Katie Snyder

April 25, 2016

My Meals Monday | Date Day

As you guys know last weeks My Meals Monday Date Night was a total fail, as we decided not to go out, so here is the promised Date My Meals Monday!

Breakfast:

I started off with my usual breakfast, oatmeal with raisins, and banana, and then a coffee and water.

Lunch:

Our movie started at 3pm so we went to lunch first since we were both hungry and din't want to wait for dinner, so we went to Bubba Gump Shrimp, and started off with a cocktail, which I didn't get a picture of but did include in the video, and hush puppies, hush puppies are so amazing it's basically fish and shrimp and corn all mixed together breaded and deep-fried, who wouldn't love that? Also how cute is the presentation, I love how they use the newspaper print for there baskets.

My entree was the cajun mahi mahi and shrimp, it was served over mashed potatoes and with a bourbon sauce, it was simply delicious and I ate every last bite!

Snack:

We then headed off to the movies, we saw Criminal, which was a little disappointing to me, but I got Popcorn, Edamame, and a Coke Zero, I'm not sure if Edamame at the movie theater is a Hawaii thing, or if they do it everywhere, but it is such a yummy snack and so much healthier than popcorn, so if yours doesn't serve it, take your own!

Dinner:

Because we were so full from lunch and the movies we didn't even think about eating until almost 8:30pm so I just made a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel with some chicken wings.

Dessert:

Being that it was date night we had to have dessert, so I got this chocolate mousse cake, it was so good and creamy, and the strawberry mixed with the chocolate was so good!

I then ended the evening with my usual Peppermint and Licorice tea from TeaPigs, it is my fav tea ever and would really recommend it!

Thats everything I ate today, what did you eat?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

ExfoliKate Review

As you guys know last Christmas I went a bit mad and bought every beauty related advent calendar I could get my hands on, including the QVC which had so many amazing products, and I would highly recommend for next Christmas.

But this little gem also contained a Kate Sommerville ExfoliKATE Intensive Treatment...Aka Hollywoods 2 minute facial. I was so excited to try what I thought was a sample but actually turned out to be one of the three sizes offered for this facial scrub, why 3 sizes, well thats because of the cost. My tiny little 0.5 oz bottle is $24 the 2 oz bottle is $85 and the 5 oz bottle is $175!

Now the product itself smells quite natural like rosemary, thyme, and mint, it's very grainy, which would be the exfoliating part, and it contains lactic acid, which is going to give you that "glow" which says "Hi I may have used an overpriced exfoliant but damn my skin looks good"!

I have to say once I saw the price I really wanted to hate this, but I loved it, I loved how my skin tingles (and yes it tingles like a mother...), I loved waiting for 2 minutes to go by in the hopes of a whole new youth face, and I loved that the moment I washed it off I could see my skin looked clearer, plumper, and yes more youthful.

However having said all of that I won't be repurchasing this due to the high price, yes you only use it 2x a week, but I honestly feel like it's not only overpriced it's VERY OVERPRICED! If they sold the 5 oz for around $110 I would say buy it, but due to the $175 price tag, I would instead recommend a good exfoliant at around $30 (every brand has one) and add in the Sunday Riley Good Genes for $105 and your still under the Kate Sommerville, as well as the other two can be used daily!

Have you tried anything from the Kate Sommerville brand?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

Ball Sit Up's

Nobody likes to do sit ups, but we all know if we wish to have a flat stomach like the celebrities we must suffer through them. I have found the ball sit up can be easier for keeping proper form, it works from the top of your stomach all the way down to your pelvic bone, and they are slightly more fun than traditional floor sit ups.

Step 1:

Lay flat on your back legs stretched straight out and arms stretched over head with a stability ball in hand, inhale...

And exhale lifting your legs up towards your waist, shoulder blades off your mat and place the ball from your hands in-between your feet, try to keep your chin off your chest, imagine and orange tucked under your chin and you can't move your chin down...

Once the ball is placed securely in your feet lower your feet to the floor and shoulders and head back on your mat...

Repeat pass the ball from feet to hands then hands to feet and so on and on.

When doing this always remember to exhale as you come up and inhale as you go down to get a nice flat tummy.

I used to do about 60 of these in a set, but as you can see from the side views of these pictures I'm not in the shape I used to be and can now do about 10 before needing a break.

Also a good way to amp this up is get a smaller ball, the smaller the ball the higher you lift to pass back and forth, the bigger the ball the easier it is as you don't have to lift as high.

Let me know if you try these, beware you will feel this in every inch of your tummy!

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

My Everyday Hair Routine

Living in Hawaii means I have access to some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet, countless outdoor activities, and of course HUMIDITY!

Of course it's only fair that when you live in the most beautiful place on earth there has to be some sort of downside, for me thats crazy frizzy hair, that not much can be done for, so I thought I would share my normal everyday hair routine for any of you dealing with or going to deal with humidity.

GHD Rose Gold Flat Iron

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protectant

Tresemme Beauty Full Volume Mousse

Bed Head Blowout

It's a 10 Miracle Styling Serum

Tangle Teezer

I straighten my hair leaving 1-2 inches from the root, as this will help provide more volume, Once I get to the crown of my head I flip the straightener under (see video below) at the root, because this too will add more volume.

I then add mousse, you can do this if your hair is wet first, but I usually dry my hair at night and then style in the morning, as it cuts down on my ''Get Ready'' time.

Then use 1 pump Blowout and 2 pumps styling serum and run from the middle of your hair to the ends, once almost all the product is off your hands you can add a little to the top of your head if you suffer from dry hair.

Then add an additional 2 pumps of the styling serum to the very ends of your hair, and then flip to once side, and your good to go!

This is my go to, as I can't curl my hair in this humidity it will last less than 4 hours, and I'm trying not to wear my hair up as often, because I have dry hair so it can break easier.

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

My Meals Monday | Failed Date

Today was supposed to be our weekly date night, sadly life got in the way and by the end of the day, we were both so tired we decided to put it off for tomorrow.

So next weeks My Meals Monday will be a date night post for sure!

I started my morning off with my usual oatmeal, although I was far to lazy to actually chop up the banana and make it look pretty, I instead threw it into the middle of the bowl whole and called it good.

For lunch I had what I call the best chicken soup ever, it's the Chunky Chicken Noodle from Safeway, it's so good I could eat this forever, I added a pack of whole grain ritz crackers and feasted like a queen lol.

As you can see I'm still on my Cara Cara Orange trip, they are just so good I actually cannot stop myself from buying them, so I enjoyed this as my afternoon snack.

Due to the very abrupt cancellation of our date we were at a loss as to what to do for dinner, so we ordered takeout of course, I had steamed veg, green bean chicken, teriyaki chicken, mushroom chicken, and kung pao chicken, with and apple juice to ease the heat from the kung pao.

I finished up the night with my favorite tea of all time, the TeaPigs peppermint and licorice and enjoyed a mini KitKat and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, which was so naughty but so good.

Thats is everything I ate today, I would love to know what you and your partner do for date night.

Also here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog.

Hot Yoga OOTD

As you guys know, I have been really focusing on my fitness lately, from doing the gym 7 days a week and Pilates 3 days a week, and now I am incorporating Hot Yoga!!! The reason I have decided to start doing hot yoga again is back when I was doing it 3 times a week (about 2-3 years ago), I was not only very fit, and strong, but I also had a clarity of mind that I truly miss. I miss laying in a 104 degree room with 30 other people and listening to the calming direction of the instructor, and walking out of there feeling completely distressed as well as accomplished!

So on to today's OOTD, I am wearing a White lightweight fleece hoodie from Victoria's Secret Pink, a pink racer back tee from Victoria's Secret Pink, black "Pink" stamped leggings from Victoria's Secret Pink as well. I am also wearing a purple sport bra from Ross, and my Apple Watch for tracking the calories burned during this session, which I was actually really proud of myself because I burned over 680 calories in this first session back.

Have you ever tried hot yoga, did you enjoy it?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

My Meals Monday | Eating "Healthy"

Lately I have been on quite the health kick, not only am I working out 7 days a week, going to yoga, and starting to incorporate more swimming and activities, but I'm also trying to eat healthier without starving myself. So here is what I ate...

Breakfast:

I had Oatmeal with raisins and almond milk. A black Nespresso coffee, and a 500ml bottle of water.

After Workout Snack:

After working out a lot of people drink protein shakes, but I was very lucky many years ago to have an amazing trainer/friend who sadly passed away, but she advised me that it's not always they best to drink those, as they can also bulk you up. So I am getting protein via a boiled egg and a string cheese. I also had another 500ml bottle of water (3 so far for the day).

Lunch:

For lunch I wanted to try (or copy lol) a salad that I had seen on Anna Saccone's snapchat, so I grilled egg plant and zucchini, and then added them over lettuce, olives, avocado, and topped the whole thing with a little bit of Wishbone Creamy Caesar Dressing. This was really delicious, however I would recommend peeling the egg plant, the skin was so tough I just cut it off.

After Lunch Dessert:

Right after lunch I was REALLY craving chocolate so I pulled out the most amazing treat ever, I had four Cadbury chocolate eggs, these are very tiny, but it was just enough to satisfy that craving!

Afternoon Snack:

For my afternoon snack I had 3 Dried Fancy Apricots, and 2 Ones Prunes. This is such a nice snack, not only is it sweet and keeps me from indulging it something I shouldn't, but they also have lots of fiber!

Dinner:

For dinner I made breakfast lol, because I usually have oatmeal I don't get pancakes and eggs, so I went on pintrest and saw two ideas I had to try, a six minute egg on toast with avocado, as well as dipping buttered toast in eggs. Both were really good but the one with the avocado is slightly healthier.

Dessert:

For dessert I was craving something salty (Can it still be called dessert?), so I had a bit of the Boom Chica Pop popcorn, its so good, without being so bad.

That is everything I ate today, I will continue this new theme of eating a bit healthier as well as spreading my meals throughout the day, in the hopes that it aides in my weightless journey.

What did you eat today?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

Victoria's Secret Pink & Nike Fitness Haul

Earlier this year I invested in a few higher end items for my fitness wardrobe from Victoria Secret Pink, well I loved those items so much, I decided to go big or go home and invest quite a bit more and almost completely overhaul my fitness wardrobe...so here is everything I got.

Victoria's Secret Pink Ultimate Yoga Leggings in Black and Magenta Color Block

Victoria's Secret Pink Ultimate Yoga Capri in Black and Pink Stamp

Victoria's Secret Pink Racerback tanks in Pink, White, Lilac, and Mint.

Victoria's Secret Pink Lightweight Fleece Hoodie in White

Nike 5.o Flyknit Trainers

That is everything I got, I have worn all of it since, and LOVE it. Not only do the pants allow me to move without showing every single lump and bump, but the shirts are so light and easy to move in as well.

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

Sephora & Feel Unique Skincare Haul

Due to my dwindling stock of my favorite Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, I went online to repurchase, which then lead me down the rabbit hole of skincare products. So here are the items I ended up with:

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+

Power Couple Kit By Sunday Riley (Kit Contains: Luna Night Oil and Good Genes Serum)

This is everything I ended up with, I can't wait to try the Sunday Riley Kit and do a full review for you guys soon!

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

Revlon Brush Dryer First Impression

Whilst browsing the Utla Website I stumbled across the Revlon ProCollection One Step Hair Dryer and Styler. As someone who uses a blowdryer 3 times a week, I immediately bought it.

It is essentially a paddle brush with a blowdryer attached at the bottom, which makes it a tiny bit heavy, but nothing you can't get used to. One thing I can get used to is the free hand, normally I have my paddle brush in one hand and blowdryer in the other, well with this I was able to have a free hand to help flip my hair in each direction.

This blowdryer has a Cool, Low, and High setting, the Cool runs about as loud as the High, which is different then my normal hairdryer but nothing to complain about.

I didn't use any product in my hair as the box claimed to make your hair sleeker, so I wanted to test that. After exactly 4 minutes and 20 seconds, my hair was dry! I couldn't believe it, due to the fact that I have fine/thick hair (meaning its fine in texture, but there is a lot of it), and it normally takes a good 10-15 minutes to dry it, but because I wasn't wasting time picking up a brush and then putting it down to free my hand up it went so much faster.

Also my hair did come out much sleeker than with my normal dryer! All in all my first impression is, I Love It! I can't believe I didn't buy one sooner. After a good month or so of use I will do a full proper review for you guys.

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

My Meals Monday | What I Ate On Easter

I know Easter was a week ago, but I do try and film everything a week in advance, or else I get so behind...So for today's My Meals Monday I am showing you what I ate on Easter.

I started off with an iced coffee, this is the Nespresso Vivalto Lungo with Natural Bliss coffee creamer.

For breakfast I had my usual oatmeal with blueberries and almond milk. I know to some eating the same thing every day is boring, and a lot of people don't like oatmeal at all, but I grew up eating this almost every single day, as well as I was reading an article where they asked 10 of the top nutritionists to create the perfect eating plan, the only thing all ten could agree on is that oatmeal is the perfect way to start the day.

Lunch was a bit of a disaster, I wanted to go get fish and chips but most places were closed on easter, so I made what I thought were sweet potato fries, instead it was a yam lol. Then for the fish all I had was a Mahi Mahi patty so I put that in a pita pocket with special sauce and called it good. The sandwich was ok, the fries where not great!

Then it was time for dinner!! I had ham with roasted carrots, fennel, and parsnips with brown gravy over the top. It was so amazing, I wish I could eat this everyday!

For dessert I had carrot cake, which was so good, but the frosting was very sweet so I scraped that off and just ate the cake bit. I would also like to point out I shared with cake, I didn't eat this entire slice lol. I also had this with a peppermint tea.

What did you do on Easter?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

Summer Basics OOTD

Summer has finally arrived!!! Well at least for me, I know most of the world has just entered spring, but here in Hawaii, we are in full on summer mode. In fact I got a pretty major sunburn the day I shot this, as I got stuck in traffic with the convertible top down.

I am a huge fan of Old Navy, not only it is affordable but it's also stylish as well. I recently did a little online shopping, because they were having a 40% off sale, who wouldn't jump on that? I purchased these distressed boyfriend shorts in a slightly washed denim, because I had a darker pair last year that I loved, and when I say loved I mean, they literally have a hole in them, thats how much I wore them lol.

I also picked up a ton of their essential fitted tanks, they are only $6 and they have about 10 colors to choose from, they are really light and airy, as well as they can be worn as the main shirt or an undershirt and still be comfortable!

I paired this outfit with my Converse Chuck Taylors as I had a lot of errands to complete, including a ridiculous amount of time (almost 2 hours!) spent in Home Depot picking out new garden plants, so I wanted something comfy, but didn't want to go so casual that I just wore flip flops.

I also threw on my fedora, I can't tell you where this is from, because I bought it just before my first trip to Panama around 2009.

I am so excited summer is here, I have an entire list of things I want to do this summer, one of them is to do the Dolphin experience at Sea Life Park, and to go snorkeling with Sea Turtles.

What are you planning for summer?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

Bath & Body Works Haul + April Giveaway

As some of you may recall I did a massive Bath and Body Works Haul just before Christmas, well I'm finally on my last body lotion and had to do another shop, and considering their new summer range is out, I thought I would do a haul.