Relaxing @ Cafe Benelux

I don't know about you, but deciding what to cook can quickly become the bane of my existence that day. (Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic) But thinking about what to cook can be exhausting! I think style includes eating healthy and being good to your body. And God knows we're not fitting into those skinny jeans if we don't!! Gone are the days when I could be sustained by chocolate cake for a week.



1. Pick off the spinach leaves, chop them up, and put them in a blender. 2. Chop up the onions and tomatoes, set aside. 3.

Cooking with things you already have in the fridge - with no real 'recipe' to go by AND making it taste good - has always been the mark of a good cook to me. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I'm much of a natural at it, but I'm working on it! I thought I'd start slow and simple, and although this recipe is much more carby and cheesy than I usually opt for, it's still OK once in a while.

New resolution: go with what's already in the fridge!

In olive oil, sautee the chopped garlic. Add the spinach and arugula, then tomatoes, then the green beans. Finally, add in the cooked tortellini. I topped off the dish with a little basil, salt and pepper and parmesan and feta cheese. And voila! You're done and dinner is served :)

On a recent visit to Milwaukee, it dawned on me that I’ve never done any posts on the city I called home for so many years. I was there to spend some quality time with family and friends, and realized there’s no better time than now to share with you what a unique city it is.

Summer is a great time to visit Milwaukee - not only are there myriad festivals celebrating music and food, there are also some beautiful spots downtown and by the lake to hang out. Over the next few posts, I’ll share with you some of my favorite places to go when I'm there - so next time you’re in town, you'll have some ideas of what to check out!

One day we spent visiting the Art Museum and strolling the boardwalk. The awesome structure you see here is the Quadracci Pavilion addition commissioned by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in 2001. It's easily one of Milwaukee's most visually prominent and recognizable sites.

We wrapped up the day with some iced coffee at Milwaukee's most famous fair-trade coffee house, Alterra at the lake.

Adding a pop of neon to a conservative black-and-white combo makes an otherwise boring ensemble a bit more interesting. Here we're strolling around Old Town Alexandria before meeting up with some friends for dinner.

I don't know about you, but my makeup just melts off my face in the summer. Especially on my eyes. It doesn't matter what I do - I put it on and an hour later, it is GONE.

So on my last makeup shopping/research trip (I do these every once in a while to see what's new in the market, what works and what doesn't) to one of my favorite places in the world - SEPHORA - I came across these jumbo eyeliners. They're great to make a thick line, but if you quickly smudge them a bit, they also make a great shadow that doesn't budge. In more than 30 flattering shades - some glittery, some matte - there's something for everybody. I picked some up in gold and brown shimmer. You can get some for yourself here.  

I have been rather obsessed lately with finding healthy, clean eating options and creating a balanced diet for my family and me. In my search for tasty recipes and becoming more nutritionally informed, I find myself so grateful for all the amazing blogs out there creating new and interesting things in the kitchen in the name of health and clean eating!

Coming up with new, healthy options for our meals is always a challenge for me. I've been hitting up our local Trader Joe's more recently and love the great fresh produce they have on hand. (And anytime I can steer away from their to-die-for Chocolate Patisserie, is indeed a good day.)

For a light dinner last night, I made these quick and easy turkey pitas. Made with whole wheat pocket pitas, roasted turkey breast, tabbouli, sliced sweet onions, feta with mediterranean herbs, and tzatziki sauce, it was a quick meal with a good mix of whole grains, lean protein and veggies.
 

All ingredients from Trader Joe's

I'm loving this Summer 2013 trend of super-reflective sunglasses. My faves are the classic Ray-Ban aviators, available here.

It was a gorgeous day to take a stroll by the capitol, so we headed out and ended the night at one of my favorite neighborhoods near Capitol Hill, 8th St. corridor.

One of my go-to looks is mixing gold and silver metal accessories with an outfit. Whether it's through jewelry or shoes, mixing metals is a great way to add depth to any ensemble.

Here I'm wearing a bib statement necklace with mixed silver and bronze work from our line and available at HauteHeritage.com. Check it out if you haven't already!