StickyGram

I just ordered some of my Instagram photos to be turned into magnets! How cool! I'm super excited about it and its pretty reasonably priced with free shipping anywhere in the world. Plus, since I just ordered you all can get $4.00 off your order with the code FRIENDTDIR. All you have to do is log into your Instagram account through StickyGram and you can choose up to 9 pictures per sheet of magnets, each sheet is $14.99. It's actually really cool and I'm super excited to get mine! You can see the sheet I made for myself below.

Super Bowl Treats

The Super Bowl is right around the corner and I have some awesome recipes for whatever viewing party you're attending! I have the perfect dips, a deliciously cheesy bread, and some decadent desserts. While it's important to eat right, it's also important to have a good time. Remember moderation! Not to mention, bringing your own dish will give you a reason to make something healthy for yourself... or naughty to make other people eat it.

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest to find tons of other great ideas for appetizers, main dishes, desserts, cocktails, and more!

Light Guacamole Dip

Ingredients
3 avocados
3/4 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
1 jalapeno, deseeded, finely chopped
Juice 1 lime
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Baked tortilla chips or pita chips

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients. 
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Serve with baked tortilla chips or pita chips.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Pepper Jack Cheesy Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients

1 whole wheat sourdough loaf
1/2 lb sliced pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 green onion, diced
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Cut the sourdough loaf lengthwise and widthwise, but do not cut through the bottom. 
3. Place loaf on a baking sheet with foil. Put slices of cheese in each cut. You may have to cut the slices of cheese in half to do so. 
4. Combine the butter, onions, and poppy seeds and drizzle over the loaf. 
5. Wrap a piece of foil over the loaf (doesn't have to be totally enclosed) and bake for 15 minutes. 
6. Unwrap the bread and if desired place some more cheese in between the cuts and bake for another 10 minutes. 
7. Let cool for a couple minutes and then pull apart and enjoy!

                                   Sweet Lemon Bars                    Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars

Soft Pretzel Bites

With my new pink KitchenAid stand mixer I decided to take a stab at making soft pretzels. They came out really delicious! I was nervous because making any kind of dough has never been my forte. I also got nervous when I had to had more flour than the recipe calls for and it was still super sticky. They aren't the prettiest pretzels, but they taste great so whatever! These totally satisfied my craving for a salty snack yesterday afternoon.

You can find the recipe for the pretzel bites here. The recipe for the cheese sauce can be found here. I used Flying Dog Raging Bitch for the cheese sauce and it came out much stronger beer tasting than I anticipated... The recipe calls for an IPA and if I ever make this again I will definitely use Yuengling instead!

Pesto Pasta Salad

Last night, a bunch of girls and I got together and had a draft for the Bachelor. Yes, it's exactly like a fantasy football draft. We made teams of girls and I really hope one of my girls wins Juan Pablo's heart! While watching we had a potluck dinner and some fun drinks. This pesto pasta salad was perfect for a light potluck along with some other appetizers and dessert. If you can't find whole wheat pasta shells don't worry about it. Also, if the pesto dressing is too thick, add more olive oil a little bit at a time until you reach a consistency you like.

Let's chat about last nights episode for a minute. Victoria is crazy, but who hasn't had a bad night before? Too bad that it was on national TV... Renee is such a mom and it's so sweet that she's making sure all the other girls are okay. Also, Clare is cute and so is Nikki. Oh yeah, and Lucy is really strange.

Ingredients
8 oz whole wheat shell pasta (I used Delallo)
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup baby buffalo mozzarella balls, cut in half
1/2 cup reduced fat pesto
Juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 
2. Place trimmed asparagus on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until tender. 
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Let pasta and asparagus cool. 
4. Meanwhile, whisk together pesto, lemon juice, and remaining olive oil. Set aside. 
5. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Mix together pasta shells, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella. 
6. Top with pesto dressing, stir, and serve.

Museum Date

This was the first weekend of 2014 that J and I got to finally relax and do something fun. Friday night we had a night in and watched Monsters University which was actually so cute. It was almost as good as Despicable Me, but I don't think anything can top that.

On Saturday, we ventured into DC even though it was a rainy day and made our way to the Museum of Natural History. I forgot how fun museums can be! We started with the amazing ocean exhibit - it's insane how much of the ocean is still unexplored. The mammal exhibit was probably my favorite. We got to see so many adorable animal figures from all over the world. The National Geographic photography exhibit was amazing. I was most impressed by a photograph taken by a 16 year old. To wrap up with saw dinosaurs and minerals and gems. The things that nature can create are beautiful. I think it's time the J and I explore a couple more museums in DC!

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars

Don't hurt me. I know you're gonna want to make these because they're obviously delicious. But hey, you should reward yourself for the awesome healthy habits you've been sticking to so far this year! For Christmas I got the most perfect pink KitchenAid stand mixer that I am now overly obsessed with. This recipe says it requires a stand mixer, but honestly there have been so many recipes like that where I've used a hand mixer and everything turned out fine. I apologize in advance for the stand mixer recipes that are going to be coming soon!

You can find the recipe here. I omitted the drizzle of chocolate over top just because I was in a rush, but they were still amazing. Totally up to you if you want to add that.

Honey Goat Cheese & Crackers

This simple snack is delicious and the honey goat cheese makes it feel like an upscale hors d'oeuvres. It may take a little searching to find the goat cheese and crackers, but I promise they are in your grocery store. I love watching my favorite shows (maybe a little Juan Pablo) with a plate of these next to me after a long day. You have to try them!

Ingredients
Honey goat cheese
8 poppyseed & pepper crackers
1/2 golden delicious apple, sliced thinly
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Spread goat cheese on crackers. 
2. Place one thin slice of apple on each cracker. 
3. Top with chopped walnuts and enjoy!

Jewelry Organization

I have a jewelry hanger in my closet, but it seemed like all my favorite pieces were never put back and just strewn about my room. I use them so often that there is really no point in put them away. Besides I think they're great pieces and showing them off is always fun. I saw this adorable White Threshold Lattice Serving Tray at Target (on sale now for $20) a while ago and wanted to buy it just because. Then I came up with this fabulous idea (duh) to organize my jewelry with it for now and down the road I can use it on a coffee table. I also have a million products from Birchbox that needed a home. I loved the size of this tray especially so I can show off the adorable succulents that J got me for Christmas! So obsessed.

Check out some other great trays:

Antique Carved White Tray from Pier 1 Imports - $40

Porcelain Strip Tray from West Elm - $16

Chevron Serving Tray from Etsy - $30

Business Professional

Recently, I've had some events to go to that require me to look a little more professional than usual. I was worried about finding something to wear, but I found everything I needed already in my closet. A simple white button up with a neutral sweater over top and some gold accessories are easy to throw together. Every girl should have a great pair of nice black pants and black pumps - these are essentials! Don't forget to have a notebook or planner with you to take notes and business cards if you have them.

First impressions are always the most important, so dress to impress. Make sure to say your name twice to the person you are speaking with and always send a thank you. Don't forget to be confident!

Get the look:
Marisa Straight Leg Pants
White Softened Shirt
Factory Merino Charley Sweater
Black Pointed Toe Pumps
Jewelry - Loft Outlet
Kate Spade notebook

Breakfast Quinoa

Sometimes my breakfast routine can get a little boring. You all know I love my Homemade Granola and vanilla Greek yogurt combo and I also eat Honey Nut Cheerios with vanilla almond milk on the reg. So today I'm branching out a bit and getting in some serious protein in the morning with this Breakfast Quinoa recipe. I almost always have the ingredients in this dish on hand so it was pretty easy to get this going in the morning. You can always make it the night before and warm it up a bit in the morning for more convenience. Also, don't limit yourself to blueberries, whatever fresh fruit you have will taste great too!

Ingredients
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blueberries
Sliced almonds

Directions

1. In a small pot, combine the quinoa, almond milk, and water. 
2. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. 
3. Remove from the heat and add honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. 
4. Mix well and top with blueberries and almonds.

Metabolism-Boosting Drink

Trying to kick up your metabolism in the New Year? I came across Dr. Oz's recipe for this metabolism boosting drink. He calls it "Tangerine Weight-Orade." While I don't like false claims and quick fixes, this drink is literally just green tea, tangerine, and mint which are metabolism boosting components with no calories and plenty of flavor. Apparently, you're supposed to drink a pitcher a day (8 cups), but honestly one cup of this in the morning and you're set for the day. This is in addition to drinking plenty of water throughout the day of course. The longer you let this drink sit before you drink it the better it gets!

I use Tazo Iced Green Tea which makes a whole pitcher that I can use throughout the week. Then I pour about a cup and a half into a glass, add two tangerine slices, and a handful of torn mint leaves and it's ready for the next morning. Done.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brewed Tazo Iced Green Tea

2 tangerine slices

Handful mint leaves, torn

Directions

1. Add tangerine slices and mint to the cold green tea and let sit overnight. Enjoy in the morning!