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Blogging through Instagram

I think that it's a crime that Instagram is not available to all cell phone carriers (right now I believe it's just for iPhones).  It is not even available on PCs or laptops. (*Edited to add: now there is the ability to view/comment on Instagram via Webstagram, click here to check it out). It is such a fun and creative way to communicate. It's like Twitter and Facebook had sex and the resulting love-child was Instagram, with more 'show' and less 'tell'.  With Instagram, you post a photo and an optional caption.  That is it!  Did I mention that it is free and comes with many cool filters? The labels I use are from LabelBox, which is also free.

Once you post the photo, others can "love it" and they can leave a comment.  Sometimes the comments are the most fun.  You can also choose to link it up to Twitter, Facebook & Flickr. Not gonna lie. I'm a huge fan.

Instagrammers tend to share photos of one or more of the following: coffee, food, cocktails, kombucha, cats, dogs, babies/children, nature, other people or photos of themselves either via a mirror or with the self-portrait technique of holding your arm out. Often there is a photo of a person with coffee or a cocktail, or a with a dog or cat, but not usually with food. The food almost always gets its own glory.

Here are a few Instagrams I've sent over the past few months as @LASmoothieGirl. 

Venice, CA

Mini Me
"Ace"...The baby brother?



Santa Monica, CA

Cute, but they belch like frat boys.

Let the fun begin.


Ace Hotel: King's Highway (Palm Springs, CA) A-Mazing Grub.

Lobby of the incomparable Ace Hotel

Yawn
Someone is extra needy today. Does she know that she might get a little brother?



Best Cracker on Earth

Peek-a-boo

Road Trip



From the garden of @eden_eats

Needed to multitask today #TGFA
Framed at doc's office

As a followup to The Great Fundraising Act, YOU raised $26,000 US for Susan to help her fight cancer!
Thank you all! Only some of the behind the scenes helpers were: Danica, Eden, Morgan, Holly, Momma B and of course the amazing brains (and beauty) behind the whole endeavor, Janetha.


Here is some news coverage of the event:




Q:  Do you Instagram? If you want others to check out your posts, you can leave your @name. What sorts of photos do you/would you post? What other types of photos have you seen posted?



The Great Fundraising Act is Monday July 25, 2011 TODAY

I'm a lazy copy-cat. Since janetha just posted exactly what I'd like my readers to know about The Great Fundraising Act tomorrow, I just copy/pasted her ENTIRE POST into my blog! That's because I have secret access to her whole blog in order to help with this gigantic project.  This means in theory that I could go into her old posts and change all sorts of things, like the food she eats. "dude, for dessert, I LOVE kale chips so much more than vanilla ice cream with peaches!" to weights she lifts... "i got some major doms from bicep curls with those 2-pound dumbells."  I could even insert incriminating photos of her, but I'm too nice for that. Usually.

Eden & Janetha...see how she noticeably struggles with 2-pound bicep curls?
But please read the post that I stole from janetha's blog if you are planning to take part in tomorrow's festivities, or if you are even curious about it.  Our #1 goal is to raise money for our friend Susan. who is fighting lymphoma at age 25.
  • Staggered closing bid times are from about 6.30pm until 11pm Eastern Standard time. So even if you work tomorrow, you can bid on many items (unless you are in Australia or Japan...then you are either a night-owl or SOL).  
  • Bidding is simply as easy as leaving a comment! A bid is simply a US dollar amount left in the comment box! EASY! There will be further instructions from janetha tomorrow.
janetha did an unbelievable job on this project- as did many of her friends and family. Please forgive any snafus that might occur as this fund-raising project went sky-rocketing...I'd say it is going viral. Who knows what could happen tomorrow!?

Speaking of copy-cats, you knew I couldn't hit 'publish' without one of these...

Copy-cat Ace & Ellie.
And finally, you might remember that Susan came to my aid when I put together the Charity Blogger calendar when my Dad was dying last year. My Dad also had lymphoma, but a much, much more serious form. As my Dad used to say "She's good people."

Susan...one hot calendar girl, and a good person too.
So, on that note, here's janetha bean...


hey there. it’s me! janetha g. i know i haven’t been blogging lately—but i have been working hard behind the scenes.
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the big, giant, amazing auction is tomorrow. this thing has snowballed into something i never dreamed of.
it’s huge. like, huge.
i wanted to say a few things on this auction eve, in anticipation for the big day.

first and most important: in case of a site crash.
i am not a big blogger. i don’t have my own server. i begged my host to give me a dedicated server, just for a day, and they said no can do.

there are going to be a lot of people coming here tomorrow, clicking and commenting their hearts out. chances are, this blog could crash. i am hoping, wishing and praying it does not.. but there is still a good chance.
SO, i wanted to tell you all “plan B”. at first i toyed with the idea of hosting the items on a google doc and having bids emailed in, but with nearly 200 items, that got a little sticky. not happening.

if my blog does go down tomorrow, plan B is wait it out. that is all we can do. if you come here and the site is down, just know we have implemented plan B.

the auction will be extended and when my site comes back up, i will announce the new closing times for the items. the closing times will have to be staggered throughout the week so there isn’t another crash.
of course, we are hypothetically speaking, and there isn’t going to be a crash nor a need for plan B, right? right. we will cross that bridge when and if we come to it.

second. all the closing times are in the listings.

this is to try to prevent a flood of bidders at 11 PM EST. it is the only shot we have at preventing a crash. some of you were really upset that some items end a lot earlier than you’d like them to..but i promise, it was the only way to do it.

a big thank you to deb for figuring out closing times that stagger beautifully and for inserting them into the posts. deb and i were on the phone for over 3 hours last night figuring out the logistics of this thing! it is as organized as possible, but i am sure there will still be some crazy issues ;)

so, with that said, please TRIPLE CHECK the closing time of the items you are bidding on. it is up to you to get your bids in before the item closes. comments are time stamped and the comment that comes in last before the closing time will be the winner. we have staggered the times in a way that you can bid on several items and still be present for the closing of each one. of course, there is SOME overlap.. if there are two items you have your heart set on that close at the same time, perhaps you can recruit a friend to help bid for you.

third. canadian-friendly and world-friendly listings.

we have compiled two separate lists that include the auction items available to canadians and auction items available to worldwide bidders. i still have to cross check them so they aren’t quite ready.. but these lists will be available in the category breakdown in tomorrow’s post, so you can simply click to view the items available to you.

the majority of the items are available to USA residents. there are half a dozen items that are available to canada only or that are conditional of where you live, so just be sure to read each item description carefully before bidding.

fourth. the current bid list.

tomorrow is going to be crazy! i want to have a list on the front page that has a somewhat current bid amount for each item. i am going to be up at momma b’s house bright and early, monitoring the bids. she and i will work hard all day at keeping that list as current as possible.

PLEASE remember that the bid list is not real time and it is just there to give you a ballpark idea of what each item is going for at the moment. we will also update the list to reflect items that have closed—again, as fast as we can get to them.

it is your responsibility to submit a bid that is higher than the most current bid. i suggest that after you read a listing and decide you want to bid, refresh the page so you can see if any bids have come in while reading the description.

fifth. twitter chat!

at 1 PM – 2 PM EST, i will be participating in a twitter chat with the star of the show, susan, and katy, the woman behind #fitblog. it will be under the hashtag #TGFA. please tune in! we will be talking about the auction, the fundraiser and also about the big C—yes, susan’s cancer. stupid cancer…

sixth. monetary donations.

a lot of you have expressed that you want to help but can’t make it to the auction because you have no internet access tomorrow. you can still help! direct monetary donations can be made here. we have already raised over $1,200 as of tonight and the auction has not even begun. this is amazing.

okay—i am going to get out of here. i still need to draft the actual auction post.. so come back tomorrow for all the fun!

*also, in case of a site crash, can all you bloggers please be prepared to spread the word about plan B? please and thanks!"*

xo. janetha g.

Hollywood: Here you come...


Today, my  (sweet, generous?!) husband, Derek upped the ante on one of our auction items for The Great Fundraising Act to raise money for Susan's cancer expenses.  He wanted to make it even more appealing and more likely to bring in fat cash for Susan. ...He added two airline tickets to Los Angeles International Airport or Burbank Airport from anywhere that United Airlines flies from the USA or Canada!  Why not make a vacation out of it?  Plus you get to clean out my kittys' litter box.  Go you! (That's a joke.  I wouldn't make you do that. But you'll need to hand feed them lobster and give them massages and hot rock treatments).

While we're on the topic of kitties, the following photo makes it looks like Ellie reproduced by budding (remember high school biology?)  But alas, no!  This is her baby brother, Ace... rest assured, you will see more of Ace in the future.
For those of you who are good at math, there are now THREE kitties!

For more details on the prize, please see yesterday's post about our auction items.  For a full list of items at the auction, please click here- and check back daily as more items are being added!  If you want to donate without partaking in the auction, please click here.  

This is a link so that you can see exactly how this auction will work!

Thank you sooo much, everyone!


Q: Are you astounded that I posted twice in two days? Me too!  Have you ever visited gorgeous, stunning, traffic-free, 72-degree-every-day Los Angeles, California? Would you consider giving our brood a mani-pedi with the rest of their spa treatment?

“What we’re auctioning” Wednesday

Susan Banner 550x169
I’ve never done a “What I ate Wednesday” because knowing me I’d just make something up for shock value. Like topping my morning oats with Cheetos. But anyone who really knows me knows that’s just crazy: I would NEVER have oats for breakfast!

But Lindsay Cotter of Cotter Crunch fame asked if I wanted to partake in a What I’m Auctioning Wednesday and I was all over that like Cheetos on oats. What I’m talking about of course is The Great Fundraising Act for our dear friend Susan’s cancer fund.  The auction is less than a week away on Monday July 25th and a special page will be set up at Meals and Moves with all items.  Be sure to peruse the whole list of items and see what you want ahead of time!  Tell your friends, lovers, co-workers, kids and parents too!

If you do not wish to purchase an item but would like to  contribute, it is easy to simply donate via PayPal (Janetha’s account from Meals and Moves)

So here is what I am offering up:

Protein Muffin Mix
Who has made a fudgy Protein Muffin? It’s so easy right? Well I just made it easier.  I combined the coconut flour, stevia, baking powder and cocoa powder and I’m selling it as a mix for the auction. All you need to do is add pumpkin (or other starchy carb) and egg whites (or eggs or vegan equivalent). I actually have a jar of mix in my pantry that I use pretty much daily for my absolute favorite 150-calorie snack. Sooo easy! There will be a few of these available for your bidding pleasure.
 IMG_5362 You are about 4 minutes away from heaven right there.
I’m also including one of my home-made “Spiced Nutella” Hazelnut butters. It has cinnamon, cardamom and a tiny bit of stevia. It’s ridiculously delicious. Just ask Heather.

IMG_5370

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L’Equip Dehydrator!
 
Next up is a fancy-schmancy L’Equip Dehydrator.  How do I know it’s fancy?  Because it sounds fancy, and it looks fancy.  I ordered it from Amazon and never used it even once. My loss is your gain.  From the website:
INCLUDES:
  • 6 full-size Trays
  • 6 mesh Screens
  • 2 fruit leather Trays
  • Instruction Book with recipes
FEATURES:
  • 550 Watts
  • Solid State Temperature Control for precise results
  • Variable Control (93F to 153F)
  • Micro-Processor controlled Heat Sensor
  • Unique air-flow gives uniform and consistent drying
  • Stacks up to 12 trays
  • 1.2 sq. feet of drying space per tray
  • Easy to clean and operate
IMG_3123
Fancy – Schmancy Dehydrator
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Derek, my husband aka Mr. SmoothieGirl has some prizes to donate as well:

Universal Studios and 2 night bed and breakfast package for two at the Universal Studios Sheraton, Hollywood, CA

*EDITED TO ADD** Two United Airlines tickets will be added to the package- anywhere United flies from Canada or the USA to LAX or Burbank! 

 
Airline tickets for two on United Airlines!!Two night stay at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in a traditional guestroom 
Breakfast for 2 each day
Hotel parking
Two
tickets to Universal Studios
Hotel prize is for 1 room. Prize must be used by 12/11/2011 and subject to availability


 image
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Harhar the old “stick your head in Jaws” trick- done it a million times

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This must be the ‘old school’ tour.  Everything these days is done on the computer.

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Awesome tourists with the funniest man on the planet, Spongebob

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Southern California Shopping, dining and Santa Barbara Island spree for Two

 
2 Nights Hotel at the
Courtyard by Marriott, Camarillo
$50 spending voucher at the
Camarillo Outlets  
$50 dinner voucher at
Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant
Day trip to Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island 
Hotel prize is for 1 room. Prize must be used by 12/31/2011 and subject to availability

 

image
image

Camarillo is about an hour north of Los Angeles up the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway.  If you win this prize, you are required to stop by our house and pet all of our kitties. (Kidding, you just have to clean out the litter box).

That’s it folks! I hope that something catches your eye either here or from someone else…the whole point is to raise money for Susan. This is why it’s great to spread the word about this fabulous auction! A complete list of all the prizes is up on Meals &amp here.  If you are in any way confused, please click here to see how this auction will work.

Q: Have you been to Universal Studios?  Do you like to shop at outlet malls? Are you into nature- exploring islands etc? Or are you more of a city person? Have you seen any other auction items that you are interested in getting?

Special Post! Announcement: Dehydrator up for grabs!

Hi All,

I don't usually post twice in a week (gasp!) but I totally forgot to mention this super sweet prize in my last post!  A brand new Dehydrator (capital letter needed).  It's something I ordered for phat cash ($129) from Amazon and never even peeked inside...it's brand spankin' new and just aching to make banana chips!  

I'll post more details about this hot piece of machinery on Wednesday! 

Chic Industrial Raw Foodie Kitchen worthy (cat not included)
Tell your friends.  If you'd like, you can spread the word via Facebook/Twitter by copying and pasting this: "Brand New Fancy Dehydrator available for Susan's Cancer fund #TGFA! Spread the word! Details at http://smoothiegirleatstoo.blogspot.com/ "

It's for a good cause! I will even pay shipping within the US and Canada!

Q:   Have you ever used a dehydrator? What are some favorite 'recipes'?

Yoga Mat Folding: A Review

Do I have any yogini readers out there?  Has anyone ever tried 'power yoga' or Bikram or Ashthanga yoga?  Don't you just love the fact that you sweat buckets onto the floor?  Just think of all those toxins you are releasing!  Some popular classes can even have dozens of people, or more.  I often observe staff whipping around the floor with a huge industrial-sized mop after each class.  Mind you, they are not using bleach or cleaner...they are just combining everyone's sweat and spreading it around.  Less of a slip hazard than puddles I presume?

Now I'd like you to do something just for fun.  Go into the studio just after the last class let out and lay on the floor with your bare skin.  You can even smush your face onto the floor if you wish.  Why would I ask you to do that? Because if you are simply rolling your yoga mat after each class, then you are pretty much doing this, every time you step on your mat.  Why?  Because when you roll the mat, the dirty underside (sweat, toxins, bacteria, spirochetes, prions, goodness knows what else) come into contact with the clean side of the mat that your body & face will touch.  Yucky.

This photo from my original yoga-mat-folding post two years ago amuses me.  First, I felt the need to share my leopard yoga bag with my readers.  Second, my hair was about a foot shorter than it is now. Finally, I'm wearing the same dress that Ellie decided to eat last week.


2009: Short hair and intact dress


2011: RIP cute dress.  Ellie in background, exhausted and obviously innocent. (Hairy arm, not mine)
(I probably should give her a time-out or at least revoke her blogging privileges but I guess I'm just a sucker for a pretty face) 


Back to the topic at hand...

Yoga mat Folding 101A:

  1. Fold mat in HALF!! I will repeat this part: Fold mat in HALF!
  2. NOW roll mat as usual. See how easy that is?   
 Q:  Do you practice yoga? Do your otherwise perfect animals or children destroy your personal possessions?
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Now on to something really important...
 
    The Great Fundraising Act is in full force! Hundreds of healthy living/food bloggers are banding together to donate items to auction to supplement our fellow blogger, Susan's cancer fund.  

    For full details on Susan's story and a list of some of the loot for sale, please go to Meals and Moves. This bake sale/auction includes writers of some of the 'biggest' blogs out there, as well as small but fabulous blogs.  Anyone can buy any of the auctioned items, so please consider buying some great stuff. You can also help by donating items to the auction.  If you have a specialty that you make and can ship, please leave Janetha a message and she'll give you the details. 

    I personally will be donating some home-made spiced hazelnut butter and my very own protein muffin mix (all you need to do is add egg whites and pumpkin or other starchy carb!) Mr. SmoothieGirl aka Derek, will be donating a weekend at the Universal Studios Sheraton (breakfast/parking included) and two passes to Universal Studios Tours (California).  Also on offer:  a weekend shopping expedition to the Camarillo outlets in southern California, two nights at the Courtyard Marriott Camarillo, $50 dinner voucher at a local Mexican restaurant, $50 spending money at the outlets and a day trip to an island off the coast!  I'll provide more details next week!  

    EDITED TO ADD 7/16/11 I'm also donating a BRAND NEW DEHYDRATOR!!! Tell your friends- Raw foodies this is for you!!

    Brand new dehydrator for auction July 25! (Gorgeous 16 yr old cat not included)

    If you wish to donate money to help Susan, I have a PayPal icon on the right side of my blog at the top. Minimum donation US$1.  Thank you for all of your support and kind wishes for her speedy recovery!







    Bosu Lunge & Squat routine: DOMS guaranteed

    Some of my favorite moves are lunges and squats (L&S for short).  I usually do them once a week or so and have been doing this for years.  So, sometimes I find the need to mix things up a bit.  The other day, I dusted off my old Bosu type balance rubber half-dome thingy and decided to do my L&S on it.  The Bosu creates a wobbly surface, so just staying on top of the darn thing is hard.  Plus it supposedly 'works your core' at the same time.  I'm not sure about that, but it does challenge your sense of balance and that is a good thing. As we age, we can't practice our mad balancing skillz enough.

    I have four things to say about this workout:
    1. D
    2. O
    3. M
    4. S
    Not familiar with DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? You will be soon.  This workout is not for the faint of heart, the injured, the frail or anyone not tough enough to eat the tequila worm.  Doing your usual L&S routine on the Bosu confuses (wobbles?) the crap out of your muscle fibers and for the next day or two, renders you unable to sit down without wincing.  Or even moaning.  Maybe screaming.  Note:  you might have trained too hard if you're screaming.

    Regarding technique & form:  please refer to this old Lunge & Squat post with important links on form.  Or because you want to see a photo of me holding a rather large child as extra weight.  Yeah, her Mom thought I was crazy.

    For extra calorie-burn and some more cardiovascular training, you can step on and off the bosu, jump rope or do any other form of plyometrics that will get your heart rate up.  While this is technically the 'cardio' portion of the workout, your heart rate will soar during the L&S, too. As with any intense strength workout, rest those muscles for the next 48-72 hrs before hitting them again.

    **NOTE!!  Do not EVER even think about entertaining the thought of jumping rope ON TOP of the Bosu!! No no no!!** (unless of course you want to end up in the hospital in a full body cast...)

    Only use extra weight if you are an L&S old-schooler. Otherwise, stick to bodyweight. Trust me:  it'll be enough.  Shoot for 10-15 reps of each move. If you do all of the exercises once through, it'll take about 20 minutes. Repeat if you dare.

    Short, sweet, to the point. Cardio and strength. Multitasking at its finest.

    A nail-biting moment, mentally prepping for the workout
     Cardio warmup, 5 minutes:



    Dead Lift:


    Squat:
     Pant, pant


    Ellie wants to join in the fun.

       Sumo (= wide-legged) Squat:


    Plyo bursts intermittently:  roping or Bosu stepping: (step on to bosu with left, then right foot, then jog onto ground with left then right foot).  You'll need to be comfortable with standing on a bosu before trying this.


    Split lunge



    Pant Pant

     

    Single Leg Squat (one foot on Bosu, one foot off)


    Knee never passes toes

    Now contract your cheek muscles upward because you are done with your workout
     Now go replenish the protein for your muscles.  Eat that worm.  Or do what I do:

    "eat" a smoothie
     And re-load those carbs like other bloggers have done:

    Sniff:  the last grapefruit of the season
    Q: Do you Bosu?  Favorite DOMS-inducing workout?  Worm or Smoothie, grapefruit? Favorite post-workout food?

    Finally, I just want to say that no matter what is going on in my day-to-day life, I just can't stop thinking about my friend Susan.  So far, the news is good as far as cancer goes:  She does not have leukemia (in addition to the lyphoma) and chemo and radiation is expected to be very effective.  Yet, the biopsies have proven inconclusive and she might be having more surgery for a definitive diagnosis. She is handling everything with strength, grace and humor. Please keep her in your thoughts and if you feel like it, pop over and say Hi.  And when she's all better, I'm going to challenge her to a worm-eating contest. I suspect she'll win.

    Our friend Susan
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