If you finished that sentence with anything other than “you will win the $500 million Powerball” you are not my friend. But if you did finish it with something other than that, you could have been a fortune teller. Clearly I did not win the $500 Powerball. Why is that clear you might ask? Because I’m here, blogging. Don’t get me wrong, if I won the lottery, I would still blog. But I might take a few days off for celebratory purposes. That, and my blog would change to something along the lines of, “What I am doing with my $500 Powerball winnings.”
So if you’re as good of a fortune teller as I am, then this Valentine’s treat is right up your alley. I saw these a long time ago on Pinterest (I would give credit to the original, if I knew who the original was). They are super easy, and really appreciated by the receiver. In my book that’s a win/win.
You’ll just need felt, pipe cleaners, and these printed fortunes. Use about 3″ circles, cut a pipe cleaner to hot glue along the middle. Fold the circle in half, and hot glue along the top (do not enclose the whole half circle, you’ll need an opening for candy and fortunes. Once it’s dry, fold the pipe cleaner in half, and you’ll have a fortune cookie shape! I used Valentine candy corn to fill, and put my fortunes inside.
Now that I’ve made all my Valentine’s, I’ll keep a look out for all of yours in my mailbox. And don’t worry, if they’re too big for the mailbox, I will be home to accept the large packages.
Pink Hearts and Glitter
As if you weren’t already aware, Valentine’s Day is in five days. Unless you’ve been hiding under a large rock, you’ve had pink hearts and glitter thrown at you for months. Clearly it’s right up my alley. If I had to pick a third favorite holiday, Valentine’s day would be it. I’m hoping for a heart shaped cheeseburger this year.
I’ve been told that after a few years of marriage, I will run out of things to do for my husband. Because I cannot let that happen, I must consume a few glasses of wine and come up with some ideas. This is specifically for scientific purposes. And what do ya know? This weekend I produced these Hershey Kiss love notes!
*Only one bottle of wine was hurt in the process*
I cut strips of Valentine’s paper, wrote a few reasons I love him, and curled each piece. I used hot glue (surprise) to attach each one to a Hershey Kiss. I plan on leaving them all over the house on Valentine’s Day. Since he doesn’t eat chocolate, I also plan on consuming them all while he works all night. Wine and chocolate always cure a lonely heart. 
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Saturday Night Shenanigans…
Hello Monday, goodbye weekend! I know I speak for all of us when I say that we wish we had more time off. My time would be very well spent, thank you very much. This weekend I completed several crafts (which, of course, I plan to blog about this week), I drank one bottle of wine (it’s only four glasses, come on), and ate three pieces of cookie dough (who has time to bake it). I mean, if that doesn’t sum up a wild & crazy weekend, I don’t know what does. Oh, and I almost forgot: I had the most life-changing sandwich. It was Heaven on Earth. Or at least what I imagine Heaven to be. Because let me just tell you, it would NOT be Heaven without this sandwich.
Before my life changed forever, I was just crafting away, thinking that life would always be as great as it had been. If I had known what was ahead of me, I never would have wasted my Saturday night making these Valentine cards. I mean, I could have had that sandwich a day earlier! What was I thinking?
Anyway, the good news is that I joined a Valentine Snail Mail event this year, so I’m sure the recipients will be happy I didn’t try that sandwich until Sunday. If they could taste the fabulousness that was that sandwich, they would not want these pathetic little cards. They’d ask why I didn’t send them a sandwich sample. Sorry, I’m not sorry. I ate it all.
I also had seen these envelopes on Pinterest (shocker), and thought I could re-create them a little easier. I used felt to create my own little felt envelopes (shown in first photo). Since I cannot fit a sandwich inside, I guess I’ll have to settle for a love note or two.
Happy Hearts Week!
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Jump off the Carb Cliff
I’ve always likened myself to that age-old saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” I mean, clearly I am a world class chef, an award-winning author, and a Grammy-winning singer. But there is one thing that I just cannot master: Photographing food. It’s the worst, I’m the worst. So, while you read this post, forgive my horrendous attempt at creating photographs of food you’d actually want to eat, and trust my opinion that the food is indeed edible, and in fact, quite delicious.
After we returned from our holiday vacation, B and I decided we needed to cut back on our diets. The guacamole and tortilla chips we gorged on in Mexico every day were just not going to cut it for our abs. Or lack there of. So I came up with the idea to cut out all processed carbs for a few weeks. No bread, rice, pasta, etc. Of course we still ate carrots, veggies, and I could never get rid of my salad dressing; but for the most part, we really took on this challenge. I thought I’d share some meal suggestions, in case you think you’d like to give it a shot. Take note: even though we cut out carbs, we still ate a LOT of food. I’m a fat-kid. No half sized portions work here. Double note: I HATE detailed recipes. So while I could have found much more intricate meals, I stuck to easy. This girl does not want difficult recipes after an 11 hour work day thank you very much.
Here’s where you can stop reading if you’re totally not interested in jumping off the cliff that is carb-free. Just because I jumped off the cliff, doesn’t mean you have to follow. Your parents would be so proud.
Also, something worth mentioning. I don’t use oil in hardly anything I cook. I have an amazing non-stick pan, that allows me to forgo any sort of oil. So in Shauna terms, “saute” actually means “cook in a skillet.”
1. Essentially, chicken fajitas without the tortillas. I did not use fajita seasoning either, just sauteed peppers/onions/chicken in a skillet, served with a little chipotle sauce on top. Delicious (and even better with avocado)!
2. Taco salad, or Chicken Tostadas, without the tostada.
3. Baked Mahi-Mahi. I made an avocado salsa to top it off: avocado, chopped grape tomatoes, chopped red onion. Mix with lime juice.
4. Baked zucchini (side dish, serve with grilled chicken, fish, or steak). This recipe calls for parmesan, but I skipped it.
5. Stuffed Peppers. I sort of made up my own recipe for this, but there are tons online. I just used more meat, more veggies, and more tomatoes to substitute for the rice I typically use.
6. OMG. Baked Cauliflower and Broccoli (and Brussel Sprouts if you like them). This was a huge hit in our house. B doesn’t like these veggies normally, but when baked, he couldn’t get enough. Start with either of these two recipes: Cauliflower or Broccoli.
7. Side dish of sauteed veggies. Carrots, onions, zucchini. Serve with chicken, fish, or steak.
8. My famous favorite salad. Take a romaine lettuce heart, cut it in half. Sprinkle red onion, diced grape tomatoes, and avocado on top. And if you love it like I do, add cilantro too! We typically have one before every meal.
9. Pot roast. I made a roast like I always do, but skipped adding potatoes. Roast, carrots, celery, and onions all the way.
10. Side dish of mushrooms, zucchini, green peppers, and onions. Perfect with a steak (header photo).
11. One of B’s favorites: Steak roll-ups. If you’re an avid Pinterest-er, you’ve seen this pinned many times. But trust me, it’s fabulous. Try it. Side note: that blogger clearly is an amazing food photographer. Jealous!
12. Not pictured, but AMAZING. This is by far my most favorite new recipe. Shrimp with zucchini and tomatoes. I highly suggest it.
Because I cannot go an hour without eating something, we snacked on Greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, veggies, and almonds between meals. I typically cooked dinner for four, and then we each took a serving for lunch the next day.
Tell me, what is your favorite carb-free recipe?
