NEW: Fancy Feast® Broths For Our Feline Friends

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I have two of the cutest cats ever (yes, that's a fact). They're absolutely adorable and always make me happier, so I want to make sure I'm doing what I can to keep them happy, too! 

Luna and Tinker (the aforementioned cutest cats ever) love fish, so I was excited to get to try the new Fancy Feast® broths as part of this sponsored post program. 

I believe in eating natural and delicious food myself, so of course I want the same for my precious furry friends! The new Fancy Feast® broths, available in grocery stores since June, have no by-products or fillers - it's just real seafood and veggies, so I can be happy about feeding it to my cats!



They were equally excited to eat it. Within moments of pouring the product out of the simple single-serve pouches into their food dishes, both cats were sniffing at their respective bowls. They wouldn't be distracted from their meals until every bit of broth was slurped up and every bit of fish and vegetable was gone.

 My mom commented on the shrimp in the Classic Broth (with tuna, shrimp, and whitefish in a silky broth). I think she was a little jealous. Shhhh.

There are 8 varieties of broth (five classic and 3 creamy), but they're all natural and healthy! 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Fancy Feast®.

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(How To) Have an Awesome Vacation with Your Boyfriend - Toddlers & Tiaras Style

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In honor of the 4th of July, here's a vacation post!

Vacations are tons of fun! Boyfriends are tons of fun!

(Well, they should be. Or consider the single thing.)

Toddlers & Tiaras are tons of fun (to laugh at)!

Why not combine it all and have a how-to guide for vacations with boyfriends, courtesy of the tots of Toddlers & Tiaras?

Half of them probably already have lots of experience (and that's a conservative guess).

1) Figure out a planning style.

My boyfriend is really not into planning, but luckily I LOOOOVE it.

Like I would almost rather plan a vacation than go on one...



So it works out perfectly for us! If you both enjoy planning equally, however, or if you both don't enjoy planning, figure out some sort of division of labor that's acceptable to everyone. As is the general rule in relationships, communication is key. Don't make assumptions and you won't develop resentments.

Also, be sure to have open communication about vacation budgets.

If one of you wants to spend as little as possible (and get back to work as soon as possible) and the other wants a full week of luxury, off of work, it's important that you discuss that upfront and agree on something that works for both of you.

2) Be very clear about vacation finances.

Generally, I think an even 50/50 split is good. That's what I do and I've found that keeping a google document of expenses along the way, then summing everything up, dividing by two, and seeing if anyone owes the other anything, is really handy. That way you don't have to deal with the potential awkwardness of having to go clear halfsies on every single meal and snack.

Clear communication about going 50/50 also avoids this happening every time the check comes when you go out.

So...are you going to get that?

The best part is that you can update the google doc from your phone, so it's simple to just keep two columns with X paid this much for this and Y paid that much for that.

3) Determine priorities for the vacation.

If one of you wants to tan by the beach and have a nice lazy vacay while the other really wants an active adventure vacation, it's important that you figure that out early and come to a conclusion.

The first step to finding a happy compromise and satisfying everyone's vacation desires is to know what they are. And I don't know about you, but I'm not a mind-reader.

(If you are a mind-reader and can teach me the tools of the trade, please give me a call at 555-4321. It would be so helpful at job interviews and in life in general).

4) Allow for a little personal space, especially if you're going on a long vacation for the first time.

I went to Disney World for 8 days with my boyfriend after only officially and exclusively dating for 3 months (and casually for 7). When it's still so new, you don't really know how living with a person for an extended time will be.

Though you might get along really well when you're only seeing each other a few hours a week, snark can happen when you're with each other 24/7, without breaks, away from the comforts of home, and with potential travel snafus cropping up.

A little alone time, or at least the possibility of it, can keep the snark in check.

5) Don't get too self-obsessed.

Remember that you're dating him, not yourself, and while self-love is important and you definitely need to pay heed to your desires, it's also important to remember that you're not the only one that's supposed to have an awesome time on this vacation. It's not always about I want what I want how I want what I want when I want it.

• 

That said, it is your vacation too and so it's important that there really is a true balance. Don't be persuaded into spending your whole vacation doing things that you don't want to do.

That's all guys! I hope the tips help. And if not, laughter (courtesy of the pint-sized beauty queens) is always good.

Have you ever taken a trip with a SO?

How did you approach planning the trip?

What is your top tip for a vacation with a SO?

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National Milk Chocolate Day Giveaway

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Hand up if you love chocolate! Did all of you raise your hands? I certainly hope so, because not loving chocolate must certainly be some sort of extreme abnormality...

Kidding, you're still cool if you don't love chocolate.

But for all of those who do love chocolate, how do you feel about healthy chocolate? Chocolate that you can feel extra good about eating, chocolate that will power you through your day, your workout, your extreme-cleaning-before-someone-comes-over frenzy? 

That's what I thought.

In honor of National Milk Chocolate Day on July 24th - because that's definitely a day that needs to exist - and because you're all awesome, and because I haven't don't a giveaway in a while, here's a chocolicious giveaway!

One USA-based reader will win not one, but two (!), boxes of delicious Balance Bar chocolate protein bars, one in Chocolate Crave and one in Double Chocolate Brownie flavor!

The bars boast Balance Bar's usual balanced nutrition, with an optimal ratio of protein to carbs to fats for sustained energy and satiety.

That, and they're delicious!

You have two weeks to enter to win and can come back and enter/share daily, to increase your odds of winning. You know, if you really want some free chocolate! Good luck, everyone!  

Two Boxes of Balance Bars (1 Chocolate Crave & 1 Double Chocolate Brownie)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yum, yum, chocolate protein bars :)

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Healthy Cooking for the Single Girl

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It applies to those of us in long distance relationships every bit as much as those who are single - cooking for one, especially healthy cooking for one, can be quite a feat.

When you contemplate all the dirty dishes, the grocery shopping, the chopping, the preparation time, and the fact that you're probably only saving pennies on the meal, if that, it can be really tempting to just throw in the towel and call it a Seamless night every night.

But guess what happens then?

The Seamless delivery guy starts inquiring into your personal life. You get personal fortune cookie notes saying things like, "tomorrow, you will order the California Roll - am running out of avocado for the Avocado Roll" and "Don't tip with crinkly bills because the vending machine won't take them." And when you're finally not living like a single girl anymore, you'll realize you've lost all your mad Martha Stewart skills and regressed to soggy ramen and burnt toast.

A good goal is to aim to cook at least three or four meals at home per week. How much you end up doing, whether it's a little below that or way above that, depends on your lifestyle, budget, and what works for you.

But three or four meals a week, even if they aren't all elaborate seven-course stunners (let's be honest - elaborate three course stunners is already a huge stretch) are enough to keep you in the habit.

There are a few tricks that make cooking for one easier.

Buy ingredients you just need a tiny bit for from the salad bar. Dying to try a cool new recipe with a million ingredients, each of which is only about a tablespoonful when scaled back to a single portion? Instead of buying the ingredients in the grocery store, and ending up either having to make that recipe a million times to use everything up, or having to toss it all out because it goes bad before you finish it, shop the salad bar!

You can easily get a little bit of diced tomato or diced onion for your stew there in exactly the amount that you need.

Try dishes that have easy spinoffs. I went to boarding school and college after, so I've had plenty of time to pick up the sly tricks of the cafeteria workers - remember how there was meatloaf for dinner on Tuesday and Shepard's pie on Wednesday that tasted suspiciously like the meatloaf with an extra layer of mashed potatoes?

That sly trickery can serve you well. If you're making pasta with tomato sauce one night, make a little extra and you have the pizza sauce for your next dinner's personal pan pizza! It's a huge time saver, as long as you can do a little planning.

Look for longer shelf-life alternatives to the ingredients you need. Swapping out super perishable ingredients for less perishable alternatives, like frozen vegetables for fresh in a stew (flash-frozen veggies maintain most of the nutrient content) can save you a lot of money and headache. Some swaps can even make your food healthier!



My favorite less-perishable, healthy swap is using chia seeds instead of eggs!

Just like eggs, chia seeds are a powerful binding ingredient for cakes, loaves, baked oatmeal, etc. - but you can keep a bag of chia seeds in the pantry for way longer than you can keep eggs in the fridge. The powerful little seeds also pack a lot of fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, making them a great addition to your diet!

Not burnt (I swear) just that chocolatey - I got a special type of baking cocoa and used 100% baking chocolate squares

I like to use them in microwave cakes (hey, hey, hey healthy chocolate) and favor Nutiva black chia seeds (and white chia seeds, for vanilla microwave cakes or thick smoothies!) for consistently high quality and great bags that keep the powerful seeds fresh even longer.



What are your favorite single portion recipes? Links are welcome!

Do you have any single portion cooking tips?

How often do you eat out per week? And are you happy with it or working on changing your patterns?

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Green Yums Review: Bringing The Farm To The City

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I've been living in NYC for almost two months now and all-in-all, I love it.

I love big cities and small towns. I love convenience and constant access. I love writing, fashion,   crunchy-granola vegetarian food, and acting. Guess where the most auditions are outside of LA (and the only audition-heavy place with a great public transit system)?

It's not a surprise that I chose NYC for my first post-grad home!

There are just a few things I don't love: mobs when I'm trying to walk around, slow walkers, the high costs of EVERYTHING, aaaaaaand - crappy produce options.

Honestly, if I'm paying $3 for a frickin' apple, I expect it to be crisp, sweet, manna-like perfection. That's not asking too much, is it?

And if I'm paying $5.99 for a bag of spinach (with a whopping two servings in it) I expect it to be crisp and green and, well, not wilted and 90% of the way to decomposed.

Zeytuna, Gristedes, Jubilee Market, and all the other grocery stores around here seem to disagree, however. High price, low quality - UM what? There has to be a better option.

^The better option

I decided to give a produce delivery service a spin, because:

(a) it's convenient
(b) it's not actually more expensive than getting groceries from the store, given exorbitant city prices
(c) the quality can really only go up, right?



Spoiler: I'm glad that I did. I ordered from Green Yums and would definitely recommend them to all city-dwellers facing similar produce deserts, because they're not only as convenient as can be, but the value is also so much better than shopping for produce at the grocery store.

Delivery is easy. They packed the produce in a cooler box that held them fresh from their delivery at around 10am until I got home from work (and then my weekly five hour on camera acting class) at around 11:30pm. Impressive!



It's a great way to try new things. Like dandelion greens!



I would never have chosen a bunch of these weed-looking greens for myself (they seem like something I would have fed my pet guinea pig, Diddle, back in the day) but I'm glad that I got the chance to!



They made for a really different, but delicious, green smoothie. Just add extra honey/fruit/sugar/agave nectar, because dandelion greens are more bitter than spinach or even kale!



I also got to try this funky looking leaves:



I'm still not sure what they are, but they're great sauteed in walnut oil with a little grated parmesan or vegan parmesan on top.



Limes, cantaloupe, pears, zucchini, corn on the cob, and nectarines rounded out the list of things I don't normally buy. But my staples, apples, bananas, and cucumbers were also represented!



It was a really great haul that had me inspired to get back into the kitchen - quite a feat after how uninspired I'd been feeling later. It's hard to get excited about wilted spinach from Zeytuna!



The value is far superior to city-priced produce. You don't actually pay more, but every piece of produce was totally crisp, high quality, and even organic! Everything tasted great and nourishing and was visually appealing.



It was a much needed change!

Where do you live - in a city, a suburb, a town...?

Where do you buy your produce most often?

Have you tried a produce delivery service?

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Recipe: Mocha Green Smoothie

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While this definitely hasn't been the hottest summer in history (thank all things good) it's still July in New York City and that means heat and humidity. 

Until September brings blessed 70 and 60 degree weather to the city, I know I'm not the only one constantly in search of some way to cool off. 

I've been enjoying a lot of yummy Red Mango froyo creations to help me cool off.

Red Mango is definitely my favorite place for froyo and there's one just two or three blocks from where I live.

When I'm looking for something a little healthier, though, smoothies are a great choice. Green smoothies are my favorite kind of smoothie and this one is refreshing, sweet, and simple. Yum!

Mocha Green Smoothie

Serves One

* 1.5 c. spinach

* 1 frozen banana

* 1/2 tsp. vanilla (don't use imitation - the real stuff makes a real difference)

* 1 tsp. instant coffee (I used Folgers)

* 1 c. coconut water (I used Zico)

* 1/2 tsp. NuNaturals Chocolate Syrup

Combine all ingredients in your blender (I love my Ninja - thanks, Mom and Dad!) and blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

I used NuNaturals chocolate syrup in this smoothie and it gave it just a hint of delightful chocolate - it would have been more if I used more, but I wanted just a hint this time. 

It's a new product and really cool, because it's the consistency of traditional chocolate syrup. 

 

Chocolate syrup without the sugar spike and crash, that is!

Since it isn't a liquid or powder, it's really versatile and great not just for using as an ingredient or a sweetener, but also as a topping for ice cream, an unexpected addition to a peanut butter sandwich, or a yogurt topping! 

The options are pretty wide-reaching, I'm looking forward to experimenting more. After all, you know my sweet tooth.

Would you rather be too hot or too cold? Assuming just right isn't an option.

What is your least favorite month of the year?

How are you staying cool this summer?

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Virtual Vacation: Honolulu Must-Do's

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In an ideal world, we would all go on vacation for one week out of every month. We would travel to different beautiful locations of our choice to take in the sites, have some relaxing mornings watching the sun rise quietly, and enjoying the best company, food, and experiences.

However, that's also the world where taxes pay you, writing whatever you feel like all day is financially  productive, and you get paid to go shopping on Fifth Avenue.

Yeah.

So in the long gaps between taking your last vacation and earning your next vacation, it's fun to build dream vacations in the clouds...

Buckle your seat belts and disregard your safety pamphlets, because it's time for lift off - to Honolulu!

When to go:

Clearly there will be lots of mixed opinions on this one. Frankly, there's probably no wrong time to go Hawaii. But since you asked (fiiiiiine, you didn't, but we'll pretend since this is my blog) here's my opinion.

September.

Before you give me flack for picking one of those anticlimactic filler months, here's my (very solid) reasoning:

 - Summer is too pricey. Fact.
 - Christmas is nicer with a pine tree and snow.
 - Spring break in Hawaii will be super packed in.
 - August is bound to still be a little pricey with the last delinquents summer break stragglers who aren't back-to-school-yet.


So September it is! It's still warm and perfect for chillin' on the beach, it's not too long to wait for your 'summer' vacation, it's much more affordable than a month or two earlier, and it doesn't detract from your enjoyment of Christmas!

For the flight:

A fun, funny travel companion, some snacks (it's a long flight, especially from the east coast), and a laptop with some DVDs. Hopefully your flight will have you covered on the entertainment and sustenance fronts, but it never hurts to be prepared.

You want to start your trip on a good note!

Where to stay:

According to TripAdvisor, you should stay at the Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk. By all means, do!

If you're Daddy Warbucks.

Rooms go for over $550 a night, however, and that's on the budget travel sites. For those of us with more grounded budgets, or who prefer our castles in the sky to be at least mildly realistic, try the Hilton Waikiki Beach.

It's still a quite nice hotel with very positive traveler reviews (2,100 reviews average out to 4 out of 5 thumbs up) and it's four stars with an internationally trusted brand. Best of all, it's beachfront and it's clean!

The few complaints mostly seem to come down to it not having particularly much character. But when it comes down to it, you're in Hawaii for Hawaii, not to spend all day in your room! Get character out on the beach!

What to try: 

I personally think you can't go to Hawaii without trying surfing or SUP (stand up paddle boarding). I would want to try both!

Don't let the puppy show you up

You'll also want to try your hand at a round of hula dancing, even if it requires the cover of the night and some liquid courage. Vacation is about having fun and doing things you don't do every day!

What to eat:

Shave ice. If you've learned anything from President Obama's double-term, let it be that there are few less iconic Hawaiian foods than shave ice. Our favorite political celebrity is beloved fodder of tabloids and I think we've all seen some photo or another of the Obama family enjoying shave ice on a Hawaiian vacation.

Source: Nalu Island

And, heck, you're practically halfway to Asia - have it with some sweet azuki beans!

To bring back:

Pass on the half-naked hula dancer bobby head dolls and the lame t-shirts. Choose something you'll actually use, whether it's an artisan serving platter in the local style or a grass skirt if you're someone who likes to dance around your room in the evening with props.

That way, you'll get to relive your vacation!

Don't forget:

Hawaii is far away! There's a six hour time difference from the east coast, so be sure to factor the possibility of jet lag in when making plans for your first day or two of vacation!

Trying something crazy, like surfing epic waves when you've never even been able to get a boogie board going, is torture when you're tired and grouchy.

It should be fun!

Have you ever been to Hawaii?

How often do you go on vacation?

What's the next place you want to go on vacation to?

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How To Navigate A NYC Sample Sale

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The La Perla sample sale a few weeks ago was my very first NYC sample sale ever - what fun!

Now that I've survived my first sample sale, here are some tips!

Get there early.

The warehouses have a fill capacity and the bouncers (I'm not kidding) at the door strictly enforce these safety rules. There will be lines and the earlier you get there, the more likely that you'll be able to get in at a reasonable time and before everything has been completely picked over.

If you can't drag yourself out of bed at 6am on your day off, you'll have a pretty epic line to deal with. That brings me to tip two.

Bring  a book.

Or schedule a catch-up call with your old college roomie. Find some way to entertain yourself, because sample sales almost always mean waiting in lines.

Know the policies.

Some sales are cash only, some are cards only, some accept everything. Know what the deal is before you go, so that you have what you need! It would be such a bummer to spend a few hours in line and shopping, only to get to the checkout and not be able to get what you want.

Sample sales don't allow you to reserve things, even just to run home and get a different form of payment.

Go on either the first or the last day (or both, if you're that committed). 

The first day has the best stuff (lots of sample sales don't restock wares), but sometimes the last day has additional markdowns and you can get the same exact thing for way cheaper. The risk with that plan is that what you want might be gone!

Still, if there's something you would have bought on the first day, but it was still just too expensive to be worth it, it can be worth a shot to come back later in the work. It might still be around and, if so, might be at a price that you can go for!

Check for damages.

Some of the stuff is just overstocked stuff and completely fine and unworn, but a lot of the clothes at sample sales are, as the name suggests, samples.

Some have rips, some are missing buttons, some have defective zippers, some have sSharpie marks, some have glue splotches - make sure you inspect each garment carefully, so that you don't end up buying something that has damages that you're not okay with.

Be sure about your purchase.

It's easy to get swept up in the shopping frenzy, but these two words should be an adequate deterrent: No. Returns.

That said, there's a difference between taking enough time and taking your time.

Don't dally.

Grab whatever looks good to you and take your pile to your corner to sit down on the floor and look it over - seriously, that's what people do. If you take your time thinking about something on the rack, someone else may literally snatch it off the rack under your nose.

'I'm looking at this' isn't an adequate excuse, it's either in your hands or you have no claim to it.

Be nice.

Why? Because a woman's true colors come out and a sample sale and a lot of New Yorkers' true colors are not pretty. Maybe they're mean because they're cleansing or their heels are too high.



Either way, there are a lot of plain old unpleasant ladies at sample sales. Being nice may not help you get an Alice & Olivia embellished A-line dress for 70% off, but karma's a b*tch and a pretty dress is not worth being a jerk for.

Beware of the pervs.

This is probably more the case at lingerie sample sales, but I have definitely seen men who show up (sometimes with buddies!), aren't actually shopping, and are just checking out the women who are changing in public (because yeah, most sample sales are in warehouses without changing rooms).

It's hard to try on a bra without showing all, but be aware that when you're standing in the shop naked, there may be someone looking and/or taking iPhone photos.

Ew.

Have fun!

There are definitely pros and cons to sample sales, but overall I think they're really fun! You can strategize as much as you please, but ultimately it's important to not take them too seriously.

Sure, you can get some sicknastyawesome deals on couture, but it's also your day/time off from work and you should have fun with it! Fashion is about expression and self-expression should be fun!

Have you been to a sample sale?

Do you enjoy/think you would enjoy them?

What's the best deal you've gotten recently?

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