It's Pinspired Friday! {T-Shirt Upcycle Nautical Necklace}

It's Pinspired Friday!

Today, I'm inspired by a pin I pinned about three weeks ago. If you've been following my blog for a while, you know I'm no stranger to crafts made with t-shirts. So far, I've made color block t-shirts, quilts out of t-shirts, and headbands made out of t-shirt strips. I love working with t-shirts because jersey is awesome - it doesn't require hemming unlike cotton, it comes in a billion different colors, and old t-shirts are cheaply and easily obtainable, and often make some pretty neat things.

My sister-in-law graciously gave me a huge bag of t-shirts for crafting, and in there was a few strips of shirts that had already been cut up, which got my wheels turning. I could have made another headband, but I decided to wait and see what else I could do with them.

Enter...

The Conqueror Necklace by Ashen Drift 

I positively love this necklace - especially the silver closure. It is unfortunately sold out - but I also knew I could possibly make something similar.

While my "clasp" isn't nearly as nice - it gets the job done. :) And it actually does look great on and it is ultra light... and can be made very cheaply!

 So do you want to make your own? Here's what you'll need.

Kind of a lame looking picture... sorry about that!

• Three strips of t-shirt, pulled. If you don't know how to make those, check out my headband tutorial - I am using the shirt strips that were already cut up in the bag but they were 26" long.
• 1 non-looped t-shirt piece, about 10" long.

I'm using all navy for this one as I made the white and blue necklace first to see if it could be done first and I didn't have any more white strips! :)

Start by taking one loop and twisting it. I used both hands, rotating in opposite ways and twisted it until it was a tight twist.

Using something like a counter or toe or a little helper, bend the twisted loop in the middle and slowly move it off so it automatically makes a chunky, shorter twist.

It'll look like this. Carefully set it aside (move it around too much before you make it into a necklace and it'll unravel) and pick up one of the other long loops.

Now you've got two chunky loops. Stay with me here for this next step... it's so easy but sort of hard to explain...

Take the third long loop and thread it through the loops at one end, making sure you get the middle of both.

Now take that same long loop and thread it through the other chunky loops on the other side.

Now it should look like this. Take your 10" unlooped piece and thread it through the two loops at the top.

It'll look like this. Now, knot it tightly and tie it in a bow. You might need to pull on that little strip to make it thin enough and long enough to make a small bow.

You're done! Try it on!

Fun, easy and cheap, and great for your spring outfits. Let me know how this works for you! Thanks for following along.

P.S. Have you liked Little Oak Creations on Facebook yet? Like us today to get the first look at projects, coupon codes, and get ahead of the game - I'll be hosting a giveaway soon! :)

P.P.S. (haha):
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Easter! 

A new layout!

Hey all! Just wanted to pop in real quick and share my new blog layout!

Inspired by colors and textures in my own home, I wanted my blog to feel more like home, and I wanted it to feel more like spring! :) I hope you all like it and if you find anything that doesn't seem to be working like links, etc, please let me know.

I'll be back for Pinspired Friday tomorrow! See you then!

Cucumber, Spinach, Hummus Quesadilla

It's official. I am addicted to hummus.

It's one of those things that I never thought I would like... you grow up hearing things like "ew, hummus" or "ew, brussel sprouts", but when I was about 11 or 12, my parents took my brother and I to a mediterranean/greek food place and we ordered a platter of many different foods - one of those being hummus. From then on, I was smitten, and as I've gotten older I enjoy that type of food even more.

Our diet allows hummus, and there is a recipe in Bob's book, but man, it is rough. Awful tasting. We got a great deal on some at Meijer, Basha brand. It is literally the best tasting hummus I've ever had from a grocery store, and the work to make my own to have it be inedible was definitely worth the price of buying some from the grocery store. Other friends on this same diet didn't care for the hummus in the book either, and they even purchased tahini (a usual main ingredient in hummus, but his recipe doesn't call for it) and it was still no bueno.

Anyway... back to the yummy at hand.

This is a fantastic lunch, and because it's served cold, it's a good lunch to take to work as well. It looks messy in this picture, and that middle piece can be messy... but it's worth it. :)

Need to make your own? Here's what you'll need.

• 1/4 of a cucumber
• 1 heaping tablespoon of hummus (I used Basha brand, original flavor)
• a handful of spinach
• a tortilla (I used flour as that's all I had on hand, but I'd like to try it with a 100 cal tortilla... I used Meijer brand flour burrito size)

This recipe is really a no-brainer... I'm not even sure you can really call it a recipe! But here's what I did.

 Chop up your cucumber into relatively thin slices and pieces.

Warm up your tortilla in the microwave for 20 seconds so it's easier to fold, and spoon your hummus on one side.

Add your handful of spinach and cucumber on top of the hummus, and fold the empty side on top of the veg. Chop into three slices. (Think Taco Bell quesadilla cut... without a million calories ;)

And... enjoy. :) This is a less than 300 calorie lunch! :) If you can use 100 calorie tortillas, you can knock 70 more calories off for a less than 200 calorie lunch. Because I love my readers... here is the nutrition facts for this quesadilla. Look at that protein and iron! Yum. Thanks for following along!

It's Pinspired Friday! {Sweet Potato Hash Browns}

It's Friday, so that only means two things: the weekend is here...and more importantly, it's time for Pinspired Friday. ;)

The steam made for kind of a crappy picture... but I ate them too fast to retake. ;)

Today, we're making sweet potato hash browns. If you haven't been reading lately (don't break my heart!), we've been following Bob Harper's "The Skinny Rules" as our new way of life/diet. In his book, he has a recipe for sweet potato hash browns. I was looking for something yummy to serve our lovely house guests this weekend for breakfast... and I remembered the recipe for sweet potato hash browns in the book.

Fast forward a little bit... and I'm mildly confused. By reading through the recipe, it's clearly not for hashbrowns, but rather sweet potato home fries if anything... it was just cubed sweet potatoes. And if you've ever cooked sweet potatoes, you know they take a long time to cook. Cue sad face.  A quick search around Pinterest brought me to these actual, sweet potato hash browns.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns from nomnompaleo

Here is the biggest plus about these... other than the fact that they taste amazing and are lower calorie, and paleo diet approved - they take only a few minutes to cook! Because you shred them small, they cook way faster. Like less than ten minutes. That's my kinda food!

Not pictured... an egg (optional!)

So let's make you some! Here's what you'll need.
• 1 sweet potato. I used a really small one (like 2" wide and maybe 6" long) and it is plenty for one person, could be two small portions.
• olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• Herbs De Provence - these are the kicker - these give this dish a totally unmatched flavor. Herbs De Provence is a mix of basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, savory, and rosemary.
• An egg (optional)

You'll also want:
• A stovetop
• A frying pan with lid.
• A peeler and a grater or food processor with julienne setting.

First, get some oil to shimmering in a fry pan. I just eyeballed this - I wanted enough to give my sweet potatoes a little crisp and not stick to the pan.

Peel and shred your sweet potato. That little potato made all of this!

Attempt not to maim yourself with the shredder. Nice job.

Now, place your shredded sweet potatoes in the pan, they'll sizzle a little and immediately start turning a different shade of orange. Top them with the salt, pepper, herbs de provence, garlic powder and onion powder. With a spatula, flip them and mix them so they all get a bit of spice and start cooking.

Place your lid on top and let them cook a little. Don't be like me and walk away... otherwise the crispy parts become burnt, and it's not the same.

They'll turn a different shade of orange as they cook, and you want them to cook to the bottom a little so they get crispy but not burnt, so watch them carefully.

Remove some of the burnt pieces and toss them. Whoops. If you want, you can crack an egg at this point in the same pan and mix it in with the sweet potato. OMG. So good.

Remove them to plate when your egg is sufficiently cooked to your liking, or if you're not doing an egg, you can remove them pretty shortly after they turn all the same color and are slightly mushy and slightly crispy.

Aww yeah, so good. Serve them right away, as they get cold quick and they taste best when warm.

Thanks for following along!

I'm linking up to these parties!

Spring Sale!

Hi all! I thought I would pop in today and announce...

✿✿ Little Oak Creations Spring Sale! ✿✿

 15% off any item in the Etsy Store!

Use Coupon Code "SPRINGSALE13" at Checkout!

Oh boy! That even includes clearance items! I will be running this sale from March 20th (The first day of Spring! Yay!) until April 20th. Come check it out here!

A few other housekeeping notes too:

• I've added the calorie/fat/nutrition facts for the 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins. I probably won't do that for every recipe I add to the blog but saw in my traffic sources that someone was wondering. Make sure to check that out!

Green Apple, Cranraisin and Feta Salad + Saving Money

Let's talk salad. And dolla' dolla' bills ya'll.

Sometimes, there is nothing that sounds better to me than a BFS. BFS stands for Big F-bombin' Salad, and it's a term we use pretty frequently around the LOC household, especially with our new diet/lifestyle change.

I wanted to share a recipe (Recipe? Maybe just a good combination) for a salad I made a few days back. When you follow "The Skinny Rules", you are supposed to eat an apple a day, but you're supposed to have no/low carbs after lunch, so I always try to eat my apple at about 10:30 or with lunch. This time, I decided to make the apple part of my lunch.

Pretty isn't it? :) I think it looks like one of those salads you'll pay 8 bucks for at a restaurant and then wonder that while it was amazingly yummy, why you just paid 8 bucks for a salad. You can make it at home and have a few more bucks in your pocket.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 head of romaine lettuce, or a lettuce or spinach of your choice. We got a three pack for 3 bucks, so $1.
• A bag of cranraisins (use sparingly - they are higher in calories) - We got a pack for about 2.50-3 bucks, so you'll be using just cents of that bag on this salad. We'll say maybe .25 cents for easy math.
• 1 green apple, cut up. - We bought a big bag for $4.99 and used one - so let's use .50 cents for easy math.
• 1-2 tbsp of feta cheese. - Tip: check out the feta in the back with the other cheeses over the cheeses in the front with the fancy cheeses and hummus', etc. It'll be cheaper in the back. We paid about 3 bucks for a tub of it. Let's say about .75 cents of it was used on the salad.

So math.... $2.50 for this whole salad. And when you use a whole head of lettuce, it's definitely plenty for two people... so $1.25 per person. You can't beat that! :) If you use dressing, you'd have to factor in that cost too, but my guess is that it'll still be less than the restaurant price. I used just a hint of lite Italian and ranch mixed together. It was amazing, plus cheap, plus healthy.

Give it a try and let me know how it turned out for you!

It's Pinspired Friday! {Chocolate Frozen Yogurt}

I say this every week... but really, can you believe it's Friday again? Already? Let's chat about Chocolate Frozen Yogurt today.

If you look at the history of this blog, you know I'm a fan of sweets. As in, I love sugar. Part of this new diet/lifestyle change is really reducing your sugar intake, and he really wants us to stay away from artificial sweeteners. Bob, I love all of your other suggestions...but this one has been toughest for me. Getting rid of soda/pop - fine, we don't drink it anyway (which impressed my dentist yesterday, btw. Lighten up on the pop for smaller waistlines AND better teeth. Go figure). Have an apple a day? Okay, I heart apples so I can do that. But sugar...? Bobbbbbb...*whine*

I know I have to cut it out though if I want to lose anything, so I did. For the most part. We bought Greek yogurt plain, and I have to put a little Splenda in it. It's just too bitter otherwise for me, as in FULL BODY REJECTION to the taste and texture. Blergh. Makes me shiver just thinking about it. 

So when I ran across this pin (actually, I think I pinned it from my sister-in-law. Thanks girl! :) I wanted to give it a try because I really do want to like Greek yogurt. I want to give it a chance and man, did I want some chocolate.

Rich Chocolate Protein FroYo from Muffin-Topless (haha, love that name)

I am happy to report - it wasn't bad. At all. In fact, it was pretty dang good. Of course, I made a few modifications... but they're along the same line and idea as Muffin-Topless.

Want to make some? Here's what you'll need.

• 6 oz. (a little less than a cup... I used about half of the container and it was plenty for Mr. LOC and I to share) of Greek Yogurt, plain.

• 2 Tablespoons of baking cocoa

• 3 packets of Splenda (I didn't have Stevia... and even though I'm only showing 2 packets, it needed 3)

• A dash of vanilla extract

I added the vanilla extract to the recipe, as it was still lacking after mixing up the other ingredients. If you use the vanilla flavored Greek Yogurt, you can omit this step.

Add your Greek yogurt to a bowl. I recommend using glass like Corelle so you don't get that plastic-y taste after you freeze it later. Nothing worse than plastic-y tasting sort-of ice cream (plus, that plastic taste is not good for you!)

Add the 2 tablespoons of baking cocoa, the three packets of Splenda, and the dash of vanilla. Mix thoroughly.

Take out the spoon, cling-wrap it and toss it in the freezer. It's an easy low calorie "dessert" at night!

Hope you enjoy! Let me know how this turned out for you! Spring is just around the corner (thank God). Next week I've got a salad recipe you won't want to miss and another offer for the Etsy store just for my loyal readers! See you then!

I'm linking up to these parties!

Fiesta Stir Fry Recipe

In keeping up with this diet/lifestyle change (we're following Bob Harper's 'The Skinny Rules'), we are supposed to eat quite a bit of stir fry, and it can't be drenched in Panda Express Orange Chicken sauce (bummer).

Well, I am trying so hard to like my veggies... but man, I am just not a fan. The normal "stirfry" bag has water chestnuts (blargh), mushrooms (nope), red pepper (meh), broccoli  carrots, and celery (tolerable). So looking through the other combinations that our Meijer offers, I stumbled upon a "Fiesta" mix.

The Fiesta mix had red beans, white beans, garbanzo beans, carrots, broccoli, snap peas, and red pepper. Sign. me. up. All things that I enjoy. So I grabbed one of those (mistake, should have grabbed more than one... oh well, next time) and decided to make a fiesta stir fry with chicken for lunch one day.

Looks yummy eh? It's low calorie and has just a hint of fiesta flavor when you add the spices and chicken. A great way to get your veg in! :)

Want to make it? You'll need:
• 1 small chicken breast, thawed
• 1 bag of Meijer Fiesta Style Mixed Vegetables
• Cumin
• Onion Powder
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder

You'll also want:
• A pot of boiling water
• A little bit of Olive Oil
• A resealable bowl with lid
• A colander

Cut up your chicken breast into small chunks. When your water is boiling, throw in the chicken pieces and let them cook until they are just white. (Isn't chicken cooking attractive?)

Once your chicken is just white, add your bag of veg. I added the whole bag as I was making lunch for Mr. LOC and I, plus leftovers are always good.

Cook your veg and chicken together. I put a lid on and let it boil for about 5-7 minutes. Once the vegetables are just soft (not mush!), remove and drain in a colander into a sink.

Place the vegetables and chicken into a resealable bowl (one with a lid), and drizzle the mix LIGHTLY with some olive oil. This gives the spices something to stick to on the veg. Dash the cumin, chili powder, onion, and garlic in to your taste. I gave just a light dash of each. Now place the lid on tightly, and shake. This will help distribute the spices evenly.

What a beautiful mix, eh?

Serve this one hot - It doesn't taste super awesome cold. If you're not following a low calorie regiment right now, you could definitely add some salsa, add some cheese, put in tortillas or something different. :) We ate it just as you see it.

Hope you enjoyed this simple recipe! :)

P.S. - This post is not affiliated with Bob Harper or Meijer. I'm just featuring things that are working for me! :)