Estate Sales, Baskets, and Good Eats :)

I am beyond disappointed with the weather in New England this year. Last year wasn't as bad, but come on... we haven't had a sunny day in weeks. Except for yesterday. We've been planning to have a yard sale for the past couple of months but every weekend the weather reports say rain then nothing.. or it says nothing, then it'll pour. I don't know anymore. It's probably just going to have to be sporadic. We had all of the goods pushed to the garage door so then all we'd have to do is pull it out and get to sellin'. But no. When I checked the weather again last night it said... "9am t-storms", so we put it off. I woke up and checked it, it said "1pm t-storms" and it's almost 10pm and still hasn't rained. What gives?!?! Whatever! *attitude*

Anywhoo, I didn't do breakfast yesterday because my stomach was still a bit upset, so I made a chocolate smoothie with 1/2 a scoop of 365 chocolate whey protein, a banana, a scoop of PB&C dark chocolate, a cup of Simply Orange OJ w/ pulp, and a banana.

Fine results. I'm bummed not to be able to have wheatgrass but I'm just going to double up on the spinach as a few people have suggested :( Oh well, it's still green right?! Lol.

I went to an estate sale in Newton/Auburndale yesterday via a great post on Craigslist. M's mom is an (as she would say) "Craigslistaholic" haha. Ooooh man! No comment! I've never seen anyone shop like her. She's a great cook. So after I grabbed all of these...

I plan on using the baskets to help keep our new room organized. The floors are a dark mahogany-esque wood so I think baskets will help keep the room very natural looking. I'm all about the relaxing nature vibe. This big basket I got for $4! I was stoked. This one will be in the bathroom with the jet-spa tub instead of a closet. It's easier to grab them and you get the real spa feeling. The other bathroom with the walk-in shower will have towels hanging. I have a laundry basket that's the same size that I got last year at HomeGoods for $20! By the way I love me some baskets haha :)

The men had a bunch of work so we cooked it up. I made us a salad with a hot dog on the side, because well, my brain was not in creative mode. So we ate it up and sorry no pics b/c I didn't have the memory card in my cam and so they're on the cam but not the card haha. This is what we made for the evening.

On the Menu:

- Organic grilled String Beans

- Asparagus with a light cream sauce

- Grilled Salmon Fillets (we grilled quickly thinking it was going to rain.. grr, I won't go there...)

- Baked broccoli (in a glass pan in the over covered with cream sauce)

- Small golden potatoes (boiled in skin then slowly fried- M's mom keeps telling me they're less fat if you cook with the skin first... I only ate a 1/4 haha)

- Tatra Polish beer

- Yellow cake with an Apple Sauce filling

It was such a busy day. The kitchen was smoking hot. I did manage however to lay and read my book a bit. I've been reading it forever. I really enjoyed Devil Wears Prada (great movie btw one of my faves) but for some reason I can't finish this book. It's called Chasing Harry Winston. By Lauren Weisberger. It follows 3 best friends that are all in separate places in life. Think Sex and the City-esque, but not much sex and it's a worldly book. It's hard to follow all 3 women though. Maybe it's the way it was written. Not too sure. But... she's a great author. I read a lot of chic lit.

Sunday Plan:

- Scan paperwork and send to necessary parties

- Work on site design and order gift basket sample supplies

- Put all Yard Sale merch in spare bedroom

- FINISH Chasing Harry Winston with hot green tea

Movie Alert!!!: New movie coming out called Julie & Julia; about a cubicle-worker who in 365 days cooks 524 of Julia Childs' recipes and creates a blog. Featuring Merryl Streep and Amy Adams. Based on two true stories. This is soooooooo my type of movie. August 7th. I'll be there.

Coming Up: Products that I use, what's in my purse, my messy office (M's too, his desk is bad haha), books that I NEED to read/use, and what's new in my blog.

I'm off now to get things done today. Ciao friends!

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Wheat Grass Allergy?? :(

It’s week 2 and although I am enjoying the tasty green monsters, I’m going to have to give up on the wheat grass from Amazing Green until I find out if that’s what I’m allergic to.

Does anyone know of something else green, yummy, and healthy that I can use instead of wheat grass??

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I'm Goin to the Healthy Living Summit Y'all!!

Hello ladies! Sorry no pics today. Work was a bit busier than normal, and immediately after I went to Whole Foods and grabbed a bunch of things... like:

- summer squash
- organic spinach
- 2 electrolyte waters
- brussel sprouts
- 2 bunches of bananas (I WILL NOT run out this week! lol)
- 4 Clif bars (first time trying, so I'm taking it slow)- Banana Nut/Peanut Butter Toffee/Blueberry/Maple Nut
- Vanilla Almond Breeze
- 1/2 gallon 2% milk
- Peanut Butter & Co- Dark Chocolate Dreams
- Fusilli & Spaghetti
- Organic Ginger Soy salad dressing
- 3 Whole Foods reusable bags (I have a few Celtics bags, but they're more for fashion lol)

Then we went to Market Basket for a few things that were cheaper there and got:

- 1/2 gallon egg beaters (I meant to get egg whites, I'll explain why I made this mistake after the jump)
- feta cheese
- Dannon Fit assorted yogurts
- wheat tortillas
- 1 green pepper/1 red pepper
- avacado
- multi-grain waffles (haven't had these in forever)

Now... we walked into a store that had no lights. The only lights that were on were the cash register. Thank God the sun was still out when we went. Something about the generator. Now, that has a LOT to do with my selecting the wrong type of egg beaters. I wanted egg whites :( whatever I'll eat them!

I had a chicken cobb wrap at d'angelo because M was craving a buffalo chicken wrap. He said to me "I think I just consumed like 800 calories!" and then made this face :( lol. Mine was like eating a salad so I was in the clear ;) hehe. His MinuteMaid lemon was 260 calories. Can you believe that? Now I'm not one to count calories, but when he pointed it out I wanted to throw up all over the table. Yes, grose I know but come on. That should not be legal.

Enough of that. I came home afterwards, put my things away and registered for the Healthy Living Summit. It wouldn't let me buy my ticket until about 8:05pm, maybe a system issue, not sure, but needless to say.. I got my ticket :) hehe. Yay! I'm so damn excited. I just bought 1 ticket so I will be forced to mingle with everyone else... which is what I NEED to do. This was a great idea for the ladies to do this and I think we will all learn so much and make life-long friends.

I'm going to sleep with a smile on my face now, and happy to have a PROPER green monster in the morning now that I have "naners". LOL.

Ciao friends!

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First Day Running- Wowwza!!

Big news... today was my first day running!!! Can you believe that? :D I'm very sore, but it was worth it.

I've played basketball since I was in 4th grade and I stopped playing during my first year of college. After finding out in 9th grade during the week of tryouts for Varsity, I was basically down since then. We were doing a jump roping drill and I felt my right knee move out the right side of my leg. OUCH! I fell to the ground and tryouts were over. Luckily I made the team because I worked my ass off during the days before that and coach loved me :) My doctors said I didn't have enough cartlidge in my right knee to support my playing bball. When I started college, the women's bball coach at NHTI in Concord, NH asked me to join the women's team (she saw me play in HS). While the school was only a technical college, I thought it'd be good exposure. Long story short, I ended up in the gym before 8am class, then after class, physical therapy, then I worked at a salon doing reception and sales and waitressed at a seafood restaurant at night. Too much going on before I decided my knee was too much for me. Even using the elliptical KILLS my knees.

Side Note: Ran to the store after work and grabbed these-

I'm excited about trying these tonight. I'll share the pics in the morning. M is quite excited too. I'll sneak his face in there ;) haha. *shhhh*



Flash got the calories, but kinda common sense here lol.


And last but least... from my recent posts, I needed this... hardcore. I cut back on the flora and so this is what I got for the mean time:


Don't mind the double chin... it was a HUNGRY WINTER... lol kidding kidding, I am who I am... however being bloated is not a good feeling.


Today was my first day trying to make things work again. Slowly but surely. I did a 1/2 hour slow-paced run with Maia, and this is what she looked like afterwards:

Haha, what a sketchy dog! She's such a cute lil' Chorkie! At first I was scared because I was thinking "I know when we walk she criss crosses back and forth in front of me and I need my front teeth!", but she was great. She'd stop and pee, then catch up to me. Then do the same thing like 10 times haha. She is my child basically. She sleeps on the bed with her red blanky (courtesy grandma and grandpa Hill aka my parents lol). She's always very excited. She'll be 2 July 27th so I'll be planning a doggy bday party.. which is my specialty, might I add.. I've done a few doggy bday bashes for people and its a great time. Can't wait to share Maia's with all of you!

Anywhoo, she's quite amazing. Here's my favorite pic:

Okay okay, enough about my princess. M called on the way home from bball and said he was going to stop and grab some food. He's doing better and jumping on the healthy bandwagon with me, so he asked me to make something. I had two chicken breasts and some pasta leftover in the frige so I made him the rest of the chicken picatta. Results:




Not too bad. I already had mine today so I didn't have any :(

It's wayyy too late and this laptop is about to die. Tomorrow night's registration for the Healthy Living Summit in Boston... myyy hometown. I hope to see you guys there. I'll probably go alone, force myself to mingle because I'm shy like that.. haha NOT!

Ciao ladies!! xo- Q

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Healthy Being, LLC & Confessions of a Shopaholic

See what I did today right after I finished walking the dogs??

Perfect combo! I also started a Facebook group called 'Healthy Living & Food Bloggers', so definitely join and invite your friends to join as well. If you're interested in being an Admin and giving your two cents weekly, just let me know. I'm hoping it'll be a hit. I joined a Health & Wellness group but there hasn't been any updates in over 2 weeks! What gives?!?! Anyway, I'm hoping it'll work out.

Also, make sure that you check out the Healthy Being widget here on my page. My former boss and friend Melissa Gallagher is the owner of Healthy Being Wellness Boutique & Health Services in St. Petersburgh, FL. She's an amazing person filled with love and knowledge about health & wellness. She's come such a long way and I'm happy to see her doing something that she is so passionate about. She just opened the boutique a few weeks ago and has had her product "Sunshine in a Box" showcased on CNN and other places. Check out her blog Healthy Beings, LLC. and join her FB fan page. Let me tell you.. this is a true business woman and she truly cares about what she's doing. If you are in the Florida area, you have GOT TO stop by and keep up with her events to see what's going on with the boutuqie.

I had to do some of my own research today in regards to my own well being. My stomach is still killing me and I had some concerns. I found today through research that a mix of fiber and flora don't go together so well. It just so happens that I take a flora vitamin daily for a healthy digestive system. Ugh. I was like "yesss!" I finally found out what it was. Thank God! I thought my life was ending. I drank lots of tea and water today so I'm hoping that I can actually get some sleep tonight.

The Real Housewives of NJ Reunion is on so I've gotta go finish watching this drama. LOVE IT!

G'nite :)

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An Early Start

For some reason I woke up at 6:25am and ran downstairs looking for Maia. I don't know, maybe I was having a bad dream??

I was in the mood to mix things up this morning so I started with a Green/Chocolate Monster.

- a frozen banana

- a cup and a half of Almond Milk

- scoop of organic peanut butter

- 1/4 scoop (they're big) of 365 W.F. chocolate whey protein powder

- 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass

I didn't take an individual pic, but it was a success, trust me! :) I grabbed some multi-grain english muffins and went crazy.

- 1/2 light multi-grain english muffin

- 1/2 1/2 boiled egg (enough so that when you cut it the yoke will come out)

- 1 leaf of spinach

- 1 slice mozzarella cheese

Success! I only drank half of the green monster because I wanted to be able to finish one of these bad boys haha. I let M drink the rest. He goes "that's why your stomach's been upset, this thing makes you feel like you're gonna be 300lbs!" but I guess that's the full effect. Mind you, he hasn't even made a whey protein shake yet. BABY! Lol. I'm sure he will soon I'm sure, when he sees his chest hasn't grown yet! :P

While these babies were in the oven "broiling", I made my salad for the day and slapped some mandarin in a container, and grabbed a string cheese. I haven't had one in about 3-4 days, so it's time :D

I think I am switching to the glass containers instead of the plastic ones. First reason being I shouldn't have so much plastic in the house because it's not too great for the earth once they reach the stage of "this thing's ran its course". Second reason being the glass ware is easier to clean, no stains, and prettier :) I added a little salt, pepper, and squeezed a half lemon on top of the salad for the finish! Viola! Quick, healthy lunch for the day.

Off to work, eh! Ciao for now hehe.

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A Little More About Me :)

My tummy is killing me so I had a late snack.. if you will! Apple Cinnamon Oats (365 W.F.) with a half of a FiberWise light multi-grain english muffin and peppermint tea (Lipton Herbal). I put a scoop of organic peanut butter (365 W.F.) and a splash of Almond Milk on top. Mmmm. Delish. And I think it's working ;)

I have this cute little antique side table with a mirror on it and I swear there couldn't be enough junk on it. I sad my food down, took a pic, and realized just how grose it was. Now you all see :) haha.

I'm glad to be home winding down at this time. Up until about almost 3 months ago I was commuting an hour and a half to work and back everyday. I did that for 3 years. From Revere, from Reading, and from Billerica. Insane! You just get used to not having to drive. Grab your book (or laptop), beats, coffee, and commuter rail pass and that's all you needed. Crowded and loud of people on the phone. Who the hell needs to use the phone at 7am to talk to someone. Come on! So rude. Some people have no self awareness. But anyways... that part of my life is over. I am blessed to have a job that is a mile and a half from my house now. We are an online pc services company and we are actually growing in this crazy economy. I came on as a Technical Recruiter, recruiting for all positions but because of what we do that's my title.

I've been recruiting for about 3 years now and I love what I do. It's such a rush. You have a mission: find the perfect employee via online boards (Monster, Careerbuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, blogs, networking groups like LinkedIn, etc.), interview them via phone then set up a time for the hiring manager to meet them then maybe a second or third interview then present the offer. Getting the deal, closing the deal. Fun fun. In recruiting, everyday is different. You have to be creative in how you find someone because you can't get all of your talent from one place. That's how I became such a networker and social individual. Now I'm hooked on the whole Social Media bit. It kind of gave me the idea for my blogging. What's my mission? To be social, and green. So there we go! :D

I'm always up for the next project, and I like to think of myself as an entrepreneur. Did I spell that right? Haha. I always have some new idea, but I love it because I think a lot of people wish they were as creative as me ;) I'm kidding lol. More than anything I love socializing and finding out what's going on, what's the new "black" in regards to technology, food, fashion, events, etc. Those are the things that excite me and its pretty much a hobby. People like to read books, a lot of bloggers that I am getting to know love to run, love to cook, love to do charity work, love to garden, love to bake. Me... I love a lot of things. I think its part of being an Aquarius as well. I'm glad I "fell" into recruiting because I'd probably be doing something that wouldn't allow me to pay my bills and get the rush that I love so much. I'm kind of an "all over the place" type of person. My boyfriend always says "ugh, what now?" and I just laugh. Well he does too (thank God). My parents get a kick out of me and my crazy ideas.

What do I see myself doing in the future? Creating a brand for myself. I love so many things, why stick to just one idea?? I had a blog during the time that I was doing my unfinished 2 years in college and it was a great experience. I had a lot of followers, but not in the best way. At that state in my life I was a alittle too outspoken and didn't realize it was public, if you catch my drift ;) But I lived and learned... and deleted it. Now I have a sole purpose for this blog and I'm excited to meet new people and get the input of others in my process of branding my healthy green dream!

Hopefully over the next month, instead of sitting around wasting time, I'll begin to build something for myself. Something that I enjoy and can really dive into. I have a few ideas and the next steps are just researching and networking. Networking... um... duh! Haha.

Okay, enough about me... that's all for now!

Ciao- (really, that's the last "ciao" for the night!) xxx- Q

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Father's Day at Macchu Pichu

Yesterday was a lazy day. I did as much laundry as my body allowed. I think my body is getting used to eating healthfully. Also M reminded me to drink extra water because my fiber intake is crazy. I love it... what can I say??! Anyway, his parents love Macchu Pichu, so we went there for his dad's Father's Day treat. Here are some pictures from Macchu Pichu restaurant in Somerville. We are regulars here. No really, like weekly haha. If you're ever in the Boston area, look it up on Yelp and make your way over! Live traditional music on Fridays and Saturdays too!



This dish is called Choros a la Chalaca. It's basically muscles with a "civeche-esque" tasting blend of very tiny minced onion/tomato/cilantro cured in lime juice. AMAZING. If you every try anything, this is it! Like I said, we go and get it as a main dish then leave. When we walk in they go "whatsup, where would you like to sit?" It's great! :)


M's dad wanted me to take this pic of him taking the first muscle down haha. Attention-whore! LOL.

This was my dish. It was a white fish breaded and grilled (think cutlet-style) smothered in onion, cilantro, red pepper, and tomato. I didn't eat the tomato (someone took it from my plate... starchy foods always grab me off the healthy wagon!), but I did eat a little rice. I had this along with a Margarita Traditional. Very very strong, but much needed after a long day of nothingness!

M is always scared of not being full enough (greedy bastard haha), so he got steak over fries and a poached egg with fried plantain. One of the fried plantain was mine (I ordered it as a side with mine becasue I had a craving), so I stole it from his plate ;) You can see the usual Inca Cola in front of him. This is like Coke or Pepsi to Americans. It has about 2lbs of sugar in it but very good, made from corn. Not really 2lbs but ENOUGH haha.

His mom always gets this dish. It's the outer layer of the grilled chicken stuffed with cheese, spinach, and shrimp. There's spinach mashed potatoes in the middle with a tomato and some green beans on the side. Looks yummy huh? I had it my second time at this restaurant but didn't like it. It's a little too rich for me. But very good.

And finally for the Dad of the Day... he had grilled flavored pork with the spinach potatoes and rice with salad. Usually they add lime over the salad which makes it great with everything, especially rice. He had Cusquena Cerveza. It's a traditional Peruvian beer. It's a light beer that's tasty. He's so funny, he said "Q, take a picture!" They're basically used to it now haha.

To put the perfect end to our night, we ordered some traditional cookies.

If I go there and they're all out, I literally CANNOT TAKE IT. I will wait for more. They are light and toasted just right not too crunchy, not too light, filled with a carmel/peanut butter type of cream. Like I said, my life cannot go on without these. I just need to find a recipe and it's a wrap! LOL.

The tummy's grumbling again looking at all of this food. M's having a heart-attack looking over my shoulder. Poor greedy man! Haha.

Ciao friends! xxx- Q

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Am I Still Sick... Really??

I think I'm still a bit sick... :( So sad... I didn't have coffee in the morning like I usually do and as per usual, it bites me in the butt!! Anyways, this is yesterday's recap.

I was still so pumped up from the Green Monster that by 11am I needed something in my tummy so I had C-Boost from Bolthouse Farms (about 10oz.) I usually only buy a bottle a week. When you look at the amount of fruits in these drinks it's truly amazing and great that they're so tasty. I had fresh deli cut turkey and mozzarella cheese on double fiber wheat with light mayo, lettuce, and tomato. This was great but I only had half of it and the second have late in the afternoon.

It was catch of the day at the cafe', but I need to give it a break since I finally went grocery shopping and got some goodies. So I ate at my desk. The day dragged by and I couldn't stop thinking about my massage. Do you know we were in traffic for about 40 minutes and it only takes 20 minutes to get to Burlington from Billerica. What a pain!!

The massage was amazing. It was a full-body massage but she took an extra 1/2 an hour on my neck and shoulders since that's where I keep my tension and stress. I felt so relieved afterward, but when I woke up I thought I was going to die! It's getting better as the day goes on but "arghhhahhehrrr!" Haha.

This morning I started with a green monster.

I had breakfast around 9:30ish. I made scrambled egg whites.

- 2 cups egg whites - 1 cup fresh organic spinach - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - 1/2 tomato - 2 slices mozzarella cheese (deli cut) - 1/2 FiberOne light multi-grain english muffin

I fried the spinach with the olive oil until it cooked well enough then added the chopped tomato and egg whites. Salt and pepper to taste. I usually go crazy on the pepper. Since the deli cut mozzarella sticks if you cut it, I sliced it and put it on the eggs little by little. I'm such a cheese pig! :) LOL. I had this with half a FiberOne multi-grain english muffin.

Since tomorrow is father's day me and M's mom went to the mall and grabbed a juicer for his dad for Father's Day. We've been needing a new coffee maker, so we grabbed one of those with an espesso/cappuccino maker attached. Very cool. I can't wait to make some in the morning. Maybe late coffee tonight?? Hmmm.. :)

In the juicer first we just put in about 6-7 carrots. Then we added 2 apples, a mango, and a banana. It came out great. I'm not a juice fan as much as a "blended" fan. Maybe I need texture? Not sure.

I need to make this headache go away and do some blog and SociallyGreen work.

Ciao Friends!

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In Boston, It's Called "Green Monstah" :)

I woke up early because I was so excited about drinking my Green Monstah. From now on that's what I'll call it or my friends will get mad at me :) haha. It's been forever since I went in Whole Foods and let me tell you... it's overwhelming. It's like heaven. So many things and so little time.


In the "blendah" lol^^^

This drink was really given the right name. It looks like... neverind. Haha. By the way, it's AMAZING. I used a cup of almond milk, a frozen banana, a scoop of Amazing Grass, a scoop of peanut butter, and about a handful of spinach. I didn't even get grossed out. I am pretty excited to start seeing results. So many of you noticed a difference in your skin and in your energy.. we'll seeee!

We have a couple's massage tonight for the second part of his birthday gift. I'm such a good girlfriend :D lol.

It's raining out... again... good ol' New England. But... I will make the most out of my Friday! That's my vow for every day from now on... I promise!

Everyone have a great day!!

Ciao xx- Q

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