Summer Eating, had me a BLAST! (or was it Loving??)

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was amazing and you did something relaxing to prepare for yet another exciting week! We had our Engagement Photos done yesterday, and it was SO much fun! I must admit though, I’m not sure if I’d ever want to be famous because after a couple of hours I was tired of having my picture taken (and that’s pretty unusual for me.. J).

On another note, I am SUPER EXCITED that all the Farmers Markets are FINALLY out, and now we can eat FRESH! Lately, I have been eating so many fruits and veggies (squash, watermelon, cantelope, pineapple, cucumbers, corn on the cob, and the list goes on and on), and that seems like all I’ve been craving. It’s so great to be able to support those in our local community, and a weekly trip to the market will do just that. Summer is an excellent time of year to start being CrEaTiVe and trying new things! There are so many veggies I hated as a child, but I love them now! Please share any new yummy ideas you may have, and I promise to do the same.

Enjoy your week!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Blue Moooooooon!

TGIF!!! Yes, I was on vaca last week, and shouldn't be complaining, but the week after a vacation is LONNNNG!! Especially when you start classes, and sleep is something I am already missing! (Not sure how I am gonna handle being a mom one day... YIKES!)

Well enough complaining!! It's the weekend, which means time to bake and celebrate and laugh and ENJOY!!! (I suppose I should study a little too. :)) A few months back I discovered a recipe for Blue Moon Cupcakes! *YUP! You heard that right! Made with Blue Moon and oranges... Since P's favorite beer is Blue Moon, and this past week we CELEBRATED his special day, I decided to treat him with some!

They turned out AMAZING!!

The hardest part was remembering how to "zest!"
...Ok, maybe the hardest part was the cleanup...

Word to the wise... DO NOT put the powdered sugar in last, and then turn it on turbo speed! My laptop even has powdered sugar in it now... Oopsie!

Have a GREAT weekend & remember to spoil yourself with something special too!!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Try the Blue Moon Cupcakes for yourself!

Ingredients:

3/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-3/4 cup sugar

2-1/2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp orange

1 cup Blue Moon

1/4 cup milk

Orange wedges and sanding sugar for garnish

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.

- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

- Add eggs, beating after each addition then add the vanilla and zest.

- Combine milk and beer and alternatively add this mixture and the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture with the mixer on low speed, starting and ending with the flour.  

- Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.

- When cupcakes are done, poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes with toothpicks and brush some beer on each while still warm.  

For the citrus cream cheese frosting: (makes a LOT of frosting!! FYI..)

12 oz cream cheese, cold

6 tbsp butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp orange

4 cups powdered sugar

- Cream together the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.  

- Add the citrus juice and zest and gradually add the powdered sugar until well-combined.  Beat until smooth for about 2 minutes.

- Load frosting in a piping bag fit with a large star tip and pipe cupcake tops once cooled.  

Recipe yields 24 cupcakes.  

*Note: You can substitute the oranges for limes and the Blue Moon for Coronas too! I haven’t tried those yet, but it will be in the works…

Back to Reality...

HOLA!, my long lost blog followers! I know it feels like eternity since my last post but we have been out having WAY too much fun, and now we are home and back to reality. LOTS to tell you about...


We started our vacation off last week with a week at our most favorite resort in the Dominican Republic. It was just as beautiful as ever & we all had a wonderful time! Can’t wait to go back next year to say “I Do!” on the beach!

We got home Saturday morning (red-eyes are NO fun, FYI), and chilled out all day- which was MUCH needed from the travelling. We planned to relax for the rest of our long 3-day weekend/ Memorial Day, but instead woke up Sunday morning and drove down to good ol’ Ocean City to visit my dad and my little sisters. (I do have to say I LOVE Maryland, but our beaches SUCK compared to the Caribbean.)

Here is Kylie (my little sister)... I mean my little mermaid...



It is so nice to be home though, and I'm not sure if Lia missed us or not, but I missed her! Here she is just posing on the deck (and a peak at our roses- THEY BLOOMED while we were gone!!)

And HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!!! (His birthday was Monday.) ...Isn't he just so cute! :)

Back to rEaLiTy as of yesterday. Started my summer classes last night. I’m taking Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology this summer (while working full time). Needless to say I will not see Summer 2012, please enjoy it for me! Applying to PA schools next Spring, and gotta get these classes done. It’s CRUNCH TIME! Decided today that work is just super boring and I am ready to be the care giver, NOT the one behind a desk… (even though I do have a cute office, LOL).

I’ll try to keep my blog posts popping this summer, even though my social life may not be as exciting. Be excited to hear all about the Human Body! 

... Hey, science isn't that bad!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Beach Prepping!

Congrats! You survived Monday, the most impossible day of the whole week! Now you should know you can accomplish anything! I usually am not excited or interested in going to work lately, but this week isn’t so bad since I know I am off all of next week!! YAYY!! We are headed back down to our favorite place in the Dominican for a week. You should check it out too! You can easily book directly through my mom here at her site: www.vacaydr.com. The word “Paradise” doesn’t even do this place justice! (Photos to come when we get back!)

Anywho, to prepare for our vacay, I am doing a 6 day cleanse. I have been eating like a health freak for over a month now (I just gotta slim down for the wedding!), but after speaking to a good friend who did this cleanse at the start of her weight loss program, she highly recommended it for a good metabolism jump start and a fresh pallet cleanse to decrease/eliminate all of the cravings that are diet breakers.

Pretty much I am eating ONLY veggies (so far I have enjoyed broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, carrots, squash, green beans) and can allow myself to enjoy 3 fruits a day (which has been watermelon and 2 apples). For drinks, I can have room-temp water, cold water, warm water, and hot water. I also can enjoy the preference of bottled or tap. J Sooo exciting, I know. (Below is a picture of my weekly groceries.)

My friend lost 15 pounds on this cleanse, so I’ll be sure to let you know Saturday, how I do. Wish me luck!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Artsy Fartsy Monday!

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was amazing, and you got to spend it with loved ones. I want to send another special CONGRATS to my step dad, who graduated from his Nuclear Medicine program last week, and another HAPPY 23rd  BIRTHDAY wish to my beautiful cousin! I had a wonderful time celebrating with BOTH of you this weekend!

On Friday night I went to a local art class, and I had WAY more fun than I even fathomed I was going to have! Margaritas before the class, wine during... YUP! LOTS of fun!!

Here is a picture of my painting I created, and some others from the night:

  

...Now if only I could think of a good place in the house to hang it, we'll be all set. :)

Also, you may recall the heck of a deal coffee table I got from Goodwill, and the sneak peak I shared in this post... My original intentions were to stain it, but after learning about Annie Sloan Furniture Chalk Paints (simply amazing!!), I chose to get a little more crafty... I just LOVE being Artsy Fartsy!

I hope you're feeling InSpIrEd!! Enjoy your week, and just think, the coming holiday weekend will be a long one!

~Ashleigh XoXo

Mommy's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you that are a mom in some way, especially to my wonderful Momma!! I love you and appreciate you more and more with each passing day.

To all of you who may not have "children" but have pets, you are a mom too!! Also, many people I know act like a Mother Figure to some many other people, and today is a day to Celebrate YOU too!

Many of my friends are NEW moms!! YAYY!!! So much excitement and love is now in your life, and I wish you the happiest of days to celebrate you also.

And many people I know, both family and friends, now have their moms as their guardian angels residing in Heaven. I am thinking of each and every one of you today, and know that a mother's love is endlesss, past the time we can even fathom. It's the kindest, most humble love for all eternity.

Here's one of my favorite pics of me and my mom:

And here is my baby that I am a mom to:

So take it all in. Enjoy your special day, and know that you are all so appreciated in my life!

~Ashleigh XoXo 



Lemons & Cucumbers

Well LONG time no see, huh?! Sorry it’s been a good while since I’ve written. Lots of things have been taking over my life lately. Mostly horribly sad things, which I won’t speak of, but the good that has come from all of it is that I have a new perspective on life.

Just a friendly reminder to remember to always tell those you love how much you love them, and truly ACT out your feelings, not just verbally. It will all be worth it in the end. J

Anywho, the biggest thing happening in my life right now is my attention I spend focusing on a healthy life and eating clean foods. I have attempted to cut out all grain products from my diet, as of April 9^th. Almost a month now, and most of my cravings are gone! I do love pasta and rice and cereal, etc. etc. But I have planned out my days with healthy foods, and am only allowing myself to have a very small portion of any of this occasionally once a week, if that. 6 pounds gone so far, and I actually feel really great!! I hope this might be a little inspiration to you that once you set your mind to something, you can do anything!

My 2 necessities are LEMONS and CUCUMBERS! They are what gets me through… Lemons in all of my beverages and cucumbers as a mid-afternoon snack, or whenever I want to eat! No offense to cucumbers, because I do really LOVE them, but too much of anything will make you loose your appetite, so I choose to curve mine with this delish veggie!

Here’s to a Healthy Week!

~Ashleigh XoXo