Move of the Month

Lateral Plyo Squats (or Power Squats if you do Insanity)

How to do it:  Start standing with your feet together, arms down by your sides. Step your right foot out to the side (about hip-width apart) and bend your knees, holding both arms in front of body, sitting back into a squat: press your hips behind you (as if reaching back for a chair) and keep your chest lifted and eyes forward

[A]. Quickly push off the floor with both feet, jumping up and to the left [B]. Land stepping out to the side and back into your squat position.

For the whole thigh-toning circuit, click here.

Quick Form Tip: Use your arms to get your momentum going and to help you push off the ground.

Turkey Tetrazzini

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!  I got this recipe from my mother-in-law last year, and it's one of my husbands favorites from growing up.

Since we always have lots of leftovers after the holiday, it's nice to be able to make them into something a little different.  (It gets boring eating turkey for three days in a row!) So, the night after Thanksgiving I made this for dinner!  It's a favorite that we only make once or twice a year!

Turkey Tetrazzini

-8 oz spaghetti, broken
-5 Tbsp. butter
-6 Tbsp. flour
-1 c. light cream
-1 tsp. salt
-1 c. sliced mushrooms
-3 c. cooked turkey
-1/2 c. parmesan
-5 Tbsp. minced green pepper
-1/2 c. cheddar cheese

1) Cook spaghetti.
2) Melt butter and blend in flour.  Stir broth into flour mixture.  Add cream and cook until mix thickens and bubbles.
3) Add salt, drained spaghetti, green peppers, mushrooms, and turkey.  Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture!.. But I stole one from online. It looks somewhat like this when you're done.

Olay Pro-X Cleansing System

This is seriously one of my favorite beauty devices!

I got one from work a few months ago and use it almost every day!  It's around $20-$30 depending on where you get it from.  Costco has the best deal.   I think it comes with an extra head and cleanser as well for around $30.  I got mine from Walgreens where it retails at $29.99 for just what you see here. 

I think they recommend changing the heads every 3 months or so.  They're around $10 for two (at Wagreens anyway, I'm sure they're cheaper elsewhere.) It has two different speeds and takes 2 AA batteries.

For those of us (me!) who are too poor to afford a Clarisonic, this is the next best thing for an affordable price.

Trend to Try: Blazer Over Maxi

Maxi dresses are for summer, right?  Well now that it's winter I thought this trend would be appropriate: a longdress with a blazer over top to keep you warm! 

Would you rock this trend?

Floral Maxi Dress 

Oldnavy.com

$16.99

 Blazer

hm.com
$49.95

Harvest Card

I figured since Thanksgiving is today it would only be appropriate for today's card idea to be a harvest card!  The past couple years I have become addicted to making cards with my mom, and this particular card we made in one of our monthly card clubs.

I love how the pumpkin pops!  We punched out 5 circles, folded them in half,  and glued one side to another circle until we had this pumpkin.  The colors are so festive!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Running in the Cold!

Now that's it's getting FREEZING in my neck of the woods I'm a lot less motivated to go out and run.  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday some girls in my neighborhood meet around 7:00 to go running together.  I just joined them a few weeks ago but haven't gone since because it's getting way too cold. 

Anyway, I found this great article at Shape.com<--read the whole thing here. (one of my favorite fitness magazines) called "5 Cold Wather Running Tips."

1. Wear warm socks. Of course this makes sense! I don't think I have warm socks to run in, so it could be a good investment.

2. Dress in layers. Of course it will be cold when you first start running, but after awhile you get hot right?  Well if you dress in layers you can take off some things as you get warm.

3. Consider throwing on a scarf. Wearing a scarf while running?  Whay they say makes sense I suppose.  "when the temps drop because the cooler, drier air hurts their lunges or throats. Combat this by wearing a scarf. The moisture from your own breath keeps the air more humid and therefore easier to breathe."  Still not sure if I'd be comfortable with a scarf or not.

4. Watch where you step. You don't want to slip or fall!  Especially if it's snowy and icy!

5. Ease into it. Let your body adjust to the cold weather over time.  Maybe start with one day a week and work up from there!

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Okay, I'm going to start this off by saying I love pumpkin pie-- BUT my sister introduced me to this recipe years ago and I have to say I love it SO much more than regular pumpkin pie.  It's called "Pumpkin Crumb Cake."  Although I should tell you it's not exactly "cake" so to speak.  It's more of a hybrid between cake and a pie.

Here's how to make it:

- 1 pkg yellow cake mix
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 c. butter, melted
- 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 3 Tbsp. butter, softened
- 1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional) --I've never had it with the nuts.. but if you like nuts it's worth a try!

1)  Preheat oven to 350 F and grease 9X13 pan. Reserve 1 cup cake mix.
2)  In large bowl, combine remaining cake mix with 1 egg and 1/2 c. melted butter.  Mix well and pat in pan.  (this is your crust)
3)  In large bowl, mix pumpkin, 3 eggs, 1/2 c. sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Pour over crust. (this is the filling)
4)  In small bowl combine 1 c. cake mix, 1/2 c. sugar, 3 Tbsp. softened butter.  Crumble over pumpkin filling. (this puts the crumb in crumb cake! :P)
5)  Sprinkle nuts evenly over the top if desired.  Bake 40-45 mins.

DONE!  See how it's like a cake and a pie?  Anyway--I'm making this tomorrow night for Thanksgiving so I'll post a picture of it so you can see the deliciousness!

Nice and golden brown!

Nutra Nail Gel Perfect

I just got a sample of this the other week.  I still need to try it to see how it works. 

I've read some reviews which made me pretty nervous, but I'm going to put it on tomorrow!

Celeb Fashion

Everyone seems to be obsessed with Pippa? Why?  I'm not exactly sure, but you gotta admit the girl always looks put together.  That's why she's today's inspiration. The main reason why I chose her is because I love her jacket! (Anyone else wondering why she has so many bags?)

Here's how to recreate her look with pieces all under $50

Faux Leather Jacket

macy's.com

$49.99

Anne Klein Sleeveless Blouse

nordstrom.com

$38

"Smoothie" Quilted Satchel

yesstyle.com

$48

OR

"19th Street" Studded Shoulder Bag

yesstyle.com

$48

Fall Wreath

A couple weeks ago I finally made a fall wreath for my door. I had been wanting to put something for fall on my door since it had been blank since right after the 4th of July.  I looked for some inspiration online before finally coming up with this:

It's the first wreath I've ever made, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be!  I headed over to Michaels and found all of the supplies I needed for around $15! So much better than buying one pre-made--and it's personalized with the "D" for our last name.

All you need is:

- Wreath form (Around $5.  I used a coupon to make it cheaper)

- Fall foliage (I hit the cheap bins with all the items under $3)

-Monogram letter ($3 although I know they have them cheaper elsewhere)

-Paint (My D was white, but I painted it yellow with brown edges to make it look for Fall-ish)

-Hot Glue Gun

-Wire Cutters (to trim foliage to desired length)

First I started out with the leaves and placed them evenly around the most wreath. (Leaving room for the D.) After that, I just took all the rest of the foliage and did the same thing, making sure there was a little bit of everything the whole way around. (I think I still might need to add a little more to fill in some empty spots)

 

After everything was placed where I wanted it, I took my hot glue gun and glued it into place so nothing would fall out.  I also used the hot glue to glue on the D. 

 

Word of Caution: Please be careful with the hot glue gun.  As I was gluing on the last piece of squash the glue dripped down the side and onto my thumb.  OUCH!  After a couple hours of excruciating pain and keeping my thumb in a glass of water I'm happy to say I turned out fine and was able to sleep that night. But please, be careful!

 

 



Insanity

That about sums is up. 

Seriously though.  This is probably one of the best at home workouts I have ever tried.  If you like working out at home and haven't already tried it.  You should!  My sister let me borrow the first half of her program awhile ago, and I got hooked!

Even if you think you're in pretty good shape, it is HARD!  The best thing about it, though?  Absoloutely NO equipment needed. (Well, except a TV and DVD player of course!) 

I usually do not sweat that much, and by the end of the workouts, I am dripping in sweat.  Seriously.  What exactly do you do, you ask?  Insanity is "packed with plyometric drill on top of nonstop intervals of strength, power resistance, and ab and core training moves."

You know how in most workout videos you feel stupid for stopping because all the people in the video seem to be just fine?  Well, this one make me feel like it's ok to stop.  Know why?  Because even the fit people in the video with super toned bodies have to stop!



I am going to start it up again tomorrow after a little hiatus, so I'll have a later post showing you my results!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

It's that time of year again.  Pumpkin time!  I love November because it's the time of year where you can make almost ANYTHING with pumpkin!

Last week I had to make a dessert for a large dinner I was helping with. I had to decide what to make that would make 48 servings.  I asked my friend what she thought I should make and she suggested Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes.  What a great idea!  My husband hates pumpkin so it would be a perfect time to make them.

I happened to find this recipe from Betty Crocker.  And they looked delicious!

Prep Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 35 min
Servings: 24

(I doubled the recipe.)


Here's what you need:

1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 box yellow cake mix
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 container cream cheese frosting (or you can make it homemade)

Steps:

1) Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan).

 

2) In heavy nonstick skillet, cook pecans and 2 tablespoons of the sugar over low heat about 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted. Spoon and spread pecans onto sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar; toss. (This step took me way longer than 8 minutes.  I finally turned up the heat to medium or even medium/high until the sugar finally started melting, then turned it back down.)

 

3)In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about two-thirds full).

4) Bake 19 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

5) Frost cupcakes with frosting. Sprinkle edge of frosted cupcakes with pecans; press lightly into frosting. Store loosely covered.


All done!  They were as delicious as they looked! (Sorry, the only pic I took was with my phone.)

Note to self:  Before attempting to make 4 dozen cupcakes, make sure you have more than one cupcake pan. It will save you time if you ever decide to do it again.

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes

I love the new False Lash mascara trend that seems to be popping up everywhere!  I am not one who is coordinated with putting on real false lashes, so a claim that I can get the same effect from a tube--YES!

Have you tried Loreal's new Voluminous False Fiber Lashes yet?  If not, it is definitely a MUST.  Take that from a girl who is obsessed with mascara.  I love to try the latest new thing, and I never buy the same mascara twice unless I fall in love.  This is one I will definitely buy twice.

I like it because it gives you both mega length and some volume! As you can see in my before picture, my eyelashes are almost invisible--but in my after picture, they're prett much touching my eyebrows!

One of the things that I didn't like as much was the brush.  It was not the kind of brush I was used to in other similar mascaras, but it did coat all of my lashes pretty well.  Also there was a little bit of flaking, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

Overall, I really liked it!  I had one of my friends try it too, and her lashes looked great as well. 

Welcome!

Welcome to Perpetual Pizazz!  The purpose of this blog is to put a little glamour and oomph into our daily lives.  I'll be reviewing and posting some of my favorite things and sharing them with you!

Here's what to expect from the blog:

Monday: Everything to do with Makeup!
Tuesday: Tasty Recipes
Wednesday: Workout advice
Thursday: My craft ideas/projects
Friday: Fashion Inspiration
Saturday: Simple cards/gift ideas