Category Archives: Favorite

Bone Broth Rotisserie Chicken Sweet Potato “Noodle” Soup || Crockpot | Whole30 | Gluten Free

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I’m officially obsessed with making bone broth soups!!

Admittedly so much so that the Huz said….”Ok, I might need a soup break.”

haha.  Whoops.

Yet…are you kidding me?  SOUP break when it’s FREEZING outside and everyone is getting sick??!!

NO!!

I changed my original attempt at making this, because one chicken carcass didn’t seem to wield enough flavor-mostly because I don’t like adding a litany of seasonings!.  Also, my original attempt used regular noodles, so don’t despair, if you want a hearty DELICIOUS recipe, that is not Whole30…it would be delicious with any kind of noodles!  And would be even more so with the two carcass addition!

Admittedly, I didn’t soak mine for days… as it probably should have if you are only using one carcas.

I’m more of an overnight for the next meal kinda person.  SO…if you’re with me on that, and want even MORE left overs…

TWO CHICKENS!

Otherwise…one chicken carcass for longer 15-18 hours is what I read.

SO…I’m now converted to buying two chickens!  We eat one meal from the actual chicken, and then I take all the meat off both for later use (more recipes on that to come!) but most of one chicken goes back into the soup.

Ingredients (feeds 4 with leftovers)

  • Two Rotisserie Chickens (Use both carcasses for the bone broth but the shredded chicken from both can be used for multiple meals!)
  • 4-6 Medium sized carrots (I used organic Rainbow Carrots, because… FUN COLORS! :))
  • 1 Tablespoon crushed ginger
  • 1 Teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 Medium to Large Onion Diced
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 Sweet potato spiralized to make “noodles” . Could also do any veggie or use any other kind of noodle!  I cannot even tell you how easy it is to do this! Less than 2 minutes.

Directions

  • Pick off all the chicken from the bone and set aside in an airtight container.
  • GUYS!!!  Editing to add.  I did NOT do this for this recipe, but later found these bags and I put all my bones in them, then lifted it all out!  DONE!  Very crude Video HERE haha.
  • Place the carcass in the slowcooker with the carrots, onions, garlic, and ginger.
  • Pour 10-12 Cups of Water depending on your crockpot.  I filled mine until 1″ of the top (Ok, I filled it to closer to the top my next time, and…it didn’t go well for the cleaning up aspect…fyi :)) . SO…keep it within an inch of the top 🙂
  • Cook on low overnight for 12-18 hours.  Honestly…longer the better.
  • The next morning, pull on the bones out unless you bought these bags!!.  I left the carrots and onions in there, and for me…it’s a must for flavor!  They were mushy, but I figured the flavor would still be good and it SO was!
  • Meanwhile…spiralize your sweet potato.  You have plenty of time, so no rush on doing it 🙂
  • When the bones are all out (pick them out or lift them out in a bag!), place the spiralized sweet potatos back in and cook on high for another hour.
  • Add shredded chicken back in and let sit on warm until dinner!Great for those sick days….or NOT, because….YUM!!

For other recipes…

For beginners that haven’t tried making bone broth before….I hadn’t either.  So…here’s (with adjustments added!  my first attempt!

You can see Esther’s chicken soup post where she started from scratch with a whole chicken.

And, other easy Crockpot Recipes you might enjoy…

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Healthy Chicken and Dumplings

Crockpot Veggie Pasta and Turkey Meat Sauce

Most importantly…

Enjoy!!

And let me know if you have!dit-elle-Lauren

Faux Fur + Stripes + DIY Released Hem Skinnies + RED Clogs | Valentine’s Day 2018

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 Never one to be on time…

We took these on Valentine’s Day…but a pop of red is always a good idea in my opinion! I’ll be doing a blog post on just how easy it is to do your own released hem that’s all the rage right now.

I did these while I was watching Maya’s gymnastics class! LOVE! Funny story.  Maya had this idea in her head of what she wanted us to do.  I could NOT figure out what she meant!

But…I think this was it haha.
This was NOT it.  Her face…haha. Singing her little heart out! Gah….I will be so sad when her teeth come in!!

That gap tooth SMILE-LOOOOOOVE!!

On me…

Jeans- Paige “Roxi Capri” with DIY released hem (thrifted, similar here and here)
On Maya…
Faux Leather Jacket- Zara Kids (thrifted, but similar here)
Denim Jacket- CrewCuts (thrifted)
Dress- Isobella & Chloe (eBay)
Leggings- (Zulily)
Boots- Timberland “Maple Candy” (thrifted, but similar here)
Keeping it Real…
Just so  you know…the images of me by myself?  They usually start with me trying to lure Maya
in, and then when she doesn’t want to….I improvise.
Yeah…she was NOT feeling it at first. And then…WHY DO I KEEP THINKING BALLOONS ARE A GOOD IDEA!??!!
They are NOT!!!  Like…EVER!
Ok, maybe 2% of the time…
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Faux Leather Biker Jacket + Stripes + High Waisted Crops + Booties

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 I can’t stop buying high waisted crop jeans.  Granted…on my monster torso, they don’t look so “high waisted”.

I think they can be harder to style in the colder temps, but they work great if you can find the right height of bootie to wear with them!

It was SUPER windy on this evening.  Maya was actually waiting in the car by the side of the road.

She could still see me btw… Then, she came out, but insisted I hold her the whole time because she was too cold… LOVE this next one!!!! Ok, I love ALL these!!! I could lie and say this next one was a super sweet shot of her holding my face, but…

She thought it was hilarious to put her cold hands on my face. 🙂 Another favorite!!  The symmetrical nerd in me loves how my leg mimics the curve of the grass!

Complete happy accident haha.I convinced her to get down on her own for a few saying she could dance to keep warm… DYING!!  She clearly gets into it when she dances 🙂

On me…

Jacket- Zara (thrifted, similar here and here)
Top- J Crew (thrifted, similar here)
Belt- Vintage (thrifted, similar here)
Jeans- J Crew “Vintage Cropped” (thrifted for $6! similar here)
On Maya…
Sweater- Pumpkin Patch (thrifted)
Top- H&M (thrifted, but similar here)
Overalls- Crewcuts (thrifted for $7!)
Shoes- Crewcuts (thrifted, but similar here)
Keeping it Real…
Yeah…it was really windy!!
haha.
One minute…super sweet looking shot (above), then….reality. And….then she decides to look down my shirt??? She REEEEEAALLY gets into her dancing haha.
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Playing on the windy beach in Hunter boots

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 To be honest, the overcast somewhat nasty days are usually my favorite days to go outside and play! No need to fight any crowds, so you have the beach all to yourself! I’m sure most people wouldn’t think of playing on the beach in the waves when it’s 44 degrees  and super windy outside, but we had so much fun!

I took a video of how I set up the camera and the shutter release I use which can be viewed here. Of course she thought it was hilarious trying to get ME into the water! I looooove that this almost looks like she’s playing in the snow in these next ones! Her face!!  LOVE!

On me…

Sweater- Elizabeth and James (eBay, similar here and less expensive here.)
Top- Banana Republic (thrifted, but super fun sleeve option here)
Jeans- DL1961 Toni “midrise” (eBay, similar here)
Boots- Hunter (thrifted, but similar here and here)
On Maya…
Vest- Zara (thrifted, but similar here)
Sweatshirt- Crewcuts (thrifted, )
Jeans- DL1961 “Chloe” (thrifted, but similar here)
Boots- Hunter Original Kids (eBay)
Keeping it Real…
I messed up locking in the focus on a whole series of shots! UGH.  SO frustrating, but thankfully I moved the camera and got the focus right.
Not really an outtake, but her pose!!  KILLS ME!
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Vanilla Cake with Cashew Frosting and Strawberries | Paleo

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I made this for Maya’s birthday, which was back in…..

OCTOBER!

Sigh…

Poor thing’s birthday is right in the midst of my busiest time at work!  She still got the cake she requested, but I never had time to blog it!

I used Paleo Grubs “Famous Vanilla Cake” and only made a few changes.  Everyone LOVED it, and no guilt either!

Ingredients

For the cake
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 tbsp raw honey
  • 5 tbsp coconut flour
  • 5 tbsp almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from one vanilla pod
For the filling
  • 1 3/4 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hour and drained well
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • about 1/3 cup water
  • ½ tsp lemon juice
  • seeds from one vanilla pod
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt

Directions for Frosting

  • Original recipe says to make the filling a day ahead.  I made mine the day of, but made it first and chilled it while I was making the cake.
  • Place all the ingredients except water in a high power blender and blend until smooth. Add the water, a tablespoon at the time until the filling become silky and you get your desired texture.Having a cute assistant adds even more sweetness 😉 . Ok, that was bad…but true! 🙂
  • Transfer the filling to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight or for a few hours like I did 🙂

Directions for the cake

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Original recipe says to line two 8 inch spring-form pans with parchment paper, but I just greased two 8 inch cake pans really well and they popped right out.
  • In a large bowl or food processor cream the eggs with honey.
  • In a separate bowl combine flours with salt and baking soda.
  • Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and add vanilla extract or seeds from vanilla pod.
  • Divide the mixture between prepared pans and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

For visual reference.  The dough will be more dense. And it won’t rise much after cooking.

  • Remove cakes from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
  • After the cake is cooled off, smooth half of the frosting on top of one cake layer, and layer sliced strawberries.
  • Place 2nd layer on top and spread a thin layer of the frosting on top and place strawberries with the top cut off around the cake.
  • Scoop the rest into pastry bag or you can use a ziploc bag with the tip cut off.  Squeeze onto cake for decoration!

ENJOY!dit-elle-Lauren

Stripes + Boots in the golden hour…

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 It’s been sooo cold, windy, rainy, and miserable, but….a few days we’ve had sun!

And when that happens, we all run out and enjoy it!

Ps…Maya was hitting the shutter on this one…over and over and over haha. LOVING this next one in black and white!!! Ok….I might start posting more black and whites!  In my home, that’s mostly what I print, but for some reason I rarely post them here.

LOVE! Yes, we clash stubborn whits at times, but…gah.  I feel SO lucky that she’s my daughter!

I’m sure every mother thinks that, but I really would rather hang out with her than most other people… She cracks me up all the time, and is so kind, caring, and loving.

I mean…her joy!!!  It’s so infectious!

Another shot by Maya pushing the shutter… Those missing teeth!!!

The top two are about to go too.  I will not be able to handle the gap toothed smile!!!

It will be FULLY DOCUMENTED-be forewarned! 🙂

On me…

Sweater- Vince (Nordstrom Rack, sold out similar here)
On Maya…
Top- Crewcuts (thrifted, but similar here)
Jeans- Mini Boden (thrifted, but similar here)
Boots- Timberland “Earthkeepers” (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
I couldn’t decide if this was an image I loved or an outtake haha.  Once again, I danced my way right out of the frame.  BUT….it could be an artistic crop!
  Her face! Noooo idea what was going on here, but I want to squeeze Maya’s belly!!  Actually, I think it was a piggy back dismount that didn’t go smoothly and wasn’t meant to be captured 😉 . I can’t hear the shutter when we are that far away though, so I honestly can’t tell when it’s going off or stopping haha.
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Vintage Levi’s Jacket + Leather Crop Flares + Stripes

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Back in mid December, I posted these super fun leather crop flares in a holiday look.

I SCORED these on NWT (!!) eBay for $104, but leather pants are still an investment piece no matter how much you pay for them!  I am always trying to find ways to dress them down for everyday wear to get more use out of them.

I’ve done a bunch of posts about my love of leather pants!  Looking back, some of these are my favorite posts, and can be seen Here (leather leggings day to night), here (with a plaid blanket scarf), here (Playing on the beach), here (All black…always a good combo), here (dressed down in a boho look), and here (with an oversized Cardigan.

On me…

Jacket- Levi’s (thrifted, similar here)
Top- Stylemint (Old, similar here)
Jeans- Frame “Flounce Pull On” Leather Pants (SCORED NEW on eBay for $104!, similar here)
On Maya…
Jacket- Zara Kids (thrifted, but similar here)
Sweater- CrewCuts by J Crew (thrifted, but similar here)
Dress- Blueberri Boulevard (thrifted, but similar here)
Boots- Naturino (thrifted, but similar here in pink)
Keeping it Real…
Well, I only took 3 pictures in this dressed down look (I stashed a change of clothes in the car, and YES, changed on the side of a very busy street-whoops)  before having to run after Maya who went down to the beach without me!
So, I should probably include one of those too… Because twirling on the beach in a party dress is so freaking cute! And this is the ONE shot I got of us together in this look.  WAY after the sun had set, and only lit by the street lamp!
My shutter release was still broken at this point, so….😭
(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Bone Broth Rotisserie Chicken Soup (Crockpot )

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By now, I’m sure you all have heard about all the amazing health benefits of bone broth.  If by chance you haven’t, you can read about some of the benefits here.

Often, I’ll make a soup from the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving, by boiling it on the stovetop but other than that…I’ve been totally lazy thinking it was too much of a process to do regularly.

Until recently, when a friend told me she does it in her crockpot over night-DUH!!

Every week we have a rotisserie chicken for dinner.  For whatever reason, the chicken gets dried out and nobody eats it after a day.  So, every week I end up throwing away the leftovers after a few days and get SO frustrated over the wasting off all that chicken!  NO MORE!

This last week, I took off all the extra chicken we didn’t eat that same night and put the carcass in our slow cooker.  The next day, I added back in the chicken

Ingredients (feeds 4 with leftovers)

  • One Rotisserie Chicken (Mine was half eaten from the night before-haha!)
  • 4 Medium sized carrots(I used organic Rainbow Carrots, because… FUN COLORS! :))
  • 6-8 Cups of Water
  • 2 Can Chicken Broth (check labels if you are on Whole30)
  • 1 Tablespoon crushed ginger
  • 1 Teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 Medium to Large Onion Diced
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 a bag of noodles.  (You could use gluten free OR 2 cups zoodles or sweet potato noodles etc if you are Whole30!)

Directions

  • Pick off all the chicken from the bone and set aside in an airtight container.
  • Place the carcass in the slowcooker with the carrots, onions, garlic, and ginger.
  • Pour 6-8 cups of water.  I used 6, but then added some chicken stock later.  I wasn’t sure if just one carcass would flavor the broth enough.
  • Cook on low overnight for 12 hours.
  • The next morning, pull on the bones out.  I left the carrots and onions in there.  They were mushy, but I figured the flavor would still be good and it was!
  • Add shredded chicken back in and let sit on warm until dinner!
  • If you aren’t doing Whole30 or you could also add in noodles at this point and they end up cooking on the “warm” cycle til dinner.  Ours were a little soft, but still yummy!
  • For Whole30 add in zoodles or sweet potato noodles!

You can see Esther’s chicken soup post where she started from scratch with a whole chicken.

And, other easy Crockpot Recipes you might enjoy…

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Healthy Chicken and Dumplings

Crockpot Veggie Pasta and Turkey Meat Sauce

Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Chunky Knits + Overalls + Booties | Fashion at ANY age….

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I was listening to a podcast the other day (ok, by this point it was a while ago…delayed posting and all that!), and it was an interview with a popular blogger.  In her interview she made a comment along the lines of “Nobody wants to see a 49 style blogger!” 😳

Not going to lie. It kind of pissed me off. 😠

I was SUPER uncomfortable, self conscious, and felt totally narcissistic posting images of myself when we first started this blog. Ok, I still am, but I’m getting over it.  You know why?  I am SO unbelievably thankful that I have all these images of me with Maya, but also…just the images of just me (😬🙊🙈 ) .

The bottom line is that I love fashion.  I am over apologizing for it.  I’ve loved fashion since I was Maya’s age! AND….I’m guessing I’l love fashion in 6 years when I turn 49!

Her comment actually made me want to do more fashion posts!

Now…I just need more time!! This cozy cardigan?  Handknit by my dad!  He made it from himself, and then it was in one of their “donation bags” that I intercepted haha.  SO GLAD-love it!! Her face!!  DYING! Ok, I’m dying NOW!  At the moment…well… My remote trigger had died, so taking these was with the self timer.  And, I kept running back and forth and looking down…

Seeing this face wasn’t EXACTLY what I wanted to see, but now that…a month and a half (!!) has gone by…I LOVE IT!

It’s SO her.  If it’s in any way posed…she’s NOT having it.  That is why post of our images are fun/action based!  A little harder when it’s a one shot deal with the self timer…I can’t believe I did ALL our images that way in the beginning!! Oh, but then….I wore her down!!!

As I do. And these next few are some of my FAVORITES of us!!

I’ve really been wanting to capture the golden hour more.  I just didn’t have the time to take pics of us in the fall, because I was so busy with client shoots.  The ONE bonus of the sun setting at 4:30, is that I can pictures of us in the golden hour in the afternoon!  haha. LOOOOOVE!! She was trying to capture bugs that were flying in the sunlight! And lastly….singing.  As she does.

On me…

Sweater- Handknit by my dad!
Overalls- Paige “Sierra” Overalls (eBay, similar here)
On Maya…
Vest- Zara (thrifted, but similar here)
Dress- J Khaki Kids (thrifted)
Leggings- Children’s Place (thrifted, but similar here)
Boots- Pediped “Flex Issa”  (thrifted for $4.25!!)
Keeping it Real…
 A DOG!!  MUST PET THE DOG!!
Which pretty much happened in between every shot, because we were on a path in a large park…
This is what the majority of our outings look like haha.  I try to squeeze in pics of us here and there in the break of dog walkers…
(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod because my shutter release BROKE-WHA WHA!!), except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Happy New Year! | Family Pictures, a little late…

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 I honestly wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to take family pictures this year!

Between my work schedule on the weekends, Jackson’s schedule coming home for the weekend, the WEATHER, and…my overall desire to pick up my camera for anything that wasn’t being paid for…well.  That left one weekend in mid December, and all the stars aligned!!

I almost didn’t do a card this year, because we missed all the deadlines for STEEP discounts at most card vendors, and I honestly like to upload my own simple design that focuses on the image with only a few simple graphics.

Low and behold…I randomly tried Costco!  AND…you can upload your own design front and back!  Huge for me, because I can never decide on ONE picture to post!  And, sorry for those of you that do, but I don’t want a bunch of small images.  It’s a GREAT way to share a bunch, but I really like one image of us all looking at the camera smiling, and then a more candid happy shot.

And, no coupon code needed!  It was super affordable!  This is NOT a sponsored post!!!  I wish it was haha.  But, just know, you can absolutely print your professional pictures at Costco, with the CAVEAT of marking the button at the end of your check out “do NOT color correct!”

My parents joined us! Love these shots of them! And Maya could NOT be any luckier in the big brother department!  I kind of feel sorry for any guy that dates her…

Watch out for BIG brothers that LOVE their little sister! That gap tooth smile…LOVE!  And it’s even more gap toothed now!  And will be SO gap toothed in few more months! And…getting this guy in front of the camera is not easy.

I talked a lot about how thankful I was for Maya and my mom in the last post that I did…a few weeks ago-yes, I took a break from blogging for a while. I need to mention that I couldn’t be more thankful for this guy!  The way he looks at me is enough, but what he does on the daily…

Works his ARSE off to provide for us, while working from home and no longer traveling so that he can be HOME.  He made a conscious decision to try something different because he wants to be with us, which speaks volumes to how lucky our family is to have him.

Does he “complete” me?  No, but he compliments me in just about every way.  Literally is not only the yin to my yang, but the yin to my yin, and the yang to my yang!  In ways that I never thought I needed someone to compliment me.  And I don’t mean saying nice things to me, although he does that too.  🙂

He’s always been SO supportive of everything I’ve ever done, and consistently helps with my business in ways that I NEVER could.

At the end of the day…I can’t wait to just hang out with him, and I think that’s the most important thing!
Might be one of my new favs of the three of us!  Thanks Huz! Oh, and had to take an outfit pic!

On me…

Top- Ramy Brook (eBay, similar here or sleeveless here)
On Maya…
Jacket- Crewcuts (thrifted, but similar here)
Sweater- Crewcuts (thrifted, but similar here)
Dress- Gap Kids (thrifted)
Tights- Hanna Andersson (old, but similar here)
Boots- Nine West “Sassy Tran”  (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
Ok, Maya was ON FIRE for this family shoot, which is usually not the case!
I know…SO WEIRD if you follow us and see her in every other post, but during family shoots, she has freaked out more often than not.
BUT…this year.  I told her she was free to be her goofy self.  That i WANTED her to be that way.  Well…she took that to heart haha.  BUT, it made everyone else laugh too, so I’ll TAKE IT!!
(All FULL family pictures taken with a self timer shutter release and tripod, but everyone pitched in for the rest!)

dit-elle-Lauren