Par’s Picks is coming at you a day early this week.

Honestly, I’m just trying to maximize my time with my parents.  They leave to go back home on Sunday, and I fly to Chicago on Monday.  And we still have lots do do before then!

I hope you enjoy this week’s picks!  Have a wonderful weekend!

HEALTH:

5 Things You Never Knew About Honey – Pretty sweet (pun intended)!

Where Should I Feel This Exercise? – Ever wonder if you’re doing a particular exercise correctly? Wonder no more.

5 Awesome Side Effects of Eating Healthier – Healthy eating impacts every single area of your life!

Why I Became a Vegetarian – Why yes, I am linking to my own blog post! Personally, this was a fun topic to reflect on and write about.

Every Little Bit Counts – Another post by yours truly, but this one was for the Chai Mommas blog!  Thanks again, Shraddha (and the other Chai Mommas), for the opportunity!

LIFE:

The Marriage Myth – Another great article on marriage and treasuring the small stuff. And THIS…

So to create life’s list of expectations and believe that everyone must follow them in order is really unfair. The best thing we can do is be honest about it — speak the truth: marriage is wonderful, but never perfect and should never be entered into without a clear understanding of what’s at stake. Hopefully the good outweighs the bad (luckily, in my case it does). Although it isn’t always glitter and unicorns, if you make it important and you tend to it, a marriage can grow to be something great and serve as a strong foundation when life isn’t dishing out that scoop of fairy tale ending.”

A Relationship Worth Protecting – A reader sent me this article because she knows I have a younger sister. This blog post does a great job articulating just how powerful the relationship between sisters is.

5 Ways People Die Before They’re Actually Dead – A beautiful article on choosing to live and seizing every opportunity to do so.

FOOD:

Maple Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread – This is on my must make list.

Smoothie 101 – A really cool infographic on how to create the perfect smoothie.

9 Gourmet Grilled Cheese Recipes That Are Totally Easy to Make – I want to make ALL of these!

Is Fast Food Going Gourmet? – In my opinion, it’s still fast food but I am interested to see how this plays out.

COOL:

World’s First Cruise for Chocoholics About to Set Sail – Who wants to go with me?!

Happy weekend!

You guys, I have big plans this weekend.  NOT!  My only plans are to sleep, fit in a long run, read, clean out our closet, and make a trip out to Trader Joe’s.  That. Is. It.  I could not be more excited about my weekend, one that some would call boring.

I am also excited to share this week’s Par’s Picks.  It’s been a while.  I hope you enjoy this eclectic mix of articles/blog posts.

LIFE/SELF:

If You Wait Until You’re Ready, You’ll Be Waiting Forever – This…

Nobody has ever looked around at their circumstances, thought to themselves, “Yes, I am ready for this,” and had a life-changing thing plop into their lap. It doesn’t work like that. Life doesn’t work like that. It never has, and it never will. The things that change you and stay with you are not the things that casually happen when you are ready for them, and when you want them to. There would be nothing spectacular about them.

This Is Your Life, Are You Who You Want to Be? – One of the best “tips on how to live life” lists I’ve read.

I Finally Figured Out Why I Procrastinate – While I’m not a procrastinator, at least not an extreme one, I could totally relate to aspects of this article.

16 Rules For A Long Lasting Marriage – This pretty much nails it.

HEALTHY LIVING:

The Reaction You’d Never Expect After These 4 Women’s Professional Photo Shoot – Watch this.  It’s powerful and sends a message that everyone needs to see and hear.

My Favorite Green Products – I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to be more green, especially at home.  I even made my own air freshner a few weeks ago!  This is a great list of everyday products that if used instead of their not-so-green counterparts could make a huge difference, both in terms of the environment and cost savings.

Chocolate Lover? Ban Words Like Indulge and Treat – I never considered the implication of words like indulge and treat since guilt is the last thing on my mind when eating chocolate, but the author makes a good point.

6 Easy Ways to Detox Every Day – I’m not a huge fan of the detox mentality, but this simple, lifestyle oriented list actually makes sense.

Top 10 Foods for Sunday Food Prep – So much good stuff in one post!  Lindsay is THE queen of food prep, so if you’re looking for ideas to make mealtime easier, read this.

FUN:

13 Hacks to Improve Your Google Search – At the very least, a few of these will blow your mind.

FOOD/RECIPES:

Which cooking oil is right for you? – A great breakdown of when to use different oils.

Lightened Up Red Velvet Cupcakes – How good do these look?!

10 Grown-Up Grilled Cheeses — Comfort Food Feast – And now I’m craving a grilled cheese or five.

7 INGREDIENT VEGAN CHEESECAKES – After trying Robin’s raw cheesecake last weekend, I am ready to make my own!  Don’t these look amazing!?

INSPIRATION:

Happy weekend!

So instead of sharing my picks of the week later than expected, I’m posting them a day early.  Why?  Because I have a lot to get done in the next few days.  The next couple of weeks are  filled with work travel, fun travel, an epic bachelorette party, work meetings, and an engagement party.  And since all I can think about at this point is my long to do list, I thought I would share something that’s a little easier to put together.

And before I list my picks of the week, I have to go into my travel schedule a little.  Because the world cares about this stuff of course.  So I leave for Chicago on Sunday morning (brrr).  I’m there until Wednesday morning which is when I fly back to Miami.  Then I fly out to Las Vegas on Thursday morning.  On Sunday morning, I get on a plane and head back to Miami.  Then I’m in a week long team meeting.  And it doesn’t end there.  On Friday evening, Vishnu and I fly home to Atlanta for a good friend’s engagement party.  We’re there for less than 48 hours, flying back to Miami on Sunday afternoon.  Phew!  I’m already a little tired!

Thank goodness I don’t have to get on a plane again until the end of March.

With all that being said, my blogging schedule will definitely be off for the next couple of weeks.  No worries though.  I’m fine.  Probably just flying to my next destination or something!

Ok, so now that I’ve gotten all that out of my system, I present to you this week’s Par’s Picks!

LIFE/SELF:

7 Things Nobody Tells You About Declaring A Major In College – I wish I had read this list, oh I don’t know, 12 years ago!  Don’t even get me started on why or how I selected my major.  I’ll save that story for a future blog post.

6 Pieces Of Tough Love That Will Make Your Life Infinitely Better – No matter what stage of life you are in, these six things are worth remembering.

Don’t Say That You Love Your Job, Because It’s Not The Job You Love – Love the perspective!

How To Be Your Best When Everything Is The Worst

“Sometimes you just need to accept that today isn’t the day you take the world by storm. But tomorrow? Tomorrow will be that day.”

Want to Be Truly Productive? End Each Day Like This – It is my goal to get myself to a place where I can turn these steps into a habit…one that I don’t have to think twice about.

HEALTHY LIVING:

I Like My Body. Is that Okay with You? – What a great post!  So many valid points.  And this…yes!

“I do like my body. And what’s more is that I now like liking it. I wonder how much time I have wasted these past 28 years — disliking how I looked because I assumed that was the only option available to me. Maybe if I had known it was allowed, I would have liked it all along. Maybe I would laughed more, or gotten more sleep, or had more fun. And maybe I would’ve eaten more cake, too.”

Heart Disease Is Still The No. 1 Killer Of Women. Here’s What We Need To Know To Change That – Heart Disease.  A topic that hits too close to home.  And while healthy eating and fitness are keys to preventing/controlling it, lifestyle plays a major role as well.  Take note.

How to Free Yourself From Calorie Counting (And Lose Weight)! – Love these tips – applicable to anyone just trying to stay healthy without the headache of turning every morsel of food into a number.

40-Minute Fat-Fry Workout – I’ll admit I haven’t tried this workout myself.  However, I have viewed bits and pieces and it looks awesomely tough.  It’s on my to do list!

FOOD/RECIPES:

Fake Your Fries – I will definitely be trying this method soon.

Inside The Kitchen’s Snackadium, Plus Game-Day Snack Recipes – I want ALL the snacks!!!

Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Peppers – This is a great, quick recipe!  I served our peppers alongside some Mexican quinoa, and it was a perfect weeknight meal!

Best-Ever Chocolate Quinoa Cake {gluten-free} – Robin and I are going to try to make this cake this weekend.  I’ll report back on the end product.  Kind of excited!

FUN:

How Much Time Have You Wasted on Facebook? – Don’t. Even. Ask.  I’m honestly embarrassed.

‘The Fault in Our Stars’ Movie Trailer is Here! – AHHH!  I can’t wait.  Even though I know I’m going to bawl my eyes out.

17 Things That Happen When You Love A Football Fan – Yes yes yes to #2, 3, 8, 11, and 13!

INSPIRATION:

Happy happy happy weekend!

I hope y’all are having a great weekend so far!  I’ll be sure to recap what we’ve been up to on Monday.

On to this week’s Par’s Picks – lots of good stuff to share!

LIFE/SELF:

The Things We Never Realize Until It’s Too Late – Beautifully written and so true!

5 Powerful Mantras for Absolute Inner Peace – Now – Eckhart Tolle is one smart man!

13 Things That Are Totally Going to Change You in Your 30s – A couple of friends sent me this article as it was super timely with my 30th birthday being this week.  Loved it.

10 Ways to Invest in Yourself – Put some energy into taking care of yourself and needs.  It’s ok!

The 7 Things We Learn In A Relationship – Spot on.

This Dude Just Used Jelly Beans To Convince Me To Live My Life To The Fullest – This will make you think.

FITNESS:

5 Easy Fitness Hacks – Simple, common sense tips on how to make the most of your fitness efforts.

40-Minute Fat-Fry Workout – A FREE workout!!  Need I say more?!

HEALTHY LIVING:

Ask Healthy Living: Why Do I Wake Up Minutes Before My Alarm Goes Off? – The story of my life!

10 Things Only Vegetarians Understand – YES to all of these, especially #1, 8, and 10!

19 Tips for Healthier Skin and Hair This Winter – Love this list and all the suggestions.

FUN:

‘SNL’: ‘Resolution Revolution’ Perfectly Shows Why New Years Resolutions Always Fail – Hilarious!  Don’t watch if small kids are around…this is a PG-13 ish video.

INSPIRATION: