Think It Thursday: Rushing Through the Holidays

This was a common sight in October. I'm pretty sure there should be a giant inflatable turkey in between Frankenstein with his Witch & Santa with his tree. But of course, there wasn't. 

Now that Halloween is passed, you would think you could find plenty of Pilgrims, turkeys, cornucopias, pumpkins & even corn to decorate with. Well, you might find a scarecrow, or a pumpkin here & there. But that's about it. Christmas has officially over-commercialized Thanksgiving! This, drives me crazy. It really does. Yes, it seems like we rush through the holidays, but I make it a point for each holiday to be celebrated. I may not celebrate "correctly" (whatever that way may be), but I do celebrate. 

October 1st is when Halloween starts to come to life. Nothing Thanksgiving around here until November 1st. And there is no Christmas decorations until the day after Christmas (you can shop while I decorate).

What do you think about all of this?

Work It Wednesday: Tips To Avoid Dry Winter Hands

It's that time of year! We're busy cleaning away to get ready for all of our holiday get-togethers. The heat is on (for me anyways) to keep us nice & snug. And our hands are getting red & irritated.

Here are some tips to help keep dry winter hands at bay:

•If you're cleaning, wear rubber gloves or use mild cleaners.
•Don't over wash your hands.
•Exfoliate with a sugar scrub every few days.
•Lather up in lotion! Olive oil & Vaseline also work wonders. Better yet, put a pair of gloves on after you moisturize at bedtime & sleep with them on.
•Don't take a scalding hot shower or bath, no matter how tempted you are.
•Keep the air moist with a humidifier.

Tasty Tuesday: Mongolian Beef

One of the first jobs I had was in a Chinese restaurant. From that point forward, I became very picky about my Chinese food. Mostly because I preferred the Thai food on our menu, but that's beside the point. To this day, there are certain dishes that I haven't had since I worked there. But there are a select few that I have mastered over the years & are able to make them at home. Mongolian Beef just happens to be one of them.

 

•olive oil

•1Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

•3-5 cloves garlic, minced

•1/3-1/2C. soy sauce

•1/4C. fish sauce

•1/3-1/2C. water

•3/4C. brown sugar

•Siracha hot sauce

•sesame oil

•1lb. flank, or other thinly sliced steak (I believe mine was a sirloin)

•cornstarch

•1 large onion, thickly sliced

•green onions, sliced into 1in. pieces

•white rice

- First start off by using a large nonstick skillet. This way you can cook everything in one pan, with the exception of the rice.

- Go 2-3 turns of the pan with the olive oil & heat to med-high. Add garlic & ginger, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

- At the first signs of browning, add soy sauce, fish sauce, water, brown sugar & desired amount of Siracha. Bring to a boil.

- Simmer sauce for 2-3 min. until slightly thickened.

- Remove sauce from heat & pour in med.-sized bowl. Set aside.

-On a cutting board safe for raw meat, tenderize your already thin steak with a meat mallet. (Place meat in plastic wrap to keep from making a mess.)

- Thinly slice steak across the grain & place in a bowl. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of cornstarch over top & mix thoroughly to cover each piece. Set aside for about 10 min. (*Tip: Your steak will look more like pork when the cornstarch has been absorbed.)

- This is the perfect time to start your rice if you're making Minute rice.

- Back to your nonstick skillet, heat a bit of sesame oil along with a little olive oil, over med.-high heat. Add steak & cook, flipping frequently, until browned. Return to bowl.

- In just a bit of olive oil, saute onion until just beginning to soften.

- Return sauce & beef to skillet & simmer for 2-3 min.

- Serve Mongolian Beef over white rice & top with green onion.

Enjoy!

Aurorae: Synergy Yoga Mat-Towel

As some of you may or may not know, I've recently taken up yoga. Again. I tried it years ago, but I didn't understand it then. And not just the poses, but the benefits from it too. Now I get it, I may not understand everything about it, but I get it. Of course one thing I do understand, is how much of a difference the proper yoga mat can make. Or in my case, a yoga mat-towel.

We all know the benefits of using a yoga mat, like using it as a padding to make some poses more comfortable & helping you hold a pose better when you begin to perspire (just as a couple of examples). But if you practice hot yoga or have sweaty hands & feet like I do (sorry if that's TMI), a standard yoga mat may not cut it. That's why I'm beyond grateful to Aurorae for sending me the Synergy Yoga Mat-Towel.

I love the quality of the binding.

This 72 inch extra long mat consists of a 5mm PER yoga mat, bound together with a slip free microfiber towel. I know you're thinking that just topping your regular yoga mat with a microfiber towel would be the same, but it's not. With the Synergy Yoga Mat-Towel, there's no chance of the towel part slipping or bunching, so all of your transitions stay fluid. But the best (& most beneficial) part for me, is that the more I sweat, the better my grip is. Actually, I don't even have to spray my mat with a mist of water to get a solid grip right of the bat (although it is suggested).

Caring for the Synergy Yoga Mat-Towel is just as easy as a cobra pose. Since I have a top-loading washing machine & it is in the middle of fall here in NE Ohio, I wash my mat in the bathtub with just a bit of water & some mild soap. Then to dry it, I simply roll it up with a towel & give it a good squeeze to get most of the water out & then hang it from the shower rod to finish drying. And just as a tip, always make sure your mat has dried completely before using it again. If you have a front-loading washing machine & are in a warm locale, simply wash with a mild detergent on a gentle, warm water, extra rinse cycle; squeeze excess water out with a towel & hang out in the sun to dry. *Do not dry your mat in the dryer.

Check out my yogi-mini on Instagram!

I may not have mastered the hollowback pose yet (or even attempted it actually), but my yogi-mini & I have been working on the crow pose lately. Being able to keep my grip while attempting to balance myself enough to lift my feet up has helped me tremendously. It also helps to have Aurorae's golden sun focal icon on the mat to focus on as I ease into lifting my feet up. I may only be able to hold crow pose for half a second, but a couple of weeks ago it seemed impossible. - I'm supposed to tell everyone that my yogi-mini can hold crow pose for three seconds. -

Aurorae sells the best reviewed yoga mats, yoga apparel,and yoga and meditation accessories online. You can browse their yoga mats, yoga bags, yoga apparel and other yoga accessories here.

Keep up with the latest from Aurorae on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube & Google+.

  **Disclaimer: I received these products to try from Aurorae & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.

 

Messy Monday: Homemade Antibacterial Spray

As many of you may know, last week sickness invaded my house. It crept in, hit hard & hid in the shadows afterwards. Now that there's only one family member left to get it (darn lucky hubs!), it was about time to show it the way out. Now that I'm feeling a bit better of course. (Even though I'm still a part time mouth-breather.)

Simply take a spray bottle & fill it with about 1.5C warm water. Add 2Tbsp. or so of dish soap & 15-20 drops of tea tree oil (great for it's natural disinfecting powers). Replace the nozzle & give it a good swirling to blend. 

Simple Sunday: Preparing for the Storm

This was a picture I took this afternoon. You can see the clouds & the tree leaning a but from the wind. We were prepping everything before the storm system hit. Which ironically is now. And it sounds nasty out there. Prayers to all who have been affected & prayers to the rest that they are able to stay safe. 

 

LÄRABAR & a Giveaway!

Please tell me you've had a LÄRABAR in your lifetime. If you haven't, you are seriously missing out on some wholesome snacking! 

Check out this photo on Instagram!

The concept of LÄRABAR was born in May of 2000 by founder, Lara Merriken (LÄRABAR, Lara's Bars, get it?) & holds steadfast today as "The Original Fruit & Nut Food Bar". Made from unsweetened fruits, nuts & spices these wholesome bars resemble the taste of classic indulgences such as Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Blueberry Muffin & even a seasonal Pumpkin Pie while never containing more than 9 ingredients. And just so you know, the Pumpkin Pie is downright delicious! I plan on stocking up to avoid the inevitable every year of eating tons of pumpkin pie. (I have a weakness for it, can you tell?) 

But here's a fun fact I bet you didn't know about LÄRABAR. Even their wrappers serve a purpose.

Go here to learn more about TerraCycle.

 
 Mail your wrappers to:

LÄRABAR
Attn: TerraCycle
P.O. Box 18932
Denver, CO 80218

This blog post just keeps getting better!

One lucky winner will receive a caddy of 16 mixed LÄRABAR flavors! 

The giveaway will conclude on at 12:00 a.m. est on Saturday 11/23/13. Winners will be announced via rafflecopter & in a separate blog post which will be published no later than 3:00 p.m. on Saturday 11/23/13. Winners will also be notified via email & announced on the Smith and Blessings facebook page. Winners will have 48 hours to submit shipping information which will then be passed directly to LÄRABAR for product distribution. If 48 hours has lapsed, a new winner will be picked & then will also have 48 hours to submit their information. *Giveaway open to U.S. residents 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keep up with the latest from LÄRABAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.

 **Disclaimer: I received these products to try from LÄRABAR & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.