One to Nothin'

Apple Crisps

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Guys, I made this recipe because my mouth has been watering since October when I first saw it on The Healthy Everythingtarian‘s blog, AND it exceeded my expectations. Prepare to have your mind blown.

I cut the recipe (here) in half because I only had four apples and it worked out nicely. I also substituted Agave Nectar for sugar and Brown Sugar/Splenda blend for brown sugar. The result? Gooey, wonderful, minimal sugar-y deliciousness.
This oatmeal dougheyness right here is genius. Just sayin’.
Yea, it only took about 24 hours to finish these bad boys off. They. are. wonderful.
I will definitely be making these again. Thank you so much for sharing, Holly. 
In other news, my blog as reached ONE HUNDRED FOLLOWERS!!! I am beyond excited and there will be a super-awesome-you-don’t-wanna-miss-it-tell-all-your-friends kind of a giveaway coming up very soon in celebration! 
Thank you all SO much for reading. I love you all.

Yoga in the Park & Marathon Training

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Photo Credit: 6dollarshirts.com

Yesterday one of Austin’s friends (who has studied yoga in India) kindly instructed a yoga session for us as well as several other friends at a beautiful park. I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy bending, stretching, breathing, Omm-ing all over the place, but it was pretty awesome. We heard families calling their dogs, the dogs splashing in the marsh, birds cawing (a lot), babies goo-goo-ing and all kinds of wildlife you would never appreciate quite as much if you weren’t trying to stand on your head and pretzel formation your legs in it. It was relaxing, and, as my muscles will attest to, it was challenging. My shoulders, back and abs are feeling it today.

So while we’re on the topic of fitness, I have decided that as long as my knee continues to cooperate, I am starting to train for a marathon. This has been a life goal of mine for quite some time, and considering it’s 2012 and there isn’t going to be a 2013 (insert scoff here) I figure this is the year to do it. I fully plan to halt this process the moment my knee starts to be a little bitch bother me again, but ever since I’ve been running in my Vibram Five Fingers, I kid you not, it has been so much better. I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m really, really excited to be running again — even if I look like an out-of-shape-heffalump when I do it now.

Thanks to good ol’ Hal Higdon, I’ve got a plan worked out (from here). Here goes:


Marathon Training Schedule: Novice 1
Week
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
Rest
3 m run
3 m run
3 m run
Rest
6
cross
2
Rest
3 m run
3 m run
3 m run
Rest
7
cross
3
Rest
3 m run
4 m run
3 m run
Rest
5
cross
4
Rest
3 m run
4 m run
3 m run
Rest
9
cross
5
Rest
3 m run
5 m run
3 m run
Rest
10
cross
6
Rest
3 m run
5 m run
3 m run
Rest
7
cross
7
Rest
3 m run
6 m run
3 m run
Rest
12
cross
8
Rest
3 m run
6 m run
3 m run
Rest
Rest
Half Marathon
9
Rest
3 m run
7 m run
4 m run
Rest
10
cross
10
Rest
3 m run
7 m run
4 m run
Rest
15
cross
11
Rest
4 m run
8 m run
4 m run
Rest
16
cross
12
Rest
4 m run
8 m run
5 m run
Rest
12
cross
13
Rest
4 m run
9 m run
5 m run
Rest
18
cross
14
Rest
5 m run
9 m run
5 m run
Rest
14
cross
15
Rest
5 m run
10 m run
5 m run
Rest
20
cross
16
Rest
5 m run
8 m run
4 m run
Rest
12
cross
17
Rest
4 m run
6 m run
3 m run
Rest
8
cross
18
Rest
3 m run
4 m run
2 m run
Rest
Rest
Marathon

Cross training entails doing some type of exercise other than running. Biking, walking, yoga, swimming, it’s all good, just as long as different muscle groups are being used.

If all goes according to plan, I will be ready to do a half marathon by the end of February and the whole shebang by June. Just in time for the Seattle Rock ‘n Roll Marathon (which I realize is really far away from Florida and I’m broke, but c’mon.. it’s a ROCK ‘N ROLL marathon in one of the coolest states I’ve ever been to. I’ve got 6 months to save up. It’s go time.) The Healthy Everythingtarian (who’s a badass blogger, you should probably check her out) opened my eyes to the Nashville Rock ‘n Roll Marathon as well. Who knew there were so many rock-loving runners? (I knew. Because runners are awesome. And so is music. Correlation.)

I’ve mentioned in passing the ‘training’ I’ve done in the past week. It has mainly consisted of two-mile runs and one four-mile walk/run. This week, however, I plan to run according to the schedule (stopping, of course, if the knee starts to hurt).

Yay for marathon training!!!


Are any of you guys runners/marathoners? How is your training going?


PS: Go check me out over at Bye Bye Beehive (a super fun hair-growing-adventure blog by a super cute lady name Annelise!!)

Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu & Shrooms

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Remember how my brother and sister-in-law got me awesome vegan cookbooks for Christmas? No? Well, they did. And it is because of “Veganomicon” that I bring you Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu & the shrooms were improved by yours truly.

So first thing’s first, I don’t have a tofu press. So I present to you a little thing called improvisation:

Here’s what you need:

Stir that up until the cornstarch is blended. Dunk the tofu triangles in that bowl first then into this bowl:
Bring about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil to an intense boil on the stove & when it’s ready, throw (or place carefully if you’re not a fan of third degree burns) the tofu in.
Fry for three minutes on one side and two minutes on the other side. Place tofu on a paper towel to drain.
As for the shrooms..
Just saute these bad boys until you don’t feel like sauteing them anymore. At least that’s what I did, and my former mushroom-hating self ate the entire package solo-style. (Who’s a champ? This guy!)
Ta da!! *Almost* vegan dinner is served.

InstaFriday Part II

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Happy Official Three Year Anniversary, Austi Spimonti!!
Now for my InstaGram fix:
From top left, clockwise: The pretty sauces from our anniversary dinner at Bonefish, my first-day-of-school look, sugar-free vegan chocolate mousse (this soy whipped cream is sugar-free & almost completely fat free too!), gorgeous vintage earrings Austin got me, the cards Austin and I spent too long playing while listening to records, comparing feet before exploring the wilderness, me and Ziggy ridin’ dirty, my sweaty face during a 4-mile run/walk, my mom’s pretty flower, beautiful vintage ring Austin got me, Austin playing with his niece and nephew and the view from my run through the park.
I know that was a lot, but I couldn’t narrow it down. I am obsessed, obsessed I tell you!
Happy Friday, friends. I’m spending it studying for the GRE. Party.
life rearranged

“Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?”

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My sister Britni got me this book for Christmas and it took me all of about three sittings to finish it (maybe because I can’t sit still for very long). For those of you who don’t know, Mindy Kaling is a hilarious writer and actor for “The Office” and if you don’t watch “The Office”… you should. It’s on Netflix, go!
I went into this book thinking it would be just like Tina Fey’s “Bossypants” which literally made me laugh out loud from beginning to end, but Kaling cleared that up for me in the very first chapter in which she hosts her own questions and answers, including “This sounds okay, but not as good as Tina Fey’s book. Why isn’t this more like Tina Fey’s book?” Where she answers that it’s very difficult to lure Fey into a Freaky Friday-type situation where they could switch bodies. Good enough reason for me.
Don’t get me wrong, this one made me snicker several times as well, but it was just a little different. Kaling writes more like how I would talk when tipsy talking to chicks I just met and totally, like, relate to. Which is awesome, but Fey is more of a holy-crap-how-did-you-fit-that-many-funny-pop-culture-references-into-one-sentence plus badass feminist kind of a gal. Basically each chapter of “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?”entails a list, observation or random tidbit about her life, including the wonderfully narcissistic photos she has on her Blackberry and revenge plots she imagines while doing the elliptical machine.
At one point she lists the funniest scenes from movies ever and I found it wonderful that this one made the list because it makes me almost pee my pants every time I see it.
And if you’ve never seen “Wet Hot American Summer,” again, it’s on Netflix.. I suggest you do so immediately.
Lastly, she observes that men, no matter the circumstances, take a really long time to put on their shoes. It’s true and awesome because I didn’t realize this was a universal rule, but now I know, thanks to Mindy, that it totally is.
So, if you’re looking for a chuckle-worthy-non-depressing-probably-won’t-be-made-into-a-movie kind of a book, definitely check it out. 
Plus there’s this:

What I Wore Wednesday Part V

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Sweater: American Eagle (40% off!)
Dress: Cotton On ($10)
Belt: Target
Shades: Target
Necklace: Lucky (lost it during this journey)
Shoes & Boots: Steve Madden
Bracelet: Gifted

Austin and I celebrated our three year anniversary on Monday since he has to work and I start classes on the real day, January 5th. We decided to celebrate in Gainesville, but couldn’t resist stopping at Payne’s Prairie for a photo op since it was GORGEOUS outside. So please excuse this narcissistic photo bomb of a post.. because I love them all. Enjoy.


I love this photo. Look at those cuties.

Okay, I guess I’ll quit for now, but get excited to see the beautiful vintage jewelry/accessories Austin got me as an anniversary present — makes up for losing my favorite Lucky necklace.

Healthy Brownies

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I’ve been cooking pretty frequently lately and forgetting to document it, so I’m starting the catch up process with these delicious and fairly healthy ooey, gooey, chocolate chip brownies. Here’s what you need:

For detailed cooking instructions check out the recipe I followed here. Basically you mix all these goodies up, throw them into a greased pan and cook for 30 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

When you pull them out they look like this:

Then you eat one and they look like this:

Then you eat an undisclosed amount more and cease to show off your gluttony with photos. Here’s a tip from someone who knows, once these brownies are cold (like when you’re eating them for breakfast the next day… hypothetically…) stick them in the microwave for approximately eight seconds and they’re just like when they first came out of the oven. Heavenly.

As far as those “Resolutions” go, I think I decided on a few.

  • Get straight A’s in all my classes this year (I start my classes Friday, is this real life?!)
  • Rock the GRE (Or at least take it until I get a decent score)
  • Get a job, part-time or otherwise
  • Run a marathon, aka heal my knee so I can run like an Tarahumara
  • Eat less meat
  • Start an Etsy shop
  • Be grateful for all that I have



Do you guys have any ambitious goals for the new year?

Happy New Year!

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Champagne? Check.
Homemade decorations? Check.
Great friends? Check.
Red lips? Check.
Sparkly shoes? Double check.
Kiss at midnight? Check.
2012? Check.
Guys, I didn’t even have a hangover today. 
That is a sign that 2012 is going to triumph over 2011 in every perceivable way. Plus I ate sauerkraut and black eyed peas today, so I got that luck and money thing going for me.
Cheers to figuring out and starting resolutions tomorrow.

2011

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In 2011 I…

Started a blog & had no idea what I was doing.
Ran my second and third half marathons.
Got to be a model.
Got to meet my new baby cousin.
Watched two other cousins get married.
Graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science Degree.
Then decided to change my career goals..
Watched my best friend get engaged to a wonderful man.
Turned 22 years old.
Shared tons of silly, frantic, deep, hilarious, intense, adventurous, stupid, anxious, sad, beautiful moments with the people I love, and unfortunately 
I lost two wonderful people, my sorority’s beloved house mom, Ms. Anne, and Auntie Kaitlin, along the way.
It’s been a crazy year, but I look forward to what 2012 brings. Thank you all so much for reading what I have to say and allowing this ‘side project’ to become a true passion and creative outlet for me. You have no idea how much it means to me.
Drink lots of champagne, enjoy your night and make questionable decisions, but do NOT drink and drive -if you live in these states AAA is offering free rides and car tows to drunkies tonight. Call 1-800-400-4AAA.

Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

My Very First InstaFriday!

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My late Christmas present has arrived: a white iPhone 4S. I AM OBSESSED. I was one of those people who constantly checked the Droid App Store to see if there was a bobo Instagram App yet, so yes, in case you were wondering, I will be extremely obnoxious about taking Instagram photos from now on. On that note, today is my very first… INSTAFRIDAY!! Without further ado, I give you random pix I took with my iPhone between now and yesterday when my phone got the hook up:

I’m still getting the hang of it, but here’s what I know: I really like to take pictures of my dog. I got my nails and toes did tonight for NYE tomorrow (EEEK!) so obviously I took photos & that one on the bottom right was me after running two miles (without stopping) in my Vibrams. My knee is still intact and I am officially stoked about it.

In honor of the new year vastly approaching, I thought I’d share a little somethin’, somethin’ from Old Year’s Eve.

I made these bad boys from scratch (the icing too) back when ‘baking from scratch’ was a foreign term to me. It’s true, despite my current domestic goddess status (baha) one year ago I thought I hated cooking. Also, these were chock-full of butter, sugar, milk, more sugar and a side of dairy (aka delicious). They were diminished in a matter of 5, 4, 3, 2, Yum (See what I did there?).

I haven’t decided if I will be supplying more delicious treats this year or not, but I do know they won’t (or a least a few won’t) contain lactose-sugar bombs.

What are you guys bringing to your New Year’s Eve parties this year?

life rearranged
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