trench - asos, dress - anthro, tights - j.crew, shoes - hasbeens, cup - kate spade, glasses - warby parker

One of the few times (other than dates nights) that I actually wear something other than yoga pants these days is church. I know everyone's thing this day is "come as you are" but for my own sake I pretend that Jesus really would be offended if I came in wearing the same striped shirt and black pants I wear every day. At least that's what I tell myself as I re-acquaint myself with areas of my closet that most of the time I don't even know exist anymore. 

So while a tiny voice in my head told me that perhaps a vegan leather dress is a bit overkill for church I decided "why not" and zipped myself up! Because truthfully if I don't wear it this week then it will be too hot by next weekend and then an entire year would have gone by without me wearing it and I mean would you look at that gorgeous color??? That would just be a SIN. And just to make sure that no one would think it looked like "that" kind of leather dress I paired it with some "granny tights" (my secret favorite) and my trusty Hasbeens and ta-da!! News anchor look - done!

...

Oh and inside the cup? Lots and lots and lots of coffee or mama-juice as some may call it. 

I've been cooking/baking on my own now for close to ten years. Sheesh that makes me feel old. Sometimes papa bear and I reminisce and laugh about my kitchen catastrophes when we first got married. After our honeymoon I held closely to one cooking rule - chicken or bust. I was terrified of cooking anything else. My attempts at baking were also pretty hit or miss. But I had a pretty robust interest in all things culinary so I continued to dust myself off and try again. And again. 

If you told me ten years ago that I would actually attempt to come up with a recipe on my own, for a dessert no less, I would have probably just started laughing. And yet after ten years of baking muffins I decided last week that it was time to try and make one that would have everything I love all in one tiny bite-sized package. I knew I wanted oatmeal and nuts and peanut butter and bananas (of course) and so after studying many a recipe and experiementing quite a bit I was able to come up with something that was right out of my dreams!! Nutty, meaty and with a hint of banana and peanut butter. And the best part is they are just so easy! And I bet you have everything you need sitting in your pantry or fridge right now!

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of oatmeal

1/3 cup of chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350°F 

Oil or line a mini muffin pan.

Mix oil into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Mix in the peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour and mix well. Using a wooden spoon mix in the oatmeal and nuts. Pour mixture into oiled muffin pan. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a rack.

That's it! We snacked on them with a cold glass of almond milk and they were just dreamy!!

birdie: by the end of this week we got into such a good groove with this girl and we all couldn't be happier about it!!

teddy: outgrowing all his clothes and I can barely keep up with this green giant of mine!

birdie: we are in that stage where she has to make sure and jump in every single puddle as well as always be on the search for the ever elusive "big puddle." I used to dream of this day and now that's it is my reality it's even sweeter than I ever could have imagined.

teddy: our little boy has been eating sweet potatoes every day this week like a champ and we are getting excited about trying a new vegetable next week! 

We have been toying with the idea of giving Blue Apron a try for a while now and when we found out that Top Chef winner Mei Lin, was going to be whipping up some recipes for them we decided the time was right! We picked the two person plan, put in our order and impatiently waited for our box to arrive. It came on a Friday, each of the three meals beautifully packaged and labeled and neatly packed in a medium sized box. We planned on cooking one meal over the weekend and saving the other two for the week. 

On Sunday we decided to make Mei's Crispy Chicken Thighs mainly because we didn't want the mushrooms to lose their freshness and also because it looked so darn delicious. We got lucky with both kids napping at the same time so it was extra nice to have the house quiet and to ourselves while we worked alongside each other. 

I did a lot of a prep work while papa bear worked on the chicken and other odds and ends. The directions were so perfectly clear and it was a joy to work with such beautiful and fresh ingredients. Also, for me, one of the most loathsome parts of cooking or baking is all the MEASURING so it was incredibly nice to not have to worry about that at all. 

Guys we got to make kimchi!! How cool is that?! It was so much easier than I could have ever imagined and definitely something I want to try again some time. 

Here it is - the finished dish!! Folks I can't even begin to tell you how good it tasted. First, I never thought I had it in me to cook something this delicious. Second, I couldn't believe I was eating at home because it definitely tasted like something you would have at a fancy restaurant and that in and of itself was pretty cool. I'm pretty sure I could eat this dish every day for the rest of my life!

So, my final thoughts? I figured I would break it down and make it easy for you. So here are the pros:

- Easy. It is so easy - the no grocery shopping, no measuring and very little mess part of this gives me major heart eyes. Also, I didn't find any of the three recipes "difficult" by any means. 

- So good. The ingredients are the freshest and the best that I've ever seen. Our fish was beautiful, the vegetables looked as if they had just been hand picked from a garden and all the spices were fragrant and rich. Each dish made us weak in the knees with just how mouthwateringly delicious it was. 

- It made us cook dishes we would never, ever normally attempt and expanded our palates. It was really nice to experiment with new flavors, ingredients and methods. It elevated the experience to something really exciting and fun. By taking out all the things that we don't like about cooking (grocery shopping, measuring, etc) and pushing us to try something new it made it a wonderful experience. 

Here are the cons in our opinion:

- Not enough food. The portions were quite inconsistent. One of the dishes we couldn't finish and two of the dishes I made sides or altered the recipe because I could tell from the beginning that it would not be enough food. Not pictured here is the side of farro I made to go with Mei's dish. It actually really complimented everything else and insured that we were full. We also had a lamb and beef shawarma dish that included a very small salad that I decided to turn into an entree type salad and I made a side of couscous to go with it as well. On it's own it would have definitely left us hungry. 

- Too expensive. Considering what I just shared about the lack of sides I feel that at $60 a week we would have still been spending a significant amount of money on grocery shopping and altogether it would become a luxury we could not afford. Also, I don't like that the two person option doesn't remotely leave you with any leftovers and it's a little much in my opinion to have to spend over $100 a week on this service for two people if you want leftovers (that would be the four person option). 

But those are really the only negatives. So I suppose you could say that if we could afford it, there really would be no negatives. I would say that in order to have a perfect experience we would need to go with the four person route because it's a little frustrating to put that much time and work into a meal and to have nothing to show for it the next day. 

All in all we really enjoyed giving it a try and it was nice to mix things up in the kitchen. Perhaps we would venture to try it again some time! 

*this was not a sponsored post :)

hat - a&f, jacket - h&m, dress - old navy, tights - j.crew, boots - shoemint

I am officially boycotting winter wear. You know the culprits - mittens, gloves, scarves, puffy coats, etc... I can't take the bundling up anymore, between myself and the two kids, the leaving the house process is at alarming 45 minutes these days. I can't take it. I'm so sweaty and tired by the time everyone is buckled in and in the car. So with the temperatures hovering around 65 the other day - i.e. not warm enough to be jacket free but too warm for a coat, I threw on a hat and decided I was going to enjoy it! And I did ok!! Between the hat and tights I was perfectly warm but I still enjoyed the luxury of feeling the first faint hint of a spring breeze float through my jacket and hair and across my face. It was kind of amazing! Speaking of which have you seen the "I'm sorry for the things I said when it was winter" meme??? So, so, so good. I need that framed. But hey! It's warming up, it's March (how????!!!) and it's almost spring break so I'm feeling pretty invincible right now! Happy Tuesday friends!

making: oatmeal for breakfast every day thanks to the genius that is frozen cooked oatmeal that we get at Coscto (seriously such a lifesaver!!)

cooking: our Blue Apron meals! We've been wanting to try their service for ages and finally took the plunge last week! It's been super fun and I can't wait to share a review with you!

drinking: lots of Ksumi tea. We recently discovered this brand and their Russian background and are hooked! Can't wait to try all the flavors! So far we've tried the Prince Vladimir one and it is top notch.

reading: my friend Ashley's blog religiously! She is such a burst of happy and bright and her perspective on motherhood is so inspiring and encouraging. She's a really good egg. 

wanting: at least 36 hours that don't involve being asked the same question three billion times consecutively, cleaning up mess after mess, rocking, not sleeping and feeding little ones. I will be real with you and tell you that I've probably never been more exhausted in my life. 

looking: at photos of my babies fifteen minutes after I put them down for the night. That is the insanity of parenthood - they drive you completely bananas but you'll be darned if they don't have your heart, completely. Another ironic twist - approximately 75 percent of the photos I have of them are when they are sleeping... You would think they sleep all the time! And you would be mistaken. 

playing: with Birdie and her shapes and colors flashcards. She has her colors down pat so we are attempting to reach the same level with shapes. Sometimes I can't believe that we are HERE with her already. 

wasting: a lot of lotion, balms and soap. Birdie is in a phase where anything that can be squeezed, squirted or pumped must be emptied with gusto! 

sewing: on buttons that Birdie has ripped off of clothes after attempting to button something.

wishing: it was summer. Like yesterday.

enjoying: watching Parenthood with papa bear. It's become our thing together. Every night we tuck the kids in and retreat to our room popcorn in hand, prepared for a good long cry fest. 

waiting: for it to be warm enough to take the kids on walks again. We've all been going a little stir crazy lately.

liking: the positivity I see all around me. We're all cold, slightly depressed and totally over winter but it's nice when we channel it into something healthy and good instead of just whining. 

wondering: what Teddy will sound like one day. Now that we know what Birdie's adorable little voice sounds like I'm dying to hear his!

loving: this life, this family of mine. Cold weather and dark clouds aside I am so very aware of just how lucky I am to have these people in my life. 

hoping: for some good weather for our upcoming trips to DC and NYC!! 

marveling: at the relationship between my two babies. I could have never imagined that Birdie would care for and love Teddy so tenderly or that Teddy would adore her so much. This age difference might kill me right now but I have feeling it will so be worth it years down the road. 

needing: a pair of these for spring! And possibly a matching pair for Birdie :).

smelling: Dr. Bronner's soap in almond. So good you want to eat it!!

wearing: my striped shirt. Over and over and over again. 

following: anything and everything to do with Atlanta on Instagram. I can't get enough of this awesome city! It's seriously underrated!

noticing: that postpartum hair loss is even worse this time around! If I'm not bald by the summer it's going to be a miracle.

knowing: that I really, truly cannot do it all. No matter how hard I try. 

thinking: I could really use a manicure. I think it's been almost a year since my last one...

feeling: more tired than I thought any human could be. But also grateful. So, so grateful.

bookmarking: Cheryl Strayed quotes. I should probably read the book now.

opening: jars of baby food. Teddy had his first sweet potatoes this weekend and we are on a roll!!

giggling:
 over Birdie's "silly voice." Her favorite thing to say is "A where's the baby" in the most ridiculous voice you have ever heard!! 

With it being March now I truly believe spring is right around the corner! I took this video a few weeks ago when we got to enjoy unusually warm day. Hope you all have a wonderful week!!