VACATION

Posted in Traveling Chick by

Well, it has been a NUTTY summer…one which will live in infamy, and I will tell you all about in due time. But TODAY, this wonderful day, my hubby and my in-laws and I are on the way to Panama City Beach.

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This photo is actually from our Jamaica trip, but I think you can get the idea.

Y’all know we love to travel, but this will actually be my first time traveling just the four of us. I’m so thrilled! We have a condo booked for four nights, and all I want to do is get a tan, shop, eat fish tacos, and read the Stephen King novel I just picked up at the library. Keep an eye on my instagram for updates, and see you back here sometimes next week! WOOT WOOT.

Betty Rocker Full Body Workout {PC2}

Posted in Health, Work It Out by

Welcome to Pinterest Challenge #2. Today’s workout is a quick 15-minute full-body via a video from Betty Rocker. I really like her workouts and food posts overall, but I have to say I didn’t love this video. But to be fair, I don’t think I like video workouts in general – there are so many starts and stops and then I just lose all motivation to complete it. But anyway, I think this could be a good quick little something if you just don’t know what else to do!

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Workout includes:

Mountain Climbers
Lunges
Skater Slides
Deadlifts
Pushups

…just to name a few! Try it out and let me know what you think!

Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower

Posted in Health, Mmm...Food... by

While I was home visiting my family, my mom and I made one of her food-delivery-dinners… You know, those boxes that come with everything you need to make an amazing meal. I happened to love this meal, but it was SO EASY that I felt like I could recreate it at home. And so I did, and now I’m sharing with you. You’re welcome.

Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower with Yogurt Sauce and Orange Salad

Ingredients

Cauliflower:

  • 1-2 heads of cauliflower (serves 2-4)
  • tandoori masala seasoning mix
  • olive oil

cauli

Yogurt Sauce:

  • 1 container plain greek yogurt
  • tandoori masala seasoning mix
  • cilantro

yogurt

Orange Salad:

  • 1-2 large oranges (serves 2-4), pealed and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • cilantro
  • olive oil

oranges

Side:

  • Warm naan or couscous makes a good combo with this meal.

Directions

This is SO EASY. Get ready.

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Mix together your orange pieces, shallot (to taste), a few pinches of cilantro, and about a tablespoon of olive oil. I also add a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Mix together yogurt, 1 tablespoon tandoori seasoning, and another few pinches of cilantro. Set aside.
  4. Remove stem and leaves of cauliflower, and cut each head into 8ths. Drizzle olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons tandoori, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Lay pieces on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet (I recommend spraying it), and bake for about 20 minutes, until roasted.
  5. Serve cauliflower with yogurt sauce, and with orange salad on the side.

WODs {PC1}

Posted in Health, Work It Out by

Welcome to Pinterest Challenge #1! As I shared in a post the other day, I am challenging myself to work through my “fit and fab” pinterest board. Two to three times a week, I am going to complete the next workout on the list and give a quick review to you! Let me know if you decide to do a pinterest challenge, no matter what pinterest board it is you might want to work through…

PC1: WOD Workouts

The first workout on my board happens to be a list of 24 crossfit wods that don’t require equipment! So I used a random number generator to select workout #6 for my challenge:

3 rounds AMRAP for 3 minutes each, with two minute breaks in-between:
15 lunges (per leg)
15 sit-ups

Results:

Round 1 – Completed lunges, sit-ups, lunges
Round 2 – Completed sit-ups, lunges, sit-ups, 1/2 lunges
Round 3 – Completed 1/2 lunges, sit-ups, lunges, sit-ups

Afterward…death to my legs! This was actually so so awesome for my quads, and I admit I was sore a couple days. This makes me want to try this whole list, so I’m definitely going to save it somewhere to refer to in the future. Happy WOD-ing!

A Fitness Pinterest Challenge

Posted in Health, Work It Out by

Raise your hand if you regularly post things on pinterest, but never (or rarely) visit your boards to find that recipe, workout, or craft. (If you aren’t raising your hand, you are a liar and we can’t be friends.) I realized the other day that my pinterest boards are blackholes of projects that I’ve never revisited. So I’ve decided to do a little challenge…

One of my biggest boards is called “Fit and Fab.” It’s mostly filled with workouts, spattered with a few cute workout clothing items I’d love to buy someday. So for the next several weeks, I’m going to start at the top and try each workout I’ve pinned. I’ll probably use these 2-3 times per week, scattered in with my other workouts, and report back.

Do you have a pinterest board that you nevvvvver really visit? Do your own challenge with me and let me know how it goes!

fitfab

Grandma Betty

Posted in Uncategorized by

This weekend, my family and I are preparing to celebrate my grandma’s life. After over ten years of struggling with Alzheimer’s, she is finally at peace.

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At my cousin’s wedding a few years back.

My cousin asked me to give her one word to describe grandma. My word: playful. My grandpa never loved playing games, and neither did my mom, so that usually meant it was me and grandma playing Rummy 500 (or sometimes 1000…or 1500…), The Game of Life, Tiddlywinks, or even working on a puzzle together. This is how I will always remember her, happy and teasing.

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After my last Original Cast performance, senior year of college.

Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease. I remember when it was just starting, and she knew she was forgetting things. It was heart breaking. Later though, it became a blessing that she didn’t know it anymore. She was happy, even if she didn’t know who you were. She said “I love you, too” no matter what. And she played solitaire and did word search puzzles religiously to “stay sharp,” she would say. I admire her incredible life and 69-year marriage to my grandfather. We may not have been a huge family, but she raised to amazing girls (my mom included), had five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. I still love this super-90’s family photo we took – I’m the youngest, down in front, along with my four cousins. (Sorry for the fuzzies…it was a screenshot.)

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Family photo circa 1997ish maybe?

Words just can’t express how much we will all miss her. The truth is though, I’ve missed her for a really long time. At least now I know she’s with Jesus, who she loved and taught us to love. So grateful to have had 30 whole years with you, grandma. Be at peace!

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On their wedding day in 1946.

Kitchen Features {that you may or may not love}

Posted in Home Owning by

If you were able to design your DREAM kitchen, what special features would it include? An island? Pots and pans hanging from the ceiling? Everyone has their preferences, and when we remodeled our kitchen, there were a few characteristics I knew I HAD to have. You may have some of these and not love them as much as I do… so I’m going to show you how I use them in hopes that you may love your kitchen a little more…

1. The Glass Cabinet

Glass

Don’t be afraid of the glass cabinet door! Now I admit, I would not want all of my cabinets to have glass. But having just one can be such a perfect centerpiece to your kitchen. The trick to keeping it beautiful and clean? Fill the top half with items you don’t use often, but have an interesting look to them, whether it’s their color, shape, or something else. Then the bottom half, stick to clean, simple dishes. Mine have all sorts of Fiestaware in them – plain colors, but staggered in different heights. I use these plates every day, but it’s pretty hard to make a pile of plates look messy!

2. The Corner Lazy Susan

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So many people use these for their canned goods or other pantry items. Don’t do it! Those little items can get completely buried in there. Without even turning it, I have all of my saute pans and saucepans on the bottom, ready to use every day right next to my oven. On the top, I have my batter bowl (which I seriously use for EVERYTHING), a can of cooking spray, and a few baking pans. Then in the back, I have some of the pots I use less often – steamer pot, double boiler, etc – and my stack of mixing bowls, etc.

3. The Non-Pantry

pantry

When we were figuring out our new kitchen layout, there was just no room for a full-blown pantry. But let’s be honest…if you have a big pantry, you tend to fill it with random items you rarely use! We just have two shelves dedicated to pantry items, and it helps me be more intentional about the groceries I buy each week. I know it’s not super pretty, but hey, like I said in #1, I don’t keep all my cabinets totally organized!

4. That Tiny Cabinet Above Your Microwave

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This one is always obnoxious, but the best I’ve found is to put items like extra cookbooks up here, since I don’t use them too often. I also put my cutting boards up here vertically so I can easily see them all and grab which one I need.

I hope this helps you love some of your great kitchen features! What other features do you love / hate?