So I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but coming up on January 9th there’s this little football game called the BCS National Championship and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think LSU might be playing in it?! Yeah, so if you are part of the group that will not be attending the game but having a party at your house, I have some healthy food options for you. I know all the “big” games always seem to fall right after everyone has made their resolutions to be healthy, so I hope you will find this info useful. Disclaimer: I’m not actually having a party at my house. So those of you who know where I live, please do not show up, lol! But my boyfriend’s parents are coming over for the Saint’s game on Saturday so I might throw a few of these together. 

Guilt Free Buffalo “Wings”: This recipe from Women’s Health Magazine swaps traditional wings for chicken tenders for more protein and fewer calories. Serve with carrots and celery on the side to make this dish even healthier. A tubful of takeout chicken wings can hit the 1,000 calorie mark, but this guiltless version contains just over 200 calories a serving!

Black Bean Hummus: This twist on a popular dip uses black beans to add some major fiber to satisfy your hunger and make you feel full longer. This means less gorging on all the cookies, pies, and brownies that sit out during the game! Try it with fresh veggies or toasted whole wheat pita bread.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers: The Food Network offers up a delicious alternative to the dripping-in-fat cheeseburger. Try this version for less fat AND less saturated fat!

Holly Clegg’s Easy Chili: Here’s a great recipe from local chef and author, Holly Clegg. She uses sirloin to make this lean, mean chili dish! Best of all, it’s quick, easy, and virtually no clean up- in Holly’s words “dump and stir”!

So what I wanna know is… What will you be serving at your football party?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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Yeah, that’s me. Yoglates at 5:30 this morning. To my defense it’s the only class time that worked with my schedule today. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Yoglates, it is a mixture of yoga, pilates, and calisthenics… that just so happens to be in a room that is heated (oh yes, I said HEATED). One Yoglates class is equivalent to:

• 60 minutes of resistance training
• 60 minutes of cardio
• AND 60 minutes of stretching

I didn’t even make a “workout” resolution this year. Yoglates is just something that I really enjoy and work has been preventing me from attending the classes. I used to go pretty regularly back in the day. I haven’t been at all in 4 months and let me tell you, it was painfully obvious. Poses were a little shaky and although I can still hold my planks for well over a minute, my abs were shaking only 30 seconds into them. It’s only a matter of time though until my body gets back in the swing of things. I was a dancer for 21 years of my life so my muscle memory comes back fairly quickly. One thing is for sure, no matter what time of day, it feels so good to be back! And to be completely honest, 5:30 might be my new time to go because it feels amazing to start your day that way! I’m usually up at that time anyway (working, of course) so why not, right? Hmm…we’ll see how long that reasoning sticks with me, haha!

If anyone is interested, I go to Yoglates II South off of Highland. You can find them on Facebook and they have a website as well!

So what I wanna know is… What is your favorite workout? Yoga, spin, Zumba? What do you do to stay fit?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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Do you make resolutions for the New Year? I don’t really make a resolution…I create goals. I don’t know why, but the term “goal” sounds so much nicer and less threatening than “resolution”. Almost like “resolution” is just setting you up to fail. And to be completely honest, I don’t remember the last time I made I personal goal. For a few years now, it’s all been business based. So maybe that’s my resolution this year…to make a PERSONAL goal resolution! LOL!

Anyway, what I usually do is write down my goals. I feel like if you write it, it will happen. I looked at the goals I had written down last year (I think the last time I looked at them was around March or April of last year) and I was so excited to see that I had accomplished all 5 of them! 2 of them I didn’t even remember I had written down, so I guess my idea of it coming to fruition if you write it down actually is true :)

So what I wanna know is… What is your New Year resolution? Do you usually end up keeping your resolutions?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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Well, it was tough but I got all my holiday baking done. I went through about 11 packages of Almond Bark, 3 packages of Peppermint Crunch, 2 packages of Oreos, 2 batches of cookie dough, 2 packages of Hershey Kisses, and a couple of boxes of cake mix and cake frosting. You’d think I’d be tired of baking, but I’ll be baking a few more things at the end of the week for my little brother. He lives in Boston and this Saturday is his “Christmas” so of course I have to make him a real Christmas dinner- complete with the homemade green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pecan pie. I’ll be baking some more sweets to go along with the pecan pie, of course. All of his favorites, and they all have to be homemade because well…that’s the way he likes em :) Anyway, thought I’d share one of the recipes I used because I’ve been getting so many emails and Facebook messages after posting pics. I did these for one of my clients from my event planning business, N-joY! Events. Here is the info on the Rudolph Cake Pops I made!

Ingredients:

• 1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)- For these I used Red Velvet
• 1 can frosting (16 oz.)-for these I used Cream Cheese
• Wax paper
• Chocolate Almond Bark (1 lb. pkg.)
• Antlers- Mini pretzels broken in half
• Nose- Red M&M’s
• Lollipop sticks
• Cake Mate Writing Icing

**Note: You can use any combo of cake mix/frosting! You can also use Candy Melts instead of Almond Bark, but I always use Almond Bark. As far as my research goes, you can use the two interchangeably. Edible ink pens can be used for drawing on the eyes and smiles, but the ones I bought are super soft and bend when you use them, so I used the icing instead. It hardens up after about 10 minutes :)**

• After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (Some people use the back of a large spoon, but I find it easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)

• Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)

• Melt Almond Bark using directions on back of package- I do over the stove on LOW temp.

• Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)

• Place them in the fridge for 40 mins (or overnight) to firm up.

• Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.

• Quickly stick the “antlers” in and the “red nose” on while the Almond Bark is still wet. If the Almond Bark dries before you stick them in, it will crack. I get everything ready in ramekins so that they are easy to pick up and get in before the Almond Bark hardens.

• Place in a styrofoam block to dry.

• Once dry, draw faces with Writing Icing and allow to dry for 10 minutes.

• Package as you wish and enjoy!

Check out my friend, Julie Juliet, for more fun Christmas baking ideas!

So, what I want to know is…What is your favorite goodie to bake for the Holidays? Share your recipes!

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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I’ve been baking a lot for Christmas celebrations and I wanted to share this little bit of info with you guys. Every year, I make peppermint bark because everyone always asks for it…it’s a Christmastime favorite! Usually I package it in those small tins, but this year I used these cute little bags. They are decorated ziploc bags with heavy cardstock tabs that you fold over and staple to the bags. They make your homemade goodies look good enough to be in a candy store! I’ve seen them for several years, but for some reason never got them. I’m glad I changed my mind this time around. Makes my peppermint bark look legit, no? LOL!

Here’s the recipe for Peppermint Bark:

1 package vanilla Almond Bark

1 package Peppermint Crunch (I’ve only been able to find this at Party Time)

• Melt whole package of Almond Bark and stir in half a bag of Peppermint Crunch.
• Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
• Let set in fridge for 20 minutes to harden.
• Break in pieces and enjoy!

So, what I want to know is… What is your favorite thing to bake for the Holidays?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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So, I recently had a huge dilemma on my hands. I couldn’t figure out what shoes to wear with a specific dress. For some reason I was just stumped. Luckily, I have a friend that has impeccable style and LOVES questions like these…Annemarie Dillard. Yes, her last name should sound familiar to you (Dillard’s Department Store). Anyway, I was so excited to have her solve my style issues and thought to myself “how lucky am I to be able to get this kind of advice so easily?” Then I remembered…EVERYONE can do the same through the Dillard’s Facebook Page, “The Fashion Files at Dillard’s”. Check it out sometime. Annemarie and her twin sister Alexandra give fashion advice, tips, ideas, etc. by posting notes and fun videos on the page. You could even ask your own questions by posting on the wall and they’ll get back to you! Take a look at what Annemarie helped me put together. This wasn’t the exact coat, but similar in color. Yay for holiday fashion!

So, what I want to know is…Who do you go to for fashion advice?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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We have Prive Lingerie Boutique to thank for my newest obsession- Cosabella Hot Pants. I HAVE to share this with ALL women. You will thank me! These are similar to Hanky Panky…but better (if you can even imagine that). They don’t stretch with wear, no VPL (I’ve even worn with tight yoga pants), and they are so comfortable you forget you are wearing anything at all! Plus, they are super sexy and every woman knows what a difference it makes when you put on pretty undergarments. Since these are so easy to wear, you can get one in every color and wear them every day of the week!

What’s even better? Prive is hosting a Men’s Shop Night tomorrow! How fun is that?! Prive is teaming up with another amazing boutique, Angelique, to cater to men needing to finish up some Christmas shopping. They will be serving Abita Amber and Maker’s Mark, for those that need an extra incentive to get out and do some shopping, lol! Angelique will have fabulous furs, sexy shoes, and great jeans to choose from and of course, Prive will have some amazing lingerie! Your man can shop without feeling awkward in a store full of women. And the cherry on top? Complimentary gift wrapping will be provided! This will be the easiest Christmas shopping ever for guys!

So, what I want to know is…Have you tried these Hot Pants from Cosabella? Do you LOVE them?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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So I’ve decided to share my obsessions with y’all. Don’t worry…I’ll space them out. I think I add to my never-ending list of obsessions daily, but I will only ramble about them once a month on this blog :) This month’s obsession is: using old family photos and books to decorate.

I love, love, LOVE looking through my grandma’s drawers of old photos when I visit her. To be completely honest, I love pretty much everything old. I could sit for hours going through old records, jewelry, books, etc. that belonged to family. I enjoy the walk down memory lane, letting my mind wander back in time, and getting to see personality traits of some of those that have passed away. So when it came time to start decorating my own home, I took some old photographs and books to help bring back a little of the past.

Here is our entry table. It has a combination of my two obsessions- old photos AND old books. All the books I used in my house are from my great grandfather. These pictures on the table are of my grandmother and my grandfather when they were younger. The best part about picking these out are the stories that my grandparents told about the pictures. It’s amazing how many memories are brought up with just a single picture. They remember where it was taken, why it was taken, who took it and then go on about all the other details behind the picture. Oh, there’s a picture of my cousin on top of the books. Not necessarily an “old photo” but one day, it will be an “old photo” and she’ll have her own memories to share about it :)

Here are some more of the old books I have from my great grandfather. If you look closely, you can even see that he stamped them with his name. LOVE that added personal touch! It shows that these are not just some old books I found at an antique store, they actually have a story behind them that is personal to MY family. I used them to add height to a lamp on a side table and also on my mantle!

                     I even pulled some old photos of Brent and me! LOL!

One of my friends, Claire, also used some old family photos in her home. I love the collage of photos and how she organized them to show both sides of the family (hers and her husbands) and put a picture of the two of them in the middle. I think the best part of this wall is that during meal times, her 2 year old son sits and points everyone out to me and tells me their name :)

So, what I want to know is…Do you have old family photos or books in your home? What other memorabilia or heirlooms have you used to bring a bit of your family’s history into your home?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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Apparently, this is the key to Halloween trick-or-treating….the almighty glow bracelet. I made sure to have the best of the best candy. I had a huge cauldron full of Reese’s, Kit Kat, Twix, Hershey’s, etc. 90% of the kids totally passed up the candy to go straight for the glow bracelets. Go figure! 

Apparently, party planning runs in my family. My aunt and uncle throw an annual Halloween party so fun that people start talking about it several months before. July was when I got the first email asking me “So what are you going to dress as for your aunt’s Halloween party?” Why is everyone always so excited for the party? I think it’s a mix of the fun that my loud and crazy uncle (picture on the left…getting ready in his Frankenstein costume) brings to the party and the hospitality that my oh-so-southern aunt extends to everyone that walks through the door. I wish I had a picture of her Bride of Frankenstein  costume because it was great. All these pics came from my phone so they’re not the best but I wanted to snap a few to share with you guys.

They go all out with decorating. Every inch of their home is covered with some kind of Halloween decoration. Check out the pics I took as we were setting everything up. Their table in the foyer is transformed to set the tone for the rest of the house.

              How about this creepy set-up on a table in their sitting room?

Walking through the sun room, everyone is greeted by this scary guy that lifts his   head off his body.

                                            Jello “shots” anyone?

And here is the “backdrop” for everyone to take pictures by. It’s a huge blowup with eerie piano music and dancers twirling around.
             
   

B and I dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow and “Miss Sassy Sparrow”! We had way too much fun that night!

It’s great to see where my passion for throwing parties comes from!

So what I want to know is…how many Halloween parties did you go to this year? What did you dress up as?

~XX~ Ashley

Ashley (at) BellaposaCollections (dot) com

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