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September 1, 2016

Labor Day Food Ideas

A roundup of delicious Labor Day Food Ideas - check it out on Shutterbean.com!

You doing anything special for Labor Day Weekend? We have no plans and I want to keep it that way. It’s Labor day after all! No laboring. Gosh…can you imagine if you went into labor on Labor Day? That would be quite interesting. I bet that’s happened to someone reading this right now. Speak up! Let’s hear about it.  If you have a BBQ to attend or hey maybe you’re hosting one, I’ve dipped into my archives to help make your meal planning a bit easier. If you’re about to labor a baby, GOOD LUCK! I hope someone doesn’t make too many labor day jokes while you’re laboring. That would be awkward.

Here are some of my favorite Labor Day Food Ideas! CONTINUE READING

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August 31, 2016

Currently: August 2016

Currently - August 2016 on Shutterbean.com

Currently- August 2016

Currently on an airplane as I type this (August 24th). Drinking club soda with a lime, trying not to make eye contact with the guy next to me who is eating a cheese plate. I don’t know why they call it a plate when it’s in a white plastic container. It should be a cheese container. It’s practically a lunchable.

There’s a teenage boy in my peripheral vision who won’t stop moving. Like….he is listening to something, drumming on the seat in front of him and whipping his blanket around while chewing on the headphone cord. He’s also fighting with his Mom because she won’t give him her phone to play Pokemon Go! Meanwhile, my laptop is jammed at a 45 degree angle as I type this because the woman in front of me needed to lean her seat back to eat her tuna sandwich. Also, did I mention that I am near the bathroom and get frightened every time someone flushes the toilet? I’m listening to this playlist called Peaceful Piano. Only 5 more hours to go…. At least they gave me a biscoff cookie.

But seriously, what happened to our flying choices? Like…WHY DO WE HAVE SO MANY OF THEM NOW?! Half of the people have some type of priority on this plane.  I feel like it all went downhill when they started charging for bags. Remember when they were free? Remember when you could walk someone up to their gate? Give someone one last kiss or hug RIGHT before they went on the plane? Remember when you didn’t have to take off your shoes or worry about liquids?  Things change, man. Back to this whole priority thing. Did this all start happening because they started charging for bags? People are bringing so much on a plane instead of checking their bags. Since so many people want to make sure their bag gets on the plane as a carry-on, they’re paying a fee for the priority of boarding earlier. This particular plane  (American Airlines) charged $31 for that luxury.

Having a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. Actually I am having such an issue with algorithms in general and how everyone is messing up what I am able to access online. I had no idea that I had a birthday instagram from my maj until she texted me to ask me if I saw her picture. I DID NOT. I mean. That’s kinda rude, right? Also Pinterest is showing me nothing but the same pins over and over again and EVERYTHING is starting to look the same. But then I feel like everything is starting to look the same and I am scared that I am falling for this homogenous aesthetic.

Yes. I am totally complaining like a mofo. I think it’s because I’m on an airplane and I have no control. Also, I taught my Dad what MOFO meant last year. His life has improved 100%. He just passed me on his way to the bathroom while I typed this. I just gave him one of my cookies. Wait. I think I read somewhere that people are more likely to be emotional on airplanes. There you have it. Silver lining? They gave me an entire can of club soda during this flight.

I’ve been resisting buying a new planner at Target.  The self-talk I have to do in order to not buy one is ridiculous. I think I’ve snap-chatted (not the correct word) it before…. So, I am doing well with my bullet journal…but it has lines and I don’t like lines. I want dots but then I know that when I get dots I will want something else. Then it’s hard cover vs. soft cover and then the list goes on. I want this in black & gold. Can’t you make that??!! PLZ. Meanwhile, I started collecting some bullet journal ideas on Pinterest. At least that’s an exciting thing that keeps popping up in my feed.  But somewhere in the back of my head I feel like I could overcome ANYTHING if I can overcome this great urge to buy a new planner/calendar/notebook.  Also, will I talk about this problem every time I write one of these currently posts? Probably.

Cannot believe that Cooper is in 2nd grade. I wasn’t there to drop him off on his first day of school because of my New York trip and it made me sad. Like…really sad. Does that mean I have to stage the first day of school picture even though it’s not the first day?

Oh! Here’s something funny for you. I just went to turn down the music (peaceful piano) and I noticed that MY HEADPHONES WERE NOT PLUGGED INTO MY COMPUTER.  Hope you loved Peaceful Piano, plane full of people. It could have been worse I suppose. They could have been subjected to my Marky Mark Good Vibrations pump jams. Priority pass is really paying off for you now!

How many of you have done a Whole30? I’m thinking of doing it in September but there’s a wedding I need to go to… can one do a Whole30 and go to a wedding if one usually eats and drinks too much at weddings?  Please weigh in. Literally. Haha. But wait… can we do it together? Like…if I do it and you do it….we can maybe figure out a way to give ourselves a good reboot together?   I’m totally down with accountability and all. I just need to figure out a month in my life when there’s nothing to celebrate and/or drown my sorrows in bourbon in pizza for. So….ummm…I’ve been putting off the Whole30 for a year now and it’s time to RESET.

I have collected three crystal sun catchers this summer because I want my house to be full of rainbows in the morning and afternoon. Things are getting all sparkly around here.

One more thing before I go. I started using an app called Chimeo’clock on my phone that chimes every half hour/on the hour. When I have it on silent, I think it’s a text message and then I look over and then it’s just 5:30.  It’s really helping me keep track of time, which is something I have a major problem with. Also helpful- I got an extension on Chrome called Stay Focused that allows me to lock myself out of the internet when I’m trying to concentrate on work. OH MY GOD IT IS HELPING ME SO MUCH. You can go nuclear- which means you are locked out of the internet 100% for as long as you want.

Goodbye August (birthday month!) Hello, September.

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August 30, 2016

Night Cereal: Tahini Rice Crispy Cereal

Cereal for dinner? YES PLEASE. Check out the recipe for these Tahini Rice Crispies on Shutterbean.com #foodlovesmilk #gotnightcereal

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Sometimes we eat cereal for dinner. It’s easily Cooper’s favorite dinner because it always shocks him when I say YES to “night cereal.”  The reason why we don’t eat night cereal that often is because I’m always concerned about having that much sugar before bedtime. Also, it feels like dessert and I always want something savory afterwards. Can we just make a cereal that’s a bit savory?

YES WE CAN.

Cereal for dinner? YES PLEASE. Check out the recipe for these Tahini Rice Crispies on Shutterbean.com #foodlovesmilk #gotnightcereal

Cooper and I brainstormed a night cereal recipe and we came up with these Tahini Rice Crispies.

We combined crunchy puffed rice cereal mixed with oats, coconut and a ton of sesame seeds. We mixed it all together and stirred in a maple tahini concoction that created savory/slightly sweet combination.  It’s definitely more savory than sweet. The tahini makes it a bit nutty, the sesame seeds add a delicious depth and the coconut gets all toasty and delicious.  It’s like Honey Bunches of Oats cereal with a subtle halvah vibe and a lot less sweet.

Cereal for dinner? YES PLEASE. Check out the recipe for these Tahini Rice Crispies on Shutterbean.com #foodlovesmilk #gotnightcereal

But what should we serve with this night cereal? Cold milk and slices of banana to fortify our dinner.  Night cereal just got fancy and my kid approved, so it’s a win ALL AROUND.

CONTINUE READING

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August 29, 2016

Creamy Corn Basil Pasta

Creamy Corn Basil Pasta studded with crispy bacon. Find the recipe on Shutterbean.com

Happy Monday! Let’s get into it. What are we making for dinner? How about something with corn? Let’s blow it out with the corn until Summer ends, OK?

Creamy Corn Basil Pasta studded with crispy bacon. Find the recipe on Shutterbean.com

This recipe for Creamy Corn Basil Pasta is extremely simple. Perfect for a Monday. We cook bacon and then we cook corn in the bacon fat. Then we add some cream to the mixture along with pesto and we stir that into hot spaghetti. We top the spaghetti with the crispy bacon and all is right with the world.

Creamy Corn Basil Pasta studded with crispy bacon. Find the recipe on Shutterbean.com

Wait. I forgot to say that there’s also a ton of Parmesan in the mix because MORE IS MORE!  This is the dish I’ll be thinking fondly of when we’re in the dead of winter and there’s no sunshine to be found. If you want to push it over the edge and exploit all of summer’s bounty, add is some fresh chopped tomatoes while you can!

CONTINUE READING

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August 27, 2016

My Everyday Life: Week 34

Here’s what My Everyday Life- Week 34 looked like:

HELLO NEW YORK!

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

Traveling alone….but also with my parents for my grandma’s funeral service.

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

Clean your windshield.

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

His pants caught my eye.

myeverydaylifeweek34-22

I love people watching while I’m sitting in a cab.

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

I’m always so amazed by how many people live stacked on top of each other in NYC.

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

Also there’s so much stone/brick.

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

And so many air conditioners!

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

The one with the light on.

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

The best thing I ate was at Momason. This coconut curry ramen was bonkers.

My Everyday Life Week 34 on Shutterbean.com

CONTINUE READING

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August 26, 2016

I love lists

I love lists // shutterbean

Welcome to I Love Lists! Let’s surf the internet together:

  1. Breakfast on Instagram is insanely popular.
  2. A very good read.
  3. I kinda geek out on back to school supplies. Can’t help it.
  4. Stories of meeting celebs while at work. Robin Williams used to be a regular where I worked. I have some funny stories.
  5. For the avocado lovers.
  6. A 100 year old TO DO LIST hack is still holding up.
  7. This wall is RAD.
  8. BEES!
  9. I can’t believe dorm rooms look like this now….
  10. This print would be so pretty over my bed.
  11. Love this- The Truth Behind Instagram Photos of Ideal Food
  12. This cocktail looks supreme
  13. But really…how do you pronounce La Croix?
  14. Some thought provoking political cartoons.
  15. The Hippest Internet Cafe of 1995
  16. Remind me never to fall asleep in public.
  17. These architecture watercolors are incredible.
  18. The Great Rooms of Children’s Literature.
  19. We just had a discussion about how much money is put into the Olympics
  20. Complaining is no good for you. That’s a fact.
  21. How common is your birthday?
  22. Here’s your Fashion Color Trend Report according to Pantone.
  23. The most hippy towns in all of USA.
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August 24, 2016

Books to Inspire

 

A collection of Books to Inspire put together by Tracy of Shutterbean.com!

I just finished Rosie Project (FINALLY) last week and really loved it and I’m on the hunt for something new to read. Got any recommendations? Did anyone read The Rosie Effect? Should I go for it?

So, here’s the deal. I have two plane flights this week to fly back east for my grandmother’s funeral and I’m sitting here staring at my bookshelf in our bedroom…..packing my journal & reading material.  What to take? WHAT TO TAKE?!  I’m feeling like I need something in the self-help realm. But I also kinda wanna get lost and spark some creativity. Here’s what I’m staring at on my bookshelf….wondering how many will fit in my bag

 

The Little Book of Confidence– I bought this because I need a good pep-talk every now and then. And when I say every now and then, I mean always.

Read This if You Want to Take Photographs of People – I bought this because I don’t take that many portraits and I want to get better at it. I think that’s what happens when you spend time photographing food all day.

The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts– I love facts. Don’t you? I also love facts when they’re illustrated. This one just came last week and I can’t wait to go through it with Cooper. Maybe I’ll leave it at home for him.

The Book of Awesome– This book is full of reminders of things that are awesome. I also refer to this one when I need to remind myself of the good things. Also good—Just Little Things.

Henri Cartier Bresson- The Decisive Moment – A beautiful book of one of my favorite photographers. If only I could fit it in my suitcase…..

The Wander Society– I bought this book for creative prompts. I can’t wait to dip into it.

The Lost Art of Reading Nature Signs– Maybe this is the one! I freaking LOVE learning about nature and what to look out for.  My brain is part Virgo so I’m always collecting information like this. I can’t help it!

The Book of the Zodiac– This is one of my FAVORITE astrology books. It’s tiny….and looking at it right now reminds me that I want to read a little more about Virgos.

You Can Find Inner Peace– GUESS WHY I BOUGHT THIS?!! Because I wrestle with my inner jerk a lot. This is another book I turn to when I need a little pep talk.

If you’re looking for even more ideas, check out my past list.