Happy Halloween!: Scariest costume EVER!!!

Heidi Klum decided to celebrate Halloween this year with a particularly bone-chilling costume, as seen bellow.

Heidi arrives at her party on a gurney attended to by bloodied doctors.

"It's ALIVE!!!!" 

Exquisite detail in her makeup. 

Of course, always for a good cause.

However you dress for Halloween, be sure to party safely!

POWER SMOOTHIES: MARATHON

Cranberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges and vanilla yogurt powered up with soy protein, ginseng, flax seed, rosehip, and whey protein powder.

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla yogurt: try Activia to help your digestion,

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

(BBQed) Glazed Chicken

Modified from Reader's Digest "Quick Food: Gourmet Recipes in Just 30 Minutes" by Jenny Fanshaw & Annette Forrest: "Glazed Chicken Wings and Potato Wedges" recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken breasts or 12 chicken wings;
• 1 cup BBQ sauce;
• 1 cup chili sauce;
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce;
• 1/3 cup brown sugar.

Prep time: ~10 min.

Cook time: ~15 min.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven (325 degrees F) (chicken wings) or turn on BBQ (chicken breasts).
2. Blend BBQ sauce. chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3. Dip chicken pieces in sauce (make sure entire piece is glazed), and 
• put them on a cooking sheet in a cookie rack (wings), or
• set them aside in a different plate to be brought out to the BBQ.
4. Cook chicken.
5. In the meanwhile, prepare and cook your side dish, whether it be potato wedges, fries, green beans, biscuits, etc.
6. Once chicken is cooked, prepare and serve.
7. Enjoy! =)

HIGH PROTEIN SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIES: POMEGRANATE PUNCH

Pomegranate, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, vanilla frozen yogurt and whey protein powder. (20g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

Be a "Cheapanista"! (Part 1 of "Fashion and Style with help from Melissa Kirsch")

Yes, that's right, you read correctly: a "cheapanista", or "cheap fashionista"!

What's in a name?

Seeing as you're a young adult, you're probably skimpy on money right now, but you still want to look top-of-the-line and in-fashion, right? Look no further. Become an unabashed "Cheapanista" (yes, I invented the word, spread it around).

Recession has hit us harder then ever these past three years, especially in the U.S., hence the protests in Wall Street and (very soon) in Ottawa. Here's how!

#1

Want to wear Pumas, Roots, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein? Then hit overstock designer outlets (or "outlets", as we common folk know them), hit Winners! Always, always, always look for bargain prices, by out of season, join reward programs, subscribe to their e-newsletters to know when their sales are! Always try to go for a deal!

#2

But before you remake your closet to reflect your new life status of "achieving woman", revise your closet and make room for the new things. Plus, this will give you a chance to know which outfits need to be completed, giving you a better idea of what to look for in a store.

Here's a list of items that should be removed from your closet, pronto:

• Anything with a huge emblazoned company logo (they get enough promo as it is, okay?) (but if it's just the tiny Hilfiger crocodile, then ignore this rule),
• Any head-dressing other then the essential ones,
• Anything that's clearly out of style (e.g. bell-bottom pants, shoulder pads, etc.),
• Concert tees or any kind of tee with any form of pictures, sayings or drawings: either toss in the garbage or put in a time capsule box,
• Things that make you feel ugly (I don't care if you donated blood to get enough money to buy it, you don't like it! So why should you keep it?),
• Thrift store "finds" that should never have been found in the first place,
• Clothes that don't fit (either too big, too small, or don't flatter your silhouette)

So, clean out your closet. Who knows, you may find some old, long-forgotten item that really rocks!

#3

Also, don't forget to get some foundation pieces, if you don't already have them, such as:

• Pair of nice black pants,
• Flattering LBD (duh),
• Neutral-toned skirt in a classic cut (depending on your body type),
• Pair of your perfect jeans,
• White button down shirt,
• Solid-coloured cardigan sweater.

In finding these foundation items, please think of what one might call "Cost per wear":

"Cost per wear = cost of garment / # of time you wear the outfit" - Melissa Kirsch, The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything.

This means if you invest in a great pair of pants that cost you 200$, and you wear them 2x/week throughout fall and winter, so ~64 times, that's 3.13$/wear of the pants. Cheap, no? And Chique! Be sure to really invest in your foundation items, because they should last you for years to come.

#4

Also, before you hit the pavement to go shopping, thing of these basic principles:

• Know your goals: i.e. know what you need to buy (which is why you cleaned out your closet beforehand, and also what you need to buy for the next phase of your life (e.g.: getting your first suit for job interviews)),
• Practice shopping for outfits: i.e. try to find items that fit with what you already have in your closet, 
• Know your minimum cosmetic requirements: i.e. you don't need 200 different eyeshadows. Know your basic cosmetics to achieve an every day look.

So, that's it for Part 1 of "Fashion and Style" with help from Melissa Kirsch and her wonderful book The Girl's Guide to Absolutely Everything (which I'm sure you can find on Amazon or eBay for a good price ;-P )! I hope you take this advice with a grain of salt and become one of the first official "Cheapanistas" ever! Please, leave comments with your thoughts or questions. =)

Give "Casual Friday" a whole new meaning

Yes, "Casual Friday" is kind of supposed to be just that: casual. But, there is such as thing as "casual chique". ;-)

Try an elegant blouse paired with a cotton blazer with a slight edge to it. Complete with a dark wash skinny, jean and voila! Casual Friday will never be the same again!**

Wondering what to wear on your feet? Why not sleek-lined sneakers? Casual, yet chique!

Who says Casual can't make people's heads still turn?

**Blouse and cotton blazer: Ricki's. Jeans: Streetwear Society.

HIGH PROTEIN SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIES: MIND OVER MATCHA

Pure matcha green tea powder, vanilla soymilk, blueberries, vanilla frozen yogurt, and whey protein powder. (30 g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       You can find the matcha at specialized tea stores (or at certain Booster Juice locations),

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.

INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH: Rooibos (or Red Bush):

Often found in teas, notably in Pomegranate teas, this magical plant of the Western Cape Province of South Africa is rich in anti-oxidants. It is low in caffeine and tannin levels, contrary to the green tea leaves. It also has phenolic compounds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenolic_compounds), and has anti-oxidants. It is rumoured to help with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems. They might even help keep those wrinkles at bay.

Traditional medicinal uses of rooibos in South Africa include alleviating infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems.

Similar to this plant is the Honey Bush of the same region.

Products:

•        Many red teas, notably pomegranate teas,
•        Green teas and black teas made only of rooibos.

HIGH-PROTEIN SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIES: HIGH IMPACT ACAI

Acai, cranberries, raspberries, vanilla frozen yogurt, skim milk and whey protein powder. (25g of protein).

Source: Booster Juice.

Choices in ingredients:

-       Consider getting the fruits frozen (e.g.: Europe’s best),

-       Vanilla frozen yogurt: get something organic (preferably),

-       Also, consider adding Goji berries.