Garden Vegetable Soup
This past weekend the temperature got a little cooler (well, here in Michigan anyway), the weather got wetter, and the garden is producing at its full potential. \’Tis the time of year for my Garden Vegetable Soup – or as I like to call it Everything in the Garden Soup. This pot of comfort is perfect for chilly nights, and did I mention it is healthy too?
Today, I am sharing with you how to make garden vegetable soup, and this soup is filled with delicious vegetables and is so easy to throw together. Serve it with some crusty bread, crackers, or popcorn (my favorite).
This garden vegetable soup recipe doesn\’t really have a recipe. I know what my base is and I just throw veggies in that I have laying around. You really can\’t mess this up, so be creative and enjoy it. Below I am sharing what was in my soup.
Garden Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion diced
Carrots diced (I used about 5)
A handful of green beans
Handful of peas
Bunch of kale
1 clove garlic minced
1 green pepper
1 baby zucchini
1 baby eggplant
A handful of mushrooms sliced
Cabbage (I used half a head)
2 cans of beans (your choice)
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes (I used garden tomatoes)
1 large can tomato sauce
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
Directions
2. Add your harder ingredients like carrots and onions and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Turn down and add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
4. Add the rest of your ingredients.
5. Simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
6. Season as needed.
7. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Remember, this garden vegetable soup is very adaptable. Don\’t like kale? Use spinach or don\’t add it. Don\’t have any fresh veggies, no problem – throw in canned or frozen favorites. Customize the soup to YOUR liking!
30 Things to Do in September (Quarantine Edition)
Everyone has that one friend, who loves fall, and as soon as they see a single leaf changed and/or September 1st arrives they go into full-on fall mode. Well, let me let you in on a little secret – I am that friend. I am so excited for September first to be here. September is filled with trips to the apple orchard and cider mill, it marks the arrival of pumpkin spice season and officially kicks off (if the temperatures ever cooldown) scarf and weather season. Even during COVID, there is plenty of ways to stay safe and socially distanced while enjoying everything September hs to offer. Today I am sharing 30 things you can do in September.
1. Take a trip to the cider mill for fresh apple cider and plain or cinnamon sugar donuts. Yates Cider Mill is my favorite.
2. Head to a local roadside stand and gran some of the season\’s best produce. I just picked up Michigan watermelon, sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, carrots and kale.
3. Don\’t forget to make a stop at Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte or a chai tea latte like me (I don\’t like coffee).
4. Pop some popcorn and grab all your favorite movie snacks while you watch Mulan on Disney+. Fair warning it is $30.
5. Book a weekend glamping trip. From yurts and campers to treehouses you\’re sure to find a unique way to camp.
6. Decorate your front porch and front door with some fall decor. I\’m thinking stacks of pumpkins, barrels of straw, mums, and lanterns.
7. Enjoy an evening filled with a bonfire, popcorn over the campfire, and of course s\’mores.
8. Nothing says fall like a giant field of sunflowers. Find one local to you.
9. Pack a fall picnic with thermoses of hot soup and don\’t forget a charcuterie and cheese board.
10. Catch a drive-in movie. With movie theaters still closed, drive-ins are popping up all over Michigan and offer my favorite way to catch a flick.
11. Head out to the apple orchard and pick some apples. My favorite is Honeycrisp.
12. Visit a different local park and enjoy your day outside exploring.
13. If you haven\’t learned already watch videos or take a virtual class and learn how to knit or crochet a scarf.
14. Celebrate international crab fest day. Plan a crab boil for dinner at home or make crab rangoon to shake up your dinner routine.
15. Update the ambiance of your home to create a cozy and comforting fall atmosphere. Use a vintage ladder to hang blankets, add twinkling fairy lights and even get some fall scented candles.
16. Hop in a kayak and float around checking out the leaves changing colors.
17. Cuddle up on the couch with your favorite blanket, snacks and drinks while you light some candles and enjoy a movie. You can find me watching a Hallmark movie.
18. Update your beauty routine and add moody colors. I am loving olive green on my nails right now.
19. Ahoy Matey! It\’s talk like a pirate day.
20. Discover a new downtown area that you haven\’t visited before or an old favorite.
21. Buy a new cozy sweater.
22. Happy first day of fall! Fill your day with everything pumpkin spice from food to hand soaps.
23. Book a leaf-peeping cabin getaway. I love going to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and checking out the color.
24. Take a leaf-peeping nature hike and enjoy the changing of colors.
25. October is almost here, why not head to the pumpkin patch and pick some pumpkins.
26. Whip up a batch of your favorite pancakes to celebrate national pancake day.
27. Head on over to Pinterest and look for a delicious soup recipe to make.
28. Why not make some caramel apples today?
29. Start a new television series
30. Make some pumpkin bread to deliciously enter October.
Zoya Fall 2020: Luscious Swatches
Every fall I fall in love, and this year is no different. Zoya recently released their Fall 2020 nail polish collection called Luscious, and it is everything I could have hoped for and more. Whether you\’re looking for the perfect forest green, a sultry red, transitional shades, metallic, or earth tones Zoya Fall 2020 Luscious collection has something for you.
I swatched up the Zoya\’s Fall 2020 collection Luscious, so let us take a deeper look at all the colors in the collections.
Wanda
Twirl with excitement when you polish Wanda onto your nails. This ballerina pink is filled with gold and rainbow micro-shimmer.
Patrice
Patrice is a neutral mauve with rainbow and gold micro-shimmer.
Teresa
Meet Teresa this purple plum color has ruby toned metallic flecks.
Get ready to give them something to talk about, this polish is even prettier in person. Andrea is a duo-chrome metallic that features a purple, green, and blue shift.
Bentley
What a babe! Bentley is a deep sultry grape cream.
Sharooooon! When I see this color I immediately think of Ozzy yelling for his wife Sharon, this Zoya polish is a red-toned wild berry cream that even Ozzy himself would love.
Lisa
You know every fall collection needs a red, and Lisa is Zoya\’s. Lisa is a garnet red cream that is sure to make a sultry statement.
Soleil
Get ready to head to your local cider mill with Soleil. This sparkling golden cider-colored metallic is perfect for a crisp fall day.
Tasha
Hello brunette metallic bombshell, Tasha.
Mel
Olive Mel, and I hope you do too. This forest olive green cream is one of my favorite colors in the Luscious collection. If you were only going to buy one color from Zoya\’s fall collection I would recommend Mel.
Lou
Get ready to fall in love with Lou. This deep spruce blue cream leaves no room for the blues.
Tommy
Ice, ice baby. Tommy is a blue-toned slate grey cream that will be the perfect transition color from fall to winter.
Overall thoughts on the Zoya Fall 2020 Luscious collection:
I\’ll be honest when I first saw the pictures of the collection I was underwhelmed. To me, it didn\’t look like a fall collection at all. Then I received the polishes and still thought the collection was disappointing. As we have all learned though, you should never judge a book by its cover, and that is why I swatched each color on my nails and quickly fell in love. Patrice, Bentley, Soleil, Mel, Lou, and Tommy are my favorite colors in the Zoya Fall 2020 Luscious collection. Which colors are you favoring for fall? Zoya Fall 2020 Luscious collection is now available.
13 Fall 2020 Beauty Trends
this is a sponsored post
Can you believe in just 30 days it will officially be fall? It\’s crazy that we have spent the past six months in a pandemic and time is just quickly flying by. With fall right around the corner, I thought I would share my favorite fall 2020 beauty trends.
1. A rosy glow. This fall make your cheeks pop by adding and an extra touch of blush along your cheekbones and blending it out toward your temples.
2. You were made for mauve. Mauve is the quintessential transition shade from warm to cooler weather. It\’s a more dramatic look than summery shades, however, you leave out the vampy fall tones. Mauve is great for most skin tones and looks gorgeous on lips, eyes, and even cheeks.
3. Will you be well red? Bold red lip colors were the spotlight of the fall 2020 runways. Play with a variety of different reds until you find the one that is perfect for you. Don\’t forget red is also perfect for your nails.
4. Make a statement with hair accessories. Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl) has always been my headband inspiration. This fall release your inner Blair and grab some statement hairpieces.
5. Face mask matching nails. In case you haven\’t heard its cool to match your nails to your face mask.
6. Matte nails. Matte nails were popular a few years ago, you know you have a couple matte bottles laying around. Grab them and give yourself a trendy matte manicure.
7. Gradient nails. This is probably my absolute favorite trend, probably because I have been doing it for a few years. Grab give shades of your favorite color and get to polishing. I can\’t wait to do green gradient nails.
8. Neutral nails. With the bright fashion trends coming out this fall, get ready for neutral manicures. Neutral manicures are the perfect juxtaposition to bright colors clothing. Zoya nail polish has some gorgeous neutral shades, you\’ll definitely be able to find one that matches your skin tone.
9. Keeping it dewy. Most of us have found ourselves bare-faced this summer. Turn up the bare-faced look this fall by adding glossy highlights and a touch of dew.
10. Grungy and smokey eyes. Welcome back \’90s goth and punk makeup looks. Think smudgy and smokey eyes.
11. Golden girl. Make your eyes pop this fall when you add gold to your eye makeup routine. Think a thin layer of gold eyeshadow on the lid and inner corner of your eye, then smoke out the crease with a neutral brown. Channel the grungy look by adding some smudged black eyeliner to the mix.
12. Just wing it. Welcome thin and sharp winged eyeliner. Pair the winged eyeliner look with neutral, vampy, or red lips.
13. Colorful mascara. Add a pop of color in a whole new way with a tube of colorful mascara. Try blue lashes with brown eyeshadow for a sky and earth look. Or take the trend to a whole new level when you pair pink mascara with a clean face.
What trends will you be trying this fall? If you\’re looking for more fall beauty trends and how to create them Amanda Jo Organic Bunny has your back.
Jack Turns 8
Dear Jackers,
How are you already eight years old? It feels like just yesterday I brought your energetic self home and you change my entire life. As someone who never wanted a pet, I found myself absolutely in love with you, even though you kept taking potty breaks under my Christmas tree. When I brought you home, I promised I would give you everything I could and love you to pieces. We were both everything that each other needed and still needs. You\’re my best friend, favorite adventure buddy and the best snuggler a girl could ever ask for.
You welcome me home with the sweetest \”I love yous,\” you put up with me taking your picture constantly, even when you\’re sleeping. You have a heard of gold, and I honestly could not be thriving through 2020 without you. 2020, resulted in me losing my job and you gaining your best friend home with you 24/7. We learned that you love bike rides, car camping, hiking in a backpack and the smallest adventures make you happy. We discovered you absolutely love salmon and go crazy for it. We welcomed new challenges and found even more love. You are a bundle of joy and I am thankful everyday for having the best little Jack Rabbit in the universe.
I hope you\’re car camping woodland themed birthday paw-ty was everything you could have ever wanted. From delicious cake (that frosting was unreal) to surprise salmon this was one birthday fit for a little prince.
Happy Birthday, Jack. Please stop getting older.
Love you always, Your Mama
Fashion meets Food 