During a recent trip to Nordstrom, I came across this beauty: the Jessica Simpson Sweetheart Charmeuse Maxi Dress. The dress SCREAMED summer.  After examining the price tag – sadly – I made the decision that this dress and I were not meant to be.

Jessica Simpson Sweetheart Charmeuse Maxi Dress

As I was rushing through my shopping list about a week later at Target, I happened to pass by the Woman’s Clothing section, and THERE IT WAS!!!

LOOK FOR LESS - Xhilaration® Juniors Strapless Maxi Dress. 1/4 of the price of the Jessica Simpson Dress

The Xhilaration® Juniors Strapless Maxi Dress!! Simple. Colorful. Lightweight. All the characteristics I liked about the Jessica Simpson Dress, but CHEAP!!! Was it too good to be true?!?

As I headed to the dressing room, all the possible reasons the dress wouldn’t work were running through my mind. Weird cut . . . poorly made . . . they won’t have my size. NOT THE CASE AT ALL – The dress was PERFECT. I loooove it.

** The Xhilaration Strapless Maxi Dress is also offered in a second amazing print . . . which I of course I snagged as well! HA! LOVE IT!

Xhilaration® Juniors Strapless Maxi Dress

NOTE: The dress is SOLD OUT online, but I found plenty in stock at my local target. (Not sure why Target’s website says it’s not available in stores, because it most certainly is.)

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While I doubt I’d drink straight fruit and veggie juice for 2 months, adding just one large glass a day to my regular diet has major benefits.  I also have two toddlers who don’t do “green” on their plates.  I’ve caught myself bribing them to eat their broccoli and asparagus.  Bad parenting 101, I’m sure.  I figured if I could get them to think “green juice” was cool, I would be able sneak in some veggies to their diet without them realizing it!

Now, to find a juicer!  I purchased the Breville Juice Fountain Plus.  It was also the one used in the film.  There are tons of juicers out there, but this one was in my price range and the reviews I read were great.  It’s almost been a year and have nothing but love for my juicer!

I try and stick with mainly green veggies to keep the sugar content down.  When I want something refreshing a combo of apple, orange and carrot is delish!  The staple around our home is a variation of the “Mean Green”.

Mean Green Juice Recipe

What You’ll need:

• 3 Large Handfulls of Spinach
• 3 Stalks of Celery
• 3 Green Apples
• 3 Red Apples
• 1 bunch of Kale
• 1 Cucumber
• 1 Lemon

I soak all of the fruit and veggies for five minutes in our sink full of cold water with a splash of Veggie Wash that you can find online or in any produce section.  After five minutes of soaking, I swish it all around then use a colander to rinse of any excess residue or dirt left on with more cold water.

Once it’s all rinsed thoroughly, it’s juice time!  I juice them in the order that I listed.  The leafy veggies, then fruit, more leafy veggies & end with fruit.  The fruit cleans the sifter inside the machine.  When I’ve done too many leafy veggies without a ‘fruit wash’, it has backed up on me.  This method prevents any extra mess.

Before I got the hang of it, juicing felt like a chore.  I am now able to quickly put together enough juice for the whole family within 20 minutes.  Including cleaning the juicer, which I suggest you do right away.  The longer you take to clean all of the parts, the more the pulp sticks and you will be scrubbing longer.  Once the last apple is juiced, voila, Sarah’s Mean Green Juice is ready for consumption!!

The taste is surprisingly nice!  Don’t be intimidated by the mean greeness of it!  Juicing helps you absorb all of the raw vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids and nutrients from the fruits and vegetables.  I can totally feel the difference when I drink a large glass of this Mean Green.  I have tons of energy, and feel better inside and out.  Even the toddlers approve!!

Cheers to a healthy you!!

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Charlie enjoying one of his favorites- Roasted Blueberry, Banana, and Oatmeal Puree.

Homemade Babyfood!?! I can do that, right? I mean, I LOVE TO COOK!

So… when it was time to start incorporating more solids into our little  Charlie’s diet- it was only natural that I would try my hand at homemade baby food.

At first, the task seemed pretty intimidating. Not knowing exactly when to introduce new flavors and textures to Charlie was pretty scary. For the first time – in a longtime – I was feeling slightly lost in the kitchen. But after consulting with our wonderful pediatrician, I walked away feeling confident that our little “eager eater” was ready for whatever I threw at him.

Here are a few of Charlie’s favorites!

Roasted Blueberry, Banana, & Oatmeal Puree

Roasted Blueberry, Banana, & Oatmeal Puree.

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz container organic blueberries
• 1 organic banana
• 1/2 cup Earth’s Best Organic Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cereal

Ingredients - Organic Banana, Organic Blueberries, & Earth's Best Organic Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cereal.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. Add unpeeled banana and blueberries to making sheet. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

Prepare banana and blueberries for roasting

Roasted banana & blueberries

Peel and discard skin from banana. Place roasted banana, roasted blueberries, & Earth’s Best Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cereal in your food processor or handheld blender bowl. Blend, adding tablespoons of filtered water until you reach desired thickness.

All ingredient blended together. (I added 2 tbsp filtered water to smooth puree.)

Roasted Carrot, Sweet Potato, Garlic, and Brown Rice Puree

Roasted Carrots, Sweet Potato, Garlic, and Brown Rice Puree

Ingredients

• 2 Peeled Organic Carrots
• 1 Peeled & Chopped Organic Sweet Potato
• 1 garlic clove (skin on)
• 1/2 Cup Brown Rice
• Olive oil , salt, and pepper
  

  Ingredients: Sweet Potato, Carrot, Garlic, Olive Oil, and Brown Rice

Cook brown rice and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place prepared carrots, sweet potato, and garlic clove on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over veggies and garlic, and lightly salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes until potatoes and carrots are fork tender (when punctured with a fork, it slides out easily).

Sweet potato, garlic, and carrots prepared for roasting

Roasted sweet potato, garlic, and carrots.

Place roasted carrots, sweet potato, 1/2 of the peeled garlic clove, and cooked brown rice in the food processor or handheld blender bowl. Blend, adding tablespoons of filtered water until you reach desired thickness.

All ingredient blended together. (I added 1 tbsp filtered water to smooth puree.)

Roasted Apples, Banana, Cinnamon, and Oatmeal Puree

Roasted Apples, Bananas, Cinnamon, and Oatmeal Puree.

 Ingredients

• 2 Apples (any variety), quartered, peeled, & cored
• 1 Banana
• 1/4 cup Earth’s Best Organic Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cereal
• Cinnamon
• Olive oil
  

  Ingredients: Organic Apples, Organic Banana, Cinnamon, Earth's Best Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cereal, & Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. Add unpeeled banana and prepared apples to baking sheet. Drizzle apples with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Apples and banana prepared for roasting

Roasted apples and banana.

Peel and discard skin from banana. Place roasted apples, banana, Earth’s Best Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cereal, and a small pinch of cinnamon in your food processor or handheld blender bowl. Blend, adding tablespoons of filtered water until you reach desired thickness.

All ingredients blended together (I added 1 tbsp water to smooth puree.)

Sautéed Spinach, Garlic, and Brown Rice Puree

Sauteed Spinach, Garlic, and Brown Rice Puree.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Organic Baby Spinach
• 1/2 cup cooked Organic Brown Rice
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper
  

  Ingredients: Brown Rice, Spinach, Garlic, & Olive Oil

Prepare brown rice and set aside. Sauté spinach and 1/2 a minced garlic clove in a tbsp of olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once spinach has wilted and cooked through, remove from pan.

On medium/high heat, coat the pan with Olive Oil and add spinach, 1/2 a minced garlic clove, salt, & pepper.

Saute spinach until wilted, but still green.

Add sautéed spinach and cooked brown rice to the food processor or handheld blender bowl. Blend, adding tablespoons of filtered water until you reach desired thickness.

Sauteed Spinach, Garlic, and Brown Rice Puree.

To Store for Later Use:

Portion leftovers into individual compartments of your Baby Food Storage Trays, or ice trays. Before placing into the freezer it is important to let purees come to room temperature. This will prevent bacteria from forming during the freezing process.

Portion and freeze leftover purees in Baby Food Storage Trays or ice trays.

Label and date purees.

Don’t forget to label and date your purees so you know what you feeding your little one, and how long it has been frozen.

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I think it’s because I’m lazy and dislike cooking. With soup I can cook one time then reheat and drink out of a cup!

And also the part of the world I live in is starting to get freeeezing and hot soup warms you up.

My favourite food site of recent times is Not Quite Nigella and as much as I love the decadent recipes on there I thought I’d be good and give Not Quite Nigella’s Carrot, Cumin and Ginger soup a crack.

Carrot, Cumin & Ginger Soup Ingredients:

A kilo of carrots

I like to peel and chop them into smaller pieces so it doesn’t take so long to cook.

A chunk of ginger

I like ginger so I added this much.

Ground Cumin Seeds

If you *cough* look closely you may see that the cumin seeds ‘expired’ in 2000…waste not want not.

Medium Onion

Peel, chop and cry.

Vegie Stock

You need a litre so I made up the amount with stock from a cube.

Carrot, Cumin & Ginger Soup Recipe:

Add the ginger and onion to some oil and cook for a few minutes.

Add the carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the stock and a teaspoon of cumin powder and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Blend ‘er all up!

When you serve, add some whole cumin seeds and enjoy!

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I pinned these Waffle Iron Brownies on my Pinterest about 6 months ago.

It seems like an AMAZING idea for making brownies quickly, getting them hot and gooey and ready to eat significantly less than the normal 50 minute cooking time.

I followed the directions to the letter.

And I freakin’ NAILED IT!

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My nails after the shellac manicure.

It’s nearly impossible for me to maintain a manicure these days. All the domestic bliss that comes along with having a 9 month old has wreaked havoc on my dry and brittle nails. If I do indulge in a little spa therapy, polish is totally out of the question. I can barely get out the door of the salon without chipping or peeling my beautifully pampered nails.

Recently I have been hearing a lot about a manicure called Shellac Nails (also referred to as gel nail polish). This manicure boasts a scratch resistant, mirror shine for at least 14 days. This I had to see for myself! After checking Yelp for recommendations on where to go in my area, I made an appointment at Sensi Spa in the Inner Sunset Neighborhood of San Francisco.

My nails before the Shellac Manicure

The manicure began with your standard soaking, filing, and cuticle clean up. Then my wonderful nail tech Hanah began working her magic.

The Complete Shellac Manicure Process:

(process and tutorial videos available on the Shellac Nails Website)

Step 1: Apply a Layer of Base Gel 

Base Coat

Step 2: Cure Each Hand for 10 Seconds in UV Lamp

UV Lamp for curing Shellac Nail Polish

Step 3: Apply 1st Layer of Shellac

Shellac color coat

This was the brand of Shellac Nail polish Hannah used to get the “natural” look I was hoping for.

Step 4: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes

Step 5: Apply 2nd Layer of Shellac

2nd coat of Shellac Color

Instead of identifying Shallac Nail Polish by a name, Sensi Salon identify different colors by numbers. I used #64, pretty sure it is called Cream Puff.

Step 6: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes

Step 7: Apply Top Coat

Top Coat

Step 8: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes

Step 9: Wipe Each Nail With Alcohol to Remove Sticky Film

After step 9, Hannah completed my manicure with a warm lotion hand and lower forearm message.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT!

I LOOOOVE my Shellac Manicure!! My nails have seriously NEVER looked better. The polish is ridiculously shiny and makes my nails look so healthy! The entire manicure lasted about 45 minutes and after the lotion massage, they were COMPLETELY dry. I was even able to reach into my purse for my wallet without worrying about smudging them.

Although Sensi Spa’s Shellac Manicure is on the pricier side ($30), so far I am convinced it is worth every penny.

**UPDATE:

WEEK 1: My nails are STILL shiny!!

My nails one week post Shallac Manicure. Still looking good!

WEEK 2: Although my cuticles are in need of some work and I did have to file them down a bit, THEY ARE STILL SHINY!!!! NO chips, NO scratches, NO breakage. I even feel like my nails have gotten stronger with the manicure. I am a true believer!! Hannah, I will see you soon!

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I was only there for some shampoo and a new Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Flatter Me (still my fav “everyday” eyeshadow).

But I ended up picking up a few other goodies. Big surprise…

I found the Josie Maran “Argan Care for Beautiful Skin” kit on the shelf and thought I’d give it a whirl – I’ve wanted to try her products in general and since my skin has changed from being oily to extremely dry (due to medication), am always looking for a good moisturizer.

Josie Maran Argan Care for Beautiful Skin Kit

I’ll do a write-up on the rest of the products later, but today I wanted to talk about the Bear Naked Wipes:

Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes

OMG! Such a big ol’ bummer!

These things SUCKED!

The main problem? They weren’t really moist enough to wipe across your skin - particularly your eyes – comfortably. I’ve used wipes like that before – the Biore Makeup Removing Towlettes are similar – and I just don’t get how anyone gets makeup off by rubbing a semi-dry cloth across their face.

At $12 for 30 wipes, they’re pricey too.

The Sephora reviews online are great , which is totally confusing. Maybe those girls aren’t wearing a full face of makeup. Maybe they aren’t using mascara or eyeliner. I don’t know. What I do know is these wipes didn’t do a thing for me and I had to follow up with my normal ones after to get the job done.

My Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes review? It’s a no-go. They’re so bad, I’ve only used one and am throwing the rest in the trash – they’re unusable.

I’ll fill you in on my favorite, go-to brand of makeup removing wipes in a future post!

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"As Seen on TV" Aqua Bulb

Between feeding my son Charlie, my husband Jim, my Daschund Bailey, and myself . . . lets just say our houseplants always seem to get the short end of the stick. I have killed too many of them to remember. I always seem to water them too much or not enough . . . and sometimes not at all!

I had almost given up on my green thumb until a friend told me about Aqua Globes. You’ve seen the infomercial - those artsy, hand blown watering bulb things. You simply fill the bulb with water,  plunge it into the soil of the plant, and PRESTO! - the plant drinks as much water from the bulb as it needs. Although the premiss for the bulb seemed to be my solution, my frugality took over and refused to let me fork out a measly $15 for one.

Finally, it dawned on me. What do I currently have in my house that resembles this bulb??  . . . WINE BOTTLES!!

Empty wine bottle - however you please - rinse thoroughly, fill with water, and plunge deep into soil of your plant.

My plant couldn’t be happier or more healthy. It’s literally NO maintenance! After 3 weeks of use, I finally had to refill the bottle. WHAT A LUSH!!

My plant enjoying a nice bottle of Bogle Chardonnay, filled with water of course.

If you’re having “issues” with the fact that a wine bottle will be hanging out of your houseplant – I assure you, once your plants begin to respond and grow, you won’t even see it. I kinda like it though. It’s definitely a conversation piece.

You cant even see the wine bottle!

Works with small desk top plants as well! I used a Miniature Jameson Irish Whisky bottle for this beautiful plant in my office.

Miniature Jameson bottle, keeping my office plant happy. You can barely see it!

Miniature Jameson Bottle

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It took a ton of self motivation and a few key cheerleaders along the way but within a year I lost 20 pounds and 6 inches from my waist. Whoop! It’s been a little over a year and because of running, I know I’ll never let myself go again.

Last October & November I ran a couple 10k races so in 2012 I wanted to push myself even more. A gal from the gym I go to approached me about a month ago and told me she was putting a team together for a local raced called, “Run Rocklin.” The options I had were a 5K or 12k so I figured, go big or go home right!?!? 12 of us started training for the 12k. It was great to have others to train with and push each other to improve our times.

All 609 runners gathered at the starting line and at 8am that gun went off and the race was on. All of the training led up to that morning. There is this massive surge of adrenaline you get when waiting to take off. My stomach was in knots and I was praying I wouldn’t have to make a pit stop along the way.

Mile one is cake, then I realized that I had 6.45 miles to go and the battle of the mind begins. I kept telling myself “RUN” and yelling at my legs to go faster. Miles 2, 3, 4 and 5 go by with the help of a great playlist, and great views on the course. This course was seriously a whole lot more up hill then it was down hill. Goodness!! At about 5.5 miles, I had a total moment with myself, I went into this ugly cry. It hit me that I was about to go farther than I’d ever run in my whole life before and I WAS going to finish. I’m sure people around me thought I was nuts, but in that moment it was MY race. I was pushing myself to do something that a year prior seemed impossible. When I saw mile marker 7, I really shifted gears and took off as fast as I could go. THEN, I saw the ballons, the finish line!!! I told my stiff thighs, sore legs, burning calves and blistered toes that this was it! Shifted gears one more time and took off in a sprint, or at least what felt like one. I crossed that FINISH line after 7.45 miles in 1 hour 8 mins and 21 seconds. I managed to keep a 9:10 minute mile. Double whoop!!!

I write this not to brag because I saw people twice my age passing me, it is VERY humbling. I write this to inspire you to do something you think is impossible! Sign up for a race with a cause you believe in and push yourself to the max. You will be amazed with yourself, which is one of the most amazing feelings.

Much love!

Have you been thinking about running a race?  How do you prepare yourself?

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After a week of No Sugar I’m alive!

I do have a tiny confession to make though…

I did consume sugar

Monday through Friday all I ate was vegetables, meats, dairy, eggs and salad.

I even made some delicious soup which went down a treat!

I was feeling pretty good. Felt a bit headachy and a bit sick on occasion but I believe that was because I now was not consuming sugar. And of course I was feeling oh so virtuous that I was not eating sugar :p

Come Saturday though… I fell victim to Mocha Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns.

And it was not pretty.

Confession time: I must have eaten at least 3 of them.

They were delicious. But made me feel absolutely rotten.

So that was week 3.

Week 4

Food wise, week 4 is basically the same as week 3. Which means NO sugar!

It is also about picking yourself up and continuing on.

Although I feel I’ve let myself down by succumbing to the mighty Hot Cross Bun I have to remind myself that for 5 whole days I did really well. And that is HUGE.

So I’m ready to power on.

Something I have found and would like to mention in case it helps others.

My family and friends are used to me doing all sorts of ‘weird’ and ‘not normal’ things so they’ve seen me try things like this before. I’m very lucky to have their support.

However I have found when you tell people you’re “Quitting Sugar” they look at you funny and think you’re an idiot.

But “sugar is natural” they say. Well so is arsenic.

Be strong I say. If people have a problem with you trying a new way of being healthy, forget about them. You’ll be the healthy, fit one with endless energy and clear skin.

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