Laina Turner's Blog, page 76

Clever Crab Salad

In my area, we are fortunate to be able to get fresh crab meat in abundance. However, I use imitation crab for this dish because it’s perfect for it. I use  flake style imitation crab meat from Sam’s Club. Because it has no flavor, I have to spice it up.

 

Clever Crab Salad 

1.5 lbs fully cooked, ready-to-eat, flake style Imitation Crab Meat

2 jalapenos, ribbed and seeded

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp light mayonnaise

Zest and juice of 2 limes

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop larger pieces of crab meat in half, combine all ingredients. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve cold.

 

Are you a fan of crab meat?

Do you shop at Sam’s Club, Costco, or another wholesale store?

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Little Piggy Went to Market

I’ve written about my battle with losing that last 5, 10 lbs about a hundred times this year. Ok, it’s only been 3, but even so I am sure you are all tired of hearing about it. Probably about as tired as I am talking about it and feeling like such a loser for it now being almost August and I have not made any progress in 7 months except maybe gain a couple more pounds. Sure I am full of excuses. It took a while for my broken ankle to feel completely healed, the 6 am yoga class got cancelled for a few months, I have been working a lot, I’m under much more stress than last year, and now my latest excuse is I’ve been traveling (more than usual) and I find it impossible to stay within a healthy eating habit when I am not in my own environment. Forget healthy even. I find it hard to not be a raving piggy when I am not in my own environment. What is it about the airport or staying in a hotel with an all you can eat breakfast buffet that compels me to eat Auntie Anne’s cinnamon pretzels or eat 3 breakfasts.

Why when I am at a conference and they set out the afternoon snack of a cookie tray do I have not just one but three or four? And out of all the desserts I could splurge on, I don’t even care too much for chocolate chip cookies. But yet I feel compelled to eat them and joke, “calories don’t count when your traveling, at a conference, at a friends house, when it’s someone birthday…don’t lie…we’ve all said something like that at some time.

All excuses aside I know it is stress that is a big part of what is making me not control my eating and make poor choices instead of healthy ones. And yes I know that sounds like another excuse but stress in my body triggers me to want food. It’s an emotional response. Then once I eat something crappy I say to myself, “what the hell, you can get back on the wagon tomorrow,” and it is a slippery slope. 10 lbs later and I’m miserable and pissed off at myself.

While yes I am working a lot right now and stresses out it really is about choices. I can choose to not sleep in and go work out. I can choose to pass up the cookie for some fruit. I can choose to hold myself accountable and not make excuses.

As with any goal the key is to make it realistic and measurable with miles stones and rewards. See my post on goals here. Since I do have to start wedding dress shopping soon I can’t keep eating like a linebacker and have decided that for the month of August I will go back to my healthy eating and working out lifestyle. It’s only 30 days. I can do anything for 30 days, right? No soda, no sugar, no simple carbs, no alcohol. No sleeping in instead of working out (because once I am done I am so glad I got up).

1 month, 30 days. Who’s with me?

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Wedding Wednesday

The wedding timeline. WOW! There’s a lot of wedding crap on the Internet. It’s really fun and exciting but a lot to take in. I spent some time this week looking at timelines because that is one thing I don’t have a lot of and that’s time. So I need to be super organized and I need to make sure I don’t put things off and then have to scramble. We already have the venue. A gorgeous place in Milwaukee called the Villa Filomena which is shown in the photo above, along with my super handsome fiancé.

And that’s all I have so far. I don’t even have an engagement ring yet (more on that story next week). I know the dress is one of the most important things to purchase but I want to lose 10 lbs first, which is probably every brides first thought, and then bridesmaids dresses, the food, music, and all the other little details.

Some lists I have seen seem to think it’s fine to wait until 6 months before to start all that planning and some lists tell me I should have started already and my wedding is still almost a year away.

What do you think? What should I do now and what can I wait on? Should I just get as much out of the way as I can now? Is there any drawback to doing things so early?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Netflix Junky

I admit that in the last couple years, after discovering instant streaming on Netflix, I have become a bit addicted to watching several years worth of episodes at a time. Not having the week break between episodes can make me lose track of what is really happening and what is in my current show. Ok, I know that sounds a little bit like I’m crazy but I assure you I do have a good grasp of reality. It’s just when you watch hours of a show in a day, it can be confusing. Now before you start to think I’m a lazy bum with no job along, with being delusional, I don’t just sit home on the couch watching Netflix all day. I have it on in the background while I’m working. In fact, I’ve got to the point where I feel I am much more productive if I have noise in the background. That can be background noise, I do love to work at Starbucks for that reason (and the coffee) or music but Netflix has become my favorite. It passes the time and makes me feel a lot less like I’m working. I also use it as a motivational tool. When I’m tired and don’t feel like working anymore I talk myself into making it to the end of an episode or two and it can keep me going because I want to know what happens. Now some might say that I am probably less efficient because I’m not completely focused on the task in front of me and I’m sure that might be true in some cases but I don’t feel it so I’m going to pretend is doesn’t happen. If something is requiring concentration that I feel I don’t have because I’m distracted by Netflix I will stop what I’m watching and get my task done. I can’t of course write blogs or work on my novels when watching Netflix but there is plenty I can do. What about you? Do you like background noise or complete quiet when you work?

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School Lockers

When I was in middle school I did enjoy a good brown paper bag book cover but I did not have an entire theme for decorating my locker. Either I completely missed the trend or it didn’t exist in the 80’s. I would like to think it didn’t exist. I mean surely I would have noticed though my mom probably wouldn’t have cared to spend money on something like decorating my locker. However, a plain locker is not acceptable today and you know how much pressure there is in school to follow the trends. Locker decorating with the middle school set is a top priority, with the girls, not the boys.

Though considering kids need to take laptops, iPad’s, and headphones to school it’s no wonder they must decorate what will be the home for these things throughout the school year. You can’t possibly hang your Beats on a plain hook now can you? Or leave your laptop on a boring metal shelf?

When I asked one young lady, Allie Clark, why it was so important for her to decorate her locker before school she said, “cause decorating your locker shows who you are.”

And just in case you think Allie is the only little girl joining this trend you are dead wrong. Upon a 2 second search I found an entire web site dedicated to this. Locker Lookz. Wow!

What do you think of this trend?

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A Little Contest Fun: Win a Copy of Vows & Victims!

It’s Fabulous Friday and we’re having a little contest fun over the next few weeks! All you have to do is “Like” my Laina Turner – Author Facebook page and enter your email address and you’ll have an INSTANT CHANCE to win a copy of my latest Presley Thurman mystery – Vows & Victims! I’m giving away lots of them, so your chances are good! You better read this one fast because the next release – Romance & Revenge – is coming VERY SOON!

Head over to my Facebook page to play! Good luck!

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Why choose soy candles over regular candles?

Have you ever heard of soy candles? Recently, they have become increasingly popular with candle-makers because the ingredients to make them are much more accessible, they are less harmful to the environment and the candles themselves burn longer than traditionally-made candles. Soy candles come in various fragrances, including tropical mango, island citrus and water lily just to name a few. The wax in soy candles is made from soybeans instead of paraffin (a petroleum). Soybeans are readily available and create a better wax substance that can burn much longer than paraffin can. Since soy wax comes from a crop in the ground and is also free of petroleum, these candles are less likely to cause allergic reactions in users and are environmentally friendly!

Soy candles typically come in containers and are highly malleable in heat, meaning they don’t lose their wax to melting and you can use them repeatedly. People typically choose a candle for their fragrance and aesthetic qualities – and soy candles are no exception. One amazing combination is soy wax hand poured and combined with coconut oil, which creates a beautiful finish and excellent aroma.

Bubble Shack Hawaii is a soy candle-making company that creates handmade candles with organic & pure vegan products. They claim that the benefits of these candles include:

- Hand poured candles with 100% US soy and vegan products for a beautiful finish and even burn

- Vegan candles double as massage oil when lit, providing ultimate moisture

- Stronger, longer and cleaner burning than paraffin and beeswax candles

- Free of petroleum and rainforest-depleting palm wax

- Biodegradable and less likely to trigger allergies

By using soy candles, it looks like you can help the environment and get your money’s worth by enjoying longer-burning candles. Definitely worth a try!

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5 iPhone Shortcuts to Brighten Your Day

I enjoy the updates that I frequently get for my iPhone, but I don’t always take the time to learn the new features that I get. Recently I made an effort to get to know my phone a little more. Here is what I found…

 

 

 

 

Control Center

 

I started with the gray Control Center that appears when you swipe upwards on any screen. I noticed that the icons in WHITE were those in use and those grayed out were not. 

 

 

 

1.  Switch your setting to Airplane Mode by tapping airplane icon. You don’t have to do the extra step of going into your Settings App, you can do it on the gray control center.

Bonus Tip: Your phone charges twice as fast when in Airplane Mode.

 

 

 

 

2. Stop phone from rotating to landscape orientation when you are viewing it lying down. Or when you set it down on a surface. Tap the small padlock symbol icon to keep screen in portrait orientation. Tap again when you want to reverse it.

 

 

 

 

3. Decrease backlight strength by sliding dim control bar to the left. You don’t have to do the extra steps of going into your Settings App and changing the Brightness level, you can do it on the gray control center. I listen to Pandora with my earphones at night in bed sometimes. I dim the screen so as not to disturb Hubby when I want to change the channel or view info on the song playing.

Bonus Tip: This reduces the  amount of power your screen uses and lengthens the battery life.

 

 

 

Typing

 

 

 

 

4. Complete a sentence automatically when you reach the end by hitting the space bar twice. Your iPhone will produce a period, a space, and capitalize the next letter for you. Great time saver!

 

 

 

 

5. Hold down the 0 (zero) key and the degree symbol will pop up for you to insert it. Most of the other letter and punctuation keys have additional characters and symbols too.

 

 

 

Do you own an iPhone? If no, what type of cell phone do you have?

Are any of these shortcuts new to you?

Which shortcuts have you recently discovered on your iPhone? 

Which other Apple products do you own?

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Traditions Or Not The 2nd Time Around?

The first time I got married I did it the traditional way. In a church, with a big white dress, and all the ‘normal’ trappings that come with a wedding. I happen to like tradition but I also feel a little strange doing it the same way I did the first time. Partly, because I of course don’t want it exactly the same and secondly, because it is my second wedding and I don’t feel completely right about following all the same traditions one would normally follow.

As I’ve looked and researched into this topic I’ve found that these days it’s all free game. There is no set tradition anymore. Now that we have sites like Pinterest it’s opened up a while new world of ideas for things such as weddings.

There are things I know I definitely want:

Married by a minister
A big, fancy dress
Flower girls
Cake – you MUST have cake

And there are other things that aren’t as important to me.

What would be your must have list if you got married again?

What did you do the first time that you absolutely loved? I need ideas!

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Trip To Plymouth Wisconsin

When you travel food is a big part of the fun. At least in my opinion because I like food. It’s fun to find things that are not the same old stuff you can get at home. In Plymouth, Wisconsin there is a place called Chester’s. It is an A & W style drive in restaurant (in fact I think it was an A & W years ago) where you can pull up and they come to your car to take your order. Of course, it’s all greasy burgers, fries, and cheese curds but it’s so awesome it’s totally worth it. And the root beer in it’s frosty glass mug…to die for!

 

 

 

After pigging out, and enjoying every minute of it, I took in the gorgeous view!

Hope you had as good of a weekend as I did!

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