best breakfast ever!

As I mentioned last week, Matt and I took a little babymoon up to Chicago a few weeks ago!  Chicago has always been a place on our bucket list and a place that neither of us had been to... until now!  We absolutely loved it.  We are already planning our next trip back.  One of our favorite spots was a breakfast place we found right off of Michigan Ave - Wild Berry. It was cute, quaint and absolutely delicious!  I got a decaf White Chocolate Raspberry Latte and I still have dreams about it.  Along with my buckwheat and strawberry pancakes... and my feta and spinach omelet.  I ate a lot!  Anyway, if you're up that way you must eat here!  You won't be disappointed..

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Business Feature! Cara from Sugar by the Sea

Today I am super excited to introduce you to one of my dear friends, Cara.  She recently started her business, Sugar by the Sea, a licensed in-home bakery, that produces delectable treats that almost look to gorgeous to eat!  Cara's talent is undeniable and working with her is such a pleasure.  My mom recently placed an order for Super Bowl and as always, Cara didn't disappoint.  She does everything from birthday parties and weddings to baptisms and graduation celebrations.  She is located in Leland but serves the entire surrounding area including Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach.  If you are in need of a delicious treat for a special occassion or just because she's so good, she is your gal!  So here y'all go, get to know the sweet baker behind Sugar by the Sea, and check out some of her AMAZING orders from Valentine's Day!

Tell about your blog/business in a few sentences.

I am a self-taught baker and cake designer and have been baking and decorating cakes since 2007 when I decided, spontaneously, to bake and decorate a mermaid cupcake cake for my sister’s birthday. I was in college at the time getting a degree in studio art and it seemed like a good idea to experiment with cake! I am so glad that I did. I love making cakes for people to enjoy esthetically as well as tasting delicious! I love thinking about the joy people will get, not just out of the cake, but out of the event itself—whether it’s a birthday, bachelorette party, or wedding!

Where do you see yourself/your business in 5 years?

In 5 years I would love to have a cake studio space to work and meet with potential clients that is TF (toddler free!). It would be amazing to not destroy my personal kitchen every day as well! In the short-term I am working on converting a room in my house to my office/cake display room and I’m super excited to have this new creative space to plan, draw and design cakes in!

What's a personal trial you had to overcome?

A personal trial I had to overcome was really, truly believing in myself. For years people told me “You need to open a cake business!! Why haven’t you?” and I had a million and one excuses. I really started examining this this past year and wondering what I was so scared of. I finally realized I was terrified of not being “perfect”, I was so scared to make a mistake that I never even tried. It has been the most amazing thing for me to realize that we are not called to be perfect, because no one is. Everyone that is really good at something once started out as a complete beginner. I tell myself this when I get scared to try something new, which after starting this business is almost daily!

Who or what inspires you?

My inspiration for everything comes from my faith in Jesus Christ. I feel his presence and know that he gave me my passions and gifts for a reason. To live in fear of failure is, in essence, to disrespect the gifts he has given me. I trust him above all so I chase my dreams with full force, with Jesus I have nothing to fear! I want to be able to stand before God and say wholeheartedly that I have used everything he has given me to the best of my ability. How liberating it is to realize this. As a 27 year old woman I feel like I am finally starting to push fear aside and trust God.  I also get lots of inspiration from my sweet family- my daughter and husband who are everything to me! Lastly, I am so inspired in this beautiful place that I get to call home - the coast. I love everything about Coastal North Carolina. The ocean feels like a very part of me, hence my logo the mermaid (holding a yummy cupcake of course!!)  

Share one of your favorite pictures and tell why it's your favorite.

This is one of my favorite pictures. My daughter was only a week old and I was so exhausted, but so happy! Despite being the heaviest and probably sorest I’ve ever been, I felt really beautiful. My husband took the picture and it was probably about 1 in the morning; everything about this picture makes me happy because I remember the moment exactly. I was so proud of this perfect little beautiful creature! We would just stay awake staring and marveling at her (we still do this...does it ever stop?!).

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Are you in love yet?  With her talent and her heart?!?!  Thank you Cara for sharing today.  Be sure and head over to Sugar by the Sea's Facebook Page and "like" it so you can see more of her amazing work and get any updates.  Also, feel free to email Cara with any questions at sugarbythesea1 [at] gmail.com

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our favorite healthy toddler smoothies

Everyday when G wakes up from her afternoon nap we make a smoothie.  She used to be afraid of the blender and the loud noise it made when it turned on, but now she loves pressing the button to start and stop it.  So smoothies are a fun thing at our house.  It's also a super easy, filling and healthy afternoon snack (sometimes we'll grab some cheddar bunnies with it!) and a great way for me to get Georgia to take her multivitamin and probiotic if she didn't take it in her morning yogurt.  So we have 2 go-to recipes.  I mix them up depending on what we have eaten early in the day and what is for dinner.  If there isn't much green on the menu for dinner, I'll go with The Green Smoothie, but if I feel she could use a bit more fruit then I'll go with Th Red Smoothie (how original are these names yall?!  I know I know... I'm so creative.  However, eventually I hope G can say these names so it's a teaching opportunity ya know?).  Oh and PS - I make enough of these smoothies to fill up one sippy cup, one big girl cup (for mama) and maybe a tiny refill for Georgia if she's extra hungry.  

Georgia's Green Smoothie

2 handfuls of organic kale

2 handfuls of organic spinach

4-5 large frozen strawberries

a spoonful of chia seeds (we get ours on amazon here)

a splash of apple juice

water to fill liquid up to 3/4 of where the solids stop

Georgia's Red Smoothie

6-8 large frozen strawberries

half a banana (or a whole, depending on taste preference)

spoonful of chia seeds

coconut or almond milk depending on what's in the fridge

fill liquid up to 3/4 of where the solids stop

**I add her multivitamin and probiotic to her sippy cup then pour smoothie over it

On another note, that picture above was Georgia right after she turned 1.  So, 2 1/2 months ago.  I mean I can't even deal.  She's already grown up so much since then.  OK life, slow down please and let me soak it in.

Have a great weekend!

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Healthy 1st Birthday Cake

As excited as I was for the adorable pictures of cake all over G's face on her birthday, I wasn't quite ready to give her a full-fledged sugar cake.  Do I think it is bad?  Of course not!  I just personally wasn't ready.  So I set out to find a yummy recipe for a "cake" using ingredients other than sugar.  And this is what we came up with!  I modified it a bit from the first recipe here but all in all it was a success!  I baked one on her actual birthday when we had the grandparents over for dinner and she really liked it.  No, she didn't smash it in her face unfortunately but she was pretty into it.  I made it again for her birthday party later that week and to be honest, she was slightly uninterested.  I even put Cool Whip on it for the party!  But to be honest, this really isn't a cake.  It's more of a banana bread.  So it's hard for little fingers to really dig in.  Since then we have had this as a breakfast go-to and she loves it - as does hubby - so it's a win win for us!  

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

a few sprinkles of cinnamon

6 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup sugar-free applesauce (I made my own using my baby food maker - so easy!)

1/4-1/2 cup whole milk (depending on consistency)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and cinnamon)

In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients (bananas, applesauce and milk)

Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and and mix.  If it seems dry, add a splash more milk.

Bake in a 9'' round pan for 60-90 minutes (testing the middle after 60 minutes)

Viola!

Yummy Yummy!  I used Organic, Sugar-Free Cool Whip for her icing.

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NYC: brunch at le pain quotidien

Sooooo it just happened to be that the weekend of #lopatkafamilyvacay in NYC was also the weekend of a girls trip for 3 of my college besties!  PERFECT!  So when everyone got in town on Friday, we brunched it at a delicious dreamboat of a place.  My friend Emily is a super fabulous fashion designer in NYC so she took us to Le Pain Quotidien right across from Bryant Park.  Food was delicious.  Atmosphere was perfection (especially when you have a baby lady who hasn't slept in a few nights and decides that she must have mommy walk the cafe towards the end of brunch!) and company was - well, the best part!  We laughed and chatted together and it felt like college again.  Except we focused more on coffee than mimosas this time...  Anyway, after brunch we be-bopped over to Em's fabulous designer workplace so that was cool!  All in all it was an afternoon well-spent with sweet friends.  Love them so.  And now I get to see them all again this weekend woop woop!  Life is good.

en route to brunch

molly and margie

auntie emmie

thanks random lady who took our pic :)

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yummy nutella cookies

Nutella is pretty much a food group at our house.  I eat it every day, either on my toast or on some form of fruit.  I looooove it.  So on Valentine's Day I was looking for a recipe for some cookies to bring the hub's pharmacy and came across this one.  And they are amazeeeeeeeeeeeeee.  And super easy.  Here are the details...

my lil chef

Ingredients:

I cup Nutella

2 Cups Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Cup of Flour and 1 Tablespoon of Flour

Course Sea Salt for Sprinkling (best idea EVER)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Combine all of the ingredients except for the salt in a large bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer until well mixed and place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.

3. Roll the cold dough on an ungreased cookie sheet in 1 inch balls.

4. Bake 8-10 minutes.

5. Let cool for a few minutes before sprinkling the salt then enjoy!

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healthy, yummy egg white "muffins"

So one of my major goals this year is to make healthy eating a standard in our home.  We do a pretty good job of that already, but I want to do even better.  I'm trying to make most of my food; i.e. eat less packaged and processed foods, but here's the catch - I NEED EASY!  When it comes to eating breakfast and lunch, I'm lazy and busy.  I know I stay at home and my baby is only 6 1/2 months old, but trust me y'all, somehow the days fly by and it's 4 pm and I haven't truly nourished myself all day.  Just eaten snacks!  Chocolate covered pretzels here, a scoop of guacamole there.  I'm also pretty lazy when it comes to fixing myself a meal.  I'm not sure why this is honestly, but when it's just me at home, it's very unlikely that I will take the time to whip up a yummy salad filled with chopped fruits, veggies and nuts - unless they are already prepared for me.  So, I've been working on easy, yummy, healthy foods that I can prepare in advance (like chopping up those fruits and veggies ahead of time for my salad)!  

Enter these egg white "muffins."  I made 10 (2 for each morning of the week) and put them in zip lock bags.  Every morning I take 2 out, heat them up, and boom - healthy, protein packed breakfast done.  So I can feed myself while I'm feeding my baby!  

I took this recipe and adjusted it a bit, mainly because I used what I had at home, but there are a million different ways you can change these and make them your own!

1. Spray or oil a muffin tin and fill each hole with yummy fixins!  I used spinach and cheese, but plan to add peppers next time too.  You can add onions like this recipe suggests, and really anything you want (broccoli, mushrooms, ham).

2. Pour egg whites over fixins (if using whole eggs, use 2 egg whites per muffin).

3. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

4. Let cool completely and store in Ziploc bags for the rest of the week!  These can be frozen too!

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