Energy Bars!

Recipe Number 1!!!

These are super easy, taste great, and only have three ingredients!!

Ingredients:
1 cup Dates
1 cup dried fruit of your choice
1 cup nuts of your choice

These are sooooooo easy!! All you do is put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse it a few times to break everything up. Then pulse continuously for a few minutes until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Next is to place the mixture on a piece of wax paper or cling film and form it into a thick square. Then just wrap it up and put it in the fridge for a few hours to set up before you can cut it into the bars! Super easy right!?

Here are some pictures I took while making mine! I used Craisins and mixed nuts. You can also vary the flavors by choosing salted nuts or roasting the nuts ahead of time.

Life Update

OK so I know I haven't posted in quite a while. Sorry. We have already established that I am the worst blogger. However, I have actually been really busy! I have been getting more and more classes to teach at the museum and I have been hired as a docent so I have been doing trainings for that several times a week. I'm really looking forward to giving tours on my own soon! Other life events have included my car battery dying randomly but luckily my insurance paid for the super-massive jump-start my car needed! I also just bought my very first mascara! What!? Twenty-two years old and you've never had a proper mascara in your make-up collection!? Yes, it is true. I finally bought mascara and I am in my twenties. It's a little sad but I'm pretty excited about it although I am not totally convinced that mascara doesn't give me scary "spider-eyes"! So what kind of mascara did I buy? ..... A classic, Maybelline Great Lash in Very Black. It's one of the cheapest mascaras out there but also one of the best (and yes! I did do some research before buying)!

                             
 But what I really wanted to write about today was being healthy. My friend has invited me to an event where people try to eat clean in April. This basically means that you cut out processed food and try and eat a lot more fruits and veggies. A good rule is that if you can't pronounce an ingredient or you don't know what is is then maybe you shouldn't be putting it into your body. Of course, I'm not an expert on this or anything and there are many websites out there that can explain clean eating a lot better than I can but on the whole I think that this is a great idea. So for April, I am going to try and post several clean eating recipes on here. I am going to try for one every week since I'm feeling ambitious! A good place to learn about clean eating and find some great recipes is cleaneatingmag.com.
I've also been doing well on the exercise front and it is almost getting warm enough here where I can start running again! Lately I've been doing more yoga-esque workouts, including a program called T-Tapp which sounds gimmicky but I think is actually working!

- Kate

BETSEY

Betsey Johnson makes fashion week more exciting. I have never wanted a neon guns and roses printed sweater so badly. Here's the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpYfdNDv9zc&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLj57uJBedZRktXmiVrekUOxWcT2p43Jot

Fashion Week! New York!

If only I lived closer to NY and had money and fabulous clothes. Then I would be so happy this week! I have really loved a lot of the designs I've seen from NYFW but I think my top favorites are Jenny Packham, Victoria Beckham, and Rodarte.

Jenny Packham's Gatsby/'20s style inspired line is to die for. The colors from deep burgundy to bright corally-orange are on point and I'm loving the mix of gowns, formal sweaters, and silk pants. The only thing that I'm not so thrilled with are the feather coats which as other critics have said, look a bit like a skinned muppet. But at the same time they fit the collection and the colors are muted enough that the coats aren't too in your face (besides their size). One of my favorite dresses from the collection is this:

Victoria Beckham's collection was as impeccable as always. I love her and her style. Her collections always feature such clean lines and beautiful structure that I just covet and, maybe, drool over a bit. The coats and the gold detailing/hardware are amazing this year. Like I have never before needed a white coat more than I do right now. It's insane. This coat that I am so clearly obsessed with?
 

Finally, we get to Rodarte. The sexy librarian chic thing they have going on is really unique and different from a lot of other collections I have seen this year but the real genius comes in the form of the Star Wars dresses they created. These dresses have silk skirts with characters and other quintessential Star Wars motifs printed on them. This is a whole new take on the galaxy print trend! I am loving it and my particular favorite is the Death Star dress. It is stunning, but you don't have to take my word for it! Here it is:


To see more of the collections, I viewed Jenny Packham on jezebel.com, Victoria Beckham on Vogue's website, and Rodarte at style.com.

PFW!

It's that time of year again! Paris Fashion Week!!!!

For all of you that know me then you know that I love fashion (even if I know I will never be able to afford it)! So far I have some definite favorites and some real disappointments. Updates will come as the fashion weeks progress!

FAVORITES;

Elie Saab - This line is beautiful, elegant, and simply just stunning. The fabrics are to die for.

(source: jezebel.com)

Stephane Rolland - So bright! So bold! So structural and futuristic! I'm in love.

Source: jezebel.com

 

Versace Couture - I love the hoods. I think they are amazing and this line is pure sex appeal.

Source: jezebel.com

DISAPPOINTMENTS

Chanel Couture - I love Chanel but I really did not care for this collection. The proportions are all wrong in many of the pieces and some even looked like a nightgown my grandma would wear. However, the fabrics are of course beautiful as always and I did enjoy the sneakers!

Source: jezebel.com

Dior Haute Couture - There was just nothing that special about this collection to be honest. The only standout was the use of texture but it stood out for all of the wrong reasons! Some of the looks could have been glued, stapled, and taped together by a small child. The only saving graces of this collection were some of the ethereal wispy dresses and the insane black jumpsuit with eyelets.

Source: jezebel.com

Housewives

So as a part-time barely employed person, I watch a lot of television. Recently I have been watching terrible reality tv shows that are actually addicting and sort of horribly amazing. My two favorites are Keeping up with the Kardashians and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Why? because they allow you to pick favorites and they're so trashy and dramatic that it's hilarious. They all yell at each other and talk about how important family is but then bitch about their families and cheat and lie and it just creates great television! My favorite people on the shows are Khole (KuwtK), who is just hilarious, and Yolanda (RHoBH), who is a Dutch treasure with a big (honest) mouth. Updates will come as I continue to watch these terrible, terrible "realities".

To hopefully redeem myself though, I should mention that my favorite show overall at the moment is American Horror Story: Coven. It's amazing, and just as creepy as I was hoping it would be. Go watch it. NOW.

PSA

Glitter nail polish. DON'T DO IT.

As a typical white girl that I am for Christmas and New Years I painted my nails in a festive manner. This included a glittery accent nail on both of my ring fingers. I tried to take the glitter nail polish off today. It didn't work. I had to scrub my nails with polish remover and STILL all of the glitter did not come off and my nails themselves are torn up from the glitter. Like they're really rough :/


In conclusion, looks cute but is a terrible idea.