Old Navy sweaters - top of my winter shopping list!

I was lucky enough to be chosen for the Old Navy sweater sample with Crowdtap, where a friend and myself could get a free sweater from Old Navy. This was great for me, because since I live in Texas, I am hesitant to buy sweaters and warm winter gear. It's just not cold very long here, and I opt for jackets and tights, things I can use to make my normal wardrobe winter like. But - Old Navy had so many adorable sweaters that I have rethought my shopping habits. (Seriously.) They had so many options, and it made the decision so difficult to pick just one. They have stripes, solids, animal print, polka dots.. you name it, Old Navy has it. What I loved most was the color variety with the solids. It's classic Old Navy to make one good product in an array of different colors. (The turquoise V-neck sweater was calling to me.) I took my best girl friend Amanda and here are a few shots of the outfits we created with Old Navy sweaters (and pop pants & jeans.)

We loved the sweaters with printed animals on them. Amanda tried on the Owl one here.

I love the versatility of the sweaters with pop pants. I especially love how many colors of sweaters go with the tan ones I was wearing here. This purple sweater was so soft and comfy!

I also tried on a soft pale pink, which I think would be so cute with black slacks for work. Here I tried it on with some Old Navy jeans. (Rockstar I believe.)

This yellow and coral sweater was so Amanda. She looks great in coral, and I love those green corduroy pants she has on!

This one was the one I ended up with. I couldn't help it, the fox sweater was too cute. I want to wear a colored shirt underneath it, with a big pony tail I think it will look so cute. I also got these jeans as well!

Their stripes are so cute as well. I am smitten with blue, so these striped sweaters were hard to pass up.

Amanda ended up going with this soft cream colored sweater. She's a teacher so these are perfect for her work wardrobe and so versatile. She also picked up some long sleeve soft jersey knit shirts as well. Ladies, I can tell you that these sweaters are the way to go. I'm also very picky about my sweaters needing to be comfortable. Often times wool or knits are itchy, and these sweaters were so soft, I was really impressed. I was also so impressed with the selection. I tried on at least 6 different ones and would have bought them all. They aren't extremely tight fitting either, I like my sweaters to have a little slack in the stomach. These are so very perfect. These sweaters are going to be great for our 50 degree weather coming in this week, I can't wait! I'm already planning to return to pick up some solid basic sweaters to wear with colored or black jeans. Happy shopping! :)

Glade Expressions - bring fall into your home!

I was one of the lucky #Bzzagent that was picked to try the Glade Expressions Collection, & I'm so glad I was able to! As a part of the campaign we got to try the oil diffuser and the mister scents, and they are both wonderful! Next time you're at Target or Walmart pick up the Fuji Apple, it brings the scents of fall into your home & looks great, too! The oil diffusers are pretty and stylish, and the misters are great because you can take off the label for a more neutral and discreet scent. Not only that, the scent actually lingers. I've bought countless sprays & diffusers only to have the smell disappear in minutes. Not the case with Glade Expressions, especially the diffusers!

My Vegetarian Obsessions..

So whilst becoming Vegetarian has proven difficult sometimes, for the most part I am having so much fun.

I pick up vegetables that often times I would have never purchased, just to see what I can do with them. (like a Daikon, I googled the heck out of that.. turns out it's a fancy and delicious radish)..

But there are a few staples that I rely on as a new vegetarian, and I've come to be obsessed with them actually. Here there are:

1.) Spinach! I have never been a fan of cooked spinach (or canned. yuck.) But fresh spinach.. I now crave it. I put it in everything I make for dinner, eat it as a side with a little dressing.. I love the stuff. You need to get in on that green spinachy goodness friends. Vegan, what? posted this nifty photo about how great Spinach is for you. 

2.) Black beans and lentils. I will try to buy anything with black beans in them. There are some great lentil soups and black bean soups out there. They are great fillers in traditional meals as well, too. (Lentil pot pie, black beans in place of ground meat in Mexican food dishes. The options are endless.) Beth has a great recipe for lentil taco's that I love and make frequently.. I throw in a potato as well for more filling. Find it here: Beth's Lentil Taco's. She's also got a yummy looking Mexican Lentil Stew I'm eyeing!

lentils photo courtesy of google search

3.) Yellow squash and Italian squash. I put these babies in everything. Pasta, rice dishes, I made a mushroom stroganoff with these in it. Last night we made veggie fajita's with both types of squash, red pepper, onion and mushrooms. Yum! Not to mention they are super cheap at most stores and good for your health!

photo courtesy of Wiki

4. Lightlife Brand Veggie Burgers & Backyard grillin' burgers. These babies are so good, and Lightlife is a great brand that uses non GMO soy and ingredients. Love them! Lightlife

Other things I am experimenting with that I'm certain I'll be obessesed with:

1. Polenta (there are sooo many delicious looking recipes out there. It seems so versatile!)

2. Quinoa (I know I'm so late. But I'm going to try it!)

3. Tempeh. It's a soy based product that I first tried when going vegetarian, and had no clue what I was doing. I think with a little help and a cookbook I can master it. 

Happy eating!

-Ash 

A nifty moving tip - liquor store win bottle boxes

So we are currently in the process of packing up our current apartment and moving into a house (woohoo!! We are thrilled to have a yard..)

So as you can see the place is a mess. But I had a lightbulb moment when I was at Spec's wine and finer foods recently (a liquor/beer store here in Texas that has fancy food as well..)

They have tons of boxes by the entrance, and a few that housed bottles as well as normal boxes. And then it hit me.. grab the ones that are used for boxes and put my glass cups in there.. instead of dealing with "newspapering" them all. GENIUS! (we are moving maybe a mile away so this works well for short distances..)

Well I picked up a few and then realized I could put all my shampoo and body washes in there as well, and they won't tip over and spill like in a normal box..

And then, even further, I was trying to figure out how to move my tall seasonings and sauces (i.e. marinades, vegetable oil, hot sauces, vinegar, etc.) and used a box for that, too!

So here is a moving tip for you folks that aren't moving a long distance, pick up some of these boxes at your local liquor store, and some regular boxes as well.

Happy Moving!

 The pooch is less than pleased about the mess that moving has created. ;) 

-Ash

A great graph on Vegan/Vegetarian protien

So PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) created this fantastic picture chart of a Vegan diet and where you get your protein. Hard to see? You can find it here in bigger scale: Vegan diet chart

This photo is property of PETA, I'm just relinking it :)

Now I'm not Vegan, but am working my way towards it slowly. I just bring this chart to your attention because I love the comparison on protein, calcium, iron, omega 3, and more. When you give up meat, and animal products for that matter, people always ask two things. 1.) what do you eat? and 2.) Are you getting enough protein?

I love that this graph shows you that a cup of lentils has (almost) the equivalent amount of protein to a 4oz steak. But let's get real, American's eat TOO MUCH protein, which is why we have an obesity epidemic. Have you ever had the chance to order a 4oz steak? I know I've only ever seen 6oz and above. 

I think it's a great chart to use to see what you should be eating as a veg/vegetarian, and how much protein you need. Enjoy!

Xoxo-Ash

Home made pizza and 5 minute tomato soup

So here am I writing a post with no pictures again.. I swear I have good intentions but don't think about sharing a recipe until I've devoured it. So I'll post pics of what I used instead ;)

This is one of my favorite "poor man's meals", seriously. Such a favorite I ate it all before I could photograph it :(

I've been trying to cook out of my pantry this week, and not to go to the store (more on that separately).. and I knew I could make a pizza because I had crust, sauce, and some veggies.

I like to use this Betty Crocker crust because all you do is add water, and it's about $1 at my grocery store. I tend to stock up on them, because oddly pizza is a great way to clean out your fridge (think half an onion, half a bell pepper, a few mushrooms. You get the point..)

p.s. the "24 pack" is via google search, you just need one bag to feed two hungry people :) 

So while I planned to make a salad for the side, we were lower on spinach than I thought, so I decided to whip up tomato soup out of the left over sauce for the pizza. I grabbed a jar of H-E-B Marinara (but any jar or home made red sauce will do)..

Note: be careful what jar pasta you use. They are FULL of sugar, I think I chose this one because of the low sugar count (3g vs much more in others)

So, here's the skinny:

Home made pizza and quick tomato soup

Pizza:

Ingredients:

Any pizza crust (I like Betty Crocker)

Any jar or home made red sauce, 1 cup for pizza, save the rest for soup

Any cheese (mozzarella or pizza blend is best, I used pizza blend and some feta I had on hand)

Veggies of your choice (onion,mushroom,spinach,bell pepper, olives, pineapple, banana pepper, etc)

Prepare crust using package directions. I bake mine for 10-15 minutes on it's own, then pull it out of the oven. Add 1 cup of sauce to pizza crust, then cheese, then raw chopped veggies. Bake for another 10 minutes until cheese has melted and crust is firm. 

While you are awaiting your pizza, start your soup.

Quick tomato soup:

Ingredients:

Remaining jar of red sauce

a pinch of brown sugar

milk or cream

herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano

Directions:

Put red sauce and fresh or dried herbs in food processor and pulse until smooth and soup like consistency. Remove and place in small saucepan. Add milk until desired consistency (I probably used 1/4 cup), add a pinch of brown sugar, and salt to taste. I also add lots of black pepper. Heat through, then serve immediately. 

I'll leave you with this rad pic I found via google searching pizza. You're welcome. 

Like I said, I'm a lame-o for not taking pics, but we inhaled it. Next time I'll add pics. This was really thrown together in terms of the soup, so you can adjust it to your liking. I like lots of basil, lots of milk, and lots of pepper. Make it your own last minute creation, and take pride in knowing you can make a meal out of one jar of pasta sauce!

This guy is cute too. "Snappy pizza". I'd order from him for sure. (but lose the pepperoni's dude)

Xoxo

Ash

My favorite vegetarian sandwiches

I have to tell you, one of my favorite things to eat is the soup and sandwich combo. (Or soup and salad). I could live at Jason's Deli, but I'd be dirt poor.

I love making sandwiches and after going vegetarian, I found myself wondering what on earth I would put in a sandwich besides PB&J. I'm not a huge fan of faux meat, so I started by thinking about what sandwiches I like the best, and what I could substitute. So I wanted to write a little diddy on three easy vegetarian sandwich options!

Note: these photo's are not of my food. I am too much of a pig, and inhale my food before I can get to taking a picture of it! But mine look just as yum :)

First, the Vegetarian Caprese sandwich.

note: this is not my photo, this is a google search photo. But mine are just as yummy looking! (I prefer softer bread myself.) 

Ingredients:
Your favorite bread (preferably whole wheat or whole grain)
Tomato, sliced
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
Avocado (optional.. but it makes everything better)
Mozzarella cheese (I use the block, and cut little strips)
Fresh basil (grow a garden, friend! That's where I get mine)
Spinach (organic, folks!)

Directions:
Toast your bread how you please. I stick mine in the toaster, and then I usually put my bread on a cookie sheet, with cheese on one piece. Stick it in the oven, turn on the broiler, and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melty. Add tomato, spinach, and avocado, top with basil and balsamic vinaigrette dressing and your other piece of bread. Cut that sucker in half (if you like) and enjoy! (Great with tomato basil soup)

Next up, the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich

note: this is a photo of Panera Bread's Mediterranean sandwich. This is what inspired me to make them at home!

Ingredients:
Bread of your choice (again, whole wheat or whole grain)
Spinach, arugula, or kale
Hummus (store bought or home made)
Feta cheese
Tomato, sliced
Cucumber, sliced

Directions: toast bread in toaster. Apply hummus generously to one piece of bread, then sprinkle feta on top. (Your hummus acts as glue). Then, pile on remaining ingredients, cut in half , and eat!

And lastly, an all american favorite that I used to eat probably way too much when I was still a carnivore. The BLT. But we call it the BLAT, because we throw Avocado in there (I told you.. on everything.)

Vegetarian BLT with Avocado (BLAT)

I'm not a huge fan of faux meat, but this stuff seriously.taste.just.like.bacon. It's great!

Ingredients:

Morning Star Farms Veggie Bacon strips (I use about 2-3 per sandwich)

Tomato, sliced

Whole wheat bread

Mayo (or vegan mayo)

Avocado, smashed

Directions:

Cook "Facon" according to package. Assemble bread, cooked "bacon", tomato, mayo and avocado. Enjoy!

I'll leave you with a shot of my basil plant which I obsess over daily. Have you noticed how expensive fresh basil is in stores? And it doesn't usually last long, and it seems all the best recipes call for it. Basil is super easy to grow, and once you get the hang of taking care of it, it will really pay you back for loving it so much. Go get some seeds, friends! (p.s. it's a great indoor plant and windowsill herb)

Follow me on instagram: LuckyLightning

XoXo

Vegetarians can Barbecue, too!

So in Texas, BBQ is a big deal. I mean a really big deal. We have competitions, miles of BBQ restaurants (espeically in Austin..) and a serious love for the art of grilling food. 

Well, enter in two (new) vegetarians. As much as we love corn, and asparagus.. it's tough to be satisfied with only sides or vegetables whenever everyone has burgers, hot dogs, ribs, fajita's, etc. 

I had already been cookin' up ideas in my head for what I could BBQ for us (after all, we have a propane grill we've used all of one time.) And I tried BBQ'ing tofu and faux sausage over Easter..and I was not happy with either. 

So perfect timing, I was chosen for a Crowdtap Sample and Share from McCormick's! They sent us loads of goodies to use to grill up some delicious food. And my challenge, make it vegetarian! 

So here's what we did, and some delicious vegetarian BBQ recipes! 

Here we are at my father in law's house, grilling up some veggie's for Veggie Fajita Taco's. These always kick my craving for Mexican food and fajita's. We used McCormick's Spiced Brandy and Herb mix, which we made in to a marinade (with just vinegar, oil, and water.) It was delish!

The family hanging out while my hubs grilled up veggies for us. The rest of the group ate fish, but munched on some of our veggies as well. 

 Yum! Isn't that thing he's cooking on neat? It's a steel plate hooked up to propane that gets hot. I love it!

The finished product. We grilled zuchini, yellow squash, onions, mushroom, and green bell pepper. We marinated it in McCormick's Grill Mates Spiced Brandy and Herb marinade for 15 minutes, grilled them until soft, then ate them as taco's in flour tortilla's! 

When we got back to town, we were taxed with what we would cook up for 4th of July. All of our friends and family are meat eaters, and it's tough to find good stuff to throw on the grill. So we got creative. 

We used Gardein Chick'n Scallopini (If you haven't tried these, you have got to go and get them now!) We used the McCormick's Grill Mates Memphis Pit BBQ rub, and rubbed them on the "chik'n" pieces and let it set for a while. 

We also made Portabella burgers (a staple in most Vegetarian BBQ..) We used McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning for this, and used olive oil and soy sauce to make a marinade for these mushrooms. (The directions are on the back of the seasoning.) 

This one was probably my favorite. Growing up my best friend's dad would always have the best ranch style beans, and I couldn't figure out how he did it. They were always sweet and tangy.. and he admitted to using two secret ingredients. I'd always known brown sugar was one of them.. but finally found out the other was BBQ sauce! 

Well, imagine my excitement when I got this pretty bottle of sauce in my sample, Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ sauce. The first thing I did was add it into my beans!

We also marinated some Lightlife Backyard Grill'n Burgers (vegetarian) in the Montreal Steak Marinade for ten mintues. (These are excellent burgers, whether they are nuked, pan fried, or grilled!)

Here's a pic of the veggie burgers and "chik'n" grillin. I love that you can see the rub on the chick'n.. and it's crazy how much it looks like chicken to me! (But I swear it's vegetarian..) 

Here's all of our items grilin'.. (We did our BBQ at night because it was too damn hot during the day!) It's Texas, y'all.. 

 Our beans with added BBQ sauce..

The beautiful, grilled finished products!

My final plate.. half a Portabella burger, "chik'n breast", beans and a Veggie burger. Yum! Vegetarian's can grill, too!

Here's some delish recipes for you veg's out there. They can be Vegan as well, depending on what products you buy and what cheese you use. Happy grilling, fellow vegetable fanatics!

Big Boy Portabella Burgers: 

Ingredients: 

Portabella mushrooms (treat 1 as a patty.)

Burger toppings

Burger buns (or bread)

McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 tbs soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions: Leave mushrooms in marinade for 10 minutes, flip, then leave another 5-10 minutes. Throw them on the grill for 10 minutes or so, until they become soft (but not mushy). Chop burger toppings and add Mushroom to bottom bun, load toppings, then eat!

add to grill for approx 10 minutes. Then, create burger! (don't forget to add cheese!) 

 

Memphis Pit BBQ Vegetarian "Chik'n" Breast

Ingredients: 

McCormick's Memphis Pit BBQ rub

Gardein Chick'n Scallopini (pictured above)

Clear plastic wrap

BBQ sauce, for drizzling

Directions:

Take frozen Gardein "Chik'n" patties and apply Memphis Pit BBQ rub thoroughly to each side. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, and let set for 2 hours (or up to overnight. I did 2 hours.)

After time has passed, throw them on the grill until they are done (about 10 minutes max.) Drizzle or dip in BBQ sauce and enjoy!

Note** This will make you totally forget that you aren't eating real chicken. The rub is delicious, and I'm telling you, Gardein makes the best chicken substitute out there. (Plus their ingredients are actual ingredients that you can recognize.) 

Sweet and tangy Ranch Style Beans:
Ingredients:
1 can ranch style beans
1 tbs McCormick's Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ sauce

Directions:
Mix in 1 tbs BBQ sauce into ranch style beans, then heat through either using microwave or stove top.

**Note: If you like baked beans and sweet beans, you could add 1.5 to 2 tbs.. I kept it at 1 because the husband is not a fan of sweet beans.


Veggie Fajita Taco's
Ingredients:
-Any veggies you like! We chose Zucchini, yellow squash, onions, mushrooms, and a green bell pepper.
-McCormick's Spiced Brandy and Herb marinade - **note, this would be great for asian food. It's got cinnamon and ginger it in, so it has a tangy, sweet taste.
-vinegar
-oil (olive, vegetable, canola, etc.)
Flour tortilla's for taco making

Directions: create marinade by following instructions on McCormick's marinade packet (using oil and vinegar.)
Chop all vegetables and let marinade for 15 minutes.
Grill veggies until soft, or to your liking
Stuff into taco's and chow down!

Note: McCormick's Molasses Bacon was sent in the kit but is not vegetarian. It does, in fact, contain bacon. We gave it to my sister in law and suggested she mix it in with her 4th of July potato salad (which she did) and she said it was fabulous! 1 tbs per quart of potato salad, and I also thought it would be delicious on green beans and eggs as well!

Happy eating! xoxo

Old Navy Beachwear: great summer finds at great prices!

I was fortunate enough to do another sample and share from Crowdtap, and it was again for Old Navy (which are my favorites!)

After our last Old Navy sample and share the girls kept asking when we would get to do it again! Lucky for us we got to do a beach accessory sample, and it was fun! Old Navy seriously has the best basics. Swimwear, flip flops, beach towels, sunglasses.. and beach bags!

And man, if you haven't seen their newest jewelry collection, you need to get in there. It's seriously beautiful, so many different styles. There's boho, chic, romantic, gypsy and more styles of jewelry. I loaded up on earrings the last time I stopped in so this time I was tempted with hair clips and necklaces! All at Old Navy's traditional great prices. (Get in there and get some!)

Here's a sneak peek of our summer Sample & Share courtesy of #Old Navy & #Crowdtap

 Amanda (top) has a cruise to Cabo coming up in July, so she was shopping for goodies for that. She tried on this cute black jersey knit dress with her adorable Old Navy bag that was part of the sample. (I got a matching one! I'm a sucker for blue.)

 Above, the lovely Adrianne grabbed the bag Amanda and I have in a red. We love these, they are the PERFECT pool or beach tote. They fit our flip flops, towel, and more in them!

Amanda in front of the Flip Flop display.. to many colors to choose from! Good thing they are 2 for $5.. these are great beach flip flops or pool ones. I always get my good sandals dirty at the beach, but alas, no more! Thanks Old Navy :) 

I'm a sucker for turquoise anything, so I was drawn to the turquoise flip flops! They match my sweet pool bag. 

Adrianne had quite a few garments to try on, she left with some great dresses and beachwear!

Adrianne in front of the more subdued flip flop colors. I'm telling you there is every color under the sun! The girls each bought an extra pair, they are so afordable!

A & A comparing garments. I love these shots.. their expressions are so cute! I love the pink hoodie, too. That's an Old Navy goodie and I think I need one myself. (Adrienne was not taking that flower out of her hair.. that's Old Navy too, and she added that to her bag! so cute on her.) 

 A was kind enough to let me borrow it for a shot with her. (Check out how much swag she has.. this is on the way to the check out line. That girl can shop!) She ended up with a red, orange, and black beach towel. 

A & A in front of the flip flops. I can't get over how many there are! 

This was the perfect time to have this awesome Sample & Share. I needed pool flip flops badly (and a beach towel.. I don't own any. Which is embarassing coming from a beach town!) Adrienne is heading to a lake house for 4th of July so her sunglasses, towel and flip flops were perfect. 

Amanda is heading to Cabo so she picked up a comfy skirt to wear on the plane, and some cute tank tops to wear in Mexico. And she can take her flip flops, sunglasses, bag and towel with her!

 She's such a star ;) We tried to convince her to get these, but no go. 

Adrianne ended up with these, we kept calling them Lady Gaga glasses. They are so chic on her though! 

And I myself am heading on a cruise soon, so all this swag is the perfect summer accessory. Thanks #Old Navy and # Crowd Tap for outfitting us Austin gals for summer! (The triple A's.. in case you didn't catch that!)