DIY Pillows

Last week, we finally got around to sewing pillows for the couch in my new apartment. After finding DIY pillow case instructions on Pinterest, I headed to Joann's for pillow forms and decorator fabric. I was looking for fun fabric that wasn't too loud or girlie. After washing the fabric, my mom and I were ready to sew! 

The directions I found online for the pillow case were SO confusing, even to my mom who is the expert. Turns out, the amount of fabric that the blog told me to buy wasn't enough for two pillows. It told me to buy 1/2 yard of fabric for every pillow form at 18 inches or smaller, so I bought 1 yard of fabric for two 18 inch pillow forms, and for some reason, didn't have enough fabric. After trying to make it work multiple ways, and almost quitting for the night, our horoscope encouraged us to take charge and wing it: "Today there will be no problem that your quick reasoning won't be able to solve!"

Referring back to our place mats, we quickly created a pillow case for 18 x 18 pillow forms by sewing three sides of two pieces of fabric together, inside out. 

After flipping fabric inside out, I stuffed the pillow form into the pillow case.

Then my mom pinned the 4th side, and hand sewed it closed. 

We couldn't make both pillows on Monday night since I didn't have enough fabric. But later in the week I went back to Joann's for more fabric, and finished the second pillow. 

Back at the apartment, the pillows settled comfortably on the couch next to my existing pillows from Target. I love how they turned out. The fun but subtle fabric is perfect for our apartment, which is still finding a balance between sports fanatic memorabilia and more girlie decor. The pillows don't look homemade, and add a little pop of color to our black and white living room!

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

When you live in what sometimes feels like the hottest place on earth, you have to have a few cool-to-create dinner options. This Monday it was 95 degrees out and the LAST thing either Girls Team member felt like doing was turning the oven on or working over a hot stove. We both enjoy lettuce wraps, but have never made them ourselves so we thought this hot night was the perfect time to try to make them. We found this recipe for lettuce wraps from Rachael Ray, and we LOVED it. It was so flavorful and filling. After it was all said and done, we couldn't figure out why they are called "Barbecued" Lettuce Wraps since we didn't actually BBQ anything, but aside from that, they were great!

We decided to double the recipe as we were feeding five people, and wanted to have leftovers. Here's some of our ingredients:

Whoops. We quickly realized we forgot to buy mushrooms at the store, and they are a big part of the recipe! I went back out to Raley's and bought 4 cups of shiitake mushrooms.

Combining all of the ingredients in the wok was easy. Just throw the chicken in, let it cook for a bit, and add the rest according to the recipe. What we didn't realize how hot standing by the wok stirring for 10 minutes would be. So much for our cool dinner idea! But, here's a Make It Happen Monday fun fact: This electric wok is 28 years old! This vintage kitchen appliance was given to my parents as a wedding gift in 1984 :)



My mom added the Hoisin Sauce, which had a bit of a kick to it!

The final spread. The oranges were a sweet addition :)

Plated and ready to eat!

By the time we plated, the chicken and mushroom filling had cooled down considerably, making these lettuce wraps delicious and refreshing. The Hoisin sauce gave the wraps a little kick, and the lettuce was crisp and fresh. Everyone really loved these, and since we never eat lettuce wraps, it was fun to mix up our usual dinner routine. My dad suggested serving it with white rice next time (that guy and his rice!) but it wouldn't have made the dish a comfortable meal in the heat.  

For some reason Asian recipes often intimidate me. I think they just seem so much more intricate at first glance and often include ingredients that I'm unfamiliar with. But the recipe for these Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps was pretty straightforward. It took about 30 minutes from start to finish, and both Girls Team members were eager to make these again...soon!  

Summer Oatmeal

Lately, the Girls Team can't get enough of our new favorite breakfast: summer oatmeal. Summer oatmeal calls for four ingredients - plain old fashioned oats, yogurt, milk and frozen fruit.

Mix 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup milk together. Add between 1/2 and 1 cup of frozen fruit (optional). This will make about two mornings worth of summer oatmeal for one person.

Refrigerate the oatmeal mixture overnight in a tupperware. After spending 6-8 hours in the refrigerator, the milk and yogurt will soften the oats so cooking them ahead of time is not needed. 

In the morning, grab the summer oatmeal and go! 

Seriously, it's THAT easy. The Girls Team loves summer oatmeal because it's the perfect mix of healthy, sweet and filling, and a really easy breakfast option when racing out the door to work. We've been eating this almost daily, so we are excited to spread the word and hope our lovely readers enjoy summer oatmeal as much as we do :)


P.S. Like the chalkboard in the first photo? Let us teach you how to make one here in our garage!