If You Don't Focus On Your @$$, No One Else Will

I found that quote in Women's Health Magazine (by associate editor, Cristina Goyanes) and it just cracked me up so I had to share it with everyone! So....my first strength training/lifting session is today and I have been waiting all week for it to be Thursday. I've been so inspired by all you amazing ladies out there who are lifting and proving that girls can be strong, powerful and BEAUTIFUL at the same time--I'm going to be a major copy-cat and lift too (isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery?)

Strength training has always been something I refused to partake in. I thought weights and lifting = intense World's Strongest Woman muscles (aka here) and that's just not my look. I prefer having a toned body and I know lifting will give that to me--thanks for opening my eyes, ladies!

With all that said, I have always had trouble with my clothing identity. Are you lost yet? What I mean is, in high school when I was an athlete, I dressed like one, re: baggy shorts, hoodies and the like. Then I went through this sorority, girly-girly phase where I only wore sundresses and skirts (not to the gym of course, but you catch my drift). Why can't I just wear work-out clothes (ie: sweats) and feel just as beautiful as when I wear a great pair of jeans and wedges to go out? Well, I can, it's just about thinking that I can and having the confidence to do so. Let me introduce y'all to yesterdays shopping trip:

Left: 2 pairs of Champion for Target shorts, Champion for Target dry-fit t-shirt via Target // Right: True Religion flare-leg jeans, BCBG knit t-shirt sweater, Testament buttoned blouse via Marshalls

So the point of this post: lifting does not equal manliness, girliness doesn't mean you can't wear shorts, sportiness doesn't mean you can not wear dresses, and if you want to look good, focus on your ass at the gym. Oh, and listen to this because it's amazing:

WIAW # 1

I'm happy to report 2 things this morning:

1. I am posting my first WIAW--link up at Peas and Crayons!
2. I did not blow up my house last night. If you follow me on Twitter you would have seen a steady stream of tweets that looked like this: 

Luckily, I'm alive and Feeding Brain & Body's egguffins were delicious and surprisingly easy to make. These eggy and oaty muffins will definitely be making their way into my regular food rotation! Thanks for the recipe, girl! There's going to be more cooking/baking to come in my future :) I love it.

The first muffin tin I ever purchased, and I got a jumbo one...more egguffin mix next time!

Like I said this is my first WIAW so don't hate--I forgot to snap shots of snacks--oops! I'll get better I promise.

Hot oats with canned pumpkin, banana, blueberries, blackberries, a scoop of pb & jelly, tons of cinnamon.

Recycled shot--Sandwich flat, Dr. Pragers veggie burger, spinach, 1 slice cheese, Trader Joe's Salsa, carrots, cherry tomatoes.

Egguffins enjoyed with a large bowl of steamed veggies.

Not pictured: 1 apple, bowl of microwaved canned pumpkin + cinnamon, chocolate smoothie with cereal mixed in. 

Happy Hump Day :)

CODE RED: Cassie's Gonna Cook!

Thank you to every one of you who responded to my post yesterday! I received genuine, heart-felt responses and I love you guys more than ever...you know what else I love? New friends. Blogging has seriously brought so many new and great people into my life who inspire, motivate and educate me daily (image how much I'll change in a year if all this is happening on a daily basis?!?!). I can't wait to inform everyone about my decision...once I make it that is. I may be one of the most indecisive people you will ever encounter. I hate it and I blame my Mother (sorry Mom :)
On a less sappy note, I got some cool new stuff! First up, my new red leather Lucky cross-body bag. This little baby was on sale at Marshalls and I had to swipe it up. Don't you ever just buy a pick-me-up present when you're feeling down or confused? Oops, is that just me? Should I throw in the "sorry I'm not sorry thing?" Nah? Oh well, too late! The other goody on display is my new Nook Color that my Aunt bought me for my college graduation! (Thanks Aunt Lisa!). I can go on the web, check my email, play Angry Birds, read Women's Health Magazine (which I already downloaded) and books too! O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D!

 

After a sweaty gym session (hooh-rah!) and a bunch of calls and work, I'm off to make some lunch, do some more work and then duh, duh, duh, dunnnnnnn...making Feeding Brain and Body's Egguffins! Check out this recipe, I dare you not to copy-cat and make them for dinner too! I'm not really a domestic so I hope I don't blow up the house tonight. I can't even begin to describe to you the lack of culinary talent in my household-- we didn't even have a muffin pan or measuring devices (except for old reliable aka my measuring cup!) I booked it to Whole Foods and stocked up! Wish me luck!

via

Advice

Do you have a go-to-advice-person? Yeah, I jumbled all those words together because it seems that a person like this is of immeasurable importance in our lives. I have one in my life, and it always seems like this individual knows what to do...like any situation I present them with is just as easily solved as soothing a sunburn with aloe or adding an extra dash of cinnamon to a cake mix. But with this blog I am seriously changing and growing (can you tell, can ya, can ya?) so I figured I would present my dilemma to my blogging friends, ones who see how I'm feeling each and every day--feel my mushiness? (I'm a big sap!) So here's the story.

Recently I have been presented with two options, one that will guarantee me a salary and benefits doing something that is tolerable, but not my passion in the slightest. Another opportunity is  offering me an unpaid internship, a chance to join a team and company that is a start-up and currently thriving...it's in an industry I love and it's something I can really envision myself doing in the future. With the possibility of a full time position after the internship in the fall I am wondering what to do. Take the money now and have a stable job or gamble and take a chance with a company that offers no guarantees only a shining beacon of opportunity?

(via)

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this! Have you ever been presented with a similar situation? Do you trust your head or heart? I always have trouble picking my passions and interests over "right" and "logical" decisions.

I can see clearly now the rain is...

Here! It's still here. Why? Summer just started, so now I'm going to whine (okay, not really...well maybe a little bit). Today is going to be an AWESOME day, I can feel it already. Wanna know why? I'm sure you do.

Oats, canned pumpkin, banana, blueberries, blackberries, cinnamon, peanut butter!

First off, I love mornings! I've said this tons of times before but I really do! Today I woke up to a light drizzle (that's better than a torrential downpour though!) and decided hot oats would start the day off right. So I concocted an oaty, pumpkiny, peanut buttery breakfast complete with several a glass of Arizona Diet Lemon Iced Tea, the new SELF Magazine and my Google Reader!

I found this sweet little article written by Molly at Smart, Pretty and Awkward and I had to share it with you all. It's about time management, and balancing everything that a twenty-something faces in her life! So check it out and stop by Molly's blog too!

Anyway, today will be awesome because...I'm going on another date. I'm just a dating machine lately. Well not really, but I'm putting myself out there so kudos to me, air-fives all around! Yeahhhhhh! Even though sometimes I get bit by the self-esteem-downer bug, I've been trying to think confident and be confident. One lady who is truly helping me out is Meg over at Sunshine 'n Spice! Her posts are not only hilarious but so genuine, she really embraces herself, quirks and all...we should all try and be a little bit more like Meg, girl knows what's up!

Day in a nutshell: gym, shower, work, get ready fo' my date :) 

Any dating tips? 

Confidence tips? 

Life tips?

Since it's raining let's just all sit by the fire and make s'mores and cuddle...sound good?

Long Distance Friendship

Do any of you have a friend (maybe even a best friend) who you hardly see? Last summer I interned in NYC and met a fabulous group of ladies--there were 5 of us who did everything together. The only downside--we are all from different places. We kept in touch over the school year but when summer rolled around again and we still hadn't seen each other it felt...eerie. One of the fabulous ladies I am describing just flew into the city yesterday for an interview (fingers crossed) and we spent the afternoon catching up, getting lunch and shopping! Even though almost a year has passed since we actually saw each other, not counting hour-long conversations iChat and Skype, it felt like nothing had changed, like we never left each other. It really made me appreciate the true friends in my life. Whether they are here or miles away, true friends will always stick around.

I wore- Blazer: Target // Blouse: Marshalls // Tank-top: Target // Pants: GAP // Shoes: BCBGeneration (not pictured but tan wedges) // Watch: Michael Kors // Bag: Long Champ (not pictured)

Black & White

Do you think in terms of black and white? I definitely do and it's something I am trying to work on--everything looks so much better in color, don't you think? I have been facing a few road blocks lately and it's so discouraging...what do you do when things don't seem to be going your way?

To brighten up this post, I finally made overnight oats in a almost empty peanut butter jar. The results were phenomenal, just see for your self...

Oats, peanut butter, grape jelly, banana, cinnamon

Sorry for the horrible pictures of my outfit (no photographer) but I'm wearing:

Blazer: Forever21 // Blouse: via Marshalls // Pants: GAP // Shoes: Franco Sarto // Watch: Michael Kors // Nail polish: Tart Deco

The YES Man

Spring break throwback picture, much? I went there.

Life is about breaking the mold, trying different things, meeting new people, right? Well for the longest time I have had trouble changing up my routine. I would eat the same foods at the same times and work out like a fiend (you wouldn't want to be around me if I missed a gym-sesh). This got me no-where. Read that again, NO WHERE! I was miserable and I was missing out on fun things I can't even begin to ponder (fancy college-grad word). I made a conscious choice recently (as of almost a week now) to be somewhat like the YES MAN. You know the Yes Man? Well, more like Jim Carey's character in the Yes Man. So when someone asks me to do something fun (*disclaimer: I would never do anything that would lead me to harm and/or injure myself*), I will just do it. Get my Nike reference? Oh well.

With all that said, I'm packing up my bags (okay, more like one overnight bag) and heading to Massachusetts for the night. I'm driving up for a wedding with my friend Chris. Do you know Chris? Let me introduce you...he has a blog too (if you like reading about sports and rants!) I know, shameless plugging of his blog...at least his captions are funny. Not hooked, girls? Chris, "dis (blog) is for ladies!" Anyone get my John Tucker Must Die reference? Probably not, it sounded pretty good when I said it in my head...what a rant this post is turning into...

Anyway, I'm heading off soon-ish but I need to pack some snacks first. Hello, I am embarking on a 3+ hour drive. I'm thinking a bag of organic carrots and a super duper Pink Lady apple from Trader Joe's and some Cinnamon Chex (gluten free) because a girl has got to get her crunch on! Oh and some chocolate chips...because I want what I want. Anyone have trouble packing food for a road trip during odd hours? I'm missing lunch :( but it will be worth it--drinking and dancing all night, woo-hoo!

And a happy early Father's Day to my Papa.

Love You!

Have a great weekend y'all!

Boppin' Like Beyonce

Teach me how to dance B!

Happy Friday :)

Chocolate Wasted

Hey y'all (like my fake Southern twang?) I needed a massive pick-me-up after today. You know those ruts that are so hard to get out of. When you cry for no reason (like because your wireless internet won't let you connect or because you cut your finger cleaning a blender?) Yeah, about that. Tonight I decided I needed to get chocolate wasted and drown my sorrows into a big pink cup of chocolaty smoothie goodness.

The new blender :)

The essentials for supreme smoothie making.

The smoothie in my $ store cup...keepin' it classy at all times.

Aerial shot.

Oh, and sorry for the horrible lighting in these pictures. Turns out the flash mode on my camera is non functioning, oh happy day. Good thing I still need to pick out my graduation present, new digital camera perhaps? What kinds do you recommend? Sistah needs some flash!

It's Breakfast...Somewhere

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, there's something so refreshing about it. I think it's because a morning always signifies a fresh start and I just love that. No better way to get over some disappointments from the previous day than with a big bowl of oats, perfectly chilled yogurt or a nice stack of hotcakes! With all that said I am absolutely drooling over every breakfast food post over at the blog KATH EATS REAL FOOD. Go there...NOW! You won't be disappointed, well unless you can't properly replicate all of her dishes, then it is perfectly acceptable to cry, I am :(

Hey Kath, can you cook for me all the time??

A Ton of Skirt + A Ton of Carrots

There are two things I have been obsessing over lately. Wanna guess? Okay, I'll tell you--carrots and long skirts. Random combination? Yes but I'll go on. Today I went to meet a lovely friend and former coworker of mine in NYC. I knew it would be a hot evening in the city, so I decided to wear a skirt (I wore it as a dress here). I love multi-functional pieces. Remember how I talked about reducing, reusing, and recycling clothes? Well I think I can make an exception for buying new things if they work in numerous ways like this Forever21 skirt. I'm wearing:

Skirt: Forever21 // Tank-top: Hanes // Cardigan: Bass Outfitters // Belt: Gifted from Mom // Watch: Michael Kors // Sandals: Bass Outfitters

Let's not forget my lunch from today:

100 calorie Bagel Flat // Veggie Burger // Spinach Leaves // 1 slice white cheese // Carrots // Cherry Tomatoes // Trader Joe's Salsa // Spicy Mustard

See the carrot love?

See the skirt love?

Oh and my puppy says hi :) He was tanning today!

Green with Envy

Although the CFDA Awards were last week I needed to post about this look from Chanel Iman. I love everything! From the wavy bed-hair to the long, breezy turquoise BCBG caftan with subtle yet sexy cutouts and gold accessories, all I can say is...

YOU GO CHANEL IMAN!  

via Lucky

Home-Work

One of the benefits of working from home is comfort. I can wake up, head to the gym, eat and prepare a well-balanced meal and sit in comfortable clothes all day--which is why I have been slacking in the OOTD posts recently. To be honest, I've become obsessed with food blogs! O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D! I can't get enough of the pictures of melty, mouth-watering HEALTHY concoctions, and now I just love posting my own attempts (key word being attempts).
For breakfast today I put another spin on my oatmeal:

1 serving size oats // 1/2 cup blueberries // 1/4 banana (cut) // 1 spoonful of chunky peanut butter // 1 spoonful of grape jelly // tons of cinnamon

Ohhh so delicious!

I found the secret: microwaving my oats, then adding about 1/4 c. of blueberries in, mixing it around, microwaving for another minute then adding everything else in. The result was like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...brought out the little kid in me :)

Today will be filled with work, heading to Whole Foods to buy Xantham Gum (to make my smoothies THICK! Inspired by Julie GoLean and Peanut Butter Fingers). Weirdly enough, Trader Joe's doesn't carry it. Oh and check out this video for a really great laugh- Happy Monday! 

Peanut Butter Oats

I have been so inspired by food blogs recently. Megan @ The Oatmeal Diaries constantly dares me to try new foods and eat what I truly want (aka intuitive eating) & Chelsey @ Clean Eating Chelsey shows me that variety and unconventional approaches really do pay off and bring unsuspectingly amazing results (aka grilled chocolate & banana muffins). I never really explained my food journey (mostly because I type-casted this blog as a style blog so early on) but I have always struggled with my weight (since middle school). About a year ago I joined Weight Watchers which, helped me get to where I am now, but in a way the program ruined me. I keep track of food/activity "points" in my head and find it hard to break into new routines with nutrition & fitness. Well, yesterday I threw out my little weight watchers notebook (with my detailed food entries and corresponding point values) and decided that by following bloggers like Chelsey and Megan (and a ton of other great ladies) I will keep track of the healthy foods I eat, but only to monitor my variety, not to "tally" my intake.

With all that said, I forced myself to do something completely different for breakfast today. I made Peanut Butter Oats! 

1 Cinnamon Oatmeal pack // 1/2 Banana // 1 spoonful of chunky peanut butter // 1 spoonful of grape jelly // a few shakes of cinnamon

The oats were filling & melty-gooey (word?) and I will definitely be trying this again. It was weird to eat something much less voluminous (I am a portion eater, the bigger the better in my mind) but I was more filled eating this than my usual breakfast :)

Do you guys have any healthy food/exercise blogs you follow? Please leave them below! Happy Sunday!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Do you remember some of the opening lines of the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic?

"You know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles and your heart kind of goes like warm butter sliding down hot toast? Well that's what it's like when I see a store. Only it's better." 

Yep, that's a tag on a brand new dress :) Oops! Spring cleaning starting now!

Sometimes I feel this way before shopping...overcome by an amazing feeling of promise, excitement and anticipation. However, other times I just want to re-explore my closet; dig up old things, reinvent pieces by adding a belt or scarf, maybe layer vests and tank tops together, wear a skirt as a dress, wear a dress as a top. Recently I have been pulled towards the latter. It's weird, I can't even go into a store and try something on without thinking if I have something completely similar at home. So my mission is to reduce the amount of shopping I do, reuse the things I love by coming up with new ways to wear each piece and recycling my clothes by weeding out what I don't wear anymore and donating it to a new home.
I guess this can be considered spring cleaning.

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments yesterday. I had so much fun on my date even though I was hardcore sweating the entire time (TMI?) At least I chose a good color to wear, no one could tell because of my all black get up! Have a great weekend!

Bright Start

I woke up to great news this morning! I won the Justine Brooks sterling silver helicopter pendant at The Anthology! Thank you again Kelsey, I'm so excited, what a great start to my Thursday!
I'm going into the city today for a meeting and *gasp* my first official date (post-grad life). I wanted to dress cute/casual but still office-appropriate because I am going to a major magazines office. I'm wearing:

Tube-top: H&M // Skirt: GAP // Belt: Anthropologie // Shoes: Bass Outfitters // Jacket (not pictured): Lost // Watch: Michael Kors

Thanks again Kelsey!

Have a great Thursday everyone :)

It Tastes Better Than It Looks

I had an intense craving for an omelet when I woke up (the 2nd time). I have been having this weird sleep pattern lately, consistently waking up around 6:30am. Naturally I head to the kitchen to eat breakfast (what else would I do?) and then fall back asleep until around 10, wake up (again) and go to the gym. So during the second wake up of my morning I decided I wanted an omelet for lunch. After locating the spinach leaves and carton of egg whites I was determined to make this the best lunch ever (you know when you can just feel it, somewhere deep inside of you, that approaching feeling of absolute satiation?) Anyway, I pour the egg whites in the pan, add in some spinach, throw a slice of low-fat white cheese in for good measure and decide that this lunch would only be complete with the addition of a whole wheat wrap...so it was created.

When it was still an omelet!

When it became a scrambler :)

It was delicious! It may look a little gross (all messy from my scrambling job) Fyi: I had to scramble it after I ran into trouble flipping it, but it was great: cheesy, fluffy and marvelous :)

What I Wore, What I Bought

I will break this post in to 2 small segments--what I wore & what I bought.

What I wore:

Skirt: Free People // Tank: Hanes // Scarf: American Eagle Outfitters // Sandals: Old Navy

What I Bought:

Dress: Forever21 // Bikini: H&M // Tube-top: H&M

Yay for having a dress for the wedding next week. I know it's spring, but olive looks good with my skin tone, so I opted out of the turquoise and hot pink versions of the dress. Go check it out at your Forever21 because it's only $10!

A Summer Wedding

What would you wear to a casual, day-time summer wedding? I need help! A little brainstorming led me to this outfit...thoughts/opinions?

Dress: Forever21 (sorry for the back shot, the look from the front is the same but too distracting to post due to all the necklaces in the styling on the site)

Shoes: Xhilaration Teanna Heeled Sandals (in tan)

Clutch: Rachelkeira (Etsy shop) 

Bracelets: Eternity Birthstone Bangles (but I would stack for the colors!)

I promised NEW

Last night I went to New York City with a few of my friends and had an amazing time. Although I got home around 4(ish) I still woke up at 8:30am because of my darn internal alarm clock. I ended up eating breakfast and hitting the gym for some much needed cardio; I find that sweating out alcohol is the only way for me to feel 100% after I spend the night drinking. So without further ado: my lunch!

Whole Wheat Wrap // Dr. Pragers Veggie Burger // 1 Slice low-fat cheese // Trader Joes Spicy Salsa // Spinach leaves // Handful of carrots

Oh and my post-gym sweaty self!

I'll be back with an actual outfit post tomorrow :)

Makeover

This post comes out of desperation, a need to just get my thoughts out of my head. Ever since I graduated in May I have been feeling pretty BLEH? BLAH? BLALALA? Just off. (Any other college grads feel this way?) Despite trying to maintain a positive and cheery outlook on everything I have realized something, why am I not being me? Candidly Cassie was supposed to be a place where I can unleash all my thoughts, but it slowly became just something about fashion, style, and clothes...well not for long. I want to write about everything that interests me--fashion being one thing, but also fitness and food; I want to start cooking and baking, doing DIY projects and reporting on various trips I take. I don't want to feel bogged down by something (blogging) that usually made me happy. I think I have kept in a lot of things that I wanted to say for fear of losing readers or being misunderstood. I just want to blog honestly and openly. I want to say how I feel about things and I want people to read my thoughts and let me know that I'm not alone because that is what blogging has taught me over the past few months...I am not alone.
So on a lighter note (I'm trying to work on this whole happiness thing) I am leaving you all with a picture of my breakfast:

Cereal mix: Kashi Honey Sunshine & Cinnamon Puffins // Yogurt: Dannon Light & Fit Raspberry // 1 Granny Smith Apple // Blueberries & Strawberries // Tons of Cinnamon

Here's to a lot more being seen on Candidly Cassie :)

A Statement

Big statement pieces of jewelry are just so easy. One piece can add so much to an outfit, and if an outfit is basic it just adds that much more. Personally if I go for a statement piece I pretty much keep everything else to a minimum--makeup, hair, clothes, accessories--and let the one piece shine. I have had my eye on this Erica Lyons necklace ever since my boss showed me the collection a few months ago. What do you think about statement jewelry?

I'm off to see Bridesmaids tonight with one of my friends. Have a great Friday!

Leopard Boat Shoes

I think I have confessed once or twice that I have a serious weakness for Sperry Top-Siders...the kind of weakness that most people have for romantic comedies, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and Jimmy Choo shoes.

Well, check out these bad boys:

Sperry Top-Sider “Bahama” Oxfords

Usually I am not a huge ANIMAL PRINT person. A dash here or there is fine by me, I love a great leopard print skinny belt, or maybe a understated top or scarf, but those are my limits. Despite the in-YO'-face print of the shoes, I am actually obsessed with them. Paired with the pattern are a few neutral colors; tans, whites and creams...and I am more than in love with the orange lining (why do I care since no one will see it once the shoes are on my feet?)

What do you think? Oh and happy Thursday!

Mellow & Yellow

Please excuse the horrible colors in my room; a blend of plastic white/reds from my childhood and NEW pink walls (my 1st attempt at pushing for new furniture/wood floors)!

Wearing:

Tank: Vintage Planet (via sister) // Jeggings: Forever21 // Sandals: BASS // Ring: Gifted from Mom

Random but...anyone have trouble breaking routines? If you have any advice how to branch out from the norm let me know! In the meantime listen to this song--so great!

Sugarland: Stuck Like Glue