Who I Am Wednesday!

This is my 50th post! Whoo hoo... maybe someday I'll be like Janae or Kelly and have tons of posts and followers :)
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I'm Sorry I didn't post yesterday but I was busy saying goodbye to Christine and working :(



Now to continue with this weeks Who I Am Wednesday, this week's theme is going to celebrate this beautiful lady!

his is Christine, she is amazing. Not only is she beautiful but she is witty, smart, kind, loving and going to be a great teacher! If you don't believe me just check out her blog here.

Christine and I have been friends since my freshman year at State. We lived across the hall in South Case Hall, and have been friends ever since.

I got to hear about her engagement

And be part of her special wedding day

Celebrate her birthday

And now see her off to Las Vegas... Where she has a dream job of teaching 6th grade language arts!

Christine has been such an amazing friend for the last 4 years and I can't wait to hear her wonderful stories about Las Vegas and teaching :)

Fashion, Foodie, or Both?

Happy Sunday Funday!!! Today was my one day where I didn't haven ANYTHING going on. Lately my life has been busy subbing, working, and social events, so today I only did what I wanted to do.

Fashion

It's finally summer in Michigan! I woke up to sunshine and 70 degree weather which made me want to wear a summery skirt and pastel top to church. I felt so girly and comfortable in this outfit!

Workout


After church I changed into workout clothes and did some Jillian Michaels. She kicked my butt but it's such a great workout for non-running days.



Food
Today I cooked up a wahzoo! It's my favorite past time so I wanted to enjoy every minute :)

First I made a quick lunch of chicken salad salad, hummus, Laughing Cow cheese, pita chips, and fruit salad

After watching a few episodes of this addicting show


I made Kelly's Chocolately Crunchy Goodness Granola. This is so good and good for you! I followed her recipe exactly except I put in some dried berries to kick up the sweetness.


I then made Rocco Dispirito's Penne Alla Vodka for dinner. I love pasta and this is a healthy version of the classic. For a 1/4 cup of pasta it's only 320 calories! I paired mine with a side salad to help my vegeful challenge!


Lastly I made a quick desert of a No Pudge brownie. I've had these before when I made a full pan but this was my first time making a single-serve in the microwave. It was amazing! I topped it with some banana and strawberries.


It was great to enjoy while watching this show.I'm addicted to the food network. I love finding ideas and it's the one network where their reality shows are good!
I hope you all have a great Monday!

Who I Am Wednesday!

Wow, it's been a week since my last post! Yikes! I'll explain in a post later tonight why the lack of blogging this week. But for now here's this week's Who I Am Wednesday: Family Edition!!

Family Members:

Mom and Bob (step-dad)

Elizabeth & Chris, Bre & Steve (older step-sibs and spouses, Mom side)

Kelsey (younger, biological sister)



I love my family, they are the whole world to me and Bob is more a Dad to me then my biological Dad. I know that they are always there for me and support me. My Mom and I are best friends.

I also have these families though.


I met them through mutual friends and church and have become an every day part of their lives. Some examples are here, here, and here.

I used to feel guilty that I was closer with my church families than with my own. I was talking to my friend about this and she goes "Elle, family doesn't have to be confined. It is about people who love you constantly, who are always there for you, and whom you would do anything for".

I think this is a great definition. Who is to say that I can't have tons of family members? I feel closer to these people now because I watch their kids every day, I've seen them grow in the last 5 years, I am like a sister/daughter to them.

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful life filled with so many people who care about me!

Who I Am Wednesday

I'm going to start a new trend on here called Who I Am Wednesday. This will help give a better insight into me and hopefully get some new readers/followers!! Please, please, please tell your friends about my Blog!!!

This week's theme is The Basics of Me

I have 1 biological, younger sister. She is my best friend, confident, hugest supporter and harshest criticizer. She is brutally honest but has a huge heart. She is annyoing and selfish but she is mine and I love her to pieces!

I went to and graduated from Portland High School (Michigan) in 2007. I loved high school and was involved in everything from student council, NHS, tennis, softball, track, band, etc. Somedays I wish I could go back and others I thank God I'm done.

This is a picture of taco pizza. It is the most deliscious thing in the whole world. I promise you! It is something that my Mom's friend's sell at their store. It has tortilla chips, taco beef or chicken, peppers, black olives, onions, and tons of cheese! If you're ever in town I will gladly buy you some.

I absolutely HATE lasgana. Seriously anything that can stand up on it's own like this should not be eaten. Blech!

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I love nailpolish. I have a huge purseful and always have a color on me. Lately I'm loving the Sweets collection by Orly. How cute are all the colors?!

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While I'm painting my nails I'm always listening to music. I'm in love with Taylor Swift like a 13 year old girl and have been to every concert she's done in Michigan.

I am a fresh out of college girl, looking forward to my future and enjoying who I am.

How Often Do You Drink?

How often do you drink... water?! Did you think I was referring to alcohol :)

While I love this stuff

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I need to love more of this

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Growing up I always drank a lot of water, I was in sports and the coaches always push the stuff on you... add in my runner/fitness mother I drank a gallon a day.

But my freshman year of college- present day I stopped drinking it. I had access to this:

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And I really thought the water at school tasted awful! Plus the lack of money to spend on bottled water, it got cut out of my diet.

Now that I'm really trying to lose weight and exercising more I need to love this more

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A goal for this week was to drink 64 oz of water a day. This was my initial thought

I have to drink this whole thing?!

These little lovies helped a lot!!

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The hardest time I had with drinking water was visiting this place!!

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Being a teacher you only get 1 bathroom break a day, and that is during lunch. Definitely learned a hard lesson... do not drink a lot of water during the day!!!

18 Years in the Making...

I waited 18 years for this day... May 8th, 2011

My Family was there

And the families who are dearest to me

Add in some friends

I can now say I'm Alumni

I AM A SPARTAN :)

Getting Back on Track

I've been really awful at this blogging thing. However, I'm FINALLY done with school!!! That will be in a post tomorrow so make sure you come and check it out!!

For today I'm going to show you how to make a few great meals on a college budget. I allow myself about $100/month for groceries. Lately this has been really tough for me because I love fresh produce but it's so expensive! I was talking about this with a friend and she recommended a local store called Aldi.


Aldi is a chain store that opened in 1976. It only carries 1,000 products and is extremely less expensive. I only spend $42 on all my staples like bread, lunch meat, fruits/veggies for a week, cheese and crackers. The best buy was the milk though. I got a whole gallon for only $2.29 and at Meijer it's close to $4!!!

With all my fresh produce I decided to make a salad for lunch.


Look at this beauty! It has 3 different kinds of lettuce, cucumbers, apples, grapes, carrots and sliced roast beef. I also pulled a Janae and put goldfish on top :)

While I was doing all that chopping I also made a salad in a to-go container. This helps on time and the produce stays fresher in the Tupperware.


For the dressing I created this pretty thing. I love to combine salad dressings, especially ranch with a more acidic dressing because ranch is ALWAYS too creamy and rich. Today I was feeling spicy but didn't have any spicy dressing so I made this...


It's 1 tablespoon ranch, 1 teaspoon horseradish and 2 tablespoons spicy mustard. I may have used a bit more mustard. Make it according to your taste.

It was amazing with my salad. The spiciness of the dressing made the sweet flavors of the apples and grapes pop. Mix with the cheddar cheese crackers and I was in paradise.

I had a really great workout on the elliptical so I decided to treat myself to this for dinner.


I really loved this cheeseburger!! I've been craving one! I combined it with french fries and mixed vegetables.

The best part of my day was when I entered my info in Myfitness Pal. I was under my calorie goal and ate enough protein. I also drank ALL 8 glasses of water!!! Whoot whoot!!

Watch for my Blog to go under a change. I promise it's only for the good :)