Tried It Tuesday!

It's the night before school starts back for teacher work day <insert small scream here> and this face:

I know once all my little lovelies get to school, I'll feel like this:

I do miss them over the summer :) And I know most of them are excited to come back to school! I love having many of my students for three years! It's fun to watch them grow and get to know their families over the years! I'm excited to have them back. It's just hard to go back. I know you know what I mean, teachers!

So anywho, here are some new finds from this past week!

Food

Has anyone noticed how I always start with food? Well, I did! And I do love some good food!

BBQ Sauce

Bjorn and I like to try new BBQ sauces. We don't eat a lot of it, but in the summer, it's fun to try new flavors. It kills my acid reflux if I eat to much of it! We recently tried Guy Fieri's Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. He has different flavors available, but we tried the Bourbon Brown Sugar flavor. There were only three available at our Kroger. This sauce is delicious! It has a sweet, but not too sweet taste from the molasses and brown sugar and then an awesome, subtle bite from the bourbon! To me, this is the perfect BBQ sauce for me and Bjorn! We always debate over sweet, spicy, and the bite it has, but we both love this one!

Cookies

I came across these delicious cookies by chance while picking up dinner for Bjorn and I last week. Fresh Market boxes some of their thin baked, fresh and natural cookies and sells them in the cookie aisle of their store. They are all natural, and they even have gluten free flavors! I ended up buying the Irresistibly Good Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were seriously that good! One cookie only has 50 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 4 grams of sugar. I decided I don't feel too badly about eating one of them! They have flavors like The Chipless Wonder, Ginger, and Peanut butter among others. 

Cucumber Soup

You know how you have a favorite recipe and you just forget about it for awhile? Then you make it and think, Why did I ever stop making this? Bjorn and I used to make this refreshing cucumber soup all the time in the summer (and winter too--it's that good!). It's cold, creamy, fresh, and delicious! Sometimes when we want a light dinner, we'll eat this soup with crudites or crudites with meats and cheeses. So yummy!

Here's a link to the recipe. 

Have fun with your soup!

# Sometimes we do not add jalapeno. Sometimes we'll only add 1/2-1 jalapeno.

# Instead of basil, you can add dill. 

# Don't forget the lime! It really brightens the flavor!

# We don't always seed the cucumbers :) And we leave the skin on. Just blend very well!

# We usually do NOT put scallions. I like it better without.

Music

Bjorn recently saw the movie Guardians of the Galaxy with one of his friends. Alicea, I am so happy our husbands have each other to go with, so we don't have to! Next time, we should do something with your little ones while they go to a movie ;)  Bjorn told me that I had to listen to the soundtrack because I would love it! I have to tell you, it is sooo good! It is such a great mix of awesome 70s and 80s hits. I was singing along to the whole thing! Here's a track list to the soundtrack:

Disc: 1
1. Hooked On a Feeling (Blue Swede)
2. Go All the Way (Raspberries)
3. Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum)
4. Moonage Daydream (David Bowie)
5. Fooled Around and Fell in Love (Elvin Bishop)
6. I'm Not in Love (10cc)
7. I Want You Back (Jackson 5)
8. Come and Get Your Love (Redbone)
9. Cherry Bomb (The Runaways)
10. Escape (The Piña Colada Song) (Rupert Holmes)
11. O-O-H Child (The Five Stairsteps)
12. Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell)

Source

TV Show

I love the show Impractical Jokers. Does anyone else watch? It is sooo funny! The show stars 4 high school friends who try to get each other to do crazy things in front of other people who don't know that they're filming a comedy show. Here's a clip from the show. It's on TruTV Thursday nights. It cracks me up!


Just to let you know before you watch this: the bride and groom are in on this, but none of their wedding guests are until after the speech. They have no idea who this guy is. 

I also really love Motor City Masters, where contestants compete to be the best car designer for GM. They compete in challenges individually and as teams (designing and updating cars in challenges) each week to win, and someone gets voted off each week. It's such a cool tv show! And I love this judge's, Jean Jenning's, style! You can watch it on TruTV as well. 

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Ah, a woman after my own heart :)

Have you tried anything new this week?

Lots of love <3 Holly

Tried It Tuesday :)

Why, hello there! It's Tuesday, and time for another Tried It Tuesday! So here are some of my fun finds from the past week! Hope you enjoy!!

Food

Miso Instant Soup Packets

I picked these up when Bjorn wasn't feeling too well, and tried the leftover packet one morning with my breakfast last week. It was delicious and so easy! Just heat up some water and stir in the mix with the tofu and veggies! I found mine at Fresh Market.

Frozen Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas

Chocolate covered bananas are one of my all-time favorite snacks/treats! I found these at Kroger in the frozen section yesterday and had to try them! They are soooo good!! They also have them available with almonds too. The plain dark chocolate bananas are 100 calories per pack, and one satisfies my sweet tooth! Love these!

Redd's Strawberry Ale

Bjorn and I wanted something different to drink this past weekend. He picked up a Shandy. I picked this up. Rachael and I taste-tested it for everyone, and it is delicious! It's not too sweet, and it has great strawberry and apple flavors :)

Thrifted Instagram Find

I bought this dress from Katie @thriftyourheartoutshop on Instagram. I love her Vlogs (Thriftyourheartout). I scored this thrifted dress for $11.25! I seriously love it!

Book

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I just started Legend on Sunday, and man, am I hooked!! The story alternates between two different characters and their points of view. Day is wanted by the government, and June grew up as a privileged member of society. It takes place in a dystopian society that was once the western United States. This new Republic is constantly at war with its neighbors and is covering up secrets from its citizens. It's action packed and full of suspense! I'm hooked!

Movie

My 5th graders study a huge historical fiction unit on civil rights, and this movie made think of all the books they've been reading and the stories they've been writing! I picked it up at Target last week, and I can't wait to watch it! It's about an unlikely friendship that's born out of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

TV Show

I am loving the TV show Fast N' Loud. It's about these guys who buy and rebuild hot rods. I seriously love this show!! The guy's shop (notice how I don't know their names) is called Gas Monkey Garage. I just find it so interesting and funny!! It airs on Discovery Channel Mondays @ 9.

Songs

I love Ray LaMontagne. I love this cover. It's amazing. Please sell this cover on iTunes. Thank you much!

"Crazy" (CeeLo Green cover)

Ray LaMontagne

Old School: I totally refound my Brain McKnight CDs. I'm loving this one!

"6, 8, 10"

John Legend is amazing. There is nothing more to say.

I put this CD back on my phone and play it on repeat.

"All of Me"

That's all for this week's Tried It Tuesday!! 

What have you tried this past week?

Leave a comment below!

Love and happiness <3 Holly

How To Be Happy #1: Music and Dancing

Have you ever had "one of those days" and just needed a pick me up? A lot of those days, I find myself turning to my favorite music to give me an energy boost or an emotional outlet for what I'm feeling. I really feel connected to artists, their music, and their lyrics. It is a great outlet for me and my anxiety. It always has been. Take today, for example. I was feeling quite "off" and tired after taking a nap this afternoon. I needed a "pick-me-up," so I put on an up-beat song that I love (Casey Abrams "Simple Life") and had a short little jam-out fest on the couch.

Throughout my life, I have always been a dancer. I've danced since I was two years old. Dancing has always been a way for me to put my emotions and my anxiety out on the table in an honest, yet safe way. I could leave my emotions out on the floor, feel what the music made me feel, spend all my energy out there, and I didn't have to tell anyone why I was so emotional during my dance. Why could I leave everything out on the stage? That's who dancers are. I truly did feel the dance and the music, but it was what was behind the music that really gave me that push to dance with so much feeling and emotion.

When you're dancing, you're telling a story, speaking with your body. You want your audience to feel what you're feeling, to understand what you're saying, to hang on your every movement. You become a good storyteller. You learn to become vulnerable emotionally. It's funny that I could always be this way through dance, but not in real face-to-face life all the time. It's so much harder for me. Dancing is my comfort zone. Maybe because I can become someone else when I dance and just tell people a story. It doesn't necessarily have to be my story. I just use what I know to pull from when I dance. 

Dance has always been a HUGE outlet for me. It still is in different ways. I don't dance as extensively as I used to. I don't really do ballet anymore, expect some barre work I do at home every now and then. I Zumba. I salsa. I hustle. I just started to waltz. I hip hop. I dance while I cook.

But the other huge part of my emotional release that goes along with dancing is music. I remember sitting in my room as a teenager and listening to all kinds of different music. Even when I was little. I would record songs off the radio and make mix tapes. I would put different music on, depending on how I felt at the time. I was really into Broadway music when I was younger. I just loved the stories, the rawness, of human lives, of the stories the Broadway shows told. My favorite was always Miss Saigon.

To this day, music and dancing are still a huge part of my life. Listening to good music on the way to work can put me in a good mood for the day. When I'm sad, listening to songs that touch my heart and soul really help me to work through my emotions. At school, my students and I listen to all kinds of music while they work, depending on their mood that day.

Jazz Hands

Without dance and music, I don't know where I'd be because they both are a huge part of my life. They keep be centered and balanced. They help me keep in touch with my emotions. They keep me sane. 

Working out (dancing) helps to keep my anxiety at bay. Belting out a great tune in the car can get my mind off of my OCD loop. 

One of my strategies for lowering my anxiety is to close my eyes while listening to a song and choreograph a dance to that song in my head. In that moment, I am not thinking about anything about the feel of the music, the words in the music, and myself dancing in my head. It really works. It takes my mind off whatever is, at the time, plaguing my anxiety.

I'd like to share with you some songs that I love to listen to in different situations. No matter how I'm feeling, listening to music makes me happy.

If I'm having a low key day and am just feeling like I need to release some sadness or anxiety or I am tired from dealing with anxiety, I tend to play low-key music. Quiet, calming muisc, sometimes with deep lyrics. Contemplating music. Here are a few I've been listening too lately:

Contemplating Music:

Birdy, "Winter Hymnal"

R.E.M, "Daysleeper"

Rufus Wainwright, "Poses"

Suzie McNeil, "Broken and Beautiful"

Amos Lee, "Arms of a Woman"

Harry Connick Jr., "Hear Me in the Harmony"

If I need a boost of energy, I play some high energy, uplifting, upbeat or happy music. Sometimes it's not uplifting either. It can be angry music that just makes me feel ready to tackle the day too! Here are a few I've been listening too lately:

Upbeat Music

V V Brown, "Shark in the Water"

Beyonce, "Countdown"

Sara Bareilles, "Brave"

ZZ Ward, "Til the Casket Drops"

Paul Simon, "You Can Call Me Al"

Do you have any songs that you've been listening to lately that either help give you energy or help you work through your emotions? If so, leave a comment below! I <3 comments!!

Love and happiness <3 Holly

Tried It Tuesday

Howdy-Ho, Everybody!

This week's Tried It Tuesday is all about FOOD!! Plus two lovely music finds that I am absolutely loving this week!

Don't you just love trying new things? I sure do! It makes me happy!!

Food

In case you missed my post about my recent trip to the awesome and amazing international market that is Jungle Jim's, you can read about it here. I picked up some great new finds. I talked about most of them in that post, but I did save three of them for this one :) Here they are! 

Sodas

Whenever we go to Jungle Jim's, Bjorn and I pick up Moxie for him (eew!), and I try a new flavored soda. This time I picked up two different flavors by the same brand:

I absolutely loved the pumpkin pie soda. It tasted exactly like a delicious, Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, but light and refreshing at the same time! It wasn't too sweet either. The blueberry was good too, but wasn't my favorite. I would definitely drink the pumpkin pie soda again!

To find out more about these organically sweetened sodas, click here.



Vanilla Powder

I drink decaffeinated  coffee in order to try to limit the number of headaches that I have per month. I usually buy plain decaf coffee (I've been obsessed with Starbucks Blonde Roast), and doctor it up in the machine before it brews with a little cinnamon and cardamon. I learned that trick from my mother-in-law. It's delish! At Jungle Jim's, I found this awesome vanilla powder to try as well to add to my plain decaf coffee before brewing.

I love adding vanilla powder to my coffee at Starbucks when I order one. But this one is even better. Vanilla and bourbon together?!?! Nuf said!

(P.S. There is no alcohol in this product!)

Click here to visit the website for Nielson Massey fine vanillas.

This bottle was a little pricey. It was $9.99 for 2.5 ounces. It is, however, made with good quality vanilla.

Beer

Seriously, this is absolutely my new favorite beer! It tastes like ripe, juicy cherries mixed with a crisp and smooth, caramel beer. I love this! I am going to find out where else they sell it besides Jungle Jim's. If I find someplace, I will link it below! By the way, I love the name too!

I haven't found a place yet! I'll keep looking for another place that carries this beer!

Giada de Laurentiis Pasta Sauce

I always walk by Giada's products at Target, and just never think to buy them. I happened to stop and look at her pasta sauce last week and thought this one looked amazing. Bjorn and I love artichokes, so I thought I'd pick this one up. It was soooo good! It is a little sweet from the roasted carrots and onions in the sauce, and it has chunks of delicious artichokes in it too. They are so tender and meaty. I made a meat sauce out of sweet Italian sausage and mushrooms, added the sauce with a little water (this sauce is very thick), and then tossed it with Rigatoni and Parmesan cheese. It was a winner!

Blueberry Yogurt

Bjorn and I also recently tried Homemade Brand Ice Cream's Blueberry Greek Frozen Yogurt. It wasn't as creamy as I thought it would be. It's a little hard to scoop out of the box, but the taste makes up for that. It tastes like fresh blueberries. I don't know if it's my favorite frozen yogurt, but it was pretty good. It is especially good the way we ate it. I melted a little lemon curd on top of the yogurt and crunched up a few Trefoil Girl Scout cookies on top. Wowy-wow! Such a good dessert!

Must have been a rough day!

Celery Salad

Bjorn's mom makes this great celery salad. I thought I'd try to replicate it the other night (I was craving it!), so I went for it! I chopped up about six stalks of celery and threw them in a bowl, juiced one lemon on top, added about one Tablespoon of olive oil, added salt and pepper, stirred it up, and grated about one Tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on top. Talk about an easy and delicious side! The next night, I made a double batch for dinner and lunch the next day!

Pork Jerky

I am not a big fan of beef jerky. My husband, however, loves the stuff! When I was at Fresh Market last week, I saw this interesting jerky flavor and picked it up for Bjorn, but I ended up liking it too! It has a really great smoky cherry flavor that I love. It tastes like you're eating a really great BBQ pork loin, minus the loin :) I got this bag for $4.99 at Fresh Market.

Source

Music

I have been obsessed with the next band and musician for the past week! You should definitely check them out! I can't get their music out of my head!!

JohnnySwim

I heard about Johnnyswim on the TV show Live From Daryl's House. (That show in itself is amazing. You should check it out. It features Daryl Hall from Hall and Oates. He invites his friends who are musicians over to his house to hang out, play music, and cook, among other things.) One of the bands featured recently was Johnnyswim. They are a husband and wife duo. Their story about meeting each other is so sweet. They are adorable together. Their music really hits me in the heart. It is full of passion and feeling. They are amazing talents. I love them (can you tell?). Here is a peek at one of their songs:

Aloe Blacc

I LOVE Aloe Blacc. He is like no other. His music is fabulous. His videos are fabulous. I am amazed by his talent. He wrote the lyrics to Avicii's "Wake Me Up" and sings on the track. Here is the song "The Man" from his latest album. 

Have you tried anything new this week?

Thanks for stopping by!

Love and happiness <3 Holly