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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Alternative: Tuna Salad

I tend to eat quite a bit of tuna. Mainly because it has a lot of protein, very little fat, and is super convenient. Sometimes I'll stick a can or two in my purse or car if I am on the go. This being said, I hate plain tuna. Makes me feel like I am eating dry cat food...unpleasant. 
Lately, I have been trying a few different mix ins for my tuna instead of using store bought mayo. A few good one's include:

Hummus (pictured above! Very yummy and adds way more flavor then mayo)
Olive Oil & Spices
Mixture of Greek Yogurt, Mustard, and a bit of Vinegar
Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges (would be a good alternative to a tuna melt if you heat it up and put it on some toast)
Homemade Mayo made with Olive Oil

Do you like tuna? What is your favorite tuna mix in?

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sales = Splurge

Recently I took a little trip back to Orlando, where I lived for about three years. I went to visit my sister and my super adorable 3 month old niece. Of course while I was there I had to stop by the mall (3 malls to be exact). There was some AWESOME sales going on which meant both bad and good news for my wallet.
I went to Premium outlet with my mom because I wanted to check out the Coach Outlet. When we got outside I noticed there was a long line outside and was a little confused at first. Then the light bulb in my head of course goes off long lines=MASSIVE CRAZY SALE!!! So I immediately got in the line which is naturally what any real shopaholic would do.
The wait wasn't too bad but boy was it worth it! I got the two purses and key chain pictured above for just under $200!! Score!!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Flaxseed Funk

If anyone out there read my previous post Analyzing & Adjusting I mentioned that I have not been feeling quite right for a while. Most of the issues I was having have basically been resolved since I increased my calories. Woohoo for that! Unfortunately, I have still been in this weird mood funk that I couldn't quite figure out until now. Then, it hit me...FLAX SEEDS!!!!

I used to eat ground flax seed everyday, sometimes multiple times. I always would have some in my oatmeal in the mornings. Then, a few weeks ago I just stopped eating it completely for some odd reason. I didn't really attribute it to my mood funk until I was reading an article on flaxseeds about two days ago.
The article stated the health benefits of ALA (an omega-3 fatty acid) and the lignans found in flax seeds. These benefits include:
  • High in fiber/relieves constipation
  • Contains compounds that are cancer-protective 
  • Reduces cholesterol levels
  • Helps stabilize estrogen levels
  • Fights inflammation
  • Boosts immunity
  • Improves brain cell function/boosts mood
The list goes on and on but those are just a few of the benefits. Another great thing about they make your hair, skin, and nails look better. Also, they work great in homemade face/body scrubs!!
So, I am back to making sure to get in some flax every day because for me there is a noticeable difference in my moods when I do have them. They are pretty easy to find now that they are so popular. I get mine from Publix and they cost me less then $2 so they are also budget friendly!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Workout Song of the Week!!

Soo...another song for cardio. Next week I will try to put up one that is good for weight training, I promise. I just tend to put more fast songs for cardio workouts because I don't really like to listen to music during weight training. I find it a bit too distracting then but anyhow here's your musical goodie...Sorry this is not the clean version of the song as I could not find it on grooveshark :/

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Tutorial: Metallic Sparkle/Egyptian Eyes


This started out as a tutorial for a sparkly metallic look. As I started going crazier and crazier with my eyeliner I realized this would work well for a Halloween Egyptian type look. So for the Egyptian look stick with the triple liner but if you want something more subtle then just do your liner as you would regularly. This look can also easily be done with other colors.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Makeup Tutorials

So from now on I will be churning out the makeup tutorials like hotcakes!! More like sweet potato pancakes...yumm. Anyhow, there will be changes made to the blog in general as I will be changing the fierce fashion section to fierce faces. This means more makeup tutorials/hair/and skin care.
The main reason for the change is cause I noticed about 90% percent of my page views seem to be for the tutorials. Also, anyone who knows me personally knows that makeup is my heart. I love doing it, talking about it, and obviously buying it. So anyhow more makeup tutorials and I will probably be doing a section called Spa:D.I.Y or something similar for homemade facials/treatments and things of that nature.
I will still share random outfits and do a few fashion based posts but it will be mainly makeup from now on.

Workout Song of the Week!

This song is not a new one but it has been one of my favorite songs to workout to for a long time. I never get sick of it...ever. I am a big fan of Major Lazer and almost any of their songs are really great for working out especially if you are doing something like HIIT that requires high energy. ENJOY!!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Analyzing & Adjusting

So, I am not going to be finishing the Stripped plan as I planned on this month. I am actually instead going to up my calories and try to maintain my current weight for a little while. I have been feeling like my calories have been a bit too low for awhile and that I know is not productive. 
I have basically for a while been feeling pretty awful. I have not really had much energy, been having insane cravings and have had absent periods (I know TMI haha). So, I kind of suspected that my calories were just too low for my current activity level so I took a visit to the BB forum to seek some advice. The ladies over there basically confirmed what I had been thinking: my calories were too low.
They suggested that I go up to maintenance calories for awhile since my body probably just needed a break from eating 1400 calories for almost two years. So, I will be eating a lot more (wahoooo!!) for about two months or so. Which is great because I will be eating at maintenance calories for the holidays! Then in January I will lower my calories again just not as low as I did before.
One of the things that I have learned during this whole process is that it is important to keep track of what you are doing and also have a good support system. I have been keeping a food journal this whole time and it helps me a lot because if I start to gain or anything I can just go back and kind of see where I went wrong and make adjustments. I also belong to a few forums where I am able to receive advice from others which has also been a major help to me. 
During my weight loss journey I have learned so much but it is a process. I am still learning new things from people that are more knowledgeable then I am in the subject. It is also nice to be able to talk to people who have similar goals and have been in the same situations as you. 
Anyhow, I just thought I would share a little update. Oh, I am still doing Chalean Extreme though (and I am loving it) so that is staying the same. I most likely will post results when I am done but I probably won't lose much weight since I am trying to maintain right now. I am hoping to put on some muscle though so we shall see..

Monday, October 10, 2011

I scream...

...for 3 ingredient soft serve Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream!!! Actually, when I came across this recipe here I almost literally screamed. Not because I am obsessed with ice cream (which I am) but because I had JUST eaten the last banana in the house. Le sigh, anyhow I got more bananas and made it today and it was quite amazing. This can also be made with just banana for 1 ingredient ice cream.
A little melted but super delicious!
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana (cut into pieces before freezing)
1tbsp natural peanut butter 
1 scoop protein powder (optional)



Directions:
Place ingredients into blender and blend. Scrape down the sides occasionally to make sure the entire mixture is blended.

Stats: 295cals, 9g fat, 33g carbs, 22g protein, 17g sugar

Note: I followed the recipe found on bodyrock.tv but made a few tweaks. They called for 2tbsp of nut butter but I only used one to lower the calories a bit. I also added a splash of unsweetened almond milk while blending since the blender seemed to be having a hard time with the bananas. The recipe also called for vanilla which I didn't use since I was using vanilla protein powder.

 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Simple.

I thought I would just share how I usually wear my makeup on an everyday basis. I know some people may have the impression that I always have on crazy eyeshadow or spend a lot of time on my makeup. This is not the case as I usually only do the more colorful looks if I am going somewhere special or have a good amount of time on my hands. 

Friday, October 7, 2011

Stripped Meals

So, it has been a week since I started doing the Stripped Plan. I am feeling pretty great, as expected. I am actually considering not eating wheat/gluten even after I am done with Stripped because I feel better without it in my daily diet. By better I mean more energy, less bloated, and no weird stomach issues like I usually have.
I am just coming up with my own meals for Stripped and just following the guidelines, as I stated in a post awhile ago. I thought I would share pics of a few of the things I have been enjoying on this meal plan. This is just to give others who are doing Stripped some ideas since I know sometimes I have a hard time thinking of what to eat at my next meal. I will be adding pictures to this post whenever the food looks yummy and I remember to take a picture. Which will probably mainly be the food I eat at home not out of my Tupperware/cooler.
Mixed Greens Salad w/ Chicken, Grape Tomatoes, and Homemade Salsa

Workout Song of the Week!

So, when I make workout playlists I like to change them up A LOT. I don't like my playlists to get stale because otherwise I get bored. I am doing the Chalean Extreme Program right now and I love it but I am not a fan of the music. I usually will turn it down and play my own music now because it tells you what exercise to do on the bottom of the screen anyway.
I listen to all different types of music so the song of the week will be varied. I will try to do it weekly but knowing me I may slack a little. Anyhow on to the musical goodie of the week!!
PS. This song is really good for cardio/running

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Blackberry Pancakes

These are pretty much just basic oatmeal pancakes with berry sauce. I make oatmeal pancakes whenever I am not in the mood for eating another bowl of oatmeal. Although this is essentially a bowl of oatmeal just in a different package. Well, at least it is for me since I always put egg whites in my oatmeal. Yes, it sounds weird but you can't even taste them in there.

Soothing Sage

Recently, I have been drinking a lot of sage tea. I find it to have a very calming and soothing effect, especially on stressful days. I usually drink it at night and it has been one of the things that has been great in helping to manage my anxiety and stress levels. Other then the fact that is is very soothing sage has a host of other health benefits such as: 
  • Helpful in fighting colds and infections
  • Calms nerves
  • May enhance memory
  • Aides digestion
  • Reduces spasms (great for cramps/pms)
  • Reduces excessive perspiration
  • Antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties
I usually like to make a blend of sage with other teas since the sage alone can be kind of bitter. My favorite blends are Sage & Chamomile for calming/relaxation and Sage & Green Tea which is really helpful for PMS.

Disclaimer: Posted above is something that works very well for me personally. Know that every persons body is different and what works for me may not work for you. Also, always consult your doctor before using different supplements/herbs that you have not used before. Sage tea should not be used by pregnant or nursing women! 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Sunwarrior Raw Vegan Protein Review

Well, I actually tried this about a week ago but I am just now getting around to the review. I honestly don't eat much raw/vegan products which may be why I had the reaction that I had so just giving a little heads up. I do love vegan desserts though :) yumm. 
I had this after my workout and I had very high hopes because the ingredients and stats were very good. This product contains 133cals, 1g fat, 8g carbs with 3g being from fiber, and 25g protein. Since the carbs weren't too high I paired it with an apple for my post-workout snack.
I put the contents into my shaker bottle and added water and shook it up. It didn't really mix too well but it did get super thick! This made my hopes even higher then they had been over the stats. That being said, my high hopes were crushed by the taste. I hated the taste of this it tasted like powder to me. It was grainy and the flavor was just weird. It didn't even really taste like vanilla to me, it was more like grass/graininess/a hint of vanilla. I have never tried any other raw vegan protein so I don't have anything similar to compare it to. I also don't know if this taste/texture is typical for a raw vegan protein. I don't know if it is just this product or maybe I just don't like raw vegan protein powders. What I do know is I most likely won't be buying this in the near future. 
I wanted to like it but I just didn't and I just wanted to write my honest opinion.
.

The lowly stocking leg

I own an unnatural amount of stockings and leggings. I love them in different patterns, materials, and colors. This happens to me a lot but I hate when one of my favorite pairs gets a run or a hole in them. I am sure that anyone out there who loves cute stockings and leggings feels my pain. I used to always throw them out whenever a pair was ruined until I decided to find a way to re-purpose them.
Now I have an unnatural amount of stockings...and stocking legs!! Whenever I have a pair of leggings that get a run I grab a pair of scissors and just hack the legs off. (Sounds pretty violent, huh?)
You can use your legs in the following ways:
Patterned/Textured Thin Scarf (can also be tied in a bow)
Headbands ( can also be tied in the back or without bow)

Fingerless Hand Gloves (cut a thumb hole, not pictured)

Thinner strips as fabric bracelets (not pictured)

The possibilities are endless, especially if have a hot glue gun/can sew.
Just be creative and you can customize them to your own personal style :)

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Back to Stripping...

Not as in dancing...but as in the Stripped Plan!! 
As some of you may know, I completed the Eat Clean Diet Stripped plan about two months ago. And yes, I know you're out there...I've seen the page views so don't be so shy :). Anyhow, I got some really great results from following this meal plan. It can be hardcore at times and you may have an urge to cheat or even quit completely. Don't give in because the results are so worth it, I promise.
After doing this meal plan I knew that I would most likely do it again in the near future and the time has come. I actually started this morning and it is going great so far. I actually don't follow the meal plan as it is laid out in the book really. I just follow the guidelines which state the portion sizes and how many servings of carbs, protein, and fat allowed in a given day. That way I can customize the meal plan to my own personal tastes and even come up with my own recipes. 
I will periodically update on how the meal plan is going/results. I will also post recipes if I come up with anything good! I do also plan on doing Stripped again most likely beginning the day after Christmas or sometime around then. If anyone wants do join me in this or my next cycle of Stripped drop me a line. I would love to have some buddies!!

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