Recipe: Healthier Tacos

Ethan and I have started back on our "cleaner" eating routine. It's actually kind of tough! It's amazing how your body craves the unhealthy foods when it's used to having it. However, when we make the choice to fight through it and eat the healthier stuff, we feel really good! It's totally worth it!

We love Mexican food. Ethan could eat it every day. We feel like we've almost perfected the homemade salsa so we always like making that. Here is how we've been making tacos lately. They are healthier and delicious!

Ethan and Emily's Healthier Tacos

Ingredients:
1 package of ground turkey (97/3, you want a little fat in there)
1 can of El Pato tomato sauce (in the Hispanic foods section) per pound of meat
Mission brand Whole Wheat and Corn tortillas (amazing)
Fat free sour cream
Guacamole or avocados
Black Beans, smashed
Tomatoes
Monterrey cheese, freshly grated
Blue Diamond Nut Thins (almond with sea salt)
Chopped fruit of some sort (pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, mango, berries)

Directions:
-Cook turkey. Drain. Return to pan with El Pato sauce. Let simmer for a few minutes.
-Make salsa. If you do this ahead of time and refrigerate it, it's better, but fresh works, too!
-Assemble tacos.
-Serve with a serving of salsa and Nut Thins.
-Serve with fruit.
-Enjoy.

Polished: Nail Polish Strips

Happy Wednesday!

I know this is not a new product, but I thought I would review them for you in case you were thinking of trying them. 

Day 4, still going strong:

Day 7: pretty chipped

Day 10: peeling. badly. some nails only had half of the strip left.

I removed the strips this morning with nail polish remover and I wish I had done it sooner! My nails look terrible now. They are peeling and soft. I think had I removed them at day 7, we wouldn't have had this problem, but I really wanted to see how they looked at day 10 since the package says they will last up to 10 days.

Review: I enjoyed the intricate look that I could not have achieved by myself with just plain old nail polish. They are MUCH cheaper than a manicure and last longer than the paint does. I believe that removing them at day 7 would avoid the peeling nails issue and I would be very happy!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Outfit: Old Navy Deals

If I weren't saving all my money for my WISH shopping spree in New Orleans in a few weeks, here are some things from Old Navy that I would buy. They are all on sale!

  

 

 

Thankful: Hair, Magazines, Gum, and Nail Polish

Happy Friday, everyone! What are YOU thankful for today?!

Taste of the South magazine
Project 7 gum
Nail Polish Strips

Recipe: Best Pot Roast Ever

Ok, it may not be the best pot roast ever in the whole wide world, but it is absolutely amazing! Of course it's a Pioneer Woman recipe. Are you shocked?

It's really easy and cooks so well in my le creuset!

The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 whole (3 lb) Chuck Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
3 cups To 4 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Instructions:
1. First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
3. Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
4. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
5. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
6. With the burner still on high, use beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
7. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
8. Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Cook this SOON and enjoy! Happy Thursday!

After the oven!

Before the oven

Polished: Bright Lipstick

Happy Wednesday!

This is a special edition of Polished Wednesday...a video about how much I like to wear bright lipstick!

Covergirl Lip Perfection in Spellbound

Mary Kay in Red

Covergirl Lip Perfection in Divine

Thanks for stopping by!!

Outfit: I Just Like the Dresses

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you're having a great day! We are headed home from Ethan's little brother's high school graduation today. Yay! We love going home to visit. 

So, this is an outfit I wore one Sunday. What can I say? I just really like a little dress...so comfy! Just throw on a cardigan and sandals and you are good to go!

Breakdown: cardigan, GAP; dress, Forever 21; sandals, Shoe Gypsy. All from previous years.

Have a fun day, friends!

Episode Saturday: Burp Cloths

If you are like me, you have a lot of friends who are pregnant or have recently had babies. It's just that time of life, I suppose, in the late 20's. I found this little project as a really easy way to make a great gift that is personalized and special. It does require sewing skills, but bare minimum!  I've included some step by step photos, as well as a video for you, if you want to watch it...it's long.

1. Buy a package of burp cloths (Wal-Mart or Target).

2. Buy some soft fabric, like flannel (1/2 yard is plenty for 2).

3. Iron the burp cloth.

4. Measure burp cloth.

 5. Measure fabric (see, it's way  bigger than the burp cloth). 

 6. Cut the fabric to be 1/2 in to 1 inch larger on all sides than the burp cloth.

7. Lay the fabric, pretty side down, on the burp cloth. Pin, if you so desire.

8. Sew up 1 long side, then 1 short side, then back down the other long side, then about 2/3rds the way down the last short side.

9. Turn right side out. Use finger or chopstick to push the corners out.

10. Sew up the last section on the outside, then continue sewing all around the perimeter of the fabric and burp cloth (1/4 to 1/2 inch seam).

11. Finished!

*Of course, you can frill them up or try something different. This is just the basic idea of this project. 

Have a very happy Saturday!

Thankful: Catalyst Conference

Last week, Ethan and I attended the Catalyst Conference in Dallas with a group from our church. Catalyst is a leadership conference that covers a wide variety of topics, but mostly it is geared toward leaders in the church. The theme was Be Present. We were challenged to turn our phones off and just soak up the information we would receive and to spend time with our friends. All the messages and talks centered on the theme and honestly, it was like being slapped in the face every time because how often are we "too busy" or "so tired" or "totally stressed" and not being present in our lives with our spouses, children, friends, coworkers...Jesus.  

ethan and i on the bus on the way home...super tired!

For my thankful edition this Friday, I would like to share with you the top 3 things I was thankful to hear at the conference.

1. From Judah Smith: The grass is always green where it's watered.
Judah spoke on being present right where God has you. Don't look at someone's grass on the other side of the fence and be jealous because it's greener than yours. It's probably because they are being obedient to 'be present' where God has called them and they are taking care of their grass. Take care of your grass, water it, live in it, and be thankful to be where God has you NOW. I am very thankful to be where we are and I'm so glad God has us right here in Fort Worth. I just need to be better at taking care of our opportunities here.

2. From Bob Goff: Stalkers learn all a person's information...facts, quotes, interesting things. A stalker knows all there is to know about a person, but isn't friends with that person. Don't stalk Jesus. Learn about him because he's your friend and you spend time together. Don't be a stalker.

3. From Andy Stanley: Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.
As a people pleaser, this was a good one for me. You don't have to do everything for everybody. If you do, you're not doing that much good for anyone. But you can't go to the other extreme and not do anything for anybody. Then you definitely aren't helping anyone! But you CAN do for one person, what you wish you could do for everyone. Really invest. Really pour yourself into that one person or one project. That will make a HUGE difference in the one person and also in subsequent people that that person is able to touch because of you. The impact is wider AND deeper. Amazing.

Hope you enjoyed those! Go to the Catalyst website and look around. Listen to some pod casts. Read some blogs. Be challeneged.

Happy Friday! Be thankful today!

Recipe: Breakfast of Champions

You always hear people say that breakfast is the most important meal...and for the past few years, I've taken it seriously and tried to eat a great breakfast every morning, even though it might mean getting up a little earlier every morning.

This is one of my favorites. It has so much fiber and protein that it will keep you full for a long time. Just buy this BetterOats Raw Pure & Simple oatmeal. It's full of raw oats, quinoa, and flax. 

Just microwave it for 2 minutes, stir in some peanut butter, and a little honey if you'd like. Sprinkle on some berries, pour a cup of coffee, sit down and enjoy!!

Happy Thursday!!

Polished: Upside Down French Braid

As I've mentioned, I try to only wash my hair every other day, which means I try to come up with different ways to wear my hair on the second day. 

As you've probably noticed in a lot of my outfit photos, that I wear the high bun quite a bit. It's just so easy! Trying to figure out how to change it up a little bit, I've been seeing on some blogs that you can french braid your hair upside down into the bun. It's slightly difficult, but with a little work, I thought it looked cute. The key for me was to clip the front part of my hair out of the way so I didn't grab it on accident. Try it and see how it works!

These pictures were taken at the end of the day, so it's a little on the messy side, but I really like it that way!

Have a happy Wednesday!

Outfit: My Favorite Things

This outfit encompasses 3 of my favorite things about putting together a look:

Pattern mixing:

Wearing a dress as a skirt:

And purple lipstick:

I say, wear combinations you want. Do what you love. And don't care what people think!

Have a happy Tuesday, everybody!

Breakdown: shirt, Wal-Mart; dress as skirt, Forever 21 (2011); belt, Target; sandals, shoe gypsy (2011); lipstick, Covergirl Lip Perfection in Divine.

Saturday Episode: Making Jam

A few things I really enjoy: hanging out with friends and doing something crafty/Martha Stewart-ish. About once a month, I get together with some ladies and we do those 2 things. It's one of my favorite nights! 

This past time, we made jam! We followed this recipe and used the printables (and some that my friend edited to match the berries we were actually using). We made blackberry and strawberry jam, so here are some pictures of the two, during the process:

1. You need 3 cups of smashed berries. Grab a potato masher and smash away!

Johnita is really smashing the blackberries.

We put the strawberries in the food processor and let it do the work for us!

2. Then you add 5 1/4 cups sugar and stir together until mixed. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

3. Mix a package of Sure-Jell fruit pectin with 2/3 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil for 1 minute while stirring and then pour directly into the berry/sugar mixture.

4. Stir for 3 minutes and then pour into 8 1/2 pint jars.

5. Put lids on immediately. Wipe jars down, because it WILL make a mess!

6. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in fridge for 3 weeks or in freezer for up to 1 year. 

7. Decorate super cute and then give as gifts!

Thankful: Friends

This week there are some people that I'm thankful for...

1. Great bosses...

My boss put this on my desk today as a reminder not to give up on a crazy day...it's a flying pig!

Previous boss...and the other assistants he's had. We just all happened to be there that day. And we all loved working there!

2. I tell people all the time that I am blessed with the greatest friends a girl could have. In no way does this list even begin to sum it up, but there are a few in particular that I am thankful for this week.

DeAnna. love. her. She just had twin girls and I can't wait to see them soon!! She was an answer to prayer for me a few years ago and I think we'll be great friends forever!

Michelle. She used to live right across the street from me and I miss her every day now that she lives in another city. She's amazing.

Liss and Kimmie. If you've known me for half a second, you know I love these 2 women. We've been friends since we were 10 and we are still BFFs. I love them more than I could express!

Have a happy and thankful Friday!