Monthly Archives: August 2012

Aug 31 2012

Summer vs Fall

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Hey guys!

We’re creeping up on that time of year where people start complaining about how summer is ending. It can suck. True. Summer is definitely my favorite season. But you know what? I was thinking about it yesterday … and I realized there’s a ton of amazing things to look forward to in the next couple of months!

For example:

Flip flops are fabulous. But what about knee high boots? And leather? And tights?! AND SCARVES???? ‘Tis the season (I have like 20 scarves … I’ve missed them).

Also, my (far too frequent) trips to Starbucks are about to change. For the better. I love me some iced coffee all summer long, but you guys, pumpkin spiced lattes are almost here. September 4th, my spies tell me. Try and complain about the temperature cooling down now. I dare you.

I sweat less. I smell less. Everyone is happy.

Ummm, all of the TV shows restart in September and October. Just try and make me grumpy with information like that. Try it. It’s impossible when shows like Grey’s Anatomy/Glee/Survivor/How I Met Your Mother (plus like fifteen more) are on and featuring brand new shows. Sayonara, reruns!

The smell of new school supplies. I like being in stores this time of year just for that.

I like my sleep. Who doesn’t? I also live on the eighth floor of an apartment complex. With no air conditioning. Remember back in school how you learned that heat rises? That’s true, guys. And eight floors up in the summertime is HOT. Once the mercury lowers … guess who is getting back to a regular sleep pattern? This (soon to be well rested) girl.

Thanksgiving (and more specifically, the big ass meal planned for that day). Duh.

*****

What are some of your favorite parts of fall? Let’s beat the “end of summer blues” with a little positivity, shall we? ;)

Have a fabulous LONG WEEKEND! Oh, lordy. I’m pumped for that extra day off.

Aug 28 2012

Lazy Day WIAW

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The beautiful part about taking Monday off … is that the week is only four days long. An obvious statement, but still one that provides me with so much joy. And Wednesday arrived so much faster! Happy What I Ate Wednesday (plus the last one of August, whoa!)!

As always, a huuuuuge thank you to Miss Jenn for hosting this weekly WIAW wonder party. These are my eats from the aforementioned workless Monday.

Breakfast:

Eaten at 11:30AM, because I didn’t feel like rolling out of bed any earlier than that. #sorrynotsorry. I didn’t sleep that late (remember the good ol’ college days?!), but I spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling and stalking Facebook on my phone until I was ready to get up. This was a whole wheat tortilla, topped with plain Greek yogurt + crunchy organic PB + chia seeds + a banana + chocolate granola. It tasted like dessert.

Snacks 1 and 2:


These were eaten while laying on the couch, catching up on trashy shows on MTV.com. When I’m lazy, I do it right.

Lunch:

Whole wheat macaroni + ground turkey + garlic spaghetti sauce. I think I probably spilled this on myself. A safe bet, anyway.

Supper:

Bulgur (love the consistency!) + tuna + Greek yogurt + edamame. Looking back, I realize I had a lot of carbs (albeit several complex carbs) on Monday. Whoopsie. I don’t ever monitor things like that, but now that I see it laid out in front of me …. hmmm.

Short and sweet, folks. That’s how YHG eats while on holidays.

What’s your favorite “lazy day” dish? Mine used to be Kraft Dinner (eaten straight out of the pot, obviously) or ichiban (two packages in one pot, and also consumed straight from it). Now, I’m not sure … but I bet peanut butter would be involved ;)

Aug 28 2012

Lately

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I’m baaaaaack! I hope you enjoyed the guest posts on the blog the last couple of days. I knew those ladies wouldn’t disappoint!

My weekend was amazing. My best friend is now married and I’m so incredibly happy for her and her new husband … I’m awfully fond of him as well, obviously ;) I got very little sleep all weekend long, drank a lot of wine, and danced more than I ever have before (that was a difficult record to break, but I did it!). Bridesmaid duties = complete! I’m so happy to have been part of the celebration. I also don’t know if I’ve ever felt so happy because I was happy for another person (does that make sense?). I’m growing up, guys.

And taking yesterday off? Quite possibly the best decision I’ve ever made. It was really the only day I’ve taken off all summer, and I spent it being lazyyyy. I woke up at 10AM, but sure didn’t roll off the pillow until well after 11AM. I didn’t get to the gym (I will FINALLY get back there today after an almost week long hiatus). I watched countless episodes of trashy television on MTV’s website. I didn’t brush my hair.

It was awesome. I’m so glad I decided to take a break!

While I was lounging on the couch in my PJs, I made a list. I do that, remember? These are things that I’ve realized about myself lately:

- I miss the Price Is Right. When I was at my friend’s house before the wedding, we watched the show while prepping decorations. How great was that show? Especially on days when you stayed home from school. Am I right?

- I sing in grocery stores. I’ve come to this realization over the last couple of months, and continue to catch myself doing it. That ambient music gets me everytime. And I am a terrible singer. Sorry, fellow shoppers.

- I can’t sit down in front of the couch with a bag of mini carrots and not eat the entire thing.

- I have a bad habit of not getting to the grocery store when I run out of vegetables. I always think I can “make do” for a day or two without the green stuff. But if I run out of peanut butter? I practically sprint to the store. #priorities

- I’m in mourning. The first season of The Newsroom is over. I NEED IT BACK. I’m too emotionally invested.

Aug 27 2012

Guest Post! Exploring The iPhone

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Happy Monday! I’m back from partying it up at my best friend’s wedding, and took today off from work. This is the only day for the entire summer that I’ve taken off with a “vacation” mindset … so I won’t be doing a thing today. I’ll be back on the blog tomorrow, but until then, here’s a GREAT post from one of my fave bloggers!

*****

Hello Yellow Haired Girl readers! My name is Kammie and I am a healthy living blogger over at Sensual Appeal where I blog about food, health, and fitness. Today I wanted to take a break from the regular healthy recipe or health tip posting and take a different look at wellness… in terms of technology. Namely, the iPhone!

There’s no hiding the fact that this Apple product is hugely popular. I’ve had mine for some 2 and half years and still love it. I have fallen in love with the ease of use and the big variety of applications that are available. And that is exactly what I wanted to talk about today. Apps for iPhone! I know I’m always on the look out for some cool apps to add to my collection, and I know many others think the same so I’m sure a lot of you will benefit from this little list I have compiled.

 Health/Fitness Apps:

  • MyFitnessPal is a free app (and a website) that I use daily to record what and how much I eat to make sure I stay within the calorie range as well as keeping track of all of the macros. It also allows you to record the physical activity you do, while calculating approximate calories burned, although I don’t use the activity option since it messes with the calorie allowance a bit. Anyway, I find this app the best of all food trackers because it seems to contain a lot more products than other apps (like Lose it!) does.
  • Gym Pact is another free app which I use regularly. It’s awesome because it gives you monetary incentives to work out! If that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will. You get money for reaching a pact you set for yourself (mine is to go to a gym 4 times a week even though I      go 5-6 times but I want to make sure I have wiggle room in case I forget to check in once). If you don’t meet the pact, you get charged a certain amount of money as well. So it’s hugely motivating. Get your ass into the gym and get paid, or pay to lazy it out.
  • Nike Training is a cool free app which has a whole lot of different workouts ready for you to do; you can choose the intensity, length, and goal of the workout and you will be given a prepared workout.
  • Tabata Timer is a simple free app that acts as a tabata timer. I haven’t had any problems with it so far so I think it’s a good one.
  • GAIN Fitness is another free workout app with various pre-programmed workouts for you to do based on the factors you set out you want to work on.
  • Daily Ab workout (free) is a free version of an app which gives you an ab workout of different length of choosing. The workouts come with videos in the beginning to make sure you do them right. The only down side is that it’s all crunch-based.
  • Seconds is an app I use for interval training. I haven’t had much luck finding good interval training apps but I haven’t had any problems with this one yet. I use the free version with the only downside being unable to save your interval timers.
  • RunKeeper is a free GPS running app. I started using this app very recently because it joined forces with Gym Pact and it’s awesome. It tells you how far you’ve ran and your pace every 5 minutes while it quiets the music down a bit to say it. It’s a nice way to stay on track without constantly checking your phone (which is what I was doing before) while running outside.

Other apps:

  • ShopKick -  it’s a rewards app in which you get points for visiting various stores and scanning products while you’re there. The points go toward cool rewards such as gift cards to Target, Starbucks,Coach, and many many others.
  • Pandora -  I think that’s self explanatory; it’s an awesome music radio app. I love their pre-programmed workout stations. Rap Strength training FTW
  • Dropbox - It’s cool to use if you use Dropbox to store files online; I often put pdf files of e-books to read on my dropbox so that I can easily access them through my phone or iPad later.
  • Pinterest -  It’s a mobile version of Pinterest that we love. I check it sometimes before bed when I don’t feel like reading or doing anything too mentally exhausting. Looking at pictures is pretty easy going for the sleepy brain haha.
  • MyRadar - it shows you the current weather situation at your location (and others) with a live doppler so it’s pretty cool. I like seeing if there’s any storms coming my way without an objective opinion of a weatherman.

Games:

  • Fruit Ninja - you slice fruit like a ninja to get points while making sure to avoid bombs. It is ridiculously addicting. So addicting that I had to buy the full version.
  • Pogo Games - has a fun little compilation of their most popular games that they have on the Pogo website. Yes, I am a nerd and I sometimes go on game websites… haha.
  • Words with Friends - it’s like scrabble and you get to play with your social media friends or randoms.
  • Matching with Friends - it’s a new game by Zynga in which you play with your social media friends or randoms to get color blocks of three to get points. It’s fun but sometimes not engaging enough.
  • Shape Shift - I was obsessed with this one for a while, you shift blocks around to form 4 of the same color. It’s easy to get but harder to perfect. Very addicting.
  • Yeti Town - it’s a cute game where you build a yeti town by placing matching scenery, three or more together. It’s pretty addicting.
    Thanks again for having me do the guest post, YHG! You rock!

- Kammie @ Sensual Appeal 

Aug 24 2012

Guest Post! Striking A Balance

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Hey guys! I’m in the midst of helping prepare for my BFF’s wedding … it’s almost here! I was at her and her fiancee’s house last night, and now we’re on our way to the location of the ceremony. It’s going to be a busy day, but exciting. I’m stoked for tomorrow’s festivities! The wonderful Alyssa has written a fabulous post for you today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I’m going to need to remember these tips ;)

*****

Hello to all of you fabulous Yellow Haired Girl readers! I’m Alyssa and I blog over at Fit and Fun in Third. I’m a newlywed 3rd grade teacher who loves a sweaty workout, a salad the size of my head, a glass (or two) of wine and a great dessert! ;) I try to balance it all while keeping myself fit and having fun along the way!

I was thrilled when YHG asked if I would write a guest post for you guys while she is off enjoying (what I’m sure will be) a fun wedding weekend! Thinking about “wedding weekends” got me thinking about this past spring when I was in 4 different weddings within 2 months.

To say that I needed to get myself “back on track” after all the wedding festivities would be a understatement! With each wedding came a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, a rehearsal dinner & of course, the actual wedding. That basically means that for 3 months straight I was “indulging” every single weekend.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the occasional treat…

… but a girl can only handle so many of these “treats” before she begins to feel the effects, am I right? ;)

So how can you get back on track after falling off the wagon for a few months??

  • Quit boozing your face off. During those crazy couple of months, I was enjoying way too many drinks on Fridays, Saturdays, and even Sundays. It needed to stop. As tough as it was, I started saying “no” to all the cocktails and “yes” to water or club soda. If you are like me, when you drink, you snack… and this helped curb that! Don’t get me wrong, after a tough day in the classroom there is nothing like a good glass of wine to help de-stress, but every night? No, thanks!

  • Cut back on the sweets and processed carbs! Having an indulgent dessert once every couple of weeks? I’m all for it. Having it twice or even three times in one weekend for three months in a row? Someone’s clothes were getting tighter, and that someone was me! ;)
  • Weekend sweat sessions. When you are busy all weekend long with wedding related activities, it’s tough to get in a good workout. Sometimes it happens, no big deal. But when it started becoming a habit, I knew it needed to change. During the week, I workout almost every day, but now, I make sure to get in at least one good weekend workout on top of that!
  • Get enough fruits and veggies! I know, I know… who wants to eat a ton of fruits and veggies while you are out celebrating a wedding? Even just a little bit makes a big difference, though! Eat your veggies first, and you’ll be naturally less hungry for the not-so-healthy stuff!
  • When all else fails… get out on that dance floor. If your like me, your weight fluctuates every now and then. Accept it. Realize it’s not forever. Enjoy yourself and your surroundings! :)

I’d love to see you all on my corner of the internet, and of course, I hope YHG has a wonderful weekend of fun! :)

How do you get “back on track” after you find yourself slacking in the health department?

Aug 23 2012

Guest Post! Running Motivation

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Hello all! It’s not a typical day for me, I’m on my way to my best friend’s house to get last minute things ironed out for her wedding this weekend. So, in my place I have a fabulous guest post from one of my favorite bloggers. I hope you enjoy it … I definitely did.

Thanks girl!

*****

Hey there! I’m Heidi from over at Idlehide. I am a big fan of Yellow Haired Girl’s blog and am a faithful reader. I was so excited when she asked me to do a guest post for her.

I figured since YHG recently started running and I enjoy running, that I should talk about it. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find it hard to “just get out there and run”. Sometimes “getting out there and running” is easier said than done. I think it is human nature to sometimes not want to get out of your warm, cozy bed and hit the pavement for  __km’s or miles.

Motivation is where it’s at. There are certain things that really help me to get off my butt and run, or head to the gym…

Planning ahead. This helps me out SO much. I have to mentally prepare myself to do a long run. Usually a few days before I have a long run planned I start preparing myself for it. It’s my little way of motivating myself and it really works. It almost gets me excited for it to be over. By planning ahead I think about the mileage I am going to cover and gives me a chance to prepare for it by drinking lots of water and eating lots of protein. (I find carb-loading weighs me down and makes me feel groggy so protein works a little better for me) I do eat carbs the morning of a long run/race, but I don’t eat a ton of them leading up to it.

Getting your gear ready the night before. Your alarm goes off and your little running pile is all ready for you to put on. It sure beats digging through your workout clothes while you’re half asleep. I usually put my shorts, sports bra, running shirt, headband, socks, sneakers and Garmin all in a pile in my closet. I put it on before I realize what I’m doing and ta-da… I’m ready for my workout.

Just do it! I am stealing Nike’s motto, but it’s so true. Just step outside or just go to the gym. The hardest part is getting there (for the gym) or the first step out the door (for running). I find after 1 km I am feeling warmed up and already feeling better about myself for going for this run. After I walk in the gym and see other people working out I am instantly motivated and ready to just work out!

Remember why you run/workout. This often helps me out. I remember just why I workout. I workout and exercise to be healthy, to maintain my weight, to be able to enjoy eating food, and to feel good about myself. Oh yeah, and I want good legs and abs ;)

The post-workout feeling. Yep. You know what I’m talking about. Have you ever had a workout where you regretted it? Probably not. 99% of the time I feel awesome after my workout and am so happy that I worked through it.

Pinterest. I had to include this one! If I ever am having a really hard time getting motivated I just go on Pinterest and go under the Health and Fitness section. Nine times out of ten that does it for me. My favorite one is” You can either feel sore tomorrow or you can feel sorry tomorrow.” I would much rather feel that good sore muscle feeling than feeling guilty that I didn’t work out.

Now, all that being said. I strongly think that you should listen to your body. If you’re feeling sore, really tired, sick or anything else and you really feel like you need a rest day, please listen to your body. You know your body more than anyone else so don’t go beyond what you think you should. On the flip side though, don’t be a slacker;)

I hope some of these methods will help you next time you’re not really feeling your workout. Just remember why you workout/run/cycle/swim!

 Questions:

What is your biggest motivator?

Do you have a favorite motivational quote from Pinterest?

Aug 21 2012

WIAW Up In Here

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Hey guys! It’s Wednesday, thank goodness. It’s my last day of work this week. Thank goodness again. Whew.

Happy What I Ate Wednesday (thanks Jenn)! Today’s post is very random again. I’ve had a crazy couple of days so I captured a couple of meals when I could remember :)

My latest favorite snack is Greek yogurt + chocolate protein powder + crunchy peanut butter + granola. Soooo satisfying. I’ve eaten this combo a lot lately. It’s definitely becoming a staple!

I whipped up this wrap the other day (would it be a Yellow Haired Girl WIAW with a tortilla included?!). Delicious. I shredded what seemed like the largest chicken breast in the world, added some lettuce, a leftover rice blend, and Greek yogurt. I made a mess. Worth it ;)


Again, this wouldn’t be a typical WIAW post if runny yolks weren’t included. Look at these bad boys. Food porn, am I right? This was breakfast on Monday (I think). Two poached eggs + turkey bacon + two pieces of 12 grain bread. Not toast. I rarely make toast with poached eggs. I like ‘em soggy.


Life is always better with Mexican. This is the “Mexican combination” from my favorite hole in the wall Mexican restaurant. On this massive platter (not just a plate … a freakin’ platter, guys) was two ground beef enchiladas, a chimichanga, rice, and refried beans. I met a friend of mine for this dinner the other night. She rolled me out of the booth and out to my car afterwards ;)

That’s it guys! Like I said, today is my last day of work this week. Hallelujah … this has been an insane week for me (I’m sorry my blog commenting has been slacking). My best friend is getting married this weekend (!!!) so I am heading out to her and her fiancee’s house tomorrow to help with last minute prep and be a wonderful bridesmaid ;) It’s a lengthy drive, but I’m looking forward to the celebrations this weekend!

Aug 20 2012

One For The Books

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This weekend was one for the books, folks. I enjoyed myself immensely!

Friday, two friends and I celebrated in style on a local patio with dinner + beers. Lemon tea beer for me. It hit the spot.

I paired that bevvy with a grilled chicken/avocado sandwich. Is there a better way to say TGIF? I think not.

Then, like all super cool people do … I spent my Friday night doing this:

Dexter. In my bed. I’m on Season 6 now, preparing for the show to start up again in October. Are you a fan? I find this season a lot darker and gorier (real word?) than the rest. I’m not bothered by it … simply an observation.

ps – I was asleep by 11:00. Yaaayyyyy Friday night ;)

Saturday morning kicked off with some yoga. It was supposed to be hot yoga, and it would have been my first class of the type. But the teacher we had was a substitute, and wasn’t sure to what to crank the thermostat to … so it was warmish yoga. I still liked it, but I’m still really looking forward to finally trying a hot yoga class. I wanna really sweat. I’m glad I starred this post of Meredith’s in my Google Reader. She breaks down her first experience, and it’ll help me prepare for mine!

I really hope I can find a way to sneak in a class this week. It might be tough to squeeze in (this week be crazy, yo), but cross your fingers :)

After yoga, I grabbed a couple of necessities from the grocery store (eggs, chicken breasts, tortillas, Greek yogurt) and headed home for a few hours. Guess what? More Dexter. I’m obsessed.

Then, I curled my hair …

And headed off to a wedding. My first of two in a row (my BFF’s is this Saturday!!!!).

What. A. Night. We hit the dance floor at 9:15, and I finally left it just after 1. The best kind of nights are the ones where you’re surrounded by friends, and know every word of every song the DJ plays.

Needless to say, when I woke up yesterday, my legs were sore from dancing and my arms were sore from yoga ;) That’s a GREAT thing.

In my life, Sunday is usually a synonym for Nap Day, Catch Up On TV Day, Wear Old Sweatpants Day, and Dread Going Back To Work Day. All of those things happened. I’m nothing if not consistent!

I’m gearing up to take on the week. I’m only going to be at work on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday … but they’re going to be crazy. Then I’m heading out of town to help get things ready for my best friend’s wedding (and to fulfill all of my bridesmaid duties) on Thursday morning. Bring it on!

How was your weekend? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to this week?

Aug 16 2012

Thankful

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My Internet is back
My Internet is back
My Internet is back
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Happy Thursday! There are many things I’m thankful for today.

1) Being able to Skype with my best friend from college (I’m looking at you, Megs!) and discuss/dissect all of the dramatic groundbreaking boy problems important things going on in our lives.

2) The Food Network. We’ve always had a not-so-secret love affair … but lately, we’ve taken the relationship to an entirely different level. I guess that’s what happens when all of the 100 other shows I watch in the fall are on hiatus?

3) Some pretty great blogger buddies who are willing to do guest posts for me next week. Hectic work week (I get to be the host/commentator for our city’s parade on TV!) + bridesmaid duties for my high school BFF’s wedding = not a lot of time for posting. I’m grateful for such wonderful people who I know will write such fantastic posts :)

4) That yesterday was pay day. Hello, groceries. I was going hungry needed you.

5) I’m getting my hair done today. I’m blonde, but I … intensify … it, so to speak. I just love the feeling of a fresh haircut!

6) … my Internet is back. Have I mentioned that? It was definitely a #firstworldproblem, but I’m glad to see it return!

Enjoy your day! And hey, tell me what you had for breakfast. I’m running out of ideas and am totally bored with my typical morning meal. Inspiration is welcome :)

Aug 14 2012

WIAW From Work

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Hey guys! First off, I want to apologize. My internet has been kind of on the fritz lately and I haven’t been able to read/comment on my fave blogs (and I have a lot of ‘em!). I’m hoping things will be back to normal soon … but for now, he’s here another post quickly written at my desk at work. Whoops. Don’t tell on me ;) (also … the “N” key keeps sticking on my keyboard!).

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! Jenn is seriously the best … I love this day. Thanks for hosting this, girl!

The pictures for this week’s post aren’t from a single day. And none of them are particularly good looking. Yummy food isn’t always purrrrty!

Snack time! Inhaled in front of Chelsea Lately (love that woman). Greek yogurt with a scoop of chocolate protein powder stirred in, plus a generous handful of Love Crunch Dark Chocolate and Red Berries.

Lunch! This was an easy tuna salad, made with a can of the fishy stuff + Greek yogurt, and plopped into a whole wheat tortilla. I added lettuce for some special crunch. The moral of the last two pictures? Greek yogurt is definitely a summer staple. And a spring/fall/winter staple, too.

Look ma, more Greek yogurt! The lovely people at Vega sent me some smoothie packs a little while ago, and I’ve slowly been picking away at them. I’ll be reviewing them soon :) This yummy drink included chocolate almond milk, Greek yogurt, and a package of Vanilla Almondilla (love the name!). A great way to kick off the day!

A Clif bar, inhaled during the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. Can you see Victoria Beckham in the background? And my terribly white leg in the foreground? ;)

A quick dinner on Monday night. Whole wheat macaroni + Mahi Mahi burger + edamame. A weird combo, but it did the trick. I ended up really enjoying it. Sometimes the best meals are the ones where you throw a schwack of stuff into a bowl and call it supper!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! We’re halfway through the week … and if that isn’t the greatest thing you’ll hear today, I don’t know what is ;)