Me Things & Halloween Weekend Prep

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Confession: today’s post is going to be cut short on purpose because I am going to take this afternoon solely for ME; that’s right a whole segment of my day dedicated to me and only me. I realized I do spend a lot of time with myself (well with me and my good ol’ pink mac), but I don’t really spend time on myself, and today I’m going to make that change.

1. I’m going to get a pedicure. I don’t think I’ve gotten a real pedicure in MONTHS, months I tell you! I contemplated saving the $20, $25 and doing it myself. Then I realized, whenever I give myself a pedi it comes out ugly, and I deserve something pretty. After all, it’s Halloween weekend, and I’m being Waldo and well, Waldo needs hot red toes. 

2. Speaking of Waldo, I need to finish up my costume. So I must take a trip to CVS to purchase a throw-away camera. I’m SUPER excited to snap shops all night long, and not know what they’ll look like until I get them developed. (Remember those good ol’ days?) Waldo needs to go all out with tourist supplies, so he’s … Read More!

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Kick-Ass 45-Minute Workout

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Today was totally one of those afternoons where I just wasn’t feelin’ a loooongg run (or any run for that matter). I don’t know if it was time time (late afternoon), my hydration level (ooh, guess I did kinda slack on the H2O this a.m.) or simply my mood, but I did NOT want to run today. However, the weather was just oh so gorgeous – 70 degrees in Boston – that I didn’t want to resort to the gym. So what did I do? I laced up my sneakers and created my very own outdoor interval workout. I just have to share ’cause ladies, this one’s a keeper. 

What You’ll Need: Some kind of pretty place to run (i.e. a park, reservoir, trail) with benches preferably, pair of sneaks, cute form-fitting running gear (or something you feel great in) and kick-ass tunes on your ‘Pod. 

The Drill: If you are lucky enough to be at an area that has TONS of sporadic benches, you can do the exact workout I did as follows: 

*Repeat until you’ve reached approximately 2.5 to 3 miles with NO resting (in my case this equalled about 10 benches OR 100 step ups total-my legs … Read More!

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Unwind: Simple Solutions for Getting Away From it All

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Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people (including myself) getting stuck in what is life: demands of work, too many plans, too little plans, endless errands, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. But mostly what it comes down to is not taking a second to breathe, wake up and smell the coffee , do what you love. Sometimes it may seem like you are walking through life like a zombie. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Work. Go home. Sleep. Repeat. And when you think like that, everything builds up in your head and you naturally become a miserable, unsure-of-yourself, complaining lady (which we know you are really not). 

Just the other day I found myself wondering, “What am I doing with my life?” which naturally got me wondering, Where is this all going? What am I going to be when I grow up? Will I ever fall in love? Am I doing the right thing? (among many more questions). Then I realized, I don’t need to know the answer right now. But I do need to start filling my life up with little things I find pleasure in, in the meantime. 

So if you are … Read More!

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Sweetie Pie “Spaghetti” & Meatballs

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           What? That’s NOT spaghetti??!

 

This healthy dish is a wonderful substitute for your traditional spaghetti ‘n’ meatballs. Eat one of the all-time favorite comfort foods with absolutely no guilt at all. Serve with a side salad or small piece of homemade garlic bread! Trust me: it’s so darn good that your guests won’t even know it’s not real spaghetti. Note: this recipe is GF- gluten free AND guilt free! 

 

*serves 4

For squash:

-1 spaghetti squash

-2 TB extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp. cinnamon

-1 TB ground pepper

-1 TB red pepper flakes

-1 TB oregano

-1 TB parsley

For meatballs/sauce:

-1 package lean ground turkey

-1 c. of fresh Marinara sauce

-1 clove garlic, crushed

-1 tsp. salt

-1 TB red pepper flakes

-1/4 c. red onion, chopped into small pieces

-1 tsp. pepper

-1 TB basil 

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut squash in half (lengthwise). Scoop out the insides, and set on a large baking sheet. Coat squash with olive oil, along with the dry ingredients “for squash” listed above. Bake for 45 minutes.

 

2. In the meantime, mix ground turkey in a large bowl with 2 TB olive oil, salt, pepper … Read More!

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Happy Hump Day: Hiding Boys in Closets

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[source]

It’s Wednesday, and you are almost over the hump! YAY! Here’s a silly story to hopefully make you giggle and get you through those last painful hours of the day…

Hump Day Lesson of the Day: When you need to quickly conceal a dude in your room, hide him in the closet (or spare room)*

*this post has been taken from my old blog “Girls on Guys”

So it was my sophomore year in college, family weekend. My parents and sister were to come down Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with me. Naturally, I still wanted to go out the night before they came, and knew that I’d have plenty of time to cure my hangover before they arrived. Well, I went out with a big group of friends, and brought the guy I was seeing at the time (we’ll call him Billy) back to my apartment with me, warning him that he’d have to leave the next morning before my family arrived.

Well, 8 a.m. rolls around and I hear my phone ringing. I wake up, all frazzled, hair a mess and scurry to find my phone, careful not to wake up snoring Billy … Read More!

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GF Livin' & Coping with Food Intolerances

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[source]

When I was in college, I had a whole lotta stomach problems. I’d constantly feel bloated, and found it nearly impossible to lose weight although I was eating “healthy.” One night in particular comes to mind. All of our roommates were hanging out snacking on cheese and crackers, veggies ‘n’ dips and wine, when I felt a terrible pain in my stomach. It had felt like I’d eaten an entire Thanksgiving meal; I literally had to unbutton my jeans. Yes, it was that bad. My poor roommate and her boyfriend didn’t know what to do so they rushed me to the supermarket to get Tums and chocolate-flavored laxatives to ease the pain. And while my tummy started feeling a tad better, I knew it was time to look into what the hell was going on. 

So the next time I was home, I took a trip to a nutritionist and decided to take the ALCAT, a food and chemical sensitivity/intolerance test that has helped patients with migraines, digestive disorders, skin conditions, obesity and other conditions for years. Note: this is not a food allergy test; rather it’s testing for sensitivities and intolerances. You can read about

… Read More!

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Time-Saving Tricks for the Busy Lady: Exercise, Cooking & More

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[source]

I’m a big fan of doing things that save me time. After all, my time (and your time) is precious so why complicate life any further by doing things that are going to take away our time? When you find yourself saying, “Now if only I had more time in the day…” ,”I just have no time to_____” or “I’m soooooo busy with my new job. I never have any time!” first of all, stop. You are being annoying, and it’s not true. You do have time; really I promise you do. And second of all, maybe it’s time to reconsider how you are are spending your time and do something about it! If you’re anything like me, you want to relish every waking hour, minute and second of your day, so here are some time-saving tricks for the busy lady who “doesn’t have any time”. 

Save Time During Your Workout: This is something a whole lot of people struggle with. “I don’t have time to go to the gym, so I just won’t go,” is something I hear every day. Do you really not have any possible time to squeeze in a workout, or do … Read More!

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My Cappuccino & Gelato Lunch: No Regrets

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Confession: I just had a cappuccino paired with a chocolate gelato for lunch. Confession #2: I’m not guilty about it one bit. It was totally worth it. It’s not every day I meet with an old friend in the North End for “lunch,” so I was going to go all out and get what I really wanted. Well, neither of us were feeling lunch, so we told the waiter, “Um, dessert menus please?” Now that’s what I’m talking about. In a cozy cafe packed with people eating chicken parm and pizzas, the two of us were in our own blissful sweet heaven. 

The gelato was extra rich and oh so decadent, and the cappuccino was non-comparable to any cappuccino around. The North End is where it’s at. Needless to say, I scraped every last bit of chocolate goodness and slurped up every last drip of coffee. No, I’m not feeling guilty. When you treat yourself to a good meal, there’s no need to feel guilty about it. There’s also no need to say, “F*ck it, I’m going to eat shit the rest of the day now.” Instead, enjoy the moment and move on with it. Don’t obsess about food. Don’t … Read More!

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It’s All About Improvising: Healthy Chick’s Fix-It Fall Trail Mix

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I’m a big fan of improvising. When I couldn’t find a red & white hat for my Waldo Halloween costume (seriously, where are they hiding?), I decided to buy a white pom-pom hat and red ribbon for $1.99 at Good Will. When I don’t have time to go to the gym, I work out with weights in my room or go for a long outdoor run/walk. When I don’t have an ingredient (or three) for a recipe, I make something new up. And let me tell you: it usually tastes a heck of a lot better. It brings me back to a book my mom and I used to read when I was little, Regina’s Mistake about a little girl who “messed up” on a painting, but ended up making something beautiful out of it. Life is all about improvising, and making something even better because of it. Yesterday, when I ran out of my favorite afternoon snack–almonds–and had no trail mix sitting in the house, I improvised with what I had and created a delicious fall trail mix. Here you go…enjoy!

-1/2 c. peanut butter puffins

-handful chopped walnuts

-handful dark chocolate chips 

-1 to 2 TB sunflower seeds… Read More!

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Bring Healthy Habits to Your Table

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Yesterday was one of those days I thought, “Damn it’s cool to be a blogger.” When people ask, “But how do you pay your rent?” (um I have a part time job too), “Don’t you get bored?” (nope…not one to sit on the couch all day), or “You’re so young. Give the corporate world a chance…” (no thanks), days like yesterday make it all the more clear to me of why I love to do what I’m doing so darn much. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Not a lot of people I know get to write all day long (my #1 passion), surf the internet doing social media (something I’ve grown quite fond of), and wonder the city of Boston daily. Oh and free food and fun event invites definitely doesn’t hurt!

But back to the point. Yesterday I was invited by the kind people of Healthy Habits Kitchen to come check out what exactly it is they do, and let me tell you it’s pretty darn cool! Oh, and look how adorable it is inside…

[lounge area for tastings & events]

[look at all that food!]

Well now that you’ve got a little virtual … Read More!

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