Let's Talk in Tangents, Okay?

Good morning, friends!

Fall is here! 

So far The Shack is pretty good!

Hope you are doing well on this mid-week marker! I'm super excited for this week to fly by because this Saturday is my bachelorette party with my friends! Since the whole "let's bar hop and be super obnoxious" isn't really my thing, Andrea is throwing a "girl's night" themed party at my place instead. It'll be great to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen for awhile--some since college.

So, I just got all excited because I thought I heard thunder, and when I looked out my window, I realized it was my neighbor rolling his trash bin down to the curb...killjoy.

Is it sad that I get more excited about the food photography and design/layout of Target mailers than I do about the coupons that are inside? Either way, I always save these mailers in my inspiration file. Speaking of which, I'll have to do a post on that sometime in the future--I keep a filing system of design ideas that I've come across over the years. It's a great resource when you're stuck on a project and need a fresh idea!

A thank-you card I drew for my mother-in-law after she showered me with a ton of gifts a few weeks ago. I'm so excited to be using my new kitchen gadgets! Now if only she'll share her recipe for pumpkin bread...that stuff is so delicious!

My mom and I always grab a free Starbucks coffee after trading in the empty bags whenever we run errands! This past weekend we added a pump of Pumpkin Spice syrup into them and it sure was delicious for a chilly fall morning!

We were on a mission to figure out the wedding table centerpieces and the wedding cake! We left rather inspired and hope to go flower shopping within the next week or so to get that item checked off of the wedding to-do list.

Car snacks en route to my bridal shower. A string cheese was also consumed along the way.

Reading blogs on my mom's phone during the ride--it made the time fly by! Now I just need to get my hands on a smart phone!

Pumpkin bread and some pretty flowers that are adorning my kitchen counter this week! 

Finally took 5 minutes to clean out my purse--makes for a less stressful day since I don't have to dig around for everything. It's funny how my phone always seems to sneak to the bottom of my purse--it makes it hard to find when it rings! To see what I keep in my purse, you may read about it here.

Mid-afternoon snack before getting my tires rotated and hitting up the grocery store!

What in the world?!

Last night's dinner: Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper + Tomato soup and a side of multigrain bread. I just love soups on cold nights...this was my first time trying this soup and I loved it--I'll definitely be picking this up again soon.

I also picked this up at TJ's...I wasn't sure what to expect from it...it's dairy-free and I didn't realize that until after I got home. I guess that's what sorbet means...? 

However, it was actually really good! It tasted like a fudge bar (remember those from when you were a kid?!) and is just slightly less creamy than regular ice cream. It also has a very strong dark chocolate flavor--mmm, it definitely hit the spot! 

Dippin' Ketchup

source

While riding the elliptical the other day at the gym, I saw this new product being introduced on the evening news and I was intrigued. Heinz just launched new ketchup packets that you can either dip your food into or you can tear the opposite end and squeeze it onto your food or plate. How nifty! Have you seen these at fast food places yet?

Ever had dairy-free "ice cream"?
Have you seen or tried the new ketchup packets?
Favorite thing to put ketchup on? Sweet potato fries for me!

Provolone Portabella Burgers & Then Some

Good morning!

I've been slacking in the blogging department do to the wedding date sneaking up on me! We are almost exactly 2 months out from tying the knot!

I just wanted to thank you guys for all of your advice regarding my migraines. Yesterday was definitely better than the last few days and I'm finally starting to get some relief. From your advice, I think I've been able to pinpoint these headaches arising from a lack of sleep and an increase in stress. I'm going to try to take it easy the next few nights before gearing up for another wedding-packed weekend!

This weekend's agenda consists of wedding dress alterations and addressing invitations! I feel like we've been making a ton of progress lately and it is such a relief.

In case you've missed this past weekend's wedding posts, you may catch up below:

• Friday's post featured a Grab Bag of Tangents
• Engagement photos were shared on Saturday
• Registering recap and a bar review popped up on Sunday

Alright, now to fill you in on what's been happening these last few days!

First of all, check out this awesome duct tape that we found at Target this past week! How cute is that?! I used to love Hello Kitty items all through highschool and this definitely brought back some memories!

Lately I've been hooked on lunch wraps consisting of turkey, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (this stuff is amazing! See below for details), sprouts, and veggies! All wrapped up in a whole-grain tortilla...portable and tasty! 

So far I've tried the "Creamy Swiss" cheese and the Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil flavors and I must say, it is hard to choose a winner. The swiss reminds me of a tangy cream cheese, while the tomato basil delivers a punch of flavor. Perfect on a wrap or with some crackers for a snack! They have a garlic and herb one that I've been meaning to try as well. I'll keep you posted!

On Monday, I headed to my desk to drop off my purse before swinging by the break room to fill up my water bottle and place my lunch in the fridge when I noticed this cut-out on my desk. Turns out a coworker saw this in a magazine and cut it out since it says my nickname, "Lola" on it! This little surprise definitely made my morning! 

Monday mornings are always kind of rough...point proven: I topped my Greek yogurt with a squirt of honey from home and when I went to stir it, I realized that there was a plastic wrap on top of the yogurt. Fail! 

Luckily, I remembered that there were some honey sticks in the break room leftover from a project I worked on last year. The packaging of these honey sticks served as inspiration for a similar project for a different brand of honey. I snagged two of them and squeezed them into my yogurt before giving it another stir. Delicious! 

After work, I headed to Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries for the week. These Portabella mushrooms caught my eye and I quickly tossed them into the cart. The whole time I was shopping, I kept dreaming of a portabella mushroom burger with some gooey cheese on top.

And that's exactly what I made when I got home. It definitely hit the spot! 

To make the "burger," I simply sprayed my griddle pan with some non-stick spray and cooked the mushroom on both sides for a few minutes. I then added a slice of provolone cheese and let it cook for a few more minutes, just to melt the cheese. After it was done, I sliced it in half since it was so huge; half went on my toasted whole-wheat bun, while the other half was saved for another day. 

I topped that bad boy with avocado, onion slices, fresh tomato, red pepper, and lettuce. The crisp of the veggies combined with the gooey mushroom and cheese combo was outstanding! I can't wait to eat the other half this week for dinner.

In closing, I am obsessed with this song. I heard it on TV this weekend and have been blasting it ever since! Set Fire to the Rain // Adele = Amazing! Check it out if you're an Adele fan! That being said, off to work I go! Have a super day!

Do you like mushrooms?

Have you had a recent food / cooking fail lately?

What song have you had on repeat this week?

What are your nicknames?

Registering, Bar Review, + Headaches

Hi there!

Aren't you so excited you still have one more day of weekend left? Today's agenda includes finalizing our wedding website before uploading it to the web, filling in the address gaps on our guest list so that we can address and send our invitations, and tentatively planning our budget + ceremony order before meeting with our pastor this week.

I also need to hit up the grocery store sometime today to fill my fridge since it is empty! I may switch it up a bit and head over to Trader Joe's to get some new meal ideas.

Registering

So, yesterday we registered and it took much longer than we thought it would! Trying to decide on color schemes for each room while you're shopping is kind of challenging! However, completing our registry together was even more fun that we thought it would be.

Here are our tentative room colors that we decided upon:
Bedroom: Brown & tan, + muted lavender accents
Master Bathroom: charcoal gray, wine (it's like a deep purple-y red)
Guest Bathroom: gray or /black + ???
Bedroom 2: Eh, not sure yet...this is going to be our office....
Living room: Gray & black + teal accents

We are hoping to use a lot of our own artwork to decorate our home together. Photography, graphic patterns, typography, etc. will be scattered throughout the walls of our first place together. I love that we're both designers and can add this personal touch to our home!

I can't wait to start browsing on Pinterest for some decorating ideas! We're hoping to nail down the living situation that we saw last week since we were sold as soon as we walked through the door!

We ended up creating two registries--one for practical items, and another one at a different store for fun items. We finished off our day with a trip to one of our favorite restaurants--Big Bowl! It was so delicious! They have this customizable stir-fry bar and I love it! As you can remember, I love picking and choosing! I ordered the natural chicken stir fry with tons of veggies topped with kung pao sauce and peanuts. It was super spicy but oh so good!

(source)

Bar Review
A couple of weeks ago, I received a buy one get one coupon from Target for a new nutrition bar! The Iron-Girl nutrition bar for girls!

The bright packaging caught my attention and I decided to give them a whirl. There were two flavors available: Cocoa Crunch and Strawberry/Cranberry. I chose the cocoa flavor since something about cranberry in a nutrition bar just thew me off a bit.

Likes:
-Bright, fun packing
-Nutritional benefits geared towards women--iron, whole grains, folic acid, B vitamins, etc.
-Decent calories and stats
-They're made by the makers of PowerBar--which also makes some decent bars.
-Great for a pre-workout snack in a pinch. They are easy to toss into your purse or gym bag.

Dislikes:
-The flavor wasn't very strong...it kind of reminded me of cocoa krispies cereal--not super sweet or chocolatey. Overall, it just kind of bland.
-Only two flavors were available.
-Not much protein (3 grams). Usually, I like a little more substance to my snacks to tide me over until my next meal or to power me through a workout.

I'd eat one of these again if I'm in a pinch for a snack, but I think I prefer my Clif-Z bars over these!

Headaches
On a side note, I've got a question for you guys. I've been suffering from extremely bad migraines/headaches lately. They have been so bad that it is hard to focus at work and when I stand up, I am extremely dizzy. Light and computer screens seem to aggravate my head even more and a lot of times I get really nauseous when I have them.

That being said, Thursday afternoon I got a horrible headache and it lasted through the night and to the next morning. I took the day off from work to rest and I'm glad I did because I ended up throwing up from having such a headache. Does this ever happen to you? I can't figure out what is going on...not sure if I'm just really tired or maybe dehydrated or something? Excedrin and ibuprofen don't seem to do much...any ideas? Thanks, guys!

What do you recommend purchasing at Trader Joe's?
Any good lunch/dinner ideas for the week?
Have you tried Iron-Girl bars before?
Best headache/migraine cure?

12 Ways to Slash your Grocery Bill

I strive to eat healthy most of the time mainly because I feel so much better when I put good, wholesome things into my body as opposed to junk. However, eating healthy can be expensive; let's face it, a bag of Doritos is much cheaper than a bag of organic, whole-grain tortilla chips.

After developing a lifestyle of healthy eats over the past few years, I've discovered ways to stock up on healthy items without going broke. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Buy items in season. What does this mean? Stock up on fresh fruit in the summer when it is on sale and at its peak of freshness. If you were to try to buy that same watermelon in January in the Midwest, chances are, it won't taste as good and you're going to shell out a lot more for it than you would in July.

2. Purchase items that you consume on a regular basis in bulk. If you're an oatmeal, pasta, or popcorn fanatic, don't buy the individual-serving packages--instead purchase the whopping containers to reduce the unit price and reduce excess packaging. Need to take oatmeal to work and love the convenience of instant packets? Make your own: fill a small, washable container with a scoop of oats and just add water/milk when you get to the office. It's the exact same thing but much cheaper in the long run.

Even though I'm a family of one, buying in bulk saves me some serious cash. Basically for single-serve items, you're paying for the convenience and packaging. If you're always on the go or traveling, these items can be great. However, for everyday use, they usually are not necessary.

3. Your freezer is your friend. Stash items away before they expire. Items such as flour, bread, bananas (freeze and use in smoothies!), and leftovers freeze extremely well. By freezing rather than tossing out expired food, you are saving money and time since you won't be rushing to the grocery store all of the time.

4. Don't be afraid to shop around. Certain items are cheaper at some stores as opposed to others. This technique is something that will come with time and soon you will know which stores carry which items cheapest. It is important to not stress over this too much though--don't drive to 7 stores just to get a week's worth of groceries--it's not worth it in the end.

5. Off brands won't bite, but don't skimp on the good stuff. Essentials such as cooking spray, raw oats, popcorn kernels, etc. are pretty basic items and it is hard to mess them up. Do yourself a favor and try the off-brands for a fraction of the price on items that you don't have a huge preference on. Chances are, you won't even miss the big brands. When it comes to specific items, I don't skip due to quality. Some of the items that I'm willing to pay more for include:

• Organic items
• Natural chicken and fish
• Coffee
• Condiments
• Cheese

I'm willing to spend more on these things because in the past I've tried off-brands and it just was not the same--resulting in wasted food and money.

6. "On Sale" doesn't always equal savings. A sale is not useful to you unless it involves something that you like or were planning on purchasing. Why buy it if it's just going to take up space in your fridge or pantry? That leads me to my next point--coupons.

7. Your mom was right when it comes to coupons. However, like sale items, they are only good if you're actually going to use the product. Your best bet is to use a coupon for an item that is on sale--double whammy of savings!

8. Do the prep work yourself. I set aside time each week--usually on Sundays to do all of my prep work for healthy eating during the workweek. I bake chicken breasts, prep salads in single-serve containers, cut veggies and fruits, and fill tiny tupperwares with bulk goods such as yogurt, cottage cheese, and applesauce. By taking an hour or so each week to do the prep work, healthy snacks and meals are easy to grab--helping me stick to my healthy eating regimen. Each morning, I simply grab containers and toss them into my lunch box before heading out the door.

9. Only purchase items that you will actually use. Sometimes we feel the pressure to get something simply because it is healthy or because it is on sale. If you purchase something only to toss it before you use it, or take one bite and spit it out, it wasn't really worth buying in the first place, was it?

10. Know your prices. This is crucial if you shop at multiple stores or if you like to take advantage of wholesale stores such as Sam's Club or Costco. By knowing the basic prices of most items, you'll be able to spot a deal a mile away.

11. The more uses for a product, the better. Buying chicken? Think of how many meals you can get out of it:

• Salad with grilled chicken
• Chicken parmesean
• Chicken and rice
• Stir fry with veggies
• Sandwich wrap
• Tacos
• Alfredo pasta with chicken + broccoli
• Using one item for multiple meals is a great way to stretch your dollar at the supermarket.

12. Keep an eye on unit prices. Unit prices are often listed on the price sticker below the item on the shelf. It will list the cost per unit--allowing you to compare brands and sizes of items to ensure you're getting the best deal. Here's a hint: buying the larger size of a product is usually the better deal!

Those are the majority of the tips I use when it comes to loading up on healthy foods. I try to shop every other week or so to keep my grocery bill down as well; however, some weeks I find myself rushing to the store a couple of times due to picking up random items that I forgot.

Do you use any of these techniques while grocery shopping? 
What are some of the ways you save money on food?
Are you willing to shell out more for organic or healthy options?

The Muffin Man

Good morning!

After picking up an abundance of produce from Sam's the other day, I was inspired by this little lady to make some homemade blueberry muffins. Now, these are not like those blueberry muffins that come from a little pouch at the grocery store that you just add water and an egg to. In case you haven't heard, those little blue specs in the batter are not real blueberries. On the other hand, these are real, whole-wheat blueberry muffins with huge, bursting blueberries loaded with flavor.

I recently purchased some whole wheat flour instead of the usual white and decided to test it out in this recipe.

Let's get down to business, shall we?

Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Loosely adapted from Betty Crocker's Blueberry Streusel Muffins

• 1 cup of milk
• Slightly less than 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (you could also sub in applesauce)
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups of all-natural whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar plus extra for sprinkling on top
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

Let's make this simple. Sound good?

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees--muffins like it hot. 

Mix the wet ingredients together. Slowly add in the dry ingredients--blueberries are added last to avoid bursting while stirring.

Your batter will be thick and lumpy--don't worry, these will not turn out as cookies but rather delicious muffins.

Spoon into a muffin pan that is either generously sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with muffin/cupcake liners. If you run out of liners, it's okay to use your leftover Valentine's Day ones. Sprinkle the tops with a light dusting of granulated sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan immediately if baked in liners, otherwise let your muffins cool off a bit before taking them out of the pan.

Pick the one with the gooey-ist center and devour it for a snack. The whole-wheat flour gave it a rich, hearty flavor that I really enjoyed in contrast to the sweet, juicy blueberries.

Perfect anytime of day--morning, afternoon, or before bed. Plus, with the whole-wheat flour and blueberries--they're healthy!

Enjoy!

What is your favorite flavor of muffin? 

Do you ever bake with whole wheat flour? 

Do you follow recipes or make up your own?

I'm in the Club + Grocery Staples

Good morning!

How was everyone's weekend?! Hopefully you got a chance to kick back and relax. That being said, if you missed some updates over the weekend, you may catch up here:

• A fun twist on a classic recipe
• My summer to-do list made an appearance
• The little guys were in the spotlight

This weekend, one of my top to-do items was purchasing groceries for the upcoming week(s) since my fridge was pretty empty by yesterday afternoon. After giving it some thought, I decided to cave and sign up for a Sam's Club membership (Costco's competitor).

Good thing I wore my Sunday best for my membership ID card photo shoot: gym clothes that I slept in the night before, headband, and no shower! Keeping it classy is what I do best.

My parents have always had a membership and whenever I'm in town, I love piggybacking on their membership to pick up some bulk goods like Clif-Z bars, protein powder, and fresh produce for cheap.

Before heading to Sam's to sign up, I snacked on a Larabar for some energy. I used to really dislike these bars, but I must admit--they are growing on me and I love the fact that they use real ingredients.

I try to grocery shop biweekly in attempt to save money--sometimes this works, other times it doesn't. I generally purchase the same things each week--only switching it up depending on what is on sale.

Some of my grocery staples:

-Fresh fruit: bananas, apples, oranges, berries (depending on the time of year), sometimes fun additions like pineapple, watermelon, and kiwi.

-Milk: I used to only drink soy/almond milk but have recently switched back to the moo juice since it is boatloads cheaper.

-Yogurt: usually plain--either regular or Greek

-Eggs: I only eat the whites, so I usually buy two 18-packs at a time.

-Protein: tilapia, chicken breasts, tuna burgers, turkey, deli meat once in awhile, string cheese

-Veggies: I eat sweet potatoes like they are going out of style, salad mix/lettuce, tomatoes, raw veggies for a veggie bucket, frozen broccoli and peas for throwing into dinner recipes

-Snacks: pretzels, Annie's cheddar bunnies, popsicles, granola bars, popcorn, fruit snacks, etc

-Grains: wild rice, bagels, pasta, whole-wheat bread and wraps, oatmeal, etc.

-Other: nut butters, soups, pasta sauces, condiments, etc.

The Verdict

After signing up for a membership, I was impressed to learn that I could add Andy onto my account--allowing him to shop there too. I loved that all of the produce was tons cheaper (and in larger quantities) than at my usual grocery store. The dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) were also much cheaper as well! 

I'd have to say that you need to know your prices before you shop at a wholesale store such as Sam's or Costco since some things actually are not a good deal--especially if you buy something in bulk that will go stale before you can use/consume it. Overall, I was impressed and I'm excited to continue to shop there.

My favorite item of the day? Almond butter for half the price and twice the size of the jars at Target!

On another note, I was finally able to get some things accomplished today! Sometimes a new environment makes all the difference!

How often do you grocery shop? Bi-weekly, usually.
What is your favorite grocery store? Whichever one has samples on the weekends! Free lunch!
Favorite LaraBar Flavor? Not sure yet...I've only tried two of them.