Getting Pampered on the Reg

Note: I wrote this over the weekend, but did not want to publish it until I had tested the recipes. OMG, best stuff ever! My face is smooth and looks bright from the mask, and my body feels so fresh and so clean from the coffee scrub! I may add a touch more sugar to the scrub, it was a bit coffee-ish. PS – everyone is getting scrubs for Christmas!

What I can only assume was a drunk driver zoomed past the end of our "under construction" street last night and braked to a noisy stop well into the deep gravel beyond the finished road. This woke me up, and more importantly, woke my brain up. It was 2:30am. Drunk drivers are the worst. But, instead of shutting my eyes tight and willing myself back to what I knew would be an unrestful night, I picked up and went downstairs, where I ended up "Pinteresting" until 6am. How does time fly so quickly on that evil website?

Anyways, I found some terrific homemade recipes for body scrubs and face masks! I've never enjoyed paying for these beauty products at The Body Shop that I knew I could make at home, so this was my first activity of the day, and I can't wait to give them a try!

This face mask is one smushed banana, a couple Tablespoons of honey, and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix these together, place in a Tupperware and store in the fridge until ready to use...Smooth on your face and reap the benefits of this all-natural mask: Bananas moisturize and help to treat acne and dark spots. Honey can help reduce scars and keep your skin glowing. Lemon juice has antibacterial properties, and can help prevent and treat blackheads.

As for the body scrub, I read some articles about the benefits of caffeine for your skin, and the exfoliating properties of sugar is no secret. I added to a Tupperware container about 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of Hazelnut coffee grounds that I wasn't going to use. EVOO was drizzled over top, and a couple drops of vanilla extract added the most amazing aroma!

Boom! Face and Body Beauty for pennies.

Hangover Taters

I may have had just a splash too much vino last night. I woke up this morning completely unmotivated to do anything except sit on my couch and eat salty foods. But, I wasn't prepared to completely destroy how well I've been eating the past week, so instead of succumbing to McDonald's, I made these fries!

I strapped on my most-loved polka-dot apron and pulled up this recipe that I had bookmarked last week from Skinny Taste. I preheated my oven to 425 degrees, and thinly sliced 1/2 of a russet potato since I was cooking for just me. After rinsing and drying the slices on paper towels, I transferred to a ziploc baggie for seasoning. I love this technique of seasoning taters in a bag, because it's fast and ensures everything gets some seasoning love. EVOO, kosher salt, pepper, and chopped garlic were added to the baggie, and after tossing around a bit, I transferred in one layer to my baking sheet, which had a light coating of cooking spray on it. I could barely wait to taste these as the smell of roasting garlic wafted through my kitchen, but I let these babies cook for about 7 minutes on each side. My mouth watered as I drizzled a touch more EVOO over the fries and sprinkled with grated Parmesan and parsley. I took a fork (read: shovel) and devoured my creation immediately.

This one's a keeper, I can't wait to make it again! Maybe next time, with my dry rub sprinkled on top in place of the cheese and garlic...or even the spicy hamburger seasoning that we love...dill fries would be delish...so many possibilities!

Feel Like A Real Chef

We cook a lot of chicken in my house, and my favorite thing (besides finding a whole free-range bird on sale), is to cook its bones into a rich and delicious stock. Homemade stock is easy to make, and this one is frankly, brag-worthy.

After you've done what you will with your chicken meat, save all those delicious bones and giblets, and place in a large crockpot. Add everything you have on hand (this is especially handy if you're like me, and buy a bunch of veggies to deposit into your trash can at week's end). Ideally, this would include: onion, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaves, whole peppercorns, and fresh thyme. In a pinch, I'll use dried herbs, but this makes it much harder to strain, and you may be left with some pieces in your finished stock. Add about 12 cups water, to fill the crockpot nearly to the top. If you prefer an actual recipe (Whaaa?), here's a link to one of my favorite chefs, Tyler Florence, and his stock recipe.

Cook your concoction on low for about eight hours, periodically skimming the residual scum that will rise to the top (if you're unable to do this part, I've found it's not a huge deal to skip it). When the time's up, strain your broth into a large bowl and discard everything else. If you did use tiny things, like dried spices, you'll want to line your strainer with paper towels to catch every little bit. This is probably the most time-consuming piece of the whole process, and you'll want to be sure to have a ton of paper towels on hand.


Refrigerate your beautiful, tasty stock in individual batches (about 8 ounces). As the stock cools, some fat will rise to the top. This should be skimmed off, and then you're all set to freeze! You could also transfer the cooled stock to ice cube trays to freeze, I've used this method in the past and it works great.

Happy cooking!

Getting older is...

...simply amazing!

I may not feel this way when I'm sixty, but damn it, right now I am loving getting older. I love how my hair finally cooperates, my face doesn't break out (not all the time, at least), my taste buds have evolved to crave stinky cheese and black coffee. I love how my body immediately lets me know when I've done something terrible to it, whether it's working out too hard or not eating enough veggies. Unlike when I was 21, and could stay up all night and drink like a fish with (seemingly) no consequences; nowadays, my body either rewards or punishes me, and it's pretty immediate. Those sun spots and lines on my face remind me of carefree times had, but I am more committed than ever to cherishing this body of mine, and not just destroying it at every turn.

It's crazy what ten years can do to your body and mind. I used to be so reckless, not just with what I put in my body, but with what came out of my mouth. Cursing like a sailor or being uneducated wasn't any big deal, I was young and invincible. Eternity meant nothing, because I was going to live forever. I was always going to be young and pretty and skinny and popular...Aah, naïve youth!

I love getting older and acting (mostly) like a lady. I've started embracing my nerdiness and neuroticism, along with my A.D.D. These seemingly negative things make me high-energy, goofy, and creative; and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love craving healthy food, and appreciate so many more foods now that I've opened my mind and become adult-ish. Mushrooms, green beans, spinach, and kale are now some of my most favorite foods, and I can't believe I went almost thirty years without appreciating these amazing veggies!

The best thing about getting older is coming into my own. Finally, I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in, and I refuse to be pushed into some box that society says is acceptable. I believe that I can still make a difference, that we all can. I believe that the world is a beautiful place, I appreciate its glory every single day.

I can't wait for what the next thirty years will bring!

Starting my morning with dinner!

Mmmmm.....Mushrooms and Tapenade and Pasta...a few of my absolute favorite things to stuff in my face!

Olives are so good for you, part of those MUFAs that provide good fats for us ladies. Prevention magazine touts these foods as the key to a flat belly, and you can learn more here. I'll take any excuse to add more EVOO and olives into my diet, and this delish recipe was an experimental success!

I started with cooking Farfalle pasta (Matt's fave) to nearly al dente. I used the whole box, so we'd have leftovers for work lunches. While the pasta was cooking, I chopped half of a medium white onion, minced 2 Tablespoons garlic, 2 Tablespoons black olives, and sliced about 2 cups white button mushrooms.

To a large hot sauté pan, I splashed about 1 Tablespoon of EVOO, and added my mushrooms, olives, onion, and garlic, along with salt, pepper, and dried Italian seasonings, to taste. Let these cook for about 7 minutes on medium-high, until the mushrooms are yummy and brown, but not until the garlic is burnt.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and gently toss your pasta, 8 ounces of ricotta cheese, your mushroom mixture, and about 10 ounces of your chosen red pasta sauce. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of Italian shredded cheese atop your masterpiece, and cook until heated through and melty, about 20 minutes. Yum-sky!

Princess Leia Cupcakes

Star Wars nerds have got to be the best kind of people, especially when they're girls. I love finding those in my own tribe, ladies who love shoes and clothes and Yoda and light sabers...as long as they are of the Jedi variety, heehee!

My dad used to collect Star Wars toys (although he'll vehemently deny it), and when we lived in South Pasadena (a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...), he had a yard sale and sold nearly all of his collectibles. Collectibles that if we would have held on to, might be worth a pretty penny nowadays. Money aside, there was a Yoda puppet that I fell in love with. It was new in the box, and I remember secretly wishing I could keep it. Here's a great lesson in "If you don't ask, the answer will always be no." I kept my mouth shut as I longed to hold that adorable little green monster, and someone snatched him up. I burst into tears when my pops told me that if I would have just told him I wanted it, he would have never sold it...Anyways, the point of the story is that I've been a nerd since the beginning of time, although I've only in adulthood begun to embrace it.

One of the ladies I work with has a little Yoda bobble head on her monitor, and I fell in like with this woman immediately. With her 30th birthday around the corner, I Pinterested for weeks to try to find the most adorable-yet sensible-for-our-busy-office Star Wars treats. No one has time for a forced office birthday party, so I was looking for something that folks could pick up, say happy birthday, and go on with their day. Pinterest has the most amazing ideas, but I have the habit of over-committing myself to projects found there, and needed a treat that wouldn't leave me in tears at midnight with a failed project of poo.

I found Princess Leia cupcakes, and decided to make mini versions, which turned out just adorable. I was still up till midnight, mind you, but totes worth it! Here's the recipe:



1) Wine, for you, not the cupcakes
2) 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix (White if you want a pale face)
3) 1 container Duncan Hines Creamy Chocolate frosting (this is her hair color and face décor)
4) Mini cupcake liners
5) Mini Oreos (these are her buns)

Drink your wine while cooking the mini cupcakes according to the package directions. While the cupcakes are cooling, add your chocolate frosting to 2 small Ziploc baggies. One will be used for piping her hair, and one will be used for piping her face. Cut a 1/4" piece of the tip of the baggie out, and pipe her hair in a "V" shape, adding extra for the sides. Take two mini Oreos and lightly press them on each side of her "head". For her face, cut an even tinier piece of the tip of the second baggie off, and carefully draw her eyes and smile. Refrigerate to set the icing, and be prepared for delight from whoever is on the receiving end of these adorable little nuggets.

Have the most amazing Sunday Funday!

TGI Saturday!

What a crazy couple of weeks I've had.

Two of the ladies I work with resigned, leaving our office in a bit of a panic with busy season just around the corner and every client scrutinizing us. Luckily, we've banded together like never before as a team to make shit happen; but it doesn't mean that we all aren't working ten hour days, skipping lunch, and working weekends. As a result, I've had zero energy to clean my house, go to the gym, make delicious dinner for my boyfriend who works just as many hours...I've been slacking on the things that make me happy and fulfilled.

This work-life balance is one of the things most people struggle with...How do you get ahead in your career without allowing it to take over your entire life? How do you keep your personal life in main focus while spending the majority of each day in an office? We figured out that on average, we get to spend about an hour and a half together each night, and the rest of our time is spent at work or work-related activities (besides the glorious weekends, thank goodness!).

Everyone knows that having a healthy work-life balance decreases stress and makes you a happier, healthier person. How do you cope with being successful and taking the time to nurture yourself and those you love?