Valentine’s Day | Fashionably Living

Don’t Eat the White Stuff!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Feb 15, 2012 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

Please Note: Picture is NOT property of Fashionably Living’s

Wow, I can’t believe that it’s already Wednesday! Did you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day? I had a wonderful evening with my hubby! When I woke up yesterday I had a dozen long stem roses, Hersey’s kisses, and pink tulips waiting on the kitchen counter for me! I couldn’t believe it, not because my hubby doesn’t do nice things for me, he does, but I wasn’t really expecting anything this year. He was so sweet to me and still makes me feel special every year! I hope you all had a Happy Valentine’s day too!

Well, you all know it is Workout Wednesday! I have a little bit of healthy advice to share with you! When making food at home or eating out try to AVOID the white stuff! If you don’t know what I mean by white stuff here is a small list to get you started.

White Bread
White Sugar
White Pasta
White Wraps
White Rice
White Pizza Crust
White Rolls
White Muffins
White Baked Goods
White Bagels
White Potatoes (not bleached but are quickly absorbed within the body leaving you hungry faster and raising insulin levels rapidly).

The two most fiber-rich and nutritious parts of a wheat seed are the outside bran layer and the germ (embryo). White flour is highly processed and is therefore missing both of these components! These two components of wheat help to slow digestion and absorption of grains in our system (so that we don’t spike our blood sugars) and also are very nutritious. We should be eating grains that still have these components! Insulin is our body’s tool for sugar management. The more of these types of foods we eat the faster/more intensely our blood sugars rise and the more insulin we eventually need to pump. The issue here is that insulin promotes the storage of fat so the more we produce the more fat we are going to store. A book I have been wanting to read, is called “Suicide by Sugar”, by Nancy Appleton; its about how sweet white stuff represents one of our biggest dietary hazard

I challenge you today to eliminate white flour and white sugar from your diet. You should be consuming only 100% whole grains for the carbohydrate portions of your meals. Always remember to read the labels and look for 100% whole grain. Be careful, processed white flour also goes by the names: “enriched wheat flour” or “wheat flour.” Don’t be fooled! White bread is “dead” bread!

I hope this information is helpful and even though it may be a bit overwhelming start small!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

P.S. Be sure to workout today! I got my workout in a 7:30 am!

Two Weeks Ago!

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Feb 14, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 0 comments

Good Morning! Happy Valentine’s Day! I was telling you yesterday how much I love Valentine’s Day, I pretty much love the month of February! It is full of great girly things like my birthday, Valentine’s Day, pink and red stuff, chocolate and flowers, etc! There really isn’t another month that says “GIRL” quite like February! Wouldn’t you agree? The only other month that possibly says “GIRL” is April, and that’s only because the birthstone is a diamond and you know thats a girls best friend! Anyways, I have rambled plenty about the most girly month of the year! I told you last weekend I would share some of my birthday pictures and I failed to post them, but better late than never, right? I had so much fun with my friends and our hubbies! Today, is busy and I have a Valentine’s Dinner to plan and a movie to pick out! I thought I would share some of my fave memories from my birthday dinner with my friends and share some pics!

10 Reasons I Loved my Birthday Dinner with my Friends:

1. I ate the best butternut squash cannoli

2. Not a big beer drinker, but my beer was awesome!

3. I laughed so hard, I cried

4. A glass of sweet Riesling

5. Spending time with my girlfriends!

7. Birthday Dessert – Amazing Apple Pie

8. Trying to get spoons to stay on our noses

9. My friend Jenni saying if she can’t get the spoon to stay on her nose, her butt could hold it up! (this is where I laughed so hard I cried…lol)

10. Spending the evening with my amazing husband!

Have a fabulous Valentine’s Day!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

My best friend Ashley!

My adorable and silly husband!

I love this man!

Me and Jenni

Ashley, Jordyn, Me, and Jenni

Laughing so hard I cried!

Yummy Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!

I love these girls!

Valentine Pretzel Kisses

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Feb 13, 2012 in Dessert, Fashionably Organic | 0 comments

Are you excited for Valentine’s Day? I love Valentine’s Day, because it is a romantic and girly holiday! Ever since my hubby and I dated we have always stayed in on Valentine’s Day. We started a special tradition when we got married that I thourghly enjoy. The past two years I have made a special dinner and while I am busy in the kitchen my hubby sets out a big comforter in our backyard, hooks up the projector, makes a bonfire, and we have a romantic dinner for two under the stars, while we watch a romantic movie! Sounds perfect, right? Well, I love it and I can’t wait to spend the evening under the stars with my hubby! I wanted to share a simple and easy recipe you can make for your special someone or your kids! These are sure to be a hit! If you don’t have time for a fancy dessert, but you want to make something cute and festive, try this easy dessert!

Ingredients:

Square pretzels

Hershey’s Raspberry Hugs (you can use Hershey’s Kisses too, but I think the Hugs taste better and they definitely soften up better!

Valentine’s Chocolate M&Ms

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 200° F

Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the pretzels on the sheet and top them with the hugs.

Bake for 4-5 minutes until the chocolate is shiny and soft (but NOT melting).

Carefully place an M&M in the center of each hug and press it down to spread the chocolate.

Allow to cool completely (a few minutes in the fridge) and enjoy!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Birthday Wish List…

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 31, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 1 comment

1/2/3/4/5/6

Good Morning everyone! Can you believe the first month of the year is over? Time fly’s by! Well, I am excited for February, it is my favorite month of the year. You may think I love it because Valentine’s Day falls in February, but actually a day that comes 13 days earlier is why I truly love it! Tomorrow is my Birthday!!! I am so excited, I love my birthday, and it fell in the most girly month of the year, which is perfect for me! My family has always teased me that my birthday doesn’t just last one day, but it last for the month of February! Hey, what can I say, I enjoy the attention and being loved on by my family and friends! This year my husband is taking me shopping on Saturday for my birthday! I asked my mom to make me a birthday breakfast and I think we are all going to go to one of my favorite trendy restaurants in the evening! I thought it would be fun to show you some of the things I am hoping to receive on my birthday! Have a fabulous day, because tomorrow is going to be even more awesome!