Coral Dream

Let's say hello to Coral Dream. 

I've mentioned previously that I'm an absolute nail polish addict hoarder. I own a fajillion bottles and I could always own more. This polish came from my ELF haul last month for only $2!

This colour is a very pink-peach colour, with a slight orange undertone. It's apparently one of their newer colours as well - very summery! I applied about three coats on but you really could do with just two. Surprisingly for $2, the formula is comparable to those of OPI, Essie and Zoya. I actually think this might be better than Essie's polishes. I find that their formula is quite streaky and their brushes are TINY. ELF's polish is indeed the opposite - it glides on with a thicker brush. Many people do complain about how it juts out when you close the bottle fully, as in it seems to not fit on properly. That is unfortunately true but fear not, because it still keeps polish quite sealed, so it won't dry out (if that's your concern).

Enjoy your weekend!

♥B

Baking Edition: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week's baking edition was Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, inspired by Beantown Baker. I often use her recipes as they feel very "home-y" and quite simple. I pretty much used her recipe, found here, with just minor changes based on my personal liking.

 Yummy...

This recipe is supposed to make big cookies but I personally like smaller cookies. You don't feel as guilty eating them lol. Also, they're good for portion control, and just light snacking when you're between meals.

What treats do you like eating?

♥B

May the Fourth be with you...

Happy Friday everyone! This has been yet another busy week, swamped with work, family stuff and just the "little things" like errands and chores. It's unbelievable how much time doing dishes, laundry and just general cleaning actually takes! Among the haste, Hubs always manages to make food that looks like it belongs in a food magazine. I'll talk between the pictures ;)

Lamb in a red wine reduction sauce

Roasted garlic and herb potatoes

Sauteed vegetables on the side

Over here in my part of the world, the weather has increasingly become warmer and nothing gets me more excited than summer. Why? Because that means it's camping season! Hubs and I loooove going camping and barbecuing when it's warm. We find excitement in preparing all the food and bringing our trust portable grill out with our daughter to enjoy the weather. I predict this summer will be no different!!

I think it's amazing that Hubs has the skills to make food of such variety, both in textures and tastes. I'm totally opposite when it comes to cooking since I feel like such a novice in the kitchen/cooking department. BAKING HOWEVER... That's more my neck of the woods. We sure can make a great feast pairing our cooking and baking skills together :)

Chicken Hash Open Face Sandwich

This open face sandwich is something I totally love for brunch (and of course Hubs knows that hehee). It's sauteed chicken, potato, onion and carrot dredged in this delicious mushroom gravy over a crispy piece of toast. Doesn't that sound delicious? Well, it tastes better than it looks!

If you would like recipes for any of these, please feel free to email me at belleplusmel@gmail.com. I tend not to write out the recipes as often anymore on the blog post because it comes out very long. If you have questions about substituting any ingredients, feel free to ask as well! I often find that when you're recipe researching, you are almost always guaranteed to be missing one or two ingredients... At least I do. I like to look for recipes based on what I've already bought on my weekly grocery trip so I do end up substituting ingredients in most recipes.

Anyway, I hope within your busy schedules, you're able to find some time to cook yourself a good and hearty meal at least once a week (or have someone do it!).

 

♥B

Four Hundred and Twenty

I'm a week late in posting this but happy 420 (for those who celebrate it!). The joke of this post title came from when we heard someone ask what "four hundred and twenty" was haha! For those who aren't sure what 420 is, it's basically a day where stoners get together and smoke marijuana in public. This year was no different, and yes, law enforcement is always there. However, they respect everyone's rights to enjoy the day and instead, they direct traffic and make sure everyone is safe. We happen to live in a very pot-friendly city so the crowd was much larger than usual. Anyway, not much to say but tons of pictures to post haha. Enjoy!

 People... EVERYWHERE.

 No, seriously. There were people everywhere.

 What I find interesting is the variety of people that attend this "festival".

The asian guy right in front doesn't quite look like he belongs here, but he sure was having a blast.

 Some custom-made glass pieces (bongs and pipes)

More glass pieces (bongs and pipes)

 And even more glass pieces...

There were over 20+ booths selling paraphernalia, weed edibles and just weed in general.

Actually, random people were selling their own stash of stuff too.

 LOL, this made me laugh.

This is a booth set up by the Liberal government (one of the political parties in Canada).

Their sign says:

"Legalize Pot and Grow The Economy:

Legalizing marijuana means destroying gangs and saving billions of dollars.

Prohibition fails. Let's create a smarter way."

 As with all festivities, comes music and entertainment.

And.... the crazies......

This 60 year-old man painted in white literally jumped up and down for the whole song.

Not sure what his purpose was either.

 Finally, this was a few seconds right after 4:20PM.

EVERYONE was smoking so there was a visible layer of smoke just hanging above and around us.

Overall, it was an amazing day!

♥B

feeling blue

OOTD

Blazer/Layering Jacket: Forever 21
White shirt: H&M
Navy blue leggings w/ gold side zippers: H&M

Suede strapped wedge: Forever 21

♥M

eat smart

On that health tip.. 

hit the gym step on the scale stare at the number

you say you dropping 10 pounds preparing for summer

and you don't do it for the man, men never notice

you just do it for yourself

1. Rice noodles w/ chicken breast and broccoli

2. Seafood mushroom pasta w/ avocado

3. Seasoned chicken breast w/ cauliflower and wild rice

4. Vegetable* lasagna / Ratatouille

5. Kimchi rice noodles w/ hard boiled egg

6. Seasoned chicken breast w/ broccoli & loads of tabasco sauce

**Recipes available upon request**

♥M