make your OWN granola bars, girl.

Lady Bit Rachael and I took our boyfriends camping this weekend. Whereas our menfolk brought nerf guns and beer, we brought delicious funtime food.

It was my favorite thing to wake up Sunday morning and hear the birds chirping and my friends softly talking as they gathered the ingredients for an incredible homemade breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.

Throughout our adventure, we snacked on these homemade granola bars that I feverishly threw together the night before our trip. I like that they only require five ingredients, and no baking if you don't mind unbaked oats (I baked mine for just a few minutes). 

Putting these together was a sticky, hilarious time. I recommend trying it yourself.

Can't you just taste the nature in them?

Here's the recipe, from minimalistbaker.com. I added dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and a handful of butterscotch chips. I also used a blender instead of a food processor, and like an IDIOT I forgot to pit my dates and almost broke my boyfriend's teeth. Oops!

Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)
• ¼ cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
• ¼ cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1½ cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
• optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

Instructions

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)
2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw – I just prefer the toasted flavor.
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl – set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn’t necessary.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 217 Fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 1 g Carbohydrates: 31 g Sugar: 19 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 6 g

I guess I can work out for 7 minutes.

I hate working out. The only workout I can stand is biking from one place to another, and that's because it's cheaper than driving and I dislike parking cars. But as any biker knows, biking might tone your legs but it really will not cut down on your chubby parts. I started a new desk job a month ago that doesn't allow for a standing desk and has a 3-mile bike commute instead of a 12-mile, so my body has not been extremely happy with me. And when she's not happy...she grows. Fatter.

When I saw a 7-minute workout in The New York Times magazine, I had to try it. You do a series of exercises for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds rest in between, for about 7 minutes total. You just need a floor, and a chair! I have those things. So here is a 1-minute video I made for you that's a super-sped up version of the workout. It's pretty, pretty easy. 

I even made myself a playlist that tells me which exercise is next, plays a 30-second clip (from a variety of amazing and inspiring YouTube videos), rests for 10 when you should be resting, etc., all the way through the workout. You can download it if you want (fo' free!).



Here is a picture of the exercises you should be doing. I hope you wiggle when you plank a little, just like I did. Man does that look weird sped-up.

Ok happy working out! Or not. I still hate it even if it's only 7-minutes. 

Tinting your Eyelashes

Every summer the heat rolls in and the land of 10,000 lakes beckons me to jump into every single one of them immediately, without notice, like NOW! I'm not a fan of the "mascara running down face" look but I am a HUGE fan of mascara. So what's a girl to do? Dye those lashes! For the last 4 summers I have been getting my eyelashes "tinted." What is Eye Lash Tinting you ask? I will tell you.  It's an all natural vegetable dye that they apply to your lashes to darken them.  It lasts about 1-2 months (sometimes longer!) costs around $25 and comes in brown, deep black, and blue black.  They can also mix them to make a "brownish black."

BEFORE:  

 I was blessed with very long thick lashes (thanks for those genes dad!) BUT as you can see, they are BLONDE BLONDE! Like, see-through blonde.  When I don't wear mascara I feel like you can't see them at all, which makes me feel a little bit on the "albino" side.

AFTER: 

I usually do brownish black, but this time decided to just go for it and do deep black.  I'm glad I did, I really love the results. I am not wearing ANY mascara or makeup in the above photo, isn't eyelash tinting AMAZING!? I think so! 

Tips/Warnings:

- Before you dye your lashes they really recommend you have the spa do a "trial" which basically means they'll apply the vegetable dye to a tiny section of your lashes to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction to the dye. I did this, and I recommend it, anytime you're doing anything next to your eyes you really can't be too careful!  

- Don't squeeze your eyes too tight when you're getting the dye applied, you really just want to let your eyelids rest so they form the perfect seal and keep all the dye out of your eyes.  Also try not to talk too much, that can open your eyes a tiny bit, and it does sting if the stuff gets in there! 

- I get mine "tinted" at Aurora Spa by Barb. 

Dinner for the Week: Greek Style Veggie Casserole

I love to cook in bulk. Casseroles, soups, salads.. you name it! If I can make more than three servings at a time it's my favorite type of recipe. This love for cooking in bulk started when I worked 10-11 hour days and ate lunch and dinner at my job (for most people this sounds like hell, luckily for me I worked at an amazing place with amazing people so it was fabulous). As a result I got into the habit of spending all day Sunday cooking one or two bulk meals for the week ahead to make sure I'd be able to eat delicious food everyday even if I didn't have time to make it. This skill has now become particularly handy as a grad student and I am sure will be useful whenever life gets busy in the future. 

This greek inspired veggie casserole is one of my favorite bulk recipes. I'm a sucker for roasted red peppers, and the combination of lemon juice and feta creates a yummy, tangy flavor. It's also totally adaptable so you can make it super hearty in the winter or fresh and delicious in the spring/summer. If these aren't your favorite vegetables, you can also add other roasting vegetables (eggplant, squash etc.), or switch up the amount of each ingredient - just make sure you don't overstuff the baking dish! You can also sauté pieces of chicken and add them in at the end or keep it completely vegetarian. It's delicious served over couscous, quinoa, rice or thick crusty bread.  

Greek Style Vegetable Casserole

Adapted from Bon Appetit 

Ingredients

1 zucchini cut crosswise into four sections and then quartered (I used mini zucchini for the photographed version)

1 red pepper cut into wedges

1 small onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

1 pound potatoes (yukon gold, red, fingerling potatoes are all great - basically anything with a soft skin otherwise they should be peeled), cut into 1 inch wedges 

1/2 pound green beens, trimmed

1 14 ounce can peeled whole tomatoes, cut into quarters, juices reserved

4 garlic gloves, sliced

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper 

Herbs: Completely up to you! The original recipe calls for oregano and dill, but I normally use red pepper flakes and rosemary 

1/4 cup crumbled feta

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°. Place zucchini, onion, and 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Season with salt. Transfer to a large baking dish (9x13" or larger) and roast until zucchini is slightly dried and beginning to turn brown, 12–15 minutes. Transfer zucchini and onion to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, toss remaining 3 Tbsp. oil, potatoes, green beans, red pepper, tomatoes with their juices, garlic, lemon juice, and herbs in a medium bowl. Season with salt. Place mixture in same baking dish; top with roasted zucchini and onion. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and stir vegetables; bake until pan is nearly dry and potatoes are tender and beginning to brown, 25–35 minutes longer. If you like your feta cooked and browned, 15 minutes before the casserole is done, sprinkle the top with feta. 

Let casserole sit for 10 minutes. Garnish with feta and serve.

Spring Rolls!

I love fresh spring rolls! Let's be honest I love fried spring rolls even more, but I've been trying to be a bit healthier lately so I went for the fresh version this week.  They are incredibly easy to make and you can really adjust them to be whatever you want them to be. For example, most recipes call for mint or thai basil, which I'm sure tastes awesome, but I didn't have thai basil just lying around the house so I just skipped it.  Here's what I did...

Ingredients:
Shrimp
Spinach
Shaved Carrots
Asparagus
Spring Roll wrappers (can be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store)
Other Options: bell peppers, rice vermicelli, bamboo, cilantro, cooked pork or chicken, lettuce, the possbilities are endless!!!!

First I steam the shrimp with some garlic just to infuse a little flavor (but you could easily buy precooked shrimp or boil them or sautee them, you get the idea).  Tip: you can tell shrimp is done when it is nice and pink and in the shape of a "C", if it's in the shape of an "O" it's over cooked.  Then I rinse the shrimp in cold water and remove the casings and tails. While the shrimp is steaming, I cut the asparagus into smaller pieces and blanche them (put in boiling water just long enough to turn bright bright green, but still be crunchy).  Again run them under cold water when done.  Now you're ready to make your spring rolls!

Take a spring roll paper and soak it in hot water until it becomes soft, gently take out and put on a Tea Towel over a plate. repeat this step so that you have a double layer of spring roll paper (I always do a double layer of wrapper so they don't fall apart). use the tea towel to dab gently at the wrappers to remove excess liquid. Now add your ingredients! Shredded carrots, spinach, 3 pieces of shrimp and asparagus.  Then roll it like a burrito! Sides in first, then as you roll make sure you are tucking the ingredients in to make a tight roll.

Dipping Sauce! Which is really the whole point to the spring roll am I right?
I make a quick peanut sauce by heating vinegar, water, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and some peanut butter until its smooth and creamy and tastes how I want it to.  You can adjust all the amounts to make it taste how you like it, including adding teriyaki, fish sauce, sriacha or whatever else you have on hand and like.

I also have a tiny bowl of Soy Vey Teriyaki sauce for dipping along with my peanut sauce. Yummmm!

Craft Fail: Cross Stitch iPhone Case

I'm what goal achievement expert Barbara Sher calls a "scanner," which is really just a nice way of saying I start a lot of things I don't finish. And if there were a pie chart of all the projects I never completed, I’d estimate that “failed” crafts would take up at least 60 percent. But how am I supposed to know what crafts I am actually good at unless I try them all, right?

A few weeks ago, I was lunching with a particularly crafty friend of mine (she co-produces a craft-themed variety show, for gosh sakes!) when she casually whipped out her iPhone, flashing a cross stitched design on the perforated back. A CROSS STITCH IPHONE CASE. I was even more excited when she said she found the blank cases at JoAnn Fabric for just five dollars (spoiler alert: my mom and I found them on clearance there the next week, for only THREE!).

Isn't it mesmerizing?

To understand my instant obsession with this novelty, you need to know a little about my childhood. All the ladies on my mom’s side are extremely crafty--like, have your own craft room and dress form and make money at craft sales crafty. My grandma tried to teach me nearly every craft she knew (including quilling!), but cross stitch was the only one that stuck, and the only one I ever really felt accomplished at. So obviously I was all over this new cross stitch medium, and I needed a new phone case anyway. Enter: a match made in craft heaven. I was riding a crafters high as I picked out my lime green case, envisioning the Kate Spade-esque stripes I could create as I selected blue, fuschia, and silver embroidery thread. I rushed home to count out the rows and plot out my design...but 2 episodes of Chopped and a mere 7 rows later, I was SO over it.

This is where we parted ways. It was for the best, really.

What went wrong, you ask? #1 Too much thread. I am lazy and really hate separating out the threads in embroidery thread, so I skipped that step in my excited haste. I really shouldn’t have, though, because the girth (heh) of the string was too thick and it made my design look a little sloppy and was very susceptible to knots. It also made the silicone case bend in weird ways. #2 Metallic thread. Metallic embroidery thread is slightly thicker and more unwieldy than regular embroidery thread, which just compounded #1 and made my silver thread really difficult to use. As you can see, I only finished one row of the silver before throwing in the needle for good. #3 Fuzz factor. Thread is fuzzy, did you know that? As soon as the first few rows were completed, I was dismayed to see that there was already a haze of fuzz forming above the stitches. For cross stitched designs in a frame, this isn’t a big deal--but on my phone, my fifth limb and most frequent accessory? No one wants a tiny afghan on the back of that.

Close up. Yeesh. 

So I admitted defeat, and gave up on my dream iPhone case. Lucky for me, this is one craft I can actually try again, I just need to pull out the rows I’ve done and start fresh. I am not saying I will ever actually DO this, but it’s nice to know I COULD.

Freak Show

I had the opportunity to present a short film in a show about all things circus this weekend. Lady Bit Rachael kindly helped me by starring opposite Denise Peppercorn, just your average girl with a secret under her nose. Enjoy!

The best of both worlds: cheesecake marbled brownies

I have always loved baking and could spend hours reading baking blogs. The beautiful pictures, delicious combination of flavors, and creative ideas amaze me and make my mouth water. I am constantly copying and pasting every recipe I want to try into a massive email, while finding whatever occasion I can to make the next recipe on my list. The only problem is that most of the recipes I find end up requiring more time than I have or too many ingredients that I don't have stocked in my pantry. So my Lady Bits baking goal is to whittle down my list of recipes to find the ones that produce fail proof deliciousness while being easy and straightforward.

These brownies do just that. They are the best of both worlds: delicious, rich chocolate topped with swirls of cheesecake goodness. They are so good that even my brother, who doesn't really like chocolate (!), loves them. Plus you'll never have to grapple between competing cheesecake and chocolate cravings ever again. 

Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (This blog is amazing. If you don't already read it, you should. I guarantee a lot of my recipes will come from her!)

Ingredients

Brownie Batter

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup all purpose flour

Cheesecake Batter

8 ounces cream cheese, well softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350°F and butter 8x8 inch square baking pan

2) Make brownie batter

• Cut chocolate and butter into pieces. 
• Heat butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally until just melted (or make a homemade double boiler with a metal mixing bowl over a saucepan filled with boiling water. This technique also makes it easier to mix the rest of the ingredients and leads to one less dirty pot, which is always a plus in my book)
• Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla and a pinch of salt until well combined
• Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan 

3) Make cheesecake batter

• Whisk together cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla until smooth

4) Dollop spoonfuls of the cheesecake batter on top of the brownies. 

5) Use a knife to marble the cheesecake and brownie batter together. I find that I always have way more cheesecake batter on top than brownie batter, so try and scoop up parts of the brownie batter over the cheesecake to make a more even marbling effect. Or even try and make indents in the brownie batter for the dollops of cheesecake to fall into before marbling.

6) Sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter

7) Bake until the edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 30 - 35 minutes

8) Chill brownies. These are much easier to cut when they are cold and personally I think they taste delicious straight out of the fridge. 

How to fake bangs so you don't have to cut your hair!

I, and a few of our other Lady Bits contributors, have cowlicks right in the front of our hairline, which means "no bangs for you!" at least the hair kind ;) This is why I am so in love with faking some fringe! Check it out!

Step 1: Section off a chunk of your hair right in the front.

Step 2: Pull the rest of your hair up into a messy up do.

Step 3: Place the ends of your hair from the section in front on your forhead where your "bangs" would be. 

Step 4: Bobby pin the remainder of your hair (that weird loop of hair from pulling in up) all the way back by your messy up do so it looks like it is part of that.

Step 5: Use a bandana or headband to hide the fact that those bangs aren't real!

I have pretty long hair, but Anna W, who has medium length hair, did this tutorial and hers also turned out great!

A video tutorial just in case you need a little more visual guidance!

This look makes me feel like a modern day Rosie the Riveter! What do you think? Will you try fake bangs?

All hail the Princess Roll.

One headband. One head of hair. That's all you need for the amazing Princess Roll. Watch this tutorial, look at the photos, and try it for yourself. It's a pretty way to put your hair up AND a great no-heat way to curl your hair. Really, if you think about it, it's a two-day hairstyle. And it makes me feel like I'm on Game of Thrones.

I wrap the hair around the headband when it's wet, sleep on it, then it comes out all curly-like in the morning. Give those curls a few spritzes of hairspray and they should last all day.

From the back!

Hi we're Lady Bits!

The world would be a lot less fun if you didn't have friends to share your succeses and failures with. As a group, we have sent our fair share of group texts and emails exclaiming in delight over the newest hair tutorial we found that actually worked or sharing disastrous photos of a recipe gone bad. The reality is the internet is a big scary world with so many video tutorials, recipes and Pinterest boards -  how can you ever know what works and what doesn't? That's where Lady Bits comes in. Together we'll share different bits - the newest things we've tried or things that interest us - as well as pull in ideas, recipes and tutorials that we want to try. We're excited to get started!

Hi! I'm Rachael. I am a money-saving, fashion-loving, sunshine-pursuing, home cook who works for the oldest satirical theatre company in the country! Right now I'm giving acting a shot but I may change direction and pursue a degree in Marriage and Family counseling.  After a succesful career as one of the country's best thearapists I'll retire in LA and become the oldest person to win a Golden Globe, Oscar, and Emmy in the same year! A girl can dream.  I'm excited to share recipes, crafty projects, money saving tips, fashion and hair inspiration as well as interesting information on relationships! What makes them work? What makes them fall apart? Ahhh so many questions! I will probably also put up a few cute pictures of animals, we'll see.

Hi I'm Anna P! I love all things uterus related: birth control, pregnancy, birth, vaginas... you name it! Right now I'm getting a Masters in Public Health but before that worked at a reproductive and sexual health clinic. When I'm not dorking out about family planning or health policy, I love to cook, sing, travel, go on lady friend dates, bike, go to yoga and eat delicious food. I'm super excited to share thoughts, tricks, projects and recipes, while enjoying the virtual company of some of my favorite ladies. 

Hi I'm Anna W! I do websites and social media for a living but when the sun goes down I like to jump around on stage doing improv funnies, sketch comedy, or music with my bluegrass lady band. I really like books, public radio, nice ladies, funny boys, my bike, and heavy snacking. I am likely to blog about those things, but also hair, tampons, sunburns, embarrassing stories, and epic crafting fails. I'm so excited to blog with my gal pals!

Hi! I’m Steph! I am finishing up a stint working at a university, and I’ll be starting a graduate program in museology in the fall (hooray!). Most of the time I am playing with/cuddling/taking Instagram photos of my dog, but otherwise I read blogs, books, and free Kindle romance novels; craft like no one’s watching (or judging when I abandon said craft halfway through); and cook whatever I can think of next/saw on the Food Network last. I’ve got oodles of recipes, beauty tips, and crafty ideas up my sleeve, and I can’t wait to share every little (lady) bit!