Pizza!

Hey Guys! Crazy pass couple of weeks! My older sister(almost 18) is in New York for about a week visiting (without me! Jealous!)My brother Donavon (11)  is really into baseball and was picked to play with the "All stars" (way to go Donavon!) and I have been busy getting caught up with everything before summer hits us! Teaching my ornery little 4 yr old brother how to play the piano, lots of gummy bears keeps him going :)
 This year I charge of the garden this year and my little plants which I raised from seed are doing great I actually got some arugula fresh from the garden today 

                                          Fresh Arugula...yeahhh good stuff! We had it on top of pizza last night.

                                             My babies! who I accidentally forgot to water yesterday, opps!

Yesterday we had a BBQ at our house, We had friend and neighbors come over and for this special occasion I made some good cupcakes, yes I know this is suppose to be a health blog but this was my treat, they were so good! I made yellow cake mix cupcakes stuffed full with chocolate frosting and then topped with Peanut better frosting and then mini reese's pieces and marshmallows on top. They were to die for!!  and last but not least since my older sister has been in NYC I've had to take over the pizza making job, so before my sister went to NYC she taught me how to make pizza dough, and I'm quite proud of myself!


Dough
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup water (room temperature)
2 cups bread flour (we just used white flour) Plus more for work surface
1 tablespoon of whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast

                                      Combine Oil and water in a liquid measuring cup

                                               

                       Place flour,sugar,salt and yeast in mixer and combine about 5 seconds

                                                            ""Pay attention Cameron!!"

                  While mixer is running, slowly add the water-oil mixture you set aside earlier
                   my sister made sure I did it ex-slow because she knows how much I hate doing things slowly :)

  Mix until dough forms tacky,elastic ball that clears sides of work bowl about 1 1/2 mins(basically until it looks like a ball but is not to sticky and theres no flour on the bottom of the the bowl) If dough ball does not form add more flour one tablespoon at a time and mix until dough ball forms, Spray a medium bowl and spray or rub lightly with oil transfer dough in to bowl, press down to flatten and cover tightly with plastic wrap set in a draft free spot until doubled in volume about 11/2 to 2 hours ( we put ours on top of something warm like the dryer or place it near the oven, Don't place it on direct heat!! you don't want to cook it! but having a little warmth will help it rise faster)

                                  Once dough has risen take it out and begin to roll it out

                                           Roll it nice and flat

                              Stretch it out a bit...not to much

                                        I bring such joy into the kitchen with all my mess making

                                        place dough in pizza pan and press it in to place

          Place the pizza in the oven for about 5 mins just to get it a tiny bit golden, pull out and place the desired topping on top, cook until the cheese is melted and pizza is golden. Enjoy!

Have a great Father's day everyone!! Do something special!
xoxo
Cameron Ashleigh

Recovery!

 This month has been very interesting, my dad took most of the month of May off for our vacation and we were hoping to plan some big trips but my younger brother has baseball practice and games throughout the week, my older sister works and has Drivers Ed and then I was working, So that time ended up being spent cleaning out the back yard,weeding and getting the garden planted ( it looks much better now) but we did get to take a few short trips after all our hard work outside.

We went to the beach and stayed at a friend's house which was pretty awesome, played in the water, made sand castles and took quite a few walks along the beach, its amazing to stand at the water line and just watch the waves come in and the breeze blow on your face. Our next little trip ended in a couple of doctor appointments for me, We went up to visit my grandma who lives about 4 hours away, in a place which I guess you could call it a farm/ ranch type of thing, she has cows,chickens a mini horse and two big horses, One of my favorite things about going up there is riding her horses mostly because I'm a city slicker and don't get the chance anywhere else, my grandma has a new horse that is rebellious and just wants to run. Being the dare devil that I am, I decided to ride her even though I am just learning how to ride and lets just say I got my ride ;) I fell off and landed on my hip weird so that it got twisted out of place thankfully I landed on sand so it broke my fall a little bit, my dad ( He's from New York, even more of a city slicker)  ran out and picked me up, yelling the whole way "What are horses even for!?! I knew something was going to happen!! Lets just shoot the horse!!" (gotta love my dad!) I was able to walk, it was just very painful, so once we got home and settled in my mom took me to get my hip adjusted. I thought "I go in, get adjusted and walk out a new person, maybe go back one more time to make sure everything is on the right track and then get right back into my exercise routine"  I was so wrong. It'd be more like 5 appointments, I did not walk out feeling like a new person, I felt the same as when I had fallen and I wouldn't be able to do any high impact exercises for about two weeks, What I had neglected to remember is that healing takes time, this is called  "Recovery time" and my recovery time might seem pretty short, I mean, two weeks thats not bad but if you're like me it seems pretty long to not be able to move like I was used to, since I am a swim Instructor and Lifeguard it was very difficult to do my job well when you can't really keep up with the kids you're trying to teach to swim and guarding is very hard when you can't bend down to assist a child out of the pool,and also since I love to exercise It was especially hard not being able to exercise when I was in recovery time. So to make sure I didn't fall to far behind ( and go crazy!)I started trying different exercise move that I could do with out using my hip as much, I found that I could do Plank, wall sits, Pushups,walking, and the exercise bike not to much but enough to keep me moving, Now about two weeks later I'm just beginning to be able to jog and I have more of a selection of exercises that I can do. I want to encourage you to keep moving! It's important to exercise even if you don't feel like you accomplished much. Smaller,consistent times of exercise really go a long way. Also I wanted to encourage everyone to take recovery time more seriously, A good thing to remember is P.R.I.C.E I had learned R.I.C.E   Rest,Ice,Compress,and Elevation, but I guess now it is P.R.I.C.E, Protection, Rest, Ice,Compression and Elevation (Protection would be to protect yourself against any further injury) following P.R.I.C.E can hep you recover from an injury faster and take away some pain that you might have.

Whats the biggest injury you've ever gotten? I Love to hear your story!

Have a Beautiful weekend!
 xoxo Cameron Ashleigh

Swiming!

Hi! 

So I wanted to do a post on the benefits of swimming because one, I'm a lifeguard and swim instructor and I have to be able to swim at least 200yds (I get to swim for free because I work at a pool) and second is because its one of the greatest ways to work out and the health benefits of swimming are almost unmatched by other sports.

 Have you ever watch a professional swimmer and seen how lean and toned they looked and wished you could get that look?I know I've always admire swimmers, how they seem to move though the water so easily and yet seem so powerful at the same time, well a couple of reasons why swimming is so great is because swimming works your whole body, improving cardiovascular conditioning, muscle strength, endurance, posture, and flexibility all at the same time. Your cardiovascular system( what gets your blood system going)  in particular benefits because swimming improves your body’s use of oxygen without overworking your heart and you don't have to be a professional swimmer to swim either which is really good. Some additional health benefits of swimming would be....

Whole body conditioning: Swimming tones your upper and lower body because you’re using almost all of your major muscle groups. The best strokes for all-over body toning are the freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke.

Low-impact exercise: So many people can reap the benefits of swimming. Pregnant women benefit from swimming because it helps strengthen the shoulder and abdominal muscles, which can be strained when carrying a baby. The elderly, women who have had a mastectomy and those recovering from an injury often turn to swimming or water aerobic exercises because it’s low impact, helps relax stiff muscles and isn’t weight-bearing. Swimming also increases circulation. 

Improve blood pressure: Studies have shown that a workout routine that includes swimming can help reduce and possibly prevent high blood pressure, which lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke. 

Stress reduction: You don’t have to be a water sign in the zodiac to feel the meditative and healing properties of water. Swimming is extremely relaxing because it allows more oxygen to flow to your muscles and forces you to regulate your breathing. It’s also a great way to relieve stress. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water so it’s no wonder why some feel such a draw to the water.

 

 So to get started...

Start slowly, especially if the pool feels like foreign land. Experts recommend that beginner swimmers start with 12-20 minutes of swimming, and once your strokes become more efficient, your ability to swim longer will also. For exercise purposes, the best stroke to use in the pool is freestyle, where your arms are moving in a windmill motion while your body is pivoting and you’re breathing on the side of the arm that’s out of the water.

To keep your swimming routine fresh, try mixing up you strokes, freestyle stroke with other strokes, such as the backstroke or breast stroke. Not only will using a variety of strokes save you from boredom, but you’ll be working different muscles for a more effective workout every time.

If laps aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other good swimming exercises. Try walking or running in water, which many people find easier to do than on land. Tread water –  and I'll tell you right now it exhausting but will really help tone your legs and arms or even (my favorite) playing a game of tag in the water, so much fun!
Good luck with swimming! 


XOXO
Cameron Ashleigh 

MAC counter!

Hey!!
Can you believe its the middle of April? I can't! It's gone by so fast! Well, last Sunday, My mom, my sisters, a friend and me went to get our make-up done for the first time ever at the MAC counter and I have to say I really love their makeup! They have a wide selection of eye shadows and they're lipsticks and lip glosses are gorgeous! One lipstick in particular which I fell in love with is called "Hue" a beautiful nude color with hint of pink added to it. I was going to purchase it but they were out of that color, hopefully they get it in soon because I'm really excited to get it! So I asked the lady who was doing my makeup for a little bit of a spring look with lots of pink  and I think it turned out really good, I had a silverish color for the base, pink for the lid and purple for the crease. I had a light mineral pressed powder for my face along with blush and a bronzor and then the "Hue" lipstick with a clear lip gloss over it to finish.

MAC Pink eyeshadow "Free To Be"  

 MAC "Refined" Golden Bronzer 

 

Whats your favorite color and brand of lipstick?

Have a great weekend!♥

 -Cameron Ashleigh

12 ways to stop overeating.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend, at Thanksgiving I talked about overeating and now that we're past the holidays I wanted to retouch on the subject.One thing my family has been working on is portion control. I've noticed how easy it is to polish off a bag of chips when you have the full bag sitting in your lap or eating another piece of cake when its just sitting out which can be disastrous to a healthy lifestyle. So we've been looking at the weight watchers point system and my mom found this article that I thought was worthy of posting. Its a good encouragement to watch my portion control and to look at why I'm eating and what I'm eating.                                                    12 ways to stop over eating. "All-or-nothing" thinking doesn't help. People who overeat often feel out of control and disgusted with themselves. It becomes a vicious cycle, leading to low self-esteem and even more eating. To regain control of your eating habits, ask yourself why you overeat. Is it your way of coping with stressful events? Has gorging on "forbidden" treats become a substitute for other pleasures lacking in your life? Do you use food to soothe, distract or reward yourself? Breaking It Down Once you've identified trigger factors, work out other ways to address them. Don't beat yourself up with every little lapse. Instead, focus on positive things you can do to replace or avoid overeating. Pay attention to how you feel when you eat certain foods; you'll start to notice patterns emerging (eating after a family argument, for example, or when you're bored, lonely or disappointed). Consider alternative ways to lift your mood when the urge threatens. Perhaps call a friend, go for a walk or see a movie. Breaking the Habit Here are some tips for winning the battle:         Take it slow. Crash dieting is more likely to end in losing control than a slow, steady loss of a pound or two each week. Don't cheat yourself! Eat a sensible amount of food each day. Allow occasional treats. If you don't totally cut out "forbidden" foods (such as those donuts that you love), you're more likely to stay on track, because deprivation often leads to overeating. Opt for low-fat versions of favorite foods. Reward yourself for every win — how about a bath or a walk just to enjoy a sunset rather than a reward consisting of junk food. Plan ahead to stay in control. Facing a big test or other ordeal that you fear will send you straight to the cookie jar? Try to keep healthy snacks around to nibble on instead, and exercise to offset your munching — and calm you down, too! Share your feelings — sad, bad or otherwise — with family or friends. Seek support from others trying to lose weight — family, friends or online buddies. They're there to help, and want to see you succeed. Look to calming alternatives if stress is your trigger. Anything from deep breathing to yoga to arts and crafts could help. And don't forget: Exercise is a great tranquillizer. (It also reduces your appetite!) Count to ten. Is overeating your way of coping with anger? Consider other ways of dealing with negative emotions, such as learning assertiveness techniques. Find other ways to fill the void. If you typically overeat when you're looking for emotional nourishment; stop. Feed your spirit by caring for yourself as well as you can during times when you feel unloved, under-appreciated or unworthy. Be your own biggest fan and try to focus on your successes, not to the occasional lapse. Be patient and forgiving of yourself. Long-established complex habits won't change overnight. Avoid all-or-nothing thinking, such as "I've already blown my weight loss plan, I might as well finish off the box." Accept that you may go off the rails from time to time. So you've lost six pounds and regained three? It's important to congratulate yourself for the pounds that you lost. You're doing a great job! Hope this was an encouragement to you too! I'd love to hear your feed back!  Xoxo Cameron Ashleigh

Mascara!

How was everyone's week? Mine was fantastic and St Paddy's day was fun! We made smoky mashed potatoes, corned beef, carrots,cabbage, homemade rolls and shamrock cookies Yum! What did you do for St Patricks day? Well I wanted to do post on my favorite piece of make up, Mascara! If I had the choice  between lipgloss, blush, eyeliner and mascara it'd definitely be mascara ( Lip gloss would be 2nd) I'm sure alot of you out there would agree, but finding a good mascara is a whole lot harder then it sounds, they all have there pros and cons but I'd have to say Lancome's mascara is the best I've ever tried, only problem with  it is its $28 and if you're like me you really don't have that much money to spend on mascara  so I was trying to find a mascara that was similar to Lancome but not as expensive and I have to say that CoverGirl's LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara  is the best one I've tried thats under $6.

 So as you know I really like Lancome's mascara, It goes on and comes off easy, it didn't flake, and it volumizes and lengthens really well! I felt like I had control of the brush and it was easy to work with.

 

 

  The Falsie is a decent mascara for giving length, but if your someone who likes to put on two coats then I wouldn't suggest this, I had a bit of trouble with it clumpy on me, thats why I don't care for The Falsie.  The brush isn't very stable, so I had trouble controlling it and doing my lower lashes.

 

CoverGirl's LashBlast Fusion Mascara is probably my lease  favorite of all four, it didn't go on very easy and it took quite a few coats to get it to look nice, its a good mascara it you need some volume, but not length. Towards the end of the day it began to flake pretty bad. I'd have to say I was a bit disappointed by CoverGirl I was looking forward to using this and it didn't turn out as good as I thought it.




                                                                                
 Cover girl's LashBlast Volume blasting Mascara is really a great mascara! I did have to use more strokes to get the look I was wanting, but if I can save $22 by using more strokes then I will. I was very happy with this mascara, it volumizes and lengthened, I love when I find
 something thats not as expensive but works well.

 




















Whats your favorite mascara brand that you use?
xoxo
Cameron Ashleigh

Passed!

Mallory (my younger sister) and I have been working for about 3 months to memorize 3 song, 4 major scales,4 minors scales and some other technique that would come with the level we were doing ( I did level 4 and Mallory did level 3)So on Saturday, Mallory and me went to play the songs we had memorized and all the technique for a very kind lady who was to determine if we would go to the next level of piano or not (yes really nerve racking in the beginning)  I was so relived to find this woman was such a dear and even let us have a treat afterwards, It made the whole process go so much smoother. And yes, we passed! now I'm moving on to level 5 and Mallory level 4. Now we've got to start preparing for the next one in Fall. I think I've been playing for 8 or 7 years, can't really remember though haha. Anyone else out there play any instruments? What kind do you play?

 I  haven't painted my nails for a long time decided and I thought" If I'm going to be playing the piano I might as well have nice looking nails.I chose the color blue and I'm quite happy with my choice. 

                                                             My outfit.

                                                            WhooHoo! I passed!
                                        






XoXo 
Cameron Ashleigh