Under the Sea....

Who knew Long Island housed an aquarium? I for one, only found out within the passed year and am thrilled I finally got to visit..

Early this month my mama drove on up from Ohio for the weekend! Needless to say....it was a ::doozie::

Though I am absolutely delayed in posting- I figured I would share my recommendation with everyone else and give you all a glimpse of what I encountered on my visit!

That being said- here is a small collage of our visit to ATLANTIS - the Long Island, [ RIVERHEAD, NY] Aquarium!

You can dive with the sharks (too scary for me), pet sting rays and sand sharks, play with sea lions and hold starfish....All of the above- I was too squeamish to do on my own! I held a starfish but only after the staff member placed it in my hand! Yet the 5 year olds down the line from me were ready to dive -right- in... If only I was still that brave! hahaha!

I fully intend to contact this organization about volunteering! They have an entire segment of their building dedicated to the rehabilitation of these rescued animals and can use all of the help and donations people can provide.

They have training programs, butterfly exhibits, shark and sting ray pods where baby sharks and stingrays grow in their little birth pouches and even birds!

If you're interested in planning a little adventure- I highly recommend it! Check out their website here: Atlantis! 

When is Shark Week?

Learn more about Atlantis Rescue Center

Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation


The weekend of my adventure also brought a trip to the very tip of the northern shore of long island. I literally took an iPhone screen shot to document how far we had driven! Plus, we found close to 100 winery/farms on Sound Avenue! Summer & grape season cannot come soon enough!

Love Wine?? Live on/ Near/ Planning Visit to Long Island???
Check out LI Wine Country.....Here!

Dreaming of strawberry wine....

Tmd

B.a.N.A.n.A's... Pancake Style!

Once again I find myself posting a banana themed recipe. I honestly believe I am obsessed with this fruit and have come to accept it!

This weekend, while cleaning my apartment and watching endless Food Network shows- Diners, Drive-ins and Dives to be specific- I got a bit hungry.
Into my kitchen I went and decided that since I never opt to get the banana themed pancakes at any of the IHOP, Pancake Houses or diners- I would try it out on my own and be a bit more specific with my recipe.

Using a complete pancake mix [just add water type] some cinnamon, a whole banana and a splash of Aunt Jemima Butter LIGHT syrup, I discovered my new breakfast FAVORITE!

Start with getting all of your ingredients together....What you will need:
1 Large Banana
1/3 cup of Complete Pancake/ Waffle Mix
1 Small- Medium Mixing Bowl
1 Tsp Cinnamon (ground - NOT sticks )
1/4 cup of water (I use luke warm temp.)
Smart Balance (or any type) Cooking Spray
1 Tsp of Aunt Jemima Butter Light Syrup (100 Cals per 1/4 cup)
and your best cooking pan=]

- Combine 1/3 cup of Complete Pancake mix into your mixing bowl with 1 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Add 1/4 of water to your dry ingredients and mix until lumps are nearly gone. The additional moisture from the bananas will alleviate the need for any extra liquid.
- Cut your banana into 1/2 inch pieces and add to your pancake mixture:

- Once your bananas are mixed into your pancake mix, the mixture will appear relatively thick- this is fine:)
- Heat up your pan on low- low/medium heat.
- Spray pan with cooking spray and dollup three - four pancakes into the pan. For the 1/3 cup of dry mix and water combo, you should be able to make three 4 inch pancakes.
- Cook until golden brown on each side.

- Once golden, remove and place on plates.

Now I LOVE syrup and being on weight watchers, I found this Butter Lite syrup by the Aunt Jemima brand that I whole heartedly love. Not only is it only 100 calories for 1/4 cup (which for me is WAY too much syrup for two pancakes), but it doesn't lack in that gooey - sweet- syrupy flavor!

Because the bananas are so warm and creamy in my - now cooked- pancakes, I chose to only use a teaspoon of the Butter Lite syrup. You can use the 1/4 cup or anywhere up to that measurement and stay under your 100 calorie mark!

My boyfriend loved them and he is one of the pickiest eaters I know.... So long as the person doesn't have anything against banana's and LOVES pancakes.....You should 100% try this recipe at home. Next time I think I will make my own Strawberry compote..... That would be amazing in place of the syrup =]

Good luck folks! Enjoy them as much as I did/do!!=]
#foodiesunite
TMD

..Earth.Day-The Tiffany Way.

So today is EARTH DaY*......

What is everyone else doing to help our planet today?? Turning everything off for atleast a full hour I hope??

Wearing recycled materials, recycling when you normally wouldn't, saving energy by not blow-drying and flat ironing your hair???


I shut down all of the power in my apartment so that nothing is plugged in and running on electricity, left my hair curly and used a little less gasoline..NO POLLUTION for me!... Then again, I guess every-day at my house is earth day, because this is a daily routine!I drive my Orange Prius C everyday (not for the sole purpose of saving the environment, but definitely 100% for the purpose of saving what little I have in my wallet!) I love my 50-60MPG car.. Saves my life sometimes...ha!


Okay, so anyways- in addition to commenting on how every-day should be environmentally friendly, I opted to get a little earthy with my nail polish. ::That's the spirit!::

I brought out my slate gray and lime green polish duo and here are the results::

Two Coats of my OPI 'French Quarter for Your Thoughts' [Gray] and a simple touch of my Sinful Colors 'Me First'[Lime Green], made for my perfect, cutem, earthy mani!

My favorite OWL Ring*Absolutely love!

I never thought I would love a gray nail polish, but OPI won me over with this one. I think if the gray were matte finish, I wouldn't love it as much... I would feel like I had gray[white]-out on my nails...

In addition, I found this cool article with 5 Fun Facts about EARTH DAY...Check it out @ FoxNews!  Here is one fact I found interesting.....

"There are actually two Earth Days — the April 22 holiday and the one celebrated on March 20, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal equinox in southern latitudes. To this day, at the exact moment of the equinox, when the sun crosses the plane of the equator and day and night are equal length, the Japanese Peace Bell is rung at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, followed by two minutes of silent prayer or meditation. The Equinox was chosen as a symbol of harmony in nature and an appropriate time to dedicate efforts to peace and care of the Earth."

Now if only we could have a world filled with harmony, we would be golden! "To Achieve a Great Goal....One must begin with a small achievement"....


TmD*

...This is Tii.[Tuesday]

I had planned to go to my Cardio Kickboxing class tonight at 7pm, but I didn't have the opportunity =[ Sometimes life's errands must take Pri-Or-Ity... 

Anywho....I didn't feel too awful because I did very well with my MyFitnessPal calorie counting today! I ate a bit under my calorie intake and had a TON of veggies + grilled chicken with Herb de Provence seasoning ( by McCormick- highly recommend!).... I think I've read somewhere that you need to actually consume closer to the recommended calories of your specific program to increase the probability of reaching your ::my:: weight loss goals... Sounds scientifically proven, so I'll buy it....

Currently- I am weighing in at ____lbs. ::Not going to share this number until I am closer to my desired weight! Haha! I am sure there are plenty of ladies and gents out that who feel the same way I do! 

On a positive note- I am happy to say I am starting in at 30 lbs lighter than I was a year and three months ago... 

So..As I missed my regular Tuesday C.K class I decided to turn to PINTEREST! What else?!

I opted for these fun workouts on my bedroom floor while watching last night's Being Human and Lost Girl episodes ::only on SyFy:: Bless the person who invented DVR and TiVo...[Does anyone actually have TiVo anymore, though?]

feettogetherthighsapart.tumblr.com

Gotta say- this is probably one of my very favorite- QUICK- workouts. Sometimes you only have a spare 15-20 minutes and want to squeeze in a quick workout. Maybe release a little stress after a long day at work, before you have to haul a** to your 2nd or hey-what the heck- 3rd job? This is definitely a good one!

Plus, these workout points and structures are largely what you see in a cardio kickboxing.. Jumping "Jack", "Squat and SQUEEZE", as my instructor says! Squat & Stick that butt out- Up and SQUEEZZEEEEE! It really works those glutes!

I found this doozey on there too. It's a good one, and like any workout is open to modification! I will be modifying all my Pinterest favorites later this week and sharing those in next weeks blog!  

As mentioned, these workouts are purely up to you! I use this second workout as a guideline. Because I have repeated issues of Patella Femoral Syndrome in my right and left knee's, I am not too keen on excessive squatting.Neither are my kneecaps=] And apparently this is an increasingly wide spread syndrome, sometimes referred to or recognized in the same category as runners knee, etc. So for those of you with similar circumstances, try my method:

30 butt kickers, 10 squats :regular- down and squeeze those cheeks when pulling up:, NO Plie Squats, 20 Donkey Kicks, 15 Fire Hydrants on both sides (30 total), 10 squats: regular- down and squeeze up:, 5 Jump squats, skip the bridges,20 lunges, 15 Fire Hydrants on both sides (30 total), 5 squats :regular- down and squeeze up:, NO Plie Squats and finish with a 1 minute plank & full body stretch!   I strictly avoid the Plie squats ::for the sake of my knee's and medical costs.LOL::If your knees start to both you, skip out on the squats and up your fire hydrants or Donkey Kicks by 10-15 reps. 

For anyone who has not done a legitimate 'FireHydrant' before- this is GREAT for love handle reduction and I PROMISE you- you will feel the burn! Every, and I mean EVERY, woman in my C.K. class dreads this portion of our workout.Plus, it comes towards the end so you know there is something to look forward to. haha!

Despite it being a bit hard after your first set of 15, it is a great stretch and awesome workout..I am hoping that over the course of this next month & routinely sticking to these types of workouts, I will see atleast a 1-2 inch reduction on my hips and the same for my waist. To quote R.Kelly "If I just believe it- theres nothing to it..."

So if you can put aside the image of a doggie lifting it's leg to piddle on a hydrant- you are golden!! and if you can't--- laugh through your three reps of 15! 

You can see my favorite Pinterest workouts on my

HOME WORKOUT PINTEREST BOARD! 

*Tii.Marie

MUSIC Monday ft. BROTHERS

So I may be a bit biased, but I wanted to start my new blog series with a focus on the band BROTHERS.

Check out their FACEBOOK Page

“Brothers” is a three- piece Cleveland garage rock band that is heavily influenced by the garage rock/blues sounds of bands like The Black Keys and The White Stripes while infusing the pop sensibilities of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty.

Joe (guitar) and Shawn (bass), are actual brothers but aren't actual brothers (just blew your mind), who became friends with Steve (drums and vocals) in the early 2000’s. “Brothers” formed as a two- piece cover band in 2011;, later that year, when the band started writing original material and its sound was evolving, Shawn joined the band after opening a gig for “Brothers”.

"Brothers" performs all over North east Ohio. Its members have written, recorded and produced an eleven- track album that is for sale through Reverb Nation’s Artist Store. -http://www.reverbnation.com/store/index/artist_1838684

Tonight, Monday 3/25/2013, Brothers was featured on WHAY 98.3FM Josh's Underground Music Show! 

Find them on YOUTUBE! 

Here is a link to my Soundcloud where I happily recorded part of their interview! 

Take a moment to listen to this portion of their interview! Here are a few of the hi-lites for me:

Josh@WHAY: "That's awesome man! There is no better feeling then when people reach out to you, like "hey man, we really wanna play with you.... yah, no- I would love to get on a bill with you guys some day....come down and play in Nashville or we'll come up there and play in Cleveland..."

JoeBrothers: "I've got a couch..::laughter::"


SteveBrothers: "We have a couple shows lined up...Were actually playing at the 
Hard Rock... Do some recording..."

Josh@WHAY: "You keep writing good tunes..i'll play em... You keep writing 'em...They deserve to be played!"



Additional[New] OFFICIAL REVIEW* 

Brothers received their first official review from a member of the media. "You guys are the shit! That's all." Erika Lauren from the Alan Cox Show (100.7 WMMS).

Getting props from WMMS on air- personalities is AWESOME! Biggest congratulations guys! I'm so PROUD :tear: Big things to come!

Keep an eye out and be sure to LIKE their Facebook and REVERBNATION pages! It's huge that we boost these numbers, so if you like what you hear/see - PLEASE share!

New Direction.

3-24-2013


Lately I have been spending a lot more time deciding what I want to do, where I want to go and have been setting some new goals for myself.

Goal 1. Continue fitness journey and get to my ideal healthy place! 
----- I will be focusing a lot on my own personal fitness methods over the next few months and sharing details of workouts and recipes that are helping me / and sharing some inspirational bloggers perspectives as well!

Goal 2. Hone in on developing my career. 
------ Any and all that know me know how truly important music is to me. Seeing so many of my friends and family making their mark and taking strides to reach their musical career goals is so motivating. They are and have been providing me with such great insight and ideas on how to start and really buckle down on putting my own materials together. Confidence is key! 

Goal 3. Stay true to my blogging! 
----- Several of my college friends and co-workers have focused blogs and I have been quite scattered.. These people are so inspiring and are encouraging me to do what I gotta do:-P
Not only will I be focusing on my own personal makeup and fashion trends, but I will be incorporating a new line up of topics each week going forward! First things first---- MUSIC MONDAY! ::keep an eye out for some details tomorrow morning: This weekly blog will be geared to introducing YOU people to bands, musical artists, groups, writers, composers, etc. who are DESERVING of such review & promotion!! Not to mention- throwing in my lovely, if not undesired, opinion! Hehehe!


Keep an eye out for "This is Tii." - coming to you Tuesdays/ Thursdays 2013! Follow me as I reach my fitness goals and we can share motivational, inspirational, emotional quotes & support! 

Xo- Tii

You say Po-tay-toe....

During lunch yesterday, some co-workers and I sat in the conference room and watched Giada cook her glorious food on The Cooking channel... I didn't realize she was ok Cooking and Food Network..One in the same I suppose... ::hmpp::
Not only did I take away great ideas from her show, Cheese and Veggie stuffed Chicken Breast Rollups, but got a great idea from a co-worker. She has been making Zucchini Cakes that I am desperate to try!

However.... I have a 5 lbs bag of potatoes at home ( on sale for $2.99- can't go wrong) that I need to cook up... I decided to make home-made potato cakes....From scratch....without a recipe... I'm brave...

So here is the scoop on my self-created Cheesy Potato Cake Recipe:

*Note: This recipe will make about 6 potato cakes (small medium in size)*

Step One:
GRATE two large white potatoes. I opted not to shred the potato because 1- my shredder wouldnt shred and 2- the grater actually gives a finer, creamier texture in the finished product.

Step Two:
Move grated potatoes to a mesh strainer (or a bundle of paper towels) to press out 90% of water from the potato.

Step Three:
Move your nearly dried potatoes to an empty, clean, mixing bowl. Salt, Pepper and Garlic.. I am not a heavy salt- eater, but add it to taste. I use literally a pinch (between pointer finger and thumb). About a pinch and a half of pepper so you're not over-spicing and I LOVE garlic, so I used close to half a teaspoon...

Step Four:
Add a 1/4 cup of shredded cheese & mix together. I used a cheddar/ colby jack mix because I like the sharpness paired with the creamy sweet of the potato.

Step Five:
Use cooking spray to coat your frying pan, warming it on low-medium heat. These potato cakes are really tender because of how fine the potatoes will be grated.

Step 6:
Plop your hand-shapen potato cakes into the pan and let them brown. They should cook on low-medium heat in about 10- 12 minutes and be golden on both sides (Flipping Twice after 3-4 mins on each side).

Finish off with a shake of parmesan cheese as your cakes cool to add a nice bite=]

*Additional Notes*

- If you are working with an older stove or electric, you may need to add or subtract a few minutes depending.Either way- make sure you flip after 3-4 minutes on each side to make sure that you are cooking equally on each side!

- If you don't have a stove (believe me I have been there)- opt to cook this in your toaster/ convection oven at 300- 325 degress  for ten minutes or until golden brown. Make sure you STILL use a non-stick spray so the bottoms dont burn =]  


Keep an eye out because tomorrow I will have a recipe for my Chicken Breast rollups stuffed with White Aged Cheddar and Broccoli Florets.. SO excited!!!!

Tmd

Pinterest Picks...

Being in a new apartment, I have had alot of time to browse one of my favorite websites for great ideas. Several of these ideas, I have begun ( but not finished) implementing into my new place.

I love photos and have a zillion and one photo frames. One of my favorite things to look at on Pinterest are ideas of how to hang frames, colored frame combinations and cute ways of accentuating the key items in your apartment/home.

Ideas 1: Photo Frame Collages!

My beginning interpretation[thus far]: 

Once I have the opportunity to have more photos printed and get my hands on an assortment of new black frames, I hope to complete my frame collage by continuing assorted sized frames up and around the center frame.

Another aspect missing from my apartment is plant life. Because I have cats/dogs, I find it very hard to keep plants(intact) in my apartment. It is also a little more difficult because with nosey cats- they tend to eat plants & I have to do extensive research on the plant to ensure they are not poisonous to cats... Therefore, right now- I have opted out of having any greenery in my new apartment.

I recently saw some silk flowers that were animal print & match the Zebra throw blanket I have in my bedroom.

 I did a little shopping trip and found an inexpensive version of the silk zebra print flowers for a vase I had filled with white lights & diamond shaped decorative gems...

I have also been working on finalizing a color scheme for my living room.

I have a nice futon couch from my first apartment that I purchased a new cover for. It is a blue/gray color. Fortunately it came with two matching end pillows. I lucked out when I selected this scheme too because I was able to make blue, gray & white floral silk curtains from some vintage floral fabric I had been holding on to for quite some time. 

I have to decide whether I should make my own pillow covers that will match my color scheme or if I should purchase any of the below ::SUPER CUTE:: pillow sets!

So many choices...... I will keep everyone updated as things come together =]

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