Downtown Chic: Bodycon

  I have to admit: I once had a body-con addiction.  Lets face it, plenty of people did (and still do).  Rewind about 4 years to my junior year of high school, body-con was everywhere.   Forever 21 was the body-con mother load.  It was not hard to accumulate a collection of brightly colored body-con items that were too tight and too short (yes mom, I am admitting to my mistakes)...  Fast forward to what I would like to barely call adulthood, body-con has been replaced with trend after trend... but I will never fully give it up (still holding on).  Yes, they can ride up without notice. Yes, you can see every roll that may or may not exist on your body.  But, they will always be so easy to dress (and it will most likely always fit) ... 

Take this outfit for example: start with a body-con dress, add a leather jacket, sneakers, and a scarf (or substitute for a necklace) and ta-DA, outfit complete!  Dress it up, dress it down, add a sweater, or a jacket, or a skirt and instantly you are ready to go.

all photos by: biabevphotography

 

Eatin' Healthy: Protein Pancakes

My love for pancakes is never ending.  There is nothing quite like a stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit drowning in Vermont maple syrup (my mouth is currently watering).  Well, I have got quite the alternative for anyone trying to cut back on the mass of carbs, sugar, and fat that comes with the joy and happiness of traditional pancakes, (as you can tell by the title) they are protein pancakes.  Now,  I have tried my fair share of protein pancake recipes and this one is my favorite.  I have ground my own steel oats (in the blender), mashed up more bananas than I can count, and tried an overpriced mix from GNC that claimed to taste like birthday cake (it did not, such a disappointment).  

Lets face it, the quick and easy is the way to go (when making food that is). 

Start with the mix, if you want to play by the rules the recipe is on the side of the box...

If not, continue reading (below are the proportions for a personal serving 3 medium sized pancakes):

1/2 cup of mix

1 egg (large)

1 packet or a tablespoon of stevia (or sweetener of your choice)

- here is where I get a little crazy

 

teaspoon or cinnamon (or more)

1/2 of a ripe banana (berries work too!) 

mix that all together (and mash the banana)

add 1/4 cup of water (I like my on the thick side, you can add more to thin them out)

heat stove, cook & enjoy! Ooh and add some Walden Farms calorie free Syrup! 

- Kay

warm front (noun): a brief period of time where warm air replaces the unbearable cold air...

This slight glimpse of warmth (and by warmth I mean anything above 40 degrees) has given me hope.  I am ready for spring and everything that comes with it!  Bring on the sandals, dresses, light coats and anything else that has no connection to negative degree weather or snow.  

Yesterday the high was 57... yes  f i f t y s e v e n!  It didn't feel like 57 but lets be real, I will take anything over 40!  This casual transition outfit was perfect!  A light sweater, boyfriend jeans, and my chucks topped with a scarf for those gusts of wind!  I brought out my favorite spring bag and lets not forget the violet mirrored sunnies (I'm obsessed).  When thinking transitions I always keep layers in mind. If it was a bit warmer I would have replaced the scarf with a necklace; a bit cooler and I would have added a vest!  

sweater: H&M (in store on sale)

jeans: Dittos 

shoes: Converse

scarf: Forever 21 (old)

bag: Marc by Marc (color no longer available)

sunnies: Ray-Ban 

watch: Kate Spade 

(always fixing my hair) 

My faith restored that spring will eventually come! 

-Kay

s(no)w

With warmer weather upon us I can't help but think of the days when I thought this winder would never end.  This has been the worst winter I have ever experienced.  What is worse than the snow is the lack of motivation it caused.  The choices of shoes to wear is minimal, and it is overall too cold to get out of bed, never mind put on a decent outfit.

Workout clothing is about the only thing that is warm, comfortable, and socially acceptable to wear during the cold (okay... not the only thing).  I am in love with feeling comfortable while looking put together and that's why I invest in gym items that are functional at the gym but can also be worn on "this weather is too much for me to handle" days.  

My favorite workout items are Zella.  They are a Nordstrom brand that carries a variety of leggings, tanks, sweatshirts, and other items weather your working out or not.  My favorite item of theirs are the "Live-In" leggings, they suck everything in without being too tight or see-through (saves me the embarrassment when squatting), and my new favorite sweatshirt is pictured as well (loving the cowl neck).

Well until the snow reappears this weekend I will be enjoying the sunshine. 

-Kay

Feel the Burn: Treadmill HIIT Workout

With revamping my life comes revamping my body.  I have been addicted to the gym lately. So addicted.  I love the way the gym makes me feel.  Theres something about the spending an hour or two completely alone, in the zone, blasting music that makes me feel like a professional twerker (ha!).  

When getting back into a workout routine I try to use my time wisely.  By working in HIIT workouts (high intensity interval training) into my routine I can burn optimal calories in a short amount of time without busting my knee or pulling a muscle I have never herd of.   

I do HIIT workouts on any cardio machine: the treadmill, stair master, elliptical, or cross trainer! 

Put on your favorite play list, watch an episode of your favorite show, and kill it! 

- Kay. 

conquer (verb): overcome and take control

There are numerous things that I should and will conquer this year: 

1. my life in general.

2. my lack of realistic thinking.

3. my habit of interrupting people. 

and plenty of other things that I will not bear to bore you with.  

There is no need to type out all my issues for the world wide web (I'll save myself some dignity) but I will talk about conquering my life as a whole on an edited level.  I ask myself the same question every week, "Why are you not where you want to be?".  I never come up with a solid answer but,  I usually have a couple of excuses that would work if I was not telling them to myself... 

The answer is really so simple:  I am not where I want to be because I choose to play it safe.  

Safe is simple and effortless.  The issue is that the life I want is anything but simple, it's the exact opposite of simple. The life I want is filled with adventure, challenge, hard work, sleepless nights, and risky decisions.  There is really no time to waste.  I may not be ready to stop playing it safe, but will I ever actually be ready?  I have made a definitive choice to take charge in my life and go for what I want.  Nobody is going to hand me an amazing job with unlimited vacation days and a corner office.  I'll do that for myself, and it won't just be the corner office.  It will be the entire office, with a view, and lots of sunlight.  

Conquer your life.

- write down goals: weekly, monthly, yearly

- work towards those goals

- remind yourself of your goals

- see the bigger picture

- set up a inspiration board

- educate yourself, take a class, read a book

- surround yourself with motivated individuals

-do not give up

Casual Pattern Play

It is cold.  Really cold. But the cold won't put a damper on my day, epically my day off.  I stick to layering when the temps are in the teens and below: long sleeve shirt, sweater, jacket, blanket scarf.  It also helps that I am usually inside, or in the car.  There is something amazing about stripes and their ability to mix and match with everything... yes everything.  I can put stripes with another pattern and fall in love (stripes and plaid is one of my favorites for winter).   Also, these shoes... AMEN to my boyfriend.  They are the perfect, casual couture is how I see them!  The universal olive color mixed with the slight wedge makes me feel like an urban badass... I'm not that urban, and I'm not much of a badass so it's a bit of a stretch but they make me feel good so i'm going to rock them as much as possible.  

This bag... I'm trying to be a good girl and not splurge on any items for a month (lets see how that goes). But, the bucket bag is back in full force and I am filling the void with this Old Navy one until I pull the plug on a more expensive one.  Its just a matter of time before I pull the trigger and give my entire paycheck for something to carry all of my other things.  

Oh, and someone needs to tell mother nature to relax with all this snowfall... 

- Kay