Clean Eating Snacks

   Yesterday my first guest post went up on Arkansas Women Bloggers. (click here to see it) All about how to get started on a clean eating diet. This is a follow up to that post and I will be sharing some great, easy snack ideas. While eating clean there is a good chance you will be hungry between meals, it is important to have clean options around so you don’t slip up.

1. Popcorn- not in the bags, air popped or popped in a pan with coconut oil
2. Vegetable and hummus- carrots, celery, peppers,
3. Almonds, peanuts, pecans,cashews
4. Greek yogurt
5. Greek yogurt + fruit
6. Pumpkin seeds
7. Cup of berries
8. Cup of cottage cheese
9. Apple slices
10. Small box of raisins
11. A clementine orange
12. String cheese
13. Peanut Butter Honey Oat Bars from skinny ms 
14. Nut butters
15. Banana wraps-  These look delish and I will be making them soon. Recipe from The Gracious Pantry
16. Roasted Chickpeas- with seasonings
17. Clean Energy Bites – like these from Coffee and Quinoa
18. Asparagus
19. Homemade popsicles
20. Dark Chocolate- in moderation. 

   Do you already have a clean eating diet? What snacks did I leave out? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

   We have been trying to eat breakfast more regularly and the best way we found to make sure we do this is to make them ahead and have them ready to go. A delicious recipe that we love to make to do this is breakfast burritos, and they are quick to prep for a whole week.

Married Monday: National Spouse's Day 2015!

    

   Did you know that there is a National Spouse's Day? Well there is and it just so happens to be today January 26. I never knew this existed and wouldn’t think it does because of Valentine’s Day. I have heard people say that Valentine’s Day is not for married people because they show they love each other all the time, so it is for dating couples to show their love. Even though I do not agree with this so much I do think it is cool there is a spouse’s day, if for nothing else it’s a day to pour out some extra love on Hubby.

DIY Heart Jar

   Today I want to share with you a relatively easy craft that you can make out of something you probably already have.  I have been saving all of my glass jars for the last few months, I wasn’t sure what I used them for but I knew they could become cute decorating pieces.  This very cute candle holder or vase is made out of an empty Prego sauce jar!

Cupid Candy: A Twist on Puppy Chow

It’s almost Valentines and we all know that means candy! I have done a little twist on Puppy Chow that is just perfect to share with your Valentines.

Married Monday: Communicating Disagreements

   Though most couples try to make a front that everything is always perfect in their marriage, it is very likely that they have fights, or disagreements or whatever they choose to call them. Truth is everyone does at some point or another. And it is ok, but it is how you choose to have the disagreement and resolve it that matters.

Tutorial: DIY Furniture Makeover With Mod Podge

Hot Tea Month

   Did you know that January is Hot Tea Month? Well I just found this out the other day and I love hot tea so I figured it was a great time to talk about this delicious drink.

   Tea has a few different health benefits. It may help protect against cancer, heart disease and loss of memory (source). It can also help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. This is because of antioxidants that are in the tea, each type of tea will have different benefits.

   Since tea is such a big deal in Europe I thought it would be fun to see what they think is the proper way to make tea.This is what I found, directly from YorkshireTea 

1. Get a Proper Pot on
2. Run the tap a little so the water is nicely aerated. Use water that has boiled just once - any more than that and the level of oxygen in the water is reduced and your tea can taste a bit ‘flat’.
3. Warm the teapot first by swilling boiling water around inside it, then warm the cups with the water from the teapot.
4. For a four-cup pot, use two teabags. For loose tea, use one teaspoon per person and one for the pot. (Our tea buyers like it really strong and use three or four.
5. Add freshly boiled water to the pot, stir and leave to brew for 4-5 minutes depending on how strong you like it.
6. If you take milk, we recommend a splash of whole or semi-skimmed milk, with sugar if you take it.

   So there you have the perfect cup of tea in England. I however do not go into so much trouble to make my favorite drink. I simply boil some water in a pot or when I have access to a Kurig there is instant hot water. I place the tea bag in first then whichever sweetener I am using, either sweet n low or honey depending on the type. I use honey when I’m drinking Earl Gray my typical go to and sweet n low with my regular Lipton tea.

   Do you love hot tea? What type is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. If you don’t normally drink hot tea give it a try this month. Happy Hot Tea Month. 

Married Monday: Communicating Forgiveness

      At some point in your marriage your spouse is going to upset you rather it is a little thing they said or something big, and you are going to do it too. It happens to everyone, and because no one is perfect and no two people are exactly the same, there is no way to avoid it.

    It is said that all of the best marriages are made up of two really good forgivers, and that is true. For a happy healthy marriage you can’t just stay mad or put out all the time and you can’t keep bringing the situation up, you need to forgive.  Forgiving is defined as to stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake.

The Kitchen Store and More and Giveaway

    

   Remember a few weeks ago I wrote about Art on the Green, the amazing art gallery in Conway. If you missed it here it is again. Well in the goodie bags we received some awesome Kitchen IQ gadgets, from The Kitchen Store and More in Conway.

Pork Crown Roast

    While we were home for the holidays we had a ton of delicious food, today I am going to share with you our New Years Day meat, Pork Crown Roast. It was delicious and moist, and the best part is it is actually not that hard to make.

Married Monday: Communicating Respect

   Each month I am going to take a general topic and break it down each week this month I am elaborating on communication. I wrote this post a few weeks ago sharing some tips on how to communicate in marriage. This week I am going to talk about communicating respect.

Reflecting on 2014

   I enjoy reflecting on my year when it comes to an end. I like to see what I have done or changed or what I still want to work on in the coming year. This year I joined Jacqueline over at Do Good Work in her End of Year Bang. I answered each of the 31 questions on Twitter and have now placed them here. I am sharing my answers on here so I have a place I can look back and see my thoughts on 2014 and also to share with you a little insight into who I am. I am so excited to get 2015 going I have some fun goals and plans for the blog, healthy eating, and personal life. I declare this will be another incredible year!!