Sticks and Stones

I missed Monday's usual post because I had a hell of a weekend and life just got in the way of things. And just when I thought my reign of bad luck was at an end, I met an asshole at the gym while I was working yesterday. Really, I kid you not.

Let me tell you what happened.

(p.s. can you tell I'm not too happy about it?)

DIY Sugar Scrub

So, last Saturday I was really struggling with just that "Ew I feel gross" feeling. I don't know if it was the stress from the week prior that did it, but my skin was a mess and I was in dire need of a relaxing/skin soothing remedy. Obviously, I took to Pinterest and found a sugar scrub that I thought would be simple enough to try on this site.

I. loved. it. 

My skin felt so smooth after washing my face with it, and it smelled good too! Win-win situation, right? Right. I highly recommend this recipe. It honestly felt like I had bought a scrub from Lush. The scrub I bought last summer in London clearly ran out within two months and I haven't made it to a store since.. and yes, believe it or not, that time in London was my only time in the store. #smalltownproblems

Sundays In Bed

Source

This week was really busy but really great! My Sunday is looking to be a bit busier than usual, but that's okay. Thursday night I drove down to MA with my friend Sara to see One Direction with my aunt and my cousin. Judge me, but it. was. great. I'm an official boy band fan, and I'm attributing it to the fact that I never got to see the Backstreet Boys in concert. Gotta get the boy band craziness out of my system, ya know? Anyway, when I wasn't listening to One Direction, here's what caught my eye this week.

Eat, Sleep, Be, Repeat

Alright friends. If I'm being completely honest with you, I sat down to write a different post at 12:30 last night and realized that I. just. could. not. The past four nights I've been up until 3am doing work and it's killing me. I'm exhausted. So exhausted in fact that Wednesday night after work when I went to my friend's house, I nearly passed out on her couch. Work ended at 9pm mind you, after starting at 10am. Hooray for long, summer days!

I really can't complain because my jobs are awesome and I'm incredibly lucky to have them, but you guys, I need a break today. I'm currently in MA (at the beach as we speak), and I want to enjoy every minute of the remaining five or so hours I have of this mini-break without being stressed or exhausted. It makes me act like a b**** to people I care about and easily irritated (which is saying something because it doesn't take much to irritate me in the first place.) Anyway, it's finally Friday and I seriously, seriously, challenge you to really take care of yourself this weekend. We all need a little TLC from time to time.

Foodie Fridays: 5 Healthy Salad Recipes

This summer hasn't exactly been the healthiest of summers. If I'm being honest, there's been far too much wine (lol kidding there's no such thing...) and too many carbs. I attribute most of it to the fact that the last thing I feel like doing is spending money on expensive healthy food. Chopping up vegetables and lettuce for salad just doesn't appeal to me when you can cook spinach tortellini in four minutes. But chopping up salad will save me from burning my arm yet again (I'm going on five burn marks on my right arm). Plus, I haven't gained the freshman 15 yet and now that I'm a senior I really can't sink to that level. But the real bottom line is, ovens and I just don't get along. I can wholeheartedly say I wish I was kidding.

Anyone feel me?

Anyway, recently I've just been feeling so blah. Not "blah" as in like uninspired or I hate my life or anything, but "blah" like UGH WHERE ARE ALL THE NUTRIENTS I WAS GETTING WHEN I WAS LIVING AT HOME AND NOT WORRYING ABOUT HOW MUCH HEALTHY FOOD COST BECAUSE MY MOM BOUGHT IT? New goal for this year: learn to cook without burning myself because I'm seriously starting to hate pasta (the only thing I can cook). But in the meantime, I'll be turning to an easy, healthy alternative that for the most part does not require an oven. Salad. Yay! While salad doesn't always require cooking, it does require preparation. And I find preparation annoying. But I suppose it's time I get over it. So...

I give you, dear friends, delicious salad recipes that I might will actually eat

1. International Quinoa Salad via Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

2. Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad w/ Poppyseed Dressing via gimme some oven

3. Apple, Pecan, and Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad via greens & chocolate

4. Healthy Kale & Pomegranate Salad via Best Recipe Box

5. Healthy Chicken Chickpea Chopped Salad via Ambitious Kitchen

So here's my game plan:

It's the start of August. My funds are slowly starting to get back in order after an extremely expensive June (remember how I went to Mexico?). Time to start living like a real life grown up and prepping food for the week. Time to start figuring out how to properly use an oven in a manner that does not result in me burning myself. 

Final goal: Prep lunch salads for the week (Mon.-Fri.) each Sunday. #imhealthyduh

What's your fave go-to salad? Let me know in the comments below, as of today I'm on the hunt for new recipes :)

Side note: How come no one tells us how adulthood is simultaneously awesome and absolutely horrible??

xoxo

Foodie Fridays: "Ice Cream" Sandwiches

The other day I was Pinteresting (obviously) and came across this really yummy looking recipe. I love strawberries and graham crackers so this healthy alternative to your ice cream sandwich seemed like the perfect thing to make!

I was making these after dinner with my friend Steph (who took the photos.. thank you!), so that explains the wine. It's not an actual part of the recipe, although it is encouraged. Wine is always encouraged.

Super simple & yummy:

You'll need:

- 1/4 cup strawberries (diced)

- 1/2 cup cool whip

- 6 full crackers (makes 3 full sandwiches)

Sundays In Bed

Sorry for the little hiatus! The past week has been all sorts of overwhelming for one reason or another and the blog took a hit for it. Remember how when you were a kid summer meant freedom and playing outside all day and fun? Well now it means work, work, and more work. Got to make the money for when I move into my apartment (in just about a week now!!).

I've been slowly making my way through The Fault in Our Stars during my downtime, and last night when I was struggling with insomnia, I was up reading until 3pm. The book just turned extremely sad so take a moment today to be thankful for your health and happiness!

Get Moving!

For those of you who aren't aware, it's National Women's Health Week! I could bore you with all the little details of what you can do to lead a happier and healthier life, but I've already talked your ear off about that stuff in this post and this post. So today's about fitsperation (read: fit-inspiration). I'm definitely one of those girls who color-coordinates her working-out outfits. Judge me, but when I'm wearing a cute work-out outfit, I feel far less intimidated by looking like a sweaty mess in front of the multiple attractive men who attend my gym.

Note: I also happen to work at said gym a few times a week, so I see these guys on the reg. I don't want them to think I'm some sloppy mess, especially since a fair amount of successful relationships have been known to start at the gym.

Moving on though, I don't think any of us are strangers to the tabloids that have the pictures of celebrities leaving the gym. "Stars! They're Just like Us!" Well, yes, except for they look perfect leaving the gym. Point made. They are not just like us. But regardless, I still like to look at the pictures, and like I like to admire celebs' everyday and glammed-up attire, I also enjoy looking over their workout clothes. People magazine gets me. Anyway, check out two of my favorite celeb workout looks below!

Foodie Fridays: Quinoa Obsession

Oh my good grief. I don't know how I ever lived without it. The "weird little grain" (as my mom likes to call it) has become one of my go-tos. Especially when I'm cooking for myself! Which has been happening a little more often than I like for it to... but as I'm moving out in less than a month then I suppose I better get used to it.

When my mom went to Paris, I was 1) dog-sitting, and 2) my dad and brother know how to cook burgers and steak, that's about it-- neither of which I'm a huge fan of-- so I had to fend for myself basically. I've been trying to lay off the red meat lately since it makes me feel so slow and sluggish, and as an alternate source of protein I thought I'd give quinoa a try.

Best decision I ever made. I've whipped up three equally tasty quinoa meals since the first one I made (which pathetically took me two hours...), and I'm so in love with all of them I couldn't not share them with you!

The Problem with Skinny

I'll tell you the problem with skinny right off the bat. Skinny does not necessarily mean healthy. The two are not interchangeable. A lot of us struggle with the pressure to have the "perfect" (a.k.a. skinny) body. I don't know any of my girlfriends who haven't complained about how they look. Nine times out of ten, one of us is almost always quoting Mean Girls when it comes to our looks. And nobody's complaint has ever been, "I have bad breath in the morning." Whatever, Cady. Who spells "Katie" like that anyways?

A lot of my classes this year emphasized the role the media plays in setting societal standards. Growing up, playing with my Barbies, I never thought I had to look like them. Who did I think I had to look like? Lizzie McGuire. Duh. And then when Hilary Duff went through her uber skinny stage (anybody else remember that?), suddenly I was like, "Oh, if Lizzie McGuire looks like that so should I." Granted at this point she was in her post-Lizzie days, but you get the point.

Sundays In Bed

Oh, just how nice and inviting does that bed look like right now? It's finally Sunday... the day I've felt I've been waiting for all week, the day I love to spend lounging around my house in my pj's, catching up on shows, reading blogs, and doing whatever my little heart desires. Or at least that's what I do until work at four (Erg.)

BUT not every Sunday can be perfect and relaxing. Some Sundays are meant to be spent studying your heart out, in hopes of passing the test that you are quickly coming to realize is actually going to be a lot more difficult than you think. A huge thank you to my prof and his epically boring 8am class! #not.

As you can tell I'm in an extremely chipper mood. For the lucky ones out there though, I've rounded up this Sunday's readings so don't fret! Enjoy a day of relaxing for me, particularly if you're anywhere where the temperature is above 30 degrees.

"Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill."

1. I'm kind of realizing it's going to be hard to start reading regularly until summer rolls around. That being said, this book is going on my reading list. As is this one.

2. For all my girls who never had the issue of being in the "itty bitty titty committee". (Middle school scarred me for life.)

3. We got two more feet of snow last week, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't take a toll on my mood. But there's The College Prepster and her positive vibes for that.

4. Flawless. Classy. Respect. 10 Empowering Phases Every Women Should Wear Proudly Across Her Forehead.

5. The Backstreet Boys and Avril Lavigne? Touring together?! It's like my childhood all wrapped into one amazing concert. (For your viewing pleasure... you're welcome in advance.)

6. I love sleeping in when I can, but there are perks to being an early bird.

7. MTV was never that accurate. And now all they do is air unending seasons of "Teen Mom," so congratulations society. We've really hit rock bottom. Remember the days when MTV used to make us think spring break was everything? And when TRL was all that was good in the world?

8. If you're a yoga fanatic, or even just looking to try yoga... here ya go!

9. Lately I've been getting so hungry at night when I'm laying in bed. Avoid the cookie binge and try this healthy midnight snack!

10. If you missed Monday's post... how do you define "perfect"?

Enjoy your Sunday everybody!

xoxo

Summer's Coming, Time to Start Running

See what I did there with that little rhyme? I won't lie to you. The fact that we just got 18" of snow infuriates me. Granted, it's made me miss quite a few classes this week (bad weather does have it's ups), but it's also managed to discourage me from anything and everything productive. A lot of people look at spring (which should be here already...) as a time of renewal, but I've never been a huge fan of the season.

I would gladly skip right over spring and just get. to. summer. Although that may just be because where I'm from we don't really have spring, it's more like mud season and unbelievably gross. I've been holding onto the idea that summer is coming soon though, and I'm fully convinced it's all that's going to get me through the next month and a half. Pray for me people. I need all the help I can get!

Where there's summer, there's also swimsuit season...

Some people spend the majority of summer lounging by the pool or on the beach in their teeny bikinis. Totally fine. I have never been one to jump for joy the moment it's time to get into a swimsuit. As a matter of fact, for basically as long as I can remember, going shopping for new suits has been a source of anxiety and a 100% guarantee that I'm going to leave the store absolutely loathing the cruddy dressing room lighting and it's emphasis on every imperfection on my body. Throw in a fight or two with my mom and that's what a typical bathing suit shopping trip looks like for me. It. Sucks.

I'm the girl who every single January comes around is like "I'm totally going to lose 40 pounds by the time June comes!" First of all, I don't need to lose 40 pounds. I would be scary looking. And secondly, now I realize how unhealthy living my life in such a mindset was for me. Or maybe it's just that now that I'm older, I'm more confident in the body I'm stuck in.

Some things never change though...

While I have gotten better when it comes to body image (thank God!), the struggle to stay healthy is always impeccably real throughout the entire year. But more so when summertime is approaching. I'm still planning on running a half marathon by the end of the year, however that's going to be extremely problematic if I don't start running again. So that being said, consider this post a reminder for the upcoming week to take care of you. Being healthy is more important than a number on a scale; trust me, if there's anything I've learned it's that. Here's what I'll be doing this week in order to help me have one of the best summers yet!

this coming week I will...

1. Sub out a smoothie (like this St. Patty's Day one!) for the regular cereal I usually have in the morning (at least three times), and try a new recipe!

2. Go for a 2 mile run three times this week.

3. Do this fun circuit Tuesday and Friday night. I work at a gym, might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?

4. Attend a yoga class.

5. Meditate for five-fifteen minutes every night before bed. Love this app!

6. Strive to maintain a positive mindset.

7. Be happy!

How do you stay healthy?

xoxo

Beat the Wednesday Slump

So, I'm pretty good at taking care of myself. I make it to the gym every week, eat pretty healthy, all that jazz. I've been feeling out of it since Friday though, and really need to get back on track.

I'm so much of a happier, better person when I'm exercising and making sure I'm making good choices. I've just been so tired lately and I worry I'm falling into that mid-winter slump. I swear if that groundhog says six more weeks of winter this Sunday someone is going to be in trouble!

Anyone else feeling the same way? It's so hard to motivate yourself to get to the gym when it's 12 below outside and downright freezing. A cozy bed with lots of blankets seems like a much better option, although it's not as good for your self-esteem as exercising is. My daily struggle.

Anyways, here's some fitspo for your thoughts!

via muffintop-less

via lornajaneactive

via whatyouthandbeauty

via yogaholics

via I'm A Warrior

via Pinterest

via alwaysfitandclassy

Always try and be the best you YOU can be.

xoxo