Aruba Circuit workout and a delicious fruit smoothie.

I am back!!! I was in Aruba for a short 4 days and  wanted to film a beach workout for you!  Here is an awesome circuit that will target everything from your arms, abs, legs and inner thighs. This video shows you 1 full circuit, but you will have to do it 5 times through! WOOOO. Enjoy! http://youtu.be/El58Nh16rUA

While in Aruba I fell in love with some amazing fresh fruit smoothies. I got a mixture of papaya, mango, banana and lime. My friend Christine got papaya, mango, banana  and watermelon.  Brandon got papaya and mango, and my other friend got banana, strawberry and yogurt!

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And apparently I am not the only Boston fitness teacher that found this smoothie place. Erica from Erica Bornstein Yoga and Dance loves it too!

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All smoothies are blended with ice and act as an amazing refreshing drink. I wish I could make this on my own at home, but I believe I need one of those special blenders. Mine is narrow at the bottom where I noticed that theirs had a wider base, so it could crush the ice and fruit more easily. Anyone have an awesome blender where you do not need any liquid for it to blend? Just ice and fruit.

Tips for a successful engagement shoot, and a famous pinterest arm video of mine!

It always gets me excited when people tell me they see my videos or pictures or blog posts floating around Pinterest. This video, in particular, has made a presence around the site. Maybe you have seen it before?  It works and I love it! http://youtu.be/VA1fDQyI7-I

One of the biggest things for me during my wedding planning was finding a good photographer. It is something that years after your wedding you will look at and hopefully share with friends, family, and your kids... EEEEK!  After much research and looking through so many wedding blogs I found a photographer that I love. Abby Lorenz. I love her because her pictures are not the ordinary, and they all tell a story. Here are some shots from our engagement shoot. We were lucky enough to have an easy going photographer in which we felt comfortable. Chemistry is key!  Here are a few more tips before you take your engagement shots:

*All photos were taken by Abby Lorenz Photography! She is available for hire!

I love the pictures in front of your apartment door. It's a must! (If you live together) Or at least visit a place that you both love. A restaurant? Bar? Park?  A special tree?

Props are fun. Grab something that you both can play around with. It will make posing less awkward and you can focus your attention on something else.

Walk and talk. You both know how to do this. If you just walk the streets of your town or you "hood" you will feel comfortable. OK it is a little odd having someone follow you around with a camera, but if you are like me that's a dream come true! For my fiance, more like a nightmare  Anyway, try to pretend that it is just the two of you. You do not always have to pose. I LOVE streets pics. Stop in the middle of the road. Look both ways first!!!

Use your environment and get a little silly and creative. We saw a ledge and right away Abby said "hop on up"! We had so much fun and it created an easy flirty environment.

Use Pinterest for ideas! I did. We had a "chalk fight"!  What a blast! And the pictures came out awesome.

What are your passions? What do you love to do ? Do you both run? Paint? Golf? Fish? I love to dance. So that is what I did. We ended up with some great shots. If you do something you love it will come natural!

Lastly, the one leg up picture! So cute and sassy. Try it!

I filmed two new VIDEOS for you this week. Stay tuned will post soon :)

Cabbage, kale, white bean, carrot, celery and brown basmati rice soup!

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I love making soups. Soups are usually easy to make and are a nice low calorie option to keep you warm during the cold winter months!

This soup does not look great, but it tastes great. I put this soup together myself, so no recipe followed. You can tweak the measurements if you feel necessary. This recipe makes a lot of soup. So cut in half if you wish to make a smaller batch! As I was writing this blog I realized that I need to do a better job at recording my measurements for people who like to cook with measured amounts of seasonings and such, which hmm is probably most people. Sorry I'll do a better job next time!

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Ingredients:

• half head of white cabbage (fist time I used it in a soup and I love it!)
• 3 carrot sticks
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1/2 onion (I left this out, but you can add!)
• Kale- 5 leafs? I am not really sure but that sounds about right.  You can use more or less.
• White beans (I used raw white kidney beans and then cooked them myself, you can grab a can if you wish)

• 1cup of basmati rice (you can use regular brown rice, or you can totally leave this out)
• 6 cups chicken or veggy broth (for soup) I know so MUCH. you can add half water half stalk.
• garlic, minced about 2 tbs
•  salt to taste (don't be afraid to add it. Mine did not have enough)
•  pepper to taste
• EVOO- 2tbs, add more if needed
• dried thyme to taste. I added a lot. It was so good. Don't be afraid
• Cumin (if you wish)

Directions:

• First I dealt with the raw beans.  I brought 1 cup of white kidney beans to a boil took it off the heat and let it sit for an hour as I was prepping the soup.  This allows the beans to soften a bit.
• dice the carrots, celery, and onion
• Slice the cabbage in little strips, you do not need to make the strips small but try to not have them too thick.
• In a pot add some EVOO and mix in some garlic, let is sizzle a little then add in diced onions, cabbage, carrots and celery. Mix for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. You will slowly see all of your veggies shrink. Mostly the cabbage.

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• Add in your 6 cups of broth,white beans and kale. Mix and then let it sit uncovered until it comes to a boil.

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• Lower heat to "Low" and let it cook for (SHOOT I didnt time it but this is an estimate) about 45minutes-1hour. Mix every 20 minutes. You should test and just feel it out. When veggies seem cooked, you are done! Take off heat and enjoy.
• **As your soup is cooking, make your brown rice. Then mix into soup at the very end. This is optional. I did it and find the soup more filling.

Wedding dress designers you haven't heard of and a nice cold treat (scroll to bottom)

goddess dress

This post on wedding dresses seems appropriate because not only have I had requests from readers to do more "wedding stuff" but a few weekends ago I went to NYC and finally gave my dress a GO! It is happening. My wedding dress is being made. And as you can tell from the picture below I get really excited when surrounded by wedding dresses!

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An amazing designer/seamstress in NYC is working on the dress that we designed and put together. I found inspiration through many different styles and dresses. Through my dress search I came across certain features and detailing of dresses that I loved.  Most of us have heard of Vera Wang, Jim Hjelm, Oscar de la Renta, and Reem Acra. But below is a list of designers that are not so popular. Many of them are London designers, and I found myself attracted to their styles. Hopefully you can find some inspiration!

Jenny Packham- The beautiful backs to her dresses caught my eye.  Her dresses have amazing bead work and detailing.

Sarah Seven - A designer from the USA! Portland Oregon. Her dresses have frills, layers, and movement. Girly and oh so sweet. I love  her accessories too!

Sarah Janks- Feminine. Beautiful backs. Sexy Elegance.

Temperly London- When I see these dresses I think elegance, sophistication and royalty. Lace and sleeves.

Amanda Wakeley- Light fabrics and not your traditional wedding dress. Her take on the staples dress is my favorite. London Designer. Her style reminds me a bit of Nicole Miller.

Clair Pettibone- Vintage feel. Most of her dresses have texture or lace. Very few are staples.

Penina Tournai- The first designer I fell in love with. Her work is amazing. So intricate and truly pieces of art. These dresses are for the avant guard bride and those with a larger budget! Israeli Designer.

J Crew- Simple. Elegant. And will not break the bank. We often look over J Crew, but they really have some beautiful dresses. Check them out for brides maid dresses too.

Nicole Miller - Simple BUT the little detailing will give you an edge. Most of these dresses are slim fitting. Some of these dresses are perfect for an outside wedding.

What are you favorite dress designers? What is your favorite style of dress?

OH and I made this last night. SO good, SO easy, you SO need to try it!

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ingredients:

• 7-10 FROZEN strawberries
• 10-15 FROZEN blueberries
• 1 FROZEN banana
• Then add about 4-8oz of unsweetened almond milk (you can use coconut milk, rice milk, cows milk, whatever). Decide what consistency you like it and just play with how much milk you add in. Start adding the milk in slowly, because you can always add more. **if you do not have enough milk your blender will get jammed up.

Directions:

• add all ingredients together in blender
• blend
• add more milk as needed
• enjoy

Inner thigh and Hip slimming video!

I recently became a solow ambassador!! I am a wearing a lovely outfit by them in the video below. I have always been obsessed with their clothes, and now I love that they are branching out and doing more "fitness" type clothing. Comfortable, so flattering, and SO cute with a fun edge! They have the perfect apparel for wearing in and out of the gym! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVgIzld_NXM