"My favorite things...On a Sunday!"

Hey everyone!
Sorry Favorite things is on a Sunday! Today! Let us get right into it!!! Remember, become a follower for a chance to win a giftcertificate!


Infiniti Pro by Conair Xtreme Instant Heat Ceramic Rollers! When I went to get my hair done in December, I said to my hair stylist, "I wish I could afford to have you blow out my hair all the time!" She laughed, and said to me, "Just go get rollers". So we spoke a little bit more about them and how to use them for my hair. She told me not to spend a lot of money on them, and I did not! I got these on amazon.com (LOVE) and my hair has been transformed! I know that may sound dramatic, but I have always wanted beautiful wavy hair and now I have it!

 

Simply Smooth Xtend Keratin Reparative Magic Potion Sodium Chloride Free, another gem that my hair stylist told me about! Helps with frizz, keeps your hair shiny, and smells delish! You can get it anywhere really, but Amazon has the best price! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPORT AUTISM AWARENESS- SHOP FOR A CAUSE
Stella&Dot has a wonderful Autism Boutique going on right now! my goal is to sell 50 Spirit bracelets! Here is the caption from the website!

In April, 20% of retail sales from our Autism Awareness
Collection will support the HollyRod Foundation.*

 
*During the month of April, Stella and Dot LLC will donate twenty percent (20%) of the retail sales price of each item in the specially marked Autism Awareness Collection to support the HollyRod Foundation sold to a Stella & Dot customer, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $10,000. The HollyRod Foundation, a charitable services program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, is dedicated to providing compassionate care to those living with autism. Stella&Dot

These beautiful babies are a "Wish List" item! I found them on pinterest and the site has some seriously gorgeous pieces! Beautifulness!

Recipe of the week! Gina from skinnytaste does it again!

Crock Pot Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese sauce, a slow cooked ragú made with lean ground beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, wine, and cream is one of my favorite Italian sauces. I make this sauce whenever I need to feed a large crowd, or just to keep in my freezer. Serve this over pasta with a big Italian salad and everyone is happy!Because Bolognese sauce needs to cook slow and low for several hours, the crock pot is ideal for this. You can make this with ground turkey, buffalo, veal, or whatever meat you prefer. I always make it with beef, using the leanest ground beef I can find.

Crock Pot Bolognese Sauce
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 20 • Serving Size: 1/2 cup sauce • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 146.1 • Fat: 8.7 g • Protein: 6.7 g • Carb: 6.8 g • Fiber: 0.4 g • Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 316 mg (without salt)  Ingredients:

• 4 oz pancetta, chopped (or center cut bacon)
• 1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
• 1 large white onion, minced
• 2 celery stalks (about 3/4 cup), minced
• 2 carrots (about 3/4 cup), minced
• 2 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes (I love Tuttorosso)
• 3 bay leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup half & half cream

Directions:In a large deep saute pan, sauté pancetta on low heat until the fat melts, about 4-5 minutes. Add butter, onions, celery and carrots and cook on medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
Increase flame to medium-high; add meat, season with salt and pepper and sauté until browned. Drain the fat then add wine; cook until it reduces down, about 3-4 minutes.  Add to crock pot. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper; cover and set slow cooker to LOW 6 hours.  
After the 6 hours, adjust salt and pepper to taste, add half & half and parsley; stir and serve over your favorite pasta or spaghetti squash. Makes about 10 cups. Leftovers can be frozen for future meals. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator then reheat on the stove or crock pot.

Quote of the week!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xxoo Christina

Happy Spring!

Hey everyone!
I hope you are having a great start to spring!

How is everyone doing with thier new year's goals???
I think the start of spring is a great time to sit down and go through what your goals were and see how you are doing! Here we go!

1. Be Healthy...I really am proud of myself for making my health a priority! I put this on my list last year and I really have been sticking to it. I do not just mean, eating and exercising, but taking care of myself as well; going to the doctor when somthing feels off, taking my vitamins, getting sleep, etc etc!
2.Follow WW- CHECK!
3. Work-Out more---I am working on it! It is hard sometimes with my schedule to have the motivation to do it, but, i pushed myself the last two weeks and feel so much better because of it!
4.Get on a good schedule---Also, working on it! Sometimes I get home from work at 12am, other times 2am...my hubby suggested, no matter what time I get home, only stay awake for an hour and set my alarm for 7-8 hours for sleep. I implemented his idea these last two weeks after weeks of not being on a good schedule and it is working! I also have been planning out my weeks very strategically, so this way I schedule what I want to do and not feel like I am in a sleep, work, sleep, work schedule!
5.Pay off debt and save $. CHECK and CHECK! And I am really proud of myself!It is a work in progress but I am working on it and feeling really good about it!
6.Think out Stella & Dot-As some of you may know, I am a Stella& Dot stylist. Working as a stylist with my new position is difficult. BUT, I love the company, the women, the work, and the product, soo I am still thinking about it!
7.Worry less! hmmmm...Working on it! But it is getting better!
8.Raise @ Job....This will not come until December, so I will update you then!
9.LCSW- This is the next level of licensing for my career...awaiting to hear from the state for my date to take the test!
10. Be present! Working on it always! I have found myself a few times wishing for our next trip or the fall, but I have been able to put myself in check!
11.Stop comparing-MUCH improved!
12.Take care of self- goes along with being healthy. I also find I put this category down, as to make sure I do things for myself. It is a major work in progress and I just need to keep working at it!
12.Project life...EPIC FAIL....ahhh that is okay though! I have plans to sit down and get working on it!
13.Photography...I really want to learn how to use my new camera! I keep shooting on auto, which is fine, but I would like to challenge myself and learn more about her! (yes, it is a her!)
14.Church...also a work in progress! I have been going, just not as steadily as I would like. 

NEW GOALS!
Why add more when I am clearly struggling with some of the above?? Well, because sometimes you shift and you need to change it up! I have two! I will start with the small one, work on a Project Life album for last year! There were a lot of great memories last year, and they are sitting on my computer...

Number two...it is a big one...I am scared of it...I am going to post it anyway...Somehow, posting it, makes it more real??? I don't know...I want to train and run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon!! It was always on my bucket list to run a marathon, but I need to come to terms of where I am at. Sometimes, all you need to do it tweak your goals, not erase them!!

 

Xxoo Christina

"My favorite things, week 2!

Hey everyone! Here is "My favorite tings" week two! Do NOT forget to become a follower on my blog for a chance to win a gift card to one of the "favorite things" places!

The melting pot is one of our favorite restaurants! They have a wonderful atmosphere! The melting pot offers wonderful food, drinks, and experience! Melting Pot

The Vitamix! The blender of blenders! You can do anything in this blender, including make soup! Yes, I said it...you can even make soups! There are many different versions of the Vitamix with all different prices ranges! There are many places you can buy this fabulous machine, but we got ours through QVC.

Stella&Dot favorite of the week! The Bryant park scarf! I happen to really like have an extreme obsession with scarves! These are a wonderful size (you can wear it as a shawl) and are so soft!Stella&Dot

Next up! An Erin Condren planner and notebook! Ahhh! I am always on the search for the perfect planner and it never has quite what I want. That was until I found Erin Condren! I adore my planner and matching notebook! There are many options and designs to choose from! You can even custom design yours! Life changing planner people! I should mention that Erin also has other amazing products!  Erin Condren

Not quite a product, but my favorite Disney princess! Merida from Brave! Ahhh I LOVED this movie and I just LOVE Merida! She is a princess all about standing up for her beliefs and she is NOT into prince charming! Now, please don't get me wrong, I love prince charming, but sometimes I think it is wonderful to have an all about girls character out there! 

My recipe of the week! I found Emily Bites on Pinterest! She makes wonderful WW friendly recipes, and these banana pancake bites are fantastic! Emily Bites

 

Banana Pancake Bites
Source: adapted from The World According to Eggface

Ingredients:
1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake & Baking Mix
2/3 cup skim milk
½ cup reduced calorie breakfast syrup
1 large ripe banana, chopped into small pieces

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 24 count mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
2.    In a large bowl, stir together Bisquick mix, milk and syrup until thoroughly combined.
3.    Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared mini muffin tin cups. Sprinkle the chopped banana pieces over the tops of each muffin cup. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Yields 24 pancake bites. WW P+: 1 per bite (a serving of four pancake bites is 4 P+) (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per pancake bite from myfitnesspal.com: 33 calories, 7 g carbs, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, 0 g fiber 

I have added blueberries. I also have done mini chocolate chips with the banana's. They last in the refrigerator for just a few days, but you can easily freeze these!

And, my favorite saying of the week! 

   Xxoo Christina

"My favorite things!"

 Hey everyone! Welcome to my first "Favorite Things" post! I decided each week I will talk about a few "things", also share a recipe, and a favorite saying! I am also going to be having a contest! When I reach 50 followers, I will be giving away a gift certificate to one of the "Favorite Things" stores! So please follow and enjoy!

 

My first favorite is the Kitchen Aid stand mixer! I adore mine and use it frequently!!!  You really can do anything with it! Cookies, doughs, whip cream! You name it! It also serves as a great decorative on your kitchen counter! I love dual purposes! You can find these at a number of stores, but nothing beats the 20% off at Bed, Bath, and Beyond! BBB





             Next up! Scentsy! I have had the Scentsy system in our home since the Fall, and I have not used a candle since! It is an electric warmer and the scents last a very long time! These are my favorite warmers, "Bride" and the plug-in is "Flower Girl". My favorite scent is sugar cookie! Scentsy





 I love pieces that having meaning! This is called the Soar necklace and it is from Stella&Dot! It is a reminder that dreams take flight when given wings. Stella & Dot









 My next favorite is Teavana!!! It is a loose tea system, and once you try it, you will never go back! My favorite teas are cranberry singapore sling rooibos tea, tiramisu trevisio, and zingiber ginger coconut red roobios tea! It can be a pricey habit, but when you compare it to going to a coffee shop each day, it works out! Teavana


 



This beauty is called the Georgina Duvet Cover and I adore it! anthropologie

This is one of my favorite recipes on one of my favorite blogs! Gina from skinnytaste is just amazing! Skinny Taste






This is the recipe from her website!
Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes Servings: 3 • Serving Size: salad with 2 chicken tenders • Points: 8 pts • Points+: 8 pts Calories: 397.6 • Fat: 11.0 g • Protein: 26.8 g • Carb: 32.5 g • Fiber: 4.4 g • Sugar: 10
Ingredients:

• 6 (about 12 oz) chicken tenderloins
• 6 tbsp shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup panko crumbs
• 2 tbsp crushed cornflake crumbs
• 1/3 cup egg substitute or egg whites
• pinch salt
• olive oil spray
• 6 cups mixed baby greens
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 small cucumber, sliced

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp white vinegar (balsamic would work too)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

Directions:
Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients; set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine coconut flakes, panko, cornflake crumbs and salt in a bowl. Put egg whites or egg beaters in another bowl.
Lightly season chicken with salt. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture. Place chicken on a cookie sheet lined with parchment for easy cleanup. Lightly spray with olive oil spray and bake for 30 minutes turning halfway, or until chicken is cooked through.
Place 2 cups baby greens on each plate. Divide carrots, cucumber, tomato evenly between each plate. When chicken is ready slice on the diagonal and place on top of greens. Heat dressing in the microwave a few seconds and divide equally between each salad; a little over 1 tbsp each.




And finally, my favorite saying for the week!

Xxoo Christina  

 Hey everyone!
So sorry I have not posted the last few weeks! I was sick for about a week with a nasty virus, and I just had to rest! But, I am back and ready to post! I have lots to share with you from over the last few weeks! Before I get into all of that, I will be posting a "My Favorite Things" post each Friday! I will feature my favorite items that I have used as well as items on my wish list! 

Although, I am not going to post all the pictures, hubby and I decorated for Easter! This is Eleanor our Easter tree! I love her! The tree is from the "Christmas Tree Shoppe" and it was $1.99 on clearance! The ornaments are from Pier1 and Michael's!

After feeling better, I had my girlfriend's and family over for a joint Stella&Dot and Scentsy party!

 I had purchased a few appetizer items from Trader Joe's, cupcakes from Baked by Melissa (AMAZING), and I made truffles and chocolate chip cookies! We had such a great time, and everyone ordered such great stuff! I know Ali received over $100 in Stella&Dot products for a little over $20 and I earned a ton of Scentsy products! Here are the links! Stella&Dot
Scentsy.

Next up was my FABULOUS weigh in at WW last week!!! I hit my 5% which was my first big goal! (I never received any of my other stickers, so that is why they are grouped with the 5% one) Planning and tracking and tracking and planning! I noticed that my jeans were a bit looser this week, and I am hoping for another great weigh in tomorrow! Seeing that goal being reached just really motivated me even more! I am so happy and proud of myself for achieving that first big goal!

 While at my weigh in, I was told there were some new products, and they were on sale, so I tried them out! 

Key Lime Pie surprise mini bars

(picture taken from google)

 (picture taken from google)

I loved both of these products and highly recommend them! The bar is a great way to have something sweet and the smoothie (for me) is the best way to get in my dairy requirement!

Over the past weekend, the hubby and I had a date day! We went into a great little town, Bellmore. We window shopped and had lunch. We also went to get my engagement and wedding ring dipped and cleaned (sadly, the man who made my rings went out of business!). We went to a great place called, Gennaro Jewelers. They made my rings look like brand new and they let me watch every part, so the rings never left my sight! They have a great selection of jewelery and are really reasonably priced! 

Lastly, I have been making a "Smash" book. Some people use this for everyday life, but I have been using "Project Life" for my everyday life(Project Life). I have been using my "Smash" book for my collection of ideas for our house one day!

 

Smash!

It was a great few weeks! 
Thanks for reading!

Xxoo Christina 

The Journey...

Ahhh...the topic I have been so hesitant to write on....
I feel so vulnerable, but, I know I am not alone....
Here we go...

I do not ever recall a time in my life when I was happy with my body. You see, I was a very competitive dancer and even though I had NO reason to feel insecure about my body, I did. I was 10 when I went through puberty, and I grew like a beanstalk overnight and there were curves that I did not want. I looked like a giant in the age group I was competing in, and clearly did not fit in. I remember my dance teacher talking to me and my mom. She wanted to give me a change with the "older" girls but was worried about the age difference. We gave it a try. I truly flourished with my dancing when I moved up. However, I was in the awkward stage and no one else seemed to be there. I had the bushy eyebrows and wasn't sure how to use my new curves, on top of that, I was getting tormented in school because of my height and curves. It was a difficult time for me. I danced for a few more years and started to become comfortable. But then, HS came along. I wanted a bit more freedom to play other sports and try new things. I quit dance. I went from activity levels of over 35 hours a week to levels of about 20. A big difference, but I still worked out. I think I was comfortable in my skin for 1 year and that was it. Pathetic really. In Junior year, I tried not eating and over exercising, that was not a smart option. So then college came. I went from this 20 hour exercise regime to now the gym a few times a week and coaching. And your eating habits change big time in college! I was told this would happen and since I never really had to worry about what I was eating (meaning, I was burning off everything anyway), I just did not understand. So, I gained a little bit of weight and I was okay. Then, I stopped coaching and started a master's program and gained more bad habits (barley sleeping, not eating much, eating the wrong foods, putting my health last) and put on a bit more weight...Ughh I hate writing this...Regroup!

Into my master's program, I just was not feeling well. I was exhausted and not sleeping well. My stomach was being difficult (would randomly vomit, was not digesting properly) and I really did not do anything about it. Why? because my master's program was the be all and end all...Oh hindsight you are so evil! Anyway, I had gotten a terrible stomach bug in my 2nd and final year. I was so sick for 2 weeks, even my liver function was impacted. I missed some school and some of my internship. I was told I should have followed up with some more testing, but I just ignored it! I had so much to catch up on! So I went on with my stomach, energy way down and my weight going way up!

 I really ignored it up until I had another episode like I did in grad school, this time, I did not ignore it. This time I needed to get my gallbladder removed, and removed it we did! It was quite a bit after surgery until i was eating normal foods again (corn chips, ensure shakes, and ice pops were my diet for a LONG time), and when i felt great I decided the weight HAD to come off! I went to WW with the support of my family and I had a WW buddy. It went great for the first 1.5 months, until my stomach started hurting again :-( I went for every test imaginable, did diet changes, new medicines, everything.

 To this day, I am not 100% and I still struggle. Even with this struggle, I am still better and now can undo the damage I have done. I walked into WW the week before thanksgiving and have lost 12 lbs. I love that on WW you have the flexibility to eat more than a grapefruit and toast and its REAL food! There is also a wonderful amount of support! It has been a bit slow but steady! I started a new job that has thrown my sleeping and eating clocks way off, so it has been a bit of a balancing act! I also have become a bit more comfortable with myself and my inner demons are smaller now! I just came to the point in my life and realized I have so many wonderful blessings, to let this take my spirit down.

Each week, I plan to come here and tell you how I did!

Thanks for your love and support!

Xxoo Christina

Our first BIG purchase!

A VERY exciting part of our first year of marriage was one of our first BIG purchases together! I am Disney OBSESSED and proud of it and hubby got bit by the Disney bug as well! One day, we were at the mall and we saw the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) kiosks set up. We passed it a few times and I had to know what it was all about. But, I also didn't want to get my hopes up, so I just kept walking. We had some time to kill, and hubby said, I know you want to hear more about it, let's go check it out! (love him!). SO we met a WONDERFUL woman, Jennifer O'Dell (now with http://fairytaleescapes.com/) and I fell head over heels in LOVE with her! She just "got me". She spent some time with us, went over all the options and was NOT pushy at all! We left there, looked at each other and said, wow this is doable. We were nervous though, it is a larger purchase and we wanted to make a wise decision about it. We decided to think it through and look into our options through them (Concierge collection, cruises, other non-disney locations, etc). We really felt what they had to offer would really suit our needs and would really accommodate a one day growing family, AND really provide us with an affordable option to bring along my parents one day to help us with the kiddies! So again, we said we would think about it. We decided to go see the models at Roosevelt field (sadly they just closed) and again we just fell more in love. We also bought my parents as we felt they would be able to give us good feedback on this. They were in love as well! Again though, we waited it out. Jen emailed us a special they were offering and we just decided to jump on it! I remember how nervous and excited we were! From the time we made our purchase until now, we were able to go on 3 trips! I took my mom to Disney for mother's day, Scott and I went for our anniversary, and finally we had a weekend getaway in NYC in December with the Disney Concierge Collection. We are so happy with our decision and we look forward to our future trips!

In case you are curious on how it works...
You buy a certain number of points....you can use those points however you wish...more days, larger accomodations, amazing views, cruise, deluxe resort etc etc....they offer a deluxe studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, and a deluxe 3 bedroom villa. You can bank and borrow from year to year. There is SO much flexibility. You pay the monthly payment plus monthly dues (which you can pay upfront as well). We learned that these dues can really be a burden (with other timeshare companies), however, with Disney they guarantee they will only go up to a certain amount. This year our dues went down!!!

Also, there are some amazing perks! You get member only access to certain events and trips! Also, there is a DVC discount for almost anything; from food to spa packages to fireworks cruises and merchandise!

Pictures from our past trips!

Anniversary trip with Hubby! Deluxe Studio at Old Key West.

 

 Trip with mom! 1 bedroom at the Boardwalk!

 Lowe's Regency- Deluxe Room (they gave us an upgrade) Concierge Collection!

 These photos were from the visit at Roosevelt Field

 We feel blessed that we were able to make this purchase and neither one of us has a regret in doing so!

Thanks for reading along!
Xxoo Christina