To say I’m excited about today’s giveaway would be an understatement. I guess it has a little something to do with the fact that I would like to win the giveaway myself. For those of you who haven’t heard of Birchbox, let me take a minute to tell you what they are all about. Birchbox sells a lot of beauty products, but I first heard about their gift box subscription. Each month, Birchbox sends you a pretty little box filled … Read More

Last year around Christmas I noticed that a lot of my fellow bloggers had participated in a giant blogger cookie swap. I must have been asleep while people were signing up for said cookie swap, because I totally missed the boat and felt a little left out. So this year I jumped at the opportunity to participate in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012. The best part about the swap this year was the fact that in order to … Read More

Last week while I was browsing Pinterest, I came upon a site that talked about how one woman was able to feed her family of four on just $50 a week! Doesn’t sound like much, does it? Since Joe and I typically spend quite a bit more than that (usually hovering around the $100/week mark) I felt a little silly. If that woman could feed four people on $50 then I certainly could feed two on the same amount, right? … Read More

Without a doubt, Brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetable. Coming from a vegetable lover like myself, that’s a pretty bold statement. But nothing else compares to these little cabbages. Naturally, it makes me sad to hear that a lot of people think they don’t like Brussels sprouts, and even worse, that they like them but don’t know how to prepare them at home. Truth be told, it’s incredibly easy to make Brussels sprouts cooked to perfection. After trimming the ends … Read More

One of the perks of the days that I get to work from home is that I get to make lunches that are a bit more elaborate than I might make and take with me to the office. Case in point: Last week’s lunch of Quinoa Flour Crepes with Black Beans and Feta. For a while now, I’ve been playing around with different uses for Feed Adam Quinoa Flour. It’s a savory flour with a definite flavor profile that lends … Read More

A few weeks back, Joe and I took Christmas card photos while my mom was in town. Since my mom is actually an amateur photographer extraordinaire, we lucked out with photos that were cute and inexpensive. Joe was actually coming down with a pretty nasty cold the morning we took photos, but he was such a trooper and didn’t complain at all about me picking out his clothes and making him smile for dozens of photos. I was trilled with … Read More

Despite the amazingly, unseasonably warm weather in Iowa, Christmas is in full swing at our house. This weekend Christmas cookies were baked, holiday music was played and Elf was watched. Does it get any better? Amidst baking a large number of sugar-laden Christmas cookies, I made myself a little healthy treat in an attempt to prevent mindless cookie dough eating. These little chocolate truffles taste indulgent without making you feel sluggish. That’s probably due to the fact that they are … Read More

I’m guessing that sometime over the next couple of weeks you are going to find yourself in a cookie dilemma. You need to bring some type of sweet or baked good to a church, work or social gathering and waited until the last minute to figure something out. Now you find yourself debating between slice and bake cookies or running to the bakery to buy a couple dozen sweets. If that sounds like a familiar situation, I’ve got another option … Read More

WHO: Jenny Frederick WHAT: World-Traveling Minnesota Girl BLOG: Traveling Chic Hi, E&C Readers! My name is Jenny and I am delighted to be a part of Madison’s “My 5 Things.” I’m a Midwest girl from Minnesota but I’ve also lived in San Francisco, Sydney, Boulder and briefly in Rome. I’m a month away from my 30th birthday, and although it makes me feel somewhat old, I’m excited to shirt into a new decade. I am an attorney by day and … Read More

I’m back! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and did not count a single calorie over the last four days. It felt good to take a little break from blogging and enjoy some much needed down time with family over the Thanksgiving weekend. Joe and I headed home on Wednesday afternoon and split our time between his parent’s house and my mom’s house. And aside from making two pies (Chocolate Tofu and Pumpkin) I did very little cooking … Read More

A few weeks back I baked up a batch of gingerbread muffins that I was sure were going to be delicious, healthy and perfect for the holidays. The muffins looked beautiful, as evidenced by these pictures, but the texture was off. The molasses gave these healthy muffins all too much chew, in part because I used a bit of applesauce in place of the oil, and in part because of the molasses, I believe. Things have been pretty busy in … Read More