Spiralized Greek Salad || Recipe

Have you all felt the healthy eating itch lately?  After indulging in a good share of Christmas cookies, cakes, and chocolates I'm currently craving healthier foods.  Now, as a side note, I did text my sister this exact message last night: "Everyone is like lets get in shape! I'm over here like that chocolate Santa was goooood!" So lets be honest...it's all about moderation ;)

That being said, this salad was so fresh and so easy to make that I had to share it with you!  If you don't have a spiralizer (thanks Mom!) you can use a julienne peeler to create similar, but straight ribbons of cucumber.  Spiralizing the cucumbers made the salad so fun to eat!

SPIRALIZED GREEK SALAD 

Ingredients: 

Cucumber

Tomatoes

Red Onion

Feta Cheese

Kalamata Olives

Olive Oil 

Red Wine Vinegar

Lemon

Oregano 

Thyme

Salt & Pepper

Spiralize the cucumbers and dress with olive oil, vinegar,  oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.  

Top with your favorite Greek salad toppings.  My favorites are tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and red onions.  Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon. I served mine with lemon-thyme chicken.  

Enjoy! 

How to Winterize Your Nails || Julep

{My new favorite clutch shown above can be found here}

Winter can be so tough on your skin, hands, and nails!  I wanted to share some tips on how to winterize your nails so you'll be ready to take on colder, drier weather with fresh, strong nails.  I'm a huge fan of Julep products and especially love their oxygen nail treatment and mighty nail and cuticle serum.   Following this guide will help you get your nails winterized in no time...

 

I always keep my nails on the shorter side because I'd hate to scratch my little one, and I'm a fanatic about filing them to make sure they are smooth and shaped.  I love the tip to warm the cuticle softener to create a spa-like treatment...perfect for momma time ;)  

My typical at home manicure consists of these steps:  

1.  Remove all polish to create a fresh, clean nail surface.

2.  Apply the oxygen smoothing base coat to fill in any fine lines and smooth the top nail layer.

3.  Apply two coats of your favorite nail polish and let dry between coats.  

4.  Apply the Freedom Polymer top coat (one of my favorites!) to create a gel-like finish.  

5.  Finish with the mighty nail and cuticle serum to keep those cuticles moisturized throughout the day.

*One of my favorite time tips is applying the Ta Da quick dry drops after completing the steps above.  Seriously a time and nail saver!

Julep has also released their new trending nail polish colors, which can also be seen here... I'm loving the "Isla" and "Joanne" for winter!

One last tip that I'd like to add is to exfoliate your hands.  Exfoliating really helps to rid your hands of dry, dead skin to reveal soft, smooth hands.  Have you tried to make your own sugar scrub?  A coconut almond sugar scrub would be wonderful to add to your beauty routine.  I shared mine here. 

Do you winterize your nails?  I'd love to hear some more tips on how you keep your nails hydrated and ready for colder weather.   Be sure to check out more Julep products here.  

*Disclaimer:  The Birds Nest was not compensated in any way to write this post or include any Julep products.  Opinions are strictly my own.

Coconut Almond Sugar Scrub || Homemade

Hello!

I hope you enjoyed some festive New Years celebrations.  We had a low key night at my sister's house and everyone was in bed before the ball dropped,  #lifewithatoddler.  Anyway, it has been freezing the past few days and I have been wanting to try to make a sugar scrub to help with dry hands and skin from the cold.  This. Is. Amazing.  It smells so good and it is so easy to make!  Here is how I made my own sugar scrub.

1/4-1/3 cup of coconut oil
1 cup of white sugar
A few drops of almond extract (or almond essential oil)

Melt the coconut oil and stir in the almond oil and sugar.  Mix until ingredients are incorporated and store in an airtight container.  For use as both a hand scrub or body scrub.  Enjoy!

I can't wait to try to make a different scent next.  I'm thinking coconut vanilla or lemon sugar sound good.  I used a small amount after washing my hands and it really made them so smooth!  I'm a hand cream fanatic and I haven't reached for it once since I've been using the scrub.  This would be the perfect little gift for friends or as a hostess gift too! Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear.

New Years Eve 2014

Hello friends!  I can't believe the Christmas season is over and a brand new year starts tomorrow!  I always tend to get a little nostalgic when New Years Eve rolls around.  I love looking back and seeing how much has happened throughout the year.  Our little one, Olivia, turned one in April and that was one of our biggest highlights of the year.   She's grown so much and I can't wait to see what the new year brings.  Keeping this short and sweet, I'll leave you with a few of my hopes for the new year...

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CREATE HEALTHY MEALS - I'm really excited to try new recipes to create healthy, delicious meals for our family.   Pinterest is my go to for new recipes.  You can follow my Pinterest boards here. 

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STAY ORGANIZED - I love the idea of organizing and I was always pretty good at it, then along came a husband, a baby, and animals.  This is one of my biggest goals for the year.  Having an organized home creates peace in my mind and its also visually pleasing to know everything has a place to go and our home can look neat and tidy.

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CREATE STYLISH, ACCESSORIZED OUTFITS - Being a stay at home mom, I tend to wear comfy clothes that I can play, cook, clean and run errands in.  I make sure to get dressed everyday, but a goal of mine is to accessorize more and put a little more thought into my outfits.  Something as simple as remembering to put on a necklace or earrings can make the difference between stylish and stay-at-home.  Again, Pinterest has a ton of great outfit inspiration.  

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BE PRESENT - It's hard to just be present sometimes.  Avoiding distractions is hard.  I'm guilty of thinking of other things, doing other things, scrolling through Instagram, blogging, etc when sometimes the most important things are right in front of me.  I try to make a conscience effort to be present and be in the moment.  "Unplugging" is so important to really nurture your relationships, whether it be with your spouse, child, family or friends.  I love the quote above..."wherever you are, be all there."  That's one of my top resolutions for this coming year.   

What are some of your hopes for the new year?  I'd love to hear!  Happy New Year!

Linking up to the Lavish Lemon Link Up here at Let's Dazzle Darlings.

Holiday Home Tour 2014

Welcome to my holiday home tour!  Most of the decorations are from Home Goods, TJMaxx, Target, and local shops.  There is also a mix of fresh and faux greens throughout the house. Hope you enjoy a glimpse into our home during the holidays!

The first stop is our living room...

Next up is our dining room...

Next is our kitchen...

And just a few special touches in Olivia's room...

I hope you enjoyed a peek into our home this Christmas! I'd love to know your thoughts! Now leaving you with our Santa visit picture this;)...Definitely a keeper for when she's 16.

And my favorite holiday picture of her... I just love the wonder in her eyes...