Category: Uncategorized

My Words For 2019 !

This year I decided to try something new and think of some words that I will apply to my life. These are the words that I came up with. 

Consistency

Value

Discipline

Connections 

Growth

Manifesting

(Note: I wanted to post this earlier but this new puppy parent life….whew, that will come in a later blog post)

When you hear each of these words, what do you think of?

For me I think each one will allow me to make some necessary changes in my life this year.

  1. CONSISTENCY: This is an important word for me, sometimes I start things and don’t see them all the way through, however this year I want to work on being more consistent in all things that I do.
  2. VALUE: I learned a lot about value over the past year. One thing is for sure value is very important to me, whether it is adding value to a situation or recognizing that you are not being valued. My key point for this word is to notice the value that I am adding to situations and to take note on if I am in turn being valued. This can apply to all sorts of things.
  3. DISCIPLINE: This is a key word for me. In the past few years I have been a little reckless, especially when it comes to eating and not working out. I am not saying that I am going on a strict diet or doing the “new year workout” routine (no knocking anyone that does) , but just working on making some simple changes in my life that help me get to the next level. This also applies to spending, saving, and personal growth.
  4. CONNECTIONS: One thing is for sure, I am a friendly person and I tend to meet people all over the place. I am working on connecting with people this year and growing new potential friendships/associateships (not a word, I know).
  5. GROWTH: In 2019 focusing on growth is important. I want to be the best me that I can be, so growth is an important part of this. I have noticed a change in my life in the past year and I realize that I am no longer the same person, but one that is constantly growing.
  6. MANIFESTING: To be honest, this wasn’t one of my original words, however one of my friends made a key point. Work on manifesting what you want to have/do in the future and utilize all of these other words to help you get there.

Well, that about sums up my words for 2019. Do you have any???? Share with me.

Cooking with Misstakenid: Quick Red Beans and Rice

I have been making my quick red beans and rice as a staple over the past couple of weeks so I decided to share with you. First let me say that this can be made with white or brown rice.  Also if you don’t like any of the ingredients you can make it without them, just use your seasoning to make it taste the way you want it to.

What you need(quick recipe):

1 can red beans

Rice or Brown Rice (your choice)

Onions (I use a sweet onion)

Turkey sausage/turkey bacon (can be made without meat or with pork products)

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Cajun Seasoning (I used Mad Chef’s Cajun Nola) ( You can find it here: https://chefgonemad.com/)

Garlic seasoning (Mad Chef’s Smoked Garlic and Herb Seasoning)

Make the rice first. Use one cup of rice to two cups of water bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. (If you want you can use boil in bag rice)

  1. Start with melting butter in a skillet (or you can use olive oil)

  2. Chop the sausage or bacon

  3. Chop the onions

  4. Sautee’ onions in the skillet until tender

  5. Add the sausage or bacon to skillet

  6. Add rice to skillet

  7. Stir to combine ingredients

  8. Next open the can of Red Beans, drain.

  9. Then add the red beans to the skillet.

  10. Season to taste.

Serve and enjoy.

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In case you missed it in the post you can find  the seasoning I used at this site:

https://chefgonemad.com/

 

Unscripted Durham’s Impossible Burger Review

I love a good burger. Well, let me say that I love a good burger that I can eat. I am unable to eat beef or pork so my burger choices are sometimes limited. However, I heard about the Impossible Burger in all of its plant based glory and I knew that I wanted to try it.

I couldn’t think of a better place than one of my favorite rooftop hangout spots in Durham, NC, the Unscripted Patio.

The menu highlights the burger at $10 it comes with vegan mayonaise, avocado, tomatoes, vegan cheese, on a bun.

I heard about this burger, so I wanted to try it for myself. I must say to be a plant based burger this was one of the meatiest plant based burgers I have ever tasted. It was very close to tasting like actual meat. Thick and filling.

It may be a little to “meaty” for some vegetarians, however for someone that just wants to go meatless for a thick and filling burger I give it 2 thumbs up. IMG_20180910_134645_959

 

 

CHEF HALES’ HOT CHICKEN REVIEW

I had a chance to visit Miami Beach over Labor Day weekend and stayed at the lovely Confidante Hotel. The onsite restaurant is called Bird & Bone and it’s claim to fame is having the best chicken in Miami.

I must admit I was a little skeptical as I am from the south and I have tasted some pretty good fried chicken in my life, but this chicken actually lived up to the hype.

For a $28 price tag on the menu it is listed as Chef Hales Hot Chicken: Florida Honey, House Mustard, Cucumber Pickle, w/ Zak the Baker Country Bread.  This meal only comes in one size, which turns out to be a half chicken.

I ordered this famous dish on a fairly busy restaurant night, but the chicken did not disappoint me at all. It was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside as if it had been fried to perfection. The mustard sauce bread and cucumbers add to the deliciousness of the dish and do not take away from the star, which is the chicken.

I will be honest I had been in South Beach all day enjoying my fair share of delicious beverages for the majority of the day and I knew that this was going to be my dinner. I took it to my room and sat down and indulged. You will want to eat the whole half of a chicken in one setting if you can. LOL.

You have to try it! I give Chef Hales’ hot chicken 2 thumbs up!!!

(I would like to note that the restaurant had no idea that I would be reviewing this meal)

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The Old Man Turns 71!!!

Birthdays are special.

When the Old Man reaches another birthday it’s always the “whatever you want”

approach.

This time was no different. This year we went to lunch. I chose lunch because I knew that he would want to go right to sleep after walking and eating.  

A couple of days before his birthday I asked what meal he would like.  He replied “ox tails”.  I thought of the options to sit down and eat ox tails in my town and I could only think of a few.  

I called The Palace International Restaurant on Broad Street in Durham, NC and they were able to comply with my request to serve oxtails for lunch. Now that the easy part was out of the way, I said “you will have your ox tails” . He was overjoyed.  

Found some mini loaf cakes at The Kupcake Fairy on Chapel Hill Road in Morrisville so he could have a little birthday cake too. 

One thing that I have realized about watching my Dad age is that simple things are the key to happiness. All he wanted for his birthday was to eat oxtails have a double rum and coke, get out of the house and laugh a little. That is exactly what we did. 

Let setup part of the day for you. I called him in the morning so that he would know what time I was coming to pick him up, this was how the convo went: 

Old Man:Today I am wearing a tshirt and shorts.

Me: Ok, if that is what we are doing I will wear something similar. 

Old Man: Yep, it is all about comfort, today is my day. 

Me: U are right. See you in a little while. 

I  pick him up and he is ready.  We have a birthday song walk jam session on the way to the car. We sing along to Old school jams on the ride. Drive through 2 mini downpours and make it to the restaurant right on time. 

Some friends and family arrive and we laugh and talk. Order some great meals and talk some more. 

Surprisingly he ate his entire plate of food and even started eating the cake .That was a great sight to see! 

We ride back to his house drive back through some rainstorms and get him home during some light drizzle. 

The best part of the day was taking him home and him saying, 

“I had a great day, it was off the hook!”  

Now we are on the road to 72. Look out now.

(If this is your first time reading then I should let you know, “Old Man” is an affectionate term for my Dad. Just in case you were wondering)

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mini cake action

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Oxtails with rice and collard greens.

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Me and The Old Man!

 

What’s in your snack pack?

One thing I have realized over the years is that when planning road trips I get the most enjoyment out of preparing a snack pack.

What is a snack pack? (You might ask) 

I define a snack pack as whatever snacks and drinks that you enjoy or will enjoy while riding in the car on a road trip, sitting on the beach, or in your hotel room when you arrive at your hotel.

Who inspired your snack pack? 

Many people ask where I got the idea for my snack packs and it came from My Aunt Sister. I heard a story about her going on one of her famous “casino bus trips” and one person that went on the trip spoke of this “cooler” that she carried with her.  He said she had the entire cooler full of sandwich meats, bread, sodas, snacks and whatever other food she wanted while she was traveling. He then mentioned that thanks to her cooler they managed to save money on food and with their excess money they were able to play some more games at the casino. After I heard this story, I asked my Aunt Sister about this special cooler that she had and she mentioned on every trip she went on, she took the cooler.

After hearing the story, I kept it in the back of my mind and once I started going on trips as an adult I started working on items that should go in my snack packs. Each one was different and catered to what I wanted for that particular trip.

The snack pack images featured below are from a recent beach trip.  (Items include: paper towels, napkins, plates, cups, a shaker, tequila, whiskey, margarita mix, hard cider, water, pineapple juice, ginger ale, cheese, mandarin oranges, triscuits, hummus, tortilla chips, turkey pepperoni, salsa, gummy bears, snickers bites, turkey sandwiches, and a few other things not pictured.)

What’s in your snack pack?

Let me know what you include in your travel snack packs.

 

 

***This post is dedicated to the memory of My Late Aunt Sister. After writing this post via pen, she passed away. I will always be grateful of the times we shared and the inspiration to my snack packs. RIP Aunt Sister  ***

Product/Service Reviews by Misstakenid

I am always recommending products and services to my friends, so why not start an official product review segment to my blog. This way I can share not only with my friends but share with my readers and social media followers as well.

If you would like me to review a product/service with my readers and social media followers please send me an email at misstakenid9@gmail.com.

 

2018…Live Your Best F*cking Life !!!

Hello friends, we are now in the year 2018! Which is a New Year and already hearing the “New Year…New Me…Blah…Blah…Blah” I have nothing against the people who say these things or have new years resolutions.  Hey it’s your life, do whatever makes you happy.

However, when it comes to me this year I have no New Year’s resolutions. In past years I would set a resolution and by week 4 into the New Year I would have already broken it. So this year I decided to just say “NO” to new year’s resolutions.

However, I am going to live by my new Mantra (Excuse the language)

“LIVE YOUR BEST F*CKING LIFE”!

So, you may not what this means for you, but for me it means to do whatever I want, however I want, and whenever I want. So, maybe this will inspire you to do the same.  These are a couple of things that I plan to do to help me with living my best life.

  • Excercise– In past years, I have been making exercise a burden and been boycotting it, but this year I have decided whenever I feel the urge, to just do it. If I am sitting at my desk at work and decide that I need to do some squats or take a walk, I am just going to do it.  I know I can stand to lose some pounds and even if it is sporadic, it may lead to some consistency, but with no pressure. 🙂

workout when I want

  • Travel– Pick a place and just go. I started doing this last year and I ended up on my first ever solo trip to Puerto Rico (see previous blog story) . I had a blast. So I definitely intend to see more of the world and stop procrastinating on trips. So, I will try out some new places this year too.

beach random

  • Wear Makeup– I like wearing makeup every once in a while. Sometimes you get the naysayers “you don’t need makeup”, well guess what, I like it, so your opinion no longer matters. It’s not going to be everyday, but whenever I feel like it. If I am in the mood to be “beat to the gods” then I will enjoy every bit of it! Until it’s time to take it off lol.

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  • Dance Like No one is watching– This probably sounds pretty cliché. I love music, all kinds of music.  So at times I suppress my want to dance because of whatever reason. Well guess what? This stops too. I will dance whenever and however I feel like dancing at anytime.

dance

  • Eat, Drink, and Be Merry– I definitely don’t miss meals and I love food.  However, I have deprived myself from eating at certain places, because I had them on my “date/boyfriend list”. Well the only person suffering from not going to some of these delicious places is ME. No more. You will catch me out at all kinds of restaurants this year solo or with friends. Eating and drinking until my heart is content. 🙂

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  • Self Care– Taking time out for just me every once in a while. Whether that is sitting at home listening to music, going to a concert, getting a mani/pedi or twiddling my thumbs. Whatever allows me some time to focus on me. Also, not doing anything that I don’t want to do. This is important because you can’t be your best you without recognizing things that you don’t want to do vs. things that you do want to do.

self care

These are just a few things to help me get to where I feel like I will be Living My BEST F*CKING LIFE. However, I also want to add that I will be living my life unapologetically. Meaning I don’t care as much about what other’s think about me and what I do. I am doing this for ME!  ( I do have to add that living my best life will include spending time with friends, family, and those I love as well, because they have helped mold and shape me.)

What are things that would help you, live YOUR BEST LIFE ? 

Share in the comments, your  “Living your Best Life List”. I can’t wait to read them.

SN: I also created some apparel and mugs to reflect this year’s mantra .  So if you like it, click the link below and order yours today. My Thoughts in apparel/mug/bag form. 😉

Apparel Items

 

 

A letter to you: To help you through the Holidays.

Holidays can bring about many feelings, sometimes they are good and sometimes they are not so good. Holidays can be a rough time for many, so I decided to write a letter  to those that may not feel festive during the holidays with some tips to help you get through.

Dear reader,

It’s completely ok to not to be in the holiday spirit during this season. The key to getting through it, is to do whatever helps you with this tough time. If you are unsure of where to start here are a couple of things that I have used in the past to help me get through this time of year:

  1. FEEL– Allow yourself to feel your emotions, whatever they may be.  If you need to let out a good cry, GO AHEAD and do it. This can help with release and can help you feel a little better.
  2. THINK OF FAVORITE THINGS– If you have a favorite beverage such as tea, hot chocolate, egg nog or even an alcoholic beverage enjoy some of that. (Just don’t indulge too much to where it makes you sick.) Or if you have a favorite candle, or music listen to that to lighten your mood.
  3. PHONE A FRIEND- If you just need to vent, phone a friend that will listen and allow you to do just that. Talk it out, whatever is on your mind, get it out and you will feel much better.
  4. DO NOTHING- Sometimes it is ok just to do nothing, relax enjoy your quiet time. During this time you can meditate or just be alone. It is ok to be alone if you feel like you may put a damper on someone else’s day. Get some rest and regroup, this is allowed anytime of year. (However, if you decide to go this route try not to make it a week-long, just try it for a day or two.)
  5. CELEBRATE- If you are down, sometimes celebrating can bring up your spirits. Try baking cookies or playing holiday music, this can help change your mood.

These are just 5 things that you can do to try to help out when you are down during the holidays. I know first hand what it feels like to be down and I utilize all of these things at different times during the holiday season to help me with my mood. Christmas was one of my Mommy’s (RIP) favorite holidays and it hasn’t felt the same since she was here. I realized that she embraced the holiday in remembrance of her mom, so I am always working on how to fix my mood.

I say do whatever works for you, but these things have helped me, so maybe they will help you too.

Much love,

Misstakenid

My first experience with 9ROUND Raleigh,NC – Triangle

Let me start off and say, this was not your typical workout experience. You kinda make your own class schedule, which is awesome. It was a different approach to working out, which I enjoyed.

Ok, let me start at the beginning.

First, I found a 9 round trainer from a random post I saw on social media. Then I went to the website to see what it was about.

“I was thinking to myself a 30 minute kickboxing class, I think I can handle that!” 

So, I decided to check them out. A free first class, is an awesome introduction to any workout gym/fitness class (and it works very well for me and my budget, LOL) since I wasn’t sure what to expect.

As a first timer, you fill out a form and release and such, so it’s like, sheesh what am I about to do, but the cool part is you can see what other people are doing when you walk in, so you can prepare yourself.

“9ROUND IS LIKE HAVING YOUR OWN PERSONAL KICKBOXING TRAINING TEAM FOR 30 MINS.” 

The best part about this whole 9 round system outside of having a “personal training team” is there are no class times, you come in and do your 30 minutes and leave out after doing “9 rounds” of exercises.

So, it’s time to start, and I hear the upbeat popular music playing.  This is cool to have in the background, but you see that each person is focused on their personal workout as you have a trainer help you get through it.

The gym is broken up into 9 stations (9 rounds). A trainer demonstrates what you are going to do at each station and helps you through it with motivating words. Each round is 3 minutes. It does seem like a long time and a lot of thought, but you don’t have to think because there is a timer that is going and letting you know that you are making it through the round. It beeps once to let you know to start the exercise, then again to let you know that there is 60 seconds left on the clock, so you are almost done with that excercise. (Keep in mind a trainer comes and checks on you during the time and may even change-up your excercise to keep it exciting.)

In between exercises a trainer calls out an exercise for everyone to do before the next round, some form of cardio or strength move is done during this short time.

I have tried kickboxing classes before, but none were like this and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND 9ROUND,  because of the personal approach to fitness and the motivating words from the trainers.

And let’s not forget, it’s only 30 minutes!!! So it is not taking a huge chunk out of your day!!!

The cool part is after you finish your 30 minutes you ring a bell to let the room know how your workout went. There are 3 choices. I chose option 3 “Killer Workout!”

I will say that after my workout, I felt good about working out, but I know I am gonna hurt a little tomorrow due to the intensity of the workout. My favorite part of the workout was putting on the boxing gloves and doing a one on one session with a trainer after hitting the heavy bag. Oh yeah and let’s not forget my first time on a speed bag.  (Boxers make it look easy, but it is definitely something to master.)

I also have to work on my jump rope skills. Skipping rope for 3 minutes straight without any misses is definitely something to work up to. (Personal goals)

(FYI, these are my own words and this was not something that was setup by 9ROUND Triangle, I let the representatives know about the review as I was leaving.)

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Motivation

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Ring the bell to let them know how your workout was.

9 round sign
9ROUND sign

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2 Motivating Trainers 

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Apparel