While we were in the Bahamas, our friend made us towel hats so we did not have to carry our towels around in the hot sun. Never have I received so much attention. We had over 10 people stop and ask us to show them how to make our special Princess Leia hats.

What do you think? Like them?

xoxo,
helen

My awesome friends and I signed up for a hard-core 5K, called the Spartan Race, for August. The course includes a wall climb, crawling under barb wire and leaping over fire. This is serious!! I haven’t been jogging since my vacation back in May so it is time to get serious. (OK I lied. I completed the Chase Corporate Challenge last week which was a 3.5 mile run. I jogged half way and then walked to the finish line in 50 minutes. I did worse than someone who walked the entire way! Is that even possible?!!)

So to get back into the running mentality, I jogged last night for a mile and I ran out of gas. Hopefully I can be consistent with my workouts so I can complete my dream of running a half-marathon in my lifetime.

Are you a runner? Do you have any tips for a beginner?

xoxo,
helen

I’ve read tons of articles about purchasing produce at local farmer’s markets because of the freshness, quality and cost. I completely agree with everything except the cost! Blueberries on sale at my local grocery store are usually $2.50 for a pint while the local farmer’s market is charging me $5.00 for the same amount. I am sure the quality is better but it is hard to justify that cost when you are living on a budget. Is it possibly the location I am in? Is local produce in California less expensive than local produce in Boston?

Have you ever encountered some reasons not to shop locally? How were you able to overcome it?

xoxo,
helen

Best wedding video everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqiw-Kqtlr0

You will NOT be disappointed! Now if I were only that coordinated…

xoxo,
helen

I have wanted a dog since I was 5. The idea of having a best friend that loves you unconditionally has been with me and never left. Lately, I’ve been really pushing the boy to get a dog and we’ve started the searching process. It is hard since my allergies get quite severe so we need to find a hypoallergenic dog which limits our options. So far, we’ve both liked bichon frises, cockapoo and chow chows (not hypoallergenic but they have been my dream dog for ages.) Where should I look? We both decided against puppy mills and are looking at local shelters but having such limited choices makes it that much harder for us.

Any suggestions?

xoxo,
helen

The reason is twofold.

1. Cupcakes are cuter and tiny. I like cute things.
2. You can eat two cupcakes and not feel guilty. But you can’t say the same for cake.

Here is my non-guilty treat for the day

What’s your guilty pleasure?

xoxo,
helen

I am still in disbelief. I think it took me over a month to really process this information and I bet you’re dying to see the ring.

Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to have a mini-glamour shot for my new love but here is a picture from the website. If you can guess my ring, I’ll treat you to a cookie. imaginary or real if you are in Boston!

xoxo,
h

So I told you about how life changing (OK a bit of an exaggeration but you know!) the Kerastase treatment was for my hair last year. When my appointment came, I was super excited to get pampered at the G20 Spa and Salon on Newbury Street. If you are from Boston, you know that Newbury Street is synonymous with high end.

Boy, was I disappointed. All my stylist did for me was wash, condition and blowdry my hair. All in all, it took no more than 20 minutes. No Kerastase treatment or anything! What a rip.

To those who went for the Kerastase promotion, were you blown away?

xoxo,
h

Banana bread is something I LOVE to eat. I mean, LOVE! I can dog at least 4 slices by myself and still not feel the need to puke. But that’s another story. I’ve made the boxed versions via Pillsbury and I have to tell you, not so great. Pillsbury for brownies are amazing but not so much for banana bread. I happened upon a recipe and I was intrigued. It is basically fat free but do not be fooled. This is not “healthy” by any means with all the white refined carbs and the sugar. But I figured I’d give it a shot because I’ve seen people use apple sauce as their oil in baking and I wondered how moist the baked good would turn out.

So with overly ripe bananas that would have been tossed, I mashed up a storm with my handy dandy fork (no, I do not believe in mashers) and whipped up the recipe in 10 minutes flat. The end results were delicious! You would never have known that no oil or butter was used in the recipe. So if you want something delicious and semi-good for you, try it! Even on a week night, you will have the time.

Any great recipes you’ve found that you would like to share?

xoxo,
h

I was reading an interesting article yesterday about obesity rates and the grocery stores that people shop at. According to a study done in Seattle, skinnier people are more likly to shop at higher end grocery stores and obese people are more likely to shop at lower end grocery stores. When I read this study, I think about the difference between the rich and the poor. The rich are more likely to be at a healthier weight because they have the means to afford higher quality food. Higher quality doesn’t necessarily mean healthier but most of the time it does. If a family of four has only $10 for a meal, they are more likely to spend it on high caloric foods to fill up. And high caloric foods are generally the ones that are processed and sold for a low price.

It is interesting to think about the obesity epidemic as merely the struggle of the poor. Maybe if we educate people about the benefits of eating healthy nutritious food and the true hidden costs (higher health insurance, more medical bills, etc), we can lower the rate of deaths by the means of lifestyle choices. Or maybe we can simply make good food more affordable and processed foods more expensive so less people are inclined to purchase them.

When I was in Stop and Shop yesterday, I had the choice between a plethora of items but I made the conscious decision to buy a cartful of fruit and lean meats. And this did not come cheap. A container of blackberries alone were $4!

What choices do you make to lead a healthy lifestyle?

xoxo,
h