Lazy Dinner

I wasn't feeling too peppy the other night so I didn't want to put effort into making dinner. I was already over my protein for the day and I needed to have some carbs. I had a loaf of french bread so I measured out about 4 ounces, sliced it in half and topped it with spaghetti sauce I also had on hand, shredded pizza blend cheese (mozzarella and cheddar), and the "perfect pinch" italian seasoning. I popped it in the oven at 425 until the cheese reached a desired level of melty. The best part of this is the possibilities. You can top it with any cheese, and add any meat. The loaf of french bread is $1 at Wal-Mart. This loaf was from Raley's and I think it was around $3. This is still cheaper than buying pizza crust. This is a good cheap meal you can stretch to feed a lot of people, and it's also something easy to customize. If you have kids each one can top it how they like it. It would also be a nice appetizer at a party. Even though it's simple, it was really tasty.

Give a Hoot!

I made the cupcakes for my godson's first birthday yesterday. His birthday was animal themed and I saw these owl cupcakes online and couldn't resist.

What you'll need:
Cake of Your Choice (we did funfetti)
Chocolate Frosting
Oreos (Double Stuffed come apart more easily)
Reese's Pieces

I didn't end up making all of the cupcakes owl cupcakes for a couple reasons. One was because I didn't have enough Oreos - we had thought we'd be able to cut through the double stuff to create two eyes with one Oreo but it didn't work out. So we didn't have enough Oreos. I also found out about an hour before the party that I needed to make more cupcakes so I was busy frosting and decorating and the owls, while easy, take more time than just frosting the cupcakes. We ended up with chocolate and funfetti cupcakes with a mix of chocolate frosted and funfetti frosted of each type of cake. It was also nice because the other side of the Oreo that I didn't use for the eyes made for cute cupcake toppers. All in all the cupcakes were a hit and I will definitely be making these again in the future.

I Cleaned My Washing Machine

I'm going to be honest. I'm not very domestic. In fact, living alone has been an adventure in domestication for me. I've learned a lot of tricks that I didn't know before. There's one very important thing I've learned: Distilled White Vinegar is the best invention ever. I've used it to clean the interior of my car window (streak free and prevents that film that you get after a while with normal cleaners) and today I used it to clean my washing machine.

Yeah... apparently you're supposed to clean those every once in a while which is why my clothes haven't been smelling quite right lately. So I found this amazing link on how to clean your washing machine. Here's what you need: a washing machine, and 2 cups of distilled white vinegar. I also learned in this process that the washing machine has a filter. Yeah... So you're going to have to take that apart. Here's the shortcut: take it apart and let the filter soak in the hot water and vinegar so you cut out the middle man of doing the two seperately. I scrubbed everything while there was still water in it instead of after and put the filter back together before I let it finish running.

Here are the links: Part 1 and Part 2 I skipped the bleach portion in part one because I didn't have any.

P.S. My washing machine looks exactly like hers. Except my bleach thingy doesn't have a tube attached to it.

Maiden Braids

I love this hairdo. I should note that this picture is the first time I ever did it and it only took me about 20-30 minutes. I ended up redoing it better that night since I was going to a meet & greet for my field and wanted to look very put together. I got a lot of great compliments at my meet & greet and I love this style for the days I don't wash my hair. I'm excited to try different braid sizes and styles with the part of my hair that is not in a braid. Click the picture for a link to the how-to. 

Lunch on the Go

Ross is a magical place. You never know what you’re going to find when you step back into the early 90s that is every interior of Ross (even the new ones). I’ve been looking for a Bento box or something similar to bring lunches with me when I’m out and about rather than packing a million of those crappy throw away plastic bags. I found the three items pictured above all manufactured by “fit & fresh” at the wonderland known as Ross. I realize the reason I got them cheap is because it looks like these are older versions according to the website (linked through the picture). Anyway, I only bought the salad and lunch box containers as I pretty much just drink water when I’m out and about and have no need for a bottle with a powder container. I’m using the lunch box today and it is fantastic! My only recommendation is that you put a layer of saran wrap in between the ice pack and your sandwich to avoid the ice pack sweating on your bread. I’m very happy with the $7 I spent on it. I’m hoping the salad container (which I also got for $7) works just as well when I get the chance to use it.