Health

DGD recipe // strawberry & banana smoothie

May 17, 2013 2 Comments

Like most women around this time of year, I’m a little fixated on getting the perfect “bikini body” – Although, who am I kidding…I haven’t worn a bikini in 3 years. It’s either a one piece or a baggy T-shirt for this gal. So let’s just say, I’m fixated on getting bathing suit ready. I even went so far as to join Weight Watchers in an attempt to turn things around. Although I lost about 7-ish pounds through the program, it more or less just taught me that I’m already eating well, I just need to exercise more. So I quit the diet…(and took up Zumba)

But one OTHER great thing I learned while on this little quest of mine was the glory of a morning smoothie. Quick, tasty and almost too good to be true Weight-Watchers-point-wise, I’m now addicted and can barely begin my day without one. That said, I thought it would be fun to share the recipe I’ve been using as well as the corresponding point balance in case any of you are loyal Weight Watchers members.

Smoothie

Strawberry & Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

5 frozen strawberries (0 points)
1/2 banana, sliced (0 points)

1/4 cup fat-free milk (1 point)

1/4 cup water (0 points)

1/2 cup crushed ice cubes (0 points)

1 tsp. vanilla extract (0 points)

1 tbsp. honey (2 points)

1 container Yoplait light peach yogurt (2 points)

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Makes 1 and 1/2 servings. (Total Weight Watcher’s Points: 5)

Enjoy!

P.S. We are coming home from the beach tomorrow…A sad sad day to be sure, but I’m glad to be coming back to reality and a routine. I can’t wait to share all of our adventures with you next week! Stay tuned…

Filed Under: Food, Life Tagged With: Health, Recipe, Simplify, Tips and Tricks

Living an Adventurous Life {with Anne the Adventurer}

May 15, 2013 10 Comments

So honored to have Anne, of Anne the Adventurer, here this morning to take over the blog while my family and I are off relaxing at the beach. I just KNOW that her words will inspire you as much as they have me. Enjoy, and thank you, Anne, for stopping by!

Hi everyone! Anne from Anne the Adventurer here. Carrie asked me to do a guest post while she was on vacation, and I am thrilled to join the Dream Green DIY community today! Thanks for having me!

On my blog, I write about finding intention and adventure in our everyday life. This theme has its roots in my deep desire for an adventurous life, to be a part of something bigger than myself. I am not a skydiver and I don’t travel the world, but I want my life to be rich and nourishing. I want to feel alive.

Each of us has a unique and valuable story to tell, and I believe that no matter what we spend our days doing, whether it’s hiking up mountains or going to the grocery store, we can live an adventurous life. Our stories matter.

I have this photograph sitting on my desk. It’s of a woman and her child standing next to a simple water well in Marsabit, Kenya. I’ve never been to Africa, and I don’t know how to build wells, but I helped bring water to that woman and her family – just by making a choice to ride my bike.

Here’s how it started: I was sitting in my dorm room. It was senior year, I was avoiding studying, and my college graduation was approaching. I was feeling antsy. I didn’t have a job lined up, and I sensed that I needed one last hurrah! before I signed up for the yawn-filled desk job I needed in order to pay my student loan bills. I remembered that an acquaintance of mine had rode his bicycle across the country two summers prior to raise money for a clean water project in Africa, and I wondered if I could do the same. I was not an avid cyclist. I had never been on my bike for more than 30 minutes. But deep down in my heart, I wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than myself.

Five months later, I was in San Diego, surrounded by 15 cyclists who would be trekking up the Pacific Coast Highway with me. Our destination: Seattle. Our goal: to raise funds and awareness for clean water projects and health initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. Our fuel: a passion for adventure.

I’ve never done anything so hard in my life. I really didn’t know what I was getting into, to be honest. One moment I was in my dorm room, wishing for an adventure, and the next, I was sweating and pedaling up San Marcos Pass in Southern California, my lungs heaving for breath. And while the physical pain was tough, the personal refinement was even tougher. The lessons I learned about myself, about community, about hard work, about leadership – they’re burned deep into my soul. They’re never going away. Just like the scar from the road rash D got when he wiped out at the bottom of a hill in Big Sur. Or the love between Erin and Dan, who met on the trip, fell in love on the road and got married a year later. What I learned, and the people I met, are a part of my story forever.

Adventure isn’t just about zip lines in the jungle in central America or backpacking the Appalachian Trail. It is about making intentional choices every single day to live life with love and courage. To take on the daily challenges of our lives with vigor, to reflect upon them, to learn from them. Just as the landscapes of the world are different, so are the landscapes of our souls. An adventurous life is uniquely yours, and is always at your finger tips, always one step away.

What adventures are you living today? I want to hear your stories! Leave a comment below or email me at annetheadventurer@gmail.com. You can also find me at my blog, on Facebook and on Twitter. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Filed Under: Inspired, Life Tagged With: Family, Guest Post, Health

One Word: Joy

December 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

As we pause to celebrate and enjoy this incredible holiday today, I hope that joy is at the top of your list of feelings. Society as a whole is often accused of misinterpreting the holiday or misdirecting the focus. While there is absolutely truth to that in some cases, I think if at any moment today we feel some sense of joy, that the real purpose of this day has been fulfilled. Whatever you believe, whether you are spiritual or not, find a way to celebrate life’s amazing little details. Me personally? I know I’m going to be thanking God just a little harder today for all that I have been given and this amazing chance that I have to do good.

Merry Christmas…

Filed Under: Features, Inspired, Life Tagged With: Family, Health, Holiday, One Word, Pins

Pinspiration Monday: Holiday Snacks

November 26, 2012 4 Comments

Another Thanksgiving behind us, and with it another Black Friday – Like I said last week, my family considers Black Friday to be the official start of the holidays, and this year was no different. By the end of Friday, we had the tree up and decorated, the stockings and garland hung on the stairwell and lights wrapped around the bushes in front of our little abode. It was a whirlwind of Christmas decorations, music and…perhaps most importantly, FOOD.

Before I get into the decor-related portion of our day, I just had to share a couple of new Pinterest-inspired recipes (along with one returning dish) that I whipped up for the holiday festivities. First up we have these sweet and salty chocolate pretzel sandwiches.

Source | Cookies & Cups

Looks amazing, right? And it was really really simple to make. Although I wanted to get the same white/milk chocolate Hershey’s Kisses at the store, they were out (I guess others were trying out this pin as well), so I went with the classic just-milk-chocolate version. Luckily, they were still miiiiiighty delicious, and gone within only a couple of hours.

To make them, follow this simple sequence of events:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
Put a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet and lay out a single layer of pretzels on top. Then unwrap the chocolate candies, putting one on top of each pretzel.
Once the oven is preheated, slip the cookie sheet into the oven and wait 2 minutes. Keep a CLOSE eye on things so you don’t end up with a pool of melted chocolate – You want the chocolate to be a little shimmery, but not melted (see photo below for an example of the desired sheen).
Take the cookie sheet out of the oven and, while the chocolate is still hot, press a second pretzel down on top of each piece.
Slip the tray into the fridge and allow the chocolate centers to cool and harden for about twenty minutes.
Dump into a bowl and enjoy!

Next, I baked up a batch of the spinach dip bread bowls that were such a hit a few weeks ago. My sister actually asked for these by name, she loved them so much. Click here for the recipe and low down on those.

Source | Picky Palate

As an accompanying side note, the only thing I changed this second go round was the dough (I went with French bread instead of crescent roll) and the pan (I went with a mini muffin pan instead of a regular-sized muffin pan). I think we got the proportion of dip to bread much better this time – If you try this at home, go for more bread than dough or else you end up with a bit of gooey overload.

Below you’ll see the dough+dip ready to be put in the oven to bake.

The other new addition to the line up this year was a simple dip recipe I found via Rue Magazine. It’s a lemon and feta dip, a combination of flavors that I truly couldn’t say “no” to, and this was another one that was very easy to put together. I know you can see the recipe pictured below, but I thought I’d type out my own process too in case you want to see a variation.

Dump a 6 or 8 oz. container of feta cheese into a blender or food processor, along with a clove of garlic, 6 tablespoons olive oil, a dash of chili powder, the juice from one lemon and a tablespoon of lemon zest (I used the frozen stuff I put away while doing this project, and it tasted SUPER fresh). I didn’t worry about the herbs called for in the actual recipe because I bought feta that already came pre-seasoned with Mediterranean spices.
Blend until smooth.
Serve in a bowl alongside pita, crackers or baguette slices.

Source | Rue

I didn’t snap a shot of the dip in action (too many holiday snacks simultaneously cooking to think of a mini photoshoot for each), but here’s our sliced baguette ready to go in the oven as an accompaniment to the dip. My parents always prepare their bread this way for dinner and it has become a tradition in our home now too – Slice the bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle Italian seasoning overtop. A quick stint in a 350 degree oven always gives us nice crusty bread to nibble on.

So you’ve got the recipes, let’s see the final product already! At the finish, we laid the table with the spinach dip bread bowls, chocolate pretzel sandwiches, lemon and feta dip with toasted baguette slices and I threw in a bowl of store-bought hummus while I was at it. We snacked on everything in between ornament-hanging, light-stringing and movie-watching – I wish I could say we had more leftovers, but these plates were empty by nightfall.

And now for a little photo album from the rest of the day – As you may remember if you were along for the ride last year, we use a fake tree for Christmas (this is its fourth annual debut and I love it), which was up and lit in no time. Then we threw the lids off of the ornament Tupperware and had the tree decked out in 26 years worth of sparkly Christmas-themed creatures and baubles. Since John got the honor last year, I proudly set our angel on top of the tree (with only a LITTLE bit of fanfare), and then impatiently waited until dark to see the tree in all its glowing glory…

It was a VERY successful start to the holiday season at the Waller house. I can’t wait to share all the holiday projects and inspiration I have up my sleeve in the coming weeks – From this year’s wrapping technique (catch a sneak peek in the photo above, although they aren’t done yet!) and cookie recipes, to ornament inspiration and this year’s must have gifts. It’s going to be one happy holiday around these parts.

Stay tuned!

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Events, Food, Inspired, Life Tagged With: Family, Health, Holiday, Pinspiration Monday, Tips and Tricks

The “Things I’m Afraid To Tell You” Series

May 18, 2012 18 Comments

.Source: Jess Constable (of Makeunder My Life and Jess LC)

Doesn’t it feel just so so good to lay it all out on the table? All of those fears, insecurities and all of the dirty laundry you hesitate to speak aloud? Being open about your negative thoughts can be exceptionally liberating, especially when among friends whom you can trust not to judge (too harshly, at least) and who you know will still love you even after learning about “the yucky stuff.” It’s getting rid of that heavy weight you’ve been carrying around on your shoulders and it’s about asking for forgiveness. It’s about saying it all and then finding out that it wasn’t so hard after all – In fact, finally saying it out loud feels pretty darn fabulous!

Well, spurred on by the series “Things I’m Afraid To Tell You” (first seen by Jess of Make Under My Life and then later by Caitlin of Reverie to Reality), I’ve decided to share some of my own deep, dark thoughts. Some might be surprising, some might seem fairly meaningless, but these are my own personal things that I’m afraid to tell you…

1. I graduated from a great school with a great degree in studio art and art history – That was four years ago and I have yet to do anything specific with my degree. They were pretty upfront with us while in school that getting a job relating to the arts was going to be hard, that is, if you weren’t willing to pursue a Master’s degree first. Although I consistently get a handful of commissions for custom drawings a year (usually around the holidays), it’s not nearly enough to live on. Sometimes this fact makes me feel like a failure, a flop, a disappointment to my peers, my professors and my parents.

(Photo by Katie Stoops)

2. Sometimes I choose working on blog projects over spending quality time with my new husband. Keeping up a blog based on do-it-yourself projects and the real time renovation of our home is a big commitment. I LOVE it, but it’s not easy to manage a full-time day job, blog projects, general blog maintenance and the relationships in my life. It’s a fine balance, one that I am constantly trying to perfect to make sure my priorities are in check. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I feel like I’m always letting SOMEONE down.

3. I vacillate between wanting to pursue blogging full-time for what seems like little money, and wanting to pursue a full-time office career that pays the bills (and then some) without satisfying my passions. A year ago, I made the leap from office work to a creative day job working at a newspaper (all while keeping up with DreamGreenDIY in my spare time). I am significantly happier working in a creative environment as opposed to the mundane life of filing and forms, but my new creative day job just barely pays the bills. And I would still rather focus entirely on DG-DIY full-time. It’s a question of being happy and poor or being miserable and well-off. It’s a daily struggle…

4. I worry that DG-DIY will never even make money to give me the opportunity to do it full-time.

5. There are days that I care more about “the numbers” of DreamGreenDIY (i.e. reader stats and features) than the meat and bones of the blog. Growing a blog takes time. I know that. I have also come to learn that being successful means that you need to focus on CONTENT first and foremost – Not stats. But it’s hard not to refresh my site stats page over and over and over again in the hopes that my hits will creep up over a thousand more than twice in my year and a quarter of managing DG-DIY. I need to learn to let go and I need to learn to refocus.

6. I love eating more than the idea of being toned and in-shape, even though I could really stand to lose at least 10 pounds. Sometimes I think this one isn’t such a negative thing. I know so many girls who focus their entire lives on losing or maintaining a thin physique. To me, I feel like it can become an unhealthy obsession that I don’t want to deal with. I love my life and consider myself a pretty positive person – Sure, I’ve gained ten pounds in the last four years, but I think there are more important things in life to stress over. While, for the most part, I commend myself on this attitude, I also know that eating better should be at least a minute priority. But all too often, a delicious bowl of chicken carbonara can make me forget all about dieting. And don’t even get me started on exercising…

Oh boy. That was hard. Not to come up with things to tell you, but to simply say them out loud. I’m sure there is a lot more that I haven’t even admitted to myself yet, but it’s a good start…I hope that you all can forgive and accept me for my flaws.

Speaking of the aforementioned flaws, this gets me thinking beyond just today and this momentous step in confessing to the world. Not only am I going to make it my #1 priority to work on and progress past all of that negativity, but I think this series warrants a return. Let’s say, in a few months, we come back and do this all over again. Maybe the negativity will have dissipated or moved on, or maybe it’s gotten worse – Keeping tabs on it is the first step to eliminating it.

Now, it’s your turn. I invite you all of you to do one of two things. (#1) If you are a blogger, give this series a try on your own site. Like I said, it’s extremely liberating and offers you a chance to get that much closer with your readers and the blogging community. Or (#2) if you aren’t a blogger, please continue reading through a couple more of the “Things I’m Afraid To Tell You” posts linked to below (bloggers, you should do the same!). It’s a pretty awesome feeling to read the words of other women you respect and come to find out that they might share the same feelings you do.

Or, if neither option appeals to you, feel free to share your own thing (or things) you’re afraid to say in the comments section right here. Let it all out!

1ST WAVE: Carly: A Simple Affair / Cassie: Coco + Kelley / Christine: Court & Hudson / Caitlin: Sacramento Street / Roxy: My Cup of Te / Crystal: Blog / Meg: MIMI+MEG / Ashlina: The Decorista / Katie: Modern Eve / Erin: Apartment 34 / Erica: Design Blahg / Christine: Miles to Style / Franki: Life in a Venti Cup / Sue: The Zhush / Erika: Radiant Republic / Gabrielle: Savvy Home / Monika: The Doctor’s Closet / Naomi: Design Manifest /Tobe: Because It’s Awesome / Becca: {extra}ordinary wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small Shop Studio / AV: Long Distance Loving / Maggie: Maggie Rose Blog / Nicole: The City Girl In Me / Priscilla: The Best Laid Plans / Jen: Concrete Jungle DC / Janelle: Food Fashion Fitness / Natalie: East Coast Chic

2ND WAVE: Design for Mankind | Little Brown Pen | Beautiful Hello | Curating Style | Sweet Fine Day | The Jealous Curator | Happy Days | Sage & Berries | Really Handmade | Peck Life | Satsuma Press | Rena Tom | For the Easily Distracted |The Hemborg Wife | Vitamini Handmade | Courtney Khail Stationery and Design | Meg in Progress | Dando Photography Blog | Widdershins22 | Alison Citron | Pink Moon Daily | Just Pretty Things | From China Village | Tea with Me | The Darling Ewe | Not Your Average Ordinary | The Electric Typewriter | Elleby Design | Parsimonia {Secondhand With Style} | Life as an Artistpreneur | Hello Cupcake | Dellie | The A &B Stories | Pretty Little Things | Feistyelle | Nib & Zed | Well and Cheaply | I Ripple. I Dance. | Whitfield Awesome Blog | Foxtrot Press | Dry As Toast | The List of Now | Apple Blue | For the Love of | Four Flights of Fancy | Miss Modish | Snapshots & Secrets | Dirty Laundry |Bubby & Bean | Penelope’s Press | Little Nostalgia | Vale Design | Pikaland | Fleurishing | Print Pretty | Vespa Tales | Hazel & Agnes | Amanda’s Musings | Mo’ Funk Designs | Ordinary Mommy | Camp 1899 | In Honor of Design | Liberty’s Yarn | Love, Life & Pictures | Stacey Winters | Owl in the Rain | Living Life Creatively | Emma Elizabeth Clease | I Live in Vacouver Now | British Cream Tea | Reverie to Reality

(Photo credit for CNU logo: here; for money bag: here; for chicken carbonara: here)

Filed Under: Inspired, Life Tagged With: Beginning, Health, Things I'm Afraid to Tell You

We’re back!!!

May 7, 2012 16 Comments

Good morning! It’s so great to be home and getting back into a normal routine…

I am happy to report that the wedding went off without any major hitches (the downpour stopped just in time for photos and our outdoor ceremony) and the honeymoon was a fantastic adventure. John and I enjoyed a blissful week of delicious island food, plenty of fruity beverages beach- and pool-side and even went on a zip line excursion up in the tropical mountains. I wish I could tell you every single detail, but it would take several posts and I always think that photos speak louder than words…So I’m going to cut myself a tiny break this morning as I get back into the swing of things at work and share some of my favorite photos from our honeymoon (in no particular order). Enjoy!

For those of you who are curious about the hotel, we stayed at the Excellence Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic. We L-O-V-E-D it and would definitely go back if given the opportunity. We booked through VIP and were treated like king and queen. The staff was super friendly, the room was gorgeous and the grounds were very well maintained and spread out enough so that you didn’t feel trapped. We both felt very safe on the plantation too. The only complaint we had was the noise through the door – It was a bit loud, but we had a ground floor room so we heard everyone walking by. If we could do it again, I think I’d ask for one of the upper level rooms for a little more peace and quiet. We highly recommend checking it out and have already discussed going back for our ten year anniversary…

P.S. A HUGE “Thank you!” to my fabulous guest bloggers last week, Amanda, Lisa and Jessi. Knowing they had things covered here on DG-DIY helped me to relax completely while away. If you missed their posts, check them out here, here and here.