|
March 19, 2017

My Everyday Life: Week 11

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life: Week 11

Happy Anniversary to us! Casey and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary yesterday.

He gifted me this beautiful ceramic rendition of our wedding cake! (from here)

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

A collection begins.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

Playing with chalk.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

I love reading the little notes people make when they’re testing pens.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

MMMM. BANH MI! 

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

Cats are the sweetest when you’re not feeling well.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

On a walk I was reminded that there’s always sun above the clouds.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

M A K E   A   W   I  S  H

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

Testing ink at the art store.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

I loved how this bush was trimmed around the mailbox.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

Intricate.

My Everyday Life Week 11 on Shutterbean.com

CONTINUE READING

|
March 17, 2017

I LOVE LISTS

Change the Way you Look at Things! More on I LOVE LISTS on Shutterbean.com

Welcome to I love lists! It’s Friday. Let’s see what’s up with the internet this week:

  1. Have you ever seen such pretty Jell-O?
  2. I want to celebrate Persian New Year.
  3. Peanut butter & jelly doughnuts…..OMG
  4. Number 15 made me snort.
  5. Green & Blush– what a pretty color combination!
  6. Some good advice for first-time moms.
  7. I had no idea all that Keanu Reeves has been faced with.
  8. Lego tape….whoa!
  9. This made me legit LOL.
  10. Umm. WHAT. Kitten fur perfume??
  11. Time travel flashback: Spring Break in the 2000s.
  12. I’ve been trying to convince my brother of this but it’s not working.
  13. Some BUJO insight if you’re looking to start one.
  14. I LOVE this idea of an alter ego party. I’d show up as Frankie from Grace & Frankie.
  15. Can we turn these minty meringues into an Eton mess situation? YES.
  16. MY IDEAL WORKOUT
  17. When shopping online goes wrong. I just snorted.
  18. On turning 49. (LOVED THIS)
  19. This will be us one day.
  20. This veggie burger looks awesome.
  21. Spring closet update time!  I’m currently rebooting my spring capsule.
  22. I would like to use one of these in person, please.
  23. The 6 Secrets of Self-Control

RIP AMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL, your work will carry on in all of us who saw your light!

 

Questions for you:

  • WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE FOR BREAKFAST THIS WEEKEND?
  • WHAT’S KEEPING YOUR ATTENTION LATELY?

have a great weekend!

 

|
March 16, 2017

Put an Egg on It

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

It’s only Thursday and I’m  already thinking about breakfast for this weekend. At least one of our weekend breakfasts has something with eggs in it. There’s nothing like a leisurely breakfast with eggs and coffee.  If you’re already thinking about breakfast this weekend or you’ve (always) got eggs in your fridge, here are some of my favorite ways to

PUT AN EGG ON IT:

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Avocado toast….with an egg on top! Salt & pepper please.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Breakfast nachos….I MEAN.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Scrambled eggs with spinach and a nice sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

See how easy it is to make Chilaquiles at home! Find the recipe on Shutterbean.com

Eggs on top of chilaquiles. COME TO MAMA.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Toast with pesto & cheesy fried eggs. (I put cheese on the top of it at the very end of cooking time to melt).

(I put cheese on the top of it at the very end of cooking time to melt).

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Fry some tortillas up, add eggs, salsa, cilantro and top with sour cream and cheese.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Bacon + egg sandwiches. Throw a tomato in there. Better yet, make it a B L A T with egg!  That A in BLAT stands for avocado.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Eggs on Hashbrown Waffles.  That’s right. You read that correctly.

You can make hashbrown waffles. 

Try this Egg-In-A-Hole Pesto Pizza made with pita bread for a healthy breakfast. Recipe on Shutterbean.com!

This is what happens when you combine a pita, pesto, cheese, arugula & egg.

Egg-in-a-hole pesto pizzas!

It’s the perfect thing to throw together for a weeknight dinner.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Roasted asparagus with some Parmesan served with a fried egg on toast & a side of bacon.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Scrambled eggs with broccoli cheddar and hot sauce served on toast.

FYI I donated my toaster 4 years ago and we strictly use a panini press in my house.

Best decision ever. We use it almost every single day.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Speaking of panini…. I made a cheesy omelet here and threw it into a grilled tortilla.

Instant breakfast quesadilla.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Don’t forget the power of a frittata.  I love making them because we have leftovers for future lunches throughout the week.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

You can make an enchilada casserole for breakfast. It serves a nice group of people. It’s really good paired with fried eggs.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Sausage and peppers & fried eggs!  Don’t forget the toast!

My grandma used to make me sausage, egg & pepper sandwiches on a french roll.

Man, I miss my grandma.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Leftover pizza + fried eggs are what hangover breakfast dreams are made of.

Almost worth the hangover.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Roasted vegetables + eggs for breakfast = happy healthy brain

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

Don’t look at that piece of toast with the peanut butter.

Look at the two toasts with arugula, egg & cheese.

Look at how I added green to that plate! See, you can totally slip some health into your breakfast.

Looking for some egg inspiration? Check out this collection of Quick & Easy Egg Recipes on Shutterbean.com

All of my favorite things.

Sauteed spinach, bacon, roasted potatoes & a side of toasty bread and jam. Don’t forget the egg!

My Everyday Life: Week 9 on Shutterbean.com

Nevermind my insatiably hungry cat, Ella.

Check out this brussels-sprout hash situation with a fried egg on top.

My Everyday Life: Week 9 on Shutterbean.com

When in doubt, just hard-boil some eggs and add a little salt.

Perfection!  Also, I’m loving hard-boiled eggs in my new Instant Pot.

High pressure/manual for 6 minutes with 1/2 cup water (and the eggs on top of the basket). Manual release and immediate ice bath. The shells peel off like A DREAM.

My Everyday Life: Week 8 on Shutterbean.com

This is my current warrior breakfast.

A whole wheat English muffin with scrambled eggs (and cheese), a soy sausage patty and Tapatio.

My Everyday Life - Week 6 on Shutterbean.com

I was reading somewhere lately that someone puts salami in their eggs.

OMG. YOU NEED TO TRY IT. If you fry it up a bit before you put the eggs in, it tastes like bacon.

I paired it with leftover broccolini panini that I reheated in the panini press. YUM.

Dinner is just a few minutes away with this Mushroom Ramen recipe made with Imagine Broths & Soups. Find the recipe on Shutterbean.com!

Don’t forget you can put an egg in ramen!

I’ve got a good mushroom ramen recipe and a salmon one as well in my archives.

Here's what the past week looked like on My Everyday Life- a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin of Shutterbean.

Simple is sometimes best.

Scrambled eggs with toast & jam is such good comfort food.

Here's what the past week looked like on My Everyday Life- a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin of Shutterbean.

Go ahead, throw some hard-boiled eggs on your favorite potato salad.

CALL IT DINNER while you’re at it.

My Everyday Life Week 50 on Shutterbean.com

Brussels Sprouts + Bacon on top of polenta with an egg on it at my favorite breakfast place- Topsy’s in Petaluma. Don’t worry. I am going to recreate this one soon.

There you have it!

Don’t forget:

 

 

When in doubt, Put an Egg on It! Check out some easy egg ideas on Shutterbean.com

For more breakfast ideas, check out #shutterbeanbreakfast on Instagram

|
March 14, 2017

Coconut Quinoa Coleslaw

If you're looking for a good reset, check out this Coconut Quinoa Salad from Naturally Nourished. Recipe is on Shutterbean.com!

Thank you for all of your food rut suggestions. If you’re experiencing one yourself and want to get back on track to eating healthy, I suggest you pick up Naturally Nourished and work your way through it. Cuz, that’s what I’m doing!

It’s helping me to remember that I love eating healthy foods… and that dinners made up of pretzels and cheese don’t always make me happy.

If you're looking for a good reset, check out this Coconut Quinoa Salad from Naturally Nourished. Recipe is on Shutterbean.com!

My first stop? This Coconut Quinoa Coleslaw.

If you're looking for a good reset, check out this Coconut Quinoa Salad from Naturally Nourished. Recipe is on Shutterbean.com!

It’s a hearty coleslaw. One that keeps your attention! Sarah is right, the toasted coconut in the slaw gives it a subtle sweetness and that minty tahini dressing on top is out of this world.

My tastebuds are ready to go now!

CONTINUE READING

|
March 12, 2017

My Everyday Life: Week 10

Here’s what this past week looked like of My Everyday Life- Week 10:

Casey turned 40 on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cooper was in charge of the cake decorations.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Family dinner with Casey’s brother, Aunt and her fiance.

Last minute meatloaf dinner!

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

His and Hers.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Made eye contact with a fluffy deer this week.

WHY IS IT SO FLUFFY

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Notes from a Marie Forleo episode. 

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

40 beans.

One for each year Casey has been alive.

This is the year when we’ve finally known each other longer than we haven’t known each other.

We have been looking forward to this moment forever!

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Birthday linguine & clams. His favorite. Always his birthday dinner.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

A doodle while we waited. I told Cooper how lucky he was that he had two O’s in his name.

See why?

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Trip to the city.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

HI $

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

This caught my eye.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

I loved the reflection of the tree in the window and the colors on the building.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

I thought of Cooper.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Avocado toast & dates from Good Eggs. 

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Got a chance to see Sarah Britton from My New Roots (love her!) speak about her new cookbook Naturally Nourished and her experience feeding her own child. Very inspiring. I’ve already made a recipe from the book. I’ll share it next week.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Cool plant arrangements at Stable Cafe.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

The Mission is always filled with colors.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

And treasures wherever you look.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

This lady found me this week.

I am so glad she did. She seems like she was very strong.

I wonder how old that baby is now… Or if that baby is still alive!

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Found in an old cookbook. Love the last line.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Whiskey hour.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

The face I see when I am eating food and somebody wants some.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Cat loaf.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Spaghetti & Meatball dinner. I pulled meatballs from the freezer in a pinch.

Thanking my past self for being so thoughtful.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

COME TO BED MAMA.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CASEY!!!!!!

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

We get our toothbrushes ready for each other.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Daydreaming about an old space for lease.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Yogurt date!

My dad took us out to yogurt all the time as kids.

I’m keeping the tradition alive.

Cooper noticed an extra punch in my yogurt card and was a little jealous….

I took my dad out for yogurt last week 🙂

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Lemon Chicken dinner!

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

The framing of this is very annoying.

That scone was also super dry.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Wonton soup is such a good last minute meal.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Such intensity.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Posion oak is almost all gone. #yay

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Frick/frack

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

They really bring me so much joy.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Note on self:

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Ahhhh. A clean kitchen!

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Cat bowl.

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

Looking through the Joy the Baker Over Easy Cookbook. 

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT. Pre-order a copy now!

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

This week’s creative challenge:

My Everyday life is a weekly photo series by Tracy Benjamin. Here's what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life : Week 10

I lasted 40 minutes and filled my journal with 4 pages worth of notes!

HERE'S MORE OF MY EVERYDAY LIFE ON SHUTTERBEAN.COM

Week 10 in 2016

Week 10 in 2015

Week 10 in 2014

Week 10 in 2013

Week 10 in 2012

Week 10 in 2011

|
March 10, 2017

I love lists

Change Nothing and Nothing Changes as seen on I love lists //shutterbean.com

Welcome to I Love Lists!   It’s Friday. Let’s surf the internet together!

  1. Number 7 made me laugh.
  2. A lazy day is a good excuse to make blondies.
  3. What writers do when they write.
  4. A beautiful photo series.
  5. What do you do?  I try to avoid it as much as I can.
  6. If only the Oscars’ people were better at fonts.
  7. Taxing people on soda in Philly is working so well taht…
  8. People living until 150? Oh gosh.
  9. Hitchcockian is fun to say.
  10. Pinworthy: chicken nuggets / cat squadfood pins
  11. I have a crush on this dress. 
  12. Note to self:
  13. What a pretty cake!
  14. I got 36 at heart...
  15. Also I’m between 37-43 according to my food preferences.
  16. Aaaaaaand I have perfect color vision. BAM. Last part was hard!
  17. Good idea alert: tater tots in the waffle maker
  18. Wait. People dip pizza into milk????? WTF.
  19. Casey and I like puzzles….
  20. I seriously LOL’ed at some of these.
  21. Ahhh! All of these are so good.
  22. You’ll never look at cashews the same way again. (dramatic)
  23. Security camera hack turns into art.
  24. Banksy opens a walled off Hotel.

Questions for you:

Has anyone started their own little free library? How did it go?!

Any good weekend plans?

What are you eating lately? I’m totally in a food rut and need ideas.

Bullet Journal Supplies

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Last September, I started a new bullet journal. I was a little apprehensive starting one in September since most calendars start in January, but I really didn’t want to wait! I wanted to start experimenting with a system that works for my brain. One that will keep me from having calendar burnout….where I buy into a new calendar system after giving up my old one after 4 months. Can anyone else relate?

I’ve been using this journal for the past 7 months (kind of a record for me) and it’s mostly because I decided to treat this journal differently.

This journal is my experimental journal.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

I’m constantly inspired to see how people make the bullet journal system work for THEM, since it’s really not a one-size-fits-all system.

My intention is to use this journal to figure out what system works for ME.

Did you know that they’re referred to as bujos?  So, from now on I will refer to it as my bujo for the remainder of this post!

There might be some of you who are wondering….

What’s a bullet journal?

You can see more about it here.

If you’re interested in starting your own bullet journal,  here are some of my supply recommendations:

I’ll share some of my favorite experimental spreads with you soon!

Let’s go through my setup!

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Notebook

If you don’t LOVE your notebook, you’re never going to be motivated to use it. I did A LOT of research on books.  One of the hardest things for me to decide is if I want lines, graph paper, or plain pages in a notebook. This Leuchtturm 1917 dotted notebook has been wonderful.   That’s right! The pages are dotted and they’re numbered too. You can focus on the dots if you need help measuring out a spread or drawing a straight line.  The dots are not offensive to the eyes. Using a dotted journal doesn’t make me wish I had a plain journal or a graph paper journal so I feel like that’s a huge win. That was one of my excuses for abandoning so many past journals.

For this book, I wanted something that would:

  • get my attention
  • be able to spot in a sea of other journals
  • lift my mood
  • inspire me to write in

which is why I deliberately picked the color

ORANGE 

for my bujo.

The funny thing is….. I used to hate orange and now I love it.

Go figure. 

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

There’s a pocket in the back. That’s where I keep my address labels & stamps so I can write letters and mail bills if I’m on the go (and have my bujo with me).   The dimensions are  5.75″ x 8.25″ so it fits in my purse. 

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Pens are super important to me.

I try to stay away from super inky pens (read: SHARPIE) that have a tendency to bleed through.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Pens/Pencils

If you want to see some of my favorite pens, I suggest you read:

Besting Writing Pens (Part 1)

Best Writing Pens (Part 2)

When I’m setting up my spreads, I use a Mechanical Pencil

I also use a:

Tombow brush pen for when I feel like writing fun.

Micron 08 to get the job done.

Papermate Flair is my favorite for list making.

Pentel Brush Pen for drawing my calendar spreads.

For the times when I only have pens and I make a mistake, I use correction tape.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

I bought myself a little Pen loop for the journal. It helps hold pens/pencils

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Very handy!

shutterbeanbulletjournalsupplies-3

Tabs

On my first bullet journal, I used washi tape to separate the sections. It worked, but the dividers weren’t as sturdy as I wanted. I bought myself some tab dividers and I LOVE THEM. They’re pretty durable and it’s so much easier to go to the current month because of them.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Washi Tape

Washi tape can add a lot of character to a page. It can also double as a page marker.

I put a big strip of washi tape down the center of this page so that I could easily spot it when I’m flipping through. See above!

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Brush Pens/Highlighters:

How I add color! When I’m working on my bullet journal at home, I use my brush pens. When I’m on the go, I always keep a highlighter in my purse so I can embellish my journal when I need to.

Right now I’m really into Sharpie Retractable Highlighters.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Binder Clips

I always have one or two binder clips hanging onto my bujo. It’s a good way to mark a section in your bujo. I also clip receipts/important things to a binder clip in the back so I can find them easily.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

I play around a lot with graphics.

Whenever I stamp this star stamp on my bujo, it means I worked out!

WAHOO.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Index Cards

Here’s something I like to do….make lists that are portable! I like to use colored index cards for this. They end up turning into bookmarks…and I tuck them into the current week so I have a visual cue of something I need to accomplish.

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

 

 

Tracy from Shutterbean.com shares her favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

MY FAVORITE SUPPLIES:

There you have it!

I hope this inspires you to make/embellish your own bullet journal!