At home Mani

I love taking time to give myself a proper manicure. It is so relaxing and gives me a little "mommy" time while the baby's asleep. Plus, why spend the extra $15-20 in a salon when I can do a perfectly good job myself. Now pour yourself a glass of wine, play some Michael Buble and let the pampering begin...

Items you need:

1. Nail Polish Remover & Cotton

2. Bowl with some yummy smelling soap

3. Towel

4. Nail File

5. Cuticle trimmer and pusher

6. Buffing Block

7. Vitamin E Oil

8. Lotion

9. Base Coat, Color, Top Coat

First remove all your nail polish. Fill the bowl with warm water and your soap. I suggest a body wash not dish soap, much more gentle. Soak your hands for about 5 minutes to get your cuticles nice and soft. Pat them lightly on your towel. File your nails to make them the same length and whatever shape you prefer. Im a fan of the squoval (square and oval) look myself. Push back all you cuticles and if you have cuticle trimmer, trim lightly. But be careful to not trim to close, you could hurt yourself. Practice makes perfect with the cuticle trimer. Buff all your nails to make them nice and smooth. I usually do my polish next starting with the base coat. Then do 2 coats of your preferred nail polish. My favorite brands are OPI and Sally Hansen Rapid Dry. Sally Hansen's is like 4 bucks and dries really quickly. I always apply a fast dry top coat as well. I don't always have 30 minutes to sit there and wait for them to dry. My fave top coat is China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat it dries really quick and makes them oh so shiny. Once they are dry, apply the vitamin E oil on your cuticles and your lotion on top. The reason I don't do that before the polish is because the polish won't apply correctly and can bubble and peel off. If you get some nail polish on the skin around your nails, dip a small paint brush in remover and it will come right off. Now you have a professional looking mani all in the comfort of your own home! Sit back with your glass of pinot grigio and admire your pretty new nails! 

Healthy Chicken Salad

I love a good chicken salad. There is just something about it that takes me back to begin 7 years old and my mom making them for us. This salad is a much lighter, dukan style chicken salad. It is super healthy and really refreshing on those hot summer days. You could change it up with the veggies and spices you want too. It is very versatile. Not to mention its super quick and easy! Can't go wrong there can ya? Let's dive in....

Healthy Chicken Salad

Serves 2

Salad

One can of already cooked chicken ( I used Tyson. Has the least amount of sodium and fat)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

salt & pepper

Half a bag of already chopped broccoli slaw

1/2 cup of fat free cheddar cheese

Dressing

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Juice of one lime

Drain the chicken and put in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the seasoning and warm chicken through. Since it is already cooked it will only take about 5 minutes. Whisk together the lime and sour cream and open the bag of slaw. Place all components in a bowl and toss! Super easy right? 

Friday Randoms

I don't have a super intricate post planned today but some random goings on in the Kerr-Davis house this week.

It has been soo hot out every morning and this mamma needs her coffee. I found a great way to enjoy iced coffee without the ice watering it down. Just brew a pot the night before and make sure to make it extra strong. Throw one or two more scoops of coffee than usual. Chill it overnight in the fridge and viola you wake up to iced coffee. Put a few ice cubes in a tall glass, add your vanilla creamer and enjoy!

I saw how to make a heart from tape and nail polish on the beauty department I think. Just paint a piece of tape, cut out whatever kind of shape you like and add a top coat. I used OPI chapel of Love and OPI  Bring on the Bling for the glitter. 

The gross green padding we have to scrape up in order to refinish our wood floors

Double braid headband I wore on the 4th! Super easy and kept the hair out of my face! 

The 4th In Photos

We had a great time celebrating the 4th for the first time as a family. Baby L loved the fireworks! We were far enough away that they would not hurt her ears but still close enough to see them. She was completely in awe and would not look away. The day was full of family, festivities and food! The way any great holiday should be :)

The contents of a package my mom sent baby girl! We love getting packages from home :)

My adorable angel. I just love her! She looks so cute.

The Best Peanut Butter Cookie You Will Ever Have

My mom sent me this recipe for peanut butter cookies the other day and I thought it was way too good to be true. 4 Ingredients, 33 calories and 2 grams of fat. Yes people you read that right! I thought no way could those be that good. However, they are AMAZING!! I will never make another peanut butter cookie as long as I live. I almost ate the whole batch. I really had to restrain myself. Super easy, super quick and super great for that bikini body!!!

Peanut Butter Cookies from Heaven

Makes roughly 5 dozen (unless you snack while cooling like me :)

1 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

3/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 and grab 2 baking sheets. I lined mine with foil but parchment paper or a little pam will do just fine. Now peanut butter can be a little sticky to get out of a measuring cup so sprayed a little bit of pam in mine. And by a little I mean a little you heavy handed sprayers. Combine all 4 ingredients with a hand mixer until well combined. Drop teaspoon amounts of dough onto the baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool for a minute. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Unless you're like me and have no self control and dig right in! I swear life changing cookies. 

Happy 4th of July

The 4th is tomorrow and that means fireworks, sparklers, flags and cookouts. Gotta have a fresh mani to go with it!!

My 4th of July mani

A couple of my faves from pinterest. You can follow me here.

Im still trying to master the heart for nails but it has not been perfected quite yet. I love the heart on the these nails! So cute! Have a safe and fun 4th!

Chipotle Lime Chicken

The other night I made this chicken for dinner and it was a huge hit! It had great flavor and just the right amount of heat and spice. The lime's acidity works really well to add some oomph to the spice and complements the chipotle pepper beautifully. The boyfriend even had thirds so I look at that as complete success! I found the recipe here but tweaked it ever so slightly by using chicken breast and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in place of Serrano peppers. The chipotle peppers added a bit a smokey heat that I really appreciate.

Chipotle Lime Chicken
Makes 4 Servings
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2/3 cup sugar free maple syrup
2/3 cup tomato sauce
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t splenda
1 T chopped chipotle peppers
2 T Dijon Mustard
juice and zest of one lime
salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 and salt and pepper both sides of your chicken. Place them in a baking dish big enough to fit. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and pour half over the chicken. Bake for about 25 min depending on the thickness of your chicken. I basted them halfway through. You can add the rest of the sauce halfway or use for dipping when its done. The chicken stays super moist and soaks up all the flavor!