A Ten-Day Challenge

I was talking with my coworker today and lamenting about how I need to buckle down and lose another 5-10 pounds before my wedding. I mean, it is seriously go time for a number of reasons, the most important being the fact that I had my first dress fitting last Friday, and the dress is just a smidge snug on the hips. According to the seamstress, it is nothing that a few more pounds won't fix, but if I can't fix it, I am going to be stuck adding boning to the dress to make the fabric lie flat, and that's more money out of my pocket that I REALLY don't want to spend. So, a week (and several alcoholic beverages and tootsie roll minis) later, I was really getting frustruated with myself.

I re-joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of August. I have shed about 10-12 pounds so far, depending on the time of day weighed ;-) It is an accomplishment, but I haven't been super strict save for a few weeks out of that time...if I had, I would have lost more. I know that. I was using my extra weekly points, not getting a lot of exercise outside of work, and just taking the slow and lazy route. I'm proud of myself, but I could be more proud. The past month has been a particular fail...between my shower, Halloween, social stuff, I've stalled. Haven't gained, but I can feel myself sliding back into my bad old habits. So, as I said, I needed a boost, and was talking to my coworker.

She was diagnosed as being borderline diabetic last year, and her doctor put her on a diet. Since then, she's lost 30 pounds, and she says that the "cleanse" that you do for 10 days at the beginning of the plan really gives you a weight loss boost. I put cleanse in quotation marks because it seems like the most forgiving cleanse I've ever seen, and I actually began to think I could do it. She offered to do the ten-day boost with me, to provide moral support. So, here I am, putting this in writing for, basically, no one to see, because I feel that if I write it down, I will own it more. I hope. So, tomorrow begins Day 1. Here's the outline of what's allowed and not allowed in the ten day period (*for more information, consult http://gauravtandon.wikispaces.com/file/view/Diabities.pdf)

• No bread or grains of any kind for the ten days. This will be one of the hardest parts, but the main purpose of this cleanse is to rid your body of its sugar habit. And boy, do I need that. 
• No fruit. Found that weird, but again, sugars. This may also be hard.
• Clearly, no sugar. But, Stevia is allowed, so I'm going to be eating lots of plain yogurt with Stevia, and green tea with it as well. 
• Focus on eating lean proteins and veggies. Any veggies. And olive oil is allowed, as are seasonings (except for sugar, and any seasonings with sugar) so I don't have to eat bland veggies. If I were a hummus person, and I'm not, that'd be allowed, too. Eggs, cheese, beans, nuts, chicken, turkey, lunch meats, are all ok. Organics are encouraged. The fact that I can have lunch meat, cheese, and nuts makes this totally bearable. Picked up some wasabi almonds today, and am excited to not have to think about fat grams. Ditto, avocados! 
• Coffee and tea are also ok, which saves me. I think you can have a bit of milk in your coffee and tea, waiting to hear for sure    Tomorrow's menu looks like this: 

Breakfast: Plain nonfat greek yogurt sweetened with Stevia and garnished with cinnamon. 

Lunch: Bento style box containing three roast beef and provolone rolls, baby carrots with a drizzle of olive oil and greek seasoning, and sliced tomatoes. I think tomatoes are ok, even though they are a "fruit."

Dinner: Turkey and bean chili with salsa...and hey, I'm allowed shredded cheese on that if I want! 

Seems bearable! For snacks, I can have veggies (carrots and peanut butter sound good here), my almonds or other nuts, more yogurt, etc. Once the ten days are up, things get more lenient. You can incorporate whole grains back into your diet. Or, maybe I'll switch back over to the WW plan, having gotten the boost I needed. 

Wish me luck, invisible audience! 

Royal Blue and Turquoise...

There is really almost nothing better than online shopping. I feel like the anticipation that is built up while waiting for your things to arrive surpasses the instant rush you get when you buy them in person. Of course, I still love shopping in person...I love it all! Anyway, I ordered a ton of BOGO clothes from F21 a few weeks back (I will post a picture of the pile soon) and then I ordered knee high riding boots from DSW (squeals), and then I found a Chinese knockoff of the bubble big necklaces that are HUGE in the blogging world right now (the originals are J. Crew, I believe) for well under twenty bucks a pop, and finally I ordered a pair of turquoise skinnies from AE, who were having a "Everything Under 30" sale last week. I have been getting everything in a staggered manner, and the last thing to arrive, today, were the necklaces. I had ordered them in turquoise and purple, and now that they're here and as awesome as I imagined, I really want to buy them in a couple more colors as well. The second I got them I knew I had to wear one tonight (we go out to trivia on Mondays), so I decided to wear the turquoise one with my new turquoise skinnies and a royal or cobalt blue blouse. LOVED it.

These shoes are ancient and from Target. 2006? Kinda hard to tell, but they are super high.

I'm thinking I will get apple green and yellow necklaces next. Or, maybe pink. Or, all three :-)

Blouse: Express, 2009-10? This is the style of the blouse I'm wearing style, and I highly recommend the fit, but I also love this one for the color similarity and I think it'd look great with these necklaces.

Jeans: AE Skinnies, buy here for 13 dollars!!!!

Shoes: Old Target

Necklace: Various knockoffs on ebay, I got mine from an auction that ended, but this is basically the same thing.

The Last Day of Fall...Navy, Coral, and Multicolored Beads

Well, not literally, obviously. However, our week of beautiful 60 and 70 degree temperatures will be coming to an end for awhile, starting tomorrow, and will give way to mid 80s. Ugh. After the cool gloriousness of the past week, I'm not looking forward to it. I have several outfit posts to make over the next few days of fall-ish outfits I've worn all week, but I want to start with today's. The final fall hurrah for awhile, so to speak. I've seen the combination of boyfriend style jeans and a blazer all over Pinterest, so I decided to give that look a shot. I absolutely love it! My jeans are actually not boyfriend cut, so to speak, but they are boot cut and are loose in the leg, so I rolled them up and made them boyfriend jeans. I paired the jeans with a sleeveless navy tissue shirt with a unique neckline. I love this shirt! I got it at Burlington Coat Factory and the label says Paper Tea. I have no idea where else you can get this brand; an internet search proved fruitless. The blazer is from a T. Milano Petites suit that I bought at Marshall's, the shoes are ancient (circa 2007) and the necklace was a gift from my Mom a few Christmases back.

In all honesty, the sun was pretty hot (despite the high 60s temps when this picture was taken), so I promptly removed the blazer.

Love the coral. Love the jeans. Love how skinny I am looking these days...and I still have a ways to go. This blog is constantly encouraging me to keep up the good work. 

Here's a crappy, MySpace style photo that shows the detailing on the shirt. I really love it. The ruching is so slimming! 

And, the shoes. These are an all-time favorite of mine. I tried to find an alternative online but there's nothing exactly right. Lots of cute options I'll link to, though.

I know these were featured in the previous blog, but have I mentioned how much I love these bracelets? Added the full stack today...

Top: Paper Tea, similar here
Blazer: T. Milano Petites, Charlotte Russe makes a super cute one with ruched sleeves
Shoes: Ancient, but there are some cute alternatives here and here
Jeans: AE Boot Cut Jeans, similar here (AE also makes actual boyfriend jeans, which I am dying to try...)
Neckalce: gifted, but here is one that looks similar on Etsy (4 available)
Bracelets: Burlington Coat Factory, F21 carries some that are similar here

Purple and Gray

It really feels like fall today. The first day where that crisp, cool feeling comes upon our city is one of the best days of the year, in my humble opinion. I was all aflutter about what to wear today, and consulted both my Facebook friends and Pinterest for inspiration. It's not freezing by any means, it is in the 70s, but after MONTHS of 90 degree temps, it feels awesome. I have been sitting by my open window for two hours just soaking it in, because where we live, it has been known to change overnight, and judging by the forecast, we are not out of the high 80s/low 90s woods yet. All of these awesome fall clothes I have bought will have to wait...sigh...

But, I digress. After thinking about my vital, first non-90 degree outfit, I decided to go with the whole shorts and long sleeve combo that I have seen everywhere. I have NEVER been a big shorts wearer. I hate my thick legs, and so I tend to avoid them. But, all of the shorts were so cute this season, and my legs have slimmed down some, and I am starting to try to embrace the shorts thing. I was bummed that my package from F21 hasn't come yet, because there are two pair of shorts in it that I wanted to wear today, but alas, I had to work with what I had. I bought these purple beauties at Target at the beginning of the summer without trying them on, and they were too tight to wear until a few weeks ago. Yay! I decided to pair them with this drapy gray shirt. I love the way this shirt highlights the curves. I am not sure where it is from...I have a friend who wears the same sizes as me, and we do clothes exchanges every now and again. The necklace is ancient and from Gertrude Zachary, and the bracelets are from Burlington (haha, where else?)

Ugh. This picture does not at all do me justice. I think it looks much better in person. Also, the shorts are a tad more purple in person.

Here are the bracelets close up. SO PERDY! That glow is from the open window I spoke of. Ahhhh!

And, a close up of the necklace. My aunt bought this for me for, like, my 21st birthday or something. Seriously ancient. However, Gertrude Zachary is awesome...you can check them out online at gertrudezachary.com

You can also see the pretty lace collar/back of the shirt. Just a beautiful casual top. If I had to guess, I would say it probably came from Kohl's. I am posting links to similar items, of course.

Top: Unknown, Forever 21 carries a few similar items, like this, or something like this could work...and the Buckle carries a shirt with a similar shape and a sequined back, here
Shorts: Target, May 2012,  these are the identical style, but a different shade of purple.
Bracelets: Burlington, July 2012
Necklace: Gertrude Zachary, ancient, 2004?

Yummy, Yummy Campfire Hash!

As a weight watcher, I often crave the finer things in life...namely sweets and breakfast food. Yes, I am allowed to have both things, but obviously in moderation. This morning, whilst thumbing through an old issue of Martha Stewart living (June 2011 to be exact) I found this irresistible looking recipe for a Campfire Hash. It contained everything that is right with breakfast food: potatoes, bacon, and a fried egg. Mmmmm....So, I went to my WW Recipe Builder app and entered the recipe...and as it turns out, it was doable. 10 points, kind of high for brunch, but since our dinner is also going to be ten points tonight, and this was brunch, I could afford it. So, I set to work. I adapted the recipe for one, since my fiance is kind of crazy and doesn't like bacon...pshhhh. I also added some southwestern touches: green chile and my homemade salsa that we had boatloads of from taco night on Thursday. Here's the original recipe, with my changes noted:

Martha Stewart Living, June 2011

• Prep Time40 minutes
• Total Time40 minutes
• YieldServes 4

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Ingredients

• 1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes (for one, I used one medium sized red potato, what I had in the fridge)
• 8 ounces sliced bacon (I just used two slices to keep the pointage down)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil (didn't use, the bacon grease was enough to cook everything)
• 8 large eggs (or, just one ;-) 
• 3 scallions, chopped (didn't have any, so I omitted) 
• 1 green chile, chopped
• Homemade salsa (a bunch of garden fresh tomatoes, a jalapeno, garlic, salt, and a healthy handful of cilantro, mixed together in a food processor) 

Directions

1. Cook potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
2. Cook bacon in a cast-iron skillet set over a campfire or on a medium-high grill, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon, let cool slightly; crumble.
3. Add potatoes to skillet, lightly smash each using the back of a spoon, and cook until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir crumbled bacon into skillet. Push hash to one side of skillet.
4. Working in batches, and adding oil as needed, crack 2 eggs into skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until desired. Stir scallions into hash. Serve eggs with hash.

The outcome!!!!!!!!!

This was especially good this morning, as it is the first day it has felt like fall. Stay tuned for an outfit post from this day I've been waiting for! :-) 

Weight Watchers Blue Cheese Chicken Burgers

Hello all! So, as I mentioned before, I am currently trying to lose weight, to get back to my personal best (or even beyond) for my upcoming wedding and honeymoon! A few weeks ago, I rejoined Weight Watchers. As of last Sunday, I had almost lost 6 pounds...but I still have at least 10 to go, and as I said more if I can. We've been enjoying some great healthy recipes around here lately, and tonight was no exception. I found this recipe for Blue Cheese Chicken Burgers through weightwatchers.com and it was so delicious that everyone should give it a try. I omitted the celery though (blech) and added a point by adding 1 tbsp of blue cheese dressing to the top of mine. 

Recipe courtesy of Weight Watchers. I didn't decide to blog about the burgers until AFTER we had eaten them, so I apologize for the lack of photos. These burgers are 8 points plus, if you do Weight Watchers. 

Ingredients

	2 spray(s) cooking spray
	1/4 cup(s) barbecue sauce (I actually just used Frank's Red Hot, and more on top. It's zero points)
	1 pound(s) uncooked extra lean ground chicken breast
	1/2 cup(s) uncooked scallion(s), sliced
	1/4 cup(s) uncooked celery, chopped   (OMITTED FROM OURS...BLECH! ;-)
	1/4 cup(s) dried plain breadcrumbs
	2 tsp minced garlic
	1/2 tsp table salt
	4 item(s) mixed-grain hamburger roll(s)
	2 cup(s) romaine lettuce, shredded
	1 large fresh tomato(es), cut into 8 slices
	2 Tbsp blue cheese, crumbled

Instructions

• Off heat, coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.
• In a small bowl, combine barbecue sauce and hot pepper sauce. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce mixture, scallion, celery, breadcrumbs, garlic and salt. Using wet hands (to prevent mixture from sticking), form chicken mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties; brush top of burgers with some remaining barbecue sauce mixture.
• Place burgers on grill, sauce side down; brush tops of burgers with remaining sauce. Grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Lightly toast open-faced buns on grill during last minute of cooking.
• To serve, place 4 bun bottoms on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce, 2 tomato slices, a burger, 1/2 tablespoon of cheese and a bun top (cheese will melt a little from hot burger). Yields 1 burger per serving.

They were really delicious. I cooked up some Alexia Sea Salt and Pepper Sweet Potato Fries (highly recommended, 4 points for THIRTY PIECES!) and doused those with Frank's too, for the heck of it. 

Ruffles and Pink

I really need help lately. I had my coral and mint shopping spree at the end of July, then had another mini spree last weekend, and then this morning had a Forever 21 online spree. Hey, they were having a Buy One Get One Free sale! It goes on until tomorrow, so check it out if you can! Anyway, there should be a lot of new outfits to post about in the coming weeks. I can't wait to see my new stuff when it comes in. I might also have picked up a pair of brown riding boots on DSW.com, coughs....

Back to the ruffles and pink. This Forever 21 top is one that I picked up last weekend. It is cute, but not a color that I usually gravitate towards. Too neutral, but I am trying to stray out of my comfort zone and tone it down every once in awhile. I actually love blush pink (it is an accent color at my wedding!), I just don't think I look great in it. Love this shirt, though...and I wanted to take a close up of it so everyone could see the pretty ruffles:

The color is way off in this picture; my outfit pic shows the true color a lot better:

As you can see, I played with pairing this with a blue necklace, but it didn't look right to me. So, I reached for my faux pearls.

Top: Forevcr 21, last weekend. Can't find it online, but it was in stores.

Jeans: American Eagle Jegging, here. Can I just rave about how much I LOVE AE jeggings?

Necklace: Burlington Coat Factory...yeah, I get a LOT of jewelry there....

Oh, and the shoes! These are Rampage, sometime last year, and they are probably the most uncomfortable pumps I own. But, I keep coming back for more abuse...

You too can get abused by going to ebay and buying them. Fashion can be pain, people...but they're so cute....