Brownie Batter Cupcakes || Sweet Tooth Heaven

I love brownies.

They are amazing.

Brownie Batter Cupcakes, I was intrigued. 

I was not disappointed! 

{Which is always a pleasant surprise when trying a new recipe.}

Oven Broiled Parmesan Garden Tomatoes || Yum!

Do you love that crusty toasty parmesan cheese taste? Love tomatoes, warm tomatoes? If yes and yes, these are for you! 

Yesterday somehow I stumbled upon this recipe and it caught my eye, I think it might have been in someone's FB feed, whatever it doesn't matter, I wanted to make them. I checked the ingredients and I had everything, it was added to my dinner plans! 

Chicken in a Basket and Hash || Breakfast

I love lazy Saturday mornings. 

I have a big project to complete this weekend, but I let myself have a lazy Saturday morning to start it off. 

For breakfast I made a favorite, chicken in a basket and hash. My mom used to make this for me growing up, I thought she was a genius the first time she made it. 

Tutus & Earrings || Silent Auction

I love Silent Auctions! So much fun stuff and you don't have to worry about scratching your nose and bidding on a million dollar painting. 

Teen Challenge is an amazing organization that helps people with addictions overcome and receive a new life. Praise God!! 

>> My donations for the Silent Auction >>

Princess Tutu || Light and dark pink

Who doesn't want a tutu! Some little girl is going to be super excited for this one! 

I made a couple of these for some friends little daughters birthdays now I'm addicted to their cuteness. 

Here's a great YouTube video if you want to make one for yourself or a little princess in your life.  

DIY No Sew Tutu Instructions by Bailey's Blossoms

And of course some earrings! 

______

Have a lovely rest of your week everyone!

xoxojolleen

{you are beautiful and wonderfully made} 

Weekly Menu || Number Seventeen {Summer Edition}

My weekly menu, number seventeen ~ Summer edition. 

Up this week - Two MUST MAKE items! Avocado, cilantro, lime sauce/dip/dressing and grilled chicken with peanut noodles and a cucumber sambal. {Both are lick the bowl delicious!}

Craisin Almond Chicken Salad

The sweet from the craisins and the crunch from the almonds equal awesome. I'll defiantly make this again, chicken salad is a regular on our summer menus. 

July Break Down || Grocery Budget & Menus

In this post ~ See how my budget works and maybe get ideas on ways to save money or new things to try. I get real on debt and living a life edited. 

July's Fruit Bowl

Weekly Menu || Number Sixteen

My weekly menu, number sixteen ~ Summer edition. 

Up this week - Simple and easy; a scramble, mac and cheese with a delicious fruit board, and a fast any night pantry seasoned grilled chicken.

Four of my favorite baking tools!

America's Test Kitchen Browned Butter
Chocolate Chip Cookies, this is a regular in our house. 

I recently posted the above picture and had some inquires about the tiered cooling rack, so I thought I'd do a post on a few of my favorite baking things. 

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Pie {no bake}

So delicious! 

I love this peanut butter and fudge pie recipe, no bake! Lovely, perfect for a hot summer day. I made two, one for us and one for the hubby to take to work, it was a hit ~ officially man approved. 

Weekly Menu || Number 15 {Summer Edition}

My weekly menu, number fifteen ~ Summer edition. 

Up this week - The rest of the homemade BBQ sauce in use, deli sandwiches, and individual cherry almond crisps!

Super Simple Bean and Cheese Burritos

I love simple bean and cheese burritos, delicious and budget friendly!

Nails || Perfect Polka Dots

Something about polka dots just makes me happy! 

>> Perfect Polka Dot Nails >>

{That's my 3D printed ring, fresh right!}

Weekly Menu || Number Fourteen {Summer Edition}

My weekly menu, number fourteen ~ Summer edition. 

Up this week - Easy homemade BBQ sauce, bean burritos with a pocket of cheese, a delicious one skillet dinner, and the perfect summer dessert!

Weekly Menu || Number Thirteen

My weekly menu, number thirteen ~ Summer edition. 

Up this week - Grilled Corn, Jalapeño, Cream Cheese, and Bacon bites, and Coconut Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies!  

Weekly Menu || Number Thirteen 

Homemade Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce and Brownie Ice Cream Bars

Homemade Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce! Oh my goodness, it's the stuff sweet tooth dreams are made of! Once you try it, you'll daydream about everything you can pour it over. 

>> Must Make >> 

Weekly Menu || Number Twelve

My weekly menu, number twelve ~ Summer edition. 

Last week was awesome! We had a friend visit us from Colorado. She was going to be here for two and a half days. This is what I planned for her visit and how I use up all the leftovers when she departed. Also, a delicious local preserves and a brown sugar caramel sauce you have to try!

_____

>> Guest Menu >>

How to Cut a Mango

Do you love mango? I do! 

But awkward to cut with it's oval shape and huge seed in the center. 

Don't you fret, here's my step by step on how I cut a mango without freaking out and having it slip on the floor! Or wasting half of it getting the skin off. 

Weekly Menu || Number Eleven {Summer Edition}

My weekly menu, number eleven ~ Summer edition. 

This week BBQ Pineapple Quesadillas, a super quick dinner under a $1, and Salted Caramel Frosting!

_____

>> Weekly Menu >>

Weekly Menu || Number Eleven
{Summer Edition} 

_____

>> Monday >>

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla with Pineapple and Jalapeños

Weekly Menu || Number Ten {Summer}

My weekly menu, number ten ~ Summer edition. 

Summer time is all about simple delicious dishes that don't heat up the kitchen! This week we had Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce two ways, I love this stuff.

_____

>> Weekly Menu >>

Weekly Menu || Number Ten {Summer Edition} 

Weekly Menu || Number Nine ~ Summer

Happy June! 

We've been planting, weeding, mulching, and seeding for the last three weekends. Now it's time to keep up the watering and weeding and hopefully things grow! 

I'm trying a garden for the first time and am super excited! I'm doing a mini container garden to test it out. 

My beginner container garden 

_____

>> Weekly Menu >>

We eat light and easy during the warm weather months, I'll be featuring my favorite recipes and trying some new ones.  We also have a bunch of house projects we'd like to do, so I'm attempting to cut our food budget for June, July, and August from $300 to $200 a month; as close as I can get will be wonderful, all extra money will go to the home project fund! 

Here's my weekly menu for the first week in June.

Weekly Menu || Number Nine ~ Summer 

Weekly Menu || Number Eight

My weekly menu from the third week in May. 

I'm changing the name of my weekly plans to "Weekly Menu", I think meal plan sounds like a diet and if you've followed any of my posts you defiantly know we are not dieters. I like simple delicious foods, I do a lot homemade but will use boxed or other options if it tastes good! We have a monthly food budget of $300, so all my weekly menus fall within that dollar range. Majority of the recipes are not mine, I'm not a chef, I just love food and love to cook and bake; I'm an excellent recipe follower! I'll link to all recipe that are a must try, so you can make them too!

Weekly Menu || Number Eight 

_____

>> Monday >>

Veggie Rice Bowls 

Meal Plan || Number Seven

My Weekly Meal Plan 

Double header this week...here was my weekly meal plan for the second week in May. Wednesday I'll post for the third week. Two of my all time favorites roasted mini peppers and blueberry shortbread crisp. 

Weekly Meal Plan 

_____

Fav Five Friday

>> My favorites this week  >>

Photo ~ Plum Pretty Sugar

I 

wish 

this 

was 

in 

my 

yard! 

Photo & Recipe ~ Style Me Pretty 
Living ~ Ombre Chocolate Covered Cherries 

How 

cute 

are 

these!!!

Photo ~ The Pretty Blog 

Perfect

for 

a 

Spring

wedding.

Photo ~ Flickr Maggie Mason

Summer

trips? 

Sephora or Ulta  

My 

favorite

summer 

cheeks.

Beautiful

color 

with

a 

dewy

finish. 

xoxojolleen

{you are beautiful and wonderfully made}

How to Create a Meal Plan || Part Three

Hi! 

This is part three of a three part series on how to create a 

{weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly} meal plan. Today I'll be sharing how I grocery shop and portion certain items. It's been really fun to share all of this with you.
I hope it's been helpful!
Here we go!!!

>> Three Part Series >>

Meal Planning Basics ~ Part One
Creating Your Meal Plan and Shopping List ~ Part Two 
Grocery Shopping, including my real list, budget, and timed shopping trips ~ this post

How to Create a Meal Plan || Part Two

Welcome Back! 

This is part two of a three part series on how to create a 

{weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly} meal plan. Today I'll be sharing how I create my meal plan and shopping list. I'm so excited to share all of this with you, I have a million things running around in my head right now! 

>> Three Part Series >>

Meal Planning Basics ~ Part One Here 
Creating Your Meal Plan and Shopping List ~ this post
Grocery Shopping, including my real list, budget, and timed shopping trips ~ Part Three Here

How to Create a Meal Plan || Part One

This is part one of a three part series on how to create a 

{weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly} meal plan. 

Have you ever gone grocery shopping the beginning of the month bought a whole cart full of stuff, checked out and it's a shocking $150, then you get home and don't even know what you bought or what you're going to have for dinner. Then later in the week, you run out of toilet paper run into Target for JUST ONE THING, check out $75 later...oh, did you even remember the toilet paper? Now it's Friday you're stressing at work wondering what to make for dinner, search Pinterest and find something that sounds oh so delicious, just need to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few items, $50 later you have everything for dinner. Now it's the following week, you realize you've already spent $275 on...what really? You spend 15 minutes looking in your fridge, freezer, and fridge again; they are packed, but you still have nothing to make, you throw out the moldy.......something, while you're looking.  Then wonder why you never finished those delicious leftovers you made last Friday night and now they are bad too, throw that away. In the zone, you spend another 20 minutes cleaning out the fridge throwing out half a garbage can worth of stuff. This is so annoying! Let's just order pizza, but we don't have any money until payday...whatever just charge it. Oh, and don't forget a side of wings and bread sticks! 

Sound familiar? 

Meal Plan || Number Six

My Weekly Meal Plan

Must make fajitas and a Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe taste off! 

___

Style Me This || No. 19.14

Good Morning!

This weeks jewelry junkie addition. 

>> Monday >>

Spring 2014 || Superman and Fancy Earrings

I love mixing styles 

My Polyvore creation Spring Mix No. 2 ~ For this look I paired a classic pencil skirt, with a cute sweatshirt and fancy earrings. I love this fishtail braid, it will show off the earrings perfectly! Then adding the Butter London nail color to complete this Pantone Spring 2014 color review. 

Nails || Vibrant Peach and DIY Leopard Spots

As soon as I laid eyes on this nail color, I knew it was going to be perfect!
Add some leopard spots, cute!! Here's a step by step so you can create this fun look yourself. 

Vibrant Peach and Leopard Spots || Perfect for Summer! 

Style Me This || No. 18.14

Happy Monday Everyone! 

I am a jewelry junkie. 

Well, I really am an all things girly junkie...that's the Grandma Green in me {heart}

Pretty sure I've been playing with nail polish, lip stick, and loving jewelry since about three years old.  I daily (almost) post my wears on Instagram, but weekly I'll be posting here with store listings. Here's last weeks jewels....

>> Monday>>

Earrings grey seeds || I made those, when I start making jewelry again, I'll be selling it on Etsy.

Ring, big and chunky || DIA airport gift shop, told you I find stuff everywhere!

Necklace, I love these clear pieces || H&M

>> Tuesday >>

Meal Plan || Number Five

Hi Everyone! Here is my weekly meal plan from last week. Buffalo Pork Chops, Lasagna, Tacos, Black Bean Soup, and for dessert S'mores! 

Weekly Plan || Number Five 

Spring 2014 || Dress and Cowboy Boots

Polyvore Creation ~ I just love a dress and cowboy boots, something so sweet about it. To add to the cuteness, I paired it with heart sunglasses and ice cream cone earrings! All topped with a side sweep pin curl. Adorable! 

My List || 20 Unique Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day is right around the corner! 

If you haven't made a purchase yet, here are 20 of my favorite unique gifts online (have it shipped directly to them!) Click on the link under the picture for more information or to purchase. 

That's my Great Grandma Green { BIG HEART }

Meal Plan || Number Four

Meal Plan || Number Four 

Saturday Crush || Dream Closet

Perfect dream outfit & the perfect dream day ~ 65/68 degrees, Starbucks, walk around the East Side, grab a delicious sandwich from Glorioso's, take it to the Lake Front with a blanket, cucumber water, good book, Bocce Ball, and my hubby.

Saturday Crush || Polyvore 

How to cut a perfect kiwi!

Kiwi is cute

(talking about a cute fruit, have you ever seen a Dragon Fruit! WOW! 

It's like visiting Alice in Wonderland.)

Kiwi is delicious

(Dragon Fruit, is similar in taste but not as flavorful.)

I love kiwi

(I love kiwi and I can buy it at my local grocery store.)

Here's a simple way to cut it perfect every time! 

(Easy I promise!)

Ham for days || Make this

Chances are you have a lot of food leftover after your delicious Easter meal yesterday. What to do with all that ham? Here are a few ideas that I love...