Girly Girl Nutrition

Looking our best is not just up to the contents of our closets, it predominately based on the contents of our refrigerators and pantry closets. Majority of women find themselves deficient of iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, C and B-complex as well as essential fatty acids. Blood work is the key to finding out what your body is missing, but a simple evaluation of your diet can steer you in the right direction. Below is a list of foods that provide the needed nutrients to the femme body.

Iron:
whole grains, beans, seeds, nuts, raisins, wheat germ, dried apricots, egg yolks, oysters, red meat [raised with no antibiotics], vegetables and fortified cereals.

Calcium:
almonds, dark greens, dairy

Magnesium:
beans, nuts, whole grains, vegetables

Vitamin D*:
cod liver oil, fish oil, salmon, sardines, egg yolks, beef liver
* "it is difficult to ingest sufficient amounts of vitamin D from food sources alone"

Vitamin B*:
dark leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, seeds
* vitamin B can be depleted by stress

Vitamin C:
broccoli, peppers, citrus, strawberries, tomatoes

Essential Fatty Acids:
fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, dark leafy greens, omega3s and omega6s


source: Women's Health - Whole Body May 2010 Whole Foods Market, IP, L.P

Sun Worship

A friend sent this survey to me, when you have a spare moment, check it out.  As for the self-tanners, there is a rumor that they are just as bad for your skin, so use sparingly till further studies are done.

Glass Menagerie

In my quest to find durable, good quality house-hold items i came across Kitchen Classics, an American company that manufactures high quality, durable baking dishes and storage containers, all in the USA. I bought a bowl, a measuring cup and a two baking dishes, paid $20 for all four items. The bowl was on sale for $4 [original price: $8], interestingly enough there was another bowl on sale by a different company that manufactures in China; it was made of thinner glass, same in size and cost $5 more, [original price $20]!!!

Anyway, here are some more links to fantastic glass products, all made in the USA.
Glass butter dish, glass food storage in a vintage design, glass food storage - round bowl design.

Enjoy!!!

Closet Case

I am still in the process of moving into the new house, but before I can fully enjoy the new closet space I have to overhaul the tragic colors and ill decisions made by the previous owner.  A small closet should not be painted a dark color and certainly not dark brown.  Dark colors visually shrink spaces and don't scatter the light in an efficient way, resulting in a space that is not pleasant and not very well utilized. Ever hang something up and then not be able to find it 15 minutes later? I hate that.

Well it took some time, but my new closets are now white. A very crisp, clean and chick look. Add a super bright light-bulb and it's fully functional.

The one below is not my own, yet!, but I leave you with this designer closet photo to use for inspiration of your own next crisp white closet.

For Small Business Owners

Here's a link to some helpful tools for small business owners. 

Grilling Is Good For You

While browsing for a new grill, I visited Weber.com, home of the famous red UFO-like grill.  Found some swagger: free guides, recipes and booklets to download.  Enjoy!

Steak Bootcamp


A rather almost insulting, but still full of good info: Girls Guide to Grilling

Grilling is Good for You!

Made in the USA

I am adding a new label to my blog; made in USA.  In my recent hunt for household items I have had quite the challenge finding things made in the USA or at least not made in China. The hunt is difficult and time consuming, so if any of you are just as obsessed and devoted to American made [or not China made], you can just reffer back to this blog.

Findings so far:

- Quickie Bowl Brush: White $4.99, available at Home Depot

- Oreck Halo Vacuum Cleaner: built in UV-C light that kills germs. $549.99

- Wicks n' More Candles: Prices vary, available at TJ Maxx, Marshall's or online

- Fox River Socks: available at Campmor, Ramsey Outdoors and online

- Assorted plants: $3.99+ Grown in the USA, available at IKEA

Happy Shopping!

Moving 101

Today I walked through the doors of my new home and my hands were full of bags and boxes.  Thank goodness for my box numbering system, otherwise I would have had a difficult time getting the correct items over to the new house asap.

In the trunk of my car are boxes 17, 21 and 22 containing eating utensils, health and beauty - you know: toothpaste and it's companions; pillows, blankets and Apples to Apples - my favorite game. Everything else can stay behind for now.

Things that are definitely use full to have on the first day:
scissors
screwdriver & hammer
soap
papertowels
windex, clorox, pledge
pens
pins
measuring tape

... this is very exciting!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Fats

The human body needs fat to function properly, what the human body doesn't need its the trans fat and the saturated fat.  How can you tell them apart from the monounsaturated and poly saturated fats? Here's a quick list:

Monounsaturated Fats: The Highly Beneficial
Avocados
Nuts: Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, pecans, peanuts and pistachios
Olives
Olive Oil
Peanut Oil
Sesame Seeds

Polyunsaturated Fats: The Good
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Corn Oil
Cottonseed Oil
Soybean Oil
Canola Oil
Fish: Anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and tuna
Flax seeds
Walnuts

Saturated Fats: The Bad
Bacon Grease
Butter
Coconut Oil
Palm Kernel Oil
Full-fat Dairy: Cream cheese, half & half, and ice cream
Meat and Poultry

Trans Fat: The Disgusting
Margarine
Nondairy Creamer
Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils
Shortening
Fried Foods: Fries, doughnuts etc...

Bodysuits, Latex etc... Part 2

Eyelashes, those awesome fake ones that open up a whole new dimension of makeup. Anyone can get their hands on a great set, they range in price starting at $3 available at your local drug store, to the more elaborate ones from MAC. Just in case, here is a great tutorial on how to apply fake lashes.

With great makeup, comes great responsibility, big, fake lashes at school or office look ridiculous no matter how fabulous... remember that ladies and gents!  Can you imagine the situation at your next office meeting where one of your co-workers is wearing lashes like this:

 Mimi from "the Drew Carey Show" comes to mind. 

So let's keep these lashes where they belong: music videos, at a club, at all the parties, weddings and fashion pages.

And these lovely ones for the daytime.

Christina Aguilera upped the ante in the latest trend game by wearing these crazy lashes in her new music video.  Trends are important to a certain degree, years later they define a generation.  When we think of bell bottoms, the 70's come to mind along with disco, hippies, Vietnam and polyester. It is safe to say that a few years from now we will look back and one of the significant fads of the late 00's and early 10's will be this:

Spring Time is Here!