Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Eat Right, Get It Tight


Just because summer is ending doesnt mean your health grind has to end as well. As I go back on my journey to lose 12 more pounds, I decided to share with you some easy recipes that I am doing during my lifestyle change.

When I lost my first 18 pounds I was making smoothies in the morning as replacements for breakfast. Now that school is about to start, I DO NOT have time to be cutting up different fruits and vegetables so I went to my local grocery store and racked up on 20 dollars worth of goodies! After that I went to dollar tree and bought some zip lock bags to store the fruits and vegatebles so I could later freeze them. When I came home I began cutting and measuring all the fruits and vegatables to put in the small bags and who would have thought I would have had so much fun doing this. I made so many different types of smoothie recipes that i cant wait to try, especially the spinach, pineapple, kiwi, and strawberry bag.
With the smoothies all I add is a couple ice cubes and sometimes unsweetened almond milk or Greek yogurt, then i just blend them using my single serving NINJA blender! I love these smoothies because not only do they taste great, but they also make me feel full for a long time.

Today for dinner I made my spin of a chicken and vegetable stir fry that was only 245 calories and packed with protein (19 grams). Being on a diet does not mean that your food has to taste bland, I like my food spicy and a lot of spices have very few calories which is a major plus!

Chicken and Vegatable Stir Fry

Chicken cut in 1in squares
Brown rice
Broccoli stir fry (frozen, mushrooms, cauliflower, snap peas, corn)
Red wine vinegar
Sriracha Hot chilli sauce (this stuff is hot)
Cooking crème in savory garlic
Onion powder
Garlic powder
And a little bit of pepper

(sorry I don’t use measurements, just use your best judgment)

If you haven’t tried the hot sauce or the cooking crème, you need to get it ASAP, its full of flavor and you can use them on anything.

I just made this on the top of my head, don’t be afraid to try stuff out, if its nasty THROW IT OUT if its good, make it again lol.

I hope this helps anyone that’s on their weight loss journey. Bye loves!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Girl, Look At Your Hair

Happy Monday you guys, I want to talk about hair, it doesn’t matter if you have a short cut, afro, or weave, your hair is vital and it’s really the first thing a person sees on you.
Healthy hair is so important. It can really alter the way you look and feel if it isn’t up to par! I use to have the most trouble with my hair because I have a very sensitive scalp and very thick hair. When I would get perms, it would hurt so bad, I would cry and I would have sores everywhere that I had scratched. So one day I just said it wasn’t worth it, the pain wasn’t worth the damage I was doing to my SCALP so I recently stopped getting it relaxed (November 2010) and even though it takes a lot to maintain it now, it’s the best thing I could ever do for my hair.
I get trims every couple of months and I have a picture at the bottom of this post to show you how my hair has grown. The left photo is on July 17, 2012 and the right photo is August 24,2012. This goes to show you how important trims are to your hair. My hair grew about 2 inches during those 6 weeks and I finally knew my hair was healthy enough for a little bit of highlights and I absolutely LOVE THEM!

How I Maintain My Hair
I have a very dry itchy scalp, so I do commonly have dandruff; therefore I wash my hair at least once a week. Your hair will not grow if it’s dirty! Since I don’t have a perm, I air dry it for an hour then blow-dry on the lowest heat setting to avoid heat damage. I also do this because I do use my flat iron on probably its highest setting to get my natural hair straight. I try to only use my flat iron no more then twice a week. When I flat iron my hair I either use crème of nature argan oil or chi heat protectant serum.
At night I will wrap my hair, pincurl it, dry roll it, or sometimes just put it in a bonnet to keep its style. I also use Dr. Miracle scalp treatment oil to keep my scalp hydrated. I try not to get it in my hair because I hate oily and weighed down hair.
The moral of this post is, take good care of your hair, it will thank you later! Yea, you probably don’t like that your hair dresser trimmed CUT your hair so short, but the results in a couple of weeks will be amazing.  I believe your hair is the most important thing a person sees, you can be all dressed up but if your HAIR isn’t done…..welll, you know the rest.


Thanks loves
Also if you dont already, follow me on Instagram: justcallme_ash

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Mini M.A.C haul


Hey you guys, so I recently took a visit to my local M.A.C counter and picked up some goodies. LET ME TELL YOU, I love everything I bought and I know I will be using them daily.

                        M.A.C eyebrow pencil in SPIKED

I was hearing the buzz on this pencil everywhere, but I was so content with my BSS pencil that I never thought to buy this. This morning I went to use it and OMG it gives off the most natural dark brown then any other pencil I ever seen. It comes out just right so you won’t have ERNIE looking eyebrows. I really fell in love with my eyebrows all over again, it is definitely mistake proof.


                                    M.A.C Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash

My favorite mascara from M.A.C is zoom lash, but the beauty advisor promised me I was going to love this new mascara. I never purchased the first Haute & Naughty but this is supposed to be blacker and a more intense mascara. I put on three coats (I LOVEEEE MASCARA) and it really did look like I had on falsies. The thing I most enjoyed about this mascara is, I can go for a more natural look or more dramatic look, the choice is mine.

M.A.C Cremesheen Glass in DELIGHT

Boybait has been my go to nude for a while and I really didn’t think anything could be better than that. Until the beauty advisor, told me she had a color that would look perfect with my complexion. It’s a nude with a little rose pink tint. It definitely can be used for everyday school and workplace. What I love about cremesheen is it last for hours on my lips and that I don’t even have to put on any lipstick under it because the color pay-off is great.


So go on to your local M.A.C counter and purchase these items, i know they will soon become some of your favorites as well.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Versatile Blogger Award


Thanks to Kelly Monroe, I was nominated for my first BLOGGER award! How exciting is that? I really appreciate it and I love your style and your curly big hair!!!!! Go look at her blog after this!

So, there are a few rules that you have to follow to accept the nomination:
1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.
2. Let the nominated bloggers know that they have been nominated for this award.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself
4. Thank the blogger who has nominated you.
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post




Ok let’s get to it now!
7 random facts about me:
  1. Im left handed, just like our president!
  2. I want to move to Atlanta after I graduate from Hampton.
  3. My mother wanted to name me Elizabeth so bad but my grandmother didn't like that (thank God lol)
  4. I want to have my 22nd birthday on a mini yacht in October, (wishful thinking)
  5. I want to make 6 figures by the age of 30. I plan on working in public affairs with the government while also creating a organization for young girls to gain knowledge on pursuing their dreams after high school.
  6. Im a goofball and I like guys who are goofballs, so we can have a goofy time together (corny, I know)
  7. Ive lost 18 pounds, and I want to lose 22 more!

That was so fun, I hope you got to learn some interesting facts about me and now for nominating 15 bloggers! This is definitely the hard part!!! I wish I could give the award to all of you!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Guess what its almost time for, BOOT SEASON! Well we still have a couple of months but that didn't stop them from coming back to our favorite stores this week. Knee and thigh high boots are like the best thing since sliced bread. It really adds a pick me up to any outfit! They also give you a reason to wear those not so in flare jeans your gramma gave you because you can just tuck them in your boots LOL. 

i know i own about 7 pair of boots in a variety of colors, but i still cant wait to add more to my collection!





*boots from Macy's, Barefeet Shoes, and Bakers.

Be Beautiful Every Day

Everyday its a mystery on who you will meet so i believe its vital to feel beautiful in your own skin. You never know, today could be the day someone falls in love with your smile! 


red maxi from belk


I absolutely adore this dress, it made me feel sexy and very pretty. Adding a peek of my cheetah print bra gave it its playful side! 

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Be More Like Lebron


To say the least, Lebron James has had a tough couple of years in the NBA. He was considered selfish, unhumble and arrogant, to the point where many people disliked him. Even though he was making his way to the top, it was all for the wrong reasons.

Now after realizing that having that kind of mentality would get him no where, he admitted his faults, he learned from his mistakes, and he gave looking at the world differently a chance; and what did it bring him this year, his first NBA Championship and his second USA gold medal.

Now what does this have to do with us, us women who are trying to make a difference in their community, us women who are trying to be the next Sarah Jessica Parker, and us women who are trying to find a man to marry?

It ties in a lot, If we want something in life we can't rely solely on ourselves to get there, stepping on people’s back to get to the top will eventually make you fall ALL THE WAY back to the bottom. You can be well known in life, but if it isn’t for the right reasons, it doesn’t mean a damn thing!

Us as women need to fix our attitudes, we hate on each other so much for NO REASON AT ALL. When we see a woman doing the right thing, instead of congratulating her, we bash her (ummhmmm Gabby Douglas). How can we succeed together if we don’t like when one of us actually makes it?

Relationship wise, it’s nice to have a list of things we want in a man, but we are getting A LITTLE TOO shallow now, he has to be 6’8, nice straight white teeth, Bentley truck preferred and six figured REQUIRED! PAUSE! Before you ask God that, ask yourself do you have that? How you still staying at your mom house, driving the same car you got for your sixteenth birthday and asking for “a 6 figure ni**a by the name of jigga” lol?  REALITY LADIES, instead of asking for all of these material things, we need to ask for a man of God, a man that’s going to respect you and yours, family oriented, wants to live right by one woman for the rest of his life.

So just like Lebron, we need to change our mental thinking, change the way we look at things, and work together so we all can make it to the top. We can do it ladies! We have to, because if we don’t, we will just continue to destroy each other.

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Can i get my RAMBLE on for a min


Dieting, eating right, and losing weight has been a love and hate issue with myself since I was in high school. I’m neither ashamed nor embarrassed of my body but I just always believed my choices of clothes would be better because I would have a better variety to choose from.  It seems like I’ve been a size 14 forever, tight 14 and loose 14, but nevertheless always a 14. But the size 14 me in high school was so self-conscious, I didn’t enjoy getting in front of the class to present anything, I didn’t like walking pass boys, I was just in an uncomfortable stage in my life. Skipping a couple years now being a young woman in college, I noticed my confidence is at an all-time high. I’ve came to the conclusion that it’s not how big or small you are, but it’s how you carry yourself. When I first attended Hampton University and saw all the beautiful black women I came across daily I noticed they came in every shape and size. I can say that definitely taught me to appreciate myself more and learn to accept myself flaws and all’s.

3 months ago when I started my commitment to lose a little bit of weight I can finally say, I wear a COMFORTABLE 12. By telling myself I was beautiful every day and actually writing my goals down I was able to lose 15 pounds.


I wish I could write my 15 year old self a letter telling her everything would was going to be alright.
Learning to love you is a constant struggle that we, especially black women, go through every day.  I wish I could have told myself that I was beautiful and smart and destined to be something more than great.