Garlic Cilantro Aioli

 no one can ruin your day without your permission.

And I'm back! Whew, I hadn't realized I haven't written a post since Friday? The weekend flew by and ran off with my Monday. Not to worry, my stack of Chobani has almost disappeared and I found yet another way to put one flavor to use!

Luckily, I was too paranoid about missing another hair appointment I woke up 4 hours before mine on Saturday morning. Mission accomplished. Afterward my momma bear met up with me at the salon with my pup and we stopped to get some lunch. I love sandwich shops {especially healthy ones} that allow me to try a new spin on a sandwich I would normally hate. I hate lunch meat. I almost dread eating a sandwich when I pack myself one for lunch. Until I met the berry brie turkey sandwich. So delicious and so simple. It had spinach, whole wheat bread, turkey, brie slices and berry preserves and was exactly what I needed to fuel me up for some shopping.

How cute is this stuff? I love shopping in small town's main streets because they always have the best stores! I hit up Retro Metro where my mom picked me up a serving tray with matching cheese knife and napkins, adorable porcelain measuring spoons and some chill pills {ice tray} for Chris haha. Just in case I need to prescribe him some extra strength ones! I also got a bud vase for my kitchen and a vintage lace hook for my kitchen towel at The Hive. I was a happy girl. One day I want a black and white kitchen and dining room. Similar to these, but really it was so hard finding images for black and white dining rooms. Go figs!

Saturday night was movie night. After being out at the bar 3 times in the past 7-8 days, we needed a break. So, I rented two movies {knowing I was only going to stay awake for Toy Story 3} and made some snacks for Chris and I to munch on.

pre-oven

cooked and crispy!

Spicy Baked Fries:

4 medium red potatoes sliced into "fries"
olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash and slice your red potatoes. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spread out your fries so that they each have their own area to get nice and crisp. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, depending how crispy you like them. Serve with a cool garlic cilantro aioli.

Garlic Cilantro Aioli:

1 package of 0 or 2% Chobani plain greek yogurt
bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together, reserving some cilantro for garnish. Serve with spicy baked fries and quesadillas.

What's in my quesadilla?

Chicken

Spinach

Jalapeno

Corn

Tomatoe

Chili Powder

Reduced fat Mex cheese

Delicious. I also popped some natural chocolate chip cookies in the oven for Chris to snack on knowing I don't like chocolate so that saved me some miles on the treadmill :) I cheated on the gym all weekend with family, friends and good food so I am not feeling the usual amount of guilt. I am returning today with a vengeance so don't you worry!

Yesterday's breakfast and lunch were oh so colorful! I picked up some edamame at the grocery store and added them to my salad. Hello colors of the rainbow! My salad was so bright and cheery I loved digging in! An apple and thin bagel was my snack and of course I had to have some Chobani and granola for breakfast. Stay tuned til tomorrow when I give my last greek yogurt recipes and review!

If you, your dog, your boyfriend, your friends have Facebook please take 2 minutes out to vote for me and Chris to win a free photography session. We are so neck and neck with another couple and it makes me nervous! Here's what to do:

Step One: Like Misa Me Photography on Facebook

Step Two: Click on the 2011 Lovebirds Giveaway photo album

Step Three: Like Chris and Cara (photo one) to help us win!

So easy and so simple. If you vote for me, I'll vote for you in the Woman's Health Mag's Blogger Contest! Hope you guys have a fabulous Tuesday!

xoxo,
Cara

LÄRABAR

What makes this woman think she can speak among men? Because only Spartan women give birth to real men.

Hope everyone had a great hump day! I had an amazing day - signed up for the warrior dash in May, went to kickboxing class and it's already over halfway to the weekend! I had so much energy today I blew through my kickboxing class with the high endurance moves for the full hour. Don't you love those days?

As mentioned before, Monday I was sent my amazing package from Erica at LÄRABAR to review four of their amazing energy bars. Miss that post? Here is how excited I was.

The thing I loved most about these bars was the fact that you can literally count the ingredients on one of your hands. They are made from fresh ingredients, are gluten, dairy and soy free, vegan and kosher. What more could you ask from an energy bar? You will be blown away with how moist each of them are too. I noticed all four of the bars they sent me contained dates... I see a new grocery item to add to my shopping list! I got all of these photos from their website, definitely check it out!

First on my list was Cherry Pie. This was by far my favorite bar. It was moist and literally tasted like thanksgiving in your mouth. Amazingly it is made from only almonds, unsweetened cherries and dates.

Next up was Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. I shared this with my boss (since I am not much of a chocolate lover). Surprisingly I ate more of this bar than her! The nuts really stood out in this bar. It contained only salt, chocolate chips, peanuts and dates!

Chris scarfed this bar down one night while we were in bed. He let me have one nibble though. I was really impressed. It tasted exactly like banana bread. For all of you that love eating a slice of banana bread in the morning but don't have the time to make it stock up on these! They are made from dates, unsweetened bananas and almonds. Delicious.

Last, but not least, was the coconut cream pie. I was a little weary about this bar. I didn't know what to expect. It tastes exactly like an almond joy candy bar minus the chocolate. But don't let that stop you from dipping the bar in some melted chocolate. This was a dream come true for all chocolate haters! This had the most ingredients of the four. The five (i know!) ingredients were almonds, dates, unsweetened coconut, cashews and organic extra virgin coconut oil.

I also thought of some fun ways you could eat LÄRABAR everyday. You could crumble it and add to your oatmeal or yogurt. You could break it and add to your trailmix. You could even cut it in fours, roll into balls and dip in chocolate. The possibilities are endless! *These reviews are based on my own opinions!

This was my breakfast and lunch. Am I the only one who packs ketchup to bring to the office? Hello co-workers - please stock the fridge with some ketchup! I will love you forever if you do! I had another black bean burger with hummus and greens, a banana and some tangerines (not pictured) for a snack and a LÄRABAR for breakfast. Tonight's dinner is turkey chili. The easiest dinner meal possible because I think I used up the last of today's energy writing this post and in kickboxing class.

I am off to eat a big bowl of chili and watch Top Chef. Hope you have a great night!

Have you heard of the Warrior Dash? I am going to have to write a post dedicated to this! I was so excited my amazing friends decided to sign up with me! Have you ever tried LARABARs? What is your favorite energy bar? I think I am going to try to make these homemade! With only 4-5 ingredients I can't screw up too bad huh?