Floss Challenge

So, this is kind of random but dental health is very important, much more important beyond just having fresh breath, and I hope all of you take good care of your teeth and gums! After reading the shocking statistic that more than half of American adults have some form of gum disease or gingivitis and don't even know about it, I wanted to learn more about this fact and how it can be prevented. Luckily, Dr. Oz had all the information I was looking for.

I saw Dr. Oz a while back on Good Morning America talking about the importance of flossing and the fact that it helps prevent heart disease, cancer, and some effects of aging! In fact, if you DON'T floss, you are four times more likely to have a stroke! 

"Brushing and flossing every day (combined with seeing a dental professional every six months or so) can have a RealAge effect of making you up to 6.4 years younger. Because of its ability to decrease inflammation in your gums and subsequently in your arteries, flossing will help you keep your heart pumping and your sex life thriving-not to mention your teeth intact. Pressed for time? Then follow this rule: Only floss the teeth you want to keep." -Dr. Oz

Research has shown it takes approximately 60 days for something to become a habit, so I have a special challenge for all of you. I would like you to try and make flossing your new daily habit, if it's not already. It doesn't take that long, you can do it just once a day, it's best to do it at night before you go to bed and after you brush your teeth. Any time of day can work. Even if you're stuck in traffic, pull your floss out and go to town! For the next 60 days, I would like you to promise to floss every single day! After the 60 days are done, you won't even think about it as if it's something you have to do, but you'll just do it automatically! If you miss a day, don't fret and don't give up! Just do it the next day then. It's so good for you and I want all of you to be healthy people! Keep your minds, bodies, and gums extra healthy!

So, who's up for the challenge? This simple change could improve your life and future! Get yourself some silky smooth floss to make it easier for you. Even if your gums bleed a bit at first, stick with it. Unhealthy gums have too much blood in them so they bleed. Your body sends the blood to your gums to fight infection and bacteria so the more you floss, the healthier your gums will be and the less they'll bleed!  I'm obviously not a dentist of any kind, but I know how much better I feel after flossing and watching Dr. Oz talk about all the risks, I'd rather spend a couple minutes flossing every day so I can spend my golden years taking trips instead of taking pills!

Croatian Floss (left), American Satin Floss (right)

Thanks sissy for sending it!



Do you floss regularly? Comment below if you'd like to join the challenge! I'm not going to hold you to it, but every so often I'll check in with you and let you know how my habit is going and see how yours is going! I'll have some more motivation (perhaps in the form of a postcard or prize of some sort) along the way. Join in and keep your gums and body healthy all the way through! Floss tonight!



The Best Recipe You Thought You Knew, But You Don't!

Tomislav begged me to share this with you all because it literally has changed our lives in the kitchen. It seems so basic and simple but most people go the wrong way about it. Here is how you can make PERFECT hard boiled eggs, every single time.

You want them perfect, not rubbery, delicious and gorgeously yellow? Of course you do! Follow these simple instructions and I SWEAR you will be eating hard boiled eggs all the time! Here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Put the eggs in a pot and fill with cold water just an inch above the eggs.
Step 2: Bring to a boil.
Step 3: After it's at a rolling boil, TURN OFF THE HEAT and set the timer for 17 min!
Step 4: Leave the eggs

After 17 minutes are up, drain the water and either put the eggs in an ice bath to stop cooking or just pour cold water over the eggs and you will literally have the best eggs ever! They are so perfect for breakfast, or slice them up for sandwiches, or chop them for salads! Amazingly perfect eggs, every single time!

My egg wasn't sliced the best way, but you can see I made a fantastic Euro-style open faced sandwich with cheese, cold cuts, cucumbers, and my amazing hard boiled eggs! Look at how orange the yolks are - doesn't get better than that!

Weekend Update with Nikki

A good way for me to keep up to date on the latest news in pop culture is by watching recent Saturday Night Live episodes. Even though I'm a week behind on each one, it still catches me up on election news and funny skits that people back in the States might be talking about. Anyway, T-Slav is away on his bachelor party weekend rafting in Bosnia! This leaves me with a free Saturday to forget about wedding planning for the day and catch up on SNL and my fav American shows and Chinese take-out. Oh yeah, I've already forgotten about the fact that I have to fit in my wedding dress in a few weeks...

I have some fun things to share. I did an interview for the Pocono Record about doing House Hunters International. It was on the front page of their website yesterday and you can read it here if you'd like. Just a couple of things I want to mention that were not quite right with the article. The name of the show is House Hunters International, not 'International House Hunters.' Also, I work in a school, not a university. Finally, I totally forgot that Tomislav is 26 years old and not 25 anymore. 25 just really suit him so well so I guess I kinda forgot his birthday was in March and that technically makes him a year older. Oh well :)

Also yesterday, we met up with our wedding photographer to make some plans for the big day. She is so talented, fun, and easy to talk to and I couldn't be happier! I know she will make our wedding day even that much better because she really rocks! 

 

 27 days to go! 

Bridal Shower in a Box

If you are Tomislav (hi babe!), then as my confidante, you know that I've been bumming on some of the American traditions that I am missing out on pre-wedding simply because they don't have the same traditions here. Since I was last home in January, I knew I wouldn't be home again before the wedding and there have been a couple of times where I broke down because I was sad that my Mom wouldn't be able to throw me a bridal shower. We had so much fun organizing my sister's bridal shower last year and it turned out so well. Last Friday afternoon, I was having one of those blue moments and of course, chatted with my sister since she always makes everything better. Little did I know, I was in for a big surprise this past weekend!

The plan was to check out this new club on Saturday night but first we'd all meet up at our great friend Ivona's house for some drinks. We were getting ready to go out and at first I wanted to wear jeans and then Tomislav kept telling me to dress sexier! I was like, "Whaaaaat?!" He never tells me what to wear so it was shocking! Thank goodness he told me to though because when we got to Ivona's...

SURPRISE!

 

My amazing MOH and sister organized a bridal shower in a box and sent it over here, complete with recipes and marriage advice from all the wonderful women in my life over in America, (as well as ones from Croatia), presents, and so much love!

 Ivona - Dominika's co-host ;)

Adorable Maja in the bridal bow hat!

 Bridal Shower ---> Bachelorette Party in Cro Cro!

 Girls rule :)

 The "Bree-da" in the Middle (That's Bride in Croatian hehe)

It was a total dream come true, and made me so so so happy. Dominika, my Mom, Tomislav, and all my friends from the States and Croatia and everywhere made it so special for me. I'm so happy that even though I'm far from home, my 2 best gals still were able to throw me an unforgettable bridal shower! AND I love my girls here for taking the opportunity to give me a Croatian bachelorette party while they were at it ;) Thank you all so much! How lucky am I? 2 surprise parties in the last 6 months!

Wesołe Wesele

So I've been noticeably (or maybe not so noticeably) absent for a bit because I am officially BRIDE-ing out all over the place! Our wedding is exactly one month from tomorrow. Yes, ONE MONTH! Family and friends start arriving even sooner, plus I'm still working of course, so everything is complete busy madness.

Luckily, I have the absolute greatest Maid of Honor ever, but still, there is only so much you can do from 4,000 miles away or however far it is. So T-Slav and I are going a bit cray cray but still trying to remain sane. We found out about some more last minute paperwork that we need to do which has left my family scrambling a bit to help us get them. Also, we will need to do some super-last minute translations, and ah there are so just so many things to do!

So today, I think back to one year ago. Tomislav had arrived in America to come to my grad. school graduation and of course to Dominika and Paul's wedding. My aunt and uncle and little cousin had also just arrived (for the very first time). We were getting ready for D & P's big day and among the preparations, Tomislav and I were lucky enough to have our wonderful, fantastic, über talented friends, Britt and Lindsay take our engagement pictures. Visit their website!

 

 Love Philly

Sweetness

 

Outside of Rittenhouse Park...where we got engaged!

This one was featured on our episode of House Hunters International!

 Some more of our engagement pictures can be seen here! Hopefully some of the wedding planning stress and insanity simmers down soon. Think of me these days and send me some positive, relaxing vibes my way if you can! I could use any calmness you have to spare ;)

Wedding Dress Workouts

It's absolutely fitting that I write about my latest ventures in exercising the day after the taco post ;) There is an important reason for it though:

I need to fit into my wedding dress! 

So, one of my sisters' best friends, Dana started a blog recently and I've been really inspired by her to step up my game when it comes to fitness. Our wedding is in about 4 weeks (!!!!)  and since New Year's we've been saying how we want to be in the best shape of our lives. T has always been better about working out than me because he likes to play sports whereas I am so uncoordinated, they only way I can catch a frisbee or ball or something is by it hitting me in the face. Seriously. Not good!

Anyway, so while Tomislav is out playing squash or ultimate frisbee, my main exercise came from walking the mile up and down hill to work and sporadically doing a yoga video at home or pilates. Since I had a week off after Easter, it was a great time for me to really get healthy inside and out. I started running, pretty regularly. Tomislav and I have gone together for a run on the riverbanks on a nice day before but usually I couldn't muster the motivation to go running on my own. It always felt boring to me and I felt self conscious thinking that neighbors or people around would think, "What is she doing? She doesn't know what she's doing." I did absolutely horrible at track and field in high school and never found an event I was good at because I was terrible at them all!

But I want to be active and healthy so, I began doing a 2 minute run/1 minute walk on the riverbank, I jogged to the market (then walked back with the groceries), and shockingly enough, after I dropped the groceries off I wanted to go back out there and keep going! This never happened before. I'm usually really not the type but so far I've really enjoyed my newfound exercise strength. Now, it's just about finding the time to go out. I would really love to go for a run in the morning before work but that would mean getting up even earlier (like 6am early, yikes) and no matter how many times I've set the alarm, I can't get up that early. I've been tutoring after school almost everyday and that combined with meeting up with a friend for a coffee, the endless wedding meetings we have and everything else going on, I can't find the time until like 9pm, and I really don't have the energy to go out in the dark then. So I'm considering going at least for a short run during my lunch break. I don't want to get all gross and sweaty though so not the best idea.

There you have it, this is how I look after a work out! 
All red and sweaty...who cares what the neighbors/girls at our neighborhood bakery think?

If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it! I just want to be healthy and I also need to fit in my wedding dress...oh how I dread that measuring tape! Since my dress is still in the States, my Mom sent me the measurements. I'm not trying to do anything drastic, I just have a couple of centimeters to go so I can zip up my dress. Really hope it'll fit by the time my sister brings it here! I don't belong to a gym here in Zagreb (they are very expensive here!) so I need to use my surroundings (as Dana says, the world is your gym!) and any online resources that are available internationally! So, if you have any tips for a relative newbie in the exercising arena, please let me know. Hiking on Sljeme, the mountain in Zagreb, would be really fun to do and I think a nice form of exercise but that's more of a weekend work out.

Do you exercise regularly? What do you do to switch up your routine?

Taco Night!

Stuck for a dinner idea? I totally recommend making tonight a taco night!

I sauteed some onions, added ground turkey (or beef, chicken, fish, whatever you like) and some corn along with chili powder and almost all the spices I have in my cabinet! Sometimes I like to add cooked rice to the meat mixture to thicken it up even more.

You have to have all the fixin's! Guacamole, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and lime sour cream - yum!

Delicioso!

Crunch Crunch!

As for everything that fell out of the shell while you were eating it? Turn it into a taco salad! My fav! You can also just eat it all like this if you don't have taco shells or tortillas. You could make tortillas or if you have tortilla chips you could make this into a loaded nachos meal! This combination of flavors is unbeatable - just try to stop yourself from gobbling it all up!