Snoozed and loozed :(

I recently became a member of a new crazy-awesome-deal site called ideeli. I love it. Clothes, jewelry, shoes, handbags and home stuff. (If you want to join, let me know and I'll invite you!)

One of the items I was scoping on there was a set of steel kitchen knives. If you know me, you know I'm a recent cooking convert. I really, really like it! And I've never had kitchen knives, so these were awesome...

CulinHome Melrose Knife Set. Regular $90 on sale for $45.

So I saw them yesterday, really liked them, saw the sale ended tonight, and decided to sleep on it.

I slept. I dreamt of these knives. I imagined all the wonderful things I could chop, slice, dice and mince with them. So I logged in to make them MINE.

AND THEY WERE SOLD OUT! Wahhhhhh.....

Frugality bites me again. I'm bummed.

Lesson: Spend immediately and spend often ;)

Just kidding. But seriously, I'm on the prowl for a good deal on a knife set (And cutting board. And juicer. And pots and pans). Hook a sista up.

XOXO

jam

*All images via screenshot from ideeli.com

Sunday Funday

From Saturday Funday, with my sis, her bf and his cousin.

Today is going to be a busy day... and I got up at 7:30 meaning to get an early start at it, but then It Could Happen to You was on E!, so I watched that. And took a little nap afterward on the couch. And made some breakfast (oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon). And synched my iPhone 4. Basically, I procrastinated until noon. (Oh yeah, and blogged about what I needed to do instead of doing it :-/ )

So now, I'm off to the gym to get in some weights and a little cardio. I'm going on vacation (again) next week to California for a family reunion, so I'm trying to get in some sweat-time before I go. I found a new workout that looks fun in fitness magazine here. Sometimes I hate doing the workouts in magazines because they look so complicated, that I'll feel dumb trying to figure them out in the gym... but these are all pretty simple moves that I can do without having a trainer help me.

The rest of my day will be spent cleaning up before I leave (I hate coming home to a messy house), doing laundry and packing for my trip, picking up my rental car for work - I'm headed Dallas Monday and Tuesday for some meetings - anddddd... I have dinner plans.

Whew. I think the nap is going to be crucial to getting through this day.

Hope you're having a glorious weekend - happy Sunday!

XOXO
jam

Delicious and nutritious...

After my vacation, where I enjoyed lots of "kid snacks" like kettle corn, snocones, chex mix, burgers and cookies (nbd) - I was anxious to get back in the kitchen and prepare some tasty, good-for-me meals.

My parents used to try to FORCE me to learn to cook... I totally rebelled.

Now, I love it!

And boy did I! This week I've been cooking up some yum-gasmic eats that are packed with the stuff my body needs to stay energized and strong, while being magically delicious. I get lots of ideas and recipes from my old standbys Self and SHAPE magazine, but I recently started reading a really great blog Fitnessista that has lots of new meals (and vegan/gluten-free options if that's your deal. It's not mine. I love MEAT and GRAINS).

One night, after getting from the gym a little later than usual and hungry for a quick meal, I made a little pico/guac/pineapple/shrimp cocktail that was fan-freakin-tastic. I just got a deli-fresh package of pico de gallo (medium spicy for me), an avocado, some fresh pineapple chucks and a bag of frozen shrimp. Defrost and boil the little shrimpies (takes, 4 or 5 minutes) and mix it all up! I ate mine with some tortilla chips with flax seeds = devine. Light, satisfying and oh-so-summery.

Sorry for my crappy photos. I'm just not a photographer. Period.

Last night, I made the massaged kale salad via Fitnessista. I adjusted her recipe just a little since I'm out of soy sauce (I used hoisin sauce) and I don't know what "agave" is. I also left it in the fridge for a couple hours while I went to happy hour with some friends, but it was perfection when I got home. So good I wasn't even jealous of Tiffany's Crunchwrap Supreme, haha!

This morning, I enjoyed another Fitnessista favorite, the breakfast cookie. I made it last night before heading to bed, so it was ready to go when I got back from my morning run. I can't believe this thing is good for you, it's so indulgent and sweet. It really tastes like a cookie! I had some eggs and salsa with it as well.

Source: Fitnessista

Needless to say, I've been eating good in the neighborhood and feeling awesome. It really is true that your body feels better when you treat it well and fuel it right.

Any other great recipes that are quick, easy -- and good for a few days of leftovers? I live by myself... mama's gotta keep the leftovers ;)

XOXO

jam

New look.

It seems I'm redecorating alot of things these days: my house, my hair, now my blog.

It just felt like a good time to simplify, brighten, and change.

Me likes.

XOXO
jam

Recap: 4th of July Weekend

I love 4th of July! It's the epitome of summer: sun, fun, friends, grills... basically all my favorite things.

Oh yeah, and the celebration of America's independence. Which I also love.

(However, I wish more of those Brits had settled here or would come over... who doesn't love a British accent?!)

This year I had an especially fantastic Fourth, because I spent it with my family in Florida. (Wow, there is some serious alliteration happening in that sentence). My brothers Chad and Conor make everything more exciting, and this weekend was no exception.

Tiff and I spent 5 days in Panama City Beach, but our July 4th was spent canoeing the Econfina Creek - which is home to like a bajillion natural springs. Which makes it a very COLD creek. And very clear. And very beautiful.

Launching our canoes

I have beast arms now from rowing all 3 or 4 miles of it. I like to call them "souvenirs".

Parentals

 

The canoe of "kids"

Loading up onto the scariest bus ever after the canoe trip

Zonked out. Completely.

Sadly, Conor couldn't come with us, because we were afraid of how natural springs + cold, cold water + canoes + shenanigans would end for the little guy. After our adventures, though, we rushed home to him - and not MORE importantly, but also importantly, to fire up the grill.

After some delish burgers, corn on the cob, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans and WATERMELON (I love watermelon), we headed to the beach to watch the fireworks. There are lots of places that had "official" fireworks, but we went the "unofficial, more variety/danger/fun/ease, less crowded" route and watched all the people who spent their kids' college savings on fireworks light up the sky. They were right above our heads! Which was truly patriotic when they exploded too close to the ground. Really conjured up the experience of being a revolutionary. I've never felt more American.

One of my favorite American girls.

Celebrating the 4th on the beach.

Started building sand castles. Then switched to building bomb shelters.

The whole crew. 

P.S. - my dad is an active duty service member. USAF. I'm so proud of him and so thankful for his commitment to our country. Love you, SMSgt McCann!

Anyway, more to come on the full weekend spent in paradise with my lovely family. For my USA friends, I hope you had a great, safe, holiday and took a moment to remember the historical significance and very current responsibilities of FREEDOM!

God bless the USA.

XOXO,
jam