Maple Bacon Cupcakes

These cupcakes marked the end of a journey for my old boss at Cincinnati Magazine - where my journey will soon be coming to an end as well. 

Cupcakes have really become one of my favorite things to make when baking. I'm not sure why - I used to hate cake in all its forms, and now I suddenly enjoy it. Weird, isn't it? They are just so cute, fun. and festive - they are perfect for any occasion. 

I think I had mentioned before that Cincinnati Magazine really likes cupcakes and we often have them at work. Well, Jonah (my old boss, who now works for Outside Magazine in Santa Fe) just happens to like cupcakes, so Tess (the other intern) and I decided to make him some. Upon Tess's request, I whipped up these little beauties. We also made him trail mix - another of his favorites - for his trip to Santa Fe. Aren't we the greatest interns you've ever met? 

It's bittersweet, really. I honestly feel like I just started working here a few days ago, because time has flown so quickly. It's been a wonderful experience. My last day is next Friday - November 30, I believe. I was supposed to stay on until sometime in May 2013, but I truly feel that God is calling me to do other things. I think He is going to use me in big ways next semester in the lives of some people on Navigators on campus. If I wanted to focus my time and efforts on the people in Navs, I knew Cincinnati Magazine would have to go. I love it and I will miss working there, but better things are ahead of me.

So go ahead - have a cupcake for me. I apologize this isn't the most original of recipes - I'm basically telling you to use another pumpkin cupcake recipe and then just add pecans and bacon. Still, these are good. You could even make them with a box mix, if you wanted. To make the maple icing easier, you can use a can of icing and add maple extract or maple syrup. Even better - this recipe is perfect for the guys in your life because it contains bacon. Bacon. And yes, they are delicious!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 recipe pumpkin cupcakes (I recommend this recipe from Food Network)
1 recipe maple icing (the recipe above has one!)
Chopped pecans
Bacon, thinly sliced

Directions: 
1. Make cupcakes as directed. Let cool.
2. Make icing as directed. Spread on top of cupcakes.
3. Sprinkle chopped pecans and bacon on top.
4. Enjoy!

Recent Life Lessons

Hello, friends.

It has been entirely too long since I have updated. That seems to be a trend for me recently, doesn't it? I'll try to close the gap between posts. I miss it (and hopefully you miss me!).

Let's see, what's new with me...well, I've been successfully keeping up with reading for my English senior seminar, which is an accomplishment in itself. Usually by now I've Sparknoted nearly everything we are reading, because I simply don't have the time to do the reading. However, I've been really good about it this semester. That might have something to do with the fact that the novels are all post-apocalyptic fiction, which I love reading. For some reason, books set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, or utopian world are my favorite. I find them absolutely fascinating. I'm currently reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which I love. I highly recommend this book, as well was Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, if you need something to read. They are fabulous books.

My internship with Cincinnati Magazine has also been going extremely well. I can't believe I've been there for a month already, and that my boss is leaving within the next couple weeks. That will be rough when we lose Jonah. Such a great guy, and such a great boss.

I've also learned a couple things recently.

Number one: there is power in prayer. I don't know what it is, but I've been praying a lot more, and I feel a lot happier and relaxed. I woke up today feeling amazing and everything just seemed beautiful and peaceful. Life was great. Is great, I mean. Life is great.

Number two: God will bring the right guy into my life in His timing. I'm really impatient, and it doesn't help that I also really like someone right now. But I know better than to rush and make the first move. I just have to wait and enjoy the single life until the right now. Because, to quote a friend's Twitter, "The greatest relationships are the ones you never expected to be in. The ones that swept you off your feet." Couldn't agree more. 

Number three: I love the fall. Summer used to be my favorite season, so this change is kind of funny to me. But I absolutely love fall and everything that goes with it - sweaters, jackets, boots, scarves, blankets, hay ride, pumpkin patches, hot apple cider, pie.... it's all wonderful. I can't wait until Halloween, either - my friend is having a Halloween party, and it's the talk of my friend group. We are all pretty stoked about it. 

Number four: People come into your life for a reason, and when they are out of your life, it is not something to be sad about. You have to be happy and realize that you learned something while they were in your life, appreciate what you learned, and move on. It's not easy, but it's manageable. Too often I think about how I wish multiple people were still in my life, but it's just not possible. The friends who have stuck with me over the years are the friends that matter. 

Anyways, that's all I have for you today. I missed posting the Daring Bakers challenge for this month (it was empanadas - I made them, I didn't like them, I forgot to post about them. Oops). I also missed posting about my Foodie Pen Pal box, but the box was amazing and I absolutely loved it.

Keep me posted on your lives. Let me know what you want to see next from me <3

Much love,

WIAW #32: Free Cupcakes Edition!

Guys! Oh my goodness it has been SO LONG since I've participated in a WIAW! Let's fix that. I miss it.

Ever since day one of my job at Cincinnati Magazine, I have been overwhelmed with all the free food. Free tacos for lunch on my first day, free chinese for lunch at the staff meeting today, free donuts for breakfast, and free cupcakes at least once a week. And we all know cupcakes are virtually my favorite food. I consider them a food group all on their own.

Here we have a chocolate peanut butter cupcake, which was pretty good. Apparently one of the staff members loves to bake, and bring in some sweet item (I've noticed it's usually cupcakes) at least once a week for the staff.

Naturally, I think I'm going to fit right in. I plan on baking something for the staff and bringing it to work sometime soon!

This is an apple cinnamon cupcake that I had on Monday - so yummy! It had some sort of fresh apple filling inside the cupcake. Since it's now almost fall, and I love fall...and apples and pumpkins = fall, this was naturally delicious and definitely in season. She also brought red velvet, chocolate, and the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes pictured above.

This cupcake was from work today. My boss, Jonah - who we just found out is leaving us for a position at another magazine (I'M SO UPSET! He's the greatest boss I could ask for.) - went to his sister's wedding over the weekend and brought back some goodies. They were wrapped up in plastic and tied with ribbon - super cute! I believe this was a dark velvet cake, or some sort of chocolate...isn't the fondant cute? Loved it. This was my favorite cupcake so far. Jonah also mentioned he comes from a "cupcake obsessed family," because his aunt made chocolate cupcakes as well. I think I fit right into the Cincinnati Magazine staff, don't you?

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm still recovering from my breakup, but I am doing a heck of a lot better, I have to say. I've even heard rumors that a couple guys like me (wait, what?!), and I have a couple guys who have potential on my radar as well... pretty sweet, I gotta say :) Life is going well.

Much love to everyone, and talk to you soon!

Product Review: Seeds 4 Peace

Hey guys! 

I apologize for my rather depressing post a few days ago. I'm all better now - we're both really happy with our decision to break up and we are staying good friends. In fact, we are even getting Yagoot (frozen yogurt) on Sunday. I call that pretty good, right? 

Other news - I'm in love with my internship. I know I mentioned that before, but seriously - I love it, and I would be ecstatic if it turned into a job after I graduate. Which - isn't that scary? The thought of college graduation? These four years have flown by. I had no idea they would go so quickly! What the heck am I going to do after I graduate!? Scary. 

Fun things I did this week: 

Wine & movie night with the roomies. I <3 Bradley Cooper! 

Made hot chocolate peanut butter pancakes with my bestie, Blake

Made peach & plum crumble

Ate free cupcakes at work 

Enjoyed the view in Downtown Cincinnati where I work

Clearly, it's been a fun week. And did I mention that Tess and I (the other intern at work) are going to an Ingrid Michaelson concert. How cool is that?! I'm so excited!

Alright, I have another product review for you guys. This is the last one for a while, promise!

Let's talk about Seeds 4 Peace. I met this company while in Washington D.C. at the Fancy Food Show with my last internship, and I loved their product. The company was really friendly, and they sent me some samples of their product. It's a brand spanking new company, and they got rave reviews about their product at the food show. Pretty neat, hm? THey sent me three tubes of each of their flavors - 3 each of the sunflower seeds, and 3 each of the pumpkin seeds. Here are the flavors: 

Sunflower Seeds

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Chile Lime

Habanero BBQ

Pumpkin Seeds

Honey Mustard

Wasabi Soy

Cinnamon and Sugar

Honestly, I loved all of the flavors, but my favorites were the honey mustard pumpkin seeds and the chili lime sunflower seeds. Both are only 180 calories for the entire tube, which I think is pretty good for seeds.

I also really like that the tubes make the seeds easily portable. I throw them in my backpack and eat them in the middle of class when I need a snack and have been in class all day. My classmates always comment on how cute the package design is, which I totally agree. The package design is super fun! I highly recommend this company - since they are new, give them some love and order some for yourself!

Okay friends, I have to get up early for work tomorrow and I still need to shower, so I'm off. I love you all. See you soon! <3

Much love, 

UPDATES & KLUTCHClub Review!

Hey guys! 

It's been a week since my last post. A while, right? I've been swamped recently with stuff for school - I go back in two weeks, but the Newswire (our student paper) publishes its first issue next week for the freshmen who move in early. Crazy, right? So I have been really busy trying to get everything organized for that issue, like making sure we have a publisher, advertisements, stories, etc. Nuts! 

That being said, I haven't had much time to blog. Even now, I'm feeling a little pressed! I'm nervous about my Cincy Magazine internship, starting in September - and I feel like I will be turning down the opportunity because of the lack of time I will have in the school year. I really don't want to turn down this opportunity, but I feel like Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays will be the only time I have to do homework (all of my classes are on Tues/Thurs, which means a lot of homework on those days). With the internship, I wouldn't be able to actually do much on those days until around 4:30pm, and on Wednesdays, I have a night class. Which means less time. What should I do?

I've also been down and out with something called Parotitis - basically, swollen spit glands. It sucked because I couldn't chew anything and it was really painful. How did this happen? From this stuff:

Don't use it!!!! Seriously. If you read the reviews on Amazon, other people have become sick from using this mouthwash. It's terrible. I don't understand why they don't take it off the market - it's from one of the ingredients in it, called CPC. Gross. Avoid at all costs. I had to take Amoxicillin for 10 days because of it. Thankfully, as soon as I stopped using it, I felt better. 

I've also been trying to get back into my faith. I tend to get fired up about it, and then let that fire die down - now it's time to re-kindle my love for God. Stuart and I are both working on it together - even since he went on a Catholic family retreat and heard a speaker named Justin Fatica, he has been more enthusiastic about what he believes. He's Catholic, and I'm Protestant - so we have differing beliefs, but I'm trying to be more open to learning about his. We are both starting a read through the Bible in one year program, plus I bought some Bible studies for me. I'm hoping Stuart and I can find a study to do together as a couple.

This weekend was also a little crazy. I went with Stuart to Columbus for the weekend for his little sister's 4th birthday, which was a lot of fun! I took them some pretty little sugar cookies (I used this recipe). Aren't they pretty? Princess crowns, glass slippers, diamond rings and Tiffany tea pots! I had a lot of fun making them! Lydia (his sister) loved the cookies - she also got cute little bike for her birthday. Her brother (Simon - 2 years old) loved the cookies too! 

I will say this - I wasn't watching what I ate this weekend. Bad me. But now I'm back on track, counting calories and trying to eat healthier. Working out is escaping me, mostly because I don't have the time right now to dedicate to anything except my massive Newswire and back-to-school to do list. 

This lack of time means I'm quite a bit behind on product reviews. Whoops! That means I'll have quite a few coming your way this week. Let's start with another review of KLUTCHClub! You may have read my earlier review of this company. Well, they loved it so much that they sent me another box to review! How great is that?! Love this company!

What is KLUTCHclub? Well, its a monthly subscription service that provides subscribers with a box each month. That box contains over $50 worth of fitness, health, and wellness products like DVDs, workouts, snacks, makeup, and more. And you only pay $18 a month (or less)! You can subscribe for one month of one year, you choose. This is geared especially towards women. 

The above box is what I was sent this time - June's KLUTCHClub box. 

This box had quite a few things in it. One of my favorite discoveries was the Journey Bar (which I will also be reviewing shortly!). Journey Bars are basically savory nutrition bars, which are so cool since everything currently on the market is sweet. I absolutely love these. They use amaranth inside, which little round superfood seeds. Yum. The flavor sent in the box was coconut curry - and let me tell you - it was DIVINE. It tasted kinda like curry corn bread. I absolutely loved it. Try to find these sold in a store around you!

There was also a small bar of soap from Savy Boheme. It was an African Black Soap - fair trade and organic, like everything else this company sells. It was okay - I don't like bar soaps because they always make me feel really squeaky. However, if you like bar soap, you'll like this. 

There was also Japanese moisturizer from Yu-Be.  This is apparently the #1 selling medicated moisturizer in Japan. Who knew? I tried it on my hands, and I thought it was a little greasy. However, the packaging says it is also good to use on your lips and face for dry, cracked skin. It is a glycerin based lotion with added vitamins E, C, B2 and camphor. This kinda reminds me of Aquaphor or Vaseline. I think I'll try it on my heels, since they are so dry!

Next, Crum Creek Mills (I am also working with them on a review) sent one of their most popular items - Soy Nut Mix. If you like soy nuts, go for it. It's a decent snack mix - it has raisin, chocolate chips, soy nuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. However, it baffles me as to why it was featured on Dr. Oz and Oprah magazine. Hm. I think I just don't have a thing for soy nuts. I didn't really like this, but like I said, if you like soy nuts....give it a try! 

Finally, there were coupons - a free month subscription to My Barre3, $25 to Body Language Sportsware, and $30 off an OG Sack. I tried to My Barre3 workout, and I thought it was a challenging toning workout, but not for cardio. I'm more of a cardio person. My Barre 3 combines pilates and the ballet barre to get in a nice workout that will tone you and make you lean. Sadie, the creator, is a very fun person and I liked her personality a lot. If you are looking for a new workout, this is a good one to try! I haven't used the Body Language Sportsware gift certificate yet, because I really need to stop spending money, but all of their products look great. The coupon doesn't expire until September 15, so I'll definitely use it before then! And the OG Sack - well, I don't do enough yoga to utilize this, so I probably will not be using this coupon. The bags look cool though, and they have a special strap for carrying your yoga mat - check it out! 

Whew. There was your June KLUTCHClub! Are you inspired to buy your first box yet? If so, just click here to get started! 

Thanks again to the people at KLUTCHClub for being so patient with me. Look what I made from their box: 

Isn't it cute? I'm using it to hold books on my dresser in my room! And it's a great way to recycle instead of throwing the box away! Do you think I could win KLUTCHClub's Reduce, Reuse, ReKLUTCH contest? VOTE FOR ME PLEASE!!!

That's all for now, guys. Thanks for reading all of this, and enjoy your summers! 

Much love, 

Bittersweet News for a Bittersweet Day

Guys! I have some upsetting news today. 

Today was my weekly weigh in. I gained a pound. I went from 144.6 to 145.8lbs. What happened? 

I've been monitoring my calories the same, working out, still cutting back on sweets... I'm not sure what happened. My only guess is that the weight I've gained is muscle, which is what I'm relying on. I mean, I feel like I've lost more fat this week, and I feel good about the direction I'm headed in, but I'm a little thrown but that gain. It's only a pound, yes, but I was hoping that scale would go down! 

It's time like these where I have to remember this pin: 

I'm only on week 3 of my 4 week challenge, but I can definitely see my body changing and am proud of the muscle that I can see and the flat stomach I know I will one day have. I'm halfway to the 8 week mark.

This is another good pin for me to remember.

And so is this one. I just have to keep myself motivated through all this and keep pushing as hard as I can. 

Can you guys think of any reason that there would be weight gain, or do you think it's muscle? I hope it's muscle!

In other news, today was my last day at my social media internship with Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese & Beer Flats. It's really bittersweet!

Me at the Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC from June 18-20, 2012

I really feel like I've done a lot to help the company expand their social media. I can only hope they feel the same way! 

While with them, we launched our new Beer Flats crackers, made with real beer!

Exciting, right?

More about the food show later. I'm off to the gym. Let me know your thoughts on the weight gain! 

Much love, 

NEW GIVEAWAY WINNER & Fitness Updates!

BECAUSE THE WINNER STILL HAS NOT RESPONDED, THERE WILL BE A NEW WINNER OF THE TWO COUPONS FOR COCONUT BLISS ICE CREAM. THE WINNER: LAUREN! CONGRATS! PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP SO I CAN GET THOSE COUPONS TO YOU!

Guys!

Thanks so much for your kind words and awesome support about my weight loss and fitness journey! I have absolutely no clue if I lost more weight this week or not, but I really hope so - I weigh myself tomorrow, so I guess we'll find out then!

I still struggle to turn down sweet treats and stay within my calorie limit - not because I'm hungry, but because I like to snack all the time for no real reason - but I've been doing very well. As long as sweets are not in the house, I don't really eat them. I don't buy them anymore because I just don't want them around me. That is the only way I've found I can stay sane.

You know the cool thing? I don't even crave sweets anymore. I only eat them because they are in front of me, not because I crave them. I think that is so great! I also love that I've been trying to eat seasonal - plums, peaches, berries, and melon are so yummy right now, so go buy a bunch and snack on them! Plus, Bob Harper says you should be eating apples and berries every day, so get to it. It's one of his 20 skinny rules.

Have you read The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper yet? Go buy it. It's great. I'm reading it right now. But more on that later - it'll be in my things I'm lovin post this week, and I don't want to spoil it!

Tomorrow is my last day at my internship with Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese as their social media intern. So sad, isn't it? I hope to make a binder filled with all the stuff I did over the summer for my boss, so she has everything in one place when she needs to refer to a list or some social media tips. Gotta love Twitter and Facebook. And who can forget Pinterest?!

Okay, that's all for now. Sorry this was short and to the point. More soon on my continued health and fitness journey, a recipe for some killer apple chips, and reviews of PB2, Zagorra HotPants, Crum Creek, KLUTCHclub, and WayFare products. See you soon!

Much love,

Internships & FroYo

Tomorrow is my first day at my new internship!

I am a little bit nervous, but I know my boss is nice and dress seems to be dressy casual (which I like a lot). So at least I have those things going for me! The internship is in Clifton, not far from the University of Cincinnati's campus or my boyfriend's house :). I will be interning three days a week from 9 am - 12 pm. On those same days (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays), I will then be heading back to Xavier's campus to work on the campus paper, The Newswire. Except for tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment. Yikes!

I am interning at Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese - a gourmet biscuit company, used to enhance your cheese-eating experience. I will be managing the company's social media accounts and develop a Facebook strategy for giving out coupons to fans - I'm assuming contests, giveaways, and things like that. Do you have any creative ideas for how to award coupons to Daelia's fans? 

I have been doing really well with sticking to working out - I have worked out every single day this past week! I already see significant improvements from all the strength training I have been doing.

This DVD, along with Jillian Michaels, has been really helping me to sculpt and tone (or tone, lift, and cinch as the Tone It Up ladies call it!). I love looking at my thighs and seeing how sculpted they already are after only a work. It's crazy. I love it! I also think I have lost some weight in the past weight, which makes me really happy.

I have also been doing fairly well with eating right - lean, clean, and green - but today I splurged and had some of Ben & Jerry's new Greek Frozen Yogurt.

I got the Raspberry Fudge Chunk. It is super yummy! This frozen yogurt is a bit icier in texture than others, but so good. It really has a fresh raspberry taste to it, and a half cup serving has 200 calories. I started out eating a 1/4 cup serving, and then went back for another 1/4 cup because it was so good. I also indulged in some fresh strawberries and a small piece of pound cake with whipped cream for Mother's Day. Dinner consisted of a salad, Asian glazed salmon, and mashed cauliflower. Yummy. Back to healthier eating tomorrow!

My hope is that this will be my healthiest summer yet. I want to reach my goal weight and have sculpted arms. That's my goal! Think I can do it? :)

If I plan on working out tomorrow morning before my internship, I need to head to bed. Oh! One more thing before I sign off. Look what my boyfriend surprised me with today!

Yellow roses! Aren't they pretty? :)

That's all for now. See you later everyone!

Much love,

5Ks, Tone It Up, & Vega One

Howdy friends! 

Phew. I am ready to be done with school. 

(This is my way to procrastinate on studying for my last final tomorrow morning).

I'm ready to have no more finals, or papers, or late night studying. I'm ready to no longer have to be dealing with people's problems. I'm ready to have more time to blog. I'm ready to read books for leisure. I'm ready to get a Kindle Fire for my 21st birthday on June 4 (HECK YES!!!!!!!! Send me presents everybody!).

The funny this is, I'll probably be saying I'm ready to go back to school shortly! Haha. 

A few exciting new things. I recently joined Tone It Up and I am really excited about it! I hope to stick with this nutrition plan pretty closely over the summer to lose weight, get healthier, and reach my fitness/weight goals. This Monday I plan on starting the 7 Day Slim Down, which is a pretty strict healthy eating diet for 7 days that helps kickstart my transition into the Tone It Up plan. I figure this is a good time to start because next week will be my "break" week of doing nothing before starting my summer internship with Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese. I also recently ordered their new Beach Babe DVD and Perfect Fit Protein to try out. I'm really excited about both, and I highly recommend trying their new protein if you are looking for a good protein powder. It is raw, gluten free, organic and all natural, so everyone can eat it!

Speaking of protein powders, let me tell you a little about Vega One. I was recently sent some samples in the mail by Vega and was excited to try them!

All of them were pretty good, and of course, my favorite was chocolate. They all tasted like their flavors. See my chocolate shake I made with chocolate Vega One, chocolate almond milk, and a banana?

I enjoyed these protein powders for a few reasons. First, they are entirely plant based and contain no sugars. There is 15g of protein in each serving, 6g of fiber, 3 servings of greens, 1 billion probiotics, 1.5g of omega-3s, 2.7 cups of antioxidants. Holy cow! It was also formulated by Brendan Brazier, a vegan Ironman athlete and triathalon runner. Talk about being fit and healthy. 

There are 123-141 calories per serving and it is dairy, gluten, and soy free. I also really liked that these powders did not taste chalky or gross; they were actually quite flavorful and very filling. They provide a good boost of healthy energy. 

If you are looking for a good protein powder to try, I recommend trying Vega One! 

The Daisy Rating 

4/5 daisies

I also have some more good news to share. I officially got offered a fall internship with Cincinnati Magazine as their editorial intern! I'm really excited! I'm not quite sure how I will be getting downtown yet, but I am happy for this opportunity to see what the magazine world is like and how it operates.  

Another thing - wanna see a picture from my 5k last Saturday?

Myself and my dad

It went okay. I got painful stomach cramps about 1.5 miles into it (which I have been getting a lot and I'm not sure why), but even with having to come to a complete stop for a few minutes, I still came in under my expected time. And I even walked a good chunk of it! I would say that is pretty good. My mom won her age group, too (for "running" - she was disqualified as a walker because she jogged part), and my dad was the first walker to finish the 5k. I came in 3rd out of 10 in my age group, 41st out of women, and 74th overall. My time was 39 minutes and some odd seconds, which I was fine with. Overall, a success.

Another random side note - check out this video from Everyday Health, who just recently started a YouTube channel. Jillian Michaels is a regular contributor, and this is one of her videos talking about burning calories and ways to workout without a gym. Click to see the video!

Alright. Time to stop procrastinating and actually start studying. Wish me luck!

Much love,