fall

3 Dairy Free Recipes for Fall

| The Bee Life

As the days cool, the nights darken and the full effects of comfort food and fall hit us – I can’t help but look for recipes that fit the void of comfort food, while being diet-friendly. And by diet friendly, I don’t mean some strict diet I’m on, just the diet of agreeing with my stomach, aka no dairy! I’ve definitely become more strict on my no dairy, and feel much better without it. We’ve also been trying to eat low-carb, and have surprisingly been able to stick to that fairly well, also!
Dairy Free Fall Recipes - the bee life
Baked Almond Feta with Rosemary (dairy free): This not only looks easy with minimum ingredients, but looks delicious and the perfect dish for appetizers and upcoming holiday parties! Plus all the dairy-free party goers can enjoy it too. Enjoy the full recipe here. 

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash: We’ve already enjoyed this dish a few times, and all I can say is YUM! Not to mention, you don’t feel as guilty but can still indulge in buffalo chicken dip tastes without eating a million chips! The ranch and hot sauce are areas where I air with caution (and the best part about BCP) but this recipe offers great substitutes for the dairy free eaters.  Enjoy the full recipe here.

Lasagna (gluten + dairy free): This is a must-try for this cool season and fits within our low-carb and dairy free diet restrictions! Although this has a bit more prep-time, it isn’t anything new when it comes to making lasagna – just a different kind of prep to get that cashew cheese substitute.  Trina’s full recipe is available here.

Have you conformed your favorite comfortable foods to fit your dietary needs? If so, share them below!

Weekend Recap – Annual Clam Bake

| The Bee Life

As the last weekend of October is behind us, it ended with another busy weekend full of friends, family and fun! The weather is finally feeling like fall too, I know I was complaining of not being in the fall spirit early in the month because it was so sunny and warm – definitely in the fall spirit now with the rain and chilly weekend we had.  It made for a cold clam bake, but that didn’t keep the party away.
2017 Clam Bake - the bee life
The clam bake is pretty much the same every year, with a few exceptions; like who is there, the sporting events being televised, and the weather.   Some years more family is able to join, while in other years it’s a smaller crowd.  We were hopeful that we might be doing some World Series watch parties at this year’s clam bake, but no dice – although the OSU vs. Penn State game made up for it. And although the rain cleared before the fun started, it was still a cool night which made for a lot of crowding around outdoor heaters and fires or frequent trips inside to warm up!

It’s always a fun time, an October tradition that I love – and this year it was essentially the last hurrah before our big day! Eek!

5 Must Do Fall Crafts

| The Bee Life

I’m not sure about you, but we’ve still been having summer-like days and it does not feel like October! Not to mention, I’m pretty sure September was over in a blink of an eye, but I am starting to sound like a broken record.  So since it’s officially fall, I wanted to share these 5 must do crafts to help us get into the fall mood!
5 Fall Crafts - the bee life
Although I’m not huge into decorating for Halloween, and more of an all around fall girl – these fun sassy painted pun-kins are a fun way to spice up your decor and make a statement! They also remind me of conversation hearts and could be given to friends as a hostess gift or just for a chuckle.   The rest of these crafts are definitely perfect for the whole fall season right until you start putting up the Christmas lights and hanging the stockings.  Although you could buy the square pumpkin wreath from TJ Maxx – this could be easily made (DIY tutoring coming soon)! And for a fraction of the cost, I would guess. I love the square shape, it’s different from the norm and the white pumpkins give it a clean and fresh look.

You know I can’t resist a wooden hand painted sign and this Fall Awaits sign with the added florals really makes a pop, adds some color and makes that statement we all want to have! The last two crafts help prep your table especially if you’re hosting Turkey Day.  These easy and low cost thankful napkin rings are the perfect touch to finish your table setting and leave a personal touch for your guests.  Continue to wow guests with a simple centerpiece featuring more white pumpkins (obsessed!), berries and more sweet sentiments – not to mention I love the long narrow wooden cutting board as the base, keeping the focal point.

So if you’ve been like me and are just starting to realize that fall is happening – light an apple or pumpkin spice candle try a few of these to spruce up your place!

Happy Fall Y’all!

Latest Obsessions 09.17

| The Bee Life

It seems like every time I check the calendar it’s the last week of another month! Where did the month of September go!?  I hope you enjoy this month’s latest obsession; spoiler they’re fall focused – because as much as I still love soaking up all this warm sun, I love all the fall feels.
Latest Obsessions 0917 - the bee life
Booties: I think booties are the perfect transitional shoe for cool summer nights into fall days. Not to mention booties are still the perfect accessory to cute dresses into the winter and spring seasons. I need all the booties!

Cozy Fall Mornings: There is nothing I love more than sitting and enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee, especially when it’s on the weekend and the sun is shining bright with a nice cool breeze. It’s the perfect way to start the weekend and get ready for the day!

Sweatshirt Dress:  I had featured a dress in a recent blog post highlighting Cabi’s Fall/Winter collection and I’m still dreaming over the Flashdance Dress! I’ve been trying to find a similar one that is a little more affordable, but no luck yet. The shape of the Flashdance dress is so flattering and the fabric used for the Cabi dress is like wearing the softest blanket around your body!

Our Wedding! Okay, this one isn’t so fall related – but we’re less than 2-months from our wedding day. EEEK! Like everyone else who has ever gotten married, I am just ready for the actual day. It’ll be bitter sweet.

What are you favorite things about fall?


Photo Source: Top Left | Top Right | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

Cabi – Fall/Winter Fashion Preview

| The Bee Life

This past weekend, I was lucky to have a preview of Cabi’s Fall/Winter 2017 fashion line.  If you haven’t been introduced to the world of Cabi, let me introduce you. It’s a modern way to shop for clothes in the comfort of your own home, with your friends and a personal stylist – not to mention a limited wardrobe so not everyone will have the same clothes!

Cabi offers two clothing lines each year; Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter – the pieces and color themes translate from line to line allowing for you to expand outfit options and your wardrobe to a cohesive closet full of style and comfort.
Cabi - Fall_Winter 2017
My Favorite Pieces this Season:  Lineup Legging; should be a staple in every women’s closet.  The Flashdance Dress; feels like you’re wrapped up in a fleece blanket, not to mention it’s super cute! Pair this with the Frosty Vest, some tights and booties and you’ve got the perfect date night outfit!  If you’re looking for a piece to feel like a boss in the boardroom, consider the Tailor Coat. The Regiment Pullover is the perfect transition for summer nights into fall, plus the color blocking on the sides is SO FLATTERING.  Another much needed staple for your closet is the Chill Tee, you’ll never be the same after trying this one on!

Full disclosure; I am guilty every season of looking at the pieces online and thinking, ehh there isn’t too many pieces I like or would want to try. But then, I see the pieces in person and feel how soft they are and I crumble and instantly have a list of almost everything! So don’t check these off as easy, as you might!

So how do you Cabi?  There are stylists all over the U.S. and you can schedule shows with them and you invite your girlfriends, and they come over show all the pieces of the collection with different styling options.  Not to mention this is a pretty rad company made by women, for women and run by women.

Enjoy the full collection; here!

House Tour – Front Porch

| The Bee Life

One of my favorite parts of our house is our front porch.  I love dressing it up for the different seasons, but especially the fall! Filling it with mums, pumpkins and other warm and welcoming elements to highlight our home (and blue door)! The front door and porch are the first impression of the house; so although a lot of the pieces have been a work in progress and the patio furniture isn’t up to (my) snuff it’s a place where I like to focus time and effort to create a warm impression! fullsizerenderimg_7334fullsizerender-1This year I went for whites and purples for my mums and mixed in some white pumpkins with a lot of bright oranges ones! The pumpkins and mums line the pathway leading to the front door and the large wooden Welcome sign. I just love how the wooden sign turned out with the rest of the fall decor.

Share your front porch decor with me; tag me on instagram @mmariebee. 

Thanks for visiting!

Weekend Recap – Clam Bake

| The Bee Life

This past weekend, continued the theme of our jammed packed October (fall-filled) weekends! And because of that I needed an extra day to recover since it was such a whirlwind.

It was my aunt’s annual clam bake weekend, which meant our house was full of family and friends.  The clam bake was super special this year since we celebrated my Aunt’s 60th birthday, not to mention the Indians are headed to the World Series; WOOO! So more family than usual came into town and the normal guest list was skimmed down to VIP’s only.  Although it was about 80+ VIPs. When you throw together good food, family, friends, corn hole, pumpkin beers, football pools and some good games you can’t go wrong with an awesome night.

The rest of the weekend leading up to the clambake was full of rude contractors, cleaning the house (pre and post), friends, brunch, and a nap or two. This month has been a blast but is flying by, I can’t believe we’re a week away from November!

Weekend Recap – A New York Fall

| The Bee Life

We had another jammed packed weekend, full of family and everything fall.  We ventured to my parents house for the weekend.
Weekend Recap - NY & Fall.png
Saturday morning we ventured over to my brother and SIL’s new house!! It’s so beautiful.It was great seeing it in person, it has a lot of that century home character that B and I both love, except it’s updated in the right places (like the kitchen and bathrooms).  We also had a delicious brunch at their house, a breakfast pizza, which I need to get the recipe for! It was delicious.

Saturday night we headed over to my cousins house, another new house that we got to see a tour of their new house, which was also beautiful! They hosted their first annual chili cook-off, it was a cool fall evening.  There were 8-different chili’s with various toppings and the desserts were to die for. I was sipping on apple cider and champagne all night.  We also played a game of Cards Against Humanity, with our moms!  It was great getting in some extended family time in with some awesome laughs too!

Sunday morning we went to church with the whole fam, got breakfast at the local diner and then headed out to the local apple orchard/pumpkin farm.  B ended up picking out a 26 pound pumpkin! We got some McIntyre apples, apple pies will be being made soon.

It was seriously the quintessential fall weekend, the weather, the leaves coloring, the activities, company, the poncho and boots, it was just perfect.

 

5 Reasons To Host a Fall Party

| The Bee Life

If you don’t have an upcoming fall party planned, I highly recommend getting something in the books whether it’s later this month or into early November. And if you’re not convinced why you should be hosting a fall party… or that it can be SUPER easy, let me tell you how. reasons-to-host-a-fall-partyBrunch & Football – Throwing together a football brunch can be really easy too, with a magic thing called breakfast casserole (recipe to come)! Most of the prep for a breakfast casserole is the night ahead, so all you have to do the morning of is throw it in the oven.  Have a TV with football? Boom, turn it on and grab some mimosas or bloody mary makings and your set for a day of drinking, friends and football – check out our brunch last fall.

Chili – I’ll be sharing my mom’s delicious chili recipe (that I’ve adopted overtime) on an upcoming post.  But as long as you have a killer recipe, a box or two of cornbread and a crockpot, all you need to do is throw the ingredients together in the morning and by mid-afternoon or by dinner time you’ll have a delicious, easy to serve, low mess and matience dish for your guests!  Have some friends bring some beers and dessert and you’ve got a low key night. Light some candles, start a fire and pull out some games and you’ve got a fun night ahead of you.

Pumpkin Beers – Literally craft a party around pumpkins beers (or harvest blends).  Have your guests bring a six pack or two, and let the tasting begin.  You could even create score cards and a rating system for everyone to weigh in.

Breweries or New Spots –  Don’t want to host something at your house? Plan a gathering at a local pub or a new brewery with your favorites.  Not only will there be no mess to clean up at the end of the night, but you’ll be able to try something new or enjoy a fan favorite.  Then end the night with a bonfire back at your house!

Pie Baking – Have a girls afternoon and bake some pies! Pop open some wine or rose, share some recipes and bake some yummy pies or fall favorites to work out the kinks for upcoming holiday celebrations!

The summer’s are always so busy so try and catch-up with friends now before the holiday craze starts up again! You don’t need to be too elaborate or overthink your upcoming fall party, it can be easy, low key and affordable!

Hosting an upcoming fall party? Share your pictures or hacks with me on twitter or instagram @mmariebee.