{avocado bacon egg rolls}

Super Bowl Sunday is tomorrow, are you ready!?! 

This year one of my resolutions was to actually try the recipes that I pin on Pinterest.  One that I've had pinned for a while were these avocado bacon egg rolls.  Whenever we go out to eat and avocado egg rolls are on the menu, I always order them.  I LOVE them!  But after having made these, I think I won't have to go to a restaurant to enjoy these.  They are so easy to make, so I thought I'd share the recipe here in time for tomorrow.  We are for sure going to be making these for Super Bowl snacks, and if you're looking for something to make for the big game, these are definitely worth a try!

Thanks to Home Cooking Memories for this recipe!

Ingredients

• Oil
• 2 large avocados; perfectly ripe, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• ½ lime
• Salt
• 6-7 slices pepperjack cheese
• 12-14 bacon slices, cooked
• 12-14 egg roll wrappers
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Water

Instructions

Heat about 2" of oil to 350 degrees F in a large frying pan.

Place avocado slices on a plate or large bowl. Drizzle with lime and then sprinkle with salt as desired. 

Place flour in a small bowl and add water to make into a watery/thin paste.

Place one egg roll wrapper on your work surface, with one corner pointing towards you, forming a diamond on your surface. Lay ½ of a slice of cheese in the middle. Lay 1 slice of avocado on top of cheese, and then one slice of bacon, broken in half. Finish with another slice of avocado (as seen in the pictures below).  

Fold the part of the wrapper pointing towards you over the stack of avocado, etc. Fold the left and right points over the middle and roll up egg roll nearly all the way, taking care to fold tightly with no openings for ingredients to fall or leak out. With finger tip, dab a bit of the flour mixture on the remaining corner at the top and then seal this corner onto the egg roll to close it.

Repeat steps with remaining ingredients. Carefully place a few egg rolls into hot oil and cook until golden brown, turning them over once during the frying. Remove from oil and allow to drain and cool on a place lined with paper towels or napkins. Serve whole or cut in half at an angle with dip of your choice (if you wish).  We have eaten these with ranch dressing and also a bacon ranch dressing and it was tasty.  We do want to try other sauces with them, I'm sure anything would be great!

{studs and fur}

{shirt: old, love this one} {fur vest: old, similar here} {jeans: anthropologie} 

{boots: old, splurge here, save here}

A little while ago my son was invited to a train themed birthday party at the local train depot, and we took advantage of the location before the light was completely gone by taking a few outfit pictures.

I bought this shirt just because of the studs on the sleeves, I love that extra little detail to it.  It may be a simple looking top, but I love pairing it with vests.  This versatile fur vest adds a little extra and it doesn't hide the studded detail.  

Thanks for reading, happy Friday!

xo, Sara

{the liebster award}

I started Style Savvy Sara just this month, and even though I've been blogging on our family blog intermittently for quite some time, I'm brand spanking new to the whole lifestyle/fashion/mama blogging community.   I have wanted to create this little internet space of my own for quite a while, and I'm so glad I did.  Now that I've begun, I am blown away by how many inspirational and talented people I have come across in just a short amount of time.  It has been a goal of mine to reach out and meet others, and I am thrilled to share that I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Leesha of Captivating Femininity  and Olivia of That's Lovely (thanks ladies!).  

The Liebster Award is given to bloggers (who have 1k followers or less) in recognition by other bloggers. Upon being nominated by a fellow blogger, you:

1st: link to the person who tagged you

2nd: answer the 11 questions in a blog post

3rd: nominate 11 other bloggers

last: notify all the nominees via social media

It's a fun way to share new blogs with others, and I found so many new (to me) blogs just from being nominated!  I am really excited to pass this little chain mail award on to a few other bloggers and to get to know some of them better!

So, the 11 questions I was given (and that I now give to those I nominated) are below:

1. How did you come up with your blog name? 

I wanted a blog name that was personal to me, but that wouldn't force my blog focus into one specific area.      I am striving to create a space that is uniquely my own which shares my personal style on all sorts of  things.   "Style" is a part of the title because no matter what I do in life I hope to do it with style :) And "savvy" became a part of the title since I love learning (and hopefully sharing) smart and inspiring ideas...whether it's investing in staple wardrobe pieces, making healthy choices, or discovering life hacks.

2. Why did you start you blog?

I have wanted to create this space of mine for a while for a few different reasons.  Now that I am a mama of two littles, a lot of my time and effort goes into watching over them, taking care of them, and adoring them.  I LOVE being their mama, I would never change that.  Ever.  Sometimes I get stuck in mommy mode and forget that I am more than just their mom.  So this blog helps me "center" myself and gives me an outlet to focus on all sorts of things that I love and enjoy (including but not limited to my children).

Because of this, as I would blog on our family blog I would want to share an outfit, a recipe, or things I'm loving, but it just felt forced and out of place on my family's blog.  So I created this little separate space of my own for all of that!

3. What do you love most about blogging?

I love the inspiration that blogging gives me.  It motivates me to be creative and to find the beauty in what may seem like repetitive chaos in my life.  Finding and meeting other bloggers that share beautiful and wonderful ideas is also pretty fantastic.

4. What was the most ridiculous but very cool fashion trend you followed?

I don't consider myself much of a risk taker as far as fashion trends go, but for a while I loved the streaks of bright hair color/chalk!  I was so close to doing it myself, I still think I have the box of temporary purple hair dye in my bathroom drawer…maybe one day I'll be brave and take the (purple) plunge! That might be more of a beauty trend, and/or not that ridiculous, but it's one that stood out in my mind...

5. What is one goal you wish to accomplish this year?

I made a few New Year's resolutions that I posted here that I'm still trying to keep.  In terms of blogging, I don't really know where this little blog will take me (if anywhere), but it would be pretty awesome to make some blogging buddies as well as possibly collaborate on fun and exciting projects along the way!  

6. What is your favorite social media site?

Instagram and Pinterest!  Pretty pictures + visual person = favorite distractions (haha!)

7. If you could travel to only one place this year where would it be and why?

I would LOVE to travel to an exotic beach.  I'm ready for warmer weather, bright blue water, and palm trees.  

8. How would you describe your personal style?

I feel like my style depends on what I'm doing and how I feel.  As a mama, typically my style is based on functionality, but I am chronically overdressed for almost any occasion when given the chance.    

9. Spring or Fall fashion?

I love Fall fashion.  I am all about layering, scarves, and cozy sweaters.

10. If you could choose one store to shop at for your entire life, which store would you choose?

If I could choose, I would be a Nordy's girl for life.  But realistically it would probably be Target, haha!  

11. What is one fear you would like to conquer?

I would like to conquer my fear of failing.  My heart is terrified to fail at something (or anything really), but my mind knows that I can't grow or improve as a person, wife, friend, mother, or blogger without a little failure here and there.  So I'm hoping that I embrace my failures as life lessons that I will learn something from.  High risks, high rewards...right??


I am truly grateful to have been welcomed into the blogging community with such a thoughtful gesture and award!  It's also given me a chance to discover and share with you fellow bloggers that I have known for a while or recently found, all of which are incredibly talented, creative, and inspiring in their own ways!

Elissa {urbanstile.com}

Jade {jonesinfortaste.com}

Lindsey & Christa {staystyledoc.com}

Kay {kaylaharrah.com}

Alicia {chandonandchanel.com}

Emily {thislittlelovesong.com}

Karen {ladyinviolet.com}

Hilary {byhilaryrose.com}

Emily {ourlovelydeseret.com}

Susana {baristamommy.com}

Tiffany & Lindsey {baublesandbackdrops.com}

Happy Wednesday!

xo, Sara

{pink moto jacket}

{jacket: piperlime (no longer available, similar here)} {jeans: old navy} {shoes: lulu's (no longer available, love these ones)} {handbag: balenciaga (similar here (splurge!) and here (save!))}

Happy Friday everyone!

I started the weekend early with a girls' night last night…it was a blast!  This outfit is inspired by what I wore last night.  I tend to overdress a little bit when I'm out without my kids because I get a chance to wear certain things that I don't normally wear for functionality's sake (or for the sake of keeping some things clean!).  I LOVE this Barbie pink jacket…I'm a sucker for color, and this jacket gave my otherwise simple outfit the shot of color it needed!  And those heels!  They may not be practical, but since I wasn't worried about chasing after a toddler and a crawling baby, I was really excited to wear something with more height than flats on my feet :)  I love this outfit, and I think it would be great for Valentine's, whether it's hanging out with the girls for Galentines or going out to dinner with my main squeeze.  

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xo, Sara

{baby food storage and organization}

Happy Monday (and MLK day)!

So since this is a lifestyle blog, and my life currently consists of two little ones, some of my posts will include them or things relating to them.  This particular post was originally on my family's blog, but as I am in the process of making that a private blog, I wanted to share this post here as well.  We no longer live in the original home that is featured in these pictures, but I was inspired to share this post because my little daughter is now in the thick of the baby food stages.  So here for my first Motherhood Monday post: a simple and budget friendly way to store baby food.  

Aaron and I love anything related to food.  Cooking, baking, eating, food festivals, you name it.  So of course our humble condo kitchen is full to capacity with food, pots, pans, dishes, and all sorts of contraptions that help process/mix/grill/cook food.  Before Grant was born we had already purchased an extra pantry unit and chest freezer to help store our food and kitchen equipment because all of it wouldn't fit in our kitchen's built-in cabinets and freezer.  When Grant started eating baby food, some awesome fellow parent friends of ours gave us a ton of their extra unused baby food...but we could not possibly make any more room for his food in our kitchen.

We don't have a ton of storage space in our home (if any really), but we make the best use of what we've got.  So we resorted to our water heater/storage closet (it's meant to be part storage closet if the landlords installed carpet in it, right?)...and all we needed was a hanging shoe organizer.

This has been such a space saver!  Our water heater closet isn't too far from our kitchen, so it's a quick trip to grab something from it before Grant gets hangry (like mother, like son).  It has really helped us keep Grant's baby food organized and we can see what we have thanks to the clear pockets (and, knock on wood, if the water heater leaks the food is not on the ground).  I highly recommend using this method of baby food storage if you are a parent with little to no available cabinet/pantry space.  A few of my girlfriends that are also mothers noticed this storage solution when they've come over recently and commented on what a great idea it is.  So I felt this idea was deemed worthy to share with others who may be looking for storage solutions :) It's super easy and budget friendly, and no one will really ever see it unless you show it to them.  

So help another mother out and pass this easy mama life hack along to them :)

xo, Sara

{layering and sweater weather}

{shirt: LC Lauren Conrad (old) (similar here)} {sweater: Rue 21 (old) (love this one)}
{jeans: Anthropologie} {shoes: Target (old) (similar here)}
{handbag: Coach (old) (similar here (and on sale!))}

 Happy Friday everyone!

I have been looking forward to this day ALL week :) this week has dragged on for me since I've been sick and my family has gotten sick as well, so it's not been a very fun (or productive) few days.  I'm so happy to be sharing this outfit today though!

A lot of what I'm wearing in this photo I've had for a while, but they are strong staples in my wardrobe.  I feel like you can never go wrong with having a classic chambray shirt and skinny jeans on hand…and I LOVE these shoes (I promise they are way more comfortable than they appear) and I'm bummed that Target doesn't sell them anymore because I would definitely buy them in black as well.   I added the pop of pink with my bag to help liven things up a bit, because look how dreary it is outside! 

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

xo, Sara

{the husband sweater}

 Happy Friday!

I'm so ready for the weekend…and for warmer weather!  Thankfully it's not the worst weather here, but it's still pretty chilly for my Southern California girl self.  I put this outfit together to run after Christmas errands with my littles.  My wonderful husband gave me this sweater for Christmas and I have to say he did well picking something out for me that I didn't help him with ;)  And my fedora has been on serious repeat for the last few months.  It's helps disguise my bad hair days, and it's a quick way to look put together when I'm trying to get myself and my babies ready and out the door quickly!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo, Sara

{just juice it}

Happy Monday!

It's the first Monday of the New Year…have you stuck with your resolutions so far?  I hope so!  I have been wanting to pull out our juicer for a while now, so I figured it would be a great time to share some of my favorite juice recipes!

My husband Aaron and I have done juice cleanses before and while they worked for us in the short run, they don't really give you healthy or lasting results.  But we still make juice every now and then because it's a great and easy way for us to get some fresh fruits and veggies in our diet, and our little ones like the taste so they will drink it too.  We tend to stick with juices that use fresh produce that's in season and on sale at the store.  This helps make the cost of making our own fresh juice a lot cheaper than buying the individual juices at the store, and saves me money so that I can spend that money elsewhere, like on a new swimsuit for spring!

We have a few favorite juice combinations that we tend to stick to.  All of them are really tasty (and even toddler approved!).  The juice I made that's featured in these photos is the "Mean Green" juice.

For the Mean Green juice, we use six kale leaves, four granny smith apples, one stalk of celery, and one cucumber.  You can also add some fresh ginger to it as well if you prefer (we don't so we omit it).  You can add more or less of an ingredient to your liking, but I may add that the celery adds a lot of salt to your juice, so we only prefer one stalk while others may prefer more, and you can also add half a lemon to it if you'd like as well.  We haven't added it and we haven't missed it.

Some other juicing tips:

1. There is a lot of froth that can be created by the juice, so if you don't have a juicer that comes with a juice pitcher that keeps the froth out when you pour, drinking your juice with a straw will help you avoid most of the froth that ends up on top.  

2.  You need to drink the juice shortly after making it.  If you let the juice sit, it will separate.  You can always shake it to mix it back together, but it's still probably best to drink it fresh.  

My toughest food critic :) and if he is smiling while drinking it (and will ask for a second cupful), you know it's good. 

This picture above describes most of my days haha! Taking care of these two littles is my most important job and my greatest joy.  This little man, green juice stache and all, makes my heart soar (no matter how many of his spills I have to clean up every day).  

Below are some other juices that we've made that have been big hits.  These amounts are for about two servings of juice max, so if you're making juice for more than that (like us) you may have to double the amounts:

Orange Machine

one grapefruit

one orange

two carrots

one orange pepper

Red Velvet

three carrots

two granny smith apples

one orange

1/4 beet

Oh Kale No

1-2 handfuls of kale

2 carrots

1/2 cucumber

2 apples

1/2 lemon

2-3 sprigs parsley (optional)

If you try these juices, tell me what you think of them in the comments!  If you have any other juice recipes that you highly recommend I would love to hear them!

xo, Sara

{ringing in 2015}

Happy New Year!  This New Year's Eve was a little more exciting for me than in recent years because my hubby and I found a babysitter that was willing to stay late so that we could stay out late!  We were invited to a few gatherings with friends, but we ended up having to chaperone a youth dance for my hubby's church calling.  It ended up being more fun than I thought it would be, and I definitely didn't let it get me down in terms of getting dolled up. 

I've been experimenting with braids a lot lately, and I tried out this small side fishtail braid with curls for the night.  I got a lot of compliments, and it wasn't very difficult to do.  I wish I had my hubs take a picture of my whole outfit as well, but I may recreate it and post about it later because it was such a simple but fun party look.  It only required a few key basics that I already had in my closet!  

I've been thinking about what resolutions I want to make this year (along with everybody else, tis the season!).  I feel like I always start out with real lofty goals for the year and then putter out as time goes on, so I want to make some SMART resolutions (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound).  My hope is that by sharing my resolutions here, I can be held accountable for them and if you have similar goals we can share tips and/or advice on how to reach and keep them!  So, here are a few that I have set for myself:

Beauty: I would like to learn and use new braids and hairstyles.  As a mama I get stuck in a top knot rut most of the time, but the few braids I've learned I've really liked, so I hope to learn more and share with y'all what has worked (and hasn't) for my hair.  I rarely have time to get ready first thing in the mornings anymore with two babies, but I'm hoping a nap time here and there or the weekends will allow me to try something new.  

Personal: I want to accomplish more reading than just magazines :) I'm hoping I can read a book a month, but more realistically maybe a book every other month.  

Home: I want to actually cook some of the dishes that I've pinned on Pinterest!  So I'm hoping that once a week I can cook something new for dinner.  

What are some resolutions that you have had?  If you have any tips on sticking with resolutions (or with how I can stick to mine haha!) I would love to hear them!  Thanks for reading!

xo, Sara

{hello!}

Hi!

Welcome to my blog, Style Savvy Sara!  I'm a tall blonde with a love of fashion, food, and fun!  I was born and raised in Southern California, but I now consider myself a converted Southern belle :)  I'm also (more importantly) a wife and a mama to two littles.

I have been a occasional blogger for quite some time now for my family's blog, The Chronicles of Christensen, but I have wanted to create a space for myself that could focus on more than just the adventures our little family has.  And what better time to start than with the New Year?!  Here on Style Savvy Sara I hope to share my sense of style in all sorts of things that I'm passionate about, including fashion, cooking, health, home decor, and life!

I hope you'll stay tuned for more to come, and may we all find and share our passions with style!


xo, Sara