Blog Archives
#TBT Six
So no one was brave enough to comment if they were thrown off by my prank post yesterday, huh? ;) Hope you had some fun on April Fool’s Day. Since this weekend we will be celebrating Easter, I thought I’d include an old Easter post for today’s Throwback Thursday. This was two years ago, while I was in track season and celebrating Easter at school. Thankfully this year I’ll be with friends and family for the first time in four years and I can’t wait!
Easter Brunch & Lemony Pasta Salad
Originally Posted: April 1, 2013
I couldn’t have picked a better way to spend my Easter Sunday. After rising extra early for a church service with one of my best friends Kerri, we got to enjoy the radiant sunshine and bright blue sky. It was glorious! Knocked out an 8-miler before noon with plenty of time to get ready for our Girl’s Team Easter Brunch.
We see each other daily at practice, when we are not trying to impress anyone. T-shirts and spandex. Make-up is minimal. Don’t even ask about my hair. Blatantly mismatched outfits have become normal, especially when it’s getting closer to laundry day…We have mastered getting ready for practice in under 15 minutes. Which is why getting dressed up in our Sunday Best was so fun! Dresses and heels obviously warranted some photographic proof that we can, in fact, look girly.
Kerri and I got a ride from our friends Emily and Carissa……when we got in the car, we noticed that we all happened to be sporting denim jackets. Classic.
The brunch was potluck style, and our team can cook! The table looked amazing with homemade goodies from everyone. I knew I wanted to bring something light and springy, so I turned to my faithful Pinterest for some recipe-searching. The result:
Light Lemony Pasta Salad.
- 1 lb. cooked pasta noodles
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- zest and juice of 2 lemons
- salt and pepper to preference
- 10 oz. non-fat greek yogurt
- 12 oz. low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup steamed edamame, shelled
- Cook and drain pasta; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan, brown garlic for about one minute. Add in lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken broth and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add sauce to pasta; add in arugula, tomatoes, and edamame.
- Stir in greek yogurt; chill overnight.
- Top with fresh lemon slices and serve cold!
Our meal was rounded out with some fresh pineapple, kale chips, chicken salad sandwiches, homemade whole wheat cinnamon rolls and other delicious dishes.
Next on the agenda: dyeing eggs! Guess what? Water and food coloring is not a sufficient substitute for vinegar and egg dye. Plan B: Expo Markers!
Hope you enjoyed you Easter weekend! Now it’s back to the grind.
And I’m adding in this new Eli Young Band song because its my favorite right now, and since he says “blue jean jacket” I’m arguing that it is very relevant to this post. :)
TBT #4: Homemade Honey Latte
It’s Thursday again which means another reason to bring up a blast-from-the-past post! I love combing through old posts from a couple years ago, some I had completely forgotten about. Speaking of throwbacks, guess which 90’s idol just made her way onto my Spotify playlist..?
The one and only, Shania. A Buzzfeed article compiled old music videos like Honey, I’m Home and Any Man of Mine. Songs that I haven’t listened to in forever but still know every word. I started thinking about other 90s music of my mom’s that I used to listen to before I got into my own Britney Spears and N’SYNC phase. Dixie Chicks, The Go-Go’s, Billy Gilman, and Donna Lewis come to mind. Good times.
Before I sign off and leave you with today’s #tbt, I can’t not mention the fact that spring break is 24 hours away!
After the New York trip and my procedures were postponed, I scrambled for new spring break plans. The extreme weather on the East coast made travel too risky, and my friends at different universities all have different spring breaks. Looks like a stay-cation for this girl, which includes:
- Unplug from technology (or at least use less of it)
- Read novels, blogs & magazines
- Go for runs, walks and bike rides outside (getting ready for May’s marathon!)
- Try something new at the gym or take a class
- Download new music for a solo car ride
- Cook a new recipe/create a new cocktail
- Decorate the graduation hat (!!!)
- Continue the endless job search
- Take pictures and write new blog posts
- Start planning my post-graduation Tour de South vacation
Give or take a few other exciting events I’m looking forward too. The fact that the above list does not contain “group project meeting” or “8:00am digital marketing class” is enough to make me happy. :)
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Originally Posted on October 22, 2012
It’s been a while since I posted a coffee recipe! Once upon a time, Starbucks made a Honey Latte. They were my favorite, and I was hooked. One day, after ordering an Iced Honey Latte, the barista told me they were seasonal, and no longer on the menu. It was honey heartbreak. (But seriously, what season is honey in anyways?!) I have waited for them to return with no luck, until this morning, when I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I know honey is practically tea’s best friend, but it sure works with coffee too. If you like your latte’s sweet, this is a perfect alternative to a pump of white chocolate syrup. It’s sweet and delicious and melts into the steamed milk like dulce de leche.
No espresso maker, no problem. All you need is a coffee maker and a stovetop. This was the first time I tried steaming my milk in a sauce pan and it worked out great!
Honey Latte (Version 1)
- 2 shots espresso or 1/4 cup STRONG coffee (like my title ;) )
- 1 Cup (8 fl. oz.) non-fat milk
- 1 Tablespoon pure honey
Heat the milk in a sauce pan. After about 3 minutes, add in the honey and whisk together. Heat until it is steamy, but not boiling. Whisk rapidly to produce a little “foam”. (I also have a “frother” from the gadget section of Bed, Bath & Beyond to make this a little more legit looking.)
Pour your espresso/coffee, into your coffee mug. Pour the honey milk into the coffee.
Wanna twist? Try Honey NUT Latte:
Instead of regular non-fat milk, substitute unsweetened Almond Milk, or add a drop of almond extract to your honey milk mixture in the saucepan. Go nuts!
So there, Starbucks. I don’t need your stinkin’ latte, I can make my own. (But if you want to bring it back anyways, that’d be great too.)
Throwback Thursday: Week III
GUYS, football season is here! I already found some cutesy-themed recipes on Pinterest for tailgate parties, game-day get-togethers, and sports marketing staff meetings. You best believe I’ll be wearing my school-colored ribbons in my hair this Saturday. I’ve got spirit, how about you?
This #TBT post may seem like cheating since new content has been far and few between recently. I’ve been busy making sure this senior year is off to the best start possible, and guess what – I’ve got SO MANY new posts to share with you. Starting tomorrow be on the lookout for sponsored posts, collaborations, product reviews, recipes, workouts, internship updates and general happenings of a college senior :)
Life right now is going a mile a minute and thank the lord for my adorable day-planner that keeps me sane between work, sports marketing internship, classes, group project, errands, deadlines and blog stuff. I would also like Sprout’s coffee assortment, specifically Vienna Cinnamon, for keeping me productive all day long. ;) Side note: I wish I could insert emoji’s into blog posts SO BAD! So many appropriate pictures. If any WordPress workers are reading this….work on that, would ya?
I digress so I’m leaving you with this little gem from 2012 all about “healthy snacking” which seemed appropriate coming off of a holiday weekend and heading into tail-gate season. See ya tomorrow! (Insert chicklet emoji here.)
Originally posted on October 15, 2012
For those of us lucky college kids, its Mid-term time again! Do your brain and body a favor and snack smart during those late-night study sessions, hours of Facebook homework and pages of papers. ;)
Stress really does make you hungry, but if you eat yourself into a Hot Cheeto food-coma, your grades and your waist-line will suffer. Here is my list of the top Healthy Study Snacks for whatever you are craving:
1. Popcorn – Great snack instead of chips! They now make 94% fat-free Whole Grain popcorn, which is just 20 calories per cup. Paired with a tart green apple, it’s a perfect salty/crunchy healthy alternative
2. Low-fat string cheese – I just learned today that Kraft makes string cheese in ‘Sweet BBQ,’ ‘Tomato Basil,’ and ‘Cracked Black Pepper’ flavor. For only 60 calories, I’d try all three! Portion control makes string cheese a great snack.
3. Steamed Edamame – the shelled soybeans will be the perfect replacement for nuts or trail mix. (Trail mix and nuts aren’t unhealthy but if you’re like me, it’s hard to stick to the 3 Tablespoon serving size.) These things are addicting but with only 60 calories per 1/4 Cup of edamame and a ton of protein, snack on!
4. Non-fat Yogurt – Add fresh fruit for extra credit : ) It’s a balance of protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Your body will thank you.
5. Something Caffeinated: Skinny Latte’s or Non-fat Cappuccino – the worst thing you can do to your body when it’s already in a heightened state of stress from school is chug an energy drink. Seriously – those things have more sugar than a regular soda, not to mention chemicals that are in no way natural or beneficial to your body. Skinny latte’s are the perfect non-fat, sugar-free pick-me-up.
6. Something Hot: Oatmeal – if it’s a cold night and you’re looking for something comforting to go with reading your textbook, don’t underestimate the power of a bowl of oats :P It’s not just for breakfast! I’ve made oatmeal for dessert plenty of nights, but go for a low-sugar variety.
7. Something cold: Popsicles! So many fruity flavors, even chocolate. The sugar-free kinds are just as delicious and usually under 50 calories. Have 2!
8. If you absolutely must go to the vending machine: Nature Valley Granola Bar – They do have a decent amount of sugar, which could leave you hungry again after an hour or two, but they are 382 times better than a King-Size candy bar or bag of cheese puffs (who wants orange dust all over your keyboard anyways?!).
If you are as big a fan of Pinterest as I am, Pin this Study Snack List here:
And I’m a college girl with mid-terms myself so share your own study tips/healthy snacks! :)
