Blue Buffet

My sister hasn't owned her house for very long, so she is still decorating and looking for the "perfect" furniture to put in it. I saw this on craigslist and convinced her she needed it. Should I say I love buffets, they are my favorite piece of furniture to redo. This mini buffet is far from perfect I know. But I saw this DIY chalk paint tutorial on pinterest and I was just dying to try it. You can check it out here.

The whole time we were doing this project I was so disappointed in the chalk paint, probably because it was 100 degrees outside and the paint keep getting clumpy. We also used the Vaseline trick where you put Vaseline on the furniture before you paint it so that the paint doesn't stick there, that didn't work for us as well as it usually does because it was so stink'n hot that the Vaseline keep dripping. I think with all the complaining my sister thought I hated how it turned out, but it was just the technique I was frustrated with. In fact I'm totally loving it. I can't wait to go to here house and see how it looks in it. The paint is the same paint she painted her living room wall in.

The more I look through the pictures, the more I am falling in love with this little blue buffet. I may even try chalk painting again, when it's cooler of course.

Mushroom-Spinach Eggs Benedict

Makes : 2 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

3 Tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons fat-free milk

 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 1 teaspoon olive oil

 1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms

 2 Tablespoons finely chopped shallots

 4 cups baby spinach

 Pinch of ground nutmeg

 2 eggs 1 whole-wheat English muffin, split

 Pinch of black pepper

 Fresh Thyme Sprigs (optional)

1. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, milk and mustard.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots. Cook 4 minutes or until mushrooms are golden brown, stirring frequently. Stir in spinach and nutmeg and cook until spinach just starts to wilt; set aside.

3. Fill a medium nonstick skillet halfway with water. Bring water to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Break 1 egg into a small bowl. Carefully slide egg into simmering water, holding lip of bowl close to water. Repeat with remaining egg . Simmer, uncoverd 3 to 5 minutes or until shites are set and yolks begin to thicken. Remove eggs from skillet with a slotted spoon.

 4. While eggs simmer, toast muffin halves. Top each with half the mushroom mixture, 1 poached egg and sauce. Sprinkle with pepper. Garnish with thyme sprigs if desired.

235 calories, 15 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 10 fat ( 3 saturated), 6 g fiber

California Chipotle Chopped Salad

California Chipotle Chopped Salad

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

 2 Tablespoons agave nectar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 garlic clove, minced

 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 1 head romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite-size pieces

 1 large tomato, finely chopped

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

 1/2 cup quinoa

 2 Tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1. To make vinaigrette: Puree 3 Tablespoons oil, vinegar, agave nectar and lime juice in a blender.

 2. In a small saucepan, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Saute black beans, garlic, chile powder and salt for 5 minutes. Let cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, quinoa, black bean mixture and cilantro. Toss gently with vinaigrette to coat.

334 Calories, 10g protein, 37 g carbohydrate, 20g fat (2.6 g saturated), 11 g fiber