Shopping: Lulu & Espresso Maker

How has Thursday been for you?  Mine's been really good because I went shopping!  I'll fill you in on my finds in just a hot second, but before I get to that, I am sooo glad you enjoyed & appreciated the Readers' Recipes Tribute Post!  Yes, Abby, it was alot of work like you mentioned in the comments, but it was a labor of love because I am really touched that so many readers and friends have made my recipes, that I just wanted to feature everyone's beautiful food pics and links back to their blog.  And Hayley & Deb, I never say never 'bout a cookbook.  Please go check out the post and great photo submissions if you missed it. 

Moving along to today...Since I've recently been hired at a gym to teach yoga and am subbing at a studio, I really felt the need to pimp up my yoga wardrobe.  So, I headed to Lululemon today.  Or as Skylar calls it, Woo-Woo Wemon.  L's are hard when you're not quite 3.  My goals were two-fold: Don't go broke in the store AND get functional pieces.  I succeeded on both fronts.

First, shorts.  Love these because the fabric is so soft, the waistband hits me perfectly, and I do love lavender.  Not the most functional of colors, but this particular color was so soft.  Since I am a fabric-junkie, and the softer the better, these were a Yes.

Next up, cropped pants.  I have about 17 pairs of cropped pants but find myself living in a pair of Adidas black crops from 2004.  Lovely, but needed an upgrade.

And upgrade these are.  The salesgirls at Lulu would say I buy them too big, but I hate tight pants.  Hate.  So I'd rather have a little room to roam.  Plus, this color and size (hot pink & purple waistband!) was on the Sale Rack and so these were a Yes.  (sorry bout the funky lighting, the sun was streaming in messing up my photo-op mo-jo)

Finally, I wanted long pants that didn't drag on the ground the way that flare cuts sometimes can and also don't like too much fabric 'round my ankles.  However, skinny skintight pants make me feel like Flo-Jo on the track and a bit goofy, so these were a nice balance.

Note the little string that I can tie off and make into crop pants.  They call these Gather & Crow.  I said Yes to these.

Although I love my new Lulu pants, I have to say, I've been wanting an Espresso maker for years.  Recently Miss Meals-n-Moves Janetha had her shiny espresso maker in a post and that kinda sealed the deal that I just had to do it.  So, I did.

I went to Bed Bath & Beyond with my trusty stash of 20% off Coupons that I hoard, and had my heart all set on a Breville until the sales guy and I were talking.  The Breville Espresso makers are semi-automatic.  Meaning you have to "tamp" your beans, and basically pretend like you work at Starbucks in your own kitchen.  I didn't really want to do that.  I also didn't want to pay thousands of dollars for a Fully Automatic Espresso Maker.  

Well, apparently the Coffee Gods were smiling down on me because there was a massive markdown on this Krups Fully Automatic Espresso Maker, and with my 20% off Coupon, it brought this machine and me into perfect reality & harmony.

Let's just say when I got it home, I felt a bit like a scientist.  There was a pH strip to test your water's hardness to tell the machine how much filtration to do.

There's also a removeable water tank.  

There's a computer that tells you everything you possibly need to know.  This machine is idiot-proof.

That's the compartment for the beans.

So what have I been making in it?

And it makes coffee by the cup and I love doing that and adding foam from steamed lowfat vanilla almond milk.

And lattes with steamed lowfat vanilla almond milk.

And I have been playing barista after all and making:

Vegan Carmel Macchiatos
Coat your cup with Carmel Sauce

Pour Two Shots of Espresso and Steam some Lowfat Vanilla Almond Milk

Combine the shots & steamed milk, and drizzle Carmel Sauce on top.  Savor every last HFCS drop.  But it's vegan.  haha!

Carmel Macchiatos are also really good with these Nutridel Cookies I received.

I got the Almond and the Pecan Flavors to Try.  Here's the Nutrition Info:

The cookies are crunchy, crispy, light, sweet.  The perfect vegan cookie!   
From their site: Our products are 100% natural, contain no additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, flavorings or sweeteners of any kind. They are loaded with seeds, grains, nuts, fiber and sweetened with a touch of molasses.
Two thumbs up and can't wait to buy some of these for myself.  Thanks, Nutridel!

But it hasn't been all coffee & cookies 'round here, I did make a great salad with greens, cukes, carrots, tomatoes, yellow peppers, and dressed it with balsalmic, EVOO, & cracked black.

Also made myself a kale salad with cauli, brock, asparagus, tomatoes, and dressed that one with my homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing.

And for dessert, I may have sampled a Raw Vegan Chocolate Turtle

And maybe also indulged in a Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cup.  Ahhhh.

 

And I ate my desserts on Skylar's plates she painted at our Mommy & Me Pottery Painting event we had last week.   Picasso, no doubt.  I did write her name on the one plate, but everything else is her handywork.  Let's call Sotheby's right now!

Yoga Today is Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (One-Legged Upward Facing Bow, or One-Legged Backbend)

Tip of the Day: Have an open mind.  Just because you previously thought that something will be perfect or will never work, the situation may surprise you.  For example, I went to BB &B thinking I was going to get X espresso maker and ended up with Y, and am thrilled with it.  Or, with the holidays coming up, don't automatically assume that your family will drive you nuts or that they will pick on your diet/lifestyle/choices that are different from theirs, or that there will be drama in some capactity.  There may very will be all of those things, but try going into the situation with an open heart and you may just be surprised that when you're putting out different energy, you receive different energy back.


What's your stay sane trick as we're approaching the holidays?  Mine is not getting caught up in the gift-giving or gift-receiving craziness.  If I want something in July, I buy it.  If I see a cute something for my sister in April, I buy it and send it to her then.  If I am thinking of special friend in September, I send raw treats then.  Basically, I try not to set myself up for gift-giving pressure by spacing things out throughout the year.  A little random, but it works for me to keep me more balanced.  What do you do to stay sane throughout the holiday season?

Stay Tuned For Reader Tribute Post Number 2...