Delicious Baked Zucchini Fries Recipe!

 I am completely obsessed with these. Once on my plate, these deliciously crunchy & flavorful morsels only lasted about five minutes. If only I could eat all of my vegetables this way!

You Will Need:

-1 to 2 Zucchinis
-Almond Milk
-Italian Breadcrumbs (If you want to make your own, blend up stale bread and add Italian seasonings)

To Make:

Preheat over to 450F. Cut zucchini into fairly thin strips (the thinner, the crispier). Dip into almond milk, then into the breadcrumbs. (I found it easiest to shake the zucchini in the breadcrumbs to get a thicker coating.)

Set on a greased baking sheet, I used coconut oil spray. If you want it extra crispy, dip into almond milk again then shake in breadcrumbs for a second coat. Bake for 8 min, turn over and bake another 8 min. Let cool then serve!


Let me know if you try this out!!

xoxo Jess

Sally Hansen Insta Gel Strips Review

Recently I picked up these Sally Hansen Insta Gel Strips in Pretty 'N Poppy from CVS (for a hefty $15!) they are about $5 cheaper at Target, but I was unaware at the time. Basically what it boils down to is these strips are pretty easy as far as gel goes, and have cute designs but they just don't fit exactly right and are quite expensive. If you're looking for a fun manicure for a night or two, these might be a good option but I don't think they are worth it for solid polish colors. There are so many better gel options at the drugstore like the SensatioNail brand.

Pros:

-Easiest gel manicure (the fewest steps)
-The polish comes in strips that adhere to your nail so you only have to paint on a clear top coat.
-Adorable designs you can't get from typical polish
-Lasts about a week with no chips–not as long as normal gel but better than regular polish.
-Super shiny (as with all gels)

Cons:

-Not cost effective at all, you have to buy the LED lamp (unless you already have one like I did) The top coat and nail strips for one manicure are $15, if you don't have an LED lamp you will have to buy the starter kit also which is pricey.
- My biggest issue with these strips was the fit. As you can see from the pictures below, the strips are too round at the nail bed for my nails–resulting in weird gaps by the base of my nail. Also, I found that almost all of the nail strips were too wide for my nails and I don't have particularly small nails.

The pictures below are after a week. There is a little chipping on the tips but mostly at the nail bed, I think it's because they didn't fit all that well to start with. The photo on the left is a little blurry (sorry!) but it shows how the strips really didn't fit my nails that well.

DIY Valentine's Day Garland

 

To make this DIY Valentine's Day Garland, I look index cards, folded them in half and cut out a half heart to make a symmetrical heart. 

After cutting out the hearts, I used matte mod podge and sprinkled rose gold glitter onto the hearts and let them dry.

While the glitter hearts are drying, I took gold paper doilies and folded them in half to cut hearts out of the middle. To complete the garland, I alternated stapling the gold and pink glitter hearts to a pink ribbon. That's it! It was pretty simple and easy and I think it looks adorable hung up over my bed!

Fall in Love with: Vegan Mac & Cheese!!

We're kicking off Fall in Love February with the delicious and healthy Vegan Mac & Cheese!! I love mac and cheese, but have been looking for healthier alternatives (as I am trying to cut back on my dairy intake) and this mac & cheese fits the bill! Check out the recipe below!

You Will Need: 

-1/4 c Nutritional Yeast (Find at health food stores)
-3 t Fresh Lemon Juice
-1 1/2 c Raw Cashews
-1/2 Clove Garlic
-Pinch Tumeric
-Pinch Cayenne Pepper
-1/2 tsp Chili Powder
-1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
-3/4 c Water or Almond Milk
-1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
-8 oz of pasta (I used organic brown rice pasta from Trader Joes)
-Breadcrumbs to bake on top (optional)


Directions:

Start by cooking your pasta according to the package directions. Then add all ingredients (except for breadcrumbs) into a high-powered blender or food processor and mix until it's a creamy sauce texture. Drain cooked pasta and add sauce. Mix well then place in a baking dish and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top–this step is completely optional, you can eat the pasta as it but I thought toasted breadcrumbs would be yummy. Place under broiler for a few minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!!

Let me know if you want more recipes for Fall in Love February in the comments below!!

*Disclaimer: I didn't create this recipe, I found it online then changed a couple of things to make it my own.

Also, can we just talk about how cute this apron is?! It was only $12 at Homegoods and I had to have it! I mean, it will encourage me to cook more right?



xoxo Jess

DIY Glitter Candle Votive

Hello my Do-it Yourselfers!

I found the most adorable (and simple) blog post on how to make glitter candle votives and decided to do my own twist on it.  See the original blog that I got the idea from HERE. I thought stripes of glitter would look cute so I busted out the scotch tape and went to town!

I like how these look like glittery sand–I love the beachy look!

First, I selected the glass candle votives I wanted to glitter-fy. I used old medium sized candles from Bath and Body Works that has nothing left to burn and cleaned the wax and wick out…voila! Perfect tea light candle votive. You can also use a store bought candle and just remove the label. ☺

You will need:

-Glass candle votives
-Modpodge
-Glitter (The finer the glitter, the easier it adheres to the modpodge)
-Smaller paintbrush
-Something to cover the work area (I just used newspaper)
-Scotch tape or painters tape
-Tea light

Method:

1. Cover your work area to keep it clean, I don’t understand it but somehow glitter always seems to multiply!

2. Make sure the outside of the glass is clean so everything will adhere evenly.

3. Tape off the sections you don’t want glitter on. For solid glitter, I still taped off about ¼ in on the top and the bottom of the votive so the glitter coating looked more structured. For stripes, I taped off the top and bottom again and then also a band of tape around the middle of the votive.

(Tip: for the middle band of tape, be sure to leave one end of the tape sticking out, it will make it so much easier to remove later if you don’t have to dig through glue and glitter to find the end of the tape.)

4. Once tape is fully adhered, paint on the modpodge using a paintbrush, do a fairly thin coat but make sure it is opaque.

5. Dust on the glitter of your choice! I used Recollections Extra Fine Glitter in Champagne. Be sure it is fully coated and no glue is showing.

6. Let dry then peel off the tape.

7. Place tea light into the now glittery and chic votive, and you’re done!