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!

—

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

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

Honesty>Money

Posted on February 9, 2012

Well today certainly has been an off day! I don’t know if its hormones or the weather or some crazy mix of factors but I felt AWFUL. Literally fighting back tears the whole day! And I have no idea why! That’s the most frustrating part! Still feeling a little off…but in an attempt to keep my mind off things I have interesting post for you all tonight!

Blogging is relaxing for me anyways, so I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead with what I had planned…

—–

What are your thoughts on sponsored posts?

Lately I have been seeing them more and more throughout the blogworld. They’re pretty easy to spot. Either there are 15 bloggers at once with the same giveaway going on, a disclaimer in tiny print at the bottom of post making everyone aware that compensation was involved, or the entire post sounds like some sort of advertisement!

I don’t particularly like them (and even sometimes skip the posts if I am able to spot them right away)…but I understand the attractiveness of them for bloggers. I mean hey, who doesn’t like easy money?!

I loooove doing product reviews and that stuff is always free…so I can understand where people are coming from when they take advantage of sponsored post opportunities.

What I don’t like however, is when it is clear that the blogger put no thought into whether this product they are promoting relates to their readers and offers something pertinent to their blogs content.

An example…for someone who rarely drinks “diet beverages” to all of the sudden start touting praises about a juice alternative, its pretty clear they are just in it for the mullah. I mean seriously…it becomes pretty obvious.

I myself was recently contacted by a company to post about their products (I am not going to share the names of either to protect their privacy…I have nothing against the company or brand or products whatsoever!!) and after much consideration actually turned down the sponsored post opportunity.

Initially I was all gung-ho about the opportunity. But the more I thought about it…and especially after reading the content they wanted me to post…I decided it just wouldn’t be right to go through with it.

I feel I have a responsibility to you all. I basically would have been posting about something that I had never tried myself and would have had to recommend it to you all. And that’s just not right.

My blog is about honesty and integrity…and personally I want to be able to whole heartedly stand behind all my content!

That’s why I have no problem giving bad reviews of products, that’s why I make sure to try every product I receive before sharing it with you all…heck! that’s why I have a blog in the first place! To share MY thought and ideas…not to be a puppet to share some companies stuff!

Now don’t get me wrong…I do believe some bloggers out there do actually back some of the sponsored posts they share. (There are a TON of great companies out there that I wouldn’t hesitate to write about because I love and use their products so much!) But from what I’ve been seeing lately, a lot of the posts just seem…out of place. Like they don’t really fit with what the blog usually stands for. And that’s when I begin to question the blogger’s intentions.

I wanted to post about this not only to draw attention to the issue…but also to hold myself accountable. I’m sure I will get more offers in the future for sponsored posts, but I want to make sure I stick with my values as a blogger. I owe it to all of you! I mean, you come here everyday and actually care about what I have to say…that makes me feel amazing! And I appreciate it so much. So I would never want to jeopardize the connections I’ve made by putting out content that doesn’t truly come from me.

So what do you think?

Have you noticed a spike in sponsored posts recently around the blog world?

Do these posts make you view the blogger’s any differently?

Do you think blogger’s have a responsibility to their readers to only post about things they actually believe in?

I’d love to hear your insights on this!!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a yummy recipe! It’s carrot cake time up in here!!

TGI(almost)F!!!

Kaila

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WIAW: What I Awarded Wednesday

Posted on February 7, 2012

Taking a little break from my typical WIAW routine to introduce a little something I came up with over the weekend!

(but if you are here for some fun foodie pics…you may just find some at the end of this post Winking smile )

I sometimes struggle with setting to high of expectations for myself. Not only does it create unnecessary pressure…but let’s be honest we can’t always accomplish EVERYTHING we want to.

Life just doesn’t work like that…and I for one think we have to learn to cut ourselves some slack. Whether it be letting go of guilt over a missed workout, skipping obligatory work related event in exchange for a night at home with the fam, or splurging on that pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on. We all slip up, we all make mistakes, and NONE of us are perfect! But it’s the act of trying to be that way that can really cause us the most harm.

Sometimes we all just need a break. Taking a day off from the gym, a soothing spa indulgence, a break from school work, or a mental health day…whatever it is…rest and rejuvenation are NECESSARY!

With that being said…I’d like to present a little award I came up with!

~your excuse to take a break and do something for YOU~

Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award button and rules into a post.

2. Answer the questions that go along with the award.

3. Pass the award onto 7 other deserving bloggers who are worthy of some rest and rejuvenation.

4. And most importantly: Take this award as a sign that you are worth it, you are enough, and you deserve to cut yourself some slack.

Questions:

1. What is your favorite way to relax?

2. What would your ideal rest day involve? Plan it out!

3. How many “rest and rejuvenate” days do you aim for each week?

Now…take a deep breath, gather all the guilt, ill feelings, and worry you have about giving yourself a break…and EXHALE! Now breath in and acknowledge all the good you are doing for your physical and mental well being.

Since this is technically the first post of this award, I’ll play along too and answer the questions!

1. My favorite way to relax is by blogging. Honestly, sitting down to write post and get my thoughts and feelings out is SO cathartic. It’s the perfect way to express myself and release some tension.

2. My ideal rest day would involve an early morning hot yoga sesh, followed by a deep tissue massage, a sunny bike ride while listening to an audio book, a trip to the health food store, and a trip to the theatre to end the night!

3. I like to vary the intensity of my exercise a lot so about 2 or 3 days out of the week I go a lot easier or take complete rest. As for mental health, I try to set aside time EVERY day to do something I really want to do…whether its reading a chapter out of a new book, catching up on some blogs, knitting, or baking!

I tag:

-Hollie@FueledbyLolz

-Tara@XCFoodie

-Nicky@KabochaFashionista

-Emma@VeganQueenRunnerBean

-Haley@HealthFreakCollegeGirl

-Tiff@LoveSweatBeers

-Emma@SweetToothRunner

Enjoy ladies!!!!

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And now some foodie pics for good measure…

It is WIAW after all!

[more green monster loving…look at that color!]

[The last bit of my sweet potato lentil chili! It was frozen since Christmas….still delicious though!!]

[haven’t had Siggi’s in FOREVER…just as delicious as I remember!]

Have a restful and rejuvenating week!

Kaila

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Finish Strong!

Posted on February 6, 2012

Go Giants?

I feel like I should at least mention the Super Bowl….my dad won THREE THOUSDAND dollars in his pool!! So I have to admit that was pretty cool and exciting. Another thing I’ll admit…I did not watch the game…AT ALL. Not even the half time show. My parents went to party and I partook in the oh-so addicting Sex and the City Marathon that was on E.

Sex and the City>Football

No shame. Smile

The whole rest of the day was spent doing homework. But at least I had this little one to keep me company…

[That face is SO distracting!]

I did fit in some other stuff though (soup making, laundry folding, pita restocking…lol!)! Including some more magazine reading on my study breaks…

And I happened to find that Women’s Health totally stole my idea for today’s post! Haha. Kidding of course. But what I had in mind just happen to be the topic of an article in the mag…

I LOVE ending workouts with a blast. That feeling that you’ve given your all right at the end is incredible. Whether its sprinting in from a run or busting out some tuck jumps at the end of a strength workout…nothing beats that one final heart pumping push.

And now that I read the article in Women’s Health…I have actual proof that ending a workout with a quick cardio blast is a GOOD thing! So I’m not crazy…lol! It not only revs your metabolism, but it challenges your body in a whole new way by shocking it with a turbo charged set of moves.

I almost always do some intense HIIT style moves at the end of my workouts…especially my strength workouts. It lets me get that final sweat in and makes me feel even more accomplished!

If you follow me on Daily Mile…you know my LOVE of burpees. I think they are the PERFECT full body move. Not only do they get your heart rate up, but they incorporate leg, arm, and shoulder strength.

They are my go-to move post workout. I came up with this little post workout blast to share with you all. It incorporates my favorite burpee variations and will certainly make you push that extra little bit at the end of a tough sweat sesh!

Pin It

I’d love some Pinterest love with this one…so if you like it, Pin It!

If you need any clarification on the moves…let me know!!

Hope you guys enjoy this! I definitely think ending your workout with some intensity adds a whole other dimension!

If anyone tries this out…let me know what you think!

———–

And now a little tid bit from the day that made me smile…

I have been finding these notes ALL over school lately. Such a nice little surprise to see during a tough day.

Do you like to gradually cool down at the end of a workout or push hard till the end?

What’s your go-to workout recovery food?

Did you watch the Superbowl? Any big Superbowl pool wins?!

Have a great week lovelies!

Kaila

PS: I finally created a Facebook page for the blog! Head on over and like away….If you’d like .

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What I’m Loving This Weekend

Posted on February 4, 2012

Hello friends! Sounds like everyone’s weekend are off to a good start! I am seeing lots of positive tweets and comments lately!

I have a feeling this is gonna be a pretty good weekend. Last week was quite hectic and I am anticipating this coming week to be just as busy…so enjoying these two days off is a MAJOR priority! Mother nature certainly is assisting with that…hello 40 degree weather! As are a few more fun things…

What I’m Loving This Weekend!

1. New Magazines

2. New Foodie Finds

Cannot wait to try this!! 1200 mg of Omega 3’s per cup!? YES PLEASE.

I also picked up some red cabbage to try! I usually by the green so I am interested to see if it tastes any different! Regardless, it’s a great way to get some purple food in your diet!!

3. Jessica Chastain

I LOOOVED her in The Help and for some reason since then, all the movies my parents and I have been watching have had her in it!! She is such a great actress! Last night we watched The Debt (in which she was a main character!) and it was SO good.

4. UBER Krispy Kabocha

I have finally figured out the BEST method to get my kabocha SUPER crispy…just the way I like it…SLICE IT THIN! I don’t why I didn’t figure that out sooner but I am loving it!

5. 99 cent Larabars

You can’t go wrong!!

6. Knitting

I got on a knitting kick this Summer and knitted a whole blanket! Well looks like I am back on it again…I love keeping my hands busy!

7. Positive Notes in Public

Found this on the school bathroom mirror! Love it!

8. Being Able to Still Wear Skirts in the Middle of Winter

Once again…thank you Mama N!

9. New Products to Experiment With

Just got these Hooray Puree’s! Can’t wait to do some baking with them!

————

Surprised you didn’t see the SUPERBOWL on my list?

Ehh. I ‘m not. I am not a football fan at all…sorry to those of you who are! I do like the commercials though…so if I do end up tuning in, it’ll probably be for those! Winking smile

What’s one thing you’ve been obsessed with lately? A food? An actor? An activity?

Are you a football fan? Will you be watching ‘the big game’?

Has anyone ever tried Flax Milk?

I am curious if its similar to almond!

Kaila

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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!

—

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!

—

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

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WIAW: A Break from the Words

Posted on January 31, 2012

I have bombarded you all with a TON of wordy posts over the last few days! So let’s take a little break from all of that today and focus on the fun stuff…the FOOD!

WIAW time!

[Link up at Jenn’s!]

Perfect timing for a less wordy post…cause I have A TON of food pics to share!!!

[orange creamsicle green monster with oats, raisins, fiber cereal, puffs, and ezekiel nuggets!]

[israeli couscous salad with cheese and crackers]

[cottage cheese tomato toast with basil]

[99 cent blackberries and the BEST humus flavor ever: Spinach Artichoke!]

[whole wheat spaghetti with peppery marinara]

[sunbutter toast]

[OVERNIGHT OATS! Haven’t had them since Summer…but I got a major craving!]

I think it’s the change in the weather that has revived my craving for ONO’s! In a matter of days we have gone from this…

TO THIS!!!

Okay so maybe there isn’t THAT much greenery and the leaves are definitely off the trees…but ALL THE SNOW IS GONE! And that makes me incredibly happy! We even got some sun today and the temperature was…wait for it…FIFTY FREAKING DEGREES! I went for a bike ride in shorts people…shorts!! IN JANUARY.

It seriously has been the mildest winter I have ever experienced. Especially for us Buffalonians…people were pretty much in Summer clothes today!

Thank you Mama Nature!

—-

What is shorts wearing weather to you?

Favorite recent eat?

Tried any fun NEW foods/combo’s lately?

Any food kicks right now?

I am still craving PB like mad!

Love you all!

Kaila

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