Day 3....Already Getting A Little Annoyed...

Day 3 is here!!! 

I started to get annoyed earlier today with this whole "Vegan" lifestyle.... It just takes me a while to adjust to things I suppose!

BREAKFAST : None - I was running late to a meeting and forgot to grab something! Oops!

LUNCH: I called my dad to see if he wanted to grab something....he suggested Olive Garden. I figured I could just eat my weight in their salad since I love the salad dressing so much! Once we got there....I smelled all of the smells and saw all of the food and I ALMOST CRACKED! I couldn't really find anything without cheese, or meat for that matter, on the menu!! But I finally settled for the salad and their minestrone soup (this diet is making me try new and unexpected things!). The soup was actually delish! So it worked out well!

DINNER : We are going out to eat with my husband's family to a restaurant where I can grab a strawberry fields salad and tons of good veggie sides!

So far...I am still on track!! Although....I MAY or MAY NOT have had a few bits of an Olive Garden buttery garlicky delicious breadstick before I remembered that bread usually has eggs in it!! Dang it! But I quickly put it down and pushed the plate away....for good.

Happy eatings!!

XO,

Hilary

Day TWO of being a Vegan

(This was supposed to post yesterday and apparently was let as a draft!!) 

Well...day one was pretty easy! I really think I can probably eat like this all the time...it just takes getting used to!

Today I really didn't have any genius recipes that I stuck with...I'm sure I will be creative again tomorrow. Here is what I ate :

• Breakfast : oatmeal with blueberries
• Lunch : (oatmeal really filled me up from earlier) a bowl of Smart Start cereal with Vanilla Almond Milk       *side note....I was really skeptical about vanilla almond milk....but it might be my new favorite  thing! It tastes like a vanilla milk shake almost and it's SOOOO good in cereal. Plus.... it last a WHOLE lot longer than regular milk...like a month! 
• Dinner : We are going to the local hibachi restaurant to get fried rice, vegetables, and salad with their ginger dressing!

SEEEEE! It really is as easy as that! I have found so many great recipes on Pinterest that I am really excited about trying! But a lot of the call for you to cook stuff in the oven and our 6 month old oven just decided to stop working yesterday. Awesome. So...we will try them soon! :)

Happy Tuesday!

XO, 


Hilary  

Day ONE of Veganism - Plus a GIVEAWAY!

Well...after hearing about it from so many friends, hubs and I decided to finally watch the documentary "FORKS OVER KNIVES". It was so interesting to see these two doctors explaining how meat is not necessarily a good ting to have in your diet. All of the statistics were very interesting! If you haven't watched this yet....you def. should! You don't have to be a person that's super into diets or anything like that...it's just an interesting thing to watch! 

That being said...hubs and I have decided to challenge ourselves to 30 days of being vegan. YEP...that's right! 30 whole days of NO meat, dairy, eggs, cheese, white breads, etc! It is kind of scary and overwhelming to think about it but I have actually found a lot of great recipes on Pinterest. For me, the thing that is throwing me off the most is that we tend to plan our meals based on what meat we are having. You just have to get that out of your head and dive on it! 

Day One has been pretty good so far! Here are the recipes that I threw together for my meals : 

Fiesta Lime Corn Salad : 

1 can sweet corn (drained)

1/2 can black beans drained

1/2 lime

A handful of cherry tomatoes - sliced in half

1 avocado - cubed

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

• Throw the corn in a skillet and let it simmer a little and just cook some....then move it into a mixing bowl.
• Throw the black beans in the same skillet after the corn is done and let them warm up a little...then dump them into the same bowl.
• Add the avocados and tomatoes into the same bowl.
• Squeeze the half of the lime over the ingredients.
• Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and then salt and pepper to taste. 

IT WAS SOOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE!!!

Fresh Basil and Garlic Pasta :

Whole Wheat Linguini

1 teaspoon Garlic

Olive Oil

Italian Seasoning (like a tuscan mix or something like that!)

Fresh Basil - about 4 leaves - chopped into bits as big as you like them! 

Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

Asparagus

• Cook your pasta according to the package.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a skillet, add olive oil (i just wing it, I basically want it to lightly coat the pasta in the end), the garlic, italian seasoning and let it heat up.
• Once this is heated up, add the asparagus and let it cook.
• Drain your pasta and add it into a big bowl with the olive oil mixture and asparagus, tomatoes (uncooked), and the basil.....

THIS IS OUR NEW FAVE MEAL! IT"S SO EASY TO THROW TOGETHER!

As you can see, I like to thrown together recipes that don't have exact measurements....I just like to wing it a lot! It just makes life a little easier and less stressful! :) 

Do you have any favorite vegan or vegetarian recipes?! I would love to hear them!!

ALSO... don't forget to hop over to the ACCESSORY DASH Facebook page! We are having a fabulous new giveaway for this Inslee By Design painting : 

The giveaway ends TOMORROW morning! So get over there and get your entries in!!!

XOXO, 

Hilary 

Yet ANOTHER Giveaway!

Guess What?! Yep...that's right! We have added ANOTHER giveaway to the Accessory Dash Facebook page!

You have the chance to win one of these two pieces...it is YOUR choice if you win! 

Hop on over there right now and see what you have to do to win!! Please help spread the word about Accessory Dash!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessory-Dash/273646386038992

GOOD LUCK!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Well....I finally opened the Accessory Dash page on Facebook yesterday!! 

We are kicking off the opening of the page by having an amazing GIVEAWAY!! 

Want to win these bad boys?! They are Ippolita inspired earrings...I LOVE the navy color!! 

Perfect for your summer wardrobe!

Jump on over to the Accessory Dash Facebook page and see 

what you have to do to win these amazing earrings! 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessory-Dash/273646386038992

Good luck!!

XO, 

Hilary

Life Update and Accessory Dash!

Well...Well...Well...


Here we are again! Life has thrown so many changes our way and we are making lemonade out of lemons for sure! We have all been so crazy and busy lately that I have put my blog on the back burner...With that being said, I am going to try to make it more of a point to keep it somewhat updated!

Quick Little Life Update : 

• Jackson Robert finally made his debut on February 15 - Holy Cow! 3 months already!! It's FLYING by!
• After a few weeks of prayer, soul searching, and BIG talks....we decided that the best thing would be for me to stay at home with Jackson and not go back to work! I LOVED my job but LOVE being home with my baby even more. My job was super demanding and I wasn't sure I could do it all and then give my leftovers to Jackson...if you know what I mean! It's been a wonderful experience so far! I love getting to see him grow and learn every day!
• Casey's job has taken off lately and he has been SUPER busy 
• Again....after tons of prayer, soul searching, and TONS of other big talks....I have decided to start a side business from home that will both keep me busy AND allow me to stay at home with the baby!

PROUDLY INTRODUCING :

 Accessory Dash is a fabulous new auction for all sorts of amazing accessories via Facebook! To give you a little idea about it.....we will host auctions every Wednesday night (starting in June). All of the pieces will be first come, first served...there will be a limited quantity of each piece of jewelry, scarves, bags, etc. The first ones to claim them and pay for them via paypal, will be the lucky winners of the pieces!

I have been busy researching vendors, placing orders, building the Facebook page, and spreading the word to friends! I am so happy to announce that the official Facebook page should be open any day now! The first auction will take place June 20....but until then, we will be hosting some giveaways and running some fun contests! 

Until then, keep up with us via Twitter @accessorydash !

XOXO, 

Hilary

Southern Mom 101....Perfecting The Pie

If you are Facebook friends with me, you may have noticed my post from

Thursday night, which read :

"I believe that every good southern mom should have the chicken pot pie perfected... I perfected mine tonight. Jackson, you are officially allowed to make your debut now!"

Yes...it's true! I am officially at 40 weeks and 1 day along! And yes...it's true....I DID perfect the best chicken pot pie recipe ever Thursday night! DOUBLE WHAMMIE! My husband was especially excited about the second part...even though he was a little skeptical while I was cooking and kept trying to take ingredients OUT of the mix.

While I don't think Jackson will make his debut today...at least I have something yummy to take my mind off of it! If he doesn't show up by Wednesday, I have been scheduled to be induced that morning. I am praying that he comes on his own before then though! Prayers are needed!

Just in case you are curious about this new magically delicious recipe...I have typed it up below for you to use! And yes, you are more than welcome to print it off, laminate it, and frame it up in your kitchen for safe keeping forever.

Also....just a little thought...I absolutely HATED chicken pot pie growing up! My mom would always pop the frozen ones in the oven for a quick meal and I was NEVER excited about it...glad I have changed my ways! But that has not been said for other childhood hates....such as meatloaf, brussel sprouts, or ham. SICK.

Hilary's Magically Delish Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients :

• Carrots (3-4 medium ones)
• Broccoli (a small head)
• Yellow Onion (i used about 1/4 of an onion)
• Red Potatoes (2 medium sized red potatoes)
• Celery (3 stalks)
• 3 chicken breasts
• Salt
• Pepper
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Milk
• 2 cans of cream of potato soup
• 2 pie crusts (I just used the Pillsbury already prepared crusts!)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of water

*just a side note...I wrote about how much of the vegetables I used but I really just kind of winged it on everything...so I don't have exact measurements! Just play and have fun with it, you don't have to stick to specifics!

Directions :

• Thaw your chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook with a little olive oil in a skillet until just about done (if it's still a little pink, that's okay b/c it will cook more in the oven!)
• Let it cool and then chop into bite size pieces (not too big)
  
• Slice up all of your vegetables into bite sized pieces
• Throw about a tablespoon of butter and a couple drizzles of olive oil into a pot with all of your sliced veggies and let it all cook together for a bit (don't let your veggies get TOO cooked and soggy bc they will cook a little longer in the oven too!)
• While the veggies are cooking, place your bottom pie crust into a pie pan or round metal cake pan, poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork and go ahead and cook this at 350 for about 5-7 minutes, just to get it going - you don't want it to be doughy on the bottom!
• Once the veggies and chicken are done, mix them all together in the pot with your 2 cans of cream of potato soup and about 1/2 cup of milk, to make it a somewhat thick/soupy consistency. It will thicken as it cooks, you don't want this to be too dry!
• Sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
  
• Pour over the bottom pie crust and top this off with the second crust. Poke holes in the top so that the air can move through it while in the oven.
  
• Mix the egg and water together to make an egg wash and brush this over the top crust...it will make it a little more golden and crispy in the long run.
  
• Bake on 350 degrees until the pie crust is golden.
• EAT IT UP!!!!
  

Let me know if you make this and what you think! I would love to hear any tips or tricks you have for the perfect chicken pot pie or if you make any changes to this recipe!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Hilary

Question For My Internet Saavy Friends...

Have you all messed with any of the Facebook/online auctions at all? I think it's become a small obsession for me lately. Even if I don't win anything or even bid on anything...I LOVE watching them and seeing what is going to come up next! It seems like a big game!

What are your favorite Facebook auctions that you follow?

I tend to lean more toward the jewelry auctions...

I would love to hear from you on this!

XOXO,

Hilary

So....We Got Hungry...

I have this slight obsession (as I am SURE that a lot of you do by now...) with a well-known little website called PINTEREST. Holy Moly...you can find SO many things through Pinterest. I am always showing Casey the cool things that I find on there....and he usually seems to roll his eyes at me and tell me what a waste of time it all is.............UNLESS it's an idea for a future house to build or cool new recipe! You see, I have a husband who really likes to experiment and cook new random good dishes. I love that about him! I seem to always stick to the same 'ol faithful recipes when I am cooking....but not Casey!

This morning I was so pregnantly exhausted that we decided to skip church, sleep in, and just lay in bed for a while and do nothing. I, of course, grabbed my iPad and started looking through all of your fun pins! One of my sweet friends posted THIS little recipe for homemade chicken nuggets......

(via 100daysofrealfood.com)

So we decided that we would try them for dinner tonight! While preparing our groceries...we then found THIS great recipe for Chick-Fil-A type nuggets too! So...we got a little crazy and tried both recipes out!

(via housefulofhandmade.com)

Oh my word...you MUST go to these two fun blogs, grab the recipes, and try them out for yourself! Casey and I are obsessed! They were both equally good and the Chick-Fil-A ones really tasted pretty dang close to the real deal!

I just wanted to share those with you all really quickly before I slipped into a heavy food-coma!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Hopefully you won't have a horrible case of the Mondays tomorrow...and hopefully I will continue to update the good 'ol blogaroo more and more! Let me know what you want to hear about!

XOXO,

Hilary

Sorority Life...

Today was bid day at Ouachita Baptist University....

I thought I would find a few pictures of me and some of my pledge sisters

to commemorate the day!

I vividly remember this morning 9 years ago, when I woke up and became an EEE! I'll never forget hearing the songs outside my window, waiting to put on my red sweater...and hoping to see that bid slide under my dorm room door! Becoming an EEE was a huge thing for me... I learned a lot from those girls and made so many of my best friends through it all! Congrats to PC2012, whoever you stunning ladies are! Put your BIG red bows on and always remember that BLOOD MAKES THE GRASS GROW!!!

Love and miss you all!!!

XOXO,

Hilary

The Perils of Pregnancy - Final Days...

Well...as you can tell, I have been so incredibly busy and overwhelmed with life that I haven't even had a chance to blog since I was 15 weeks prego (also, i cannot get my stupid blog to work from my ipad!)! I am now, as of TODAY, officially 38 weeks pregnant! Holy Moly! It's all gone by WAAAAAY too fast! I cannot believe that my due date is in TWO short weeks!

I was laying in bed last night thinking of how excited I am for sweet little Jackson Robert to be here....but also how excited I am to have some small things semi-back to normal! So.... since I had a minute, I thought I would write a quick post about it all.

Perils Of Pregnancy - WHAT I WANT BACK!

1. SLEEP - well, okay, not REALLY sleep because we all know that will be a lost cause once he is here....but really the comfort of sleep. I am normally a REALLY good sleeper but now I cannot get comfy at all! I toss and turn all night trying to find that one perfect position...and it never seems to work! What I would give to have one night of sleep on my stomach again....

2. MEXICAN FOOD - let's be honest, I can really have this anytime that I want (I mean we DO live in Texas where it is totally a staple in our regular diets) but I am ready to really enjoy it again! I don't have much of an appetite these days -mainly because there is not a whole lot of room left in my body for anything but baby! So when I do eat, I can't seem to eat much at a time. Plus...mexican food now gives me the WORST indigestion that I have gotten to a point where it just isn't even worth it to fight the battle all night anymore!

3. ANKLES/ FEET - I work retail and I love it! I wouldn't trade it for the world. But....one thing that I hate...is that after being pregnant and on my feet all day, they are the most swollen/tired things in the world! All I want to do at the end of the day is get home, take off my shoes, and lay down! Or wear nothing on my feet but my stupid looking puppy dog house shoes! It's tricky because I want to look cute at work every day....but how do you do that when your feet don't quite fit into your cute shoes anymore? I even went and bought some TOMS in a whole size larger - and yes, they ARE the most comfy shoes EVER - but now I have realized that with the way my feet swell, they are bruising the tops of my feet! I am so ready to have my normal feet back and all of my cute fun shoes!

4. SITTING - I know this one sounds really odd. But to be quite honest....I am a lot more comfortable standing these days than I am sitting! It sounds really backwards, I know. There is an odd spot on the right side of my back that really starts to bother me and hurt when I sit for a few minutes. It's really uncomfortable... even when sitting on the couch. You will notice me start moving around and trying to stretch it out. I hate this! It's REALLY annoying! But hopefully once the baby is here...this will resolve itself. I'm sure it's from pressure and frontal weight gain pulling me.

Hmmm....that's all I can think of at the moment. I am sure more will come to me as soon as I publish this post. I do have two weeks until my actual due date (February 10) but the doctor is telling me that it will probably be closer to the 15th! What do I do with that?! There is no more room for this baby to grow...plus I don't really want a Valentine's baby! I am kind of over it all and uncomfortable all of a sudden. I am so ready to meet Jackson...so pray that we go into labor sooner than later! We have no plans of inducing at the moment...but that could change!

Be on the lookout...I might get crazy and post some prego pics in a minute!

XOXO,

Hilary