Dressing up for Black Friday

So, I learned recently that Ben doesn't like turkey. He will eat bone marrow appetizers from restaurants, but can't stomach turkey. He also doesn't like spaghetti, but can slurp 478 thousand oysters with hot sauce and lemon juice, while smiling. I tried my first oyster recently, and it's kind of like sucking a booger out of a shell. I guess if you like sucking spicy boogers out of seashells, then oysters are just the thing for you.

Now being apart of my family and Ben's family, Ben and I attend two Thanksgivings, so that's double the leftovers. Our fridge goes from housing cobwebs, to housing lots of good food from two good moms.

Since Ben doesn't like turkey, I had a whole Tupperware to myself and was kind of bummed because I didn't want to waste it. I mean, you can only eat so much turkey. So I stood there, and stared at it for 10 minutes. Then, I got an idea. The turkey reminded me a lot of the roasted turkey that is served at Panera on my favorite sandwich. The roasted turkey, avocado, BLT. I had the turkey, the bread, the avocado, and the mayo, so I was set. I subbed a piece of smoked provolone for the bacon. I am often the victim of ridicule when I admit this, but I am not a fan of bacon. Preparing it requires a lot of raw meat touching, and grease splatter and considering that we do not have an exhaust fan above our stove, every piece of fabric in my house smells like bacon for a week. It's not really an enjoyable experience. Plus it always has those clear strips of fat in them, and they are just so...jiggly. Then I go to bed that night and am reminded of the jiggly fat strips when my face touches my bacon scented pillow. Anyway, I've digressed...

I toasted the bread and put together a pretty little sandwich...

 



There is no sausage on this sandwich, those are my fingers. Do not be alarmed. Looks good though doesn't it? Well, it was. 

When I ran out of this fine Thanksgiving turkey, I recreated the idea with roasted turkey lunch meat from the deli and used some leftover tortillas. Turkey and avocado makes a fine wrap too.

Black Friday, my brother and I wasted some time at Kohl's. I am not one of the crazies that gets up at 4am and tramples people, so we ventured out about 9:30. I have no interest in buying electronics so we usually just wander around aimlessly until we find some random, useless, junk that's worth buying.

When we got there, I was immediately confused. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the store was not the merchandise, but the onslaught of women who were dressed to the nines, clicking and clacking around in heels and fur coats and what not. I saw a few young girls in glittering boots, their hair spiral curled, hooker make-up on...WHAT, I ask, is the point of this? I did not even wear heels in my wedding dress, let alone, to go shopping on black Friday. Clearly, you spent a lot of time getting ready that morning, and I was dressed like a homeless person. I literally felt uncomfortable about this. I felt dreary and sad, and I'm pretty sure some of the employees were waiting for me to pickpocket someone or steal a toaster or something. I guess I could have wore heels with my sweatpants to fit in a little better, but then I would have been 'that lady'. You know, that one lady that wears heels with sweatpants and a tie-dye to the store and you're like, "Hey, look at that lady. Weirdo doesn't own a pair of gym shoes? Gawd". I didn't take a shower before I went either and still had mud on my coat from the demo derby I went to a few months ago. I figured if people thought I was homeless they would either A) give me money or B) completely leave me alone.  So I was at the advantage.

I didn't need a toaster anyway.

Oats and Chicken

When I first got my Quaker (Rolled) Oats, I was weary on what to do with them. It's all a part of a learning process when you make the conscious decision to eat better. You have to experiment with recipes, and spices, make something amazing or make something horrible. You just have to keep learning, and tell your husband that if he doesn't like your hot dog casserole, then he can eat cat food, like I always tell mine.

 

 

What about this hot dog casserole, you ask? Well, it truly was a horrific pan of something teetering on the edge of inedible and edible. The recipe called for Jiffy mix, and I used Bisquick. When you're standing in your kitchen, sporting paint splattered sweats, and have already removed that godforsaken bra for the night, the last thing you feel like doing is putting that bra back on and having to go back to the grocery store.  So this recipe was supposed to be a pan of cornbread, littered with hot dog pieces and possibly cheese and maybe some onion. I don't really remember. I just remember pulling out a pan of biscuits, with hot dogs and attempting to eat it with mustard and ketchup. Out of the goodness of his heart, Ben reluctantly ate a bowl of biscuit mix with hot dogs, and kept nicely reassuring me that it was 'Ok'. What I should have done, was took the pan out of the oven, and set it on the floor so the cats could have at it. The remaining hot dog mixture was promptly disposed of. Of course, this wasn't meant to be one of my healthier choices of recipes...more like a Pinterest fail...stupid Pinterest. Stupid Jiffy. Stupid bra.

 

That was one of many of the scary recipes I've pulled out of the oven, or scooped out of a skillet. Neither Ben, nor myself, have ever had any practice cooking. My proudest moments are when I can perfect a bowl of instant pudding, or not burn a pot of noodles for once. In my attempts to discover myself in terms of cooking, I came across my Quaker rolled oats. Much like the little paper bag oats you can buy, these are the same, except much cheaper and you get a lot more. I was craving oatmeal one night and only had these ridiculous, tasteless oats in my cabinet. So I dove inside my endless cabinet of crap and came across a few things to add to it. When I was done sprinkling, squeezing and dashing things in it, it came out quite good.  So I thought I would share my breakfast recipe with you.

 

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1 tbsp of brown sugar

2 drops of vanilla extract

1 tbsp of milled flax seed

A few sprinkles of Cinnamon

As much honey as your heart desires

 

Use skim milk in your oats (I don't ever measure this out, I usually just use enough to soak them, but this also depends on how dry you want them), and put them in the microwave for 1 minute. Depending on the texture, you can put them in for 30 more seconds to another minute to get it to the desired consistency. They may not be as sweet as the packaged, but they are better for you and you can make way more of it for less money! If you're feeling fall festive, add some nutmeg. For those of you who prefer soy or almond milk, it tends to make things runnier, so microwaving times may vary.

 

Something else I made over the weekend, which came to a shock to me, was a baked chicken dish. The recipe originally required a packet of ranch mix and wouldn't you know it, the grocery store was fresh out, so I had to get a Fiesta style ranch pack.  I could hear Ben's voice in my head, "You scare me when you don't follow the recipes exactly", while shaking his head and heading for a bag of BBQ Jays to fill up on before forced to eat my creations. The recipe also asked that you dip the chicken in melted butter before dipping into the mix, and that just didn't sit well with me. There is no reason you need to use melted butter. An egg, or even an egg white work just fine. So here's the recipe...

 

3 large chicken breasts, trimmed and cut in half

1 egg

3/4 cups of crushed cornflakes

1 packet of Fiesta Ranch (or regular)

3/4 cup of grated Parmesan

 

Normally I get alarmed when I see 'crushed' of anything because I do not yet own a rolling pin. So to crush the flakes, I just put them in a sealable sandwich bag, and crush them with the bottom of a thick glass. Don't judge me.

 

Preheat the oven to 350.

 

Mix the cornflakes, ranch packet, and grated Parmesan in a bowl.

 

Next, take the chicken pieces and dip them in the egg, and then coat them completely with the coating mixture. Place them in a 9x13 greased baking dish and let them cook for 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes was up, I took them up, and brushed the tops with a little bit of melted butter for a little extra browning. If you want this dish to stay somewhat healthy, don't get crazy with the butter.

 

This was incredibly easy, and Ben loved it. Genuinely, and not just to be nice. I'm making this again tonight with an original ranch packet. I plan on capturing my masterpiece so I can add a picture tomorrow.

 

I am always open to healthy alternatives, and welcome any comments or suggestions.

Edit: Here is the promised picture of my chicken-

 

 



Hair Powder Will Change Your Life

For some reason, I just recently discovered this said, hair powder. I have a serious problem where I strive on collecting make-up and hair products. I generally have no real reason why I have a million eye shadows, 5 tubes of mascara, and 6 cans of hairspray, but everyone has a collection of some sort, right? If some oddballs can collect toenail clippings, or drink their own pee, I can collect all the cosmetics I want.

Anyway, my sister had posted about this volumizing hair powder on the ol' Facebook, and I was intrigued. I pictured myself dumping baby powder in my hair and walking around looking...ashy. How did this work? So we were getting ready for my parents Halloween party and I got to use some of hers. Basically, you tap a few sprinkles underneath sections of your hair, and tease. Tease that weave, girlfriends, and tease it good because this stuff will change your life.

 

Disregarding the fact that I look like an 80's vampire, I was supposed to be just a vampire, but either way, this was the final result of the wonder powder:

 

 

 

Now, mind you, I did use finishing spray once I was done, but the powder did the essential "poofing".  Now, the product that was used in the picture was Ulta brand powder, which costs about $9.00. I LOVE Ulta, and can spend hours and hours picking the shelves apart to find the best products and deals, but I will honestly say that their products, for the most part, are not very good, and are way too overpriced. From experience, their shampoos leave your hair greasy feeling, and their mascara makes my eyes itch (see my previous post on this one). On the other hand, you can get their nail polish and body sprays for an affordable price, and that's about all I would recommend.

 

To better understand what my hair looks like normally:

 



 

It's flat, and lifeless. I can tease and tease and that is usually the result. My skin is not Simpsons yellow either, not sure what's going on with the contrast in this picture. 

 

The very next day, I took a trip to the nearest Ulta and purchased the less expensive, Got2b brand powder. I live by Got2b products. It's about $6.00 and works, in my opinion, better than the Ulta brand. I used it before work the following Monday and BAM, my hair was practically kicking you in the face. It wasn't as huge as my Halloween hair though, obviously. I might've gotten some weird looks with that one.

 

A quick little warning however, do NOT use a lot. It's not meant to use on your entire head, because it will make your hair very unmanageable and you will most likely have to wash it out and start over.

 

The way I use it, is lift sections of my hair, starting at the top, and sprinkle the powder just above my roots. Tease the section to your liking and then shape with your fingers and brush over to smooth. Use a finishing spray to hold the style. Once the powder is worked in, do not use hot tools on it, or try to brush through it, it will break and damage the hair. It's easy to get the hang of, and hopefully you will not be disappointed.

 

Have fun:)

 

As usual, any comments, hate or love, post below.

 

Disclaimer: I purchase all of these products on my own, and am not paid for my opinions on these products. With the exception of the pictures I personally take, the pictures are simply used for enjoyment and I do not take any rights or own any of the stock photos used.

My Most 5 Hated and 5 Loved Products

Hi there.

Today isn't a particularly busy (or quick day) at work, so I thought I would enlighten the world on the products I have at home, or have purchased in the past that I would either recommend or tell you to run far away from.

We'll start with the products I hate, and end on the positive. Nobody wants to walk away feeling negative, so I'll start you out sad and perk you up. Sound good? Ok.

1. SO brand clothing, generally featured at Kohls.

Always adorable in the store and tempting for the price. I can't even tell you how many SO v-neck tees I have stuffed away in a drawer at home (not even neatly folded, but rather shoved out of anger).  The problem I have with these is that you wear them once, wash them according to label, pull it out, and the shirt is a completely different shirt then what went in the washer.

 I tried various types of washing and drying with these things, and I get the same outcome every time. A shrunken, stretched out, tube-topped piece of t-shirt. The V-necks I buy are simple tees, or a 'boyfriend' type style, from what I've heard. Is your boyfriend supposed to wear this shirt too? I don't know. Either way, once washed, the shirt is immediately considered a hand-me-down for a toddler.  I have a pair of SO jeans on the other hand, and I love them. They never fade or stretch and I'm convinced the jeans are not correlated with the tops whatsoever. What's going on there SO?

2. TRESseme 24 Hour Body Creme

On the back of the bottle--tube, whatever, it says, "only use a dime size amount". The stuff feels like a lotion, as it should, because it does say 'creme' on the front, which is just a fancy french word for cream, obviously. Anyway, you rub the fancy french cream throughout damp hair, and blow dry. The first time I used it, I thought I hadn't washed the shampoo out of my hair completely. But being lazy, I didn't care and carried on with my day with the misconception that I just take terrible showers. This could also explain why I always forget to shave one of my legs. It doesn't matter. I tried the crap again the next day and came to the relieving conclusion that I take showers just fine, the product just isn't good. My hair is always left feeling greasy and heavy, and when your hair feel greasy, you feel ugly, and that's just the way girls minds work.

3. Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Hairspray - 4

Most girls don't like their hair flat to their heads. We need a little oomph. Hence why "Bump-Its" were invented. I don't care about the cheap, flaky, commercials, I want some Bump-Its. Anyway, I have had various volumizing products go through my bathroom cabinet, and this hairspray is one that ends up pushed to the back, collecting dust, sad and lonely next to the drip pan. I don't have a drip pan in my bathroom cabinet, but if I did, that's what it would be next too. I spray it in my hair, give it a tease, and 2 minutes later, it's flat against my head again, but with hairspray in it. I've used the hairspray with clean hair (shampoo, conditioner), because I know some of you are thinking that it probably weighs my hair down because I have build up. Well excuse you, I don't. The hairspray is just a 6 on my imaginary scale, 2 of those points being for the amazing fragrance that eludes from the can. I've always been convinced that Herbal Essences focuses more on the fragrance, versus the actual job of the product at hand. My suggestion, spritz a little on after a style for the aroma only.

4. Any sunglasses EXCEPT for gas station glasses

I just have to say that I do NOT buy designer sunglasses. In all seriousness, I strictly buy gas station sunglasses because my experiences with them have always been successful. I bought a pair of $6 dollar sunglasses at a little gas station across from Six Flags in Gurnee, IL about 5 years ago. Those baby's lasted me about 2 years until one of the arms fell off. Thereafter, I got another pair of gas station glasses. They were black and lame and fit my head perfectly. I adored them. Ben and I took a trip to California (drove to California from Chicago in 2.5 days - we're dumb) I picked up a pair at some creepy truck stop in New Mexico. They were purple and pretty, but they were so tight on my temples that I got a headache. Those broke 2 days after I bought them. Those stupid things were $20 bucks. $20 bucks I might as well have lit on fire and sprinkled into the Southern California air. We went to Disney World two years later (April 2011), and I got a pair at the Magic Kingdom. They were black and rad and had a teeny Micky in the upper corner of the right lens. I was stylin'. They broke 2 weeks later. Those were $16. Now mind you, all the while, I still had my black and lame glasses, but I would occasionally try out some new pairs, but nothing compared. Nothing. In July of 2012, Ben and I were at Wal-fart, purchasing a bike for my dad for fathers day. I took my beloved sunglasses off and left them on a nearby Barbie box so I could fix my hair. We wheeled the bike out to the car and I went to put my glasses on, but they weren't there. I made a mad dash back to the Barbies, and they were gone. In the 6 minutes it took us to wheel the bike out, buy it, and walk out the front door, some thief had swiped my glasses. Are you kidding me? I had a record going. So, I had those sunglasses for 3 years, and they were $5 dollar sunglasses that I got at some random gas station. 3 YEARS...do you understand how long that is for someone like me? I seriously wanted to cry. Why would you even want them? Anyway, getting back to my subject. I bought a pair of Mudd brand sunglasses that were on sale at Kohls. I honestly couldn't tell you what they looked like because they were broken in seriously a day. $15 dollars flushed down the toilet. Stupidly, I went back and got a pair of pink Mudd aviators, as shown because they were still on sale. These seemed sturdy, and more promising. Nope, broken a week later. They fit my head like I was Sloth from the Goonies and would fall off if I even bent over slightly. As you can see from the pic, I tried to tape the arms so that they would have some tension and not fall of my face, but this just left me wearing a crooked pair of sunglasses with tape on them.

5. ULTA Brand Mascara - Orange tube

I don't know the exact name of this mascara, and I can't seem to find a picture of it online. I have a tube of it at home that I've used once before retiring it into a messy drawer of other misfit make-up. In this drawer, you will also find a Mary Kay pressed powder that is apparently for a person with albinism, some hideous NYC brand bronzer that bronzes my sink more than my face, and some other crap. All I know, is that this mascara looks like the one in the picture, but it's orange. Pretty sure that's a black and white picture, so it could have very well been orange, but either way. It should have been a clue when I purchased it on a whim off of the clearance rack. My lashes are quite long, and I like them to look full and bold. It took at least 17 coats of this mascara to get the effect I was going for, and shortly after, my eyes started to itch. I've been wearing make-up since I was about 15, probably too much at that time, and probably sporting the awkward bright blue eyeshadow look, with the slicked back ponytail and two pencil thin bang strands, but I've never had the 'itch eye'. I was perplexed. It was too late to wash my face (because we all know that if you try only get the mascara off - it's just not going to work, you're whole face art is coming off, girlfriend). So I put up with it for that night, but the orange tube of itch was retired into the misfit drawer.

Ok, now that list could go on forever, but I'd like to avoid carpal tunnel, and now that I've got you depressed, let me tell you about the products I love! 

1. Maybelline Intense XXL

Although the name of this awesome mascara sounds dirty, it works brilliantly. After purchasing, I could not figure out the idea of the primer on your lashes. In case you didn't know, you put the white side on, and you lay it on thick, and then paint over with the black. It took minimal effort to get your lashes pumped and chunky just like I like 'em. Don't get too cray cray, you don't want your lashes to look like tarantula legs, but you get the idea.

2.  Blowfish Brand flats

These shoes are the best kinds of flats there are. I am one of those people that look awkward in Toms, and Puma's look like bananas on my feetsies. My feet are too wide I think too, so I have to get sizes that are bigger, so the skinnier the shoe the longer it is on my foot. This ultimately makes me look like a clown. My brother Brandon was deathly afraid of clown shoes as a kid, so I guess the only enjoyment coming out of having shoes that are too big is to shuffle around the house and chase my brother with them. He's not afraid of them anymore, but it will still be funny. I posted a new shoe to the right because they look prettier, but I posted my actual pair of Blowfish's because they are quite simply put, the most awesome pair of shoes ever.

Yes, they are dirty, and beat up, but that makes them better. To clear up any confusion, I wear the tiny ballerina socks designed to wear with flats, I do not have one black bottomed foot. I think I'm just wearing that one backwards.

 3. Scentsy Wickless Candles



Yes, I am a Scentsy Consultant and I am proud of that. Seriously though, Scentsy would have made my list whether I was a consultant or not. I became a consultant because of how much I love the stuff. It's a wickless alternative to candles. As a consultant, it's my job to push this on people, but what I'm really trying to do is make you understand how awesome the stuff really is. You buy the warmers, throw in a cube of wax from the wax bars, and let the scents fill up your house. There's no chance of burning your house down because it's warmed with a tiny light bulb. In the picture of my beautiful and growing kit, you will see my buddy Mollie, who has her arm draped on one of my warmers. I have another one in my bathroom, and a wall plug-in in my front room. Once you get one bar and a warmer, I swear you will be hooked. My mother-in-law got me a warmer and a bar for Christmas last year, and collection has grown quite a bit and now I try to get other people to love it as much as I do. Give it a shot ladies and men, the products will suck you in, I promise. My husband even admitted he loves it. Of course, I have to advertise:

https://brittneylove.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home

4. Hoover Wind tunnel Pet Hair Vacuum

This vacuum is amazing. I have two long hair mancats who love to get fur on everything. They particularly love to play on my stairs, so I frequently am stepping through tufts of fur and watching tumble furs blow across my kitchen floor. You get the idea. The first time I used the vacuum, the canister, obviously empty, was completely filled to the brim with cat hair. Mind you, I am a very cleanly person and I vacuum 3 days a week, and I do not have a big house. The amount of hair that this vacuum picked up from the staircase alone was astonishing. The attachments work like you wouldn't believe on upholstery and curtains and makes carpets look like new. The ONLY thing that bothers me about this vacuum is the bare floor setting. I have it set correctly, but it doesn't pick things up the best unless the rollers are turned on, but then you could have the kickback effect. I vacuum up a lot of cat litter that is constantly showered around the house from the cats running away from their own poop and showering gravel about the house. If you turn the rollers on while vacuuming it, it will kick it back at you, turning your vacuum into a weapon. I think it's mainly for carpets and fabric, but nonetheless, this vacuum is my best friend.  The bare floor issue doesn't even bother me because it's nothing a broom can't handle for those tricky corners and yes, cat sand.

5. Got2be Collagen Mousse

I love Got2b products. The collagen mousse (which I just recently ran out of unfortunately), is relatively affordable and works like a champ. My hair was so pumped and fluffed, I was ecstatic. My hair is generally more on the limp side, but this stuff defies gravity. I haven't used the pink bottled products yet, but the yellow ones are great. 

Like I said, my lists could go on and on, but I have things to do...like leave work.

Feel free to share your thoughts, share your products, or send me hate mail or if you want. Whatever floats your boat.

Have a good weekend =]

Disclaimer: I purchase all of these products on my own, and am not paid for my opinions on these products. With the exception of the pictures I personally take, the pictures are simply used for enjoyment and I do not take any rights or own any of the stock photos used.

Weight Loss Update

Normally I'd never let this picture surface. Actually, I think it's on my Facebook, but nonetheless...

January 2010

One of our wedding pics - July 2012

August 2012 - My cousin Ryan and I...

Needless to say, I'm down 47 pounds. I believe I talked about this in a previous post, but I didn't feel like reading through them to check. I just wanted to post some before and after pictures. I was embarrassed to post the "before" pictures for awhile, but then I decided I should. I want to be an inspiration to others and let them know that they can do it too. People sometimes ask me what I did to lose the weight...well for any of you who read my posts from when I started this blog, it wasn't easy. It took me close to a year before I started to see any type of results. Of course, this varies from person to person, but I think that my metabolism was so out of whack that I was keeping the weight on. I am going to try to post all of my tips, and hopefully I won't be rambling too much. Hopefully someone reads and can use my tips to their advantage too.

Before I started on my path of weight loss, I was drinking up to 4 cans of diet coke a day. I was skipping breakfast, and mindlessly snacking because I was bored at work. Ben and I had moved into an apartment together and were eating nothing but food slathered in butter and cheese. Hot wings were a big hit in our apartment. Grease and overwhelming amounts of calories, perfect combo for disaster.

It was that picture and the others like it from that particular event from January 2010 that finally pushed me over the edge. I was so unhappy and uncomfortable in my own skin. It wasn't even the emotional symptoms that were bothering me, but I also had heart burn, and worst of all, non-stop acid indigestion. I'm not sure if you've ever experienced acid indigestion, but it basically feels like you are starving to death, ALL the time. I remember every morning when Ben would leave at 5am, I would be tossing and turning for an hour, popping Tums or Rolaids, trying to get rid of the burning. It was becoming horrendous. Waking me up out of sleep sometimes, only to take Tums for a midnight snack. Or eating a piece of bread at 2 in the morning to satisfy a false hunger. Due to the constant "hunger pangs", I was eating more than usual to try and subside the burning. Tums and Rolaids seem innocent enough, but despite the fact that they are chalky, tasteless candies - they are not good for you to take repeatedly, just like any other medication. 

That was it. It was when I started this blog that my struggle began. Of course, gaining the weight is easy - we all know this, but getting it off seems like an endless dark tunnel. 

I joined the gym down the street from my work and started running. I tried to get in the gym at least 3 days a week and do a half a mile. It was a start. Especially for a smoker. Granite, I was only smoking a pack a week, but that still put me in the category as a smoker. I smoked for the first few months when I first started working out before Ben and I made the conscious decision to quit together. We haven't smoked since October of 2010.

My next feat was to kick pop (or soda as some of you say). I had never believed the myth about diet pop keeping you bloated and keeping the pounds on until I quit drinking it. Ok--I still drank it, but I seriously limited the amount. Instead of keeping a 12 pack in the house I quit buying it altogether. My pop consumption came periodically when I was in the car, which was replacing the cigarette I wasn't smoking. I dropped 10 pounds in only a few short months. I also started taking 5000mg of Biotin vitamins everyday and 500mg of B-12. My hair started to grow out like crazy and my skin looked better and brighter.

Beer was another problem. I simply like beer, there's no way of dancing around it. So instead of drinking Busch Light at a social gathering, I switched to Select 55. Being the lightest calorie on the market, I couldn't pass it up. The way I looked at it is if I drink a 6 pack of Busch Light, that's almost 600 calories or more, whereas Select 55, is 330. 

I started drinking a lot of water. I stress, A LOT. I remembered saying so many times, "I hate water - I'd rather drink pop or milk". It's because I wasn't craving water. I was depriving myself and only drinking pop and sugary juices. Now, I try to drink at least 3 liters throughout the day. In fact, I can't go without it now. Speaking of which, every morning, I squeeze a half of a lemon into a warm glass of water and chug it. Sounds super gross, and it is. I gag it down every morning, and have almost puked a few times, but I feel great afterwards. I wanted to share this link from my good friend Danielle, who is currently in the process of becoming a health and nutrition coach.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4769/Why-You-Should-Drink-Warm-Water-Lemon.html

I started controlling my portions. My BIGGEST point that I want to stress, is don't stop eating what you love to eat. If you want that big, juicy cheeseburger, then eat it, but learn to portion control. Do you really need the entire burger? Unless you haven't eaten in 3 days, no, of course not. So what I do, is order that burger, but I cut it in half. Instead of getting the fries, get a healthy side and then pick a few fries of someone else's plate. I'm using a cheeseburger as an example because I happen to love them. It's my biggest downfall, but I refuse to give them up. So I started to cut them in half and pretend I don't even have the other half. I box it up and take it home for the next day. Give a try, I bet you anything that once you eat that half, you'll be full, you won't even want the other half. Happens to me every time.  If you get a salad, DON'T dump the dressing on the salad. All the fat comes from the dressing. Didn't you ever wonder why when you are reading the nutritional facts about salads at restaurants, it's 40g of fat for a plate of lettuce and vegetables? It's because of the dressing. Ask for your dressing on the side and dip your fork in it before spearing the lettuce. You get the same amount of flavor, and your salad isn't swimming in a pool of runny ranch afterwards. Same goes for pancakes. I LOVE pancakes, but skip the butter next time. Use your favorite syrup (I happen to love Boysenberry, which is close to impossible to come by), and use enough to let it soak into the pancakes before eating. Honestly, I've never understood the concept of 'drowning' your food. The whole point of a pancake is to love the flavor of the pancake itself, not forkfuls of buttery syrup. I will admit, it does taste good, but I do NOT feel good about it afterwards. Mayonnaise at restaurants is a joke too. It's a splatter of creamy, buttery, lard that they squirt onto a sandwich for an extra kick of flavor but is completely unnecessary. Order the sandwich you want, but don't feel silly to do modifications. You won't miss the mayo. 

Ditch the yolks for breakfast and eat the whites. Egg whites always sound so unappetizing to people, but I've found them to pretty much taste the same. I like to scramble them up with skim milk and use various popcorn seasonings for flavor. Kernel Season's is a good one. The white cheddar is my favorite. Sprinkle that on with some pepper and you're good to go. Or, boil eggs the night before and keep them on reserve in your fridge. Crack one open for a snack, or eat one whenever. Try to limit the yolks though. I know the yolks are the best part, but try to limit them. You can eat up to 12 egg whites a day for the protein benefit, and minuscule calorie count, but the yolks need to be eaten in moderation. If you have a hard time eating the hard-boiled white of the egg, use a bit of salt, or even mustard. (Recommended by my husband - I thought it would be gross - now I prefer it, give it a try!)

It's just little things that I started to become aware of and change. I haven't stopped eating what I like (except for chicken wings, those haunt me now), but I've become aware of what I'm eating. I am an annoying label reader now. One of my favorite things to eat is Boca or Morning Star vegan burgers. Dress them up a bit with a dab of BBQ sauce and a bit of cheese and enjoy. Don't be afraid of cheese. I know all the new fad diets out there strictly ex-nay cheese, but I disagree. Of course, I'm not an expert, and I'm not telling you to sit and eat an entire block in one sitting, but a small slice or two is not going to completely sabotage you. 

So overall, I really have no set diet. I have no persistent work out plan. I work out when I feel like it (I try to get in there 2-3 days a week for about 45 minutes, doing at least a half hour of cardio, and switching to weight training for 15-20 minutes, and visa versa). Keep your work outs a surprise. Your body will adapt to the same routine every day and will become resistant so switching up your routine will keep your muscles guessing and force them to adapt and change, and change is good. Eat what you want, in portions and try to eat every 4 hours, and for shit's sake, DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST. There is no excuse why you should. I get everyone is different and everyone has different routines in the morning, but if you don't have time to sit down and eat a quick bowl of cereal; grab a granola bar, or some fruit. Boil eggs the night before and bring them with you (I love doing this). I have also heard the excuse 'breakfast makes me sick in the morning'. Well, ask yourself, what are you eating when you did try to eat breakfast? Captain Crunch? Pancakes drown in syrup? Something undoubtedly loaded with sugar? I know that when I eat something loaded with sugar first thing in the morning, I get the most incredible stomachache. I get stomachaches all the time because I'm just naturally the most nervous person in the world, but now I get one if I don't eat. I feel miserable if I don't put something into my stomach before 10am. Don't use a busy lifestyle as an excuse to put off your goals.

Hopefully my tips helped a bit. Use your own judgement based on what you like and what fits your lifestyle. Don't let ANYONE tell you that you can't do it. Don't pay attention to the people who are going to 'talk'. If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years, it's that people who talk about you are not your real friends, and my advice to myself was, "What are these people ever going to matter in my future? These people are nothing to me". Rise above. Make them feel stupid by not caring and doing what is best for you, and your health. 

In case you were wondering, the heartburn is gone, and the acid indigestion is gone. Tums and Rolaids are a distant memory. 

PS: If anyone out there read my first blog post - I just wanted to let you know, that my state ID is telling the truth now. 

I've reached my goal.

RIP Davy Jones

December 30, 1945 - February 29, 2012

I am saddened to hear the news of Davy Jones.  I have been an avid Monkees fan since I was a kid and have carried it on with me into my adulthood.  They were a big part of my life and still are.  My mom always told me I was born in the wrong era.

I used to save whatever birthday or allowance money I earned just to run to Suncoast and purchase episodes of their series on VHS. I remember, the VHS's costs me $14.95 every time.  Only two episodes at a time. Eventually Suncoast (like most of the other stores in the mall) closed down and I couldn't find them in any other stores. I probably gave Suncoast most of their business. I was short all but two of their albums (cds), I had the box set, the movies, shirts -- I acquired quite the collection, even down to the green wool hat that Mike wore.

The Monkees were my first concert when I was only 12. My dad drove my sister and I to the Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville, IN one sunny Friday afternoon in 1998, and I was blown away.  The venue was small. They let people go up to the stage, to possibly get a handshake during a song, or perhaps a rose from the bunch that Davy was holding. I remember being so close that I could see up Peter's nose as he beat a song out on the keyboard. I couldn't have been happier -- I could see up Peter's nose...What a delight. I was staring at his gray/blond hair bouncing in the light as he played. I was starstruck. Peter, Micky and Davy were simply 3 feet away...almost at an arms length.  Davy was dancing about, Mick Jagger style, tossing roses here and there, and much to my disbelief, one flew at me in slow motion. I went back to my seat in a daze. Mike didn't show at this concert, which was disappointing for me.  I kept hoping throughout the night that he would come walking out on stage, waving to all of our grinning faces staring back at him, but he did not.

In fact, before the concert started, I was actually imagining the boys from 1966 running out in their red polyester shirts with 8 gold buttons and gray bell bottoms. I knew they were much older, but my imagination got the best of me. Gosh, I loved them - and I still do.

I still have that rose. It's potpourri now, but I have it.

My heart broke today when I learned of this news.  All of his fans have heavy hearts to see him go.  As Mike Nesmith put it today, "I wish him safe travels".

Good-bye Davy, Rest in Peace, my friend.

Love, Peace and Hugs always.

The Melting Pot

I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews about this restaurant.  I've heard it's not that good, I've heard it's amazing, blabbity blah blah.

 We went on a double date here with our good friends for the first time and we are fans. We made reservations for 8:30, but got there around 8:00 and were sat right away. We started with the featured Sam Adams Boston Lager fondue. You are given small cups of a variety of bread cubes, cauliflour, broccoli and apples for dipping. Our friends got the swiss fondue. The waiter actually prepares the cheese at your table (make sure you take note of this).  Our cheese was made with a half cup of Boston Lager, a few dashes of tabasco, bacon, and scallions. It was amazing. Simple to make, but sometimes it's the simple ingredients that make the best tasting dips. I mean, it's a bowl of cheese, how do you screw that up?  I guess you can though because our waiter accidently put a bit to much nutmeg in the Swiss fondue they ordered, but it was still good. I'm not a big fan of swiss as it is, so I stuck mainly to our pot of deliciousness.

After the fondue, you get a salad. I got a wedge salad, which delighted me. I love the crunchy part of the lettuce that you can eat like an apple, but that's beside the point. Wasn't the best salad I'd ever had, but obviously this is a fondue featured restaurant, not a salad bar. I also didn't realize that goronzola was a moldy green cheese that tastes like farts and smells like feet. If you are not a fan of farts and feet, stick with the cheddar.  Lucky for me, I have a fiance who enjoys the sour yet bold flavors of this abomination of cheese. It dissapeared off of my plate and into Ben's stomach before I could say 'hey, get your face off my plate'. Either way, you are kind of dumb if you go there just to get a salad. Seriously.

For the entree we got was called the Fondue Fusion which was strips of steasoned steak, bbq pork, shrimp, buffalo chicken, lobster tail and mushroom stuffed pasta (I don't like cooked mushrooms normally, but these were good). You also get new cups of vegetables with your meal.

Ben and I got the pot of broth for cooking, and our friends got the oil. I have always had a fear of raw meat, so I was pretty skeptical on the 'cook your own dish' scenerio, but you get the hang of it after a few minutes. In fact, when he set the plate down I had a secret panic attack and kind of felt like running away -- but the food was great. I loved the chicken and shrimp. You also get two different kinds of batter for your meats. It's fun to experiment, and you can't really mess anything up. Everything pretty much goes good with everything. If you're a worrier like me and can't even touch ground beef to make hamburgers in the summer, then just leave the food in longer. Better to be a little overdone then underdone right? Plus my worrying made my friends laugh, so everyone wins right?

They also give you 8 different sauces to work with. I loved the greek goddess sauce. I even ventured into my wild side and spooned a little bit of the bleu cheese sauce onto my steak. The greek goddess is a creamy dillweed/cucumber sauce that you can pretty much slab on anything. Well, I can anyway.

For our chocolate, we got the PB&J. Probably the best thing ever. Strawberries and bananas in a PB&J chocolate? (Homer drool).

Overall, the food was good, our waiter was very nice, and I had a great time. It's a bit pricy, but thankfully, we live too far away to go all the time;-) So basically, if you have no personality, no sense of humor and hate life, I would not suggest going, because it's a great time!  I would also highly advise against it if you are trying to watch your calorie intake because you pretty much take in a days worth in the hour you are sitting there.