01/25/13

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Beach Bound

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Today is a perfect beach day.

I'll arm myself with towel, hat, sunscreen, mags and beach bag.
It's the only place I truly relax and unwind
and it's the only place where the kids can amuse themselves all day long
without spending a cent!
It there's no winging, whining and fighting
they are rewarded with an ice-cream
so that always guarantees good behavior!
We trapse home sandy, salty and bedraggled
but pleased with our day of fun in the sun!

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2-4 fashion story by Coastal Style

Check out Coastal Style on tumblr and Pinterest

Bananas are NOT “fattening”, but actually quite nutritious!

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It boggles my mind that so many people come to me saying they avoid eating bananas because they believe them to be “fattening” and high in sugar. While, yes, they do contain sugar, I still rank them as one of the healthiest fruits for you, especially those of us fitness enthusiasts. Anything can be “fattening” if you eat more calories than you need, so why bananas specifically got this bad reputation is still unclear. Bananas do have less water content than other fruits, so they are more sugar-dense, but still, pretty low in calories and super high in nutrient quality!

One medium (7”, 120 g) banana has about 105 calories, 19 of sugar, no fat, and is a good source of fiber (3 g), potassium (13% DV), Vitamin C (15%), manganese (17%), and Vitamin B6 (22%). Bananas are great for athletes fueling a workout, providing healthy carbs post-workout, while also being a great source of electrolytes. They are also great for digestive health and may improve the absorption of calcium. A recent study shows that cyclists who ate bananas prior to exercise compared to those having a sports drink performed better and experienced a boost in mood due to a positive shift in dopamine. So, eating a banana before spinning may give you more power and make you happier while exercising!

My recommendation: Eat a banana before your morning workout to ensure that your body has energy and electrolytes to run on and keep you working hard. After a workout, eating a banana and nonfat yogurt or glass of milk is a much healthier recovery option than eating a processed sports bar or “protein shake.” Try freezing bananas (without the peel) and blending to make a faux-ice cream. When bananas are frozen, they get a very creamy consistency- thus the reason you see frozen banana stands popping up on boardwalks and frozen banana kitchen gadgets (see below!). Your kids will probably think they are just eating banana-flavored ice cream, so they won't even have to know it's healthy and low-calorie!

References:

http://www.chiquitabananas.com/Worlds-Favorite-Fruit/index-banana-nutrition-facts.aspx

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=7

Appalachian State University. "Bananas are as beneficial as sports drinks, study suggests."ScienceDaily, 29 May 2012. Web. 25 Jan. 2013.

Friday Favorites

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Happy Friday! The week has flown by, hasn't it? A few days ago our pipes froze to our kitchen sink and dishwasher and despite an effort involving a blowdryer...we have not been able to thaw them out. It's humorous to think that we're pining for Monday...when the temp will reach a whopping 34 degrees in hopes that this will be enough of an increase to thaw us out. We are currently averaging like 12 or 15 degrees. Oh well, still happy it's Friday. Happy to be sitting in front of the space heater making art. And happy to be able to share my Friday Favorites with you guys!

In my precious collectibles and artwork you will find lots and lots of color. But my wardrobe would look right at home in any of my favorite Hitchcock films. Black & White. I'm totally a cardigan girl, and this one is so fab. In fact, I'm down with the whole ensemble above...just need some tights in this cold!

I've been a fan of Banter Banners for a while now and when this style showed up in a Fab.com sale I thought it would be perfect in our bedroom. Boo Hoo for me though...they sold out super duper fast. But Hooray for Bantar banners that they did so well! They offer a create your own banner which of course I could do...but man, Fab.com discounts really rule.

By now you know I'm a sucker for lighting...industrial type especially. And wall mounted task lamps make me pretty happy. I'm really loving this one, and wondering where I could use it. But this probably is a question for a later date...when repairs are further along and our house makes some sorta sense again.

Ok raise your hand if you are cookie crazy! Are these just the cutest, prettiest things ever? Who knows if they taste good? In my experience though, when peeps put so much care into the esthetics of a cookie...they usually taste fantastic. I'm betting these do.

But still, I'd wanna shellac these things and save 'em forever and ever and ever! (don't get me started on the "faux cake" I ordered on ebay like 10 years ago! The lady glued REAL coconut flakes all over it! Not a good idea.)

Big ups to designs with stamina. I was so happy to see that our Keep Calm And Have A Cupcake gift bags and journals are still available at Paper Source! Man this many years after the initial Keep Calm frenzy and they are going strong! Totally took on a life of their own! :) And three cheers for cupcakes!

I LOVE this pillowcase set! Another Fab.com find! Man, I love so many of their selections! This designer had 2 other styles that I adored as well. Total typography lovers over here!

Speaking of Typography...

Love this video