21st Birthday Bouquet

My little sister is turning 21 in a couple of days and I wanted to make her a fun gift to celebrate. Several months back when I made the "broquet" she said she loved it and wanted one. This gave me the idea to do something similar but with a twist to make it specific to her milestone birthday. I'm sure you can guess that the way I did that was by using alcohol minis in the bouquet, well you would be right. I am very happy with how it turned out and she absolutely loved it!

 

Now the steps to make this were pretty much the same as the broquet other then a few minor things. First I actually spray painted that cup gold, I couldn't find anything at the store I wanted and needed something plastic since I was shipping this. Once the cup was dry I filled the bottom of it with Easter grass so that it would be easier to arrange the items. Next I had to add sticks to all my items so they could be used in the bouquet. As you can see below some are on wooden sticks (they are from the kitchen section used for kabobs) and some are on straws, that is simply because that is what I had lying around and I wanted some to be different heights. You can also see that I cut the wooden sticks to varying heights, This just helps in arranging so you have visibility of more items.

 

Next I arranged everything in the cup. I started with all the mini bottles to make sure they would fit. Then put in all the Reese's eggs, mostly in the front, next the suckers, and last the skittles packs which I put all in the back. Once the bouquet was complete I packed my box with bubble wrap at the bottom then a layer of pink Easter grass, just to make it fun and festive. I was determined to make this fun and girly, which is why I picked out only the purple and pink wrapped Reese's eggs and tried pink ribbons around the bigger bottles I added into the box. Below is how the box looked before I shipped it off, adding in some mini margarita and wine bottles as well as frozen drink pouches.

 

I love when I get the opportunity to get creative and make a gift for someone so this project was a lot of fun for me. What sort of gifts have you created?

 

-E

Healthy Turkey Chili

I may be a day late but as promised here is the recipe for my healthy turkey chili. I originally found a similar recipe and since the first time I made it its become a favorite. It makes a TON which is great for leftovers and its very healthy as it is fully of veggies.

What You'll Need:

• 1-1.25 lbs lean turkey meat
• 2 chopped carrots
• 2 chopped celery sticks
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 diced green bell pepper
• 1 diced yellow onion
• 2-3 cloves diced garlic
• 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 28oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 16oz can black beans
• 16oz can kidney beans
• 1 can of water
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

* all of the spices should be adjusted to your taste, depending on how hot you like your chili, I recently made a batch with a little extra spice and it was too much for me

1. First brown your turkey meat in a pan with a little olive oil, once done set aside

2. Chop up all your veggies, keeping the onion separate

3. Sauté onion in some olive oil until translucent, then add it other veggies and garlic and continue sautéing for about 5 minutes

4. In your large pot combine turkey meat, veggies, cans of tomatoes and beans, a 16oz can of water and spices. Stir to combine, bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Top with a little shredded cheese and a dollop of Greek yogurt and enjoy!

I have come to love this recipe because it is simple, makes a large quantity and is healthy. I often make a big pot on Sundays and take it for lunch throughout the week. With this batch I froze half of it right away to have for future nights where cooking isn't an option so at least there will be a healthy option.