Old Navy Online Deal Alert !

What a major coincidence, that Old Navy is running an online exclusive sale. They are having 30% off any adult item purchase (women's, men's, maternity, women's plus, etc.) of $100 or more. YES! This sale will be running 7/23 - 7/25. Just use code ONADULT at checkout. Then they are having a code for free shipping if you spend $50 or more using code ONSEND50 at time of checkout. You can really turn this into a great deal! But, then if you go through Ebates, Old Navy has 10% cash back. See this post for more information ( at the bottom).

Old Navy Sale!

Whew! Look at all this you can get for a little over $100. Then use the 30% off code and you just brought it down to $70. So here is a couple items I thought were pretty cute to make an example out of. Enjoy!

Deal Scenario:
Below clothes = $104.26
- 30% discount = $72.98 + tax OOP
went through ebates cash back = $7.30
= $65.68 + free shipping + free returns! Not to bad for $100 worth of clothes sent to your door!



1. Graphic Jersey Lounge Shorts - $6.97
2. Logo Hoodie (Aquatic Park or Shot of Love colors) - $12.97


3. Distressed Boot-Cut Jeans sizes 16 to 30 - $36.50


4. Braided Belt Twill Shorts (also come in white & black) - $14.97
5. Seed Bead Embellish Tank - $4.47 (this might be out of stock)


6. V-Neck Jersey Tee (other colors like black and white)- $6.97


7. Crochet-Hem V-Neck Tee - $9.47


8. Raw Edge Ruffle Trim Henley - $6.47


9. Striped Chest Pocket Tank - $5.47

Another Flunked Interview

Well, it has happened again! Another interview gone bad, in other words I didn't get the job. With these kind of set backs I realize my dependency on food more. I need to start figuring out a better way to manage my stress and emotions so it doesn't become a vicious cycle like it already has.

Fashionistas ~ what to choose?!

As a bigger person I am always on the lookout for cute clothes that fit well and that are affordable. Sometimes that is very hard and almost near impossible to find. But, my goal for this new segment of this blog is to find clothes on the net and post about them. I will put outfits together, show shoes, accessories, etc. Hopefully, I can do this on a weekly basis to keep up with the trends and seasonal changes.

So, this week I am putting the spotligt on finding a cute summer dress. I have a wedding to go to in August and even though I have a back-up outfit of gray pants and a black zipper top, I wanted to find something a little more dressy. Also, I have had this obession with wearing blue shoes and I want to find something that I can wear with blue shoes. I have been searching and searching and I have only found a couple. Here are a couple of my top picks for dresses and shoes. Let me know what you think.

TORRID: They had a couple cute items that I found. The only thing that I watch out for when I buy dresses is how it will make my butt and arms look. I have such a big butt/hips and large flabby arms. So, I am very self conscious of sleeveless and puffy dresses. On the other hand I found that a lot of their dresses looked super short. Jeez! I'm going to wedding not a night club!

Don't really care for the shoe style but I really like the color of this shoe. I was hoping I could find something similar to this color but maybe in a sandal or stiletto style shoe.

(Since so small go here to view)
This dress I really like how it looks on the girl and I would really consider wearing it to a wedding, but I'm concerned how it would look on me w/ my big butt and hips.

(since so small go here to view)
This dress would probably work out great. It is a little longer, which is good, and I can add a cardigan to it and disguise my arms, butt, and hips! Also, it would go pretty good with the color of shoes that I am obsessed with wearing.

OLD NAVY: They surprised me with a couple of cute dresses. Sometimes they just have mostly "out there" dresses that I would not even stand beside, let only try to look good in.

I really, really like this dress. It would be cute to wear and I could add a cardigan to it and cover my problem areas up. But, on the other hand I am nervous that it is going to be sticky and the front may look bulgy instead of sleek. (even w/ the SPANX)

This dress is very cute but I'm concerned about being clingy and making my problem areas more of a problem than I have started with. I love the neckline! This dress looks very dressy, classy, and a could make a great wedding guest outfit.

This dress is super cute! I absolutely love the buttons up the side. A couple reason make me shy away from this dress though. One being that it may not look dressy enough. It kind of looks like a nightgown or a swimsuit cover-up. Number two reason being that since it has sleeves, which would be great for my arms, it will be very hard to wear a cardigan to cover up my hips and butt areas. Also, it looks like it may be a little clingy and short. Even though it would look super cute with heels on a skinny person, I just think that I may need to wear small sandals and skip the height. I would look like the not so jolly gray giant!

Chicken Soft Tacos

I found this recipe in All You magazine May edition 2010. I thought that it looked pretty good and I plan to give it a try.

Prep: 10 mins.
Cooks: 5 mins.
Serves: 4
Cost Per Serving: $2.32

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 large tomato
1 avocado
1 pound precooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 6-8 inch flour tortilla
1/4 c. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
salsa

Directions:
Dice red onion, tomato & avocado; toss together in a bowl. Cut chicken breast into strips and sprinkle with chili and garlic powder. Warm olive oil in a large skillet and saute chicken until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and divide among flour tortillas. Top chicken w/ onion mixture, shredded cheddar cheese and 1/2 c. salsa. Serve immediately.

Per Serving:
Calories: 417
Fat: 17
Fiber: 6
Protein: 42

Choc.-Banana Smoothie Recipe

I found this recipe on a package of Carnation instant breakfasts. Here is there recipe.....

Milk Chocolate - Banana Smoothie:

3/4 c. fat free milk
1/2 small frozen banana, sliced
1/2 c. ice cubes
1 package of Carnation Instant Breakfast

Then blend together in a blender.......YUM!

~Ok, so here is my rendition of this recipe! LOL! :) ~

Milk Chocolate - Banana Smoothie w/o the Bananas & Strawberries

3/4 c. fat free milk
2 or 3 tbsp. of fat free vanilla ice-cream
1 package of Instant Carnation Breakfast
A couple frozen strawberries

Then blend it all together in the blender.........It was really good. A little far fetched from the recipe but hey....I didn't have an banana's. This one didn't turn out chunky as I would have liked it, but that is b/c I didn't have any ice-cubes to add. I would def. keep the ice-cubes in the recipe.

Olay & Ivory Target Deal

Awhile back Target had Olay Total Effects Bodywash on sale for $4.79 ea. And, then they had Ivory bar soap for $3.00 ea. Well, at the beginning of June there was 2 coupons in the Procter and Gamble Brandsaver. One was $4/1 Olay Total Effects BW and the other was a BOGO coupon. Which was, buy one Total Effects BW and get an Ivory soap (bodywash, bar, or hand) for free! YES! So, here is what I did.

Deal Scenario:

8 Total Effects Bodywash - $38.32
8 Ivory Bar Soap Packs - $24.00

Total = $62.32

Use:
8 $4/1 BW coupon - $32.00
8 Bogo coupons - $24.00
Total OOP - $6.32
= Free + $3.68 Moneymaker

Then, I am going to submit for a $10 Olay rebate when you spend $30. So, that is where I am getting the moneymaker part. See the picture above. I basically got all this for free plus made some extra money! YES! I LOVE FREE!

Gotta Love Free!

(Photo from here)

20% Off Coach Outlet Coupon

Go here to snag a 20% off Coach Factory coupon good through July 25, 2010. You can also use this coupon on clearance items that are marked around 25 - 60 % off already. Wow! this would make some super cheap Coach! I wish I had one closer to me!

Woot Woot ~ I love FREE! SC Johnson Pack

Yesterday I got this great freebie in the mail. Awhile ago I remember signing up for this SC Johnson Freebie, but I had no intentions of actually receiving it. I was so excited when I opened the box and found this:

1 box of 25 ziploc sandwich bags
1 pack of pledge multi-surface cleaning wipes
1 scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaning gel wand starter kit

French Toast - Breakfast Recipe

As mentioned in this post about Breakfast here is a good simple recipe for French Toast. I'm so glad that when you are dieting you do not need to avoid this food. It is so good, yummy, and comforting. And the best part is...... it doesn't taste like you are sacrificing anything! YAY! This recipe is from Hungry Girl newsletter. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 slices Wonder Light White Bread
1/3 cup Egg Beaters, Original
1/2 oz. Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup OR 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (divided)
1 packet SPLENDA

Directions:
Combine Egg Beaters with vanilla syrup (or extract) and half of the cinnamon. Use the egg mixture as an egg wash, and dip your bread into it. Cook in a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. When both sides are brown, plate those suckers and sprinkle ‘em with Splenda and the remaining cinnamon. This stuff is super on its own, but feel free to serve it up with sugar-free maple syrup, sugar-free jelly, some fresh berries, and/or some Fat Free Reddi-wip. Of course your nutritionals will vary accordingly, but with such low calorie and fat counts, you can afford to splurge a little...


Serving Size: Entire recipe
Calories: 170
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 545mg
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 8g
Sugars: 2.5g
Protein: 14g

*3 Points

*GOOD DEAL ALERT*

Here are a couple good printable coupons for healthy foods.

$1/2 Quaker Rice or Multigrain Snacks : The link will look like the picture below. Also, look for a good sale to pair these with, to score them cheap! Sometimes Meijer has them in their 11 for $10 sales. ($1 each or .90 w/ eleventh item)




$1/1 Kraft 100 Cal Pack Cheese: This link will also look like the one pictured below. Now, Hip2Save blog says to keep refreshing the page till you see the advertisement on the right. Well, I kept refreshing and .......... nothing! Maybe you will have better luck. Oh, well, I really do not care for these. I think they have a funny aftertaste. But, my dog really liked them and he is a super picky eater. What do you think?

Free Pedometer!

Here is a cool little freebie. Nature's Bounty has an offer right now that you can request a free pedometer. HOW COOL! Usually freebies are not this great. Especially when you do not need to purchase anything. I'll be curious to see if I get mine in the mail. Can't wait! Go Here to check it out!

Interview

Got back from my interview a while ago and it went really well. The people I interviewed were really super nice! I hope I get the opportunity to work with them. I have had good interviews before and didn't get the job, so I'm not holding my breath. We will see. But, hoping I get it! LOL!

5 Day Slim Down

I absolutely love Leslie Sansone and her workouts. For about 2 weeks I have been doing her Walk Away Your Waistline 3 mile workout. It really gets you going and sweating. And the best part about it is that all her workouts are so easy to do and follow.

Well, recently I bought this 5 day slim down DVD. I have watched it and sort of did one workout. But on it she has a bonus segment where she shows you how and what to make for breakfast. So, I am planning to start this 5 Day Slim Down tomorrow and track it on my blog. I am going to eat one her breakfast suggestions and do 1 mile each day for 5 days, then track my progress. The hardest part about this is that you have to get up, exercise, and eat breakfast. I am not a breakfast eater at all. And she addresses that on her DVD. She said the reason that we are not normally hungry in the morning is because we eat to much and late at night. OMG! I had an epiphany moment! It all seemed to make sense now! Duh! why couldn't I figure that out a while ago. She also said "going to bed not stuffed means waking up with a healthy appetite."

Here are the breakfast(most important and skipped meal of the day) ideas on the DVD:

• Scrambled Eggs w/ 2 pieces whole grain toast, strawberries, and coffee or water.
• Whites - complete protein
• Yolks - Leslie thinks they are important so she left them in
• Toast - only use 1 TBSP of butter for both pieces
• do not use margarine or made up butter. She said that sometimes that can be worse for us that the real thing.
  

• Oatmeal w/ brown sugar and mixed almonds
• Fiber Food
• Gives Sustained energy
  
• Old Fashioned oats have the most fiber content. Instant is refined and doesn't have as much.
• Add a TBSP of peanut butter to add a little protein

• 2 slices of French Toast ( this really surprised me)
• Cinnamon is good for blood glucose levels
• Try adding Peanut Butter to add protein along with the egg
• Can also add some fruit
  
• 1 tbsp of syrup per slice of bread

• Smoothie (YUM! I LOVE SMOOTHIES)
• She used a hand blender and a large cup. But I use a real blender.
  
• Frozen strawberries
• these can also serve as the ice cubes. I hate making ice so I always buy frozen strawberries or fruit for my smoothies and eliminate the ice.
  
• Yogurt
• any kind will work. There are so many out there to choose from.
  
• Skim milk
• Banana
• Can add soy or protein powder
  

• Grab and Go
• Nutri-Grain Bar
• Nature Valley Bar
• they have so many different kinds now. And I think all of them are really good. Never had a bad one.
• Quaker Oatmeal Bar
• Slim Fast Shake
• Kellogg's Bar
• they also have the protein shakes
• Bolthouse Farms Drinks
• They have so many different flavors
  
• Green Goodness
• Chocolate Lovers
• Peach
• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Vanilla
• Chi
  

Here is one of my meals I put together that tasted good and was very calorie oriented. There is a Green Giant Just For One broccoli and cheese cup, Gordon's fish fillet, a dab of Kraft olive oil mayo, and a Dole apple crisp fruit cup. YUM! I know it doesn't look like a lot, but surprisingly it filled me up! I also put it on a plate to make it look like I was eating more! HAHA! The things you have to do when dieting.

Interview

Tomorrow I have a job interview in the morning for a teller at a local bank. Hopefully it will work out well so that I can get myself on a routine and kick this weight gain in rear! Also, this fall I plan on going back to college and getting a second bachelors degree. This time around I am not going to be graduating as a porker! HAHA! I Love Ikea! (the picture above)

SPANX - LOVE EM!

About 3 years ago my friend, Emily, introduced me to the most miraculous invention on Earth ……drum roll……SPANX. I am absolutely in love with these little pantyhose tummy sucker inners. LOL! (Can you tell I make up words?) My favorite style of SPANX is the high waisted power panty. It comes all the way up past your stomach and goes down the legs all the way till about the top of your kneecaps. I wear these with everything. I wanted to post about these because sometimes you just need that little extra help. Maybe those pants are just a tad too small or you have a dress that your stomach looks a little pudgy in. The SPANX will come in very handy!

These come in all different sizes and designs. You have probably heard of them already. The originator is Sara Blakely and she has expanded the collection to make up cami’s, menswear, swimsuits, and undergarments. These come in all different sizes and colors based on your needs and wants. Even though these are as good as fudge, they are a little on the expensive side. (See Below) Now, she has also created a cheaper line, called Assets, that are sold at Target and a few select other stores. They are supposed to compare to the “real thing” but I have tried the equivalent to what I buy and I was not satisfied. It was very flimsy, didn’t really shape me, or even help.

(COMING SOON!) I’m going to take a couple pictures of me wearing SPANX and then not wearing and see if you are able to figure it out. LOL! I know you won’t be fooled!



Here are a couple common stores that carry the SPANX Brand. Now the reason I am posting about this is because sometimes you can find a promotional code that you can apply to them and get your order cheaper than you can from the official SPANX site. I.E. free shipping, a certain dollar amount off, percentage off, etc. And, you don't want to go out of your way to find these. So if you have a store nearby, stop and look at a pair. Also, if you buy online, go through this amazing free site called Ebates you can get a percentage back from your purchase. You will also get a $5.00 sign up bonus. Then when you hit $15.00 you can select to receive a check through mail. All you have to do is sign on to ebates.com, then select the store you will be shopping. When you do that ebates will direct you to the stores site. This is how they track your ordering and how much you spend. So make sure you go through ebates site first so that you can get your money credited to your account.

• Lane Bryant - 3% cash back through ebates
• Free ship to store. Which can be a Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines, or Cacique.
• Right now they are having $20 off $40 purchase. WooHoo! That will make some cheap SPANX baby!
  

• Catherines - 3% cash back
  

• Torrid - 4% cash back
• I'm not sure if I completely like this store and how they do business. They charge astronomical prices for their shipping. But, unlike others their returns are free.
  
• They also have a rewards program called divastyle reward where you can earn points and coupons.
  

• Dillards - 3% cash back

• Target - 3% cash back
  
• Assets brand also can find at David's Bridal.
  

Ok! 2010 Is Still Here!

Well, the year is not quite over yet. Even though we are in July, there is still plenty of time for a change. So I need to get off my bumb, get back to blogging, and straighten up! I’ve took to much time off. So, I’m back at it again!

I'm Still Here

Wow, this feels like a foreign land. I have pretty much went back to my old ways. I have not weighed myself but I'm scared to see what that little number says......Yikes!! So, I need some motivation! My goals are pretty much shot. But, I am going to try to set some new ones and hopefully get back on track........Does anyone have any ideas!?