Givin' up the good stuff for Lent: reflections on my food evolution

I grew up loving everything sweet and junk food-related. Chips ahoy cookies, Doritos, Fruit-roll up's, juice, Sprite, you name it, I probably loved it. I also had and still continue to have a very big appetite...which really goes to show that I love food, but not until too many years ago did I always know good quality food.

But through the years, especially my teen years when I cut back on butter, soda, and lots of the bad stuff in order to impress the boys and improve my physique, I have gone through my food hating years because of those darn adolescent body insecurities. I have always been a big athlete and played soccer, basketball and tennis growing up, in high school and went on to play tennis at my college too...so I was able to eat a lot of what I wanted and not worry about it but my naturally full cheeks and muscular legs brought out those critical moments in my teens where I cut back on a lot of the foods I loved.

{weheartit.com}

Anyway, I am now married to someone who really loves, appreciates, and understands food, and good quality food that is. It is funny because he grew up on Adams peanut butter, grains, fruits and all of the naturally good stuff while I was over in Connecticut eating my Taco Bell, McDonalds and granola bars pumped with lots of chocolate and other additive goodies. I know he now appreciates the healthy lifestyle his mom was instilling in him and despite the fact that I loved all of my treats as a kid, I know when I have kids I will be enforcing a whole new code of ethics to them.

Through dating and now being married to my husband, I have learned to branch out and try foods I never would have considered in the past, some of these foods are even now some of my most favorite things to eat---beets, duck, lamb, radishes, pineapple, a variety of greens etc. I have to say it helps that I am not too picky but even still some of these foods made me cringe, gag, and turn the other direction. Growing up I really hated pineapple, I couldn't stand the smell, or taste and told people I was allergic so I wouldn't have to eat it, that and milk--which now that I think of it, is pretty funny because if you know me well, you know my favorite food of all time is CHEESE and cheese doesn't happen without good old Mr. Milk :) My husband has helped me to learn to cook, to understand that being able to do recipes doesn't mean you are a good cook but rather being able to pull ingredients from your frig and know the basic techniques and skills to pull something simple and delicious together is the real art of cooking. To say a long story short, I think I have come along way from my junk food days, not to say I don't still love me some greasy potato chips or a casserole, because I certainly do but I think I not have a real appreciation for 'good' food and I also eat a lot cleaner and healthier than I ever did in the past.

So getting to my point, since the hubby and I don't buy a lot of junk aka processed foods....one would think I would be fine giving up refined sugars for Lent but it has proven to be quite a challenge for me. I think that is because I have discovered that sugar lives and breathes in sooooo much of the food we eat, it really is quite scary. Here are a few items I have had to nix for my effort:

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-mayonnaise 

-ketchup

-most cereals

-no yogurt except FAGE

-no granola bars or protein bars...even those KIND bars I thought were pretty healthy

-all juice products but Green Machine Naked juice...it is a good thing I like to take unsweetened cran juice and mix it with water--watch out to those of you who have never tried this, it is pretty darn T.A.R.T!!

-peanut butter, we even buy the Natural Skippy so I got a natural brand with the oil on the top, again it is good that I love any type of pb

-desserts

-most breads, again it is a good thing that I am partial to a wheat bread from Sprouts that has no sugar added

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My diet has become quite limited because as I mentioned sugar lives and reigns in most of what we Americans eat so I really have had to be careful. This challenge has been hard at times. My husband has had to steer me clear of the cookies, and rows of candy at the grocery store but I have to say that I do feel healthier, know my body is thanking me and really do have some awesome self control. Go me! So I am steering clear of sugar but missing a few of my favorite things that I love every once in awhile-those being cookie dough and these little monsters you can find at most grocery stores and target..

Lofhouse Sugar Cookies
{image from google}

Although these cookies are delish, super soft, ubber sweet and they melt in your mouth, the association I have with them is much greater than their colorful (their happy bright colors and themed colors for the holidays make me smile) and sweet perfection. These little lovelies take me back to my college years--- one of our tennis captains would bring these to our matches and it was a wonderful yummy reward. I also had these with some of my besties while watching Greys or just hanging out. When my BFF and I moved to D.C. we went on to share in these cookies together and had a box of them when I stayed with her a week before I moved to California. These cookies spell out a walk down memory lane and fun times shared with some of my closest friends.

I am going to keep with my sugar free way of life and know that once Lent is over it still isn't good to indulge much in sugar or have much of it in your every day but there is alwys room for a little sweetness once in a while and boy right now my sugar devil is trying to convince me to run out and capture a box of these cookies at the store.

Happy Tuesday, to you all~

Happy day full of love!!

Today is Valentine's Day, a day I love for all of its pink, white and red glory. I've always loved this "holiday" not for its silly commercial hype on roses and romance (there was a mad rush at Safeway yesterday with huge balloons and a line of men stretching out the door with their bundles of flowers in tow) but for the little conversation hearts, homemade creations in school, fun decor, extra squeeze or kiss shared with a loved one and for all of its cuteness.

My mom recently showed me this cute app called Red Stamp, that I just love. You can email, text, post or paper mail personalized cards, invitations notes, announcements etc and they have the most ADORABLE templates and concepts. Check it out.

 Acting fairly normal...

Not so normal :-)

So on this day, whether you hate it and dress it all black, rebel against it by watching horror films and eating bon bons or embrace it and do all things hearts and sweet...make the most of your day and make it extra special, just because :)

~Happy Valentine's Day from me to you~

 xoxoxo

The Perfect Statement Plant: Succulents {DIY Succulent Wreath}

SUCCULENTS

 

I'm not sure if my new obsession and awareness of succulents is due to the fact that we now live in California and they are quite popular here or because my hubby's extended family have pots and pots of them and his cousin and aunt have even made wreaths with them too. They are absolutely stunning and such a fun, earthy statement piece.

Last weekend the hubs and I were in LA visiting his uncle, Dick. His uncle is a great gardner and he and his wife, Nan (who died this summer from throat cancer..I've written about Nan in the past but she is deeply missed by the whole family and was such a charming woman) have pots of succulents around their lawn and pool area and they just look so good and seem to thrive with the California climate. Dick even out did himself and sent us home with probably a dozen pots of succulents to put in our home to love and tend to. I was so excited!!

We went to the Terranea Resort for lunch, which is right on the water and where we celebrated the hubby's grandmother's 90th birthday with about 60 family members a few years back. In one of their entertainment rooms, I spotted this STUNNING arrangement in an old rustic clay pot with bundles of flowers tucked in too. I wanted to scoop it up right then and there and take it home with me---it had a captivating trance on me, but I resisted and just snapped some photos instead.

B's cousin, Jeff made a wreath for his parents, Nan and Dick and I was taking notes this weekend and asked him to walk me through the steps so I could make one myself. He gave me the list of essentials and sent along two videos. I need to study up and get making!

 

{I need to point out that this photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of these master piece}

To BUY:

-wire wreath frame (from Michaels) - you only need 1 side if it will sit flat but if you plan to hang it then you should probably get 2 halves (one for each side to give it support)

-fishing line or florist wire (to wrap the wreath frame and sphagnum moss to hold it all together)

-2 large bags of dry sphagnum moss (cheapest at Home Depot and expensive at Michael's) (there are different types of moss, some which don't absorb water well so make sure you get the sphagnum moss)

-Screwdriver (to poke holes in the wreath to insert the succulents)

-Succulent clippings (it takes a lot of them); they sell them at home depot or you can pilfer them from the side of the road if you have them in your area.

Put the wreath frame flat on a table.  Soak the sphagnum moss for a few minutes and then load the moss onto the wreath frame packing it tightly.  Wrap it tightly with the fishing line or wire going around and around the frame.  Poke holes in the wreath and insert the succulent clippings.  Pretty simple once you have the supplies.

Here are the links to two helpful videos: Go here and here

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I know this is a really longgggg post but I have a lot to say and succulents make me oh so excited so here I go...continuing to blabber on...

I have a girlfriend on the East Coast who is getting married in August-she is one of my childhood besties and we grew up in a very quaint town by the Long Island Sound. So think beachy, but more historic beachy than what you might have in mind, with sweet little shops and marshes and 17th and 19th century homes around our town's green. Yes, we do have a green and I think it is quite possibly the most charming feature about my cute little town. Take a little looksky here :) Any who, she is getting married back home and is having a shoreline feel kind of wedding. My mom, a huge blog lover and wedding event extraordinaire, suggested to my friend to use succulents for her wedding and various blues and greens from sea glass hues and build off of there. Instead of your typical sand and starfish theme (again, nothing wrong with that look but she was trying to help my friend think outside of the box a little).

Side note-I'm a traditionalist so not real big into modern decor and looks but I still like lots of different looks out there despite this fact. I was thinking about succulents how they are modern but I think they have a cool duality going on. They are edge-y but vintage-y at the same time. That is probably why they work for me. Succulents are fresh, refreshing (notice how the word 'fresh' is in there) and have a real pop factor.

Here are some succulent-esque wedding looks I am loving:

{see more designing with succulents looks here}

{beautiful wedding hair-For a full viewing of her wedding check it out here}

{so fresh and modern looking}

{gorgeous palette}

{love the contrasts and peacock feather pop! More details here}

{in love!}

There are so many looks on this google search page that I am LUSTING after that I felt the need to post the whole internet page, ha. So here it is, I could spend hours looking at all of this goodness but since I've already done our wedding, I think I'll find some looks to bring into our home.

Enjoy and TGIF, babes xoxo

Spotted: Blazers

I think that a good blazer is a basic necessity that every woman should have in her closet! They are practical, sophisticated and add an element of polish to that boring ole tee and jeans look or flowy tunic and skinny jeans ensemble.

My hubby tends to laugh (playfully that is) when I pull out my navy blazer from Gap that I bought with my bff last spring in DC or my grey sweatshirt material one that I've gotten endless amounts of compliments on and could practically sleep in. He claims that since we're out in CA, my blazer look is a little too New England. However, since I'm always true to my roots, I love the blazer and think it looks good in any environment and still continue to rock it whenever and wherever the mood strikes :)

We all know that Jessica Alba is flawless and always kicks into the best shape after her babies (I guess personal trainers and chefs do help but stilllLLL!!). Jessica could walk around in a potato sack and still look gorgeous. Anyway, she was caught in several blazer looks recently that I loved. Here they are:

This blazer is my favorite by far, that stunning emerald color, the dramatic cropped/dip look and rolled sleeves for a more casual and sporty look. OBSESSED

I saw this one at Nordstrom and love the fun stripes for spring. I will have to make some room in my closet for a few new blazers for the warmer days ahead.

{photos courtesy of people.com and my iphone}

Happy Thursday, everyone! Almost to the weekend :):) We are heading down to LA on Friday to visit the hubby's uncle and I can't wait. A dip in the pool might have to be in order :-)