Great Northern, Spinach and Hummus Dip

I love hummus, in fact every time I buy a container it is gone in days.  Even though its healthy its not eat a whole tub healthy so I figured out a way to make it last a little longer by adding other ingredients to it to make it a meal.  

So above are the ingredients (not pictured: garlic, salt, pepper, EVOO) 

Step One: Microwave spinach, mean while put  can of great northern beans in a skillet with 2 TBS of EVOO add garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

Step Two: Once spinach is cooked start adding to skillet and mixing and mashing with the beans.

Step 3: add 4 TBS of hummus and 2 TBS of goat cheese

Step 4: Microwave on high for 1 minute and mash together one last time

VIOLIA!  This is half of what this recipe will make.  This would be great as a dip for parties  with pita chips & veggies or eat plain as a meal. 

Crafty holiday cards

Now is the time when you exchange cards with co-workers!  This can be a mundane acknowledgement of the holidays or you can make it a little more fun with candy! Lets be honest those are the cards we look forward to!

First Step: Get your materials- sandwich bags, ribbon, cards, scissors, tape and CANDY ( I chose mini kisses and M&Ms)

Second Step: Fill the corners of the sandwich bags with candy, after tie off corners with candy and snip from the bag

Third Step: Tape to cards and you have yourself a holiday card with some thought put in it!

Very Merry Holiday Bargain Tips

I'm a bargain shoppin' woman and you'll rarely find me paying full price for anything!  In America there is always a sale on what you need mark my words.  Here are some of my holiday tips for a Chrismakkah filled with savings!

MUST DO SITES

• www.yipit.com this site is a must do for grouponers and gifters alike!  It combines many discount websites: groupon, livingsocial and crowdsavings to name a few and puts it on one website for you to scope out deals!

TIP: Be a better gifter: A discount for an uber gourmet olive oil and balsamic store in my area had a deal for $10 for a $20 gift certificate, I went in and got $10 worth of free products for a gift that looks like I paid more than I did!

• www.ebates.com this site is great for online shoppers, they have a lot of commercials but don't explain their business that well in my opinion.  You sign up on ebates and shop online in the stores you want by getting linked to them through ebates and get a percent back  from each purchase in a check several times a year. 

TIP: if buying something that's sold in different stores i.e. Steve Madden shoes, if pricing is the same do some comparison shopping and see who gives the largest percent back from ebates.

• www.retailmenot.com - this site shows coupon codes for stores and gives a rating on how well they work for users so you can pick the more reliable codes and get EXTRA savings!

TIP:  Save all the money you can online! You are your own salesperson and cashier when you are online so use every deal you can!

• www.thekrazycouponlady.com - I have mixed feelings about this site, I love coupons but I hate the show 'Extreme Couponing' I don't believe someone who stocks up on 50 free shampoos to store in their house for eternity is doing anyone any favors and its just wasteful but this site does stress responsible couponing and  has great tips for saving at specific stores.

TIP: Even if you might not be shopping at CVS , Target, or Kmart for gifts, its a good website to save money on everyday items so you have more to spend on gifts!

TIP: Set a budget you feel comfortable with, make it realistic and split it how you feel you should spend on each person.  It doesn't have to be set in stone but you shouldn't spend so much on the holidays that you can't enjoy them.

TIP: Gift Exchanges can be a great money saver with friends.  Set a price point and do a Secret Santa through a websites such as www.elfster.com and focus on a great gift for ONE lucky friend!

TIP: If you do shop at the mall, use a good cause to take some stress off your shopping, many charities offer gift wrapping services for donations.  You can feel good about donating your money and get a nice service in return :)

Do you have any tips for holiday shopping?

8 things you never knew about wine!

1. There is no good or bad wine, just like every snowflake is unique, every taste bud is unique and there is a person with a taste for every wine made.

2. The reason why wine racks store wine bottles horizontally- because the wine hits the cork making an air tight seal and because it keeps the cork moist.

3. When resealing a wine bottle, you are supposed to put the cork in the same way it came out.

4. when you use a cork screw, you are quite literally screwing the cork.  Items like a cork puller

 will actually preserve the cork after you open the wine so no cork bits get into your wine and it makes putting the cork back in the right way i.e. #3 a lot easier.

5. Grape trees have roots about 20 feet into the ground! The older the tree the 'better' the grapes flavors are but the older tree will produce less grapes than a younger tree.

6.  American oak barrels are about $400 each and produce wines that have a strong oak taste, french-made barrels cost about $1400 each and have a more subtle oak flavor to their wines.

7. Wine typically lasts 2-3 days after it has been opened.

8.  Wine was invented to help digest food. 

15 ways to make your office feel like a home

Working a full-time job is a large commitment of your life.  You deserve to feel just as much at home there as you do in your house.  Here's a few tips to make your office feel more like a home.

Scents, smells and cleanliness.  I'm a "smell" person so having things that smell nice around me are important, here are my office drawer essentials:
1. Hand Sanitizer ( BBW Island Nectar)

2. Lotion (C.O. Bigelow grapefruit)

3.  Body Splash ( VS Love Spell) If you'll notice the scents are all in the same family I'm a citrus/fruity gal so they work nicely together

4 & 5. (In my gym bag) Deodorant and baby wipes- I love working out on my lunch break but do not like feeling  icky putting my work clothes back on after, I cut unscented baby wipes in half, put them in a sandwich bag and use them for cleaning up after the gym 

6. Lysol wipes- I share my desk with other people so its nice to be able to wipe down my desk when I come back from lunch 

7. Air freshener - I like the bath and body works car fresheners  to keep in my drawer essentials

8. Snacks, I have popcorn, oatmeal, granola bars and cans of soups in rotation in my drawer

9. Bag of make up- I keep an extra mascara, liner, blush, bronzer, and gloss in my desk!  Its nice when I'm meeting a friend straight from work or leave my house without any makeup.  Tis the season for free gifts- go to Macy's and check out their free gifts you can get a free bag of make up for your desk in one trip!

10. eye drops ( I haven't perfected this at work but I should)

11. Mints, cough drops, gum

12. Scarf, gloves, socks , umbrella. I have black scarf, $1 target gloves, socks and an old umbrella at my desk just in case weather strikes!

13. Brush and Hair ties 

14. Nail File 

15. Brush- ups /toothbrush & toothpaste

Well thats my list! Let me know if theres anything you need at your desk to make it feel like home!

National Thanksgiving!

So the International Thanksgiving didn't really work out but we have decided on SAN FRANCISCO!!! I'm very excited as I've never been there before!  We are staying right in Union Square and want to explore all there is to do!  Its going to be 3 twenty something girls so if you have any recommendations (restaurants, attractions) please let me know!

We are thinking of getting the Smart Destinations Go City San Francisco card.  Has  anyone used this? Loved? Hated? We are planning on doing the vineyard tour so we are hoping it will be well worth the price!

Legitimate Halloween Gripe "All Time Greats"? Lets agree to disagree Hersheys

Ever since I was very young I've been taught that "chocolate" is candy, not lollipops, Skittles, Starbursts or Necco wafers but chocolate.  As a youngster grabbing from Halloween bowls I would grab Reese's peanut butter cups, Hershey bars, and even KitKats but Whoppers? No, they stayed in the bowl right where they belonged, for the owner of the bowl to presumably throw them out, regretting their mistake of ever buying such a disgusting candy.  Surely no one likes this candy or if they do they are the type of person that knows they are in the wrong and waits until late at night to run to a CVS and buy them without being detected and eats them in the privacy of their own home away from the judging stares of me  others.  So why Hershey's may I ask that you include Whoppers in every "monster" bag of candy you sell? I was intrigued by the idea of a variety pack of candy, mostly because I'd only have to open one bag to try multiple types of candy which means less evidence (again I'm super judgey even if its myself I'm judging-equal opportunity).  So after 3 circles around the candy island at Kmart (yes I indeed was judged by others) I couldn't find a decent variety pack and this goes for Nestle and Mars but I can't write a seven page blog so I'm narrowing it to Hersheys.  So after a dismal variety search experience I decided to buy the individual bags of candy so I could get exactly what I wanted, and you know what? I did some math when I got home and they are cheaper, so the moral of the story-stay away from variety packs because its more expensive and there will always be a loser candy snuck in there, and going with the point of loser candy avoid Whoppers.

Easy 'Peas'y stirfry meal

I've been craving Chinese food like whoa.  I've been trying to resist the urge because I'm pretty sure its one of the worst foods for you ever (I'm not a doctor so please take any of my opinions with a grain of salt)  but I'm also a true believer of eating what you crave if the craving won't stop after an hour or so.  I decided to whip up some chicken stir-fry and it turned out pretty delicious!

Step one: Get all your ingredients!

ANY FROZEN STIR FRY VEGGIES WILL DO! I recommend a bag with sugar snap peas

I used this teriyaki sauce, its tasty and only 20 calories a serving! and minced garlic

Lastly chicken! I used honey battered chicken from Aldi

Optional:  Rice

DIRECTIONS:  I put my chicken in the toaster oven while microwaving the veggies for 3 minutes and boiling the rice.  After the veggies have been microwaved put them in a strainer to get any excess water   out and toss them in a skillet with the teriyaki and garlic putting enough in to coat all the vegetables.  Once your chicken is done toss it in the stirfry and keep covered for a few minutes.  I made rice so I used this time to strain the rice and put it at the base of a bowl.  Once the teriyaki has covered the chicken and veggies top over your rice or eat alone and enjoy!  

Best Marketing Ploy Ever?!?

Candy corn Oreo's.  Are they really that controversial or is this the best marketing plan ever?  So I saw a commercial for candy corn oreos and thought "hmm interesting" not "EEWWWW" not "YUM GOTTA GET THAT" but just indifference.  Mind you I'm not that into candy corn, I will eat it if its around but I will not buy myself a bag nor go out and seek it.  So I just thought other people felt exactly the same as I did.  Boy I am wrong, there have been countless blogs, articles and news programs dedicated to finding out if candy corn oreos are the worst food combination known to man.  I saw Al Roker eating a candy corn Oreo on TV, there were people interviewed on the street! Some even refused the oreos! What? you will get on national TV just to refuse a cookie?!? Unbelievable.  I then read several blogs reviewing these treats, even substitutions, READ: putting candy corn in a regular Oreo (umm I'll just wait until next season thanks).  But all this talk leads me to my conspiracy theory: is this an amazing marketing ploy by Nabisco or are people really this divided over a candy corn flavored cookie?

International Thanksgiving

I've been planning on going on a trip with a few of my friends over Thanksgiving!  We have tons of ideas but NO focus.  We are thinking Carribean but really have no set plan of where we would like to go.  I'm hoping someone will reply.  If you've been on vacation in November and really enjoyed the place and the weather where was it? If not but you've heard of a great deal let me know! Seriously we will go ANYWHERE!

5 Signs you are too old for VS Pink underwear

1.) Shooting stars should not be on your underwear even in an ironic hipster way after the age of 17

2.)You end up with several pairs of black panties in your 5 for $26 deal because terms like "prom queen" and "head cheerleader" across your butt have not been age appropriate in more than 5 years

3.)You want to lecture the thirteen year old picking out thongs next to you

4.) The retro colors from the 90's aren't new to you, they are what your childhood memories are made of

5.) You are buying them with a credit card and earned money from your full-time job and it doesn't involve babysitting your neighbor


Its sad at the prime age of 25 I am getting too old for things in my dresser but I hope you get a kick out of this!

1st day with Diva Cup

I keep trying to find information on menstrual cups and since I bought one of my very own I figured I would do a post on it. I bought the diva cup (pre-birth) from www.vitacost.com,  because it was the cheapest price I could find and I got a free sample WIN!  I'm pretty sure I ordered it in purple but I received a clear one- but I figured I'm the only person seeing it so I will live with a clear menstrual cup.
So the first I ever heard of a menstrual cup was on Healthy Tipping Points blog I thought "ehh kind of gross" until I read that there is bleach in tampons! I mean I guess that's quite obvious when you think about it but I had never really thought about it before her post.  My curiosity got the better of me and after reading some amazing reviews on menstrual cups I decided to get one of my own.  Now I felt that the reviews were a little over the top when reading them and still feel that way now but that doesn't mean I'm going to give it a bad review. 
One of the things I read a lot is that you will not get it on your first try and it will take a few periods to become comfortable with it.  Am I some sort of menstrual cup genius because I got it on the first try and have had no issues getting it in and out all day.
Another thing I read is that you will probably have to cut the tip of it because it will not be comfortable, again I must have a laidback vagina because I have had no issues with the tip.  I was expecting the tip to be solid but it actually is partially hollow so this may be a new feature to help with the length of the tip.
Lastly I keep hearing this "you can keep it in for 12 hours" over and over, yes it is physically possible to do this because it doesn't absorb like a tampon and cause issues that but I still wouldn't be able to with my period.  I ended up changing it 5 times throughout the day and it leaked once, just about the same amount that I would change my tampon, again I have a heavy flow and clocked 1.75 ounces on the measuring scale on it (oh yes you can measure your menstrual flow on the cup, oh the possibilities!)
One thing no one mentioned was the removal, my least favorite part. When the cup is expanded in you I found it no fun to take out and my least favorite feature of the cup because it was still "suctioned" I was very surprised to see no comments on the removal but if I were to pick my least favorite feature that would be it.
So did I like this cup? Yes absolutely I think its less messy than one would fear.  I know there is a big fear of using it in a public restroom and though I have not done it yet I think I'm going to grab a wet hand towel before I go in and be fine. This was only my first day of using it and I seem comfortable enough with it to go to work with it on Monday which I was not expecting.
Places I'd avoid using a menstrual cup
1.) South of the border, I read a lot of reviews stating once the person used it in a place with bad water they had to throw it out.
2.) A night out- I mean this is my first day using it but I can only imagine squatting while removing the menstrual cup after a couple drinks is going to end up in the toilet...literally.
Places a menstrual cup would be awesome
1.) Swimming- ever been in the pool with a tampon? Exactly
2.)Camping
3.) new friend/boyfriends house.  Ever been somewhere where you are literally thinking you should throw it back it in your purse rather than have that person find your period supplies, then the menstrual cup could be for you (or am I alone in this train of thought).
All in all I liked it and as you will read if you are doing research on menstrual cups they are cost  effective ($30, will last as long as you don't lose it) as well as save a lot of waste from going into the environment.

Keepin' New motivation going!

I think around April/May most people's slowed motivation from New Years starts up again in time for the beginning of summer.  Maybe its just me.  I find the 30DS to be one of the best workout starter uppers because its intense and short!  Exactly what I need to begin getting fit!  The whole tape is about 20 minutes and it teaches you to push your body, I'll admit I've never done 30 days in a row but doing this tape a few times definitely helps train me to be more efficient at the gym.  I actually see my workouts as more of a race-20 mins here, 20 mins there rather than "seeing how long I can go" at least for me when theres no end in sight I give myself a break on the intensity so putting a time limit on things help to push me hard! I have a goal of 20 pounds by Labor day! I'll keep you updated!

What are Sundays for?

I love spending my Sundays sitting on the couch watching lifetime movies, maybe going to lunch and then parking it back on the couch while doing laundry or something to make myself feel productive. What are your Sundays like?

Lesson Learned while dieting

One of the most important things I learned while dieting is tomorrow is another day. I spend a lot of time regretting yesterday if I ate or drank too much, went over my calories, didn't work out when I had the time. This negative energy and thoughts only hurt my success for the next day. I have/had to re-learn that each day, actually each meal is a chance to do better and also to cut myself some slack when I screw up. I gained weight because I love food a lot, I'm doing my best but there will be times when I eat the wrong foods...and I need to get over it :)

Weight Update!

-3 pounds this week! I must give all the credit to Calorie Camp! Its a new feature that gives you points for logging food and achieving goals you set for yourself. I'm very motivated by points (gold star syndrome) and they actually can be used for prizes! If you are thinking about using a website to track your calories and lose weight I highly recommend caloriecount.com

Pros

-Its free

-It has a success story every Monday

-There are forums with any topic you can think of

-there are thousands of foods with calorie counts

-calorie camp

-It does an analysis of your day with calories, nutrients, and you view it through out the day to see what you need

Cons

-some of the calorie counts are wrong (can make slight adjustments with size to make saved foods correct)

-if you accidentally put a food in the wrong meal you have to delete it and re-input it (instead of pulling it down to another category)

-I don't always agree with the grades they give foods

-my sodium is always off the charts (okay so this may be my fault)

The "I don't have time to work out" work out

There are so many times when I waste time wondering whether I have enough time to go to the gym that by the time I make a decision its no because I wasted 45 minutes. So here is my quickie work out that can have you in and out of the gym in 40 minutes

12 Mins- elliptical (I alternate 3 mins using arms/3 mins legs only making sure to be over 6 mph)

18 mins walking ( I vary every three mins at 3.6 mph @ 3.0 incline and then go 4.0 mph @ o incline)

6 sets of 10 @ 35lb hip abductor and adductor (6 sets each)

quick mat cool down

20 crunches reg

20 crunches right leg crossed

20 crunches left leg crossed

40 ankle touches (if you look like a penguin you are doing it right)

60 pulses (you stay crunched with arms straight pointing towards feet and doing mini pulses)

use a minute to stretch my legs and then go home to watch Dance Moms

Biore Bargain!

I have been avoiding buying face wash until the last moment-Biore is one of my favorite skin products but it can be pretty costly, so imagine my surprise when I stopped in Kmart for some sports bras - I enjoy the hanes two pack :) and while mindlessly browsing through beauty products and found Biore on clearance for $2 to $2.50, I ended up snagging a

Steam Activated Cleanser-$2

Daily Pore Scrub- $2

60 ct cleansing cloths -$2.50

there happened to be a $1 off coupon on the box so I got all my Biore swag for $5.50!

How to get concealer for 45 cents!

I made a big deal in post about how I score great deals (read: crazy coupon lady) earlier this month and wanted to pass on yet another bargain

CVS

Almay Concealer - $13.79 @ 75% off = $3.45

CVS Extra Bucks- $3 off any Almay product

SAVINGS- $13.34

FINAL COST- 45 cents!

CVS seems to be clearancing a ton of make up so if you want to try out any new colors hop on over!

Creative ways to burn calories

I took a midol with sleep aid last night and slept 11 hours!!! I don't know if its the winter or what but besides the "sleeping pills" I've needed a lot more sleep than usual. So after my 11 hour slumber I went over to my friends new house to help her paint. It was a lot of well painting, bending, lifting, moving and on my www.caloriecount.com account I imput my painting as an activity and it burns mad calories, I was excited to hear this since I was HUNGRY once I got home. I like it when something I do has multi-purpose- now I have helped a friend (awesome points for me) and have a friend obligated to help me with painting in the future (score!) and I burned calories in a place other than the gym.

Getting Over the HUMP

So as cliche as it is the NEW YEAR has really pumped me up to go to the gym. I am not a person that hates the gym and actually enjoy going when I get into a routine but I am a naturally sedentary person, I don't "get antsy" to move, if you asked me if I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting, why yes, yes I have and I've done it a couple times thank you. I don't like to think of it as lazy but I am very content to sit and rest and do crafting, reading, tv watching, and sewing stuff like that :)But a big a reason I'm especially pumped is because...IM GOING TO VEGAS!!! Yes I am incredibly excited and would LOVE to lose 5 pounds by my trip (okay really 10 but I'm being realistic here) I've lost 20 pounds so far and it hasn't been that noticeable to others and I see it in my hands, boobs and stomach but as silly as it sounds I think 5 more pounds will be enough weight to make it "noticeable" (I keep reminding myself "my body" isn't nearly as important to other people as it is to me :) but it would be nice to have all those passed pizza slices and cookies were noticed) So tell me whats your favorite thing about VEGAS?!?!

Diet Dessert Review!

I bought 2 Smartones desserts at Target the other day and wanted to share my opinion so you can know what to buy and know what to skip!
I really thought I was going to like the turtle sundae, alas I did not-the icecream tasted like well ICE I kept eating trying to savor any semblance of a flavor and could not taste a thing unless I was eating a pecan- Grade D
I ended up melting this a bit in the microwave because I was so scarred from the first Smartones dessert I wanted to eliminate all the "air pockets" in the icecream that I believed contributed to its tastelessness. I ended up with a soupy brownie milkshake result which I had absolutely no problem with. I ended up mixing the crust and brownies into the icrecream for maximum flavor and enjoyed this quite a bit! The brownie bites were very tasty and definitely the highlight of this dessert-and there were quite a few of them! Grade- B (mostly for the brownie bites)

There you have it! I find dessert is the hardest food to replicate when I'm dieting, what are you thoughts? Do you have any favorite low calorie desserts?

Talent Show

People always have a few things they can say they are REALLY good at, for me one of those things is bargain shopping...Today I'm going to show you how I pulled together a wedding look for under $40!I bought these shoes in grey, they were briefly 50% off at payless for $13.99! Blue is the only color left now @$19.99 (I wore them almost the whole night, they were extremely comfortable for bargain heels)
I bought these tights at American Eagle clearance $6.99 and 40% off final total = $4.19 (more grey in person)


American Eagle-This dress is on sale for 39.99 with an additional 40% = 23.99-plus a 15% coupon code I recieved with my new shopkick app made this dress 20.39! It looks very expensive in person ( I got the purple color)

My total was $38.57!

I used a bag of my moms and my grandmothers stole to complete my outfit.