1. We Are Young | Fun Ft. Janelle Monae (Chevy Sonic “Stunt Anthem”)

2. The Animals | Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (David Beckham for H&M)

3. Mash-up of “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult and “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida (made specifically for this Budweiser spot below) <–by far the most original soundtrack this year

I think this is a great idea! I only found out about this challenge today, so I’m officially 3 days late, but I’ve decided to catch up and do it for the entire month. I’ll be posting the photos on Twitter (via Instagram), and then when it’s all over I’ll showcase them here on the blog.

Wishing everyone a great weekend! xo

This is one of those (hilarious) pictures that are worth a thousand words!

I had been eyeing this recipe for months now. However, pasta wasn’t on the menu last year, in preparation for the wedding and honeymoon at sea (post coming soon).

I finally got around to making it, and it was beyond delicious.  After all the simmering the sauce is full of flavor, and the beef cubes are tender, falling apart easily at the touch of the fork.

{searing the beef in batches, without overcrowding}

{heating up the sauce before adding the beef}

{simmering the beef in the sauce, covered for 2 hrs}

I’m a big fan of smoothies and  I’m excited to make these…especially the two with ginger.

1. Real Estate | Easy

2. Real Estate | Green Isles

3. Real Estate | Kinder Blumen

Wishing you a year filled with love, health and happiness. Love you and hope all your dreams come true! xo

I made these cookies a few weeks ago and they were a big hit.  The texture is soft and crumbly, and the kosher salt really brings out the chocolate and walnut flavors.

I used this recipe, featured in Food & Wine magazine (never fails!), but replaced the dried cranberries with 1 cup of chopped walnuts. I used unbleached all-purpose flour instead of regular, and I only had instant oatmeal at home, so I used 1 packet instead of the 1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats that the recipe calls for.

Everyone loved these, and I’m sure the cookies would be great without the nuts, or with the dried cranberries from the original recipe as well.

This is one of those salads that you’ll make to impress. It’s delicious and will only take you a few minutes to prepare.

Here’s what you need:

1 head of butter lettuce (also known as Boston lettuce), washed and hand torn from the base
1 or 2 ripe pears, halved, cored and sliced
3 tbsp. chopped caramelized pecans, or walnuts will work too
1/4 cup skim cheese crumbles (I like to use fat free feta) – go light on the cheese if you use the regular kind, to keep the salad healthy!

Citrus Dressing:

1/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed will be best, but I’ve used this one)
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. honey or agave syrup, or 1/2 packet of stevia
2 tsp. canola oil  (vegetable or olive oil work too)

You will probably have some dressing left over, but it keeps well in the fridge and goes great with any other salad.

1. Yuck | Shook Down*

2. Yuck | Get Away

3. Yuck | Georgia

*You can see the original video for Shook Down here. I left it out because it contains some potentially inappropriate content.