Giveaway! $75 Gift Card to Noonday Collection (CLOSED)

I am so excited to share today's giveaway with you from Noonday Collection.  Noonday Collection is not only a great cause that gives artisans a way to help themselves and their families break the cycle of poverty but it is a truly unique and beautiful handmade jewelry line.  By supporting Noonday, jobs are being created and maintained in places where jobs are so hard to come by and pay is little. When you purchase from Noonday, you are changing lives and making a difference! When artisans have jobs and a steady paycheck they are able to assure food is on the table for their families, access medical care they never would have been able to receive, and drink clean water.  

I am pretty much in love with everything in the shop but my favorites, which are pictured above can be found here and here.

Today Emily from Noonday Collection wanted to help spread the word about this amazing line and is giving one lucky reader a $75 gift card to use towards whatever you like!

How to enter:

• Visit Noonday Collection and take a look around.  Come back and leave a comment saying which item or items you love.

Extra entries (please leave an separate comment for each):

• Pin your favorite item from Noonday onto a Pinterest board.
• Share this post via Facebook or Twitter.  

Good luck!  The winner will be chosen at random and announced at the bottom of Friday's post.

Mini Key Lime Pies (Paleo)

Key lime pie is my favorite pie ever, hand down.  The last time I had it was on my anniversary a few years back.  I have wanted to recreate it using Paleo ingredients for the longest time but since my track record with baking pies is not the best (hello soup pumpkin pie I am talking to you) I have resisted...until the other day.  I came across a recipe that required zero baking, which sounded like my kinda pie!  I made a few small changes and this turned out incredible and I don't use that word often.  I had to refrain from eating all the filling like pudding it was that good. 

What you will need for the crust:

• 1 cup of unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 cup of walnuts
• a dash of sea salt
• 7 dates (pitted)

What you will need for the filling:

• 1 1/2 cups of mashed avocado
• 3/4 cups of fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup of honey 
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil
• zest from one lime

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients for the crust into a food processor. Pulse until you have a nice paste like consistency and it can hold together. 
2. Push the crust filling into the bottom of 8 silicone cupcakes molds or a pie dish.
3. Set aside until they are ready to be filled. 
4. Put all the ingredients for the filling into the food processor.  Pulse until everything is blended together and smooth.  Taste and make sure it is to your liking.  If you need to add more honey or limes do it at this point.  
5. Pour filling on top of crust and place in the freezer until it has set. 
6. Enjoy! 

These did not disappoint and the husband ate and I ate every last one over the weekend (yikes).  If you make these please come back and let me know what you think!

Latest Life Snippets

My husband and I went on much needed romantic getaway last weekend and basically it was the best thing ever.  We drank wine, laid out by the pool, ate bread, dessert, cheese and calamari (call the Paleo police), slept in and acted like married people should.  It was heaven and I am fully promoting many more of those over night parent vacations.  We have quite a bit of exciting things happening over the next 6 months and it was so nice to finally be able to talk about them and get on the same page.

If you are married and have kids I highly recommend getting away for just one night every now and then (even if that means dropping the kids off at Grandma's and coming back to your house to party or whatever you feel like doin). Yes yes you will miss your kids (duh) but it's so important to remember you were a twosome before you were a foursome, or however many kids you have.  My Godmother gave me that advice when I was pregnant with our first son and I will never forget it. 

Since I did  zero blogging this week here is a little recap according to my Instagram (@delightedmomma)

1) The start of our getaway and at this point I think we were both still in disbelief that we were freeeeee haha...kidding kind of.
2) The end of our getaway and feeling so much more connected and on the same page.  Such a good feeling.
3) Ronin sippin on my green smoothie.  He loves them!
4) My favorite nail polish at the moment.  It is by Essie and it's called, "Where's my Chauffeur."
5) Early Saturday morning Farmer's Market stop for a flat of the sweetest fresh berries.
6) Paleo mini key lime pies that are so freaking good.  I will share the super easy recipe (no baking required woo hoo) next week. 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Latest Life Snippets

Happy Friday! I seriously could not be more excited for the freakin weekend.  This weekend my husband and I are going on a mini (much needed) getaway and it will be the first time we will be away from both boys overnight.  I know we will miss them like crazy but I am pretty sure they will be having such a blast over at Grandpa and Aubi's house they will probably not even notice we are gone.

According to my Instagram (@delightedmomma) this is what has been happening over the past few weeks. 

1) Ronin has mastered the art of clapping and according to this face, it's the greatest thing in the world.
2) Max gardening in his underwear and John Deere boots. Ha!
3) Picked out a bunch of little mini succulents for my house.
4) The only Easter picture of us four, which would not be complete without at least one grumpy face.
5) I have become obsessed with these.  Do not buy them unless you want to become obsessed too.
6) My husband's first batch of home brewed beer! SO yummy!

Have a wonderful weekend!

The winner of the Monica Vesci Camino Clutch giveaway is: Mandi! Please e-mail me at lindsay.kujawa@yahoo.com so I can get your shipping info.

Paleo Grocery Shopping List

When choosing to eat Paleo it can sometimes be daunting when making a trip to the grocery store wondering what the heck you are supposed to eat.  Some people (some of my family members ha) are under the impression that all you eat is nuts and berries and that is not true at all.  Once you get the hang of all the foods you can eat it is so much fun to get creative in the kitchen.  So I made a Paleo grocery shopping list,  which hopefully will give you a little guidance if you are unsure what exactly you should be getting.  This list is pretty basic and there is obviously much more you can eat but this is a good list to start with if you are new to the diet.

Vegetables (should be the bulk of your shopping):

• Cucumbers 
• Mushrooms
• Spinach 
• Romaine lettuce
• Kale, swiss chard and other leafy greens that you like
• Onions
• Cauliflower (keep in mind this is a very versatile vegetable and you can make "mashed potatoes" "rice" and more with it) 
• Spaghetti squash 
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini 
• Carrots
• Green beans (great for snacking) 
• Sweet potatoes

Fruit:

• Bluberries
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Bananas
• Avocados 
• Grapefruit
• Cantaloupe 
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Plums
• Kiwis 
• Lemons/limes

Meat/Seafood:

• Fish- make sure it is wild caught and not farm raised
• Ground turkey 
• Grass fed beef 
• Organic chicken 
• Shrimp
• Scallops
• Bacon
• Tuna
• Mahi Mahi
• Tilapia
• Beef or Terky Jerky

Drinks:

• Almond milk
• Coconut milk
• Green tea
• Coffee 

Cooking/baking:

• Coconut oil
• Raw honey
• Almond meal
• Coconut flour 
• Cocoa powder

Other:

• Eggs 
• Almonds, cashews, walnuts or whatever mixed nuts you like
• Almond or sunflower seed butter
• Almond milk
• Coconut milk
• Herbs for baking
• Applesauce  
• Lara Bars
• Unsweetened dried fruit

Avoid:

• Dairy 
• Processed foods
• Refined sugar
• Wheat 

Hope this gives you a little more insight about the foods you can eat on the Paleo diet!  If  I am missing any important ones please feel free to leave them in the comment section.

Monica Vesci Camino Clutch Giveaway! (CLOSED)

You know what I love?  I love a beautiful quality clutch with lots of pockets inside for all my diabetic supplies.  But the problem is, most clutches are usually not designed with a type one diabetic in mind (go figure ha).  All of the clutches I own either have no pockets or just one and by the end of the night it is almost guaranteed that any clutch I bring along with me looks like a complete disaster zone.  There is usually an array of used test strips, lancets and more floating around the bottom.

So when Monica Vesci contacted me and told me about her just launched Camino Clutch line made with type 1 diabetics in mind I was thrilled!  And when I received my new clutch in the mail I was just blown away at what a brilliant design it really is.  Each clutch is made with gorgeous fabric and Italian leather trim.  Now the best part...the clutches include a hidden discreet disposable sharps container and special little pockets for all your supplies.  No more letting all those used test trips and lancets float around the bottom of your purse!

And today you have a chance to win one for yourself!  You do not need to be type 1 diabetic to enter this giveaway, but if you are you will appreciate the inside for sure! 

How you can win a Monica Vesci Camino Clutch: You MUST

• Visit Monica Vesci and come back and leave a comment letting me know which clutch you would like to win. 
•  Like Monica Vesci on Facebook

 Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each):

• Leave a comment telling me what you would most likely put in the sharps container (whether it's bobby pins, change, test strips, vitamins etc..) 
• Follow Monica Vesci on Twitter

Open to US readers only.  

A winner will be selected at random and announced at the bottom of this Friday's post so make sure to check back.

How to Make Your Perfume Last Longer on Your Skin

Source 

The whole idea of spraying perfume is so that other people (or single person) think you smell good right?  So you want it to last correct?  So here are a few super simple tips to make those sprays of perfume last quite a bit longer than when you just spray it and do a little dance in the fumes right before you leave the house

• Dab a little bit of Vaseline on your writs before applying perfume.  Perfume will last longer when your skin is nice and hydrated. 
• Spray perfume on your ankles and behind your knees.  I know sounds so strange but since scent rises this actually makes perfect sense and it works.
•  Apply it before putting on your clothes.  Most of us put perfume on when fully dressed and run through the perfume sprays while doing a little shimmy but perfume works best when applied to skin, not clothes.  Plus it can actually ruin some fabrics so that's just another reason to spray in the nude ;)

So there ya go! Next time you have a hot date and want to smell extra amazing try these tips.