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Feb 04, 2019
Fun Ways to Celebrate Galentines!
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and whether you’re single or happily taken, you...
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Fun Ways to Celebrate Galentines!
Feb 04, 2019
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and whether you’re single or happily taken, you can always have an amazing time celebrating with your friends. That’s why we’re channeling our inner #girlboss Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation this Galentine’s Day. If you can’t decide between gathering your girlfriends for a Galentine’s Day party or embarking on an epic road trip, here are 15 ideas for how to spend it with your squad.
1. Karaoke Party: What better way to start off your Galentine’s Day shindig than by belting out a few tunes with your favorite ladies? Yep, we didn’t think we’d have to tell you twice. (Photo via Brit + Co)
2. Nail Decorating Party: Pamper yourself this holiday with a nail design party. Pass a bottle of their favorite polish and this free printable out to your gals as they arrive. (via Studio DIY)
3. Galentine’s Day Bake-off: BFFs stand together even when they’re single or happily taken. Host a delicious bake-off with your gals to see who can get the most creative in the kitchen. (via Studio DIY)
4. Means Girls Movie Night: Prepare for a cozy night in with your ladies by catching up on one of the most classic flicks. Set the tone for the night with a DIY burn book vase that doubles as a hilarious take-home treat. (via Aww Sam)
5. Puppy-Love Play Date: Galentine’s Day isn’t just for humans. Invite your BFFs and their furry friends over for a puppy-love playdate. If you want to keep things a bit more relaxed, host a movie night and ask your friends to bring their dog beds too. (Photo via Brit + Co)
6. Beach Day Galentine: If you live on the coast, host your Galentine’s Day gathering at the beach. Make sure you bring your favorite beach bag, a pair of sunglasses, and perhaps some bubbly — duh! (Photo via Brit + Co)
7. Road Trip With Your Gals: You don’t have to spend the holiday inside. If you’re not near the beach, you can take a day trip instead. Some ideas include visiting a ski lodge, going for a hike, or exploring that small town you’ve been meaning to hit. (Photo via Getty)
8. Wine Tasting Soiree: You and your girls love your wine (the proof is in your Instagram feeds!), so use the day as an excuse to host your very own rosé tasting party. (Photo via Brit + Co)
9. Host a Cooking Party: If you’re the known chef in your group, spend the day hosting a cooking party. You can show off your culinary skills and teach your friends a new recipe. (Photo via Brit + Co)
10. Play in the Snow: An adventurous way to get outdoors and spend time with your ladies is to take advantage of the snow. Go skiing or snowboarding, or build a snow(wo)man. (Photo via Brit + Co)
11. Pool Party: If you live in a warmer climate (or have a heated pool), throw a fun G-Day pool party complete with all of the essentials like vino, floaties, and sunhats. (Photo via Brit + Co)
12. Parks & Rec Marathon: The best way to celebrate Galentine’s Day is by honoring the creator, Leslie Knope, with a Parks and Rec marathon viewing party. Ask your ladies to supply the booze, and you can serve up the snacks and the show. (Photo via Getty)
13. DIY Party With Planters: Get a jump on spring decor with an easy DIY planter party. With a few basic steps, you and your girls can create living wall decor to decorate your space for February and even all the way through the summer months. (via Brit + Co)
14. The Bachelor Marathon: Calling all Bachelor nation gals! Love is in the air on this ABC reality show. Catch up on past episodes by hosting a marathon viewing party for your favorite rose ceremony show. (Photo via Brit + Co)
15. Outdoor Movie + Dinner: Your ladies deserve a get-together that’s sure to give each gal the much-needed fun she deserves. Host an outdoor movie and dinner for your ladies. Step up your party with favors, swag bags, and a night of unlimited drinks. (Photo via Brit + Co)
Check out the original article here: https://www.brit.co/ways-to-celebrate-galentines-day-with-friends/
Jan 03, 2019
New Year, New You!
How to Eat Healthy in College Eat breakfast, even if you wake up at...
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New Year, New You!
Jan 03, 2019
How to Eat Healthy in College
Eat breakfast, even if you wake up at lunchtime. Even if you wake up at noon, begin every day with a healthy breakfast that includes a high fiber starch (or fruit) and lean protein or healthy fat.
Not only will it help to help rev your metabolism, stabilize your blood sugar, control your hunger, and boost your energy, but studies have shown (over and over) that students who eat a healthy breakfast do better in their classes. Even if you don’t have time to have a “sit down” breakfast, keep healthy items in your dorm room for on-the-go breakfasts. For example:
- Oatmeal packets
- Individual containers of milk (you can even get individual containers of almond milk!)
- Natural peanut butter (also try individual packets of nut butters)
- Fruit (grab a piece from the dining hall to save as a snack later)
- Healthy hot cereal cups such as Earnest Eats (you can always find some hot water!)
- Greek yogurt
- Individual hummus containers
- Individual portions of cheese such as cheese sticks
- Hardboiled eggs (can buy pre-cooked or hard boil a big batch in your dorm’s kitchen at once)
- Individual chia seed packs
- Nuts (such as raw cashews, almonds and walnuts)
- For makeshift breakfast ideas, try:
-
- Hard boiled eggs, cheese stick and a piece of fruit
- Oatmeal, packet of nut butter
- Apple, piece of cheese
- Yogurt, nuts and chia seeds
Navigate the dining hall with healthy finesse. On your way or before you go to the dining hall, think of a “meal game plan”. Are you headed to the salad bar or the sandwich line? Are going for the hot entree or the soup station? Whichever you choose, prep yourself before you walk in and stick to the game plan. Treat this like you are prepping to write a paper or studying for your chemistry test. It’s just as important and definitely more fun! Some tips for whichever way you go:
- Take the grilled chicken (or burger or veggie burger) off of its bun, and place it on top of vegetables from the salad bar to make a grilled chicken salad.
- Add extra vegetables like beets or roasted peppers from the salad bar to an open faced turkey sandwich or wrap to “beef” it up and make more filling without loading up on more cals.
- If the hot “main” appears uber loaded with some buttery sauce, then skip it, grab the hot veggies only and add lean protein from the sandwich station to your plate.
- Pour cereal in a small coffee cup instead of those family sized bowls and couple it with protein. It’s hard to judge how much to pour when cereal is served in huge self-serve dispensers. This will help. Better yet, go for hot cereal like oatmeal which is a better choice than most of the cold cereals in those dispensers.
- Always choose seltzer instead of sodas and juices from the drink dispensers. Those sugary drinks are loaded with calories, which are commonly underestimated. Plus, when free refills are available, one easily turns into two or three, which can easily add an extra 300 sugary calories to your day.
- Don’t hang in the dining hall. Use it to eat. Lingering can cause you to eat more than you need just because you are there. Move the social gathering to another spot.
- Don’t forget to look around and assess what is really available. Often there are many options that are baked, broiled, steamed, roasted, or grilled. This will make it easier to avoid foods that are fried, sautéed, breaded, crispy, creamed, batter-dipped, or buttered.
Make sure you take exercise 101. When you plan your semester and know your schedule, plug in where and when you will exercise, just as if it were a class you couldn’t miss. That’s right, treat physical activity in your schedule with the same importance as your classes, study sessions, group meetings, social events, and other important appointments.
Whether you go to the gym, walk to class, join an intramural sports team, or take a fitness class for credit, daily exercise can improve your mood, help relieve stress and anxiety, increase your energy, promote better sleep, and help you maintain your weight.
Keep your caffeine in check. While 1-2 cups of coffee per day are fine, don’t depend on soda, coffee or energy drinks as a substitute for sleep. This can actually backfire and cause insomnia, disrupt concentration, and cause restlessness and anxiety!
Instead, try to get adequate sleep (8 hours a night), and take mental breaks while studying to refresh yourself. A good, consistent exercise regimen and consuming nutrient dense snacks throughout the day will help keep your energy up too.
If you’re rolling your eyes, then listen to this. Research shows the less sleep you get, the more weight you gain. Yep, the freshman 15 we always blame on late night pizza and beer could actually have a little something to do with college students’ crazy sleep habits, too!
Never leave home without healthy snacks. Keep healthy snacks on hand to avoid going to the vending machines. You need snacks to fuel your brain and stabilize your blood sugar.
Set yourself up for success by stocking your ‘pantry’ and make sure there is always a healthful and non perishable snack in your bag. Ask loved ones to send you healthy care packages and write down the snacks you’d like to receive. They’ll love to do it. Promise. Some examples of non perishables that you can keep in your dorm room (in addition to the breakfast items above) are:
- Trail mix (ask mom to pull together your favorite nuts, shredded coconut, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries, and then portion into ¼ cup containers
- No sugar added dried fruit and dehydrated vegetables
- High fiber crackers
- Seaweed snacks
- Popcorn (invest in an air-popper – even easier than having a microwave and much healthier!)
- Bars (go for nut based bars such as Kind)
- Tea (chamomile, green and mint)
- Beef, tuna or salmon healthy jerky (you can find grass fed beef and wild salmon)
I hope you have a great semester! Prepare yourself to be successful and you will be cum laude in the healthy diet department in no time. Practice the grown up habit of making healthful choices now and they’ll set the foundation for when you hit the working world.
But, all that said, enjoy sleeping late, having Fridays off and living with friends as much as possible right now, because you’ll miss those collegiate perks after graduation.
article: https://nutritiouslife.com/eat-empowered/how-to-eat-healthy-in-college/
Dec 03, 2018
Holiday Apartment Decorating
As the holiday season approaches, it’s easy to get sucked into a never-ending...
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Holiday Apartment Decorating
Dec 03, 2018
As the holiday season approaches, it’s easy to get sucked into a never-ending Pinterest vortex of holiday decorations, party favors, clothes and more. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the money for 10-foot artificial Christmas trees and twinkling crystal fairy lights, or the time to DIY reindeer heads and Christmas ornaments. So, we rounded up some ideas for budget-friendly, easy and adorable holiday decorations that will make your room the envy of the entire building.
1. String some festive lights
Most of us already have lights hung up around our room anyways, so you might have this step completed. If not, stores like Walmart, Target and Five Below all sell Christmas lights for cheap. Use Command strips to hang them up, and soon it’ll feel just like the holidays at home.
2. Use window clings
Window clings are a dorm-dweller’s best friend—they don’t hurt the windows and they look cute on the outside and inside. “My roommates and I always hit up any sort of dollar store or discount store before the holidays,” says Amanda Goecke, a senior at Carthage College. “We always hang up different colored streamers and put those cute little jelly stickers on our windows.” You can find holiday-themed window clings at just about any store, but they’ll probably only last you one season.
3. Hunt around for a mini tree (real or fake)
If you’re living in an apartment, you’re probably allowed to have plants in your room. Those living in residence halls, however, don’t have such privileges. You can buy tabletop trees—both real and fake—at places like Walmart, Target and Home Depot. These might be a bit more expensive, but you and your roomies can split the cost if you really want to get festive. If that’s not an option, have no fear: “One trick I loved doing in my dorm, since trees weren’t allowed, was buying scented pine tree sticks from Target,” says Autumn Dube, a recent graduate from Emmanuel College. “They’re made to go in fake trees to help them smell real, but I would just hide a few around my room and it smelled like Christmas.” If worst comes to worst, snap a branch off a campus tree and call it a day. Charlie Brown made it work, and so can you.
4. Raid your family's decoration box
Chances are, your parents probably have a huge box in the basement or attic stuffed with holiday decorations. Usually, not all decorations get used, so after your family does their decorations, look around for anything they left behind. You might find some cute reindeer figurines, stockings or even some extra ornaments. Score.
5. Make *easy* DIY decorations
Most of us have about five minutes to ourselves each week, so we totally understand the struggle of DIY decs. But hear us out—it doesn’t have to be that hard. Try snatching some printer paper and cutting out paper snowflakes (assuming you still remember how to make them from your third grade classroom holiday festivities) with your roomies and hanging them up around your room. Draw winter-y cartoons on any whiteboards you have or make festive paper chains to string across the walls. “Raid the $3 to $5 dollar section in Target! You can get a lot of cute, trendy things for less money. You can also find supplies for a quick DIY session,” says Teri Morgan, a senior at Chatham University. See? You could probably even do these crafts while you’re sitting in your massive gen-ed lecture.
6. Use random things as ornaments
You can find ornaments for super cheap at retailers. “We put up a miniature tree in our living room and decorated it with cheap ornaments you can also find at any dollar store, or with ones from home,” says Amanda. But if you want to add more creativity to your decorations, decorate your tree with random things in your room. “My parents bought me a Justin Bieber Barbie doll as a joke one year, so I took it to college and used it as our tree-topper during Christmas,” says Sarah, a junior at Temple University. “It was hilarious and everyone could see it from the outside of our building.” Have a cute hair bow? Put it on your tree. Too many highlighters? Put them on the tree. There’s no limit to all of the weird things you can use as ornaments. If you’re looking to stay festive, try buying a box of mini candy canes and hanging them on your tree or from your lights. As a bonus, you can eat them throughout the season!