Sweet Potato Soup

It's getting chilly here in the North East and that means soup is now a regular meal for our family.  I love broth based veggie soups while my husband likes the creamy "stick to your bones" kind of soups.  My sweet potato soup is a happy medium :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion (yellow or white)
1/4 carrots carrots
1-2 cloves garlic
4 medium to large sweet potatoes
48 oz. of chicken broth
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 dashes of cinnamon
Salt
2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Recipe:
Dice onion, carrots, and garlic.  Peel and cube sweet potatoes.

Sauté' onions, carrots, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon in the Olive Oil.  Add a good pinch of salt.

Add cubed sweet potatoes and broth- bring to a simmer and cook for 30-45 mins.

Use an emerson blender and puree soup.  *If you don't have a hand emerson blender then you use use a blender.

** Add salt to taste
** You may need to add more stock if the soup gets too thick once blended.


I made my croutons with a loaf of organic rosemary sourdough bread- Yummy!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Good Morning!  It's been raining like crazy here the past few days...

 I thought I'd share my favorite must have boots for the family.  Thanks to my husband (who is prepared for any situation) I've started to buy appropriate "gear" for our family.  It really does make a difference when you can get into the car and you're not freezing, wet or both!  We wear the following boots ALL of the time, year round.  My son especially loves his little Hunter boots. He now gets to splash in puddles and Mommy loves how adorable they look on his little feet!  I promise these will be your go-to boots!

'Original Refined' Rain Boot (Women)

These are the ones I purchased.  They are similar to the Original Tall ,but are slimmer to fit my tiny calves! 

'Original Tall' Rain Boot (Women)

Top-Sider® 'Avenue' Rain Boot (Men)

Sperry Top-Sider Avenue Duck 3-Eye

'First Classic' Rain Boot (Walker, Toddler & Little Kid)  Nordstrom is currently offering 25% these boots!  I'f you're considering these don't wait because they will sell out! 

Pumpkin Bread

 I love pumpkin!  It's one of my favorite things about the fall.  I consume ungodly amounts and by December I've usually had my fill to last me until the next fall.

This past week I've been playing around with a few recipes I found for pumpkin bread. I wanted to use coconut oil (if you don't have this in your pantry go get it) and I wanted to add more fiber.  My kids love this bread for breakfast or for a quick snack!

Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (I use dark brown)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ (you could use whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
*1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
*1/4 nutmeg
*1/4 ginger
*** you could use 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice- I don't because I use all organic spices.
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup vanilla almond milk (or water)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and spray with oil

2. Whisk together dry ingredients.  Create a well in the center of the bowl and add wet ingredients.  Mix ingredients together until ingredients are combined.  DO NOT OVER MIX.

3. Pour batter into loaf pan.  Bake for 50-65 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out clean.  Let cool until it reaches room temperate.

Fall Must Haves

Today was the first day I felt like fall was well on its way here in PA.  Suiting since tomorrow is the first day of autumn. As much as I love summer, fall is my next favorite season.  We are lucky to have such beautiful falls in PA.  There's truly nothing like it.

I recently purchased a few new things for MYSELF.   I highlight myself, because my kids and husband always seem to come first.  I think you can all relate.  I'm in love with my new purchases and thought I'd share just incase you would like to treat yourself :)

JCrew Factory Gingham Button Down Shirt- Nothing says fall to me like gingham!   Pair it with white or blue jeans- boots or flats.  

New Balance 620 Sneakers by JCrew-  I was looking for a pair of sneakers that would look OK with jeans.  These are perfect for running around doing errands or going to the playground.  

JCrew Facotry Quilted Puffer Vest  I have multiple colors in this vest and wear them from fall into spring.    

Lands End Tote- I LOVE their totes.  Whether we are doing a weekend away, going to the pool, or headed to the playground I'm using my tote.  They come in a wide range of sizes, colors, and you can get it monogrammed :)   They also make great personalized gifts!

Live Without Plastic

If any of you know my family and I, you know that we try our best to take plastic out of our lives.  It's a personal choice of ours, we try to intake as few chemicals (one being BPA) as possible.  Did you know when heat and multiple washings are applied, the plastic starts to break down and releases into the food or drink?  Yuck!
 Because of our plastic free lifestyle, we have purchased many products that are stainless steal or glass.  Some have failed, but many we have loved and are in use all day and every day.  Below are some of my favorite stainless products.

Pottery Barn Kids Stainless Steal Bento Boxes

Safe Sippy Cup- both boys use/used these as they transitioned from bottles to cups. 

Stainless Steal Straws

YETI Rambler Colster "Koozie"- THIS THING IS AMAZING!  You will never have warm beer again!

Brooks Brother's Friends Sale

I am the proud mother of two little boys.  So when it comes to shopping for them I am always looking for good quality, but at a fair price.  I like to dress my boys preppy and classic.  Personally, I'm not a fan of graphics, fonts, etc. on my kids clothing (monograms are a whole other story!).  So when I found out that Brook's Brothers is having their FRIENDS sale I had to do a little shopping for the boys.  Jack is still too little to fit into their clothing, but Brooks can now wear their 4t.  I shop for my husband here and have always loved their quality.  My boys are SO hard on their clothes, finding good quality at an affordable price is key!

Below I put together two outfits- one for early fall (school picture day?) and the other for the holidays.  I only shopped in the clearance section and with the code FRIENDS you get an additional 25% off your purchase.  Happy shopping!

Navy gingham shirt, Green Chinos, Navy woven belt, Tartan belt, Tartan sport shirt, Santan embroidered corduroys, 

I'm Alive! & Bathroom Update

HELLO out there.....

Quick Update:
Brooks is back in preschool (3yr. old) classroom and LOVES school! He learned how to swim this summer and is currently obsessed with basketball.  Michael Jordan and Space Jam (from 1996!) is his show of choice.

Jack is now 18 months!  I can't believe my baby is now a toddler.  He's SO sweet and loves to do everything his big brother does.  He loves books and is my little helper.


There's been a lot going on in terms of making our house a home, so I thought I'd share what I've been up to.  I'll start with the boys upstairs bathroom.  I LOVE white- white kitchens, white bathrooms, etc. so it was natural for me to choose a classic white hexagonal tile floor and a white double vanity.

Because it's the boy's bathroom I wanted to add a fun art print, "Jorey Hurley, Dog In Grass" and this Jaipur fabric for the roman shades from Serena and Lily. I also love using large baskets for our dirty laundry.  The basket not only hids the dirty clothes, but also gives the room some much needed texture.  

Double Vanity-  Jorey Hurley "Dog In Grass Art"-  Jaipur Fabric- Turkish Hand Towel-  Large Woven Basket