MOVING!!! http://misschrisblog.wordpress.com

Hello!!  While I’ve said I didn’t want to move any time soon, I have been looking for a new home for my blog.   My blog will now live here: http://misschrisblog.wordpress.com.  Same blog, just new address. :)

Recipe: Healthier Corn Muffins

I was in a definite “baking” mood today.  At Sean’s request, I decided to give homemade corn muffins a try.  I had one problem: we were out of milk & the milk we tried to buy at Shaw’s LITERALLY had YESTERDAY as a “sell by” date.  Each bottle.  This caused me to get creative & try to find a recipe that didn’t require milk.

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

Why You Need to be Shopping 6pm.com

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 :)

It’s Still Winter: Don’t Neglect Your Skin!

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??

Spring Trend: Flower Power

While it’s still February & spring doesn’t technically start until late March, I’m ITCHING for spring to get here.  Trend: I’m seeing a lot of colorful, small prints this year from some of my favorite designers.  There’s a difference (& arguably a fine line) between fun florals & hippie garb (which has never worked on me).  Here are some of my favorites:

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.

Newest Obsession: The “Parfait” Parfait

A recent Skinny & The City newsletter discussed what to eat after going to the gym.  It made a good point: you don’t want to undo all that hard work by eating the wrong things after going to the gym.  We of course all know this (in theory), but don’t always adhere to best practices.  Or maybe its just me? Before moving in with my boyfriend I went to the gym in the morning 3-4 times/week.  Now because of where we live, even though we technically live closer to the gym, it’s easier for me to go after work instead of at 6am.  Aaaand now I go twice a week.  In a good week.  This means if I go at night, I’m not snacking after the gym, I’m eating dinner.

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

Coupon Code: White House Black Market

I love White House Black Market.  They have beautiful, chic dresses & amazing jewelry, among other things.  Right now they’re offering $25 off your purchase of $125 or more & $50 off your purchase of $200 or more.  Both these offers end 3.21.10.  They’re also offering free shipping through the end of the week when you purchase $125 or more.

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

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

Happy shopping!

All About Asymmetry

I’m seeing asymmetrical dresses popping up everywhere.  Whether it’s a one-shoulder frock from American Apparel or an angled hem from Alice + Olivia, asymmetry is in.  It makes even a seemingly “standard” dress more exciting.  Here are a few I’ve found & love – priced from low to high:

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.

Kell on Earth: Week 3

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? :)

Get Outfitted for Under $100

I love sale-perusing.  Using Shopittome.com, I found some fun items for spring. :)

It’s always good to be on the lookout for items that are fun together and (of course) on their own.  Below are some leaning-towards-spring items I found via Shop It To Me that look great together but are also versatile enough to be mixed & matched with tons of items you have in your wardrobe already – making them that much more valuable & the deals that much more worth it.

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.