Sweet Picks

December Sweet Picks

Posted on December 29, 2016

Swell Bottle: This insulated water bottle is the best thing! Swell bottles are AMAZING! They weren’t lying when they said that they will keep your hot drinks hot for 12 hours and your cold drinks cold for 24 hours.

Since I love drinking ice cold water, I decided to start using this water bottle at work. I wanted a better option to keep my water cold without having to store my water bottle in a fridge all day. Another plus is when I put ice in my bottle, it doesn’t condensate and get the counters wet while I work. These bottles are simply the BEST! They have so many color and pattern options you’ll be sure to find one (maybe even two) perfect for you!
Image Source: Swell Bottle

Herschel: I am in love with this bag. While it may be a bit of a splurge, I love that it can be a gym, travel, overnight, or just an all-purpose bag. I need all the motivation I can get when it comes to gym going or working out in general and a cute gym bag is definitely a push in the right direction.  
Image Source: Herschel

Salomon Trail-Running Shoes: Now that my husband works for Amer Sports, he’s always bringing home Salomon shoes and other outdoor wear for me to try. I have to say these Salomon shoes are some of my favorite. I hate dealing with shoe laces when I’m working out, so for me the best part is the lacing system takes just 1 pull for an exact fit. They are also very comfortable and have breathable mesh and synthitic lining to keep moisture away from your feet. I highly reccomend giving these a try. Plus, they come in a lot of cute color combos!
Image Source: REI

Reflex Power Flex Yoga Pants: A random Amazon rabbit hole, in the name of Christmas shopping, led me to stumble upon these fine yoga pants about a month ago. I am always in the market for comfy, stretchy leggings and I was intrigued when I saw that these had 3,984 reviews on Amazon and 4.5 stars! Anything with over 1,000 reviews always gets my attention, but these babies had nearly 4,000! So I clicked around looking at the reviews, color options, etc. and I noticed that the black leggings were $19.99, reasonable, but the “watermelon” leggings were only $4.99! That’s so cheap! So I decided to take a $5 splurge and try these out to see what the 4,000 Amazon reviews were all about. And you know what? They were right!

These yoga pants/leggings are so awesome. They are sturdy and thick, but super soft and comfortable. They have a built-in pocket for your phone and just the right amount of stretch. All this talk is making me want to go order another pair…they are even worth the $19.99 for the black pair. So if you’re needing some new workout pants give these babies a whirl. If you are unsure and brave you can do like I did and purchase the $4.99 watermelon-colored ones. Just be prepared for everyone to comment, “Whoa, now those are some pink pants” every time you wear them. Haha!
Image Source: Amazon

 

Eats

Cozy Chicken Pot Pie

Posted on December 27, 2016
Cozy Chicken Pot Pie sweetlemonmade.com

Winter is in full swing here in Utah. We’ve got piles of snow everywhere and it was 14 degrees F when I woke up this morning. BRRRR! All I want to do is bury myself in a big pile of warm laundry fresh from the dryer and wait for spring. That’s obviously not a viable option, so if I can’t count on comfy laundry to warm my chilly extremities I guess I’ll have to choose the next best thing…cozy comfort food. I thought about mac and cheese (for the obvious reason that a mix of carby pasta and a decadent cheese sauce can cure WHATEVER ails you), but I was fresh out of cheese (and due to frigid temperatures I was obviously not willing to go buy some). But you wanna know what I did have in my fridge??? Pie crust!

Yep, you know those pre-packaged ones you buy at Thanksgiving because you are too busy to make real ones? Yep, that’s what I found! And yes, it is still in there from Thanksgiving! The beauty of those preservative-enhanced pieces of buttery, flakey goodness is that they have a surprisingly long shelf-life in the fridge or freezer and can save the day in a moment like this! So with a pie crust in hand and thawing chicken in the sink I was struck with a beautiful idea for a creamy chicken pot pie! Um hello comfort food all-star!

Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients sweetlemonmade.com

I’ve consumed many a chicken pot pie in my day, yet I’ve never actually made one. So I did what I always do when I’m looking for a perfect, down-home classic family recipe…I google-searched for a Pioneer Woman recipe! She’s the queen of comfort food and her recipes always turn out awesome. So I foraged the fridge for ingredients and lucky for me had some carrot sticks, celery, and an onion on hand! I was GOLDEN. Yesssss! This is recipe is largely hers, but I did make a few changes…I doubled the vegetables, decreased the broth so it was thicker, and put a pie crust on the top and the bottom (because in my mind it’s not chicken pot pie without a delightful crust on the top and the bottom! See recipe details below and google Pioneer Woman “chicken pot pie” if you want her recipe.

Cozy Chicken Pot Pie
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Ingredients
  1. 3 cups of shredded chicken
  2. 4 tablespoons of butter
  3. 1 cup finely diced onion (usually one onion)
  4. 1 cup finely diced celery
  5. 1 cup finely diced carrots
  6. ¼ cup flour
  7. 2 ½ cups chicken broth
  8. ¼ teaspoon of turmeric (not necessary if you don’ have it)
  9. Salt and pepper, to taste
  10. Chopped fresh herbs (any combination you like—I used thyme, rosemary, sage, to taste (about 3-5 tablespoons)
  11. ¼ cup of cream or half and half (also not necessary if you don’t have it)
  12. 2 unbaked pie crusts
  13. 1 egg
  14. 2 tablespoons of water
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and stir until onions become translucent—about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the shredded chicken to the vegetable mixture and stir.
  4. Next sprinkle flour over chicken and vegetable mixture and continue to stir and cook for one minute.
  5. Pour chicken broth over mixture and continue stirring while mixture thickens.
  6. Once it thickens to your desired consistency add in the turmeric, salt, pepper, and herbs.
  7. Add the splash of cream and continue to stir (if mixture is too thick just add more chicken broth).
  8. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
  9. Place one unbaked pie crust in the bottom of a pie dish or pan.
  10. Pour warm chicken and vegetable mixture on top of bottom crust.
  11. Place unbaked pie crust on top of chicken mixture and seal it well with bottom crust by pressing them together using fingers.
  12. Cut 3-5 slits in the top crust to allow for ventilation while cooking.
  13. Mix egg and water to make a basic egg wash and brush egg wash on the crust.
  14. Place in the oven and cook uncovered for 30 minutes (or until the crust is a deep golden brown).
  15. Allow pot pie to cool for about ten minutes prior to serving.
  16. ENJOY!
Sweet Lemon Made http://sweetlemonmade.com/

Fashion

Fashion Friday: Christmas Edition

Posted on December 23, 2016
fashion friday Christmas sweetlemonmade.com

Christmas is almost here and what would the holidays be without traditional Christmas attire?!

Every Christmas party calls for an Ugly Christmas sweater, that’s actually really cute.

Cozy red leggings that go wtih any holiday attire.

Lace-up snow boots that are fashionable and functional for that dreamy white Christmas

Accessories are always a must durring the holiday season. You can’t go wrong with reindeer antlers and gemstone earings. 

Sweet Tips

5 Tips for Riding the North Pole Express

Posted on December 13, 2016
North Pole Express Tips sweetlemonmade.com

This year I had the chance to take my three-year-old daughter Olivia on the North Pole Express. I have heard a lot of great things about this magical experience aboard the Heber Creeper on the Heber Valley Railroad, and was excited to finally check it out for myself. Since it was our first time, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Thanks to some tips from our family and friends, we were able to be prepared for the adventure.

North Pole Express Train sweetlemonmade.com

North Pole Ticket sweetlemonmade.com

The North Pole Express is a 90 minute train ride to the North Pole aboard the Heber Creeper. This adventure mimics the classic tail of the Polar Express. Some kids dress even dress in their Christmas pajamas. Along the journey you can expect to meet Mrs. Clause, eat chocolate chip cookies and sing Christmas carols. Once you reach the Noth Pole, Santa Clause boards the train and meets with every little boy and girl. Olivia had so much fun meeting Santa Clause and singing along with everyone on the train. 

North Pole Train Entrance sweetlemonmade.com
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We want you to have the same great experience, so below are 5 tips to keep in mind when riding the North Pole Express.

  1. Buy Tickets Early: As you might already know, tickets go fast and the North Pole Express will sale out. Tickets go on sale in the early fall, so make note on your calendar to check the website in October for the best dates and times for your family.
  2. Dress Warm: We were worried there wouldn’t be heat on the train, but it was pretty warm. You will however want to bundle up because you will be spending some time outside before and after the train ride. It’s pretty chilly up in Heber in the winter!
  3. Arrive Early: Our train was scheduled for 5:00 but we decided to get there 30 minutes early. This allowed us to check out the gift shop and get situated. We waited in line outside for about 15 minutes and were able to be one of the first ones on the train.
  4. Get the Best Seat: Make sure to sit on the right side of the train. This is the best spot because you will get to see the North Pole and Santa right out your window. If you are on the left side, you can still see, you just have to stand up and move over to the window.
  5. Bring Snacks: The train ride is 90 minutes, which can be a tad long for some kids. It’s hard to get my three-year-old to sit still for 5 minutes, so I brought lots of snacks to keep her occupied. The elf’s bring around cookies and hot chocolate, so you’ll have an added snack for the ride.

Overall we had a great experience on the North Pole Express and will make this a new Christmas tradition. We can’t wait to go again next year and make this a family tradition.

Sweet Picks

November Sweet Picks

Posted on December 1, 2016

Paper Mache Deer Head with Wavy Antlers: Christmas is my favorite time of the year and this paper mâché stag head is the exact style I have been looking for my holiday mantle decor! And the awesome part about this stag head is that I can spray paint it gold just like I want! I love how it’s such a statement piece perched up on my mantle along with my other Christmas decorations. I also love that it is light and I don’t have to worry about a heavy ceramic piece.
Image Source: Hobby Lobby

Wood Countdown Calendar: If you are anything like me, you love perusing (stalking) Target way before most people are even thinking of decorating for the Holidays to get the first pick of all things Christmas. I was doing just that back in October and stumbled upon this dream of an advent calendar and it jumped right into my virtual cart. It is the perfect, timeless piece to use year after year. Target definitely did not disappoint with this one. 
Image Source: Target

Peppermint Lane Wooden Plaque: I walked by this adorable wooden plaque probably 5 times in the past few months and everytime it caught my eye. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on new Christmas decorations this year, but when I saw this was on sale for under $15 I couldn’t resist. It’s the perfect addition to my Christmas decor. 
Image Source: Michaels

Maker’s Holiday Plaid Stocking with Fur Cuff: I don’t know about you guys, but we have  been in full decoration mode all week getting the house Christmas-ified. So for this month’s sweet picks we just couldn’t resist picking our favorite holiday decor items. This year my obsession is red and black buffalo check plaid. I want it on everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. So when I was shopping at Joanne’s and saw this I died. Buffalo check with a touch of fur, um hello perfect. The fur gives the classic, woodsy buffalo check plaid a sassy, more modern feel. This is no lumberjack stocking. This is an adventurous, classy, fun, and sassy lady stocking. So if you’re into this like I am head to Joanne’s because they are on sale RIGHT NOW for $8!!
Image Source: Joanne