Name: Tina Marie Robles

Kids: 1, Lily

Occupation: stay-at-home Mom

Hometown: Tampa, FL via Chicago, IL

Read Full interview with Tina here…

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

I am especially fond of clutches.  I will buy them anywhere and everywhere.  I think my obsession has recently been taken up a notch because my every day bag is so stuffed and stained with kid junk that I find it a nice reprieve to hold a delicate, little purse that only my compact, keys and lip gloss fit in.  I make my husband hold everything else in his pockets.  He loves that.  Check out these flower adorned clutches by Emersonmade.  Don’t they just make you want to smile?

Summerclutch $58

BigDandy Clutch $48 (my fave!)

Classic Clutch $65

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

I am consistently guilty of not switching up my workout routines because, first, I loathe change.  I think I have had the same thing for breakfast going on 2 years now.  Second, doing a workout 180 hurts – bad.  Earlier this year, I decided it would be a good idea to try one of those boot camps.  I could barely move for FOUR days after that experience.  Though I only went back once, I did come away with the understanding that varying your workouts is very important in getting the best training results.  A full-on, 5:30 am boot camp wasn’t going to happen so I went looking for something more palatable.  This 20-minute mini boot camp is simple and effective and can be done right at home.  10 minutes of activity and 10 minutes of recovery.  Give it a try and let me know how it worked for you.

Click here for workout…

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

Olive Oil comes from an olive, coconut oil comes from a coconut and canola oil comes from…hmmm…a canola?  Not quite.  Canola actually stands for Canadian Oil Low Acid and is an artificial, processed oil made from a genetically engineered rape seed.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that marketing Rape Oil may not have been too successful.  Here are a few ways this oil is processed: high temperature pressing in metal vats; blasted with chemical solvents to remove the oil; bleaching; soaking in acid; and “deodorizing,” since some of the omega-3 in the oil goes rancid and creates a foul odor.  That sounds absolutely dee-lish!  Unfortunately, the majority of store-bought salad dressings contain canola.  Some of the craftier companies state on the front of the bottle that the dressing is made with olive oil when, if you read the ingredients, the majority of  the oil included is really canola.  The reason canola and not olive oil is used in so many of these dressings and marinades is simple.  It’s cheaper.

My take?  Make your own dressing from Olive Oil.  Always opt for Extra Virgin as it considered the best, least processed, comprising the oil from the first pressing of the olives.  Here are two, easy 10-minute salad dressing recipes:

Click here for recipes

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment