Tuesday, September 21, 2010

A Few Different Things

Ola!  I’ve got a few things to “talk” about in today’s post so I hope you enjoy it!  I want to start with a recipe for wonderful espresso chocolate chip muffins a la Kelsey.IMG_3476 This girl makes some seriously amazing muffins based on her favourite cafe’s delights.  I halved the recipe for this one and still got 6 great big muffins:IMG_3479 DD and I have been enjoying them as morning snacks this week.  We finished them off today and I think a tear or two were shed!IMG_3487 Next up is a super simple butternut squash soup recipe that I made on Sunday with a freshly picked squash from my garden:IMG_3485
Butternut Squash Soup
-1 butternut squash, chopped
-1 large onion, wedged
-2 cloves garlic
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 tsp dried oregano
-salt & pepper to taste
-3 cups stock of your choice (I used homemade turkey stock)
-1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used unsweetened almond breeze)
*preheat oven to 400 deg
*put squash, onion, garlic and spices in a big bowl
*add olive oil and toss to coat well
*roast for 45 minutes
*add veggies and any “juices” to a soup pot along with stock
*bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes
*puree until you get your desired consistency (I used a hand blender)
*stir in milk and heat through
*serve with a dollop of sour cream/Greek yogurt/quarkIMG_3498 This soup is smooth, silky and filling.  Especially with the quark I used that insisted on sinking to the bottom!IMG_3482 
Now on to something totally unrelated to food; dry shampoo.  Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about this stuff!  I was pretty curious about it so I decided to find out what the rave was all about.  Here’s what I learnt:
“Powdered shampoos are designed to work without water. They are typically based on powders such as starch, silca or talc, and are intended to physically absorb excess sebum from the hair before being brushed out. Those with dark hair may prefer to use brown powders such as cocoa or carob powder.”
(source)
You can buy some really fancy, and sometimes costly, dry shampoos such as these brands:
P216708_hero[1] P216321_hero[1]
(source)
OR…you can use what I’ve always used in “emergency” situations (which is also WAY cheaper!):
powder_main[1] 
Good ole baby powder!  Now, I like to wash my hair every other day.  Any longer than that and I start getting greasy where my hair parts naturally and where it usually ends up tucked behind my ears.  There are times on the weekend, say, where I don’t have time to give it a wash.  Those are the days that I pull out the baby powder to sprinkle on my “problem” areas.  Just a bit will do and once it’s blended and brushed through you’re left with clean looking, un-greasy hair for the day.  This works especially well when sporting a ponytail. So tell me, have you ever used dry shampoo or baby powder?  What do you like/dislike about either or??  
Now on to some of the yummy food I’ve been eating!IMG_3497 IMG_3489 Oats.  Was there ever any doubt??  LOL  IMG_3499 IMG_3494 Lots of fantastic tasting fruit.IMG_3502 IMG_3495
I ate this stir fry yesterday.  It was put together using stuff from the fridge such as brown rice, broccoli, raisins and chicken with fig balsamic dressing.  The sweet potato was tonight because I wanted something on the small side so as not to have an overly full belly for Pilates.
And lastly, because I forgot to post about it Sunday,  I made sure to stick Operation Beautiful notes in each and every bathroom I encountered in each tournament city.  These are 2 of them!IMG_3468 IMG_3436 
So how’s that for an extremely random post?  I’m trying to keep things a little less “structured” because I feel my posts have been a little lack lustre lately.  Let me know whether you love (or hate) this format.  Your input is important to me, loves!!
Bye for now!!

13 comments:

  1. Baby powder is a life saver! I use it when I just don't have the time to wash my hair and it works great.

    I've tried the dry shampoos but always return to the good old baby powder:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. look at those muffins!! i need to make some. i haven't ever used dry shampoo or baby powder, but my friend started pouring baby powder in her hair friday night. we had been in the car all day and she goes "oh nothing a little baby powder won't fix, ta da!" it was so funny.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been wanting to make some of her muffins! i'll have to get on that!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those muffins are ENORMOUS!!! I want to plant my face in them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. dry shampoo? woooo... that's new to me. I don't know if I'd use it in a daily basis because I'd have the feeling of not 100% clean without water, but it definitely can work for emergency situations.
    I like this format a lot!!! maybe more than the structure format because I don't have a structure either.. hahaha... just highlights of the day/week! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Whoa! I saw Kelsey make those muffins and have been craving them. Yours are GORGEOUS. Geez! I have a BN squash in the fridge and was thinking how shall I use it and now this is the second post I've read today with a BN squash recipe! I can't decide- soup, mashed or stuffed! The soup looks delicious. Love the simple list of ingredients. Bet it was creamy and just delicious. I haven't tried dry shampoo. A great concept for the weekend though!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great post Krista! I've been wondering about the powdered shampoos too...I never knew you could use baby powder instead...genius! Those are some excellent looking muffins!

    ReplyDelete
  8. OH MY GOD YOU MADE ME PROUD!!! KRISTA THESE LOOK PERFECT!! they sure dont last long do they? nom nom nom espresso and chocolate <3

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have never used dry shampoo, but I've been curious. Thanks for a great tip! I think I'll have to get some baby powder...

    The butternut squash soup looks awesome! It's such a nice fall dish. I hope to make some over the weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kelsey's muffins always make me drool- they're incredible!!

    I've never heard of dry shampoo but it seems like something I'd like to try. I actually don't like washing my hair every single day (except for my bangs because they get oily)..but I have such long hair and I wear it up so it's not really a problem. I used to wash it everyday and it was really damaging my hair despite the large amounts of conditioner I'd use. I never ever let it get greasy, though...but it'd be nice to have something to perk it up a bit in between shampoos.

    ReplyDelete
  11. dang!!! look at those muffins! They look divine!

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oooh you've been baking/cooking up quite a storm! I love the looks of those muffins, I should make em for my parents since I am headed home this week! And I actually use Tresemme dry shampoo, it's not too expensive, but I like your idea!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I don't know how I feel about this dry shampoo thing. I like the idea, but if it involves brushing it through your hair, that's a bit of a problem. If I brush my hair, then I have an afro. Which them means I have to wash it to get it to look normal the next day. I try to only wash my hair every other day, so as to save the colour and save on styling products. And baby powder? Ick. Hate the smell!

    I think I need to get on making some of Kelsey's muffins.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear from you!! Please leave a comment!