Happy 4th of July!

July 4, 2017July 4, 2017 hustleandvegLeave a comment

Happy 4th of July! I hope you got to spend some time today with your family, friends and/or people you love! (Whether you were celebrating in America or not!)

One of my fav things to eat on the fourth, or really all summer long is corn on the cob!

How do you eat your corn? I eat mine round and round! Apparently, how you eat your corn says something about your personality- if you eat your corn round and round, you tend to be more artsy and creative, the right brained people- if you eat your corn left to right, like a typewriter, you are an orderly organized person! How interesting, right?! (My mom and I eat in the round and Steve and my Dad eat left to right!)

Happy Birthday America!

Roasted corn and orzo salad

July 3, 2017July 3, 2017 hustleandvegLeave a comment

I love a good pasta salad- and this is a nice spin on the classic. I’m bringing this salad tomorrow to our Fourth of July picnic as a side, but it could easily adapt to a main dish as well. I like this salad a lot because you can serve it warm, room temperature, or out of the fridge and it’s just as tasty!

Here’s what you need:

6 cloves of garlic minced (yes, I said 6), 1 white or yellow onion, chopped, 1 bag of baby spinach, 1 box of orzo pasta, 6 ears of corn- roasted in the grill with kernels removed from the cob (or, you can buy a frozen bag of roasted corn kernels at Trader Joe’s to save you time!), 10 ounces of fresh spring English peas- or any less you can find, 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, salt and pepper, lemon juice, olive oil

Here’s the plan:

Put about 1-2 tbsp in a large sauté pan, heat the oil, and add the garlic and onion. Sauté in pan until soft and translucent on medium heat. Add the bag of spinach and stir until spinach cooks down and becomes soft and wilty. Add the corn and peas, cook for about 7 minutes, stir occasionally, every minute or two, then, lower the heat to low. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil water to cook the orzo in. Once water is boiling, add the orzo and cook for 7-10 minutes until orzo is tender. Drain. Add the drained orzo pasta to the vegetables in the large sauté pan. Add about a tbsp of salt and 1 tbsp of pepper, to taste. (Psst, I have a salty palate, so feel free to later salt to your taste!) Add 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and the 1 cup of chopped cilantro to the pan. Mix well, remove from heat, and serve, or refrigerate to later!

BEST WEEK EVER!

Best Week Ever!

July 2, 2017July 2, 2017 hustleandvegLeave a comment

Ahhh! This week was the Best Week Ever! June 26th- July 2nd, 2017!

This was really the start of our summer! We played a lot on the playground…

And took some wagon rides- Sailor was obsessed, Dash was just straight chillin’!

I found these at Trader Joe’s! They are really good- basically like lychee nuts- def. worth a try if you come upon them! (tip: they are easy to peel, but there is a pit!)

It was this girl’s first time in a pool! (She loved it! Phew!) And our first time this summer soaking up the sun and cooling off.

Dash was in major “helper mode” this week- he wanted to help carry everything and even move furniture! (Now every time we walk past this chest in our hallway, he points to it and says, “I moved that!” – of course with Daddy and Papa’s help!)

And…you can never have too much fun in a clothing rack…

Plus…

The most elaborate hedges and topiaries! Amazing!

The museum for virtually unknown artists.

For the first time ever, a vegan chef was awarded this prestigious French award!

and… speaking of, yay!

I just bought this kimono, dawg.

This Pinterest Search is everything.

And…

Yes, these turtles are totally high fiving brah!

Uncategorized

Tag Sale!

July 1, 2017 hustleandveg2 Comments

Have you ever had a tag sale?! (CT is the only place I’ve ever heard them called tag sales… everyone is every other state calls them garage sales, yard sales, etc- and looks at me with the crazy eyes for using the term ‘tag sale’ ha!) After our massive garage and basement clean outs, we decided to have a tag sale to try to make a little spare cash- and it turned out to be so much more than that! First off, we got to spend the day outside- which was so nice! We set up a few camp chairs, brought out a blue tooth speaker, and at noon, started having a few refreshing beverages! (Noon is the new five o’clock once summer hits, for those of you that didn’t know…) we hired a babysitter for a few hours in the am so we could set up, then when we sent her home, we spent some time hanging with them outside, then my folks came over and helped out with the kidlets! So it worked out nicely! Not only did Steve and I get to spend the day together outside, hanging out, chasing Dashel, letting Sailor play in the grass, etc, but we also made about $85, and we met a few of our neighbors! Even though we’ve lived in our house for about 4 years, we barely know anyone on our street- and it’s only like 8 houses! 🙈 so it was awesome having neighbors drop by and introduce themselves! It was a super successful day; we got rid of our junk, sold people some new treasures, got some sun, and played with the kids all while making some new friends! Not going to lie, it was hard work, the cleaning out of the house, the setting up, and the eventual hauling away to Goodwill if everything that didn’t sell, but it was well worth it! Have you ever had a tag sale?! Did you love it?!

Shopping

Currently in my shopping cart…

June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 hustleandvegLeave a comment

Do you go online shopping, fill up your cart, but don’t quite check out right away…? I like to leave things in my cart for at least a week or so and think about the purchases to decide if I really want them. Most of the places that I shop, I create an account sign in so the items in my cart is always saved when/if I want to go back for it. Here’s what I’m currently coveting…

This peel and stick wall paper!

Slide View: 1: Chasing Paper And Kate Zaremba Flora Removable Wallpaper

This sweater- I know it’s summer, but it’s gonna get cold again one day…

Mint

This jumper

Slide View: 1: Out From Under Evi Midi Jumpsuit

This flash drive that connects right to your phone for fast uploads of media

This luggage set

Image result for Nicole Miller Rainbow Hard-Sided 3-Piece Spinner Set: 28", 24", and 20"

This book

And this one…

This album (available for pre-order, it comes out in September and I’m dyyyyying for it!)

Antisocialities (180-Gram Colored Vinyl w/ download card)

This glow stick

butter LONDON On the Glow Pen, White Gold, 1 oz.

This kaftan!

These Vans!

Image result for vans peanuts slip ons

Family · Gift Guide · Motherhood · Parenting

An (incredibly) meaningful gift for your child

June 29, 2017 hustleandvegLeave a comment

Our kiddos just finished their (first for Sailor and second for Dashel) year of daycare. I can’t believe how fast their (school) year went… and I can’t help but be so grateful for the daycare they attend. As a working mom, it’s hard to leave your kiddos for the day- there’s a lot of missing them, and sometimes, early on, some guilt, about not being able to stay home with them. But honestly, I couldn’t love their daycare more. The teachers and staff are thoughtful, sweet, and engaging. Everything is always safe and clean, and my kids are learning so much, including sharing, manners, their letters/colors/numbers, even Spanish! It’s a long road of school ahead of them, and I’m glad that this is the start of their student careers….

With the end of the school year here, and summer swinging in, I got to thinking a lot about graduations, moving on and growing up. (My kiddos will be in new rooms with new teachers when they come back in the fall!) Although their high school graduation seems like eons away (…and the thought of it seriously starts to bring tears to my eyes…) I started a graduation gift for each of them to give them on the day they finish their high school careers. (Hold on to your hats, this is a gift in the making, that takes quite a while…) I purchased two books, a different one for each of them, and had their teacher’s write personalized notes (with the dates) in each book. I plan on getting every teacher to write a note to them for each of their school years; they will be able to go back and see what their teacher’s thought of them from the time they were 6 months old to the time they were 18. (I’ve already read some of the notes and they are so sweet!!)

Of course “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Suess is a timeless classic that many people give as graduation gifts, but if you want to branch out, here are the two I chose. (They have the sweetest stories/messages). Do you have a long term gift for your child?

Family · Food · Home

You need this in your kitchen!

June 28, 2017June 28, 2017 hustleandveg3 Comments

What do these three pictures have in common?

Have you guessed it? … kiddos eating small bites! If you’re a Mama (or Dada!) that prepares meals for your kids morning, noon and night, you know how tedious it can be figuring out what to make, what your kids will eat, what’s nutritious, and of course, making sure it’s in kiddo sized bites- including cutting the crust off any bread! My girlfriend got me a basket of goodies for my baby shower- she was already an experienced mom when I got pregnant for the first time- and one of the absolute best things in it, were these…

I literally use these kitchen shears for everything! Cutting sammies, pasta, bagels, waffles, broccoli, literally everything. If you are spending time cutting your kiddos food with a knife, please, do yourself a favor, and buy these– I’ve tried others and these are, by far, my favorite! (This is also pretty cool!)

Cleaning & Organizing · Family · Home · Organizing

Day 2 of project massive clean!

June 27, 2017June 27, 2017 hustleandvegLeave a comment

Today’s post is brought to you by my incredibly cluttered and crazy messy, no where near organized basement! This is one of those massive projects I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but never ever have the time… I’m trying to best utilize these few days, while the kids are still in school and I’m off, to make a massive dent in these major clean out projects. Plus, we are also having a tag sale on Saturday, so I’d love to get as much out of my house as possible before then! I’ve been trying to implore the Konmari technique as I clean. First and foremost, do not keep anything that doesn’t spark joy! It’s been relatively easy going through the extraneous stuff we have been storing in the basement, Andy have been able to cull a lot of the stuff taking up way too much space in boxes and bins. I’m a self proclaimed pack rat so I’m actually pretty proud of myself with how ruthless I’ve been at getting rid of stuff.

The hardest thing to purge is, by far, is the sentimental stuff… I have a good 3 tubs of memories that came from my parents house when they moved out of our childhood home and I gathered my stuff from the attic of their old house. A lot of it is photo albums, yearbooks, notes and cards, old journals, movie ticket stubs, prom favors, VHS tapes (I’m dating myself here…) etc… it was all so nostalgic to peruse through, I really couldn’t bring myself to get rid of anything quite yet…I only scratched the surface of going through these boxes, because I really wanted to make sure I was using my time wisely with other clutter. However, some of the treasured ephemera and mementos I did scope out in this first go through were simply soul satisfying. Amongst some great old photos, I also found my switchplate from my nursery (which I’m going to install in Sailor’s room), a box of Uno cards my Nana and I used to play with constantly (stored in an old cut tissue box), my parent’s wedding favor (decorative plate? ashtray?), and the traffic light light pull from my Papa’s apartment in Washington Heights- to name just a few. It was so lovely to run across these items and feel the rush of so many happy memories come flooding through my mind. It also made me excited to show this stuff to Dashel and Sailor one day; I think they will love to look through some of it when they get older. I already started showing Dash some pictures from when I was about his age and when I asked him who he thought was in the photo, he identified it as himself 😌, ‘no, buddy, but I get why you said that.’

Do you hold on to sentimental items? Are they stored in a box somewhere? Or do you have them displayed? I’m going to try to pick some of my favorites to incorporate into our everyday lives to keep those happy memories close by.

Cleaning & Organizing · Home · Organizing

Major clean out’s!

June 26, 2017 hustleandvegLeave a comment

We all have those places in our homes that we dread cleaning out… some of the more common ones are the garage and the basement. (And attic!) Unfortunately, these spaces tend to be the ones that get neglected the most often and become a breeding ground for we storage of stuff the we don’t necessarily want and definitely don’t need- but can’t quite seem to part with either. My Dad came over today and we attacked the garage together! Here are some tips when taking the plunge to clean out your garage.

1. Get everything out! It’s much easier to see everything, easier to sweep/clean the garage of dirt, dust, leaves and spider webs when everything is out.

2. As you’re bringing your stuff outside- we brought everything out onto the driveway- separate it into piles.

-stuff we are getting rid of (we’re going to have a tag sale this weekend, and anything that doesn’t sell is going to Goodwill)

-stuff I’m keeping that goes into house or car or other area, not the garage

-stuff I’m keeping that goes back into the garage

– also throw out all trash and recycling as you go!

3. Have some clean rags around to dust off items and shelving as you go.

4. Be ruthless about letting things go. Do you really need that croquet set that you’ve never used? Remember, if you’re about to store something out of sight, think long and hard, again, if you really need said item.

5. Once garage is empty, sweep it out using a large push broom. Don’t forget all the corners!

6. As you begin to put items back into the garage, pick spots thoughtfully and slowly. Decide what makes the most sense to have where.

7. Utilize wall space and hooks and hang things vertically whenever possible.

8. Group like items together- gardening tools, potting soil, planters… you get it

9. Try to envision your cars being parked in the garage and do your best not to store anything that would be in the way of getting your car in and out. (We usually park in the driveway, but it’s ideal to have your spot carved out all the time, both for practicality and for de-clutteredness…

Some before pics…

And after!