lovin' it?

If you had to eat at McDonald's or this. Build your meal at McDonald's and see the calories, fat, and sodium.

Drink: 

Water, coffee, or iced tea. 

Side:

Side salad, no dressing. Order two or three side salads if you want!

Main: Pick one!

• Premium Ceasar's Salad, no cheese and no dressing with grilled chicken
• Chicken Nuggets, honey sauce
• Premium Grilled Chicken Classic, no mayo
• Premium McWrap, no cheese and no Buttermilk Ranch

Dessert:

• Kiddie Cone

Skinny Travel

Try on your travel ensembles the week before you leave. You will want to know if something must be altered, dry-cleaned, or replaced altogether. It's also helpful to know if pieces work together as planned. Does the sweater fit layered under the jacket? Does your handbag stay on your shoulder when you are wearing a coat?

A slim leg jean is most versatile. Unlike a boot or wide leg a skinny or straight leg can be worn with flats, sandals, boots, or a low profile trainer. 

Protect expensive blouses and sweaters from body oils by wearing a tee shirt underneath like the boys do. Find the right neckline to fit the blouse or sweater, visible or invisible. Wash the tee after every wear and the sweater or blouse less so. 

When my wallet was too warn to repair I replaced it not with another $200 leather Coach wallet that is now made in China, but with a colorful zip pouch. I pair this down before I travel by removing items I know I won't need, e.g., the loyalty program stamp card from my local beauty retailer or coffee shop.

A travel candle freshens up a hotel room instantly. I have been enjoying the Mokara scent from Anthropologie for over a year. I bought a pretty BIC lighter especially for the purpose of lighting a candle when traveling (nonsmoker). 

Leave full size containers at home and purchase mini containers for everything from eye cream to sunscreen. Most are under $10. They save space and prevent you from choosing between eye cream and night cream due to space constraints. You can even buy labels for each container!

Conditioner can double as shaving cream. This is helpful if you always run out of shampoo and have leftover conditioner or if you prefer to omit shaving cream altogether.

Pet Peeves

Any attention placed on anorexia nervosa. As far as I can tell this is a mental disorder that affects movie stars. The death rate is so low it's not mentioned on the CDC site except as a symptom of real diseases. Since nobody is dying of this can we just stop talking about it and focus on something that people are dying from, say eating way too much?

People and their stuff. I am tired of hearing about organization and storage issues. "Oh help me I have too much stuff that I do not use regularly." Cry me a river. Instead of buying a bunch of other stuff to organize the stuff you don't use, why not try donating or selling it?

Fat pets. Is that a literal pet peeve? I get that people have their own self control issues with food and exercise, but how hard is it to feed your pet less food when their vet tells you they are getting fat? Unlike your own hunger you can walk away from it. Better yet, why not be supportive and go on a diet with your pet?

Poorly and cheaply built new homes for the purposes of flipping. I hate it when someone with terrible taste buys and rebuilds a home in my neighborhood. White vinyl windows and sliders, composite shingles, rough stucco, boring wrought iron, and disposable landscaping with too much cement makes for curbside un-appeal. 

Memes. It seems like a waste of time to be up on the latest memes. So the point is that we all visit the same meme site, view the memes, and then send the memes to people not viewing the meme site? It's okay to have interests and hobbies you know. The internet will be there when you're done.

Pinterest cult-of-personality. Everything includes a sock bun or weird and complex braids, bad nails, pigeon-toe poses, and phrases like "color pop", "whaa", and "I want." There's more. The toxic recipes that include cake batter, 7up, ground beef, and canned mushroom soup are shameful. I wish there were a Pinterest grown-up version.

Criminally Outstanding

Strawberry Banana Date Shake

The dates make the magic!

1 1/2 oz almond milk
2 oz tofu
5 oz frozen strawberries
1 frozen organic banana
2 medjool dates
Ice (optional)

Blend, pour, and savor the deliciousness!

Deep Thoughts ...

Attractive and comfortable is a great motivator. Make sure your exercise clothes and shoes are attractive, comfortable, and clean. It will make you want to get out there and show them off!

Buy a lunch sack, bento box, or stainless stackable tower along with the necessary thermos, tupperware, or containers in which to pack the food. I like a combination of Ziploc bags and food storage containers from Target. The most important feature is that they work for you. If you're worried about buying too much plastic, consider that the decision to dutifully pack your own lunch is considerably more environmentally conscious that purchasing lunch daily. If the initial investment seems daunting remember that it will pay for itself in no time!

Sun protection is important. An oversize visor and Shiseido Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ is a great start. You can add a colorful bandana to protect your chest as well! Lululemon makes long sleeve clothing for swimming.  

A variety of your favorite herbal teas on hand can curb hunger. Keep tea in your desk drawer and take advantage of the instant hot water at work. Block out the hour on your calendar when you would normally be craving a snack, turn on some Pandora while you finish a task and set your IM to DND.

If you've never liked the taste of beans, try Kemp's Black Beans. Freeze half the recipe after it's made in a double-bagged Ziploc bag. You may change your mind after trying homemade, fresh dried beans.

It's okay to get in a bit of exercise when you can. I fit a series of crunches, dips, butt lifts, and pushups in between meetings during my work day. 100 crunches 3 X per day pays off huge!

Things I Learned from the Love of My Life

Here are some helpful truths I learned from listening to my better half:

Take a jacket or a wrap.

I am always cold. Always. My motto is that being too hot is uncomfortable (not that this has ever happened) but being cold is painful. I always take a wrap or jacket to dinner, add layer for a bike ride, and wear a hat and scarf to the movies.

Neither the most expensive option nor the cheapest are worth it.

This can be applied to wines by the glass, sofas, and household appliances. Many times the most expensive option is justified by branding and not quality. The cheapest option is wasteful because it must be replaced or was never needed in the first place.

It's better to be comfortable.

Why torture myself? I know that I will get thirsty running errands so I take a bottle of water with me. If the table is wobbly at a restaurant I ask the server for something to steady it. I turn on the heater if I am cold and turn it off when I get warm. If I need extra space, I get it. Complaining tortures others and there is no piety in suffering, so I may as well fix the problem and be comfortable.

Everyone looks better in color.

I used to think the color black was slimming, versatile, and elegant. All my clothes were black. But I just look better in bright colors. Now I make more careful considerations so I can be versatile and colorful.

Ask for help ... or make two trips.

I regularly get in and out of my car with my lunch, laptop, handbag, green drink, and jacket or wrap. This does not leave me with a free hand to open door, much less steady myself as I walk down stairs in heels. I am still learning this, but sometimes I need to ask for help.

Southwest Food

I have never been a big fan of Mexican food restaurants because the food is heavy; It's laden with cheese, meat, and often deep-fried. Last week, however, I was able to sample delicious and lighter fair Mexican food in Tucson, AZ during a weekend getaway. The table-side guacamole, fresh fish tacos, and molcajete-grilled vegetables taught me that Mexican food doesn't require meat and cheese. It motivated me to focus recipes that include more fresh fruits and vegetables. This weekend I thumbed through the William Sonoma "Savoring Mexico" cookbook that I had been using as a decoration for a decade and bought ingredients from the farmers market to begin creating my own version of Mexican food.

Some recipes I intend to try are:

• Scallop and avocado ceviche
• Cold vegetable tostadas
• Pumpkin seed and tomato dip
• Lentil soup with pineapple, pears and plantains (will use veggie chorizo)
• Poblano chile soup
• Shrimp with orange and tequila
• Chayote salad
• Various salsas with roasted chiles

This is of course in addition to the food I regularly make such as fish tacos, guacamole, burritos and cheese-free quesadillas. I am looking forward to heading over to my local Mexican market to practice my Spanish! ¡Qué divertido!