Bad Blogger

Ok, I have seriously been a bad blogger over here. I have so much going on. I read a really great book, I have a new recipe to post from an amazing food blogger, I am in my last semester of grad school, and I am sure there are tons of things on my 101 in 1001 list I have completed or am working. But I have been so busy I have not even had a chance to look at the list.

But there will be posts coming up about the book I read and actually 2 new recipes I have tried that were yummy.

So there is more to come.

I have been blogging over on Journey to Green and if you stop by there soon you can get a discount on a wonderful, natural, aluminum-free deodorant that actually works, as well as other all natural bath and body products from the fabulous Etsy seller, Rachel of Soapwalla Kitchen. So run over there and check it out.

I will be posting here soon.

#28: Read 100 Books

I have been a bad blogger. Well, for this blog anyway. I have been plugging away at my green blog and I hope you all will check it out. Journey to Green. I will try to be over here more, but with the other blog, my last semester of grad school starting Monday, trying to stick to going to the gym 3 times a week, and everything else I have going on; it might be tough.

But on to my 101 in 1001.

I have actually read 2 books. I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. I really enjoyed the entire series. I am even more excited that they are making a movie. I have the Swedish version on my Netflix queue and should be getting that any day now.

I plowed through the rest of the series The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I could not wait to see how it ended. Really, this is a must read series. I just hope the movie does it justice.

Making Changes

I have got to make some serious changes for my health. I too few months I will be thirty. I am not looking forward to this day at all. In fact, I am a little depressed about it, but I am trying not to think about it. I have decided that I will be even more depressed about this day if I do not start making changes to my diet and start consistently exercising. I tried the Insanity. Honestly, I am not there yet, but I will be. I want to lose 29 pounds. Really, more but I would be happy with 20. Way at the bottom of my blog is a ticker of my progress.

So basic changes, I have to watch the number of calories I am eating. I have been eating with reckless abandon and that is NOT like me. The Hubs keeps recommending that I go to a nutritionist. I am all for that, but I have to do some research. I do not want to go somewhere and they are trying to give me some pills or B-12 shots as a solution. That is not for me.

I have been going to the gym, but I know that is because I am in the midst of my little break between semesters. I am going to attempt to make a conscious effort to work out 3 times a week once school starts again. Hopefully, I will be able to fit that in. When I worked different hours I would go to the gym all the time. But since I changed my hours it has decreased and decreased. I have to change that.

I also need to find some variety in my meal plans. Frankly, I am getting bored. And when that happens, I start eating crap.

And basically those are the keys to getting in shape anyway. Work out more and eat less. So that is what I gotta do.

I just need to get motivated. And that is my biggest issue. I already know that more than one day a week I cannot get up at 3:30 and work out with co-workers, but I will do it once a week. I want to work out with the Hubs, but he likes to go too late. So I just have to convince myself to go alone. As Nike says, Just do it. And I will. I have to.

#89: Legg Mason Tennis Classic

This week the Hubs and I went to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic (LMTC). For those of you that don't know I am a HUGE tennis fan. Let's say that again, HUGE. And this was my first time ever seeing tennis live. We got tickets for Monday night not knowing who was going to play that day. We got to see James Blake practice and play, unfortunately he lost. And we got to see Fernando Verdasco. Ok, can I say damn good looking by the way. That was the highlight of Monday though. The other single's players we saw I was not familiar with. We did get to see a doubles match with Baghdatis and Wawrinka, but I am not a doubles tennis follower.

Highlights of Day 1

The real highlight of Day 1. While watching James Blake practice, he hit a pop ball into the stands. And I got it. How did that happen? Well, it was coming straight for my head.

Me: OMG. This ball is going to hit me in my head and all these people are going to see. (this is what I was thinking)

I put up my hand and just try to block my face. The ball hits my hand and bounces on the ground in front of me. I grab it and put it in my purse.

The Hubs: You should have caught that.

Yep, that what I got from the Hubs. Um. All I was thinking about was not being bashed in the head by an out of control tennis ball.

Anyway, we had SO much fun that day AND the announcer kept talking about who was playing the next, that we decided to buy tickets right then for the next day. Woo hoo.

So, on Day 2 of my LMTC experience I got to see Andy Roddick, John Isner (who I think I have a crush on), and the Bryan brothers who were not playing that day, but received an award for being the winningest doubles tennis team in the whole history of tennis. Ok, seriously, I was like a kid in a candy store.

Ok. I have to explain my crush on John Isner, and yes this started before his marathon match at Wimbledon. So anyway, he is like 6 feet forever and I have a thing for tall guys, but on top of that he does this thing before he serves where he bounces the tennis ball through his legs like it is a basketball. And I don't know why but I love it. It is something like this.

Can you even see that? Well, anyway that is the extent of my crush. Besides, he is a baby.

Okay, so I got to fulfill a dream that I have had forever and the Hubs who is not a tennis fan at all enjoyed himself. He said it was better to see live than on tv. Whatever, it is great no matter what.

And we decided that next year we are getting tickets again. And now I want to see more professional tennis. I think I am more hooked now than I was before. Yes, a monster has been created.

#22: Make 10 New Recipes

Marinated Pan-Fried Salmon

source Jenn Cuisine

I think this is the first recipe I have made from Jenn Cuisine. I love her blog, but sometimes her recipes seem a little out of my league. But, I kept looking at this recipe for weeks and finally decided to try it.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 2 salmon fillets
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

Directions:

In a bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients, then pour into a sealable plastic bag. Add salmon fillets to bag. Squeeze out all air and seal the bag. Push the marinade around to cover both fillets.

Let marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat skillet on medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil to pan. Cook fillets a couple of minutes on each side, until done to your satisfaction. (I like mine cooked all the way through, some like a little pink in the middle). The marinade will caramelize will cooking.

Serve on top of a bed of lettuce, or accompany with your favorite veggies.

Verdict: This was delicious. I don't cook with sesame that often, so when the Hubs walked in the door and smelled the marinade he says what is that weird smell? I was thinking, great. Waste of my time. But, it wasn't. We both loved this recipe. In fact, I am making this again tonight and I will be doing probably 6 fillets. So definitely getting added to the list of recipes.

Hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Side note: I also cooked some rice to go with this and it was great.

Other blog plug... I started a new blog about going green. I hope you all will check it out. Journey to Green.

New Blog Alert!!!

I started a new blog. It is really just getting started so don't expect a whole bunch right now. It is focusing specifically on me going green. So you will not see those kinds of posts here anymore. I will probably take the ones here and slowly move them over there. Sshh!! Don't tell anyone.

I am glad that all of you have been reading this blog and I hope you will continue to, but please come check me out at my new home. And make sure you follow me so I won't be so lonely.

Thanks.

Come on over to my Journey to Green. Hope you like it.

Kinky Curly Curling Custard Review: Part 2

Part 1 is here. There you can see my 2 attempts at using KCCC to style my hair.

So its almost a week later and here is my official review of KCCC and KCKT.

Ingredients:

Kinky Curly Knot Today: organic mango fruit extract, organic slippery elm, organic marshmallow root, organic lemongrass, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, citric acid, phenoxyethanol and natural fragrance

Kinky Curly Curling Custard: botanical infusion of water, horsetail, chamomile, nettle and marshmallow, organic aloe vera juice, agave nectar extract, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), pectin, citric acid, potassium sorbate and natural fragrance

Pros: I like that this product uses organic and natural ingredients. That is very important to me. And it allows for the product to easily wash out of my hair. I like the smell of both products. The scent is hard to describe, but it is not perfumey or overpowering. They smell clean and fresh. I like that my hair did not feel crunchy when it dried.

Cons: My hair had serious shrinkage using this product, too much for me. Because of the amount of shrinkage this is only one day hair and for me that is no bueno. I need to be able to wear a hairstyle for a week. Yes, a full 7 days, until wash/style day and this was not cutting it. It just did not give the wet look I was going for.

But, the product is not bad. I wish I would have had the courage to try it when my hair was shorter because it might have worked. I have noticed that my hair is longer and thicker than many of the YouTubers I have seen have success with this...even if our hair is the same hair type. So maybe I have passed my hair length for this product. I do want to try it again, but it is frustrating to spend time doing my hair and then having to do it again. We will see. I am going to keep the products around, so maybe when I have some time off from work I will try it again.