tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36049598455411683362024-02-19T02:16:15.701-05:00Legally BlindeStephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-24671140168486419892013-03-03T18:07:00.000-05:002013-04-03T14:33:49.300-04:00Veggie BakeI decided to throw together a little veggie bake when I had a few different kinds of vegetables on hand and a jar of pasta sauce open.<br />
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<b>Veggie Bake</b><br />
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<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
- Roasted eggplant<br />
- Sliced tomato<br />
- Sliced zucchini<br />
- Spices like basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, smoked paprika<br />
- Pasta sauce<br />
- Nutritional yeast<br />
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a casserole dish - I used a small one since I wasn't using that many vegetables. First add the eggplant. <br />
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Then the tomatoes.<br />
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Then the zucchini.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woops, blurry picture.</td></tr>
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Then sprinkle on each of the spices. <br />
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And then pour pasta sauce over the top.<br />
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Followed by a very liberal topping of nutritional yeast. You could definitely use cheese here instead, if you prefer.<br />
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Bake for about 30 minutes, until the sauce looks set around the edges and the vegetables are tender. <br />
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I enjoyed a portion with some delicious figs on the side. <br />
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I think it would also be great served with some noodles or rice, or with some crusty bread to soak up any extra sauce!<br />
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It reheats well, too. This recipe is extremely adaptable - just use whatever vegetables you have on hand and as many or as few spices as you prefer.<br />
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I hope you're having a good weekend! Here's some pictures from mine.<br />
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On Friday I had a rare day with no set obligations, so I decided to spend some time at the mall. I had a coupon for free underwear (gotta love Victoria's Secret) and a coupon for a free tea from <a href="http://www.teavana.com/" target="_blank">Teavana</a>. Other than that I just browsed and got in some mall cardio. Oh and I treated myself to my favorite lunch - a chicken pesto crepe and some Perrier! So good. <br />
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Last night I went out to dinner with some friends to a great place called <a href="http://www.happydogcleveland.com/" target="_blank">Happy Dog</a>. It's pretty incredible - you choose whether you want a beef or vegan hot dog, and then you can choose AS MANY toppings as you want, and it all costs $5. And you can also get French fries or tater tots with unlimited sauces for $3. Um, yes please. I got a beef hot dog with marinated cremini mushrooms, caramelized onions, sun dried tomato tapenade, and applewood smoked bacon. I also got an order of delicious tots with homemade ketchup. And an extremely delicious beer per my friend Laura's enthusiastic recommendation - <a href="http://willoughbybrewing.com/beer/our-beer/peanut-butter-coffee-porter/" target="_blank">Willoughby Brewing Co. peanut butter cup coffee porter</a>. Yes, you read that right - peanut butter cup coffee!! Tasty. <br />
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In addition to delicious and affordable food, Happy Dog has live music, so it's basically my idea of a perfect hangout spot.<br />
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I got to hang out with some great friends, too - pretty good weekend in my book. <br />
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And here's a sunset picture because I can't resist. Especially these days when anything other than a gray sky is a rarity!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Heartbeat" by Kopecky Family Band. I'm going to see their concert next week and I'm so excited!<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-7403082991189888282013-02-27T22:25:00.000-05:002013-02-27T22:29:35.717-05:00CheezyIt's a miracle. I'm actually writing a blog post... my first one since the beginning of January. Woops. <br />
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So for those of you who don't know, I am a pretty picky eater. I don't like quite a few things, like seafood (I've tried!), mustard, cheese, etc. Actually, I do like a couple kinds of cheese: Kraft macaroni and cheese (but only the shapes - not the normal elbow noodles - it's all about the cheese to noodle ratio), and cheese on pizza. But I think we all know that Kraft mac and cheese has less than stellar nutrition stats and ingredients. (But the shapes are fun, you have to admit - who doesn't want to hang out with Spiderman or Spongebob at dinner?) Also, I've been avoiding dairy as much as possible for the last few months - I was getting a lot of upset stomachs, and my skin was going kind of haywire, and I think avoiding dairy has really helped.<br />
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Anyways... when I saw Angela's recipe for <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/03/butternut-squash-mac-n-cheeze/" target="_blank">Butternut Squash Mac 'n Cheeze</a>, I knew I had to try it. And I'm so glad that I did. Finally, a homemade mac and cheese that I can enjoy! And this one definitely <b>does</b> have some stellar nutrition stats. <br />
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I used a fresh butternut squash, extra virgin olive oil, Earth Balance, almond milk, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard (even though I don't like mustard, I couldn't taste this specifically), garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, kosher salt, pepper, whole wheat shell pasta (not as fun as shapes, but close!), spinach, and broccoli. <br />
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Even though it wasn't quite as good warmed up as it was freshly-made, it was still really tasty and I got 4 or 5 meals out of it! I heart leftovers. I know, I'm weird. <br />
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So if you're like me and don't like cheese (please tell me there's someone else out there like me!), or if you're avoiding dairy, or if you love butternut squash, or if you just like good, healthy food - try this recipe! You'll like it. <br />
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I'm really going to try to post more regularly. I haven't been doing a great job of balancing school stuff with healthy eating and exercise, so I need to hold myself more accountable.<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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I can't stop listening to "Emmylou" by First Aid Kit. It's heartbreakingly beautiful. <br />
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<br /><!--3-->Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-56167247247148502952013-01-03T16:29:00.000-05:002013-01-03T16:29:00.806-05:00Homemade Turkey SoupHappy New Year! <br />
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I really don't know where the time has gone, but way back in November, I cooked my first turkey for a Thanksgiving-themed potluck that I hosted for my friends. I was very nervous but I think it turned out fairly well, and overall it was actually pretty simple. Even though my friends made a good dent in the turkey, I still had quite a bit left over. I enjoyed adding it to salads for lunch and heating it up for dinner, but I got to the point where I really didn't want any more turkey, so I decided to put the rest into a soup.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijplSEN-D2XTDpun7eiuJU6d3y1GxfvgfELX_pM2tUgU8eh0aGdfgop5UuufKrL8FdL2yl_neKPxMgYR_8bMdkrSsreevQnm25BrugT_K_wtLg26P5sJrX2RZw_TnZsYvGAzpS-9KXsJs/s1600/IMG_20121117_181317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijplSEN-D2XTDpun7eiuJU6d3y1GxfvgfELX_pM2tUgU8eh0aGdfgop5UuufKrL8FdL2yl_neKPxMgYR_8bMdkrSsreevQnm25BrugT_K_wtLg26P5sJrX2RZw_TnZsYvGAzpS-9KXsJs/s640/IMG_20121117_181317.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woops, forgot to get a picture before the turkey was carved. Sorry for this blurry one!</td></tr>
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I just added ingredients as I went and hoped for the best. It kind of reminded me of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_soup" target="_blank">"button soup"</a> story - did anyone else read that when they were younger? Anyways, I was actually really surprised by how well<br />
it turned out!<br />
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<b>Turkey "Button" Soup</b><br />
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<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
- 15 cups of water<br />
- 5 vegetable bouillon cubes<br />
- about 10 green onions, sliced<br />
- about 4 carrots, sliced<br />
- leftover turkey, torn into pieces<br />
- about half a bag of frozen spinach<br />
- 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained<br />
- a pinch of dried rosemary<br />
- a hefty shake of dried basil<br />
- 2 bay leaves<br />
- about half a bag of whole wheat egg noodles<br />
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Simmer all of the ingredients, except for the egg noodles, in a big pot for about an hour or so, and then add the egg noodles and let it simmer for about another 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves before eating. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not very good at photographing soup/ steamy things.</td></tr>
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This recipe is extremely easy to customize based on the ingredients you have on hand - you could substitute another type of leftover meat (i.e. chicken, ham, beef roast, etc.) or leave out the meat altogether, use another kind of onion, different kinds of frozen or fresh leafy greens, use different kinds of beans, change up the spices, etc. The possibilities are endless!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a much better picture of the soup, which I had as part of my dinner one night. I also had a salad with romaine lettuce, a crumbled <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/10/is-that-cookie-on-your-salad.html" target="_blank">carrot, beet & bean burger</a>, sliced almonds, and homemade croutons, with half a grapefruit on the side. </td></tr>
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The soup kept well in the fridge for quite awhile and was great to heat up for lunch or dinner. Even then I couldn't finish it all, so I froze the rest of it and will pull it out sometime during the next semester when I need a quick already-made meal. I love that I know exactly what's in it, as opposed to store bought cans of soup. <br />
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Normally when I make up recipes as I go (which is a very rare occurrence), the results don't turn out very well, but this was definitely an exception. I'm glad I learned that homemade soup is actually very simple and doesn't take much effort at all!<br />
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I hope the new year is off to a great start for everyone! I got a new phone for Christmas and I've been having fun playing around with the camera on it. I'm really excited that it can easily take panoramic pictures! I took this picture on a little family trip to Michigan. <br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Coyote" by The Lonely Forest. My friend Caitlin turned me on to this band and I'm kind of obsessed with this whole album, which is called <i>Arrows.</i> <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-628663795155416532012-12-12T10:58:00.000-05:002012-12-12T10:58:18.644-05:00Furniture FaceliftIf you remember way back to the summer, I was working on a little DIY project - painting my kitchen table and chairs - which took much longer than I anticipated. But I guess that's the way DIY projects usually go, right? I'm finally getting around to sharing my process in case you want to give some of your furniture a facelift, too! I got most of my information from this Young House Love <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/02/how-to-paint-furniture/" target="_blank">tutorial</a>, as well as some tips from a guy who works at the Sherwin Williams store and from my dad.<br />
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I started with a table and chairs which my best friend generously gave me when I moved into my apartment. They were originally dark green, and my friend had spray-painted them blue and pink. <br />
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My first step was cleaning the table and chairs very well, using this trisodium phosphate, mixed with water according to the directions on the box. I made sure to wear rubber gloves while using this because it is very strong. <br />
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The next step was sanding everything down. I used this 100 grit sandpaper. I opted not to use a sanding block because I was going to have to get into a lot of small areas, like the spindles on the backs of the chairs. <br />
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Per my dad's suggestion, I cut one sheet into 3 equal lengths. <br />
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And then folded each piece into thirds. This made the sandpaper easy to manage, and when one side was worn down, I could quickly switch it to a fresh side. <br />
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After I was finished sanding, I sucked up some of the dust with a shop vac. Then I used a tack cloth to wipe down the chairs and table really well. The tack cloth is slightly sticky (so it feels kind of gross to hold it) but it works really well to get the surface as smooth and clean as possible before starting to paint. You can see that the tack cloth in the plastic is completely white, and the used tack cloth on the right is full of paint that came off from the sanding. <br />
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Next: finally time to get some paint on there! Well, kind of - primer first. The Sherwin Williams guy tinted the primer to a gray color. I used an oil-based primer. <br />
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I almost completely forgot to take pictures of the chairs and table after I primed everything - I remembered just before I painted the top of the table black. The top of the table is what it looked like after a coat of primer, and the table legs have primer and one coat of black paint on them. <br />
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After everything was primed, it was time for the first coat of paint. I also forgot to take a picture of the black paint I used, but it was a black latex paint with a semi-gloss finish from Sherwin Williams. I used a paint brush on the chairs and the legs of the table (the one pictured above with the primer), and a foam roller on the top of the table. <br />
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After my first coat of black paint, I sanded down some spots which were a little rough and uneven. It was difficult to paint around the spindles of the chairs, so this area needed extra sanding. (Which also meant more vacuuming and wiping down with the tack cloth - phew.) In hindsight, I should have gotten a smaller brush to paint these areas. <br />
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Then it was time for the second coat of black paint, and some additional touch-ups after that. <br />
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When I was satisfied with the black paint, and after everything dried really well, it was time to put a protective finish on everything. Per the guy from Sherwin Williams, I put on one thin coat of finish, then I lightly sanded it with very fine grit sandpaper, wiped it down with a tack cloth again, and then put a second (and final!) protective coat on. <br />
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FINALLY finished. <br />
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It took a lot longer than I was expecting. Thank goodness for the NPR app on my phone and lots of entertaining podcasts like Weekends on All Things Considered, Car Talk, and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! I think my dad got a kick out of seeing me spend so much time in the garage listening to Car Talk - I'm finally following in his footsteps :) Kind of. <br />
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My final step was hammering some plastic floor protectors into the bottom of each chair (I drilled pilot holes into the legs first so that they'd go in straight and the wood wouldn't split). I previously used felt floor protectors, but they didn't look very nice and tended to move and/or fall off. I'm happy with the plastic floor protectors. <br />
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I think the time was worth it, though - I love the results! And it's satisfying to see my table and chairs every day and know that my hard work paid off. I have to say, it's made me think about what other DIY projects I can take on to give some other things in my apartment a little facelift. I've got my eye on a VERY outdated brass lamp at the moment.<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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Since it's December, I think I'm going to share some of my favorite Christmas/ holiday songs. This one is actually not much of a song, but it's a classic. "Santa Claus and His Old Lady" by the inimitable Cheech and Chong. Enjoy! "Once upon a time about, mmm, 5 years ago..."<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-7167189858243152792012-12-01T13:47:00.000-05:002012-12-01T15:09:42.762-05:00Continuing the Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well this is the longest apartment "tour" ever. I shared pictures of my <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/04/come-into-my-kitchen.html" target="_blank">kitchen</a> and my <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/10/come-into-my-living-room.html" target="_blank">living room</a> in previous posts, and now I'm finally getting around to sharing some pictures of the rest of my apartment. <br />
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When you first walk into my apartment, you see my living room on the right. <br />
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Straight ahead, you see my coat closet. One of the things I love most about my apartment is all of the storage! Having a coat closet is pretty luxurious, in my opinion.<br />
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To the left, there's a door into another closet - this one is a walk-in! Talk about luxurious. There's also a door into my bedroom from this closet. <br />
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If you continue down the entry hall, my bedroom door is on the left, and the bathroom door is on the right. Also, straight ahead you'll see one of my favorite gifts ever - it's a picture my best friend took at a concert we went to together which she had framed for me. I absolutely love it.<br />
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That's the door to my bathroom.<br />
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Here's the bathroom. <br />
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It was actually the first room in my apartment that I decorated - it seemed a lot more manageable and less daunting than the other rooms because it was much smaller. <br />
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I bought 10 picture frames from a dollar store and had some pictures printed out in black and white to put in the frames. I love this because it was very cheap, and it's also easy to switch around if I want to. I can swap out the pictures easily, and I just have them leaning on that ledge, so they're easy to move around, too. <br />
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That ledge goes all the way around my bathroom, so I continued the frames around the room. I have one <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83613886/glacial-central-park-watercolor-art?ref=v1_other_1" target="_blank">black and white print</a> from Etsy among my own photographs. I got the mat and frame from Hobby Lobby, so that was very affordable, too. <br />
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The photos I chose are a mix of places I've visited and concerts I've been to, so they all have a special meaning to me and are fun to look at throughout the day.<br />
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Leaving the bathroom, you'll see my linen closet in the hall. I absolutely love having a linen closest to hold towels, sheets, some cleaning supplies, and extra toiletries. I'm spoiled with all of this storage!<br />
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Past the linen closet, you can see my front door. The doorknob in the right of this picture leads into that walk-in closet I showed above. <br />
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There's nothing very exciting about the decor in my bedroom, so I'll just highlight a few things in there. This is the door from my bedroom into the walk-in closet. <br />
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And here's my other bedroom closet. I told you - spoiled with storage! It's nice, but at the same time I know I've accumulated a TON of stuff since I moved into this apartment - out of sight, out of mind, right?<br />
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This is the view from my bedroom window. I love it! I could have cut the curtain rod down a little bit, but since I don't spend a ton of time in my bedroom, I didn't worry about it. It looks pretty silly in this picture, though!<br />
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One of my favorite things that I've done in my bedroom is my jewelry storage system. (I know, I'm a dork.) I have an earring holder, a jewelry box, and I hung a tie rack to store my necklaces. <br />
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I used to keep all of my necklaces in my jewelry box, but it was so hard to see them all and I just ended up wearing the same things over and over again. This way I can easily see all of them and quickly pick out what I want to wear. It also prevents them from getting tangled! The tie rack was about $10 at Wal-Mart, but I did recently see an idea for <a href="http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2011/05/necklacejewelry-organizer.html" target="_blank">making your own necklace holder</a> using wood trim and upholstery tacks, which I think would look nicer. One day I'll try that out!<br />
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I love my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/12133333" target="_blank">earring holder</a> for the same reason - I can easily see all of my options at once and pick out what I want to wear. My parents got that earring holder for me as a present a few years ago, but it could be a fun DIY project, as well. And now it's a lot easier to find other things like rings, bracelets, and watches in my jewelry box since I don't have earrings or necklaces in there!<br />
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The dresser that my jewelry box and earring holder are sitting on was actually left here by the previous tenant. It's missing two drawers, but the previous tenant had the clever idea of painting the wood where the drawers should be and using that space as a shoe storage area. Works for me!<br />
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Well there you have it - the rest of my apartment tour, with some cheap decorating tips and storage solutions thrown in. <br />
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I've got 2 finals in the coming week, and then I'll be finished with this semester. Only one semester left to go - I can't hardly believe it. It's scary and exciting at the same time. I can't believe it's already December! Along with my studying, I need to get my Christmas decorations up ASAP :)<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Trouble Ahead" by Little Hurricane. This entire album, <i>Homewrecker</i>, is really great.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-12264853543608793112012-11-04T09:54:00.000-05:002012-11-04T09:54:16.792-05:00Pumpkin OverdoseI'll admit it, I do get excited when basically everything becomes pumpkin-flavored in the fall. But, I always get excited for seasonal/ holiday food - hot apple cider around Thanksgiving, egg nog for Christmas, Reese's eggs in the spring (those totally count), and corn on the cob in the summer!!!<br />
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I did have my first pumpkin spice latte of the year while it was still warm out, but mostly I was excited to try out some new recipes.<br />
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First I made Mama Peas' <a href="http://peasandthankyou.com/2012/09/27/pumpkin-streusel-swirl-loaf/" target="_blank">pumpkin streusel swirl loaf</a>.<br />
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It was delicious!! I highly recommend it. <br />
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I used canned pumpkin for that recipe, but then I roasted a sugar pumpkin I got in my second CSA share. <br />
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And I roasted the butternut squash, too, following <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/10/how-to-roast-a-sugar-pumpkin-make-fresh-pumpkin-puree-a-step-by-step-photo-tutorial/" target="_blank">Angela's tutorial</a>. <br />
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Lookin' gooooood.<br />
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I saved the seeds from the pumpkin and the squash so that I could roast them and make a delicious, iron-filled snack. Once again, I followed another <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/17/how-to-roast-perfect-pumpkin-seeds-easy-crunchy-addictive/" target="_blank">tutorial by Angela</a>. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCTwao0ptgr6wum-sxxuhhzv7O95ByiPx-L2WjcAkOynhHBpBVbXdBQDGJtgn6xLIRlj1UhAmHTC2KTYAGPnUyXlAGvYCTFKNjSemv3OdBF0bNNGuaWw4d0XIq_Q89vzBJXLOcjtbKvdw/s1600/DSCN5292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCTwao0ptgr6wum-sxxuhhzv7O95ByiPx-L2WjcAkOynhHBpBVbXdBQDGJtgn6xLIRlj1UhAmHTC2KTYAGPnUyXlAGvYCTFKNjSemv3OdBF0bNNGuaWw4d0XIq_Q89vzBJXLOcjtbKvdw/s640/DSCN5292.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just realized that it looks like I'm hiding an egg in this picture, haha, but it's really just a hard-boiled egg that I was trying to prevent from rolling off the counter. </td></tr>
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I coated the seeds in about a tablespoon of coconut oil (melted), about a tablespoon of brown sugar, and a hefty sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice<br />
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Oh yum.<br />
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Come in a little closer to see that gorgeous, crunchy coating. <br />
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They taste even better when eaten from an orange dish.<br />
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Once I roasted the pumpkin, I scooped out the flesh and put it in my food processor to make a puree. Easy peasy. Then I used the puree to make 3 more recipes. I was on a roll! First up - <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/09/easy-pumpkin-spiced-granola.html" target="_blank">pumpkin granola</a>. It's got a great ingredient list and is very healthy. It even contains quinoa, which I had never thought to include in granola before. The quionoa gives it some extra protein, and a great nutty flavor. (I know quinoa is a seed, but "seedy flavor" does not sound too appealing!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the way, old pasta sauce jars make great storage containers!</td></tr>
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I've been eating it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I'm in love. <br />
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I also made Kath's <a href="http://www.katheats.com/recipage?recipe_id=6034726" target="_blank">baked pumpkin oatmeal</a>. (And I think my oven must be slanted, judging by the slope of the oatmeal in this dish.)<br />
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I'm a huge fan of having breakfast ready to go in the morning, so I baked this on Sunday and had breakfast ready and waiting for me the rest of the week.<br />
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In the mornings I just scooped out a section of oatmeal, put it in a bowl with some unsweetened vanilla almond milk (a current favorite of mine, if you couldn't tell), and heated it up in the microwave for about a minute. Perfection. <br />
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Finally, I tried out a savory dish - <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/crockpot-turkey-white-bean-pumpkin.html" target="_blank">crock pot turkey white bean chili</a>. It might sound a little strange, but it was absolutely delicious, and easy to make. And I just love using my crock pot - so convenient!<br />
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I could have eaten this for another week straight. <br />
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Sadly, I ran out of homemade pumpkin puree at that point. But I think I put it to pretty good use. <br />
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Oh, and I bought some pumpkin soup from Trader Joe's, too.<br />
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It. Was. Incredible. I first had pumpkin soup in France when I was studying abroad, and I absolutely loved it. I searched everywhere for something comparable in the States, but the closest I could get was sweet potato and squash soups. I tried making my own pumpkin soup one time from scratch, but it was an absolute disaster and completely discouraged me from making another attempt. Luckily, after 5 years, I finally found what I was looking for. Sadly, I only got one container. I'll be counting down the days until it comes out again next year!<br />
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So is that enough pumpkin for ya? I wonder what my next seasonal food fixation will be... gingerbread? Cranberries? Something peppermint? Hmm, we shall see. <br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"The Story" by Brandi Carlile. I really love this song because it's such a good mix of pretty and raw vocals. And it's fun to sing along to (but not fun to hear me singing along to!). <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-86928130443895356582012-11-03T11:30:00.000-04:002012-11-03T11:30:33.230-04:00Belated Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Happy Halloween everyone! Wait, it's November already? Oops.</div>
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My grandma spoils me. Look at this amazing care package she gave me. She even included a pumpkin, and a kit to decorate it!</div>
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And basically all of my favorite things - homemade sour cream cookies (so.good.), Reese's, peanut butter crackers, Milky Way bars, a HUGE Hershey's bar, hot chocolate, Goldfish, a super cute owl card, awesome socks, and some festive napkins! So amazing. <br />
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I had some friends over in early October, so of course it was the perfect excuse to get some of my favorite Halloween candy. Luckily not much was left at the end of the night, because I just can't resist it!</div>
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I love decorating for any holiday.<br />
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Ooh, scary!<br />
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I made this when I was really little, and my mom sent it to me in a care package when I was in undergrad. He manages to still make an appearance once in awhile. <br />
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After not dressing up the past 2 years, last weekend I got to dress up in a couple of different costumes. On Friday I was a "Southern belle" - I wore a dress that my mom wore as a bridesmaid in the 70s :) I didn't wear the huge crinoline petticoat that would make it even poofier, though.<br />
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My friend Josh was a super scary vampire. Seriously, he was creeping me out! Pardon my red eyes - I tried to get rid of them in Photoshop but, 1) I don't know how to use Photoshop, and 2) I have perpetual red eyes that seem to just turn gray when they're "corrected." Josh's glowing eyes work well with his costume, though!<br />
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Saturday I went down to Columbus with a group of friends. I dressed up as "Bad Sandy" from Grease, and my friend Chris was Danny Zuko. I stayed up pretty late after the party on Friday night to put curlers in my hair in an attempt to make it super curly for an authentic Bad Sandy look.<br />
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And I got to sleep in them. Lucky me!<br />
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Buuuut my hair didn't dry by the time I had to take the curlers out the next day, so I was a less authentic Sandy. Ohhh well. (Check out my super cool "Academic" high school letter pinned on "Danny's" sweater, haha.)<br />
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I'm terrible at taking pictures - this is my attempt at capturing High Ball (a street festival we went to).<br />
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I snapped a picture of this scary monster thing. And that was the extent of my picture-taking!<br />
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I also got to eat at one of my favorite places while we were down in Columbus - <a href="http://www.thenorthstarcafe.com/" target="_blank">Northstar Cafe</a>! I got the Buddha Bowl with roasted chicken, brown rice, peanut sauce, and veggies. It was really, really delicious. I failed at using my chopsticks, though :/ Maybe I should try to develop that skill...<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Although this pumpkin made a cute decoration, it was even better after it was roasted :) Stay tuned for my next post, which will be totally pumpkin themed! (Very original, I know.)</span><br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Tightrope" by Walk the Moon. Very upbeat and fun!<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-18349129740798020512012-10-20T14:42:00.001-04:002012-10-20T14:42:49.711-04:00Is That a Cookie on Your Salad?When I got my first CSA haul a few weeks ago, it included some beets. I've actually never cooked with beets before, so I was unsure of what to do with them. <br />
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Luckily, I had already bookmarked a few recipes that call for beets, including the Fitnessista's <a href="http://fitnessista.com/2011/02/wheres-my-nap-pod/" target="_blank">carrot beet and bean burgers</a>. And as luck would have it, the CSA share also came with carrots, and I had some cannellini beans in the cupboard. It's pretty much magical when I already have all of the ingredients for a recipe on hand. Is this what it feels like to be Martha Stewart?!<br />
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I followed the recipe pretty closely, but I used ground oats instead of chickpea flour, and I omitted the mustard powder because I didn't have any. Okay, so I guess I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand. There go my illusions of being like Martha Stewart.<br />
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But that's okay, they turned out really, really well. I was actually surprised by how much I liked them. I wasn't sure if I'd be a huge fan of the beet flavor, but they were delicious. However, I cannot recommend trying to dehydrate beets. I thought I could make some veggie "chips" with some of the leftover beets - BAD idea. Ick, I still shudder to think of that raw beet taste. Blech.<br />
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I actually ate one of the beet burgers on top of a bed of acorn squash.<br />
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Pretty darn tasty. And colorful! Just think of all the antioxidants. <br />
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I also put one of the beet burgers on top of my salad and took it to school one day. When I got my lunch out, one of my friends asked if I had a cookie on my salad, haha. Not quite... :)<br />
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Are you guys getting ready for Halloween? I didn't dress up the past two years (tragic, I know) but this year I've got two costumes planned out - a southern belle and "bad" Sandy from Grease. I've actually worn both of these costumes before, but I think it was 8th grade when I was the southern belle, so that barely counts, right?<br />
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Have a great weekend, everyone!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"If I Didn't Know Better" by Sam Palladio & Clare Bowen. This song if from the new show <i>Nashville</i> - has anyone been watching it? I'm a big fan of Connie Britton (from <i>Friday Night Lights</i> - pretty much the best show ever), and so far I'm liking <i>Nashville </i>a lot. I pretty much can't resist a show that incorporates a lot of great music! This song is so pretty, and how about that crazy chemistry between the actors?? Sigh.<br />
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-80164634997122146962012-10-13T11:29:00.000-04:002012-10-13T11:29:50.153-04:00Come Into My Living RoomSo back in April (was it really that long ago?!) I shared pictures from the <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/04/come-into-my-kitchen.html" target="_blank">kitchen of my apartment</a>. I've made a few updates recently, so I've added new pictures to that post. Here's one of them:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBasmeNPGhDUJc7yaB__m9FY3D9arNI_V3OFM_i5Myz_rCvFOngQcxv-8kGNUVwhEHKx68jBb_PhW2m5ypst7g4xxJ_KxOgJ7oCyid3Yx5fyaSdMNOf7kpZdKH09DtF34wOtk6IwtHOzuP/s1600/DSCN5179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBasmeNPGhDUJc7yaB__m9FY3D9arNI_V3OFM_i5Myz_rCvFOngQcxv-8kGNUVwhEHKx68jBb_PhW2m5ypst7g4xxJ_KxOgJ7oCyid3Yx5fyaSdMNOf7kpZdKH09DtF34wOtk6IwtHOzuP/s640/DSCN5179.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I've got two amazing new paintings that my sister made for me, and a newly-painted black table (it used to be blue and pink). I'll share the pictures of the (long!) painting process soon, too. <br />
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And here are the pictures of my living room - furnished and decorated on a student's budget, with a lot of help from family and friends. If you've read my blog before, you've probably seen quite a few sunset pictures - this is the biggest window in my apartment, and I also have large windows in my kitchen and bedroom. They all face the same direction, so during the summer and early fall I can see the sunsets from them, and I can also see Lake Erie in the distance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJGP6_K-VcnQAG5SpqYbOfi4fkplnKm8xrvjO2OiHJMIAbjR1jJDqfzECkcwjZnCSnhBm88QsLF_SttaQOAuDCgQOh9-hO-us_M3JUgDkpC_2AKYnZYrpAdIjMtMSS4amo1qpEo06ZgLX/s1600/DSCN5195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJGP6_K-VcnQAG5SpqYbOfi4fkplnKm8xrvjO2OiHJMIAbjR1jJDqfzECkcwjZnCSnhBm88QsLF_SttaQOAuDCgQOh9-hO-us_M3JUgDkpC_2AKYnZYrpAdIjMtMSS4amo1qpEo06ZgLX/s640/DSCN5195.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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My rug is from TJ Maxx - I really love it, and it was such a great deal. The curtain rod and curtains are from JC Penney. The chair and ottoman are hand-me-downs from my great aunt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4NxcNWG1Esg8QqyFVh_XX9foB-NjxqAH8C8ntrcUz4_StOzogNORe5_6l5VQNV-uRJQUoaojO6tUskbJq3miIdFaaFgXHa-RdYIbRPU7c9yah0yFcWublViNvFs7Go53qlQs5A5GSzNb/s1600/DSCN5197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4NxcNWG1Esg8QqyFVh_XX9foB-NjxqAH8C8ntrcUz4_StOzogNORe5_6l5VQNV-uRJQUoaojO6tUskbJq3miIdFaaFgXHa-RdYIbRPU7c9yah0yFcWublViNvFs7Go53qlQs5A5GSzNb/s640/DSCN5197.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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My couch was my first real "grown-up" furniture purchase. The accent pillows came with it - they're not something I would have picked out myself, but I haven't really looked for replacements. The table to the right of my couch is a family hand-me-down, and it's pretty scratched up, so I covered it with a table cloth that I got on Etsy. It'd be really fun to refurbish the table some day, though, because it has a lot of character. The lamp on the table is also a hand-me-down from my parents. I've been considering spray-painting the base and either recovering or replacing the lamp shade. but I'm still thinking it through.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMDvkglP0R7rSb0rN3kmhUSfChMQUX0X9tYkY1AtDk6D_mgcvKBxp3u6YjJ7DmvBsbNeWU_Zrlsac6ZYC_pL4id4rGPz8L6hKi_j7Af5uQnQPd-2JwLKWYdO_11zBtGDYhsdUf_3RbKjk/s1600/DSCN5198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMDvkglP0R7rSb0rN3kmhUSfChMQUX0X9tYkY1AtDk6D_mgcvKBxp3u6YjJ7DmvBsbNeWU_Zrlsac6ZYC_pL4id4rGPz8L6hKi_j7Af5uQnQPd-2JwLKWYdO_11zBtGDYhsdUf_3RbKjk/s640/DSCN5198.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's my front door and entrance hall in the back left corner of the picture. My coffee table was another hand-me-down from my parents - we had it in the family room of our first house, and in the basement of my parents' current house. Lots of memories! And a few scratches for good measure. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHrR8C3pLvFO9ZL0YY-WUE-I85diP0axdqUKjVY0yAUd-AZSIaDavHQGNsb5tcceqn6_jrjcuTlvPxs9SPG4cXLzHRyeqJzBYbQwN_F5K0-y4EKbJiHC2epE6l2l_zYdF7Z0IkfV4_lYU/s1600/DSCN5199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHrR8C3pLvFO9ZL0YY-WUE-I85diP0axdqUKjVY0yAUd-AZSIaDavHQGNsb5tcceqn6_jrjcuTlvPxs9SPG4cXLzHRyeqJzBYbQwN_F5K0-y4EKbJiHC2epE6l2l_zYdF7Z0IkfV4_lYU/s640/DSCN5199.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the view from the window side of the room. Notice my party lights? Haha. The tenant before me told me that the previous tenant put them up, and I thought they were fun, so I decided to keep them. A girl I baby-sit really likes them, and she was just shocked that someone could leave them behind :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJWwRuF8MrLL-i9rEOpKxQC3rM9AavEnf0gD8G0zyVEF8RPsLv6a73ZK7GkfAIJZXk7abp_InZCdEJsexGLUZaMS4K833elvfgu8v7b9Lfs6CbLJZGiGVn4te-cwfE-XkYags0fBjWguC/s1600/DSCN5200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJWwRuF8MrLL-i9rEOpKxQC3rM9AavEnf0gD8G0zyVEF8RPsLv6a73ZK7GkfAIJZXk7abp_InZCdEJsexGLUZaMS4K833elvfgu8v7b9Lfs6CbLJZGiGVn4te-cwfE-XkYags0fBjWguC/s640/DSCN5200.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can see my "work station" in the back left corner of this picture - I've got a bookcase, bulletin board, desk (another hand-me-down from my great aunt), and floor lamp. I actually use this area more for just storing things, though, and usually do my work at the kitchen table. I need to spread out! And generally make quite a mess. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXELZdcFlJk7D1r7Ao9BKCbWrEywk08OCo8nGtPP5TiNaO_hBm8TrNKTcR234LOgdImpKXd-dcCWRVWUeAC9p8LvRvqqS_NhF7ylNDBYlpwYm8VITjSNQghOZBvmKpzsXcIvnqR9ljclG/s1600/DSCN5202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXELZdcFlJk7D1r7Ao9BKCbWrEywk08OCo8nGtPP5TiNaO_hBm8TrNKTcR234LOgdImpKXd-dcCWRVWUeAC9p8LvRvqqS_NhF7ylNDBYlpwYm8VITjSNQghOZBvmKpzsXcIvnqR9ljclG/s640/DSCN5202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Please ignore the terribly ugly cords under my TV. I've been wanting to get some big wicker storage baskets to put under there, but I haven't found any that I love yet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoz1uS80veYfL6grYOINyzapKPjKv0GEuK8hOKUdnj5EYAOQ8iRu6jfOcA1N9lgfB_hxosiUplnPY11-vu7e4Y13qTy3v6M6C2QT-lQZkj13vEg1ihh2uH6xwj5PHNPeo5EhJXW0gVCeze/s1600/DSCN5204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoz1uS80veYfL6grYOINyzapKPjKv0GEuK8hOKUdnj5EYAOQ8iRu6jfOcA1N9lgfB_hxosiUplnPY11-vu7e4Y13qTy3v6M6C2QT-lQZkj13vEg1ihh2uH6xwj5PHNPeo5EhJXW0gVCeze/s640/DSCN5204.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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My parents gave me that papasan chair as a birthday present when I turned 16 - I still love it! Although I pretty much instantly fall asleep when I sit in it...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS1wzp0JskRXKQUxae-CYDZajpc8O6TOwUOc1wtfnDCCETs734Gf5plGwgxB7KnZNobt-Uxxlw6o7ycAw9An5zqHltzsljC92pC6SADmXPuZ8cOPOdZonrAsaapggejk7Wwg9TVc5ldhu/s1600/DSCN5205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvS1wzp0JskRXKQUxae-CYDZajpc8O6TOwUOc1wtfnDCCETs734Gf5plGwgxB7KnZNobt-Uxxlw6o7ycAw9An5zqHltzsljC92pC6SADmXPuZ8cOPOdZonrAsaapggejk7Wwg9TVc5ldhu/s640/DSCN5205.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here are some close-ups of my "decor," if you will. I really love fireplaces, and although this isn't a working fireplace, I still think it's pretty fun. My mom got me the candle holder as a gift, and I bought candles that have wooden wicks - when you light them, they crackle like a fire! My cousin gave me that brilliant idea - I love it. I used an old vase I had from delivered flowers and put some decorative glass pebbles (yeah, not sure if that's what they're really called, but that's what they look like) and a few fake calla lilies from Hobby Lobby in there. I put some little knick knacks and votives on the mantle. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHkyXWoOPI_r0-wtcn5sHPObmrllc7_4J6Bs6tuiIyJ1glWjqOSAbuinZLlAW8pxSfL7jQ-LenSS0BiNqU2UdMFGjNR3Ezfjq3ygDCm3a6N7yoIyFRRZZStdodjHZ1F_067cugK21kq33/s1600/DSCN5208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHkyXWoOPI_r0-wtcn5sHPObmrllc7_4J6Bs6tuiIyJ1glWjqOSAbuinZLlAW8pxSfL7jQ-LenSS0BiNqU2UdMFGjNR3Ezfjq3ygDCm3a6N7yoIyFRRZZStdodjHZ1F_067cugK21kq33/s640/DSCN5208.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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My best friend gave me these awesome pictures which she took at concerts we'd been to together, and I love seeing them every day! I think personalized artwork is such a special, amazing gift. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4papkwxAfclJWWTjEAX6giSFxlHFlP8FPRqgml_bzSOMC6TkBR8a8qhb0j5buil3_kTue54Ep5yNbsTnYj0ckzzT08CbCLQH-Ulhpb7Lhr8-037txqZXNaOwEbXrW_MbfZBnucsmx5vq1/s1600/DSCN5214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4papkwxAfclJWWTjEAX6giSFxlHFlP8FPRqgml_bzSOMC6TkBR8a8qhb0j5buil3_kTue54Ep5yNbsTnYj0ckzzT08CbCLQH-Ulhpb7Lhr8-037txqZXNaOwEbXrW_MbfZBnucsmx5vq1/s640/DSCN5214.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I got those three little frames from the dollar spot at Target when I was in undergrad, and I printed out some pictures in black and white to put in them. The glass <a href="http://www.cb2.com/wall-mounted-teardrop-vase/s307092" target="_blank">bud vases are from CB2</a>, and the fake gerbera daisies are from Hobby Lobby. I found that black and white print on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sometimesiswirl?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">Etsy</a>, and got the mat and frame from... wait for it... Hobby Lobby.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wTDVkPVYqosyECt7oBm7wYmO7BY4vJJ5XyleX3erKlGBjlJn_KzHs_mVpEb6RDbSTGCH8tKDCK7tXbW3IjEc1XsI35O-fs9g0UOHoBzG1ySs9X6pAs3fxlvdDxkf9X8xgV8NdwkDjc8t/s1600/DSCN5212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wTDVkPVYqosyECt7oBm7wYmO7BY4vJJ5XyleX3erKlGBjlJn_KzHs_mVpEb6RDbSTGCH8tKDCK7tXbW3IjEc1XsI35O-fs9g0UOHoBzG1ySs9X6pAs3fxlvdDxkf9X8xgV8NdwkDjc8t/s640/DSCN5212.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I got that floor lamp from Ikea recently, and now I can see to read on my couch! Only took me two years... That wall-mounted candle holder is from CB2, and the picture is a vintage-y map of Paris that is actually wrapping paper from <a href="http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Cavallini-Paris-Map-Wrapping-Paper/3650.041/406683.html" target="_blank">Paper Source</a>, which I put in a poster frame from Target.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcP7rcT_VwUBrb455JxGv00u4SNS_aXRXyqDB1f62aGjUuhpoAnLGFLol_OS0255w4CB4tWzzEJtrctwmEm1j7fYZW5O_WtiTPFbqAolRWEZoGbIaLPPynHa1L2SJocCC8KTVsMdhcbmW/s1600/DSCN5210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcP7rcT_VwUBrb455JxGv00u4SNS_aXRXyqDB1f62aGjUuhpoAnLGFLol_OS0255w4CB4tWzzEJtrctwmEm1j7fYZW5O_WtiTPFbqAolRWEZoGbIaLPPynHa1L2SJocCC8KTVsMdhcbmW/s640/DSCN5210.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Upon my suggestion, my mom ordered those <a href="http://www.chiasso.com/store/item.aspx?DepartmentId=104&ItemId=55445" target="_blank">flowers</a> for my parents' kitchen after they re-painted it, but they weren't working there. So I got them instead! Works for me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWepaTlA99fdyI8SX8iCeT9j9s-Kubc0M_rSIwqJ0gbkfamvQ9fvtu3uBqpIw4mUJ9bI_0UFb-8aAJ0qxpxvjTmjmVfiat5OMXrfJeYeuioahyFHydrw2PWJugvtXW6MxFEWWmVZKKGnLY/s1600/DSCN5209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWepaTlA99fdyI8SX8iCeT9j9s-Kubc0M_rSIwqJ0gbkfamvQ9fvtu3uBqpIw4mUJ9bI_0UFb-8aAJ0qxpxvjTmjmVfiat5OMXrfJeYeuioahyFHydrw2PWJugvtXW6MxFEWWmVZKKGnLY/s640/DSCN5209.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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So there you have it - another peek into my apartment. And I still need to share some pictures of my hall, bathroom, and bedroom, too. I promise it won't take me another six months to share them this time. </div>
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And just for fun, here's a picture from two years ago, before I got around to unpacking. Yikes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUt6pLY-uY1fMfj2_Kql20CioMjq8X_eY5uzYmzPICNVD-GVDkDE1lN0OcD7WSLmv6LLN4b6WqyMCQ3d_d16SWHtaRfcflGoHb3Qpznq_7L-MOXumMsllXLIRrEsPWYjd8cW6a5vvcTXm/s1600/2010-08-15+19.57.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUt6pLY-uY1fMfj2_Kql20CioMjq8X_eY5uzYmzPICNVD-GVDkDE1lN0OcD7WSLmv6LLN4b6WqyMCQ3d_d16SWHtaRfcflGoHb3Qpznq_7L-MOXumMsllXLIRrEsPWYjd8cW6a5vvcTXm/s640/2010-08-15+19.57.58.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh, and happy fall!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:</div>
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"Live It Out" by Metric.</div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-43538969389236580142012-09-30T11:30:00.000-04:002012-09-30T11:30:10.238-04:00And That's a Very Good ThingI tried out a new recipe the other night and just have to share the results. I present to you: <a href="http://www.pbfingers.com/2012/03/06/dark-chocolate-avocado-mousse/" target="_blank">dark chocolate avocado mousse</a>, created by the very ingenious Julie of Peanut Butter Fingers. <br />
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Feast your eyes on what happened when I combined 3 simple ingredients in my food processor:</div>
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Come a little closer...<br />
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Just a little bit closer...<br />
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Judging by the name of the recipe, you probably guessed the "secret" ingredient - avocado. The other 2 ingredients are honey and cocoa powder. That's it! Magical. Truly magical. I could not believe how light and fluffy it was - just like you would expect of mousse! I even used an avocado which I had frozen, and it still turned out this light and fluffy. I ate half of the recipe one night and stuck the other half in the fridge for later - I wasn't sure how it would keep with the avocado in it, but it tasted just as good the next night!</div>
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So chocolate mousse is good. You know what else is good? Yoga. Awhile back I bought a Groupon for a 10-class pass to a studio called <a href="http://anytimenirvanayoga.com/" target="_blank">Anytime Nirvana Yoga</a>. </div>
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Yesterday morning I finally redeemed my Groupon and went to a Power Yoga Basics class. I was a little nervous at first because I was one of only two students in the entire class, but that actually turned out to be amazing; it was practically like a private lesson. I've only ever taken yoga at fitness centers and gyms before, so I'm used to having mirrors lining the walls. It was kind of nice to focus on how my body felt in a pose rather than how it looked in a pose. And it was really nice that the teacher could help me to adjust and get deeper into the poses. Great start to the weekend! I even feel a little sore this morning, especially in my shoulders and upper back - lots of low planks/ chaturanga dandasana. <br />
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This past week I also officially joined the gym associated with my school. They had a "guest week" for non-members to try out the gym and the classes for free, and I went to about 5 group exercise classes that week (Caribbean cardio, an abs class, a spin class, and a couple of Zumba classes - so fun!) and absolutely loved them. Even though my semester is really busy, I feel SO much better when I take time to exercise, and I absolutely love group exercise classes. I can't wait to try out even more!</div>
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Some more good things: these sunsets that I've seen from my window recently. </div>
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And one last good thing: my very first CSA share!</div>
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I got kale, zucchini, a red bell pepper, beets, an onion, broccoli, a hot pepper, 2 tomatoes, carrots, an acorn squash, and 2 apples. So good! I made <a href="http://goneraw.com/recipe/cheesy-kale-chips" target="_blank">"cheesy" kale chips</a> with the kale and red bell pepper, and I made a stir fry with the zucchini, broccoli, hot pepper, and one of the tomatoes. Everything was really tasty! I ordered another share which I get to pick up on Tuesday - can't wait!</div>
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So those are my good things recently. Hope you've got some very good things of your own going on!</div>
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<u>Song of the day</u>:</div>
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"Stubborn Love" by The Lumineers. Basically, I just love their entire self-titled album. </div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-86438597804610656832012-09-17T23:02:00.000-04:002012-09-17T23:02:23.205-04:00DIY Personalized CoastersHello friends. Well, this semester is crazy-busy and I don't see it getting calmer anytime soon, so my posts will be sporadic. I still want to share fun things as I can, though, so I'm taking pictures and keeping notes for the rare moments when I can squeeze in a post!<br />
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In August, I went to visit my best friend right after she moved into a new (gorgeous!) apartment in DC. I wanted to bring her a little housewarming gift, so I turned to my oft-admired and rarely-used <a href="http://pinterest.com/stephanieblind/" target="_blank">Pinterest boards</a>. I decided to try making some <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/81909286943028610/" target="_blank">custom coasters</a> for her. The link to the original website doesn't work anymore, but I was able to gather enough information from the picture and caption to get started. <br />
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Materials needed: 4 x 4 plain tiles from a home improvement store (I got mine at Lowe's super cheap, like $0.15 or something), pictures/ scrapbook paper/ whatever you want to use to decorate, a permanent marker, a straight edge (i.e. a ruler), a utility knife, Mod Podge, a paint brush, clear spray paint, scrap paper. <br />
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First, gather your supplies and lay out the scrap paper to protect your work surface. <br />
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I wanted to color the edges of the tiles to make them look more polished, and I initially tried painting them. The paint wasn't going on well, so I switched to a permanent marker which worked much better. Bonus - no drying time! It really wore down the marker, though, so use an old one or mourn the loss of the nice, crisp tip of the marker. (Or maybe that's just me... I have a strong attachment to Sharpies.)<br />
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I used a black marker to stick with my black and white theme, but you could color coordinate your edges with your pictures/ designs. <br />
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I previously chose some digital pictures that I wanted to use to decorate the coasters, made them black and white on my computer, cropped them so that they were square and slightly smaller than 4 x 4 inches, and printed them out on resume-type paper so that they were a little sturdier than regular office paper, but not so thick that they would be raised up on top of the coasters. <br />
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Then I used a ruler and utility knife to cut them out - you want your edges to be as straight and clean as possible. <br />
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I printed out a few extra pictures so that I could see what looked best on the tiles. <br />
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After you've chosen and cut out your pictures/ scrapbook paper, use a paint brush and Mod Podge to adhere the pictures to the tiles. My ink bled a little bit when I did this, so I kept a rag nearby to wipe off any discoloration. <br />
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After the Mod Podge dries, you can put on a coat of clear spray paint. This is important: go outside!!! I'm speaking from experience here... it's not pleasant to spray this in the house, and you might feel like you're going to die from the fumes for the rest of the night. Oh, and your family/ roommates/ pets will really not appreciate it. (My dad: "You care about everyone's environment except for mine!!" Woops.) Yeah, I know, who uses spray paint inside? But it was clear... clear = harmless, right? Not quite. Definitely a blonde moment. Don't be like me!<br />
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After the spray paint has dried, stick four protectors on the bottom of each tile. <br />
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You could use felt protectors, or little plastic ones like I chose. Or you could even use a hot glue gun and make little dots (but I tend to burn myself with hot glue guns so I didn't attempt that method). <br />
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And there you have it - personalized, homemade coasters. They're not very expensive to make, and I think they make great housewarming gifts, or even gifts for birthdays and other holidays. And it was really fun to choose pictures specifically for my best friend!<br />
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I wrapped them up with a pretty bow,<br />
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and added a container of homemade <a href="http://fitnessista.com/red-velvet-macaroons/" target="_blank">red velvet macaroons</a> to go with them. <br />
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If any of you read <a href="http://fitnessista.com/" target="_blank">The Fitnessista</a>, you know that Gina has a famous and secret macaroon recipe. She recently shared her red velvet variety, and I was so excited to try them out for myself! My grandma let me borrow her old-school dehydrator - doesn't it look like a space ship?<br />
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They smelled gooooood.<br />
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Yummy.<br />
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And they're the perfect little sweet treat to go with a cup of tea!<br />
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By the way, my favorite tea right now is Lady Grey - like Earl Grey, but more refined :) It's decaffeinated, and I think it has a lighter, smoother flavor than Earl Grey. <br />
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Even though I'm not usually a big fan of coconut, I did enjoy these a lot. <br />
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And they got good reviews from my best friend, a neighbor, and my grandma - so I think they were a success!<br />
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Okay, that's all for now - hopefully I'll be back soon with some more fun updates.<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Blown Away" by Carrie Underwood. Loving this song right now. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-55807361114558482112012-09-05T21:28:00.000-04:002012-09-05T21:28:52.534-04:00I Wanna Be a Cowgirl BabySo. It's been awhile. The summer got away from me, and the next thing I knew, school was in full swing. But I want to share a few highlights anyways.<br />
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One of my favorite things from this summer was a family vacation in Montana. It was absolutely amazing, and I kind of (really) want to move there now. I knew I'd like it there, but I had no idea how much I would love it. So without further ado, here are some pictures from my trip.<br />
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Although the Bozeman airport was small, it was really nice and had a lodge-y feel to it. This guy greeted us at baggage claim!<br />
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And this view greeted us in the parking lot. I could get used to that. <br />
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Welcome to Bozeman!<br />
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Is this not the cutest little dog you've ever seen? He was just waiting patiently on that little ledge until his owner came out of the store.<br />
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That's Lone Peak in the distance.<br />
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See the "M" on the side of the mountain?<br />
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Driving anywhere was a sightseeing trip. <br />
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<br />
Lone Mountain Ranch. <br />
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<br />
Learning to fly fish (dry run). <br />
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Pretty horses!<br />
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Outdoor music. <br />
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Bella's a fan. <br />
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Okay, she just came for the belly rubs. <br />
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View on our morning walk. <br />
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Ousel Falls. And a failed family portrait - typical. <br />
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First wildlife spotted in Yellowstone National Park - an elk's bum. <br />
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Hot springs!<br />
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Second wildlife spotting in Yellowstone - bison. <br />
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A beautiful paint pot. <br />
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The colors were incredible. <br />
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Mystic Falls, Yellowstone. <br />
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Old Faithful! Checked off the bucket list. <br />
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It draws quite a crowd. <br />
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And it didn't disappoint!<br />
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Yellowstone Lake. I had no idea that this existed - pretty nice surprise!<br />
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Lake Yellowstone Hotel. <br />
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A bison herd!<br />
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The top of Yellowstone Falls. <br />
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Rainbow in the Falls.<br />
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Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I also had no idea that this existed - absolutely breathtaking. <br />
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Mud pot - ewww.<br />
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Trail ride! It was so much fun to go horseback riding again - I probably hadn't been on a horse in 10 years or so. <br />
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View from the trail. <br />
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I want to go back!!<br />
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Chuckwagon dinner after the trail ride. <br />
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Alongside the Gallatin River. <br />
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Another view that I miss: the one from the bathroom! How nice is that??<br />
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Oh, and Bella says hi. She just wants to be where the people are.<br />
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So now I'm trying to figure out how I can practice law in Montana :) <br />
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Back to the grind!<br />
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PS For any Bachelor/ Bachelorette fans out there, I saw Arie (from the most recent Bachelorette season with Emily) at the Colorado airport on the way back. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Arie Luyendyk " src="http://www.okmagazine.com/sites/okmagazine.com/files/imagecache/node_page_image/article_images/arie_luyendyk_jr._inside.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.okmagazine.com/news/arie-luyendyk-talks-about-moving-emily-maynard-and-bachelorette-jef-holm-wedding" target="_blank">(Source)</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was too shy to say anything to him, but now I wish I had just sucked it up and asked for a picture. Ohhh welllll. <br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Man on Fire" by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. This is from their latest album, <i>Here</i>. I'm still not sure what I think about the album in its entirety - it might need to grow on me - but I do like this song.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/08WeoqWilRQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-40735763878548563732012-08-07T16:16:00.000-04:002012-08-09T12:39:45.399-04:00Oh My ChardAwhile back, some of my family came in from out of town and brought me a super thoughtful gift - tons of homegrown rainbow chard!<br />
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Isn't it pretty?!<br />
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I washed it all and then cut out the thickest parts of the stems before putting the leaves into Ziploc bags with damp paper towels and storing it in the fridge. In my experience, this helps greens to stay fresh and crisp longer. I'm also much more likely to eat greens if they're already washed and ready to go. <br />
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Check out the size of that leaf! Bigger than my head - crazy.<br />
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I had so much chard, so I had to come up with different ways to use it. I used some in a <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/07/ski-wee-herman.html" target="_blank">smoothie</a>, and I made an (unpictured) wrap with a chard leaf, turkey lunch meat, and tomato slices to take with me on a car trip. And an obvious use is to put it in a salad. I mixed chard with spinach, beets, tomatoes, lentils, green bell pepper, artichoke hearts, salsa, and homemade guacamole for a Mexican-ish salad. <br />
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A lot of my salad fixin's were from Trader Joe's - the prepared lentils, marinated artichoke hearts, salsa, and a new-to-me item: pre-steamed baby beets. I just love the convenience, and they're actually reasonably priced. <br />
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I also tried sauteing some chard for dinner and added it to a grain bowl. I put a little bit of olive oil in a pan and heated it up, then threw in a couple of chopped garlic cloves and sliced raw almonds. Once the garlic and almonds had browned a bit, I added some torn up chard to the pan. <br />
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Meanwhile, I put some prepared quinoa and lentils in a bowl for the base of my dish. <br />
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I stirred the chard around in the pan periodically until it wilted. I love the smell of garlic and almonds browning in the olive oil!<br />
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I added all of the chard mixture on top of the quinoa and lentil mixture. <br />
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I also roasted a sweet potato and some zucchini (tossed in olive oil and dried rosemary, baked at 375* for 30 minutes, turned after 15 minutes). <br />
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I added some of the roasted veggies to my dish and voila, dinner was ready! The leftover roasted veggies were a welcome addition to the salad I made for lunch the next day.<br />
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I tried another new-to-me kombucha recently - Reed's lemon ginger raspberry. I liked the flavor, but I still prefer Synergy kombucha. <br />
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I also finally tried one of the new Larabar ubers- I really liked the roasted nut roll flavor. I also had the cherry cobbler flavor, but I didn't like it quite as much. Overall I still prefer the original Larabars due to their extremely short ingredients list. <br />
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Aaaaand I finally tried Magnum ice cream bars. Super delicious. I'm a sucker for good marketing, and those commercials with Rachel Bilson walking over cars in a traffic jam to get to a Magnum ice cream truck definitely made me want to try these. I just got the original vanilla bean flavor, but I want to try more/ all of them :) Oh and they were on sale, so it was pretty much meant to be, right? I thought so.<br />
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I mentioned how many of my salad ingredients I get from Trader Joe's, but I love shopping for lots of things there - this big bouquet of flowers was only $10! I got them for my great aunt for her 90th birthday. And I found a new use for my cup holder. <br />
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I spotted a baby fawn and its mom! So cute. <br />
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I've been a bad blogger lately, but I've got lots more to share so I should be posting again soon. Hope you're all enjoying your summer - I seriously cannot believe it's August. I'm not ready to go back to school yet!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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Please allow me to indulge my inner teeny bopper with this song selection - "Some Days" by The Maine. I was slightly obsessed with this band in a fan-girl way for a little while, but they kind of fell off my radar until recently. I just got their latest album, <i>Pioneer</i>, and listened to it about 10 times while I was driving to and from DC this past weekend. It made me nostalgic for the music I used to listen to during the summer when I was in high school. <br />
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I was never into boy bands like 'NSYNC or Backstreet Boys, but I did love Hanson and some other kind of cheesy bands. I just read that Taylor Hanson (my favorite brother, now 29 years old) is expecting his FIFTH child with his wife. Um, whoa. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-50846055190552543922012-07-23T22:27:00.000-04:002012-07-23T22:27:30.482-04:00Ski-wee HermanTrader Joe's continues to impress me. Last time I was there I found this "European Style" yogurt and thought I'd give it a try. I haven't been able to get enough of <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/07/cooling-down.html" target="_blank">yogurt lately</a> (for breakfast, for snacks, for dessert) and when I <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/02/third-times-charm.html" target="_blank">studied abroad</a>, I absolutely loved the yogurt in France, so the European description definitely appealed to me. And it didn't disappoint - I will definitely be getting this yogurt again. <br />
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Sometimes when it's so hot, I just don't have a big appetite. Or I'm just too lazy to chew. Either way, smoothies for lunch are great options when that happens. </div>
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This smoothie was SOOO good. It had 1 cup of milk, 1 T chia seeds, 1 scoop of vanilla Sun Warrior protein powder, 1 T natural peanut butter, rainbow chard, 2 small peaches, strawberries, cherries, and a frozen banana (plus some ice cubes). I cut the peaches over the blender so that the juice would drip right into my smoothie - they were too good to waste a drop! The smoothie was super tasty, and I felt good that I was able to sneak some greens in there without it affecting the flavor at all. </div>
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It didn't even all fit in that huge cup! I had some leftover which I put in the fridge - I'd never done that before because I was afraid the texture would be ruined, but that wasn't the case at all. It still tasted good the next day!</div>
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I put my ice cream maker to use <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/07/cooling-down.html" target="_blank">again</a> - this time making classic vanilla bean ice cream. My dad said it was probably the best ice cream he's ever had - I'll take it! </div>
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With some fresh cherries on top... swoon. Perfection. <br />
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Another delicious way to enjoy vanilla ice cream: in float form! I used Zevia root beer, which is sweetened with stevia and doesn't have any calories. I also love the black cherry soda and ginger ale - they're all yummy, and I think they're much better than diet soda or regular soda. My grandma used to make me root beer floats pretty much every time I went over to her house, so this took me back.</div>
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You know what's great? Getting a freshly baked cookie at work! :)</div>
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You know what else is great? Fun summer activities with family. My family and I didn't get to go on our usual summer vacation this year, so we did a few local things together as a family. We went to an Indians game, and had awesome seats.</div>
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And I didn't get to see any fireworks on the 4th of July, so I was excited for the fireworks show after the game!</div>
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We also went to a water ski show. I am completely in awe of these skiers - how amazing are they?? This was a father-daughter team. Unfortunately I couldn't convince my dad to try this with me. Ha! I would never be able to do that. </div>
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One of the fearless, daredevil skiers was called "Ski-wee Herman," like Pee-wee Herman - it only took me about halfway through the show to put that together, haha.<br />
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Check out this FOUR tier pyramid. What?! Insane. I can barely stand up on a pair of water skis and make it around the lake once. I am totally blown away by these talented skiers.<br />
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Now for a critter update - check out this hummingbird! It got trapped in our screened-in porch so my dad and I propped the doors open and it flew out, but it must have been really tired because it just sat on the top of this door for quite awhile. </div>
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Can you see me in that reflection? I had to stand on my tip toes and reach way up to try to get a better view. <br />
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And check this out - my dad actually got to hold the hummingbird. Crazy!!! The hummingbird eventually flew away and seemed okay. We've seen quite a few buzzing by and eating at the feeder since then, and I think he's one of them.<br />
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Oh hey little buddy! I looked out of my bedroom window to find this deer walking up the creek. Look at his cute little antlers!</div>
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In other news, I'm still working on <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/06/shake-your-cocoa-nuts.html" target="_blank">painting my table and chairs</a>. It's a long process, but I'm making progress. </div>
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Are you still reading? Sorry, I know this is a long post. If you are, you should go <a href="http://ptab.it/1Nzy" target="_blank">here</a> and enter Gena's juicer giveaway!</div>
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<u>Song of the day</u>:</div>
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"Heartbeat" by JJAMZ. I posted another JJAMZ song <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/04/veggie-stir-fry-recipe.html" target="_blank">before</a> ("Never Enough" - also my inspiration for the title of my last post) and now that their full album is out, I can officially declare <i>Suicide Pact</i> as my favorite album of the summer, and possibly the year. I'd definitely encourage you to check it out!</div>
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<br /></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-1894041755434032912012-07-19T20:43:00.000-04:002012-07-19T20:43:33.358-04:00Never EnoughSince I usually write about food, working out, and random things going on in my life, I debated whether I should write about a serious topic. After much thought, I decided that I wouldn't feel right going ahead with my usual postings without writing about something major that happened in my life, even though it is sad.<div>
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Last Friday, my grandpa on my mom's side of the family passed away.</div>
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He was 88, and just celebrated his 62nd wedding anniversary with my grandma. </div>
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I can credit him with my love of vegetables - he had an amazing garden for a long time, and his vegetables were incredibly delicious. As my dad said, we haven't had a good lima bean since my grandpa stopped gardening in 2005. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Grandparents are pretty special - they love you unconditionally, and aren't embarrassed to have their picture taken with you even when your fashion sense has much to be desired. </span></div>
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My grandpa always let me know how proud he was of me, which means more to me than I can adequately express. </div>
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He was diagnosed with lung cancer last November, even though he never smoked. And his diagnosis came about a week after my grandpa on my dad's side of the family passed away. </div>
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Losing one grandpa was heartbreaking, and losing another one so soon just seems unfair. </div>
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But I am so lucky to have grown up with such great grandpas. They played board games with me (and, I suspect, let me win), pushed me on the best tree swing in the world as high as I wanted, and showed me how to catch frogs down at the creek.</div>
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I'm so fortunate to have had them in my life for as long as I did. They got to see me graduate from high school. </div>
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And then from college. </div>
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But it's never enough time, really. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I wish they could have seen me graduate from law school. I wish they could have seen me pass the Bar. I wish they could have seen me get married and have a family one day. But I am so grateful to have them as role models, and I strive to raise a family of my own as well as they raised theirs, and to have even a fraction of an impact as they had on so many people. </span></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-35969737789414366952012-07-08T22:57:00.000-04:002012-07-08T22:57:29.452-04:00Cooling DownHey guys! Can you believe the 4th of July has come and gone? I can't. The summer is flying by!<br />
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This was my patriotic breakfast for Independence Day:<br />
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Plain yogurt with half a banana, strawberries, and blueberries. Like most of the country, it's been super hot here lately.<br />
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I haven't been in the mood for hot oatmeal, so I've been having lots of yogurt for breakfast. I love to add some granola to plain yogurt and fresh fruit, and last week I tried out a new granola recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows called <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2010/09/13/power-house-glonola/" target="_blank">Power House Glonola</a>. <br />
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It has a stellar ingredient list: almonds, sea salt, flax seeds (I used ground flax seed), chia seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, pumpkin pie spice (I used a maple cinnamon mix because I didn't have pumpkin pie spice on hand), dried apricots, oats, cacao nibs (I omitted these), pure maple syrup (I subbed in agave), and coconut oil. <br />
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I baked the granola a bit too long - I should have watched it closely for the last 5 minutes like Angela suggested - but it's still pretty tasty and I'm enjoying adding it to regular yogurt for breakfast, and sometimes to Greek yogurt for dessert!<br />
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Sometimes yogurt for dessert just doesn't cut it for me, though. The hot weather has been the perfect excuse to finally try out my ice cream maker and some recipes from <a href="http://www.jenis.com/" target="_blank">Jeni's</a> book. If you live in Ohio, there's a good chance you've at least heard of Jeni's ice cream, and hopefully you've had the chance to try it! Her ice cream is unbelievably delicious. My favorite flavor (so far, at least) is her Salty Caramel - probably because sweet + salty = perfection. <br />
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These ingredients are not for the faint of heart.<br />
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Pretty darn rich, but that's why it tastes so darn good :)<br />
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I was a little nervous to caramelize the sugar, but it worked fine and the results were definitely worth it. I'm a fairly messy cook, though, and the kitchen turned into quite a disaster zone in the meantime.<br />
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Churning away:<br />
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Look at that creamy texture!<br />
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Ready to go in the freezer (after I taste-tested some from the ice cream maker, of course - someone had to scrape the bowl clean!). <br />
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Frozen and ready to be scooped.<br />
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Perfection!</div>
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Along with yogurt for breakfast and ice cream for dessert, the hot weather has meant the need for cooler clothes. I ordered a pair of white lace shorts and red tennis shoes from <a href="http://canvas.landsend.com/canvas/index.html" target="_blank">Land's End Canvas</a> (on sale + free shipping, of course). I love the scalloped edge of the shorts.<br />
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Another hot weather staple - watermelon! I got a juicy, sweet watermelon that tasted so delicious and refreshing. Eaten with half of a leftover baked sweet potato (with butter and cinnamon) and a slice of whole grain oat bread topped with leftover <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/07/dark-green-thumb.html" target="_blank">smashed chickpea and avocado spread</a>. Great lunch!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The heat finally broke today, so I spent a good portion of the day out in the garage working on painting my kitchen table and chairs. Thank goodness for my NPR app - it keeps me very entertained! This afternoon, one of the shows I listened to was the Cleveland taping of </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me</a><span style="background-color: white;">, which I actually got to attend a couple of weeks ago! </span><br />
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My mom got tickets for our family as a Father's Day present for my dad. It was so much fun, really hilarious, and also interesting to see the "behind the scenes" part of what goes into recording the show. And we all got reusable bags - score!<br />
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I hope you're all staying cool and that you're getting the most out of your summer!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Stutter" by Maroon 5. I was listening to their newest album the other day and of course I know the song "Moves Like Jagger" but I think "Stutter" is even catchier.<br />
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OhLSBPhHaTE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-27785025647516445632012-07-02T21:33:00.001-04:002012-07-02T21:33:22.734-04:00Dark Green Thumb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello friends! </div>
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In an effort to change up my lunch routine, I tried out a new recipe today: <a href="http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/smashed-chickpea-avocado-salad-sandwich/" target="_blank">smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich</a>. It's simple but delicious. </div>
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The recipe calls for chickpeas, avocado, fresh cilantro (I subbed in basil), green onion, lime juice (I used 1 T bottled instead of fresh), salt and pepper.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyExNJGt5as4115DXTy_5yZIw-fSZSVONmax-Lcwhvc4mE92HjspYcQ-2_7cAiI5P6GdlMSwwkUxj2erm1h2icP30vIZMXMe1Kpzw2yfHgayYkmSZrCP3lxUoxoqJV6YqmtpLXb8qeg23/s1600/DSCN4464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyExNJGt5as4115DXTy_5yZIw-fSZSVONmax-Lcwhvc4mE92HjspYcQ-2_7cAiI5P6GdlMSwwkUxj2erm1h2icP30vIZMXMe1Kpzw2yfHgayYkmSZrCP3lxUoxoqJV6YqmtpLXb8qeg23/s640/DSCN4464.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woops, forgot the green onion in this picture. </td></tr>
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I opted not to rub the skins off the chickpeas (I didn't want to take the time). You just smash everything together and mix it up, and voila:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pJhnxzb13uC2TcX2-ogbJnBRNhx7yg1ttvzpUOFZXRIwKkMIBl_1KZ9Jyu9DphiRBG7ISKeQwL04zzJGd1oC1QxzzaDGSKjeL7tTSYrb36IrkhrJu9tHuyfAOx8WTZXrdemj3Ctl05Tq/s1600/DSCN4466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pJhnxzb13uC2TcX2-ogbJnBRNhx7yg1ttvzpUOFZXRIwKkMIBl_1KZ9Jyu9DphiRBG7ISKeQwL04zzJGd1oC1QxzzaDGSKjeL7tTSYrb36IrkhrJu9tHuyfAOx8WTZXrdemj3Ctl05Tq/s640/DSCN4466.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put plastic wrap right on top of the leftover mixture before I put the lid on the container and stored it in the fridge - this should somewhat help to prevent the avocado from oxidizing and turning brown. </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">That's it! Pretty easy and straightforward, but a good way to switch up lunch. I've never liked mayonnaise so I kind of felt left out of the egg salad-type options for lunch. But I think this is a great alternative, and I also plan to try making egg salad with Greek yogurt. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I spread some of the avocado-chickpea mixture on whole grain oat bread and added some lettuce for a delicious sandwich. Baby carrots and hummus on the side.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">So remember when I started growing some herbs?</span><br />
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I planted basil, lavender, rosemary, strawberry, chives, and forget-me-nots.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Well, I used some of the basil that I grew in my chickpea and avocado spread! </span><br />
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You can probably tell there aren't quite as many pots in the "after" picture as the "before" pictures. My BFF said I have a dark green thumb - not quite black, but not green :) I have two pots of rosemary, two pots of basil, two pots of chives, and a pot of forget-me-nots growing. The lavender petered out, and the strawberries never grew. But that's okay! I especially hope that my rosemary keeps growing - between rosemary and basil, I'd pretty much be set. <br />
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This morning I took one of my recent favorite exercise classes with my mom - TurboKick!<br />
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It's basically kickboxing, as far as I can tell. I think it's a lot of fun, and very challenging - it's great cardio. <br />
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After the class, I tried out coconut water for the first time.<br />
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I picked it up the other day, but unfortunately I'm not a fan. I've read so many things about how hydrating coconut water is because of all of the natural electrolytes, but I don't like coconut... so I think that has something to do with it :)<br />
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In other news...<br />
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Yep, that happened. And it was glorious. Two dollar bills up. <br />
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I stopped at the grocery store before the movie to pick up movie snacks. I tried out this new drink:<br />
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It was pretty good, but I prefer Synergy kombucha. And I had some unpictured Reese's Pieces :)<br />
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Lastly, I had to share this audio clip (discovered via <a href="http://peasandthankyou.com/" target="_blank">Mama Pea</a>). <br />
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So hilarious and adorable. </div>
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And on that note, have a great night!</div>
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<u>Song of the day</u>:</div>
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"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" by Eli Young Band.</div>
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<br /></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-69118858703753842112012-06-26T22:30:00.000-04:002012-06-26T22:30:29.091-04:00Shake Your Cocoa-nutsHey guys, how's it going? Once again, it's been awhile since I've blogged, so I've got a few things to catch up on here. First a delicious new discovery:<div>
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My mom picked up this huge container of cocoa-roasted almonds at Sam's Club this past week, and they're SO delicious. Except...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQxRp1pLVe6bycF8frw3kXBi5MjGvGalri-hlXlLdJyVxrn_OpyIcL63DKWRb1CITHAzgITOhQz7U9E4EXBSZTwISmAm33r_lenYmgURmupN_JPYGfVYcz0BkHLnQOfFByLJomIMXtYka/s1600/DSCN4444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQxRp1pLVe6bycF8frw3kXBi5MjGvGalri-hlXlLdJyVxrn_OpyIcL63DKWRb1CITHAzgITOhQz7U9E4EXBSZTwISmAm33r_lenYmgURmupN_JPYGfVYcz0BkHLnQOfFByLJomIMXtYka/s640/DSCN4444.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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...we realized there's sucralose in them, which is basically Splenda. Boo. I've really tried to eliminate fake sweeteners from my diet. But that doesn't mean I haven't still enjoyed a small handful of these here and there. </div>
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When I've got the time, I really enjoy putting some extra effort into brunch for myself on the weekend. This past weekend was no exception.</div>
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Scrambled eggs with spinach and topped with Trader Joe's salsa, an amazing bowl of berries, and a frothy cup of coffee. Perfection. Do you like my Peter Rabbit bowl? Haha. </div>
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I've been able to start working out again since my feet have pretty much healed (thank goodness), so after a workout this past week I brought back the long-lost protein smoothie.</div>
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It had 1 cup skim milk, 1 T ground flax seed, 1 T natural peanut butter, 1 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior protein powder, organic spinach from the farmers' market, and 1 frozen banana. Yum!</div>
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Along with my summer-y drink, I've been able to enjoy some summer-y activities lately, too. I love having a break from school!</div>
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I went to a wine festival at a local winery with some friends last week, and it was so fun to spend time and catch up with them, and to taste some local wines.</div>
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And I got to go to a concert at my favorite concert venue!</div>
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Even though it wasn't a very sunny day, we spent some time boating this past weekend, too.</div>
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This is <a href="http://allthingsclevelandohio.blogspot.com/2008/01/cleveland-crib.html" target="_blank">the crib</a>, which is the main intake for the Cleveland water supply. </div>
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Other than that, I've started on a little project. Well, a not-so-little project, actually. I'm going to paint my kitchen table and chairs black, but it's quite a long process! I'm documenting it and will share the steps after I'm finished, assuming it all turns out okay. Here's the before shot!</div>
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So that's what I've been up to. What about you guys?</div>
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Oh, and I refuse to accept that I don't live in a tropical area - I'm trying to grow some avocado trees. I actually grew an avocado tree for a few years but it recently withered away, so I'm determined to try again.</div>
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<u style="background-color: white;">Song of the day</u><span style="background-color: white;">:</span></div>
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"Free Energy" by Free Energy. This is the band I saw last week - so much fun live!</div>
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<br /></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-24156461705207298772012-06-19T10:33:00.000-04:002012-06-19T10:33:32.724-04:00Weekend of CelebrationsHey y'all! (I wish I could say y'all in real life. It might be worth moving down South just so I could say y'all.) <br />
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I have a bunch of random things to throw together in this post. First up: my new favorite breakfast combo:<br />
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Scrambled eggs with salsa. I microwaved a leftover soft taco shell for about 10 seconds, topped it with 2 scrambled eggs, and added some Trader Joe's salsa. SO good! With a juicy peach and a cappuccino on the side, this was an amazing brunch.<br />
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I put together that brunch after my visit to the farmers' market last weekend. I love that they have live music there! So fun. <br />
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This time I picked up a pound of organic spinach for myself.<br />
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This should last me through the week!<br />
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This weekend I got my craft on. My grandma's birthday was on Saturday, so I made her a birthday card. <br />
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My mom's really good friend is an expert card maker - she creates the best designs and her cards always look fantastic. I think it's so special to receive a handmade card from someone. My mom's friend taught us the basics of card-making when I was younger, and we have a huge stash of card stock and matching envelopes, stamps, ink pads, confetti, etc., so I rifled through our supplies and put this card together. <br />
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I stamped some birthday candles on the inside, too, and glued a piece of birthday cake confetti to the envelope. I love when I have some time to work on a little craft like this. My sister got the real creative/ artistic genes, but I like to dabble once in awhile. <br />
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I gave my grandma a copy of The Pioneer Woman's book <i>From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story</i>, which I read a couple of months ago and absolutely <b>loved</b>.<br />
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Since Sunday was Father's Day, I also made a card for my dad.<br />
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I downloaded a free card design from <a href="http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/hgtv-free-printable-fathers-day-cards/" target="_blank">this website</a> and then used double-sided tape to attach it to some heavier card stock so that it would look a little nicer and more polished. And then for one of my all-time favorite gifts:<br />
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I got my dad Snoop Dogg's voice for his GPS. My dad loves Snoop Dogg, so when I heard that you could download his voice for a TomTom GPS, I knew I had to get it for my dad. It's so hilarious! I'm not sure I would actually be able to use it for directions because I'd be laughing too hard, but it's a lot of fun. <br />
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On Sunday night, we went out for a really nice family dinner at <a href="http://www.hydeparkrestaurants.com/index.html" target="_blank">Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse</a> to celebrate my grandma's birthday. I ordered the chicken Milanese, which was described as crispy romano-crusted chicken in a white wine caper sauce. My eyes bugged out of my head when they brought my plate and I saw that I had not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR chicken breasts. Um, whoa. So I ate one that night, and it was delicious. I also had some amazing steamed asparagus, and very yummy bourbon maple whipped sweet potatoes with caramelized marshmallows on top. <br />
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And I had three chicken breasts to take home with me. An unnecessarily large portion, but at least I have lots of leftovers for lunch this week!<br />
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Yesterday I made an epic salad. I used some of the spinach I got from the farmers' market, and topped it with a chicken breast, asparagus, Trader Joe's marinated artichoke hearts, sliced almonds, and zesty Italian dressing. So. Unbelievably. Good. <br />
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I will be having this again today... and tomorrow :)<br />
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One last thing before I go - yesterday I was outside and heard something which I thought was a little prop plane or something, but it kept getting louder and louder and then I saw the Goodyear blimp fly right overhead!<br />
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Things always look further away in photos, but this seemed super close in person. I'm sure that whoever was inside could see me gaping and running around the yard to get pictures, haha.<br />
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Well, I think that's enough random updates for today. See ya later!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Lovely and Blue" by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals. There's something slightly dark and sinister about this song that I really like.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-71709219193977685262012-06-15T15:11:00.000-04:002012-06-15T15:11:38.585-04:00A New Kind of MassageI love a good massage. Who doesn't? But yesterday I tried out a new kind of massage - a massaged kale salad! I've had massaged kale from Whole Foods before, but this was my first time making it myself.<br />
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I mentioned before that I bought a bunch of kale at a local farmers' market last Saturday.</div>
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I finally washed the kale and removed the leaves from the stems on Wednesday night (the worst part! I hate cleaning and tearing up lettuce, which is why I'm such a big fan of bagged spinach). With that out of the way, I was ready to make up a salad for lunch. <br />
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I used <a href="http://www.katheats.com/out-of-fruit" target="_blank">this massaged kale salad by Kath</a> as inspiration for my salad. <br />
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I put my clean, bite-sized pieces of kale into a container and added about 1/2 T lime juice, 1 T lemon juice, about 1/2 T olive oil, a few blobs of hummus (I just eyeballed it according to the amount of kale I used, and added enough to coat all of the leaves), then mixed it all up with my hands and <i>massaged</i> the kale leaves until they were evenly coated. <br />
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I also added some red bell pepper, lentils, Trader Joe's marinated artichoke hearts, and chopped walnuts. This was SO good! I actually tried a plain piece of kale when I was washing it, and it tasted exactly how I imagine a leaf would taste. Blech. But it's amazing how the acids from the citrus juices and hummus really tenderize the kale and change its taste, making it much milder and very tasty. I've read that you should let a massaged kale salad rest for at least 15 minutes before eating it, but since I made my salad before work, mine sat for about 4+ hours before I ate it, which worked fine. <br />
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I enjoyed my salad with some fresh pineapple and a medjool date. Yum! This salad was very satisfying and filling. It seemed even more substantial than spinach or other salad greens. And the added protein and healthy fats from the lentils, hummus, olive oil, and walnuts helped to keep me full for quite awhile.<br />
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In other (much less appetizing) news, my feet are getting better! Wednesday was a turning point for me and I'm almost walking normally again, thank goodness. I can't wait to get back into a workout routine!<br />
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Are you excited that it's Friday? I am! Bring on the weekend!<br />
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<u>Song of the day:</u><br />
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"1st Things 1st" by Phantom Planet. In honor of their reunion shows the past 2 nights (oh how I wish I could have been in LA for them!), here is one of my favorite songs by my all-time favorite band. <br />
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</div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-71242787061105651852012-06-12T21:22:00.000-04:002012-06-12T21:22:45.913-04:00Gimp LifeBonjour mes amis. How are you doing? <br />
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I spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon boating with my family, but it ended in injury. <br />
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Injury of the lamest variety. I forgot my shoes on the boat when we were taking it out of the water, but I figured I would just hop in the car when my dad stopped at the top of the ramp before driving to a spot in the parking lot to clean up the boat. Except... my dad didn't stop at the top of the ramp.<br />
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So I thought, no big deal, I'll just walk barefoot to the car. I was mostly grossed out because it was not a very clean parking lot, to say the least, so I tried to hurry to avoid the grime and the hot blacktop. This turned out to be a terrible decision, though, because I ended up burning my feet. I developed 2 HUGE blisters on the balls of both of my feet Seriously, grossly, shockingly huge. I've had trouble getting around since Sunday and have had to hobble on the sides of my feet. I can't even drive. And I may have crawled up the stairs a few times... and scooted down them :) Yep, pretty pathetic, right?<br />
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It doesn't hurt, it's just <i>really </i>annoying. I don't like not being able to move around as much as I want! I've never been laid up with an injury before (knock on wood), and as minor as this is, I'm anxious for the blisters to go down so I can walk normally again. And Gina at the Fitnessista started her <a href="http://fitnessista.com/2012/06/summer-shape-up-2012-intro-post-june-calendar/" target="_blank">Summer Shape Up</a> on Monday and I haven't been able to participate :( As soon as I can get moving again I'm going to join, though! <br />
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Adding insult to injury, today I received a couple of new workout DVDs that I bought from Groupon, and I really want to try them out!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mnDzvEKUL._SS400_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shaun-Ts-Rockin-Body-Beachbody/dp/B0014VPM9I" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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<br />
The Fitnessista is a big fan of Shaun T, so I jumped at the chance to try some of his workouts (and couldn't pass up a good deal, per usual). Has anyone else tried these DVDs, or any other Shaun T workouts? (I still need to do a final review of the Physique 57 DVDs, too - soon, I promise!)<br />
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So that's pretty much what I've been doing. Sitting around. And sitting some more. I did make myself a delicious smoothie after work today. I named it the choco-nana-nut. Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXU-zvTTKNVTeJG5M-KuFcInHaqSwZBEaO-hjdTgDKEBEOniLmcfbSW0ArG6d90cnVMzbtQMWSW9Hs4gwgnp9suC1qFE4ykVnw39v7BalCYnUrQnc-1Wnx-M287pwdVNjMatajqNF2oL6t/s1600/IMG_20120612_164456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXU-zvTTKNVTeJG5M-KuFcInHaqSwZBEaO-hjdTgDKEBEOniLmcfbSW0ArG6d90cnVMzbtQMWSW9Hs4gwgnp9suC1qFE4ykVnw39v7BalCYnUrQnc-1Wnx-M287pwdVNjMatajqNF2oL6t/s640/IMG_20120612_164456.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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It had 1 cup almond milk, 1 T natural peanut butter (Trader Joe's brand - very smooth and delicious!), 1 large frozen banana, and 2 T Ovaltine. I just happened to see a huge tub of Ovaltine in the kitchen cupboard and it made me nostalgic for my youth - I used to have a big glass of Ovaltine after school almost every day - so I decided to throw some in for old time's sake. You could also use cocoa powder or carob powder instead.<br />
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I went to the farmers' market over the weekend (finally) and got a nice big bunch of kale. I'm planning to make a massaged kale salad, and maybe try <span style="font-family: inherit;">saut<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">é</span>ing</span> some of it? We shall see. <br />
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PS If you are like me and enjoy seeing weird skin things (but not blood! eek!), scroll down past the song of the day for some lovely pictures of my blisters. But please stop reading now if you wish to save your eyeballs from the horror.<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
<br />
"Hold On" by Alabama Shakes. I'm obsessed with this song right now - there's something so primal about it. In a good way. I had no idea the lead singer was a woman until I looked up this music video. I bet this band would put on an awesome show!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Le-3MIBxQTw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Okay seriously, stop reading if you don't want to see gross pictures. <br />
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<br />
Really.<br />
<br />
<br />
Okay, ready?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0r7V2Vw7mbkzP70q050i8DVL6VKwIu2GImOcANV6HDy7nL0ZBx7hT7kYNGQrSlbu5E5BNu7GOc592EgEft6pyfZLGCAGUrb8ouRsGhwcAqY9xlXguFExrGKSFEg5FUJPjuuZVx9vpZ_P/s1600/IMG_20120611_230355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0r7V2Vw7mbkzP70q050i8DVL6VKwIu2GImOcANV6HDy7nL0ZBx7hT7kYNGQrSlbu5E5BNu7GOc592EgEft6pyfZLGCAGUrb8ouRsGhwcAqY9xlXguFExrGKSFEg5FUJPjuuZVx9vpZ_P/s400/IMG_20120611_230355.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left foot.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0dq-mogGhFB8U9ga8RYTBBaXFiE7sj8z9x8COUIG8jvcKbe-AR6iTJrBEhkgSBoJ8jW-Pb61Tejb_6xlyM7gU91qAkQ7EErfbADz-I_zjgSKGzdbdFdOUrJkwsFJiqXA1m8WWEo3OR9x/s1600/IMG_20120611_230509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0dq-mogGhFB8U9ga8RYTBBaXFiE7sj8z9x8COUIG8jvcKbe-AR6iTJrBEhkgSBoJ8jW-Pb61Tejb_6xlyM7gU91qAkQ7EErfbADz-I_zjgSKGzdbdFdOUrJkwsFJiqXA1m8WWEo3OR9x/s400/IMG_20120611_230509.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right foot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAlne_uSLCXEJA8YqEfusf-0QOqXvzFWO2wsOWIL0-sMOQnOj401ZTg1-iXleBtT9nSJvb1E7N3W1jqO-lfyGAwVJccCChBTEmoyTMJZ0rF6GHk6bwDeZt4axYU3U1wCxJeR8L1QKUrbm/s1600/IMG_20120611_230543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAlne_uSLCXEJA8YqEfusf-0QOqXvzFWO2wsOWIL0-sMOQnOj401ZTg1-iXleBtT9nSJvb1E7N3W1jqO-lfyGAwVJccCChBTEmoyTMJZ0rF6GHk6bwDeZt4axYU3U1wCxJeR8L1QKUrbm/s400/IMG_20120611_230543.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right foot again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So there you have it. Don't walk on blacktop in your bare feet. You've been warned. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-34375406897072276252012-06-09T14:08:00.000-04:002012-06-09T14:08:04.746-04:00Getting Back in the KitchenI finally spent some quality time in the kitchen making delicious food - it had been too long since I had done much more than put together bowls of yogurt and salads. <br />
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First up: guacamole!<br />
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I had a perfectly ripe avocado, to which I added some chopped red bell pepper, a diced onion, about a tablespoon of lime juice, a sprinkle of cayenne, and a dash of salt. So good!<br />
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I snacked on the guacamole as I made my main course - pizza! I followed <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/03/pizza-pancakes-and-plants.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a>, using 2 cups white whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup regular all-purpose flour, sans rosemary.<br />
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I topped it with some homemade pesto. When I make pesto for myself, I just eyeball the ingredients depending on how much basil I have on hand. I added basil, skim milk, olive oil, parmesan cheese, walnuts, salt, and pepper to a food processor and voila, pesto! I had a pineapple begging to be cut up and enjoyed, so I decided to put some fresh pineapple on my pizza. <br />
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I was excited to use my mom's pizza stone this time, and it definitely made the bottom of the crust turn out softer and tastier. I baked this at 500* for about 12 - 14 minutes. <br />
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After dinner, I had one thing in mind: Mama Pea's <a href="http://peasandthankyou.com/2012/06/07/hot-apple-pie-smoothies-and-popsicles/" target="_blank">hot apple pie smoothie</a>!<br />
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I used an apple (which I didn't peel, even though I used a normal blender and not a high-speed one, and it turned out fine - I can't stand wasting that super nutritious apple peel!), cottage cheese, skim milk, almond butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey (I didn't have maple syrup or stevia), salt, and 10 ice cubes. I left out the protein powder since this was an after-dinner treat, but I would have added it if I were eating this after a workout or as a meal. <br />
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This morning I kept the momentum going and prepared a delicious brunch:<br />
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I had a fried egg sandwich, fresh fruit, and a cappuccino. SO good. For the egg sandwich, I toasted whole wheat sandwich thins, spread some leftover guacamole on one half, and added a fried egg (cooked in a bit of olive oil). <br />
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I had some more fresh pineapple, along with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Summer fruit is the best!!<br />
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I also made myself a cappuccino by heating up 6 oz. of skim milk in the microwave, using my little frother to whip it up, and then adding it to 2 shots of espresso which I used my dad's coffee machine to make. <br />
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It definitely felt nice to get back in the kitchen and spend some time preparing good food. Hope your weekend is off to a great start!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Shadow Days" by John Mayer, off his new album <i>Born and Raised</i>. I heard a radio interview with John Mayer recently, and I didn't realize that he had been off the scene for about 2 years. Apparently he gave a couple of scandalous interviews and received a lot of criticism, so he had been lying low. I did hear a radio DJ (on a college station) pronounce his name as John My-er instead of May-er recently, so maybe he totally fell off of some people's radars, haha. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-91301042785493584612012-06-07T17:31:00.000-04:002012-06-07T17:31:01.025-04:00Salads GaloreI'll be the first one to admit that I really like routines. It's pretty easy for me to get set on something and stick with it. That is definitely the case with a lot of my meals lately, but I'm okay with that. For the most part, I've been having yogurt + fresh fruit for breakfast and big salads for lunch. <br />
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I've stuck with Angela's <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2012/06/01/the-june-salad-a-day-challenge-kick-off-plus-5-more-reader-favourite-salad-recipes/" target="_blank">salad-a-day challenge</a> so far... but I haven't been as good with Amanda Russell's 4-minute <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbp3MbM_Goc" target="_blank">morning workout routine</a>. I did it for 4 days, but didn't do it yesterday or today :/ Gotta get back on that! I've found that knowing I have to do push-ups immediately doesn't make me want to hop right out of bed and get the day started, so I linger and push snooze, and then run out of time before I have to start getting dressed and ready for the day. But I did feel awesome on the days when I did it, so I've got to focus on that feeling instead of the imminent push-ups!<br />
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Anywho, back to my meals. Let's start with my lunches. Sunday I took a break from helping my Dad wash 4 cars (inside and out - mine was one of them, yay for clean cars!) to re-fuel. I had a salad with spinach, sugar snap peas, carrots, lentils, white bean and basil hummus, balsamic vinegar, and walnuts.<br />
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With an apple + almond butter on the side, and a medjool date for dessert. My dad was really excited when he saw my medjool date and asked where I'd been hiding them (in the fridge!). Then he said my mom never buys food he likes (not true, haha) so next time we were at the store she picked up a container for him to have all to himself... which is almost gone :)<br />
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One night my mom was making white rice as a side for our dinner, and I decided I wanted something a little more nutritious to go with my meal, so I made some sweet potato fries for myself. My mom had one and said she thought they were better than some she had a restaurant recently - yay! <br />
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I made them again the next night and my dad said he'd like some, too, so I made enough for everyone to share. I think I baked them a little too long the second time I made them, but it's still fun to share some healthier alternatives with my family. <br />
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Packed lunches up next. Monday I had a salad with spinach, grape tomatoes, orange bell pepper, carrots, sugar snap peas, walnuts, lentils, white bean and basil hummus, and red wine vinegar (I meant to grab balsamic but accidentally took red wine vinegar with me instead - it was still tasty, though). <br />
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Apple on the side and a medjool date to satisfy my ever-present sweet tooth. <br />
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I had a pretty similar lunch on Tuesday - the same salad as the day before, but with balsamic vinegar this time, plus some marinated artichoke hearts from Trader Joe's - SO good!<br />
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Apple + almond butter on the side, and another medjool date. All crammed in to that Lululemon bag (along with a travel mug for my morning coffee plus a water bottle - I don't exactly travel light. Ever). <br />
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Yesterday I was out of spinach, so I stopped by <a href="http://www.earthfare.com/" target="_blank">Earth Fare</a> (a local health food store) to put together a salad for myself. That baby had mixed greens, spinach, shredded carrots, sliced kalamata olives, red/ green/ yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, black-eyed peas (must remember to pick some up to add to my homemade salads!), chickpea salad, artichoke hearts, olive oil, Italian white wine vinegar, and sunflower seeds.<br />
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And the stars of the show: 3 stuffed grape leaves. So unbelievably delicious. I'm pretty sure I could eat these every day and not get sick of them. <br />
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While I was at the store, I picked up this new-to-me bar which was on sale. It was pretty good, but I still prefer Larabars and their extremely short ingredient list. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I only remembered to take a picture after I had already torn into it - oops!</td></tr>
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I also picked up lots of fresh fruit yesterday and had a very summer-y breakfast this morning: a bowl of plain yogurt with a sliced banana, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. So delicious and decadent, and filled with antioxidants.<br />
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And for lunch I packed a salad with mixed spinach greens, grape tomatoes, orange bell pepper, artichoke hearts, and a last-minute addition of grapes. I topped it with hummus and lentils (and brought a bottle of balsamic to work with me to add right before eating), but I took the picture before adding the last couple of things to showcase all of the colorful ingredients! I don't usually add fruit to my salads, but I figured I could use a little variety so I took a chance with those grapes. I love sweet + savory, so this was right up my alley.<br />
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Nature shot of the day:<br />
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I found some forget-me-nots growing in the woods so I picked a few to make myself a little bouquet. I photographed them downstairs, but in reality they're sitting on my very messy childhood dresser, haha.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PS That trophy is for a contest my friends and I entered and DIDN'T win, haha. So proud.</td></tr>
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Hope you're having a great week so far. Until next time!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Ho Hey" by The Lumineers. Obsessed with this song lately. It's so sweet and fun to sing along with (fun for me, not for anyone else who might happen to hear me, haha). <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-64288949816522337162012-06-02T17:42:00.001-04:002012-06-02T23:37:48.495-04:00Rocket ManI started off my day with Amanda Russell's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbp3MbM_Goc" target="_blank">4-minute morning workout</a> - 1 day down, 20 days to go of the challenge! I rolled out of bed and did it right away, PJs and all. It was kind of funny to hear my joints cracking and popping - I think I'm creakier than the average 24-year-old because one time I got off the couch and my grandma asked if I was the one making all of those noises, haha. Despite my protesting joints, I got through the workout and even did the headstand! Up against a wall, but still, I was surprised I could do that. Mayyyybe I'll work up to doing one without the wall. Maybe. I hate being upside down and get a little panicky, though, so maybe not :)<br />
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I think starting the day out with a little exercise is great for many reasons - it sets a precedent for making healthy choices the rest of the day, and it can spur you to work out more later (today I hit the gym for some cardio on the elliptical, rowing machine, and stair master), or if you don't get a full workout in later, at least you did something! Even if it's only 4 minutes, it's better than nothing.<br />
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I'm also trying to do Angela's <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2012/06/01/the-june-salad-a-day-challenge-kick-off-plus-5-more-reader-favourite-salad-recipes/" target="_blank">salad-a-day challenge</a>. I decided to use a LivingSocial my parents got me for Easter and checked out <a href="http://tropicalsmoothie.com/" target="_blank">Tropical Smoothie Cafe</a>. I got the "Smoothie and a Half" deal (a smoothie and half a salad) - I chose the Triple Berry Oat smoothie (strawberries, blueberries, cranberry, multi-vitamin, ground flax seed, whole grain oats, whey protein - and I asked for it without Splenda) and a Southwest Chicken salad (romaine, field greens, chicken, southwestern rice with corn, black beans, and asparagus, tomatoes, onions, salsa, and guacamole - I asked for it without the ranch dressing).<br />
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The smoothie was HUGE and very good, and I was excited that they had ground flax seed. The salad was really good, too, although I don't think it actually had an asparagus in it. It definitely didn't need the dressing since it already had guacamole and salsa on it. <br />
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So I saw something very strange when I was driving today. <br />
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The license plate said something to the effect of "A Rocket."<br />
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I was really shocked when I saw this thing drive up next to me. Is that even allowed to be on the road??<br />
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I can't decide what it looks like. Kind of like a plane without wings/ a ride at the fair? And I'm pretty sure that guy should be wearing a helmet. <br />
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It might have even been stranger than the time I saw a gigantic pair of legs being transported on a semi.<br />
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I have no idea what that was for, but I really hope it was some wealthy man commissioning a statue of his wife, haha.<br />
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And then when I pulled into my parents' driveway, I was greeted by this guy:<br />
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AHHH! I hate snakes. I drove past it and then realized what it was, so I stopped to be sure, but kept my distance. Between the <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-routine.html" target="_blank">deer</a> and <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/05/snappy.html" target="_blank">snapping turtle</a>, and now a snake, I'm having lots of wildlife encounters lately. <br />
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I'm off to meet my friend for dinner and a movie tonight - enjoy the rest of your Saturday!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"California" by Delta Spirit. I just started listening to this band and I'm really liking their music so far. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604959845541168336.post-54615678975297425792012-06-01T19:42:00.000-04:002012-06-01T19:42:32.555-04:00Simple Eats plus a Morning Workout ChallengeMy meals have been pretty straightforward lately. Here are some of my recent eats:<br />
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1/2 cup 1-minute oatmeal mixed with 1 cup boiling water, 1 T chia seeds, 1 banana, strawberries, blueberries, cottage cheese, and a spoonful of sunflower seed butter. This was packed full of nutrients and kept me full until lunch!<br />
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I've been getting kind of tired of hot oatmeal, though (and have been too lazy to put together <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/03/breakfast-is-served.html" target="_blank">overnight oats</a> or <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/02/cookies-for-breakfast.html" target="_blank">breakfast cookies</a> before I go to bed at night... need to work on that) so I decided to make a yogurt bowl instead. I combined plain nonfat yogurt with a banana, strawberries, blueberries, and homemade granola.<br />
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I went home for lunch one day this week and made myself some scrambled eggs topped with Trader Joe's salsa (SO good!), and ate them with an apple, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, white bean and basil hummus (also from Trader Joe's and ridiculously tasty - I highly recommend it!). Medjool date for dessert!<br />
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It's been awhile since I had a salad beast, so last night I made myself one for dinner. I threw together spinach, some iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, carrots, chopped walnuts, white bean and basil hummus, oregano-infused balsamic vinegar, and lentils (which I got already-steamed and ready-to-eat from Trader Joe's). I ate this with a baked sweet potato with a little butter and cinnamon. Plus a bowl of yummy Greek yogurt and homemade granola for dessert. <br />
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Today I finally took the time to make myself something a little more substantial for lunch to take with me to work. <br />
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My salad last night tasted really good, so I pretty much made a repeat, but I also added some <a href="http://legallyblinde.blogspot.com/2012/05/snappy.html" target="_blank">leftover cooked asparagus</a> this time, and brought regular balsamic vinegar to add.
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Another medjool date for dessert! Tasty wasty.
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Angela at Oh She Glows started a <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2012/05/28/the-june-salad-challenge-plus-6-scrumptious-salad-recipes-to-kick-it-off/" target="_blank">"Salad A Day" goal</a> for June, which I think is a great idea. One day down, 29 to go :)<br />
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I've posted some of Amanda Russell's workouts before - I love them because they're short but intense, and require little or no equipment. She just uploaded a new video with a "challenge" - it's a 4-minute morning workout, and she challenges us to do it every morning for 3 weeks. I mean 4 minutes isn't too much, right? I'm going to try to do it! Anyone with me?<br />
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The routine is: 30 seconds of push-ups, 30 seconds of leg lifts (on hands and knees, lift alternating leg with bent knee and flexed foot to ceiling), 60 seconds plank (see this <a href="http://fitnessista.com/2012/05/10-ways-to-plank/" target="_blank">Fitnessista post</a> for lots of plank variations to keep it interesting and challenging), 30 seconds Spidermans (in plank position on hands, bring knees to elbows), 30 seconds bridge-ups, and 60 seconds headstand. The headstand is the only one I'm worried about - I'll probably have to use the wall. I do want to get better at doing a headstand, though, so this will be the perfect way to improve. <br />
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Hope your weekend is off to a great start!<br />
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<u>Song of the day</u>:<br />
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"Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. Such a classic - I love her. I listened to her a lot growing up (because my dad's a big fan). She was in town the other day and I caught part of a radio interview with her, and it reminded me of how great her music really is. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10638166823710057464noreply@blogger.com2