This I Know Is True

…There is nothing better than a glass of chocolate milk after a long run. Amanda and I completed a 7-miler on Sunday then immediately chugged a glass of chocolately protein. We then proceeded to lie on the floor and die a little.

…Random acts of kindness feel really good, even if you don’t see the recipient’s reaction. I noticed someone had printed out a parking pass for the Kiawah Marathon, so I left them some love.

…Boys are weirded out by girls with books on self-help, dating, or anything too feminine.  A while back I loaned a friend my copy of Why Men Love Bitches and picked it up from her on Sunday, so it was sitting in my car. I drove this boy to work yesterday morning and when he got in my car and saw it, he was like “Oh, god. No.”

I was definitely mortified and swore that it was not a self-help book. I might have been stretching the truth, but that book is fantastic! In case you’ve never heard of it, it’s about why men love a b.i.t.c.h. – babe in total control of herself. The book really teaches you how to keep your shit together while you’re single, dating, or in a relationship.

I told my friend Ashley, another huge fan of the book, about what happened and to make me feel better, she sent me her collection of womanly books.

…The Seasonal Salad from Crave is really, really good. It’s a bowl of Baby tatsoi, bright lights Swiss chard, and purple kale served with honey champagne vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, roasted beets, sweet potato croutons and St. Andre cheese. I had it for dinner so I added sea bass to it. Delicious.

…You cannot judge a bottle of wine by its label. Every time I saw this Project Happiness Syrah at Trader Joe’s, I snubbed it, thinking it looked so stupid. I randomly told one of the employees I wanted a good Syrah, and what do you know, he walks me over to this bottle. The verdict: it’s really good. It’s smooth and zesty with notes of blueberry and cassis and a blackberry jam finish.

…I am determined to win The NYE Challenge. After this weekend, things aren’t looking good for Boding and Kaye. My strikes have been from accidentally eating 2 foods I didn’t realize were fried (coconut shrimp and fried chickpeas) and a night of 4 drinks.

Oh, and apparently some of us are playing dirty. I asked Carter for a glass of water the other night and while he was in the kitchen, I heard him giggling like a 5 year old. He brings me a glass of water and is like “Here you go…drink up!” Totally skeptical, I looked in my glass and noticed that he has added a dab of butter to my water. GROSS!

What do you know to be true today?!

Rosemary, Walnut, and Raisin Crackers

Over the Summer I fell head over heels in love with the Rosemary & Raisin Crisps from Trader Joe’s. My grandmother had them in her pantry, and since then, I’ve bought many, many boxes. But at $3.99 a box (containing just 5 servings), this love affair was doing damage to my budget. It was time to make my own.

Now I’m sure many of you are thinking “Make your own crackers? What? Impossible.” In fact, while I was making these my little brother said, “You can make crackers at home? I thought you need a machine or something.”

I did a little research, stalked a few blogs, scanned the ingredient list on the box of crisps, and got to work on making my own crackers. After a few batches, I had a recipe that I was very happy with. Perhaps too happy, as the crackers seem to disappear much faster than I can burn them off.

Rosemary, Walnut and Raisin Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup skim milk + 1 tbsp. lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup raisins, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 350*. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add buttermilk and sugar and stir just until combined.
2. Add raisins, walnuts, flax seed, and rosemary and stir until evenly mixed.
3. Pour the batter into a loaf pan that has been coated with nonstick spray. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then remove from pan to finish cooling.
4. To slice the bread, it has to be completely cooled. Sticking it in the freezer for an hour helps speed up this process. Next, slice the loaf as thin as you can and place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
5. Reduce heat to 300* and bake for 15 minutes. Flip crackers over and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Makes about 4 dozen crackers.

Don’t be weirded out by the flavor combo. I, along with Sierra, will attest that it is incredible and pretty mind blowing with a chunk of goat cheese. Yes, we went there. You’ll love these so much, you’ll want to eat the whole batch in a day. It’s probably a good idea to package some up for your neighbor, best friend, professor…anyone with a mouth, really. Aside from tasting so similar to the Trader Joe’s crisps, your wallet and your schedule will thank you. They’re much cheaper to make at home, and mixing the batter takes about 5 minutes.

Do it. Do it. Do it.

And then report back. I know you’re going to tell me that you loved them and you had no idea how easy it was to make crackers at home.

Which baked goods are you too intimidated to make at home? One day I’ll make macarons. One day.

What’s your favorite thing to bake? Cookies!

What I’m Loving Wednesday 10.24.12

1. I ate at Purée four times this weekend: Friday dinner, Saturday brunch, a juice, and Sunday lunch. What is wrong with me? Nothing.

Friday: I had the Asian Bowl: pan fried tofu in a chili garlic sauce w/ brown rice over a bed of greens, shaved cucumbers, carrots, ginger.

Boding had the Pad Thai: rice noodles with crushed peanuts, red pepper, snap peas, coriander, lime.

Saturday:  Danielle and I split two wraps: Grilled Chimichurri Seitan Wrap (protein marinated in homemade herb cilantro lime dressing then grilled) and Mo Mo’s Homemade Rosemary BBQ Wrap.

2. I’m not the most organized person when it comes to my belongings. My shoes are all over my apartment and my purse is always a mess. I’ve learned to embrace it and work well amidst the chaos. Check out my k-cup madness. What’s your favorite k-cup flavor?

3. On Sunday evening, Boding and I went to Trader Joe’s for dinner stuff. There was one pumpkin Greek yogurt left. Obviously I grabbed it out of principle.

I was just there for the bare essentials: Greek yogurt and wine.

4. I enjoyed said wine in my favorite Pier 1 chalk note wine glass and pajamas. Christmas pajamas…two months early.

5. Speaking of Christmas, the seasonal Clif bars are back! Peppermint Stick is the real winner of this trio. What do you think of them?

6. Now rewind back. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I’m excited for this weekend’s festivities. I went from wanting to be Cat Woman, to a cat, to something very different than either of those animals. Here’s one hint :I will be carrying these around all evening.  (Annabel/Hannah/Amanda --  shhh!)

7. Amanda and I are still on a running kick. We never plan how far we’ll run and kind of just see how we’re feeling at each mile. On Monday’s run, at 7 miles in we felt great so we continued. At 8 we still felt good. Neither of us wanted to stop at 9 because, well, why would you when 10 is right around the corner? ;)

Nope, we’re not training for anything…other than world domination.

What I’m Loving Wednesday 10.3.12

1. I’m loving that it’s October, but Charleston’s weather is still in the 80s.  I’m not ready for Fall clothes. I hate Fall/Winter clothes. They make me feel dark, boring, and frumpy. Thank goodness I can still wear shorts and dresses for a few more weeks.

2. Danielle and I didn’t plan on both wearing colored jeans on Saturday; she appeared at my apartment glowing in these orange jeans right after I had just “painted” on my electric blue.

Let’s just say they did not go unnoticed and we are both convinced we should wear colored jeans every weekend.

3. Because it’s October, my brain wants me to eat Fall-ish breakfasts. Check out this sugar bomb of a breakfast combo. It’s pretty much dessert.

4. Speaking of sweets, Amanda and I have been trying to cut back on our sugar intake during the week. We were craving something sweet after our salty dinner (of course), so I dug into my stash. I asked her, “Who ran 5 miles today?” She looked at me and said “Um, we did…” And then I gave her five pretzel M&Ms.  One M&M per mile seems logical, right?

That picture makes me laugh; it just looks so pathetic.

5. I found this prayer in The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook and made it pretty with instagram (@christinaorso). I just love it!

6. Random purchase of the week: Scentportables from Bath & Body Works. They were buy 3 get 1 free, so I left with Marshmallow Fireplace, Mahogany Leather, Apple Crumble, and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin.

My car currently smells like mahogany leather. I’ve got cloth seats, but trust me, I’m tricking everyone.

7. I ordered an Iphone cover on Etsy last week and I’m really excited for its arrival. Here is the proof. Cute. Cute. Cute. I can’t wait to see it in person and slap it on my phone. Gently slap.

Check out the store PrintsandPapiere. They have a ton of styles.

Have you jumped on the colored jean bandwagon? What’s your favorite color to wear?

What does your car smell like? Don’t tell me garbage or french fries!

What I’m Loving Wednesday 8.22.12

1. Sometimes you just need a damn cookie, right? Last week, Dane and I went to Great Harvest during our lunch break for a much-needed treat. These frosted sugar cookies hit the spot. Aren’t they pretty?

2. I have been needing a lot of cookies lately. I don’t recommend this as a healthy breakfast, but I do recommend it as a delicious breakfast. Breakfast of champions or breakfast of children? Don’t answer that.

3. My best friend and I bought each other very similar birthday presents: a bag of goodies that included wine, something sentimental, something girly, and of course, candy. I bought her an old-school favorite, Jordan almonds. It was only natural that we pose with them.

We quickly remembered that Jordan almonds are not that great.

4. Black Bean Co. has some really good e-mail specials. On Monday, some of their wraps were half off, so Danielle and I went for lunch. You know that I got two wraps. Why wouldn’t I at that price? They’re big enough to split between lunch and dinner, so yes, I ate Black Bean Co. four times in 2 days.

On Monday I had the Baja Style: turkey, spicy goddess sauce, green onions, mixed greens, jasmine rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole. This is another favorite.

On Tuesday I had the Beach Burrito: roasted chicken breast, black beans & rice, mixed greens, sprouts, fresh guacamole and mango salsa. This one was good too, but I preferred the Baja because of the spicy sauce.

Can you tell I’m on a mission to try every single wrap?

5. I’m also on a mission to try every single Voskos Greek yogurt. I’ve only got a couple flavors left, but so far I like the honey vanilla bean best. Have you had Voskos Greek yogurt before?

6. Problems? Pick yourself up, eat a cookie, and move on. Everything will be okay.

A Fitness Survey

Thanks for the survey, Sara!

1. Run/workout in the heat and humidity or freezing cold temps and snow?
While the sound of both of those makes me ill, I’d probably choose the heat. I prefer to wear as little clothing as possible when I run so bundling up to exercise sounds awful. Running in the rain is really cool though. Liberating!

2. Washboard abs or flat abs?
On whom? Me? Flat is fine. I think I have a 2-pack. Ha. On men? Washboard abs are okay, but if it’s too sculpted, it’s gross. Again, flat is fine. Chest muscles > abs.

3. Dr. Oz or The Doctors?
Does Dr. Oz know everything? I think he does. I’d probably obey anything he told me to do.

4. Cardio or strength?
Both! I go through phases when I despise cardio (think July, August). For the most part, I know it’s good for me, but strength training is just as important. I’d MUCH rather be fit and toned than thin and frail. I’m not saying that cardio makes you thin and frail, but I get no upper body definition from running.

5. Cravings: Protein or carbs?
I rarely crave protein – hopefully because I get enough. Who doesn’t crave carbs? I could sit around and eat pita chips, crackers, and bread for hours. Pasta bores me though.

6. Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper?
I really don’t pay attention to either of them. But hey, they have nice bodies. So does this guy, just saying.

Side note: That was not the first time I have googled “Zac Efron shirtless”.

7. Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream?
I like both equally. Froyo is a guiltless option, but ice cream is more fun to indulge in.  I can’t get enough of Chick-fil-A’s IceDream. Remember the time I got to ride in the Chick-fil-A car with ice cream? Still cracks me up.

8. To train: Upper body or Lower body?
Upper body.

9. Protein powder or food with protein?
Food with protein, for sure.

10. Lunges or squats?
Squats. I hate lunges. But not as much as I hate burpees.

11. Sweet or salty?
I like both of these equally too. I especially love the combo. I could eat a hundred of these:

12. Workout attire: cute or comfy?
I’d much rather be comfy than cute, but I’ve never bought anything that I didn’t consider cute. Thanks, Target. 

13. Body Pump or Heavy lifting?
I enjoy strength training on my own. I really dislike Body Pump.  I feel like I can get so much more done by myself and don’t have to listen to that awful music.

14. Yoga or Pilates?
Yoga is not for me. I don’t have the attention span for it, I can’t relax, and I don’t get anything out of it. I know a lot of people get so much from it, and that’s great. Pilates can be a nice change-up from my regular routine, but I’d prefer other classes first. 

15. Nike or Adidas?
I don’t own anything by either. I wear Asics sneakers. 

16. Running on the treadmill or outdoors?
Both. Running outdoors is much more entertaining, obviously. And SO much more relaxing. 

17. Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?
Ever since our Trader Joe’s opened, I rarely go to Whole Foods. There are staples that I like at TJ’s and I love trying their new products. Amanda and I were pretty psyched when it opened last Summer.

18. Summer or Winter Olympics?
Summer! Gymnastics! Ice skating is pretty fun to watch though. 

19. Exercise classes or Exercise videos?
Classes.

20. Steamed veggies or roasted veggies?
Roasted! Beets!

What I’m Loving Wednesday 8.15.12

1. For the longest time, I thought that the monogram stickers on girls’ cars were awful. But not as awful as the “Salt Life” stickers. What the hell do those even mean?! However, when I saw a fancy X, my credit card flew out of my purse. All on its own, I swear!

I suppose one letter isn’t as awful as all three. Nancy, I know you are shaking your head.

2. The day before I left Flat Rock, something made me look up The Christmas Tree Shops, a store that I frequented while living in Massachusetts. To those who aren’t aware, this place is not a Christmas store. It is a mecca of bargain-priced “necessities.” My mom used to drag me to The Christmas Tree Shops when I was little, specifically when we were at the Cape. (The windmill location!! <---Danielle, you know this!) Much to my surprise, a store had opened in Greenville, SC. I almost had a heart attack and definitely made a point to stop there on my way home. Pure nostalgia.

3. When my grandmother took my brother clothes shopping, they brought me home a Hello Kitty pen. I don’t care how old I am, I will never be too old for anything Sanrio.

4. This picture. I believe this was circa 1991.

5. I’ve been on a cracker kick lately. The Trader Joe’s Roasted Gorgonzola flavored crackers did not disappoint. I foresee myself buying this regularly. Don't be afraid if you don’t like gorgonzola; they have just the slightest hint of cheese.

6. After posting about Casual: The Series on Monday, I got a tweet from Lauren, the actress who plays Girl. Brush with fame, what! If Brian tweeted me, I would probably pass out.

Have you watched it yet? Get on it!

7. Thanks to Klout, I received a great perk: free business cards from Moo! (Add me as an influencer!) Though the options were very limited, I managed to make some adorable two-sided cards. Here’s the proof:

FRONT

BACK

And just like that I got a craving for cookies.

 

xo!