Makeover May: Days 11-15

Saturday, May 11
Hours of sleep: 8

B - Sausage, Egg, Asparagus
L - HBE, Pork rinds, Iced green tea
D - Spaghetti squash w/ meat sauce, Chicken
S - Carrots, Snap peas

Activity: Worked in the flower shop
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing.

Making Mother's Day corsages!

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Sunday, May 12
Hours of sleep: 9

B - Eggs, Sausage, Sweet potato homefries
D - Burger w/ mushrooms and onions, Green beans, Applesauce, Iced tea*
S - Popsicle (banana, coconut milk, cocoa powder)

Activity: Shopping with Justin
Non-essential money spent on: *Texas Roadhouse

I have solved the needing-chocolate problem. You're welcome.

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Monday, May 13
Hours of sleep: 5

B - Smoothie (blueberries, raspberries, 1/2 pear, blueberry nectar, lemon juice)
L - Chicken, Asparagus, Carrots, Snap peas, Blackberries
D - Grilled zucchini w/ meat sauce
S - HBE, Coconut ice cream, Pineapple

Activity: Baking for the coffee shop
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing.

My first smoothie in the Magic Bullet!

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Tuesday, May 14
Hours of sleep: 7

B - Smoothie (apple, 1/2 banana, almond butter, coconut milk, cinnamon)
L - Chicken, Grilled zucchini w/ meat sauce, Snap peas, Pineapple, Iced tea*
D - Tacos! (taco-spiced beef and salsa wrapped in lettuce)
S - HBE, Blackberries

Activity: Played tennis with Andrea!
Non-essential money spent on: *Relax It's Just Coffee, Tennis balls

I don't know who decided "Taco Tuesday" was a thing, but I like it.

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Wednesday, May 15
Hours of sleep: 6

B - Bacon, Banana, Iced green tea
L - Tacos, Snap peas, Blackberries
D - Zucchini with meat sauce, HBE
S - Juice, Almonds

Activity: Lunch in the park, Laundry
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing
Wednesday Weigh-In: 149.5 (down 0.5 pounds from last week)

Tasty lunch AND squirrel-watching.

Makeover May: Days 6-10

Monday, May 6
Hours of sleep: 7

B - 2 Eggs, Sausage, Iced green tea*
L - Chicken fajitas, Pear, Iced green tea
D - Steak, Sautéed kale with bacon, shallots, and vinegar
S - Almonds, Pork rinds, Coconut milk ice cream

Activity: Baking for the coffee shop, blogging ;)
Non-essential money spent on: *Starbucks

Sautéed kale: So good I forgot I made a steak!

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Tuesday, May 7
Hours of sleep: 6

B - Smoothie (blueberries, raspberries, iced green tea, 1/2 pear)
L - Chicken, Carrots, Blackberries, Almonds, Iced green tea
D - Spaghetti squash w/ marinara and mushrooms
S - Pork rinds, Hard-boiled egg

Activity: Laundry at Mom & Dad's
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing

Stack of lunch!

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Wednesday, May 8
Hours of sleep: 6

B - Bacon, Smoothie (1/2 apple, 1/2 banana, almond butter, coconut milk, cinnamon)
L - Fajita chicken w/ onions, peppers, and mushrooms, Carrots, Kiwi, Iced green tea
D - Steak & Egg, Blackberries, Coconut ice cream
S - Pork rinds, Hard-boiled egg, Savory Coconut Flakes

Activity: Wedding talk and PPL with twin
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing.
Wednesday Weigh-In: 150.0 (down 4.5 pounds from last week!)

Apple Dumpling smoothie and bacon!

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Thursday, May 9
Hours of sleep: 7

B - Smoothie (1/2 apple, 1/2 banana, almond butter, coconut milk, cinnamon)
L - Chipotle Salad! (lettuce, carnitas, salsa, guacamole)
D - Sausage, Asparagus
S - HBE, Coconut ice cream

Activity: Library, Cooking
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing.

Mmm, Chipotle. Thanks Dad!

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Friday, May 10
Hours of sleep: 7.5

B - Smoothie (1/2 pear, blueberries, raspberries, iced green tea)
L - Steak w/ onions and mushrooms, Carrots, Blackberries
D - Chicken, Asparagus, Sugar snap peas, Blackberries
S - Grilled pineapple

Activity: Reverse Book Club at Hannah's
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing.

I made grilled pineapple and faux-jitos for Girls' Night!

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Makeover May Running Totals:
Weekly weigh-in: 150
Average hours of sleep: 6.7
Paleo-ness of food: 99.9%
Nights not spent just watching tv: 4/5
Amount of non-essential money spent: $3.50 

Makeover May: Days 1-5

Wednesday, May 1
Hours of sleep: 5

Breakfast - Smoothie (blueberry, pineapple, coconut milk)
Lunch - Salad with steak, Carrot, Strawberries
Dinner - Chicken, Avocado, Sweet potato hash, Iced green tea
Snack - 1/2 Apple, Almond Butter

Activity: Reverse Book Club with Andrea
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing
Wednesday Weigh-In: 154.5

First whole30 dinner and it was good!

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Thursday, May 2
Hours of sleep: 6.5

B - Smoothie (strawberry, spinach, banana, coconut oil, coconut milk)
L - Chicken, Sweet potato hash, 1/2 Orange, Iced green tea
D - Zucchini, Steak w/ onions, mushrooms, and arugula
S - Blackberries, Almonds, Coconut butter

Activity: Clean out car
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing

Blackberries and almonds in my cute containers

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Friday, May 3
Hours of sleep: 7

B - Bacon, Banana
L - Chicken, Sweet potato hash, 1/2 Orange, Iced green tea
D - Spaghetti squash, Meat sauce, Green tea
S - Blackberries, Almonds

Activity: Movie with Justin
Non-essential money spent on: $1 lottery ticket

Made spaghetti squash at the boyfriend's request.

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Saturday, May 4
Hours of sleep: 9

B - Sausage, Egg (over-easy!), Raspberries, Coffee w/ coconut milk
L - Chili, Carrots
D - Salad, Steak, Asparagus
S - Smoothie (mixed berries, 1/2 pear, blueberry juice, lemon juice)

Activity: Walk/workout with Justin, Tyler's fancy dinner
Non-essential money spent on: Nothing

The first time I tried eggs over-easy!

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Sunday, May 5
Hours of sleep: 6ish

B - 2 Eggs, Sausage, Green tea, Mixed fruit (strawberries, pineapple, blueberries)
L - 2 Burger patties (w/ lettuce, grilled onions and mushrooms)*, Carrots, Blackberries/Raspberries
D - Fajita chicken w/ peppers, onions, mushrooms
S - Almonds, Smoothie (strawberry/banana), Coconut milk ice cream

Activity: Tyler's Graduation!
Non-essential money spent on: *Five Guys

Chicken fajitas for Cinco de Mayo

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Makeover May Running Totals:
Weekly weigh-in: 154.5
Average hours of sleep: 6.5
Paleo-ness of food: 100%
Nights not spent just watching tv: 4/5
Amount of non-essential money spent: $8.50

Makeover May 2013

Hey friends! May 2013 starts in a little over a week. Why am I pointing out the obvious, you ask? Because I have big plans for May. I'm calling it Makeover May and here is what I'm making over:

1. My Eating
Why? I went 70/30 paleo for a while about a year ago and it worked well, but then I got mono or something and fell off the wagon. Since then, I've only been around 50/50 paleo or less. And I'm sick of looking in the mirror and thinking "meh" about how I look. I've done quite a bit of reading about being paleo/primal, and have even been attending an on-going lecture series called, My Boyfriend Is A Personal Trainer And Talks About It A Lot.
How? I'm doing a Whole30. Strict paleo, 30 days, no cheating. I've already identified what will be the hardest for me (caffeine and "social eating"), and have started working on ways to avoid the temptation. For example, Justin is doing it with me, because I made him promise not to try to talk me into getting pizza on weekends because I know I'll cave. Who doesn't cave for pizza?

2. My Spending
Why? I've been noticing lately how many bags I carry into my apartment. Maybe it's because they feel heavier when you have to walk up 20 stairs, or maybe it's because I've just accumulated a lot of stuff. Either way, I know I buy more stuff than I actually need. I bought three bottles of nail polish in the last two weeks; obviously not because I needed it.
How? Well, obviously, I'm just not going to buy unnecessary stuff. I'm still going to pay my bills and go to the doctor if I get sick, but I'm definitely not buying clothes or cosmetics. This applies to junk food like chips and alcohol too, but since I'll already be not-eating that stuff on the Whole30, I obviously won't be spending money on it.

3. My Downtime
Why? I do a lot of pointless sitting. I sit all day at work, and it seems like the minute I sit on the couch to eat dinner at home, I am glued there for the rest of the evening. I don't have cable or anything, but I rent a lot of movies from the library and have the TV on pretty much all the time. I love to read, but I think I've only read one book so far this year. Also, I have a hard time getting up early because I stay up too late, but I'm staying up late just to watch movies I literally have memorized. Lame.
How? Well, for starters, I'll have more free time from not aimlessly wandering around Target or Walmart. I've got my "to read" list split based on which library branch has which books, so I know what to look for when I'm there. I'm going to go for more walks, play with my nephews, basically anything that isn't just sitting in front of the TV like a potato every day. And if I do want to watch a movie, I'm going to do something else at the same time, like finish some of those previously-mentioned craft projects!

What does all this have to do with you? Well, technically, nothing. Unless of course, you'd be interested in joining me in this challenge. :) I am a big believer in having other people to help keep you on track, because I know I do better that way. That is why I'm putting this out there; because I know it's not going to be easy for me, so I'd appreciate some help staying accountable. If you want to follow along, I'll be attempting to share at least one aspect of the challenge every day via Twitter, either what I'm cooking, reading, or doing in my free time.

So you have about a week to decide: are you going to join me and Makeover May? If your answer is yes, I definitely want to know what you want to makeover! Your basement? Your bad habits? Your skin-care regimen? Tell me in the comments and follow me on Twitter for my #makeovermay updates, starting bright and early on May 1st!

Food: Cheesecake Dippers

Let's say it's Friday afternoon and your friends are having a party later. Your only instructions were, "bring some food." You don't have time to cook/bake/etc, so what do you do?! Well people, I have your answer: I call them Cheesecake Dippers (as of just now, when I needed something to call them.)

Philadelphia makes this Cheesecake Filling which is actually pretty delicious! Pick up a tub of that at your grocery store and a couple kinds of Graham crackers for dipping. As you can see, I still enjoy Teddy Grahams. I also grabbed a couple kinds of berries to go with them. After I left the store, it occurred to me that I should've gotten some mini chocolate chips too. Nom nom.

My favorite combination was the regular graham sticks and raspberries. But since there are about a million kinds of cheesecake, the possibilities are pretty much endless. Caramel sauce and chopped pecans? Oreos and hot fudge? I have to stop suggesting things now because I'm getting hungry. So there you go: a quick and easy dessert for all your last-minute party needs!

SOTD - 01.24.13

Are you up to the challenge of making today's Smoothie of the Day?!
Fun Fact: it's not really a challenge. I just want to remember how to make this again sometime.

1 small banana
1/2 (ish) c. frozen blueberries
2 kale ice cubes (method found here)
spoonful (virgin) coconut oil
almond milk

You know your smoothie? It's all bluuue.

Aside from being tasty, this smoothie was a success because:
1. Those kale cubes blended in better than straight up, raw kale.
2. It is dairy free, if you like that sort of thing.
3. I bought a giant bucket of frozen blueberries last fall, so anything with blueberries wins.

So there you have it! What are you drinking this snowy Thursday morning? Yes, it's 11 degrees outside, I brushed an inch of snow off my car, and I had a smoothie for breakfast. Don't worry though, I've now moved on to one of my favorite teas.

Things I Like to Smell - Vol. I

Do you have certain scents that trigger memories for you? Or, conversely, when you reflect on some time, place, or person that was special to you, does a smell come with that memory? It does for me. For example, freshly baked bread smells like being home because my mom is the best at making bread. Even though my first boyfriend was over a decade ago, I can still tell when I walk by someone wearing the same cologne. And after my grandma passed away, I considered buying some vintage Avon talc powder at a flea market  because she had it in her bathroom for as long as I can remember.

photo credit

Anyone who spends a significant amount of time around me will quickly learn how much I like to smell things. Justin and I almost always spend some time smelling seasonal candles wherever we find them. Teavana and Penzeys both endeared themselves to me from my first visits, simply because you're allowed to smell all the things. And sometimes when I am sad or bored, I will go to a grocery store and stand around smelling the different body washes or fabric softeners. I'm well aware that it's things like this that make me obviously normal and not weird at all.

Without further ado, here are some things I am currently fond of smelling. This volume of Things I Like to Smell was inspired by my friend Kerry's post on beating the winter blues. Even though we had a freakishly nice weekend (high five, global warming!) it is back to feeling wintery here in Ohio and these are the smells that cheer me up despite the weather.

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1. Sea Spray from Lush Cosmetics
My friend Vicky gave me some of this and it has gradually become my new BFF. I like it for all its intended reasons (like making me not look as if I'm trying to cosplay Hermione Granger in my daily life) but the most surprising thing for me was the scent. This product is the perfect reminder of sunny, windy, sea-salty days. I don't know how they do it, but I've found it a pleasant surprise to catch a whiff of summer when it's all of 12 degrees outside.

2. Orange & Cranberry Scones
Whether it's because this is the first flavor I ever made, or just the fact that citrus is such a happy smell, baking off a batch of these scones always smells the best to me. Find a recipe, make yourself some tea, and and eat one while they're still warm from the oven. Trust me on this.

3. Stauf's Market Spice Tea
Speaking of tea, this one is amazing. It tends to get cold before I can finish it because I'm always torn between wanting to keep smelling it and wanting to drink it. If you like orange-y cinnamon teas, this is the best one I've had yet.

4. Woodsmoke
My parents have a wood-burning stove in their house, so this is another smell that always reminds me of home. The combination of clean, cold air and the drifting smoke never fails to take me back to the days of bundling up and going out to play in the snow with my brothers.

5. Homemade Yujacha
I found this post on Pinterest about a Korean concoction of honey and lemons that you add to hot water to make a drink that's good for fighting colds. Since I love honey and lemons, I had to try it. I also added slices of fresh ginger to mine, and sweet merciful heavens it could not possibly smell any better than it does. It also tastes good, which I was concerned about with leaving the pith of the lemon in there. I am almost through my first jar of it, and I haven't even been sick.

So am I the only one who just wanders though life smelling things? Or could I run into you in the laundry aisle the next time I'm lurking in a grocery store? Either way, I hope you get to smell some of your favorite things today too! As for me, I think I'll be making some tea shortly!