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Wednesday

Let me start by saying that I really hate when people complain about the cold, then immediately complain about the heat as soon as it warms up. I try my hardest not to do this because it’s absurd. I love how warm it’s been lately.

But ohmygosh. It was absolutely scorching at the law school today. It was probably 70 outside but I swear it was like 90 degrees in our office. My face was flushed and I felt like I was about to combust. Seriously. I can’t really explain it, but being so overheated all day made me enraged. I seriously HAD to leave at 3 because I was about to freak out. I came home a cranky, sweaty mess.

Then, we went to pick up our taxes. Ugh. On top of every other horror in that packet, the CPA spelled our last name wrong. Again, ugh. Hopefully that will be a quick fix.

Andy and I were thisclose to just grabbing dinner out but I decided to just run into the grocery and get what I needed to make dinner.

Still enraged and on the verge of hangry, I whipped up this recipe for buffalo chicken quinoa bites that I pinned on Pinterest forever ago. I had leftover chicken and quinoa cooks quickly, so the recipe came together in no time. I made some homemade fries to go with the bites and dinner was on the table in less than an hour.

The chicken bites were really good- I’d definitely make them again. I’d recommend broiling them for the last few minutes until they get nice and crispy.

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Okay so after dinner I was admittedly a little calmer but still pretty cranky. I decided what I really needed was a workout, so I grabbed Andy and we went to the gym.

I did 30 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill then lifted weights for a little while. After a quick 45 minutes at the gym, I was feeling like a million bucks.

Working out isn’t always the answer to a bad mood, but it certainly helps most of the time. Plus, afterwards, you get to eat delicious things like banana soft-serve.

I used to make this all the time but forgot about it until I randomly saw a picture of it the other day.

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Sorry for this horrific picture.

Anyway, all you do is blend a frozen, sliced banana with a tiny bit of milk until it’s smooth and creamy. That’s it. You can add whatever you want to make it a little more desserty if you like. I added a few strawberries, a teaspoon or so of sunflower butter, and a little bit of chocolate sauce. You can really do this with any frozen fruit.

It seriously tastes like icecream, except it’s much much healthier. Perfect for a healthy, refreshing nighttime snack.

There’s an appliance you can buy to make this stuff, it’s called Yonanas, but I feel like it’s mostly a gimmic. Your blender will do the same thing without cluttering your kitchen with another appliance.

Now, I’m going to put myself to bed and hope I don’t spontaneously combust at school tomorrow. Have a great night!

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Orange Marmalade Pork Chops & Flourless Cookies

One of my favorite ways to dress up average dishes is by adding a quick, flavorful sauce. I’ve found that orange marmalade is an excellent addition to pork chops and chicken. I simply add a tablespoon or two on top of each cut of meat, add a little water to the pan, and let everything simmer until it’s done. It creates a great sauce while also keeping everything moist (Ugh. I hate the word moist. Apologies for using it).

I really like the Smucker’s Simply Fruit preserves, as they don’t contain any high fructose corn syrup or other strange ingredients. Bonus points for Smucker’s being an Ohio company. As I said, orange marmalade works really well and it’s what I used tonight. You can also use apricot preserves for a slightly sweet and sour flavor.

I served our pork chops with brown rice and asparagus, which I also coated in some preserves.

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After dinner I baked some cookies to take to one of my classes tomorrow. I have a presentation and I decided that instead of making a boring power point, my time would be better spent making a batch of delicious peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Hopefully my class, and my professor, agree.

I followed this recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies and they came out as amazing as they look. I was a little wary of the lack of flour, but I promise you won’t miss it. The cookies are so chewy and have a great peanut butter flavor. Definitely give them a try, I know they are a new favorite of mine. Note: I sprinkled a little sea salt on top of each one before baking, and I definitely suggest doing that.

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I took this picture on the floor because the sun was setting and that’s where the best light was. I promise no cookies came close to touching the carpet! Haha. But let’s be honest, even if they did, I would still eat them. Not much comes between me and chocolate chip cookies.

Now I should probably go work on my actual presentation, rather than just the dessert I’m serving along with it.

Have a great night!

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Saturday Crafting

I supposed to be spending my weekend working on a presentation and a paper. I’ve always been a bit of a procrastinator, but add in the fact that I’m done with school (forever) in 3 weeks, and good luck getting me to focus. Instead, I’ve spent the weekend coming up with other projects.

I did the laundry, cleaned the apartment, and finally got around doing a craft I meant to do in August.

I bought paper in the colors I’m using in my bathroom, yellow and gray, and found some funny/clever/inspirational quotes and sayings on Pinterest. I stamped the sayings onto the paper, which I cut in half to fit in a picture frame. Then, I added these cute little flowers I found at Michael’s, by Martha Stewart.

I think the end result is really cute. I might do a few more as I have additional paper and flowers. I still have to pick up some frames, then I’ll be ready to go.

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Have you done any fun project lately?

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Easy & Healthy Afternoon Snack or Appetizer

Happy Saturday! I hope it’s warm & sunny where you are. We are enjoying lots of sunshine and some warmish temperatures, finally!

As soon as it starts to warm up, I find myself craving lighter foods for snacks. I whipped up my favorite snack this afternoon, and thought I should share it.

It’s so easy, literally takes minutes to make, and you might already have the ingredients on hand. If you’re having friends over tonight, this would be the perfect healthy appetizer to throw together. It’s great because it has the flavor of guac without all the pesky chopping of ingredients and onion breath.

Best to use carrots instead of chips- save those calories for an adult beverage or two. It is Saturday night, afterall ;-)

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Simply combine a ripe avocado, the juice of half a lime, sea salt, pepper, and a dash of garlic power. Smash everything together and serve with fresh carrot sticks. Oh- it’s worth it to peel and chop the carrots yourself. First, the flavor is better and second, it’s SO much cheaper to buy whole organic carrots than it is the weird little baby ones (which are often washed in chemicals)!

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Hope you enjoy this healthy little snack. Have a great evening, friends!

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Leftover Makeover

Yesterday my MIL sent us home with a huge ziploc bag of leftover Easter ham. We finally made it home in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day walking around town, running errands. By the time we got home a few hours later, I was freezing cold and starving! I immediately decided soup was on the menu for dinner.

I chopped a large carrot and potato, sauteed them in a stock pot with some vegetable broth until they were soft, then added chopped ham, black beans, and corn. I seasoned everything with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, onion powder, and crushed red pepper (I can’t cook anything without it).

Everything simmered on the stove for around 20 minutes while I made a batch of mashed potatoes for Andy (he doesn’t like soup). I served my soup over a small serving of mashed potatoes, because how can you make something so delicious and not eat it?

The entire meal took less than an hour and the results were so comforting and flavorful. Plus, I made good use of (some) of our leftover ham.

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I took the leftover soup for lunch today and it was even better than it was last night. I love making homemade soup because it’s so easy and always turns out great.

Now, we’re posted up on the couch watching the Indians’ Opening Day game- Go Tribe! I actually had a really speedy run tonight because I wanted to get done before the game started. Whatever works, right?

Have a great night!

What’s your favorite way to use holiday leftovers?

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Beauty by Ben: Is a Clarisonic Worth the Price?

Sorry for the delay of this weeks’ Beauty by Ben post- things were a little relaxed with Spring Break this past week!

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During the winter we all noticed the enemy of the even makeup coverage…. dry skin. Whether it’s in patches or all over, we all have faced it, especially in winter. Unfortunately, unless you exfoliate properly, all of those moisturizers you apply hoping to be rid of your dry skin, simply will not penetrate. This also goes for any anti-aging or acne products; with all those layers of skin that need to be exfoliated, medications do not work to their fullest potential.

Quite a few years ago, the inventors of the Sonicare toothbrush, invented a handheld cleansing brush that would clean your skin as well as the Sonicare cleans your teeth. This brush is praised by many, but at the same time many people say that it’s not all its hyped up to be. Clarisonic is a machine that has bristles that rotate 300 times per minute to lift away any makeup debris, dry skin, oil, or any nasty impurities that your face combats during the day. It exfoliates brilliantly and even if you have acne or discoloration, it just makes your skin look better because it’s free of excess dry skin. The skin looks luminous.

The Clarisonic comes in 3 different types: The Plus, The Aria, and The Mia. I have The Plus.

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Pros-

1.)    With frequent use of the Clarisonic, your acne and anti-aging products will absorb better for the full effect. I know my acne products absorb better with the use of my Clarisonic.

2.)    The Brush head moves so quickly, all of your exfoliation is done in about a minute.

3.)    You can use it with your current favorite cleanser so you don’t need to worry about running out to buy a special and expensive new cleanser. It can even be used with water before you cleanse the face manually, and it can be used on your body as well.

4.)    It comes with adjustable speeds. The Clarisonic Plus comes with 3 and the Mia comes with 2, which means you can get the perfect clean you want each time.

5.)    It reduces the appearance of fine lines and enlarged pores.

6.)    It improves effectiveness of certain cleansers, meaning that if you use a scrub or a exfoliating cleanser on the Clarisonic, it will give a deeper clean than just the cleanser alone.

Cons-

1.)    It’s very expensive. The Plus Costs $225, the new Aria is about $200 and the Mia is about $120. Although it is a good investment, if you don’t have the means it’s simply illogical to buy it.

2.)    It doesn’t help extreme acne. In fact it could hurt it instead of help it. It could aggravate the acne and it could spread bacteria.

3.)    It definitely has not helped my blackheads. Although that is a main claim, it didn’t help mine much.

4.)    It can be very drying if it isn’t used with moisturizing cleansers and moisturizers. It also could make the skin a little sensitive, especially if used with products containing acids, so remember your sunscreen.

Alternatives- Because the Clarisonic is on the pricier side, I thought I would give you some less expensive alternatives that also do a great job.

Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System-

This Brush is about $40 and is different from the Clarisonic because the head rotates and spins, while the Clarisonic’s bristles rotate. Some say the rotating head is more damaging because it tugs on the skin. However, I have seen how it works and I think it is a fabulous alternative. Also, if you are the type of person who wants your products to match your device, Olay products are super affordable and also proven to be very effective.

The Nutrasonic-

The Nutrasonic is probably the best alternative for the Clarisonic because it works exactly the same way. I have had a Nutrasonic in the past and I was impressed with how similar they are. They do have a different feel in your hand and they honestly look cheaper than the Clarisonic, but the bristles move the same way. The only thing I don’t like about the Nutrasonic as opposed to the Clarisonic is that I don’t think it has the same longevity, and it doesn’t feel like it’s built to go through all of the things I put my Clarisonic through. But for the price, I would definitely say give the Nutrasonic a shot.

I hope these tips helped- let me know if you have any questions!

Ben