Little Bit of Sass Thursday!

Feel like a laugh?
Read on, friends, read on.

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Mind = blown!

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Giggle!

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hahaha!

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I love T-Rex jokes!

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I mean, seriously though!

Have a good one!

Work it Out Wednesday: Week 14

Hi gang!
How's your week going so far? My week is going well, but I'm already ready for the weekend.
I gave a new workout a whirl yesterday morning and really liked it!

As always, please feel free to send me any good workouts that you see. I'm always on the lookout!


Weekly disclaimer:
Remember what I said about my lack of qualifications? Please keep in mind that I am aware that I am chubby and have no fitness/nutrition authority. I'm just trying to spread some wellness love as I fight the battle to live well myself.


Weekly Workout:

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How I made it harder:  I added weights allowing me to do some bicep and shoulder exercises during the squats but I unfortunately alternated going to my knees during the push-ups. I also did different crunches throughout to mix it up.
Overall impression: I highly doubt I burned 1,000 calories in the 20-25 minutes it took me to complete this like the image claims it will, but I did like the workout. It's definitely a good one for traveling!
Sweat factor (on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is when I look like I just got out of the shower): About a 6.
How I felt when it was over: Great! I felt ready for the day! I highly recommend this one!
Would I do it again? Definitely! I wanted to do a little cardio and the jumping jacks really got my heart pumping! I loved it!

Weekly recipe:
Every week this month I'm recapping my Whole30 experience, and am sharing recipes for others going through the program. I'm using my Wednesday posts to highlight my favorite recipe of the week. This week I picked some awesome recipes! Wow! It's hard to pick a favorite, but I think one narrowly won in my book:

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Yum! This Paleo Shepherd's Pie is so so so tasty! I did change up the recipe a bit. For the potatoes I nixed the ingredients in the recipe and instead just mashed the boiled potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Delicious! I also just used veggies we had, including carrots, peas, onion and a little celery. I'm so excited for all of the leftovers!!

The recipe that came in at a very close second was the Strawberry Banana Paleo Breakfast Bars.
Oh my goodness sooooo good! Mine definitely didn't look this pretty:

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Weekly motivation:

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Exactly! No excuses, friends! We can do it!

Weekly workout sass:

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Now these are workouts I could definitely master!



Have a good one!

A Little Bit About Me

Well Hello!

One of my friends, P!nk Pers!stence, from the Wedding Wednesday link-up, wrote a post including some fun facts about her. It made me think about how I really don't write much about myself, other than about how chubby I am, yummy recipes I've made, some products I like and the workouts I complete. OK fine, I guess I do write a lot haha! Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share a little bit more about little 'ol me.

Four names that people call me other than my real name:

1. Mary Sue (my middle name is Susan, but I love Mary Sue!)
2. Mare
3. Animal (an old junior high/high school sports nickname involving a funny story).
4. Krulia (my maiden name)

Four jobs I've had:

1. Bob Evans hostess and server
2. Legal Administrative Assistant
3. Intern. I've had so many internships.
4. Digital and Social Media Analyst (love it!!)

Four movies I've watched more than once:

Gosh, only four?!?! I could go on and on for this one!

1. Love Actually
2. The Holiday
3. Any Back to the Future
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Four books I'd recommend:

Sheesh! Four?!?! I love so many that my book club has read and others over the years!

1. The Shadow of the Wind
2. The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm (such a great series!)
3. Anything written by Adriana Trigiani. She is awesome!
4. Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Four places I've lived:

1. Lancaster, Ohio (born & raised!)
2. Westerville, Ohio (college!)
3. Washington, DC (probably the happiest and definitely the craziest four years of my life)
4. Chicago, IL (current)

Four places I've visited:

1. Costa Rica (honeymoon!)
2. New Orleans (loooove this city)
3. Charleston, South Carolina (loooove this city, too!)
4. Santa Barbara, CA (soooo pretty! Loved going to wine country with my sister and brother-in-law!)

Four five places I'd rather be right now:

1. On the couch, in sweatpants, with Andrew and our cat Teddy, with a happy coffee (Bailey's, coffee and whip cream), watching a movie
2. On the couch, in sweatpants, with the whole family, in the basement in the house where I grew up in Lancaster, watching a movie
3. Visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Atlanta (with everyone!)
4. Visiting my sister, brother-in-law and niece in San Francisco (with everyone!)
5. Visiting my in-laws with Andrew, Daniela and Sylvia in Austin!

Four things I don't eat:

1. Olives
2. Bugs
3. Veal
4. Beets

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Pizza (Jets is my current favorite!)
2. Chipotle
3. Anything my mom, mother-in-law and Tia Sylvia make.
4. Anything sweet. Seriously, I'm not picky.

Four TV shows I watch:

1. Law & Order SVU
2. Nashville
3. Property Brothers
4. Downton Abbey

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:

1. Our niece and Goddaughter Scarlett to arrive!!!!!!!!
2. A trip to Spain!!!! We haven't booked it yet, but we are saving for it and are dreaming about it!
3. Any trips involving family
4. Trips to the cottage in Saugatuck!

Four things I'm always saying:

1. I'm hungry!
2. Will there be food?
3. Cheers!
4. I feel fat.

I'd love for other bloggers to do this and send me the link! If you're not a blogger please comment!!

Have a good one!

My Whole30: Week 4

Hi gang!

As a reminder, I started the Whole30 Program on January 2 and I'm posting once a week to share some of the recipes, while highlighting my favorite on my Wednesday posts. Some co-workers are also doingWhole30, and my husband, Andrew, eats most of what I make, too. Great support system!

Today marks Day 25 of the 30 day program and I still love it. I took a break on Saturday, though, I must admit. We took a mini vacation over the weekend! We took the train Saturday morning to Milwaukee to watch Georgetown beat Marquette in OT! It was AWESOME!!!!! I just love Milwaukee and I sure did celebrate the city. YUM! I don't feel guilty one bit and I went right back to eating right on Sunday. This is just further proof that I really think a paleo lifestyle is totally doable and I will adopt the 80/20 lifestyle after my Whole30 days are done. Essentially I will eat clean and healthy a vast majority of the time, and, on occasion, will indulge in the big three c's: Cheese, Chocolate and Cocktails. Trying to cut out things completely just isn't realistic for me.

Anyway, on to the recipes!
I froze a bunch from last week, so I have a lot of repeats for lunch this week (not complaining!). Here's what's coming for this week:

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1. I am so thankful for this recipe, as this Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein completely satisfied a Chinese food craving! I added chicken to the recipe and loved the results! I have sooooo much left over, too! Yay! Also, the amount of ginger in the recipe is WAY too much in my opinion. The next time I make it I will halve it for sure. I substituted the brown sugar and instead used coconut sugar. Tasted good to me!
2. Um hi, Shepherd's Pie. I am excited to make you. Yay for clean comfort food!
3. I love everything Gina has to offer, and I am pumped to try her 3-ingredient Almond Butter Cookies recipe! I plan to substitute the sugar with coconut sugar. Fingers crossed it still tastes amazing!
4. One of my friends from high school suggested that I try this Strawberry Banana Paleo Breakfast Bars recipe and I am so excited to give it a shot! I picked up some sugar free strawberry jam and the other ingredients on Sunday. It looks so tasty! I can't wait to make it!

How is your Whole30 going? We're almost finished! Go us!!

Do you have recipes that I should try? Please share!
(More of mind are on my Pinterest board - check it out!)

Have a good one!

Work It Out Wednesday: Week 13

Hi gang!
How's your week going so far? I can't complain, but I'm already ready for the weekend!
This past weekend I gave a new workout a whirl. Please feel free to send me any good workouts that you see! I'm always on the lookout!


Weekly disclaimer:
Remember what I said about my lack of qualifications? Please keep in mind that I am aware that I am chubby and have no fitness/nutrition authority. I'm just trying to spread some wellness love as I fight the battle to live well myself.


Weekly Workout:

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How I made it harder:  I added weights allowing me to do some bicep, shoulder and tricep exercises  throughout and I didn't go to my knees during the push-ups. I also did different crunches each round. I did five rounds and it took me about 15 minutes or so all together.
Overall impression: I highly doubt I burned 500 calories in 15 minutes like the image claims it will, but I did like the workout. Adding arm movements during the squats helped make this feel like a total body workout. It's definitely a good one for traveling, even without weights.
Sweat factor (on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is when I look like I just got out of the shower): About a 5.
How I felt when it was over: Great! I was in a rush when I did this on Saturday morning so I was happy that I made a little bit of time before my shower for a little sweat fest.
Would I do it again? Definitely! It's a good and quick workout for days when you don't feel like working out, days when you're traveling, days for getting back into the swing of working out and/or are getting over an illness, etc. This is just another proof point that you can do even a little something, even when you think you don't have time! No excuses, folks!


Weekly recipe:
Every week this month I'm recapping my Whole30 experience, and am sharing recipes for others going through the program. I'm using my Wednesday posts to highlight my favorite recipe of the week. This week was tough to choose because wow my tastebuds are happy!
One rose above the rest and has me super excited for work lunches, though!

Behold, the salsa shredded chicken:

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You guys.
I can't even describe how good this is.
It's the easiest recipe, too!
In addition to the chicken and picante sauce (sugar free!), I added some celery and red bell pepper.
Yum. Yum. Yum!!!

Weekly motivation:

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So true!

Weekly workout sass:

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hehe I love these!



Have a good one!

Sampling Sunday: 4

Hi there!

Not that anyone cares, but I must clarify that I know I should have posted this on Sunday. However, I'm posting this a day late to accommodate my Whole30 posts on Sundays.

The last time I posted about samples I wrote about my preference of CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara over any expensive mascara, particularly the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara  It got me thinking: aside from perfumes, mascaras are one of the most popular samples!

I looked through my sample arsenal and it was confirmed: I have seven in my possession.
Naturally I had to write a post about my preference, from Hate to Great!

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1. HATE: Benefit's They're Real Mascara, $23. I don't get the hype about this mascara. It's easily the worst I have ever used and takes ridiculous effort to remove. I guess that's why the product now has its own remover? Whatever. I can think of many more things more worthy of my $23 and this isn't it. Hats off to you if you like it. I just don't get it.
2. HATE: Mary Kay's Lash Love Lengthening Mascara, $15. Another mascara that takes too much effort to remove, and it makes my eyes itch on top of it. No thank you. Also, I didn't really notice any lengthening...
3. MEH: Mary Kay's Ultimate Mascara, $15. Basically the same as the Lengthening but it doesn't make my eyes itch. I don't notice much of a difference otherwise.
4. MEH: Benefit's BADgal Lash Mascara, $19. Eh. Not terrible, but nothing remarkable either. Next!
5. MEH: Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara, $20. I think it's legit, and I feel pretty wearing it, but not for $20. 
6. GREAT! Smashbox's Full Exposure Mascara, $20. I love this mascara. The brush is very full and gives my lashes substantial volume and length. It doesn't make my eyes itch and removing isn't too tricky. I recommend!
7. GREAT! Cover Girl's LashBlast Volume Mascara, $8.99. It's everywhere, it's often on sale. Go cheap, go home, and feel good about replacing every three months (like we all should and none of us really do...right?). This mascara is the best there is in my book!

Disclaimer: 
I have absolutely no beauty product clout. I'm not cool enough for companies to ask for my opinion and I either paid for these mascaras or they were given to me as samples for other purchases. Opinions are obviously my own.

Have you tried any of the mascaras I listed? What do you think?

Have a good one!

My Whole30: Week 3

Hi gang!

As a reminder, I started the Whole30 Program on January 2 and I'm using my Sunday posts to share some of the recipes, while highlighting my favorite on my Wednesday posts. Some co-workers are also doingWhole30, and my husband, Andrew, eats most of what I make, too. Great support system!

Today marks Day 17 of the 30 day program and I'm still going strong. I admit I had a couple of glasses of wine this week, but considering that my will-power helped me say "no" to multiple opportunities for champagne, chips, and delicious-looking sweets, I think I'll take it as a successful week.

Here's what we plan to make for the upcoming week:

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1. We got a brand new slow cooker for Christmas, and one of the reasons Andrew wanted it was to make this Williams-Sonoma Bolognese Sauce. We're breaking in the slow cooker today! I'm going to put the sauce over my new favorite, zoodles! It's going to make SO much and I am happy to have the leftovers!
2. I am pumped to use the slow cooker again tomorrow, to make Shredded Salsa Chicken for lunches! I know this is going to be awesome and I'm excited for lunches this week!
3. I looooove Ramen Noodles. Always have, always will. I wish I could eat it all of the time, but alas, it's truly terrible for you. When I saw this Healthy "Ramen" Noodles recipe I instantly pinned it! I haven't had spaghetti squash in years, so I'm interested in trying them again, especially if it means that my beloved "Ramen" is actually healthy! Lunch tomorrow! Woot!
4. When we need a break from the awesome Bolognese, we'll make the Paleo Italian Chicken Fingers! We may just have this with steamed veggies and boiled red potatoes, but who knows, maybe we'll do some red sauce and spaghetti squash like the picture. We shall see!

I am looking forward to cooking up a storm today and tomorrow to prepare for the week. I have continued to load my Healthy Foods Pinterest Board with even more recipes that I know I'll try long after the 30 days are done, especially some paleo sweets!

How is your Whole30 going? We're half way finished! Go us!!

Do you have recipes that I should try? Please share!
Have you caved and had anything you shouldn't? I won't tell, no judgment here!

Have a good one!

Little Bit of Sass Thursday

Feel like a laugh?
Read on, friends, read on.

Walking outside, the wind makes my eyes water, then this happens:

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How I feel about anything sugary during the Whole30 Program:

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Wine and tequila told me the same thing:

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Word.

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...and it's calling my name:

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Have a good one!