Class With A Side Of Sass

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

DIY: Succulents

July 16, 2015: Wadsworth, IL. A few weeks ago my beloved cactus plant died; moving from Wadsworth to Champaign and back did not go well. The cactus did, however, last for much longer than the average plant I have owned; so I decided it was time to try again. This time I opted for a prettier take on succulents with three different types of plants, decorative rocks, and a bright coral ceramic pot.

All of the materials used can be found at Home Depot

Workout Wednesday

Wednesday June 15, 2015. Two posts in one day? For those of you that read our last post, Makeup Monday, you were probably curious as to why we posted that on Wednesday. To answer that question, Mckenzie and I would like to try to get a pattern going of blogging about a variety of things throughout the week, we are schedule orientated people and this new "set up" provides us with just that! Now, for the workout. I workout 6 days a week and like to constantly change things up. I am the strange person who actually enjoys working out, so I want to share a different workout for you to try every Wednesday! If you get into the habit of working out, I really think anyone can learn to at least find it to be tolerable. I like to run, so a lot of my workouts consist of running. If you don't like to run there are so many other types of exercises that you can try to get in a little cardio: Swimming, biking, roller blading, walking, jumping rope. I begin my workout by going on a run, usually I run about 4 miles. Feel free to run less or more, a little bit of running can go a long way. Then after my run I cool down by stretching. Running can create a lot of wear and tear on your body, so make sure you take the time to stretch out. Check out these Post-Run Stretches. Once I am fully recovered and stretched out, I work out my arms a little bit using my TRX. With the TRX I do close rows, bicep curls, and push-ups. This website shows you those three exercises and more. There are videos linked to the website showing you exactly how to perform each exercise. The one's I mentioned are the first three discussed on their TRX guide. I do a total of 30 of each move. I typically do 15 of each move, break, and then another 15 of each. Lastly, I end off my workout with a Barre Workout for Abs. This video is not easy, and I am fully aware of that but it's only 10 minutes. You will get results, and it will get easier the more times you do it. Good luck, and let me know what you guys think!

So far, I have only worn Asics to run in. I am a big fan of this brand, and have been for about 6 years now. The Gel-Cumulus 16, pictured above, is the pair I am currently wearing. These shoes are also on sale right now for a very good price, I definitely did not get that price when I purchased mine earlier this year.

If you have no idea what a TRX is these images should give you a little better of an idea. The image with the blonde girl shows a close row, the image with the brunette girl shows a bicep curl, and the image of the guy shows a push-up/chest press.

Makeup Monday

Wednesday July 15, 2015: Wadsworth, IL. A while back, I purchased both of these products with a Sephora gift card that my mom gave me for Valentine's Day (she's the sweetest). I have loved both of these products ever since I purchased them. The reason why I am just talking about them now is because I wanted to see how they looked on my skin when it was less vampire-like from the stark winter. I would say that I like the products just as much no matter what season of the year we are in. The Tarte Amazonian clay blush has an amazing texture, as well as it has no glitter/sparkle in it. When I wear blush I prefer to have a dollop of pink on my cheeks, not a face full of glitter. I like to let my highlighter be the only thing with glitter in it. This Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact in the shade golden nude is an amazing highlighter. I love the texture once again, it is so soft. It leaves a beautiful glisten on my cheek bones and other areas of highlight. What is so great about this product is that it does not take much to get the job done, however if you choose to pile it on (like I did when I first tried it, I got a little excited) it doesn't look like a fairy puked all over you. It is difficult to "mess up" when using this highlighter.

The next blush I would like to test out is by Nars, and it is rated number one on Sephora's website. I have heard a multitude of good things about Nars blushes. The next highlighter I will be blogging about is the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector! Stay tuned

Monday, June 29, 2015

Trail Mix

Monday June 29, 2015: Wadsworth, IL. This month has been extremely busy, from my first full time job to trying to soak up my last summer off before entering the real world; I have been on the go every single day. After about two weeks of eating junk food, McDonald's, and vending machine candy I decided it was time to get back on track with a healthy diet. Trail mix is one of those snacks that has no rules, but after trying out a few different variations I think I have found my favorite balance of tasty and healthy.

Ingredients

Pretzel Sticks (broke in half)

Dried Cranberries

Dark Chocolate Chips

Whole Almonds

Sliced Almonds

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Salad with a Plum, Quinoa, Pomegranate Dressing

June 24, 2015: Wadsworth, IL. Last night I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and make myself dinner, typically I do not cook. I love salad with fruit, some people do not (namely McKenzie). In my opinion, mixing sweet and salty is always yummy! I got this recipe from Pinterest (Flourishing Foodie) of course, but I did a little modifying. The recipe listed below serves two, and includes my modifications.

SALAD INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
1 tsp oil
dash of salt
2 plums, cut into wedges
1 tsp sugar, brown or white
dash of cinnamon
2 tsp butter, salted or unsalted
2 cups spring mix
2 tbsp slivered almonds
feta, crumbled, to taste

DRESSING INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp pomegranate juice, roughly one small pomegranate (I used POM juice to save time)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
dash of salt

The first step is to cook the quinoa. Flourishing Foodie explains the process simply, "In a small saucepan on low-med heat, add the quinoa and 1 tsp olive oil. Fry for a couple of seconds until the quinoa starts to pop. Add 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until all of the water has evaporated and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Set to the side to cool."
The next step is to caramelize the plums. Personally I think you could just slice the plums and not even worry about this step, but it was good this way too! Mix the sugar, the cinnamon, and the plums together in a bowl. Then melt the butter in a saucepan and add the plums. Cook for about a minute each side.
Next, make the dressing. Simply mix all the ingredients together.
Lastly, mix the spring mix with the quinoa, plums, almonds, feta, and toss in the dressing.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Blackhawks Parade, a day in the city!

June 22, 2015: Chicago, IL. Last week on Thursday Brooke travelled down to the city to experience the chaos of Chicago's spirited fans: The Blackhawks brought home the Stanley Cup. It was an absolute blast! The streets were packed, the parade was awesome, and the city was nothing less than amazing (as always)! It is a dream of mine to one day live in the heart of the city; I think it would be so much fun to be able to participate in so many fun, cultural festivities all the time! But, for now, I will have to be content living in the suburbs. In addition to standing for three hours to watching a 10 min long parade, I found a food trunk for lunch (which made the waiting well worth it). I have never eaten out of a food truck, but McKenzie is always telling me how good they are around campus, so as soon as I saw a street lined with trucks I knew I had found lunch! I ate at the "Fat Shallot" and it was absolutely delicious; I had a Turkey sandwich. It was actually the best sandwich I have ever had, I can not even put in to words how good it was. My friend had the same thing, and was equally impressed. Her mom had the BLT, and once again could not get over how good it was. If you are ever in Chicago, find this truck, you will not regret it!