inkWELL Press Planner Unboxing

Hi All - Today I bring you *my* highly anticipated planner post. When I say highly anticipated, I mean I was very excited to write this.

When looking for a planner for this year I did tons of research, and I mean tons. I am very particular when it comes to my planner layout because there are some things I really don't like. Some examples are - My daily blocks must be horizontal versus vertical because a) I have really big handwriting and b) vertical days tend to be laid out hourly and I don't like that for myself. I also need to have a notes section and if there's a way, a dedicated section for fitness. 

After weeks of searching on Pinterest, Googling, and watching YouTube videos, I chose the inkWELL Press liveWELL Planner in Flex. There are five different cover options to choose from that can be customized during certain times of the year (which I believe are prior to a new school year and at the end of a calendar year). I missed this time block so mine is not customized.

I ordered my planner on a Thursday night when they just happened to be having a flash sale for Chinese New Year. After seeing the original price and the discount price, I knew I needed to buy it right then. (You can get your own 20% off coupon code at the bottom of my post!) I received it the next Thursday, which was five business days since I ordered. As seen above, you can see it comes nicely packaged to protect from any potential shipping damage. 

There are a number of things I really like about this planner. To make this easier, I'm just going to give you a bulleted list of all the wonderfulness. 

• Let's start off by saying that the cover and the paper are great quality. The cover is like a hard cardboard which is good for anyone who takes their planner around with them, it'll be less likely to get ruined. The paper is thick enough that your pens won't bleed through but not too thick that it makes the entire planner unnecessarily thick.
• The page opposite of the year calendar view is a goals page with sections for personal, financial, social, health and fitness, and more.
• A Save the Date page which is good for you to have a whole overview in one glance versus flipping through every month.
• Each month has a monthly view, weekly views, a rambling page, notes page, and a goals page.
• Each weekly view has a notes section which I *love* because it's where I normally write my grocery list. I only grocery shop for myself and occasionally for my mom so I don't need too much space, so I can understand that it may not be big enough of a space for an entire family list. 
• Each day has a small section for meals, at home, and fitness. This is where I write down my workout for that day, what I plan to have for dinner, and if I need to do something around the house that night - vacuuming, laundry, etc. The only thing I find a little strange about this is you really only have enough space to write one meal making it less useful for someone who is into documenting all of their meals. 
• The back of the planner has some additional pages which are kind of cool. There's a section for travel where you can write trip information (airline, hotel, weather, etc.), a gift list section, a couple pages to write about movies and books (?!), a nice note section, and a 2016 calendar.
• There's also two open folders and a tie pocket.

I also want to point out how great their customer service is. I had a question and they were very quick with their response and very helpful. Customer service is huge for me and when it's good, I'm more way more likely to return!

There are a couple things that I didn't like which are really not even that big of a deal but I do still want to point them out for you to know. Some of the "extra" pages are really unnecessary for me. For instance, the page dedicated to movies and books, I'm not sure that this is something I would keep in my planner. I know it's silly to complain about but it is what it is. The main thing that I don't like is that the entire note section is gridded. I think it would be better to maybe do a half and half where they give a good amount of lined pages.

Also, I ordered stickers from Etsy and a website that inkWELL recommended. 

Of course, as it should be known by now.. It takes me forever to make decisions. I was hunting on Etsy for a good few days. There were TONS of cute ones but mainly I wanted to order my entire lot from a single Etsy shop a) that way it would be the same style, quality, and somewhat of the same theme, b) cut down on shipping costs and c) to give back a good amount to one shop at a time. The ones I decided on are from the shop It's Planning Time and eeek, they are so cute! I got small credit cards to remind me of pay day (even though no one really needs a reminder that they're about to get paid), stethoscopes for doctors appointments, grocery carts for when I wrote my grocery list in my notes section each week, and kettle bells for me to use in the month view to remind myself which days I actually went to the gym and didn't just plan to go. The stickers are a really nice quality and are a good thickness too. I'm already ordering my next batch of kettlebell stickers.
The next ones I got are some dots and flags from The Reset Girl via recommendation from inkWELL themselves.  I really like the color but I will admit, they are tiny stickers. They were not as big as I thought they would be but she does have bigger ones. I may skim through her page again and order the larger ones, but we'll see. Let me get through the ones I have now. She also sent some cute goodies with her order. Are you wondering what? Well you'll just have to order to find out! ;)

I have now realized that this has become a really long post so I'm going to cut myself off. Also because I want to do a "Plan with Me" post to show you how I actually use my planner and the stickers I got with them. If you decide to order yourself a planner before my next planner post, check out inkWELL's page and click here for a 20% coupon code. Do you have a planner and/or stickers that you totally love? Or do you have any tips on how you stay organized? If so, I'd love to hear them! Until next time, 

My Roll-Ups and My Weekend

This weekend was a super fun one that I'm going to tell you all about and even include some recipes. Whaatttt?! Yep. Full of deliciousness. 

Friday night I hung out with one of my friends at her place while we cooked and watched a throwback, Maid in Manhattan. She found this delicious Lasagna Roll-Up recipe that we worked off of that was seriously mouth watering. It can be made vegetarian or with meat, depending on your preferences.

Ingredients:

12-15 uncooked lasagna noodles (depending on size of your noodles - I had thinner ones - and how much mixture you would like to put)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

2 1/2 cups (one 10 oz package) shredded part-skim (or made with 2%) mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I still recommend the Bertolli Olive Oil, Basil & Garlic)

Directions:

I posted this on Snapchat and wanted to share it here too. 

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain and lay out on wax paper to avoid sticking.
2. While cooking, in a large bowl combine all other ingredients and mix fairly well. You can also preheat the oven to 375* at this time.
3. Once the noodles are done cooking and are laid out, spread cheese mixture over each noodle and carefully roll up. I used about 1/3 of a cup per noodle.

4. Pour enough spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom of an ungreased baking pan. Place roll-ups seam side down over sauce. Top with remaining sauce and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until heated all the way through and the noodles are baked to your liking. 

*Some great ways to add meat to this is to have some meatballs on the side or to use a sauce that includes meat.


We also made an Autumn Chopped Salad that was found from the blog Espresso and Cream.

Ingredients: 

2 chopped romaine lettuce heads

2 medium pears

1 cup cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

8 slices of thick-cut bacon cooked crisp and crumbled

4 to 6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Poppy Seed salad dressing

Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the salad dressings. For the dressings, add in based on your preference. We did about a 65% PS to 35% BV ratio and were pretty generous with it.

Tips:

• This salad is also super delicious with green apples instead of the pears.
• I tried it with turkey bacon and it wasn't the same, what-so-ever
• Also very good with raw spinach

Saturday I went to a Breast Cancer bingo fundraiser held by my friend's mom. It was a packed house and a ton of fun. She is taking part in the Avon 39 Washington, DC in May and held this event as a way to raise money. Attendees donated $30 (or more) to participate in bingo. All the bingo round prizes were Vera Bradley (woohoo!) and they also had door prizes, raffles, food, and more, with all proceeds going towards her goal.

I went in and was basically throwing my money everywhere. Food? Sure, I'll eat a million extra calories today. Extra bingo boards? Here you go. Raffles? Why not, the money is all going to a great cause! - I was just expecting to have some fun and head home but I ended up winning the 50/50 raffle and a really amazing smelling set of Yankee Candles!

Also, all attendees who signed up at least two weeks in advance received a nice bracelet. I've recently really gotten into those online yard sale pages on Facebook so I'm thinking what I'd like to do is put the bracelet up for sale and whatever money I make for it, I will double it (up to $100) and donate it. Maybe the next person could do the same thing and start a really awesome donation chain? I've given up Facebook for Lent so I'm going to give this a shot as soon as I get back on.

In the mean time, if you would like to donate, please consider donating to my friend's mom's page. You can find her page here: http://info.avonfoundation.org/goto/jenschwab 

Sunday was just spent winding down and relaxing. I also spent the day trying to finish this delicious dessert bar thing that I bought at the fundraiser on Saturday. It was basically a HUGE Golden Graham bar - the graham cracker cereal, chocolate, marshmallows, delicious gooeyness.

I hope you had as great of a weekend as I did, and I hope you consider donating to Jen's page. Talk to you all soon!

Five Frozen Lent Options

We are officially in Lent. While not everyone gives up meat, most do try to practice no meat on Fridays. So today, I'd like to present you with some frozen options for those who are in a hurry and don't have much time to cook.

1. Quorn Chik'n Nuggets - I discovered these through my cousin. Her husband is a vegetarian and LOVES these. I was planning on giving up meat so I gave them a shot and boy, they legit taste like chicken nuggets. I enjoy them so much that I always have a box or two and eat these versus "real chicken" nuggets. - You can cook them in the oven or microwave but I personally really like using the oven. The crunch is awesome.

2. Trader Joe's Salmon Burgers - My mom gives up meat every year and she really likes these A) because they're really good and B) because you can eat them as a burger or just with whatever sides you'd like. - The box provides cooking instructions for grilling, oven, skillet or microwave. I like this because I don't have a grill (I live in an apartment and they're not allowed) and the thought of a microwaved salmon burger really grosses me out. Their turkey burgers don't even have cooking instructions for skillet/oven and that's probably because they cook really weird with those methods. It's a great thing that these cook so nicely in a skillet or oven.

3. evol. Butternut Squash & Sage Ravioli - Yum, just yum. I know most people eat a lot of pasta when not eating meat so this is a good alternative. - Cooking methods: microwave or oven.

4. TaDah Falafel Wrap - I actually have not tried this, my mom has. I found it in the Target frozen aisle and thought "Hm, my mom might really like this." and she did. - Cooking methods: microwave or oven. My mom will not use the microwave unless it is the ONLY option, so she used the oven.

5. - evol. Truffle Parmesan Mac & Cheese - Who doesn't like mac and cheese? Really, name me someone who doesn't.. You can't - unless they're lactose intolerant. SO. GOOD. That is all. Oh, and also, I've only seen the evol. foods at Target. - Cooking methods: microwave or oven.

These are obviously also great for people who don't eat meat in general. Do you have other suggestions that fit in the quick and easy category? Next week I'll be sharing some delicious looking "from scratch" options for Lent.

Are you giving up something other than meat for Lent? If so, what? I am. This year I decided to give up Facebook. If you knew me personally, you'd know how tough that is for me. I am trying to not have meat on Fridays also. I will say, this Lent has probably been the most self-reflective for me and honestly, it's been wonderful. I hope you've been having a good Lent this year as well!

What I Have in My Fridge Jambalaya

Hello there – I hope wherever you are, you’re having a nice and warm day. Currently, we have more than 6 inches of snow on the ground with it still coming down. OH, and it’s supposed to freeze rain later so it definitely feels like there is no end in sight.

So as I sit here, stuck in my apartment, I realized I was craving something warm and filling but wasn’t sure what. As any normal person would do, I went to my fridge and pantry to scope what I had then went searching on Pinterest. I found a few jambalaya recipes so I decided to make a “What I have in my Fridge Jambalaya”. So this is my warning that yes, I know this isn’t regular jambalaya. I promise it’s still really good and simple!

Ingredients –

1 package of Hillshire FarmTurkey Polska Kielbasa, sliced thin 

1 cup of vegetables (I tend to keep a container of diced celery, carrots, and onions in my fridge – so this is what I used)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp black powder

¼ tsp cayenne pwpper

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp Old Bay Garlic & Herb

1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained (I actually had whole tomatoes that I just cut up myself)

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup white rice

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions –

1. With the oil, cook the sausage, vegetables and fresh garlic for about 8 minutes. (until vegetables are soft)

2. Add all of the spices and stir until fragrant. (less than one minute)

3. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and rice and bring to a boil.

4. Once at a boil, bring to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes, mixing occasionally. (or until rice is cooked to your liking and broth is absorbed)

5. Serve warm.

Tip of the Day: If you somehow make this dish too spicy (like I did by not paying attention to my measuring spoon, not because of the recipe) a good way to help with that is to add ketchup! Since the ketchup is tomato based but also sweet, it will help absorb some of the spicyness. The ketchup also helps if you refrigerate it and you feel it's drying up.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. If you have any great recipes to share in the realm of "this is what I have in my fridge" essentials, please share. Stay warm and I'll be back soon with another recipe!

Quick and Easy Pasta Salads

I feel like these days of record lows of freezing temperatures and blistering face pains are not going to be disappearing anytime soon, which is extremely depressing. I am normally a big Winter person but this year I am just *SO* over it and I know pretty much everyone else is too.

So to get us excited for Spring and Summer, I’m sharing two very quick and easy pasta salad recipes that are perfect for those picnics and BBQs.

Caprese Pasta Salad 

Ingredients –
1 package of pasta of your liking, cooked (I used mini shells)
1 pint of Grape Tomatoes, cut in half or quartered (depending on your preference)
1 Fresh Mozzarella Ball, cut into small cubes
1 cup fresh Basil or ½ cup dried Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Dressing –
2 cloves of pressed fresh garlic
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Directions –

1. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the dressing together.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.

3. Add in the dressing and mix well.

4. Depending on taste, you may want to add additional vinegar or olive oil. Once at your liking, add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Chill about thirty minutes all together prior to serving.

The next one I made because as I was trying to decide what to make for a BBQ, I found a box of SuddenlySalad (Classic) that I had gotten on sale for $1. I made the salad as directed and added in the following: hard salami, turkey deli, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. I also added a bit of ranch dressing and a dash of garlic powder, mixed it all together and ta-dah.. a great pasta salad that works perfectly for potlucks, bbqs, and any type of party.

I hope you all like these quick and easy pasta salads and I hope these recipes work well for you and your next event!

Easy Slow-Cooker Chicken Gyros and Homemade Tzatziki

Why hello there! I’m back with another 21 Day Fix approved recipe. I found this recipe when someone posted it in the 21 Day Fix Support/Recipes group. Since I absolutely love any type of Mediterranean food, I just had to try it.

The original recipe was posted to Six Sisters’ Stuff but I made some small changes based on my preference. And when I say my preference, I mean my Middle Eastern taste buds that very much enjoy garlic and lemon. Feel free to cut the amount of garlic and lemon.

Ingredients -

1. 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2. 4 cloves garlic, minced (I actually have a wooden mortar and pestle that I use to mash the garlic)

3. 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (typically one fresh lemon) or ½ lemon juice

4. 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

5. 2 tablespoons olive oil

6. 1 teaspoon sea salt

7. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

8. 1 teaspoon dried oregano

9. 1/4 cup water

Directions –

1. You can begin by placing chicken in Ziploc baggie or Tupperware and adding 1 tablespoon oil, salt, red wine vinegar, oregano and garlic. Place in refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Spray crockpot with a non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken inside slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. (Add in a fourth to half of the onion slices in the last 30 minutes to an hour. Save the rest for later.)

·       You can skip the marinating process by mixing all ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken once it has been placed in the slow cooker.

While the chicken is cooking, you can make your homemade tzaziki. This recipe, I seriously became obsessed with. I’m never buying tzatziki again!

Ingredients -

1. 1 6 oz Fage 0% Greek Yogurt (or Greek Yogurt of your liking)

2. 1 Persian cucumber, diced

3. 1 tablespoon lemon juice

4. 1 garlic clove, minced (or as mentioned above – use a mortar and pestle to mash)

5. 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

6. Dash of red wine vinegar

7. Salt and pepper to taste

Directions -

1. Mix first 6 ingredients together. Once well combined, add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Chill about one hour before serving.

Final prep of the sandwich –

I put together the sandwich in a Pocket Thin – 100% Whole Wheat Pita 

The additional ingredients I used for this was diced lettuce and tomatoes, the rest of the sliced onion, feta cheese, and kalamata olives. 

The way I count this for the 21DF is 1 red (easy to measure the meat into your container), 1 yellow (the open pita), 1 green (for lettuce/tomato/onion), 1 blue (cheese), and 1 orange (olives). I just measure out the tzaziki into two tablespoons and don’t count it.

January Favorites

Eeek - It's been a while since I've done one of these so I think it's about time, with the new year and all. So let's jump right in and keep this short and sweet.

1. Drybar's Texas Tea Volumizing Hair Spray - This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous but I do not even use this as a hair spray. I use it because I am completely obsessed with the smell. It makes my hair smell like a fresh green tea. I promise you it's not a weird "what is that smell?!" smell, it's great. I use it right after I style my hair (straighten or curl) and always when I use dry shampoo. I mean, isn't it safe to say that most women have this slight assumption that if they need dry shampoo then their hair might be smelling bad? Well this is perfect for those times.

2. Laura Mercier's Flawless Skin Moisturizer - They have this in a "mega moisture" (for combination/dry skin) and regular for combination/normal skin. I've used both - mega for Winter and regular for all other seasons. I'm very particular about my cremes because sometimes they feel greasy or that they just "lay" and that your skin isn't absorbing the moisturizer properly. This really makes my skin feel like I'm sucking it all up. Plus, this winter has been BRUTAL on my skin (serious, serious dryness and cracking) and this has been a life saver.

3. Urban Decay's Naked Skin Liquid Foundation - I bought this after doing an updated Sephora Color IQ and trying to find something for everyday wear within a decent price range. This is right on. Not only is it perfect for everyday, but I haven't been breaking out (which has been a big problem with me and liquid foundations recently). It also lasts all day and is super buildable, which is great for if I want to go somewhere after work and need a look with more coverage.

4. Bath and Body Works's Sensual Sugar Scrub - Back to the whole dry skin thing, eeeek my legs. They've been super dry and shaving has been a serious pain. I started using this after a friend recommended it and wow, it makes my legs super, super soft after a hot (and dry) shower and shave. Not to mention how amazing it smells!

5. Tory Burch Perfume - This makes me so happy. The smell of this is so perfect for Spring and honestly, it can't come soon enough. I also have a roller ball version that I keep in my bag for later in the afternoon/evening - not that I really need it because the smell really lasts.

See - quick and easy. If you have tried any of these products, I'd love to know if you agree with me! Let me know your thoughts :)