strawberry spinach salad

My boyfriend and I made this salad last night, and it was amazinggg! The strawberry vinaigrette dressing is on the sweet side and paired with fresh strawberries, almonds, and spinach, this salad will be a serving of fruits and veggies you'll actually crave.

(Sans dressing)

I adopted the recipe from Annie's Eats, the same place I got the oreo cupcakes recipe from, but my boyfriend and I didn't want to buy a whole bottle of champagne just for cooking so we altered it a little bit. Surprisingly, salad dressing is super easy to make and I can't wait to make this recipe for my family!

Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing  
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
2 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp strawberry banana fruit juice (you can't taste the banana!)
2 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt

Toss all of the above in a blender and puree till smooth! It's that easy. These measurements made enough dressing for three to four large salads, depending on how much dressing you like on your greens.

Salad 
baby spinach leaves
sliced strawberries
sliced almonds

That's it! The next time I make this I'm going to try it with some bleu cheese to cut the sweetness and maybe some green apple slices, I love fruit in my salads :)

(With dressing)

I love the way the colors look together! 

Here is the original recipe I got the idea from

 http://annies-eats.net/2011/04/06/strawberry-spinach-salad/

Yay for healthy recipes that actually taste good!

cookies and cream cupcakes

Beware, after making these I have the worst stomach ache ever, due to excessive bowl licking. Oreo lovers, this is your cupcake! A vanilla cupcake with an oreo cookie base and cookie pieces inside, topped with cream cheese frosting and oreo crumbs. Helllllo heaven! 

I got the recipe from annie's eats, 

http://annies-eats.net/2010/06/02/cookies-and-cream-cupcakes/

I followed the recipe and made the cupcakes from scratch, I bet you have most of the ingredients you need in your pantry! But you will need an electric mixer....more on that to come.

You can use the other halves for the cookie bits in the middle and the crumb toppings!

mmmm

My helper (he's scared of the mixer hahaha)

Perfection. 

Of course, it wouldn't be my life unless something weird happened while I was baking. My mom got this mixer from her mom...so it's more than 20 years old. I don't think it could handle the cream cheese frosting because all of a sudden it started making a funny vibrating noise and smelled like it was burning. I thought it was going to explode (naturally) so I threw it outside on my deck incase it blew up...bye bye mixer. Good news, the frosting was perfect. 

Insidee :)

Calories never tasted so good. 

the little black dress

What never goes out of style, always looks fabulous, and can be worn by anyone? Yes, the little black dress. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate pants so I'm addicted to shopping for going out dresses! 

You can never go wrong with a little black dress, my motto is that I'm usually overdressed anyways so why not go all out? When shopping for something as basic as the little black dress, it can be easy to get stuck with just a blah dress that every girl owns and who wants to show up wearing the same thing as someone else? I'm all about the details when it comes to black dresses, zippers, embellishments, lace, one shoulder, I love it all! Look for something quirky and never be afraid to try anything on, what looks strange on the hanger might look awesome on you. 

"Draped Neckline Dress", Forever 21, $27.80

Pretty beading, flattering midsection, open back? Want. Now.

"Studded Cowl Neck Dress", Forever 21, $19.80

Rocker vibe? check. 

"Zip-front Cross Back Dress", Charlotte Russe, $32.99

Amazingggg back! 

"One Shoulder Ruffle Lace Back Dress", Amiclubwear.com, $31.99

Mock one shoulder, ruffles, lace? Perfection. 

"Lush Crochet Shoulder Dress", Nordstrom, $44.00

You could dress this up or down so easily! 

Don't forget, killer accessories can make a black dress really pop! I'm a big fan of colored heels and accessories, but if you have details like the silver beading on the first dress and the lace back on the fourth, the dress speaks for itself, I'd go with a pop of color in the shoes instead of competing with the dress with accessories.  

But, as always, confidence is your number one accessory! And who doesn't feel sexy in a LBD? 

baker's shoes under $50? yes please

Baker's shoes equal one thing, HOT.

I'm obsessed with their shoes, I could easily buy every pair in the store if I had an endless shopping budget. While their shoes are amazing, they can also be expensive but today I found this one little link that made me reach for my debit card. I don't know how I've never seen this link on the Baker's website, but there is a "Dress shoes under $50" link, you have to check it out.  
http://www.bakersshoes.com/c3-727-Dress-Shoes-Under-$50.aspx

"Rayne" $29.99

"Yazmin" $29.99

Why are you still on my page!? There's shoes to be bought!

a cake only a mother could love

So, today is my mom's birthday, and I had this vision of a wonderful cake that I was going to bake her...it was an epic fail. There is a reason I like cupcakes more than cake: because they're easier to make.

Here is what NOT to do while baking a cake, although, I did manage to salvage it!

1) Gather the needed ingredients 

I chose to just use a standard box mix for this cake, for the sole reason that I know it is almost impossible to mess up :) 

2) Bake the cake

Everything went okay so far, then disaster stuck...

3) Frost middle layer of cake, then put top layer on

fail.

Where I went wrong was not letting the cakes cool enough before taking them out of the pans, I thought 30 minutes was enough, but I was way wrong.

4) Frosting 

By using frosting as filling/glue, I managed to salvage the cake and give myself a major stomach ache by eating half a can of it. 

5) Decorate! 

This is the first time I ever tried to make rosettes with a frosting tip, I have way more respect for all the bakers on TV cake shows, it's hard! I used store bought icing tubes and attached a frosting tip to the end of it, messy and unprofessional, but they turned out okay!

Then I added flat sprinkles and of course, birthday candles! 

Cake crisis averted. 

channel your inner surfer girl

I don't know about you, but for the last three weeks I've been on the "finals diet" which consists of not working out and eating everything in sight. Yesterday I went on my first run in forever (well, it was more of a run a minute, walk a minute) and was amazed at how much better I felt about myself afterwards! I was feeling pretty skinny and tan and had an urge to dress like a surfer girl for the rest of my day.

Surfer girls are the epitome of effortlessness. (Think Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush) You don't have to be tan or blonde to look like a surfer girl! Here are my steps to finding that fearless, natural California beauty in yourself!

1)  Work out
I'm not talking about getting in shape to run a marathon, just a few crunches or pushups and I guarantee you'll feel more confident afterwards!

2)  Minimal Makeup 
I know it's only May so your summer tan hasn't set in yet, but that doesn't mean you can't fake a sunkissed glow! I'm obsessed with bronzer, some magazines say to only dust it on your forehead and cheekbones, but I use it all over my face. Just be sure to use a color that compliments your skin tone and blend it into your neck! You dont want to look like an oompa loompa.

Clinique, $24.50

I love Clinique's Sunkissed bronzer, but drugstores have an endless variety of cheaper brands!

Now you can't forget blush, I love Nars blush in Super Orgasm because it has a hint of shimmer and warms up my face. I think this color looks great on anyone, we used to use it for stage makeup in dance!

Nars, $27.00

And that's all you need for makeup! If you want you can add mascara or a light brown eyeliner, but keep it simple. 

3) Tousled Hair

I've never dyed my hair before, but I am guilty of using Sun-In, a mixture of lemon juice and bleach that you spray in wet hair when you're at the pool or beach to bring out natural highlights. Just beware, it works best on natural blondes (strawberry and dirty included) and may bring out a brassy orange color in brunettes! Brunettes, you can try just plain lemon juice in your hair at the pool, I've heard this also brings out highlights! 

Now that you've got the sunkissed locks down, its time for that natural beachy hair look. I have wavy hair naturally so I just let it air dry and leave my windows down when I drive to achieve the tousled look. If you have straight hair, braid it when its wet and let it dry naturally for waves or use a wave inducing product like Garnier Fruitcis Surf Hair Paste. 

Drugstores, $3.99 

4) Laid Back Style 

Now the most important part, the outfit. When I think of surfer girls I think super casual, flip flops, old school sneakers, cutoff jean shorts, wifebeaters, and t-shirts. But this look works best on the boardwalk, not for running around town!

To channel my inner surfer girl I went with navy twill shorts from Hollister, 

HCO, $25.00

A basic, cropped white tee from Forever 21 that I wore off the shoulder, similar to this one

Forever 21, $7.90

A studded leather skinny belt from GAP, (see belt paired with striped shirt in "clothes you can steal from your mom") 

And of course, the old school sneakers, I'm a huge fan of converse (TGOD anyone?) but slip on and lace up vans are perfect for this look as well, the more worn in, the better! Hint: If you're wearing high tops with shorts, they look best with the top two holes unlaced! 

$39.99

I don't know about you, but I suddenly have the craving to watch Blue Crush. Rock on my lovely surfer babes! 

blame it on the real housewives

I'm currently obsessing over big, over the top, statement necklaces (some are also known as bib necklaces). While the style has been out for a few seasons I'm finally catching on to the craze due to excessive reality TV show watching, especially Real Housewives of Orange County.

(Gretchen Rossi) 

I think adding one of these statement necklace to your outfit not only makes it pop, but makes it look expensive too! (Major plus when you're like me and you can't afford real jewelry because you lose it all the time) The best part about these necklaces is you can find them anywhere, from high quality ones at Nordstrom to cheap and cheerful at Forever 21. 

Here are some of my favorites:

"Double Flat Stone Necklace", Charlotte Russe, $6.50

"Silver Flower Bib Necklace", Claire's,  $12.50

"Fiorella floral bib necklace" Nordstrom (Kate Spade New York) $248.00 

Way expensive, but so cute.

"Splattered Bead Necklace" Nordstrom (St. John Collection) $345.00

"Teardrop Collar Necklace" Forever 21, $7.80

Frugal Fashionista Note: Looks very similar to the Nordstroms necklace above! But for wayyy less, I actually just got this one from forever yesterday :) 

"Jewel Cascade Necklace" Forever 21, $9.80

"Teardrop Bead Necklace" Forever 21, $6.80

Would look so cute with a plain white sundress and gold sandals! 

Now go watch some trashy reality TV and get inspired!