Welcome Home Taylor

Two Week Boost

Today I'm starting a two-week boost! What is a two-week boost you ask? Well, I want to get my butt in gear for eating a little healthier and working out a little bit more. The goal of this is not to lose weight or to be more physically attractive; I only want to feel better. I don't eat outrageously unhealthy (no fast food, no red meat, I don't overindulge), however, I do know that I don't eat enough fruits and veggies. So my main goal is to begin to incorporate those into my diet more. I've talked about my hip problems a while ago on here, but for those of you that don't know, I have a sore hip. There's nothing terribly wrong with it, but if I don't make a point to exercise it often, then I'm left in pain. A lot of pain. I fell off workout wagon a while back, but the past month I've been making a point to practice more pilates, which helps it a lot and I so I obviously want to continue with that.

My two-week plan will look like this:

• Alternate days for strength training and cardio (ex: Monday strength training 15-20 minutes; Tuesday run/jog 20-30 minutes; Wednesday strength training 15-20, so on and so forth). Sunday will be resting days.
• Incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. Make a point to have at least 2 of each a day.
• Start my day off with a healthy breakfast. I am already a breakfast fanatic, but I tend to lean more toward cereals, which are usually high in sugar. I'm making a point to eat whole grains and protein.
• Enjoy it! Which is the most important goal.
  

See? Nothing too crazy or absurd. If one day I become a health nut and an exercise junkie (nothing wrong with either of those things, in my opinion) then I will do it slowly. Right now, I enjoy my life and want to continue to live it the same way while making a point to be slightly healthier. I'm hoping that this two-week boost will encourage me and help to motivate me to do these things continuously.

Does this sound like fun to you? If you'd like to join in, comment below and follow me along on Instagram (@welcome_home)

 

photo by Glen Carrie via Unsplash.

A Picnic in the Park

The other day, David and I packed up a picnic of roasted tomatoes, marinated mozzerella balls, bruschetini, and blood orange San Pelegrinos. It was absolutely perfect outside, so we spread out our sheet under a shaded tree and snacked away. For dessert we brought Brussels (their Pepperidge Farm cookies and they're delicious!). I brought a candle, but there was too much of a breeze for it to even stay lit. If you're going out on a picnic, remember some plates, silverware, and napkins because they definitely come in handy!

xoxo

Amanda's Wedding Shower

Amanda's shower was this past Saturday and it went beautifully! We had it outdoors at a local Metropark and we honestly could not have asked for better weather. It wasn't too hot with a gentle breeze keeping it just cool enough without having it be windy. We played a few fun games such as homemade madlibs, which were hilarious, and a game calle "He-said, She-said," (hint: Riley won that one). One of the best things that I think we did was to have everyone bring their girls unwrapped sot hat we didn't have to spend a lot of time on that. Amanda just did a quick read-through of what everyone brought her and who it was from, which only last 10 minutes or so. We brought in a taco bar and then had donuts and homemade, honeycomb-shaped cookies for dessert. For favors, Amanda and her fiance's aunt made homemade beeswax chapsticks with their own label on them, some honey sticks, beautiful tea, and some cute little taffy pieces in a paper bag that were handstamped by Amanda. I can't say it enough, it turned out great!

^ We kept the desserts under some pink tulle so that we didn't have to worry about bugs

^^ We also made giant Jenga which some people had a blast playing.

The photos from here on down, were all taken by my sister's very talented soon-to-be mother-in-law, Cindy. If you're on the east side of Michigan, and need a photographer, definitely ask her!

Cute photo, right?

Too bad this one showcases us wayyy better.

The happy, weird couple.

xoxo

p.s. Don't forget to sign up for our giveaway!

birthday celebrations

Saturday I turned twenty-two! Growing older (is twenty-two considered older?) is such a weird thing because I simultaneously feel as though I should be much older and that my age is far too old. This birthday was wonderful though! I had to work the day of my birthday, which wasn't so bad because my co-workers brought me balloons, candy, and super delicious bumpy cake (if you don't know what that is, you should google it). After work, I went home and made my birthday cake and headed to my mom's new house for dinner with my family. Afterward, my dad took me, David, and our friend Mike to the casino because I've never been! It was so fun!

On Sunday David and I spent the entire day together. It started with me making crepes and bacon, then we went and did a little shopping and headed to an early dinner at our favorite barbeque place; It's becoming a birthday tradition. Afterward we went to a metro park to take a long walk then lay in the grass for a while. It was a wonderful day and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

xoxo

another very good Sunday

^^Put Riley in a pair of sunglasses and she just starts throwin' gang signs!

Yesterday I headed out to a park for the day with David, my three sisters, Amanda's fiance, and my dad and step-mom. It was absolutely perfect outside and we thouroughly enjoyed every second of the sunshine. We packed some lunch things up for roasted tomato BLT's (I'll share the recipe soon!), so delicous salsa and bean salad my step-mom, Susie, made and some other things to keep us snacking throughout the day. After lunch I head to the splash park with Susie and Riley so that the little Weasel could cool down. My sister, Madison and her friend went for a long paddleboat ride and the rest of the crew hung out by our stuff and played frisbee. After hours spent in the sun, we headed back to my parent's house for some grilled yumminess. We were all pretty dang exhausted at the end of the day, but it was the absolute best kind of exhaustion. Riley decided to take a few photos with my camera as well, so here they are below. They're pretty good, aren't they?!

^^^ She said "act like you're the happiest," so I tried just for her! Also, you can see how burnt my shoulders got in this picture! I used to never burn, but alas, age has caught up with me a tad.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are hopefully enjoying your extra day off! ;)

 

xoxo

Taylor

the best sunday

Yesterday was so unbelievably awesome! To celebrate Mother's Day, my sister and my momma came over to my house for some french toast and sausage. Then, we headed out to the antique show that David and my brother were working at this weekend and spent hours walking around and enjoying the most beautiful day that Michigan has seen so far this year. Afterward, we headed out to get some frozen custard and then back to my place for some naps (well, my mom and sister napped and I worked on a project). We met up at my mom's house for dinner with family and had a wonderful night talking and laughing and pushing the dogs out of our faces (they're very loving animals, you know). We also celebrated my mom's birthday (which is Wednesday) with a giant plate of cannolis! David wished my a happy mother's day since I'm a cat mom. haha! I hope everyone enjoyed their Sunday and hopefully were able to spend it with their mother's or othe women in their lives that they love and adore!

xoxo

a graduation

David had his graduation ceremony this past Sunday. And even though he 1. hates posing in pictures 2. hated that we were in people's way and 3. did not like wearing that cap and gown because he said he looked silly (everyone does though), he still stood for pictures for me. I was so proud of him for getting through this long journey of his and I yelled super loud when they called his name because he's worth it. I almost wasn't able to make it to the ceremony, but I'm really glad I did (even if they are pretty boring). Afterward we went and ate dinner at our favorite Thai place with his family. It was a good day. Congratulations again to my best friend!

xoxo

p.s. don't worry, I'll be back later this week with an outfit post of that awesome dress.

five favorite cookbooks

If you haven't noticed already (which I'm really hoping you have) I love cooking. In fact, I've grown my own collection over the years of cookbooks. Currently, I own somewhere between 12 and 17 give or take. That may sound like a ridiculous amount to some, but I really love it and it's my own indulgence. There are, however, a select few that I always find myself turning to consistently. I thought that I might share them with you in hopes that you can find your own inspiration and expand your own library.

1. Real Simple Easy, Delicous Home Cooking: this book is super awesome for quick, weekday meals. Most of them are under 30 minutes are are relatively easy to make. What I really love is that everything is seperated into seasonal categories, which makes it super easy to take advantage of what's in season.

2. Dinner: A Love Story: I was gifted this cookbook for Christmas a couple years ago and I fell in love with it immediately. I usually read my cookbooks like novels (yep, from front to back and nope, I'm not joking) and this really played to that love for me. Not only is it the story of how their dinners evolved from early marriage to young children, but Jenny Rosenstrach has some awesomely realistic and delicious recipes! It's definitely been a comfort and savior to me these past few months that David and I have lived together.

3. Homemade With Love: David bought me this book on a whim for my 21st birthday. Definitely my favorite gift of that birthday, hands down. I've never been disappointed with any of Jennifer Perillo's recipes. I love that she takes the homemade approach into her home and give not only recipes for things like pancake mix, but also delicious (mostly Italian) meals. This book has definitely had some major wear over the past 9 months that I've owned it.

4. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Let me just start by saying that for the past few years, David has refered to Deb Perelman as "my girl Deb". Which just goes to show you how much I love her recipes and I was thrilled when her cookbook came out. This is great for when you want to make a simple meal a little fancy (e.g. parents coming over for dinner) or if you just want to make breakfast a little extra creative. Her writing is incredibley entertaining too, which makes it feel like she's practically in the kitchen with me.

5. Baked Explorations: I've had this book for one of the longest times. It's my go-to whenever I need to make something for dessert when I'm having friends or family come over, or just because. My favorite recipe is definitely their sweet and salty brownies. Buy this book and go make them. Now.

 

Hope you find some new reads! xoxo

ravioli with brussels sprouts and bacon

I feel as though I have a small apology to make. I'm sorry that there's been so much food on this blog lately and not much of anything else. It's been really hard to take any style pictures what with this polar vortex going on and all. Plus, food has basically been my life for the past month or two. Well, I suppose it's everyone's life and all considering we need it to survive, but this is how my schedule has been going: wake up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, do some stuff around the house, do some homework, do some blogging, shower, bed. That doesn't leave me with very many interesting things. Unless you wanna know what shampoo I use or how to scoop a kitty litter. Those things just aren't as blog-worthy as say, this delicious ravioli dish with crispy bacon, sauteed brussels sprouts, and toasted pecans. mmmm. Anyway, enough with this blabbering. On with the food!!!

This may or may not be my favorite dish that I've made thus far at home. There are so many yummy flavors and it was so so quick and easy. Plus, I've been trying to find yummy ways to incorporate more veggies into our diets since neither David or I get enough. Also, Emma from A Beautiful Mess is always inspiring me to try some Brussels sprouts. I've been getting weird stomachaches lately (probably because I have a horrible fear of throw up and everyone around me has had the flu, therefore I'm in a constant state of anxiety. And yes, I did just publicly admit one of the weirdest things about me. I apologize) which obviously leads to stomachaches and me not eating much. This dinner though...I ate A LOT. Not too much, but just enough and it left me going to bed so happy that night. Anyway, without further ado (and before I admit more weird things about myself) here is My Favorite Recipe of the Year so Far:

to make ravioli with brussels sprouts and bacon:adapted only slightly from Real Simple

1 pound cheese ravioli
6 slices thick bacon
a few glugs of olive oil
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
5-6 medium brussels sprouts, sliced thinly horizantally
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
freshly grated parmesean to finish

Cook your ravioli according to package directions.

While your water is boiling, start cooking bacon. While the bacon was simmering and spitting away, I chopped my pecans and sliced the brussels sprouts. When the bacon is crispy, place on paper towel lined plated to drain of excess fat. Wipe out most of bacon grease with paper towel (I left a little in for extra flavor). Heat olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the chopped pecans and toast for a few minutes. Add the brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper. Sautee for a 4-5 minutes until slightly wilted. Stir in the white wine vinegar and bacon. Warm through for a few minutes. Serve with brussels sprout mixture spooned over ravioli.

Enjoy!

 

double chocolate cookies (or: exactly what I need this week)

This week has been absolutely ridiculously busy. Between school, work, and some projects I've been working on, it's hard for me to find time to breath. I definitely can't wait until the next few days are over so my life settles down just a little bit and I can find more time for the things that I love. I didn't post a week of dinners yesterday because quite honestly, most of my dinners were rushed and I didn't really have time to think about taking pictures of it.

You're probably just wondering about these cookies. I made them in the middle of a study break to calm me down (yes guys, that's what I do: bake to calm my nerves. It's amazing that I don't weigh more than I do, honestly) and because we were having a few friends over that night. I'm glad the recipe made so many cookies, because the leftovers have helped me get through this week and made for a snack during my Downton Abbey viewing party I have every Sunday night. You can find the recipe for the cookies here. The only thing that I altered was using 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet because that's what I had on hand. I also think these would be great with a little coarse sea salt sprinkled over the top (just a little though).

On one last note, this cookie jar is awesome. It used to be my dad's and, forgetting that I had asked for it, he gave it to my sister. When I moved though, she "lent" it to me. I may or may not give it back (just kidding, I definitely won't. It's mine forever!)

xoxo