the giraffe life

Young House Love and Bower Power are two of my favorite blogs, so I was super excited last week to hear they would be hosting a Pinterest Challenge. Basically, pick a pin, recreate it, and blog about your results. Since they really twisted my arm, I decided to make Cake Batter Doughnuts , originally created by Katie at Chocolate-Covered Katie . These don't exactly taste like cake batter . . or doughnuts. Mine were more of a fluffy muffin consistency (probably because I used half white and half whole wheat flour). But still delicious. They have less sugar and butter than other doughnut recipes, which means you can eat two without a stomach ache (I know this because I had to eat two - one with sprinkles and one without - for science). Click over to get the recipe - and ideas if you don't have a doughnut pan. Is it bad that I had one? ;) I can't wait to see everyone else's projects! linking up with: Megan from The Remodeled Life Katie from Bower Power ...

If not for book club , I probably never would have read this book. I'd heard how wonderful it was, but biographies are usually not my cup of tea.  I think Unbroken may have changed my feelings, though. It was  amazing . I credit that to the author, Laura Hillenbrand , and the subject, Louis Zamperini. (You may have heard of Laura already; she also wrote Seabiscuit .) She knows how to pick fascinating stories and how to write about 'em! I'll admit I only had a vague idea of the book's topic when I started reading - a few assumptions based on the title.  (Imagine my surprise when the preface told of a castaway and the first chapter started with a twelve-year-old boy.)  This book tells about Louis Zamperini's life, from childhood through fairly recently, when Laura interviewed him for the book, but most of the story focuses on his life from the late 1930s to early 1950s.  He was a runner with an impressive track record - and even made it to the 1936 O...

One of my favorite blogs is Iowa Girl Eats . She makes so many delicious meals and her photographs of said food are gorgeous! Over the weekend she posted a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup, which I sounded perfect! ( Soup and I have a thing going .) I was so excited to make this (and bring it over to the vegetarian side!). I used vegetable broth in place of chicken broth (an easy switch, but it does make the soup look a bit murky). Rather than 1/2 pound of mini meatballs, I used 2 cups of chopped potatoes; you could use a combo of onions/celery/carrots too.  I haven't had much success with "fake" meats (tried soy bacon  here  and a soy hot dog  here ), which is why I used extra veggies instead of soy meatballs. BUT t hat is a departure from traditional Italian Wedding soup, so I understand if you are deeply offended (not really - just use whatever you want in your soup and I'll never know!).  :) Enough blabbing, right?  Here's the recipe: Vegetari...

linking up here

So, I'm a vegetarian.  For me, that means no meat - beef, fish, poultry, seafood, etc. But I still eat some animal products like honey, cheese, and eggs. I've posted a few vegetarian recipes here, so I wanted to talk about the reasons behind my decision; and often, w hen people find out I'm a vegetarian, they ask  but why?  so I thought you may be wondering the same. I became a vegetarian for a few reasons: To give you the full story, I have to back up a bit. I've never been a huge fan of meat. Growing up, I mostly ate cereal or poptarts (no shame!) for breakfast and PB&J for lunch. At dinner, my parents' rule required me to take a small portion (usually like six bites worth) of everything served that night - ham, rice, salad, and carrots, for example - and then I could have seconds of whatever. I'd eat my first round and then go back for more of the "side" dishes and skip the meat.  When my dad made cheeseburgers, mine would be mini-s...

I've been on a soup kick lately. Tortellini soup, kale and quinoa soup, gnocchi soup ... and now, potato soup: This soup rocks because it's short on ingredients and effort, but still filling and delicious. You basically pile everything in the crock pot, wait 8 hours, and serve. Love it! Crock Pot Potato Soup • 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil •  2 cloves minced garlic •   3 cups chopped potatoes • 2 - 3 cups vegetable broth (enough to cover the potatoes) • 1/4 cup dried split peas •  1 - 2 teaspoons pepper • 1 teaspoon onion powder •  1 cup almond milk Instructions Add butter, potatoes, garlic, vegetable broth, peas and spices to the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Stir in milk right before serving. Add toppings if desired. Enjoy! I topped my soup with soy bacon (my first time trying it - I think I'll skip it in the future) and parmesan cheese. Paired with a salad, this made a perfect lazy-wintertime dinner :)

Despite not loving the second half of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? , I did glean one gem:  Mindy Kaling wants to hear everything I adore about my hubby and our marriage.  So, this post is for her. He loves my cats. When we met, he wasn't a huge cat fan, but they've slowly worked their magic on him over the years. And while he may never be as enamored as I am, he makes a genuine effort and grows more fond by the day. It makes my heart swell :) He compromises. Often. Take movies, for example. Most of the time, I want to be cheerfully entertained - so I usually suggest movies that fall into the "fun and fluffy" category, preferably avoiding any graphic violence, the suffering of animals and/or children, and frightening sequences. I try to pick out movies that will have something he'll appreciate, like eye candy or clever writing, but I know he's suffered through some awful ones because it made me happy. (This one he enjoyed!) He supports my causes. ...

sources: (1)   (2)     (3) linking up here and here

Yesterday, I read this post over at Motley Mama  about modesty. Here's the photo responsible for sparking the conversation: I usually fall between "flirty" and "proper" when wearing a skirt or dress. Partially because I'm perpetually cold and more clothing = more warmth; partially because I feel more comfortable when I'm not worried about accidentally showing my underwear to everyone in the room. But - I have worn shorts and skirts in the "slut" range - across campus and back late at night - without thinking twice. (Looking back, probably not the most prudent choice, but nobody was gonna convince my 18-year-old self that.) Did that clothing choice make me a slut? If I was raped while wearing that outfit, would that makes the offense less atrocious? And, u nfortunately, this stereotype goes both ways.  Should a woman who chooses to wear high collar shirts and "matronly" length capris be looked down on as a prude? It's like Go...

Happy Friday! I'm so excited for this weekend although I have no real plans. Sometimes 2 days of relaxing at home is just what I need :)  But I won't be doing "nothing," exactly. I have a few ideas in mind . .  Mixing up a batch of Cake Batter Energy Bars ! Reading this : Finishing my Valentine's Day cards : And some yoga. And just in case you're in the mood for a short trip to 1981, here's this post's namesake: What are you looking forward to this weekend?

linking up here and here

So, I've never taken part in a book club. This is partially because none of my friends are in a book club that I would feel comfortable joining. Sure, I could attend the book discussions hosted by my library, but again, the idea of just showing up and knowing no one makes me nervous. But when I heard about this online book club , I thought - I can handle this! Nothing to be anxious about, just read a book and share my thoughts. You may have already guessed this from the post's title, but here's January's pick:  Let me begin by saying I'd never heard of Mindy Kaling or watched The Office before reading this. BUT Shannon said the same thing before her review of the book, so I didn't feel too bad :)  This is categorized as a memoir/collection of essays depending on where you look. It started out with a definite story-of-my-life vibe and then gradually became more essays, more random, and less memoir. Overall, I thought the book was okay. It certainly h...

Basement:  Which part of the basement, you say?  This part. I have a few empty boxes and some empty plastic containers to start organizing that chaos - I just need the motivation to spend time in my 50 degree basement when all I want to do is to huddle under a blanket and read (and reading is one of my goals, so this activity wouldn't be completely fruitless!). Love note:  Makes sense considering a certain February holiday, no? Exercise:  I have been loosey-goosey about exercise lately so I think getting back on a schedule will help immensely! I may even make myself a sticker chart  à la The Happiness Project  (I'm oddly excited about the idea). Read:  Yep :D What are your goals for February?