Shasta Scott
Stories (35/0)
Finding Out
It's a cold, lonely, dark, and depressing day when you finally learn what it takes for you to become heartless and cruel, for lack of a better word. Mean doesn't even begin to cover how you truly feel. Every interaction you have with new and old friends and acquaintances leads to rude conclusions and anger. You realize you've become the angry customer. Never satisfied with what is happening with the services provided to you and you don't know how to keep yourself calm or say something without pointed contempt.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Longevity
The First Snow of 2021
The first snow of the 2020-2021 winter season in Texas leaves little to be desired. Why, Mother Earth? Christmas and Thanksgiving and Halloween are supposed to be the epicenter for cold weather, sweaters, cozying up by the fire, next to the person you love. So, why snow now, on Valentine's Day, of all the days? I should know better than to expect each year to be the same, sometimes it snows in November, sometimes it snows in March. Every state can probably claim they experience all the seasons in one day, but after living in Texas almost my whole life and traveling to other states, I am a little biased to say Texas wins that debate. This Winter blast is rather surprising but I can't say we weren't warned that it was coming soon. Temperatures started dropping about a week ago from 60º Fahrenheit to 30º Fahrenheit. Although it's not completely reliable, the Texas weather apps, were on the money with this one. (Sometimes the readings are a little off is all I mean.)
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Wander
Not your traditional Banana Nut Bread Muffin
A few years ago, while searching the internet for the next diet that would hopefully change my life, I came across Wake the Wolves. "Kale All Day, Every Day," is their mantra. I was fortunate enough to get ahold of recipes they had created and tried as many smoothie and dinner recipes that I could. Their Sweet Potato Curry is by far my favorite dinner recipe. For years I followed their recipe for the perfect banana bread loaf, Nana's Banana Bread, mixing it up with dark chocolate chips and walnuts every once in a while or just simply adding kale. After learning what it's like to work at a grocery store bakery, I felt that to be a true baker I needed to come up with my own recipe. Not that you're not really baking there, we just didn't get to mix anything from scratch anymore. (I always seem to find myself where what generations before were doing has since no longer continued. Like starting uniforms the year I go to middle school or all the field trips being taken away.) I wanted to incorporate what I had learned from the recipe they had provided and put my own twist to such a classic tradition of banana bread by adding peanut butter and protein powder.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Feast
Spirituality, Chakras, Meditation, and Astrology
Growing up in a religious household, going to church once or twice a week, being expected to read the bible, are all things I think most human beings can relate to on some level, regardless of religion or faith we follow. We grow up following our parent or guardians way of life and our first belief system is their belief system. For myself I grew up practicing my faith in a non-denominational Christian church. I was introduced to Astrology and the Chinese Zodiac around middle school, roughly 11-13 years of age. I had learned from the Chinese Restaurants that each year is dedicated to an animal; pig, rat, oxen, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, and dog. And every twelve years the cycle begins again and continues on until time no longer exists.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Longevity
Wine Review: Beringer White Zinfandel
In a previous Vocal post, I talked about a new red wine I tried from the brand OP. I talked about how my wine drinking days began with drinking Rosés. I personally enjoy sweeter wines to dryer wines, so Rosés were always my go to when it came to wine. It works out perfectly when your friends and family enjoy different wines than you because it means you can enjoy something to yourself and if you enjoy the same wines you can share when you find something new. After writing the last review of the Sweet Red Wine from OP, it got me thinking about whether or not I even still liked Rosé at all. White Zinfandel and Pink Moscato were my go to wines when I turned of age. I wasn't quite ready for the dark color and rich flavors that came with red wine and the white wines I tried were either too dry for my taste or borderline acoustic to my taste buds, they were that sweet. Rosés by nature are the middle ground of wine in that there used to only be red and white wine and pink wines were made by mixing the two together.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Proof
Why Meal Prepping is Vital for Weight Loss
One of the most widely talked about topic in the fitness and nutrition industry is meal prepping. An article from Oxygen, states that, "one of the most important benefits of meal prepping is that it can help reduce the stress that comes with trying to eat healthier. Solving all your food decisions in advance really frees up some of your willpower and mental stress, helping you reach your goals faster and with more ease." Weighing your food and counting your calories while meal prepping for the week make it easier to grab and go and track your food intake. If you don't have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend investing in one. You can find some for less than $15 and you'll be more accurate when tracking your meals.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Longevity
Chicken and Veggie Soup Recipe
For those of you like myself, soup can be either a seasonal comfort or a necessity when I am sick. In my opinion, soup is one of the most versatile dishes out there. You can choose between tomato with grilled cheese, baked potato with bacon bites, cheese, and chives, broccoli and cheddar, tom kha gai (coconut soup), chicken noodle, vegetable, and so much more. Every time I make soup it's like a culinary freedom where I can throw whatever I have into a pot and make something delicious. Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden and Tom Kha Gai are two of my favorite soups that, thanks to technology, have been recipes I have gotten to explore and rather enjoyed. I was known as the "sick/broken" child in my family. Always breaking bones or getting sick, a cold could honestly have taken me out, at least that's how it felt.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Feast
Lose It! Phone App for Tracking Meals and Weightloss
Before technology, as we know it today, existed, the tried and true method of tracking your food and calories was pen or pencil to paper. Keeping a journal allowed you to write out recipes and if you were specifically focusing on weight loss, the nutritional information listed on the products allow us to know what we are putting into our bodies, giving us the choice to eat processed or preserved items or fresh items. Because technology is advancing at such an accelerated rate, it can be hard to keep up with all of the new technologies that are becoming available to us. In my opinion there is nothing better than traditional pen to paper techniques, I'm old fashion when it comes to traditional artwork and writing. However, I did find it harder to be consistant than digitally tracking my calorie intake each day. I found the Lose It! application on my phone roughly 6 years ago. Since then I have tried both the free and paid version of the app. The app is available for both i-Phone and Android users and is available through their website on your laptop or computer www.loseit.com.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Longevity
Product Review: St. Ives Facial Scrub
As a woman I think beauty standards and looking your best, even during a pandemic, are important to a lot of us. Fashion magazines, online advertisements, and social media platforms, set the standards by which a lot of women, and likely some men, use in order to make the most informed decisions about beauty. Whether we are staying in or going out, we all want to look and feel our best and it starts with our daily routines and everyone's daily routines will be slightly different. Wake up, brush your teeth, wash your face, take a shower (unless you shower at night), get dressed, make your breakfast, feed the cat or walk the dog, and so on throughout the day. At night, if you wear make up, be sure to remove it, wash your face, brush your teeth, floss, put on lotion and/or moisturizer, brush your hair, and shower if you don't shower in the morning.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Blush
App Review: Doordash
If I had to choose a delivery app that wasn't coming directly from a chain restaurant, Doordash would be my go to. I'd say 9 out of 10 times deliveries go perfectly. The driver doesn't run into traffic, the restaurant gets your order exactly right, and your food gets delivered on time. Not having a vehicle at this point in the pandemic has made it more difficult to get food, in the sense that I'm not able to go out to the grocery store get a cart load of stuff and then be set for 2-3 weeks. I've had to be more decisive about the choice I make when making purchases. I can't buy 2 gallons of water and take 4 or 5 bags of stuff home with me anymore. Doordash has made it easier to get the meals I like from restaurants I like but are too far away to get to. It's great too for nights that are late and I feel too scared to walk across the street to grab food or the drive thru is the only thing left open.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in 01
What to Expect when Returning to the Gym
Blame it on the new year if you like, but no matter when you return to the gym, there are things you need to be aware of. Whether you are going to a public gym or working out from the comfort of your own home, the intensity and frequency of starting your workout routine again or for the first time, will take its toll if you're not careful. Here are 6 tips and suggestions I have found useful when starting my workout routine back up:
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Longevity
Peanut Butter Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
There are times, in every household kitchen, when you are left with the bare minimum. It's usually a box of pasta with no sauce or cheese to go with, a package of ramen, some lentils or rice, and chicken bouillon cubes. But you want something sweet. You don't have much but you do have the basics to make the foundation of a cookie, flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder, salt, butter, in my case, egg replacer, and some instant oatmeal packets. You remember the articles you read on how instant oatmeal packets aren't the greatest choice to substitute in an oatmeal raisin cookie, but you are willing to defy the odds. It's not for anyone but you so if they turn out badly the trash can will have a nice companion. Without measuring you go to work. You get your bowls all ready. Mix everything together, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, fill two baking sheets and bake for 11-13 minutes. Et Voilà! A new creation you can be proud of and share with others.
By Shasta Scott3 years ago in Feast