Thrifty Thursdays: Healthy Superbowl Snack Savers

What's more thrifty then staying home for the Superbowl and hosting a little party yourself? You will most certainly save on money- an 18 pack of bud-light bottles cost $14.99 at the local liquor store, while 1 bottle at the local bar costs $4. (That's a difference of $3.17  per bottle!) On top of that, you save a heck of a lot on calories when you eat at home. With dining out, it is difficult to determine exactly what you are consuming since there are many high-sodium and artificial ingredients that go into many restaurant dishes. As a result, restaurant dishes have a much higher level of fat & calories then those made at home. 

So today, I am going to show you some healthy Superbowl snacks that you can buy right at your local grocery store, as well as some of my favorite healthy Game-Day recipes to make at home.

Game Day Grocery Store List

Homemade Appetizers:

 Red Pepper & Bacon Sweet Potato Skins (from the Undressed Skeleton) 

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip Stuffed Peppers (from Fight the Inner Foodie)

Homemade Spreads

Healthy 6-Layer Dip Recipe (from Women's Health Magazine)

Homemade Dessert 

Skinny Fudge Brownies with Butterscotch Drizzle (from Back for Seconds Blog)

I hope that I have made your Superbowl snacking, a little thriftier & healthier for you. And while I am sad that the Pats aren't in it, I am looking forward to the Super Bowl commercials, like this Budweiser commercial that will be aired on game-day that will absolutely melt your heart...

Buddyweiser- Puppy Love

Create a Thrifty Thursday everyone! Below is your daily dose of inspiration.

Photo Courtesy of: Dan Phakos

*Now you can follow me on BlogLovin' for a daily email notifying you of that day's topic. 

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page .

* Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Thrifty Thursdays: Dollar Store Gifts

I whipped this project up on account of the many gifts my family so deserved this past month. 3 of my cousins that are sisters were “preggers” and so I made them each nursery signs, while another one of my cousin's celebrated her birthday and relaunched her style blog with a new name. 

I am an only child and so my 6 cousins have always been like siblings to me. However, they all live in Indiana and since I’m in Boston, I’m not able to see them as much as I would like. Growing up as an only child, my day to day life was not very chaotic or noisy. There was no need to fight for the bathroom, the TV remote, the last breadstick, and whatever else that is believed to be the “picturesque” notion of having siblings.

 I remember growing up and envying all of the baby showers, weddings, and other family events that my friends carted off to each weekend. Luckily, I got to experience that "big family" feeling every Winter break when I went to visit my mom’s side of the family, the Vetters. Each Christmas Eve, I, along with my other 20+ family members fill the first two pews of seats at our family's church in Anderson, IN. After services, we always pile into my “Mamaw’s” (that’s "Indianian" for Grandmother) house where I secretly relish having to eat the buffet style dinner on a TV tray and fight over sleeping arrangements with my cousins.

*My parents and I, the smallest family of the Vetter clan

My summer breaks also consisted of traveling to Indiana, where our family reunions were just as large and in charge. Each reunion, the whole Vetter family travels to 1 of the 5 state national parks in Indiana, where we have to book 9 motel rooms to fit everyone! 

Every year, my aunt hands out a brand spanking new family t-shirt that has some sort of theme. Our names can always be found on the back of the shirt listed in a  theme such as the rock star concert line-up on our shirt above. Regardless of the theme, however, my  "Mamaw” serves as our matriarch, and we pay tribute to my Papaw.

 With over 20 people wearing neon, and lots of very entertaining personalities, we certainly make an entrance everywhere we go. When walking through the town stores, people stop us to ask about our shirts since we are the "strangest looking baseball team" they've ever seen. Our typical reply is that we are “here to rep Team Vetter" and if my cousin Stephanie is around you may here a "HOLLA, HOLLA" right after. I greatly cherish the summers spent with my family each year, a time in which I get to "play" for a very large team. I know this is one of the many reasons as to why the Midwest always feels like coming home. 

*Top Picture: Girl Cousins 

(3 to the right are the mamas!)

Bottom Picture:  All of the Cousins. 

 (man, are we good at pyramids)

My cousins and I range in age from 20-34. 3 of the girls, who are sisters, all became pregnant this year. These are the first babies in our family! While I haven't been able to attend the baby showers, I wanted to make each little lovebug a nursery sign for their room.  Since I love "wise words" so much, I chose a personalized quote for each.

My cousin Stephanie, the oldest of the cousin clan, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Remington Ashley last week. I chose the quote; “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart” from Winnie the Pooh, for the little diva, shown on your right.

My cousin Cassie, the middle sister, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last night named Estella and I am happy to report that the mom and baby are doing great! For this little lovebug, I chose the quote; “Though she but little, she is fierce” –William Shakespare.

And finally, my cousin Sammy, the youngest of the 3 sisters, is due in April and just found out that she is having a boy! For Sammy’s future little one, I chose the  quote; “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow, but for now just be my little man.”

Lastly, my cousin Kristin recently had a birthday and so I made her a sign for her newly re-titled style blog, Polish and Pepper. 

As you can see there are lots of exciting things happening right now for everyone and so I decided to make personalized gifts to mark each new "premiere" in the Vetter family.  Without further ado, here is the Dollar Store sign-making tutorial: 

1. Supplies Needed: Degree Certificate Frame, Premium Photo Paper (regular computer paper is fine, I just like the look of the glossy finish), printed out photos/quotes from Pinterest ( I also use Google images), gift wrapping supplies (Find wrapping paper and gift bag prints that you enjoy), and mini hot glue gun (spray adhesive works well too). All supplies can be found at the dollar store.

2. Print photos out on glossy paper & experiment with placement onto the sample piece of paper that came with your frame, until you're happy. 
3. Adhere the photos to the sample piece of picture with your glue gun or spray adhesive.

4. Let pictures dry completely. Place picture back in frame, and display for the world to see! 

And there you have it, a creative, quick & easy, low-cost, personalized gift for all those loved ones on your holiday gift list. Now for a dose of your daily inspiration...

Wordless Wednesdays: Beauty can be Found Right in Your Backyard

Courtesy of the beautiful: Miss Kelsey J. Andrade

 Location: Seekonk, Ma

And now for your daily dose of inspiration...

Friday Favorites: Ashley Sofia

The first post of the Friday Favorite series covers Miss Ashley Sofia, an incredibly talented folk/rock musician who is beautiful both inside and out. While she is a fellow Tri Delt and soul sister from another mister, I am featuring  her today because I am a huge FAN of her music. What makes Ashley stand out from the crowd of other younger singers is that she is an artist, first and foremost. She plays, sings, and writes all her own music, and this certainly contributes to as why her music feels so pure and soulful.

Ashley grew up in the Adirondacks and loves the outdoors.  I love following her on Instagram as she often snaps breathtaking views from her hikes. Her photos are featured in today's dose of inspiration.

Ashley  describes her songs as "poems set to music." Her new album, "Love and Fury" will be released in December. However, lucky for you, her first single "Judas" has already been released! I highly suggest that you take a listen to it. I guarantee you will find yourself randomly singing along..."You're my Judas, You're my Judas, Ju-Ju-Judas. Now I see straight through ya." (I may have been given strange looks in the grocery store once or twice).

Ashley is an incredible storyteller through music and I asked her to share with me what inspires her when writing such beautiful stories:

"As painful as it is to share songs that come from the depths of my soul, it's important that people know these stories are real. These songs have given me courage and hope and solace, and as my career has grown, I've learned that they've helped my fan friends too. These songs aren't just for me anymore. They're for you. I want people to realize that when they hear me sing- that we're in this together"

If you want to learn more about this incredible woman head over to her website here. Below are a few of Ashleys favorites.

Have a great Friday everyone! I know Ashley will, she has a sold out show tonight in Albany!

*If you can't get enough Ashley Sofia, a few of my other favorites include...

 If We Really Try, featuring J. Lye- Let Me Go, Hold Me Back-10 Song Mashup-Let Go

Thrifty Thursdays: DIY Hair Masque

I am so excited to kick off Thrifty Thursdays! Today, I want to help you save a little money while still being able to indulge your hair with a spa-quality treatment. This DIY masque is so ridiculously easy and low cost that you may wonder, like I did, why you haven't done it before. Coconut oil has become a huge component of my daily routine:  from  oil pulling in the morning to putting it on my lips as a natural chapstick...it has become my "go-to" for all things health and beauty. Therefore, it was inevitable that I eventually would try it in my hair. But, before I get into that, I want to first provide you with  a little " hair testimonial."

Growing up, I was a frequent passenger on the struggle bus  when it came to taming my hair. It was thick, frizzy, and I had no idea what to do with it. In fact, whenever I would go on vacation, I would get a blowout prior to leaving and try to make that baby last as long as I could.. However, tables turned when my best friend Jackie began her career as a hairdresser, and even more blessed that she is incredibly good at it.

She helped me to achieve the right color by fixing my "oops I dyed my hair red while I was at college in NY" incident, cut, and style. And so i wanted to hold up my end of the haircare routind by ensuring it was healthy. Whether out to breakfast or at the salon, I would anxiously await for my hair health report and she would say things such as "Lu, we gotta do a hair conditioning masque on you. Your hair is very dry." And so just like the kid on the football team who wants the coach to recognize him , I worked really hard to get Jackie's "pat on the back"/seal of approval for next time. 

I set out on my journey to healthy hair by going to Target to buy  biotin vitamins, eliminating any use of hair styling tools, and trying out numerous hair conditioning masques. Then I would greet her at each new visit with the hope that finally my hair would seem healthier and less dry. She'd often say something encouraging such as "getting there Lu,"  but just  like the "little squirt" football player, I wanted to score a touchdown. 

And so I am very excited to share with you all that during my last visit to the salon on Friday, Jackie said; "Lu your hair has never looked healthier" and with that nod of approval, I finally scored a touchdown! And you better believe I walked into the room like this for the next couple of days.  

What had I done differently you might ask? I had begun using a coconut oil masque once a week. And guess what you can get a big ol' jar of the stuff at Ocean State Job lot for under $6!  Below you will find the DIY coconut masque tutorial and your daily dose of inspiration. This post is dedicated to Miss Jacqueline Angelos, who has always taught me to go after what I want and been along for so much more than just my hair journey these past 12 years. Love you boo!