rockstar and a pyrotechnician

today i will accept rockstar status. let me back up to explain. my husband is a pyrotechnician...umm ok make sense now. so my husband shoots firework shows. he works for a firework company and aside from being a captain and environmental scientist, he is also licensed as a pyrotechnician. yep most random man you will know {especially when he sings his responses to me, that gets real random. i digress.} so when he is gone shooting firework shows, i am hanging out by myself and left to my own devices. this recent time i attempted to tackle something that has been beating me for a while...homemade bread. hence the rockstar status. while they didn't all turn out pretty, both the blueberry cinnamon rolls and mini monkey bread were phenomenal. therefore as aforementioned, today i accept rockstar status and am married to a pyrotechnician. rockstar + pyrotechnician=match made in heaven. k now back to earth.

beach trip via instagram

yes friends, those coffee filters have been reestablished as party hats! many restaurant birthday celebrations happened!

instagram

q&a friday

i'm back friends. the weather was rough but we made it through! pics to come soon!
now back to the q&a friday questions...

weight loss supplements. 

are there any that are healthy? are they safe? 

and here's the report... the issue with weight loss supplements is that they are not subjected to the same rigorous standards/procedures prescription drugs are subjected to. the food & drug administration {fda} does not have to do tests for these supplements. this means there is no standard body making sure these products are effective or that they even contain what they say they contain...and that's where the problem lies. we are unsure of the short-term and long-term effects and the research just isn't there to determine if they work. so basically anyone can put out a supplement out and state it's "magic" and while they may be showing research, remember they are selling a product and can skew it the way they see fit. however when supplements/weight loss pills are put on the market, the fda does monitor it's safety and can recall/ban something if necessary. so far, the only weight loss supplement {actually an over the counter medicine} that has been approved by the fda is alli, yet there have been records of liver damage and unpleasant side effects. 

here is a link to a mayo clinic article, they took a few supplements and wrote a small description regarding  the action and safety of each

mayo clinic

and here is the fda link for future questions and as a source

fda

basically, as not fun as this is to say, there is no quick fix for sustained weight loss. it will take a balance of smaller portion healthier meals plus exercise to achieve a healthy weight loss. and while it's not easy, it is achievable! 

q&a friday

alright and here we go...first question was about quinoa {pronounced keen-wah}:
quinoa, one of my favorite new foods, looks similar to cous cous yet is in the leafy family {related to spinach}. however, to get even crazier quinoa is a complete protein. that's right friends, so if you are vegetarian or just looking for some meatless options {cause lets just face it, meat can get expensive} quinoa is a great alternative because it has all the amino acids amounts necessary in a serving size. while most of you may say, "that does not substitute for a meat" {husband, i am reading your mind right now}, nutritionally it does! it is also a good source of fiber as well. double whammy! now quinoa actually cooks similar to rice in that you 1. put it in water, 2. bring it to a boil, 3. and cover it to simmer and cook the water out {you can actually cook it in a rice cooker as well}. it will quickly produce this gorgeous red or cream colored {depending on the color you get} circular grain look-a-like at a 1:3 ratio. this means that 1 cup uncooked makes 3 cups. another great thing is that it is neutral in taste so you can make it sweet or savory...you decide. oh and btw it's gluten-free so if you are needing to follow a gluten-free diet, this is another option. so quinoa...go check it out!

via

here are some great recipe sources:

• quinoa corporation
• whole living
• all recipes 

another question i had was regarding some healthy snack options. great question, as i get this often! now the biggest thing with healthy snacks is that they need to be convenient cause let's just be honest, we often choose processed snacks because they are just that. so when you get home from the grocery store or the night before you have to bring your lunch, make your snacks convenient. cut them up, portion them out, package them...whatever you do, make them easy to grab&go. now some healthy snack options include:

• popcorn {not the "movie theatre extra butter kind," but the smart pop or light kind}
• yogurt {light&low sugar}
• peanut butter & apples
• hummus & whole-grain pita
• carrots/celery & low-fat ranch
• trail mix {make your own-add lightly salted nuts, dried fruit, and m&ms} 
• low-fat cheese and apples
• fresh fruit & a light yogurt fruit dip
• cottage cheese & fruit
• homemade peanut butter crackers {whole grain crackers with pb}
• homemade smoothie {light yogurt, frozen fruit, & some oj}
• ants on a log {celery with pb and raisins}

via

the possibilities are endless! 

questions, comments, concerns...let me know! and keep those nutrition questions coming...until next friday!

an "official" weekend

this weekend was crazy busy and filled with fun, friends, and always food! it started with some of the most exciting news from within these past 6 years {well besides my engagement and wedding, but you get the picture}...i am officially a registered dietitian! yes you heard that right folks, i am official! after long hours and continuos classes {as well as that whole year of free labor} i have passed the test and can now officially tell you healthy ways to eat. whew! so after this exhausting test and exciting news, it was only proper that i sleep...for the rest of thursday. so that was kind of a blur. then on friday we celebrated the birth of a dear friend and enjoyed a little saints action! 

saturday, an event called "one for the orphan" where other people {pssh not me} ran a 5k and one man biked for 24 hours! thats correct....24 hours sans break for charity to support orphans in africa. 

i helped a friend in selling the stupendous products of a ministry called sak saum. 

you must check it out! i mean just look at this purse! perfection.

click the picture to order this purse. not your liking? there are so many other cute things on the site. you won't be disappointed! 

following, a continuation of my friend's birth celebration {we are serious about our birthdays around here} with a trip and all day event in lafayette. complete with shopping, food, and card game playing.

twas a good weekend and an amazing celebration for the end of an era...ahhh RD, thats me! and now for a job...

pop's bday

yesterday was my dad's 60th birthday...thats right the big 60! the big surprise for this monumental birthday was a visit from my brother, his wife, and the first granbebe {they live in virginia} last week. so for his actual birthday, we celebrated low key and enjoyed some quality time and a few other items:

a spice cake complete with cream cheese frosting and pecan topping

i kept telling everyone i bought it to see what they would say. no one believed me. maybe it was the lack luster frosting job. but then they tasted it, and said then they would have believed i bought it. thank you betty for your mixes ;)

rhyming notes. a birthday tradition in our house is to have birthday signs that rhyme and contain the age we are turning. my dad has been making these signs since we were young and even though we don't live at the house anymore, he still continues them via text. whew thanks for technology! yes this rhyme=not the best, but you try sixty! not easy!

older people gifts: my dad's friend gave him a bunch of random gifts. o yea chia pet, large calculator, and even an oversized universal remote were just a few of them. lucky guy! 

then we participated in a little more tradition, not necessarily tradition that occurs ever year on his birthday but nonetheless occurring annually. we watched the all star baseball game and enjoyed tots, fries, and hot dogs. while this doesn't fall into the most nutritious category, sometimes you just gotta let go and enjoy the game!

there ya have it. low key and traditional. very much like my dad

there is grandbebe l when he was here for the visit...he's wearing a shirt that reads happy birthday pop pop

sites of new orleans: intern style continued

in honor of graduation today i wanted to continue the sites of new orleans post and scream i will miss you girls!

usual jumping pic

the recovery pic is always the best!

street car ride

complete with a jam to justin beiber

a ferry ride

check out that skyline

and eating...of course

 it's been so swell girlies! you will all be fabulous in your career!

im so not great with change...slight waterworks

the sites of new orleans: intern style

so since graduation is tomorrow...hold up, tomorrow? ahhh! 

k anyways yes since graduation is tomorrow, us interns wanted to spend as much time together doing the things we were too busy to do during school. therefore came a bucket list day. first on the list...eat!

and our first stop was this gorgeous bakery

looking for a bakery? who isn't? ok specifically need a bakery in new orleans? look no further...

i wish i could say i was big timing enough that they paid me to advertise but unfortunately {for me, but fortunately for them} they didn't. their food was so to die for i took it upon myself to scream it from the rooftops. no seriously...

i suggest the chocolate almond croissant...delish!

to be continued...

two weeks ago

yo peeps, remember that little anniversary that happened recently...well is it bad that im just now writing about it?

we went out to eat at a cute little seafood place

our table was lit by candlelight

i wore this

we ate with forks that looked like fish

and we dined with friends that look like this

best 1-year eva! thanks r & b for joining!

my outfit= jeans: forever 21, shirts: borrowed, belt: forever 21

a day in the life of...

so i find that im always intrigued by typical people's lives. are you? why are we? I mean many people lead similar lives to ours but i know for me if anyone posts about their day, im always dying to know the whats, whos, wheres, and whys. maybe it's because it gives me a closer bond to the writer behind the blog or maybe it's just cause i'm nosy ;) but whatever the case, i've decided these will be common {yet not overdone} occurrences on my blog: a picture report of my day. so here is is a day in the life of an intern on a field trip....pretty specific huh? :)

since my fieldtrip was close to my hubby's work i just rode in with him

because i was a little early after dropping him off at work i stopped by starbucks to grab a coffee and do my usual morning blog hopping! good ole skinny hazelnut latte'

 so today was kind of unusual though because i had a field trip to the bittersweet dairy manufacturer...and the other interns and i got to taste ahhh maze ing non-processed non-artificial flavored yogurts and cheeses

delish!

for you local louisianians, they sell this yogurt at whole foods...it's yummy!

then my class took a trip to a nursing home to learn charting techniques in long-term care while we enjoyed our sample ice cream from the dairy!

after the fieldtrip was over i picked my man up from his long day

and he asked to go to bass pro...i obliged :)

what the heck is a zoom baby brush hog anyway?!?!

if it were up to hubs our living room would look like this. camo=not my favorite

we then got home, ran to hobby lobby and michaels and stayed up making invitations for our friends' honey do shower he is helping host...eeekkkk they are getting married soon!

the reveal of these invitations will be coming soon!

so there was my day....not quite glamorous but such fun! 

*all images were taken using instagram

hard week at work

so what do 3 dietetic interns treat themselves to after a hard week at work

our motto: "it's all about portions" and super cute bakeries on the side of the road :)