Lemon Garlic Quinoa and Apricot Salad

I have been sewing like crazy this week.  Unfortunately, I have nothing to actually show you!  What a tease, I know.  I will, however, tell you that I have BIG things coming next week.  Eeeek!  So excited!  Make sure to like my facebook page to hear the BIG news first, though.

So, since I have no sewing to show you (even though I have been sewing – a lot.  I promise.), I will show you my favorite salad.  It just might change your life.  It’s that good.

I love this salad so much.  Quite awhile back, I came across a recipe somewhere for a salad, and then I modified it a little bit to make it just how I like it.  This salad can be either a meal or a side.  It’s become one of my go-to potluck recipes, especially in the summer.

You will need:

salad greens (I like a wide variety here – and no iceberg, please!)
green onions
avocado
dried apricots
toasted almonds
feta cheese
quinoa* (optional)

Lemon-Garlic Dressing:

lemon juice
olive oil
garlic
salt

(this is the salad without quinoa, and without avocado, because sadly there were no good avocados to be found at the store)

I never measure anything, so you’ll have to guestimate along with me on the amounts.  Basically, fill your bowl (large or small) with salad greens and add all the fixin’s.  If you’re making this just for yourself, you’ll only need a part of an avocado (but if you want to use more, go ahead – no judgment here!), a few dried apricots cut into small pieces, a green onion or two, and a small topping of chopped toasted almonds and feta cheese.  If you’re making it for a large group, you’ll obviously want more than that.

As for the dressing, press a clove or two of garlic into a small prep bowl.  I think this salad is really good with at least two cloves of garlic in the dressing.  Add some olive oil and lemon juice and a pinch of salt.  Mix it all together and give it a taste – I usually end up adding more lemon juice, so it tastes more lemon-y than olive oil-y.

(with the quinoa – the best way to make this salad!)

Now to crank this salad up a notch, you need to add quinoa.  Quinoa is so amazing.  It’s incredibly good for you, packs a good protein punch, is gluten-free, and can be served with just about anything.  If you’ve never tried it, you really must.  If I’m making this salad for a large group, I usually add a lot of quinoa (a cup when it’s uncooked – not sure how much that ends up being after it’s cooked).  Just for a small salad, though, I just throw in whatever I have leftover from last night’s dinner.

**EDIT: It’s helpful (though not entirely necessary) if your quinoa is cooled when you add it to the salad.  If I make it when I’m pressed for time, I throw the quinoa in a shallow dish and put it in the freezer or fridge for a bit to take away some of the heat.

Now go add this salad to your menu plan.  Seriously, do it.  And remember to check out my facebook page to hear the big news before it’s posted here!

Earth Day Challenge: No More Paper!

For quite a few years now, I’ve been trying hard to reduce our carbon footprint, be more environmentally conscious, and overall try to live more naturally.  The one area we’ve been failing in, though, is in our use of paper towels and napkins.

I have a large stash of rags, washcloths, and cheap towels that we use to clean up spills.  But when it comes to meals, we’ve been using a lot of paper towels or napkins (whichever we have on hand).  I knew I needed to resolve that.  Simple solution – cloth napkins, of course!

This was a super quick project.  I simply grabbed some fabric quarters, serged a rolled edge around them… and that’s it.  Five minutes later, a set of cloth napkins!

One of the things I love about this project is that you can customize it to your needs – make them big or small, you could make cocktail napkins or dinner napkins.  Oh the possibilities!  I used the fabric quarters, just to make it easy – and I especially love the bright springy colors, in our still wintery looking midwest.

I’m hoping that by adding cloth napkins to our daily routine, we can stop buying paper towels and napkins altogether!  Do you use cloth napkins?  How have you reduced your paper usage in your house?

I’m linking up here!

I’m on Facebook!

I’ve decided to hop on the bandwagon, so you can now visit me over on Facebook!  Pop over, like my page, and stay connected with me and all my sewing projects … and some of my crazy ramblings.

I am Complete.

Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the most amazing joys I have had in my life.  I have known since I was young that this is what I wanted to do.  Especially since the journey to meet my littles hasn’t always been smooth.

Photo courtesy of Hanle Productions

But even though I know that this is what my God has called me to, in this season of my life, that doesn’t mean that every day is sunshine and roses.  Some days end… or begin… in tears.

That’s why I was overjoyed to receive an amazing necklace, from Lora.  She crafts these beautiful, stamped necklaces that come from a heart that is so obviously filled with love for her Savior.  When Lora purchased a new lower-case stamping set, she felt that her first attempt wasn’t fit for her shop – it was too crooked (or so she says… I thought it was lovely!)  She decided to give it away to the first commenter.  When I popped over from my reader, I noticed one person had commented already, but I left a “I love your new stamping set – and your necklaces!” type comment anyway, just because I really did love her new stamping set. :)

Later that week, imagine my joy and surprise, when I received an email from Lora saying that her second attempt didn’t turn out the way she wanted either, so she wanted me to have it.  I can honestly say that I cried.  Maybe that sounds silly to you, but Lora’s words to me that day were: “God really loves you, Jess, and He wants you to know that you are COMPLETE, lacking nothing!!”  Sometimes, I need that as a reminder.  Probably more than sometimes.  When my kids are crabby and my house is a mess and my latest project has ended up in a pile on the floor because it isn’t turning out the way I wanted it to… I forget.  Now I can have a tangible reminder.

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4

Thank you, Lora, for the beautiful reminder of how my God has given me everything I need to be complete.  In Him, I truly lack nothing.

And P.S. … today happens to be Lora’s birthday, and she is giving away another one of her fabulous necklaces.  You should pop over and give her some birthday love.

Quick Upcycled Tee

Oh, spring.  I have been waiting and waiting for you.  Thank you for finally showing up in the midwest.  It seems my 16-month-old is at a serious loss for short-sleeved T-shirts, though.  This seems silly to me, since he has an older brother.  Maybe I should check that growing pile of laundry in the basement??

But let’s be honest, who wants to do laundry when you can make a T-shirt in half the time? [I'm raising my hand, because that's me!]

This tee was entirely upcycled, and took me less than an hour, [thank you, napping children!] including cutting apart the men’s T-shirt, cutting out all the pieces, serging it together, and the super simple applique.

Have I mentioned how much I love my serger?  I have?  Well, I just might have to mention it again.  I l.o.v.e. my serger.

If only my little man had been in the photo-taking mood to model it.

Check out the parties I’m linking up with here

Charlie Tunic Pattern Review!

I am in LOVE with this pattern.

I had the honor of pattern testing the Charlie Tunic for Made by Rae. She will soon be releasing this pattern – and you need to RUN over to get it.  Or, um, click over to her site really quickly… anyway, it is a must have.

I tend to be of the draft your own pattern or just wing it category, so I don’t buy a lot of patterns.  But I could not have come up with this one on my own.  And certainly not the way Rae has!

The pattern includes optional facings around the sleeves, neck, and side vents.  They add such a sweet touch to this adorable tunic!

And if you have never used one of Rae’s patterns before (which I totally admit, I hadn’t!), it was incredibly well-written, with clear step-by-step pictures to help you along the way.  It was a very quick sew, too… well, would have been had life not gotten in the way.  Ever have those weeks where your sewing machine is calling to you and you feel like the entire universe is trying to keep you from getting over there?  Please tell me I’m not the only one who has weeks like those….

In typical Jess fashion, I upcycled a thrifted sheet for this top.  And who’s surprised about the stripes?  Seriously, who can not love this boy in stripes?

Rae is releasing this pattern soon – put it on your “must make as soon as that pattern gets in my inbox” list.

Check out where I’m linking up.

Simple Upcycled Maternity Shirt

In my quest to spruce up my maternity wardrobe, I did a super quick upcycle of a regular T-shirt to make it maternity.

This tee began as a two sizes too large thrifted find (the same style I would normally buy from Target), and with a little added ruching to the sides, became a more flattering maternity shirt.

Homemade by Jill has a tutorial here, which was my inspiration, but I used elastic threading in my bobbin (instead of regular elastic), just like Dana’s ruched leggings tutorial here.

Five minutes for a $2 maternity shirt?  Yes, please!

Linking up to: