Thursday, May 31, 2012

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.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

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!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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!


  


 


Thursday, May 24, 2012

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

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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!