First Impression: Bella Rocket Blender vs. Magic Bullet

So part of the whole clean(er) eating thing included incorporating multiples of fruits & veggies the easiest way ever - juices & smoothies. So getting a juicer/blender/food processor of sorts has been on my to-do list for some time now. But ever since some fancy friends got a Vitamix as a wedding present, I've been turning my nose up at the standard blenders. I'm a one extreme or the other kind of gal. All in or not at all. Top notch or super chill, no big deal. So when I stumbled upon the Bella Rocket Blender 12-piece set on sale for $19.99 at Macy's, it kind of piqued my super chill, no big deal interest...

For those of you who use or own the "Magic Bullet", you know that it retails for anywhere between $50-$80, depending on if you get the 17-piece express or the Deluxe with like 80 some odd pieces. I personally don't really see the need for a bajillion pieces that I have to hand wash if I want them to last, cluttering up my limited cabinet space, so the 12 pieces the Bella offered were just enough for me. 

           

There are 3 jars, two different sized blades, then a few lids, strainers and rims to convert the blending jars to cups. Just enough pieces for me to feel like there's variety, but not an overwhelming amount tumbling on my head when I open the cabinet. 

I took it for it's first whirl last night. Feeling hungry with a plethora of random fruits & veggies in my refrigerator  I decided to make a simple green machine with about 1 cup spinach, one granny smith apple sliced and a whole banana sliced.

                      

 

At this point, I realized the jar might actually be a little smaller/narrower than those of the Magic Bullet, because I really didn't anticipate getting to the top so quickly. So I blended a little before adding some ice and splash of water. Then blended again and voila! A yummy simple healthy Green Machine smoothie.

                       

 

Yum! Now that I've broken the seal, I'll see what other concoctions of smoothies, sauces and salsas I can make with this thing since clean up is such a cinch! 

But seriously for $19.99, this was quite the steal, and definitely gives the Magic Bullet a run for it's money. I think it was much quieter, and I personally think it's much prettier too :)

Oh I also used my new Martha Stewart knives, but cutting fruit doesn't give an accurate evaluation of sharpness. I'll wait until I'm cutting up some meat to give the run down.

xox

My Kitchenware Goodies have arrived!!

So, I was quite the excited little camper when I got home for lunch last week and this big box from Macy's with my name on it was waiting in the lobby!!

Yes, I had a little trouble getting it into the elevator and down the hall, but I mustered the strength some way some how because 3 of the 4 things I've been pining for were inside...

A Slow Cooker/Crock Pot..a set of decent knives...and a multi-faceted, but compact blender..!!

I'm still waiting on this super cute Martha Stewart Collection mixing bowl set to arrive.

(macys.com, Reg $29.99, Sale $24.99 (plus the 10% off that day!))

I'm slightly nervous it will soon make me want a hand mixer...the stand one can wait until I've got a real home/gourmet kitchen lol.

I'm so excited to make my first slow cooker meal! I've been pinning them since Fall tried to sneak up on us. I think today is the last day we'll see the 70 degree mark for the rest of the year. Any recommendations? I've got one for Chicken Tikka Masala...

or maybe a Lamb Tagine...

or a hearty Texas Chili!

There's just so many options! Very glad I recently learned about the Reynolds slow cooker liners that make cleaning up a cinch. Especially because I'm not sure how well the pot would have fit in my baby kitchen sink.

I'm even prouder of the fact that I got all four of these items for less than $130! Between sale items and free shipping. And because I had a few gift cards, I came out of pocket a mere $40 for these life changing gadgets.

Had I been a little more prepared, I would have given everything a whirl during Super Storm Sandy's showdown, but I quickly packed a few things and got a little further out of the city to the beau's bigger apartment, since we'd be stuck inside for a few days.

Can't wait to try them out this week though! Recipes to come.

What's Your Design Style?? Take the Quiz!

So I was poking around on Apartment Therapy like I do almost every other day, and I stumbled upon this fun post about online design quizzes. Of course I took all 3 (don't worry they each took between 2-5 mins). I thought two were pretty spot on, the third not so much.

According to HomeGoods' Stylescope, I'm "Sassy" with a touch of "Urban Funk" which looks like...

To style my home they suggested starting with a crisp fresh white room - which I have and often refer to as my 'blank canvas' - and add bright colors and bold patterns. Besides the bright pink sheets and standing bunch of sunflowers on my window sill, I haven't yet added much color. I originally thought I wanted to do the whole "Spa Serenity Chic" thing, but at this point it feels boring and gets visibly dirty too quickly. Meh.

Over at Sproost, my style was decidedly a mix of "Hollywood Couture" (60%), "French Eclectic" (20%) and Modern Elegance (20%) based on a flurry of rooms I rated on a 5 point, love it to hate it, scale. Hollywood Couture, taking the lead, also seemed more aligned with the look I've been going for with my new place.

Home Decor Luxe for Less - DIY

So I've been quite the busy bee when it comes to figuring out what I want my apartment to say and represent, while of course not breaking my piggy bank. And I came across a few things that I knew I wanted and finally got around to making my own. 

The first undertaking was this monogrammed canvas that I saw on Pinterest a few weeks ago and loved. 

Did a little research and found out that the monogram was actually a wood cutout glued to a canvas, despite my original thoughts that it was a painting. Nonetheless, I ventured to the art supply store and sought out the materials to paint my monogram onto a canvas board. And with the help of my mighty 3initials iPhone app, voila! 

Monogram Obession

Call me preppy, if you must, but I have a slight obsession with monograms, and oddly enough haven't had an iota of my belongings monogrammed since my L.L. Bean backpack in middle school. Don't judge, you had one too, and if you didn't, you wanted one. Anyway, I think it started when I spotted these necklaces like everywhere last summer...

(via Initial Obsession)

And while so many people had them, everyone's looked a little unique because it was their initials. But despite my jonesing, I held off on the purchase. But Pinterest in making this really hard...today, I saw this..!

For the Home: Personalization vs. Clutter..where to draw the line?

Being the daughter of a Realtor who sells almost exclusively high-end homes in the Northern New Jersey/NYC Metro-Suburban area, I think I may have a skewed perception of home decor. Almost every home I've seen and loved has been immaculately decorated by an interior designer for the homeowner's personal use or by a professional stager for the purpose of selling the home. The most important element of all this is that for the purpose of allowing a buyer to envision themselves living in the home, the seller often opts to remove any personal affects from all visible surfaces in the home. Of course it leaves the home looking immaculately clean, and growing up this was essentially our home's perception of "clean".

Similar to the idea of when your mom told you to clean your room that meant to "make your bed" which translated to you to simply throw all visible contents on the bed into the closet and close the door. Which I essentially did too, but the same went for everything on my desk, the floor, the chair beside the bed, etc. All surfaces needed to be clear, because everything had a place, and more than likely that place had a door/drawer.

From My West Philly Palace to a Center City Closet...

So July 1st marked the lease start date on my new apartment in Center City. Since graduation, I had worked either near or at Penn, so despite every year since graduating looking at apartments in Center City, I decided for the sake of my commute (and my budget) I might as well just stay in University City. And about two years ago, I stumbled upon what I consider to be a truly a gem of an apartment. It had 11ft tall ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, hardwood floors, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, Thomasville cabinetry, and the list goes on. Literally the bedroom was the size of a large studio. See for yourself...