Back in Black

September 23, 2015October 2, 2015 | Megan

Fall means many things, and one of my favorites is taking some of my favorite warm weather clothes with me through the transition from summer to fall. Fall transitions can be as simple as adding a pair of your favorite boots and a trusty anorak to a more summery bohemian dress. Or it can be as easy as adding a darker more dramatic lip to your daily makeup routine.

Done, done, and done! I am loving this new to me wine lip from Clinique. It leans toward red in the wines, but I can also appreciate a true plum if you’re feeing more aubergine this fall. Here’s another one of my longtime favorites.

As a mom, I’ve found that dresses have truly been a saving grace when I need to throw on something quick and head out the door. I am more likely to look and feel put together in one step with a dress, rather than reaching for separates. What about you? Maybe a romper suits your throw-on-and-go fancy. I have yet to take part in the romper trend, thought I looked this summer. Never say never, they say!

XX, Megan

Dress: Velvet by Graham and Spencer, Jacket: Gap (similar, similar with fur), Boots: Enzo Angiolini (similar, similar, similar, or splurge), Necklaces: Gorjana (or here), Earrings: Gorjana (or similar), Lips: Clinique Vintage Wine

The Chocolate Cupcake

September 22, 2015September 21, 2015 | Megan

The real story behind these cupcakes is that I FORGOT to grab a box cake at the store, and I had already committed to bringing cupcakes to my son’s classroom in honor of his Birthday. Mom moves, you know.

I didn’t want to return to the store. I didn’t want to email his teacher to bail out. I didn’t want to see his crestfallen face at pick-up when he’d inevitably ask, “Where were you, Mom?”

We’ve all been there. Disappointment is an inevitable part of life. Stuff happens. But I wasn’t hip on disappointment today. No. I wanted to win, and these cupcakes did NOT disappoint!!!

In fact, they were AWESOMELY easy. Seriously almost as snappy as throwing together the ingredients for your box cake. At least 10 times better than any boxed cake can deliver. I’d make them again in a heartbeat! In fact, I’m sure I’ll make them again sometime soon to share with friends and neighbors for no reason whatsoever!!!!

Try them out and let me know what you think! One of my wonderful friends and readers made a Peach Upside Down Cake for her husband, and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY! When I asked her how it tasted she confessed that she abhors cooked peaches. She didn’t eat even a crumb! I laughed out loud to hear this.

I’d love to hear more of your baking endeavors, or other types of recipes you’d like to see here on Refined + Rugged.

I hope your Tuesday is scrumptious!

XX, Megan

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

Yield- 20 Cupcakes

Directions

Mix all of the dry ingredients well with a wooden spoon first, then add in all your liquid ingredients. The batter should be brown and smooth– free of lumps.

Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes for cupcakes, for a cake bake 17-25 minutes.

Note: You can add things like 1/2 cup chocolate chips to this recipe for a more decadent turn out. Plus, some of the reviewers noted that you can also add an egg for a more fluffy cupcake. Some folks also subbed milk for the water, and melted butter for the oil!

You may also want to double this recipe. The servings size is for 20 “small” cupcakes. I made a 1 1/2 batch, and the yield was still only 22 cupcakes. However, I did make these cupcakes medium or large-ish. Doubling the recipe might yield 30 medium cupcakes. Also making your cupcakes larger may add to your bake time.

Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all of the dry ingredients together first.

2. Mix all of the liquid ingredients into the dry. Mix until the batter is smooth– free of lumps or bubbles.

3. Add batter to each cupcake sleeve. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes.

4. Make the frosting while your cupcakes bake.

5. Mix together butter, cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla.

6. Beat until smooth.

7. Remove cupcakes from the oven. Cool 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

8. Frost and decorate the cupcakes.

9. Eat

September Sweat Sessions: Workout 4

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 | Megan

Climbing the hill into Week 4 of our September Sweat Sessions challenge! Way to go!!! This workout is all about CONTRAST. You will be climbing hills, and you will be taking to the flats for a couple sprint sets mixed with active recovery. So saddle up, and ride this workout with a smile!

This workout is great for indoor cycling, stationary bike, recumbent, or elliptical machine. You can easily use this as an interval ride outdoors if you already have a perfect hill to hit for 5 minutes!

Here’s to Monday! Energy! Fitness! GO! (Workout below.)

XX, Megan

For this ride you really only have to choose two levels of resistance– the resistance level where you want your 5 minute hill to begin, and the resistance level where you will be sprinting. Ideally you will choose a “gear” somewhere in the middle for your hill so that you will be on a heavy resistance by the time you hit the top of that hill. You will increase the resistance with a right turn on your bike every minute.

After your hill, you will take the majority of your resistance off for a flat. However, make sure you leave some resistance on so that you are not spinning out uncontrollably, especially on the sprint sets! You’ll repeat these two 5 minute intervals 3 times consecutively. Have a great, workout!!!

Workout 4

Warm up– 3 minute stretch on the bike

3 minute cruise easily

4 minutes of pick-ups. 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off.

Profile

5 minute hill adding resistance every minute.

Now release most of your gear to maintain a flat as you recover and sprint.

1 minute active recovery

1 minute sprint

1 minute active recovery

1 minute sprint

1 minute active recovery

Do these two 5 minute sets 3 times!

*If you want to challenge yourself, just add additional sprints to your set on the flat. You could do 1 minute of spiriting on and then a 1 minute recovery alternating for six minutes. That will give you another 1 minute sprint to your flats, before you head up another 5 minute hill!

September Sweat Sessions: Check in 3

September 18, 2015September 17, 2015 | Megan

I didn’t really think you wanted to see another shot of the inside of a cycling classroom, amiright?!? So here’s some inspiration from the ACTUAL road. The climb. The grind. The mind. From a guy that cut off the top of his shoes so that he could finish the race!!!

AWESOME.

Now we aren’t all at that level. That is all well and fine. We can’t all be Olympic athletes. But we can consistently work toward our PERSONAL body best. YOUR best is simply that– YOURS. You don’t have to walk someone else’s walk. You don’t have to eat someone else’s dinner. You don’t have to COMPETE or COMPARE yourself to anyone else.

You simply need to find a way to move your body, engage your body, and consume energy healthily!

I want to make sure that you are clear that the reason I’ve done the September Sweat Sessions, the reason I rolled out Mondays in May Get Moving has very little to do with pant size. It has EVERYTHING to do with health, happiness, longevity, and the enjoyment of the life you’ve created for yourself. (And it definitely had to do with the fact that the ice cream and I had a really great love affair this summer!)

Being fit. Being active is a LIFESTYLE. And it really is a style that everyone should wear.

So coming to the close of WEEK 3 of our September Sweat Sessions give yourself a pat on the back. If you’ve followed along since Monday, August 31st, we’ll be able to eek out 5 weeks of workouts in September. That’s 15 workouts already! That is a GREAT start or a great reset no matter where you are in your exercise spectrum.

I don’t know about you, but I already notice a difference in my physique. These changes are minute, small, maybe unnoticeable to others. But, again, it isn’t others who I am out to work for– this is for ME! This is so that I can play tag, and practice soccer, and climb trees, and jump between rocks, hike, bike, swim, climb, paddle, and be still. I want to breath, and laugh, and live all while feeling healthy, fit, and free to do the things life requires of my BODY.

Now is the time to check in with yourself. What portion of your goals did you accomplish this week? For me, simply maintaining my goal to workout everyday was enough. I have definitely done a better job of choosing healthy eating options over processed, sugar loaded, food-to-go. But I have definitely enjoyed a few sweets here and there (in case you didn’t see the Instagram of my 2 pound bag of Jelly Belly’s, NO I did not eat them all. YES, I could eat them all, but I let moderation reign me in.)

What are some tweaks you will make to your BODY MOVIN’ next week? Will you add in some resistance training? Will you sub a kick-boxing class for one of your cardio days? Will you do a circuit on the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike to mix it up? I can’t wait to hear how it’s going!

I hope you move into the weekend with plans to KEEP MOVING! Where will your motion take you this weekend? To the pool, lake, or river? To that mountain meadow you’ve been meaning to visit? To that 5K you’ve been training for? WAY TO GO!

Until Monday, keep that body movin’!!!

XX, Megan

Playing Favorites

September 17, 2015October 20, 2015 | Megan

Alright, I’ll admit it. I do have favorites in the wardrobe realm. Do you? For example: Red, Gray, and Green is one of my favorite color stories. Example: Red and tortoise accents are also some of my favorite. Example: A little touch or menswear inspiration never hurt any outfit, i.e. these chinos.

So I do play favorites in what I wear, and I think it’s great. It’s great because these combinations seem to jive for me on a consistent basis. It’s great because you don’t have to overthink every outfit decision or everyday wear. Just throw it on and go.

So I might not wear these heels for a day in the carpool, drop off, gym visit, dishwasher loading, laundry folding, soccer gaming. I might substitute a pair of red flats. But I WOULD wear this getup on a casual date night where I can get away with heels. That would be A-O-KAY!

May your Thursday be filled with your favorites.

XX, Megan