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Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Cheesy Pasta 'Lasagna' Bake

Nursing school keeps me busy. So busy that some nights I have 20 minutes to make dinner. This means I've had to get a little bit creative in the kitchen as of late.

Basically, if you're busy, short on time, looking for something with ample leftovers, or just plain love cheese, I've got tonight's dinner for you right here.


Here's looking at you, Cheesy Pasta 'Lasagna' Bake!

Here's what you'll need, in very specific measurements:
a pound of ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
a box of pasta (we like whole grain rotini)
a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
a pinch or two (or three) of garlic powder
a pinch or two (or three) of Italian seasoning
a handful (or two) of shredded mozzarella cheese
a light dusting of parmesan cheese


Start with browning your meat in a frying pan. At the same time prepare your pasta according to the directions on the box in a large pot (we use a soup pot). Cook that stuff until it's ready!


If you have a fattier meat, drain the excess fat. If not, just let it hang out in the pan for a minute.

Around this time, I like to turn my oven on to the broil setting so that it can get a couple minute head start before I melt the cheese.


Drain the pasta and toss it back in the pot. Add the meat and the can of spaghetti sauce. Stir like crazy!

Add the spices and seasonings and stir.

Add most of the mozzarella cheese and stir.

Transfer the whole shebang into a baking pan. You'll probably need a 9x13 pan - we usually do.

Top with a light sprinkling of the parmesan cheese and the rest of the mozzarella and put it in the oven for a few minutes - until the cheese gets bubbly and a little bit brown.


Take it out of the oven, dish up, and enjoy the melty goodness that is Cheesy Pasta 'Lasagna' Bake!

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels {perfect for today's big game!}

In honor of the regular NFL season which started this weekend, I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes to serve during the games. What goes hand in hand with football? Buffalo chicken!

I've shared my recipe for easy slow cooker buffalo chicken last year. Trevor and I love to make a whole bunch of it, have a few meals out of it, and freeze the rest in quart size bags. Those quart sized bags of buffalo chicken are perfect for today's recipe!

No matter if you've got the buffalo chicken ready to go or not, you'll need this Pillsbury product. I find it in the refrigerated dough section. If your store doesn't carry it, you can try crescent rolls or pizza dough instead.

If you're using your freezer stash of already cooked buffalo chicken from above, then you can skip the first step. If not, you'll need: one cooked and shredded chicken breast (the cooked part is important - no raw chicken here!), 1/4 cup of Franks Red Hot sauce, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/4 of a cream cheese block, and 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles.

Mix together your chicken, hot sauce, sour cream, cream cheese, and blue cheese.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper {skip this step at your own risk!}. Now, roll out your dough (I sprayed a little EVOO down on my cutting board first to prevent any sticking) and use your fingers or a rolling pin to expand it into a larger rectangle.


Here's where it gets messy: spread your buffalo chicken mixture all over your dough! Make sure you get to all of the edges. Starting with one of the long sides, start rolling your dough onto itself. When you get to the end, pinch your edges as much as possible.

Start cutting your log into disks {I recommend cutting it in half first and then cutting each half into 8 disks}. Lay the disks on your parchment paper, then put your baking pans in the oven to bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

They look like this going in:


And like this after baking.


Remove pans from oven once the pinwheels are a nice brown color. Remove from baking pan within 2 minutes and serve warm. We like dipping the pinwheels in ranch, more Frank's, and in blue cheese dressing. This recipe yields 16 pinwheels.


Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a batch or two of buffalo chicken pinwheels to whip up for this afternoon's game. Go Packers!

What's your favorite football food? Who are you cheering for today?


Fall Recipe Roundup {link up!}



It's getting a little cooler in these parts lately. In true Wisconsin style, it'll warm up again before the snow falls, but in the meantime I've been busy thinking of all my favorite fall recipes.

This buffalo chicken is perfect for tailgating or an easy weeknight meal. Of course you could also try a skinny baked potato soup, too!

It's apple season! Toss some of these yummy apple pie egg rolls together for a simple dessert:

These easy pumpkin spice muffins are perfect to enjoy with a cup of chai or alone:

Try this healthy chocolate zucchini bread to use up the excess crops from your garden:


I've rounded them all up in one post so they're easy to find and I'm inviting you to link up your favorite fall recipes, too. Feel free to click around and tempt your taste buds!


And, if that's not enough, I'm also hosting a fall favorites link up next Tuesday. You'll be able to link up as many posts as your Autumn-loving heart desires. Join me and link up your favorite fall crafts, outfits, activities, recipes, bucket lists, or anything else that has to do with the season. Get those posts together and grab this button to spread the word!

Fall Favorites Link Up


Can't wait to see you back here again next Tuesday. Let's get ready to share our love of crisp leaves, all things pumpkin spice, harvest decor, and more!


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Project: Do You #17


Today's Project: Do You post is going to be the last one. I don't know if I should be sad it's over or if I should be excited that everything's checked off!

Let's do a quick run down on how things went:

#1 - Read one book per month. Pretty darn self explanatory, right?

#2 - Work out on a regular basis. I was doing much better at this before my wisdom teeth surgery at the end of June, but since then I've stayed active at home rather than going to the YMCA 3-4 days a week.

#3 - Run a 5K. I ran/walked The Color Run on Sunday with 5 other teammates. We did incredibly well - seriously, I'm so impressed! - and I'm ready to sign up for another one already! It was so.much.fun!!

#4 - Add another 2K to the vacation fund. This one went out the window when a house came into the picture. It would be silly to put money in a fund that we won't use until late 2014 at the earliest, especially because more money that we can put towards a house, the less money we'll be in debt to our mortgage lender!

#5 - Plan a date night ahead of time for each month. This doesn't take a lot of explanation.

#6 - Enjoy a weekend away with Trevor. And it was a relaxing one at that!

#7 - Shape eyebrows. I finally was happy with the shape a few months back... and I've been pretty happy since then, too!

#8 - Finish our wedding scrapbook. I know it didn't say this on the list, but this was a summer goal. Now that summer's over for me, this is done and over with as well. It's not close to being done, but there's just simply much bigger and better fish to fry. I still have everything I need and I may have a scrapbooking weekend with my mom sometime in the future, but it's just not high priority right now.

#9 - Travel more. I had checked this off a while ago and I've since planned another trip to Chicago with Whitney in a couple weeks. I'm excited!

#10 - Learn to say no more often. I put this on the list because I felt that I was kind of getting walked all over at work. I'm still sticking to my guns and saying no when I don't want to pick up extra shifts at the drop of a hat.

#11 - Make more time for crafting. I finished a table, a bookcase, and a dresser within the past week and they look fantastic. I'm also in the middle of finding stuff for a gallery wall {leave links to your favorite free printables in the comments below!!} Crafting is a nice relaxer for me and I'm loving it in my life right now!

#12 - Get out of my comfort zone more often. Rule number one: Nothing about starting an accelerated nursing program with 29 strangers or buying a house is within your comfort zone.

#13 - Share our wedding on the blog. So glad I did this!!

#14 - Attend a concert. Checkity, check. And, Trevor and I are thinking about going to Chicago for another concert the first weekend of October!

#15 - See a Broadway show. BOM was amazing!

#16 - Get hearing tested again/look into surgery. It's good to know where my hearing stands and what my surgical options are. I'm not planning on going under the knife quite yet, but I'm glad I had the appointment.

#17 - Bake someone a birthday cake. I totally didn't skimp on this one! The chocolate cake I baked for Trevor was pretty yummy!

#18 - Go to the beach. What's summer without a little time with your toes in the sand?!

#19 - Forgive. I honestly feel like I've become a better person and that this comes a lot more naturally to me now.

So that's that! The list is done! Are you sad to see it go?

How are your goals coming along?

You can recap my journey by reading all of my Project: Do You posts here.

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Banana Pancakes {not to be confused with banana hammocks}

Don't ask me why, buts while menu planning earlier this week, I got this idea of making pancakes for Sunday breakfast stuck in my head. No matter what else I tried thinking about, I kept coming back to pancakes. Trevor and I are more pour-me-a-bowl-of-Honey-Nut-Cheerios people and when we're really feeling fancy we go all out with bagels and cream cheese... so my sudden urge to whip up a batch of pancakes at the crack of dawn came as a surprise.

I searched all over Pinterest, food.com, recipe.com, and any other site that had pancake recipes because I was dead set on not making heavy sit-in-your-gut-till-dinner cakes. I found a few recipes that I tweaked and combined to bring you today's recipe:

Dairy Free, Oil Free, Egg Free, Could Easily Be Made Gluten Free, No Added Sugar, Vegan Banana Pancakes


They look pretty darn good, right? Ohhh, they were, friends, oh they were.

Here's what you need to make your own - keep in mind this is enough for two people so if you're feeding your brood you will want to at least double everything:

3/4 cup dry oatmeal {old fashioned oats and quick oats are both fine but use a GF version if your diet requires it}
3/4 cup almond milk {you could sub any type of milk for this, but I have a small obsession with almond milk so that's what I chose}
1 yellow banana {here's your chance to use up those overripe bananas!}
1/4 cup whole wheat flour {you could sub any type of flour here if you need GF or have other dietary restrictions}
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
a "splash" of vanilla
a pinch of salt
optional: 1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup pecans

Grab your blender or food processor. Put everything in except the banana {and chocolate chips or pecans if you're using those}. Blend until smooth. Then add the banana and blend again until smooth. Add your chocolate chips and/or pecans now, if you are using them.

Spoon your batter onto a preheated griddle {or pan}. I set my stove to 4 out of 10 - basically a little cooler than medium. When you see the batter getting bubbles on top of the pancakes, flip those babies over! Remove from heat when both sides are nice and toasty brown.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. Then eat!

I served mine with berries and whipped cream {which obviously negates the no-dairy thing, but you don't have to add it!} because we had both in the fridge and I'm not a huge maple syrup person but you can eat them however you like. Heck, smother them with peanut butter and eat them proudly if you so desire!

Enjoy!

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Love List

After a long holiday weekend spent on vacation in Indiana followed by two LONG days at work {seriously, so many patients, so little time!} I finally have a day off to get stuff checked off my to-do list.

Maybe it's the looming tasks or the fact that I should be at the gym right now but instead I am sitting on my butt being lazy, but either way my blogging inspiration is nowhere to be found. With that said, I still want to be in the groove of posting often enough and I still want you to find new content when you visit You and Me are We so today's post is going to be lighthearted.

Here's my current Love List - what I'm crushing on, what I'm looking forward to, etc.


1) Next month, Whit and I are spending some time in Chicago. We're staying at The James and I can't wait! We'll explore the city and meet up with our mutual friend Maya!

2) Essie's Bachelorette Bash may have a permanent home on my toes - it's the perfect bright and cheery summer color!

3) It's officially raspberry season! Tomorrow, I'm heading to the same place I picked strawberries and I'm loading up on one of my favorite fruits.

4) This dress from LOFT is one of the most comfortable dresses I've ever owned. Plus, it's pretty darn lovely looking. Win!

5) BareMinerals to-go brush is making summer travel so much easier!

6) I submitted my resignation for my position at work in the Emergency Room because I can't keep it during school. I'm only freaking out a little inside because school is SO CLOSE! But don't worry - I'm not completely unemployed, I was working in the ER only as needed, I'm still working on the floor until the very possible last day I can before school.

7) Recently, I've become re-obsessed with this scent from Bath & Body Works - eucalyptus spearmint. I have multiple eucalyptus spearmint candles in our bedroom, a eucalyptus spearmint car freshener, eucalyptus spearmint oil for the oil warmer, eucalyptus spearmint lotion, and the list goes on and on. It really does help me relax and unwind, plus it just smells so fantastic!

8) Last weekend, Trevor and I visited the same friends as last year around this same time. It's so refreshing to have friends who are a perfect match for us as a couple. We don't have any couple friends near home, so it's a treat when we get to see these two.

What have you been loving lately? I'm always looking for fantastic new things to try!

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Summer Bucket List Checkup

It's been about a month and a half since I shared our summer bucket list with you so to help keep me accountable, I wanted to update you on our progress.

Our list now looks like this:
-- Visit Kelley Country Creamery in FDL (look how many ice cream flavors they offer here!!!)

-- Madison Farmer's Market (link)

-- Drive in movie

-- Paint guest room dresser

-- Redo guest room bookcase

-- Door County wine tour (link)

-- Take a motorcycle ride to Lake Michigan

-- Visit Trempealeau, WI (link)

-- Enjoy a concert in the park (offered once a week in our city)

-- Put down the technology and spend time together: talking walks, bike rides, cuddling on the couch, eating dinner, etc.

On a particularly nice day a few weeks back, Trevor and I spent an afternoon at the lake reading books and enjoying each other's company. When the sun was getting to be too much we decided we would try to find Kelley Country Creamery... and it was a bit of a drive, but totally worth it! We will gladly go back again to try more flavors of their ice cream because we were so impressed with the selection our first time around. It's not close enough for us to go for a quick stop after dinner - our drive was at least an hour - but it's on our yummy ice cream radar now!


A couple of weekends ago we took a road trip to Trempealeau, WI where my dad lives. It was a nice weekend, complete with a bike ride to the Mississippi in hopes of watching a barge go through the lock. No such luck for us, though we did get to see a few small boats lock through.

It's never easy having a parent be so far away. My dad is happy where he's living now and Trevor and I certainly aren't going to move away from the rest of my family and all of his just to join my dad on the other side of the state, but there's always wishful thinking that someday we'll be in the same county again - and NOT a four hour drive away.

How is your summer bucket list coming along? What have you accomplished so far?

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Catching Up and a Group Giveaway on Bailey Dailies

Hey there! How was your Fourth of July?

Trevor and I spent the day with family, enjoying the sun and each other's company. I do have to admit, though, that a summer holiday just isn't the same when you have to chew everything with your front teeth. Darn you, wisdom teeth surgery! I am a lover of grilled corn on the cob, brats, and summer salads and I wasn't able to partake like usual. As soon as my mouth heals, I'm going to go grill crazy!

As promised, here's the second giveaway that I'm part of this week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's to hoping you win. Good luck!

Happy Friday, friend!

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Friday Letters


Dear Trevor, thanks for being so patient with me these past couple of days, for filling my ice packs with fresh ice, and for calling the doctors in the wee hours of the morning when you'd rather be sleeping. Oral surgery sucks, but you're helping to make it much better.

Dear crunchy foods, I miss you! As soon as my mouth is healed, you and I are going to start a serious love affair!

Dear school, I'm excited to find out who my classmates are and where they all live! Here's to hoping we get the email that tells us more very soon.

Dear honeymoon friends, next week we'll be reunited and it will feel so good :) We can't wait to drink bottles of wine, swim in Lake Michigan, and laugh until our bellies hurt with you two!

Dear daytime naps, you're pretty great, you know that?!

Dear wisdom teeth, thank the sweet little lord baby Jesus that you're out and that I don't have to recover from this surgery again. This unexplained bleeding is throwing me for a loop!

Dear Trev, you're like SuperHusband. You've worked 50 hours this week, have taken care of me, made yourself dinner, and you haven't complained one bit. I should buy you a SuperHusband cape or something...

Strawberry Picking

It's that time of year around here - strawberry season!

Trevor and I are lucky to live only a few minutes from a local farm that sells produce straight from the field. We're too poor to buy a CSA share, but we've been there every year to pick their strawberries and raspberries. This year was no different. Last week, I headed to the farm, hopped on the tractor, picked pounds of berries in the field, and headed home to enjoy the fruits of my labor {pun totally intended}.




If you're a long time reader, this all may sound familiar. If you're not, well then you really should read last year's post about my experience strawberry picking. Plus, you'll find the most delicious strawberry freezer jam recipe there!

Maybe it's in my blood, growing up on a farm, but I enjoy picking strawberries in June, raspberries in July, apples in September, and pumpkins in October. There's just something about it...

Have you ever been strawberry picking?

Lemon Puppy Chow, Lemon Muddy Buddies, Lemon Whatever You Want To Call It

I think we can all agree that lemon is one of those flavors that just screams "summer". Am I right, or am I right? And summer also calls for fun snacks to eat poolside, easy recipes, and things for little hands to help with now that school is out for the next three months. Lucky for you, I've got something that'll cover all of that!

Enter: Lemon Puppy Chow, er, Lemon Muddy Buddies, er, Lemon Whatever You Want To Call It.


Looks good, right? I know! In fact, I kind of want to reach into my computer screen and grab a few pieces...

I mean, it's definitely saying something when Trevor suggests we should eat this - and only this - for dinner. And it's also saying something when he and I devour half the batch sitting on the patio one recent balmy night. And it's also saying something if I dream about this lemony snack three nights in a row.

Basically, what I'm saying is that you need to hightail it to the store ASAP and whip up a batch TO.DAY.

Here's what you'll need:
9 cups rice squares cereal (Chex, or your store's brand)
1 1/4 cup white vanilla chips (not white chocolate chips!)
1/4 cup butter
1 fresh lemon
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar


Measure your cereal into a large bowl. In a separate (microwave safe) bowl, mix together your white vanilla chips, butter, and the juice of one fresh lemon. Microwave that puppy on high for a minute and a half - stirring occasionally. Just a tip, it's going to get foamy, so make sure you keep an eye on it so it doesn't get all over the microwave. Once the mixture is nice and creamy (you may need extra time depending on your microwave), fold it into the cereal. Make sure it's all coated nicely, then add the powdered sugar and toss well.

Lastly, you may want to hide a little bit just for yourself because it's going to be eaten up in about 0.2 seconds. Ok, maybe not quite that quickly, but I bet it won't last long!


Enjoy! And as always, try it out and let me know what you think!


Linking up with Mom's Test Kitchen, Kitchen Meets Girl, Buns in My Oven, Nap Time Creations, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Mandy's Recipe Box

Have You Met Stephanie?

Have you met Stephanie?

She blogs over at Bourbon & Glitter and hosts a party link up every week. If that doesn't ring a bell, you're sure to have seen a photo or two or nineteen of her trusty sidekick, Hawkeye.

Hawkeye and Steph live in Chicago and were kind enough to send email after email recommending places to eat and shop when I was in their city last week. And you know what? I didn't even get recommendations from my own real-life friends like that! Steph rocks, hands down, and that's all there is to it.

If her suggestions weren't enough, she posted this pin-worthy post full of summer cocktails, each one looks better than the last. 
Peach sangria? Check.
Peach martini? Check.
Sorbet mimosa? Check.
And, I'll take one of each please and thank you.

Here's what she wants you to know about her -
I'm Steph and I blog over at Bourbon and Glitter! I wish I could give you a quick description to sum up everything you'd find on my blog, but I just can't. It's everything from making goals to making cocktail cupcakes recipes each month to making 1000 jello shots. In my blog, as in my life, I never take anything too seriously. I like to think that sometimes you'll learn things, find some recipes you like, get some ideas for bar crawls and costumes (two of my very favorite things) but mostly you'll just see a lot of photos of my fur baby, Hawkeye, and posts making fun of myself. Sure there's an occasional serious post and I can be overly theatrical, but I want you visiting my blog for the same reason I like to write it - pure fluffy entertainment with a hint of humor and sarcasm just to make you smile!

She's also a die hard Iowa fan {did you catch that when you learned her dog's name?!} and will defend her Alma Mater 'till the end. I like passionate people and Steph certainly is passionate, if nothing else. If I had to describe Steph in two words they would be fun & real. I mean, really, anyone who posts about cocktail cupcakes (by the way, you need this recipe for your Fourth of July celebrations next month, I promise!) and shares honestly about why sometimes she can be a mean girl {hello, loyalty!} is cool in my book. The blogging world has it's share of fake women who edit their lives for their readers but you won't find that with Steph. Heck, she shared one hell of a breakup with us earlier this year! When you visit Bourbon & Glitter, you get what you see and Steph never feels the need to apologize for it - and she shouldn't!

If you didn't know why she's awesome, you sure as heck do now! All that's left to do is to follow her on Bloglovin and Twitter so what are you waiting for?!

Another reason she's awesome? She's giving away an Amazon gift card to one of you lucky ducks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easy Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken

Now that Trevor's working again, dinner doesn't always get on the table as quickly as I'd like it to. To say that my Crock Pot has been working overtime would be an understatement simply because it's so easy to fill it with the ingredients the night before, pop it in the fridge, and plug it in before work the next day. Getting home after a long shift is infinitely better when your house smells like a scrumptious meal, am I right?

Here's one of our recent favorites - Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken

You'll need:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen is OK)
2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans (we've also found that Great Northern beans are yummy, too!)
1 jar salsa
1/2 block cream cheese
optional: 1 cup water

Combine the first four ingredients in your slow cooker. If it looks dry, add a cup of water. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Ten minutes before serving, add the cream cheese and stir. I also like to shred my chicken at this point, but you could definitely serve the chicken breasts whole.
Our favorite way to eat this is shredded with saffron rice and some plain Greek yogurt as garnish on top!

Enjoy!

A Month's Worth of Free or Cheap Dates for You & Your Spouse

Trevor and I try to keep things fresh. You know, we try not to get in the habit of throwing on sweats as soon as we get home and plopping down in front of the TV barely noticing each other for the remainder of the evening.

Of course, there are nights that that happens. Usually after a particularly rough day at work for me or a long day of hard intellectual hurdles for Trevor.  But nights like that are few and far between because we make a point of mixing things up!

I know we can't be the only couple who has struggled to find ideas for new and exciting date night activities so we've compiled a list for you {30 ideas to exact - one for every day of the month}... and even better, most of them are low-cost or NO-cost!


1.) Create playlists for each other {don't let your spouse see what you're putting on it!} and take turns playing your chosen songs for both of you to listen to. Share a bottle of wine, and you're good! Don't forget to turn the lights down and enjoy a slow dance.

2) Similar to the idea above, make a playlist that is the soundtrack of your life together. Include songs from your past {when you first met & your first dance song} and any songs that represent your future {for us it would be songs that represent our future family and growing old together}. Share your hopes and dreams for the coming years!

3) Break out a deck of cards and play Go-Fish, poker, or any other game. Spice things up with a gamble of kisses or even items of clothing. Strip poker, anyone?

4) Go on a scavenger hunt. Google and Pinterest are full of lists for you to print off. Otherwise, make your own and enjoy!

5) Choose a recipe you've never made before out of a cookbook you own or from the internet. Try something you wouldn't otherwise pick! Go grocery shopping for the ingredients together, then come home, roll up your sleeves and get to work!

6) Go to a thrift store or a dollar store with $5 each. You have 10 minutes to pick out the best gift or outfit for the other person within your budget. Get creative!

7) Cloud watch.

8) Test drive cars. Even better? Test drive your dream car!

9) Pack a picnic basket and head outside to stargaze after dark. Bring a flashlight, a star chart and try to find as many constellations as you can!

10) Create a small buffet of desserts. Take turns blindfolding and feeding each other. No peeking!

11) Attend local open houses and start a "dream home" list based on what you see.

12) Even if you aren't looking for a new pet, visit an animal shelter. Your heart will melt when you see your spouse fawn over cute puppies.

13) Volunteer together. 

14) Get outside and go on a hike together! Bring a few snacks and stop halfway for an impromptu picnic.

15) Have a snowball fight! The winner gets to pick his/her reward: 100 kisses or a foot rub.

16) Check out two copies of the same book from the library. Read each chapter together and discuss - it's a book club for two!

17) Did you know the Dollar Tree has puzzles? You'll love a low-key night at home with your favorite TV show and a new puzzle. It'll only set you back a buck!

18) Work out together. Maybe you'll go on a run, maybe you'll do an at-home video, or maybe you'll lift some weights at the gym. Any way you choose, get those post-workout endorphins flowing!

19) Be tourists in your town or state. Don't forget your camera!

20) Get all dolled up {heels, tie, your good underwear!} and go out for ice cream.

21) Teach each other something. Maybe you're good at soccer and he's good at video games. You each get an hour to teach the other all of your tips and tricks.

22) Climb the tallest tree you can find! Teamwork, baby, teamwork!

23) Have a dance party! Remember the dorm life when your whole floor would break into song and dance instead of studying? Oh, that was only me? Get your dance on and - BONUS for a dance party with your spouse: a little dirty dancing never hurt!

24) Make wishes together and throw pennies in fountains. 

25) Go to your local bookstore and pick out books for each other. First round, pick a book the other would love. Meet up and share your finds. Second round, pick a book about something you think the other would like to learn about. Meet up and share your finds. Third round, pick a book about something you like to do together. Meet up and share!

26) Just take an evening walk together and tell each other about your day. 

27) Ask each other these questions. When it's your turn to talk, talk. When it's your turn to listen, listen.

28) Search for local festivals. Usually you can find free music, cheap food, and lots of fun!

29) Check out your nearest zoo or aquarium. 

And, if all else fails

30) Stay in, light candles, get naked, and cuddle up in bed. 

Now - get out there and get your date on!

What's your idea of a night with your spouse?

Project: Do You #10

Please note that this is a link up that focuses on individual self discovery goals. The goals you see below were set by me and for me only. If you choose to link up with us, please create your own goals to work toward and to update us on. If you are unfamiliar with Project: Do You, check out this post that introduces the project before proceeding.

#2 - Work out on a regular basis. I mentioned last time that I was waiting to go to the doctor before running outside again. Well, turns out that I have exercise-induced asthma... but only outdoors and we're not sure why because most of my allergies are topical and indoors. I've used my inhaler {man, those puppies are expensive!} before running and it did seem to help. Win! Also, Trevor and I now have a Y membership and have gone once together so far. I think it's going to be difficult to align our schedules so we can do cardio next to each other, but we will make it work. Six months are already paid for so we have no reason not to go! I am taking a SimplyFit class for the next month or so and then starting a Zumba class in June. I have to look at my schedule a little closer but I'm also planning on signing up for a spin class somewhere in there, too.

#3 - Run a 5K. Next Saturday is my first 5K of the year, though this one I'll be walking in with a very large group of my mom's coworkers. I'm walking in honor of my Oma who is currently in the last stage of life due to her leukemia.

#4 Add another 2K to the vacation fund. Now that Trevor has a job, we'll be able to start saving again soon!

#13 Share our wedding on the blog. I've been thinking of ways to share pictures, ideas, and details from our wedding in this space lately. Next month is our two year anniversary so expect to see posts in about six weeks. I want to highlight our ceremony, our reception, attire, decor {maybe some tutorials?}, and my regrets/dos and don'ts. What else would you like to see? Would you like an entire week devoted to wedding posts or would you rather read them more spaced out?

#17 Bake someone a birthday cake. You may have seen a picture on Friday of the cake I made for Trevor's birthday last weekend but if not, here's a look:
I'm pretty proud that I could cross another goal off my list!

Join me on my journey of self fulfillment! 


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Welcome to another week's recap! While you're here, don't forget to enter to win a Starbucks gift card and some ad space - there's still time left!

This week has been pretty darn good compared to so many of the past recaps. Wanna see why?



1) Holy amazeballs. Trevor got a job offer this week. I don't have too many details to share at this point, but we know that he'll be working just a short commute from where we live now {yay - we don't have to move!} and he's working for a company that likes to promote from within. He really likes the company and this job is the best out of all of the places he had applied to the past nine months. I am so relieved that he has a job and that we can finally be a two income household again for a little while until school {possibly} starts up for me again in October.

2)Trevor's birthday was last Sunday. I ended up having the day off of work and we had a great day! I baked him a chocolate cake {from scratch!} and frosted it with peanut butter chocolate frosting {also from scratch!} and gave him a few gifts. I love planning little things like that for him... it's how I show my love.

3) We signed up for YMCA memberships this week and I am so excited! I've already signed up for a SimplyFit class on Wednesdays and a Saturday morning Zumba class that starts in June. I'm thinking of signing up for a spin class, too, but am a little nervous. Do you recommend a spin class or am I digging my own grave by signing up?

4) On Monday I went out for sushi with two lovely local bloggers - Whit and Maya. I've actually known Maya since I was a little tot {remember this post?} and Monday was my first time meeting Whit. Maya now lives and works in Chicago - as of TODAY! - but Whit and I will definitely get together again soon and add a few more bloggers into the mix as well. Who can say no to sushi and blogging?!

5) Hi, I'm Sara and I am addicted to The Gnarly Whale's Chocolate Strawberry Lip Balm. Oh, it's divine!

How was your week?

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Thank goodness it's Friday! I'm ready for some quality time off of work and school. Plus, it doesn't hurt that we're road trippin' to Milwaukee tomorrow to meet up with some friends. Today better fly by!

What happened this week?

There was a little of this...

...with a little of this... OK, a LOT of this.

We ate dinner with my parents one night...

...and got to cuddle up with this cute guy.

Well, ok, they're both cute.

Hope you didn't miss this popular discussion about real beauty!

How was your week?

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with the new lauren elizabeth blog

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