PLEASE DONATE TO HAITI!!!

Please donate to help the people suffering in Haiti after the devastating earthquake that happened earlier this week. Even if it's only $5-it is needed right now.

http://www.redcross.org/

http://www.unicef.org/

LOVE!

Love is EVERYTHING!


Seriously, it is!

And if you don't believe me, take a moment
and think of all the things, places, people you love.

Doesn't that feel good?!!!! :)

My Faves: Moisturizer

I have been on a mission to find a moisturizer that does what I need it to do. Since I have combination skin it's hard to find one product to work well on both my dry spots and my oily spots. Every other moisturizer that I've tried has felt greasy and gross after 5 minutes. But not this Cetaphil Mosturizing Cream. I use it on my face and everywhere else. It makes my face and elbows feel smooth and soft. It's not greasy and it's a great base underneath my foundation-sometimes instead of putting on foundation I just use mineral powder over this moisturizing cream and it works like a tinted moisturizer. It's not heavy or oily and it quickly absorbs into my skin, making it feel super smooth. This is the best moisturizer ever and believe me I have wasted enough money trying to find one that works and this one is definitely a keeper.

Baked Pasta Casserole

I've been on a mission to limit certain things from my diet (not eliminate) such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and sugar.  I've also been exercising and really listening to my body.

However, today I had a bagel and I'm alright with that because I can't remember the last time I had a toasted bagel with butter.  Anyways, it didn't stop there.  I haven't had pasta in a loooonnnng time and I felt for it today. So, I made my baked pasta casserole-and I made it the low carb, low sugar way. 

Here are the pics and the recipe. You can tweak it anyway you want but you must get this pasta sauce(Seeds of Change: Arabitta Di Roma)-it's AMAZING!  Click here for their website. Not only is it low carb & no sugar but it taste great, it's organic, gluten free and you can reuse the glass jar afterwards. I got it at my Food Coop but I'm sure you could find it at any Whole Foods or any organic grocery.   (Click the pics to see details)

Recipe:

Half box of regular or low carb farfalle pasta (or any pasta you like)

Boiling hot water and 1 teaspoon of olive oil (add pasta when water has come to a boil)

In a skillet/frying pan:

1/2 tablespoon real butter (no margarine-its not good for you)

1/4 cup chopped scallions or onions (diced)

2 teaspoons of chopped garlic

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

1 teaspoon basil 

Stir all together for about 3 minutes

Add 1/2 pd ground beef or ground turkey to the skillet and brown the meat (about 12 minutes)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan

3/4 of Seeds of Change pasta sauce

Drain pasta when it's al dente.  Then drain the grease out of the browned ground beef.  Add ground beef to pasta.  Add sauce and stir.  Add parmesan cheese and stir.  Add 3/4 of your mozzarella cheese and stir.  Place the mixture in a small casserole dish. Top with the rest of your mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top is brown.

YUMMMM!

Living For Today While Preparing For Tomorrow!

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” —Mahatma Gandhi

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

Unless you are living under a rock-your either talking about the economy or someone is talking to you about it. It can be really depressing and can leave a person feeling scared and hopeless. But with everything there is always a bigger picture.

Here's a snippet of an article that I recently read that got me thinking that even though times are tough, we still have to enjoy life and be in the moment.

When you worry about what may or may not occur in the future, you miss the joy that is available today - each and every day. So is the answer to focus only on today, and let tomorrow take care of itself? That sounds good - until tomorrow arrives and you are not prepared.

It's a paradox. How does one balance living in the now with preparing responsibly for the future? The key to this dilemma lies in the distinction between "worrying about the future," and "preparing for the future." The two concepts are not at all the same.

Click here to read the full article!

I totally agree that "worrying about the future" and "planning for the future" are two different things. I know most people are so worried about what will happen tomorrow that they don't see how much they are missing out on today. I believe in being in the moment because you can never get it back. I'm not saying to go out and spend all your money today-there is no need to act crazy now. Of course, money should be set aside for the future because you never know what can happen. Since you can't control what life will throw at you, you plan for the unexpected while keeping in mind that tomorrow is not guaranteed. This is the great paradox.

Another thing I've noticed is that most people who live their lives saying "when I lose weight, then I'll be..." or "when I ...I'll do..." or "when I get...then I'll..." never become, do, or go anywhere. In one of my favorite inspirational books, The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo, the character Santiago begins working for an old man who owns a glass shop. The old man tells Santiago that when he was a young man he dreamt about making enough money to take a religious pilgrimage. This was a very important dream to him. He kept putting it off year after year because everyday life took precedence and he just never felt it was the right time. Then he became an old man and never went on the pilgrimage. Santiago helped him to raise enough money and he still didn't want to go. So he confessed to Santiago that he was afraid of realizing his dream-that having the dream was more important than fulfilling it. After reading this I placed a note on my work computer that reads: Don't be the old man in the glass shop!

Think about your own lives, what are the things that you put off because a dream dreamt makes you feel more alive than a dream fulfilled. Do you say to yourself any of the following:

When I lose weight, then I will wear certain clothes, feel better, be happier, date more, love myself more.

When I save enough money then I will travel, have a child, or be happy.

When I find a man then I will be happy.

When I get my career or degree then I can start being happy, life will then begin for me.

If you do, then you will never be completely happy and you will always be worrying about the future rather than planning for it. Imagine how different your mindset would be if instead you thought and said the same things but in a different way. For instance:

I've stopped eating crap and started moving my fat ass more, therefore as the weight comes off-I will:

-begin to wear clothes that I've always want to wear

-begin to feel better about myself, feel happier with life

-date more

-fall love with myself all over again

I've stopping buying unneccesary crap

-so I can now save money because I plan to travel or have a baby

I'm going to do what it takes

-to find a nice man that I'm compatible with to build a relationship with (because you can't meet him if you don't do anything to get the ball rolling).

I'm working on completing my degree

-so I can have a career, to save money, to do _______.

We also have to remember that nothing happens exactly as we plan it. All we can do is try our best, enjoy life and be in the moment because there are no guarantees and accepting that makes life a little easier.

Planning - constant worrying + action= dreams fulfilled! And that's what living for today while preparing for tomorrow is all about.

Must Have: Lightly Salted Almonds

Buy them if you love almonds. They sell them everywhere and they are the perfect snack.

Click here for nutritional info!

Beauty: FAVE Items!

When I go into meetings I need to have a little something on my lips or else I'll feel self-conscious and unpolished. I have about 3 lipglosses and 2 lipsticks in my purse, but I never remember to reapply any of them. Lately I've noticed that my Mac lipsticks are a bit drying.

So, my new love is Cover Girl Lipslicks. It's like a lipstick plus lipgloss (correction: more like a lasting tinted lip balm) in one and it goes on super smooth and I don't have to reapply it that often. It gives me just enough color but not too much because I wouldn't want to look like I'm going to the club. LOL :)
However, the trick is-you have to find the right color for you. I chose a plum color called hipster and it looks great and it makes my lips feel really moisturized.

My other new love is Revlon's Colorstay Black Eyeliner. I've heard women talk about it before and I finally decided to try it out. My $1.00 eyeliner just can't compete. This goes on smooth and lasts all day without smudging. Love it!

My husband bought me the best lip balm ever-Bobbi Brown's SPF 15 Lip Balm. Love it! I will not leave home without it.




Last but not least-my favorite eyeliner: Boujouirs Kohl Eyeliner (in any color but I love the purple). Even though Sephora doesn't sell it anymore (I have to now buy it on Ebay) it will forever remain my favorite.