Monday, February 15, 2010

Re-vamped Hanging Letter Organizer

Another renewal!


Here’s my most recent “renew”.... a hanging letter organizer that i found broken at a garage sale and believe I bought for $1.

** Tip: When hunting at garage sales or thrift stores for items to restore, ignore the color or any finishes on them! look for pieces that come apart for easy painting and reassembling! Remember, youre gonna sand and repaint everything and all you really need is a good skeleton...


Before.....



After!!!!!



To Renew this letter organizer, i took the backing off (it was just staple gunned in, as backing usually are..) lightly sanded it, primed it, and spray painted it white. Then I used scrap fabric to wrap the backing, stapled it back on, and voila! a new crisp white letter organizer with a little lime-green, mod flair!!


(also-these letter organizers a EASY to find at any goodwill and re-finishing one is a fun, quick DIY decorating project!)


Delicious AND nutritious! but best of all- quick and EASY!

So its a new year, and with that comes New Year’s resolutions.. and from what i’ve heard, “Getting fit for summer” is on almost everyones list (including mine!) so i thought i’d share some AWESOME low calorie/high taste recipes that are super quick, super easy, and SUPER DUPER yummy!


ps... by substituting simple ingredients like turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, you can still enjoy some of your favorites without the added gross stuff (fats... sodium.. carbs... sugars... trans fats... gross..)


Well Balanced Day-Starters!

Mc-Healthy Egg Sandwich

  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 cup torn spinach
  • 1 slice reduced fat/low fat cheese of choice (I like parmesan cheese, grated and thrown in while the egg is cooking, but a slice of cheese works too..)
  • 1 slice Canadian bacon (which is suprisingly good for you... a little high in sodium, but waaay better than sausage would be...)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1 whole wheat english muffin


In a small bowl, mix egg, spinach, and salt and pepper.

Cook the egg in a small frying pan on the stovetop (or you can spray a small microwave safe bowl with a little non stick spray and microwave it for approx 1min 30sec.)

Heat canadian bacon in frying pan, or in toaster oven...

Toast english muffin and when done, arrange the egg (with the spinach cook in), canadian bacon and cheese in between and enjoy!


BEST healthy french toast EVER! (2servings)

  • 2 Slices whole wheat whole grain bread (something high in fiber-or whatever bread you want, but again- we’re trying to be healthy here!!)
  • 1 lg Egg
  • 1/4 cup non-fat vanillla creamer (the kind for your coffee!, i recommend the trader joes variety..but i recommend the trader joes variety of everything..)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup fresh strawberries (or berry of your choice! bananas are also a great topping!
  • butter (or non-stick spray for pan)
  • Powdered sugar or honey (to taste)
  • dollop of plain or vanilla yogurt (optional)


in a bowl big enough to hold a slice of bread, beat the egg, creamer, cinnamon, and vanilla extract together.

place 1 slice of bread in and let soak for approx. 30 seconds on each side or until bread is well-coated.

In a frying pan or on a griddle, cook the french toast on each side until golden brown and egg is cooked.

Cut up strawberries and arrange on top of french toast. Sprinkle a small amount of powdered sugar on top or drizzle a little honey for some added sweetness.. but i like it plain, with a little plain or vanilla yogurt on the side.




Mid-Day Munchies aka LUNCH!

Indian Spiced Chicken Pita (2servings)

  • I boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced seeded cucumber
  • 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
  • 1tsp chopped fresh cilantro , or mint
  • 2-3 slices lemon (or 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  • 2 inch whole-wheat pitas, warmed
  • 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
  • 1 roma tomato, sliced
  • about 1/4 of an onion -thinly sliced
-Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook chicken until pink in the center in a grill, in a frying pan, or (my favorite) on a George Forman grill! ( i got mine for $6 at the goodwill!)

-Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

-Meanwhile, combine cucumber, yogurt, cilantro (or mint), lemon juice, the remaining garam masala and salt and pepper in a small bowl.

-Thinly slice the chicken.

-Split open the warm pitas and fill with the chicken, yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion.


Yummy Spring Spinach salad with Cranberries and Apple

  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1 handful Lettuce (your choice, but remember, the darker the leaf, the more nutritional.. iceberg... may as well be cardboard..)
  • 1-2 strips of turkey bacon, cut up super tiny (or 1/2 tbsp bacon bits)
  • 1/2 granny apple diced (or other light colored apple)
  • 1/8 cup red onion very thinly sliced
  • crumbled bleu cheese (to taste)
  • 1/8 cup dried cranberries
  • Walnuts (halved or whole- to taste)
  • gorgonzola, raspberry vinaigrette, or dressing of your choice. ( i LOVE the champagne pear gorgonzola dressing from Trader Joes)

In Large bowl, toss together all ingredients and serve immediately. (salad gets soggy remember!) if you’re taking this to work or preparing it ahead, just wait to add the dressing until right before you’re ready to eat!



Delicious Dinners!


Its not delivery-Its a healthy veggie pizza!

  • pizza crust/dough (i like the garlic and herb dough from Trader Joes..)
  • 1/2 c pizza or pasta sauce
  • 1/4 c artichoke hearts (canned/drained or frozen/defrosted)
  • 1/3 c mozzarella cheese (skim)
  • onions (sliced thin)
  • spinach (torn)
  • 1/4 green bell pepper sliced lengthwise
  • tomatoes (reg or sundried, sliced)
  • lemon pepper
  • red pepper flakes


roll out dough, spread sauce on evenly, sprinkle with cheese and arrange veggies on top as desired. Season with a dash of lemon pepper and red pepper flakes before baking. Cook as crust directs for 1/2 time on pizza pan and 1/2 time on oven rack.




Sunday, January 3, 2010

A New Nest

Finally! My very own “nest”! That’s right folks! I got my own place! and boy-oh-boy, am IIIIII lovin’ it! Best part, of course, is getting to decorate!! I have sooo many projects planned so stay tuned! I was feeling a little under the weather today, so I decided to keep the running around town to a minimum, but tomorrow I plan on re-caulking the bathroom tub! a project that’s actually fairly easy to do yourself, but makes a huuuge difference and really gives your bathroom a fresh, clean look! (of course, i’ve never done this before, but i have done my research and watched a youtube video or two... so we’ll se how it goes... wish me luck!)


Its my first week at my place, and so far all ive been doing is trying to fill it with furniture. Since im always trying to be thrifty, and am a huge fan of recycling goods, I’ve been scouring craigslist looking for deals on decor to fill my humble abode. I must say, Ive been VEEERY successful!

So far I have scored some awesome deals! And im pretty sure ive furnished my whole place for just around $100! Here’s how:

One Saturday, I was garage sale shopping and i found a BRAND NEW Ikea coffee table that retails for about $180. It was the end of the day, and i talked the guy into giving it to me for $5! Then i listed it on craigslist for $80 and INSTANTLY got a taker. Soo... I made $75... THEN I found these AWESOME bubblegum pink chairs on craigslist for $15... and bought two... kept one, and listed one on craigslist for $50... and INSTANTLY got a taker... (who, by the way, was an antique dealer who told me he was reselling it for $125!!! ...i shoulda gone higher... damn..)Soo.. since I spent $30 on the chairs, but sold em for $50.. so I made $20...Now I have a living room chair, and $95 in my pocket.... Soooo I bought this great brand new coffee table for $100. By using what i’ve made so far, I’ve only spent $5 out of pocket. Then I came across these chairs.. which are PERFECT for the modern look im going for... and they were $40 for both... so far.. $45 spent.. then I found a Ikea couch in great condition for $50. I still have to spend a little to have it clean but thats a grand total of a mere $95 dollars spent and I’ve furnished almost the whole place! Now all i need to find is a dining table that is bar height and matches the chairs, and I’m done furnishing...

of course then theres all the decorating and finishing touches..