Rdio may not be as cool as Spotify, but it’s getting the job done for me.
All three of these albums have songs that made it to spin, pool, and night night mixes instantly. Download on your preferred streaming platform and enjoy.
More Than Mary Tumblr
This is the tumblr for my lifestyle blog MoreThanMary.com - a site that offers you my tips and tricks in fitness, fashion, food, and travel, so by the end of the week it's like you've read a magazine written by someone you trust.Go check it out and brwose the archives. I've been at this for 3 years!
You can always reach me via:
Email: Mary@MoreThanMary.com
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Right now I am struggling to move through this morning due to some sort of sleeping pill hangover.
Last night I took an Advil PM so I could fall sleep at a reasonable hour. This little pill didn’t put me to sleep, it knocked me the F out for 12 hours!
As I plan my escape to the other side of the world next week, I’m wondering what I should bring with me so I can sleep peacefully for 8 hours and NOT feel like this when I wake up. Jet lag is hard enough without this added element!
Going to London and China I used Ambien which worked well. But on one trip to London, it failed to knock me out, and I had to suffer with a massive headache for the 11 hour flight. While in living in London, I bought some over-the-counter sleep aids which are JUST the right dosage, but they sell them in the US unfortunately. Back in the day when I hoped the pond several times a year I had a nice little stash, but that is long gone.
Lunesta is the other one people like. I’ve heard Valium from others. Tylenol PM never works for me at home so I don’t see how it could be effective on a plane.
I’m the kind of person who hates taking pills, especially ones that aren’t natural. I usually don’t even take an aid when I get a headache.So, this is a predicament for me.
Any thoughts??? What works for you??
Love the bracelet!
Fingers crossed for $2k. I have some gold to sell you :)
Gold Buyng Girl has found her new signature bracelet for the year. A must for every GBG jewelry box after you decide to recycle some of your old jewelry! Gold shot up in the last two days. I have a feeling that gold will hit $2000 this year.
How to cut citrus fruits. Pretty easy and makes a big difference in how it tastes. No bitter rind in your bite :)
A reader said, “I wish I could see your grocery list” Well, here it is! Can you read it?? Yeah, me neither. I actually have nice handwriting when I’m not rushing….
No, seriously, I never make a list unless I’m determined to cook, which I was this week.
If I don’t make a list, here’s what I usually pick up (as I go through the store):
This week I’ve made two recipes from publications. But really, nothing special. You can see them for yourself.
Roasted Talapia with EVOO and herbs. Spinach using the Whole Foods recipe I posted last week. Brown rice with lime and cilantro.
This didn’t turn out as I had hoped. Island pork recipe from Clean Eating magazine and green beans with sesame oil.
Apple-potato latkes with maple-cinnamon yogurt from one of my favorite sources: Melissa Clark’s column “A Good Appetite” in NYTimes Dining section on Wednesdays. (I fell in love with her making this Chicken Adobo. Then I found THESE BAD ASS RIBS!) I’m sure hers were MUCH better, but my circumstances were not great. I had to make the mix and then put it in the fridge for an hour before frying them. Ideally, I’d like to broil them! I’ll try that soon. Until then, see my healthy substitutions below and see what you can do with them. Here is the recipe:
From Melissa Clark, NYTimes Dining
MR used: Nonfat Greek yogurt. Wheat flour. Whatever apples I had in the fridge. Whole Foods brand agave syrup, both Maple and Cinnamon (in addition to ground cinnamon).
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt, cinnamon and syrup. Cover and chill until ready to use.
2. Coarsely grate the apples, potato and onion. Put the mixture in a clean dish towel and squeeze to wring out as much liquid as possible. For the crispiest pancakes, you want the least moisture.
3. Working quickly, put the mixture in a large bowl, add the flour, eggs, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.
4. In a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan, cooking 3 to 4 latkes at a time. Use a spatula to flatten the scoops into disks. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes, flip them. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with dollops of the cinnamon sour cream on top.
MR notes: I know nothing about oil except their benefits. EVOO was too thick to fry in. Test a latke in the oil before making all of them. I had to add additional potato and apple because my batter had too much flour. And the yogurt is unexpectedly amazing; you need it. I used it instead of ketchup.
I love running across pictures like this.
(Love you and miss you Whitney and Jimmy. Big hug to precious Leighton!)
In early morning pre-coffee daze I bought “Wind down” cd @starbux -not bad honestly. Starts w/ FrouFrou! (Taken with instagram)
@NYTdining potato & apple latkes w/cinnamon maple yogurt. Yummy! Recipe on MTM soon. (Taken with instagram)
Per my riders’ requests, here are my last two spin mixes.
I’ve actually been getting a lot of my music from listening to the Hits 1 Sirius station in my car. That’s where I found “Ray Charles” by Chiddy Bang and “I’m a Goner” by Mike & Sue.
Hope these are “provocative” and “get you movin’.”
Every time I go to Target, I end up with a least one new piece of clothing. Like this jersey dress. Cute, right?
It seems every time I go in there now for a necessity, I come home with new clothes.
How can I resist? Right there at the entrance is the women’s section with trendy pieces lining the isle, enticing me to step in and browse. Sure enough, one piece always jumps into my basket. Why question the impulse buy when it’s so cheap?
Smarty corporate merchandisers. We are so predictable. :)
Yesterday in the WSJ, there was an article about retailers, Target was the example, getting upset about acting as a “showroom” for customers to experience a product before they buy it for considerably less online. Target actually wrote a letter to its vendors pleading for them to help level the playing field with price reductions or exclusive offerings for their stores.
As a consumer I just don’t feel bad for them. They’ve dominated our shopping and wallets for too long, and it feels empowering to have options and use them. Now, I usually go with brick and mortar over online, but the majority of shoppers apparently don’t. (Check out the Red Laser and Amazon PriceCheck apps to comparison shop.)
Online retailers try to entice you with the “other people bought” items, but I’m willing to bet those don’t jump into the shopping cart as often as they do in a real store.
I certainly don’t have numbers to back this up, but it seems like the ball is finally in our court! The question is then are we smart enough to consider our budget and hit it straight passed their tactics, not always ending up with the jersey dress.
I’m working on that :)
Not quite the latte of @catalinacoffee or @cafeluzhouston but Double Trouble is a legit new bar for #Houston (Taken with Instagram at Double Trouble)
Haha. I wish.
The corn syrup is filling - 90% of the pie!
"You’re strong! For having such little arms."
Cederick - my new trainer and owner of Next Level Fitness in Houston - has a unique approach to toning: “Angles and Reps.”
As women, we know in order to stay slim and not bulk up, we should use light weights and do more repetitions. Cederick intensifies this philosophy by also changing the angle at which you perform the exercise so you target the muscle in a different way.
Over the next few months, I’ll post pictures of how you can utilize this strategy with machines and free weights. Thus far I’m loving it!
Today, I’m talking about glutes because that has been the most notable change for me.
Seriously, my saddle bags are GONE on the sides of my legs and my butt is much firmer…even a little bigger. TMI, I know, but you need to know what you’re after, right?!
Here are three different exercises that target your gluts using angles and reps.
You can do this on the incline leg press as I am above and add plates (I use 2 45 lb plates) or on the horizontal machine (90-100 lbs on the stack). Or you can do both because laying flat and being at an incline CHANGES THE ANGLE of the exercise!
The angles I will focus on here involve your feet. Hopefully yours aren’t as gigantic as mine :)
In the first position your feet are at 90 degrees and hips’ distance apart. The second, you take your heels to the edge of the platform and turn your feet out. The last position, you bring your feet together at the bottom of the platform.
In each position do 20 reps WITH MINIMAL REST.
If you do not have a board to change the angle of your feet use two plates next to each other. I borrowed “Bunny’s Board” for this pic - I’m guessing since the exercise was successful in toning her butt they commemorated her with a personalized board!
To preform a dead lift:
Do 20 reps at each angle.
You’ve all been on this machine I’m sure, but I’ll bet you never thought to bend over while you’re seated. I hadn’t, but I’m glad to know about this angle. I believe this has been one of the key movements in toning my gluts.
In this exercise I use 80 lbs (although not in this pic because I could barely move my legs!).
The first set of 20, I put my feet on the lowest step and sit up tall (not against the cushion) with my core tight. Immediately following that set, I bend over, move my feet up to the top step, and push out 20 more reps.
Finally, I wanted to add one more exercise you can incorporate during this circuit that doesn’t involve weights. It’s like a dead lift and warrior 3 postion from yoga combined to tone your gluts and improve your balance.
The slower you go, the harder it is and the more progress you’ll see.
Do 20 in a row on each side as dynamic rest in between your lifting sets. If you want to intensify this movement add weights or bring your arms out straight in front of you as you lower yourself parallel to the ground.