Green Trick Dianthus and Fluffy Little Purple Flower Arrangement

The green trick dianthus added so much flare to this little floral arrangement I made for the kitchen table.  I love how fluffy and soft the green head of it is.  Green trick can be added to a floral arrangement to add a fun pop of lime green color, and to also be more of a space filler underneath other flowers in a floral arrangement.

The other little purple flowers have a sweet gentleness to them and are perfect for a fun summer floral arrangement.  I am trying to research the purple flowers name.  Please pass it along if you know it?  Thanks!

I loved the pop of green and purple together.  Both leave to floral have a long lasting life span, and I previously used them in another flower arrangement, and they were still looking good.  So I decided to pull them out and make a new arrangement, and came up with this.  What are some some flowers you like to arrange together?

Have a great week and hope you're enjoying this beautiful summer weather.

Avocado Cashew Feta Cheese and Mushroom Salad

{Reminds me of my hometown and the avocado trees growing up}

{Ingredients}

{Fresh delicious avocado}

{Feta cheese crumbles added}

{Having fun coming up with the salad combination}

{Ready to serve and enjoy!}

Ingredients:
-Avocado
-Cashew
-Feta Cheese
-Mushrooms
-Salad (Green and Red Lettuce)
(All ingredients purchased from Trader Joe's)

Directions:
1.  Shred up the green and red lettuce.
2.  Cut up the Avocado into slices and add to the top of the lettuce.
3.  Add the feta chesse and cashews to the salad. 
4.  Slice up the mushrooms into thin slices and add them into the salad.
5.  Add your choice dressing, I used a balsamic vinaigrette.  

Chocolate Cupcake Love

Chocolate and sweets are some of my all time favorite things!  I try to eat healthy by adding in lots of healthy salads, yet I can not stay away from chocolate.  I love the rich, delicate and soothing taste to it.  I feel that chocolate is good in anything.  The combination or addition of chocolate to a dessert recipe simply makes it that much better.  

Here are a few pictures this past month of some chocolate I got my hands on, and taste buds.  Yum!  I think it would be fun to explore how sprinkles  the cupcake bakery makes their cupcakes so delicious. Hope you have a good week, and now that I am back from being in a wedding this past weekend I hope to up and posting more recipes and flower arrangement ideas.  

{Cupcake at Sprinkles-Yum}

Thoughts on Bouquet Styles

This weekend I am going to be in my first wedding.  I'm pretty excited to be a bridesmaid!  More so excited to see what flowers are chosen, the type of bouquet style, and decor.  What more fun can you have then being invited a a fabulous party to celebrate the joining of two people. 

{GreyLikesWeddings.com}

So I decided to do a little research and share this fun site called bridal buds on a few different styles of bouquets. 

I learned that there are many different shapes of bouquets that one can choose from, and also various types of flowers.

The five that bridal buds shares are:

1.  The Round: shape is round, and the flowers are typically the same in the bouquet.

{Settle Flowers}

2.   The Nosegay:  shape is round, but typically has more greenery and less flowers.

{Grace Garden}

3.  The Cascade:  or referred to as the teardrop or waterfall bouquet.  The shape is round at the top and the flowers cascade downward and become fewer.

{Angel Flowers}

4.  The Arm:  rests in the crook of the arm and is referred to as the presentation bouquet.  Flowers often have long stems and a ribbon is tied around them. 

{Tropical Wedding Bouquets}

5.  The Freeform:  is a contemporary bouquet, that does not have any specific shape. 

{Free Form- Pink Wedding Bouquet}

Here are some of my favorite flower arrangements I have found through the year.
 (Note I do not have the sources most are from Pintrest). 

 What is your favorite type of flower bouquet?  Are there any other styles that are unique that you can share?

Have a great week, and have fun following!

Blueberry Strawberry Iced Green Tea

Happy Berry Thursday!  Today has been a warmer week out, and instead of relaxing out in the warm sun or enjoy the beautiful day out, I'm inside.  I have had a lil cold all week, and to make myself feel better I came up with this refreshing and healthy summery drink. 

This blueberry strawberry iced green tea tastes nice and sweet, yet has a nice and fruity fresh taste.  Once the drink is gone if you still have not sipped down any of the yummy berries, enjoy eating those too!

Serving:
2 glasses of iced cold deliciousness


Ingredients:
-two green tea bags (I used organic green tea bags)
-water
-frozen blueberries
-frozen strawberries 
-sugar
-ice

Directions:
1.  Make a hot kettle of water and pour it into a large tea cup or small pitcher.  Seep the two green tea bags in the hot water.  Allow the tea to set for about 10 minutes. 

2.  Pour the hot freshly brewed green tea in two glasses evenly. 

3.  Now add 1/2 a spoon of sugar into each glass.

4.  Add the frozen blueberries and strawberries

5.  Then add lots of ice.  Leave a little extra room on the top for when the ice melts and expands the liquid content of the drink.

6. Enjoy!

Strawberry Smoothie with Frozen Greek Yogurt

 

A Strawberry Smoothie is a perfect summer treat for a hot day.  I stumbled upon a delicious and easy recipe that is creamy, smooth, and refreshing.  The addition of the Frozen Greek Yogurt makes the consistency of the shake really smooth and creamy.  I happen to try the Frozen Greek Yogurt as a healthier after dinner snack, yet realized I did not love the taste alone.  In a shake though it very tasty. 

Ingredients: 

-Frozen Greek Yogurt  (I found the kind of Frozen Greek Yogurt I used at Safeway, here is the link

-1% or 2% Milk

-Frozen Strawberries or Organic Frozen Strawberries 

Directions:

1.  Pour two cups of milk, or more into a blender.

2.  Add 2 scoops of Frozen Greek Yogurt.

3.  Add four- five frozen strawberries.

4.  Blend with the ice crusher setting and allow it to get very creamy.

5.  Enjoy on a hot day!

Bagel Breakfast with Nectarine

Bagels are one of my favorite things for breakfast!  They are filling and can be topped with multiple food items.  For this breakfast, or brunch I decided to try to top one bagel half with whipped cream cheese spread.  The other half of the bagel was topped with a sunny side up egg. 

A tip I discovered to keep the egg yolk from splattering in the pan it to get the pan hot before dropping in the egg.

To add a healthier item to the dish I choose to slice up a nectarine and place that next to the bagel.  Over all this breakfast was filling, tasty, and healthy.

Another healthier option would be to just use the egg white, and scramble it instead.  Then place the scrambled egg white on both sides of the bagel and skip the cream cheese.

Hope you have a good week!  Let me know if you have any breakfast favorites with bagels?

Book Find of the Month: "The Balcony Gardener"

 I'm so excited to share this great book with you, it is called "The Balcony Gardener!"  If you're looking for a fun summer read and to work on making a small space look beautiful with a garden the author Isabelle Palmer did a great job on showing how to do this with beautiful  images, examples, and more. 

The images in the book are captured very well and there are easy to follow projects to try such as making a candle holder out of a recycled jar, and thin wire.  I am hoping to try this soon and show you an example.  What are some gardening book you know of that are good to share? 

Have a great Tuesday and I look forward to hearing from you!  

 

P.S.  Here is one of my little plants that recently sprouted 3 weeks ago.  I am trying to keep it inside and then plan on transplanting it to a larger container once it has more stable rooms and stems.  Right now I am worried that the wind will blow it around to much.  There for a nice window spot is as close to a little green house for now.  

Simple Monday Table Setting

Monday starts the week off, and often when you get home from work it is nice to keep things simple, yet it is also fun and relaxing to transition with a simple table setting and dinner. Why not have some fun on a Monday! 

Soon you will feel like you're in a new atmosphere with good food, people, and a lovely things to look at.  This dinner was simple: a strawberry, Persian cucumber, pine nut salad, salmon, sparkling orange mineral water and pinot noir.  Nothing to fancy, yet delicious.  

The main thing I want to talk about is the small details you can add to a table setting:  a cute place mat to liven up a space, a row of candles, a few different colored glasses add character, a plant or fresh flowers in a vase.  Overall, the end effect once the candles are lite is relaxing, rejuvenating, and fun! 

Hope you can try some of these simple tips for a Monday or any day!  What are some simple table setting tips you have? 

{Strawberries, Persian Cucumbers, Mixed Salad Greens, Pine nuts, and Balsamic Vinaigrette}

{Beginning to set the table and think of the placement of things-  the salmon was served after the salad}

{A simple yet beautiful and relaxing dinner setting, perfect for Monday}

 Have a wonderful week and I hope I have some more time to post this week!  Thanks for following Food and Floras.