This meal is one of my families favorites and a favorite of mine to make because it's so quick and easy. It is literally a 20 minute meal from prep to table . The measurements are all guestimates because I just kinda throw it all together. We have two hungry guys in our house so I use two sausages to make the meat to veggie portion equal but you could always use just one if you wanna make it more veggie rich .
Ingredients :
2 beef smoked sausages
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bag frozen stir fry veggies
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup soy & teriyaki combined
Instructions :
1. Slice sausages into rounds and heat olive oil in a skillet. Cook sausage in olive oil for about 5 minutes on each side until browned
2. Add in stir fry veggies and spices and cook for another 5 minutes
3. Pour in soy and teriyaki sauce mix and cover . Cook for an additional 5 -10 minutes until your veggies are tender
Serve over rice and your all ready to go
Join in on the Fun and Back That Azz Up with me and my loves Danity Kane! To celebrate their new single here is a little Flash Back Friday of me n Aubs in my dance days excuse the tired eyes and tore up hair haha this was obviously after a show
This gorgeous Natural Himalayan Salt Lamp is made of a large piece of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. Himalayan Salt is found deep within the Himalayan Mountains and hand chipped and then used to hand craft various types of Himalayan salt products such as Salt Lamps, edible salts, bath salts and candle holders.One of the major inconveniences of having POTS is that I have to consume 2000 mg of sodium a day which is actually a lot harder than it seems. I can't wait to try the edible Himalayan Salts since it is full of healthy minerals as opposed to regular table salt. Could you imagine the candle holders producing this beautiful orange light while you take a nice relaxing bath....yes please!
Besides providing a beautiful tranquil light that serves as the perfect nightlight and subtle light to wake up to , this salt lamp has health benefits as well. Himalayan Salt contains 84 minerals and trace elements. The salt lamp is a natural air purifier and the negative ions in the salt cleanse the air by removing, dust,pollen, and bacteria which can help relieve allergy and asthma symptoms . I put my Mini Himalayan Salt Lamp on my nightstand next to my bed because I spend a lot of time in my room during IV infusions and my medical treatments but this lamp would be perfect in an office or any room that needs a little more of a relaxing and zen feel.
Every Salt lamp is a unique color and shape since they are hand chipped from the Himalayan Mountains. The color varies from light pink to a deeper red.The Natural Himalayan Salt Lamps come in a variety of sizes to fit any sized room. You may also purchase hand carved lamps and products in different shapes that will add to your rooms design aesthetic. This would make the perfect gift for a health conscious friend, yoga enthusiast,or science and geography loving co-worker.
I didn't bake at all this week, unbelievable I know! So this weeks Foodie Friday will feature two savory dishes that go hand and hand together BBQ pulled pork and creamy coleslaw.
Slow Cooker Barbeque Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
3 pound pork butt or shoulder
1 large onion sliced
1/3 cup your favorite barbecue seasoning
1 - 1 1/2 bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce depending on how saucy you like your pork
1 can Dr. Pepper
Instructions:
1.Rub all sides of your pork with barbecue seasoning ( I use a Tennessee style dry rub )
2. Put half of your sliced onion in the bottom of your slow cooker, set meat on top, cover with remaining onion
3. Pour half of your sauce ( I used a whole bottle) and your can of Dr. Pepper in the crock-pot. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours
4. After you have cooked the pork take two forks and shred it. Add the remainder of your BBQ sauce
( I add in 1/2 a bottle at this point) and cook for 30 minutes
Creamy Coleslaw
Ingredients:
1 bag cabbage mix ( if you want to be fancy about 3 cups of shredded cabbage and 1 cup of carrots will equally out to the same thing as the bagged cabbage)
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup buttermilk ( Grandma's Trick: 1/4 cup regular milk + 1 tsp vinegar=buttermilk )
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions:
1. Whisk all ingredients together except your cabbage mix
2. Pour over your cabbage/carrots and refrigerate for at least 1 hour
Serve it up any way you'd like . I choose extra saucey pork with coleslaw on the bun :)
Now on to the important things in life , Time to Back That Azz Up
Welcome back to Take-Over Tuesday! This week is all about the lovely Jasmine Maria.
A blog full of all things girly : fashion, beauty, girls night, and mama life.
What’s your name? Jasmine Maria
Where are you from? I was born in New York but moved to Wisconsin when I was 12.
What’s your favorite quote? I have a lot of favorite quotes but there is one that I plan to get tattooed on my back, “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have”.
How’d you pick your blog name? I wanted something that would show that this is my blog. So why not name your blog after yourself.
Why did you start blogging? I started to blog because I was bored one day and I was like this looks like fun, I wanted to share things with others and just reading peoples blogs inspired me to do one.
What’s your favorite part of blogging? I want to say is being able to connect with other bloggers. Making new friends even though you’re so far away there’s that connection you have with them.
Where do you find inspiration for your blog posts? Reading other blogs or just jotting down ideas. My boys sometimes inspire me to write.
Do you have any special weekly posts? I don’t host any link ups on my blog. But I always link up on Fridays for High Five.
What is currently your favorite post? Building Confidence It’s probably one of my open and honest posts I’ve shared on my blog.
Three Favorite blogs to read and why?
The Fitness Blondie - I love that she posts her workout routines and nutrition. I always need the help as far as what to eat and do at the gym. I’m trying to get fit again.
Imperfectly Perfect - single mom, divorced (in the process) I can definitely relate to her. I’m a single mom and divorced too.
Thank you Jasmine for participating in this week's Takeover Tuesday! If you would like to meet the other Take Over Tuesday girls, learn more about Take Over Tuesday, or participate in a Takeover TuesdayCLICK HERE. To read my answers visit Jasmines post
I'm not the biggest fan of ground turkey because I find it to be dry and bland. Forgive my fat lovin' self but I would much rather have a juicy hamburger full of all the unhealthy stuff . But since we had some ground turkey in the freezer I thought I would make do with what we had and throw together some turkey meatballs. These actually turned out really good and juicy because of the broth that they are cooked in. These are a tasty , healthy alternative to traditional ground beef meat balls.
1. In a large bowl whisk egg and add in all remaining ingredients 2. Make sure all ingredients are well incorporated and form a large ball with the meat mixture. Form small meatballs 4. Heat olive oil in a skillet on med-hi heat and add meatballs to skillet 5.Cook meatballs until browned on all sides ( total about 8-10 minutes) 6.Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. cover and turn heat to low. cook until liquid is almost completely absorbed about 7-10 minutes. add remaining 1/2 cup of broth and turn heat up to medium high . cook uncovered until liquid is almost all absorbed
Churro Cupcakes
Last week when I shared the recipe for the Reeses cupcakes that I made for my brothers birthday I got I few requests for the Churro cupcakes that I also made for last weeks festivities. So , as promised, here it is :)
Ingredients
Cupcakes
2 egg yolks + 1 egg at room temp
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Frosting
5 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Cupcakes
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and mix in butter , vanilla, and sour cream
3.In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir ingredients
4. slowly add in dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix for about 1-2 minutes or until filly mixed
5.Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes clean. Do not over bake! Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting
Frosting
1.Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth
2. Slowly add in powdered sugar and continue to mix.
3. Add in vanilla and cinnamon and continue to mix until smooth and creamy.
4.Frost cupcakes and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. If you don't have premixed cinnamon sugar you can combine one tsp of cinnamon and one teaspoon of sugar together and sprinkle on top.
I hope you get a chance to try these recipes out and when you do let me know what you think !
Now it's time to break it down with Whit on this lovely Back That Azz Up Friday ! This weeks song Katy Perry Dark Horse. I start envisioning choreography every single time I hear the first beat drop. The breakdown is so perfect for a large group dance . Excuse my hip-hop obsessions once a dancer always a dancer.
Day 13 of #BlogeverydayinFeb is a good one folks! Favorite Quote.I love quotes inspirational ones, funny ones, biblical ones, life lessons ect. I am the type that remembers useless information such as movie lines and song lyrics and like to spew them out when I feel its appropriate...usually noone has any idea what the hell I'm talking about but occasionally I find someone that s on the same page as me and can fire back the next line of the movie or the song....it totally makes my day ...nerd alert! When I'm having a shitty day I like to look at quotes that will tell me to suck it up and move on in some way whether it be sweet and inspiring or sarcastic and blunt ( kinda depends on just how shitty I'm feeling) Seeing that I'm a quote-a-holic I figured I'd share a few of my favorite more appropriate ones.
This is the quote that is at the bottom of my family crest. I love all that the quote stands for and I think its pretty cool that it can be found underneath my last name on our Irish Crest. So cool, in fact, that I have this quote tattooed on my left shoulder. After all it wouldn't be right if I didn't embrace my roots... any excuse for a new tattoo right? :)
It's easy to say " don't be judgmental" but the truth of the matter is we are all guilty of judging people. The way they act, the way they look, we judge what they say ...we all do it. Every once in a while we need to remind ourselves that we aren't the only ones "going through it" . That's all there is to it.Take a step back and remember to just be kind . Period . The end.
This is one of my favorite quotes and truly captures the reason why I went into nursing. People always ask me why I decided to be an Oncology nurse. Isn't it sad seeing people dying all day? Why would you ever want to do that? Are you crazy? Well yes, we all know I'm crazy but not for this reason. Here's why I chose Oncology: I am not going to be able to help make every single patient get better but I can help make them feel better. Like my favorite guy who had stage 4 cancer , who's loving and scared, and protective wife refused to let him have any sugar because it wasn't healthy. He loved Orange Fanta I mean the kind of love that makes you down a 16 oz soda in the matter of minutes. His rule breaker of a nurse (guess who) would sneak him Orange Fantas every few days , why because he wanted it and it made him feel better. When he was discharged his wife wrote me a letter thanking me for his care and in the letter she stated . "No Name insisted that I let you know that you should be the next Fanta Girl. I told him that would be weird to write but he insisted so here I am sharing this bit of information with you" . Even though his wife had no clue what he was trying to tell me , No Name and I both knew what that meant !Yep ,that's why!
What's your favorite quote? Why do you like it so much?
Today is Day 12 of Bailey Jean's #blogeverdayinfebruary challenge and today's post is "What's in your bag" . When I opened my beloved Micheal Kors bag I knew I would find some meds, a wallet, sunglasses, some random receipts, gum wrappers and change sprawled out along the bottom of my purse and a probably a lipstick or two . What did I find? 5 Lipsticks, 4 glosses, and a chapstick. It's pretty safe to say I have a lip obsession!Even though I'm virtually home bound and live in yoga pants and sweatshirts I have been known to parade around the house with a bright red lip ,messy bun, IV pole in tow because folks I'm THAT GIRL .
Yesterday when I checked the mail I was so excited to see that my Beauty Swap Goodie Bag had arrived!Last month Kayla from Boy{oh mamas}Boys! and I hosted our very first Beauty Bag Swap that was based on Fancy Fingers and eye popping polishes. I randomly paired each participant with another and each pair got to know each other over the next week or so and then filled a bag with 3-5 nail based goodies to ship to their bloggin' buddy. My partner was the beautiful Linzi from Little Gem.The bag I received from Linzi was totally right up my alley! I received two gorgeous polishes, a much needed cuticle cream, and two of the cutest nail files in existence.
Whats in the bag:
I.Essie Tart Deco -a pretty peachy-coral perfect for spring
II.Essie She's Pampered-I've been looking for the perfect red for Valentines day and Amira
(Linzi's little)picked it out so that makes it that much cuter
III Two bath and body works nail files is floral patterns
IV. Sally Hansen cuticle cream
I had so much fun hosting this Beauty Bag Goodie Swap and can't wait to see what everyone scored in their bags :)
Miss Bailie From Anchored in Love Divine has created a Blog Everyday in February Challenge You know those Photo a Day challenges on Instagram? It's basically the same concept but with a writing prompt with a blog post idea for each day in Feb. It was Feb 3rd when I found the challenge but was intrigued by the prompts and beyond exited to take on the challenge. Well, I must confess I have failed miserably every time I have attempted the photo a day challenges and this seems to be starting off the same way. I always have good intentions but clearly I have commitment issues ;) So in true Brittany fashion I am here to try to redeem myself , short n sweet Q&A style and hopefully I will succeed at future blog everyday in Feb posts :)
/One/ Your Story/
I am a normal twenty something girl with dreams, aspirations, spunk, and a chronic illness who started a blog to raise awareness and share my story.If you want to read about how I ended up in this crazy fun blog world Here it is .
/Two/What fires you up/
I am most passionate about family, friends, dance,music and nursing. These things all fire me up in the good ,crazy, fun,loud ,lively kinda way. Judgmental people, rudeness, and lack of compassion for other people fire me up in the "I wanna knock you out" kinda way.
/Three/ Something that scares you/
The thought of my illness taking over and not being able to fulfill goals and dreams
/Four/ The story behind your blog name/
I started this blog to share my story of chronic illness and spread awareness. I wanted a name that related directly to my illness . Fainting is one of my main symptoms...and what girl doesn't want to be fabulous?!
/Five/ A movie or book review/
I literally just watched The Butler last night and was very impressed. I am usually a comedy and chick flick kind of girl and tend to stay away from movies that you actually need to pay attention to to understand whats going on but being that I love movies inspired by true stories I thought I'd give it a chance. I loved the movie and its inspiring story about a butler who served in the white house for 8 presidential terms. The acting was excellent and the story line was inspiring,heartbreaking,and triumphant all at the same time.
/Six/Make-up must haves/
1. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer provides perfect coverage for the non-foundation wearer
2.Mac Liquid Eye-Liner is perfect for everyday or for creating winged eyeliner
3. They're real .I have seriously been asked if I was wearing fake lashes so many times thanks to this mascara
4.Naked 3 is so worth the money! Nooner and Mugshot are my favs
5. My life is just not complete without a bright, bold,statement lip! My current favs are Heroine and Costa Chic by Mac
/Seven/ A public encouragement
Because everyone needs a little bit of encouragement sometimes. You never know what type of battles someone is currently fighting
/Eight/Music that moves you/
I' m a music junkie! My playlist looks like I am a confused girl who has no clue what she wants! It's full of Hip-Hop,Country,Reggae,R&B,Pop,Christian,Alternative,Rock,New shit, and Old school . There is a little something for every occasion. Blogging requires some old school favorites...here's a little taste for ya
/Nine/A Day in the Life/
A day in the life of Brittany includes lots of movie watching and book reading, IV infusions, it's likely to have some baking and cooking, crafting, and some sort of family and/or friends time
/Ten/What are you learning this season/
In this season of my life I have learned
1. Not to take the little things for granted
2.Life doesn't always go as planned..roll with it anyway
3.Amidst of all this chaos in this world there are still so many genuinely good and caring people...don't give up on humanity
Thanks for reading my catch up posts and stay tuned for some actual daily posts! Join in on the fun by visiting clicking on the button below!
If you keep track of my Foodie Fridays it's probably pretty evident that I'm a sucker for all things Italian. Last week I whipped up a quick pot of Spaghetti and didn't have any garlic bread which is a total must have when eating Italian. I mean seriously, I can't eat spaghetti with out bread I'm a glutton I know :/ We did have some biscuits in the fridge so I decided to do something a little different. I had seen the idea on pinterest to tie crescent rolls in a knot to make a prettier side dish and I figured it'd work just as well with biscuits so I dreamt up a little garlic mixture and gave it a shot. Delish! I mean you can't really go wrong with garlic, parm, and flaky biscuits can ya?
Ingredients:
1 can of Pillsbury layers flaky biscuits
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
enough melted butter to brush on biscuits
Directions:
1. Roll each biscuit into a log and stretch out to about 6 inches or so
2. Tie a basic knot then take one end and fold into the center of the knot and do the same with the other end ( sorry about my blogging fail I totally forgot to take a photo of this step!)
3. Bake at 425 for about 10 min
4. Mix all of your spices and cheese in a bowl
5. Pull biscuits out, brush with butter and sprinkle generously with your cheesy spice mix
6. Put bake in the oven and cook until golden brown ( about 5 more minutes) keep an eye on them so they don't burn
Last Sunday we celebrated my brothers 18th birthday and I made a few of his favorite treats for the occasion one of them being these sinful Reeses cupcakes. A basic chocolate cake with a Peanut Butter Cream Cheese frosting topped with a chocolate drizzle and chopped Reeses .
Cupcakes:
Ingredients :
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1/4 chopped dark choc or mini dark choc chips
Directions:
1. preheat oven to 350 and line with muffin tins with liners
We all know the reason why I started this blog, to reach out to other POTS patients and share my experiences of living with a chronic illness.I have met some incredible women that are so willing to learn about chronic illness and support me via my blog. The one thing I was lacking were followers that were in the same boat as me. Until .....I came across Marla, a blogger that suffers from lives with Lupus and shares a lot of my same beliefs and interests. Check her out I promise you will be inspired and you will have a laugh or two as well!
What's your name?
MarlaJan. Marla. MJ. Mar. Marla Hooch.Marley Mar.
Where are you from?
Technically I live in NJ, but I live 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Whenever I tell someone I'm from NJ, they say "Oh, like Snookie and Jersey Shore?!?!" Absolutely not. Jersey Shore took place in North Jersey. I live in South Jersey. North Jersey and South Jersey should each be their own state (gets off soapbox).
What's your favorite quote?
Yikes, this was a tough one. I am the queen of quotes. Most notably, song quotes. All of my blog post titles are song quotes (fun fact!).
Well, I have lupus. I have a potty mouth. I figured Luck Fupus was the most PC way to put a funny spin on this crazy lupus life I lead.
Why did you start blogging?
Lupus has taken away many of the things I've worked so hard for, most notably, my ability to have children and my beloved career at a pediatric cardiac ICU nurse. I handle it all pretty well, but I was very bitter and angry when I first went out of work, and needed a way to channel those emotions without feeling like I was burdening friends/family. My sister has written a blog for years, and convinced me to start one. I have the attention span of a gnat, so I never thought I'd stick with it. But, almost 2 years later, I'm still here blogging away!
What's your favorite part of blogging?
I have made some REAL connections with people all over the world, and not just those within the lupus community, either. I never thought I'd be able to reach out to so many, to have my voice heard, and make friends along the way.
Where do you find inspiration for your blog posts?
As cliche as it sounds, I write about my experiences. This lupus life I lead is far from "normal," and I write so anyone who is going through these types of struggles knows they aren't alone. I try to be as raw, real, relatable and funny as possible. Whether it be BeDazzling my cane, taking pictures and singing songs during my chemo treatments, or causing a ruckus in the wig shop, I do what I can to stay positive! When I have nothing health related to report, I will ramble on about the most random stuff... makeup, celebrity gossip, music, The Golden Girls...always trying to keep it entertaining!
Do you have any special weekly posts?
There are linkups that I like to participate in, but I don't specifically write a weekly post on a certain subject. I try to be consistent with my postings, but, chronic illnesses are oh so unpredictable. I never know when I'm going to end up spending a few days in bed. Usually, if more than 5 days lags between blog posts, you can assume I am feeling like hell.
What is currently your fav post?
Sheesh, this is another one that is difficult for me to choose. LOL, and it's not because my writing is so amazing or anything, I just have a few that are near and dear to my heart.
I guess I'd have to go with this one. SOOO many people don't realize this, but hair loss is an effect of lupus. I started losing A LOT of hair in October of 2012, so instead of lupus taking control of me, I grabbed my husband and some clippers, and took control of the situation LIKE A BOSS!
Three fav blogs to read and why ?
A Breezy LifeThis is my older sister Brie's blog, gotta represent! All jokes aside, my sister is pretty flipping awesome and such a beautiful writer. She's my best friend!
Life According To Steph- SMD is a blogger turned real life friend. She is awesome sauce, and her blog is a treasure chest of goodies!
Vodka and Soda- Kathy is pretty much the Canadian version of me... but in much better shape! She is raw, real and hilarious.
Why do you read fabulously faint?
I've just recently started reading Brittany's blog! Aside from being fabulous, we both have a lot in common. We were both kicking ass and taking names as nurses when illnesses decide to take over and show us who's boss. We also both have heart conditions. I write about lupus, but I was born with a congenital heart defect (shitty genes!) called tetralogy of Fallot. Like me, I love how Brittany is able to make the most of everything, staying positive, and using the interwebs to reach out to those who understand.
5 Random Facts about you:
1. I've had four open-heart surgeries.
2. I don't put milk in my cereal.
3. I was the ONLY person in my family not born in Philadelphia. I was born in New Haven, CT, but we moved back to Philly when I was 6 weeks old.
4. I once performed on the same stage as Bruce Springsteen and Sara Bareilles (ok, not at the same time!)
5. I don't have a pulse or blood pressure in my right arm.
Thank you SOOOO much to Brittany for allowing me to take over your lovely blog! I would love for all of you to stop on over to my little space on the interwebs, and take a gander into my crazy life. You can follow me on BlogLovin, Twitter, and Pinterest. And don't forget to read Brittany's answers on Luck Fupus, on Wednesday!
Ingredients :
