Favorite Lentil Recipes

I am a big fan of lentils and normally would only cook them from time to time as a side to our main dinner meals!The hubby and kids weren't real big fans of the bland taste of the lentils I would make. Thanks to the wonder that is Pinterest I have incorporated lentils into our main meals and have made my family lentil lovers too!

These three recipes have been a fan favorite at my house!

First up is the Slow Cooker Lentil and Quinoa Chili from Aggie's Kitchen! Anything that I can prep early in the morning and not have to worry about for hours is a lifesaver for me! This meal is delicious! I like topping it with cream cheese (no one else in my family cares for that topping)! and green onions.

Second up is the 6-Ingredient Easy Lentil Tacos from C it Nutritionally. I found this recipe on a whim when I was searching Pinterest based on the ingredients I had in the fridge and voila. This recipe turned up just in the knick of time! So easy and quick to make. This will be added to our dinner rotation for sure!!

Third up is the Vegan Lentil Loaf from Yummy Mummy Kitchen. This recipe was surprisingly so easy to whip up! Tasted just like meatloaf but obviously way healthier! We ate it with a side of salad and grilled asparagus. I'll be honest my kids did not want to eat this when they first saw it but after they took a bite they were hooked! 

I am already on the hunt for some more lentil recipes! If you have any good ones send them my way!

ps I always buy these lentils from Trader Joe's and used them in all the recipes above!

xoxo

Jocelyn

my Harry Potter themed 30th birthday party

Last week I turned the big 3-0 and we celebrated it in such a magical way.

I threw myself a Harry Potter themed party and it was everything!!!!

I spent weeks upon weeks finalizing details, crafting party goodies and collecting items for our costumes!

Yes...I told guest they could come dressed up as their favorite characters or in their best Hogwarts gear! And to my surprise almost everyone (minus two people) came dressed up!!

When you first walked into the house you found yourself at Platform 9 3/4! Guests made their way right through the brick wall :)

If guests weren't quite ready to take a trip on the Hogwarts Express, they were welcomed to lounge near the owl post!

Party goers were in for a special treat in the restroom. Its not every day you get a visit from Moaning Myrtle!

The cake and treats table was by far one of my favorite details of the party. From the floating candles that lit up the room to the chocolate frogs. I loved putting everything together :) I think it would have even made Ron proud!

As you made your way through to the patio guests were transported to potion's class! 

Guests could pick a "potion" to make to help get their party on!

The hubs suggested we get dry ice to really make our potion's class feel authentic and boy was it awesome!!

Of course I had to dress up as my favorite character...Luna Lovegood. My husband dressed up in Slytherin school uniform.

And Cailee dressed up as her favorite character Hermione! She wore the dress Hermione wore to the yule ball. To say she is obsessed with the dress is an understatement. So happy I was able to score it on Ebay totally brand new. 

This little gem of a Snapchat filter was a big hit at the party!

No house party is complete without quidditch pong and a dj!

The night was one for the books!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Sources for party details and diy crafts:

- Platform 9 3/4 sign tutorial.

- Brick wall tutorial.  

- Welcome Muggles and Happy Birthday signs made from printables found on Etsy. 

- Moaning Myrtle picture found here. 

- Floating candles tutorial. I bought my candles for super cheap from Amazon.

- Golden Snitch candy tutorial I found but I ended up just free handing the wings on plain white computer paper.

- Chocolate frogs made with melting chocolate and this frog mold. 

- Signage for treats table from this Etsy shop.

- Custom Cookies by Mpressive Creations.

- Potion's Class bottle labels from this Etsy shop.

- Potion's bottles big and small found at Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby.

- Luna Lovegood costume:

  - glasses

  - sweater and tie

  - Ravenclaw knee high socks

  - blonde wig

- Snapchat filter from Etsy.

- Hogwarts house banners made loosely by following this tutorial with a twist. 

- Quidditch Pong tutorial.

*Some affiliate links are used in this post*

easy diy giant fringe number

If you haven't already noticed I love projects that are easy to tackle! 

This piece of party decoration took me all of about 30 minutes to complete.

I used left over cardboard I had that came with some Ikea packaging (yay for going green).

Cut out the number five that I free handed.

I used different color tissue papers and cut them as I would if I were making a tissue paper garland.

Taped them to the cardboard.

Repeat the taping process as you go!

And voila a cute giant fringe number!

Kid you not this easy DIY project will make its appearance at every party simply because its so easy and makes a big statement!

Hope you liked this easy DIY!

xoxo

Jocelyn

lego fun

This month my oldest daughter Cailee turns the big FIVE! 

While brainstorming gift ideas, I knew whatever I got her had to incorporate Legos!

She has loved Legos ever since last Christmas when she got them as a gift!

It really is amazing to watch her sit at the kitchen table and tediously get to work!

Any gift that caters to a child's creative side is a no brainer!

She already has plenty of legos but doesn't really have a designated space to build them. Because lets face it by the time dinner rolls around those tiny pieces have got to go!

I went straight to Pinterest to see what I could whip up as a work station or fun storage. 

Leave it to Pinterest to give me so many options!

See for yourself the options are truly endless!

From Fancy Ashley...

From A little of this, a little of that...

From My Frugal Adventures...

From Family.Food.Fun...

After plenty of research, I gathered all the supplies needed and can't wait to tackle this project this weekend! 

Stay Tuned :)

xoxo

Jocelyn

pinterest dinner night

These last two weeks I have been in such a cooking rut. A rut not even my go to Trader Joe's must haves could cure. So I turned to the only thing I knew could get me out of this rut...Pinterest of course! A few minutes into my search and I found a weeks worth of recipes I couldn't wait to try.

Tonight's recipes have gotten the stamp of approval from not only my hubby but both girls!

Tonight's menu featured...

Chicken Parmesan from Chef Savvy

and

Garlic Parmesan Knots from Damn Delicious

I added a salad to our dinner and voila the best homemade dinner we've had in quite some time!

xoxo Jocelyn

pretty pinterest

Do you ever find yourself  starting a project(a pretty unnecessary one at that) that completely takes over your life until its complete?!? Yep that was me a few days ago! 

The hubby had a day off and offered to watch the girls so I could get some much needed rest. So as you can already tell I didn't get much rest but at least my pinterest board looks all sorts of pretty(priorities people!). 

Don't get me wrong this was probably a big waste of time but I can't help but love how much more organized my board looks. 

Much to my surprise I am not the only person out there that loves a good looking pinterest board. Leigh from Houseologie.com has a great tutorial on making your own pinterest board covers!

I made mine on photoshop(only because it's my go to program). 

I used my favorite Lilly Pulitizer print and photoshop clipping mask tool to create the cover boards. 

 I must say I am pretty darn happy with the results.