My Second StitchFix

Happy Friday!  I'm off from work today and Monday because my office is moving this weekend.  Although four 10 hour days really weren't my cup of tea, I'm not sad about an extended weekend!  Since I woke up, I've been trying to be productive (aka actually unpack from our honeymoon), but I also wanted to spend some time relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather.  So right now I'm outside on a laptop catching some rays.  Multitasking at its best :)

A few months ago I blogged about a service called StitchFix which involves a stylist picking out five pieces for you, sending them to you in the mail, and then you keep what you like and send back what you don't.  My first experience wasn't great, but I decided to give it a second shot and this is what I got.  (Please excuse my terrible kitchen selfies!)

1. Charlize Colorblocked Sleeveless Blouse ($48)

2. Tad Straight Leg Jean ($78)

Both of these were cute but the fit just wasn't right.  The blouse didn't fit my boobs correctly and was kind of like a tent.  I didn't think it was very flattering.  The jeans may have been a keeper if they fit me better, but they were just ok.

3. Trista Button-Front Striped Cardigan ($54)

 

I loved the stripes on this cardigan, but hated the shape.  It was very boxy and I prefer the long and lean shape.  Again, not flattering.

4. Filbert 3/4 Sleeve Popover Blouse (58)

I love the color and shape of this blouse!  I wasn't sure if I was going to keep it right away because it was a little tight across my chest, but I feel like the girls are a bit large and in charge from stuffing my face while on vacation, so I feel like it will fit better after I detox a bit.  Keeper!

5. Carlita Jersey Maxi Dress ($78)

I debated long and hard about this dress since it was so expensive, but I decided to keep it (again the $20 styling fee I already paid and a $25 credit from a referral may have influenced this decision).  It fits me perfectly, hitting me at all the right spots.  I love the color.  And I love that my bra straps are completely hidden, which is usually a gamble with summer dresses.

Although I'm keeping two items from this fix, I think I've decided to break up with StitchFix for the time being.  I wanted to try it out because a bunch of my favorite bloggers (Fitnessista, HealthyTippingPoint, Meals and Miles, Daily Garnish) were having such great success with it.  I mean, who doesn't want a stylist to pick out clothes for them?!  So cool.  But I'm trying to be really picky with buying new clothing, making sure each thing fits me perfectly.  I really don't mind trying things on in the store.  When I go to Ross, I will try on upwards of 30 items!  For some of the bloggers, this may be a better match because they have kids and it's hard for them to get out shopping and spend time trying things on.  But that is not me, I enjoy shopping, and I think I can get some of these staple pieces with much lower price tags.  So for now, goodbye StitchFix, hello King of Prussia Mall :)

Do you like to shop?  Do you enjoy trying on clothes?

I am not affiliated with or paid by StitchFix for this post and all the opinions are my own.  The link included is my referral link, which gives me a small credit if you decide to sign up.

Our Wedding Recap Part 1: The Day Before

WE'RE MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!

Our wedding was everything we dreamed of and more!  The whole weekend was filled with love and I just have to blog about it while the details are fresh in my mind!  I'll probably wait to post about the actual wedding until I have more of our professional pictures (ooooh here's a sneak preview!), but for now let's start from the beginning...

First of all, let me tell you that the day before our wedding it rained.  And by "rained" I mean, OMG it poured the entire day!  We couldn't run from the house into the car without getting soaked.  The saying of the day was, thank God we're not getting married today!!!!!

Anyway, the day started with some girl time.  I met most of my bridesmaids, my mom, and my good friend Rachel at a local nail salon with bagel sandwiches and muffins from a local shop called My Favorite Muffin.  We took over the salon and indulged in some mimosas with my favorite peach champagne.

Afterwards Shayna, Michelle, and I ran some errands including a quick trip to the mall for some cheap flip flops for my maids and a quick $1 per minute massage!  We checked into the fabulous hotel suite and before I knew it, it was time for our rehearsal.

Our amazing pastors went through the service and put everyone at ease (well, aside from my fear of messing up the vows, like I did twice at the rehearsal!) and soon we were off to dinner.  Dave's parents set up our rehearsal dinner at The Kimberton Inn and it was a perfect venue.  We had our own private room and got to mingle with a variety of beer and wine selections.  The meal started with a tasty little plate of mozzarella, prosciutto, pesto, and basil.  For the main course, Dave and I split the Delmonico steak and a crab cake, and it was excellent.  Dave's dad gave a brief speech that was very touching.  Our friend Dusty said some more nice words about us.  We handed out our wedding party gifts, which everyone seemed to love.  And then our friend Jen gave us a gorgeous handmade quilt that she worked on with her mom (I owe you guys a picture of this beauty)!

 

After dinner, I headed to the hotel with all my bridesmaids and my mama.  We settled into our jammies, did a little winding down in front of the TV, and then went to bed.  I was so excited, it really felt like Christmas Eve!

To be continued... Part 2

Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

To be honest, a good hoagie roll is one of the few things I'm not sure I'll ever fully give up.  I could totally live without ever having a crappy grocery store hamburger bun for the rest of my life.  But a fresh Philly roll... chewy on the outside, soft on the inside... well, they still get me!  But as my wedding approaches (23 days!!!) I've been trying to bump up my veggie intake and avoid those evil processed carbs.  Enter stuffed peppers!

I was kind of bored in the kitchen so I hopped on Pinterest and rounded up some old faves that I forgot about and also some newbies!  I had pinned this recipe a while ago and never got around to making it.  I wish I could say I came up with the idea, but I did some tweaking and made it my own.  The other day I was clicking around on my blog and I realized pretty much all of my recipes are from my pre-Paleo days, so I guess it's time to fix that!

Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
Inspired by Peace Love and Low Carb

Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 vidalia onion
- 1 handful of white mushrooms
- 1 lb thinly sliced or shaved beef
- 4 slices of bacon
- tomato sauce
- minced garlic
- salt & pepper
- garlic powder
- cheese

Directions:
1.  Cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat until done to your liking.  Remove and chop when you have a chance.

2.  Dice the onion and plop it into the pan so it can fry in the bacon grease.

3.  While the onions are cooking, cut the bell peppers in half, deseed and devein them.

4.  When the onions are almost cooked, add diced mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

5.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
6.  Add the beef and cook until meat is browned, pulling meat apart as it cooks.

7.  Add garlic (I used ~1 tsp), salt, pepper, garlic powder, tomato sauce (I used a chunky mushroom tomato sauce I already had in my fridge from Wegmans), and cheese to taste.  And don't forget that bacon!

8.  Arrange the bell peppers in a large pan.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer your awesome meat/veggie mixture into the bell peppers.  Top with more cheese!

9.  Stick the pan in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown on the top.

They are delicious!

Some notes:  I made this with 5 peppers and I wished I'd only used 4 so I could've filled each one to the brim.  We had company over, so I actually wish I had just doubled the entire recipe, so everyone could chow down (which they did) and we would've had an abundance of leftovers (which we did not).  I love cooking in large quantities to enjoy the leftovers for lunch or on a lazy evening.  Also, with the cheese they are not strict paleo, but you could easily omit it.

How often do you try new recipes?