5 for Friday: Sexiest Men Edition

I'm assuming everyone has now seen that Adam Levine was crowned Sexiest Man Alive. And there is some drama surrounding this. Some women (and gays) think that Justin Timberlake deserved it more. I don't agree with either of these choices, so I figured I would create my own list of sexy men.

James Franco 

My ultimate Hollywood crush, without a doubt, is James Franco. I fell in love with him after Tristan and Isolde (if you haven't seen this movie you are missing out) and my love for him has only grown. He is handsome, talented, versatile in his roles, and intelligent. He is a film professor for Grad studies at UCLA, and is working on obtaining his Ph.D. I just adore him.

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Yes. Yes to alllllll of this. As a kid I had a crush on him when he was in Third Rock from the Sun. And I love him even more today. He has a great voice and loves to sing. He is just so damn cute, witty, and quirky. If you still need a reason to love Joseph Gordon Levitt, here are 42 reasons. 

Gilles Marini

Yum, yum, yummmm! He is such an attractive man, talented man. And he has an accent. Besides being sexy, he is French-American, served in the French Army before coming the America. He is just building his acting career, but I have enjoyed almost every single one of his roles, including his time on Dancing with the Stars.

Gabriel Macht 

Clearly I tend to be attracted to men with dark features, especially brunettes. But I don't discriminate, and I also love me some blondies. Gabriel Macht was in Because I Said So, he was such a hunk in that movie. Now he can be seen in the show Suits, and he is even more irresistible. 

And of course no list would be completed without: 

Ryan Gosling 

I have been a Ryan Gosling fan since day one. Before all of this "Hey Girl" stuff started, I still remember swooning over his character in Remember the Titans. And I still think that his best role was in The Notebook. His career only continues to grow, and gets hotter with every passing day. 

So now that I am all hot and bothered, it's your turn.... who makes your list of sexiest man alive? Do you agree with the Adam Levine choice? 

Link-Up! 

Butternut Squash for Lunch

I always envy those people who can just throw a bunch of ingredients together and have it turn into a gorgeous, delicious meal. My cooking style is very much about slopping shit together, which is exactly what it turns out to be, slop! It normally tastes good, but it doesn't always look very appetizing. 

Today I happened to throw some shit together and actually have it look appealing. It was easy, didn't take a lot of time, and was healthy. That is what we call a win! 

Ingredients:

prepackaged, cubed butternut squash

cherry tomatoes 

frozen spinach 

1 egg 

fresh parmesan cheese or whatever kind you like

salt and pepper 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Open the bag of cubed butternut squash and throw them onto a baking sheet. Spray the squash with non-fat cooking oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Put in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until they are starting to turn brown. I didn't have to flip or shake the pan, but you sure could to avoid the squash from sticking. 

2. Use cooking spray to coat a pan, and place over medium heat. Cut the tomatoes into thirds, and place the pieces into the pan. Throw in a few handfuls of frozen spinach and saute this mixture until the spinach is fully cooked. I had a lot of water left over in the pan, so I drained it out. 

3. Make an egg however you like. I love an egg that has a runny yolk, so I make mine over easy. 

4. Once the squash is done, place some into a bowl. Top the squash with the tomato/spinach mixture. Grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top, and then delicately place the egg on top. 

5. Pierce the egg to release the yolk, take some pictures (because you are so damn proud of how pretty it looks), and then stuff your face (this is the most important part)!

Volia!

I posted this picture to my intsagram because I was pleased as punch with the final result!

Next time I would add onion and garlic to make it even more delicious! Red chili pepper flakes and sriracha would also add a great kick!

Health Lesson: Butternut squash is a great vegetable to incorporate into your diet whenever you are getting bored with the same old vegetables. It's a total power food. It's low in calories, high in fiber and vitamin C, and contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium. This makes it a great immune booster, as well as an antioxidant. And if you are like me and hate chopping up a large squash, opt for the prepackaged bags that you can find at Trader Joe's, and most grocery stores (next to the salad bags). 

Family Bonding

Last week I was able to spend 5 days at home. And it was wonderful. Which is not usually the reaction that I have while staying in my hometown. It's not exactly my favorite place to be, but this time it was different. I have finally embraced the notion that home is wherever my family is. I would really love to move out of the tundra that is Minnesota, but I know I would miss my family. A lot.

I sort of have my own little modern family. My mom and dad were never married, and both got married to other people after I was born. My parents get along very well, which I appreciate. I never had to deal with a messy divorce, or choosing my favorite parent. My dad got married and had two additional children, which gave me a little sister and brother. My mom got married and never had any other children, but my step dad already had older children. Truly I have the best of both worlds, I am an only child, and have siblings. I have a set of living grandparents, and I am their only grandchild. I honestly couldn't ask for a better situation.

My dad and step mom divorced about 9 years ago, but remain close. My step mom had another daughter with someone else. I refer to her as my little sister's little sister (confused yet?), but I most definitely consider both my ex-step mom and my sister's sister a part of my family. Divorce means nothing to me or my family. It's not an end, it's just an adjustment.

While I was home I was able to reflect on how truly blessed that I am. I know this probably sounds corny, but I so rarely take the time to stop and count my blessings. After my trip I was left with chills at the thought of how outrageously in love I am with my family. I am proud of every single one of them. And I feel a connection to every single one of them. There is such power in having people in your life who will love you no matter what. And feeling the same love toward them.

Now is the time of year to be thankful. To count blessings. And to reflect on what we have, and not on what we need. I hope this post can serve as a reminder to really appreciate the people that you have in your life. Whether they are blood relatives, or the people you have chosen to be your family. Chose today to be the day that you send a message and remind them that you are thinking of them. A little sentiment can really go a long way!

Five Randoms

Five on Friday! Check out the link up! Today I am going to share five random things that you maybe don't know about me. 

[one]
I live for the perfect cup of coffee, but I am unable to make the perfect cup of coffee at home. I always end up making the coffee too strong, or not adding enough milk, or making it too sweet. But when I actually accomplish making the perfect cup of coffee there is really nothing better in this world.

[two]
Speaking of coffee, my favorite place to get coffee is from Dunkin Donuts (or Starbucks) but Minnesota doesn't have Dunks. Same goes for Jack in the Box, it's my favorite fast food, but we don't have this either. Stupid Midwest.

[three]
I always have a ton of tabs open, and I hate when I accidentally ex out a page, which happens a lot. I don't get mad easily, however this brings me some serious rage.

[four]
I don't like Christmas (I know, everyone loves Christmas, but I don't), but oddly enough I love Christmas music. It's weird, I can't explain it. Although I don't want to listen to it until December, please don't rush that shit.

[five]
I HAVE to sleep with sheets, top and fitted. Some people can sleep with just a comforter, but I NEED a top sheet or everything feels weird.

So tell me, where do you love getting coffee? Do you need to sleep with sheets? Or am I the only one?

Differences!

I may not have lost the amount of weight that I wanted to lose in the last year. But instead of feeling down on myself, or pretending that I tried my hardest, I want to keep focusing on the positive side of things. I want to focus on the differences from being fat, to being... less fat.

• I used to have a large open gap in my bath towel when I wrapped it around me, only a beach towel was big enough. Now I can easily wrap most bath towels around my body.
• When I used to sit on the bus, I was always uncomfortable sitting next to strangers because I felt too wide. And if a stranger wouldn't sit next to me I always assumed it was because I was taking up too much of the seat. Now when strangers don't sit next to me I know it's because I have a naturally resting bitch face. 
• I used to get winded when I would make my bed, when I was bigger making my bed was probably the most physical activity that I was getting. 
• I no longer get chub rub. And my shorts don't ride up when I walk. If I ever had to walk a long distance in the summer, I would always have to worry about chub rub, and most of the time I would plan to wear leggings, but now I don't even give wearing shorts a second thought. 
• I no longer take second helpings out of habit, I wait 20 minutes to decide if I am still hungry.
• Before when I would go shopping I would automatically look for the largest size clothes and see if there was something I liked. Now I look for clothes I LIKE first, then I look to see if it's in my size.
• When I was bigger I would hate wearing sweatshirts in public because I felt huge, and thought that I looked bigger than I actually was. Now I love wearing sweatshirts, especially fitted sweatshirts. 
• My fingers have gone down an entire ring size!
• My feet have slimmed down. I used to be a solid size 11 (that's some big feet), now I am able to fit into some size 10s.
• Even my neck has lost fat!
• When I sit down my stomach isn't resting on top of my thighs anymore. I still have a belly on me, but it's shrinking! 
• When I started yoga, I was unable to do child's pose, lunges, or eagle pose because my rolls would get in the way of having proper form. 
• I don't need as many layers to cover up my chub. Before I would layer like 3 different tank tops, a shirt, plus a sweater, but this is not the case anymore. Once I even wore a t-shirt without any tank underneath, it felt so weird.
• I feel more confident in myself. I like the way I look a lot better, but on top of that I feel more confident when I am working out. I am not afraid to try new work outs. My communication skills have even gotten better. Everything just feels better! 

Halloween 2010

Halloween 2013