Smoothie #2 - Tutti Frutti

After posting the last smoothie, I got a lot of suggestions for other concoctions and decided to give some a try. This one is called 'Tutti Frutti' (really just because the pineapple makes me think of a fruity cocktail on the beach). Compared to the last one, and as you can imagine based on the fruits added, this one definitely had more of a citrus flavor. I did use a new technique with this smoothie in that I chopped everything in my food processor before blending it, to try and get the pieces as small as possible. And let's be real, I just wanted an excuse to use my hot pink food processor. 

: Ingredients :

+ 1 cup of non-fat Greek Vanilla Yogurt

+ Green Grapes 

+ Pineapple

+ Kale

Once all of the food was actually processed, then  I added everything to the blender and voila! 

More smoothies to come but let me what your must-haves are!

The Little Things that Make a Difference on your BIG Day - Part 1

This post goes out to all of my future brides out there! 

Just like everyone told me, my wedding day was the best day of my life, but went by so quickly. You spend months and months planning, and if you are like me, that means even the minor details that the majority of the guests will never notice. However, those were the things that I enjoyed the most. I wanted our wedding to be an experience and in order to do that, every little thing from start to finish had to be just right! The ironic part is that despite how much you plan, there are just certain things you can't control.

My husband and I got married in Cape Cod (which if you ask my great aunt is considered a destination wedding, even though we live in the same state). This did mean that the majority of our guests had to get hotel rooms for the night/weekend. As I mentioned, I needed to make sure that the 'experience'  was kicked off from the very beginning. This meant creative Cape Cod guest bags filled with so many goodies that the bags break (yes this happened to a few). I spent months searching for the right items to put into each bag that represented us as a couple, our wedding, and Cape Cod. Regardless of where you are getting married, hopefully some of the ideas I used can help with kicking off your own 'experience'! 

+ FOOD

What kind of guest bag doesn't have food?! You can stick with easy to eat items that represent a theme, such as a location, color scheme, or something that starts only with the initials of your new last name or just add the necessities. With Cape Cod, we had Cape Cod potato chips, granola bars (not relevant to CC but just practical), salt water taffy, red, white, and blue mints (we had a nautical themed wedding), homemade chocolates out of seashells (total credit goes to my MIL for making and packaging them), and a pack of gum.  

+BEVERAGE 

This can be as simple as just water bottles. However, once again, I couldn't leave anything 'simple' for my wedding, so each bottle had a custom label made by my bridesmaid (holla to Mary) with a stamped anchor. You can buy the water bottle labels at Michaels and just added a little emblem (either initials, symbol, or message) that your guests can enjoy. In addition to the water, we also included a can of Cape Code Cranberry Soda for just an extra tough. I had also thought about adding Gatorade, crystal light packets, or even pedialyte packets (great hangover cure). 

+ OTHER NECESSITIES

Every bag can use the basics - tissues, aspirin, sunscreen, hand sanitizer. You can even get creative and use a tropical or holiday scent to match the time frame of your wedding. 

+ HANG OVER KIT

The one thing you should consider for your wedding (not just for welcome bags, but in all aspects of planning) is to know your audience. We had a lot of younger friends, Irish family members, and an open bar, so we expected some of our guests to not feel so great the next morning. Within each welcome bag, I included a separate little bag called the 'Gordy Hangover Kit'. It included aspirin, a 'do not disturb' sign, a sticker with Baby Carlos on the front and some pedialyte packets. 

+ PAPER GOODS

This doesn't refer to paper plates, cups or napkins, but rather actual paper. Because a lot of our guests were staying for the weekend, we included different maps of the area and some post cards (more for the CC feel and not to actually send). We also included a timeline for the guests to know exactly when they had to stop drinking and get to the buses for the ceremony. Even with this, we still had plenty of guests that missed the transportation! 

All in all, I loved the welcome bags and that was all that mattered. I know that the guests appreciated them as well and when you look back, you can say that you didn't miss a trick! 

Stay tuned for more wedding filled details in a future post! And if you need any help/suggestions with your wedding details, please let me know! 

Smoothie #1 - Sage Succulence

Full disclaimer: I was the first person to judge the look of green smoothies... until I tried one. The look alone and knowing that it was mostly from spinach or kale, did not come across as appealing. My sister would make them all the time and tell me that "you can't taste the spinach", but where I am very much a texture eater, I just assumed that it would be gross. 

Just recently I had one that was lime green made with fat free Greek vanilla yogurt, mango puree, apples, banana and spinach. Not going to lie, going into my first sip was like forcing a kid to try brussel sprouts (or trying to get me as a grown adult to eat brussel sprouts). However, I was pleasantly surprised! It was very flavorful and I guess my sister was right; I couldn't taste any of the greens. I was also shocked by how it filled me up and seemed to give me that little boost of energy to get through the rest of the afternoon. And did I mention that if you make it with all fresh ingredients, its super healthy (adding vanilla ice cream makes it a frappe and not a smoothie)?! 

I decided to try making them on my own so after each successful recipe, I will share it here for the rest of you to enjoy. 

I called this one Sage Succulence.

I added the following to the blender:

• 1 cup of Greek Nonfat Vanilla yogurt
• 1 full banana
• 1/2 of Mango
• Handful of spinach
• Handful of raspberries 
• 5 Ice cubes

And voila!

My only complaint is that next time I probably wont add raspberries only because I don't like the little seeds (I told you about my texture issues)... 

Let me know what your favorite recipes are! 

Cheesy Ranch Pasta

I can't take full credit for the inspiration behind this new recipe, but I will certainly take the credit for the end result! While grocery shopping together (yes, this is something we do because I am too neurotic to send him with a list and I need him to push the cart), he noticed one of those frozen dinners that contained two of the main food groups in our household: cheese and ranch. Rather than buying the prepared option, I figured I would try to recreate it. 

Ingredients

• Gluten Free Pasta (this can obviously be switched out to regular pasta)
• Velveeta Cheese
• Ranch Dressing (we used Light to make it a tad better)
• Milk
• Chicken
• Vegetables of your choice (we used broccoli, carrots, and corn) 

The actual process for putting everything together is very simple. And since I am no Top Chef, I thought I would keep it as straight forward as possible for the rest of you looking for something easy and delicious. 

1. Boil the water and fully cook the pasta (I told you this would be very straight forward)
2. Cook the chicken with a little bit of olive oil in the skillet until golden brown
3. For making the sauce, cut up half of the block of Velveeta cheese and add to a pot kept on a low temperature. It is easier to melt if you cut it into cubes. Add about a half cup of milk and the ranch dressing. I gave a few good squirts of the dressing since we definitely wanted a balance between cheese and ranch but this can obviously be used to your discretion. Stir all together until the chunks of cheese are fully melted.
4. Cook the vegetables however you choose (either in the microwave or on the stove) 
5. Add everything together in one pot and enjoy!

Bringing the Sun Back

I guess I am not off to a great start with my "new year's resolution" of posting more often since my last post was over 2 months ago. Oops. However, in my defense, this past month has been pretty crazy. The short version of the story is that I had surgery on a herniated muscle in my leg that was supposed to entail a 5 day recovery process. I ended up needing an additional surgery and about 3 extra weeks of recovery. Needless to say with this typical New England weather and being on crutches for a solid month, my life has not been too exciting. This also means a lot of sweat pants! So instead of posting my recent #ootd, I thought I would relive summer memories and share some of our honeymoon pictures (yes, this was about 8 months ago). Here's to the sun and the sand...

These pictures were taken at the Royal Lahaina Resort on Maui

Now for some less professional ones...

Being tourists on the USS Bowfin Submarine @ Pearl Harbor in Honolulu

Because no trip to Pearl Harbor is complete without a picture of the American Flag

In Waikiki

Michael Kors Summer dress and clutch from Christmas Tree Shop (gotta love a bargain)

My luau friend

Journeying to the Red Sand Beach in Maui

My Makeup Faves

I want to start with the disclaimer that, I am not a beautician by any means. I enjoy the girly things and have more than my fair share of beauty products, like most women I know do. Between nail polish, makeup, hair sprays and perfume, it is easy to  add to the collection over time, especially with all of the free samples. If you are anything like me, you will save each product in the event, that one day, you will want to try it out. 

I have been doing more of the 'experimenting' lately when it comes to different products and brands. It turns out that these trials have resulted in some of my new favorite products. They may not be 'new' to the rest of the world, but they are a recent addition to my collection that I thought I would share. And if you haven't tried any of these, I would highly suggest it! 

1. Garnier BB Cream 

If there is only one thing that I use before I go out the door in the morning, it is this one, especially during our New England winter. I put a light coat on my entire face and it works like magic. It covers up the little blemishes, balances out the skin tone and gives an extra bit of coloring, while still feeling like an extra moisturizer. It is the perfect base! It comes in three different shades - Fair/Light, Light/Medium, Medium/Deep (I use Light/Medium).

You can buy this at any local pharmacy, but I usually buy mine at Target for about $10, which should last you a few months.

Target - Garnier BB Cream

2. Clinique Lengthened Mascara

The second thing I will not leave the house without is mascara. I am a firm believer in that just a little bit can have a big impact on anyone's eyes. No one wants to be told that they look tired and mascara is certainly helpful in making those eyes pop! I typically use two different kinds of mascara on my eyes each time I apply makeup. I start off with a volumized black mascara to give a good base. The first coat is to make sure that each lash is covered. The second coat is with my Clinique lengthened mascara. This does exactly what it says it does in its name. I am still amazed each time I use it by how much longer and fuller my eye lashes look from this mascara. The brush may take some getting used to, but the results are so worth it! 

You can purchase this directly through Clinique, or Sephora - both for $16

3. Too Faced Nude Lipstick

I actually told my husband that this was the one piece of makeup that I wanted for Christmas this year. I wasn't particular about the brand, but just that it had to be nude. Like most men, he became immediately overwhelmed as this request was completely out of his area of expertise. When he went to the cosmetic store, he said two words to the woman helping him, "Nude Lipstick"... so he does listen to me after all?! I have to give credit to the sales associate that helped him because she chose the Too Faced brand in the Nude Beach color. I am not typically a lipstick person and usually opt for the gloss or chap-stick. However, I love how natural this looks and feels.  It is a color that can be worn on anyone during any time of the year. I have found myself wearing it to work as well as on the weekends when I am out and about. 

This was bought at Ulta, but can also be bought at Sephora for $22

4. LAQA & CO Fat Lip Pencil 

For a little more color, the LAQA & CO fat lip pencil in Bossy Boots is fabulous. I got this in my December Birchbox, which was perfect timing for all of the holiday festivities. I liked this color because it is more of a deep red as opposed to the bright candy apple shade that I am still experimenting with. Once again, although the color is not as natural as the nude, the pencil does not have the sticky, gooey, caked on feeling of your grandmother's lipstick. It has a very natural feeling and lasts even after a few glasses of wine! 

This is the Bossy Boots shade that can be purchased for $18 on LAQA & CO

5. Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallet

Last but not least, is the Naked 2 eye shadow pallet. As many of you ladies already know, this. is. everything. It has the perfect selection of shades for daytime and nighttime looks that can be worn by anyone. Unlike some eye shadows that may be on the cheaper side, this pallet goes on smoothly and lasts for hours. 

This can be purchased at Sephora or Ulta for $52

Feel free to leave any other suggestions to try or let me know your thoughts on these 5 products! XO

New Year. New Blog

I am not typically one for New Year's resolutions, but since I have been a terrible blogger over the last few months, I figured I would make an exception. When I started A Mix of Mel, I was just getting back from my honeymoon, working in my 'non' busy season, and enjoying the luxuries of summer. Now, I feel like I am busier than ever and work at least 10 hours a day on a computer. It really shouldn't be an excuse considering this is a busy time of year for everyone, but just thought I would provide a little justification.

Since my last post in September (yikes), a lot has happened. And by that, I mean I have enjoyed a lot of new recipes, mixed a lot of new adult beverages, rearranged a lot of my house, and made a lot of new purchases. Most of these additions will be shared on the blog.

One of the more recent updates in my life, and in large part because of my new purchases, has been the 30 day closet remix. I found this challenge on Instagram and decided to partake. For the whole month of January, I will not purchase any new clothing, shoes, or bags (I am going to try to include jewelry in this as well, but taking baby steps). Most people would think this would be easy, and with the amount of clothing and accessories I own, my outfits should not suffer. It is not just about saving money, but also getting a little creative with pieces that my not be on the 'go to' shelf. With my love for all things fashion, I am looking forward to the challenge and will continue to post each outfit on Instagram (Mrsgordy731) for all to witness.

Casual 'Gap' Sunday

First day back to reality
Loft, Express, Stella and Dot