Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Grape Nuts Cookies

Grape Nuts and I go way back.
I've loved those crunchy little nuggets since I was a kid.

Our relationship continues today with this
fiber-filled recipe that will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Grape Nuts Cookies
from Dr. Oz
{PRINT IT HERE}
What's your favorite cookie? 
post signature

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Social Media Business Cards

I'm starting to find my niche in The Blogosphere.
Some people have heard of my blog and some have actually visited it!
WOO-HOO!
I signed up to go to Blended
I'm going to Blended Conference in Tempe, Arizona in September 2013
in September here in The Valley.

I'm SO excited but I saw that they suggest bringing business cards.
I don't have any! So I made some!
Here's what I started with:
^^ This is the front. ^^
I wanted to make my blog name really stand out
and added some other info but then I
realized I wanted to share my social media, too.
 
So I decided to make them double-sided:
^^ This is the back. ^^
 
I made some for my sweet friend Britany at 32 Turns, too.
We worked together to give them a style all her own.

 
And I love how they turned out!
 
What's on YOUR card?
I'm happy to make some for you too!
post signature

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Down East Basics

 
 I have at least a dozen tops from Down East that I adore
and always get complimented on. 
Recently, I was invited to attend a blog mixer
at their Dana Park store in Mesa, AZ.
 
(Disclosure: this event was sponsored and I received a gift card at the event.)
 
What made it even more fun was that I got to bring a guest
so I grabbed one of my favorite people in the whole, entire world:
my big sister, Rebecca.
 
We have so much fun together!
We seriously act like a couple of teenagers
whenever we get together.
You'd never know we're a couple of middle-age mamas!
{BTW the top I'm wearing (on the right) is yet another fabulous Down East find!
In fact, so is my undershirt. I may be addicted.} 
We mingled and shopped our little hearts out!
The lace top I'm wearing is a wardrobe staple.
(I have it in 5 different colors!)
It was a su-WEET night!
 
BONUS!! 
There happens to be a Costa Vida next door!
I converted my sister to their tomatillo ranch dressing. =)
So in my expert opinion:
DOWNEAST @ DANA PARK ROCKS!!
post signature

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

French Breakfast Puffs

Today I'm bringing you one of my favorite brunch recipes:
FRENCH BREAKFAST PUFFS!
They're easier to make than they look and
SO DELICIOUS!
 Start by mixing the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, powder, and spice.
 Drop a spoonful of batter in a well-greased muffin tin.
It should only fill 1/4 of the tin.
 
Next, add a dollop of jam in the middle of each cup.
{I use raspberry because it's my favorite but you can use any jam.}
That should raise the filled height to about half.
 
Then add another spoonful of batter onto the jam
and carefully spread it to cover the whole surface.
The completed muffin cup should be 3/4 full.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350*.
Carefully loosen and remove muffins from pan.
If you have a few that have sprung a leak
(see pic 9: circled in white),
simply turn them over until the jam cools.
 
Once slightly cooled, brush each one with melted butter
and sprinkle tops with a mixture of cinnamon & sugar
(I use a ratio of 2 tbs sugar to 1 tsp cinnamon).
They're best when served warm.
This recipe makes exactly 12 puffs.

What's your go-to brunch recipe?
Originally guest-published on Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom.
Linking up HERE and HERE.
post signature

Sunday, August 11, 2013

4 Healthy Habits {to the power of 4}

Here a 4 sets of 4 habits that will help you be healthier,
courtesy of Woman's Day.
 
#1- Four ways to burn more calories (without exercise!)
1-  Healthy Fats: Eat some kind of healthy fat with your breakfast to turn on your fat burners. Try 2 tbs of peanut butter on whole wheat toast or some avocado on an English muffin with a slice of cheese.
 
2 - Cold Water: I'm a HUGE proponent of water! Drinking two 8-ounce glasses of cold water increases metabolism by 30%! Sip some water with every meal. Add a slice of lemon for added flavor.
 
3 - Whole Grains: Your body uses more calories when it digests fresh foods, like whole grains. You can go half-and-half to start your transition to only whole grains: mix whole grain pasta with regular pasta; add a 1/2 cup fiber to your morning cereal.
 
4 - Spices: Ginger and cinnamon actually raise your body temperature so your metabolism has to speed up a bit to cool you down. Add some spice by putting 1 tsp of either ginger or cinnamon to oatmeal or smoothies.
 
 
#2 - Food Swap
1 - Swap blueberries for strawberries. Strawberries have 130% of your daily dose of vitamin C, which your body needs to burn fat.
 
2 - Swap hummus for Greek yogurt dip. You burn more calories digesting protein than any other nutrient and Greek yogurt has at least 10 grams per cup!
 
3 - Swap an 8" flour tortilla for a 6" corn tortilla. The corn version saves about 100 calories and adds 100% whole grain to your meal.
 
4 - Swap soy sauce for curry powder. Curry contains curcumin which helps control the hormones linked to weight gain. Soy sauce can also cause bloating.
 
 
#3 - Fun ways to burn 200 calories
1 - Shop at the mall
60 minutes
 
2 - Go bowling
45 minutes
 
3 - Hula hoop
30 minutes
 
4 - Play ping-pong
35 minutes
 
 
#4 - Fun ways to burn 100 calories
1 - Ice skate
15 minutes
 
2 - Stand while on the phone
45 minutes
 
3 - Bathe your dog
30 minutes
 
4 - Dance
15 minutes

What are you favorite ways to burn calories?
SOURCE: womansday.com
post signature

Saturday, August 10, 2013

My Top 10 Diet Tips

I did it!
I made it through 12 weeks of
hater comments, will-power, a few tears, and
several stages of "D.I.E.T. acronyms".
{I totally made these up so don't quote me!}
 
My first stage was this:
Do  I  Eat  This?
It was hard to know what I should and should NOT eat.
There are a lot of protein options but getting the
right combination of type + amount can be tricky.
 
 
My next stage was this:
Doing  IEven  Though  (it's hard)
I decided to not let my hard-earned money go to waste.
No matter the comments I got or
the temptations that came my way,
I figured I could handle for 1 summer.
 
Stage 3 for me was
Discipline  IEating  Things
Out of sheer will-power (which is actually empowering!),
I did not cheat on my diet.
Not even a bite.
Not even a taste.
Not once.
 
I've now entered stage four:
Determined  IEvery  Thing
I can do hard things.
If I want to run a 5K, I know I can do it.
If I want to go back to school, I know I can do it.
If I want to learn to play the piano, I know I can do it.
I can do hard things.
 
So here are my tips for those of you
who may be improving your habits of health.
1- Eat 6 small meals a day.
This helps your metabolism stay up and running.
 
2- Never skip a meal.
Your body needs food. Skipping meals will stop your metabolism in it's tracks and put your body in starvation/hoarding mode.
 
3- Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up. 
Jump start your metabolism EVERY day. Don't start your day in starvation mode.
You'll set yourself up for binging later on.
 
4- Drink 80-100 ounces of water a day
Water is vital to your system.
Often we're unknowingly dehydrated and our bodies think
we're hungry when we're actually thirsty.
 
5- Have healthy snacks with you, just in case.
We can't always control when and where accidents, emergencies, or just life will happen. Have a protein bar in your purse so you're not stressed about what to eat (or tempted to just grab some fast food).
 
6- Don't cheat.
It takes your body some time to start burning your fat reserves. If you start feeding it more fat, it will only burn that and crave more. You're too strong for that.
 
7- Think about what you CAN eat instead of what you can't.
Focusing on what's negative about your diet ("I hate that I can't have cheesecake!") will make you resent the diet itself. Think "I'm so glad I can still have steak!" instead.
 
8- Find non-food ways to deal with stress.
Listen to your favorite playlist, get out your crocheting,
walk your dog, or hug your children when you're feeling stressed.
 
9- Eat at regular times.
You should be eating every 2-3 hours; no sooner and no later. Your metabolism will be trained to burn off fat until your next high-protein meal. 
 
10- Break down your Final Goal into mini-goals.
If you weigh yourself, do it once a week, first thing in the morning.
Tell yourself how much you want to lose in 1 week, in 2 weeks, in 1 month. Thinking, "I will lose 30 pounds 3 times" is easier to grasp than thinking "I have to lose 100 pounds!"
 
Here's to your health!
You CAN do it.
{linking up here}
post signature

Friday, August 9, 2013

The B-I-G News!

I was enjoying a nice evening with some of my favorite girls
(GO MIA MAIDS!)
when my phone rang.
 
"Hi this is Megan with CBS Studios in California", said the voice on the line.
 
". . . . . . . . . {stunned silence} . . . . . . . . . ."
 
"We've noticed a blog post you did a couple months ago and
we'd like to feature it on an upcoming episode of
Would you be interested in sharing it with us?"
 
". . . . . . . . . Um . . . . . YES!!!!"
 
SO, my B-I-G NEWS is that
is going to be on tv!
I'll just be sending in photos and info
(I personally will not be on the show)
but I am still
SO FREAKIN EXCITED!!!!!
post signature

FRIDAY FUNNIES: Healthy Food

Here's how my kids feel about my diet food: 
post signature

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

NOW FEATURING: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

I'm so excited to be guest posting on
Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
Her blog has something for everyone!
 
Today, she's featuring my recipe for
Go check it out! =)
post signature

Sunday, August 4, 2013

TSFL: Final Results (3 months)

I've come a long way.
 
I've worked on my health habits over the last 12 weeks
and have come to a place that I love!
 
I've lost 33 inches overall.
 
I've gained self-control. 
 
I've lost a total of 30.2 pounds.
 
I've gained self-confidence.
 
I'm now a health coach,
helping others achieve their health goals.
 
I'll give you a call when you're ready to
TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE.
post signature