It's a NEW YEAR...I'm going DIY crazy!

Happy belated....Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year! Yea...I've been gone. Honestly, I'm pretty stoked the holiday season is over and it's on to a new year! I have so many project in store...I'm exciteddddddd!!

Starting off this new year I needed STORAGE! I threw away so much crap and OMG it felt soOo good! I love throwing away and giving away bags and bags of stuff. I feel so....liberated.

I'm ready to have some updated, sexy storage so I needed none other than a weaved basket. I saw these amazing metallic baskets here and here. I love them but let's get one thing strait...I'm NOT paying $40 for a single small basket that will hold next to nothing. So I set out to make my own and it turned out great!

Home Goods...it will be your best friend. I hope you have one near you. If you don't Marshall's and Ross will be your next best friend for home decor. I found this here basket for $14.99 say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!? And it comes with a lid...slap me silly! They had tons of baskets at all of these stores but I really wanted something that would cover up my junk inside. I would say it's dimensions are about 20"L x 10"W (give or take a few).

 Here is what the basket looks like where I am putting it. This is my little jewelry, book, sunglasses, scarf, photo album, knick knack shelf. My new basket fits perfectly right in the bottom to store my randoms I don't want out for viewing. However, right now she's a little boring looking.

So I picked me up some of this jazzy gold, metallic spray paint. By the way...don't buy this on Amazon. I got it at Home Depot for $4. 

I covered the metal detail with some painter's tape because I wanted it to stay it's rusted color. 

Then, I got to sprayin'. I literally only put one good coat on all the sides, let it dry for about 20 minutes and it was done! So simple and it really worked well.

Here it is afterwards! Through pictures the difference looks very subtle but when my glowing bedroom lights shine off it when I walk by...it's glorious. It gave it the sexy, expensive looking edge I was wanting. Great storage piece.

Next time you are sick of looking at your plain old baskets go and pick up some metallic spray paint and make them SASSY and updated!

-ky-

My Loves! (1st edition)

So now that Royce is ONE (tear tear) I decided to put together some of the things I'm in love with right now! I'll be doing this often because I am Dora Kylee The Explorer and I am always finding things I can't get enough of. I don't want to keep them all to myself....or do I?!

Here they are: 

1.) If anyone knows me...they know I love COLOR! When I saw this shirt at OshKosh it screamed BUY MEEE...so I did. Here it is. Then as I'm going to find this link...I see they have a HOODED VERSION like wtf!? Here! Royce looked so cute in this:

2.) I'm also deeply in love with Etsy. I was having a love affair with Etsy about two years before I opened my own store. Here is where you can find these adorable leggings Royce wore for his pictures recently:

3.) Royce doesn't own these pants yet but I have been eye-balling them for a while now. I just need to make the move and get them because they are the cutest khaki jeans I have ever seen! Here they are. 

4.) In the above picture you can also see Royce wearing my newest obsession...baby moccasins. I want them in every size, every color, every style. Right now my favorite shop is Happy and the Hectic!

5.) We went to Barnes and Noble over the weekend because I love perusing the book store like no one else! Royce is SO into reading right now so I thought I would pick him up some books. To my surprise...all of the "I Can Read" books are BUY TWO GET ONE FREE!...basically three hard-cover books for $12!

6.) Toys R Us has this Crayola MESS FREE squishy jelly light up thingy that Royce loves playing with! It's basically a pad with dark gel and it lights up and plays music and --- okay okay I play with it more than him --- but he still loves it too! Here!

7.) Last but not least, I begged my mom to get Royce a wooden tool set for his birthday because he loves to carry around our huge "adult" hammer. Now he has his own and it keeps him busy forever. It's well built and will last through the years. Oh and it's LESS THAN TEN BUCKS! 

Hope you love my first edition favs...they are all affordable and great!! Enjoy!!

Muah!

Ky

Lee Lebrada 12 Week Lean Body--OHH YEA!

Let us begin with a preface: I am the type of workout-er who needs to have a SCHEDULE that I can follow to hold myself accountable. Enter: bodybuilding.com. 

BEFORE YOU THINK IT~~ No...this site is not just for body builders...do not let this scare you into thinking you will end up with popping arms veins, scary large legs and a bulging neck. I've seen those women...WHOA GIRL.

Bodybuilding.com is for everyone and I love it. Under the trainers section you can choose your gender, what type of girl/guy you want to look like and your goals. Then the site will set you up with trainers you can choose from...and begin their programs. 

I chose Lee Lebrada's 12 Week Lean Body program found here. I'm almost done with my 12 weeks and I feel amazing! I have NOT been staring at the scale so I have no clue how much weight I have lost. I chose not to obsess over the scale...because I would do exactly that...OBSESS.  Instead...I have measured the part I want to lose the most...dun dun dun BABY BELLLLLLLLLLLLY. Proud to say...I have lost two inches already and can tell a huge difference when I do that side stance in the mirror.

Below is what I love the most about bodybuilding.com. You set up your own "BodySpace" and when you start your 12 weeks it sets up a calendar for you to track your workouts everyday. Yes....on this program...as you can see...you workout everyday. However, the workouts are no longer than 45 minutes long. This works for me for the most part. I do occasionally miss a day. But this calendar keeps me accountable--I need structure!

On this program you basically have the following types of days:

Cardio Day

Legs & Ab Day

Shoulders & Triceps Day

Back & Biceps/Cardio Day

I absolutely love this layout! I love that when I have my cardio day...it's JUST cardio day...and I'm done for the night!...Except on back day...but back day only consists of four workouts and then 20-30 minutes of cardio. So simple. The other days are just lifting weight with the appropriate area of the body and Lee chooses what workouts to do for you. Again, so simple.

I always thought I needed to be a cardio bunny. I have learned through much research that this is not true. Even MORE important is LIFTING WEIGHTS!

Women please listen to me when I say:

LIFT WEIGHTS AS HEAVY AS YOU CAN!

For some reason women are scared of weight lifting when really it's the best thing you can do. Muscle burns fat like crazy...so lift lift lift! I bought this book and it's amazing! Tons of pictures and variation to work every inch of your body!

Do not skimp when you are lifting your weights. When you choose your weight...make sure that at the end of your set of 8-10 that your muscles are bUrNiNg! Rest for one minute and repeat...Just like Lee says ;)

I have been amazed that in this 12 weeks...well lets say this last 8 weeks when I realized that I was letting myself lift way too easy....how much strength I have gained. My legs look amazing and feel so strong!

Okay...enough for today...check out bodybuilding.com...there is something for everyone and great training programs. Look through them and find one that fits you best and DO THE 12 WEEKS! (most are 12 week programs). Twelve weeks is not a long time to turn your body around and get on the right track for life! Give yourself the favor of 12 weeks!

Muah!!

Ky

I've been a naughty blogger

Last blog post in April? I guess life has just grabbed me around the neck and shook me around a little bit!

Boo is just growing up so fast and I feel like any other mom out there....like I'm spinning a million miles an hour trying to keep it all strait.

Here's little chachki:

This pic is from his one year birthday...eeeeeek I can't believe my baby is already a year...tear tear!

But HEY...anyways...my Etsy store is now open! Well, it has been open for a little over a month now. I spent so much time preparing and learning for this little dream shop of mine and I could not be happier that it is finally coming together! I have so many ideas flowing through my head that I had to start an online journal just to keep them all strait. There will be much more to come from here....and something I'm even more excited about here in the near future...a SECOND shop...like oh em gee! ;))

Here's some cuties from the shop:

Love them all...don't you ?!?! ;)

Meanwhile...in this little life of mine...I am still in the process of working-out-my-ass-off. Well, actually I'm building quite a fantastic ass from all the squats I have been doing! Remember that squat post I posted when I posted it? If not, check out my workout section...I'm telling you doing this just for THE ONE MONTH changed my ass!...now I use heavy weights and oh man...mah man is lovin' it <3 Now if I can squat my baby belly away?

More on this will come later <3 Muahh!

Veggie-Packed Couscous!

SoOo...I've been trying my hand at "food prepping". Essentially I'm really just trying to keep myself from being tempted to stop by a fast food joint...thus saving money, my thighs, my belly and my health! This is also a clean eating recipe!!

I would say I'm at the beginning stages of learning how to food prep. I basically know how to make a big batch of something I know will last through the week so I can spoon it on into Tupperware containers and take for lunch. This week I made couscous...my new obsession and rice replacement. Couscous is literally FAST AS HELL to make! On top of that it's got

~6 grams of protein per cup

~2.2 grams of fiber per cup

~43 mcg of selenium per cup (antioxidant)

~& 1 cup is only 176 calories...lower than brown rice and quinoa!

OH...and it's so yummy and all the different veggies & meats you can put into it or along side it are endless. Here is the one I made the other night:

I grabbed a few veggies that I had cut up for the week and sauteed them with some olive oil. This time I used kale, tomatoes (red and yellow) and mushrooms. Check out those amazing colors!

The couscous I have right now is 1 cup of couscous to 1 cup of water. Super easy to remember. After making the couscous all I do is mix in my veggies....how freakin' simple is that?! Here was the end result.

And here is my little collage I used for Instagram. Prepped veggies-->sauteed veggies-->final product! My recipe is below. (I added some dried cranberries on a whim to add some sweetness....so happy I did because they added an amazing touch)

Veggie-Packed Couscous

Ingredients:

~2 cups of couscous

 (this makes my entire batch for the work week, taking a small Tupperware full each day)

~2 cups of water

 (or however your couscous package says to prepare 2 cups of couscous)

~2-3 handfuls of chopped kale

~4-5 handfuls of chopped cherry and sweet yellow tomatoes

~2 cups chopped baby portabello mushrooms

~3/4 cup dried cranberries

~olive oil for sauteing veggies

~splash of lemon juice to taste on final product

~salt to taste 

~any other yummy seasonings you decide to throw in

1.) Bring water to boil over high heat

2.) Stir in couscous and immediately remove from oven

3.) Cover pot and let sit for five minutes 

4.) Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat

5.) Saute veggies about 5 minutes and add seasonings to taste 
6.) Mix veggies into couscous and season to taste again. (Sometimes I add a small amount of olive oil to the final dish to give it a little more flavor)
7.) Keep in refrigerator for up to one week and enjoy all throughout week!

<3 ky

Accountability:

I have a little bit of an issue....with self discipline. Basically I spoil myself. 

If I want it...I get it.

If I want to do it...I do it.

If I don't want to do it...I don't do it.

This was my workout dilemma up until recently. I would constantly...and I'm talking for a good couple of months strait...be nagging about:

--how much I hated my body after having the baby

--how I was so tired all the time

--how all I wanted to wear was yoga pants and a t-shirt because it's all I felt good in

--how none of my clothes looked good on me anymore

--how my big ol' breastfeeding boobs literally fit into no bras...anywhere...not even maternity stores (had to special order...that's how big these milk jugs are)

I wasn't gaining weight...I just wasn't losing those last 15 pounds from baby man. I'm sorry but I thought breastfeeding was supposed to make me melt to a smaller size then before I was pregnant???? Someone...everyone...lied to me!

Anyways...three weeks ago I was sick of nagging about myself and decided it was time to start feeling good. ALL I wanted was to feel good about myself again. And be healthy. Baby boy is 5 months now...it's time.

But...since the first 30 days of working out are the hardest...and I'm such a me pleaser...I had to find a way to make myself accountable...literally MAKE myself workout.

So I did this:

Right on my vanity mirror....the place I stand at in the morning, night and sometimes throughout the day...so I could literally stare my progress...or non-progress in the face. 

I'm marking what I do each day and big fatty fat red lines on the days I didn't workout. 

(Except for the squat challenge...I do that every day no matter what!) 

This method holds me completely accountable for what I'm doing. I want to see results...& I'll do whatever I need to to get there! I want to be wearing WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT TO...not skimming endlessly through my closet just trying to find something I'm comfortable in! The time is now! I'm ready to be the me I want to be! Are you?

Warm Chicken Salad with Feta Cheese Dressing!!

I love love love vEgEtAbLeS...but I really dislike salad! I try....oOoh I try to like salad but I have issues with 1. goopy thick dressings and 2. vinegary dressings. To add insult to injury it's usually all cold ingredients and I'm such a warm and savory girl.

So...along came the warmmm, seasoned chicken...with the feta cheese dressing (omg!)...and the cold, crispy salad mix with a few yummy veggies! And man this was soOoOo good! Me and Chris (boyfriend) DEVOURED it! I have a few not-so-secret tricks I use to make this a salad anyone could love!! <3

Enter: Chicken breast! I used one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast and I halve longways each of the breasts to make them thin cutlets. This allows it to cook nice and even...and also doubles the amount of warm strips we can use for the salad.

Next...well actually first...hit up your local Trader Joe's or health store for some COCONUT OIL COOKING SPRAY...what?!?! You have no idea how excited I was to find this and now I use it for....e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. So much healthier and it also has a higher heating point so you can literally replace Mrs. Pam or Mr. Canola!

I sprayed each side of the chicken cutlets and then sprinkled on my new favorite seasoning...Weber Zesty Lemon...this sh!t is GOOD! Go easy on it though because it has salt in it and we all know salt = blotation (made it up)...among other bad things. 

Here is our seasoned chicken boobs. If you don't want to use this seasoning you can really season the chicken up any way you would like!

Then I coat my room temperature pan with some coconut oil spray and then heat it to medium high. Place those breasts on and let them cook to a goldeny brown! I honestly couldn't say how long to cook them for on each side because I feel like it all depends on your oven and breasts...so just watch them! But...I'd say about 4-5 minutes on each side. BOOM...check those out!

 Now whilst this chicken is cooking you can prepare your other ingredients. I got referred to this AMAZING salad from Costco that is SUPER healthy! It's called Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad kit and it contains 7 superfoods you won't even know are there once you put this Trader Joe's Greek Style Feta Cheese Dressing on! ;) Back to the salad real quick. This salad has: broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, chicory, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds! After Chris gobbled this salad I told him what he just ate and he had nOoOoOo idea. (p.s. it also comes with a poppy-seed dressing but I'm not so much a fan of that)

I also used this Crumbled Feta Cheese with Mediterranean Herbs from Trader Joe's! Yummy! Found myself poppin' little feta chunks in my mouth as I was cooking this.  

Then I put some salad in a big bowl and chopped up some tomatoes to make this even more healthy. In that little bag below is the seeds and dried cranberries. Those cranberries added the most amazing sweetness to the meal.

Now time for the dressing. Like I said before I don't like thick, goopy, globby dressings. Yuck! I put some dressing in a small bowl..about 3/4 cup and mixed in a little less than 1/2 cup of milk to thin the dressing out. Then I poured it into the salad and mixed with my hands to coat each and every piece of the salad....mmmm mmmm my belly is growling just writing this ;)

The next step I didn't quite take a picture of. I heated up the chicken in the microwave to get it nice and smokin' hot. Then sliced it into thin strips. Placed my salad in some bowls and popped the chicken right on top. Cold, creamy salad with hot, seasoned chicken!!! Topped off with a few crumbles of the Mediterranean Feta Cheese. I kid you not...this was soOoOo good! The full recipe is below :))

If you have not been to your local Trader Joe's you must go! This was my first time going and I got so much stuff for about $30. It's very well priced, healthy, organic food. 

Warm Chicken Salad with Feta Cheese Dressing

Ingredients

-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

-1 bag of salad mix, I used Costco's Sweet Kale salad mix

-2 handfuls of baby tomatoes, chopped

-Weber Zesty Lemon seasoning, or any seasoning you would like. I would try garlic & onion powder, salt, pepper and a little lemon juice drizzle on the cooked chicken.

-Coconut oil spray, cooking spray or 1 tbsp of canola oil 

-Feta Cheese salad dressing, I use Trader Joe's but you could use any creamy dressing

-1/2 cup skim or 1% milk

-Feta cheese crumbles

-Dried cranberries if you can't get the Costco Kale mix

1.) Wash & clean your chicken breasts and cut them in half lengthwise to make thin chicken cutlets.

2.) Season each side of your chicken breasts with the zesty lemon seasoning or whichever seasoning you prefer. Chicken can be seasoned tons of ways and still be amazing over salad!

3.) Coat a room temperature pan with cooking spray, or 1 tbsp of canola oil and then heat your pan to medium high heat. 

4.) Cook your chicken cutlets about 4-5 minutes on each side or until you have a nice, golden brown. Remove breasts once they are done cooking and place on a microwave safe plate.

5.) Either after or while your cutlets are cooking put your salad mix in a salad bowl. Add chopped tomatoes.

6.) Mix feta cheese dressing or other creamy dressing with milk to make a nice, thin dressing. Pour onto salad and mix to coat entire bowl with dressing. 

7.) Mix in dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds or any other healthy mix-ins you would like to add.

8.) Slice your chicken breasts into thin strips. Heat them in microwave until they are nice and hot. Once you have your salad plated you can place your chicken breast strips on top of each salad. 

9.) Sprinkle feta cheese on top and enjoy! 

<3