What's for Thanksgiving?

Like many Foodies out there, over the course of this week I am going to share with you some of the recipes I will be using for my Thanksgiving Feast this year. I've found some cleaned up recipes to make so they still fit in with how we eat (mostly. But it's the holidays, we can break the plan. :) )

The recipes I share are mostly just going to be sides because, well, I figure everyone has the way they do their turkey. If it's not broken, don't fix it! That said, I'm on a quest to find a Turkey breast that will be suitable for Brad and I to consume. We don't like dark meat, plus a whole Turkey seems like a lot of food for two people! I'm having a very hard time finding a turkey breast that isn't injected with saline and other crap. I will succeed, though. But I might have to break down and buy a very small turkey and just find someone to take the dark meat off of our hands.

Anyway, so today I am going to tell you (because I don't have any pictures of my own) how I am going to do our potatoes this year. I call them: Not Your Momma's Mashed Potatoes. I adapted them from Terry Walter's Clean Start cook book. I adjusted the proportions a little because in my test run they weren't quite to our liking. Potatoes have gotten a bad rep recently, but they're really not bad for you. They are a starch, but unless you kill them with tons of fat or naughty add-ons (bacon), they're actually a good thing to consume!

Full Disclosure: Not my photo. :)

Not Your Momma's Mashed Potatoes:

-2 medium baking potatoes
- 1 large parsnip (or 2 medium ones or 3 extremely small ones. :) )
-Olive Oil
-skim milk

Peel and cut up the potatoes and parsnip into small pieces. Place in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer until the potatoes and parsnips are mashable. Drain the water off and put the potatoes and parsnips into a bowl (or kitchen aid mixer bowl so you don't have to had mash them). Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tbsp  skim milk. Mash up! If you don't like the consistency, add milk a little bit at a time until desired consistency is achieved.Trust me on the tablespoon at a time thing, I have consumed lots of runny mashed potatoes because I am impatient and didn't measure! SO RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO JUST DUMP THE MILK IN!

This is for two people, and we'll have a little left over. I just really don't like left over potatoes because they get all weird, but if you want more or are feeding more people, simply maintain the ratio of potatoes to parsnips. The parsnips have a sweet taste to them, and last time I made them I used two parsnips (but they were gigantic) and was not happy with how they tasted. Ideally, you shouldn't really be able to tell that the parsnip is in there, but it will still up the nutritional value of mashed potatoes. We don't eat gravy, so that's not a worry for us... but if you must do the gravy thing, please do it sparingly!

And because I had no idea what a parsnip looked like prior to my googling, here is what you're looking for in the grocery store:

not my photo either. :) But don't they look like giant white carrots?

Style File 11/7/11

 Occasionally, I need to look really professional for work (I guess it makes me look like I know what I'm doing ;) ). Usually when we have an event. In this case, I'll need to look nice for our preview weekend. So I thought I would take you through my tips (as if I'm an expert? haha) on how I shop and put together professional outfits for when we have an event at work.

 It's easy to lose a sense of your own style when you work in a conservative place where you have to wear suit-ish outfits. So, in order to keep things feeling like "me" I look for pieces that are tailored and modern looking. The fit is everything in these pieces. Look for jackets that nip you in at the waist. The should seams should always be on the outside of the shoulder, and the sleeves should be just the right fit. The button up has princess seaming and nips me in at the waist as well. That's key, because a lot of button shirts have a tendency to make a person look boxy and shapeless. And we don't want that!

 I also look for ways to add color to the outfit. In this case, I tried to find a button up that had some color in it. This one has some red in the stripes. Also try to find pieces that have interesting details. Like the jacket, it has fun buttons on it and some fun pockets. Interesting pieces of jewelry also do the trick.

 I also try to use some patterns and textures. These pants have a faint pinstripe (and they're also navy, not black) that I paired with stripes. Some might not like it, but I think they're both subtle enough that I can wear them together. It's also tempered by the neutral jacket. :)

My last tip for professional attire, is to mix and match. It's a little unexpected and a fun way to break up a suit and get a lot of different combinations out of just a few key pieces. You can still look put together even if the pants (or skirt) and jacket don't match. As long as they are both of equal "dressy-ness" you should be fine.

Outfit Rundown:
Jacket- Banana, thrifted
Shirt- Worthington, JC Penney
Pants- GAP, modern boots (I have three of the same pair of pants. They're all just different colors)
Shoes- ?, JC Penney

What's for Breakfast? 11/1/11

Look at that date. 11/1/11. Two things: 1.) How is it already November?! 2.) That's a lot of 1's. Just wait until the 11th!

I thought I would do a feature on what I normally eat for breakfast: Oatmeal! This oatmeal, however, has a special fall twist that I just can't get enough of lately: PUMPKIN! I love pumpkin. Normally at this time in the fall, I gorge myself on sweet pumpkin bread, pumpkin roll, and many other sweet pumpkin treats. Those treats, however, are not part of the Clean Eating plan, but I have found ways to incorporate pumpkin anyway. I must confess, that while I have cut a lot of processed sugars, I have not cut all sugar. Instead of using white sugar, I've been either using organic sugar, raw sugar, or honey in it's place. So I am still enjoying a cleaned up pumpkin bread. ;)


Onto how to make this. I need simplicity in the morning. I'm in a hurry and have a pretty rigid routine. I eat Oatmeal and scrambled egg whites for breakfast, so to make it quick I microwave both. That's why the oatmeal looks a little sloppy... I just microwaved it until it was done.

What you'll need:
1/2 cup old fashioned oats (less processed than those packets of oatmeal. Plus, it just tastes better. Once you go old fashioned, you'll never go back to instant. Blech).
1 scant cup of water (to make up for the fact that pumpkin has a lot of moisture in it. Plus I like my oatmeal a little drier)
2 spoonfuls of Organic Pumpkin Puree (or one giant spoonful. Eyeball it. Also, NOT pumpkin pie filling. I used Trader Joe's brand and it was delicious. If you don't get organic, look for brands that have just pumpkin and maybe some water in it. No added sugars!)
2 tbsp ground flax seed
Pumpkin pie spice to taste

Combine all the ingredients into the bowl. Mix. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until done.
Eat with your egg whites and you're good to go!

Halloween Style File 10/31/11

 Happy Halloween, everyone! So far today I am a bit behind, thanks to skipping my run and heading back to bed. BUT! I will run after work. Brad and I need to get better about going to sleep at nine instead of 10 or 10:30. :)

I thought I would do a special Halloween Edition Style File!

 Look! It's Brad! He gets to be part of the Style File. We went to a Halloween party on Saturday evening, and it required us to dress up. I always have fun with these sorts of things. After some back and forth between a couple costumes, Brad decided to go as my counterpart, a 20's ganster/speakeasy owner. The story is that he owns the speak easy I work in.

 I went as (hopefully) obviously, a flapper. You might remember these costumes from a Murder Mystery party we went to last winter. But we re-used them and added an accessory or two.

 I added the feather boa this time around and Brad added the cane. Let me tell you, those feathers went EVERYWHERE. But it added to the look, so it's all good, right?

 This dress came from Target. It's not exactly a flapper dress, but it's close enough with the ruffles on the bottom (that's aren't well seen here). But When paired with the rest of the outfit, it looks remarkably flapper ish to me. My favorite part of the costume was doing the make up. I read several tutorials and if you had seen me in person, you would have seen just how much make up I was wearing. Dark eyes, red lips, and a lot of rouge! Can I just say it was bizarre how they used to wear their lips. Go look it up. They didn't fill in all of them.

And look, we go together! :) Happy Halloween! I'm sure many of you already did your costuming this weekend, so you should link me to your pictures! I love seeing what others went as.

Shameless plug!

Please like my entry in Mod Cloth's contest. I would love to have a shot at winning! :)

http://apps.facebook.com/offerpop/Contest.psp?c=38443&u=406&a=100142423390621&p=9481787170&v=Entry&id=118301&rest=1

To like me you'll also have to like Mod Cloth's page. Thanks!

Style File 10-21-11

 I loved this outfit. Unfortunately my pictures don't do it justice! I still don't know how to not lose details. My pants are actually Navy but they look black, and since they look black, it's hard to make out my awesome boots. I know it probably has to do with the lighting (I did take these later in the evening) but I've had this happen before when I took them when it was lighter out.  All you awesome style bloggers, how do you get pictures that preserve your details (especially in dark colors)? I must be using my camera wrong, but I don't even know what to google to learn how to fix it! Anyway... onto the Style File!

I put this outfit on, at little unsure of how I would like it on me. It was inspired by the lovely Jen at Jenloveskev (one of my favorite style bloggers!). But I loved it. I sort of felt like I needed a hat and a horse and I would be ready to go riding!

 Again... my pants are navy and I'm wearing awesome black boots that come up to just below my knee... but you can't tell very well. I was sort of sad by that.

This is the part of the outfit I was unsure if I would like. I don't typically button all the way up, but I gave it a try and I loved it. The patterns conflict, but I think they go well together. I bought this sweater from Chloe Loves Charlie, thanks to a giveaway on Jen's blog. So not only was this look partly inspired by Jen, but it was brought to you thanks to Jen! :)

Happy Friday!


Outfit Rundown:
Button Up: JC Penney
Pants: H and M
Sweater: Chloe Loves Charlie
Boots: DSW
Earrings: Vintage

Motivation?

WARNING: The following post contains pictures of women with their stomachs exposed, bikinis, and cleavage. It is for a purpose and a point, but if you would prefer not to see them you have been warned.

I don't get on my soapbox too often, but this is something that has really been bothering me lately. These are all pictures I've seen on pinterest that are under "fitness". Many of them are tagged "motivation" or "healthy" or "inspiration" or very commonly "I aspire to this". There about a bajillion worse photos taken from maxim that are labeled as such. Since when did maxim become the standard for fitness? The photos I selected for here, though, are tame compared to lots of them.

So what's my problem with this? Well I have a couple, so we'll start with the first. The first is that these bodies are unrealistic for most people. These pictures might have  been photo shopped to accentuate muscles, make waists tinier, boobs bigger, whatever. Even if these are real photos, those girls hit the genetic jackpot. I think it's safe to say most people do not look like this naturally. Or maybe these girls have had surgery to enhance themselves (I am not making a statement about surgery, just throwing out a possibility). I do recognize that it is a naturally occurring phenomenon for a small girl to have a big chest. Or that small girls get made fun of because they are "boyish". Women of all shapes and sizes have reasons to be down on themselves thanks to cultural pressure. As such, I'm not trying to be down on these women in these photos. I am just trying to make the point that these bodies are the exception and not the rule. Are the girls in these photos sexy? yes. Are they considered beautiful? yes. Is it healthy? Not necessairly. Which brings me to this photo:

This one bothered me the most. What sort of message does this send? That skinny is supposed to make you feel better? It's supposed to make you happy? That's my second problem with all of these photos. They're framed in a way that makes it sound like if you can just get to look like this, life is better. You'll have everything you want because being skinny made you feel happy.

How twisted is that? Skinny people have great lives and normal, average, or fat people have terrible lives. What the hell is that all about?

Even worse, these pictures seem to say that your worth is based on how skinny you are. That you cannot accept and love yourself, and others certainly won't accept and love you, unless you look like this.

I am here to tell you that no matter your size or shape, you matter. You matter a great deal and I wish you didn't have to deal with this kind of crap. I want you to know that if people want to treat you differently because you are skinny or fat, those are not the type of people you want to associate with (i know, easier said than done).

These photos bother me so much because they showcase only the outside. The motivation in these photos is not to live longer because you're healthy. It isn't that living a healthy lifestyle is good for you in any way. No, it's to look better on the outside because it's going to bring you happiness. That motivation isn't going to last because happiness is kind of fleeting. That sort of motivation is shallow and if you stick it out and attain your goal, I'll bet you notice something else about yourself that makes you unhappy.

These pictures actually make me angry. They make me sad for the millions of women (and men) who buy into this crap. It makes my heart hurt for the people who resort to eating disorders, or become obsessed with a number on the scale, or any number of other issues that comes along with this type of motivation. I'm not going to go on and on about what should motivate us. But I am going to say that these photos definitely shouldn't.  So please, stop repinning these and trumpeting these messages.

They're nothing but lies that will bring you down in the end. Please don't believe them.