Cookies Cheat: Use A Quest Bar!
If you’re like me, you want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to control cravings and stay on the right track (during your diet). I had gone to Warped Tour a few years ago and taken a Cookies & Cream flavor bar with me. During the day, from the heat, the cream melted. By the time I got to the protein bar, it was a gooey dream. Now, I may not be the only person who thought of this, but it gave me the idea to test out microwaving the bar in chunks in the microwave to create cookies. You can’t leave the chunks in the microwave too long or they will get hard, but if you leave them in for about 30 seconds (this will depend on your microwave as the each differ depending on your settings) they will puff up and take more of a cookie shape. Here are some photos to inspire your go at... read more
Go Red Luncheon
I was able to do something super special this past weekend. Being a heart survivor myself, I know it seems like you’re all alone when you’re going through your diagnosis. The American Heart Association actually has a Support Network now that is made up of survivors, caregivers, family members and friends whose lives have been changed by cardiovascular issues. I wish they had this back in 2006. I didn’t think anyone understood what I was experiencing. When I joined the network I did a search and found 3 posts relating to the heart complication that I went through. I know what I had was rare. I made a post to let people know that I was okay and they can pull through as well. Within a few hours someone commented and told me they chose to try the medication route and try to avoid having the surgery but they felt comfort in my success. I shared my story with anyone that would listen that came to the table during the luncheon. I passed out information and also heard really inspiring stories from others. Strangers gave me big hugs and thanked me for being brave and sharing what I went through with them. It’s honestly the least that I can do. I don’t want anyone else that I know to be affected by something heart related. It’s life changing–and for some it ends their life. 1 in 3 is too many. If you feel inclined, join the network. The Support Network is free, easy and secure. There aren’t any membership fees and you’ll also gain access to monthly Q&A sessions... read more
Museum of Ice Cream (Miami) Review
The Museum of Ice Cream is an absolute dream if you love sparkles, and well–ice cream! I’ll start at the beginning and then tell you some of my favorite attractions. Just like any Museum of Ice Cream location, you have to order your tickets in advance, you cannot walk up and purchase them. You’ll be able to select a time that you’d like to enter the MOIC from what they have available. Show up around the time listed on your ticket and you’ll be greeted by a line of fellow attendees itching to get inside. Once you enter, there is a counter where an employee puts on a little show for the kids. They encouraged us (the adults without children) to walk past and wait in the next line. We were surprised, but the very first attraction we were getting to was the pool of sprinkles! I was most excited for this. However, I will tell you it is a HUGE let down. The pool itself is very tiny and they let so many people (including massive amounts of children) in at a time. My friend and I were unsuccessful at capturing images in the pool of sprinkles and had kids throwing sprinkles at us. If there was one thing I would recommend, it would be for the MOIC staff to limit the amount of people they let in at each time (even more-so) so that way it’s not so overcrowded. You get about 2-3 minutes around the pool before they tell you to exit and bring in the next group. Following the pool of sprinkles is the first... read more
National Wear Red Day 2018
What makes me smile? My friends and family supporting Go Red for Women. Each year I feel so incredibly grateful that such a large number of individuals will text me, snap me or tag me in photos of themselves wearing red because they know what I have been through with my own heart issue and understand that they don’t want anyone else they know to hear that there’s something wrong with their heart. Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year—more than all cancers combined. When something is 80% preventable, there should be no reason the 1 in 3 statistic. Nobody deserves that. Know the causes and don’t ignore the signs! Also, a huge shoutout to my Florida United States sisters because they all wore red with me! Thank you all again from the bottom of my happy little... read more
Baby Shower Treats
My sister-in-law had her baby shower recently and I wanted to give her the best treats display that none of her friends would have. I’m pretty sure I succeeded. It took a ton of hours from start to finish with all of the different things like painting, glittering and icing. Since she is expecting a boy, I chose to run with the color blue. The first treat I actually ordered from a company in Orlando–sparkly blue popcorn. I believe I ordered the gallon sized bag in case you’re trying to figure out how much you need. I purchased an inexpensive blue bowl at Party City. The second type of treat that I made was a oldie but a goodie–rice krispies treats! For these I purchased lollipop sticks, sprinkles and colored chocolate melts in addition to the pre-packaged rice krispies treats that you can buy in the store. These were super easy and everyone was taking selfies and posting them to their Instagram accounts so it was a fan favorite, for sure. They are pretty self explanatory. You’re going to want to take your tray and line it with wax paper or parchment paper–just something so the chocolate won’t stick to the tray itself and wreck your design. Step 1: Take a rice krispies treat and insert a lollipop stick into it. Step 2: Dip the rice krispies treat in the melted chocolate about half way. Make sure you let the excess chocolate drip off. Step 3: Lightly sprinkle the chocolate since it is still wet. This will ensure that your sprinkles stay on. Step 4: Sit your rice krispies... read more
Week 4 as Ms. Woman Florida United States
This week I was able to celebrate my birthday by riding in the Tribute to Heroes parade in Lakewood Ranch with my brother and sister-in-law. It was a really special day and I am so happy that we got to honor the people who fought for our freedom while also thanking those who served. Additionally, I also visited some children at the new Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort... read more
Week 3 as Ms. Woman Florida United States
Nationals is coming up SO quickly! To celebrate our accomplishment of winning our respective state titles, myself and my sister queens, Bethany and Lauren, had a photoshoot with the official Ms./Ms. Woman/Mrs. Florida photographer–Larry Oskin! It was such a... read more
Week 2 as Ms. Woman Florida United States
I have to say, again, this week was pretty busy. I appeared on the front page of the Cape Coral Daily Breeze and also made my first appearance as Ms. Woman Florida United States. I was supposed to run the Miles for Moffitt 5K, but instead I had the opportunity to support the cause even further with Mrs. Georgia Bethany Kizzie. We helped the kids decorate some beautiful flowers that were then added to the Garden of Hope, which is a free-standing fence that will be displayed inside of Moffitt… providing the message of encouragement to those who see it. We also got to hand out medals to the kids who participated in the kids runs–some of those kids can fly! It was an absolute honor to not only let the kids try on the crown, but also some of the cancer survivors that attended the event. All in all, Moffitt raised over $1 million for cancer research. It was such an amazing event and I am so glad that I got to be part of it! If you would like to support me in my quest to the national title, you can do so by DONATING HERE. If you are interested in sponsoring me, please e-mail me at MsWomanFL2017@gmail.com Thank you so much for all of the... read more
WE DID IT!: My Journey to the Crown
Most of you know this was my third time competing at the state pageant, and boy has it been a journey. Life has consisted of sometimes doing two-a-days with workouts, being in the gym during the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day when everyone else is celebrating, skipping on dessert at birthday celebrations and more. It has meant a lot of hard work and dedication to this path. It has meant getting knocked down and standing back up again and again. This year’s pageant was probably one of the most fun things I’ve done in my entire life. It began with Friday (April 28th) where we had a photoshoot with the dolphins at Mainland for Old City Life Magazine, styled by Nautilus at the Beach—which is a super cute store in St. Augustine. I kept thinking to myself, “When in the real world would I ever have that opportunity to have that same interaction and fun with the dolphins?!” After the shoot was over, we had dinner at 386. I had the vegetable tuscan ravioli and it was fantastic! Saturday, I had to be up bright and early to get my makeup done. The bonus of that was getting to see the sunrise over the beach. Being from Florida, that’s something that I will never get sick of… we have such beautiful coastal sunrises and sunsets. We had orientation and the women were just so great. I can’t even begin to tell you the caliber of the ladies, but most importantly they were all so extremely genuine and I definitely walked away with many great friends this year. After we... read more
A HEALTHY French Toast Bake
Woahhhh, I know what you’re thinking. “How can the word healthy possibly be in the same title with french toast?!” I get it. But this isn’t your normal recipe. I’ve made a bunch of changes to the original recipe that I found on the net to eliminate more of the yuck and substitute better alternatives (like the bread type). Things You Need: • A medium to large sized banana • 1/4 cup of almond milk, unsweetened • 1/4 cup of oats • 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon • 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract • 1 slice of sprouted grain bread, cubed Directions: • Preheat oven to 375 degrees • Cut your banana in half (roughly). Mash half of the banana in a bowl and cut the other part into slices. • Take your mashed banana and add the almond milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix until it is fully combined. • Put your bread cubes into the mixture and use a fork to lightly press down so they absorb most of the liquid. • Add your oats and gently mix until everything looks even. (If your mix seems too dry, add a tiny splash of more almond milk.) • Transfer your mixture to your oven safe dish and then add your banana slices to the top. • Bake for 20 minutes. Your banana pieces will have a slight brown color to them. French Toast – Step 3, Part 1'French Toast – Step 3'French Toast – Step 4' Pretty easy, right?! I’ve found the bigger the banana that is used, the more flavorsome the bake is. One of these days... read more• Sponsor Me or Donate
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