October 11, 2009

I am so sore in such a major way today! I’m not complaining, though, I promise! Every “Owie” that I say outloud is a very good thing! Friday was my first day back to yoga in over six months. Even though I’ve been walking five miles almost every day and riding my bike for an hour on the other days, I’ve got muscles from my neck to my toes that apparently haven’t been put to the test in a LONG TIME!

I’m done talking about the boot that was on my foot most of the summer and I AM finally, finally getting back to my yoga practice.  I never realized just how much yoga helped me deal with my stress until I was away from it for six months.

My class on Friday was probably the most difficult, yet, most relaxing hour that I’ve had to myself in months. One hour! Just. One. Hour. No Internet. No cell phone. No Facebook. No Twitter. Just. Me. And. My. Practice.  I love the instructor at the gym I go to on Fridays. She likes to instruct her class in the dark, which I love. She’s calming, yet also motivating and inspiring. I knew I missed yoga but I really didn’t realize how much until after my class on Friday. Afterwards, I almost felt like me again.

We’ve had a lot of changes going on in our lives these past several months and I basically let the stress and worry of everything take over ME! There was almost no ME left. (I’m sure some of it has to do with my major roller coaster hormones, but we’ll talk about that later.) Like most women, we tend to take care of everyone else before we take care of ourselves. But, if I don’t take care of  ME,  I certainly won’t be able to take care of anyone else.

On Mondays, I’ll go to my local YMCA where there is another fantastic yoga instructor.  Unlike the corporate gym, the locally owned Y allows him to use props, blocks, straps, and even bamboo sticks, which, by the way, give some amazing results when you massage your calves with them prior to your practice. I can’t wait for tomorrow morning!

Since I go to a couple of different gyms, I’d love to be able to travel without a mat. I’ve always been a little curious to find out what it would be like to do yoga wearing a pair of these toesox.

Yoga Teacher Kathryn Budig (photo by Jasper Johal)

Every time I look through my new issue of Yoga Journal, I’m fascinated by their ads featuring Santa Monica Yoga Instructor, Kathryn Budig.

Amazing, huh? I’m really excited about getting back to my yoga routine. Maybe some day I’ll be able to do this!

I wonder if I’m too old to dream about one day becoming a certified yoga instructor?

~LilSis

October 10, 2009

I happened to find this random product at my favorite natural foods store, Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage.  It’s called Stonewall’s Jerquee, A Vegetable Protein Product.  I bought the Cajun Bacon flavor honestly expecting that it would be horrible, and when I opened the package, I had one thought…cat treat.  It looks like cat treats.  And it smells kind of like smoky cat treats.  😀

Cat treats or People snack?

So far, my expectations were not very high.  How about the ingredient list?  Defatted soy flour, water, yeast, extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, onion, cayenne, and sorbic acid.  Not a bunch of junk that I can’t pronounce or decipher.  Ok, so maybe this won’t be so bad?

Now for a bite.  The texture is very chewy; a texture I can’t remember getting in a meatless product.  I like it!  And the taste?  Very spicy and peppery with a little smoke and saltiness.  I’m surprised that I’m enjoying this odd little snack, but I really am!

Stonewall's Cajun Bacon Jerquee

I’ve bought Stonewall’s Jerquee twice now, and I still like it. I’d like to try some of the other varieties next time. And guess who else likes them?  Gabriel!  The cat who won’t even touch the Thanksgiving turkey doggie bag that SisMama sends to Ashy Poo begs for a taste of this spicy soy bacon treat!

Overall rating: 4 stars out of 5 on the Sister Scale.  Stonewall’s Jerquee doesn’t really remind me of bacon, but I like the originality, the chewy texture and the spicy flavor as a little tidbit.  Nice job, Stonewall!

If you can’t find these snacks locally, you can order them on Lumen Foods web site.  Next time I’ll give you the veggie scoop on Morningstar Farm’s faux bacon strips.

~BigSis

October 9, 2009

Have you heard the news about Estee Lauder phasing out the Prescriptives line? If any of your favorite beauty products happen to be made by Prescriptives, I’m betting you’ve heard about this!

I’m really BUMMED because I’ve been using Prescriptives Traceless foundation for YEARS now and I’ve never found a foundation that I love as much as this one.

Prior to discovering Traceless, I used the Prescriptives Virtual Skin foundation, which I also loved, but Traceless is a little more sheer, goes on a little smoother, and looks more natural on me.

BigSis & I have both talked about our essential beauty products this week so I thought this would be a good time to mention this news from Estee Lauder. When I talked about the Top Three products I can’t live without, it was hard for me to choose between the MAC powder and the Prescriptives Traceless foundation.  I can hang at the house with just mascara on, but anytime I go out, I always have on the Traceless Foundation and the MAC Loose Powder.

Since I’m trying to prepare for our trip to Blog World in Vegas next week, I ran into Macys to grab a new Traceless so I don’t run out while out of town.  When I asked if they still had any Level Three Traceless left, the salesperson told me that she had three containers. For some stupid reason, I only bought two of them instead of all three. I’m probably going to order more online before they’re all gone! One container lasts me a few months so I won’t need to make a change any time soon if I stock up now.

By January, 2010, the Prescriptives line will have been phased out of the department stores. There is a slight chance that you will be able to order some products online even after they are discontinued, but if it’s a popular item and you LOVE it like I LOVE the Traceless, you better stock up NOW!

The sales person at the Prescriptives counter told me that Estee Lauder was holding a training class today at our local Macys to teach all the employees how to transition Prescriptive customers into other products, obviously others brands under the Estee Lauder ownership. I hope I can eventually find something that I love as much as Traceless!

If anyone has a favorite foundation that’s light and sheer and goes on nice and smooth, PLEASE let me know about it!

~LilSis

October 8, 2009

I had to respond to your post yesterday, LilSis.  Being 3.4 years older more mature than you, my essential list needs to be 30 instead of 3, but I’ll try to limit it.  😀

First off, mascara has to be one of the 3, since my face feels bare and featureless without it.  I’ve tried the cult-favorite Maybelline Great Lash, and I just don’t like it.  I need more oomph than that.  My favorite is Loreal’s Voluminous.  It gives me volume and thickness, and doesn’t flake, smudge or smear.

My number 2 pick would have to be a good lip balm.  I can’t STAND dry lips, in fact I’m a little obsessive about it!  My current inexpensive go-to is Aquaphor in a tube.  I apply it in the morning and at night after brushing my teeth.  It does a good job of keeping my lips chap-free and prepped for lipstick or lip gloss.

Last but most importantly, I have to have an excellent facial cleanser.  The key to keeping my skin out of the weeds (ie: broken out) is to cleanse deeply and faithfully.  I can’t get by with those little wipes you use, LilSis.  I need something serious to keep my skin clean and my pores clear.  My current favorite is Serious Skin Care’s Glycolic Cleanser.  It’s serious, for sure!

That’s my top 3 list.  If I could add a few more, I’d include Relastin Eye Silk, Tazorac Retin-A,and Urban Decay 24-7 Eyeliner in Underground and 1999.  And MAC eye shadow, powder and blush.  And Prescriptives foundation.  And Borba Shimmer Contour Cream.  And L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil.  And Essie Nail Polish for pedis.  But I’m really not high maintenance.  Really!  You don’t think that’s a lot, do you??

~BigSis

October 7, 2009

I was originally going to call this post “The one beauty product that I can’t live without”, but as it turns out, I actually have three. To qualify as a product that I absolutely cannot live without, it has to be one that I NEVER EVER go without using, not even for just one day. Here are my three.

Mabelline Great Lash Mascara

In number one position is my Mabelline Great Lash Mascara.  If I had to narrow it down to just one product, this would be it. I don’t care if I don’t have on another stitch of makeup, but I CANNOT leave my house without my mascara.

MAC Select Sheer/Loose Powder

And in second place is my MAC Select Sheer/Loose Powder. I should have gone to Macys days ago when I noticed that my powder was running low but I thought I could stretch it a few more days until I could make it over to the mall.  When I took the lid off of the container to try to get the last few flecks of powder from the bottom, it was already gone! I did have a little meltdown but I managed to survive until I could get to Macys later that day.

Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant

And the third product that I can’t go without for even one day is Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant.  I recently talked about how much I LOVE this deodorant.  I ran out a few weeks ago and had to use something else that morning before my walk and it was such a noticeable difference. I can’t live without this deodorant!

By narrowing this list down to three, I had to be very choosy. If I wanted to make this a list of five, I would add Relastin Eye Silk and Borba Firming Diamond Shimmer Contour Creme to the list. Oh, and I really couldn’t live without my Origins No Puffery. I probably should have made this a Top Ten list!

Are there one or two or ten products that you can’t live without? I’d love to hear about yours!

~LilSis

October 6, 2009

When was a meat-eater, I loved the aroma and the flavor of bacon but almost never ate it because of the high fat content.  Now that it’s been over 15 years since I ate anything with a face or parents, I have to admit that I still like the smell of it.  I can’t stand the odor of barbecue or any other meat item, but bacon is the exception.  I don’t eat it, but I do enjoy smelling it. I’m a little bit ashamed to confess that, but I have to be honest.

I know that lots of vegetarians are disgusted by the meat analog products that some of us eat, because they’re too similar to real meat.  I totally understand and appreciate that viewpoint, but soy, wheat and mushroom burgers, patties, etc., don’t personally offend me.

Back to the bacon.  I don’t think it’s the pig itself that smells so good; my theory is that it’s the smokiness of the spices.  If it’s true that the spice combo creates the aroma, then is there a product out there that would fill the bacon-shaped hole in a vegetarian’s or vegan’s diet?  And even if you’re not a veggie, perhaps a bacon-flavor substitute would appeal to you for health reasons because of a lower fat content?

So I proposed a challenge to myself.  Try to find a delicious vegan bacon-flavored item.  Sounds simple, right?  Let’s see!

The first contender is Bacon Salt.  I’ve been hearing buzz about it for months and months, but never ordered it.  In addition to online availability, you can now buy Bacon Salt in some retail stores.  I got my 2 oz jar of the Original Bacon Salt at Kroger for $4.99.

Bacon Salt

First off, there are lots of ingredients in Bacon Salt.  The first is sea salt, then garlic, paprika, onion, and corn syrup.  It also contains corn cereal (?), natural hickory smoke flavor, natural butter flavor, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, artificial flavors and some other things that I’m not familiar with.  So, my initial reaction is: too much stuff, some of it not good for us.

Secondly, there’s the aroma.  Sniffing the jar, I wasn’t bowled over.  It smells a little weird and fake-ish, with a mostly smoky odor.

Lastly, how does it taste?

• Tasting it plain out of the jar, it definitely tastes artificial to me.  I get the salt, garlic, paprika, onion and a little sweetness, but mostly I taste smoke and not in a great way.  Even faux bacon bits taste better alone than this.

• I also tried it sprinkled on some raw almonds that I had sauteed in a little butter for a few minutes.  The flavor of the salt was better on the almonds than it was on its own.  It reminded me a little of the smoked almonds you can buy in a can, but not as good.  The smoke flavor wasn’t offensive on the almonds, but I wasn’t really reminded of bacon either.

• The final taste test on a faux BLT was the most successful for Bacon Salt.  I spread a little mayo on some whole grain bread (you could use vegan mayo, of course), and added fresh tomato slices and shredded lettuce.  The Bacon Salt was sprinkled fairly generously over the veggies.  Dare I say it?  It was pretty darn tasty!  I almost got a touch of bacon-iness, without any of the odd artificial flavors.

The verdict:  2 stars out of 5 on the Sister Scale.  I wouldn’t buy Bacon Salt again because I just don’t think it’s good for me since I try not to eat things I can’t pronounce.  It is horrible?  Absolutely not.  Is it as great as the hype?  Nope.

So, the search continues for a great vegan bacon-flavored item.  I truly hope you find some value in this challenge, because tomorrow morning I’m going to have salt bags under my eyes like crazy!

Next time…vegan bacon jerky!

~BigSis

October 5, 2009

It’s finally cooling off a little bit here in Southern California. For the past few weeks we’ve had record high temperatures, which I happen to love, but I guess I have to realize that Summer is officially over.  🙁

Some people say that they use the crock pot in the Summer to avoid turning on the oven but in the Summer, I’m not in the mood for most of the recipes that are usually made in the crock pot: stews, soups, chili, etc.  In the Summer, we grill something almost every night and just serve with a veggie or two and a salad.

But now that it’s cooler at night and will be getting dark earlier, I won’t be grilling as much. I’m already starting to get the urge to make some huge pots of chili and homemade soups. I don’t make a lot of recipes in the crock pot but I really like the convenience of it so I’m on the lookout for some good, healthy, one-pot recipes that can be put on in the morning to be ready at the end of a busy day.

I have the Fix It and Forget It Lightly cookbook and I’ve found some recipes in there that are pretty healthy which don’t contain all the cream soups, but I still usually end up modifying most of the recipes a little bit.

I threw this one together one day last week when I had a really busy day planned so dinner would be all ready when we got home. And when I say that I threw it together, I mean that literally. I was so busy that morning that I didn’t even feel like chopping anything. My inspiration for this stew was a bag of Teeny Tiny Potatoes that I found at Trader Joe’s. (Yes, it really said Teeny Tiny Potatoes on the label; I wished I had taken a picture of the label because I had never seen these before.)

The quantities and the ingredients in this recipe can be changed to suit your taste. Afterwards, I wished that I had added corn. Here’s what I did.

Super Easy Chicken Stew

2 pounds chicken tenders
1 bag teeny tiny whole potatoes (maybe 1/2 lb.)
1/2 bag petite baby carrots
1 bag frozen lima beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar whole mushrooms
2-3 c. low sodium chicken broth
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix
fresh ground pepper
garlic powder

Place chicken tenders in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle with garlic powder and fresh ground pepper. On top of chicken, layer the potatoes, carrots, lima beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Pour in some chicken broth to almost cover vegetables. Mix together 1/2 cup or so of chicken broth with the one can of mushroom soup and the Lipton onion soup mix and pour over the top of the vegetables. Cook on low for six or seven hours or until the veggies are soft. Stir to combine the veggies. Serve alone or on top of your favorite noodles for a heartier meal. I served on top of Fusilli noodles.

That’s it! It doesn’t get any easier than that. I didn’t even chop up the chicken tenders, they were so tender that they just fell into pieces. My guys loved this super duper Easy Chicken Stew so I’ll definitely be making it again!

~LilSis

October 4, 2009

Summer is gone for most of us, and has taken swimsuit season away with it for a few months. However, being the well-groomed, sophisticated women that we are, we still have to shave our legs, right? We can’t let a ding dang forest grow on our legs just because we aren’t going to the pool, or running around in shorts.

I do it every morning whether I’m wearing a skirt or not; it’s just part of the daily routine. Over the years, I’ve tried bunches of different shave creams and gels, and have a real favorite line that you might not know about since I find it frequently in the men’s shaving section.

The best shave gels on the market, in my opinion, are made by Aveeno. I like two of them equally well. The Positively Smooth Shave Gel has soy and emollients, and is supposed to help you shave less often and get fewer nicks, cuts and razor bumps, which makes sense as using shave gel is one of the tips for getting smooth armpits as mentioned in this article. It has a very light and pleasant fragrance.

The other gel I like is the Therapeutic Shave Gel. It contains oats and allantoin, and is formulated for sensitive skin and is supposed to soothe and moisturize easily-irritated skin. It is fragrance-free.

You can find these at most discount stores and drug stores for under $5 usually. I find them both to work extremely well at what they claim to do. They are both moisturizing, and provide a close irritation-free shave without the red bumps. I don’t know if the Positively Smooth Shave Gel does reduce hair growth or not, and it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s an excellent gel and smells great.

Since I’ve found these two shave gels, I’ll never go back to the strawberry-kiwi or peach-mango scented gels…you know the ones I mean! They aren’t nearly as nourishing to the skin as the Aveeno line, and don’t cost much less.

Shave on, girls! If you use these gels, let me know what you think about them!

~BigSis

October 3, 2009

Have you heard about Tweets for Boobs? If not, that’s exactly why I’m mentioning it here today. I know that since BigSis and I started tweeting, we haven’t stopped talking about it. We’re both loving Twitter and see a huge potential to tweet about a broad range of topics, some more relevant than others, and some just for plain, simple fun.

I love this idea of using Twitter to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research. Just in case you haven’t heard about this project, I wanted to mention it early in the month to give everyone an opportunity to jump on board.

Tweets for Boobs

Help raise $10,000 for breast cancer research.

All you have to do is include #tweetsforboobs in a tweet through the month of October and with every tweet you are making a $1 pledge for donation.

Follow @tweetsforboobs and at the end of the month, they’ll give you your pledge total so you can make a donation to Susan G. Komen Foundation for your total pledge amount.

I’ve already talked about how Susan G. Komen Foundation is one of my favorite charities, so I’ll be putting some Tweets for Boobs out on Twitter all month. If you have a Twitter account, please consider doing a tweet or two for boobs!

~LilSis

October 2, 2009

I happened to find a bag of Coconut M&Ms at a random Kroger a couple of weeks ago, and decided to make cookies out of them.  I love M&M cookies!  I think it’s because our grandmother in west Texas would make a batch whenever we came for a visit, and I just have warm memories of her with M&M cookies.  We only had one grandmother, and she was a good one!  😀

For an excellent cookie recipe, I looked to Anna the Queen of All Cookie Madness, of course!  She didn’t let me down.  She recently did an M&M Cookie Roundup, and linked to a chocolate M&M cookie recipe from One Ordinary Day.  I made a few changes to that recipe, and came up with these beauties.

Chocolate Coconut M&M Cookies

(Adapted from One Ordinary Day)

2 c flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Penzeys Natural Cocoa)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c shortening, at room temperature
2/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c packed light brown sugar
1 tsp mexican vanilla extract (Penzeys Mexican Vanilla, of course!)
2 large eggs
1 bag Coconut M&Ms (1 cup for the batter plus the rest for the cookie tops)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening with sugars and vanilla until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.  Beat flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture, in 2 or 3 additions.  Stir in M&Ms with a wooden spoon.  Drop by tablespoons (I used a tablespoon-size cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Add a couple of M&Ms to each cookie.  Bake for 9 or 10 minutes.  Cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

These were delicious, chocolatey, almost fudgy cookies.  The flavor of the mexican vanilla was awesome with the cocoa and the coconut.  The Coconut M&Ms worked beautifully!  Everyone gave them a big thumbs-up!  The cookies were best the first two days; after that they started to dry out a little bit.  Now there are only crumbs left and a couple of empty cookie containers…

One of the things I adore about M&M cookies is how the M&Ms that touched the cookie sheet have gotten all crispy-ish and kind of caramelized on the backs of the cookies.

If you see Coconut M&Ms, grab a bag and turn them into these scrumptious cookies!

PS:  We’re going pink for the whole month of October for Breast Cancer Awareness, so enjoy the pink type!

~BigSis