I love fresh udon noodles, the kind you get in restaurants. Unfortunately the dry packages you buy at the grocery store doesn't just taste the same. But you can see the meals I made with udon noodles here and here. Then I came across Annie Chun's Udon Soup Bowl available at Trader Joe's or Target. The noodles are thick and delicious! I added tofu and shiitake mushrooms to make it a more complete meal. Try it out and let me know what you think.
 

I'm always one to have a stylish hat in the winter time, got it from my mother. In the past 10 years I've gone through 4 white coats and 4 white hats. People tell me they're afraid to wear a white coat because it'll get dirty which I don't really understand because I don't eat with my coat on, don't like coffee, don't sit on public benches so I have yet to stain my coats. Only my gloves get dirty from the metro handrail with black grease so I hand wash my gloves often. If you're looking for a new hat for yourself, check out some of these that come in a number of colors.

Shoes to Shiraz | Two Teens and their Mama | A Lovely Little Wardrobe | R Squared  Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy | Family Love Inspiration Education   The Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life | The Blondissima | Familiar Joy Positively Learning | Quilty Joy Joy | Daily Style Finds | Sheila's Potpourri | Puppies and Pretties She thought she could | Looks like Lauren | Foxy's Domestic Side |  Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

With fall comes the arrival of hot apple cider right? Or as Trader Joe's calls it "autumn joy in a glass". This year TJ's has stepped it up a notch by only using honey crisp apples in this bottle! Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, you should know that honey crisp apples are the most delicious (and expensive) apples ever! If you're wondering why you should switch from TJ's Spiced Apple Cider, well just look at the ingredients it's made of a variety of juices, while TJ's  Honey Crisp Apple Cider has only one ingredient and  no added sugar. The secret of the deliciousness is in its simplicity and purity. I've been mixing it into my Vanilla Shakeology.










Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes - I know you're thinking how lazy does one have to be to buy this? Well the package is made up of a bunch of small mashed frozen discs which microwave in less than 30 seconds so it makes using it so fast and easy. There's only one ingredient - sweet potato, roasted to caramelize their natural sugar so it's really delicious. I've been experimenting adding it to my oatmeal.


























This time of year I also pick up my favorite apple butters: fig, pumpkin and cranberry apple.















 

I bought my first pair of grey jeans because of the Fall Fashion Challenge, check out yesterday's look. I've never owned grey jeans before and it was a challenge to find just the right shade of grey. Some jeans looked like faded black, or 80s acid wash jeans, these jeans that I bought were the perfect light grey color. I've found that grey jeans coordinate really well with burgundy, mustard yellow, cobalt blue, pink or purple.

I've never been a fan of plaid but that was another thing on the challenge shopping list. This shirt is  a bit oversized, but it doesn't give that lumberjack look. I absolutely love this color palette, it's a feminine way to wear plaid and I think the shoes and accessories pull the look together. If you saw the movie The Good Lie Reese Witherspoon is wearing a plaid shirt in every scene.

Allure magazine's November edition has a whole page dedicated to "How to wear plaid" with an interview with Tommy Hilfiger. He said that "while plaid cycles in and out it never totally disappears because it is an incredibly chic look when you wear it the right way." He recommends getting your plaid in a silk fabric because  "it's lightweight and feminine and offsets any unwanted lumberjack associations." He likes "crisp bright colors for plaid and says to stay away from dusty, muted shades like beige, olive green and brown because they look muddy." The accent color on the plaid must be white.  He says it looks perfect in a ski town but don't mix it with turquoise jewelry.