Pure Yumminess.

Its a beautiful yet COLD Tuesday morning at Em's. Our lovely spring weather has taken a dip into the freezing and we've been robbed of warmth once again. NYC even got flurries last week. I swear the Ice Age is making it's grand re-entrance up here in the northeast. No fun. I really just want to break out the flip flops. My precious UGG's have been overused and abused this year. The last week has been super busy with work work work for moi. Babysitting 40 hours a week, 4 exhausting nights at OB, jewelry parties/business functions filling in the gaps, and on top of that I have decided to return to the gym at least 3 nights a week. lol. Yes, I said busy. I really need the gym though, as I was discussing with Em this a.m., its just so nice to have an outlet. Now that I think of it, I have many outlets: unnecessary trips to TJ Maxx, black & white cookies, watching countless reruns of The Hills, this blog, wine, Starbucks, more wine. Ha ha. What's your outlet?

This past Saturday I attended our bi-annual lia sophia Zone rally down in the depths of PA and had an absolute burst of inspiration and motivation. I really cannot express how amazing it is to be involved with this company. I have so many amazing women who have quickly become good friends and the self-confidence that I have found in myself is worth its weight in gold. Its hard juggling it with everything else and there is slight pressure b/c I know everyone believes in me to go far with it but until my work load lessens just a tad, it is what it is. Right now I am working on being promoted to Unit Manager and then I will be well on my way to earning next year's trip to Cancun. I keep a mini-sombrero on my desk and a chili-pepper necklace in my car for a shot of positive thinking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite topics to discuss. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an avid follower of The Secret. I truly believe that "What you think about, you bring about." My other favorite book is "Excuse me, your life is waiting." by Lynn Grabhorn. I actually like that one better than "The Secret" and I carry it everywhere with me in my purse. The law of attraction works and I have used it for quite some time now and received extremely lucrative results. It simply revolves around the power of positive thought and I am confident that if our planet followed this way of life we'd see perfect harmony rather than the nonsense that occupies our daily living. This is why I have given up reading the newspaper (except for the horoscope, lol) and I refuse to watch the news. What I need to know in life will come to me in one form or another, I do not need to clutter my mind with sad stories that start my day with sadness and worry. So start your day with a glass of sunshine (O.J) and think positive thoughts of a perfect day and I promise that is what will follow.

Due to our money conservation plan, we've been grocery shopping more frequently and I have been "cooking" more as well. One of my favorite ways to save money is to buy more whole foods rather than processed junk. It is also way healthier, and with my return to the gym I need to eat better anyway as to not reverse the effects of my hard work. This week I loaded up on tomatoes, baby spinach, bananas, avocados, mushrooms, baby carrots, and goat cheese (to be used in moderation). I also replaced bread and rolls with sun-dried tomato wraps. Also, I did not buy ANY soda products at all, gasp. Soda is the hardest thing for me to give up as I lovvve it. But Emily told me that I will yield direct results from just giving it up alone, so I am giving it a shot. Now I didn't say I was giving up ALL my favorites, hee hee, so I did manage to slip in a pack of my treasured B&W cookies that I mentioned earlier. Hey, baby steps are better than what I was eating before. And I allow myself just one a day instead of 2 like before. So here I am with my fresh fruits/veggies and I must say I have been pretty creative with them. I eat them plain with low fat ranch to dip, in omelette's, in a wrap, roasted in the oven, and my fav-as a flatbread. Its so easy...I take a baking sheet or stone and lay out a wrap, spray it with a little olive oil, pile on veggies and a few dabs of goat cheese and bake at 400 degrees for a few minutes. I just kind of watch it to make sure it doesn't burn. Then I take it out and sprinkle on some salt & pepper and balsamic vinegar and enjoy! Soooo good and it doesn't get boring b/c there are so many combos of toppings that you can use. Throw in a small side salad or a healthy soup and you have one of my favorite lunches or light dinners. Another really yummy meal that me and Em were talking about is using baked potatoes as your main course. I like mine piled with veggies, freshly made salsa and a dab of low-fat or fat-free sour cream. Pair it with a small side salad and you have yourself some yumminess. Again, if anyone has some easy and tasty recipes or meal ideas...please share!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! Remember-positive thinking! I swear it'll change your life! Ciao! xoxoxox