Post-Christmas Sales or Why My Bank Account Currently Hates Me

'Tis the season for post-Christmas shopping (as though our bank accounts weren't already sad enough). Its time to pretend like my 2015 New Year's resolutions to "spend less money shopping" and to "embrace minimalism" aren't literally 4 days from being enacted. That's right buddy, for the next 96 hours (give or take) all bets are off and I may end up with an entirely new wardrobe of mostly black, white and gray attire (because "wear more color" is also a 2015 resolution but clothes purchased prior don't count).

There are a million sales going on right now so here are just a few of my favorites. I actually have a whole word document full of more sales but I'm tired so this is all I'm posting for today.

Happy Shopping!

Banana Republic
50% off Everything in the Entire Store
+Take an extra 50% off Sale (OMG)

Clockwise from top left: Navy Wrap Dress,  Draped Jersey Top,  Marble Cuff, Drapey Vee Pullover

This is ridiculous. Basically BR is asking us to steal their clothes. Everything above is on sale thus it is 50% off of the already marked down price!
A little bit more on each item: I can't tell you how much I love their wrap dresses (I have a black one that I got for $19.99 on sale in 2007 and I still wear it). A wrap dress is a God-send if you're bloated, PMSing or if you've put on 5 lbs a la Christmas cookies.
Jersey anything makes me swoon (no wrinkles when you travel!) plus again its just so damn flattering!
I've been all about cuffs and bangles lately. Love this gold and black marble one. 
The V-neck pullover I'm basically going to live in.  This is classic J.Crew Pixie Pants, pullover, go. 

Forever21
Up to 75% off

Clockwise from top left: Mesh-Paneled Dress, Pleated Blouse, Bon Voyage Make-up Case, Open-Front Cardigan

 

I'll be honest everything above has already been purchased and is on its way to my house.
The black dress has a mesh insert so its sexy but subtle. If it gets here in time its totally going to be my NYE dress (plus some fabulous jewelry).
The black and white pleated blouse is just too darn cute.
Bon Voyage make-up bag is actually for my little sister but I'm now kind of bummed I didn't get one for me too.
The draped open front cardigan is a staple. I own one but it has multiple holes in the sleeves and really needs to be retired. For $18 I really couldn't say no to this could I?

Here's a secret (I used this just last night so it still should work): want an extra 10% off?
Use this code: 10FRNGU

Francesca's 
Extra 40% off Clearance
Some of my favorites below:

Clockwise from left: Cutout Croptop, Midi Skirt, Vneck Sweater, Metallic Snakeskin Jeans

The croptop is basically free so just buy it and thank me later.
The printed midi skirt, I got a long one very similar to this from Forever21 over the summer. It was so cute that literally all of my co-workers bought it too.
White and black v-Neck sweater--CLASSIC!
Metallic Snakeskin Jeans--how cute would these be for New Year's? I love sparkle on the bottom too because its unexpected, everyone wears sparkly tops and dresses but a metallic pant is understated and different.

Alright folks that's it for now!

With Saturdays like these who needs Mondays?

Today is one of those hot but gorgeous summer days that just begs for you to be outside (hopefully by a pool with a cold drink in hand!).

I started the day off with coffee and brunch at the Pearl Brewery with my favorite neighbor Gigi.  The brunch at Cured is to DIE FOR! We're talking Bananas Foster French Toast with Praline Bacon (definitely going to need run for about 100 miles to burn that off!).  Oh my gosh SO GOOD (the picture does NOT do it justice)!

On the way home I went by Target to return a shirt...huge mistake.  I returned one $8 item only to purchase $48 worth of stuff...ugh Target your perfectly packaged items get me EVERY DARN TIME!

Nate Berkus Folders and Gold Shears feel less like office supplies and more like home decorations. 

Now I'm doing some laundry and crunching on kale chips before I head over to my boss's house for pool time!

Oh and yes at some point I need to pack since I'm leaving at 6:05 in the morning for San Francisco!

Farmer's Market and Blackberry Peach Spritzer!

This morning I went to the Pearl Farmer's Market with my family.  Going to the Farmer's Market is one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning.  I got delicious blackberries, strawberries, fresh peaches, mixed greens and some jalapeno artichoke goat cheese (<--so delicious).


I came home and decided to make a Blackberry Peach Limonata Spritzer for the pool.  You can really substitute the fruit here. 

Ingredients:
1 Small Peach
8 Blackberries
1 Tbs. Light Agave Nectar
Handful of Ice Cubes
2 oz. Chopin Vodka 
1 Can San Pellegrino Limonata
1/2 Blackberry Izze or Sparkling Water








To Make: 
Muddle the peach, blackberries and agave nectar in a small bowl until its a nice syrupy consistency.

Fruit--pre-Agave nectar

In a shaker place several ice cubes, vodka and fruit/nectar syrup.

Shake until blended.

Open up the shaker and remove the ice cubes.

Pour liquid into cocktail glass.  Add San Pellegrino and your choice of Blackberry Izze (if you like it sweeter) or Sparkling Water (if you like it more tame but bubbly).

Enjoy!

Easy Dinners--Fake Pasta with Ground Turkey Marinara

A couple of days ago I got this book written by one of my favorite bloggers: 

The Skinny Confidential, Lauryn Evarts

Let's just say I'm OBSESSED.

Last night for dinner I took one of her recipes and modified it for Steve "Must have Meat for Dinner" and I.  It was delicious and left us feeling full but not gross.

Fake Pasta with Ground Turkey Marinara
Makes about 2 servings

Ingredients: 
For the "Pasta":
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 handfuls of broccolini, chopped
1/2 jalapeno diced
Lemon Pepper, to taste

For the Meat Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1.25 lbs Lean All-Natural Ground Turkey
2 tsps Herbs de Provence
Lemon Pepper, to taste
Pinch of salt
Garlic powder, to taste
1 jar of your favorite all-natural marinara sauce

Garnish:
1/2 Lemon, squeezed
Red Pepper Flakes (which I totally forgot)
A few sprinkles of grated Romano or Parmesean
Fresh Basil (optional, I didn't use it)

Step 1:
In a pan or cast iron skillet heat olive oil and add pre-seasoned ground turkey.
In a separate saute pan heat coconut oil.  Add sliced bell peppers. I add in some lemon pepper.

Step 2:
Allow the turkey to brown.
In the veggie pan add broccolini.
You can either throw the marinara in the veggie pan or if you're me and love to dirty dishes put it in a sauce pan on low to medium heat.

Step 3:
Once the turkey has browned add to the marinara sauce (whether its in the veggie pan or the sauce pan).
Add jalapenos to the veggie pan.

Step 4:
Transfer everything to a bowl. Add lemon juice, sprinkle some chili flakes and fresh romano cheese.

Step 5:
Enjoy the deliciousness that is eating without grain!

Grocery Store Judgment

You know those people that judge what's on the conveyor belt at the grocery store check out?
I am TOTALLY that person.  Its kind of become a game.  I've gotten to the point where I can look at the person in front of me in line and tell you whether or not there's going to be soda or a bunch of sweets on that line.  I can also tell you if they're going to have fresh fruits and veggies or not. I also catch myself wanting to randomly help people as they shop.  Please oh please put down the Peter Pan Peanut Butter and pick up some Maranatha Almond Butter (don't get me started on peanut butter's carcinogenic properties...ewwwww) or do you know low fat is a lie?

Don't worry though, I hold myself to the same standard.  What does the conveyor belt look like when I'm shopping? Hopefully like this:

Full of bright colors, veggies, fruit, whole grains and lean proteins.

This is what makes me feel happy. Knowing that I'm making clean, healthy, wholesome foods for my family.

Tomorrow I'm making a recipe straight from Lauryn Evarts' new book.  I'll post it.

Easy Dinners--Gluten Free Mozzarella Chicken

Steve has been asking for Chicken Monterey A LOT lately.  Well, unfortunately I had zero monterey jack cheese in the house BUT I did have lots of mozzarella.  Sorry babe, next time :).
He wasn't too bummed though because this awesomeness happened:

We ended up eating it for the rest of the week.

Mozzarella Chicken
Makes about 4 servings (more if you're like me and only eat half of a chicken breast at a time)
Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup Milk
1 cup Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
1 jar of marinara sauce (you can also use Tomato Sauce)
2 T. Olive Oil, divided
1 T Parsley (the original recipe calls for fresh, I used dry)
1 T dried basil, crushed
1 T dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (I just shook them until it looked right)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella

Step 1:
Dip each chicken breast in milk.  Shake off excess.

Place in a single layer and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the bread crumbs.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

For reference these are my favorite GF Bread Crumbs:

Step 2
Spray a 9x13 inch pan with olive oil or cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of the marinara or tomato sauce on the pan and set aside.

 Step 3
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil and swirl, making sure to coat the bottom of the pan.  

Step 4
Pull the chicken breasts out of the fridge and pan fry two of them in the oil, about 1 minute each side. Use the rest of the olive oil for the second batch.

Step 5
Arrange the now browned chicken in the glass pan.

Step 6

Spoon remaining tomato sauce or marinara evenly over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with basil, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Top with mozzarella and pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. You want the cheese to be bubbly and a little golden.

Step 7
Let the chicken set for a few minutes and then dig in.

I served mine with gluten free pasta and broccoli:

A note on prepping broccoli:
I love pan sauteing my veggies in coconut oil.   It gives them this added nice nutty flavor.  Make sure you use Virgin Coconut Oil (I love the one from Trader Joe's).
I also add a bit of olive oil and lots of lemon pepper and garlic powder.  Also, you know my obsession with 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe's.  

ENJOY :)

Easy Dinners--Honey Dijon Lemon Chicken

'Tis the season for trimming down your waist and your wallet.  Hence this recipe: its cheap, delicious and healthy. I love this recipe because I rarely have to go to the grocery store to get any of the ingredients.  Both honey and dijon mustard keep forever and if you get bottled Real Lemon Juice and keep it in the fridge you're good to go (you can even skip the lemon juice if you're in a bind). It seems like I do a lot of chicken recipes so I'll try to change it up next time and do fish or red meat.

Ingredients: 
1.5 lbs Chicken (3-4 Breasts)
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard (I used slightly less than a quarter cup)
Juice of 2 Lemons (or a couple of squirts from the Real Lemon Juice)
Lemon Pepper
21 Seasoning Salute (from Trader Joe's)
Red Pepper Flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse off and trim the fat off of your chicken breasts and pat try with paper towels. 
   
2. Season both sides of the chicken with lemon pepper, 21 Seasoning Salute and Red Pepper Flakes.  I don't measure this, I just do a couple of shakes of each seasoning on each side. 
   
3. In a small bowl mix honey, dijon mustard and lemon juice.  Don't be afraid to taste it to make sure you've got the consistency right.
   
4. Place the seasoned chicken breasts in an oven safe baking dish. Cover with the honey dijon marinade. 
   
5. Cover with aluminum foil or the lid of the baking dish. Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes. 
   
6. Enjoy! I always forget to take a pic of the finished product because I'm too busy enjoying it!

Now Dessert
Want some healthy dessert options? Check out one of my favorite bloggers: Taralynn McNitt and her fabulous blog Undressed Skeleton.  This girl loves to find ways to make traditionally unhealthy things (like the brownies here) healthy.

I made a couple of alterations to her brownie recipe.  I used gluten free baking flour (I really like Red Mills Gluten Free Flour because it includes Xantham Gum which helps when baking with non-glutinous grains).  I accidentally used too much unsweetened cocoa powder so I actually used 8 packets of Purevia instead of 5.  I also added extra chocolate chips to the batter instead of just on top (don't worry I added them on top too).  

This picture doesn't do them justice they're delish. Mine are a bit fudgey but I love them and love knowing that they're WAY better for me than traditional brownies.

Resolution Time

Its 2014!!! Is it me or did last year go by ridiculously fast??

So grateful to have rung in the new year with these peeps and their hubbies:

From Left: Allison, Brittney, Cara, Laura, Me

This is my second year in a row celebrating New Year's with this group.  Totally love them.  We stayed at Ben & Britt's, drank delicious champagne punch (recipe here), ate LOTS of yummy food and played Cards Against Humanity (best game ever).

My lame butt was asleep by 11pm...don't worry though, I woke up at midnight to kiss my husband and hop into bed.

Allison and I woke up New Year's morning and ran a 5K.  Don't be too impressed, its the last time I've worked out since the New Year started.

My Resolutions for this Year?
Here we go: 

1. Be more intentional with my time and "be present." How many times do I attempt to "multitask" and in so doing totally miss being completely attentive to the task or person I'm with?  I always complain about not having enough time to do things but the truth is I'm often just not being intentional with the time I have.
2. ACTUALLY stick to my budget.  I love to fudge budget numbers or in the past charge things. Its a problem.  NO MORE!
3. Simplify my life.  I have so much STUFF!  Clothes I don't wear, old make up & lotions that need to be thrown away, fashion magazines that I'm NEVER going to look at again (because they're so old the clothes are no longer in fashion), college papers, you name it I have it. I need to do a massive detox.
4. Eat healthier. Less sugar mainly.  Less glutinous grains...really grains in general. Less dairy. More veggies and fruit, lean protein, etc. 
5. Get moving more.  Sometimes I do a poor job of working out when I feel like I have two short of a time to get a "good" workout in.  We all know a short workout is better than no workout. 
6. Read my Bible daily. Talk to God more.