Find Time for Yourself to De-Stress

As a girl trying to do a million things at once, when I have two million things I need to be doing, I easily let things catch up with me. I have a tendency to get overwhelmed, tense, and irritable. I decided NO MORE! I have been taking small steps to promote relaxation, clarity of mind, and calmness in my life. So take a load off and read on.

Wake Up and Hour Earlier

    instead of  hopping immediately in the shower and starting my day off by rushing around to get ready, I wake up, put on a pot of coffee, watch a little TV, or read the latest issue of Seven Days, Cosmo, or Martha Stewart Living. Its nice to ease into the day, rather then having to hit the ground running.

Drink Tea 
    I found some great teas that have ingredients that help promote relaxation. I am also trying to limit my alcohol intake, so I substitute my nightly class of Cabernet for a hot cup of tea. It is just as relaxing after a long day because I found that it is the action of having a special drink at the end of a long day that is relaxing to me and it's not the alcohol. Try these:

Sleepy Time Extra

by Celestial Seasonings

approx $4.00 

 

Om

by Tazo

approx $5.00

Take A Bath 

I have been coming home every Monday night and I start a nice hot bath. Taking time out to pamper yourself once a week is a great way to start off the week, If you do something nice for yourself at the beginning of the week every week, then Mondays don't seem so bad. I light a few candles and turn on Norah Jones Radio on Pandora , and add some stress relief bubble bath.

Aveeno Stress Relief Foaming Bath

Yoga

Try out a yoga class. I have tried a few and the one I enjoyed the most is Bikram Yoga.

"Bikram Yoga is an amazing 90 minute class specifically designed to work every muscle, bone, ligament, tendon, gland, and organ in the body. The room is heated, 95 to 100 degrees to allow for deeper, safer stretching. While improving strength, balance and flexibility, you will re-shape and heal the body and relieve stress and tension."

-Bikram Yoga Burlington

So when you feel like your life is in a constant state of "fast foreward", remember to take some time out of your busy day, let your mind wander, and relax because girl, you're fabulous.

 

          

Stuffed Turkey Burgers With Baked Sweet Potatoes

I love to cook. I use it as a method of relaxation. When I'm cooking, I'm not thinking about the paper that's due soon, what time I have to work this weekend, where am I going to squeeze in that meeting, the tub needs cleaning, and the nine thousand other thoughts buzzing around in my head. I'm sure any other working woman can attest.

Maybe not all women enjoy cooking, but when you have an easy recipe for a healthy,delish dinner for two, how can it not put a smile on your face. (And your dinner date's!)

*measurements may not be exact - this is my own recipe and I use the "little 'o this, little 'o that" method.

Turkey Burgers

1/2 pkg 85/15 ground turkey (I used Shady Brook Farms)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg white
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

1. place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. If mixture is still loose/watery keep adding bread crumbs until it's almost doughy. 
2. Form into 4 thin patties and set aside

Burger Stuffing

a handful of baby spinach  (give or take, that was just my best guess at quantifying)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1/8 lb fresh goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. toss spinach, garlic, salt and pepper in pan until soft and wilted.
3. put spinach on cutting board and coarsly chop
4. in a bowl combine spinach mixture with goat cheese 
5. divide cheese and spinach mixture into two balls
6. Sandwich each goat cheese and spinach ball between the patties you made previously and pinch the edges together to make two stuffed burgers!

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 
2. Heat up enough oil to just cover the bottom of a fry pan
3. place burgers in pan and cook about 5-8 minutes on each side 
4. place burgers on a tin foil lined baking sheet and put in the oven for an additional 5-8 minutes until crisp and sizzling
5. Serve on toasted English muffins.

Baked Sweet Potatoes
 
 Two medium sweet potatoes or yams
2tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp orange zest divided in two
butter to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. pierce potatoes with a fork to allow for steam
3. place potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes
4. Split in half and take out the insides of the potatoes and mash in a bowl with sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and butter and spoon back in potato skins
5. Continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes 
6. sprinkle with salt and serve!

And Ladies, Valentines Day is coming up!! Look cute while you cook! Your favorite LBD, some heels, and a frilly apron should do it.

Women's Apron

 Overstock.com - $29.99

Boho - To Read, or Not to Read... Not to Read

So, I was in Borders the other day browsing the magazine racks and came across the winter 2009 edition of "Boho". This magazine is an indie style publication focused on being green and living a sustainable, yet fashionable lifestyle. Editor-in-chief Gina La Morte (also founder of www.TheStyleDoctor.com  ) created this magazine and is based out of New Jersey. (www.bohomag.com)

I liked their section recycled, restyled, reused. It had alot of cool ideas and art pieces people have done using old objects. For example, a company called Knobstoppers turns old vintage door knobs into wine corks. I would use this section as ideas for DIY projects that you can tackle yourself, as alot of them are very expensive. Especially for a college senior, like myself. Actually, most of the products in the magazine were rather expensive. Out of my price-range most definitely. However, I also enjoyed their Beauty-full section directed at green beauty products and home accents like candles.  Some of my favorites were:

Soi Candle Travel Tins

2oz tin - $7.90

Korres Lip Saver Roll

$27.00

www.sephora.com

On the other hand - I found many negative aspects of this magazine which will deter me from buying future issues. First of which: there were multiple spelling and grammatical mistakes, which to me seems amateur and unprofessional. One was a blatant mistake and to me, that shows that this was not thoroughly edited. Secondly, upon looking up the Korres Lip Saver Roll (Listed above) the blurb in the magazine is word for word the description used on the Sephora website. Now, I'm not sure what the rules would be as far as plagiarism would go, because they do list Sephora as the place to buy. But if you're writing your own magazine, you'd think you would be able to come up with a description on your own.  Plus, if you subscribe to this magazine you only get four issues for  $20.00. Why would you pay that much for  spelling errors and  copy & paste from other websites in a magazine that is stuffed with their own house ad's? Not for me.

My overall verdict: Flip through it at Borders but don't bother wasting your money. It's an amateur publication that looks like it was put together by college freshmen.


Girls, You're fabulous!

Quick, Easy Delicious Biscuits

I found an excellent recipe for some fantastic cheesy biscuits with stuff I already had around the house. The best part is they only take 15 minutes!

Yields 5 biscuits 
Ingredients:
1 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tbs. mayonnaise

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. mix all ingredients together in a bowl until moistened and doughy. (if all dry ingredients aren't sticking together add a teaspoon of milk)
3. grease a muffin tin (i suggest using baking PAM) and distribute dough evenly among 5 of the muffin holes. In the sixth hole fill halfway with water (for moistness)
4. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes (or until golden brown on top)

There! You have 5 delish biscuits! They go perfect with soups and stews, or in the morning with eggs and bacon.

Optional Additions:
Fresh herbs, like rosemary (about 1/2 tbs)
instead of 1/2 cup milk, add 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup buttermilk
or add about 1 tbs of diced, seeded jalapeños  for a spicy kick


This recipe was found on Allrecipes.com

Home Made Lip Balm

So, I needed a project and decided to make little presents for my girlfriends. I made my own home made lip balm! It was so easy. Check it out:

The basic Recipe is 4oz essential oil to 1oz bee's wax. For my recipe I used:

1oz Grapeseed oil
1oz Coconut oil
1oz Calendula oil
1/2 oz St. John's Wort
1/2 oz Vitamin E
1/2 Vanilla Bean
1 tsp honey


I blended the grapeseed and coconut oils together in a mason jar. Then I split open the vanilla, scraped the seeds, and chopped into small pieces and put both seeds and chopped bean in the oil and let it sit overnight.


The next day:
In a double boiler run oil/vanilla mix through a sieve. (the small black specs won't get caught by the sieve but that's OK because when you rub a little on your lips, the specs enhance the smell and taste of the balm)
add the rest of the oils, the bee's wax, and honey to double boiler and wait until melted. Then pour into little jars! ( Makes 20 chapstick tubes, .15oz each. I put it larger jars which were about .6 oz each and it made 5 jars)


A cute decorating idea is use double-sided tape around the outside of the jar and stick some fun ribbon around the jar.




Buy Local
I bought all my ingredients at:
Purple Shutter Herbs • 7 West Canal St. • Winooski, VT 05404 • 888-865-HERB

Vanity Trays

I have been loving vanity trays lately. They are a fun, inexpensive way to give your boring dresser a romantic new look. I just bought one for myself for $15.00 at Home Goods. They are a fab way to display your perfume, your favorite pieces of jewelry, or makeup.
Vanity trays and apothecary trays are also a great way to embellish your bathroom when placed on the back of a toilet, and garnished with a yummy room spray or scented candles.

Here are a few fab finds:

Rose Mirrored Vanity Tray - $18.99

www.target.com

Coordinating Accessories:

Ralph Lauren Romance - 1oz - $39.50

Soy-Blend Filled Recycled Glass Votives

Pottery Barn - Set of 4 - $16.00

******

This one is a little more simple:

Mirrored tray with heart handles - $35.99

www.target.com

Coordinating Accessories

 

Warm Cotton Clothing and Linen Spray

CLEAN - $32.00

Hope In a Jar Facial Moisturizer

Philosophy - $38

******

This one is great  for the top of a toilet tank:

 

Leva Bath Trays by Umbra

The Container Store

Coordinating Accessories:

Small Glass Canister

Crate and Barrel - $16.95

 

Vanity Top Mirror Towel

Anthropologie - $38.00

 

******

This one is great for the back of the toilet and also great if you're not a huge fan of silver

Coordinating Accessories:

 

Malta Lantern (Small)

Pottery Barn - $29.00

Concentrated Stress Relief Room Spray

Eucalyptus and Spearmint

Bath and Body Works - $5.00

*on sale for $3.00*

 

Stress Relief Body Lotion
Lemongrass and Cardamom
Bath and Body Works - $13.00
*Sale - buy 2 get 2 free*

Remember Girls - You're fabulous.

Awesome White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I needed something to bring to my boyfriend's family's Christmas party. I wanted it to be kind of impressive so I chose this white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Since this was my first time ever making a cheesecake I started with a "test-run" cake, and thankfully I did because I really screwed it up. Once I realized the mistakes I made (which were common cheesecake mistakes - important tips are included at the end of this post)) I fixed them and made a beautiful, raspberry swirled cheesecake to bring to the party (which everyone enjoyed!!)!

I got the original recipe from www.allrecipes.com

(I modified the original recipe, thanks to some reviews I read on the site!)

Crust

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Crushed Oreos
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1/4 Cup melted butter 

1. In a food processor, grind up oreos
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together cruched cookies, sugar, and melted butter and press into a 9" springform pan

Raspberry Syrup

Ingrediencts:

• 1 10oz package frozen raspberries
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water

1. In a medium saucepan mix together all ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, and simmer until thick.
2. Strain through a sieve to remove seeds and set aside.

Cake Batter 

Ingredients:

• 1 package Nestle's which chocolate morsels  
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3 8oz packages cream cheese
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. preheat the oven to 325 degrees
2. in a double boiler melt white chocolate chips and gradually adding half and half, stirring constantly. When melted, set aside.
3. in a mixer blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth
4. with a spatula, fold in eggs to cream cheese and sugar mixture one at a time until incorporated.
5. fold in white chocolate and vanilla until incorporated
6. into your springform pan, pour half the batter then about 3 tbs of the raspberry sauce then swirl with a toothpick. pour remaining batter into springform and top with 3 more tbs of raspberry sauce and swirl. save remaining raspberry sauce for garnish
7. bake in the oven for about 55 minutes
8. when 55 minutes are up shut the oven off and don't open the door and let oven and  cake cool for about an hour then take out and cover with aluminum and place in the fridge and let cool completely for about 8 hours.
   

TIPS

• Make sure all ingredients are room temperature. (especially cream cheese and eggs) This is very important. This way everything will blend smoothly.
• Do not over beat batter, This will cause the cake to souffle, and fall in the center. Fold together eggs, chocolate, and vanilla just enough so it is incorporated. Don't beat in with a mixer
• wrap your springform pan with aluminum foil and place in about 1/2" water bath. This prevents cracking and also prevents the edges from cooking more than the center.
• don't open oven door!! 

Follow this recipe and you will have a fabulous, delish desert!

Fab Fragrance

So I am very fickle when it comes to fragrances. I “test” out dozens of them by stopping into Macy’s and spraying on a tester before I go out for the night. That way you’re killing two birds with one stone. Efficiency is everything these days, am I right? So after trying out the latest and greatest I have decided on the top three, a few that almost made it, and just a couple that didn't tickle my fancy.

BEST

1. Miss Dior Cherie by Dior

This is a beautiful, sweet, romantic and very girly perfume that I love. The bottle is very reflective of its feminine scent. It is great for a date night. It is very expensive, however, so I'm saving up for a bottle as a reward if I follow through with my new year's resolution of getting my ass in gear and getting back to the gym.

Notes:
Green Tangerine, Violette, Pink Jasmine, Patchouli, Crystalline Musk, Strawberry Leaves, Caramelized Popcorn, Strawberry Sorbet. (source: www.Sephora.com)

Price:

$56.00 - $92.00

(eek...i know...)

Where to Buy:

Sephora

Macy's

Ulta

2. Envy Me by Gucci

This is a very casual fun fragrance, suitable for everyday wear. It is very floral, slightly musky, but definitely not as sugary as Miss Dior Cherie. It is not overwhelming though, as I am not a huge fan of musky scents. It's a great perfume for winter. Plus it has a very pretty pink and white bottle.

Notes:
Peony, Jasmine, Pink Pepper, Litchi, Pomegranate, Pineapple, Pink Musk, Seringa, White Tea, Sandalwood, Teakwood, Sensual Musk. (Sephora)

Price:

$45.00-$85.00

Where To Buy:

Macy's

Sephora

Ulta

 3. Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture

This one is fantastic. It's fruity and a little powdery. It's fun for any season, day or night. It's very versatile. Plus the bottle is fabulous. I bought the smallest size possible which is a 0.25oz roll-on, which was $16.00 and it is a great way to test the scent out and see if you like it and it's purse sized.

Price:

$16.00 - $85.00

Notes:
Wild Berries, Mandarins, Honeysuckle, Gardenia, Jasmine, Amber, Caramel, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Praline. (Sephora)

Where to Buy:

Macy's

Sephora

Ulta

Buy Local

Mirror, Mirror

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Vanille Gourmande by Laura Mercier

Republic of Women by Banana Republic

CLEAN by Clean

and finally, the

WORST

Fantasy by Britney Spears

This perfume is not my favorite, in my opinion it smells like old ladies. Chris Crocker, I hope you're reading this.

and lastly,

Queen by Queen Latifah

Girrrrllll, keep being easy and breezy - but quit while you're ahead. ugh.

hope you enjoyed! Keep me posted with any of your own reviews!

Girls, you're fabulous!

Femme Fatales, and Ke$ha.

One of my new favorite artists is Lady GaGa. This girl is absolutely buck wild. Her MTV VMA's performance was edgy and outrageous, and her songs really just make me wanna bust out on the dance floor. Not only a singer/songwriter but a fashion designer and pianist! The killer? She's only 23!






A new favorite song, which is actually my new ringtone is Tik Tok by Ke$ha.
Not too sure if i'm a huge fan of her, exactly, but the lyrics are fun. My only qualm is "...But we kick 'em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger." Mick Jagger??? I think she just needed a word to rhyme with swagger... grocery bagger must not have fit. C'mon, lady - lets class it up.
Move over, Miley Cyrus - there's a new obnoxious chick with a sing song-ie dance tune in town.


Lastly, some honorable mentions:


Shakira... you skinny betch. If only I could move like you.





add a little wine, and ya girlfriends into the mix... what a fab way to get your game face on.

Girls, Your fabulous.

Put Your Best Face Foreward

So I guess we can get this out of the way from the very beginning - I am a makeup junkie. I buy it, I wear it, I love it. Also, I have a tendency of never buying anything twice in a row – that is, unless I’m in love. I like to play the field and I’ll try anything once. I recently just made a second time purchase. Okay, it might have had something to do with the fact that I got a Sephora gift card for Christmas…

It is Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation with SPF 15. It’s fantastic.

After a night of drinking all the Broke Ass Wine (see previous post) I have to do some double duty if I expect to be presentable when I walk in late to class.
This foundation can be sheer but provides buildable coverage. It also gives you a healthy glow to your skin. This cold and dry winter weather Vermont is so famous for has been ravaging my skin like Vikings to a village so I appreciate the fact I can layer it in places and it won’t look caked on. It is very blendable. The only downfall is the price... $38.00 - ugh, cringe. But, if you’re looking for a fool-proof foundation, consider this the one. Plus, when you buy it you get a free sample of the Photo Finish Primer (another A+ product) right in the box! With this duo, girl, you’re flawless.


Where to Buy

• www.smashbox.com
• www.Sephora.com

Burlington, VT

• Mirror, Mirror

Broke Ass

Happy New Year, Everyone!

2010, already? It seems like just yesterday I was laying by the pool listening to Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch” and sipping my virgin daiquiri. Oh, 1996 – what bliss! Fast forward and now we’re in a recession, keeping a tight grip on our coin purses, and listening to Lady GaGa (okay, so not all is bad). But what are we sippin’ on?
Broke Ass Red Wine.

It wasn’t only the fabulously blunt label that caught my eye – it was the price tag! At about $5.99 for some “No frills, great value wine”, how could I possibly turn it down? I must credit my boyfriend for pointing it out to me in the first place however. I was probably paying attention to my shopping cart and tallying my budget… ah, who am I kidding? I was sampling every dish at the hot bar and dubbing it “appetizers”.

I digress.

For being a really cheap bottle of wine it was pretty damn good. Really smooth, not too dry, more fruity than woody, and did I mention $5.99? These day’s it’s hard to justify indulgence, but don’t sell yourselves short – no Natty Lights gracing the dinner table this year, I don’t care how poor you are. Pour yourself some Broke Ass Red Wine and no one has to know you paid less for the wine in the glass than the lipstick smeared on the rim.

Cheers!


Broke Ass Red Wine is made in Argentina and imported by USDP of Minnesota. (Bevlaw.com)

Where To Buy:

In Burlington, VT

• City Market
• Cheese Traders and Wine Sellers

Not a four letter word, well kind of...

I am a twenty-something girl living a fabulous life. However, there's always room for improvement. I am always looking for things new and old to try out and review for your reading pleasure. From the latest makeup trends to the workout class du jour, Food and drink to furnishings- I'll tell you if you need it in your life or to save your pretty pennies.