Lemonade Sugar Scrub by Jes

I have been using a Trader Joe's Tangerine Sugar scrub for years.

BUT...
*Cue dramatic music here*

THEY DISCONTINUED IT!
(DUN DUN DUN)

So! I found a similar recipe online and decided to give it a shot.
It's super easy, and you most likely have everything you need for it already!

Mix 2 1/2 Cups of Sugar with 1 Cup of Olive Oil.
Add 4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
(or essential oils of your choice)

Mix really well until it turns into a gritty paste
then spoon into a glass container.
Make sure you have a container with a lid that seals well.

This will make enough to fill a 12oz mason jar If it's been sitting a while you may need to stir it before use, as the sugar will settle.

Get creative with different oils and aromas for your own custom mixture!

I even found a way to incorporate something from my list into this project. #9-Give more gifts. I gave a jar to Jessie.
She voted it "Best Shower Ever"

Now you too can benefit from my #9.
Check back in later this week as we'll be giving away a jar in our
FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!
(woo hoo!)

Random post....By Jessica

I've been having a really hard time posting anything lately. Mostly because I don't have anytime too. Between being overly exhausted and complying to the demands of a almost 3 year old I haven't had the time. Jax just wants me to play with him 24/7 and he would be a happy camper, which I would love to do, but then how do I clean the house? Anyone have any suggestions?

I can imagine this is only going to get harder...32 days and counting people!!!

Here is a couple random things.

Baby Carrier:

My lovely sisters got me the baby carrier and all the accessories to go with it for my shower....But the hub had his eye set on this Phil and Teds carrier for himself, that can also face the baby forward....He tested it out, and needless to say that was a hilarious sight! Were a huge fan of Phil and Teds around here!

We will give you a real review on this baby carrier once the baby actually uses it:)

Breakfast Smoothie:

Nothing really sounds good to me anymore, but I stumbled upon this recipe the other day on the Oh She Glows Blog and we gave it a try...Wow it taste like a milkshake! I don't measure many things exactly as told so I just threw it all in. Even Jax liked it, not as much as me but enough to get some veggies down him without too much of an argument.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice
• 1 ripe banana, preferably peeled + frozen
• 2 handfuls organic spinach
• 1 tbsp chia seeds OR 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tbsp nut butter (here I used Dark Chocolate Almond Butter)
• 1-3 Ice cubes

I just used regular almond butter, I can imagine chocolate almond butter would be way more amazing. Also the frozen banana makes it taste a lot better.

That's all for now folks! We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Jessica

Polenta Pizza...By Jessica

So this is going to end up being one of my new favorite dinners! 

I love polenta and pizza separately...so why not put them together!

We have this place downtown called Arragoni's...If your from around here you know what it is, if not it's just a little deli that serves lunch, they've been here forever, and they have some yummy food!

My mother and Law ate there with Jax the other day for lunch before my shower...and we shared the polenta pizza. 

It was so good, I thought that it couldn't be that hard to make!

Doesn't it look yummy? Well it was better tasting than looking, that's for sure...

So here is what you do!

Buy some corn grits/polenta and cook according to the directions.

Preheat your oven to 400.

Once the polenta is cooked pour it into a round baking pyrex or other oven safe dish.

Once your oven has preheated, stick it in the oven for about 20-25 mins, until  the sides begin to barely look brown. 

Pull it out of the oven and top it with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, the mushroom saute mixture and some olives. I topped it off with some shredded parmesean cheese too.

Then put it back in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and your done!

Let set for a few mins before serving...

You guys should seriously try this! If you want more detailed instructions, this is the recipe that I googled. I basically just used it for oven temperatures and times. You can top it with whatever you and your family likes:)

Enjoy!

Jessica

My First Dinner Party - By Jes

Okay, this is rather embarrassing, but we have lived in this house for almost 2 years...

...and have yet to have company.

Ouch.

Until, that is, yesterday.

It may or may not have involved throwing everything into a closet. It may or may not have involved a crash course in dog behavior techniques. It may or may not have involved yelling at my husband. 

But we did it.

And I have documentation to prove it.

Herbed Roasted Potatoes

Copious amounts of olive oil

Fresh rosemary (lots)

Fresh thyme (some)

Kosher salt

Fingerling potatoes

Colorful potato medley

Mix herbs and salt with olive oil.

Add cleaned potatoes 

(you can cut the bigger ones for most even cooking time)

Toss to coat.

Place on cooking sheet (please be sure it has a lip)

in a single layer.

Cook at 450 for 35-40 mins turning once.

 

My famous salad.

ppfft. yeah, right. I'm not giving you the recipe.
If I did that, I would never be invited anywhere ever again.
 why buy the cow when you can make the salad yourself? 

And I can't take credit for those 
lovely cookies.
But I can take photo credit. 
Wait, no. I can't do that either.


Thank you for sharing my first dinner party with me.

See you again in 2 years. Just kidding. Kind of.

Jes