Homemade Vanilla Extract

Being home for the holidays really is the sweetest. I've been home in Texas since Saturday and have been savoring the time spent doing the little things-- running holiday errands with my mom, toasting to weddings, moves, +  exciting life events with the family, cuddling our sweet pup, grabbing a meal with friends, and dreaming about one day having a ginormous #granitecounterkitchen like my parents have here. The idea to make this homemade vanilla extract surfaced after my mom, who was organizing a cabinet, offered me her extra olive oil dispensers. I had heard that homemade vanilla extract is super easy to make and so much better than anything you can find at the store, so I decided to try it out with these dispensers. I'd also recently seen a video that showed how to make simple jar labels, so I decided to give that a shot too (which ended up being the perfect touch for this homemade vanilla extract). If you have 5 minutes to spare and are in need of a simple, thoughtful housewarming gift, give this a shot (and consider adding a red bow/ribbon)!

Ingredients:

-1 cup of vodka (any kind, I used Titos since that's what I had on hand)

-3 vanilla beans

-1 dispenser of your choice (small mason jars are great or an empty spice container that has been washed)

*FOR THE LABEL: white paper, printer, clear packing tape, water

Directions:

1. Slice the vanilla beans down the center, leaving them attached at the very top (wishbone shape)

2. Put the vanilla beans in the dispenser and pour in 1 cup of vodka.

3. Keep in an airtight container and shake for 30 seconds once a week for 6 weeks-- then enjoy!

For the label, check on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1auqNJTUlsg

*ONE NOTE: I would strongly recommend using a laser printer rather than an ink printer if you have one available. This will make the label transfer onto the tape much bolder. I used an ink printer and had to do some touch ups with a black sharpee :)

Enjoy!

LD



Winter Medley Bowl

Happy Saturday, friends! Life has been the best kind of crazy-- working, wedding planning,  gift shopping + present wrapping, squeezing in workouts with the fiancé (if you haven't checked out Orange Theory Fitness, it's our new obsession), and of course fitting in some meal prep.. Luckily for me, myself + seven coworkers have decided to {try} to stay healthy and tackle this busy season together by joining forces for lunch prep. Each person brings a healthy lunch for the group of eight once every two weeks. That way, everyone has lunch each day Monday-Thursday, but each of us only has to food prep one time during the two week span. I know, it sounds weird and crazy and none of us thought it would work either, but we just finished week one and it was huge success! I absolutely loved expanding my pallet and trying veggies, spices, and marinades that I don't typically prepare, and it was so sweet to get to provide and share lunch with friends. I'm excited to share with you guys the Winter Medley Bowl I made during my prep day this week! This dish is full of in-season fruits, veggies, and seeds and kept me full all afternoon.

Ingredients:
2 lbs of Trader Joe's all natural chicken breast
1 cup of Trader Joe's organic tri colored quinoa
1 large butternut squash
1 cup pumpkin seeds (or desired amount)
1 cup sliced almonds (or desired amount)
1 container of Trader Joe's fresh pomegranate seeds
1 cup cranberries (dried or fresh)
1 small package of feta
1 cup water
1 stalk of Trader Joe's trimmed leeks, sliced
Parsley (as desired)
Balsamic vinegar (as desired)
Salt and pepper (as desired)

Directions:
1. Place chicken in crock pot and cook for 4 hours on high with a cup of water (or chicken broth if you have it on hand). Season with salt and pepper.
2. Dice up the butternut squash and cook on 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until browned.
3. Cook quinoa and set aside. For directions on how to cook quinoa, click here.
4. Once fully cooked, shred the chicken and set aside.
5. Chop the scallions and parsley.
6. Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

*Note: if you want all ingredients to be evenly distributed across all servings, I'd suggest getting eight containers and adding each ingredient to the container individually as nuts and seeds specifically tend to fall to the bottom.

Hope you all enjoy this holiday season!

LD