It's nice outside in Southern CA today and I'm definitely feeling bright!  I looked up at my shoe options this morning and for some reason my eyes couldn't leave the sight of these Zara heels.  A little back story of why I love these shoes so much, they're comfortable, color is great for all seasons and they were only $20-yup!  I scored the jackpot at my local Zara retailer during their end of season sale and bought three gorgeous pairs for just under 100 bucks.  I've been really excited to play with them and got even more excited over this matching crop top that's been lingering around my house for a while.  Below you'll find all outfit details, enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

xoxo Brocade Closet

| Trousers-Luna B Boutique| Heels-Zara | Crop Top-Forever 21 | Clutch-Tory Burch |

Lent Struggles: Chicken Mu Shu Wraps

It's not like it's a big deal or anything because Lent only lasts 40 days, but we're almost halfway into it and I'm starting to struggle a little.  I've a had a few cheats, but I'd say I've done the best I could so far.  B and I both gave up eating at restaurants, fast food etc. and only left an option open for Subway.  That means I gave up my Flame Broiler visits, random fast food cravings, restaurant outings etc.  It didn't seem like it would be tough in the beginning until my cravings for Mu Shu wraps kicked into gear the other day.  These wraps are found at one of our favorite restaurants and immediately after my cravings I counted down days until Lent was over.  Silly me, I forgot I have an interest for practicing cooking, so away to the kitchen I went where I created my own wraps and satisfied my cravings!

I was surprised at how ridiculously easy these wraps were to make, they literally take no more than 15 minutes to put together and 15 minutes to chow down.  The best part about this recipe is whatever you don't use, toss it into a container and eat another wrap another day.  Below are all the details!

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of ground chicken/turkey/beef/you choose your choice of meat
• Salt, black pepper, chicken seasoning-you only use this for a bit and only need enough for a small sprinkle
• Quesadilla tortillas-I bought a pack because I wasn't sure how many wraps I was going to make
• Coleslaw of your choice-I bought broccoli 
• Olive oil
• Teriyaki sauce

Instructions:

• In a small sauce pan, pour just about one tablespoon of olive oil and turn the heat up to high
• Toss the ground chicken (or whatever meat you choose) into the pan 
• Sprinkle just a bit of your seasonings for taste
• Pour just about a tablespoon of teriyaki sauce to the meat 
• Let the meat cook and stir it around to make sure the seasoning and sauce is spread out.  Cook this until the meat gets a nice toasty brown color
• Add in the coleslaw and mix it in with your meat constantly stirring lightly so nothing falls out of the pan.  Turn down the heat to medium and keep the combination cooking for about 2 more minutes
• Heat up your tortilla on a pan for just about 30 seconds and place it on a plate
• Dab a butter knife into your teriyaki sauce and spread it lightly onto the tortilla kind of like mayo to bread. 
• When your combination is done, simply grab a spoon full and place it onto your tortilla.
• Add as much or less meat as you want, this part is completely up to you.
• Wrap the tortilla up in the form of a burrito/wrap and voila, you're done!

Enjoy! xo...Brocade Closet

Breakfast on the Go

It's so easy to get caught up getting ready in the morning and even easier to skip breakfast!  If you're anything like me, I crave a full meal but never get up early enough to put it together.  Therefore, I get stuck with the same cereal everyday and it's starting to get a little boring.  So here's a little help, make a smoothie!  Smoothies are awesome, green being my favorite, but do you ever feel like it's just not enough to hold you through the morning?  Here's a secret-add more after the blend!  This morning, I had a strawberry, milk, oats and yogurt smoothie topped with granola and more fruit.  Check out the recipe below!

Ingredients

• 5 Strawberries
• 1 cup of milk-I used Almond but any type of milk is fine
• 1/2 cup of old fashion oats
• 1.5 cup of Greek yogurt -this is for thickness and to keep you full
• 2 teaspoons of granola
• A few fruit toppings of your choice-I used raspberries

Instructions

• Toss your strawberries,  oats, milk and yogurt into your type of blender and blend for about 20 seconds.  The time you blend is going to depend on how thick you want your smoothie to be.  I'm in the middle, not too thick and not too juicy so I generally stick to 20 seconds.
• Pour your smoothie into a cup and top it first with granola to set a base for your fruit to sit on, then put your fruit directly over the granola and you're done!  
• Don't freak out if the granola and fruit starts to sink, it's supposed to.  Think of this smoothie as if the smoothie itself is the milk and your added fruit and granola is your cereal.

Hope you enjoy your five minute on the go breakfast!

xo..Brocade Closet

What to Pack: Trip Essentials

Have you all seen that Jenna Marbles video about packing for a trip?  That's totally me!  I want to take everything and my excuse is always "I need options just in case something happens!" I've said this before, and I'll more than likely say it again for the rest of my life-if there's a land where procrastinators roam, I'm definitely queen of that place.  Let's cut the long story and excuses, the point is in 24 hours, I'll be in Chicago and guess who hasn't packed a single item? This girl.  I mean I've thought of outfit options but I haven't really sat down in front of my closet and styled my ideas.  So to make it easier, let's create a list.  Creating a list is the most organized way of packing because it really helps during the shopping process.  Take a good look inside your closet, try to be smart.  The less you spend on purchasing extra clothes for the trip, the more money you'll have to spend on the actual trip!  I'll start with the small and obvious items I'll need for my trip.

• Face wash: I'll only be gone for four days, a small tube will be good enough and guess what, the travel section at Target has a grip load of options.
• Tooth brush: I mean, obviously.  Target has fun travel packs in several colors, I think I'll take a blue one today! WAIT NO! That's a Chicago Bears color, my football team's sworn enemy, I'll buy green instead.  Phew that was close!
• Shower products: Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sponge...check check check check!
• Deodorant: The options Target has are Dove and Suave.  Since I'm on the subject of sucking at sportsmanship, I'll take Dove because it's green and Suave is blue, yay me!
• Hair products: Hair spray for my fly aways, and baby hair-got it!

• Shoes:  Here's a trick, take your largest pair on with you to the airport.  In my case, I'm going to wear my riding boots because it takes away room in my carry on and I want as much room as possible in there!  
• Make Up: Okay, leave your whole kit at home and only take what you know for sure you need.  I only wear powder, blush, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. Sure, I'm tempted to take eye shadows, but with that comes brushes and then I get the idea of taking a pallet oh and my new lip gloss, and my other lipstick that I might want to wear...NO! See how easy it is to get carried away and over pack?  Essentials people, essentials. 
• Accessories: Again, only take the pieces that you know you're going to wear.  If you have gypsy style and want to take all your rings and bracelets, cool!  Maybe you can take half on with you on the plane, but have fun taking it all off at security check in haha.

Packing small and smart is the way to go.  I didn't cover outfits because obviously it's going to depend on the type of trip you're taking, but if you limit yourself to the extra items, like the ones mentioned above, you'll be surprised with how much room you're left with in your luggage.  Who knows, maybe you're bringing souvenir's home or you're visiting your favorite shop and know you're going to bring extra stuff home.  That extra luggage space is going to be so worth it! 

Happy packing, see you in Chicago!

xo,

Brocade Closet