Super Bowl XLVII: Touchdown

Oh the Super Bowl… possibly the most celebrating sporting event of the year! Football fan or not this is the one day where acceptable party refreshments include the likes of potato chips, burgers, beer and anonymous bowls of mystery dip… effortless entertaining if you ask me. But while most of us are typically drawn to serving soiree clichés such as cheese dips and fried foods due to their convenience why not mix it up and host a party your guests don’t see coming! The Super Bowl or football for that matter isn’t typically a topic which provides much discourse from my perspective, however parties on the other hand and new ways to put your hostessing skills to the test… I'm all about it! (not to mention being a CA native I figured I would show some love seeing as the San Francisco 49ers are a stones throw away from my hometown) So even though I myself will not be throwing a fancy fete, I have created a web round up of what my perfect Super Bowl party would entail. Here’s to inspiring you to shake up your next house party on game day!

Invitations:

No matter how big or small the party an artistically crafted invite is essential. It not only makes your bash more official, but gets potential guests excited about attending too! I am a big fan of the iPhone app Red Stamp. Without going out and spending $$$ on fancy invites you can hop right on iTunes, download the app, select one of there awesome invitation templates, create and send away. You can even send these sweet little invitations via text! Convenient right?! Above are a couple I mocked up to inspire you!

Maximize Your Space:

Seating isn't optional to include when hosting a party for a room full of football fans. I'm not suggesting clearing the sofa from your living room and moving in a set of stadium bleachers, but its important to maximize your space for optimal seating, especially if you don't have enough chairs to go around. Make room for everyone and get this done before your guests arrive to ensure all attendees will have a great view of the game {or the commercials and halftime show depending on what they are into more...}

Put It On Ice:

So important and often times forgotten... ICE! Nothing can turn an otherwise amazing Super Bowl Party stale than a ton of luke warm beer...or soda, agree?! Don't forget the ice and lots of it! And coozies are always fun too! {You can encourage your guests to bring their own in honor of their favorite team even if their particular team is not one of the two playing in the Super Bowl.} Think of the coozies as game day wine tags! This will also limit the amount of half full beer cans you will be cleaning up once everyone has gone home.

Game Day Food:

Any football fan knows that top notch game day food is a must when throwing a successful Super Bowl party and without it, frankly you don't have much of a Super Bowl party. With hot wings, potato chips and various other fried and finger foods being the go-to items to serve... this can make for a rough Monday morning especially when a;; being washed down with beer. Instead try serving a few of the items I have included below. (For more Super Bowl Party inspiration don't forget to check me out Pinterest)

Cucumber Sandwich:

 

So simple and healthy too! Slice and dice and add your fave toppings to make these cute little health conscious treats!

Mini Spinach Football Pizza:

Rather than take-out/delivery pizza which can get greasy and unhealthy at times why not serve mini pita pizzas! Easier on the waist line and will score a touchdown with your guests because they are just so darn cute! 

 Burger-Potato Bites: 

 These bite size burgers are a great grab and go! Easy and just as yummy!

 Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos:

If you know anything about me... you know a reserve a big piece of my stomach heart for spicy foods! So obviously when I came across these hot mamas I couldn't pass up the chance to include them! 

Get Creative:

{49ers printable decorations avail by Hello My Sweet ETSY shop}

Once you've sent out the invites, thought about the best ways to maximize game day seating, chosen your menu, and added buying ice to your to do list now its time to get creative! Whether you choose a specific team for guide the theme of your party or just football in general HWTM has plenty of game day printable freebies! 

 Added entertainment is also great element, think Super Bowl Bingo! You can even use M&M's in the specified team colors {and yes, personalized NFL M&M's exist!} How fun, especially for those who aren't so savvy on the football speak, this will give them something to banter and cheer about!

Be sure to check out my Super Bowl Party Pinterest board for more inspo! Let the countdown begin! 

 

Holy Heatwave! DIY Popsicle Roundup

 I Scream, You Scream We All Scream for Popsicles! Ok LA holy heat wave we have been having! I actually even wore shorts to work yesterday... honestly i think for the first time in the 6 years i have worked here... It must be hot outside. Anyway, this heatwave has got me thinking a lot about ways to stay cool and what better way than a yummy healthy POPSICLE! So I have decided to do my own version of a "Popsicle Roundup" of some of my favorite DIY Popsicle recipes around the web in hopes to get creative this weekend and break one out! You may be asking yourself "Why would I want to make my own Popsicle?" Well let me answer that for you...  Licking a cool storebought Popsicle on a hot day may seem harmless, especially since many brands say that their frozen treats are made with real fruit juice. But don’t be fooled by their claims to be a healthy treat; most popsicles have an extremely high sugar content and also contain artificial coloring dye, which is carcinogenic. Can you say EWWWW ?!!!! Not to mention that making your own Popsicles is waaaay cheaper and you can actually control the ingredients. It is amazingly difficult to find a Popsicle in the store made from just fruit or fruit juice.

And if you really want to get wild you can even go for the DIY Boozy version of the Popsicle (get silly now!) And yes, boozy pops are possible just see below in my DIY Popsicle Roundup! And remember  peeps to observe the usual precautions during this heat wave drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun as much as possible eat a Popsicle and keep enjoyinh summer while it lasts!

DIY Popsicle Roundup:

Frozen Fruit Pops

Honeydew Cucumber Margarita Pops

Strawberry-Banana-Pops with a twist!

Boozy Popsicles

Berry Yogurt Popsicles

Lemonade-Cucumber

Blackberry-Honey & Yogurt Pops

Peace Love and Stay Cool!

Brown Baggin It- 7 Days of Salads

Mondays are always tough for me as the weekend can often times be a bit difficult to bounce back from. Even if you’re weekend was a relaxing one, prepping for Monday is never exciting. Recently I have been spicing up my Sunday evenings by getting creative with my brown bag contents! With my work schedule back in full swing it can sometimes seem like nothing to go ahead and spend that $10 a day on lunch but, as many of you know, eating out adds up. Look at it like this... If you spend a $10 minimum on lunch every day, think like a salad $7.00 and then a bottled water or Diet Coke $1.75- 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year (and maybe like 2 weeks for vacay give or take – woot woot!) man oh man does that add up… that’s about  $2,500!

I get it, lunch isn’t the most glamorous meal of the day. As a matter of fact, I’m sure a lot of you out there find that it’s easier to hit the nearest drive-thru, or place a lunch order at your local sandwich shop or cafeteria/commissary, than stand in front of the fridge at 6am trying to figure out what you’re going to eat 5 hours later. But beyond the cost savings a brown bag lunch has to offer, most meals packed at home are healthier than foods at restaurants and often times tastier. This doesn’t mean you must condemn yourself to life of ingredients between 2 slices…

Falling into a lunchtime rut filled of PB&J’s is the quickest way to send yourself straight to the drive-thru. Salads are my secret weapon for avoiding lunchtime boredom! The ingredient options are endless and the prep is cake! Below are my 7 go to salads which are no fail and keep my lunch hour from being a snooze fest!

1.) Healthy Taco Salad

Im a true sucker for Mexican food... I actually brought this salad twice last week! While I substituted the tortilla chips with blue corn tortilla thins the remainder of the contents this delish lunchtime goodie is laced with are some of my favs:

Ground turkey, nonfat greek yogurt with a hint of lime juice, jalapenos, and cilantro, black beans, tomatoes, corn and nonfat cheese!

2.) Honey Walnut Power Salad

This salad I absolutely love! It’s portable, it’s healthy, it’s pretty, and it’s loaded with texture and flavor.

3.) Grilled Buffalo Chop

I have honestly made this little beauty right from my cubicle! I first had this salad courtesy of being ingrid (mish you lovely lady) it is sooo good and super simple! The "hardest" part is baking and bring the chicken but i seem to have that down! I highly suggest this yummy delight!

4.) Modern Layered Greek Salad

You cant go wrong with a traditional Greek salad! In a large bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, chickpeas and parsley. Add oil, lemon juice and pepper; toss well. Add feta and toasted pita and toss again. Garnish with a dash of paprika!

5.) Spinach Salad

Something about a spinach salad always reminds me of summer... the recipe about calls for bacon but tofu or turkey bacon is just as tasty and adds that perfect texture a spinach salad needs.

6.) Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Like i said... Im a sucker for a good mexi dish... so after stumbling upon this Mexican style quinoa I just had to try out this heart healthy recipe which is full of flavor and color! Its a vegan dish made with lime, cilantro, corn, and black beans which you can indulge  in however you fancy as it can be served hot or cold.  

7.) Skinny Egg Salad  aka mayo-less egg salad

And last but not least (as a matter of fact my lunch this afternoon) Skinny Egg Salad inside a flat bread pocket thin. The link to the recipe above calls for mayo, but I opted for no may and used a bit of Dijon mustard instead. Just combine chopped hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, curry powder,  almond slices, and chives, scoop into a carb of your choice (or into a lettuce cup) and top with fresh spinach.

For more simple and sensational brown bag go to's you can check out my Lunch Box pinterest board! Below I have included a pinterest-peek of this board below of some added lunch time favs & snacks!

Cored sliced apples with almond butter, oats, nuts, and chocolate chips

Biggest Lose Southwestern Chicken Pile-Up

Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Burrito