Truffle Scrambled Eggs With Goat Cheese

You guys, I’ve discovered the perfect meal for any time of day. These eggs are as amazing for a decadent breakfast as they are for a simple lunch or dinner.

Truffle Scrambled Eggs With Goat Cheese

2 whole eggs plus 1 white, beaten with a splash of water (I urge you to use cage free organic eggs. More responsible and they taste better.)
1-2 ounces goat cheese (Trader Joe’s Chèvre with Honey is spectacular here.)
1-2 teaspoons truffle oil
Chopped parsley or chive
Freshly ground black pepper

Spritz your nonstick pan with a little olive oil and pour eggs in. Immediately dot the goat cheese and parsley or chive on the eggs and scramble with a rubber spatula to desired doneness. If (like me) you like your eggs firmer, the goat cheese will start to run a bit. That’s okay.

Spoon eggs onto plate, drizzle with truffle oil, top with black pepper, and salt to taste.

Feel free to double, triple, or increase to whatever quantity you need. Since this is a quickie meal for me, I make it in teeny single girl quantities but that doesn’t mean you have to!

Serve with some hearty whole grain toast (like Ezekiel) for breakfast or a lightly dressed mesclun salad and glass of Cab for dinner. You’ll be doing a happy food dance by your second bite, I promise.

xo,
Elle

Jeggings, All Dressed Up In The Cold

Jeggings: Old Navy; Top: Forever 21; Cardi: Narciso Rodriguez for Kohls; Bracelet and Monogram Necklace: Bauble Bar; Statement Necklace: J Crew; Wedges: BCBG; Clutch: Vintage Colombetti (aka this belonged to my super stylish Grandma)

What happens when you’re going to a celebration dinner and the windchill is 4 degrees and you may have to walk 6 blocks to the restaurant? You pull together a ladylike jeans outfit because a dress is just completely out of the question.

I decided to go as demure as possible with the details of this outfit to dress it up a bit. Notice the flat simple clutch, sweater buttoned at the collar, and necklace over said collar.

I went with low wedges instead of boots to keep with the ladylike vibe I had going. Aesthetically, I think this was a good choice. Practically speaking though, my feet were freezing. (Note to self: invest in some peds.)

How are you all dealing with trying to look cute in this cold? It’s so hard! I just want to wear sweater dresses with leggings and Uggs all the time.

Stay warm!

xo,
Elle

High Five For Friday!

Hope all of you had a fabulous week! I’m linking up with Lauren of From My Grey Desk to share my five favorite parts of this week with you! Here they are:

I. This week’s side stripe mani! So super easy and adorbs! I’m going to try this with all sorts of color combinations.

II. This fortune, which reassured me that someone must be out there reading and getting something from my posts!

III. CRISPY NOODLES!

IV. New black boots being delivered today! Fingers crossed that they’re as cute as the picture.

V. This conversation with my mom about my dad and his out of character television viewing habits.

Have a great weekend!

xo,
Elle

Dress or Pants? Um…BOTH!

I know that dresses over pants are kind of a thing but I can’t get 100% behind it just yet (maybe because I get flashbacks of hippies I went to art school with who took this look to a whole other level). I modified the look here by layering my dress over leggings, and tying everything together with my favorite striped cardi.

Cardi: J. Crew; Dress: Cynthia Rowley; Loafers: Rampage; Bracelet: Bauble Bar; Ring: H&M; Necklace: Grandma’s.

I feel like this didn’t photograph very well. The skirt looks stiffer than it actually was and the the stripes aren’t quite lining up right in the photo. But trust me, it was super cute. Silver loafers provided a pop of bright metallic, so I kept the rest of my jewelry very simple and gold.

Are you guys into the dresses over pants trend?

xo,
Elle

Inaugural First Lady Fashion Recap!

Oh, America. The thing I love most about you is the ability to put politics aside and agree on this one thing: that Michelle Obama is certainly the most stylish and pulled together First Lady to grace the White House since 1963.

In case US history isn’t your thing, I’m referring to the previous century’s trend setting FLOTUS, Jacqueline Kennedy.

Let’s recap our FLOTUS’ (or Michelle, as I call her because we’re cool like that) Inaugural outfits, one by one, shall we?

At the official swearing-in at the Oval Office on Sunday, Michelle wore a custom made royal blue dress and cardi by Reed Krakoff and debuted some cute new fringe (which has become the talk of the nation). Malia and Sasha both also look adorable and age appropriate.

Later that day, Michelle rocked this super cute Alexander McQueen. I love this so much that words cannot even express the depth of emotion I feel for this outfit. The top, the perfect pants, the belt. Lord, I have no words. I covet all of it.

(Side note: the FLOTUS wore this same top with a different belt at Oxford University in 2011. I would like to publicly thank both Mrs. Obama and Duchess Kate for rewearing your favorite clothes!)

And Malia and Sasha again look fabulous. Stylish moms breed stylish daughters. Fact. (I would know.)

At Sunday’s Inaugural Reception, Michelle kept things simple and chic with a Michael Kors sequined dress that she originally wore back in 2009. And it appears as if our fair FLOTUS loves an arm party just as much as we do!

Now fast forward to Monday. MO is in a custom made Thom Browne coat which was inspired by one of Mr. Browne’s men’s neckties. She paired the coat with a Cathy Waterman necklace and J. Crew pumps as seen below with her daughters in gorgeous coats as well. (Sasha’s coat is by Kate Spade and Malia’s is J. Crew).

Come outdoor ceremony and parade time Michelle swapped out her heels for some fab Reed Krakoff boots, slipped on a pair of brightly colored J. Crew gloves (which offset the navy coat perfectly), and belted her coat (belt by J. Crew). If belts over coats weren’t so impractical I would wear something similar to this every day of winter.

I sat on the edge of my seat waiting to see who the First Lady would choose to wear to the Inaugural Balls. Flashback to 2009 for Jason Wu! I love that Michelle chose to do a bright red chiffon gown with velvet details. It fell beautifully on her. Her shoes (which I couldn’t get a good look at) were Jimmy Choo. The FLOTUS accessorized with a custom made ring by Kimberly McDonald and another arm party! (I’m giving you two images of this so you can see the details on the dress.)

That was an exhilarating fashion inauguration, wasn’t it guys? I have no gripes, other than that a teeny part of me wishes the First Lady choose a new designer for her ball gown. But that’s just a teeny tiny part. The rest of me is jumping up and down screaming in excitement about the pretty red gown.

xo,
Elle

Everybody Hates Jason

…Everything you own in a box to the left…

Poor Jason Hoppy. I mean, poor Bethenny. No. No. Poor Bryn Casey Hoppy. Poor COOKIE!

Actually, ‘ol Cooks probably has the best deal going. She gets her spot back in bed right next to Bethenny. Girl Power!

I have so many conflicting feelings about this breakup. So. Many. On the one hand, I feel like the entire world saw this coming. How could you not? They fought constantly about nonsense (or so it seemed) and she was rude to his adorable parents. Seriously. They’re the cutest. How could she snub them so often and so harshly? I love B, but I always felt so badly for the Hoppys. All they wanted was to love her and she built a wall of steel around herself so they couldn’t break through. Tragic. AMIRITE?

On the other hand, this devastated me. De. Va. Sta. Ted. Here’s why. I, like Bethenny, got married and had a baby within a year. I also moved across the country so I kind of one-upped her on that…I’m an overachiever (this is a blatant lie)…but whatevs. I was watching her get married and then have a baby right after I had just done it. (I also did it first. But again….whatevs) So I felt like I could really relate to her.

I felt like we were, in many ways, living parallel lives. Me and B. Besties. New wives, new mothers, on this adventure together. She understood me. She was opinionated, had zero filter, a filthy mind, and a potty mouth. That’s my kind of girl. Minus the yoga, vegan eating, and overall healthy lifestyle. My husband is also a Jason Hoppy type. From a small town in upstate NY. Still has the same group of friends since high school. He’d rather hang out and drink beer in a dive bar watching football for 12 hours than get dressed and hit up a fancy restaurant. He also gets embarrassed when I open my giant mouth and make comments in public….or on Facebook. So it was kind of like watching my own life play out on TV (in my mind). We were the same except they had a reality show on Bravo (which we totally should have – the two or three times a week my husband and I speak to each other, it’s pretty hilarious) and got to hang out in the Clubhouse with Andy Cohen every now and again. Point being: I feel like they bailed. We were in this together. The Gallaghers and The Hoppys….and they’ve abandoned us.

I’m sad for Jason, Bethenny, and especially little Bryn. I have a 3 year old myself and I can’t imagine putting him through a divorce. I’d sooner make my husband stay married to me and be miserable just to save my son from having to split holidays and birthdays between us. F. That.

Now…here are two important things we should discuss. If I was a single girl in NYC, as I once was, I would be OUT looking for Jason Hoppy in every bar in the city right about now. It’s open season, ladies… He’s a catch! Go get some Hoppy! Secondly, who is B going to date next? I see her with someone equally ambitious. A man with his own money, business, and agenda….an André Balazs type. Who do YOU think she’ll date now???

 

Here’s another Jason who’s having a crap-tastic week… Jason Trawick (aka. Britney’s Boo).

This one, I did not see coming. I know, I know..some speculated. Perez Hilton told me so…but I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. No way. Not this time. Brit Brit has her shizz together and they’re going to ride off into the sunset together. Right? RIGHT???

Ugh. Disappointment.

Here’s the thing. I want to believe that this is Britney of the year 2000. Hot Britney. The one the gays loved. If the gays are on board, you’re golden (see: Lady Gaga and/or Cher). I want to see her, in all of her glory, humping a snake at the VMA’s singing ‘Slave for You’…

But I think that Brit Brit may be long gone. Like…long, long, 2 kids, a nervous breakdown, and 1 Federline gone. And while she is not quite the hot, umbrella swinging, bald headed, mess she used to be, the Britney we’ve been left with is just….Meh.

(this picture is from Pinterest, but I legit made it my alarm for a while)

I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I really hoped that Jason would bring my Britney back. Take one for the team…serve us up some classic Brit Brit with a side of lithium. But alas, he is moving on and now poor Sean Preston and Jayden James have only their Fritos loving papa for a male role model.

Maybe Justin Timberlake will ditch his new wife and he and Britney will take us all back to that magical time is 1998 when all was right with the world.. A girl can dream….

 Snugs,

Nikki

What’s In M’s Bag?

Gym Bag Edition

….because to be honest, I am way too anal retentive to carry around all that clutter celebrities do in my actual purse. So, gym bag it is.

I am a sweater and not in the cozy, warm, cashmere sense. When I make the time and effort to go to the gym, I go hard. So, I am a sweater. Big time. A shiny, stinky, vibrant red sweater at that. I am not a gym-before-work person, or gym-before-anything person for that matter. Why? Because I dont want people to think I lack basic hygiene skills.

However, I do like to polish off errands and the like post-workout. So, my bag revolves around making myself feel and look slightly human again.

Here are my amazing de-icking gym essentials:

1. Lululemon Headbands
Seriously though these things are made of unicorn tears or something similar. They go into my hair dry, they come off soaked, hair stays dry. Magic. Oh, and pretty colors.

2. Dry Shampoo and Baby Powder
Description unnecessary and travel sizes are a must. Thank you, talcum gods.

3. Say Yes to Cucumbers Towelettes
These are phenoms. They clean your face, smell good, and make you feel zen. Amazing. And reasonably priced at Target.

4. Travel Size Hairspray
…because sweaty hair lacks volume. Duh.

5. Sunnies (in my case, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Big heart)
No one wants to be the girl that wears mascara while running. Seriously, don’t be her. Throw on the big glasses after your run and you wont need to worry about your unmade eyes.

6. Stylish Accessories
Note how fun and un athletic looking my things are for the gym. I am a girl and I remain one even though I can run a few miles. Being in shape does not mean you cant tote your stuff in masculine crap. My vibrant gym bag was a steal at Old Navy and the smaller cosmetic cases are from H &M and Forevz. Oh, and I love my funky, bright, Saucony sneaks.

7. Bkr Water Bottle
Love the earth. Love your body. Carry this chic bottle.

M

High Five For Friday!

It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk to share my favorite things this week. Here they are in no particular order.

I. This ridiculous conversation with Nikki about a guy we made up named Carl that went on for way too long. Poor Carl.

II. This guy found a way to beat the “catnip under the scratching thing” system by using a combination of intelligence and brute strength (maybe also drug seeking tendencies) to remove the scratching thing completely and roll around in catnip.

III. My first Five Guys Burgers and Fries experience. My grilled veggie sandwich was so good and did not require any special ordering on my part. Win.

IV. A day workshopping with one of my favorite composers. Can I quit real life now and sing full time? I’m over everything other than music.

V. Walking into my bathroom after work one day and finding two tubes of my favorite toothpaste just sitting there. It’s the small things that make me shriek with joy.

What were your favorite things this week?

xo,
Elle

Sequin Geek Chic

Ahh.. Just your everyday New Year’s Eve dilemma–to sequin or not to sequin??

New Year’s Eve is by far the sparkliest holiday of the year, and I was super stoked when I found this tres chic Calvin Klein black sequinned sheath for 23 dollars in late December (side note, not to gloat, but isn’t that the most awesome bargain?!). But, alas, two major problems interferred with my glorious bedazzled outfit:

1: Sequins hurt. Holy moley, my inner arms are on fire, Batman!

2: My plans were dinner with the bf. An eight o clock ressie at a casual restaurant doesnt exactly scream sequin and sparkles. I am all about overdressing, but this would have been ridiculous.

Determined to go into 2013 in style, I compromised by geek chic-ing up my super fancy dress. Add one whimsically patterned sweater (several seasons old and no more than twenty bucks), black tights, and my go to knee high boots, and suddenly my cocktail party attire had a casual dinner feel. I added a stretchy black belt over the whole thing to tie it together and pulled my hair up in a high bun. I loved the way it looked and I felt extra fancy without looking out of place. Not to mention the sweater protected my arms from a bloody sequin massacre. Win, win, win!

M

Clothes: Dress, Calvin Klein via TJ Maxx; Sweater, Forever 21; Boots, Steve Madden; Tights, Target; Blingy J. Crew Inspired Bracelet, Groop Dealz; Belt, Old

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding…Yum!

Guys, if you haven’t discovered chia seeds, you’re missing out. Unlike flaxseeds, they don’t need to be ground to be digested, are high in protein and fiber, and they absorb about a million times their weight in liquid. Which means if you soak them in something slightly sweet, creamy, and yummy, they turn into a tapioca like pudding that makes a great dessert (or breakfast, for that matter) with some fruit.

I’m going to give you a super easy recipe for chia seed pudding. Here’s the nutritional info (for 1/6 of the recipe, not including any caloric sweeteners you may use):

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

1/2 cup chia seeds
2 1/2 cups milk (I use unflavored almond milk)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Sweetener to taste (I use either a squirt of agave nectar or a couple packets of Truvia–think 3 to 5)

Mix everything together. Use a whisk or the cocoa is never going to combine with the liquid. Once the mixture seems to be thickening a bit (after a minute or two of mixing), cover and refrigerate.

In an hour or two, you have delicious pudding!

This will last up to a week in your fridge. If it gets too thick, just stir in a splash or two of your milk of choice. Enjoy!

xo,
Elle