Tuscan White Bean Soup

Last week I whipped up a huge batch of this delicious soup and we LOVED it!  This recipe was from the April/May 2014 Issue of Clean Eating magazine but I made a few changes to the original recipe.  We will definitely be making this again.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Serves 2 (Which is why I actually quadrupled the recipe to serve 8)

Ingredients:

Drizzle of Olive Oil

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into rounds

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 15 oz can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed

3 oz all-natural Turkey Sausage - I got small breakfast turkey sausages and used the whole 12 oz package in my huge batch

1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach, chopped a bit

Instructions:

In a dutch oven heat drizzle of olive oil on medium.  Add carrot, celery, onion, and saute, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, rosemary, fennel, red pepper flakes, and saute for 1-2 more minutes.  Add broth and 1 cup of water.  Cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Stir in beans, cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer until veggies are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile drizzle medium skillet with a little olive oil and heat on medium-high.  Remove sausages from casings and add them to skillet.  Crumble with a wooden spoon as the cook.  Cook until lightly browned- 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside. I like to put my sausage on some paper towels to absorb as much oil as possible before adding to the soup.

Remove soup from heat and transfer 1 cup to a blender.  Remove plastic stopper from blender lid and hold a kitchen towel over the lid to allow the steam to escape.  Blend until smooth, then return to dutch oven.  Heat the soup again on low and add the spinach. Simmer until the leaves are wilted.  Stir in sausage and remove from heat.

Enjoy!

Luves,

Laura

Mom On the Go Fall Edition

Now that the temperatures are getting colder as Fall turns into Winter- Layers are a necessity!

This outfit is warm, cute, and comfortable.  It's so easy to pull this together quickly too!

I'm wearing a black and white checked button-down shirt from Old Navy, a tank top over that to hold it in place under my thrifted Old Navy striped tunic Sweater.  Old Navy has great button downs all the time and you can find similar tunic sweaters here. Don't be afraid to mix prints!  Usually it's best to mix a small print with a larger scale print like I did here.

I wore these tops with some thrifted bright blue skinny pants that are Mossimo Brand.  

I pulled the look together with my brown Breckelles boots here, a statement necklace from eBay, Fossil watch, Jewelmint bracelet, and plain gold ball studs.

Totally also did my hair in under 10 minutes using a new fast method.  I loved the messy curls I ended up with.

Getting excited for the upcoming holidays!

Luves,

Laura

Motivation

I've been struggling lately to take on so many responsiblities- there are so many things to be done- and it never stops.  This thought popped into my head today and I thought it might encourage you- so I whipped up this little photo/quote above.

What a cool thing to know we aren't in this life alone!

Luves,

Laura

Good Morning Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are probably one of the best things you can drink for breakfast in the morning.  They are packed with all sorts of vitamins and nutrition.  And if you struggle to eat lots of veggies throughout your day they are perfect for making sure you get that little extra.  Today's smoothie is a great one for everyday!

Good Morning Green Smoothie
From: Laura's Luves
Yield: Apx. 28-32 ounces

Ingredients:

1/2 Large Cucumber
3 Small to medium size carrots
1/2 Lime
1 cup water
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls spinach
1 small apple- cored
1 Banana
5-6 stalks of fresh parsley
1 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

Using your juicer- juice the following ingredients in this order: Cucumber, carrots, then lime.

Take the juice from the juicer and pour it into your blender.  Add 1 cup of water to your blender with the juice. Add the spinach and blend,  then add the celery and blend, then add the parsley and blend, then add the apple and blend , then add the banana and blend until smooth.

Pour smoothie into a large glass and stir in the chia seeds.  Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir and enjoy!

It's very important to not juice every single ingredient.  The veggie/fruit pulp has a lot good stuff in so that's why I do both the juicer and the blender.

I'm going to go enjoy my smoothie now :)

Luves,

Laura

Immune Boosting Green Smoothie

The littles and I just got over a 24 hour stomach bug... Yuck!  I woke up today feeling a lot more like myself and little B told me his belly was feeling good!  W is also acting like his normal self.  I wanted to make sure we all replenished our bodies with lots of vitamins and nutrients this morning so I decided to whip up a green smoothie that is packed with good stuff!  Little B drank his right up and I'm feeling energized since drinking mine.

Immune Boosting Green Smoothie
From: Laura's Luves
Yield: Apx. 28 ounces

Ingredients:

1/2 Large Cucumber
3 Small to medium size carrots
1/2 Lime
2 inch piece of ginger
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls spinach
2 small apples- cored
5-6 stalks of fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

Using your juicer- juice the following ingredients in this order: Cucumber, carrots, celery, ginger, lime.

Take the juice from the juicer and pour it into your blender.  Add the spinach and blend.  Then add the parsley and blend, then add the apples and blend until smooth.

Pour smoothie into a large glass and stir in the chia seeds.  Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir and enjoy!

It's very important to not juice every single ingredient.  The veggie/fruit pulp has a lot good stuff in so that's why I did both the juicer and the blender.

Drink up!

Luves,

Laura

Mommy on the Go

So because I am a mom of 2 kids under the age of 4 I thought if would be fun to do a regular post on my "Mommy On The Go" outfits.  The first outfit I posted as my go-to mom style was posted a few weeks ago.

Here is another one of my go-to styles.  Basically I wear skinny jeans rolled up with a loose shirt, ankle booties since it's the fall, and lots of fun jewelry/accessories.  I've been teaching the hubby to take my pictures/pose me so don't be too hard on the photos :)

The top was one of my recent thrifted finds and is from Express- similar adorable top from Forever 21 here for only $13.80- I would just buy one size up to achieve the over-sized look.  

Jeans are from Alloy- these were flare jeans that I made into skinny jeans and I wear them all the time now! I really like these destructed skinny jeans from Alloy and they aren't too expensive.

Ankle booties are Dolce Vita Paden Boot from Amazon.  These were a splurge for me but I wear them all the time and they are super comfortable for everyday wear.  Mine are in Olive Suede.

I grabbed the large crystal necklace on eBay for $1.99 awhile back and the long apple pendant is the "Apple a Day" Pendant from Jewelmint.  The tortoiseshell watch is Fossil Relic but I got it on eBay for $15.00, green wrap bracelet was bought at a beach shop, and the tropical fruit bracelet is from Jewelmint.

I also paired my outfit with one of my favorite new coats from Forever 21-

Its warm and has a hood which is amazing.  It also won't break the bank at only $49.80- I waited until they had a sale and snagged mine for less than $30.00.  They are sold out in the light tan but the black one is also super cute!

I've got two photo shoots this weekend and lots of family time planned.

Have an amazing weekend!

Loves,

Laura

How to Thrift Better

I get asked all the time how do I find such great stuff at thrift shops? Or on eBay?  So I thought I would share the thrifting tips that I swear by.  And believe me when I say I've been extremely successful.  The photo above is 3 tops I thrifted last weekend by sticking to these rules below.

1- Have a plan. 

This is by far the most important thing about thrifting.  If I go to a store with no plan I usually don't find anything.  I now have a list of my wardrobe wants/wishes and when I go thrifting I try to stick to my list.  So for instance if I really wanted a great blazer- why waste my time looking everywhere when I can just go in, look at just the blazers and see if I find anything.  My list is usually pretty long on my clothes wish list so I will look in several spots in the store to see if I can find anything that meets my desires.

2- Don't Waste Time

Having two little boys it's hard to be in the thrift store for a long time without one of them getting a little restless so by having a plan it helps for me to stick with it and move quickly so I don't take too long in the store.  Don't waste your time looking at other racks just "because".  Be efficient by sticking to your plan.

3- Know what you like

I know for me I have certain colors/prints that stand out to me so I can easily glance down racks and see if anything "pops" out at me.  I love neon, leopard, floral, stripes, plaid, neutral colors, and aztec print to name a few so when I shop I quickly look to see if any of those jumps out at me.  If it does I pull it out and see if its my size, style I want, etc.

Sticking with my prints- stripes, polka dot, color blocked

4- Don't be afraid to go home empty handed

Sometimes I go to the thrift shop with these grand ideas that I'm going to find everything I need/want in that one trip.  And then I leave disappointed.  It's always better to be prepared to not find anything that way when you do find something is extra exciting!

5- Try stuff on

Don't be afraid to try things on.  I've found especially in thrifted clothes that have been washed, etc. that my size isn't always "my" size.  I've been surprised many times to find an XL sweater fits with the oversized look that I am going for.  So even though it takes a bit more time- always try things on.

Those are my top thrifting tips.  I hope these will help you to be successful with your own thrift shopping.

What are your favorite ways to thrift shop??

Loves,

Laura

Leopard Ankle Boots

So you already know that in my boot Leopard print is a neutral.  I pair it with just about anything and everything.  One of the most important leopard accessories is a good pair of leopard heels and/or booties.  I personally would like to own both and finally ordered a pair that I got for a killer steal.  I just got the shipping confirmation today!  Woohoo!!

I cannot wait to share them with you guys!

Here are the looks I was inspired by:

Original sources here and here

Original Sources- Left source not available- Right here

I am looking forward to styling mine- let's just hope they fit!

On another note I whipped up a delicious Quinoa Salad tonight for dinner.  Clean eating never tasted so good.

Loves,

Laura

Glasses, Hot Tea, and my Fur Baby

I LOVE my funky frames- Cute and functional.  Since without them some days my vision is just not the best.  Editing photos from a recent photo shoot with a mug of hot mint tea, and my fur baby Sierra keeping my lap warm.  It doesn't get much better than this :)

Happy Tuesday!

Loves,

Laura