3 Delicious Veggie Sides For Your Back Pocket

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? Even thought I put my Christmas Tree up yesterday, it doesn’t feel like the holidays are as close as they really are. Just in case the holidays sneak up on you like I know they will for me, I decided to share three recipes that you can whip up in no time and bring to your holiday dinners in a pinch.

This first one is one that I bring to every holiday dinner in my family. My nieces always ask my sister if I’m going to bring “my really good potatoes”. While they do take a little bit to bake in the oven, they are super easy. If you are in a pinch, slice your potatoes thinner so they cook quicker!

Tyler Florence’s Scalloped Potato Au Gratin

Next up we have a mushroom side that is great if you’re bringing a dish to make at someone’s house, but don’t want anything that has to go in the oven. We all know how vital that oven space is. These are super quick as well which is nice when you are in a pinch!

Laura Vitale’s Parmesan Sauteed Mushrooms

Lastly, I want to share how I make my yummy sweet potato fries/wedges because what’s thanksgiving without a little sweet potato! I guarantee these will be a hit. You can mix up the seasonings and do whatever herbs you want, but I personally love basil. Rosemary is great too!

Sweet Potato Wedges

• 3 Sweet Potatoes

• 2 TB of minced garlic, to taste

• 3 TB Avocado Oil, or oil of your choice

• 1 TB Dried Basil

• Kosher or Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut each potato lengthwise into wedges. Toss wedges in a bowl with Avocado Oil, basil, garlic, salt & pepper. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and spread wedges onto parchment, making sure they are not touching. Bake for 25 minutes, making sure they are starting to brown and crisp. Flip over and bake for another 20 minutes or until crispy and brown all over. Exact time varies per oven.

I hope you try these recipes out! If you do, let me know what you think and be sure to comment below any of your favorite holiday recipes!

Remember to take a moment every day and practice gratitude,

Andrea

Be Your Own Valentine First

Happy LOVE Day. When I was planning out my posts for the month of February, my mind went initially to makeup but I knew very quickly that I wanted to write a post about self love on Valentine's Day. 2018 has really been an interesting year for me so far. While I feel like it has flown by in two seconds, I feel like a lot of self growth has already happened. A lot of this could be due to the fact that I started my own business and really dove into the unknown. The path isn't laid out for me, so I've had to do a lot of trial & error and observing along the way. Regardless, my mind has been constantly full of self reflection and I wanted to pass along some things that I've noticed. Warning: This post might be all over the place, so bear with me. 

First off, I want you to think about Valentine's Day differently this year. Instead of thinking about candy and roses, think about being your own Valentine first, regardless of whether or not you have a Valentine. Look at Valentine's Day as a way to evaluate whether you are really creating goals and working towards them. Are you creating the life that you want for yourself? If you're in a relationship, do you push each other to go after your dreams and support each other when needed? If you're not in a relationship, this is the perfect time to cultivate more self love for yourself if it's lacking. 

Let me tell you a little story. So far this year, I've accomplished some things that I'm really proud of. A few of them brought about so much anxiety and stress beforehand, that I found myself doubting my talents, wondering if I was crazy for saying yes to these things. Then I realized that the fear of the unknown was creeping in and making me feel unworthy, creating this voice in my head. I knew I was talented enough and that they were going to turn out well. I found myself sitting in my car one morning and I had this realization. I was getting down on myself for feeling nervous and feeling unworthy, but then I realized that I don't necessarily need to turn off these voices but look at them a little differently. That feeling of nerves was due to the fact that I was challenging myself and trying something new. I'm learning, growing and getting out of my comfort zone and that's what life is all about, right?

It's ok to do something that terrifies the shit out of you! In fact I encourage you to go try something that does. Life really is a roller coaster and in order to have those strong and happy feelings of accomplishment, I have to also accept that I might have to deal with nerves and be terrified at times. Be gentle and kind to yourself. Think about what you would tell your best friend if they were in the same situation. Would you be hard on them or would you be kind and gentle in the moment and enforce how capable they are? Now be that kind to yourself.

You cannot be in a healthy relationship with another person if you don't have a healthy relationship with yourself first. Don't for one second get down on yourself if you don't have a Valentine this year, because you never know what is around the corner. Check in with yourself today and really ask yourself how you are doing and if you like the direction you are headed. If not, make the adjustments that are necessary. If you don't know how to make those adjustments, recognize that a change is needed and that you are willing to figure it out because you love yourself. It is never too late to re-direct down a path that is better for you. Only you can know what your heart desires, so make sure you are taking the time to stop and figure it out. I've learned so far this year that this is a learned habit, and if you don't force yourself to do it, it's easy to get wrapped up in the busyness of life and never figure it out. 

If anything, I hope reading this post inspires you to take at least 15 minutes to yourself and evaluate your life. Anyone can make the changes necessary to create a happy and fulfilled life, but not everyone is willing to do the work to make it happen.

I hope you decide to love yourself first today and have a magical Valentine's Day!

Know you are so loved,

Andrea

Bold & Daring Valentine's Day Makeup Tutorial Video

I'm back with a makeup tutorial! Over on my Instagram (link is to the right-->) I created a poll in my stories asking if you wanted to see a romantic & soft makeup look or a bold & daring one. Technically, romantic & soft won by one vote, but I decided I would create both looks since it was so close! 

In the YouTube video below, I show you how to take a few shadows and create the easiest smokey eye. Products used are listed in the description of the video on YouTube, so be sure to click on the video and visit it there if you want details!

Remember, you can swap out any shadow for the cranberry/burgundy tones so this look is really versatile! Look for the romantic & soft tutorial to come early next week! 

Have a beautiful night,

Andrea