Working Rest Day

Posted on February 12, 2012

Thank you thank you thank you for all the well wishes on yesterday’s interview!!! I think it went pretty well! So we shall see

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Sunday is traditionally a day of rest and I guess it was…in a way. I took the day off from exercise (been taking a few more rest days than usual)…opting for some yoga…but I did not take the day off from chores, school work, and CLEANING!

Forget Spring cleaning…it’s all about Winter cleaning!

I was a machine today!! Shoveling, room cleaning, laundry, food prep, lunch making, de-cluttering, essay editing…I did it all. It was actually nice to be so busy on a rest day! It kept me occupied and I didn’t even really miss my lack of a workout<-something I look forward to in my day!

Just check out the garbage bags from cleaning my room!

[FOUR FULL BAGS!! And they were heavaaaaay!]

Not that my room was that messy…but I just had A LOT of junk to get rid of! Mostly review books, old school supplies, and magazines. Felt good organize a bit and free up some space in my room. Neat freak alert

Well aside from having a pretty productive day, I rounded up a bunch of stuff to share with you all from around the web! I didn’t do my usual link love post this week and since Valentines Day is coming up…I thought it would be appropriate to end the weekend with a little LOVE.

[Following Popchips lead! I’ll have a review of their new variety later this week!]

I’ve been reading so many new blogs lately and discovering a ton of fun sites! My google reader is totally packed…but I can’t help it…too many amazing writers, bloggers, cooks, and people in general out there!

[note: all pictures are from the links associated with them unless otherwise specified]

New Blogs I’m Loving:

Melissa Nibbles- this girl is HILARIOUS!

The Smart Kitchen-AMAZING recipes and a great writer as well! I especially want to experiment with this:

Homemade Seitan!

Fun Food:

Tuna CHIPS

Okay…so if you’re not a tuna lover these might sound a little unappetizing. But I have been on a tuna kick lately so I think they sound amazing!!

No Sugar Added Strawberry Muffins

Perfectly festive for the holiday!

UBER Healthy Banana Bread

Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

Cookie Dough Cakes

Aside from the tuna chips…all these would be perfect for a sweet treat on V-day. And hey…maybe the tuna chips would work too…haha, depending on your tastes!

Promising Pins:

[I am such a dork…WHY DO I FIND THIS SO FUNNY?!]

[Yes Ryan…yes you did]

[every time.]

[Appropriate since the Grammy’s are on tonight!!! Who’s watching?!]

I’m a little obsessed with the Humor page on Pinterest if ya couldn’t tell.

Speaking of the Grammy’s……I LOVE BRUNO MARS!!! His performance at the top of the show was just FAN-freakin-TASTIC…not to mention he’s adorable…

Why hello there…

Have a good Monday everyone…I know it’s not anyone’s fave but lets try and make it great! Or at least semi-tolerable

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Are you/did you watch the Grammy’s?

It’s actually my favorite awards show! Not as boring as the others and there are always such cool performances!

Lazy Sunday’s or Busy Sunday’s? Which do you prefer?

Any new sites you’re loving lately?

Kaila

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Weekend Déjà Vu

Posted on February 11, 2012

How was everyone’s 6 am wake up call this morning? Oh wait…you didn’t have to get up at 6 on a Saturday?! Right…that was just me. Winking smile

I had a huge interview this morning for a scholarship to one of my top choice schools! So that meant an early morning filled with meet and greets, interviews, and information sessions.I think it went pretty well…so fingers crossed for sure!

[dressed for success Smile ]

I wanted to thank everyone for the awesome responses to my last post! I think it is a really interesting topic for discussion and I was so curious to hear everyone’s opinions on it. I think everyone was pretty much on the same page! Great minds think a like I guess!

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This post may give you all a touch of déjà vu. Remember last weekend’s post when I gave a run down of my favorites? 99 cent larabars, fun products for reviewing, and new foodie finds?

Well, today’s post is pretty much connected to all that good stuff!

I found MORE 99 cent Larabars at the Co-op this week! YES. Especially exciting because the sale happened to be on my three current favorite flavors.

[basically bought out the bar aisle…]

-Coconut Cream Pie

-Key Lime Pie

-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

A random mix…but so yummy!

And remember the flax milk I found? Yeaaaaah.

DO NOT BUY IT.

In the comments Tara described it as “flax flavored water” and that is pretty much a PERFECT description. It’s thin, its flavorless, and it is NOTHING LIKE my beloved almond milk.

But I HATE wasting food…so I have been mixing it with almond milk. That makes it semi-palatable.

I do however loooove the purple cabbage I found last week!

It’s so pretty too!

And I was able to get some baking done this week using the purees that Hooray Puree sent me!

I received spinach, carrot, and butternut squash puree.

The purees are 100% natural, 100% vegan, additive free, preservative free, and have no other ingredients other than the veggies that are pureed.

Obviously PACKED with nutrition!

I am all about adding nutrition to baked goods, dinners, or really any recipe…so I was really excited to experiment with these.

So far I’ve tried the spinach and the carrot purees and have been really impressed. The spinach went into a green monster and the carrot went into the recipe I am about to share with you below!

Both of the veggies tasted delicious…just as if they had been freshly pureed.

Can’t wait to try the butternut in a fun recipe. Any ideas? The company sent me a list of recipes that I could use the purees in…humus, pasta sauce, mac and cheese, and even tacos?! They all sound reeeeeally yummy…and HEALTHY!

[Does anyone want to see the actual recipes? I can include them in a post if you’d like!! Let me know in the comments!]

Thanks Hooray! You helped me get my baking groove on…

Carrot Raisin Bran Tops

Pin It

makes 8 muffin tops

1/2 cup+2 tablespoons flour (I used spelt)

1 cup wheat bran

1/4 raisins

1/2 cup carrot puree

1/2 cup applesauce

2 egg whites

4 dates boiled and mashed in a paste

1/4 cup maple syrup/agave/honey (depending on your taste preference)

1/4 cup walnuts

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

water (if batter seems to dry)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix wet ingredients together and then add dry ingredients. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for about 22 minutes.

Perfect for snacks! But I will warn ya…these aren’t too sweet so if you have a big sweet tooth steer clear…or just add more sweetener! Smile

I have been on a bran kick lately! I just love the texture it adds to baked goods.

Before I go…let me give a quick shout-out. HELLO WINTER!

Don’t mistake that enthusiasm for excitement however. Winter has officially come to Buffalo…we have about 3 inches of snow right now and it’s feeling like negative temps.

I guess I shouldn’t complain since we’ve had such a mild winter…but it really does stink. I will say for the thousandth (millionth?) time…I HATE THE COLD.

Weather ran over.

Hope everyone has a fun weekend!

Anyone doing anything Valentines day themed?

What’s your current favorite bar?

Do you have a raging sweet tooth or do you prefer more subdued flavors?

Kaila

Subscribe on the side. Follow me on Twitter. Ask me on Formspring. Friend me on Daily Mile. Follow me on Pinterest. Like me on Facebook.

PS: Check and see if you were tagged in in Rest and Rejuvenate Award post!!!

WINNING (for the third time)

Posted on February 2, 2012

Happy Groundhog’s Day!
Not that I really believe in the whole thing…our Winter has actually been tolerable this year!!

——–

You would think people would want free stuff!!! BUT sadly…and mostly just frustratingly…the SECOND winner I picked to win my Eat Smart Scale has still not come forth to claim it! SO once again…I am picking a new winner! Hopefully this time the winner actually reads this post and emails me!

The NEW NEW Winner is…

Congrats Jess! Please (PLEASE!!! ) email me your info!

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Well now that that’s out of the way (hopefully!!)…I have a cornucopia of things to share with you all tonight. How do you like that word usage right there?! Ha.

Starting with a quick recipe! A few commenters asked me to share my Orange Creamsicle Smoothie recipe from my WIAW post…gladly! It is really refreshing and delicious! I actually can’t believe I haven’t shared it sooner.

Orange Creamsicle Green Monster

serves 1

1 scoop of Orange Dreamsicle Amazing Grass
1 orange, peeled and sliced (can also sub or add frozen peaches and strawberries)
1 frozen banana, sliced
2 cups of spinach
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
ice, as much as desired

Blend everything up and top with various yummy things

My favorite toppings are: raw oats, kamut puffs, cashews, raisins, ezekiel cereal, and fiber nuggets!

Gotta love the crunch!

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Thursday’s are usually link love/pinterest days around here…so lets keep with that tradition cause there has been lots of good stuff on the web lately!

Before we roll into that though…some news to share with you all! I took a little break from my “exercise break” today and did some cardio! It felt FABULOUS! I missed it SO MUCH! I guess that’s what a week off will do to ya. Sweat=My BFF.

Weekly Link Love:

[note: all pictures are from the sites linked to below]

Ashley’s Buckwheat Millet Quick Bread

Cassey’s Cream of Asparagus Soup

Faith’s Spelt English Muffins

Nicky’s Apple Protein Bars

Sara’s Microwave Bran Muffin

Brittany’s Pumpkin Protein Bars

Ellen’s Almond Orange Protein Bars

Apparently I am on a protein bar kick! (Been trying to up my protein lately anyways! So I guess its perfect timing for all these yummy recipes!)

101 reasons to workout!

Angry Trainer’s Ass Kicking Workout

Yummy Post Workout Fuel Ideas

Interesting Article on Dreams

Winning Pins:

You all know I am a fan of the funnies! And today was especially stressful so I am in need of a good laugh and some positive affirmations.

And finally a quote my mom just shared with me…

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
- Steve Jobs

Now that’s the way to go about life!

Enjoy your night and attack the day tomorrow! It’s Friday after all so make it AMAZING!

Kaila

Subscribe on the side. Follow me on Twitter. Ask me on Formspring. Friend me on Daily Mile. Follow me on Pinterest.