"Draw me like one of your French girls"

Today, we take a few lessons from the French and start "bien dans sa peau!" Or feeling good in your own skin!

I don't think I have an issue with feeling good in my own skin, but like everyone, I do get hard on myself sometimes. Here's a few things that French women do that I'd love to start incorporating into my own life:

Le Planning
They plan! Americans, in general, are very spontaneous. I have bought so many things that I didn't need or really like, just because it was on sale. French women are different. They plan and only make quality purchases. They stick to what they know and looks good on them. They buy basics that they can wear for years and add seasonal new pieces, like a nice scarf, new lipstick or bag. Now that I'm older and make a decent living, my goal is to purchase quality over quantity. It's not always easy with trendy, cheap stores like Target and Forever 21. But honestly, look in your closet at which pieces of clothes you have held on to the longest. I guarantee they are pieces made with nice material and may have cost you a little extra.

Enjoy the Party
Maybe it is because they plan, but French women are not nearly as frantic as us Americans. Whatever they face they deal with their emotions and move on. They don't stress over the traffic jam or anything else that gets in their way. If they have a party, they enjoy the time with their guest. They don't stay behind the scenes, cooking, cleaning and running around. Enjoy your party, doll!

Frankly, my Dear I don't Give a Damn
French women are blunt. They aren't pushovers. They are still polite, but they are strong. You can be respectful and have a backbone.

Feel Good, Look Good
French Women are always dressed nice and groomed. A lot of Americans are more than happy to run errands in their old, "cleaning clothes" or with their top knot. A French Woman wouldn't be caught dead cleaning in that, much less in public. Additionally, she wears what fits her and compliments her. She doesn't wear a trend just because it's a trend. Throw away those leggings, honey. You don't have the body for them! And can we talk about baggy pants? They may be girl hot, but definitely not guy hot. Sorry!

Treat yo Self
If they want that sweet dessert they eat it. They may cut back on other parts of their meals or skip another glass of wine, but they don't deny their selves. Cheese and wine is fine in moderation. Enjoy don't overeat or splurge.

Maintenance
French women think of manicures, massages and facials at maintenance. While us Americans think of it as spoiling ourselves. Never feel bad for taking time to care for yourself.

To sum it up, enjoy life! Plan for things, but don't panic when your plans don't go through as planned. Think about why you're somewhere and what you're doing. Take the time to be all there. Dress the part and spoil yourself. Eat that cupcake, darling. You'll work it off tomorrow:)

Everything's Better with Cheese!

Recipe for Success issued a flash challenge asking followers to make a hot dish with the most vegetables they can. The tasty little number that I created is "Marissa's Meatless and Pastaless Vegetable Lasagna". It is amazing and has 14 vegetables in it! Check it out:

Here's the recipe:
1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. Poke holes in an entire Spaghetti Squash (Veggie #1) and put it in the oven
3. Thinly slice 1) Eggplant (Veggie # 2), Squash (Veggie #3) and Zucchini (Veggie #4) place on a cookie sheet, top with Cayenne, Tony's and pop it in the oven
4. In a small pot, boil or steam a head of Broccoli (Veggie #5)
5. In a large pot, add the following chopped items: Garlic (Veggie #6), Celery (Veggie #7), Chives (Veggie #8), Onions (Veggie #9), Red Bell Pepper (Veggie # 10, Spinach (Veggie #11), Tomatoes (Veggie #12), Carrots (Veggie #13) and 1 Jalapeno (Veggie #14). I cook all of this on Medium-Low with Olive Oil.
6. Keep an eye on your Eggplant, Squash and Zucchini tray and remove it from the onion once it is cooked.
7. Once the pot of veggies are pretty sautéed, add 1 large can of whole Tomatoes and 1/4 cup of water and reduce the heat to Low
8. Remove the Spaghetti Squash from the Oven and allow it to cool.While it is cooling, get out your large baking pan and coat it with Olive Oil.
9. Scrape the inside of the Spaghetti Squash into the pan to create your first layer.
10. Add a layer or Cheese: Ricotta, Parmesan and Mozzarella
11. Add a little bit of the Spaghetti Sauce you made
12. Add a layer of other veggies: Eggplant, Squash and Zucchini
13. Add another layer of Ricotta Cheese
14. Add the rest of the Spaghetti Sauce
15. Top with more Parmesan and Mozzarella.
16. Bake until the cheese melts.

And, yes, you read this correctly. I did not have to add any more seasoning besides those listed in step 3. All of the vegetables brought out natural, delicious flavors.

This meal is a little expensive since it has so many different veggies and cheeses,  but it's well worth it. It is delicious and taste amazing reheated. Recipe will feed 12-15!

Enjoy:)

VegOut! Challenge

For this challenge, I have 30 days to eat 30 different vegetables, but I don't think it will take me that long! Today is day 5 of the VegOut! Challenge and I've already had 12 different vegetables. Here's what I've had so far:

I started on Saturday, March 1st with a  healthy breakfast. One fried egg over easy topped with salsa and served with avocado (Veggie #1) and grilled Tomatoes (Veggie #2) and White Onions (Veggie #3).

I went to Mardi Gras the rest of the weekend so didn't worry about the VegOut! Challenge. On Monday, I was back at it:

For lunch on March 3, I made Okra Stew served over rice. In it I pan cooked Okra (Veggie #4), Chives (Veggie #5), Celery (Veggie #6), Green Bell Peppers (Veggie #7), Garlic (Veggie # 8), Eggplant (Veggie #9) and a few other vegetables that I've already counted like White Onion and canned Tomatoes.

For a snack that afternoon, I had more vegetables!

I love eating vegetables with either ranch, peanut butter or hummus. On Monday, I added Cucumbers (Veggie #10) to my veggie log.

For dinner on Tuesday, March 4, I made one of our favorite meals:

This is wasabi and soy marinated tuna steaks, cooked with tomatoes and onions and topped with avocado. For sides, we had wasabi and soy mashed Russet Potatoes (Veggie #11) and fish sauce Brussels Sprouts (Veggie #12).

All in all, this VegOut! Challenge has been fairly easy. It has challenged me to be more creative and more complex. I'm a very simple cook, meaning I can make a meal with anything I find in my kitchen. This has caused me to add more ingredients to normal meals and grocery shop more frequently.

So far, I've been sticking with the veggies that I know and love. But, I can't wait to add a few new vegetables that I don't cook or eat very often like: Bean Sprouts, Cabbage, Edamame, Daikon, Mustard Greens, Kale, Turnips and more!