Remember This.....

So the other day, as I was spring cleaning or should I say getting rid of stuff before I end up with it for another year. Thinking and saying to myself, OOH let's keep it with the hopeful prospect of using it for whatever reason, which by the way I never seems to use.

So while I was sorting and arranging things, guess what I found......... My new year's resolution list!

Yes Remember that........

Like most people I created one with the hopes of sticking to and finally accomplishing some of my goals.

Yeah right.... Needless to say, I actually completed some and as usual some got left by the side of the road. Good for me, right, I got five out of my eleven resolution, especially considering I forgot all about them...

As always with resolutions, I kind lost sight of my goals around MARCH lol, but guess what I'm on it again. Wish me luck.

How about you? Where are your resolutions for the New Year and how many have you met?
Take it from me, it’s not too, especially now that the world hasn’t ended, as predicted…

Let me know how you are making out with your resolutions.

Exotic Chocolate Sling Back,
Real Life, Real Talk, Real Women

Rain, Rain Go Away

Ah, it is a dreary, rainy Thursday in Chicago. We knew the sunshine couldn't last forever.

Not much to do today, but go to work, school or if you are fortunate, stay home. Unfortunately, I had to go to work, but fortunately, I get to go home early. Also, the train and bus were on time and I made it in before the rain hit.

However, I just wanted to remind everyone to be mindful when traveling in this type of weather. As I was traveling in this morning, I saw some disturbing things occur to fellow commuters and decided to offer a few tips.

1) Stay away from curbs, as some people intentionally spray water on unsuspecting commuters.
2) Be courteous with your umbrella, as no one wants to get wet. So, don't put your soggy
umbrella on seats, and put your umbrella down when going under viaducts,
3) Hold the door for someone, it takes an extra second to be kind and courteous. If the door is
held for you, say thank you.
4) Smile, nothing is nicer than seeing a heartwarming smile on this dreary day.

Enjoy your day and stay dry. For me, I am going to go home and watch movies the rest of the day......

Peace and Love,

Sandals

Real Life, Real Talk, Real Women

Weight Loss Wednesday

5 Tips to Keep Your Salads Slimming courtesy of The Daily Meal

For people on a diet or looking to eat better, salads seem to be the go-to lunch or dinner. But this can be problematic for a few reasons. One: If you load up on heavy ingredients like bacon or butter-soaked croutons and drench the lettuce in super creamy dressings, then you could end up eating more calories than a burger. Two: If there’s not enough flavor and fat in the salad, then you’re left hungry and end up eating more later on because you’re unsatisfied. Three: Without variety in types of salads and dressings, they can get boring fast.

What to do? It turns out that salads can actually be filling, creative, and delicious all while helping you achieve a healthier and happier you. To learn how to find a healthy balance between optimal flavor and calories, we turned to the skinny cooking pro, Allison Fishman.You may have seen Fishman as a co-host on Lifetime’s Cook Yourself Thin or picked up a copy of her new cookbook, You Can Trust a Skinny Cook. Having mastered the realm of low-calorie, quality food, Fishman shares some tips for slimming down salads and other healthy eating tips. Check out what she has to say below and let us know if you have any tricks or recipes of your own!

1. Go for Strong Flavors.
I have an asparagus dish that has strong flavors like Parmesan and anchovies, so you’ll get a big payback using these ingredients. Parmesan is seven calories a teaspoon, which is not a lot, so you’ll get a lot of taste without too many extra calories. This salad dressing has a strong, vivid flavor with an umami taste, so it doesn’t feel like a compromise. There’s also the Carrot-Ginger Dressing recipe in my book that you get in Japanese restaurants, but you never buy it. It’s creamy but it’s only shallots, ginger, and carrots. So I’d say strong flavors, and don’t be afraid to use them in a salad dressing.

2. Use Ingredients That Add Punch and Nutrients, Not Excess Calories
Every time I make a salad, I put in a handful of roasted salted sunflower seeds. Because what do we want out of a crouton? We want crunch, so I know I’m going to get more nutrition out of seeds than buttered bread. This time of year people can add strawberries but we usually want that salty kick and crunchy hit. You don’t want to just say that sunflower seeds are so high in calories and not use them because it’s important to put the treats in there as well.

3. Don’t Skimp on Flavor
For the Caesar salad that it’s my book, I wanted to make it pregnancy friendly, so I used mayo not raw eggs. I made it probably 12 times because I used low-fat mayo, and I’d make it, and be like oh it’s good, but once I tossed it with the lettuce, the flavor totally dissipated. So for that dressing use the higher fat stuff, but don’t drench the leaves, just lightly coat them. I don’t skimp on flavor, you need that. Remember you are using the dressing to coat your lettuce and if you don’t have the fat and the flavor, then you’ll be looking around for something else.

4. It’s What You Put in, Not What You Leave Out.
I think about it in terms of 'how can I get the most salad with the least amount of calories?' So I’m going to use a lot of vegetables. I have a Greek Salad recipe in my book, but I don’t do the traditional shredded iceberg and top it with some dolmades. I do it more Greek style with bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and turn it into more of a chopped salad with a vinaigrette.Same with pasta: don’t give me a half cup serving, I want a big serving. I want 2 cups, so I add other vegetables like broccoli rabe. Also air is calorie free. So if you can add air in, that’s great, like with ziti. It helps you eat more slowly since each piece takes longer to eat and you fill up in a more relaxed way. We eat with our eyes, so it’s a question of how can we slow them down? With vegetables and lower-calorie items. It’s about what you put in, not what you leave out.

5. When to Use Full Versus Low Fat Products
It totally depends on the recipe, for example, for a pasta with asparagus and pasta with beets, I use skim milk in both of the sauces. The fat from the milk is not going to help you with those recipes. For the pasta with asparagus, I whisk goat cheese with a little skim milk and make a creamy cheese sauce. That creamy sauce gets all of the pasta, and it tastes a lot like a rich, creamy sauce, but it’s not.

In my fridge, I have both whole and skim milk. In my coffee I’m gonna have whole milk, but in my cereal, skim. You’ve got to ask yourself, am I going to taste this in my coffee? Hell yes! Will I taste it in my cereal? Not really.

Pumps, Purses & Positivity,
Real Life, Real Talk, Real Women

Hobo's Poem of the Day

Strong Women

We are soft and feminine,
Pretty and stylish,
We are strong in heart,
We keep going on and on,
We persevere...

Women are dependable,
Loving, and caring,
We keep our men going,
When times are rough,
We are very tough,

There are all kinds,
Of beautiful women,
In the world...
All shapes and sizes,
Different personalities,
We make up a good,
Part of the world,

We go through a lot,
We get the worst end,
Of breakups and heartache,
We get the emotional baggage,
The periods, the cramps,
But that is only,
A small fraction,
Of who we are,

We can be anyone we want!
We're independent,
We can be doctors,
Lawyers, teachers,
Journalists, surgeons,
Accountants, soldiers,
The world is our oyster,
And we are the pearls,

Love fills our souls,
We are so full of life,
We shine like diamonds,
In the night sky,
We may rise and fall,
But through it all,
We stand up tall.

(Edited by - keisha)


Hobo Bag,
Real Women, Real Talk, Real Life

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Summer Biking in Chicago

Happy Monday!

What a great weekend in Chicago, last weekend. Not a lot of rain, but a whole lot of sunshine.

This past weekend was great biking weather and I logged in 50 miles over the weekend.

We just came off of Bike the Drive, where biked 32 miles on a closed Lakeshore Drive. It was gloomy, but it was incredible to ride Lakeshore Drive without any cars.

This summer you will hear me write a lot about exercise and in particular, biking. I used to run, and have not given it up for my new (last 2 years) favorite past time. Biking allows me to get where I want to be without injury to my joints, knees and instead of feeling tired, I am exhilarated. Please don't think that we "country club" ride, we really push the envelope (50 miles in one weekend) and cover all types of terrain.

Now there is nothing wrong with jogging, running, skating, etc, I have just found that biking allows me to tone up all over and really have incredible legs, without injury to my body.

As an avid Biker, I have joined Active Transportation Alliance
http://www.activetrans.org/. It is an organization devoted to making walking, biking and transit better in Chicago. Once a member you can get great biking maps and routes and information on being safe as a rider in Chicago.

It is true, once you know how to ride a bike, you always know how to ride a bike. So, I encourage anyone not doing any serious exercise, to use biking as a way to get healthier and as a convenient way to see Chicago this summer.

If you have a favorite bike route, trail, etc, send me a note.

Peace and Love,

Sandals

Real Life, Real Talk, Real Women