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

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

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