Breakfast Smoothie - March 26, 2013

Apparently this http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/buff-smoothie-recipe/index.html is how chef Alton Brown lost a bunch of weight.  We drank these smoothies for breakfast pretty regularly a while back.  I even bought large-mouth nalgene bottles in larger than 24 ounce size so I could easily pour from the blender into the container, and so any remaining chunks of fruit could get eaten.  I noticed a couple bags of frozen fruit in the freezer the other day when I was filling the freezer with chicken breasts, so I decided to resurrect the smoothie.

This is four ounces of strawberries, four ounces of peaches, four ounces of pineapple, and a banana.  I didn't weigh the banana because I wasn't going to put in extra if it was less than four ounces, and I wasn't going to eat the last bite of the banana if it was more than four ounces.

I made four of these containers of fruit so they'd be ready to go for breakfast, and so I didn't have to store any of the fruit in the freezer since I'm short on space.

Keep the fruit in the fridge overnight so they soften a little from pure frozen.  When it's time to blend, pour the entire container into the blender, then add four ounces of a purple fruit juice and four ounces of soy milk for protein.

Delish!

One Suitcase - March 25, 2013

So I pinned this http://outfitposts.blogspot.com/2012/12/summary-one-suitcase-beach-vacation.html#.UVCXulc09zs and it changed my life.  It made so much sense to pack light while having plenty of different outfits to choose from.  And when going on an island vacation, who knows what the temperature is going to change into when the sun goes down, so it makes sense to have more cover-ups than just the ratty hoodie I wore on the plane.

I have nothing in my closet that I like, so I went shopping.

I stuck with the theme of basics in white and navy.

I'm still shopping for a pair of khaki shorts.  The blog shows white shorts, but I don't think my giant ass can handle a pair of white shorts.

Then I chose green for my other main color, with hints of pink.

Plus accessories and shoes.  I don't wear necklaces, so I added a couple scarves to the mix, light and flowy.

I have since also purchased a pair of gladiator type sandals.

I didn't have the patience to put on every single outfit, but I did manage a few.  Outfits 1-3.

Outfit 6...

Outfits 9-12...

Outfits 14-17...

Outfits 19-21...

Outfits 23-26...

Outfit 28...

Outfits 30-32...

And finally, outfits 39-40...

I am so glad I did this, even the trying them on as outfits.  It helped me realize what else I need (a strapless bra and I hate my jeans).  And I'm not sure about outfit #12, since the shades of green are really clashy.  But I love how throwing a cardigan on over the dress and changing out the shoes can totally transform the outfit from daytime beach walk to fancy dinner.

Anyway, I really wanted to do this so people could see that it's not just a packing plan for a perfect size 6.  (Plus, it was kinda fun to crop my head out of photographs!)

Cleaning - December 4, 2012

Went away for Thanksgiving and came back sick with a cold that includes a cough and plugged ears.  Not the best way to start my unemployment.  So last week was a bust.

But, feeling better, I'm getting a ton done on my cleaning list.  After today, I have four items left on my 39 item cleaning list, and it's only Tuesday!

Big item today was cleaning the washing machine.  We live in a rental, but we have an in-unit washer/dryer.  Today I used one of the Pins I noticed a while back and cleaned the machine.  It's actually had a little dirt buildup on the internal agitator where the water would fill up to in a large load.  The pin said to fill the machine with hot water and add one quart of bleach, let it agitate for one minute, then sit for one hour, then run on the longest cycle.  Repeat with one quart of white vinegar.  When the vinegar is sitting in the machine though, take a scrubby sponge and clean any gunk you can see.  I scrubbed the dirt off the agitator, some crevices around the lid hinge, and around and inside the bleach cup dispenser.

Then, since I was on a roll, I took a vacuum to the dryer.  All the dryer lint that got missed by the lint trap got vacuumed up.

Oh, and two days ago, I got the BF to change the vacuum bag so that machine is working like a champ now.

Off to do more cleaning!

Thanksgiving - November 22, 2012

My camera in the hands of a 3 year old.  These are some of the artistic photos she took.

And the one I took.

I think hers were better.  They really captured the essence of the day.