I actually found a “healthier” recipe that called for fat-free yogurt – which I DO have – instead of milk.  Sounded interesting.  I gave it a try & (if I do say so myself) think the muffins came out well.  They were really easy to make – here’s what you need to make them:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. fat free vanilla yogurt
• 2 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat the over to 350 degrees
2. Mix the flour, corn meal, sugar & salt in medium to large bowl
3. In a separate bowl, mix the baking soda & yogurt
4. Add the yogurt into the dry ingredients
5. Beat the eggs and mix in with the other ingredients
6. Grease muffin tins & add mixed ingredients into the tins
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 – 20 minutes or until the muffins are light golden brown; to test to see if they’re done, insert a butter knife into the center of a muffin.  If, once removed, the knife is clean, the muffins are done.

Yields: 10 muffins

Calories per muffin: 150

6pm shipment arrived!

Anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of a shoe fetish.  Anyone who works with me can you about my 15+ pairs of shoes under my desk….which are just “work shoes” & have nothing to do with the mounds I have at my apartment.  6pm.com feeds that addiction quite nicely.

6pm.com (same parent company as Zappos.com) has amazing deals.  The site features an array of designer brands and boasts prices up to 70% off retail.  They have “daily deals” on their homepage every day highlighting some of their best sales.  They specialize in shoes, but have bags, sunglasses, apparel & an array of other items.

They (like many savvybrands) are on Twitter & provide their followers with ADDITIONAL deals I often find even more appealing & even better then what I see on their site.  The recent tweet that caught my attention?  KORS Michael Kors on sale for $24.95. A. Maze. Ing.  They had other deals that day, as well, so here’s what I ended up with:

KORS Michael Kors wedges: $24.95 from $185 :)

I’m in love with these KORS Michael Kors wedges.  Love, love.  What an amazing deal – it’s just over 85% off.  They’re even cuter in real life than they were online.  I’m thrilled with them. :)

Two Lips Sandals: $10.80 from $59.95

These sandals were a last-minute decision while shopping.  I liked the neutral color & don’t have anything like them.  For $10 I decided to go for it.

Madden Girl Sandals: $20.13 from $49.95

I love these gladiator-type sandals.  Last year I was curious to see if this style sandal would hold its ground for more than one season, but it seems to have june just that.  I’ve seen similar styles in upcoming spring & summer lines.

Another great thing about 6pm.com is their shipping policy: standard shipping is $6.95.  For my 3 pairs of shoes & shipping, I paid just over $62.  SHOP WITH THEM!  The only thing I need now is some spring weather. :)

BLISS Spiff Upper Lip set of 2 $30 from $76

Have you used Bliss Spa products?  They have everything you want to keep you skin looking & feeling fabulous.  Great for pampering yourself or for everyday routines.  Love, love, love.  Something they aren’t, is cheap.  Some of their products tend to be on the pricier size & not exactly recessionista-friendly.  They have a great Web site for ordering online I like to peruse for sales – here are some of this week’s finds.

Tip:  their site doesn’t have a specific “sale” section, but if you type “sale” into the search option, their sales come up. :)

Their Spiff Upper Lip set (above) is designed to plump your lips and fill in lines.  Especially helpful in the winter, right?  It’s designed to help “aging” lips, but, like many products with this claim, can (&, in my opinion, sometimes should) be used by women of all ages to not only keep your skin in good condition, but as a sort of preventative measure.  My lips re ALWAYS dry and cracked in the winter & this is a good remedy option.  The set of 2 retails for $76 but is currently on sale for $30.  Would I pay $76 for the set?  my budget says no.  $30?  Much more likely.

BLISS Problem Salved $9 from $18

Their Problem Salved balm (left) is designed as a sort of all-in-one “fix it” balm.  It’s great for slightly irritated skin, like if you just got your brows waxed, just shaved, are sun burnt, have chapped wind-burned skin….the list goes on.  I’ve used it on my eye brows after getting them waxed & it works well to sooth what is usually very red, irritated skin.  Truly, I think I have the most sensitive brows ever.  Regardless, this is one of the few things that helps.  This retails for $18 but is currently on sale for $9.  9 bucks.  Good stuff.

Also – as I was surfing their site – I was reminded every order ships free.  Love that.  I hate it when I think I have found a great deal on something only to find out shipping costs another $10.  Shipping should be just that: the cost of shipping.  Not shipping plus lattes for the Web site staff. Am I right??

DVF Spring 2010 Dress

This light & airy dress is from the DVF spring collection.  I like how it starts mostly white at the collar with the floral print collecting around the hip, then transforming into a different floral pattern towards the hem.

DVF Floral Dress Spring 2010

In line with the first floral dress, this second DVF dress from their spring line is fun & flirty.  Again, the floral pattern is small & light throughout the dress.  I also love the uneven hem & patchwork-style vest to break up the pattern.

theory Raiku dress

I love the black straps and belt on this theory dress for their spring line.  Very cute.

Tory Burch "Carly" Spring 2010 Dress

This dress is from Tory Burch‘s spring line.  Again, the small floral pattern is consistent from collar to hem.  The belt breaks the dress up nicely since given it has the same pattern throughout.

Tory Burch Floral Spring 2010 Dress

Another Tory Burch dress from the spring line highlighting a fun, flirty pattern & flowing hem.  It looks light & airy – makes me want spring to hurry up & get here. :)

What do you think?  Do you like it?

I think I’m lucky in not being someone who’s really hungry after I go to the gym.  Maybe it’s all the water I drink.  By the time I get home I often don’t want to eat a big meal.  Good to know tip: It’s been said moderate exercise can help suppress one’s appetite.

My favorite after-gym (or weekend breakfast) meal is a fruit & yogurt parfait.  After trying a few different varieties of yogurt, fruit & granola, I like to think I have this down to a science.  A delicious science.

You need to try this, it’s easy.  Here’s how you do it:

Fresh strawberries & blueberries

1. Fresh fruit.  I prefer strawberries & blueberries.  I use 1/3 cup (roughly) of strawberries & 1/4 cup (roughly) of blueberries.

Calories in the strawberries: 15

Calories in blueberries: 20

Dannon Light & Fit Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt

2. After trying different non-fat yogurt, I think this is best. I’m not a huge yogurt fan in general.  Growing up in upstate NY, Crowley was the only kind I liked.  Yoplait has a few good flavors & I tried Stoneyfield Farms Organic Vanilla Yogurt, but Dannon Light & Fit has my vote.  I add about a 1 – 1 1/2 cup of yogurt to my parfait meal.

Calories per cup of Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt: 110

Pecan & Praline Granola from Trader Joe's

3. This Trader Joe’s granola is delicious.  It’s a happy medium between extremely “chunky” granola & granola that’s more like…well…oats.  I use roughly 1/2 cup in my parfait.

Calories in 1/2 cup granola: 110

With the fruit, 1/2 cup granola & 1 1/2 cup yogurt, this meal totals roughly 300 calories.  300 healthy, filling calories.  Not too shabby.

$25 off your purchase of $125 or more coupon code: 9019

50 off your purchase of $200 or more coupon code: 9018

Happy shopping!

Olivia Rubin One Shoulder dress: $37.93 from $129.32

I love the fun pattern & flirty sleeve on this Olivia Rubin dress.  Adorable, right?  It retails for $129.32 but is currently on sale on asos.com for $37.93. :)

American Apparel One Shoulder Dress: $42

American Apparel is known for soft, comfy, fitted basics.  This cotton American Apparel is just that: it can be dressed up or down.  It retails for $42 – not too shabby.

Cynthia Rowley One Shoulder Dress: $148 from $385 on Gilt

This fantastic satin Cynthia Rowley dress accentuates the one-shoulder with a slightly ruffled sleeve.  It retails for $385 but is currently on Gilt.com for $148.  Still expensive?  Yes.  But it’s a Cynthia Rowley dress. :)

(Remember – Gilt sales only last for 48 hours.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

Alice + Olivia asymmetrical dress: $192.50 from $385

This Alice + Olivia dress has an asymmetrical hem & fun detailing at the shoulder & hem, jazzing up the basic black dress look.  It retails for $385, but I found it on Shop It To Me for $192.50.

DVF One Shoulder Dress: $255.50 from $365

Also amazing is this DVF dress.  It has a fun, bold, almost tropical pattern on a one shoulder dress.  It’s daring & stylish.  Love this. It retails for $365 but Shop It To Me found it for $255.50.

Are you a member of Shop It To Me or Gilt.com?  You need to be!  They have amazing sales & help you score your designer duds for less. See the VIP Shopping page for more sale invites. :)

Once again I loved the episode, almost as much as last week’s & the first week’s.  Again, so many reoccurring themes, such as the importance of attention to detail and it’s hard to please someone when they don’t know what they want and have unclear (or unrealistic) expectations.  Seems obvious….but it’s not always so easy, right?

My key take-aways from today’s show can be best-expressed in quote form:

1. “If you can’t figure out who the top 126 most important people are then maybe you shouldn’t work here.” -Emily
2. “What are you guys doing – you guys are scaring the f*ck out of me.”    -Kelly
3. “I’m the boss, I give you a paycheck & you’re suppose to give me work.      -Kelly
4. “NYC: where the girls are mean but oh-so-pretty.”  -Kelly

AGAIN with the labels!!  Poor Stephanie V. can’t catch a break.  She doesn’t pay attention to details.  Looks like it might be “peace out” for her.

Anyone else watching this?  Am I the only one who thinks this show is so fantastic? :)

I created the image below using polyvore.com.  You can click the images for larger details about each of the items.

Week of 2/15: Spring Outfit for Under $100 by MissChris13 on Polyvore.com

• The dress: Victoriassecret.com.  It retails for $58 but is currently on sale for $38.  It comes with the jacket and belt for detail
• The shoes: Tahari Ingmar Leather Wedge Sandals which retail for $98 but are currently on sale for $36.98 at smartbargains.com
  
• The necklace: Banana Republic necklace which retails for $39.50 but is currently on sale for $17.99

This outfit would look great with some light pinks & greens mixed in with the accessories or makeup tones.  I could see a fun pink or green ring or green-rimmed shades completing the look.