Hudson's Bay Blankets

If you only had one blanket, this sucker would be all you need.  History tidbit for the day: The Hudson's Bay Company produced these blankets and settlers traded them with Native Americans for pelts back in the 18th and 19th centuries.  I mean, if French settlers used them in the frigid Canadian winters, I think one could keep me warm in my radiator-heated apartment. 

The authentic green, red, yellow, and blue print is available from Woolrich's.  Not only can you get the print on blankets, but designers have teamed up with HBC to create anything from mugs to bags to canoes to pillows.  My personal favorite?  This Smythe HBC Swing Coat.  Love.  I saw a woman at Trader Joe's tonight wearing a vintage design very similar.  I considered distracting her with some Two Buck Chuck while nabbing her coat.

          via The Canadian School           

  via Styling w/ Children

Even if I'm not lucky enough to snag one on Ebay, I still think the classic blanket has the right mix of rustic/retro/eclectic.  My parents' have one at their cabin but it works just as well in a minimalist bedroom.

Happy Baby

Ok - so this post has nothing to do with actual babies.  But it does have a lot to do with the hot yoga class my friend and I took tonight... and it is the name of one of the many moves we tried to maneuver in our 60 minute sauna/yoga session.  You may not be able to read the last pose on the chart; it is called "modified corpse" which is similar to how I felt when we took that pose at the end of the class.

I've taken a few pilates classes here and there, but have never put too much time or effort into it.  When my friend suggested we buy a Groupon for hot yoga, I thought... I'm not too sure.  Personally, I despise being hot, so the thought of having to work out in a room that is purposely 105 degrees literally sounded like hell on earth.  The Groupon was $39 for 20 classes and I've really been missing having some sort of fitness class in my routine, so I manned up and got it.

If you're like me and like to research the crap out of something you're about to jump into, then you'll understand why I extensively Googled how I should prepare for Bikram.  After going to one session, I think these are the basic things you need to know in advance: 

• Dress accordingly.  You're going to get hot.  And I mean really hot.  Most people wore loose fitting tank tops and capris.  I went with all black so that my sweat marks were a little less obvious.  Gap Body makes my favorite Pima Cotton Tank and gFast Capris.

• Drink water in advance and definitely bring a bottle with you to keep from dehydrating.

• Bring your own mat.  Once you see how much sweat gets dripped on the rental mats, you definitely don't want a pre-used model.  You can get an inexpensive one at TJ Maxx or Target, like this YogaDirect Deluxe Extra Thick Mat. 

• Wear a headband to keep your hair out of your way.  You will quickly learn this if you don't have one.  I love these Goody Stayput ones because they don't slide off your head.

Once you've covered all of these easy steps before your first hot yoga class, you'll be downward dogging your way into an awesome calorie-burning workout.  I actually really enjoyed it, even with the heat on blast.  Modified corpse and all.

Cities in Snow

At the end of last week, Chicago got its first measurable snow this season.  While it really wasn't too treacherous compared to Snowpocalypse 2011, it did make for some slushy sidewalks and photo ops.  Here are a few photos of my favorite cities in snow (images via Pinterest).

 Chicago

London

 Paris

An Undisclosed Dreamy Location in Europe

 Munich

 Prague

Do you have a favorite snowy locale?

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach

I came across this recipe on Pinterest which ended up leading me to a great website for healthy recipes called Skinny Taste.  If your overindulging during the holidays has lead you to call in reinforcements, aka join Weightwatchers, this website is like mecca.  Plus I love the pictures.

The other night I made Chicken Rollatini, which required few ingredients and not too much time or effort AND each serving is only 5 points.  It was one of the best recipes I've made in awhile!

You will need:

• 6 - 8 thin chicken cutlets
• 1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 6 tablespoons egg whites or egg beaters
• 5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid
• 6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
• 6 oz part skim mozzarella
• olive oil non-stick spray
• 1 cup low-fat, reduced sodium marinara sauce
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 and spray a non-stick baking dish with cooking spray. Wash and dry chicken cutlets and season with salt and pepper.

Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp grated cheese in one bowl; 1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites in another.

Combine 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese with remaining grated cheese, spinach (make sure you squeeze it dry), 2 tbsp egg beaters, and ricotta cheese.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of spinach-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

 image via Skinny Taste

Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray with olive oil baking spray.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese.  Continue baking for about 3 minutes.

I've had one of them for dinner many times over the past week and each time I just add a little more marinara and grated parmesan when I heat it up.  I even froze a few and they were just as good.

Lace Up Boots

 image via Pinterest

Whilst in the exotic land known as Los Angeles, I noticed a lot of girls wearing lace up boots.  I haven't really seen many of them in Chicago; I'd say most boots worn here are of the riding boot variety.  A few weeks ago I was perusing through one of my favorite blogs, HiP Paris Blog, and one of the posts was about the fashion of Montmartre.  Parisian women are obviously known for their chic yet timeless fashion, and general lack of falling into short-lived trends (this is actually one of New Year's resolutions, to quit buying cheap trendy stuff at Forever 21 and invest in classic staples).  When I came across this awesome illustration on HiP about Parisian fashion, I was on the fence about how I felt about lace up boots.  I wasn't sure I could pull them off without looking like Pippi Longstocking.  However, once I saw them in person on lots of fashionable ladies in LA, I actually really liked them.  Girls there wore them with leggings, skinny jeans as well as shorts, so they looked cute in any type of climate, not just cold weather.  They look even edgier with the sides flipped down.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Steve Madden Cablee | $150

Madden Girl Zorrba | $70

Ros Hommerson Military | $150

Maybe I'll buy a pair at an end of winter sale before the craze hits Chicago.

Weekend in LA

This past weekend I ventured to Los Angeles to visit my boyfriend and was there for less than 48 hours.  I did, however, manage to pack those 48 hours with a whole lot of stuff.  Visiting friends in Korea Town, seeing Mickey and Minnie at Disneyland and eating shrimp tacos in Venice Beach, to be exact.

As a child, I was a seasoned Disney World veteran.  I loved that place and everything about it from the futuristic monorail to the Mickey-shaped waffles to the overpriced autograph books.  This is why when my boyfriend asked me what I wanted to do on this trip out to see him, I knew instantly that I wanted to relive the glory days at Disneyland.  Aside from the hoards of children and over-sized strollers everywhere, it still was magical.  

The second and last day of my short trip, we woke up with our terribly sore feet and decided to go to Venice Beach before dropping me off at the airport.  Venice Beach is like Disneyland for bums.  It's a very eclectic place to say the least, but still very cool none the less.  We strolled down the promenade past all of the vendors and homeless people to the skate park on the beach, enjoying the fabulous 75 degree weather.  Before heading to LAX, we grabbed a bite at the Venice Ale House and had AH-mazing shrimp nachos and tangerine beer.  Needless to say, I wasn't at all ready to head back home to chilly Chicago.  If you ever find yourself in the area, be sure to check this restaurant out.  The food was great.

On a sidenote for Disney enthusiasts, I found out about a little-known secret club at Disneyland, called Club 33.  Located in the New Orleans Square section of the park, the entrance is a door next to the Blue Bayou restaurant with an engraved address plate saying "33".  Apparently guests must press a buzzer and insert their key in a panel that is hidden on the doorway.  The inside looks like a French hotel lobby complete with a dining room and full bar.  It was Walt Disney's idea for the club which opened in 1964, decorated with antiques and original Disney memorabilia.  Anyone who joins the club for a mere $10,000 in addition to the $3,500 in annual dues gets early admission, valet parking, access to the Presidential Car on the Disneyland Railroad and 6 immediate Fastpasses to cut the line for rides.  What a deal!  Oh and there's a 14 year wait list... so start saving.

The Bachelor

What happens when you throw 25 emotionally unstable women into one house, vying for the affection of one eligible, greasy haired wine maker?  And no, that is not Constantine.  You get a nut house.  Not only did one arrive on a horse and another brought her grandma for some brownie points, but it seems many of the contestants also packed their second personalities.  Enter Jenna.

She's a 27 year old blogger from New York who does Carrie Bradshaw-esque things such sitting in Central Park and writing about love, or lack there of.  I initially thought "hey, she seems okay.  I appreciate her use of neon colors and ombre hair."  But then things got not so cute when she freaked out for no reason over a near-lesbian interaction that didn't involve her.  She offered to share a tampon with the offending quasi-lesbian and then locked herself in the bathroom and cried.  I'm not sure if she didn't take her meds that day, drank entirely too much or a combination of both, but in the second episode she was at it again and pulled some dramatic crying in bed.  Ben decided she cray and sent her and both her personalities packing to NYC to blog all about it.

The next crazy up is Blakeley.  If you Google her, all kinds of slut-tastic pictures will come up, so be aware.  Apparently, in a previous life she was a Hooters calendar girl (Ben said these are smart girls!) and Maxim Hot 100 contestant.  Now she's a professional VIP cocktail waitress, as if these three things are not synonymous.  Does the VIP stand for some type of extra degree?

Anyways, she goes straight for the kill and makes out with Ben in the pool.  Everyone is jealous and hates her.  She realizes this then cries in a corner.

The two that went home tonight are Crazy #1 (Jenna) and the girl no one saw (Shawn).  That leaves a lot of drunk girls and awkward situations to be had in the coming Mondays.  I have a feeling more drama from the quasi-lesbian, aka the "Dental Consultant" (wtf does that even mean??) is heading our way and I'm pumped.  I foresee lots of crying.  At this point, I'd have to say my favorite is Kasie B, but I'm afraid she's going to be struck with the first one-on-one date curse.

Any guesses on who will win Ben's heart?

Easy Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken

When it's cold outside, I love nothing more than my crock pot.  Throw in your ingredients before bed (or before heading to work) and voila! wake up to a delicious smelling meal with minimal effort.  My latest crock pot adventure involved just frozen chicken breasts, Frank's Red Hot Sauce and a packet of dry ranch mix.  My favorite kind of meal - cheap and simple.

Before I went to bed, I put all three ingredients (remember the chicken is frozen, not thawed), put the lid on and turned that baby on low.  A mere 7 hours later, my apartment smelled like BW3's.  I took each piece of chicken out of the crock pot, shredded it with a fork and put it back into the crock pot.  I added a few more shakes of Frank's and unplugged it.  I let it marinate for about an hour before packaging it up in some Gladware and putting it in the fridge for dinner that night.  It was so nice to come home to a ready made meal!  Plus, the hot sauce and ranch mix have no calories, so it's also very healthy.  I served it with celery stalks and a few crumbles of blue cheese to get my wings fix without the calories.

I found this - plus many other awesome recipes - on Pinterest via mykitchenapron.blogstop.com.