Eating Clean!

July 31, 2012

I thought I'd share some of what I've been eating here on the blog.  You know, since I haven't posted a real recipe in ages. Lol! I plan to get back on track with some sort of posting schedule.  At the very least, I'd love to do 2 outfits posts, 1 beauty post and 1 recipe post a week. Just typing that is giving me anxiety. Lol! There aren't enough hours in the day.

But I digress.

Being honest: I do still indulge a bit - especially on the weekends {and especially this past weekend for my birthday!}. During the week, I have been sticking to whole, clean foods and drinking plenty of water.  Except for last night when I made buttery pancakes for dinner. YUM! :)

Here are some of my clean eats:

{Seasoned and grilled chicken breasts.  We normally grill a bunch of chicken breasts on Sunday for the week's dinners and lunches.  I like to season them well with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and a pinch of oregano before grilling.  Most times, we grill whole breasts - bone in, skin on - but the boneless skinless ones work too. Whatever's on sale! I keep them wrapped tight in the fridge to easily grab and chop when needed.}

{Beans! I have been having a love affair with beans lately.  I used the canned ones {rinsed and drained to remove the sodium} of all varieties.  Cannellini beans are my fave.  I like to either make a bean stir fry in a little olive oil with onions, peppers, tomatoes, cumin, chopped cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and serve it with brown rice. OR chill it and serve it on top of a salad for lunch. So flavorful and so good!}


{My "treat" lately has been having whole grain tortilla chips and fresh guacamole.  To make the guacamole, I smash 2 or 3 ripe avocados with a fresh squeezed lime. To the avocado mash, I add 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion, 1/4 cup finely chopped Roma tomato, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, salt and pepper to taste and lots and lots of fresh cilantro. It's amazing!}


{When I am craving Mexican, specifically my Tacos, I whip up this dish using ground chicken {an absolute favorite ingredient}. I get the ground chicken and a small finely diced onion started in a pan with some olive oil and season it really well with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, red pepper flakes and a pinch of oregano. Once the mixture is done, I enjoy it on a whole grain tortilla with half of an avocado. YUM!}


{Eggs for dinner is a regular occurrence on the days where I just don't feel like cooking.  I get the carton of egg whites and cook about 1/2 cup in olive oil, simply seasoned with salt and pepper and steamed broccoli.}


{Salad on a tostada!  I made a dangerous discovery. Making tostadas at home - starting with a pan "fried" whole grain tortilla. I coat the tortilla in oil and brown it while it crisps in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  The texture is perfection!! On this night, I topped it with field greens, chopped grilled chicken breast, chopped red onion, rinsed and drained canned kidney beans, sliced avocado, salt, pepper, dried parsley and a homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette*.  Such a filling dinner.}


{Can you tell how addicted to avocados I am? I love them! I made my spin on BLTs for Sunday lunch a couple weeks ago. I used turkey bacon - the Goodshall's brand is the only one I'll eat, ripe and juicy tomatoes, ripe sliced avocado and plenty salt and fresh cracked pepper. Served open-faced style on top of a toasted slice of wheat toast.}


{I pretty much eat salads every day of the week at work for lunch. And this one was almost too pretty to eat. I love enjoying great looking {and tasting!} food.  I topped a bed of raw spinach with grilled chopped chicken breast {told you! we eat so much grilled chicken breast, LOL!}, shopped red onion, chopped red pepper and honey balsamic vinaigrette*}.


{My version of chopped salad.  Just random fresh ingredients on a plate, drizzled with *honey balsamic vinaigrette*. In this case: shredded rotisserie chicken, hard boiled egg, red onion, red pepper, avocado, spinach, sliced cucumber, and raw cashews.  I like to keep chopped veggies in baggies in a big bowl in the fridge to be able to easily grab.}

For the most part, I really enjoy this freshened up way of eating.  I love that I can still be creative with what I make.  I am not "dropping the pounds", but I am feeling good and looking less "puffy" which I love! Eating this way takes a lot of planning and of course buying fresh foods is always more expensive, but I've always splurged in the grocery store on fruit and veggies.  My kids are great fruit and veggie eaters so we are all loving it. We are doing a lot less snacking on crap and more snacking on natural sweet fruits.  It's been fun! :)

*Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 (5/8 ounce) package Good Seasonings Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 clove crushed garlic
fresh black pepper

Add all ingredients to a mason jar {or plastic container with a lid} and shake well to coombine.  Refrigerate leftover.  A little of this goes a long way - so flavorful! :)

For more random food and syle pics, follow me on Instagram, if you'd like!

xoxo, thanks for reading! ♥

Thirty Three!

July 27, 2012







{Black and White Polka Dot Dress ~ ELLE {via Kohl's} / Light Denim Tuxedo Blazer ~ Rock & Republic {via Kohl's} / Colorblock Sandals ~ Zara / Various Bangles ~ Wrist Soiree, Forever 21 / Sunnies ~ Vintage {via Etsy}} 

Happy Friday! My apologies for the picture overload.  As a general rule for me, I like to post 5 outfit pics at the most - anything over that and I start to feel silly.  Seriously, how many different pictures / poses are needed for ONE outfit? LOL! I thought I would {over}share my birthday outfit. :)

Ok, let's be real: this dress is too too short for my comfort level.  Especially with my height {5'7"} and with these heels on.  Which is why I wore Tory Burch Reva flats for most of the day and only rocked these heels for a hot second.  Hehe! The length was more appropriate with flats, I promise. :)  ...well, in my opinion...for this 33 year old.

Speaking of 33, I have heard from more than a few people that 33 was their best year!  That makes me so excited, I plan to make 33 my best year too.



xoxo, thanks for reading! Have a great weekend. ♥


Feeling Blue

July 25, 2012




{Royal Blue Dress ~ Forever 21+ / Turquoise and Royal Wedges ~ Mootsies Tootsies {so, so comfy ~ on sale, here!} / Polka-dot Jacket ~ Thrifted / Silver and Gold Handbag ~ Daisy Boutique}

I am still so in love with this dress... this royal {cobalt} blue has to be my favorite color to wear.  I felt so energetic with this on today, for some reason. LOL! That may have something to do with these adorable wedges - I had a pep in my step walking around with these cuties on.

Aaand... I just realized that I have worn a dress everyday this week.  I love it!  The dress-wearing celebration shall continue tomorrow.  I plan on wearing a fab little number for my birthday.  It's only right. :)  Stay tuned!

xoxo, thanks for reading. ♥

Casual Printed Dress

July 24, 2012






{Southwestern Printed Cotton Dress ~ Sonoma via Kohl's ~ on sale here! / Peacock Blue Leather Reva Flats ~ Tory Burch / Various Bangles ~ Wrist Soiree, Forever 21 and Thrifted / Navy Blue Leather Crossbody Handbag ~ Thrifted / Sunnies ~ Urban Outfitters}

Ok, firstly ~ I am in love with my golden glow from soaking up the sun while on vacation.  Hehe!

I was on the hunt for a few cute little {inexpensive!} casual dresses to finish out this summer and I am so glad I tried this dress on at Kohl's.  It instantly caught my eye; I thought the print was adorable and I adore the elbow length sleeves.  I was also sold when I realized it has pockets.  Dresses with pockets are the best, ever! 

...and although it annoys everyone I shop with {namely my sister, LOL!} this is why I try EVERYTHING on.

Heels will definitely take this to another level the next time I wear it but on a 90+ degree day at the office, flats worked just fine. :)

Do you also try everything on? Even the things that you think won't work? 

xoxo, thanks for reading! ♥

Family Vacation 2012

July 23, 2012

We had a wonderful family vacation in Myrtle Beach this year.  My mom and sisters, niece and nephew came too - we had a blast!

Photo-overload below... I didn't bring either of my cameras - these were all taken with my iPhone, fancied up with the Pixlromatic app.  :)






































See you next year, Myrtle Beach! ♥