instagram updates

We had a wonderful, but very busy weekend. We spent most of our time scouting out our new, new place (more on that tomorrow), but also found time for some fun. Saturday we went to our favorite local spot for dinner, and enjoyed a little Bob Marley from the band.

And shared an after dinner gelato on the patio :)

Then for a few hours on Sunday we went to the Texans for West benefit concert where we picnicked, soaked up the sun, and listened to great live music. 

Stay tuned tomorrow for some exciting moving news!

mmmMonday

Today I'm going to share with you my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that also happens to be vegan. Now, this in no way makes these healthy... they are chocolate chip cookies after all, but I feel a little better about eating these over other cookies. This recipe was given to us by one of Charlie's coworkers, and I've never made a regular chocolate chip cookie again!

I usually make a batch of these and only cook about 6 of them, and then put the rest in the freezer. They taste better after they've sat for at least 24 hours, and it also makes it easy to cook just two or three at a time. I bake from frozen, and add a minute or two to the baking time.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 1/2 t. Ener-G Egg Replacer

6 T. of water

1 C. non-dairy butter (like Earth Balance)

3/4 C. organic granulated sugar

3/4 C. organic brown sugar, firmly packed

2 t. vanilla extract

2 1/4 C. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1-3 C. non-dairy chocolate chips (I use Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375. In a food processor whip the egg replacer and water together until thick and creamy. 

In a large bowl cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add the egg replacer into this mixture and thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture until it begins to form a dough. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes of until golden brown. Let sit for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

DIY polka dot wall art

Our bedroom was in serious need of some artwork on the walls. I didn't want to spend much money on something that might not work in our new home, so I decided to get a little crafty and recreate this look that I saw in Lonny Editor and Chief, Michelle Adams' bedroom. 

Lonny Magazine//March 2013

Photography by Patrick Cline

Interior Design & Art Direction by Michelle Adams

Let me start by saying that I'm definitely not a crafty person, and I'm not the most patient person in the world. Most craft projects I start end in disaster, but this one is basically foolproof and only takes about 15 minutes of your time!

Supplies: 

16 x 20 Canvas

Painter's Tape

Black Acrylic Paint

Martha Stewart Foam Pouncers

Outline your canvas in painter's tape to create a nice, clean border.

Use the largest size foam pouncer to create a few big dots.

Using the medium size pouncer fill in the spaces with more dots.

Fill in the rest of the space using the smallest pouncer.

Hang it on the wall and admire your amazingly easy and fast artwork!

I'm so impatient I didn't even wait until it was dry to hang it on the wall. I do not recommend this :)

finished bedroom reveal

Remember when I posted about redoing our bedroom? Today you can check out the finished product featured on Caitlin Wilson's blog!

I finished our bedroom just in time for us to move out in two weeks. Ha! Well, at least I'll have a good base to work off of for our new bedroom.

P.S. A DIY post on our polka dot wall art is coming tomorrow!

mmmMonday

I'm so glad last week is over. There was way too much heartbreak throughout the nation in such a short amount of time. I'm happy to be starting a new, more positive week. If you are interested in donating to any of the victims of the many tragedies, you can find information here, here, and here.

I've really been enjoying trying new recipes, so to give me some motivation to keep it up I'm going to start a new weekly series, mmmMonday. In this series I'll be posting my favorite diet-friendly recipes that I've tried throughout the week!

This week, hands down, our favorite meal was this vegetable quinoa stir-fry. It was quick, simple, and most importantly it left me feeling satisfied, which so many diet-friendly recipes fail to do. Before I made this, I made a large batch of quinoa that I could use in recipes throughout the week. Just like regular stir-fry, this works best when the quinoa is made ahead and cooled before using. I also just used veggies that I had on hand, but I'm sure this would be good with pretty much anything (carrots, peas, mushrooms, etc). 

Vegetable Quinoa Stir-Fry

adapted from: Damn Delicious

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil, divided
1 zucchini squash, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups quinoa, cooked
1/2 bag of Gardein beefless tips, cooked according to package directions

Instructions:
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil in a medium skillet. Scramble eggs, and set aside. 

Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil in a wok on medium high heat. Add onions and broccoli florets, and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and scrambled eggs to the wok. Cook for an addition 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Add cooked beefless tips, and soy sauce and sriracha to taste.

Makes approx. 4 servings.

Some good news! After last week I've officially completed all of my classes for my interior design certification. So I'm at least somewhat legit now, right? I'm still struggling hard with whether or not I pursue a degree in interior design, or if I try teaching again. Decisions, decisions... 

instagram updates

After being sick for the past three weeks, I finally feel like I'm on the mend. While I was sick this guy was pretty neglected, so this week he is getting pampered at the groomer and getting lots of long walks. Sorry, Tobias!

We got outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend at Third Monday Trade Days

 I scored this gold faux bamboo bar cart for only $30! My favorite part is that the top comes off and can be used as a serving tray. I'm going to give it a fresh coat of gold paint and then decide if I'm going to keep it or sell it to one lucky person.

Even after spending all day outside we weren't quite ready to go indoors, so we decided to have a little Starbucks date on the patio.

 Can I just say I was more than a little excited to see this show up in my instagram feed!

My instagram used to be private, but since I share most of them on the blog I've decided there isn't much of a point to this. So, if you'd like to follow me it's @stacyandcharlie! Also, I'm trying to get better about twitter, so follow me on there, too :)

sadness + a little celebration

First of all I want to say how incredibly sad I am about what happened yesterday during the Boston Marathon, especially on an occasion that should have been so happy for so many people. I hate that we live in a world where someone would willingly try to harm another person. There really are no words. This is another reminder to be thankful for what you have in life, and never take anything for granted.

art by poppyandpinecone

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." - Fred Rogers

Before the sadness of yesterday's events I was incredibly excited to see our living and dining room featured on West Elm's blog, Front and Main. It is nice to see that all of the hard work we've put into our apartment is finally being seen by others!

If you didn't catch it, check out the post here!

skinny vegetable enchilada bake

This weekend I had a serious craving for cheesy enchiladas, but I didn't want to ruin the progress I've made this week (6 pounds!! what, what!). I also had a huge amount of spinach I needed to use, so I took matters into my own hands and created my own, healthier version. I was stuffed after two of these and they come in at less than 300 calories!

Skinny Vegetable Enchilada Bake

Ingrediants:
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 zucchini squash, chopped
3 cups fresh baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 corn tortillas
8 oz enchilada sauce (I used Frontera Red Chili Sauce because I'm lazy and I like that it has no gluten or preservatives!)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saute pan, add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and saute chopped red bell pepper and yellow onions over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped zucchini and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes until tender. Add minced garlic and spinach and continue sauteeing until spinach begins to wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste (I omitted salt because I am trying to eliminate as much sodium as possible from my diet, but you may find that you need it).

Add a small amount (approx. 1/4 cup) of veggies to a corn tortilla. Roll and place in a small to medium sized baking dish. Continue this with the additional corn tortillas. Top the enchiladas with any remaining vegetable mixture and cover with 1 cup of enchilada sauce. Top with 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serves: 4

Nutrition (per serving):

Calories: 284 calories

Fat: 9.5 g

Sodium: 369.8 mg

sofa and console before + after

The second challenge in my interior styling class was to restyle our sofa and console. I started this restyle by gathering every single throw pillow and blanket in our apartment.. But even after gathering everything, I ended up sticking to pretty much what I had before.

Before:

After:

Not a huge change, but there isn't very much you can do to completely change the look of a sofa without purchasing new pillows. This challenge helped me to see that I definitely need a little color in the living room, so i'll be on the lookout for a fix in our new house (less than a month now!).

I've been meaning to work on restyling our console, but I came down with bronchitis and now have a horrible sinus infection, so I'm very behind on everything I've wanted to do this week. Pictures will be coming soon!

entryway design plan

Using the rug that I mentioned in this post, I've decided to change up my entryway plan. Wallpaper is going to be a no-go, and I really don't want to paint again, so I've used things we have around the house to create this space. I also figured that using the F word in two different places might freak a few people out, so instead of this fun banner, I'll settle with moving our current bathroom artwork out into the entry. Because really, if that poster isn't a motivational way to start the day, then I don't know what is!

rug

greek key console

Jayes storage bin

Robert Abbey gourd lamp

Zara Home gold tray

pink ikat pillow

ghost chair

carpe poster

Robert Abbey light fixture

ikea stockholm collection 2013

The new Ikea Stockholm collection is old news in the bloggity world, but I just today took the trip to Ikea to see the goodness for myself.

Emerald green velvet couch? Crazzy fabulous light fixture? Yes, please!

Photo by Anna Gustafsson

 And these cabinets. I have to get one of these to display my pretties.

Photo by Anna Gustafsson

[source]

spinach and hummus melts

Yesterday I forgot to share my favorite recipes from last week, so today will do. I only have one to share because I wasn't very good at cooking or taking pictures, but it is a good one because it took less than 10 minutes to put together and it was very tasty.

Spinach Hummus Melts

recipe adapted from: {never} homemaker

Ingredients:

2 T hummus (Fountain of Health traditional is my favorite)

2 low calorie english muffins (I used Thomas 100 Calorie)

3-4 large handfuls organic spinach

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 slice of low calorie mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces (I used Sargento thin slice)

Directions:

Turn on toaster oven broiler. Spread 1T of hummus on every 2 slices of english muffin (2T total on 4 slices). Saute (without oil) spinach and garlic. Add pepper to taste. Place sauteed spinach on top of each english muffin. Top with a small amount of mozzarella cheese. I tore one 40 calorie slice of mozzeralla and spread it out between the four muffins to save some calories. Broil for a few minutes, or until cheese starts to brown.

Serving size: 4 slices

Nutrition 

Calories:  310

Fat: 7 g

Sodium: 375 mg

Next time I would toast my muffins before broiling because they turned out a little soft. I'd also add even more spinach. It cooks down so much this was just enough to barely cover all four slices. Also, if you're not omitting things for a special diet you can add a little olive oil and salt to taste. I omitted both, but didn't miss them a bit!

coffee table before + after

As promised in this post, here are my coffee table before and after shots. I've had pretty much the same coffee table setup for the past three years, so seeing it differently was a bit of a challenge for me.

Before:

After:

I love using this hot pink box to store the remotes out of sight.

What do you think? Any suggestions for me?

I've also just done a sofa and console restyle that I will be sharing on Friday!

friday finds

Okay, I just had to share this sale. Right now my favorite place for rugs, RugsUsa, has some pretty fantastic rugs for 80% off! Below are some of my favorite finds. I snatched up #2 and #5 for myself! They are practically giving these away, so I'm sure they won't last long!

1// 5 x 8 $144

2// 3'6" x 5'6" $41.40

3// 5 x 8 $124

4// 5 x 8 $128

5// 5 x 8 $92

6// 4'11" x 8'11" $82.80

home progress updates

I've recently enrolled in the Skillshare class Interior Styling: The Fundamentals to Styling Your Space Like a Pro to kick up my styling game. We've taken "before" photos of our home and throughout the course we will be sharing our "after" shots. While doing this it occurred to me that it's been quite a while since I've shared any changes to our little apartment. Here are my most recent "before" shots:

I'll be sharing the "after" shot of my coffee table next week... so stay tuned!

monday ramblings

This weekend I did a little experimenting with a new look for the blog. I've also changed my contact buttons to the right and added my new bloglovin' account and Etsy shop! Google Reader is going away, so I created a bloglovin' account that you can use to follow me instead. If you've never used bloglovin' before, I highly recommend it. You can follow all of your favorite blogs on one site and at the end of the day they also send you a daily feed with the latest posts! They also have an option to import all of your blogs from Google Reader, so it's seriously convenient. I've also got some ideas in my brain that I hope to implement shortly via Etsy... Stay tuned!

Charlie and I spent our Easter weekend being lazy. We didn't do a thing and it felt pretty good. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so we did make sure to get in a nice long walk. 

Love that ranunculus are back in season!

Today Charlie and I start the Eat to Live diet. I found it pretty difficult to find appetizing recipes, but after what felt like hours scouring Pinterest, I found a few to get us started. I'll be posting the good ones on here every Monday in case you're interested in following along. Going all vegan isn't such a huge leap for me, since I usually eat 2 out of 3 meals a day vegan, but it will be a huge deal for Charlie. The biggest challenge for me will be limiting my grain intake to one serving a day and cutting out all sugar, except for fruits. I know these six weeks will be worth it though. My main goal is to lower my blood pressure, but any weight loss will be a much appreciated added bonus!