I never watched Laguna Beach but I have been a pretty avid follower of the Hills since it came on air on MTV. Last night was the final episode leaving me a little emotional. It marked the end of a era. These women are growing up, which in turns means I am too. Even though The Hills is a bit drama filled, it has always been a show I felt I could relate too on some degree. They were my age-young adults trying to get started in the real world. A good group of girl friends that had what seemed like real life friend, boy, and sibling/family drama. They loved to get all dressed up, go out on the town, be social….. They had parties, fights, bonding, trips… the same things my friends and I went through on a daily basis. It was just refreshing seeing these Hollywood high maintenance rich women going through all the same things the normal women of the world were experiencing. Hence why this show was so popular… because alot of people felt that way. It really was my generation’s version of Sex and the City.
I am not a huge reality TV but to me this show had always seemed different….. BUT the last 15 seconds of the show reminded me why I don’t like reality TV. (If you haven’t seen the last episode, stop now because here comes spoilers.) Everyone knows that to some degree that The Hills is scripted but I had always thought it was just a glammed up version of reality. When they exposed that the last scene between Kristin and Brody was actually at a set it made me question the whole concept. Which I guess was actually the point. I assume they just wanted the audience to realize that it was actually a tv show..... But it did get me thinking. Was any of it the truth? Were Spencer and Heidi actually married? Were Stephanie/Spencer or Heidi/Holly actually not on good terms or did they fake that to add drama to the show? Is Spencer actually crazy? Did Kristen and Brody actually have feelings for each other? You get the point. What is real and what isn’t… Who knows! Clearly Heidi really got plastic surgery but at this point that is all I am for sure of. Anyways, tear that the show is over. I just hope the tabloids keep up with them, I will most certainly be curious as I have withdrawals for their reality tv world.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Yea.. I got a green thumb!
In my goal of becoming the ultimate domestic goddess I figured now that I had a house I needed to have a garden too. I started small…. Two squash plants, 5 bell pepper plants, and 1 tomato plant. I was beginning to doubt my green thumb until I spotted my first baby vegetables!!!! I’m so excited and it is amazing even though my garden is miniature I am glad I started so small. I have already learned so much about how much more space plants need, fertilizer, pesticides, how much water and sunlight, ect.- Something that would have been much more of an undertaking with a bigger garden. Already planning for next year… my garden will be awesome!
Can you spot my baby vegetables? :o)
Can you spot my baby vegetables? :o)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Recipe of the Week!
Recipe of the week… This is an oldy but goody. My mom has been making this for years but this is the first time I have made it as an adult. It's super easy and tons of variations. I like to bulk up the veggie content and it makes one serving go a LONG way! Anyways, hope you like it!
Stuffed Peppers:
4-5 large bell peppers
1 lb lean ground beef
1 – 2 onion
½ rice
1 can diced tomatoes
FF shredded Cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degree. Cut tops off of all but 1 bell peppers. Take the pepper tops and one whole bell pepper and one or two onions and chop. Brown the ground beef with the onion and pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a can of diced tomatoes and ½ rice (already cooked. I used white instant, but brown would probably cut the calories even more) Let simmer. While simmering, take the topless bell peppers and blanch for 3 minutes. Place blanched bell peppers in a baking dish, stuff with the beef mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted. Wah-lah!
It's making me hungry just thinking about it! :oP
Stuffed Peppers:
4-5 large bell peppers
1 lb lean ground beef
1 – 2 onion
½ rice
1 can diced tomatoes
FF shredded Cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degree. Cut tops off of all but 1 bell peppers. Take the pepper tops and one whole bell pepper and one or two onions and chop. Brown the ground beef with the onion and pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a can of diced tomatoes and ½ rice (already cooked. I used white instant, but brown would probably cut the calories even more) Let simmer. While simmering, take the topless bell peppers and blanch for 3 minutes. Place blanched bell peppers in a baking dish, stuff with the beef mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted. Wah-lah!
It's making me hungry just thinking about it! :oP
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
One room at a time!
With a new house comes expanded expenses. Hence why I am tackling one room at a time.... My most current of projects has been my dining room and living room which are adjoined. Here is the latest update after my furniture and print purchases after the past few weeks.
My prints are some of the fabulous Spirit of Nashville prints done by the Anderson Design group. I love all of their prints... It was hard to pick just 3. I also got some fun purchases from the Nashville flea market but you can't see most of them in the picture. More photos to come as my house comes together. Enjoy!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Boys with Girlfriends
Lesson I learned this week:
I should know better than to be friends with boys with girlfriends.
Yes, guys and girls can be friends with the opposite sex but I don’t believe they can be best friends or very close friends. If a friendship is headed for that direction it may be headed for some troubled waters…. esp if one of them is attached (to someone else). Through the last couple of months and my interactions with single men, taken men, and learning through other peoples’ experiences, I have come to the conclusion that a man can only have 1 leading lady and vis versa.
Why guys and girls can’t be best friends (unless dating each other or if both single)
A) One person always tends get’s crazy thoughts about the other (may be stated or go ignored but it is still true). But with close friendship there is a lot of emotions involved, a bond formed, and clearly there is some sort of compatibility…. Even if you are just exploring the friendship side. A relationship is over 50% friendship.
B) The sex part always gets in the way. No, not let sexual intercourse but if one or both of you finds the other attractive you are playing with fire, feelings and crushes begin to form. Revert to point A. (if you disagree with this statement because you have tons of friends of the opposite sex, that just means you are in denial that all of them are actually into you…..)
C) Even if both people are in relationships you would think the pressure of possible involvement is lifted, that there will be no issue with being just friends but nope…. Because the person you are involved with will never understand why you are close friends with someone of the opposite sex. They will accuse you of being attracted to them, which you probably are, and question if there is something missing from your relationship since you are reaching out to other people of the opposite sex…..
D) What if only one of you is in a relationship…. Again you would think it would relieve that pressure of involvement. But still nope. Innocent flirting, crossing the line here or there can lead to emotional cheating, feelings, and then who knows what else. Then the single person becomes the bad guy and the person in a relationship becomes the victim…
Now I am sure there are exceptions to this rule but just putting one of my crazy theories into text. What do you think?
I should know better than to be friends with boys with girlfriends.
Yes, guys and girls can be friends with the opposite sex but I don’t believe they can be best friends or very close friends. If a friendship is headed for that direction it may be headed for some troubled waters…. esp if one of them is attached (to someone else). Through the last couple of months and my interactions with single men, taken men, and learning through other peoples’ experiences, I have come to the conclusion that a man can only have 1 leading lady and vis versa.
Why guys and girls can’t be best friends (unless dating each other or if both single)
A) One person always tends get’s crazy thoughts about the other (may be stated or go ignored but it is still true). But with close friendship there is a lot of emotions involved, a bond formed, and clearly there is some sort of compatibility…. Even if you are just exploring the friendship side. A relationship is over 50% friendship.
B) The sex part always gets in the way. No, not let sexual intercourse but if one or both of you finds the other attractive you are playing with fire, feelings and crushes begin to form. Revert to point A. (if you disagree with this statement because you have tons of friends of the opposite sex, that just means you are in denial that all of them are actually into you…..)
C) Even if both people are in relationships you would think the pressure of possible involvement is lifted, that there will be no issue with being just friends but nope…. Because the person you are involved with will never understand why you are close friends with someone of the opposite sex. They will accuse you of being attracted to them, which you probably are, and question if there is something missing from your relationship since you are reaching out to other people of the opposite sex…..
D) What if only one of you is in a relationship…. Again you would think it would relieve that pressure of involvement. But still nope. Innocent flirting, crossing the line here or there can lead to emotional cheating, feelings, and then who knows what else. Then the single person becomes the bad guy and the person in a relationship becomes the victim…
Now I am sure there are exceptions to this rule but just putting one of my crazy theories into text. What do you think?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Chacos should come in PINK!
One word that most people most likely would not use to describe me is outdoorsy. I never had parents that took us on outdoor adventure vacations or had friends that enjoyed hiking, camping, rock climbing… that kind of thing. Even though I have camped, fished, gone kayaking/rafting, spelunking, and hiking in my 24 years, I probably am more of the girly type. Those types of adventures are usually very far and in between. When I think of things that are fun I think of getting my nails done, shopping, and my idea of outdoorsy is laying out by the pool or boating on the lake.
I haven’t done any outdoor adventures since college. Once college was over I threw away my teva’s and hiking boots and haven’t really looked back since (that 6 mile hike up a volcano in the Caribbean was like the worst and best day of my life. Shocked I lived through it!)
Anyways, this weekend a group of friends that takes an annual rafting trip for the 4th of July invited me. I love rafting. It gets my adrenaline pumping and it isn’t one of those outdoorsy sports that exhausts me physically. I went into a Cumberland Transit, an outdoor sporting goods store here in Nashville, to get a few things for the trip. There were lots of people in there and I was very intrigued by this one middle aged couple that was planning on hiking the grand canyon. I chatted them up and at that moment in time I was completely jealous. I wanted to be cool like that. I wanted to wear adventure wear, wear adventure shoes, be a hippy and carefree and love to roam the earth. I wanted to try rock climbing and repelling again. I wanted to hike the hills of Tennessee…. But I guess I will start one step at the time. Rafting the Ochee River again this weekend!
Totally adding some new things to my to do list!
I haven’t done any outdoor adventures since college. Once college was over I threw away my teva’s and hiking boots and haven’t really looked back since (that 6 mile hike up a volcano in the Caribbean was like the worst and best day of my life. Shocked I lived through it!)
Anyways, this weekend a group of friends that takes an annual rafting trip for the 4th of July invited me. I love rafting. It gets my adrenaline pumping and it isn’t one of those outdoorsy sports that exhausts me physically. I went into a Cumberland Transit, an outdoor sporting goods store here in Nashville, to get a few things for the trip. There were lots of people in there and I was very intrigued by this one middle aged couple that was planning on hiking the grand canyon. I chatted them up and at that moment in time I was completely jealous. I wanted to be cool like that. I wanted to wear adventure wear, wear adventure shoes, be a hippy and carefree and love to roam the earth. I wanted to try rock climbing and repelling again. I wanted to hike the hills of Tennessee…. But I guess I will start one step at the time. Rafting the Ochee River again this weekend!
Totally adding some new things to my to do list!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Diet food review Jack Pot!
I am always looking for tasty guilt free items! I actually have written about some of my favorites on here. As I was browsing my fitness magazine uring my lunch break today (Clearly you don't have to be fit to read Fitness! haha) I came accross an article that listed a few snack options and recipes that left me intrigued. I did my usual google on a few them and came accross this awesome site that is all about new health and diet food finds! I love this new found site. Many of the things I have already tried but now there are a ton more on my list to try out thanks to this site.
So for all you other diet food/health food junkies - IateApie.net : Check IT out!
"IateApie.net provides reviews of foods marketed as healthy and diet friendly options. If it says low fat, low carb, reduced sugar, whole grain, natural, organic or high protein - we review it. The site was started in October 2004 and it is one of the few sites on the internet that delivers this kind of unique and unbiased content, with more than 800 foods reviews, each of which ranks in the Top 5 for a Google search of their product names."
Also, Hungry Girl, one of my fav healthly eating guru sent out her 2010 edition of her supermarket list. A-mazing!
Abbreviations:
FF = fat-free, RF = reduced-fat, LF = low-fat, SF = sugar-free, NSA = no-sugar-added
Dairy, Dairy Alternatives & Egg Products
Cheese
FF or RF shredded cheese (Kraft, Lifetime, Sargento, Galaxy
Veggie Shreds, Weight Watchers)
FF or RF block cheeses (Lifetime, Cabot)
FF or RF cheese slices (Kraft, Kraft Melt Downs, Sargento,
Galaxy Veggie Slices, Weight Watchers)
FF or LF cottage cheese (Fiber One, Knudsen/Breakstone's
On the Go!/Snack Size, Knudsen 100 Calorie Doubles)
FF cream cheese (or Weight Watchers RF Spread)
FF or RF crumbled feta
The Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges (NEW FLAVORS!)
Light string cheese (50 - 60 calories w/ about 2g fat each)
Assorted RF cheese snacks (Weight Watchers, Sargento)
The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Light
Kraft 100 Calorie Packs Cheese Bites
RF Parmesan-style grated topping (pasta aisle, usually)
Egg Products
FF liquid egg substitute (Egg Beaters Original,
Better'n Eggs, Nulaid ReddiEgg)
Liquid egg whites (All Whites, Egg Beaters Whites)
Eggs (for making hard-boiled egg whites)
Yogurt
FF or LF yogurt (Yoplait Light, Dannon Light &
Fit, Weight Watchers, Yoplait Fiber One, YoPlus Light)
FF plain Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0%, Trader Joe's
0%, Chobani Nonfat)
FF or LF fruity Greek yogurt (Fage Total 2%
with Fruit, Chobani Nonfat)
Milk & Milk Swaps
Refrigerated light vanilla soymilk (8th Continent Light,
Silk Light)
Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
(stocked with refrigerated or non-refrigerated soymilks)
Pudding
SF or NSA pudding cups (Jell-O SF,
Hunt's SF or NSA)
Kozy Shack NSA Rice Pudding & Tapioca Pudding
Mousse Temptations by Jell-O
Assorted Low-Cal Condiments
FF Reddi-wip
Cool Whip Free (freezer aisle)
Coffee-mate Original FF liquid creamer
Coffee-mate FF or SF French Vanilla
powdered creamer
Coffee-mate Powder Stick Packs
FF sour cream
FF or LF mayo
Light buttery spread or light whipped butter (Brummel &
Brown, Land O'Lakes Whipped Light, Smart Balance 37%
Light)
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray
Cereal
Cold Cereal
Puffed stuff (puffed wheat, rice &/or corn; Kashi 7 Whole
Grain Puffs; Kix)
Shredded wheat (like Fiber One's frosted version)
Fiber One Bran Cereal (original)
Kashi Honey Sunshine
Chocolate Cheerios
Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal
Hot Cereal
Instant oatmeal packets (Quaker, Quaker Simple
Harvest, Quaker True Delights)
Amy's Hot Cereal Bowls (freezer aisle)
Old-fashioned oats
Meat & Seafood
Meat
Nearly FF (around 97%) turkey, chicken &/or ham slices
(Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh, Applegate Farms, Butterball,
Healthy Ones, Sara Lee, Boar's Head)
Boneless skinless lean chicken &/or turkey breast
Extra-lean/lean ground turkey breast (Jennie-O,
Butterball)
FF or nearly FF hot dogs (Hebrew National 97% FF,
Ball Park FF, Ball Park Bun Size Smoked
White Turkey, Hoffy Extra Lean)
Canned 98% FF chunk white chicken breast in water
Seafood
Canned/pouched tuna in water
Canned/pouched salmon in water
Real or imitation crabmeat
StarKist Salmon, Albacore & Tuna Creations
Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Albacore Steak Entrees
Frozen or fresh shrimp & scallops
Frozen or fresh fish fillets (like tilapia, tuna & flounder)
Gorton's frozen grilled shrimp & fish fillets (tilapia, salmon)
Assorted Meaty Extras
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni (and Minis!)
Lean turkey burger patties (Jennie-O, Butterball)
Center-cut bacon or extra-lean/lean turkey bacon
(Jennie-O Extra Lean, Oscar Mayer)
Precooked real crumbled bacon (or imitation bacon bits)
Soy, turkey, or beef jerky (Tasty Eats -- not the
chicken-flavored ones --, Jack Link's, Oh Boy!
Oberto, Healthy Snackin's Simply Snackin)
Jack Link's Premium Cuts (Chicken Nuggets!)
Veggies
Fresh
Chopped & prepared veggies/veggie snacks (Mann's
Snacks on the Go)
Salad greens
Giant romaine lettuce leaves & cabbage (like Mann's Lettuce
Singles -- for wraps!)
Veggies for munching on (cherry tomatoes, broccoli, sugar
snap peas, baby carrots)
Broccoli slaw mix
Mann's Lo Mein Stir Fry (part veggies, part noodles)
Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Onions (for Lord of the Onion Rings!)
Butternut squash (for HG's special fries)
More fresh veggies of your choice
Frozen
Steam-in-the-bag veggies (Birds Eye, Green Giant, Veg-All)
Seasoned veggies or veggies in LF sauce (Green Giant Just
for One!, Green Giant Health Blends)
Fruit
Fresh
Grab-n-go fruit (apples, pears, bananas, oranges)
More fresh fruit of your choice
Canned & Frozen
Canned fruit in juice or water (pineapple, mandarin oranges,
peaches)
NSA frozen fruit (strawberries, dark sweet cherries, mango
chunks, peach slices, mixed berries)
NSA applesauce (flavored!)
Soups & Other Canned Goods
Low-Cal Canned Soups
Progresso (99% FF, Light & High Fiber)
Amy's Organic Light in Sodium (Chunky Tomato Bisque!)
Broths & Chili
FF chicken, beef, or veggie broth (look for low-sodium)
Canned LF turkey or veggie chili (Hormel, Health Valley)
Non-Canned Guilt-Free Soups
Tabatchnick Soups (freezer aisle)
Kettle Cuisine Soups & Chili (freezer aisle)
Mishima instant soups (Miso & Edamame!)
Campbell's Soup at Hand (check stats for LF ones)
Campbell's V8 Soups
More Canned Fun
Pure pumpkin (Libby's! Hard to find, but worth the search!)
Black beans (look for low-sodium)
Other beans of your choice (garbanzo, kidney, cannellini)
FF refried beans
Tomato sauce (look for flavored)
Crushed tomatoes (for chunky sauce & look for flavored)
Diced tomatoes (fire-roasted!)
Packaged Snacks, Bars, Etc.
Crackers & LF Chips
High-fiber crackers (Wheat Thins Fiber Selects, Ryvita,
Wasa, Dr. Kracker Flatbreads)
Guiltless Gourmet Tortilla Chips
Baked &/or RF potato chips (Kettle Brand Baked, Lay's Baked!, Pringles
Light, Cape Cod 40% RF)
Popchips (or Trader Joe's Popped Potato Chips)
Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
Popcorn & Other Crunchy Snacks
94% FF mini microwave popcorn bags (Jolly Time Healthy
Pop, Orville Redenbacher's SmartPop!, Pop Secret 100
Calorie Pop)
Rice cakes & snacks (Quaker Rice Cakes & Tortillaz)
Soy crisps (Genisoy, Glenny's)
Michael Season's single-serving snacks
100-Calorie-or-Less Snack Packs & Treats
Snack cakes (Hostess 100 Calorie Packs, Weight Watchers
Snack Cakes)
Quaker Mini Delights
Rice Krispies Treats The Original Bars
VitaTops, VitaMuffins & VitaBrownies (freezer aisle!)
Pringles Stix
Oreo Wafer Fun Stix
Assorted 100-calorie snack packs (Nabisco, Right Bites, Mini
Bites, Chex Mix)
100 Calorie Bars (Hershey's, Reese's, York)
Entenmann's Little Bites 100 Calorie Packs
Bite-Worthy Bars
Cereal bars & chewy granola bars (Fiber One, Quaker 90
Calorie, Special K, South Beach Living Fiber Fit, Kashi)
Crunchy granola bars (Nature Valley, Kashi)
Decadent snack bars (South Beach Living Delights, Chex
Mix, Promax 70 Calorie)
Mini-meal-type bars (Kashi GoLean, Kind, Luna, Lara)
Assorted Guilt-Free Snack Foods
Freeze-dried fruit (Gerber Mini Fruits, Just Tomatoes, Trader
Joe's, Sensible Foods, Funky Monkey, Crispy Green)
Gerber Fruit Puffs & Veggie Puffs
Jell-O SF Gelatin Snacks
LesserEvil Krinkle Sticks
Fiber One Toaster Pastries
Newtons or Special K Fruit Crisps
Nuts
Everybody's Nuts! California Pistachios
All Natural Almond Accents
100-calorie packs of Blue Diamond Almonds
100-calorie packs of Emerald's Almonds (Cocoa
Roast!)
Bread Aisle
Bread & Buns
Low-cal, high-fiber light bread (Weight Watchers; Nature's
Own Light & Double Fiber; Arnold's Bakery Light;
Pepperidge Farm Light Style, Very Thin & Whole Grain;
Sara Lee Delightful; Fiber One)
Light buns (Sara Lee Delightful, Nature's Own Double Fiber,
Pepperidge Farm Classic Soft)
100-calorie flat buns (Arnold Select/Oroweat Sandwich Thins
and Fill 'Ems, Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats, EarthGrains Thin
Buns, Nature's Own Sandwich Rounds)
English Muffins & Bagels
Light English muffins (Weight Watchers, Thomas', Western
Bagel Alternative, Fiber One)
Low-cal bagels (Sara Lee Delightful, Western Bagel Alternative,
Weight Watchers, Kim's Light)
Thomas' Bagel Thins
Tortillas & Pitas
LF, high-fiber flour tortillas with around 110 cals each (La
Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb High Fiber or
100 Calorie, Mission Carb Balance, Tumaro's 8" Healthy
or Low in Carbs, Flatout Light Wraps)
High-fiber pita bread (Western Bagel Alternative, Weight
Watchers)
Ice Cream & Frozen Novelties
FF or LF ice cream (Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice
Creams, Breyers Smooth & Dreamy FF)
LF ice cream sandwiches (The Skinny Cow, Weight
Watchers, Klondike Slim-a-Bear, Breyers Smooth &
Dreamy)
Fruit bars (Blue Bunny FrozFruit, Fruitfull Juice Bars,
Dreyer's/Edy's NSA Fruit Bars)
LF fudge bars (Weight Watchers GIANT, Healthy Choice
Premium, NSA Fudgsicles)
Portion-controlled light ice cream cups (Weight Watchers,
Dreyer's/Edy's, The Skinny Cow)
Light ice cream bars (Breyers Smooth & Dreamy,
The Skinny Cow -- especially Truffle Bars!)
Weight Watchers Sherbet & Ice Cream Bars
Fruity popsicles (SF Popsicles, Crystal Light)
Guilt-free sundae cones (Nestle Lil' Drums, Weight
Watchers, The Skinny Cow)
Sauces, Dressings, Etc.
Low-cal salad dressings (Girard's FF, Kraft Free,
Kraft Light, Hidden Valley FF, Wish-Bone
Light, Newman's Own Lighten Up!, low-cal ones from
Litehouse)
Spray dressings (Wish-Bone, Ken's)
SF pancake syrup (Cary's SF, Mrs. Butterworth's SF, Log Cabin
SF)
Salsa (fresh, La Victoria, Pace)
SF or low-sugar preserves (Smucker's SF, Smucker's Low Sugar,
Polaner SF with Fiber)
Frank's RedHot (Original & flavored)
Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise
Ketchup (Heinz, Heinz Reduced Sugar)
Mustard (honey, Dijon, spicy brown, yellow)
Vivi's Original Sauce Carnival Mustards (request 'em!)
Reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
BBQ sauce, preferably with 45 calories or less per 2-tbsp.
serving (Chris' & Pitt's)
LF marinara or pizza sauce (Classico, Dei Fratelli)
Low-cal marinades (Mrs. Dash, Lawry's, Newman's Own)
Tomato paste (in a tube!)
Guilt-Free Frozen Foods & Meals
Breakfast-y Finds
LF waffles (Kashi, Eggo LF, Van's LF)
Kraft Bagel-fuls
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Morning Express
Jimmy Dean D-Lights Breakfast Sandwiches & Bowls
Meat Substitutes
Veggie burgers & soy patties (Boca, Gardenburger,
Morningstar Farms, Dr. Praeger's -- blot the oil! --,
Amy's)
Ground-beef-style soy crumbles (Boca, Morningstar Farms)
Breaded-chicken-style soy patties (Boca, Morningstar Farms)
Morningstar Farms Hickory BBQ Riblets
Sandwiches, Etc.
Guilt-free burritos & wraps (Amy's, Cedarlane)
Low-cal panini (Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice)
Lean Cuisine Flatbread Melts
Lean Pockets
HG Pizza Finds
Amy's Spinach Pizza in a Pocket Sandwich
Lean Cuisine Casual Cuisine Pizzas
Amy's Cheese Pizza Toaster Pops
Kashi All Natural Frozen Pizzas (Thin Crust!)
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Artisan Creations
Entrees & More
Contessa Stir Fry Meals
Boca Meatless Lasagna
Boca Meatless Chili
Amy's Mexican Tamale Pie
Amy's Shepherd's Pie
Kashi All Natural Entrees (Mayan Harvest Bake!)
Healthy Choice All Natural Entrees (Pumpkin Squash
Ravioli!)
Lean Cuisine (New Spa Cuisine meals!)
Morningstar Farms Veggie Entrees
Beverages
Diet soda (Coke Zero, Coke Cherry Zero, Sprite Zero)
Coffee (Millstone, Dunkin' Donuts)
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew
Tea (Celestial Seasonings, Stash)
SF powdered drink mixes (Crystal Light, Wyler's Light,
Lipton Iced Tea To Go, AriZona)
Flavored water (Aquafina FlavorSplash,
Vitaminwater Zero)
Spring water
Trop50 juice beverages
SoBe Lean
Ocean Spray Diet
Diet V8 Splash
25-calorie packets of hot cocoa (Swiss Miss Diet, Nestle FF)
Minute Maid Fruit Falls or Just 10 Pouches
Diet Snapple (Trop-A-Rocka Tea)
Baking Goods, Spices & More
Pantry Staples
Whole-wheat flour
Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Cake Mixes
LF honey graham crackers
SF FF instant pudding mix (Jell-O)
Better'n Peanut Butter/Peanut Wonder (or RF PB)
Brown rice (pre-portioned &/or instant)
Whole-wheat-blend pasta (Ronzoni)
Betty Crocker 80 Calories Per Serving Pouch Potatoes
No-cal sweetener packets (Splenda, stevia)
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated (comes loose in
the box, not in packets)
Splenda Flavors for Coffee
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Torani SF Syrups
Instant coffee crystals
Nonstick cooking spray (Pam in Original, Professional High
Heat & Olive Oil)
SF gum (Stride, Trident Layers)
Assorted Spices, Seasonings, Etc.
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Pumpkin pie spice
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Italian seasoning
Minced dried onion
Dry seasoning mixes (taco, fajita, chili, etc.)
Dry onion soup/dip mix
Fridge Must-Haves
Dill pickles (burger chips & spears)
House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles (near the tofu)
Pillsbury RF Crescent Rolls
Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet
Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust
So for all you other diet food/health food junkies - IateApie.net : Check IT out!
"IateApie.net provides reviews of foods marketed as healthy and diet friendly options. If it says low fat, low carb, reduced sugar, whole grain, natural, organic or high protein - we review it. The site was started in October 2004 and it is one of the few sites on the internet that delivers this kind of unique and unbiased content, with more than 800 foods reviews, each of which ranks in the Top 5 for a Google search of their product names."
Also, Hungry Girl, one of my fav healthly eating guru sent out her 2010 edition of her supermarket list. A-mazing!
Abbreviations:
FF = fat-free, RF = reduced-fat, LF = low-fat, SF = sugar-free, NSA = no-sugar-added
Dairy, Dairy Alternatives & Egg Products
Cheese
FF or RF shredded cheese (Kraft, Lifetime, Sargento, Galaxy
Veggie Shreds, Weight Watchers)
FF or RF block cheeses (Lifetime, Cabot)
FF or RF cheese slices (Kraft, Kraft Melt Downs, Sargento,
Galaxy Veggie Slices, Weight Watchers)
FF or LF cottage cheese (Fiber One, Knudsen/Breakstone's
On the Go!/Snack Size, Knudsen 100 Calorie Doubles)
FF cream cheese (or Weight Watchers RF Spread)
FF or RF crumbled feta
The Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges (NEW FLAVORS!)
Light string cheese (50 - 60 calories w/ about 2g fat each)
Assorted RF cheese snacks (Weight Watchers, Sargento)
The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Light
Kraft 100 Calorie Packs Cheese Bites
RF Parmesan-style grated topping (pasta aisle, usually)
Egg Products
FF liquid egg substitute (Egg Beaters Original,
Better'n Eggs, Nulaid ReddiEgg)
Liquid egg whites (All Whites, Egg Beaters Whites)
Eggs (for making hard-boiled egg whites)
Yogurt
FF or LF yogurt (Yoplait Light, Dannon Light &
Fit, Weight Watchers, Yoplait Fiber One, YoPlus Light)
FF plain Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0%, Trader Joe's
0%, Chobani Nonfat)
FF or LF fruity Greek yogurt (Fage Total 2%
with Fruit, Chobani Nonfat)
Milk & Milk Swaps
Refrigerated light vanilla soymilk (8th Continent Light,
Silk Light)
Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
(stocked with refrigerated or non-refrigerated soymilks)
Pudding
SF or NSA pudding cups (Jell-O SF,
Hunt's SF or NSA)
Kozy Shack NSA Rice Pudding & Tapioca Pudding
Mousse Temptations by Jell-O
Assorted Low-Cal Condiments
FF Reddi-wip
Cool Whip Free (freezer aisle)
Coffee-mate Original FF liquid creamer
Coffee-mate FF or SF French Vanilla
powdered creamer
Coffee-mate Powder Stick Packs
FF sour cream
FF or LF mayo
Light buttery spread or light whipped butter (Brummel &
Brown, Land O'Lakes Whipped Light, Smart Balance 37%
Light)
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray
Cereal
Cold Cereal
Puffed stuff (puffed wheat, rice &/or corn; Kashi 7 Whole
Grain Puffs; Kix)
Shredded wheat (like Fiber One's frosted version)
Fiber One Bran Cereal (original)
Kashi Honey Sunshine
Chocolate Cheerios
Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal
Hot Cereal
Instant oatmeal packets (Quaker, Quaker Simple
Harvest, Quaker True Delights)
Amy's Hot Cereal Bowls (freezer aisle)
Old-fashioned oats
Meat & Seafood
Meat
Nearly FF (around 97%) turkey, chicken &/or ham slices
(Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh, Applegate Farms, Butterball,
Healthy Ones, Sara Lee, Boar's Head)
Boneless skinless lean chicken &/or turkey breast
Extra-lean/lean ground turkey breast (Jennie-O,
Butterball)
FF or nearly FF hot dogs (Hebrew National 97% FF,
Ball Park FF, Ball Park Bun Size Smoked
White Turkey, Hoffy Extra Lean)
Canned 98% FF chunk white chicken breast in water
Seafood
Canned/pouched tuna in water
Canned/pouched salmon in water
Real or imitation crabmeat
StarKist Salmon, Albacore & Tuna Creations
Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Albacore Steak Entrees
Frozen or fresh shrimp & scallops
Frozen or fresh fish fillets (like tilapia, tuna & flounder)
Gorton's frozen grilled shrimp & fish fillets (tilapia, salmon)
Assorted Meaty Extras
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni (and Minis!)
Lean turkey burger patties (Jennie-O, Butterball)
Center-cut bacon or extra-lean/lean turkey bacon
(Jennie-O Extra Lean, Oscar Mayer)
Precooked real crumbled bacon (or imitation bacon bits)
Soy, turkey, or beef jerky (Tasty Eats -- not the
chicken-flavored ones --, Jack Link's, Oh Boy!
Oberto, Healthy Snackin's Simply Snackin)
Jack Link's Premium Cuts (Chicken Nuggets!)
Veggies
Fresh
Chopped & prepared veggies/veggie snacks (Mann's
Snacks on the Go)
Salad greens
Giant romaine lettuce leaves & cabbage (like Mann's Lettuce
Singles -- for wraps!)
Veggies for munching on (cherry tomatoes, broccoli, sugar
snap peas, baby carrots)
Broccoli slaw mix
Mann's Lo Mein Stir Fry (part veggies, part noodles)
Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Onions (for Lord of the Onion Rings!)
Butternut squash (for HG's special fries)
More fresh veggies of your choice
Frozen
Steam-in-the-bag veggies (Birds Eye, Green Giant, Veg-All)
Seasoned veggies or veggies in LF sauce (Green Giant Just
for One!, Green Giant Health Blends)
Fruit
Fresh
Grab-n-go fruit (apples, pears, bananas, oranges)
More fresh fruit of your choice
Canned & Frozen
Canned fruit in juice or water (pineapple, mandarin oranges,
peaches)
NSA frozen fruit (strawberries, dark sweet cherries, mango
chunks, peach slices, mixed berries)
NSA applesauce (flavored!)
Soups & Other Canned Goods
Low-Cal Canned Soups
Progresso (99% FF, Light & High Fiber)
Amy's Organic Light in Sodium (Chunky Tomato Bisque!)
Broths & Chili
FF chicken, beef, or veggie broth (look for low-sodium)
Canned LF turkey or veggie chili (Hormel, Health Valley)
Non-Canned Guilt-Free Soups
Tabatchnick Soups (freezer aisle)
Kettle Cuisine Soups & Chili (freezer aisle)
Mishima instant soups (Miso & Edamame!)
Campbell's Soup at Hand (check stats for LF ones)
Campbell's V8 Soups
More Canned Fun
Pure pumpkin (Libby's! Hard to find, but worth the search!)
Black beans (look for low-sodium)
Other beans of your choice (garbanzo, kidney, cannellini)
FF refried beans
Tomato sauce (look for flavored)
Crushed tomatoes (for chunky sauce & look for flavored)
Diced tomatoes (fire-roasted!)
Packaged Snacks, Bars, Etc.
Crackers & LF Chips
High-fiber crackers (Wheat Thins Fiber Selects, Ryvita,
Wasa, Dr. Kracker Flatbreads)
Guiltless Gourmet Tortilla Chips
Baked &/or RF potato chips (Kettle Brand Baked, Lay's Baked!, Pringles
Light, Cape Cod 40% RF)
Popchips (or Trader Joe's Popped Potato Chips)
Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
Popcorn & Other Crunchy Snacks
94% FF mini microwave popcorn bags (Jolly Time Healthy
Pop, Orville Redenbacher's SmartPop!, Pop Secret 100
Calorie Pop)
Rice cakes & snacks (Quaker Rice Cakes & Tortillaz)
Soy crisps (Genisoy, Glenny's)
Michael Season's single-serving snacks
100-Calorie-or-Less Snack Packs & Treats
Snack cakes (Hostess 100 Calorie Packs, Weight Watchers
Snack Cakes)
Quaker Mini Delights
Rice Krispies Treats The Original Bars
VitaTops, VitaMuffins & VitaBrownies (freezer aisle!)
Pringles Stix
Oreo Wafer Fun Stix
Assorted 100-calorie snack packs (Nabisco, Right Bites, Mini
Bites, Chex Mix)
100 Calorie Bars (Hershey's, Reese's, York)
Entenmann's Little Bites 100 Calorie Packs
Bite-Worthy Bars
Cereal bars & chewy granola bars (Fiber One, Quaker 90
Calorie, Special K, South Beach Living Fiber Fit, Kashi)
Crunchy granola bars (Nature Valley, Kashi)
Decadent snack bars (South Beach Living Delights, Chex
Mix, Promax 70 Calorie)
Mini-meal-type bars (Kashi GoLean, Kind, Luna, Lara)
Assorted Guilt-Free Snack Foods
Freeze-dried fruit (Gerber Mini Fruits, Just Tomatoes, Trader
Joe's, Sensible Foods, Funky Monkey, Crispy Green)
Gerber Fruit Puffs & Veggie Puffs
Jell-O SF Gelatin Snacks
LesserEvil Krinkle Sticks
Fiber One Toaster Pastries
Newtons or Special K Fruit Crisps
Nuts
Everybody's Nuts! California Pistachios
All Natural Almond Accents
100-calorie packs of Blue Diamond Almonds
100-calorie packs of Emerald's Almonds (Cocoa
Roast!)
Bread Aisle
Bread & Buns
Low-cal, high-fiber light bread (Weight Watchers; Nature's
Own Light & Double Fiber; Arnold's Bakery Light;
Pepperidge Farm Light Style, Very Thin & Whole Grain;
Sara Lee Delightful; Fiber One)
Light buns (Sara Lee Delightful, Nature's Own Double Fiber,
Pepperidge Farm Classic Soft)
100-calorie flat buns (Arnold Select/Oroweat Sandwich Thins
and Fill 'Ems, Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats, EarthGrains Thin
Buns, Nature's Own Sandwich Rounds)
English Muffins & Bagels
Light English muffins (Weight Watchers, Thomas', Western
Bagel Alternative, Fiber One)
Low-cal bagels (Sara Lee Delightful, Western Bagel Alternative,
Weight Watchers, Kim's Light)
Thomas' Bagel Thins
Tortillas & Pitas
LF, high-fiber flour tortillas with around 110 cals each (La
Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb High Fiber or
100 Calorie, Mission Carb Balance, Tumaro's 8" Healthy
or Low in Carbs, Flatout Light Wraps)
High-fiber pita bread (Western Bagel Alternative, Weight
Watchers)
Ice Cream & Frozen Novelties
FF or LF ice cream (Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice
Creams, Breyers Smooth & Dreamy FF)
LF ice cream sandwiches (The Skinny Cow, Weight
Watchers, Klondike Slim-a-Bear, Breyers Smooth &
Dreamy)
Fruit bars (Blue Bunny FrozFruit, Fruitfull Juice Bars,
Dreyer's/Edy's NSA Fruit Bars)
LF fudge bars (Weight Watchers GIANT, Healthy Choice
Premium, NSA Fudgsicles)
Portion-controlled light ice cream cups (Weight Watchers,
Dreyer's/Edy's, The Skinny Cow)
Light ice cream bars (Breyers Smooth & Dreamy,
The Skinny Cow -- especially Truffle Bars!)
Weight Watchers Sherbet & Ice Cream Bars
Fruity popsicles (SF Popsicles, Crystal Light)
Guilt-free sundae cones (Nestle Lil' Drums, Weight
Watchers, The Skinny Cow)
Sauces, Dressings, Etc.
Low-cal salad dressings (Girard's FF, Kraft Free,
Kraft Light, Hidden Valley FF, Wish-Bone
Light, Newman's Own Lighten Up!, low-cal ones from
Litehouse)
Spray dressings (Wish-Bone, Ken's)
SF pancake syrup (Cary's SF, Mrs. Butterworth's SF, Log Cabin
SF)
Salsa (fresh, La Victoria, Pace)
SF or low-sugar preserves (Smucker's SF, Smucker's Low Sugar,
Polaner SF with Fiber)
Frank's RedHot (Original & flavored)
Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise
Ketchup (Heinz, Heinz Reduced Sugar)
Mustard (honey, Dijon, spicy brown, yellow)
Vivi's Original Sauce Carnival Mustards (request 'em!)
Reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
BBQ sauce, preferably with 45 calories or less per 2-tbsp.
serving (Chris' & Pitt's)
LF marinara or pizza sauce (Classico, Dei Fratelli)
Low-cal marinades (Mrs. Dash, Lawry's, Newman's Own)
Tomato paste (in a tube!)
Guilt-Free Frozen Foods & Meals
Breakfast-y Finds
LF waffles (Kashi, Eggo LF, Van's LF)
Kraft Bagel-fuls
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Morning Express
Jimmy Dean D-Lights Breakfast Sandwiches & Bowls
Meat Substitutes
Veggie burgers & soy patties (Boca, Gardenburger,
Morningstar Farms, Dr. Praeger's -- blot the oil! --,
Amy's)
Ground-beef-style soy crumbles (Boca, Morningstar Farms)
Breaded-chicken-style soy patties (Boca, Morningstar Farms)
Morningstar Farms Hickory BBQ Riblets
Sandwiches, Etc.
Guilt-free burritos & wraps (Amy's, Cedarlane)
Low-cal panini (Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice)
Lean Cuisine Flatbread Melts
Lean Pockets
HG Pizza Finds
Amy's Spinach Pizza in a Pocket Sandwich
Lean Cuisine Casual Cuisine Pizzas
Amy's Cheese Pizza Toaster Pops
Kashi All Natural Frozen Pizzas (Thin Crust!)
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Artisan Creations
Entrees & More
Contessa Stir Fry Meals
Boca Meatless Lasagna
Boca Meatless Chili
Amy's Mexican Tamale Pie
Amy's Shepherd's Pie
Kashi All Natural Entrees (Mayan Harvest Bake!)
Healthy Choice All Natural Entrees (Pumpkin Squash
Ravioli!)
Lean Cuisine (New Spa Cuisine meals!)
Morningstar Farms Veggie Entrees
Beverages
Diet soda (Coke Zero, Coke Cherry Zero, Sprite Zero)
Coffee (Millstone, Dunkin' Donuts)
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew
Tea (Celestial Seasonings, Stash)
SF powdered drink mixes (Crystal Light, Wyler's Light,
Lipton Iced Tea To Go, AriZona)
Flavored water (Aquafina FlavorSplash,
Vitaminwater Zero)
Spring water
Trop50 juice beverages
SoBe Lean
Ocean Spray Diet
Diet V8 Splash
25-calorie packets of hot cocoa (Swiss Miss Diet, Nestle FF)
Minute Maid Fruit Falls or Just 10 Pouches
Diet Snapple (Trop-A-Rocka Tea)
Baking Goods, Spices & More
Pantry Staples
Whole-wheat flour
Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Cake Mixes
LF honey graham crackers
SF FF instant pudding mix (Jell-O)
Better'n Peanut Butter/Peanut Wonder (or RF PB)
Brown rice (pre-portioned &/or instant)
Whole-wheat-blend pasta (Ronzoni)
Betty Crocker 80 Calories Per Serving Pouch Potatoes
No-cal sweetener packets (Splenda, stevia)
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated (comes loose in
the box, not in packets)
Splenda Flavors for Coffee
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Torani SF Syrups
Instant coffee crystals
Nonstick cooking spray (Pam in Original, Professional High
Heat & Olive Oil)
SF gum (Stride, Trident Layers)
Assorted Spices, Seasonings, Etc.
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Pumpkin pie spice
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Italian seasoning
Minced dried onion
Dry seasoning mixes (taco, fajita, chili, etc.)
Dry onion soup/dip mix
Fridge Must-Haves
Dill pickles (burger chips & spears)
House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles (near the tofu)
Pillsbury RF Crescent Rolls
Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet
Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Perfectly Lonely
So its official-I have been single for exactly 1 year. One year ago today, June 22nd, I broke up with my last boyfriend - Stephen. 
Kinda crazy it has been that long! But it's all good because most of the time "I'm Perfectly Lonely" as John Mayer put so nicely in one of his latest albums. Anyways, today I am going to celebrate being single!
Great reasons to be single:
*Don't have to worry about anyone but yourself when making plans
*You don't have to share if you don't want to
*The only insecurities you have to deal with are your own
*More time to spend with friends and building better relationships with others
*Easier to focus on you and what you want: Career, dreams, fitness, hobbies
*Don't have to worry about someone cheating on you
*You never have to worry about whether or not the person you are with really likes you or is about to dump you
*Can spend all your extra cash on just YOU!
Kinda crazy it has been that long! But it's all good because most of the time "I'm Perfectly Lonely" as John Mayer put so nicely in one of his latest albums. Anyways, today I am going to celebrate being single!
Great reasons to be single:
*Don't have to worry about anyone but yourself when making plans
*You don't have to share if you don't want to
*The only insecurities you have to deal with are your own
*More time to spend with friends and building better relationships with others
*Easier to focus on you and what you want: Career, dreams, fitness, hobbies
*Don't have to worry about someone cheating on you
*You never have to worry about whether or not the person you are with really likes you or is about to dump you
*Can spend all your extra cash on just YOU!
*Don't have to compromise or get used to any one's annoying habits
*And the best of all: You can do whatever you want!
I'm gunna leave with a few lyrics from good ole' John because it really is exactly how I feel today! Embrace your "status" in life!
Nothing to do
Nowhere to be
A simple little kind of free
Nothing to do
No one but me
And that's all I need
I'm perfectly lonely
I'm perfectly lonely
I'm perfectly lonely (Yeah)
'Cause I don't belong to anyone
Nobody belongs to me
And this is not to say
There never comes a day
I'll take my chances and start again
And when I look behind
On all my younger times
I have to thank the wrongs that led me to a love so strong
*And the best of all: You can do whatever you want!
I'm gunna leave with a few lyrics from good ole' John because it really is exactly how I feel today! Embrace your "status" in life!
Nothing to do
Nowhere to be
A simple little kind of free
Nothing to do
No one but me
And that's all I need
I'm perfectly lonely
I'm perfectly lonely
I'm perfectly lonely (Yeah)
'Cause I don't belong to anyone
Nobody belongs to me
And this is not to say
There never comes a day
I'll take my chances and start again
And when I look behind
On all my younger times
I have to thank the wrongs that led me to a love so strong
Monday, June 21, 2010
Complusive hair changer
2010 summer solstice is today. I can't believe it is already summer. Anyways, I got my hair prepared early for it's summer do! Got my hair done last Thursday! They do say blonde's have more fun..... Guess only time will tell! ;o)
From this:
TO THIS!
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