Pumpkin OOIAJ

The most beautiful view is the one I share with you

This morning I finally did it. I dragged my sleepy butt out of my comfy king sized bed and went to spin class at 5:45. It was still dark outside, which can only mean the sun was trying to tell me to jump back in bed and sleep. The dogs were even too tired to bark at me when I got back at 7... now that is telling you something!

Since I was already awake and had time to spare I decided to make a healthy lunch that wasn't thrown together frantically in 2 seconds. Black bean burgers with hummus and spring greens.

Black bean burger recipe.

I really do love how easy these bad boys are to make and how healthy they are. I'm not one bit sad about not packing a salad today.

I also packed some of my roasted garlic hummus for a snack. I topped it off with some Old Bay...don't judge. You can never just lightly sprinkle this stuff. After reading blog after blog about overnight oats in a jar {OOIAJ} I decided I needed to try this addiction. I prepared my oats last night in an empty organic peanut butter jar. I don't know how anyone eats this entire thing! It was so filling, delicious and creamy. If you don't judge my OB obsession I won't judge yours.

Pumpkin OOIAJ:
1/3-1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp chia seeds or flax seeds
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon)
3/4 cup nonfat Milk (or Almond Milk for vegan recipe)
1/2 tbsp sugar free syrup
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
Walnuts (optional topping)
1/2 tbsp sugar free syrup (optional topping)
Dried Cranberries or Raisins (optional topping)
granola (optional topping)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in your empty peanut/almond butter jar. Mix well. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight. Top with raisins, cranberries, walnuts, granola and/or maple syrup and enjoy!

my toppings

I swear the oats are in there! They are hiding!

I decided to make a list of goals I would like to accomplish in March.

1. I would like to go the gym in the morning 2 days a week. Preferably on Monday's and Tuesday's so I can come home to Chris on the days he has off work and actually spend time with him other than shoving our face with dinner and then going to bed after watching a movie/tv/BRAVO {yes, he watches all seasons of Real Housewives with me}.

2. Pick up my bike from my parents. I have been attending spin class 3-4 times a week and think now that the weather is {hopefully} starting to warm up I could probably bike to my gym. It is about 5 miles away, but I could always use an excuse to get some Chipotle next door. {yes- I am that girl who has a basket attached to her bike for the sole purpose of riding around the neighborhood with her tiny dog. Moo loves bike rides!}

3. Continue to find new healthy recipes and workouts that are outside the box. Bootcamp class, yoga in the city, rock climbing, etc. I have already lost about 8 pounds without trying - my healthy lifestyle has become a routine and not a chore!

4. Find a sushi making class for me and Chris to take with his mom and stepdad. I just want to take a one day class where we can learn how to make 3-4 rolls. I think that would be so much fun!

I think those are pretty reasonable goals! Tonight Chris and I are heading to his mom's for game night with his family - hence the reason I went to the gym this morning. We are ordering Mexican and I will hopefully be in a guac and cheese coma.

do you guys make goals at the beginning of each month? have you ever taken a sushi/cooking class?

xoxo,
Cara

Roasted

 "You can do anything, but not everything."

After a crazy weekend out on the town drinking too many vodka waters, dancing with my lovely friends and neglecting my healthy eating habits at the wee hours of the morning I am happy to return to my daily routine. How the heck did I go out every weekend in college and survive? My weekend eats included some of the following:

Don't worry I did throw in some strawberries and a homemade taco salad to the mix on Sunday. I didn't have a huge appetite this weekend, but probably should have stayed away from the late night McDonald's run on Saturday after the bar. One day I am going to start a fast food chain that is healthy and open til 3 am on the weekend so this can be avoided.  Now I just need to find out where they sell pill versions of the stomach flu - just kiddddinnn'.

On another note! I won Oats and Spice's Nutridel Cookie giveaway! I am looking forward to getting these bad boys in the mail! I think the best part about winning this giveaway was the fact that none of these varieties are chocolate... that means more for me and less to give away to Chris ;-)

And the cherry on top of my Monday Sundae was walking out my door this morning to find a package sent to me from Erica at LÄRABAR to review. 4 delicious bars I am so excited to try and tell you guys about! Stay tuned for that post later this week!

After hitting up the grocery store and only picking up the essentials {yes, I made a list and stuck to it} I decided to make another version of homemade hummus. If I could eat garlic on everything and not scare away others by my breath I would. In fact, I do... and this is why I always have gum handy.

Roasted Garlic Hummus:

3-4 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 lemon or 1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons sesame tahini
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper {I used roasted red pepper oil}
1/4 cup fresh chives, minced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts {optional}

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic cloves on a small piece of foil, lightly drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and cracked black pepper. Seal foil to form a pouch, and roast garlic in oven until soft for about 20-25 minutes. Add the chickpeas, roasted garlic and process until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, sesame tahini, water, salt, cayenne pepper/red pepper oil, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and process until smooth. Stir in chives. You could top with roasted red pepper slices or toasted pine nuts.

garlic pre oven

i used my blender to whip up this delicousness

ta-da! the chives are hiding in there somewhere

For breakfast I made a protein smoothie. Can't wait to make some Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats {OOIAJ for all you foodies} tonight for the morning. I finally bought my first can of organic pumpkin puree. A little ironic if you knew my love for all things pumpkin. Hopefully this will save me from eating another slice of the pumpkin cheesecake we have in our fridge from Cheesecake Factory. If you come visit me, I'll give you the rest of the box!

Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie:

3 strawberries sliced
1/2 banana sliced
1 scoop vanilla protein
1/4 cup Chobani greek yogurt
3/4 cup nonfat milk

pre-blended

I'm off to the gym to work off the weekend! Here are just a few of the amazing people I spent my weekend with!

xoxo,
Cara

Manic Monday

May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows. 

Happy Monday everyone! Hopefully you had a fantabulous weekend. Although Mondays are usually hated, I began to think "why don't we do something to spice up our outlook on this dreaded day?" Sure, getting up at the crack of dawn after sleeping in all weekend is killer, but if you give yourself things to look forward to maybe we can learn to love the day.

Tonight I invited Chris' mom and step-dad over for dinner and game night. My trip last week to Whole Foods was a success! I found whole wheat naan and decided to create tonight's dinner around that. For those of you who aren't familiar, naan is an Indian flatbread that you typically grill and use to soak up your curry sauce or dip into hummus. It is delicious! 

While getting lost in WF I picked up some garbanzo beans (chick peas) and roasted red peppers to make my first homemade hummus. It couldn't be any simpler.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:
1 can drained garbanzo beans
1 roasted red pepper (1 jar, only the peppers)
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil (instead of tahini)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of olive oil (I used the oil from the red pepper jar)
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse/blend until smooth. You may have to stir it a few times to break up the beans and pepper. Done! 5 minutes top.

Pre-blended.

Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus :)

I suggest serving with the whole wheat naan. You could also serve with pretzel thins... either way is amazing! To go with this Indian influenced meal I sauteed some yellow and green zucchini in olive oil with salt pepper and garlic and paired with brown rice and oven roasted cauliflower. The cauliflower was by far the nights show stopper. Here is how I made it...

Oven Roasted Cauliflower:

Serves 6, 94 calories per serving

1 head of cauliflower 

About 1/4 cup olive oil

3 minced garlic cloves (or garlic powder works well)

salt and pepper to taste

About 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Combine cauliflower, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper well so all the florets are coated and seasoned. Place in a large shallow roasting pan and place in the center of the oven. Roast for about 25-35 minutes. Remove from oven and top with Parmesan cheese and additional salt and pepper if needed.

Tandoori Chicken:

Serves 4

1 to 1.5 pounds chicken breast, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon curry

1/2 to 1 tablespoon cumin

3 tablespoons tikka marsel (could omit)

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1.5 containers non-fat greek yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Add all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Cook on medium high until chicken is fully cooked. Serve over rice.

Let the chicken hang while you prepare your sides.

Chicken cooking, duh.

Grilled Naan

Sauteed Zucchini

An Indian Feast!

I recently was included on a recipe swap. I have included the two recipes that were e-mailed to me so far... I can't guarantee they are tasty or healthy but you should definitely give them a go! If you have any great, filling, healthy recipes send them my way! I love mixing things up and am always down for something new at my dinner table (hence my Indian night). I completely forgot to photograph my grilled peaches with honey greek yogurt but totally recommend you stealing the recipe from my list! It didn't last long on our plates, which is probably why I didn't snag a photo!

You might notice I love changing the look of my site. It's cheaper than changing the look of my house, and personally just as fun! If you are ever in the Mt.Airy or Frederick area you should check out the store Retro Metro. It is filled with unique gifts, kitchen ware, home decor and furniture. The prices are reasonable and you won't be disappointed. Again, the site does it no justice so you have to check it out for yourself! Go, now!

Also, if you love reading my blog but hate checking back to see when it is updated - subscribe to my blog! (It's on the right side of my blog). You will receive all my posts in your e-mails inbox. How perfect is that?!

Since I was lazy at posting this weekend here are day two, three AND four in my 30 day blog challenge.

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

After thinking long and hard about what I would call my blog (Vintage Age or Cara Lou Bella) it doesn't take a genius to guess what I chose. ;-) Cara Lou Bella is a nickname my best friend Brittney started years ago. Thanks to her I have a title for my new obsession!

Me and My Best, Brittney

Day 3: Your first love

I think there are different types of first loves in a persons life. My first young love would have to be an ex we will call Bob. Although things ended poorly (he cheated on me, I know right?) he taught me a lot about being in a relationship. I wouldn't be the person I am now with Chris without the things I learned from his and my ups and downs. However, I have to give him credit for always practicing romance. I would walk out of class to notes on my car, surprise visits to my work with thoughtful gifts and someone who let me be me (young and crazy).

My first grown-up love was with Chris hands down. We have been dating for 3 years, know who we are as individuals and partners, and support each others dreams and aspirations. We moved in together after a short 5 months and our relationship is always growing. I think the difference between young and grown up love is your sense of what is real and what is fantasy. I know my future is with him and I no longer have to fantasize about my fairy tale Prince Charming, because lucky for me I am dating my real life Prince Charming.

Day 4: Your parents

Even now that I have entered my "grown-up life" both my parents check in on me through my work email and phone weekly. They have welcomed Chris into our family as the son they never had and I couldn't be more thankful for that. My mom was always the loudest parent at my field hockey games and has always been my best friend. Although my parents haven't always had the best relationship, they have never given up... even if that was the easiest road to take. Relationships aren't easy, they take work. They both loved my first dog, Princeton, and were there in ways I didn't even know I needed when he passed. I am so lucky to have parents that would do anything to take away my pain.

My sister, dad and mom on my graduation day

Tomorrow's blog challenge is a song to fit my current mood...hope it's a good one!! Talk to you guys tomorrow!

xoxo,
Cara