Dear D&#039;Arcy

34 Top Things to Buy at Trader Joe

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I genuinely love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

Recipe Under 30 min Meal: Tomato & Spinach Pasta

February 6, 2022

Hello Pretty Ladies,

I whipped up this easy All- most one-pot meal in under 30 minutes several months back, and it was a hit at my house. My family said it was one of their favorites! Served with a salad and my Sinful Garlic bread, it would make for a great Valentine’s day dinner. Great for a couple or the whole family.

Recipe Under 30 min Meal:

Tomato & Spinach Pasta

One-pot sauce

1 can 28oz organic diced tomatoes

( Muir Glen) Tomatoes are my favorite

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cube real butter

3/4 bag organic spinach

1 tablespoon minced garlic

About 1/2 cup olive oil (line bottom of the pan)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon oregano/basil/tomato spice

2 tablespoons dried chopped onion

A handful of fresh basil (torn)

A good drizzle of balsamic vinegar

1 box Barilla Collezione Orecchiette

Top with:

Grated Parmesan

Basil

Extras you could add…

English peas

Or shrimp

Have a beautiful day, pretty ladies,

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Three Dinners, Out Of One Pork Loin Recipe

January 30, 2022

Three Dinners, Out Of One Pork Loin Recipe:

How to cook a Crockpot Pork Loin to get 3 different meals from it….(family of 4) double if larger. Three Dinners, Out Of One Pork Loin Recipe, How I like to create three different dinners out of one crockpot pork loin. This does cooking for the week is a breeze.

Pork Loin Recipe:

1 large pork loin browned

1 32oz chicken or beef stock

1/2 of large onion sliced

1 pack Lipton onion mix

4 peeled garlic gloves

2 tablespoons of Kitchen Bouquet

2 tablespoons of dried parsley

1 tablespoon Worcester sauce

Drippings from pan

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Place all ingredients into Crockpot with a crockpot liner

( leaving pork loin until last)

Stir ingredients, then add pork loin.

Tip: cut sides of Crockpot liner… when all ingredients are in crockpot tie liner (like a garbage bag), cover crockpot and cook for a couple of hours at high then lower to low for a couple more.

When done, take out to rest for about 10 min and slice off a couple of pieces for a pork loin dinner (set aside)

Shred rest… split shredded in 1/2… use one 1/2 for a shredded pork Taco dinner and the other 1/2 for a BBQ sandwich dinner! Refrigerate what you are not using for meals later in the week.

Watch my Instagram reel.

Dinner 1

Pork dinner served with mashed potatoes, the gravy/ Au Jus from the crockpot, and Vegetable of choice

: Homemade Guacamole & Pico

: Grilled Taco shells, pork and Toppings

: Pork Tacos

Dinner 2

Take the Shredded Pork and, in an oiled pan, add Pork, taco seasoning, and 3 tablespoons water mix until warm… Can add pepper flakes. Serve with warm tortillas of choice, cilantro, salsa, and avocado.

Any side dishes you wish. My Homemade Guacamole & Pico recipe

: Add Favorite BBQ rub

: Making Pulled pork Sandwiches

Dinner 3

Take the remaining Shredded pork in a lightly oiled pan, add pork a little BBQ rub and your favorite Bbq sauce, stir until warm. Serve on toasted Brioche Buns with a slice of Pepper jack cheese.

A great Side dish is French fries, Baked beans, and corn on the cob.

Here are a couple of my favorite Cooking Items below:

Have a beautiful day, pretty ladies,

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34 Top Things to Buy at Trader Joes

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I truly love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

Valentines Gifts for Him, Enticing All 5 Senses

January 19, 2022

Valentines Gifts for Him, Enticing All 5 Senses

Hello Pretty Ladies,

Can you believe January is already more than half over, and Valentine’s day is going to be here before we know it! So I thought it would be helpful to get a couple of gift guides out early to help you get some ideas for your guy.

Valentines Gifts for Him, Enticing All 5 Senses, Touch, Smell, Sight, Taste, and Hear.

Over the last couple of years, giving a gift that entices all of the 5 senses has been a big trend. So I thought this would be a fun theme for a blog post. Not necessarily to give a gift of each sense, but to create a gift guide theme and have gift ideas for each sense. You could choose to pick something for each sense or one special gift that suits your guy.

Here are some fun themes I came up with that have the 5 senses of gifts included in the theme gift guide.

The Homebody, Coffee Lover, Sweet lover, The Cocktail Lover, and The Selfcare lover

I Asked the Men in my Life some of the things they loved and thought would be fun gifts to get for Valentine’s day, and I threw in a few I thought would be fun to give. I hope you see something for the Man in your life. Something in every price point as well.

Coffee Lover

Sweet lover

The Homebody

The Cocktail Lover

The Selfcare lover

Joining me in Sharing “Valentine Gifts for Him” The Chit Chat Chic girls. Cammi, Lisa, Michelle, and Cindy. You’ll want to pop over to their blogs and see what they’ve chosen as helpful gift ideas.

Cindy= LuLuloves7

Lisa’s= Coast2coast

Michelle= Poised Petite

Cammi=Cammie’s Happy Place

Have a beautiful day, pretty ladies,

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34 Top Things to Buy at Trader Joes

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I truly love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

34 top things to buy at Trader Joe’s

January 16, 2022

34 top things to buy at Trader Joe’s

Hello Pretty Ladies,

I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. If you have been following my blog or social media for a while, you know I have a love for shopping at Trader joes Market. So, I have composed a list of “34 top things to buy at Trader Joe’s” of some of my favorite items and how I use them. Hopefully, this list will help you on your next shopping trip, and maybe there is a couple of things you haven’t tried and now well.

34 top things to buy at Trader Joe’s

1. Glaze balsamic glaze= so good on salads, Italian dish Pizza, and bruschetta

2. Pesto Alla Genovese/Basil Pesto= great as a chicken marinate, great sauce for a quick Pasta dinner, excellent on garlic bread sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese, makes a yummy pizza sauce, To name a few.

3. Chunky Blue Cheese/dressing= This is one of the best Blue Cheese dressings, tastes great as a veggie or wing dip, is delicious on salads, mix with cream cheese to create a spread for sandwiches.

4. Salsa Authentic/ mild salsa = A great store-bought salsa that tastes homemade, add some grated cheese for a fun snack served with tortilla chips, use on Mexican dishes, eggs, and yummy on taco salads.

5. Mini carrot cakes muffins/dessert = A great dessert, snack, and treat! It tastes like homemade Carrot Cake and has the best cream cheese frosting.

6. Organic carrots of mini colors = make veggies fun and perfect for platters and serving with hummus. I also loved boiled drained served with butter, basil, and salt and pepper for a great side dish.

7. Kale & edamame salad= yummy on the go lunch

8. The Dark Chocolate Lovers = chocolate bar

9. Dried Pasta/ Tortellini with pesto filling=The product is of Italy, so affordable and fantastic as a cold salad with pesto and Parmesan cheese and cut-up tomatoes and olives. Or sever warm with your favorite sauce.

10. Cracked wheat sourdough bread= sourdough is one of the Best bread for you, and this one is one of the best pre-made ones. Buy a couple extra and freeze.

11. Sea salt Brownie petites= A simple treat with a subtle twist. Rich, Belgian chocolate brownies sprinkled in sea salt. A perfect little bite. My Boys love it.

12. Ciabatta Demi Baguette = Artisan-style bread perfect for a quick appetizer (shared on the blog ) or used to make a delicious panini. My boys love pastrami and cheese. I love Turkey, pesto, tomato, and avocado panini. See Recipe on Instagram.

13. Shaved Parmesan & Romano & Asiago Cheeses= Used on most of my pasta dishes & my hubby’s Alfredo recipes HERE the recipe below. Also perfect to top soups and salads.

14. Fresh Bruschetta Sauce= Roma tomatoes with olive oil, Basil & Garlic. This sauce is the sauce I use on my easy Appetizer recipe

15. Speculoos Cookie Butter = A deliciously unusual spread reminiscent of gingerbread and made with crushed biscuits.

16. Everything but the Bagel Sesame seasoning blended with sea salt, garlic & onion. Perfect on avocado toast and vegetables, mixed into cream cheese for a dip, and my Favorite, incorporated into Plain Humus, so good!

17. Everything but the Elote seasoning blend= a mix of salt, Chili peppers, cheese, chipotle & cumin. Great for mixing in tacos, it’s excellent as a rub and perfect for anything you want to add heat.

18. Chili Lime seasoning blend= just the right amount of salt and heat. Another is great on Mexican food, a great rim on a spicy Margarita, and yummy sprinkled on tortilla chips.

19. BBQ Rub and Seasoning with Coffee & garlic= great rub on meats and added to Your favorite BBQ sauce.

20. Raisin Rosemary Crisps= A crisps, savory and sweet cracker to complement cheeses, Dips, and Toppings. I love to keep it on hand for entertaining. It makes a quick appetizer and is excellent on the Charcuterie board.

21. Fig & Olive crisps= A crispy, Savory & Sweet cracker to Complement Cheese, Spreads, Dips, and Toppings. This one is my hubby’s all-time favorite cracker and another one great to keep on hand for entertaining and charcuterie boards.

22. Fresh flowers= they always have a great variety of seasonal flowers at great prices.

23. Seasonal Fruit= is almost always the product of USA and organic. Because it’s in season and they have excellent growers, it tastes so good.

24. Italian tomato Paste= Double concentrated Tomato paste. Perfect for sauces and stews.

25. Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup= (not the low sodium) It does not taste the same at all! this soup is a favorite soup at our home served with grilled cheese for an easy dinner

26. Carmelize onion cheese= is such a great flavor, perfect on a charcuterie board, perfectly paired with a salty cracker.

27. Frozen Pizza crust= is an excellent crust for creating your pizza!

28. Whipping cream in blue box= non-refrigerated, great for pantry stock items. It’s convenient to have on hand to make sauces ( hubbies Alfredo sauce), add to mashed potatoes for a creamy texture, and, of course, whip up a quick dessert… Because whipping cream can make anything fancy.

29. Honey roasted peanuts= A yummy salt sweet treat. My family can eat a bag whole! I love having on hand to add to a charcuterie board or placing in a bowl on a bar or coffee table for company.

30. Onion crunch= In a jar, it’s a great seasoning/sauce to have in the pantry. Taste great on bread or cracker for a savory snack. Delicious on a baked potato, great as an extra layer of flavor Pizza or garlic bread.

31. Lemon olives= So affordable, yummy added flavor to olive and great to keep on hand for Charcuterie boards make a great tamponade or snack.

32. Cauliflower Pizza crust = In the refrigerator section. (see my Turkey Panini recipe on Instagram)

33. Lemon Curd= One of the best-bottled lemon curds I’ve ever had. Great on scones, mixed into oatmeal, sourdough toast, pancakes, french toast, and waffles.

34. Vodka sauce= great flavor sauce; add a little extra garlic and some Italian cheeses for a fabulous quick pasta dish.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my blog post. ‘34 top things to buy at Trader Joe’s’ I would love for you to leave a few of your favorite Picks below in the comments. You can also find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Liketoknowit, Amazon shops, and Facebook.

Have a beautiful day, pretty ladies,

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9 Winter boots you need

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I genuinely love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

12 Things to beat the Winter blues

January 14, 2022

12 Things to beat the Winter blues

Hello pretty ladies,

The holidays are over. Most of you have taken down and packed away Christmas. Some might be cleaning and organizing, and others might try to catch up.

The Cold & darkness of Winter is starting to get to you, and January & February feel so long. So here are a few of my tips that help me get through Utah’s long Winters. 2 Things to beat the Winter blues right now. 2 small things you can do for yourself and your home to help beat winter blues right now, easy & affordable.

12 things to beat the Winter blues

1. Freshen up your space, clean out clutter, change sheets and bedding(if you have a second bedding set. )Rearrange furniture and add some New throw pillows (Throw pillows are reasonable and add a pop of color or a fresh design.)

2. Add some plans or fresh flowers to your space. Flowers brighten a room. I love a couple of rosebuds on my nightstand, a new arrangement on the entry table, and one on the kitchen counter.

3. Paint your nails—something about having color on your nails that is cheery.

4. Go for a quick walk. Getting fresh air and moving for 30 minutes s helps your energy and mind.

5. Drink plenty of water, add some fresh fruit, lemon or limes, or strawberry and mint t a clear pitcher, and refrigerate. It’s pretty and refreshing. Drinking water is excellent for hydration, clear skin, and energy.

6. Place a bowl of Lemons, limes, and oranges on our counter or Dining room table. Not only is it pretty and Refreshing. It is affordable and fantastic for you to add to water or eat.

7. Get a spray tan or give yourself one. A tan always makes us feel like we’ve been on vacation or outside in warmer weather. My favorites are L’oreal and Great color, no streaking. L’oreals color is buildable and takes a couple of hours to start The BT Cosmetics Jet Set Sun is instant color and gets a little darker in time, also buildable.

8. Treat yourself to a blowout. It’s an affordable way to get your hair done, feel refreshed and lasts about a week.

9. Make sure to get 30 minutes of sunlight a day. Vitamin D is so important for your health and your mindset.

10. Eat a salad, most people of salad as a summer food, so eating salad tricks the brain into thinking it’s Summer. Instead, it is refreshing and healthy for you. Quickly on the go, I love the Market salad from Chic fil’A, and to make it at home, try a few of my easy salad recipes, Orange Chicken Walnut Salad and my Berry Salad.

11. Self-care- whether it’s 30 min or two hours, take time for yourself. I like to reserve an hour or two on Saturday or Sunday for self-care. Selfcare is not a selfish act, it is essential for your mind and body, and when you do so, you do better for others.

Here’s a little peek on Instagram of my routine and Here on the Blog.

12. Plan a trip; nothing like planning and anticipating a trip. It gives you something to look forward to and prepare for.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my blog post on “12 things to beat Winter blues!” I would love for you to leave a few of your favorite tips below in the comments. You can also find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Liketoknowit, Amazon shops, and Facebook.

Have a beautiful day, pretty ladies,

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This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I genuinely love and believe in! Thank you for the support!

A Quick little introduction to Chit Chat Chic

January 12, 2022

A quick little introduction to Chit Chat Chic

Hello Pretty Ladies,

I hope your January is going well. Most of you know I belong to a beautiful group of mid-lifers Called Chit Chat Chic. 5 of us, Cammi, Lisa, Michelle, and Cindy.

What is Chit Chat Chic?

We started CCC over a year ago. We all had crossed paths at some point on our social media and blog journeys, sparking a group Instagram share that Lisa organized…

This share started a dm, and we quickly became fast friends via Instagram. We shared several things in common: midlife, raising families, careers in social media marketing, fashion, beauty, and our faith.

Realizing we all clicked, loved this friendship and bond we had created, and loved the support system we had. So we decided to do more together, collaboration blog posts, Instagram shares, Pinterest boards, and a Marco Polo, where we chatted daily.

How Chit Chat Chic was born

Instagram launched a new feature, the 4-way Live option… I thought… this would be an excellent opportunity to share our combined knowledge and friendship and interact with our followers to build relationships with other midlife ladies on our platform.

Instagram Live is how Chit Chat Chic Was born.

We knew we needed to be consistent picking, a day and time that worked for everyone weekly…

Originally on Tuesday, at 6:00 pm Mnt. However, for 2022 we had to change it to Wednesday at 6:00 Mnt.

How Chit Chat Chic Live works!

We go Live on Instagram every Wednesday at 6:00 pm Mnt. With 4 CCC members ( 1 spot alternates out) for the week. 1 Host the live, with 3 co-hosts. ( occasionally a guest host) With any of our following or non-following tuning into the live on Instagram. A LIVE = in Live time with the ability to chat.

The Host picks a topic and has 6-7 questions prepared. Then, we discuss the question/ show samples if applicable and allow our following to be active in the conversation by typing their responses.

The Topic is different every week and varies from Midlife issues, fashion, helpful tips, and reviews on products.

Why Chic Chat Chic Live?

We love having this connection with our following, as we are building friendships and a community of women supporting women.

Having your following connect with you and you with them helps them get to know us from behind a screen and allows us to learn more of what our followers want and need.

What’s ahead for Chit Chat Chic?

We have had the opportunity to start traveling together and working with brands as a group. Last August, we were Host in Park City and had the chance to work with several businesses and brands, which was exciting and opened doors for more collaborations like this.

We have several Trips planned for 2022.

Chit Chat Chic Has its own Instagram account! And we’re thinking about a podcast. Exciting things ahead….so stay tuned.

I hope A Quick little introduction to Chit Chat Chic will help you to want to tune in live on Wednesdays at 6:00 Mnt. Here is a sample below of last week’s Live (my answers, Head to the other ladies’ blogs for their answers) Linked below … In addition, we will be recapping on our blogs for easy reference and shopping products we may have talked about!

Wednesday’s, Live Chic Chat Chic conversation Recap:

Wednesday 1/12/22

1. What was your most popular item sold from 2021? I had a tie for 3 things, The New Balance tennis shoe, Colleen Rothchild Hand cream, and Kut from the Kloth boyfriend jeans!

2. What was your most recent purchase for your closet? Lululemon Align leggings and Teddy coat

3. What was your most recent purchase for your home? Bed for one of our Guest rooms

4. What was your most recent beauty purchase? Nothing gifted!! Colleen Rothchild Hand Cream

5. Favorite workout leggings? Hard on for me, I love the Spanx, Athleta, and (The Lulu is my First pair, so I have to review)

6. Favorite workout product anything from amino acids to stretchy bands. Apple watch

The ladies blogs:

Cindy= LuLuloves7, Lisa’s= Coast2coast, Michelle= Poised Petite ,Cammi=Cammie’s Happy Place

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my blog post. ‘A quick little introduction to Chit Chat Chic’ I would love for you to leave a few of your favorite Picks below in the comments. You can also find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Liketoknowit, Amazon shops, and Facebook.

Have a beautiful day, pretty ladies,

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