neverbeenso

Tuesday #ootd

Published on October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 by neverbeenso2 Comments

I just had the most beautiful LONG weekend in Colorado visiting friends. It was my first time out there and the beauty was astounding. We didn’t have the best weather, but it was better than back here at home [lookin at you Joaquin] and the atmosphere did not disappoint. That being said, I’m now back to the grind after 5 days off and let me tell you, it’s tough. My body definitely couldn’t keep up with that binge drinking/eating lifestyle [I gained at least 7 lbs from this trip] and right now I’m hurting.

So when the alarm started going at 4am, I had zero motivation to get up and moving and when that happens, I always feel like a good outfit puts me back together and on the right track. However, today, leggings > real pants! [Brands below]

Cauliflower “Fried Rice” with Smoked Sausage & Chicken

Published on October 2, 2015December 8, 2015 by neverbeensoLeave a comment

If you love the flavor of fried rice, but not all the carbs that come with it, you WILL NOT be sorry you tried this recipe! I love disguising vegetables in food, especially when it works so well that Will isn’t even so sure it’s not the real deal. That is what happened when I made this Cauliflower “Fried Rice”.

Yesterday I was CRAVING fried rice, but we had been eating out a lot lately, so I wanted to cook it myself. But then I took it up a notch and thought “hm, what can I replace the rice with to save some carbs.”

BINGO! CAULIFLOWER!

I don’t love cauliflower on it’s own. I turned it into pizza crust once and it was delicious, but time consuming. I started browsing the net and thanks to Stay Fit Mom and my trusty Vitamix, I turned cauliflower into rice just like that (well, maybe 20 minutes)!

All you need is one head of cauliflower, olive oil, some salt and pepper and you’re good to go.

Once I transformed the cauliflower, I was able to turn my vision of “fried rice” into a reality. This is a sure-fire way to get lots of vegetables, meat AND flavor YET ALSO feeling good while eating it!

Will had no idea it wasn’t real fried rice until I told him and his exact words were “I thought it tasted like a healthier version, but I would have never known if you didn’t tell me!” And then he proceeded to have two helpings. Then we ate it again this morning for breakfast.

Aren’t these little prep dishes the cutest??

Cauliflower “Fried Rice” with Smoked Sausage and Chicken
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
– 1 Batch Cauliflower Rice (recipe here)
**Heads Up: For this you will need: Blender, 1 head of cauliflower, olive oil, salt and pepper**
– 1 Package Smoked Sausage (14oz), cut into 1 inch pieces
– 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into small pieces and cooked
– 3 Eggs, lightly beaten
– 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
– 1 Cup Broccoli Florets
– 1 Cup Carrots, chopped
– 1/2 Cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
– 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
– 4 Tbsp Soy Sauce (I used low sodium)
– Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Make cauliflower rice, as detailed above.
2. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and heat over medium heat. Add beaten eggs to the pan. Cook without stirring until eggs are set and cooked through – 3 minutes or so. Use spatula to move eggs to plate, cut into short thin strips. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in the skillet you just used over medium-high heat until hot. Add cauliflower rice (after roasting in the oven) and stir occasionally until it’s slightly browned (about 9 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Turn the pan to medium heat and add sausage, broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and salt and pepper to the pan. Cook, tossing/stirring constantly, until the vegetables are tender, but still crisp (above 8 minutes).
5. Add chicken, cooked egg, cauliflower rice, and soy sauce to the vegetables and sausage. Stir until combined and completely heated through (above 5 minutes).
6. Serve immediately.

The 90s Are Coming Back to Nickelodeon (Again) Via The Splat!

Published on September 30, 2015 by neverbeensoLeave a comment

I was born in the late 80s, but really grew up in the 90s. My life was consumed by boy bands, AOL (what up Smarterchild), Skip-Its and of course, Nickelodeon. I got style from Clarissa, humor from All That, aspiration from GUTS and terror from Are you Afraid of The Dark.

Back in 2011, TeenNick started rerunning episodes of some of the iconic 90s television series on a block called The 90s Are All That.

The block ran midnight to 2 a.m. with an encore following from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. Because I was now grown at this point and couldn’t stay up at all hours of the night to watch old television shows, I used the wonderful technology of DVR and it was a beautiful thing! I would come home after a long day at work (channeling my inner 90s kid and imagining coming home after a long day of school), started to prep dinner (instead of just grabbing a snack) and plopped on the couch and picked one of the recorded shows to watch.

I remember Rugrats and Hey Arnold! were some of the first series to rerun and I enjoyed them so much! Tommy Pickles was such a go-getter, Helga Pataki was a psycho and there I was full of nostalgia. And then the same series were rerunning and I never knew exactly when it was happening. The blocks would go away after a few months and then return again and because TeenNick wasn’t one of my regularly watched channels, I’d miss the memos. The 90s are All That continued various blocks of reruns from 2011 to 2014.

Fast Forward to 2015. Incase you missed it, the 90s are coming back, yet again! This time, it’s called The Splat. In a statement, Nickelodeon said The Splat will kick off on TeenNick on October 5, serving up a “multiscreen content destination…aggregating the most beloved Nick content from the 1990s and beyond” on televisions and computers everywhere at TheSplat.com every night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

I’ve sat and watched some of the kids’ shows today and they will never live up to what we had as 90s kids. They’re actually pretty bad, I don’t blame kids for not being interested, they can get much more quality from anything on the Internet. What we had was pure gold. It was also a very different time. We didn’t have access to what kids have today.

I will never be against the return of these 90s sitcoms, as they will always feel like childhood to me. But TeenNick, don’t toy with us, give us ALL THE GOODS! None of this, CatDog for one month, followed by Rocko for one month; we want all the episodes of all the series! Aaaah Real Monsters!!!, The Amanda Show, Roundhouse, Hey Dude, KaBlam!, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Salute Your Shorts, Double Dare, Figure It Out, Doug, Clarissa Explains It All, Wild & Crazy Kids, Secret World of Alex Mack, Animorphs, GUTS, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Wild Thornberry’s, and even Nick News (Yes! remind us what happened in the real world during the 90s)!

Patchwork Denim with Simplicity, Prints & Color!

Published on September 29, 2015 by neverbeensoLeave a comment

I’ve been into the patchwork denim as of late, but have yet to come across some that fit well into my budget; so I made this collection to show exactly how I would pair it up! I think a couple of simple staples, such as a basic tee and solid accessories are key, as well as throwing in a pop of color or pattern to tie it all together!

Now I can’t afford much of what’s on this list, but it gives me great inspiration for hunting out deals & steals! Wish me luck!

TOP: Topshop | Patchwork Denim: rag & bone / Simon Miller | SHOES: Christian Louboutin | BAG: Tory Burch | WATCH: Larsson Jennings / Daniel Wellington

Floral Wide Legs

Published on September 28, 2015 by neverbeenso1 Comment

I live in the SALE section as much as I possibly can nowadays. With a wedding coming and trying to save for a house, I’ve found myself cutting back where it makes sense, although I can’t cut my shopping habit completely, of course. But you can find some really great deals on the sale racks if you have the time to do so. These floral wide legs are sooo me (the 60s are my decade, for sure). I checked them out online and saw they were on sale and then to my surprise, they were marked down even further in store to $49.95 (neverbeenso lucky)! Pair them with a simple top and some boots and you’re all set! Brands below!

P.S. This lip color is your go-to for Fall!

Layers Are My Favorite

Published on September 25, 2015September 25, 2015 by neverbeenso1 Comment

Finally, the air is crisp and what goes perfect with crisp air? LAYERS LAYERS LAYERS. That is what Fall is all about and I’ve neverbeenso ready this year. I’ve seen tons of cool prints out this season, don’t be afraid to mix it up! Check out this casual look that I can’t get enough of. Also, these booties are TO DIE for. Brands below.

DIY Pizza Slice + Delivery Boy Couples Costume

Published on September 25, 2015 by neverbeenso1 Comment

Halloween is fast approaching. My friends and I like to go with DIY costumes, they’re cheaper and usually more original than what you can find at any Halloween store. Last year we went as pizza slices and delivery boys! We found this awesome idea on Studio DIY and changed it up just a bit based on what we had. I’ve neverbeenso stoked to show it off! It was a huge hit! Because, well, pizza.

Studio DIY used a Cricut, but since neither of us had one, we used old fashioned cardstock, freehand and scissors.
We also found that wearing the entire costume was a little challenging, so we just wore the back pizza slice as a “backpack” and picked up the front slice as we walked around.

Materials
For the Pizza Slice:
Cardstock in Red, White and Green
Large Sheets of Cardboard (we used the trifolds used for science fair projects)
Yellow and Red Streamers
White School Glue
Scissors
Heavy String
Stapler
Yellow Dress
Black Tights (if its cold)

For the Delivery Boy:
Pizza Box
Pizza Shop T-Shirt
Jeans
Baseball Cap
*We have our favorite pizza shop down the street (where sadly they know us by name), so we decided to go get pizza boxes and t-shirts from there to promo the biz.*

Instructions
1. Draw stencils for the toppings (pepperoni, mushroom and green pepper – it took us a couple tries, and they didn’t look perfect, but they worked) and cut 3 of each for each side of the slice – In total, for one costume, you should have 6 pepperonis, 6 mushrooms, and 6 green peppers.

2. Cut two large “triangles” from your cardboard. I measured from my shoulders to my knees for the length, and about six inches wider than the width of my shoulders for the width. Trim the corners of the bottom edge to give it the “curved” look of a pizza crust.

3. Cut several six foot long strips of streamers. Fold each one in half again and again until you have a section about a few inches wide. Cut one side of each section into fringe strips, about 1/2” apart.

4. Starting at the point of the triangle. Glue strips of fringe, starting about 1/2” apart working your way all the way up the triangle, but leaving about 5” unfringed at the bottom.

5. Cut a strip of red streamer the width of your triangle and trim the edges to make them wavy. Glue this piece over where your yellow streamers end, forming the “sauce” of the pizza.

6. Glue your toppings on now, however you so choose.

7. Staple string to the back pizza slice for you to wear as a “backpack” (a loop on each side to slip your arms through).

Put on your slices and delivery boy costumes and be ready for the applause! BONUS POINTS: actually have pizza in your pizza boxes!

Product Review: Tubular Original Buff Headwear

Published on September 24, 2015 by neverbeenso1 Comment

Before our trip to Peru this year, we wandered around REI for awhile seeing what shiny new things we could purchase. As I was browsing, I came across something that looked like a cross between a scarf and a headband; having no idea what it was, I picked it up and started reading about the Tubular Original Buff [futher referred to as the Buff] headwear. It went on to explain how it’s wind resistant, controls odor, breathable, quick-drying, and can be worn 12 different ways.

Being that we were about to embark on a trip that involved the humid Amazon Rainforest, hiking to the peaks of mountains and exploring the cities in between, this seemed like a product that could handle it all and still allow me to be somewhat fashionable. So I picked out the ‘Motion’ color, paid the measly $20 and hoped for the best (but also didn’t expect much).

This product is like an angel from heaven; I’ve neverbeenso happy to have bought this last minute item. We packed as light as we could and the Buff took up 0% space. It is super tiny; I just kept it in my purse while flying or in the top compartment of my pack while exploring. I’ll get into the major details of our trip in a later post, but I wore the Buff everywhere.

The Amazon Rainforest is hot and humid and pretty gross, BUT beautiful. We did hikes in 100 degree weather in bright sunlight; the Buff kept my head cool and wicked away sweat pretty quickly.

Let’s just say spending four days in the Amazon Rainforest, sleeping and showering in huts does not leave you smelling your greatest. Once we returned to civilization in Cusco, we had to do a load of laundry; as we were deciding which items would be the ones we washed (since laundry is uber expensive), I picked up the Buff and to my surprise, it smelled fine! Which meant I didn’t have to go without it for the day and could wear it as we hiked to the peak of Huayna Picchu.

Getting to the peak of Huayna Picchu was NOT a walk in the park. It was hard. But that’s for another post. My point here is that it’s almost 9,000 feet above sea level so it was COLD and WINDY! But I wore the Buff and I was warm! Instead of focusing on the temperature, I was able to focus on not falling off the side of a mountain!

We also did some light leisure activity such as feeding llamas and alpacas!! It was a little chilly but I wanted to keep my hair down, so I treated the Buff as an infinity scarf of sorts. It wasn’t too heavy and kept my neck nice and warm!

There are so many other ways to wear the Buff – and it comes in a ton of different colors, I’ll be picking up one or two more so I can wear them interchangeably! Definitely a travel must-have!

Fall Must-Have.. Military Vest

Published on September 24, 2015 by neverbeenso1 Comment

I am so happy Fall is back and I can dig out the military vest I obsessed over all last year. Out of style? Never. It goes with EVERYTHING. Also, layering is HUGE, whether it be tops or jewelry; layer at every chance you get! #ootd | Brands below.

MILITARY VEST: old (similar here) | TOP: old (similar here) | NECKLACES: Madewell and The Giving Keys | DENIM: Loft | SHOES: Birkenstock

30 Fall Booties Under $75

Published on September 23, 2015September 23, 2015 by neverbeenso1 Comment

Fall is officially here! Cozy cardigans, warm drinks and BOOTIES! They’re so easy to slip on, they come in so many varieties; the problem is..the price..but they make it so hard to pick just one! Well, with this list, you don’t have to! I’m giving you 30 adorable booties for under $75 to get your Fall started off on the right foot (literally).