7 Ways to Keep Your Pets Happy and Healthy Without Breaking the Bank

Hello Darlings!

While pets make our lives healthy and a bit more whole, they can be expensive to care for. Veterinary bills, grooming, food, toys, treats- paying for our furry little children adds up. But raising healthy and happy pets does not always have to be incredibly expensive. These seven tips will help keep a few of your costs down while still providing the best care you can give.

Meatless Mondays: Dill and Sweet Onion Le Creuset French Oven Bread

Hello Darlings!

When I saw that this month’s list of Better With Veggies’ Meatless Mondays from A-Z, I was especially excited about week ‘Y’ yeast. I had been dying to try the French Oven Bread recipe from Le Creuset for quite some time and figured this was the perfect time to try my hand at bread baking for the first time. However, due to my inability to leave a recipe as-is, I decided to add a bit of a more savory flare to the French loaf by adding in sweet onion and fresh dill, which turned out incredibly well. I do believe I can stop buying bread at the grocery store- I have a new hobby.

Weekend Warrior Detox : Healthy Hangover Cures

Hello Darlings!

So, you overindulged a bit this weekend, maybe had a few too many margaritas, and woke up feeling dead to the world. There is zero chance you are going to be able to hold a yoga pose, make it to the gym, or even just move with any semblance of grace.

We’ve all been there.

While it seems so easy to just reach for a leftover beer to wash down a handful of Ibuprofen, there are healthier ways to detox your body and re-enter the land of the living. Healthy hangover cures help fix the symptoms rather than mask them.

Cod en Papillote with Dandelion Greens

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Cod en Papillote with Dandelion Greens

I love seafood. Shrimp, clams, crab, lobster; I’ll eat it all. I especially love how light and fresh fish is, and during lent fish is often steeply on sale for those who abstain from meat for religious reasons. Being the curious individual that I am, I did find it odd that fish isn’t considered meat during lent, so I did a bit of research and it turns out that the reason is a technicality. In the original Latin of the Law of Abstinence the word for meat specifically meant that of mammals and birds, excluding fish, thus fish on Fridays! I prefer cod for this delicious steamed fish en papillote, but any mild fish would do!

Catching Up: Leibster Award

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While I love going away for long weekends, I always feel like I am playing catch-up for days when I get back. This weekend in Boston was no exception. Trying to hop back into the real world after girls’ nights filled with designer margaritas, Irish pubs, and impromptu karaoke sessions with newfound friends and fellow Boston College alums always proves to be a bit of a challenge. So, first up on my blog catch-up agenda is this post! The darling Jenni, from Jenni My Style, has sweetly nominated me for a Leibster Award. Essentially, the award is a way to explore new and up-and-coming blogs and get to know the writers behind them. As, I’ve yet to do a ‘get to know me’ post I figured this would be fun!

The rules:
- You must post 11 random facts about yourself.
- You must answer 11 questions from the person who chose you.
- You must create a new set of 11 questions for whom you tag.
- You must tag 11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers and let them know. You cannot tag back.

Weekend with the Girls

Hello Darlings!

I'm off to Boston for the weekend with a few of my darling girls from college! So I will be away from a computer and slow at answering comments. If you want to see what I am getting up to make sure to follow my Instagram and my Twitter Follow @ChickadeeSays!

I also thought I would share this picture of Tink so you wouldn't miss her too badly over the weekend.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Valentine's Day Wishlist

Hello Darlings!

In theory, I am in the camp that Valentine's Day is over commercialized and that you should treat your loved ones with sweetness every day of the the year. In practice, however, I love the red, white, and pink hearts, boxes of chocolates in sweet packaging, and bouquets of flowers that come with the Hallmark-esque Valentine's Day that we celebrate. Whoops. Now, even though I am single this Valentine's Day I wasn't about to let that stop me from sharing my wishlist if I actually did have a sweetheart to spoil me!

Tinkerbelle’s Ruff Wear Grip Trex All-Terrain Paw Wear Review

Hello Darlings!

As evidenced on my Instagram I was caught in Nemo, a blizzard last weekend that dumped nearly three feet of snow on my house here in Connecticut. When all was said and done, snow was abundant, as was salt on the roads, which is terrible for dogs’ paws. Rock salt, in both texture and composition, can erode your dog’s paws. The chunks of salt get stuck in the crevices of the pads on their feet, and the chemical additives used to decrease ice’s melting time, both harm the dog’s paws and can be ingested when a dog licks their feet to ease their discomfort.

Although at my home we use pet-safe road salt, I purchased what I call Tinkerbelle’s ‘city boots’ for her to wear on road walks when the snow is too deep to tromp around. These boots are a set of four RuffWear GripTrex all-terrain paw wear, and are fabulous. They protect your pup’s paws from the elements, debris, and in my particular case, road salt.

Simple and Spicy Jambalaya for Mardi Gras

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Mardi Gras, literal translation Fat Tuesday, is a day on which gluttony is exalted and enjoyed- my kind of day. I love food in general, but Cajun cuisine has a special place on my palate, flavorful and chock full of seafood, I can’t get enough. In the United States, New Orleans is synonymous with Mardi Gras, Bourbon street, and beads; so what a better way to celebrate a day of eating than with my spin on a traditional New Orleans dish? Jambalaya.

Meatless Monday: Valentine Ravioli with Goat Cheese and Walnut Filling

Hello Darlings!

Valentine's Day is creeping us on us way faster than I had anticipated! This year has just flown by so far. In honor of this very pink and red holiday of love I thought this Meatless Monday should be heart themed! Now, full disclosure, when I first dreamed these darling little hearts up I had imagined them as being the deep red of beets that colored them, but the combination of semolina and boiled water was not my friend, and they turned out a very pretty peachy-pink instead. Adding red pasta sauce or switching the semolina with white flour will give the red more oomph!

Do It Yourself: Chinese New Year Lanterns

Hello Darlings!

Happy Chinese New Year! Also known as the Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year is one of the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is a time to honor one's ancestors and cleanse one's life to wash away any ill fortune and make room for good things to come.

Omnipresent in Chinese New Year celebrations, are Chinese lanterns, specifically red ones that symbolize happiness and good luck. These lanterns are simple to make and only require a few supplies, perfect for a last minute party decoration or a project to teach your little ones about another culture.

Plus, who couldn't use some good luck?

Hot Yoga Essentials

Hello Darlings!

I have been obsessed with hot yoga lately, and wish that I could be in class right now instead of watching the blizzard (which the Weather Channel has dubbed Nemo- the name is the only good thing about this storm) from my window. To warm myself up and get a bit of a hot yoga fix, I thought I would share my hot yoga essentials with you.

Save The Children: Celebration of a Special Birthday

Hello Darlings!

When I was in college I used to wander around Harvard Square in Cambridge when I wanted to escape campus life. On one particularly sunny day, while aimlessly window-shopping I (literally) ran into a sweet undergrad canvassing for Save The Children. I had heard about the charity and the amazing work it did but, like most kids my age, I had never thought that there was something that I could do. I was wrong.

Today, three and a half years later, the darling child I sponsor is turning fifteen, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Shewaye is an incredibly intelligent young girl with ambitions of becoming a teacher in her village in Ethiopia. I absolutely adore the fact that I am afforded the opportunity to be part of her journey. With each letter I receive I see more hope and more joy as she continues her education and works towards her goals. If you remember my love for snail mail, you know how much delight a simple letter brings- this glee grows exponentially when the postmark reads Ethiopia.

Meatless Monday: Brie, Mushroom, and Asparagus Crostini

Hello Darlings!

I love simple meals. When I was in college I worked at a sporting goods store across from a gorgeous Whole Foods Market. Starving, at the end of each shift I picked up a fresh baguette, a round of fresh mozzarella, and a bottle of wine (or six- if you buy six you get a 10% discount!) and made a simple crostini mean with a splash of olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Now that I am a bit removed from my college days, my crostini recipes have evolved into something a bit more mature with a more developed taste.

For this recipe I decided to play with one of my favorite flavor combinations, mushroom and onion, and my favorite (should be) food group- cheese.

Whole Foods Market Valentine Showcase Event

Hello Darlings!

I love Whole Foods Market. From their all-natural and organic 365 Everyday Value brand, to their delicious food court (try their white pizza- it’s to die for) and their extensive holistic health selection, Whole Foods provides an excellent resource, both in products and information, for healthy living. So, when I received an invitation to attend the blogger’s Valentine’s Showcase event I jumped at the opportunity, healthy chocolate anyone? 

The event, held at the Glastonbury, Connecticut Whole Foods Market, gave the invitees the chance to sample the wonderful culinary offerings that Whole Foods has planned for the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday.