The thought of homemade ice cream cake seems beyond most people’s capabilities (including and especially my own). But this amazing S’more Ice Cream Cake recipe, made with Breyers, is so easy and worth every single calorie, you gotta give it a go for yourself.
The easy-to-follow recipe, via Yummly, is pretty quick and easy (although you do have to let a portion freeze for about an hour, so include that in your prep time).
Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted Country Crock® Spread and sugar in medium bowl; press into 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
Microwave chocolate chips, 2 cups marshmallows and milk in small microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 4 minutes or until completely melted, stirring once. Cool 10 minutes, then stir in remaining 2 cups marshmallows. Spread over crust; freeze 1 hour or until firm.
Sprinkle crumbled graham crackers over chocolate layer. With scissors, cut carton from Breyers® Chocolate Ice Cream. Arrange Ice Cream on its side, then cut crosswise into 4 slices. Arrange slices in baking dish, pressing to form an even layer. Cover and freeze 4 hours or overnight.
Frost with whipped topping just before serving. Sprinkle, if desired, with additional graham cracker crumbs.
Get ready to fall head over heels in love with the best cookies ever. Seriously. If I’m ever blessed enough to be an old lady with lots of grandkids, these will be the cookies I’ll be known for.
I got this recipe from Yummly, a new recipe app that is just amazing. Below is the Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker cookie recipe (taken from Yummly), which takes less than 30 minutes to make and doesn’t have any crazy weird ingredients:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter(room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsps vanilla
1 eggs
11/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Beat in the vanilla and egg until well combined.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Gradually add to the butter mixture until just combined.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Grease pan with cooking spray.
8. Bake for 7 minutes.
9. Cookies will look slightly underdone, but should set up nicely as they cool.
Eat as many of these as you want. But just set your alarm for the gym in the morning!
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Wings for Life World Run starts in Houston at 6 am Sunday with 34 cities worldwide participating. Photo by Marv Watson for Wings for Life World Run
H-Town super runner talks virtual race, shares tips on running in the heat
Avid runners in the Houston community have likely heard Calum “Cal” Neff’s name before. Neff has a number of running accolades credited to his name. To name just a few, he is the Guinness World Record Holder for Fastest Half Marathon pushing a stroller (which he dominated in Katy for a time of 1:11:27), he came in 23rd overall in the 2016 Houston Marathon, and he won the 2014 North American Wings for Life World Run.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Wings for Life World Run (WFLWR), it is a global run taking place at the exact same time in 34 locations this year across the world. The purpose is to raise funds for research in finding a cure for spinal cord injuries.
As Neff gears up with hopes of adding another title or personal record to his stat card, he is encouraging other runners, of all levels, to join him for the Wings for Life World Run Selfie Run this Sunday, May 8th. Houston’s official timeslot for this virtual groundbreaking Selfie Run is 6 am – plenty of time for Mother’s Day celebrations and brunch afterwards!
Runners can sign up for free, and run anywhere at their own pace. The Selfie Run, which uses the all-new Wings for Life World Run app, is perfect if you want to train for the big day, set your own course, race at exactly the same time as everyone else worldwide and share the experience with real time results, right down to a virtual Catcher Car. Like all things, running is enjoying new trends to keep it fresh and exciting; this is just the next in a long line of unique races.
“The World Run is my way to help raise awareness and funds for this special cause, and the unique race format keeps my racing interesting too. The ultra-marathon distance on fast roads plays really well into my area of specialty right now as a runner,” Neff shares of his love for the WFLWR.
The Houston heat is here to stay so we asked Neff to share a few tips to keep your running game strong for the Selfie Run and all summer long:
Embrace the heat! High humidity and heat training have a physiological response similar to altitude. At altitude, your body makes more red blood cells to adapt to less oxygen; in heat, your body creates more blood volume (therefore, more red blood cells). So when the cooler weather comes around you have the performance advantage of carrying more oxygen.
Run with others to stay motivated. You will find someone running at Memorial Park at any hour of the day, even when it’s hot.
Scale back your pace and distance. Don’t expect the same performance as in cooler temps and don’t be unmotivated by how you feel. Running in the heat can have the same symptoms of being out of shape but don’t confuse the two.
Gatoritas. Blue Gatorade powder, ice, and water-blend. Ice slushy mixes are proven to be absorbed faster than room-temp or iced water, keeping you cool and hydrated. Use an insulated bottle or flask like the ones you can find from Nathan.
Dawn Patrol. This is a term given to weekend warriors trying to squeeze in adventures before work. It’s still going to be hot at 5 am but at least the sun won’t be beating down on you. We could all use a few more sunrises in our life too.
Cryotherapy. My indoor escape from the heat is the Chilled Cryospa in Katy. This full recovery spa has all the tools to keep your body happy including the cryo tank where you stand for 3 minutes at -220 degrees!
Listen to your body. No different than any other time of year but especially important in the heat. Some days you just don’t have it, don’t fight it. Your heart will thank you later. Pay attention especially if you notice you are not sweating or have chills.
Head inside. Yes, the dreadmill.
Travel. It’s a good time to get away!
Instructions for signing up for the selfie run:
Download the “Selfie Run” app on your iOS or Android mobile device App Store.
Connect with Facebook or create an account.
Sign up for the Selfie Run and set your location for May 8 in Houston.
Y’all know I’ve been trying to cook more – trying to up my wifey status and all. I recently came across an app, Yummly! (download it NOW, trust me!).
One of the recent dinner recipes I tried were these Chicken Avocado Burgers – seriously one of the tastiest and easiest things I’ve ever made, so I wanted to share the recipe.
Chicken Avocado Burger Recipe:
Serves: 4 Burgers
Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1 large ripe avocado – cut into chunks
1 chopped clove of garlic
⅓ cup Panko crumbs or Almond meal (to keep it Paleo friendly )
1 minced Poblano or Jalapeño pepper (optional but recommended)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss gently.
Shape into desired size patties and grill inside or out!
My modifications: We added cheese on the burger after we took them off the grill (we made them outside on the grill for extra flavor!). Also – I had seriously never heard of ground chicken and I felt like a weirdo asking someone in the grocery store where to find it – but it’s in the meat section) obviously – and in mine it was a small section (like two options) next to the ground beef.
Since it is chicken, I recommend cutting into the burger before pulling them all off the grill.
Enjoy!
If you have any tasty recipes to share, please leave me a comment below!
Here are the five things I’m going to aim for this month (May) – who’s in to join me?
Plan a Texas getaway. I’m super guilty of telling people that I like Houston but I love Texas, but it’s the truth. I’ve visited quite a few places in Texas that I love (Austin still has my top vote), but I know there is so much more to venture out into and Texas has some of the damn cutest bed and breakfasts, so that’s my mission for May. The tricky part is that my boyfriend doesn’t get much vacation time, so it needs to be within 2-4 hours of Houston. Any suggestions? (My last real Texas getaway was this trip to San Antonio.)
Buy two new books. Here’s the thing as a writer myself: I read so much (and I’m not afraid to put down a book I just can’t get into, my time is too precious and there are too many good reads out there) that it gets expensive. The writer in me wants to support other writers by buying more books, but it’s tough. Then I realized this. I’m not afraid to spend $35 every 2-3 weeks on a mani/pedi or get a new pair of sandals from Target (because, I literally think anything I guy at Target is deemed as a necessity), so why not spend that same amount on reading and bettering my mind and myself? Boom – now hit me with your book suggestions.
Buy an outfit or piece of clothing outside my norm. This month sounds like I plan to spend a lot of money already (oops!) but I notice that my wardrobe is all pretty much the same. I have a ton of amazing workout clothes and some great party dresses for special occasions (like a wedding or social event), but I don’t have anything that is cute and fun for a Friday night dinner date or just an afternoon.
Make money selling what I have. In a way to declutter, simplify life and hopefully make a few extra bucks, I’m going to try to find stuff already in my apartment that I can sell (or at least donate). It was initially prompted by this theeverygirl.com post, but also by how much crap I have just laying around. One of the great perks I have in this line of work is getting sent a ton of stuff to review, wear for social media, test out, etc. That means I have way too many *barely worn* running shoes, headbands, bluetooth speakers, gym bags and more. So stay tuned for my eBay account or follow me on social media to see it.
Crunch the numbers. I typically only assess how much money I make and spend at the end of the year or when it comes around to tax time (PS – I do not like doing taxes, at all, but who really does?). The month of May means we are five months into the year, and that’s a great time to look at the numbers – see where my money is going (is it being wasted anywhere, are there stores I should avoid, etc.) and what kind of money is coming in. As a business-owner, I am responsible for invoicing my clients, but I’m also responsible for keeping track of them. Often times my outlets and sponsors forget to pay or a check gets lost in the mail – doing a number crunch in May will help me stay on top of all that.
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With this new running buddy, you can train to the tune of 500 songs of your choice. And it stands to reason with the recent and sudden passing of music icon Prince, that I would run my heart out to some of his best tunes.
Here are a few features of this new fitness gadget:
24/7 activity tracking
GPS tracking
Multisport mode
Built-in heart rate monitor
Up to 500 songs of music storage
And I highly recommend the bluetooth headphones. It will truly change your running game.
You also have a 30-day money back guarantee, which is a huge plus anytime I order new trackers – sometimes they just don’t work for my particular activity or they aren’t comfortable. Everyone is different, so it’s great to know you can send it back if it isn’t motivating you like you need.
PS – what’s your favorite Prince song? Mine is a tie between Little Red Corvette and Party Like It’s 1999 (since that’s the year I graduated highschool and we played that song on repeat).
*This post is in partnership with my role as a Women’s Health Magazine Action Hero.
Join The Blonde Side’s Wings for Life Selfie Run Team
Join The Blonde Side’s team for Wings for Life Selfie Run, Sunday, May 8th – it’s free to sign up and you can run from anywhere!
This is a ground-breaking event (I mean, who doesn’t love anything involving a selfie?) to support spinal cord injury research, that allows anyone/anywhere to run with the entire world in a race with no finish line.
Here’s how to sign-up (it’s super easy, and did I mention free?):
DOWNLOAD THE SELFIE RUN APP ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK OR CREATE AN ACCOUNT
SET YOUR LOCATION TO “ANYWHERE IN THE HOU METRO” AND CONFIRM YOUR SELFIE RUN PARTICIPATION
CLICK ON “TEAM RUNS” AND SEARCH FOR THE BLONDE SIDE. JOIN!
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This Wednesday, Houston runners/athletes/social do-gooders get a chance to train with the best – Calum Neff, a local Houston based distance runner. Cal competed and won the 2014 Wings for Life World Run in California (the inaugural run), being the last man standing at all 5 North American races. He competed in the Turkey race last year extending his time 19 minutes covering 39.95 miles (I need Gatorade just reading everything he’s done!).
The training session will be at Memorial Park from 6-7:30p – you can check out the FB event here.
I will be there, who wants to join?
Here’s more info on Cal’s training session this Wednesday:
The next Wings for Life World Run takes place worldwide on May 8th, 2016 and anyone, anywhere can run in the event (be sure to join THE BLONDE SIDE’S TEAM). Even if you can’t make one of the actual race locations you can run for those who can’t and raise money to cure spinal cord injuries by using the World Run Selfie App.
We will meet near the benches in front of the Tennis Center on the Memorial Park Running Loop at 6PM before heading out on a training run where world record holder Calum Neff and his daughter in the stroller will simulate the World Run by giving you a head start and chasing you down! Don’t worry, this is all for fun and ALL paces are welcome, we will run one 3 mile loop (but feel free to do more).
*I’ll be doing an article/interview with Cal to get some expert running tips for summertime weather (especially for us Houston folks). If you have any questions you want me to ask him, leave a comment below and I’ll try to include it!
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Part of my 2016 makeover is falling back in love with Houston.
Looking for the cutest and most unique date nights in the area, new brunch spots, local shops and stores to spend money I don’t have and so much more.
That’s why I love this deal from Houston Tidbits for 1/2 off Sweet Paris Crepes – I’ve already bought two. Now I just have to figure out who I want to invite along with me.
If you haven’t been to this cute spot (there are two, I’ve only been to the one in Rice Village), you will absolutely love the scene and the menu options. Calorie overload, but well worth it!
The deal is for $20 (which is normally $40) and you will receive a meal for two including any two savory crepes or waffles and any one sweet crepe or waffle to share, plus two apple ciders, or two glasses of wine.
