You Like That! Redskins Roundup

Posted on November 14, 2015 by

Redskins[Note: This blog was supposed to be posted a few weeks ago by another source. It was never posted, so I wanted to share it somewhere. It’s a little out of date, but if you haven’t been following the Redskins, this will be a good way to catch you up to speed a bit. Thanks!]

It’s hard to believe we are just about half way through the regular season Luckily for the Redskins, they’re BYE week is next Sunday and they can take a minute to regroup and potentially readjust before the second half of the season kicks off with a tough matchup in New England against the golden boy himself, Tom Brady. If you remember from our last Redskins Roundup, the Redskins were 1-2 heading into a big game against NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. Here’s the rundown of what’s happened for the Skins over the past four weeks:

  • Week Four: ( W ) Kirk Cousins threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon with 26 seconds left to give the Redskins a 23-20 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
  • Week Five: ( L ) This was a painful loss. Only because we could have one this game. Robert Alford (Falcons cornerback) returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown, lifting the undefeated Atlanta Falcons to a 25-19 win over the Redskins in overtime.
  • Week Six: ( L ) If you saw the first half of this game, I’m sorry. It was sloppy all around. In the end, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, as the Jets beat up our Redskins 34-20.
  • Week Seven: ( W ): In the last seconds of the game, the Redskins beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (lead by well-known QB Jameis Winston) 31-30. This was great. What was even better? This little gem we saw post-game:

After the BYE, we’ll have nine regular season games left, four of which will be hosted at home at FedEx Field. Four of which are also NFC East matchups. Do I think we’ll win four game? Yes. Do I think we’ll win more than four games to surpass last year’s record? Yes. More than five? Ok, that’s pushing it. As we all know, even if the other NFC East teams are terrible, they always come to play when it’s part of an age-old rivalry. Here’s to hoping that Gruden, Cousins and the other leaders of the Redskins locker room can rally the troops over the next week while making strategic, smart modifications in order to close out the 2015 season strong.

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Books for Fall Reading

Posted on September 8, 2015 by

I don’t know if the back-to-school season got to me or I realized I was too attached to all of my iThings, but I decide to take another stab at my goal of reading [at least] one book every month. I forgot how much I enjoy reading. Personally, I love how it allows me to slip away from reality for a brief period of time. It’s been a way for me to de-stress and unwind while having something to look forward to. It’s also been a great way to pass the time with all of my traveling for work. Here are the books I’ve read so far:

The KnockoffAugust: The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza
This book is amazing. I was so sad when it ended. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a sequel. If you liked The Devil Wears Prada and any of Jennifer Weiner or Candace Bushnell’s books, you need to pick this up ASAP. Light, fun read. You’ll breeze through this in no time flat.


Mindy KalingSeptember: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
Is it bad to repeat myself? This book is also amazing. Are you wondering how/why I’m writing about my September book so early? It’s because I’m 82% done this book and will probably finish it off tonight. That’s how good it is. Easy to read, funny and you get a bit of behind-the-scenes scoop from The Office. Bonus: her new book, Why Not Me?, comes out September 15!

Some other books on my list this year:

I am by no means a book worm, so I’m sure my list of books may not include the newest and most recent best sellers. Have recommendations? Let me know your favorite books or books you’re looking forward to in the comments below.

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Peach and Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cake

Posted on August 3, 2015 by

One of the many things I love about summer is all of the fresh fruit that becomes available. What’s even better is all of the desserts I’m able to make using the fruit! Most recently I made a peach and blueberry greek yogurt cake and it did not disappoint. The only thing I would have done differently is added more fruit!

Cake1

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 stick butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 peaches, sliced into wedges
  • 6 oz blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Grease the side and the bottom of the pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom of a 9×3-inch springform pan (or 9 inch round cake pan) with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper too.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, together into a medium bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat butter, sugar, and 2 eggs until very light in color and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on high speed. Add vanilla and Greek yogurt and continue beating until very creamy and light in color, for about 1 more minute.
  4. Keeping the mixer speed low, mix in the flour mix until combined. Do not overmix.
  5. Transfer the cake batter to the springform pan. Top with sliced peaches, and scatter blueberries evenly on top in the spaces between the peach slices. Sprinkle the fruit with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar.
  6. Bake until cake turns golden, and the tester comes out clean in the center, about 35-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Midway through baking, I like to put some extra peach slices and extra blueberries on top of the cake for prettiness, and return cake to baking.
  7. When the cake is done baking, let it cool (still in the baking pan) on a wire rack. After cake has cooled for about 40 minutes, release the cake from the springform pan. At this point, if the cake is cool enough, you can slide your hand under the cake, between the parchment paper and the bottom portion of the springform pan and move the cake with the parchment paper attached to its bottom onto a cake plate easily.
  8. If using a 9 inch round cake pan, cook in pan for about 40 minutes or more (up to 1 hour, depending on your oven), then invert onto a plate.
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8 Things You Didn’t Know About Zucchinis

Posted on June 17, 2015 by

zucchini

Today is ‘National Eat Your Vegetables Day’ (bet you didn’t know that). In honor of this special day, I want to talk about one my favorite veggies that’s currently in season: zucchinis. Here are eight things you may not know about zucchinis, including health benefits.

  1. Zucchinis are a vegetable, yes, but botanically speaking, zucchinis a fruit, being the swollen ovary of the zucchini You can actually eat the blossom.
  2. You can use zucchinis as a substitute for noodles aka ‘zoodles.’ (I’ll be sharing a few zoodle recipes in the upcoming months)
  3. They’re versatile – you can eat them raw, make them into zoodles, or bake them. Here’s a great recipe.
  4. Great for your heart! Zucchini contains good amounts of potassium that helps reduce blood pressure. The magnesium within helps keep blood pressure at a normal rate and your heart rate steady. Studies have also show that the levels of folate in zucchinis help breaks down amino acids like homocysteine that cause heart attacks and strokes.
  5. These veggies are full of Vitamin A which is great for eye health.
  6. Speaking of the Vitamin A within a zucchini…it’s an antioxidant that’s promotes healthy skin and hair!
  7. Since zucchinis are high in water content, they’re low in calories. One medium raw zucchini provides 33 calories, 2.37 grams of proteins and 6.1 gram of carbohydrates.
  8. Eating zucchini boosts the body’s uptake of the mineral manganese, which plays a role in the development of healthy bone tissue.
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A Trip to Paris

Posted on June 15, 2015 by

Paris France

I was lucky enough to be able to spend four days in Paris last September, but I could have used at least another four days to explore what the City of Lights truly has to offer. If you have only a few days to explore Paris, here are some of my recommendations for places to go and things to see. 1. Visit the Eiffel Tower – It’s iconic and truly amazing in person. If you’re a history buff, take the tour. Make sure you check it out at night, it lights up with sparkles every hour on the hour.

2. Walk around the Luxembourg Gardens. Peaceful, beautiful and a great place when you need a few minutes to rest from running around the city.

Luxembourg Gardens

3. Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral – The architecture, the history – it’s all breathtaking. Be prepared to wait in line and be surrounded by tourists. It’s worth all of the annoyances.

Notre Dame

4. Walk around Montmartre – With so much personality, this village is great to spend an afternoon in. We got lost walking around (which ended up being the best thing), but eventually made our way to the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur. Another beautiful church, but it’s another view of the entire city that is truly amazing (and photo worthy).

Basilica of Sacre-Coeur

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Earth Day Favorites

Posted on April 22, 2015 by

Earth Day is here once again, but this year it’s different for me. Maybe because I’m a little bit older (which pains me to say) or maybe because I’m a little more educated thanks to numerous campaigns and initiatives around the world. Either way, I’m truly understanding how important taking care of our Earth is – and I want to do as much as I can to help make this a better place for me and my children, whenever I have them (no, Mom I’m not pregnant). In honor of Earth Day I wanted to share some of my favorite products, websites and people who have made it a priority to preserve the Earth whether it be the land, the air, or, my personal favorite, the ocean. I hope these inspire you or at least keep you entertained for fifteen minutes. I’d love to hear from you: what are some of your favorite initiatives, blogs, products, spokespeople who are dedicated to taking care of the environment?

Surfrider Foundation
Dedicated to protecting and enhancing our oceans and beaches.

Dr. Sylvia Earle If you don’t know about Sylvia, you’re missing out. Such an inspiration. Support her cause here. Watch her documentary Mission Blue:

Method Their founders ‘set out to change the world by creating beautiful cleaning products that are as kind to the planet as they are tough on dirt.’

New Belgium Brewing I feel confident saying this is Dan’s favorite since he’s a HUGE fan of their Fat Tire beer. Among its environmentally-friendly practices: they monitor and records all of their energy use, waste production and emissions and recycles, reuses or composts more than 75% of the waste produced in manufacturing.

Ok, your turn: share some of your favorites in the comments below!

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The Space Rap

Posted on December 29, 2014 by

My co-worker and his friends started a company called Little Scrubs whose goal is to inspire kids to be creative through music, art and healthy living! Such a great idea and I’ve been sharing their work with family, friends and teachers all around the DC Metro area.

Check out their newest video below called The Space Rap – “Out Here in Outer Space.”

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