{Favorite SKINNYTASTE recipes}

If you know me you know I don't have a long history of being a "cook". In fact I when I was growing up there were many times where I would go look in the fridge/pantry and yell to my mom that there was nothing to eat. Our first several years of marriage consisted of a lot of pasta, a lot of frozen dinners and maybe burritos. Easy stuff that could just be pulled out, heated up and ready to eat in no time.
Thank God for pinterest. Honestly! It made recipe finding a whole lot easier. You see a picture of a dish it looks good so you click the recipe. Now that we are in our new place for almost a year already. I've been consistently cooking up a storm.

This NEW year I've been trying really hard for this family to eat better. It's hard! Not because of lack of willing to do so. But because of time and budget. Unfortunately it's always been this way that healthier foods cost more where junk food is super cheap. There's really no way around that. Or healthy food doesn't taste good and takes up too much time to make. Since I can't fix the cost factor, I can help with the time and taste. So I have compiled a ton of my favorite recipes from my favorite website. www.Skinnytaste.com It's got a lot of lightened up recipes that taste absolutely yummy. Here are a few our favorites that we have made several times and can't get enough of.

Spaghetti with Sauteed chicken and grape tomatoes

Grilled Flank Steak

Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Baked Chicken Milanese with Arugula and tomatoes

Puerto Rican style beans

I will post my favorite dessert recipes from Skinnytaste next time. This should occupy for awhile :)

{DIY} Christmas Decor on a budget...

I've been hard at work all week making my own Christmas decorations this year. I have definitely been inspired by this side of the country. It's history and character etc. This is my first time doing the color scheme throughout the whole house. It's small enough that I can and it all works. First I wanted to make a banner for the fireplace mantle. I saw a few on pinterest and decided on this idea. I just searched printable letters and settled on this old typewriter font from Martha Stewart

cut out slightly larger circles from my own scrapbook party. I strung with curling ribbon that I already had too. Simple and cute and didn't cost anything.

 

 I had to take advantage of having this gorgeous fireplace mantle to work with this year. It's great to be living in middle of the woods practically. I just went outside grabbed a few twigs got some cheap white spray paint and put them in vases with fake snow I already had.
If you are planning on making any of your decor. I strongly suggest thrift stores like the Salvation Army or dollar stores. I got so much great stuff at the dollar tree. This wreath that I just wrapped with beaded garland that I already had. As well as these really cute stocking hooks, glass candlestick holders, fake flowers. I also just sprayed painted an old perrier bottle a friend left at my house.

 

Next I'm always doing some kind of creative centerpiece for the table. It's such a huge focal point during the holidays that I wanted something classic and elegant. As you can see I picked black, silver and white since I already had the ornaments and Miss Riley picked the purple.

During the week I went to the Salvation Army and found sooo much great stuff. I had to do my best to control myself and not buy the whole store! So much vintage glassware. I got these matching bowls as well as these silver trays. I just used ornaments and items from the Dollar Tree. I asked around my neighborhood for leftover wine bottles. I was going to paint them white but decided the green was pretty by itself. Oh the table runner was from the dollar tree too!

This gorgeous bowl I'm going to use for Christmas candy! Yum!