The Perfect Hair Band

Ties, Bands, Bows, Clips
Pony Tails, Buns, Braids

No matter how you prefer to pull your hair back you have most likely gone through a process of elimination to find the best fit for your hair type, the shape of your head and what feels and looks best on you.

And just like you, I have gone through the same process but I'm always on the look out for something pretty, functional and cool that I can pull my hair back with.

My requirements are quite simple I think, but sadly many products have fell short.

In my book a great hairband must meet the following requirements in order for it to earn a spot
in my bathroom drawer. 

Keep my hair out of my face.

No Headaches Please.

Quick and Easy

Not to Tight

Stay Put

&

Pretty

Not so much to ask for, right?
I certainly don't think so.

I've been on the lookout for a while now searching for a hairband I can wear on my runs that will keep all those tiny little baby hairs around my face, out of my face. You know the tiny hairs that never seem to grow up and always seem to be wild and unmanageable.
{If you don't know what I'm talking about, May I say... You're so lucky!}
So I started noticing girls wearing bands around their heads years back and decided to give them a try. I purchased the ever so popular Scrunchie brand and while in the store I was thinking this is it! This is going to work, it has the no slip tacky strip on the back and it's nice and slim too.

I tried it and the thing flew off my head after a few steps out the door. 

Not to mention how darn tight it was. To be honest, if it had stayed on my head for my whole run I would've had a migraine for sure. So needless to say those went into the trash!
Wasted Money!

I need something that's not tight at all around my head otherwise I get a raging headache. 

I can't do a lot of head bands because they dig into my head behind my ears and are so tight they bring on the pain. So I'm always looking for something nice and loose fitting.

It also needs to be quick and easy. Just as easy as putting my hair into a pony tail. 

And I mean NO MIRROR REQUIRED kind of easy.

Seriously, come on you never know where you are going to have to put your hair up, am I right?

Staying Power is major with me, as I'm sure it is with you girls as well. 

{And I must include the boys in this too because I see more and more guys wearing hairbands now too!}

You don't want to be out and about and have to keep fiddling with your hair.

We are looking for set it and forget hair management here. :)

Lasty...

it needs to be pretty

Yes, Pretty is Key.

I mean I can do black till the cows come home but if I want a splash of color I'd really like the option.

So with this long laundry list of requirements let me tell you about a new product I tried out this morning that I've fallen for. 

And Ladies let me tell you, I think I'm smitten!

ok ok let me get on with it.

I tested out a lovely product called

I have to admit because these bands are so soft and you can't feel them on your head I was really skeptical on whether they would work or not.

The question that kept going through my mind was...

How can something so soft and so flexible actually stay put and hold while I'm bouncing all over the place on my runs?

Well after this mornings run I can report that this little hot pink beauty didn't move. 

She kept my hair out of my face

I never got a headache, thank you!

She was so easy to put on.

Wasn't tight at all.

She stayed put!

&

Yes, was oh so pretty. 

I just loved the pop of color in my hair. :)

This product really met all my requirements and for that I have to give

Twistbands
5 Stars

They work great.
Are you wondering where you can get some of these?
Well it just so happens that I am doing my very first blog giveaway and it's
TWISTBANDS!!

I'll be giving away some lovely Twistbands to one lucky winner

and all you need to do is ...

follow the Rafflecopter Widget below and you'll be entered in the drawing. 

Is it a style, a function or a color that you look for?

What have your experiences been and why do you need Twistbands?

Come on...tell me girls!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

In the mean time...

learn more about the Twistband company and check out all their beautiful colors and other fun products they offer by clicking here!

Winner will be announced Friday, August 31!!
Best of luck to you all!

Caprese Salad or Insalata Caprese

Stare into this image and tell me you don't want to be there right now. 

Even as heavily populated as this tiny portion of the island is it still emits a sweet calming glow.

If I close my eyes I can imagine taking in the view from this very spot while feeling the breeze coming off the shore as the sun rests and the moon starts it's rise into the sky. Oh gosh how I would love to sit right here and over look this amazing view with mi amore and a crisp glass of sweet white wine.

This my friends is the beautiful island of Capri, located just off the coast of Italy near Naples.

And "Caprese" refers to something that comes from or is in the style of Capri.

Tourists know the island mostly for its villas, grottos and jutting limestone towers. 

Culinarily speaking, it's best known for its namesake salad, the insalata caprese -- fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. 

The name of the island comes from "capra", the Italian word for "goat". (In English, "caprine" refers to anything having to do with goats.) A real insalata caprese, though, is not made with goat's milk cheese, but with true Mozzarella di Bufala Campana -- buffalo's milk mozzarella made in certain designated areas of Italy -- Naples included. 

Sigh...Wow would I love to visit here. There is something so amazing about Italy. It calls my name often and one day... very soon I hope to dip my toes into the salty sea off her coast.
Until then I will dream and cook and dream some more.
 
If you would like to have a little taste of Capri along with me you certainly can.  
This salad is so easy to prepare, takes next to no time to put together and is so beautifully rich with color that it practically pops of the plate.  And did I mention the flavor?  
It will leave even the pickiest of pallets begging for more. 
{Trust me my hubby was so pleasantly surprised that he kept coming back for more.}

All you need is
Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella and Balsamic Glaze.

Combine however you wish and serve.

Bellissima!

Building the Perfect Salad!

To me there is nothing better than a fresh salad. I swear I could eat them all day, every day.

Ok well maybe not for breakfast but the other two meals I could so do it.
And when you build your meals ahead of time it makes it so easy to eat healthy which brings me to one of the main reasons I like to make these ahead of time is

CONVENIENCE

The more you make eating healthy easy and convenient the more you will do it.

 I have been on a Cobb Salad kick lately and so this weekend I decided to put the salad trays to use that I had saved from my last minute lunch runs to my local Publix.

Now I have four stacked in my fridge. Ready to Grab and Go and at a fraction of the cost!

I love trying new ingredients and testing them out on my family and they always seem to really love my salad combinations.

I do have a few rules I stick by when making my salads though and presentation is huge for me.

Why?

Well because as you all know....

I love pretty food. 

Yep and that's my first requirement on my list of building the perfect salad.

Believe it or not but pretty food makes my heart skip a beat and I believe no matter how healthy it is if its pretty it will make you want to eat it all the more. 

So use your imagination and built it pretty.

Color excites the eyes and makes us want more. Eating healthy also requires that we 

"Taste the Rainbow" so to speak.

So I like to try and have as many pretty colors happening in my salads as possible.

It adds to the pretty and the healthy.

Don't think you have to stick with what you've seen used before. 

Fill a salad with your favorites. If your ideal Cobb Salad has strawberries then go for it!!

After all it has to be what YOU love and not what the supermarket dubs the perfect salad.

Well that's it, my three easy rules to designing the perfect salad.
Don't you feel inspired to go build a pretty, colorful and tasty salad now???
Go WOW your family!!!!
:)

My Cobb Salad Ingredient List
{Go Organic where you can}

Romain Lettuce
Organic Cherry Tomatoes
Organic Carrots (Greenwise from Publix)
Cucumber
Boars Head Blue Cheese
Red Onion
Boiled Egg
 2 slices Boars Head Ovengold Turkey Chopped
Half a Haas Avocado Mashed
{I use avocado for my salad dressing it's naturally gluten free and packed full of good stuff}
Cobb salads most often come with bacon so you can add that if you like as well.

That's it!
Pull up a chair, dig in and enjoy!

Wanna share your favorite salad? Don't be shy tell us what you love piled high on your greens. :)