Blueberry muffin smoothie

If you know me at all, then you know that I can not get enough of smoothies. They are my favorite, mostly because you just throw a bunch of stuff in one container and push a simple button. What can I say, I like easy. It is also much easier for me to drink all my fruits and veggies rather than eat them. Anywho, this smoothie was just kind of a last minute-I don't have anything in the fridge-I need to go grocery shopping-kind of smoothie. I threw some stuff together and was happy with it! I have other favorite smoothies, but this was not to shabby. I must say, the end result did taste exactly like my favorite blueberry muffin recipe from simplytaralynn.com. I think it was because I added a dash of cinnamon! Go ahead and try it for yourself. Here's what I blended:

-2 cups blueberries

-1 cup ice

-1 cup skim milk

-4 oz. vanilla yogurt

-1 tablespoon chia seed

-1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

This recipe yields about 2 servings. I didn't add any protein powder, simply because I forgot too! I'll definitely add it next time and definitely recommend it! It's great in anything ou mix up. Tell me what you think!

Saturday: Guns & Sunshine

Woohoo! Last Saturday was such a beautiful day here in Boise. Zack and I went shooting and had a blast (literally!) I have learned to love guns and really find them to be a lot of fun. sack recently went through a gun safety class a few weeks ago so he was able to teach me all of the ins and outs. I just loved it! It was so much fun and a great time to bond with my best friend! I shot this big badass gun and only missed a few times! I was quite proud of myself. I also shot a sweet 22 six shot revolver.

Hell yeah! I now want a gun (and a safety class) for my birthday. Which isn't until September... But hey it would make a nice gift! There is just something empowering about being able to properly shoot a gun. I have so much fun every time Zack takes me! Gettin down and dirty in the Boise boonies is very fun every once in awhile :)

 

Skinny Oreo Milkshake

Apparently I had quite the sweet tooth yesterday. I made some of my favorite whole wheat  protein blueberry muffins in the afternoon, and my dessert later that evening was this yummy Oreo milkshake! I was out of milk yesterday because I'm going to be out of town for a few days, but I was desperate to make this so I ran to the gas station to pick up a quart! I stumbled across this milkshake recipe on Pinterest a few days ago. This milkshake is so easy and not bad for you! All it takes is 4 ingredients and a blender.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of skim milk

2 frozen bananas

1/2 cup of cool whip

3 (or 4!) reduced fat Oreos

Now I've got to be honest with you, I did not use reduced fat Oreos. There were already some regular ones in the pantry so I vouched for those. However, I'm sure the reduced fat would be just as great, and I WILL use them next time! ;)

So throw your milk and peeled frozen bananas into the blender and let it run for about 4 minutes until it creates a thick and creamy mixture. Then, throw in your Oreos and cool whip and let it run for about another minute. And Voila! You've got a delicious skinny treat.

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

 

Dinner was a SUCCESS! Since living on my own, I have had my fair share of epic screwed up failures of meals that I have attempted. The one thing I have learned is that practice makes perfect! And also, your mom knows all the answers to your questions. I saw a recipe online for baked zucchini. Many of the ones out there require Panko bread crumbs, and well I didn't have any and I didn't really want to throw bread crumbs on a vegetable. I'm sure they would've tasted great but I'll save it for another time! I was going to bake these guys, but I decided that frying them would be easier since my oven was already occupied by chicken I was cooking. I got this adorable new cutting board and knife that I couldn't wait to try out too! Side note- this knife is awesome. It sliced right through this zucchini like nobody's business! Anyways, I sliced these guys up, dipped each one in some olive oil and then into some parmesan cheese. Threw them in a pan on the stove top, cooked on medium for a few minutes, flipped them and cooked them for a little longer! They turned into golden brown cheesy goodness. I failed to get a picture of the final outcome, probably because I threw all the food onto my plate and couldn't try it fast enough!

A Clean Face is A Happy Face

 

I have been meaning to clean my make  up brushes for a while now. I always read how you are supposed to deep clean them about once a week, and well, that just does not happen around here! However, I came across a disturbing article last night about how much bacteria is nestled between your most intimate little life savers we like to glide across our face every day. I had enough putting it off and decided to clean those babies right then and there! I am addicted to Lauren Conrad's website, so I took to her website for some advice. All it took was some warm water and shampoo and these guys feel and look brand new again! It feels good using them and knowing they are clean and bacteria free. I think my skin is thanking me too! If you're interested, here's how I did it!

What You'll Need:

• Gentle shampoo
• Small bowl
• Small towel
• Your sink & warm water

 Run your brush under warm water in your sink. Rub it gently with your finger to get off any residual make up. The key is to be gentle! You don't want to rub to hard and hurt your brush. Next, put some warm water and shampoo into your bowl. Swirl your brush around in the water/shampoo mixture. This part was pretty cool and also gross- I could not believe the make up that was coming out of the brushes! I repeated this step a few times until the water was close to clear. Lay your brush flat on your towel to dry! Easy as that. Happy cleaning!

Beautiful Saturday

The state I live in is so incredible! I was reminded of that this weekend when I took a weekend trip up north into Cascade. I stayed at my boyfriends cabin. We had such a blast playing cards, four wheeling, and hanging out at Brundage Ski Resort! The day began a little cloudy and snowy. But by mid day the sun was shining and it was warm! The thing I love most about Idaho is its trees. Even on the drive to and from Boise to Cascade is awesome. The hills, trees, and river is breath taking!

 

Amongst all the fun, Zack and I managed to get this cute little picture. We were sitting on the mountain watching the pond skimming competition going on. Believe it or not, he did win best smile when we were in high school. This photo just doesn't capture it quite right ;) Regardless he looks adorable in his ski gear! We had a great time, I didn't want the weekend to end!