Lovin' It Monday

The title doesn't rhyme at all, but that doesn't change the fact that I wanted to share some things I am currently loving with you all. I was perusing Urban Outfitters website, in hopes of their winter dress collection being available for preview--it was not. Nevertheless, I did come across some totes cute items that I would LOVE to add to my wardrobe. In no particular order:

1. Pins and Needles Tulle Overlay Halter Dress

       

How CUTE is this dress!? I love the peachy-rose-nude coloring of the tulle. Plus the overall conceptual design of having it layered over the white strapless bodice gives the sweet and girly essence of the pale tulle some edge. Just a little bit of edge though, which provides an overall  nice, though subtle, contrast. It's so girly, I think it would be super refreshing to wear this to a Christmas party and then all through spring to dates and picnics and cutesy things of that nature. Super adore this.
bitly.com/WUq2os

2. Wooden Ships Vancouver Ear Warmer

     

I can tell you now, the only reason I am even aware of these ear warmers is because I recently bought a bike and use it as my main form of transportation. It is VERY nippy at 8am and my ears would very much appreciate a cover like this. What I like about these isn't the $42 dollar price tag (I'm going to go ahead and say it: outlandish), but the rich colors they come in and the fact that they are knit. What can I say? I think accessories like this become WAY cuter when knit. How boring would this be if it was just a strip of fabric!?

http://bitly.com/S6yTND

3. MINKPINK Queens Sweater Dress

          

Animal Print. I don't think I need to go further in my explanation of why I love this. Snooks would agree. But, for the sake of those of you who aren't die hard animal print lovers, I will continue on. Not only is the animal print factor amazing, but I love that it is a sweater dress. Sweater dresses are fall staples because they go so deliciously well with, you already know, leggings and boots. Throw some boot socks in to-boot and you just became an instant fashionista. AND you'll be way more put together than the girl in sweats and Uggs, yet just as comfortable. I die. I will admit that I don't actually like the u-back detail. I much prefer cleavage in the front than the back, but your back being cold is a small price to pay for all this cuteness, no?

http://urbout.co/U97EC7

4. Silence & Noise Faux Fur Bomber Jacket

     

There is a vague something I like about this jacket, but I love how they outfitted this model it in. The hair that may not have been washed in a couple of days, the short shorts, the see-through leggings. It's all very...risque and a wee bit, dare I say, sleazy. But it's pulled together sharply and that's what I appreciate.

http://urbout.co/S5b7lZ

Go check all these goods and more out at http://www.urbanoutfitters.com. Overpriced, but definitely worth it; especially if you catch a sale! Salud!

Ps~ Sorry for the blurry pictures. UO's fault, not mine.

Clean Split Pea Soup Review

Since moving to Oregon and enduring their early onset of fall, I have decided that I like to meal replace once a day with soup. It has also been WAY too long since I used one of the recipes from The Gracious Pantry. To remedy the latter and adhere with the former, I decided to make Clean Split Pea Soup today. This is what the recipe looks like:


Ingredients
8 cups veggie broth
3 cups dry split peas
4 large carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp olive oil


The recipe is given to make approximately 5 quarts, but I have no storage space so I cut everything down to, give or take, 1/3 of what it called for. I also don't like celery seed. I think this is a common ingredient in split pea soups and may be the reason I haven't eaten any in years. If you like the traditional taste then by all means keep it in there. I also added some cubed ham to this dish mainly for the protein and because I have never eaten split pea soup without ham. I wasn't ready to go THAT rogue. One day! All in all, this recipe was DELICIOUS. The flavors were very low-key, but blended together nicely. In addition, it was super simple to make and can be cooked on the stove-top or in a crock pot. Tiffany describes this recipe as "a quick, go-to soup recipe for a busy, cold and blustery weeknight" and I think she is spot on.

Salud!

Santa Fe Turkey Stuffed Peppers Review

I was looking up recipes the other day because I FINALLY got tired of eating spaghetti and top ramen. I landed on this new website called Gina's Skinny Recipes. The recipes, as the name notes, are all about making delicious dishes everyone loves using healthier alternatives. I decided to test run the Santa Fe Turkey Stuffed Peppers. This is what the recipe looked like:

For the filling:

1/2 lb 99% lean ground turkey chicken

3/4 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cups frozen corn

1 hot pickled fresh serrano pepper, chopped (or jalepeño) more to taste

1 large diced tomato

1 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp chopped onion

2 tbsp chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 tsp cumin

kosher salt to taste

For the peppers:

3 red [orange & yellow] bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise

1/3 cup reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth water

9 tbsp shredded reduced-fat Sargento Monterey Jack cheese

1 tbsp chopped scallions, for garnish

I feel like I didn't make too many changes to this recipe. I'm not the biggest fan of ground turkey. Of course, I only made this decision after made my family to switch from ground beef; now they love ground turkey and I'm just sol. But, because I was cooking for myself, I swapped the turkey for chicken. I love ground chicken. Overall, the peppers were quite tasty. They were a really nice alternative to normal stuffed green peppers. I also liked the use of the colored bell peppers as opposed to green bell peppers because the colored ones are sweeter and lend themselves more to recipes that don't have overpowering other flavors. Overall I think the recipe is definitely worth trying. Especially if you're a person who usually doesn't normally like stuffed bell peppers.

Salud!

Fitness Update

There are two months during the year that I struggle the most with staying motivated, staying fit and eating like I haven't lost my mind. August and December. And let me just say, August 2012 was no different. I didn't adhere to any kind of solid fitness regime over the summer, but August, especially these past two weeks, have been ridiculous. I think it has a lot to do with finally having access to the junk food I love and thereby hoarding it all into my system while simultaneously not exercising because I "don't" have a gym membership anymore. Regardless, there always comes a day when it all catches up to you. First there are little signs such as being extra lethargic, having no energy, being able to eat giant burritos in their entirety. But one day it culminates with your body, or at least my body, saying "Hey! I feel like shit over here! Get it together!" Today was that day for me. So, naturally, I tied up my hair, laced up my running shoes and headed over to my temporary gym. I got on the treadmill, ran for 15 minutes and then honestly felt like I was going to hurl. That is the major downside of falling off the fitness wagon; getting back on the wagon. It is never easy and every time I seriously question WHY do I let myself go on eating crap and not exercising for so long. It is a question that may never be answered. Regardless, here I go headlong into my (mostly) healthy ways again. Salud!

Back in Action/ Kale & Banana Smoothie Review

So I am a bold faced liar seeing as zero posts about my life occurred during my summer position. Never fear, however, because I am here to get back to my roots with a food review!!! I am super excited about this review because I have been thinking about trying a kale smoothie for over a year now and, alas, it has come to fruition! I picked up the original recipe from here, but of course I made changes as I went along.


1 banana (I froze it)
2 cups chopped kale (I didn't measure; next time I will)
1/2 cup light unsweetened soy milk 1/4 cup low fat milk (what I had on hand)
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 teaspoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon honey (I misread the teaspoon part)
Then I added:
2 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1/2 cup strawberries

In retrospect, I am unsure why I went so rogue with this recipe. I think there was another recipe I viewed and then just combined the ingredients. I do not think the strawberries were necessary, per se, and the next time I make it I will definitely use a teaspoon (vs tablespoon *forehead slap*) of honey. That being said, this smoothie turned out to be particularly enjoyable. My mother said she could still taste the kale, but I personally did not find the kale taste to be prominent or overwhelming. This is coming from a girl who does not usually like kale because of its bitterness. I think this is an excellent recipe to play around with according to what you want to taste in your smoothie. The next time I make this I might add kiwi instead of strawberries, for example. Overall, I really enjoyed the outcome. Definitely a 5 star recipe. I hope you all take the time to try it. Salud!

Update!

Life has really taken off over the past month or so. This, actually, does not account for the hiatus prior to May, but I like to lie to myself so I am going to pretend it does. Since I last checked in I moved on from my job at the Gap and am now working at a summer program on the east coast. I am super excited about this new position. So far it seems that it is going to utilize and expand my broad, but often overlooked, skill of usefulness. I have recognized that I am prime material for working in an office setting in a receptionist/secretary/office manager type position, but without background it was tricky convincing employers of my conviction. With this position, however, I am hoping the tide is about to change. Especially as I look for employment this fall while I am in graduate school. That is my second piece of "life changing" news. This fall I commence graduate studies at Oregon State University. I am also very excited about that.
The reason I am denoting all of these life changes is because it seems there will be a shift in blog content. I assume there will still be periodical posts about "fashion" just because I still really like clothes. However, I do not foresee many recipe reviews (which were some of my favorite posts) in the near future. Instead I anticipate more "life update" posts as well as book reviews...those book reviews I have alluded to yet never actually gone about doing. I'm really on book, like, 7 in J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series and I have actually written down stuff I wanted to discuss, yet nothing has ever made it into this space. Ridiculous. But hopefully over the summer I'll do better. And here ends this quick update. Happy Tuesday!

Salud!

Healthy Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal Review

I recently discovered this youtube site that is all about providing clean, yet tasty recipes. I have tried a couple of the recipes posted and today I tried the "Easy to Make Healthy Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal". I quite liked the recipe, though I did have to make it twice. I ALWAYS have issues following oatmeal recipes; that liquid to oats ratio kills me every time! So the first time I followed the instructions blind: 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup liquid. HORRIBLE IDEA. After 2 minutes in the microwave my oats were still swimming. :( So I threw them out. :/ (I've tried salvaging oatmeal before, it doesn't work.) On the second go-around I used 1/2 cup of oats and 3/4 cup liquid. Worked out so much better. After that, everything was on the up-and-up. Greek Yogurt, I believe, is an acquired taste and if you haven't acquired it, you most likely won't like its usage in this recipe. Nevertheless, I do agree adding sweetener and vanilla extract takes the edge off. On the one downside, I was not a fan of the strawberries. Maybe mine weren't sweet enough, but I think I would have enjoyed the recipe just as much, if not more, without them. But that's just personal preference. I'll add the video and recipe list below. Definitely a recipe worth trying! Salud!


You will need:
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sliced strawberries
2 tbsp. Greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp. stevia Agave Nectar
Vanilla extract