I do this to myself all the time. I still think I can party like I am in college. Well, reality has a way of telling you what's up when you don't follow it's rules. I always wondered when I was younger why adults don't drink that much, if at all. I know now. It's because it takes 3 times as long to get over it than it used to.
I was at a bachelorette weekend (keep in mind I stopped drinking Saturday after dinner and literally drank 10 waters after that) and I am still recovering. I AM OFFICIALLY OVER IT! The amount of fun I have when I drink pales in comparison to the S-H-I-T that I feel like for days after.
In light of my impending 30th birthday, I am feeling that I need to really stop acting like I am in college. I need to take care of myself so I don't end up looking prematurely haggard.
Just some thoughts on this beautiful Tuesday. Tomorrow I'll be back to normal.
Last weekend I ended up going shopping with my sister. It was a cool and cloudy day so we didn't last on the beach for very long. We didn't plan on shopping, and I wasn't even in the mood after the long brunch we had just finished. BUT! The stores were having sidewalk sales...so we looked. My sister was pretty successful at finding amazing deals, but I was less than thrilled with what I saw.
Then at the last store, something sparkly caught me attention out of the corner of my eye. (I'm such a girl) I meandered over to find the most beautiful piece of clothing I had found in a long time.
I fell in love with it instantly. But....would it fit? They only had a medium and two smalls. I am definitely not a small, haven't been since high school, and probably never will be again. So I crossed my fingers and went into the dressing room with the medium.
For those of you who don't know me I have the ass equivalent of a black girl's: big and round. I almost got it zipped all the way up but I didn't want to rip it. It was just a little too tight (and short- which I can deal with if it isn't too tight).
So I tried to get my sister to buy it, hoping maybe I would slim down another 5 and be able to borrow it. But she wasn't in love with it like I was. So I tried it on one more time w/ her in the dressing room and she was like 'wait, a minute...you can fit into this' and got me in. If I just lost another 5 lbs (which is half of what my goal is) then it would fit perfectly.
So I bought it.
I never do that. I forced myself to stop buying clothes that didn't fit with the hopes of fitting into them a few years ago. But this was different. It was gorgeous. You know when you see little girls who wear tutus all day everyday? This skirt makes me feel the adult equivalent to little girls who only want to wear tutus. I want to wear it everyday.
I hung it up on my armoir and every time I look at it it reminds me that I am going to fit into it by my 30th birthday (less than 2 months away). It is my motivation to eat the way I know I need to in order to be healthy and lose that last 10 lbs. It may seem superficial, but whatever!
And no I'm not starving myself. I've figured out how I can eat to lose weight and still feel satisfied. More on that tomorrow....
I have been making a whole variety of different juice recipes over the past few weeks for an e-book I am working on for Raw Generation Juices and I wanted to share with you my absolute favorite one that I have made thus far.
RED ROOTS (about 16 oz)
1 beet
2 red apples
4 carrots
1 lemon
1" piece ginger root
This combination is sweet, earthy, tangy, warming, and delicious all at the same time. It's also instant energy. I have tried it a few times recently when it's the middle of the day and I'm dragging ass. Instead of drinking coffee I drink a juice and within a few minutes I am feeling revived.
Bet you didn't know that beets:
act as a medicine for liver and gallbladder
help lower cholesterol
destroy tumor cells and cancer cells
strengthen the function of blood and overcome Anemia
produce red blood cells
clean and neutralize toxins in the body
strengthen the circulatory system and immune syste
fight against inflammation, infections, and kidney stones
give power and balance to the body
Even if you only do one juice a day, I highly recommend incorporating some form of juice into your everyday diet. The benefits of getting all of these fruits and vegetables in your body outnumber the effort it takes to make. This juice takes all of 4 minutes to make and is enough to fill you up. And BONUS! You are getting roughly 8 servings of fruits and vegetables in one shot!
I set up a few Google filters so that everyday I get emails with links to everything that's going on on the web related to the topics I'm interested in. One of them is "raw food" and for the past few weeks I've been seeing stories about how the herb thyme "may" be more useful in curing acne than products that are benzoylperoxide based.
Acne is big business. So is skin care and anti-aging. Wouldn't it be great if we could change our skin by changing what we eat?
The herb thyme may be more effective at treating acne than current medicines, research has found.
A tincture made from the plant may also be kinder to the skin and, unlike powerful peroxide-based treatments, will not leave bleach marks on pillow cases and clothes.
Scientists at Leeds Metropolitan University compared thyme’s spot-busting potential with marigold, myrrh – three plants already sold as acne treatments by herbalists – and acne-fighting chemical benzoyl peroxide.
They steeped the herbs in alcohol to draw out the active compounds before adding pimple-causing bacterium propionibacterium acnes. The thyme tincture was the most effective at killing bacteria, destroying around 100,000 bacteria per ml – or half a million per teaspoonful. It was also slightly more effective than benzoyl peroxide, the chemical in some prescription treatments and acne products such as Clearasil and Oxy 5 and 10.
Tests also showed the antibacterial effects were not simply due to the alcohol in the tincture sterilising the skin.
Researcher Dr Margarita Gomez-Escalada said more tests were needed but added: “If thyme tincture is proven to be clinically effective, it may be a natural alternative to current treatments”.
Treatments containing benzoyl peroxide can cause a burning sensation, she said.
She added: “Herbal preparations are less harsh, while our results suggest they can be just as, if not more, effective.” - Daily Mail
This article is talking about using it as a topical treatment. However, what would happen if we juiced and drank it? I may just have to come up with a recipe including thyme as one of the ingredients. I'll get back to you on this!
before- not as bad as it used to be but still painful
I know I've mentioned how I have been prone to awful acne over the past few years. Well, I have finally found something that gets rid of it. And guess what? It's not a magically high priced cream. It's literally dark green leafy vegetable juice.
I started drinking it about 6 weeks ago and slowly my face cleared up 90% of the way. Then, because I was busy starting Raw Generation, I stopped for a little over a week. Well wouldn't you know my acne started to come back. I was like W-T-F?
A few days ago I made a few jars for myself and literally after drinking it for 2 days my acne is almost gone- AGAIN! And I didn't do anything different with my cleansing routine (if you want to call it that).
2 days later- not photoshopped
The more I read about all this health stuff, the more I am convinced that skin problems like acne and aging are solved from the inside out not the other way around (which is what the cosmetic companies want you to believe).
So! If you juice, add more dark green leafy vegetables. If you don't juice but want the benefits...we will be open for business in about 2 weeks!!!!
Ladies in college. My beautiful cousin Erica asked me for advice on what to eat in college. It took me a while to get to this, but here it is. It's very simple. I assume most of you are eating at cafeterias with meal plans so I will go ahead and say that the prepared foods you are eating are most likely garbage.
This is what you can do:
eat all the fruit you can find
eat the salads
drink water instead of soda or "vitamin" waters
buy mixed nuts, dried fruit, and apples/oranges/bananas and keep them in your room
something tasty & healthy you can eat is hummus w/ cut up veggies
absolutely do not eat late night
do not eat fried foods or pizza
It may be fun now and you think you won't be one of the girls that blows up, but you aren't an exception to the rule. Speaking from experience, I thought I could keep up with the boys in drinking and eating. I gained a lot of weight in college. And guess what? I'm still working it off. I'm 29.
Loosing weight sucks. It's much easier to stay slim than lose weight. It is actually quite simple. The more fruits and vegetables and whole foods you eat the better off you will be. What's a whole food? Something that still looks like it came from nature. Nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, brown rice, anything that is still in it's original form.
Here are some other facts:
muffins are not a healthy option
cheese is the best tasting thing in the world but if you eat a ton of it you will gain weight
chips go straight to your hips
most smoothies are sugar bombs unless it is made strictly with whole fruit
late night eating is THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO
the ice cream in the cafeteria is garbage
A few words about drinking. First of all, we all know drinking is an integral part of the college experience. If you are one of those that don't drink that much you are ahead of the curve. Alcohol is empty calories. Which means you are just inhaling calories that make you fat. Alcohol is a double whammy because you tend to eat more crappy food.
Here's the thing. The point isn't to be perfect all the time. The point is to be good most of the time. When you aren't partying make a point to be healthy. One or two pounds aren't that bad to get rid of, but 10-20 lb's will literally take you forever to work off. And you won't be able to do it while you are doing keg stands and eating pizza at 3am.
Women definitely have a disadvantage when it comes to packing on the pounds. But it can be easy to stay slim and healthy if you get in the habit of eating fruits and vegetables.
If you happen to be in college and have questions post a comment below and I'll do my best to get you answers. Stay beautiful ladies!
It is amazing how you can not see people for a decade and then all of a sudden they are back in your life. Recently a high school classmate, Kim- who owns a salon in Red Bank, NJ (my stomping ground) contacted me since we are both interested in organic food, holistic healing, etc, etc. Anyway, yesterday I went for a haircut and had a wonderful conversation about food, and beauty products, and relationships, and all things that are talked about at salons.
Her salon, True Concepts Hair Design, uses organic and vegan hair products from Simply Organic...including dyes, highlights, and straightening products! This is awesome, because I just recently became a little wary about the chemicals that are used to highlight my hair. And if you have fallen in love with the Brazilian straightening system, True Concepts uses an organic, formaldehyde free brand, Zerran, that is just as good (if not better)!
It's funny because it's not like I woke up one day and decided to completely change what I eat and the products that I use. It's been a gradual process (and often expensive) where some days a light bulb goes off in my head and I'm like "S-H-I-T! That probably has X/Y/Z (that I am trying to avoid) in it!" And the process starts all over again. I have to throw out stuff I just bought or give it to someone who isn't really concerned about this stuff.
Well if you are like me and care (or are starting to) about what you put on your head I would highly suggest looking up a salon that uses organic beauty products. What does organic mean in terms of hair?
vegan formulations
100% paraben free
botanically based with soothing essential oils
perfume free
sulfate free
cruelty free, never tested on animals
formaldehyde free
Salons like this one are out there, so if this is something on your list to improve just seek and yee shall find! And! If you are in the central Jersey area and want a great haircut using organic products call up True Concepts at732-747-2200.
Loved everything today Kim and Nicole!!! Thank you!
Winter is beautiful if you can face the cold and wander for a while.
I am home & I am sick. My room is a mess and there are tissues everywhere. The 3 onions and 1 slightly bruised green apple I have in my produce basket do not make for a delicious green smoothie! When I woke up a while ago I had that 'Can't I just fall back asleep?' feeling. But I couldn't, because when I am awake I am awake. So, like every other morning, I turned to my phone to start catching up on the dozen or so blogs that I follow. Sometimes I read all of them and sometimes I just breeze through. Today there was one written by a fellow blogger that I had not read in a while- Gluten Free Girl & the Chef. In her post about collard greens I found the most amazing find EVER!
La Tartine Gourmande
I have to admit that I am instantly attracted to anything French. I knew nothing about La Tartine Gourmande, other than it was a French name... so I clicked through and found my inspiration for the day (and hopefully many days to come).
The French have a way of portraying even the simplest things as elegant. I envy that. Besides the fact that this woman has a beautiful way of photographing her food and an eloquent written voice, the colors and details are impeccable. This is what I strive to be like in my life. Colorful, dainty, & perfectly accessorized.
As for now, I am sniffly, sneezy, and groggy. But I will get better!
On to finish my tea and start the process of branding our new juice biz...
In the car, next to my bed, on my desk at work, upstairs, downstairs. Sooo not what you were thinking. Those are all of the places I keep chapstick so that I am never out of arms reach. Literally! I realized several years ago that I am addicted, but am unsure as to how to quit and if it is really necessary. I mean I am a woman, and if I am not putting on chapstick I am putting on lip gloss or lipstick. So my lips pretty much have no chance at going naked.
Up until about a month ago, my go-to lubricant of choice was Chapstick Brand Moisturizer w/ SPF. I use this and only this and have for years. A few years back on my birthday my aunt sent me a year's supply of this (such a great gift for a chapstick addict- btw...she is addicted too and to the same kind...must run in the family)
Anyway, I came across a brand on Etsy called Orange Thyme (no relation to my blog) that makes chapsticks, perfume oils, soaps and other beauty products out of real ingredients. By real I mean ingredients you can read and understand. These are the ingredients in the Vanilla Honey Chapstick:Avocado oil, cocoa butter, candelilla wax, shea butter , natural and essential oils.
I have been using the Vanilla Honey lip balm and am in love! I think it is actually better than Chapstick brand. Plus it is slightly glossy so I don't have to use both. The perfume oil is awesome as well! Well done Orange Thyme! Well done!
About a month or two back, I started to think about all of the beauty products I use (not many compared to most women I'm sure) and how they are probably not safe. I thought about all of the chemicals and preservatives that are put into processed food, and figured it is probably 100 times worse with stuff that just goes on your skin. I was right.
Your skin is an organ too, and the amount of heavy duty (cheap) moisturizer I have used in my lifetime is ridiculous...and gave me cause for concern.
I found a website Saffron Rouge that actually does all of the research for you. They review products' ingredients and if they don't pass...they don't sell!
Why settle for beauty products that don’t live up to their labels? At Saffron Rouge, we evaluate every ingredient so you don’t have to. All the products you see here are made without the plastics, silicones, petroleum, artificial fragrances, dyes, and other unsafe ingredients found in most beauty products, and are guaranteed to give you results. - Saffron Rouge
I thought this was great because I had originally bought a book of cosmetic ingredients (it's like a dictionary) and had planned on doing this myself with all of the products that I use. I started and stopped almost immediately because in any given bottle there was literally dozens of chemicals listed.
But before I had gotten into reading the ingredients of my beauty products, I switched from my globs of cheap, thick moisturizer to using coconut oil (and just recently sesame oil). I like the thought of being able to eat what goes on my body. That is how nature intended. I'm sure people in coconut growing regions use coconut oil for their skin and hair.
Back to the rest of my beauty regimen. I had found a brand on Saffron Rouge called Suki. I was looking for new face wash and found Suki's Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser. The reason I picked this product is because I checked out all of the reviews and majority of them were raving (especially the people with sensitive skin). Saffron rouge was generous enough to send me the product to try (Thank you!)
First of all let me tell you that I am relentless about using products that make my skin feel good. Over the past few years I have developed adult acne (AWESOME) and have always had EXTREMELY dry skin especially during the winter months. While I am trying to correct this through my diet, I need some quick relief in the meantime. If something doesn't make my skin feel good or cause me to break out (pretty easy) I stop using it.
So I have been using the Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser for the past two weeks and I love, love, love it! It starts out really grainy (I scoop out a little on one finger) and then you wet it and lather in your hands to moisten it up...then scrub your face. As you scrub the granules dissolve and it turns into a lovely face wash. When you rinse it off your face feels clean without feeling stripped. Also, the smell is AMAZING! It's like sniffing a sugary lemon. Very refreshing first thing in the morning. Two thumbs up!
that amount is all you need for your entire face and neck
(unless you have a really long neck- haha)
I also got a chance to try out a few other samples of products by Suki Skincare. The Suki Butter Cream Healing Salve was my favorite by far. It is sooooo thick and the type of thing that you put on your really dry spots like elbows, knees, ankles, and heels.
*BONUS- I put it on my face because I was at the BF's house and forgot my face cream and this was the only thing available. At first it was a little greasy, but as it absorbed in it made my face feel super moisturized...AND! It made all of my tiny wrinkles go away! I'm not exaggerating. I have 2 spots, one on my forehead and the other under my eyes, where if I am really dry they are really obvious (Damn sun damage from life guarding for 5 years w/o caring about sunscreen!). Anyway I would not recommend this for everyday use, but it works in a pinch or if you are really, really dry.
I have been slowly but surely switching over my beauty and hygiene products to non-toxic brands. This is an expensive process so I figured I would share my thoughts with you guys so you don't have to waste money on crappy products. Arbonne is a Swiss company that does not use any of the following in its products:
Animal products or animal by-products
Parabens: preservative
Formaldehyde-donating preservatives
Petroleum-based ingredients
Benzene: a solvent most used in nail polish remover. Harmful amounts can be absorbed by the skin
Mineral Oil: derived from petroleum
Petrolatum: derived from petroleum
Phthalates: chemical compounds used in the production of plastics, cosmetics, and pesticides that is thought to be mutagenic, cancer causing, and adversely affects male sperm
Toluene: used as a solvent, obtained from petroleum, can cause liver damage and is irritating to the skin and respiratory tract
PABA: an acid found in the Vitamin B complex, used in sunscreens to prevent skin damage, however it can cause allergic eczema and sensitivity to light
I have been using the body wash, shampoo and conditioner now for about 2 weeks and love them except for a few things:
FC 5 Body Wash: I checked the ingredient list on the box (the full ingredient lists were not available on the website) and the second ingredient is Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate. This is supposedly a less harsh sulfate, but a sulfate all the same. Sulfates are a cheap lathering detergent used in many shampoos, however this body wash doesn't lather like drug-store brands so I'm a little confused. I like it though, and since I ran out of face wash I have been using this instead and it is light enough for my sensitive acne-prone skin!
FC 5 Shampoo: Same sneaky sulfate found in ingredient list. Also, I have so much hair that I have to use quite a bit of the shampoo to get full coverage. I realize that I have an unusual amount of hair on my head (and it's long) so many of you may not have this problem at all.
FC 5 Conditioner: I love this conditioner, checked the ingredient list...it passed! It's not too heavy and leaves my hair silky and shiny.
Shampoo Cleansing Ingredients To Avoid: (source: Savy Skin Blog)
Extremely common
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate
TEA Lauryl Sulfate
Sulfur (in dandruff shampoos)
Selenium Sulfide (in dandruff shampoos)
Less common
Magnesium Sulfate
Sodium Thiosulfate
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Alkyl Sodium Sulfate
Alkyl Benzene Sulfonate
TEA-Dodecylbenzene
Sodium C12-15 Alkyl Sulfate
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfonate
According to a NY Times Article, Sulfate-Free Brands Have Some in a Lather, there is one drug store brand that is boasting sulfate free: Loreal Paris' EverPure and EverStrong. I am not sure of the rest of the ingredients, however I am going to check them out because I am positive they are cheaper than Arbonne. Aveda is another company that does not include sulfates in their products. On the flip side, stylists are saying that some of their clients are seeing lackluster hair because they are using sulfate-free shampoos.
The VERDICT: For how expensive Arbonne's products are, some of them still have a form of sulfate in them. The conditioner is the only one that I would DEFINITELY buy again. As for the use of sulfates, the verdict is out. I am getting yays and nays so it is up to you to make the decision for yourself. I am not convinced that they are aweful enough for me to throw away everything with sulfates in them (like I did with everything containing soy ingredients). I am still going to use Arbonne as I really do love the way my hair looks and feels.
Do you have any opinions on sulfates? Are you more confused than you were before? Do you even care about this issue?
*I am not being paid at this point to promote anything by Arbonne. The three products listed above are the only products I have reviewed from Arbonne, therefore I do not have an opinion on any of their other products.
If you are interested in buying Arbonne products or have any questions about them please contact kellytalty27@gmail.com.
Ladies... as someone who was able to party her way through college and grad school and still get almost straight A's, unfortunately I was not able to party my way through college and avoid gaining weight. I have some advice for you that I wish someone had told me when I was in college. While I know that there are so many fun things that involve drinking, nothing is fun about how long it takes to loose weight.
Everyone will notice that you don't look as hot as you did when you graduated high school- but no one will be nice enough to give you a heads up so that you can start working out. People talk about other people. That is a fact of life...and I would rather know that they are talking about how good I look instead of how much weight I've gained.
You absolutely CANNOT try to keep up with guys when you are drinking. They will try to peer pressure you, but nothing good comes of trying. Guys do not gain weight like we do (nor do they get drunk as fast as we can). They can drink beer all day long, go for a quick run, eat pizza and still look hot.
If you have a spare tire that sticks out as much as your boobs do- GO TO THE GYM! And absolutely DO NOT wear tight shirts until that S-H-I-T is taken care of.
Alcohol is processed by our bodies differently than food and other liquids. We do not get any nutrients out of it so it just depletes us and makes us tired, hungover, and FAT.
If you do not want to workout, join a club or something that is activity oriented. It will get your lazy, hungover ASS off the couch. Or...DON'T DRINK LIKE AN ANIMAL!
If you start cooking for yourself, experiment with a lot of vegetables. Eat a lot of fruit in general. The more raw foods you eat, the easier it will be for you to keep the weight off or loose it. If you have a meal plan, and all of the food is over-cooked or greasy, eat all of the salads, vegetables, and fruit that you can.
Designate at least an hour a day for working out (at least a few times a week). This will ensure that you are working off all those beers.
Everyone is capable of gaining weight- even the "hot" ones you went to high school with.
Once you get out of college, all of a sudden your free time dries up and your motivation to workout after a long day at work is close to zero (if not negative). It is that much harder to loose weight. Trust me, I am still working on it and I have been out of grad school for 4 years now.
At one point during college my Nani said to me 'Jessie, you are finally not skinny anymore." That should have been my cue to hit the gym and change what I was eating. But I thought she was just being an asshole. Well when I look back at pictures from high school and college there is a HUGE difference- and it's called my ass.
You will know you are gaining weight if:
Your belly hangs over your jeans when you sit down
You constantly have to pull your shirts down to cover your stomach
You are white and getting hit on by black guys
You start to feel like you are stuffing yourself into your clothes
You used to be an athlete, but now it's uncomfortable to workout because your jiggly parts are getting in the way
You have jiggly parts
Not only is gaining weight disastrous for your self-image, self-esteem, and level of attraction, it is also really bad for your health. I know your health isn't even in your radar right now because you think you will always be young and invincible, but trust me you won't. Time is going to start going faster and faster and all of a sudden you will be creeping up on 30 and realize that being slim, healthy, and beautiful is even more important to you.
It is much sexier to take be hot and care of yourself than it is to impress guys with your record breaking keg stand. AND...most importantly, it is much easier to maintain being thin than it is to loose weight. Just saying...I wish I had someone who wasn't my mother's age tell me what's up. It isn't really believable when your mother is telling you these things. (sorry Mom)
I think when my blog blows up I am going to hire Natalie Dee to illustrate one's just for me.
I think we are twins separated at birth. Mom...is there something you aren't telling me?
As I sit in a random parking lot watching our Christmas tree stands being erected, all of these things are flowing through my head. First I would like to say that I left the house today without brushing my hair or looking in the mirror. Umm... am I 29 or 10? How does that slip my mind? I did manage to brush my teeth though which is a plus I guess.
Secondly, I am in Christmas tree hell- and it is not glamorous (or warm). Also I need to learn Spanish because I would love to know what our laborers are saying.
I am super excited that the massive pinched nerve that conveniently shows up ever year right before setups start is finally going away. Thank you icy hot patches. And thank you Michelle from Massage Envy for the 1 1/2 hour massage you are going to give to me tonight.
I got over the fear of the engine light coming on in my car. That has been a major source of anxiety for me since I was 17 and driving Big Red (Ford F-350 extended cab- FLASHBACK!) I wish I had time to go through my pics from back in the day but unfortunately they are buried in a bin in my garage. One of these days when I am rich enough to hire a personal assistant she will be scanning in all of my old pics, and when that happens I will take a stroll down memory lane with you all.
Thank you also to Lisa for starting to prepare me fresh&raw food each week...I am so sick of what I have been eating (sweet potatoes , salmon salad, boring salads). I need some variety!
I miss cooking. I have been working everyday for the past 2 weeks (except the day I went to the NYC marathon) and aside from the soup I made the other night, I haven't cooked ANYTHING! Sorry folks this is going to be a "how to eat on the run" blog for the next few weeks.
My car is dirty, my nails are AWFUL, I feel slightly strung out, but thankfully my aviators are covering my un-makeuped eyes...don't you wish you we're dating me? Haha
I can't wait until I can get dressed up again, drink copious amounts of wine, and dance until my beautiful shoes make me want to cut off my feet... definitely going to Atlantic City after Christmas is over. I need a Borgata night fo sho.
BTW...this was the sunset last night...AMAZING RIGHT?!? (And I didn't even Photoshop this)
Have you ever wondered why people used to be so good looking and now most people look unkempt and slovenly? This randomly popped into my head today (and I know it has nothing to do with food- or does it?). I was thinking about all the old school actors and actresses and how they were all so good looking!
This is what used to be worshiped:
And now we have this....
WTF happened? There has to be a connection between how sick our society has become and the way that people look and present themselves.
Who else deserves to be on the DO NOT WATCH LIST??
