"My favorite things, week 2!

Hey everyone! Here is "My favorite tings" week two! Do NOT forget to become a follower on my blog for a chance to win a gift card to one of the "favorite things" places!

The melting pot is one of our favorite restaurants! They have a wonderful atmosphere! The melting pot offers wonderful food, drinks, and experience! Melting Pot

The Vitamix! The blender of blenders! You can do anything in this blender, including make soup! Yes, I said it...you can even make soups! There are many different versions of the Vitamix with all different prices ranges! There are many places you can buy this fabulous machine, but we got ours through QVC.

Stella&Dot favorite of the week! The Bryant park scarf! I happen to really like have an extreme obsession with scarves! These are a wonderful size (you can wear it as a shawl) and are so soft!Stella&Dot

Next up! An Erin Condren planner and notebook! Ahhh! I am always on the search for the perfect planner and it never has quite what I want. That was until I found Erin Condren! I adore my planner and matching notebook! There are many options and designs to choose from! You can even custom design yours! Life changing planner people! I should mention that Erin also has other amazing products!  Erin Condren

Not quite a product, but my favorite Disney princess! Merida from Brave! Ahhh I LOVED this movie and I just LOVE Merida! She is a princess all about standing up for her beliefs and she is NOT into prince charming! Now, please don't get me wrong, I love prince charming, but sometimes I think it is wonderful to have an all about girls character out there! 

My recipe of the week! I found Emily Bites on Pinterest! She makes wonderful WW friendly recipes, and these banana pancake bites are fantastic! Emily Bites

 

Banana Pancake Bites
Source: adapted from The World According to Eggface

Ingredients:
1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake & Baking Mix
2/3 cup skim milk
½ cup reduced calorie breakfast syrup
1 large ripe banana, chopped into small pieces

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 24 count mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
2.    In a large bowl, stir together Bisquick mix, milk and syrup until thoroughly combined.
3.    Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared mini muffin tin cups. Sprinkle the chopped banana pieces over the tops of each muffin cup. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Yields 24 pancake bites. WW P+: 1 per bite (a serving of four pancake bites is 4 P+) (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per pancake bite from myfitnesspal.com: 33 calories, 7 g carbs, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, 0 g fiber 

I have added blueberries. I also have done mini chocolate chips with the banana's. They last in the refrigerator for just a few days, but you can easily freeze these!

And, my favorite saying of the week! 

   Xxoo Christina

"My favorite things!"

 Hey everyone! Welcome to my first "Favorite Things" post! I decided each week I will talk about a few "things", also share a recipe, and a favorite saying! I am also going to be having a contest! When I reach 50 followers, I will be giving away a gift certificate to one of the "Favorite Things" stores! So please follow and enjoy!

 

My first favorite is the Kitchen Aid stand mixer! I adore mine and use it frequently!!!  You really can do anything with it! Cookies, doughs, whip cream! You name it! It also serves as a great decorative on your kitchen counter! I love dual purposes! You can find these at a number of stores, but nothing beats the 20% off at Bed, Bath, and Beyond! BBB





             Next up! Scentsy! I have had the Scentsy system in our home since the Fall, and I have not used a candle since! It is an electric warmer and the scents last a very long time! These are my favorite warmers, "Bride" and the plug-in is "Flower Girl". My favorite scent is sugar cookie! Scentsy





 I love pieces that having meaning! This is called the Soar necklace and it is from Stella&Dot! It is a reminder that dreams take flight when given wings. Stella & Dot









 My next favorite is Teavana!!! It is a loose tea system, and once you try it, you will never go back! My favorite teas are cranberry singapore sling rooibos tea, tiramisu trevisio, and zingiber ginger coconut red roobios tea! It can be a pricey habit, but when you compare it to going to a coffee shop each day, it works out! Teavana


 



This beauty is called the Georgina Duvet Cover and I adore it! anthropologie

This is one of my favorite recipes on one of my favorite blogs! Gina from skinnytaste is just amazing! Skinny Taste






This is the recipe from her website!
Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes Servings: 3 • Serving Size: salad with 2 chicken tenders • Points: 8 pts • Points+: 8 pts Calories: 397.6 • Fat: 11.0 g • Protein: 26.8 g • Carb: 32.5 g • Fiber: 4.4 g • Sugar: 10
Ingredients:

• 6 (about 12 oz) chicken tenderloins
• 6 tbsp shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup panko crumbs
• 2 tbsp crushed cornflake crumbs
• 1/3 cup egg substitute or egg whites
• pinch salt
• olive oil spray
• 6 cups mixed baby greens
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 small cucumber, sliced

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp white vinegar (balsamic would work too)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

Directions:
Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients; set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine coconut flakes, panko, cornflake crumbs and salt in a bowl. Put egg whites or egg beaters in another bowl.
Lightly season chicken with salt. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture. Place chicken on a cookie sheet lined with parchment for easy cleanup. Lightly spray with olive oil spray and bake for 30 minutes turning halfway, or until chicken is cooked through.
Place 2 cups baby greens on each plate. Divide carrots, cucumber, tomato evenly between each plate. When chicken is ready slice on the diagonal and place on top of greens. Heat dressing in the microwave a few seconds and divide equally between each salad; a little over 1 tbsp each.




And finally, my favorite saying for the week!

Xxoo Christina  

 Hey everyone!
So sorry I have not posted the last few weeks! I was sick for about a week with a nasty virus, and I just had to rest! But, I am back and ready to post! I have lots to share with you from over the last few weeks! Before I get into all of that, I will be posting a "My Favorite Things" post each Friday! I will feature my favorite items that I have used as well as items on my wish list! 

Although, I am not going to post all the pictures, hubby and I decorated for Easter! This is Eleanor our Easter tree! I love her! The tree is from the "Christmas Tree Shoppe" and it was $1.99 on clearance! The ornaments are from Pier1 and Michael's!

After feeling better, I had my girlfriend's and family over for a joint Stella&Dot and Scentsy party!

 I had purchased a few appetizer items from Trader Joe's, cupcakes from Baked by Melissa (AMAZING), and I made truffles and chocolate chip cookies! We had such a great time, and everyone ordered such great stuff! I know Ali received over $100 in Stella&Dot products for a little over $20 and I earned a ton of Scentsy products! Here are the links! Stella&Dot
Scentsy.

Next up was my FABULOUS weigh in at WW last week!!! I hit my 5% which was my first big goal! (I never received any of my other stickers, so that is why they are grouped with the 5% one) Planning and tracking and tracking and planning! I noticed that my jeans were a bit looser this week, and I am hoping for another great weigh in tomorrow! Seeing that goal being reached just really motivated me even more! I am so happy and proud of myself for achieving that first big goal!

 While at my weigh in, I was told there were some new products, and they were on sale, so I tried them out! 

Key Lime Pie surprise mini bars

(picture taken from google)

 (picture taken from google)

I loved both of these products and highly recommend them! The bar is a great way to have something sweet and the smoothie (for me) is the best way to get in my dairy requirement!

Over the past weekend, the hubby and I had a date day! We went into a great little town, Bellmore. We window shopped and had lunch. We also went to get my engagement and wedding ring dipped and cleaned (sadly, the man who made my rings went out of business!). We went to a great place called, Gennaro Jewelers. They made my rings look like brand new and they let me watch every part, so the rings never left my sight! They have a great selection of jewelery and are really reasonably priced! 

Lastly, I have been making a "Smash" book. Some people use this for everyday life, but I have been using "Project Life" for my everyday life(Project Life). I have been using my "Smash" book for my collection of ideas for our house one day!

 

Smash!

It was a great few weeks! 
Thanks for reading!

Xxoo Christina