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Breakfast isn’t important…

*Psyche!* Remember that saying from middle school? Okay, so I finally had a catchy title though it’s 100% false!

Have you found yourself in an breakfast rut? Do you only have five minutes to eat a quick breakfast either on your commute or as your morning emails are loading? Do you enjoy a warm, comforting cup of caffeine in the morning instead of a nutritious breakfast? Have you resorted to eating bars just because you’re short on time or space?

The next few posts will be dedicated to on the go and office meal ideas, first and foremost, breakfast! Breakfast is thought of by many nutiritionists and dieticians as the most important meal of the day. Not only does it provide you with the energy to have a great and productive day, but it is also linked to many health benefits such as weight loss and improved work performance.
-lower cholesterol levels
-improved concentration
-increased strength and endurance

Okay, so now we know that breakfast is the wonder-meal but how do you make it work harder for you? The magical answer includes PROTEIN and WHOLE GRAINS! Didn’t you ever wonder why your cereal left you craving another bowl just moments after you’d finished slurping the milk? Or why the “Special K” diet only works for control freaks who can go without giving into hunger cravings. Well, the answer lies in the fact that this great weight loss cereal contains little to no fiber and protein. In addition, if you only use skim milk with it your breakfast includes no healthy fats, protein, or fiber. That is just a recipe for disaster. This same result comes from eating white flour bagels, white toast, and other “empty breakfasts.” Okay, so you have no time, I get it.  You’re too busy to worry about breakfast. You don’t want to lug a super uncool lunch box everywhere. You workout at the gym before work and can’t keep something cold. I know, there are 100 excuses because i’ve heard them all from coworkers, roommates, and even myself over the years. Below i’ve provided my favorite example for each issue.

My fridge/pantry are empty. I need something I can buy on the go!
Starbuck’s Spinach and Egg White Wrap: This truly is one of my favorites! Enjoy warm gooey goodness filled with feta and sundried tomato flavor combined with the egg white protein and whole wheat wrap. Moreover, their nutritional stats are pretty impressive too!
Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 wrap 144 grams

——————————————————————————–
Amount per Serving
——————————————————————————–
Calories 240 Calories from Fat 90
——————————————————————————-
% Daily Value *

Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18%
Cholesterol 140mg 47%
Sodium 730mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 7g 28%
Sugars 3g
Protein 13g 26%

I have to eat in the car and don’t want to stop to buy something every morning
I absolutely love overnight protein oats for a car breakfast that will keep you full for hours while also meeting your taste buds’ requests.I first saw an idea for this on Tina’s site and then Eating Bird Food. I took their recipe inspirations and have created my own mixture:
1/2 cup oatmeal (old fashioned oats)

1/2 scoop vanilla or banana protein powder
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Almond Breeze)
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon chopped pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix together, cover with saran wrap, refrigerate overnight, and then enjoy the next morning! Don’t forget to pack a spoon! 🙂

I don’t have access to a refrigerator or microwave
All you need to enjoy this recipe is a few minutes the night before and a lunch back with an ice pack ala middle school. This recipe can also help you save a few dollars because it’s super cheap, delicious, and packs the protein and fiber combination! I’m definitely not calling this my own as I have seen it all over the internet and blogs.
1 chobani/greek yogurt
3/4 c Kashi Go Lean
1/2 banana or 1/2 cup of other favorite fruit combination
1-2 Tbsp flax or chia seeds
Stir or layer together in your favorite Tupperware or on the go Rubbermaid container. Once again, remember to pack a spoon and ice pack. Fowl yogurt DOES not make for a good breakfast!

I hope these help, at least a bit. I know the famous oats are missing from the list but I figured that most people know the glory of oats already. If you don’t then definitely hop on over to the queen of oat’s site, Kathy’s Ode to Oats!


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A Girl’s Dream!

Working in NYC for a global beauty and grooming company definitely has it’s perks. Tonight I had the opportunity to live a girl’s dream. I was able to get one of the few available “golden tickets” to the 2010 CEW Beauty Awards Product Demonstration event at the Metropolitan Pavillion. This 2 hour annual event allows CEW members to preview all the nominees by testing the products, smelling the scents, and learning more about the products via their beauty consultants and demonstrations. The event in one word was.. OVERWHELMING!

When we arrived at 6pm there was a line a block long filled by the best of CEW’s members all dressed to the nines and showcasing this season’s hottest bags, heels, and bags. It was definitely a show not to be missed. Women were squealing as they saw long lost friends and coworkers, twittering via Blackberries, and getting excited about the coveted swag bags.

As we entered the space we were quickly greeted by half naked men giving out roses ala Bachelor. It was hilarious because they were representing Veet hair removal. I was so tempted to look at these men and see if they were faithful Veet users themselves. I must say, the roses were gorgeous and mine is now in my beloved Simon Pearce bud vase. We then proceeded around the room visiting table after table of mass and prestige beauty products which ranged from Olay, Glowelle, Veet, Ahava, Lubriderm, L’Oreal, Chanel, MAC, Philosophy, and more!

Towards the back we found the bar and enjoyed a glass of red wine while people watching. We then proceeded to hunt out all the new products and the few sponsors who were giving away things like cute clutches, shopping bags (thanks Nordstrom), and other freebies not included in the goodie bag. After about 45 minutes in the main room we meandered over to fragrance where are brands were represented among at least forty others! This was a great opportunity to check out the competition, product designs, fragrance, and even blotters! I can’t believe that they put fragrance in the smaller, warmer room. It was an instant headache unfortunately. I feel horribly for my friend Lauren who was representing our Avril Lavigne fragrance, Black Star, all night. She must have had the worst headache due to all the fragrance! While in the fragrance area, I even had the great fortune to run into Grace who I hadn’t seen in ages! If you have the chance, hop over to her blog. It’s hilarious, well written, and has some great tips/ideas!

This event is known for the amazing samples you get at the end. Historically, each vendor had samples at the table but a few years ago they learned this was not a reasonable method as people would hoard the samples and take more than one. Therefore, they moved to the method of giving everyone one goodie bag upon their departure. Let me tell you, this goodie bag is like nothing i’ve ever seen before. It weighed at least 30 lbs and included over 50 full and small size samples. In fact, after going through and grabbing a few of my must have products such as Crest White Strips, L’Oreal eye cream, some great DDF eye cream, Revlon mascara, and more I still have a full Allure bag to give away on the blog next week which includes over 25 product samples including shampoo, conditioner, lipstick, eyeshadow, concealer, eye cream, fragrance, and more!

If you live in the LA or NYC area and are involved or interested in the Cosmetics industry, I highly recommend you join CEW, Cosmetic Executive Women. It is a wonderful organization whose mission is to advance the professional growth and leadership development of women in the beauty industry.
CEW’s Mission Advance the professional growth and leadership development of women in the beauty industry.

Our programming offers:
Professional Development and Networking
Career workshops, networking events, online mentoring, beauty career center
Industry Insights & Access to Leaders
Speaker series, news forums, industry newsletters
Recognition of Industry Achievement and Innovation
Annual programs honoring women leaders and product innovation
Cancer & Careers
Support groups, free publications, community seminars, interactive website

Thanks CEW for this awesome event. Stay tuned as i’ll be giving this awesome goodie bag away next week on the site! 🙂


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One Fish, Two Fish…

If you are a seafood lover who happens to be in New York City, then Fish must swim to the top of your list.
Saturday night, Bo and I stumbled upon Fish while searching for a backup location with our two friends, Geoff and Elizabeth, after our first restaurant option ended up being a dissapointment. What do you do when your planned restaurant ends up being completely empty on a Saturday night? If you’re in the Village you have the great opportunity to just keep walking. It is guaranteed that you’ll discover a hole in the wall you never knew existed and often times end up loving it!
Fish was in a word…excellent. The unassuming restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside and in fact could be confused for a fish monger or a dive bar. But, once you walk through the doors you are immediately greeted by a warm atmosphere, bistro like setting, and great music! The restaurant was packed when we arrived but luckily there was one free table. After being seated we were promptly given warm delicious rolls and cornbread each of which was very fresh and tasty. The menu is vast and offers everything from the traditional lobster roll to a gourmet seafood tower. The restaurant is well known for their Red, White, and Blue special. This special features a 1/2 dozen oysters and a Pabst Blue Ribbon for $8!
It took us a while to order anything beyond our beers since we were all in such a great mood and enjoying the atmosphere. The great music combined with the flowing beers made us quite a humurous bunch as you can see from the pictures. Due to our hunger we finally settled on an appetizer to share, the seafood tower. The tower included crab claws, oysters, clams, and sea urchin. I had never tried sea urchin before and was therefor a bit hesitant but it was divine!
Our dinner ideas were all over the place as I was craving fresh fish while Bo had his eye on the lobster roll. However, once the waitress came over and shared the specials with us the decision was a no brainer. Fish features a lobster special each night. For $18 you get a lobster feast which includes a lobster and two sides of your choice. In addition, it is only $12 to add an extra lobster. Therefore, we quickly decided that we would all order lobster dinners. Finding a restaurant in NYC where four people can enjoy a delcious lobster dinner for $100 is unfathomable.
All of us were extremely pleased with the freshness and simply prepared seafood we enjoyed all night. The lobsters were huge and some of the best we’ve ever tasted. The service was friendly and prompt. Even more impressive is the price point. I am sure they are able to deliver such wonderful price points due to the savings they must find by having a dive bar atmosphere but it makes the restaurant. It never crosses too far into the dive bar realm that you fear your seafood’s quality or that you’ll get a disease when you enter the bathroom. Even the esteemed Zagat agrees that Fish is a great neighborhood gem! Their latest rankings are as follows:
Ratings & Review
Food Decor Service Cost

22 14 19 $ 39
“They’ve done the fishing for you” at this “Cape Cod”–style Villager, an “unpretentious” source of “palatable” “basic seafood” and raw-bar fare served amid “divey” “nautical” decor; if “you’re watching your pennies”, the “oyster special is amazing.”


I highly recommend giving Fish a try if you’re craving bivalves or fresh fish. The atmosphere is conducive to a large group of friends as no one will tell you to be quiet or stop playing with the lobsters. In addition, if you’re in the neighborhood they even offer free delivery!


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