Sante Fe Chicken

I've been complaining lately about my crockpot chicken dishes turning out dry and bland. I finally found a crockpot chicken recipe that wasn't dry or bland...yay! I'm not sure if it didn't turn out dry because there was plenty of liquid for it to cook in or what. At any rate, Santa Fe Chicken is a keeper! It's very versatile as well and can be eaten in a number of ways.

Santa Fe Chicken
From Skinny Taste
24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth (or homemade broth to keep it all-natural)
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste 

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste. Serve over rice or tortillas and your favorite toppings. We ate ours with tortilla chips, salsa verde, sour cream and shredded cheese.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

One of my favorite pasta dishes I like to make is my homemade chicken Alfredo (check out the original recipe here). I was going to make it last night again, but decided to mix it up a little bit. Since we've been eating more low-carb meals, I swapped out the pasta for a thin pizza crust. My hubby had found this amazing recipe for thin crust pizzas made on the grill and so we combined the two recipes. AMAZING! The Alfredo sauce made for a perfect pizza sauce and combined with the chicken, veggies and lots of mozzarella cheese, it was super delicious. The pizza dough sounds like a lot of work, but it's actually pretty easy and you can double or triple the recipe and freeze the extra crusts. 


Chicken Alfredo Pizza
Homemade Alfredo Sauce (recipe here) **Double the sauce up and freeze the extras for another meal
Thin-Crusted Pizza Crusts (see recipe below) **Double the recipe and freeze the extras
1 large onion cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 package fresh mushrooms
1 or 2 large chicken breasts, diced
2 cups mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
oregano

Saute the chicken with salt, pepper and oregano until no longer pink. Add in the onions and mushrooms and cook until soft. 

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F). 

Lay the dough on the cooking grate, with the paper side facing up. Grab one corner of the paper with tongs and peel it off. Grill over direct medium heat until they are marked on the underside, 2 to 3 minutes, rotating the crusts occasionally for even cooking. Don't worry if the crusts bubble; they will deflate when turned over. Transfer the crusts to the back of a baking sheet, with the grilled sides facing up.

Spread about ½ cup of the Alfredo sauce across each pizza crust, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Arrange the onions, mushrooms and chicken over the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Transfer the pizzas from the baking sheet to the cooking grate. Grill until the crusts are crisp and the cheese is melted, 4 to 5 minutes, rotating the crusts occasionally for even cooking. Sprinkle with more oregano. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into wedges. Serve warm.

Thin-Crusted Pizza Dough
Adapted from Weber's Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance

1 envelope active dry yeast
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
¾ cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
2-½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium bowl combine the yeast and sugar with the warm water. Stir once and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 2-½ cups of the flour, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the salt. Stir until the dough holds together. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn the ball to cover the surface with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 1-½ hours. Punch down the dough in the bowl. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Cut parchment paper into 9-inch squares and lightly oil each sheet of paper on one side. Roll or press the dough flat on the oiled side of the paper into circles about 8 inches in diameter, leaving the dough a little thicker at the edge than in the middle. Then lightly oil the top side of the dough. At this point, the crusts are ready to grill or can be frozen to be used later.

Holy Watermelon Batman!

Liesl is so proud of the watermelon she grew! Look how huge it is...almost half the height of Liesl!! And it tastes delicious too! Yay gardening :)

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken

Another crockpot chicken recipe, another disappointment. I'm just not loving how the chicken turns out in the crockpot...dry, flavorless and bland. Any suggestions on cooking chicken in the crockpot??

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken
Adapted from Keepn Up With J

- 4-5 frozen chicken breasts
- 2 small yellow squash
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium purple onion

- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

Place frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of a medium/large crock pot. Slice all of your veggies – squash, zucchini, onion – and throw into the crock pot over your chicken. Add Worcestershire sauce and Balsamic vinegar. Cook on High for 4 hours. Keep heated on Warm until ready to serve. You can shred or leave your chicken whole

Homemade Meatballs

Before going clean, I used to make a meatball dish that was delish and super easy. I wanted to make it last week, but when I looked at the frozen meatballs, I was surprised once again at the amount of preservatives. So, I decided to make my own. Well, technically, I decided that my hubby would make his own ;) 

Unfortunately, my husband lost his job two weeks ago and so he's been very bored at home while he job searches. To keep him occupied (and out of my hair!), I've given him some cooking and baking tasks, since he loves to cook and bake as much as I do. (Sorry ladies, he's all mine and yes, I know how lucky I am to have a man who cooks ;)

Anywho...here's his recipe. They turned out so yummy, I didn't even use the sauce I usually pair with them. 

Homemade Meatballs
Adapted from The Kitchn

2 lbs. ground meat of your choice (Matt used ground beef)
2 tablespoons of either or a combination of: dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 cups bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands. Mix well but don't overmix or you will end up with dense meatballs. If the mixture does not stick together, add a little more tomato sauce a tablespoon at a time. Form the meat mixture into balls about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Don't pack them too tight. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the meatballs over pasta and sauce.

Additional Information:

You could try adding chopped vegetables such as onions, peppers, and eggplant for more flavor. You can also cook the meatballs in a skillet for 7 to 8 minutes if you don't want to use an oven.

What's Your Thing Chicken Wing?

I love chicken wings almost as much as I love pizza. I found raw chicken wings on sale at Kroger the other week and so I decided to make our own at home. 

My favorite chicken wings are the garlic Parmesan and chipolte BBQ dust from Buffalo Wild Wings and so I looked up a copycat recipes online. I could only find the garlic parm recipe, so that's what I went with. I didn't want to fry the wings to keep somewhat healthy and so I also found a recipe for baked chicken wings that are just as crispy at their fried counterparts. 

They turned out so good!! Almost exactly like BW3s and a little better for you since they were baked :) Though it sounded really weird, the boiling the wings did make them nice and crispy in the oven. 

BW3s Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings
Adapted from Fifteen Spatulas and Epic Porportions

Parmesan Garlic

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

- See more at: http://www.epicportions.com/2009/02/25/buffalo-wild-wings-recipes/#sthash.U2dZZeQO.dpuf

1 to 2 lbs chicken wings
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

armesan Garlic

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

- See more at: http://www.epicportions.com/2009/02/25/buffalo-wild-wings-recipes/#sthash.U2dZZeQO.dpuf

Heat up a big pot of boiling water. Season the water like you would for cooking pasta.
 
Boil the chicken wings for 7-8 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack so the excess water can drain off. 

Let them drip dry a little bit, then dry them well with a paper towel.
 
Season the chicken wings lightly with salt (though if you salted the boiling water enough, it won't need much, if any). Place the chicken wings directly on a sheet pan. Bake the chicken wings for 30 minutes on one side, then flip the wings and bake for another 10 minutes on the other side.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl, add the cooked chicken wings and coat well. Serve immediately. 

armesan Garlic

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

- See more at: http://www.epicportions.com/2009/02/25/buffalo-wild-wings-recipes/#sthash.U2dZZeQO.dpuf

Kale Chips

When I attended the Whole Foods tour several weeks back, the nutritionist mentioned making kale chips. I was intrigued, and a little skeptical, because she said her kiddos loved them and they tasted just like potato chips. Anyway, I picked some up at Kroger (I had to read all the labels in the general vicinity because I had no idea what kale looked like!). Just to clarify...it's a large, leafy, dark green lettuce looking plant...like this...




Take the kale and remove the leaves from the ribs. Place the leaves on a cookie sheet, coat well with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Bake 225 degrees for 20 minutes until the kale is crispy and brown.

I served the kale chips with chicken wings to try and counteract the badness of the wings :)

Conclusion...kale chips definitely do not taste like potato chips. I thought they were nice and crispy and had good flavor, but my family disagreed. Liesl turned hers over and over before taking a very tiny bite and declaring she didn't like it. Gavin just looked at his and threw it on the ground. So, our family is probably not a kale family. Let me know what your family thinks!

Freezing Green Beans

Another harvest from our garden...lots and lots of green beans! Instead of canning, I decided to freeze them. I blanched them for 1-2 minutes, then immediately put in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. After draining well, I put the green beans in a freezer ziplock bag and put in the freezer to enjoy all winter long :) Easy peasy!

Greek Tortellini Salad

First a story...when I was pregnant with Liesl, we went out to eat with Matt's coworkers to a really excellent Greek restaurant. The food was very authentic and super delicious. Unfortunately for me, I was 8 weeks preggers and super sick and the Greek food (damn you flaming cheese!) sent me over-the-edge sick. For a long time, I could not even think about Greek food, see someone cooking it on TV or drive by a Greek restaurant without wanting to vomit. 

Slowly, I'm starting to enjoy Greek food again and recently tried Greek tortellini salad. It was so good and super easy to make. This would be a great dish to take to a picnic or dinner party because you make it ahead and you serve it cold. 

Greek Tortellini Salad
From Two Peas and Their Pod

1 (20 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 cup kalamata olives, pit removed and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain the tortellini and rinse with cold water.
2. Place the tortellini in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until salad is well coated. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator.
Note-this salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Flat Belly Diet 4-Day Anti-Bloat Cleanse

Before I started the whole journey to eating clean, I did a 10-day Advocare Cleanse to clear out my system, so to speak. It did wonderful things for my energy levels and helped get my mindset into eating clean. Well, nine months later, I decided I needed another push of the reset button. I've been doing really well overall, but summer has been hard for overeating and not choosing good foods. So, I am doing another cleanse, but this time I am doing the Flat Belly Diet 4-day Anti-Bloat Cleanse.

I am not a fan of diets at all because I think they set you up for eating unrealistically and while you may have success at the beginning, it usually fades pretty quickly. I'm more for lifestyle changes that you can adopt for the rest of your life. I came across the Flat Belly Diet and was skeptical at first, but after reading through the book, I decided to try the cleanse and then adopt some of the diet. The diet is basically a 1600-calorie Mediterranean diet that includes a MUFA (monounsaturated fat) in every meal. You can read more about it here and here.

I'll talk more about the diet as I go along, but I wanted to tell you all about the cleanse. I definitely felt less bloated afterwards, but pretty hungry each day. I definitely did not consume enough calories for my 14k training and bonked on one of my runs. Overall, it was a great way to reset my appetite and I did lose a few pounds. I will continue to drink the Sassy Water because was very refreshing and suppressed my appetite.

Here's what was on the menu for each day (plus my modifications). I took some creative liberties and swapped out some of the sides and changed them between days:

Day 1
Breakfast
1 c unsweetened cornflakes
1 c skim milk
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce (I did not eat this...gross)
1/2 c raw or roasted sunflower seeds
1 glass sassy water

Lunch
4 oz turkey
1 light string cheese
1 pt fresh grape tomatoes
glass of sassy water

Smoothie: 1 c skim milk,1 c frozen blueberries blended then add 1 Tbsp cold pressed organic flaxseed oil (This can be eaten as a mid-morning, mid-afternoon or after dinner snack...whenever you need the pick-me-up)

Dinner
1 c fresh/frozen cooked green beans
4 oz grilled/cooked tilapia
1/2 c roasted red potatoes drizzled with 1 tsp olive oil.

Day 2
Breakfast
1 c Rice Krisipies
1 c skim milk
1/4 c sunflower seeds
4 oz pineapple tidbits canned in juice (left this out...not a pineapple fan either)
glass of sassy water

Lunch
3 oz light tuna in water (I did turkey every day b/c I don't like tuna)
1 c steamed baby carrots (I used raw, regular carrots...too much sugar in the baby ones)
1 light string cheese
Sassy water

Smoothie: 1 c skim milk, 4 oz canned pineapple tidbits in juice in blender, stir in 1 tbsp flax oil

Dinner
1 c fresh crimini (bella) mushrooms sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil
3 oz grilled chicken breast
1/2 c brown rice
Sassy water

Day 3
Breakfast
Same as Day 1 except for 2 Tbsp raisins instead of applesauce

Lunch
Same as Day 1

Smoothie: use 1 c frozen peaches w/ 2 tsp flax oil

Dinner
Same as day 1 except for 3oz baked turkey cutlet instead of fish. (I did chicken again)

Day 4
Breakfast
1 pkg instant cream of wheat
1 c skim milk
1/4 c sunflower seed
2 dried plums

Lunch
Same as Day 1

Smoothie use 1 c frozen strawberries/2 tsp flax oil

Dinner
1 c fresh/frozen yellow squash sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil
3 oz grilled chicken breast
1/2 c brown rice
Sassy water

During 4 days you also must avoid coffee, any soft drink, sweeteners, salt, excess carbs, bulky raw food, gassy foods, gum, fried foods, spicy foods.

The Sassy Water Recipe

2 liters water (about 8 ½ cups)1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
12 small spearmint leaves.
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight.
Drink the entire pitcher by the end of each day.

I Saw, I Pinned, I Conquered Part Four

This is a Pinterest project I've had pinned for over a year, and finally we had collected enough bits and pieces of old crayons. Whenever your kiddos break a crayon or you get down to the stubbies, save those pieces, peel off all the paper and put into silicon baking cups or molds. Put in the oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let harden. Out comes fun-shaped, very colorful crayons!

Canned Pasta Sauce

We planted three different types of tomatoes in our garden--roma, cherry and Better Boy--and we have a bounty of all of them. There are only so many recipes and foods that we use cherry tomatoes for, so I decided to make pasta sauce from them. I didn't follow a recipe, I just kind of made it up as I went. I took chopped garlic and onion and sauteed in a big stock pot. I then took the cherry tomatoes (after removing the stems and washing them) and just threw them in the pot, added some salt, pepper and dried oregano and let it all cook down. After cooking for 20 minutes or so, I took a potato masher and mashed it all up into more of a sauce, let cook another 10 minutes and then canned the sauce.

Not only was this recipe low maintenance (no cutting or chopping!), it was delicious :) The sauce turns out a little thinner than typical pasta sauce, more like a marinara sauce, so if you like it thicker, add some tomato paste while cooking. We used the sauce as a pizza sauce too, which ended up great!

Never Forget.

I was a freshman in college, my first full week of classes at Ohio University. I had just moved into the dorms a week earlier, leaving my family and friends behind, almost five hours from home. I got back from my Poli Sci class to my roommate watching it all unfold on TV. Honestly, beyond that, the only other things I remember is my mom calling me crying, wanting me to come home and my dad being suspiciously quiet on the phone that night. I remember prayer vigils that night and throughout the rest of the week and then everything went back to normal.

It wasn't until many years later, after I had kids of my own that the full impact of 9/11 hit me. I remember two years ago, on the 10 year anniversary, pregnant with Gavin, teeter-tottering between agonizing over how I could bring another life into a horrible, broken world and touched by the humanness that shown through that awful day, the day after and in different moments since then. Every year, I grieve with those who lost loved ones, think about the survivors and pray for the true heroes...firefighters, police offices, soldiers. The ones who deserve our thanks every day of the year, not just on Patriots Day. 

I decided to start a new tradition this year. Liesl colored several pictures, very carefully wrote her name and asked me how to spell "thank you". Seeing her childish scribbles spell out such a powerful message broke me. I wish we could all speak compliments, kind words and gratefulness from our heart so easily and without pretense. 

We took the pictures to our local fire station and told the firefighters thank you for their service today and always. They gave us a mini tour of the huge ladder truck and even let Liesl give the driver's seat a go :) I know a few colored pictures is not adequate enough thanks for all that firefighters, police officers and soldiers do for us, but I thought it was a great start to teach my children. I want to teach them that a horrific day in September changed our country and so many lives forever, but that despite the awfulness of it all, we came out stronger as a country, as a people. I want to teach them to love, to empathize, to be proud of our country and to stand up for what they believe. I want to teach them to give thanks freely, especially to those who truly deserve it. I want to teach them to keep their faith in our sovereign God. 

I want to teach them to never forget.

I Saw, I Pinned, I Conquered, Part Three

I love having pictures of family and friends all around the house, but I was starting to run out spots to put frames on shelves and such. Several years ago, we went to the Indianapolis Home Show and the showcase home had a beautiful photo gallery going up the staircase. I especially loved the groupings of four and five picture frames together and had seen them in stores, but knew they were pretty expensive. So, we took $1 and $2 Goodwill and garage sale picture frames, glued them together, repainted all one color and added a hook to hang. Some of the frames we kept their original color. Instant and cheap photo collages! I've started to intersperse other single picture frames among the large groupings to create a photo gallery down the stairway.

Last year, my hubby built a pergola over our back patio. I've always loved all the different mason jar lighting and chandeliers that are all over Pinterest, but again, to buy them, they are pretty expensive. Instead, we made our own from a $9 wine barrel ring, 4 mason jars we found from the Lakeside Collection (found here) that had the hooks and lights already in them and were only $5 a piece, 4 hooks and some black chain.Instant lighting charm :)

Canned Sweet Banana Peppers

I recently gotten into canning, somewhat of a lost art. My grandma used to can all the time and my cousins and I loved helping her. I especially loved the canned strawberry jam. Nothing better than homemade, sugary goodness :)

One of the reasons I wanted a garden was to be able to have lots of veggies for canning and boy did I get what I wanted! My banana peppers are growing like crazy, so I've canned several pints. We love sweet banana peppers on salads, fajitas, cheesesteaks and other recipes calling for peppers. 

Here's my recipe:


Canned Banana Peppers
From Food.com

1/2 lb banana pepper, seeded and sliced crossways into rings
Pickling Juice
2 cups white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Directions:
Sterilize 2- 1/2 pint jars.
Bring the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and celery seed to a rolling boil.
Place peppers in the 1/2 pint jars.
Pour on the hot pickling juice and bring liquid to within 1/2" of the top.
Be sure the edge of the jar has no juice on it.
Place lids and screw on bands finger-tip tight.
Seal jar and leave for 2 weeks.**.
**This is an heirloom recipe that uses a method no longer recommended by the USDA/NCHFP (National Center for Home Food Preservation). Current guidelines recommend processing in a boiling water bath at least 10 minutes at sea level to 1000 feet in elevation (more time at higher elevations) and left to cool, upright and undisturbed, on a cloth-protected counter for 24 hours. Check for seal; if the jar hasn't sealed, either re-process the jars within the 24 hours or refrigerate and use first.

Freezing Avocados

We love avocados in our house...we eat them with Mexican dishes, make lots of guacamole and even use them as a substitute for mayo on sandwiches. I like to stock up when Kroger has them 10 for $10, but unfortunately, sometimes we don't eat them fast enough.

On Pinterest (of course), I saw someone who froze their avocados. You cut them in half, take out the pit and wrap in saran wrap and then place in freezer bags. 

I'm not sure what I did wrong, but my avocados came out of the freezer brown and as I let them de-thaw, they got even browner :( I think this is a great concept, but I'm not sure it's possible...anyone else try freezing avocados? Any tips??

I'm Not Judging

I recently came across this blog, Rants from Mommyland, and I cannot get enough! It's so funny and real-life and true and you just have to read it. Trust me, if you're a mom, you'll love it. Even if you're not a mom, you'll still find a lot of the posts hilarious. 

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the post Everyone is Losing Weight at Me. Not because I'm necessarily trying to lose weight, but because it made some great points about mom-petition, basically how moms try to outdo one another all.the.time. I still fall prey to the competitive line of thinking, but have gotten much better as my kids have gotten older. 

I hope this blog does not come off as judging or condescending. I don't want to eat clean AT you, I just want to share my experiences. I don't hate people who eat preservatives and I don't believe this lifestyle is necessarily for everyone. I blog to keep myself accountable to my eating goals and because I love to write. If someone benefits from my musings, yay!

Happy Anniversary!

My hubby and I celebrated 8 years of marriage this week! It's so funny to look back because it was only eight years ago, but we looked like babies back then :) 

We celebrated by seeing Mumford and Sons in concert on Monday night....AHHMAZING!!! Made my list of top three concerts of all time.

On our anniversary, we made a yummy steak dinner at home complete with creamed spinach, cheesy mushrooms and Paper Moon wine.

 

Here's to many more blessed years!

I Saw, I Pinned, I Conquered, Part Two

When we finished our basement, my one requirement was a really nice laundry room. If my washer and dryer have to be in the basement, I want them to be in a nice room. I also wanted my laundry room to serve as a craft/wrapping room too, so I was on the lookout for storage to go in it. Everything I found that was new was pretty expensive, so, of course, I turned to Pinterest and found tons of refinished pieces. 
The dressing table was free from a friend of a friend (thanks Sarah and Amy!). After a good sanding, several coats of gray paint, new knobs and inexpensive scrapbook paper inside the windows on the drawers, it went from plain to pizzazz!. 

I also wanted some cute wall decor that wouldn't cost a lot, and found that someone on Pinterest had taken plain canvases and wrapped them in fabric. Instead of canvases, I found the canvas frames at Michael's for cheap (around $2-3 per frame) and covered in fabric (found in the discount bin for $1.99 a yard). Voila! Instant wall art for just a few dollars.