Olympic Afternoon

I just love the Olympics, whether Winter or Summer, its just amazing to watch so many different countries and cultures come together for a single purpose. I also love the nationalism it brings out- the American athletes represent our country, and its a great feeling to see an American, wearing the gold, and see the look on their face when the American flag is flown, and the National Anthem plays. Now, here are the ingredients for a cozy afternoon of Olympics watching:
1) TV tuned into NBC
2) Snuggled up on the couch under blankets (optional: hot chocolate)
3) An easy and quick snack (see below)
4) Laptop (to learn more about some of the athletes)

My personal favorites:
Shaun White
Hannah Kearney
Nick Baumgartner
Apolo Anton Ohno

Quick great Olympic watching snack:
Golden fries made on the George Foreman. If you don't have a George Foreman, you can definitely use a frying pan. 1) Cut two small potatoes into strips about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick (or however you want them!) 2) In a small bowl, coat the fries with Olive Oil and season. (I use JoJo's potato seasoning, but you can use anything- salt, pepper, oregano) 3) throw them on the George and cook for about 7 minutes per side. 5) enjoy your delicious, healthier than McDonald's homemade seasoned fries!

Who are your favorite Olympic athletes? Do you have any favorite easy recipes?

Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Women's hockey

Hannah Kearney

Mission: Organize my Space

I so wish my room could be straight out of a PB Teen Catalog. These people are geniuses- same goes for IKEA. They find a way to design clean, neat furniture that is stylish and colorful. But- they also design furniture that encourages organization. They have lots of drawers and bins to keep knick-knacks organized to reduce clutter. In an ideal world, I would be sitting here at my clean, white Pottery Barn desk, decorated with coordinating containers for pens and office supplies, typing away on my flawless macbook. But, in reality, I am sitting on my old carpeted floor surrounded by a hodge-podge of woods and white furniture handed down from at least 20 years ago, wearing down the already worn keys of my dinged up macbook. It may be surprising to hear, but I AM COMPLETELY OKAY WITH THIS. An ideal utopia world where everything is perfect may seem preferable, but I like the fact that no one is perfect, and we learn from our mistakes. I am fine with starting small and working my way up.

That being said, there are things I can do to make my room less cluttered and more relaxing to be in. I tend to hide the junk I know I don't need, but can't let go of in unsuspecting places- like crammed in decorative bins, hidden in vanity drawers, or on the top shelf of my closet (and I know I am not the only one.)

So, as an update on my resolution to organize my life, I am going to begin now and deep clean my room. As painful as this sounds to me, I need to do it, and my room can be a place to relax and do my homework in a stress-free zone. Here it goes, oh, and don't worry. I will be jotting some notes down on a pad of paper while I am organizing for some great tips to share with you.
A little inspiration to get me motivated:

 

See you in, oh, a few days?

IF ONLY... I was rich I could be fashionable- Update.

I am struggling with this resolution at the moment. Seeing as prom is quickly approaching, every dress I seem to love costs at least $500. This only means I have to work a little harder, but I am confident I will eventually find a dress I love in my budget. As a little inspiration, here are a few possibilities that are under $200 for every style.

This brown patterned dress is ONLY $68!

For a more girly look, the silky purple floral dress is under $200

A cute, short choice of a prom dress that would make you stand out from the crowd.

FEATURED DRESSES (both under $200):

Shiny, silky, yet Fishy scales with bright, contrasting colors- LOVE it!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this silky, gorgeous mermaid teal dress.