Magazine Review: Self August 2010 - Bridget Moynahan

This seems to be the Look Younger issue. Several articles on that topic, such as Look Younger in 28 Days (tips like wear sunscreen, get lots of sleep, etc), 12 Secrets to Staying Young (checklist of BMI, fiber intake, blood pressure, etc), superfoods to eat (such as curry, coffee, pumpkin seed, watermelon, etc. Includes a one week diet plan following a 1600 calorie diet).
My fave parts of the magazine were part of the Beauty section. The 1st is Hair Bliss 101: Style Like a Pro which gives instructions for how to do an updo for curls, curls that last, add volume & do a bouncy blowout. Also shows the individual models after they styled their hair themselves with the pro's tips. The 2nd beauty article was Your Kind of Beautiful, which shows trends for different looks (Natural/Girl, Sexy Date, Casual Chic). The trends for Casual Chic were petal pink lips, neutral nails, gilded eyes & messy updos, which product recs for each. Not really new info but it was still appealing.
Since this is Self magazine, there were a few workouts, including Sweat with Your Pet & an pool workout.
They also had a page with info on acai, since apparently there has been some controversy recently (I don't really follow all those "hot, new superfoods" since they change so frequently), an article titled Are You Having Enough Sex? & some really cute bags & shoes.

I liked this mainly for the beauty articles since the Look Younger part seemed to be all old news & I don't have a pet or a pool.

Food: Things I've been loving recently

When I first started watching my weight I posted about the food I ate frequently that fit in with my diet. (You can see the post here: http://thelifeofamelie.blogspot.com/2010/05/obsession-phase-healthy-food.html ) Well, I've recently found some new loves & thought I should share them with you.




Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers.
BF bought a big box of these at Sam's Club, I tried them & fell in love! They are a great salty fix, filling & are only 10 calories each (each cracker is about 2" big). I eat them quite frequently since I can only eat 4 or 6 & fit that into my daily calorie count easily.



Swiss Miss Fudge Bars
Only 100 calories each but quite a decent size. Guilt-free ice cream


World Catch Salmon Burgers
Another Sam's Club find (makes me wonder what kind of goodies we'd find if we had a Costco membership). Healthy, not too fishy. We like to eat them on the Oroweat Thin Rounds (I posted about them last time) w/spinach, tomato & dill mayo.



Luna Bars
I've been eating these for awhile. I always have one in my bag in case I'm out somewhere & get hungry (I get really shaky & sick when I feel hungry). At around 180 calories, these are nice for a snack when you don't feel like putting much thought into what you want to eat. I usually grab a variety from the boxes at the grocery store. They tend to be $.89-1.00 each. My fave flavor is Chocolate Raspberry.
NOTE: Another really yummy bar is the Clif Mojo trail mix bar in Mountain Mix. Has peanuts, pretzels, almonds, raisins & chocolate chip. It's also only 180 calories.



Mini Babybel Light cheese
At first I hesitated to try these because at $4-5 for 6, they were quite pricy. But then I found them at Sam's for $9 for 24, which is a great deal. These are 50 calories each & kinda taste like mozzerella. Individually wrapped so great to grab & go


Yoplait Greek yogurt
I was eating Chobani greek yogurt w/fruit but found that I preferred my yogurt plain w/a bit of honey. The main reason I chose this one is because it $1 for a 6 oz container at Walmart, which is the cheapest of the available kinds at that store.



Skinny Cow Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
These are delish! 150 calories each


Pepperridge Farm Geneva cookie
This is my go-to cookie. If you only eat one (which is difficult), it's only 40 calories.


Werther's Original hard candy
I have quite a sweet tooth & having a cookie or a piece of chocolate a few times a day (even if only 40 calories each) does add up. Just 1 of these is around 25 calories, which is a bit better

Who What Wear's 10 Fall Trends

Great style: Jessica Alba

Great style: Jennifer Aniston

Magazine Review: Marie Claire August 2010 - Dakota Fanning

I don't usually like seeing young teenagers on magazines for women but I didn't mind seeing Dakota Fanning on this issue. I guess she's never really seemed all that young or immature, which could be the difference.
I will start by talking about the Articles in this issue, since they were a little more interesting. In Love/Sex they talked about mistresses for hire & how men like tans lines (which sucks because I find them horribly tacky & can't tan. I'm pretty sure I've come across actual tan-line porn. Um. Yeah. lol). In the Bulletin they tal about the rise of asexuals (more popular among women than men). 1 Girl, 2 Guys & a Baby is about a women having & raising a child w/her 2 gay BFFs. The Big Bang is about how to pump up your sex life using various aids. There is also an article about honor killings in America & how they usually don't get much press since they often fall under the category of domestic abuse-type situations.
For Fashion, I 1st want to say that I'm not super fond of the individual pieces layout in the 101 Ideas section. They way its set up makes it kinda difficult to see the (usually super expensive) items. This issue's Designer Dossier is on Fendi, & the Big Girl, Skinny World feature is on accessories. Towards the back of the issue they also have a photo shoot with head-to-toe designer looks, summing up that designers look of the season (Fendi, Valentino, Michael Kors, etc).
In Beauty, they have a blurb about what they are calling Grunge 2.0 (which I'm kinda excited about - for unknown reasons), Beauty Snoop is on Christina Hendricks. They also have a section on makeup to complement your haircolor & a page saying how having sex can make you more attractive. Duh. lol

Overall, this issue was kind of boring. Skip it.

Food: Black Bean Soup

This recipe is insanely easy & still really good.

1 T. olive oil
1 cup of salsa
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 can of refried black beans
15 oz of chicken broth
Sour cream, optional

In a saucepan, heat the oil & add the salsa. Cook until hot, stirring frequently. Then add the rest of the ingredients, using a wooden spoons to break up & mix in the refried beans. When its hot & fairly smooth, it's done!