Postive Thinking

it's something I'm definitely not good at...but it definitely goes a long way. I guess you could say I have a bit of Chicken Little syndrome..when things are going wrong I like to bundle it all together and pretend like the sky is falling. While I'm not a total negative nelly, I do find that when I dwell on the bad, it makes everything seem like it's this terrible dead end street.

So, these past couple weeks I've tried to take a new approach because it's become quite the drag to start off the day hating my drive to work, hating what I have to do that day, hating the chores at home that await me and the endless list of errands there always seem to be. My new little spin on positivity started with a yoga class a couple weeks ago. I've been practicing yoga for the past 2-3 years..typically 2-3 times a week. At the end of the class, we sit and place our hands at our heart center. Our teacher always says something before we wrap up the class with a big Namaste. She said something to the effect of instead of saying or thinking the negative things,  force yourself to spin it in a more positive light and see how it opens your heart to positivity.

The next morning  I sat in traffic swearing at the fact that I was going to be late, thinking about the tons of cases I had on that day, including a nightmare sex offender and gripped my steering wheel in frustration. Instead of thinking my usual....this day is going to SUCK big time...I put my positive spin on it...I said to myself as I white knuckle gripped the wheel...

Today will be a productive day
Today I will help out kids who are in trouble with the law
I will be busy and want to rip my hair out, but I will feel accomplished and proud when it is over.

yup..this might sound super cheesy and you might roll your eyes, but I've continued to do this everyday during my morning commute. It's amazing how my white knuckles on the steering wheel have eased up, how I haven't absolutely dreaded going to work and walking over to court everyday just by changing my mindset. It has really amazed me how these little positive affirmations on my drive into work direct me into a different mindset for the day. I've also noticed that my normal truck driver vocabulary seems to be less littered with the F bomb when I start my day off right...another little perk!

So..challenge yourself..the next time you start the reel of negative thoughts that start off with one little thing..like I'm having a bad hair day and inevitably turn into I hate my clothes, my make up came out like crap today and so on....try to instead focus on what's good vs. what's bad.

A great little site my sister turned me onto is www.dailyom.com
When life started to throw us a couple curveballs these past few months, my sister sent me one of the inspirational quotes from this site. If you sign up, every day you receive an email with a positive inspirational thought. My latest


"Your very own inner wisdom should be valued more than any other and will always guide you in the direction you need to travel."

So, in a world where so much is wrong, the economy sucks, everyone is losing their jobs and terrible things happen everyday...rise above and take control. Think POSITIVE...it really does go a long way!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I can't believe it's only Wednesday. This is going down as one of the longest weeks in quite some time. Yesterday I tricked myself into thinking that it was Thursday and thought..thank god tomorrow is Friday...boy was I wrong! But..since it's Wednesday..that means it's time for What I'm Loving Wednesday with http://www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com/.

Things I'm loving this Wednesday....

Mrs. Mays freeze dried fruit snacks. I grabbed these at Bj's Wholesale Club. I like that it's a snack that doesn't require refrigeration..so that means they're in my work bag or desk drawer and also that there's one ingredient..apples!

 I'm also loving Bliss Soapy Suds...this was one of my sister's favorite things for our annual Christmas tradition this year. Last night was one of those nights where I just needed a long hot bath...I used these Bliss Soapy Suds not knowing what to expect since it was a body wash/bubble bath...but they provided bubbles that lasted and smelled so good!

I'm also loving my new Alex and Ani ring. I went to a special Alex and Ani party that Jen from A Girl in Pearls hosted a couple weeks ago! Alex and Ani are known for their bracelets..which I have about 30 of...but I loved this ring as well! I'm a fan of chunky jewelry and like having this in the mix!

But, of course I couldn't just buy a ring..a couple new bracelets were in order as well!

Hope your week is flying by and don't forget to check in at What I'm Loving Wednesday blog hop at www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com!

Crack Brownies

I saw this recipe on a blog and tucked it away in my Recipes to Try folder on my computer. How could I not with a name like Crack Brownies! This past weekend we were headed to a friend's house to see some remodeling they did and I wanted to bring along a little something...and I remembered the crack brownie recipe! I thought I could try it out since there would probably be a ton of picky foods...so if they weren't that good..I didn't necessarily have to take ownership of them!

But, these did not disappoint they are a pretty damn good brownie..nice and fudgy with a secret ingredient to bring out the chocolate...Maldon Salt Flakes. It was funny to see people eat them..you could see them kind of look at the top wondering what was on them, take a bite, give a nod of approval and then ask...is it salt, or what am I eating?

So, overall I give the Crack Brownies a big huge thumbs up! Usually I bake and then it's operation get this stuff out of the house. However, 4 crack brownies are saved in a safe place for an evening snack for myself and the Mr.

So I pass on....Crack Brownies....

Here's the batter ready to go in the oven...one hint with brownies..go the extra mile and line your brownie pan with foil, let the edges hang over, and then grease the foil with crisco. You'll never have the fight of scraping a knife along the edges, or the edges come out and the middle is stuck there..makes for super easy clean pans and it's a cinch to get them out!

the secret ingredient..yeah it's salt flakes that cost me $8 but I rationalize that you can probably make 100 batches of crack brownies with one box.

 Fresh out of the oven

a little treat for my coworkers...

Crack Brownies
from www. theawl.com (here's the link)

1.5 sticks of butter
2 oz of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup of flour
2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup (heaping) of cocoa powder
3 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp Maldon salt flakes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan melt the butter and chocolate together. Allow it to slightly cool.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, add eggs and vanilla and then the cooled butter and chocolate mix.

Take 1 teaspoon (mine was a heaping tsp) and evenly sprinkle the salt flakes on top of the brownies. Just make sure it's nice and even.

Bake for 35 minutes. Cool and cut into 16 brownies.

Just can't drink like I used to...

my sister and I were talking about the toll that drinking takes on us now that we're in our 30's. Last Saturday night kicked our butts...it took me a whole 24 hours to recover..the sister needed 48 hours.

My sister recounted her Sunday night as follows...I'm not sure why I find this rendition of her night so funny..but from the way I was feeling on Sunday...I can TOTALLY relate...

"I put on sunglasses and got in my car. I went to the Taco Bell drive thru because I was looking too rough to get out of the car and not feeling McDonalds. I ordered a bunch of crap. I went home, scarfed it down, watched the Oscars and went to bed. I woke up the next morning, weighed myself and gained 6 lbs"

Yup...we're not invincible and 22 anymore..but looking at the big picture, I'd much rather be 33 with little tolerance than rewind back to my 20's!

In honor of Davy Jones...

since I only knew him from the Brady Bumch...

Oscar Fashion!

I watched mainly for the red carpet fashions...and I was rooting for the ladies of The Help and George Clooney because I really really loved the movie The Descendants.

Here were my misses of the evening....

Melissa McCarthy...a lot of fashion blogs are crazy over how great she looked...this reminded me of a grandmother of the bride dress..I'm not a fan of the rouching around her chest..I think the flowy sleeves also make her look wider than she is..

I think she should have taken a couple notes from Octavia Spencer's stylist...although she might not be toothpick thin like Angelina Jolie..she looked fabulous playing to her strengths and accentuating the right areas

I'm a huge fan of J-Lo's but didn't love this dress..everyone else went for this old Hollywood glamour and I thought she stuck out a little with the plunging necklace. I also feel like she wears her hair like this to every award show.

I didn't love Meryl Streep either...it just seemed like a lot of gold material..

.

especially when there was one other golden girl on the red carpet to compare to Meryl...and she hit it out of the park...Here's Stacy Keibler..talk about a good looking couple!

Other favorites....

RI's own Viola Davis...loved the color and loved how she showed off those killer arms and shoulders!

Michelle Williams...another standout...love the color, the style and the texture...

Emma Stone..I loved this look!

I also loved Gwenyth Paltrow's simple look in white...

While most will probably put Angelina Jolie on the best dressed list...I wasn't a fan...this girl needs to eat a meal or two...I think she's just too skinny...it's nice to rock a high slit like that but I'm all set seeing her bony leg.

My other miss of the evening...Billy Crystal...I think his ship has sailed with hosting the Oscars...I just didn't find him to be that funny or entertaining and thought there were more awkward pauses than laughs!

Pork and Carrot Curry

I'm not really a huge curry fan...not that I hate it, but it's not something I really go out of my way to make or eat either. I'm also a habitual new recipe maker. My poor husband probably wishes I made more repeat recipes of the things we really really enjoy instead of being my constant kitchen guinea pig. The poor guy eats anything...doesn't matter how big of a kitchen disaster it is. This simple thing encourages me to try a million different things.

So, on one experimental feeling weekend, I was flipping through the latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine (http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/) and saw this recipe for a Pork and Carrot Curry. I had most of the ingredients on hand and gave a shot.

This recipe surprised me...it was really good. I thought the top ingredient would be curry powder, but the recipe uses different spices to make the flavor. I served it over brown rice and it might make it into the category of a repeat recipe in the Allan household. It was pretty easy to make, didn't take all that long, and we both liked it!

My poor beat up issue of Clean Eating..this bad boy has so many food smears on it..one thing I'm not is a tidy cook. The picture featured on the cover is the Pork and Carrot Curry

The Pork and Carrot Curry. Don't let my picture fool you into thinking it's not good. I take most of my blog pictures with my handy cell phone. I also realize I'm not the best photographer...usually my phone shadow is included in that picture and the recess lighting in my kitchen doesn't help! So, just trust me...it was pretty good!

Pork and Carrot Curry
(from Clean Eating Magazine)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
3 T minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
1 t paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1/2 t ground turmeric
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 T olive oil 
1 yellow onion, halved and cut into thin wedges
1 can diced tomatoes, in their juices
10 oz. small fingerling potatoes, halved in length
3 carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut into diagonal 1/4-inch thick slices
2 T coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions
1. In a medium bowl mix together the Greek yogurt and all the spices. Add the pork and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature until you are ready to cook it, otherwise cover and marinade until you want to cook the pork or overnight if desired.

2. In a medium saute pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil on low. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute. Then cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the pork and marinade to pan. Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots, plus 1/2 cup water.

4. Increase heat to medium, cover and simmer until pork is cooked through and the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender (~15-18 minutes).

5. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with cilantro

I served this over brown rice. I didn't think ahead enough to marinade the pork overnight. I mixed the marinade and the pork sat in it as I prepared the veggies and other ingredients. I also went a little heavy on the carrots..maybe used 4 or 5.

Enjoy!