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!

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

Skim Deluxe

 If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

Hello, my name is the Love Creeper... haha just kiddin'. But really, I love hearing/reading everyone's Valentine's Day stories. It makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. I truly believe everyone deserves to live out their fairy tale, not just one day of the year but all year long!

Chris and I had dinner at Miguels Cocina y Cantina in Silo Point. I am addicted to anything wrapped in a tortilla. {guilty} When we lived in Salisbury we always went to Cactus Taverna on Valentine's Day. They decorated for the occasion perfectly {imagine red, candlelit and stars hanging everywhere} and had live music. Even though the place was filled to the brim, you somehow always felt like the only one in the restaurant. Plus, who doesn't love a free cognac after every meal?

We definitely carried on the Mexican tradition. Salsa and chips, the Tri Burrito and some churros for dessert! I would have taken a photo of the actual food we ate last night, but to save Chris from embarrassment I knew I had a photo of the exact meal from last summer.

Ladies and Gents, I introduce you to the Tri Burrito.

I'm sorry but how handsome is my man?! Him and Jayden @ Miguels in 2010.

I had my leftovers for lunch today, I can only ever finish 1/3 of that thing! Good thing I packed and brought my gym clothes to work - I headed to spin class exactly at 5:30.

I made Chris some coupons for Valentine's Day this year. I would rather do something new and fun together then get something I don't really need, hence the coupon for a rock climbing outing. I used Photoshop to make these bad boys, made them into stickers, stuck them on some thick black board and cut them out. {yes, I know I spelled huffing wrong, it got fixed!}. But how cute did these turn out!

Needless to say, he wanted to use the no complaining for a week coupon first. Figured. ha! I also finally finished filing my taxes this past weekend. Since this is the last year I get to write off my tuition and books I am looking forward to my direct deposit! My hair is in desperate need of a little {TLC}. That is one thing boys will never understand. I am thinking of adding some highlights to break up the darkness on my roots.

something along these lines

After spin class I went grocery shopping {sweaty pits and all}. Do you know that they now make skim deluxe milk? I know, I thought you couldn't take anything else out of skim too! But, apparently these people did. Less sugar, carbs, calories and sodium. 

Dinner was turkey sausage with homemade pasta sauce and garden rotini. I also had half of a sandwich thin with "I can't believe it's not butter light" and garlic powder. I always had the idea that any type of sausage was bad, unhealthy and fatty. Well, when comparing the turkey sausage to ground chicken it is similar in fat and less in calories. Go figure!

Here are a few photos of us on Valentine's Day this year. Notice how much we have changed since our first Valentine's Day? My hair is no longer up to my chin, dyed dark and I am not fake tanning anymore. {even though i miss falling asleep in those tanning beds}.

me and my valentine <3

muuahhh! xoxo

my roses hand delivered to my office, love them!

Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat

I love chipotle, I don't know if I could ever get tired of it or maybe it's that I haven't eaten there in so long! panera for their salads and The Oceanaire Seafood Room for dinner.

Day 19: Something you miss
Well this is an obvious one. I miss my puppy Princeton. Life doesn't hand you anything you can't handle though.

I completely forgot to post this last night so look forward to an even better post tonight!!
xoxo,
Cara

ps! oatsandspice is having an amazing ‘Vitalicious’ giveaway – check it out! http://wp.me/p1hJ4d-8Q