How Does Your Garden Grow Tuesdays - wk 3

It's Tuesday!! Which can only mean it's time for me to update you on my garden and hear all about yours!

My spinach is growing and growing and growing. I'm not too sure what it is supposed to look like at this stage of it's life cycle, but at week 3 it looks like grass.  Check out how small they were last week!

Everyone I spoke to told me cilantro would be the hardest thing to grow... Well, that doesn't seem to be the case. It is getting tall and gorgeous! Which is good because I use it in so many of my recipes! {cilantro lime rice} {chicken chili} {fish tacos} {guacamole} {corn salsa} {garlic cilantro aioli}

My pepper plant is becoming tall and strong too! Last year I grew two green bell pepper plants, but really wanted a yellow or red plant this year since they are sweeter! Hopefully this bad boy grows some good ones!

I have bad news though! 

My strawberry plants are being invaded by bugs. I have had to pick and throw away a good amount of my strawberries because they are eating the actual berries and they are rotting!

Does anyone have any good solutions? 

Ideally I would love to try something I can make myself without any chemicals, but if worse comes to worse I will make my way to Home Depot and pick something up! 4 strawberry plants, and I only got to enjoy 2 berries!

What can you plant in June?

Plant heat and sun-loving herbs like basil, oregano, thyme and sage.

What bugs are eating my strawberries and what prevents it?

I have seen slater or pill bugs! You know the ones that roll up into little balls! But I read they do not eat live matter. I am going to mix a little liquid dish soap with water in a spray bottle and spray the plants, including the underside of the leaves. If this doesn't work I am going to grab straw to put in the pot beneath the leaves and fruit!

What do you want to know? What works for you?

Painkillers and Nachos

“Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”

I am officially almost half-way done my week. I have off the next two Fridays and I am so looking forward to a nice 3-day weekend! I can hardly wait!

Luckily CL (yup, that's the bf) had off this entire weekend so we were able to go out for a date night Friday and spend family time on Saturday with both his and my parents. I almost forgot what it was like to have the whole weekend uninterrupted to spend together!

Sunday rolled around and my friend Stacey and I met up at the Baltimore-Annapolis trail for our weekly run. Personally, I can run longer distances on a treadmill than I can outside so I am thankful to have someone to push and motivate me out on the trail. But I think it is about time I invest in new running apparel since my pants are starting to become see through (whoops!) from all the wear and my shoes are about to die out on me. Yup, I got a blister on the top of my big toe - I have never even heard of that happening from a 3 year old sneaker. Hint taken.

Most of you know that after running you become extremely hungry... almost unbearably hungry. Apparently I thought it was a good idea to wait 4.5 hours later to eat... which resulted in the most amazing plate of nachos ever. period. game over. this one is a winner.

 

Even the ducks flew out of the water onto the dock to join us...

How could you have this view at lunch and not instantly be in a great mood (not good, but great)...

And of course nobody goes to lunch on a Sunday without a drink...

It was a perfect weekend. Sun, date night, drinks, fish tacos (mmmm) and CL. That's all I need to make me happy.

On a foodie note - if you have never tried store-made organic guacamole... go buy some right now!! Seriously, I love making my own but not when avacados are 2 dollars a pop. This was cheaper and convenient and tasted soooo good on top of my Faux Chipotle Burrito Bowl that I made for dinner last night. I don't know how guac makes everything taste delicious, but it does it's job well!!

If you visit their website they have a $1 off coupon when you sign up for their updates! I have an email address just for when I sign up for promotions! Best decision ever - especially since I just printed out a free app coupon for my girls lunch on Saturday.

Have you liked Chic Meets Healthy on Facebook yet? You can by clicking here.
Also! Don't forget tonight at 10pm is when I am pulling a winner for my Love Grown Granola giveaway! Enter here!

Favorite Finally Friday

 "Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone should be."

It is finally Friday. The birds are chirping, the sun is out, people are poppin' bottles. haha Well, maybe not all of those things are happening {at least not at once}, but who doesn't love Fridays!? I am starting to love Thursdays if they are anything like my yesterday.

I got my awesome huge honka box from Emily and her team at Chobani to sample and review 12 of their flavors and I got my prize from Oats & Spice's Nutridel cookie giveaway!
 

So excited to try these all out! In my love box was 2% plain, mango, strawberry banana and pineapple. 0% black cherry, honey, raspberry, lemon, peach, blueberry, strawberry and plain. It was like a Greek Yogurt Christmas up in my kitchen!

Plus, the girl who is a crappy runner {me} ran intervals for 45 minutes and I actually really enjoyed it... probably because I said a prayer to the treadmill gods beforehand.

0-5 minutes: 3.6 mph

5-15 minutes: 6.0 mph

15-20 minutes: 3.8 mph at 7.5 incline

20-25 minutes: 5.8 mph

25-30 minutes: 3.8 mph at 7.5 incline

30-32.5 minutes: 5.8 mph

32.5-35 minutes: 3.8 mph at 7.5 incline

35-40 minutes: 5.8 mph

40-45 minutes: 3.4 mph

gettin' my love on with my number one man.

pre-workout. he is model material!

I know some of you are crazy good runners, but this is a personal accomplishment. Finding a routine that was challenging yet enjoyable at the same time without giving up. Total was about 3.25 miles. I finished my workout with bicep curls and abs.

I finally picked up some cilantro at the store near my work - Safeway has been slacking. I made some of my corn salsa, cilantro lime rice and faux chipotle chicken {i didn't follow the recipe i was lazy plus I think it is embedded in my brain}. Turned out delicious! Move over chipotle, a new girl is coming to town! haha yeah, right.

I hope you all love picture books, because I have a feeling that's what today's post is turning into. Breakfast was Chobani's 0% Black Cherry Greek Yogurt topped with galaxy granola. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Too bad you can't really tell I had some leftover yogurt on my lips... and doesn't everyone eat their yogurt with a fork! Spoons are over-rated. Note to self: invest in sporks. Today's breakfast, lunch and snacks include: CBC yogurt, galaxy granola, strawberries, peaches and left over rice with salsa. Good thing my yogurt had 14grams of protein - i wasn't feeling like meat today. 

Tonight we are celebrating our friend Hoss' birthday! Let's hope I don't oversleep tomorrow and miss my hair appointment the second weekend in a row. Any takers on being my own personal alarm clock? I'll make you something yummy in return, or trade Chobani! 

PS. I want this swim suit. Like now. Thank you Kourtney Kardashian for designing my next purchase! This is why I work out 5-6 times a week. Beach bod, beach bod, beach bod.

xoxo,

Cara

Faux Chipotle Night

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.

Chipotle who?! Of course my sister has to tell me her and my mom were going out to eat at only one of my favorite places tonight... and right before I was heading to the gym! UGH!! Being a grown up  is okay great, but sometimes I miss living at home! 

After the elliptical kicked my butt for an hour I did some abs and arms. I forgot how sore I am the day after kickboxing! This year I refuse to have an anxiety attack before trying on my bikini for the first time since last summer. (I feel better dancing in my skimpies at night-time too).

After the gym I came home and decided to make my faux chipotle meal I came up with! And luckily for you I measured everything that went into it and took pictures :) You might notice I make a lot of chicken... welp! that's because we try only eating red meat once a week.  You can find my recipe for my cilantro rice here.

I only used 3/4 cup of uncooked rice this time

How good does that look?! Probably just as good as my corn salsa ;)

Cara's Corn Salsa:

1 can of drained whole kernel corn

1 roma tomato diced

1/3 cup diced green pepper

2/3 cup diced red onion

1 tablespoon fresh diced jalepano

1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic

1/2 teaspoon lime juice

small handful of chopped cilantro

salt and cumin to taste

Add all ingredients together! Did you know that roma tomatoes are the cheapest, but in my opinion, tastiest tomatoes you can find in the grocery store?! AND they are perfect for making homemade pasta sauce. Red onions also have more nutrients than your regular yellow onion! Bet you didn't know that either ;)

No chipotle bowl is ever complete without the chicken! I am picky when it comes to my chicken breasts. Even when I get the lean cuts I always inspect them for strings of fat... I have always hated the texture in my mouth. Am I the only one out there?!

Cara's Faux Chipotle Chicken:

2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (NO trans fat people!)

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

handful of chopped cilantro

Pre-Cooking all ingredients combined

Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Make sure the chicken is fully covered with oil and spices. Cook on medium-high heat until fully cooked. Top with some more freshly chopped cilantro!

Finished Product! YUM!

Now I just have to wait for the bf to get off work and we can dive in! I made the smoothie for breakfast but I forgot how many seeds are in blackberries! Next time remind me to only use raspberries! Tomorrow I am going back to old faithful...my oatmeal! But since it is Friday I am going to mix it up using walnuts and bananas with honey instead of brown sugar. Sounds good huh?!

Remember tomorrow is FRIDAY!! Thank goodness! I thought it would never get here! AND tonight is the finale of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! CHA-CHING!

Have a great night bloggets!
xoxo,
Cara

Bikini Ready

Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring. It's all about getting into a new routine and sticking to it until you learn to love it!

It's sad for me to admit, but when I get to work the first thing I look forward to is eating my bowl of oatmeal! The great thing about skipping the Instant Oatmeal packs and making your own is you know exactly what goes into it! (plus its a lot healthier for you - instant has added sugar/salt/chemicals, even if you get the plain kind, but regular has none of them).

My Morning Oatmeal:

1/2 cup of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats

1/2 cup of skim milk

1/2 cup of water

1 tablespoon of brown sugar or honey

4-5 of each raspberries and blackberries

In a bowl I combine the oats, milk, water and brown sugar. If you are using a shallow bowl I suggest cooking in two rounds for 1 minute 15 seconds (total of 2 1/2 minutes) since the milk has a tendency of making the oatmeal bubble overboard. Add the berries to the top, and if you are feeling extra indulgent you can also drizzle a little honey on top (I usually do one or the other). Since you are using old fashioned oats instead of instant it also helps keep you feeling full longer! Try topping with almonds, strawberries and bananas! You can always mix up your toppings!

My actual oatmeal, drizzled with a little honey (no brown sugar)

Another habit I have been introducing to my waistline is packing a salad for lunch, rather than bringing last nights leftovers (I mean dinner is the heaviest meal of the day so why am I eating it twice?) Just like oatmeal, the great things about salads is you can add different ingredients each day to make it feel brand new! 

I love adding dried cranberries and walnuts with a light pomegranate vinaigrette to some spinach. For a more hearty salad I love adding avocados, red onion, green bell peppers and carrots to a spring mix salad with a light ranch or italian dressing. In the summer time sliced apples or strawberries are delicious! Lets be honest, you probably aren't going to make your own dressing, but if you were here is an easy one.

Light Pomegranate Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons pomegranate juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

Pinch of Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil 

or check out this recipe for a pomegranate balsamic salad dressing with only 26 calories! I love packing my salads with some grilled chicken or miso soup! I just recently ordered the spicy chicken salad while out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and can't wait to replicate it (although Hungry Girl only rated it a 5). It has a corn salsa, black beans, roasted red peppers, brown rice, grilled chicken and cilantro (almost like a healthy Chipotle burrito bowl)! Which brings me to my next recipe...

My healthier version of Chipotle's Cilantro Rice: (tastes amazing)

1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice

1/2 lime, juice of (or a couple good squirts of lime juice concentrate)

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

Handful of fresh chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon vegetable/olive oil

In a small pot, add rice, water, 1/2 tablespoon of oil and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover. Once fully cooked, in a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed. I love serving this as if I was making a burrito bowl. I mix with corn salsa, fat free sour cream, lettuce, black beans and chicken (grilled with garlic, chili powder, cumin and ground pepper).

Heres to Healthy Beginnings and itty bitty bikinis!
xoxo,
Cara