late girl's guide | kale & sausage pasta alfredo

I know a fair share of people who started the new year with diets in mind -- diets not including pasta. For me, when the weather is cold and gray, I crave comfort food, diet or not. 

This recipe includes some great fresh ingredients (hello, kale), lighter meat (turkey sausage), is easy to make and cures the winter blues. Well, mine anyway.

1. Prep - Slice the sausage. Wash and cut the kale bunches. 

2. Pan sear the sausage, seasoned with Italian seasoning and fresh garlic. Boil pasta on the side. 

3. Five minutes before the sausage is done, put the kale in the pan to cook lightly. 

4. When the kale, sausage and pasta are done, mix together in a bowl with alfredo sauce. 

late girl's guide | pumpkin pie parfait

I am one of the few members of my family with a sweet tooth, so come holiday season desserts are an afterthought. After years of disappointment, I decided to take sweets into my own hands.

Aside from being delicious and easy to make, it's a little bit healthier than a slice of pie because of the secret ingredient (shh, it's greek yogurt). 

1. Mix yogurt, pumpkin, condensed milk and cinnamon together until smooth. 

The yogurt gives it the creamy, tart taste, similar to cheesecake. 

2. Put mixture in fridge to solidify for at least an hour. 

3. Layer crumbled shortbread cookies, whipped cream and pumpkin mixture. Keep in fridge until ready to serve. 

 4. Before serving, top with more whipped cream and cookie crumbs.

late girl's guide | california flatbread pizza

I first tried flatbread pizza at Chili's - glamorous right? But it was flavorful, filling and a plus, much lighter than traditional pizza. Looking at my wiped-clean plate, I knew I needed to have this in my life on a regular basis, meaning, I needed to get in the kitchen.  The great thing about this recipe is that it's super customizable and cooks in the blink of an eye.

 

 

1. Cook the bacon to your crisp preference. In the same pan cook your meat (I chose shrimp because it cooks fast). The flavor of the bacon transfers over nicely.

 2. Prep your tomatoes and avocado. Crumble your bacon.

3. On your flatbread, sprinkle cheese, bacon, shrimp, and tomatoes. I used a Flatout Wheat Flatbread as a healthier option.

4. Bake in oven at 350°F for 15 minutes or until edges get crisp.

5. After baking, add diced avocados and drizzle chipotle ranch dressing over your pizza. Eat & enjoy!

 

late girl's guide | caprese salad

When it gets as hot as it does in the south, some days a light bite is all you want. I get bored with the classic garden salad, so when I discovered the caprese salad, it became a go-to for me. It's a simple and fast salad that feels very fancy when paired with a good glass of wine. I don't know when I'll get to go to Italy, but until then, this flavorful insalata will have to tie me over.

 

For as much flavor as this packs, it's very easy to make. Chop the beefsteak tomatoes into slices and pick the rinsed basil of its stems. 

Slice your mozzarella (mine was pre-sliced) and then layer the three ingredients so it looks pretty. Yes, food can be pretty. To finish, drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over and eat! 

late girl's guide | summer cocktails

There's something nice about being able to make your own whenever the mood catches you. For me, it's usually in the summer when friends come by to catch up or when I make a nice dinner and want to make it extra special with a drink. To save time and money, I've kept my drink menu down to two staples that are the easiest in the world to make:  piña coladas and mai tais. I mean, what's summer without a good drink, or two for that matter.

Both of these drinks are made with the same easy-to-find ingredients, which is why they're my go-to cocktails.

For the piña colada, all you do is blend everything up with enough rum for your liking (tipsy or hammered), and voilà, you have delicious and impressive drink that took minimal effort.

The mai tai is similar, except you don't blend. Mix 1/4 rum, 1/4 drink mix and 1/2 fruit punch. Pour over ice and garnish with some pineapple chunks and sip. You'll swear you were on an island vacation. 

The drink mixes are the real time saver here. You avoid having to buy specialty, one-time-use-only ingredients. Adding the pineapple, which I always have on hand for smoothies, keep the drinks fresh. 

love list #3

Summer's been pretty good to me so far, and I'm sure it's because I've made an effort to be more of an optimist. On a smaller scale, it's probably also due the things on this love list. But maybe I'm projecting. You tell me. 

source

1. By now you've heard about the gospel of  #GIRLBOSS and its messiah, Sophia Amoruso, or at least seen a snap of it scrolling on your Instagram feed. I bought the book, but not before I debated for about a week. I didn't want to buy it because of the hype, I wanted to buy it because it was worth it. As a part of her PR campaign, she set up a really cool, old-school hotline where she reads the best excerpts from her book. I called because I'm a sucker for things like that and was sold. If you need more convincing or just want a good time, go for it. Call 1-844-GIRLBOSS. 

2. It's summer time, so it's mandatory that you have a summer jam. Mine (so far) is Hideaway by Kiesza. I've grooved to this on repeat more times than makes sense, but it's just that good. 

source

3. Our mornings are important because they set the tone of our day. This article on lifehack.com goes more in depth on that idea and has a lot of good pointers on how you can make the most of your mornings. One of my favorite ones is to"read motivational, inspirational and educational material for 30-60 minutes," but all of the tips are really useful.

4. I first tried out my new bangs in this post and since then I've been playing around with different styles inspired by Audrey Hepburn and Brigette Bardot. I can't rave about clip-ins enough, especially for experimental hairstyles. Yes, hair grows back if you cut it, but who wants to go through the trauma of a bad hair cut? 

5. I found this recipe for grilled jerk shrimp and pineapple skewers on Pinterest, of course, and I couldn't live with myself if I didn't give it a try. Aside from the fact that it is obviously delicious, it looks pretty simple to make, too.