health and fitness

Where's Wednesday: Eating a Bowl of Hope

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Image What pulls and pushes a story is the relationship between the details and bigger picture.  You are the protagonist of your story, and if the binding element of your narrative is hope yet you always doubt miracles, then it'd be terribly wrong of you to profess belief in hope.  Society teaches us to harbor cynicism and permits us to grab onto only an inkling of hope.  What would happen if we defied such norms?  The children in the video below seem to do so.  Inspired by them, I decided to call my new healthy recipe "Bowl of Hope."  These kids fight without rest because they refuse to relinquish Hope, and if they're able to live each day with courage and joy, then I'm sure the rest of us can do the same.

Ingredients 1 tbsp Vidalia onion vinaigrette 1 handful of alfalfa sprouts 1 cup sunburst tomoatoes 2~3 oz. grilled chicken 1/4 cup red quinoa 1/5 Hass avocado 7 walnut halves

1 serving, ~450 calories Directions 1. Grill chicken that's seasoned with some oil oil, salt, and pepper. 2. Boil the red quinoa until the seeds have been full cooked. Drain afterwards. 3. Wash and dry alfalfa sprouts.  Toss them in the onion vinaigrette. 4. Crush the walnut halves into smaller pieces. 5. Layer (from bottom to top): red quinoa, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, grilled chicken, avocado, walnuts 6. Mix and enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnG3MKos87A&w=420&h=315]

Have a fantastic evening, beautiful readers.  Be inspired. Be hopeful. Be compassionate.

Love, Pristine Christine

Where's Wednesday?: Market Fun

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Image Who says going to the market can't be fashion-tastic?  Honestly, carrying my nice leather bags to the market can be a little annoying, especially when I'm picking my fresh produce.  Had I seen these adorable, pragmatic totes before, I would have snagged one already.  West Elm sells a variety of market totes, but the ones above are a few of my favorites.  The best part?  They are made in the U.S.A. and cost only $18!  Other than carrying them to the market, you can store your laptop in them as well.  You hit two birds with one stone!  Personally, lugging my InCase bag to the coffee shop just for my laptop can be troublesome at times, so this is good news for me.  Who could hate such a steal?  Grab a tote while they're still available!

Growing up, the sandbox never appealed to me. Even now, I wrinkle my nose at the thought of playing in one.  My playground, unfortunately, is Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.  Despite frequenting Trader Joe's every week, I am always still delighted by the products sitting on the shelves.  Our familly's seasonal favorite from the store is the pumpkin bread mix.  Normally, my mom uses walnuts and dried cranberry, but because we ran out of the latter ingredient, we decided to improvise: walnuts, pecans, and raisins.  1/4 of the mixture wasn't topped with extra nuts since my rather fastidious brother has changing preferences.  While the bread baked in the oven, the fall scent of pumpkin spice permeated the living room... and I loved it!

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1 Pumpkin Bread Mix 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil 1 cup water 1 cups of walnuts 1 cup of pecans *margarine (use butter if you wish, but we prefer healthier alternates) optional: 1/2 cup dried cranberry

*Rather than mixing the margarine with the bread mixture, we coat the pan with margarine.

12 servings Calories per serving: 230 (using butter but fewer if using margarine) 18g sugar per serving

Save yourself the atrocious calories and sugar in the bread sold at stores and Starbucks by baking some right at home.  If you want to treat yourself to an even healthier alternative, buy the pumpkin bar mix. You'll be clocking in only 160 calories per serving.

Happy Wednesday, my beautiful readers!

Love, Pristine Christine

Where's Wednesday?: At Home (3-Way Pita Chips)

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Ingredients: olive oil ground cinnamon brown sugar tortilla garlic salt [shredded] asiago cheese

1. Lay a sheet of foil on a baking tray. 2. Cut tortilla into strips and place them on the foil. 3. Drizzle olive oil onto the strips (doesn't have to be precise or tidy). 4. For cinnamon flavored pita chips, sprinkle brown sugar on top first. Then, shake some ground cinnamon afterward. For garlic-flavored chips, lightly sprinkle some garlic salt on the tortilla that's been coated with olive oil. For cheesy chips, sprinkle a sufficient amount of shredded asiago cheese on top. 5. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 6. Place the tray in the oven and let the strips bake for about 20 minutes and check to see if they're ready. If not, wait for another 5-10 minutes (it's your job to check!).

Easy-peasy, huh?  These homemade pita chips are a great snack to munch because you know exactly what goes into making them.

Share any healthy recipes that you have, and I'd love to try them at home!

Can't wait to fancy you with tomorrow's Thursday Throwback.  I always have fun reminiscing about the fashion from the past, too.

Until then...

Love, Pristine Christine

Throwback Thursday: Gettin' Ready for School

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Top (left to right): Herschel Settlement Mid-Volume $55; MCM $540; Essl 'Austrian' backpack $124 Bottom (left to right): Baggu Backpack in Fig $42; Jansport Hoffan $40; Herschel Pop Quiz Backpack $70

Nowadays, it's difficult finding a mid-size backpack under $40.  Talk about inflation, increasing costs, and the principles of supply of demand.

Since pre-school, going back-to-school shopping has always been like visiting a candy store for me.  I have to try hard to resist the temptation of buying every nice pencil case, backpack, notebook, folder, and pen.  The one thing I adore about backpacks is their customizability, practicality, and durability (4 years on average).  Because I like to stand out, I always bought mine in eye-catching colors. In high school, I carried a baby pink Jansport, so I stood out in the crowd; in college, I owned a beautiful hot-pink Jansport.  From even half a mile away, you could spot me.  While I am an avid follower and admirer of fashion, I don't believe in lugging around laptops and school supplies in shoulder bags or totes.  Thus, to help you ease the pain of being trendy without looking dorky at school, I selected a few of my personal favorite packs, ranging from $40 to $540.  I'm all about finding the right tone that showcases personality and that perseveres seasons (neon is rarely fitting for Fall).

Getting ready for school also suggests kicking out the junk food and bringing in the nutritious goodies.  #tbt!  Snack of nostalgia: Wheat Crisps with Dip

Snackin' Right: 1. Wheat Crisps (Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Wheat Crisps: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XT_OAL8QRt0/TUi0q0ukmXI/AAAAAAAABVc/6bCetXLh0mw/s1600/IMG_7195.1.jpg) 2. Trader Joe's Spinach and Kale Greek Yogurt Dip (http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/2012/09/trader-joes-spinach-kale-greek-yogurt.html)

14 wheat crisps (140 calories) + 4 tbsp of dip (60 calories) = 200 filling calories (avoid consuming empty calories)

My parents, especially, my mom would always say to me, "College years are your best years. Enjoy them to the fullest."  How true her words remain.  I just graduated from college 2 months ago, and I already miss scrambling to ship boxes of belongings to Chicago and catching flights to reunite with best friends.  However, life moves on, and I must learn to continue friendships even if we're all dispersed across the country. C'est la vie.

Happy Back-to-School!

Get ready for some fun Friday Fashion tomorrow! Until then...

Love, Pristine Christine