Tunesday - Other Lives

Hey. So here's the deal. This year my New Year's resolution was to see 5 live shows. I know some pretty great people who love to share music so this whole "5 show" thing was met fairly early on. Since then my goal has been to see as many shows as possible. So far I've seen 8 or 9 bands and I hope to see at least 2 more before the year is over. What's the point of all of those words I just typed? I just wanted you to know how much I dig music right now. And I think you should too. Thusly, I bring you the first installment of Tunesday!

This band is called Other Lives. The song in the video above isn't my absolute favorite song by this band (that would probably be Dark Horse), but it has a nifty new video that reminds me of Doctor Who for some reason.

I saw them at a bar venue in North Carolina back in February right before they went on tour with Radiohead. They sounded amazing live and I would highly recommend seeing them if you have the chance. I've decided to throw in a bonus cheesy Instagram picture to the right!

You know what's even more of a bonus? The fact that you can listen to their whole album Other Lives on their website and here below.

Zesty Avocado Cilantro Dressing - 2pp

Ok, seriously, Skinny Taste is one of my all-time favorite recipe sites. I've tried many of Gina's recipes and most of them are amazing. For real-- 2 points+ for 3.5 tablespoons! I made this a while ago and it is seriously one of the best dressings I’ve ever had. No joke; I see myself using this as salad dressing, on sandwiches and as a dip. 3.5 tablespoons is a pretty big serving, but this dressing is kind of thick, so it works well with larger salads.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, leave them in if you want it spicy
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1 medium haas avocado
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp chopped scallion
juice of 1 lime
1/8 tsp cumin (note: I'm not a fan of cumin, so I left it out)
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
For a thinner dressing add more buttermilk, for a thicker dip use less.

Want to check out Gina's original posting of this recipe? I don't blame you, man. Click here for the goodness!

Triple Chocolate Muffins - 3 Points Plus

I just want to preface by saying that this is one of my all-time favorite Weight Watchers appropriate recipes. I tried my hand at these muffins that have been floating around Tumblr. Holy crap, guys. They… are… AMAZING! I brought them to work to let my friend try and he was totally blown away when I told him what was inside. These are great incentive to get your dairy in for the day too — super good with a glass of milk. The French Press’ recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker Supermoist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 box (22 grams) Jello Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Chocolate Fudge Pudding (dry)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup (80 grams) Nestle Toll House Mini Morsels.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix everything together except mini morsels.
Line muffin tray with foiled cupcake wrappers (if using regular wrappers use a little non-stick cooking spray) and fill each 3/4 full.
Bake about 22-23 minutes, take out of oven and lightly mush down top of muffin so it’s flattened a little, sprinkle mini morsels on top.
Return to oven for another 3-4 minutes. Test with toothpick, it should be a little moist and not completely clean.
Take out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

18 muffins @ 3 pp each.

oh, hello

Hey, what's up?

My name is Allaina but you can feel free to call me Laina. This would be my blog. I plan to fill it with things I love (hence the name). I look forward to sharing pictures, recipes, projects, and crafts with you.

Let's do this.

love,
Laina