Ribs

Summer is an amazing time for grilling and I have a perfect way to make some yummy country style ribs.
Ingredients:
Country Style Pork Ribs, any amount you are cooking
Spice Rub
Apple Juice
bbq sauce
Rub, per batch
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of ground ginger
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of ground coffee
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of paprika

Directions: Mix rub together and generous sprinkle it on the ribs. As you sprinkle, massage the rub into the meat. After all of the ribs have the rub on it, drizzle them with a little apple juice and let them sit for at least one night in the fridge. When you are ready to cook them, preheat an oven to 300 degrees and par-cook the ribs for 25 minutes. Finish them off on the grill for about 10 to 15 minutes. When the ribs are almost on, put a little bbq sauce  on one side of the ribs and enjoy.

Packing Tips for a Short Trip

This summer you may be traveling and if you make any short trips (just for the weekend or so) you know the struggle to pack light, especially if you’re flying.  Of course it’s great if you don’t have to check any luggage, but how do you fit all the necessities in a carryon!?  What if you need to leave some room in your bag for anything you purchase on your trip?  How do you fit all your liquids in such a small bag!?  Here are some of my tips for efficient packing!

·      Roll some clothes- Some items of clothing (like jeans, tees, pajamas, anything that doesn’t wrinkle/doesn’t matter if it gets wrinkled) can be rolled tightly to save space.  Rather than folding and stacking everything, roll any clothes that can be rolled without getting ruined.  (Especially bulky jeans.)

·      Get minis- Of course you don’t need to pack your whole shampoo bottle for a 2-3 day trip.  (And you can’t if you’re not checking your luggage.)  So, get the mini versions of all your basic necessities, or get small empty bottles to fill yourself.  You can find these at most major chains, especially in the summer.  You can often even get roller ball or mini versions of your favorite perfume so there’s no need to settle on anything but your signature scent while you’re away from home.  (I got my mini Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet at Sephora.)  However, even those mini bottles of shampoo and such can be way too big for a really short trip, so…

·      Make your own minis- When you simply can’t fit all of your necessities in their miniature forms in a single, TSA-approved bag, or when the minis aren’t quite mini enough, make your own.  I used the little plastic containers that you usually get product samples in at Sephora.  Just wash them out, fill them with what you need, and label them with a marker.  (For example, L for lotion and TM for tinted moisturizer.)  Put a small piece of tape over the label to make sure it doesn’t rub off, and, if necessary, keep a note on your phone to make sure you remember what your abbreviations stand for.

·      Pack basics/neutrals- If you don’t know exactly what you want to wear on your trip and want to have options, pack just a few basic pieces in neutral colors so it’s easier to mix and match based on your mood.  You’ll save room by not packing too many clothing items, plus there’ll be extra space to pack different accessories to dress up your basic outfits.   

~Alyssa

Conceal Your Roots Between Salon Visits

Salon visits can cost a ton and take a significant amount of time that you may not have available, but not keeping up with your roots is clearly not a viable option.  If you’re like me, you don’t necessarily want to try a box dye or home root touch-up kit for fear of messing up your hair or having the color be a little bit off.  Plus, I like to avoid damaging my hair any more than I already do!  In the search to find a way to conceal my roots for the period of regrowth before going to the salon, I found the Color Wow Root Cover Up.

This is just like it sounds: cover up for your hair.  It comes in a sleek black compact with a large mirror, powder cover up, and a double-ended brush for application.  The packaging is simple and great for taking with you if you need a touch up during the day (though I have yet to need a touch up.)

To apply the powder (which is a lot like eye shadow), just dab the brush in the powder and gently brush it on your roots after styling your (dry) hair.  I find that it’s easier when you hold your hair taut against your head and start with small, quick strokes of the brush right where your color ends, working up towards the roots.  I prefer the bigger end of the brush as it seems to hold more powder and gets larger and smaller sections, while the smaller end of the brush only works on smaller areas and seems to give less color payoff.  The powder itself goes onto hair smoothly and doesn’t create any harsh lines or leave fallout in undesired areas, but the powder can get messy in the compact, just like any eye shadow palette.

The cover up washes out in the shower, but stayed on my hair when faced with light rain.  (I wouldn’t expect much from it in heavy rain, but I haven’t tested that.)  So far it has stayed on for me all day, even in a lot of wind, without needing to touch it up.  (I even had a bit of color left after going a second day without washing my hair.  Working in dry shampoo had no effect on the powder, but I did add a little more when I was done styling my hair.)  It has no scent and the color matches very well.  (I have Blonde, for reference; it comes in Platinum, Light Brown, Medium Brown, Dark Brown, Black, and Red as well.)

Overall, my review of the Color Wow Root Cover Up is very positive!  It’s pretty quick and very easy to use, and it certainly helps between salon visits for a temporary fix! 

~Alyssa

Simple Homemade Guacamole

Heres a simple recipe to help kick up your sandwiches or a tasty snack to enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cloves of roasted garlic
1 ripe Haas Avocado
2 tsps of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: To roast the garlic: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel the skin off of the garlic and put in a bowl that can go in an oven. Cover all the garlic half way with olive oil. and bake stirring halfway for 35 to 40 minutes.(Check with a tooth pick and see it can go through the cloves easily) Then cut open and prepare the avocado. Cut around the seed and then open. Remove the seed and spoon out the light green stuff. Then cut the avocado into cubes and place in a bowl. Put the lemon juice over all of the cut avocado. I start to mash it with a fork or a potato masher. I cut the garlic a little and mash it with the avocado. Once its the consistency you want, season with salt and pepper.
This can be used instead of fatty mayo on your sandwiches or can simply be enjoyed with some tortilla chips.

~Katrina

Super Food Egg Muffins

This recipe is delicious and crazy healthy!  It has the super food kale along with a few other veggies and protein, plus you can make it as flavorful as you like!  The egg muffins make a great breakfast or snack and can easily be taken on the go.

Ingredients:

2 c broth (veggie or whatever you like)

1 c quinoa (I like mixed quinoa but any kind works)

5 oz kale (stalks removed)

1 c diced carrot and onion (you can add celery if you wish!)

1 ¾ c cooked spinach

6 large eggs

2 tbsp light olive oil

½ tbsp salt

Whatever spices you want (I went with cumin and chipotle powder)

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare the quinoa with the broth according to directions.  Bring a large pot of water (with a bit of salt) to a boil, then blanch the kale by boiling for a few minutes then putting the kale in an ice bath.  Strain and thoroughly dry the kale leaves.

Put the kale, carrot and onion, and spinach in a food processor until finely chopped.

Whisk the eggs, light olive oil, salt, and spices in a bowl.  Mix in the kale mixture and the quinoa. 

Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray, then put about 1/3 c of the mixture in each spot.  (You should get about 15 egg muffins.)  Bake for 35-40 minutes until fully cooked.  Allow to cool and then enjoy!  

~Alyssa

Tips on Summer Relationships

Now that summer vacation is around, you may be getting back together with friends and meeting new people. Maybe even meeting someone you want to get into a relationship with. But sometimes you are in a situation where you are not sure if this person is exactly what you want. I have some tips on how to get through this type of problem.

-Try to talk with this person and get to know them better: If you are just meeting it is okay to text them often. While you text, try to ask them questions that you feel are important in a relationship and see if any red flags come up in conversation. Then after you get more comfortable, you can hang out a few times and again try to see if any other red flags come up.

-While you are talking to this person, make sure the feelings are mutual: Don't let anyone waste your time if you figure out they don't like you as much as you like them. This just sets you up to have your heart broken. Also, do not allow the person to just use you for things, such as sex, just because you like them. If you find these things happening to you, I would suggest just ending the relationship as quickly as possible. You deserve better than that!

-Ask this person's friends for advice: Go to the source to try and find honest answers about this person in question. After all, their friends could know a lot more about them than you do.

-If you really aren't sure about this person at all, get a critical review from a friend: Sometimes, because we a like a person very much, it makes it harder to see the flaws that they have. If you find that something seems off about a person you are interested in, go talk to a friend. Not just any friend though, find the one that will be completely honest with you no matter what. (Because just getting a supportive/really nice friend is really not going to help this issue since they will tell you what you want to hear.) Get a critical friend who will be honest, but not just be nit picky about everything. (Like he hates his nose and that's why you can't date. No, choose someone who will really listen.) Tell this friend your concerns and let them read some of the things you have said to each other. Even have the person meet the friend if you want. Then if your friend confirms the doubts that you had about them, it will be time to make a decision. Make the decision that does you justice!

~Katrina

Disney Princess Nails: Merida

Change your fate…  These nails are inspired by the princess Merida from the movie Brave (2012).  Each month I will bring you a new set of nails based on a Disney princess, in the order of their release.

You’ll need:

Base coat

Top coat (I prefer Seche Vite)

Striper brush

Dotting tool

Teal, medium green, brighter green, neutral, light blue, navy, deep blue, brown, red, gold and blue glitter nail polishes  (I used: Sephora by OPI in Teal We Meet Again; OPI in Don’t Mess with OPI; Sally Girl in Surf’s Up; NYC Quick Dry in 212 Mulberry Street; Sinful Colors in Cinderella; Sally Hansen in 834 Dark Knight; Lancôme in a deep blue; OPI in You Don’t Know Jacques! Suede; VS Beauty Rush in a bright red; Love My Nails in Gold Dust; and Revlon glitter coat in 441 Radiant)

Start with a base coat.  Paint your pinky nail teal, ring finger opaque medium green, index finger neutral, and thumb light blue.  Leave your middle finger unpainted.

Use your dotting tool dipped in brown to put three medium sized dots vertically on your pinky nail.  Add two small brown dots to the top of each medium dot for ears and small red dots inside each baby bear head for faces.

Use the striper brush to put thick vertical deep blue stripes and thin vertical navy blue stripes on your ring finger.  Add medium horizontal bright green stripes to finish the plaid print.

Use your striper brush dipped in brown polish to make vertical stripes across the middle section of your middle nail, then use the dotting tool to add medium green leaves to the tops of these trees.  Use the dotting tool dipped in light blue to add some dots in the center of the nail, getting smaller as they appear to go further into the trees.  Add blue glitter over these blue wisps.

Use the striper brush to make the shape of the back of Merida’s teal dress on your index finger and use navy blue to outline the arms.  Add diagonal gold accent stripes to the sleeves and then use either the dotting tool or striper brush to add her bright red curls.

Use the striper brush dipped in navy to write out “fate” on your thumb.

Add a top coat and you’re done!

~Alyssa