overalls and jumpers

June 15, 2015

Someone posted typography this morning that said “I swear it was Friday 9 minutes ago.” Goodness yes. The last couple of days zoomed by, much like life in general I guess. You’d think we would all be used to it by now.

There are those moments when time stands still though. Like when your 4 year old is bawling inconsolably at her 2nd soccer game. Oh Jettie. My high emotion, moody child. For whatever reason she was not into soccer Saturday morning and no one was going convince her otherwise.

It is immensely difficult to watch your child fall apart in situations like that. Way more difficult than I had ever assumed before becoming a parent myself. On one hand your heart hurts to know they are not having fun. On another you don’t want them to think it’s okay to up and quit a commitment whenever they feel like it. Add in all the eyeballs on your screaming kid and it is in general miserable for us all. (Except Bingham of course, he clapped and blew raspberries.)

As difficult as it was to watch, I have to remind myself that it is just a moment. Granted, it was an awfully public moment but a moment nonetheless. We talked, she listened and we will see how things go next weekend. That’s the best we can do. These type of things don’t define kids, or parents as good or bad. In fact they end up turning into those great memories that make you shake your head and laugh. We all need a few of those in our lives.

Saturday was just not Jettie’s day. She was off, and I can totally relate. Sunday though…Sunday was good. Overall wearing, jumper matching sort of good.

(If someone would have said you will post images of yourself in overalls and a crop tank I would have laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Joke is on me I suppose…and those overalls are as comfortable as I remember them being in the 90s.)

Overalls and Crop TopThe back of Jettie’s romper…I mean, it’s almost so cute I can’t stand it.

Overalls and Crop Top Overalls and Crop Top Overalls and Crop TopWEARING {jettie} denim romper similar/H&M sneakers {brandy j} denim overalls similar/crop top similar/Old Navy flip flops/grey floppy hat similar

xo,

brandyjsig

Posted in family style, kids style, style, trends | Tagged | Leave a comment

these six

June 12, 2015

these things

 

1Instagram’s new look for their computer view feed. Didn’t know you could view your IG account via computer? You can! Simply type www.instagram.com/yourusername. For example: PPJ is www.instagram.com/prettyplainjanes. 2My denim obsession does not stop at me. Oh no, no – we are the Rammels made of all things denim and chambray. In fact Jettie may have not one but two denim rompers. One of them being this adorable number from Old Navy. 3Speaking of denim my beautiful and talented friend Lisa recently threw a fabulous cooking themed birthday party for her precious Crew (which included a truckload of denim). Every last detail was perfection and the kids could not have loved making their own pizza and cookies more. It’s a drive to make it to Lisa’a part of Ohio – one that we would have gladly drove double for. Her parties are just that amazing. (Check out Crew’s Invitation here!) 4And since I am party crazy I must admit I’ve got Bing’s NYC shindig on my mind…a lot. Being a sucker for bold and fun design I could not have been happier with the way his invites turned out. Absolutely cannot wait to see how all the details for the event unfold. Get ready…it’s going to be good. (I hope.) 5My husband would be the first to say that all this party planning requires cocktails. I wholeheartedly agree. This Southern Shandy is the best summer sipper. You can bet that it’s on the agenda for this weekend. 6My girl at a baseball game. We are a family of baseball lovers – there is nothing better than spending an afternoon at the ballpark. The peanuts, the noise, the atmosphere – Jettie especially loves it all. I can’t believe it’s June and we have yet to visit our local ball team. This needs remedied ASAP. (Jeannie may not look happy in that image but she is protecting a foul bowl her old man scored her – that’s some serious business.)

Have a happy weekend everyone!

xo,

brandyjsig

Posted in personal, the rammels, these things | Tagged | Leave a comment

roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad

June 11, 2015

Roasted Cauliflower & Chick Pea SaladChickpeas and cauliflower – two of the most versatile yet underrated ingredients in the world of cooking. I am a huge fan of both but this happens to be the first time I have had them paired. The verdict…forget peas and carrots, chickpeas and cauliflowers are the new soul mates of food.

Something magical happens to food when it is roasted. Flavors develop and there’s a crispy golden texture that you can only achieve from roasting. Straight out of the oven the chickpeas and cauliflower are undeniably delicious. But tossed with the dijon vinaigrette and you have yourself a complex dish loaded with flavor.

Roasted Cauliflower & Chick Pea SaladThe only variation I did to the original recipe was add a little red pepper flake (because it’s awesome and goes into all savory things that come out of my kitchen) and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. I like roasted ingredients to be brightened up right before serving – lemon juice served this purpose perfectly.

roasted_cauliflower_chick_pea_salad_3 Roasted Cauliflower & Chick Pea SaladYou may be noticing that my cauliflower is cut very, very small. The reason – there’s an almost one year old nonstop eater in my home. Typically I would leave the florets much larger, more than likely double what they are here. It is completely up to you how big or small you would like yours. Just keep an eye on your roasting time.

Roasted Cauliflower & Chick Pea SaladThis makes for an excellent side dish or a large portion lunch for two. It also happens to be healthy and wheat free. (I’m making up for the s’mores pizza I posted yesterday.) Whether you are watching what you eat or not this salad is worth going healthy for one meal – you won’t regret it!

Enjoy,

brandyjsig

 

 

 

roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1head of cauliflower chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1can (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed & drained
  • 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • 2tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1½tbsp red wine vinegar
  • pinch of red pepper flake
  • juice of half a lemon
  • ⅓ cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat the over 400degrees. Place cauliflower and chickpea on a large baking sheet and drizzle 1tbsp on the olive oil over. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss and roast in oven for 45 minutes or until cauliflower and chickpeas have browned and developed some crispy edges.
  2. Meanwhile make the dressing by placing remaining 2tbsp olive oil, the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and red pepper flake in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined.
  3. Toss warm cauliflower and chickpeas in bowl with dressing. Finish with juice of half a lemon and chopped parsley. Toss again and enjoy.

 

Posted in healthy eats, recipes, vegetarian, what's cooking | Tagged | 1 Comment

raspberry s’mores pizza

June 10, 2015

Raspberry S'mores PizzaSometimes a plan gone terribly wrong becomes a new plan that goes better than anyone could have ever dreamed. Ever. That would be this pizza. I can’t even remember what I attempted to make which ultimately led me to this masterpiece. If I could remember there would be a thank you card involved….because I am grateful for this amazing pie of berry s’mores heaven.

S’mores have been on my mind lately. Summer seems to be it’s season – in fact I’d say s’mores are the pumpkin to Pinterest in the fall.  Everything from cakes to pies to cheesecakes to bars to cocktails and even crispy treats. Of course there is nothing shocking about this. It’s graham, chocolate and marshmallow we are talking about here. Very few people find these things repulsive.

I have been on the hunt for something s’mores for a couple of reasons. A. I needed an easy recipe, quick. B. Jettie loves to help me in the kitchen and I wanted something she could do almost entirely herself. (Which makes a 4 year old feel pretty awesome. In turn making mommy feel pretty awesome.) There is nothing easier to assemble than pizza…so I thought why not a s’mores pizza. But not just any old s’mores pizza. How about a s’mores pizza with raspberries and white chocolate?

My ideas may not always be good…but this one guys, it’s a keeper. Believe me.

Raspberry S'mores PizzaMiss Jettie’s first question was “All of these things are going on pizza?!” Say hello to your first dessert pizza, girl. In fact let’s call this “ultimate” dessert pizza. That’s right, I’m giving it the ultimate title. It’s just that good.

Raspberry S'mores PizzaLook at those marshmallows all perfectly toasted with peaks of berries coming through. The dark chocolate isn’t even on it yet and I want to eat the screen.
Raspberry S'mores PizzaThere are so many flavors that make this pizza extraordinary. First you have the best ever classic s’more combo of graham cracker, chocolate and of course marshmallow. But then you add those berries exploding with their tartness and boldness…perfectly balanced by a layer of oh so sweet white chocolate. It’s s’mores on crack and the pizza crust is the ideal vessel. Every bite is sweet and fresh and marshmallowy. It’s everything you never knew you wanted on pizza.

Raspberry S'mores PizzaAnd it’s beautiful. (But not be beautiful to stuff in your face immediately.)

Raspberry S'mores Pizza Raspberry S'mores Pizza Raspberry S'mores PizzaOne warning – do not make this alone. It’s not something that can just be sitting around. A person could “pick” all day before realizing they have eaten 4 slices of dessert pie. Of course if you are a champ in the self control department (not me) then make away. Otherwise you may want a 6 person cushion…or a double up workout plan for that week.

Enjoy!

brandyjsig

 

 

 

5.0 from 2 reviews
raspberry s'mores pizza
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 12" to 14" pizza dough crust (I used this recipe)
  • ½cup graham cracker pieces (you want them bite size)
  • ½cup white chocolate chips
  • 1cup fresh raspberries
  • 1½cup mini marshmallows
  • ¼cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven 425 degrees (or whatever your chosen pizza dough tells you). Spread dough onto a greased round pizza pan. Precook the dough according to the instructions and place in oven for the instructed time minus 7 minutes. For me that was about 11 minutes. Pull pizza out of oven.
  2. Top pizza with graham crackers, white chocolate chips next, fresh raspberries and then marshmallows. Pop into oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until crust is done and marshmallows are golden. (If marshmallows become golden before crust is completely cooked cover them lightly with foil for remainder of bake time.) Remove pizza from oven.
  3. Melt dark chocolate chips in a small dish. Drizzle all over your yummy pizza. Serve immediately!

Raspberry S'more Pizza
Posted in recipes, something sweet | Tagged | 2 Comments

workout ready

June 9, 2015

It’s been awhile since we have talked about working out and how sticking to my routine is going. Good news is that it feels like a must do part of my life again. I am no longer dreading tough workouts and actually look forward to exercise everyday. Bad news is it is not happening first thing in the morning as much as I’d like. I’ve been great about squeezing it in when I can throughout the day but gosh it would be so much nicer to have it done before I even take a sip of coffee. Late nights kill me – if I can work on going to bed earlier I know I can feel more motivated to move around in the early AM.

Speaking of motivated, I was recently talking to someone about how I workout at home and what kind of gear I own. Other than my treadmill (which I do use 3 times a week) what you see below is what you get. Of course there are many other bars, bands, balls and so on I could be using, but I’m low maintenance when it comes to these things. If you are too this is a great guide to get you started:

workout_ready_june_20151Jillian 30 day Shred (yes I am talking about this DVD again) – July is my 3rd year anniversary of owning this DVD and I can’t even believe how much I still use it. This is my go-to, not enough time to workout but absolutely must workout because I’ll hate myself otherwise, video. With the actual workout, warm up and cool down you will have about 26 minutes of your time into it. The key is that there is absolutely no room for slacking. You must push yourself the entire time. And yes, Jillian is slightly annoying (especially after a bazillion viewings) but you can always mute her once you have the workout mostly memorized./2Cute Sneaks – for the longest time I would purchase most of my sneakers on super clearance. While I love to be thrifty I really didn’t like looking down at my feet. I highly recommend taking the time to shop around and find not only a deal but ones you love as well. Colors can trigger feel good emotions and we all enjoy a cute pair of shoes! Just because you are not wearing heals doesn’t mean they have to be ugly./3Yoga Mat – an essential for anyone looking to workout at home. I have used the same one from TJ Maxx for years – needless to say I have zero knowledge on what makes a mat great or not so great. But….much like the shoes I would purchase a color you love to loot at. (And if you are big on comfort you may want to go with a thicker mat to protect those bones from hard surfaces.)/4Free Weights – you absolutely do not need an entire gym in your home to get a good workout. I do believe however that a person should own a few hand weights to make strength training readily accessible. For me, its a 5lb set and an 8lb set – that’s it! The only way I will purchase more is if those 8 pounders become easy, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon./5Workout Clothes – sure you could wear your man’s old t-shirt and a pair of crappy shorts but you wouldn’t feel very cute. And if you don’t feel cute you more than likely won’t have a positive attitude…which just so happens to be the most important thing you need to get through a workout. So treat yourself to some fun sweat gear that fits your body now and then treat yourself again once you hit your goal. If you are like me and do not love the idea of spending a lot of dough on workout clothes you can always checkout Forever’s. They’ve got a killer selection of fun and affordable athletic gear.

Do you have any must have at home workout gear?

xo,

brandyjsig

Posted in health & fitness | Tagged | 2 Comments