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Domestic

DIY Coffee Body Scrub

February 20, 2014

I wanted to try out the St. Tropez tanning products, but I’ve been too scared to be a streaky, mess and have had it stored in my cabinet for months. In typically “Whitney fashion” I researched a ton before making the tanning plunge and word on the street is exfoliating is critical.

Of course I decided I was “ready” when I was fresh out of body scrub, so I took to my kitchen to figure out a home remedy… introduce, Whitney’s DIY Coffee Body Scrub:

1/2 cup ground coffee
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw sugar

Mix all ingredients together.
Use scrub in the shower… it’s going to make a mess!
Massage onto wet skin in circular motions.
Rinse (you may need to use a little soap, because the coconut oil resulted in WAY too many coffee grounds being stuck to my skin).

I then used the St. Tropez tanning lotion and couldn’t be happier! I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without trying it! No smell, no streaking (use their glove!), and a really nice, natural glow – February can’t get me down!

Tasty

Coconut Carrot Soup

February 19, 2014

Shutterbean is one of my favorite food blogs, and when Tracy posted a write up on “Meal Prep” a couple of weeks ago, I was transfixed. Honestly, read it if you haven’t. I love planning meals ahead of time, but realized that sometimes that doesn’t work for my life. On weeks where my husband is going to be working late, or the weather is really nice and I don’t want to spend it in the kitchen, following Tracy’s game plan is a no-brainer. I have had her Coconut Carrot Soup pinned for FOREVER, so when she mentioned making a batch on Sunday to have for lunch throughout the week, it re-sparked my interest. I had just received a bunch of gorgeous carrots from my Farm Fresh to You box, and actually had ALL of the ingredients in my house (that NEVER happens). So, the next day before work, I chopped the carrots/onions and put them in a Ziplock bag, and laid out the (non refrigerated) ingredients for later that night. Once I got home from work, I followed the very short directions… and voila! Dinner and a few lunches were prepared with (hands on time) of 10 minutes! AWESOME!!!

Coconut Carrot Soup

Adapted from Shutterbean

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lb. carrots, peeled & chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (I used sriracha as a back-up)
1 lime

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion, season with salt & pepper, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are softened, 15-20 minutes.
Stir in broth, coconut milk, and sriracha.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and liquid is slightly reduced, 40-45 minutes.
Let soup cool slightly, then puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
Reheat in the saucepan if needed.
Add the juice of one freshly squeezed lime and stir.
Divide soup among bowls, and drizzle with sriracha and top with cilantro.

Uncategorized

The LIL Store

February 18, 2014

I am working on “leaning” out my closet this year and found a few pieces that I haven’t got around to wearing. I finally tried my hand at eBay, and wanted to share some of my items with you all (in case anyone is in a little online shopping mood today!).

Elie Tahari Black Suede Heels

Rachel Roy Dress

Black Coach Handbag

Trouve Blouse

Feel free to reach out to me here if you are interested… or click the links for more information on fabric/fits/etc.!

Tasty

Thai Night

February 17, 2014

I realized that with all of the sunny winter days California has had these past few months, slow cooking meals haven’t been on my radar. When the weather took a turn a couple of weeks ago, I was excited to get back in my “winter groove” of crock-pot cooking! Here as a Thai inspired menu I put together for Sunday dinner:

Skinny Pina Coladas

2 oz Homemade Pineapple Infused Rum
Juice of 1/4 of a Lime

Pour rum into a low ball glass with 1 large ice cube.
Top with lime juice, stir and enjoy!

Crockpot Curried Thai Short Rib Tacos with Mango Salsa

Recipe via Half Baked Harvest

Short Ribs

3 lbs beef short ribs, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 cup sweet thai chili sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon thai red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 head butter lettuce and/or small tortillas

Mango Salsa

1 mango, diced
1/2 small jalapeño, seeded & diced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 green onions, chopped

Thai Peanut Sauce

1 (14 oz) can lite coconut milk
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon thai red curry paste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom pan and brown/sear short ribs over medium-high heat (about 1 minute for each side).
Remove ribs and transfer to the crock-pot bowl.
Add garlic, ginger, sweet thai chili sauce, soy sauce, thai red curry paste and fish sauce to crock-pot bowl/ribs. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (5-6 on high). The key is to make sure the meat is falling off of the bones when you remove them.
While the ribs are cooking, make the mango salsa but mixing all the ingredients listed about together in a bowl. Season to your liking and store in the fridge until ready to serve (I recommend doing this in the morning as well… it will only taste better the longer the flavors can meld).
Make the peanut sauce by heating coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and thai red curry paste in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a low bowl and stir until sugar has dissolved, peanut butter has melted and you are left with a smooth peanut sauce. Store until you are ready to eat.
Once the ribs are fully cooked, remove from the crock-pot and shred with a fork. Feel free to put meat back into crock-pot with sauce (if you aren’t a “sauce” person, or like your meat a little drier than you can skip this step).
Serve meat with lettuce (for lettuce cups) or tortillas (for tacos), and top with mango salsa and peanut sauce.
Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Sip

Burnin’ Love!

February 14, 2014

Whether you are spending the night with your sweetie or out with your girls on the town, this conncoction is perfect way to kick off St. Valentine’s Day!