I finally got tired of breakfast casserole. The idea of waking up and eating one more square of egg/veggie/meatness made me gag a little, so I tried eggs another way: Deviled! I assume they are called "deviled" eggs because just one tiny half egg contains at least 5 grams of fat, meaning if you eat 2 halves (in my book 2 halves = 1) you have consumed almost 20% of the recommended daily fat for a 2,000 calorie diet before 8 a.m. And if I'm at a party, AS IF I would ever just eat 1-2 of these babies. So yeah, that's not for me. I experimented with a few different ways to keep the texture but cut out the fat, and this was my favorite. The cilantro and lime added a nice kick, but my conclusion is that I'm down with hard boiled eggs for breakfast but maybe deviled eggs can stay a party food.

Healthy Avocado Deviled Eggs {with a kick}

Monday, September 30, 2013

HEY FALL!

Fall is here it's here it's here it's here! On Sunday I sat on the couch, nursing a Saturday Football Hangover (GO DAWGS!!), reading a book (Devil in the White City- great read, especially when it's a free e-book) with Andi wrapped in blankets with the windows open while chili cooked in the crock pot (which I got from Goodwill for $10- if you don't have access to Goodwill Amazon has great options for inexpensive crockpots here ). It smelled so delicious, tasted freaking amazing, and for like $15 could feed a small village). Here's the breakdown:

Clean Crokpot Turkey Chili {with a kick}

the Classic Martini and Moscow Mule- $6 drinks in fancy glasses!


  • Average Drink Price: $6 ($6 options and $13 options). $5 salty snacks
  • Service: We sat at the bar- the bartenders were very attentive and quick
  • Good for GroupsNot really- there was a big group there and they were accidentally elbowing everyone, there's just not enough room at the bar area for that
  • Mood: Fancy Chillin
  • Outdoor Seating: No
  • Try theMoscow Mule and Crispy Chickpea

Dupont Happy Hour at Firefly

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Helllllooooo buff chick!
Another great party food that takes zero time to make. I threw the chicken in the crockpot and ran a bunch of errands, cleaned the house, then put it onto lettuce and everyone was like "whoa this is great how do you find time to cook like this?!" Jokes on them! Sidenote-I used to work in a restaurant that had a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and the abbreviation was "Buff Chick" which I always found hilarious. I told that story to everyone as we ate Buff Chick Wraps and no one else thought it was funny. Buff Chick? No one?! Really??

Click "read the whole post" for the ingredients and recipe

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Saturday, September 28, 2013

All the breakfast goodness in one casserole

My favorite breakfast foods: eggs, eggs with vegetables, hashbrowns, bacon. Oh hey why not throw it all together to make breakfast for the week? I know turkey bacon isn't exactly clean, but hey gotta live a little sometimes. This was a huge hit with the BF who ate 1/4 of the casserole for breakfast on the first morning. I chopped up my potatoes long and stringy to look like hashbrowns- funny how if they look like a hashbrown and taste like a hashbrown (without the grease) one thinks they have hashbrowns in their casserole ("Oh hey I love hashbrowns! Didn't know they were clean!" -BF).






He's back at it! Mr. Shut Up and Train is bringing another FREE 30 day challenge. This is a great program- he e-mails you the workouts every morning as well as a food challenge (no flour, no sugar, etc) with recipes. Go on-line and sign up here to join me and over 200,000 others for the 30 Day Challenge starting October 7th! I have never had much upper-body strength, and when I started the first 30-day challenge my goal was to be able to do 10 pushups without going on my knees. By the end of the 30 days I could do THIRTY (yes, THIRTY) pushups before I had to get on my knees. Also things like running up 7 flights of stairs to my apartment became walks in the park after the challenge. I really can't recommend this enough: it's free, safe, all you need is a tiny space, and you will see changes in your body if you really stick it out.

New FREE 30 Day Challenge with Mr. Shut Up and Train {starting October 7}

Friday, September 27, 2013


I have listened to a lot of panels comprised of very important people (CEOs, female leaders in male dominated industries, etc etc), and for some reason one VP's quote has stood out in my head for years: "You have to dress the part of the job you want, no matter what job you are currently working". Maybe this has always stood out to me because I have never made enough money to dress the way I want to dress, add to that being a woman in the workplace presenting millions of questions like what is too racy? what is too conservative? do I look stuffy? do I look like I'm trying to dress like my male counterparts?

Anyway, this season you can't go wrong with the Ponte blazer. Everyone from CEOs to VPs to non-profit workers to artists are wearing these. I like the versatility- I pair mine with jeans if I have somewhere "nice but not too nice" to go; my black blazer goes with colored dress pants; and I have an orange one that I wear to spice up black pants. The fabric and the make of the ponte make it light and somewhat form-fitting which makes me feel like I look skinnier than when I wear my old blazers that are a bit less flattering. Here's where I've found the best steals on the Ponte:

  1. Mossimo Women's Collarless Ponte Blazer from Target- Assorted Colors: $30.00. This comes in black, cinnamon cake (great fall color), officer blue, and railroad gray. So basically black, orange, blue and gray. You can only get them online and my experience with Mossimo sizing is that it's pretty much on par with other brands. One of the reviews claims this blazer is friendly for the large chested (not an issue for me, unfortunately).
  2. Solid Open Blazer from Forever 21: $27.80. Comes in black only, and sorry about the model who looks like pre-rehab Lindsay Lohan. The sizes generally run a little small at Forever, but I like the look of the sleeves. It is also somewhat slimming as it doesn't have the extra fabric for closing the front.
  3. Methaphor Ruched Ponte Blazer from Sears: $18.00. Comes in 8 (yes EIGHT!) different colors- my favorites are raspberry and mustard. Comes in petite which is nice for those of us who were "blessed" with wide hips and narrow shoulders. On that note I think I like these blazers so much because none of them come over the hip, and my big hips/butt make my whole body look much bigger in jackets that cover the bum.
  4. Attention Women's Ponte Blazer- Faux Trim from K-Mart: $20.99. Before Sofia Vergara came into the picture I thought K-Mart was extinct, but they've been reincarnated. I like the "leather" trim on this blazer, gives it kind of an edge. You can order it and pay shipping or get free store pick-up, which confirms they are in fact still a physical store.

Workwear: The Ponte Blazer for Under $30

Thursday, September 26, 2013


Mmmmmm look at those!!

I clearly have a thing for Italian food which I worried wouldn't be accommodated by clean eating. Boy was I wrong- there's a clean way to do everything! Here's my recipe for Clean Italian Meatballs. We ate these with my Clean {cauliflower} "Bread"sticks, and clean tomato sauce. This was really easy to throw together in a few minutes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 5

Savory Italian Turkey Meatballs

This. Was. Killer. But it felt good to get to the end. This HIIT Ladder from Fitness Blender includes a 3 minute warm up (by minute 3 I was like THIS is a warm up??) and 17 minutes of a HIIT Ladder- you start with 4 exercises for 60 seconds each followed by a break, then each exercise for 50 seconds each, break, each exercise for 40 seconds each, break and so on. Trust me, it feels so good at the end. Everything was burning which made the abs challenge incredibly difficult. Click "read more" to see the videos and arm tutorial (click "read full post" to see arms and abs):
Fitness Blender's Brutal HIIT Ladder: (20 mins)
 

Wednesday {40 minute} Workout

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Halloween themed glasses from Zenni





Rum Cherry Marshall from Warby-Parker
Revolver Black Duckworth from Warby Parker

My vision has been deteriorating for quite awhile, but it wasn't until my aunt claimed her knee-deep crows feet come from squinting all the time that I decided it was time for me to take action and get myself a nice pair of glasses. I went off to the eye doctor, got my prescription, and  gasped when the eye doctor pointed me to the "cheap" wall. Apparently in eye doctor world "cheap" means "$250 or Less"- oh and that $250 is BEFORE you pay for the lenses. WHAT. There is no way my other friends manage to pay rent in DC AND pay for glasses so I took a survey and here's what I found:

Cheap Glasses


Ok did anyone else go to a college in a town with Gumby's: Home of the POKEY STICKS? Well thanks to late night pokey sticks (and a 24-hour dining hall, and penny drinks, and soft serve ice cream) I gained a solid 20 pounds in college. Thanks to clean eating and exercise I have kept those pounds off, but sometimes I get a craaaavvinnggg for pokey sticks. May I point out that this version is much less fattening/calorie-packed/carbed-out as well as much less expensive?

 So here's my pokey stick substitution:

CLEAN {cauliflower} "BREAD"STICKS

Tuesday, September 24, 2013



Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls
It literally smells like fall outside. I can't name the smell, but it's just FALL! Here are my  7 highest priority cheap and free things in DC to do now that the heat has lifted and fall is here!!
{click "read the whole post" for the full list}

Free and Cheap Fall Festivities in DC

Monday, September 23, 2013




Yeah yall, it happened. I found a way to make baked chicken wings that are every bit as crispy and delicious as their evil, fried twin. We had tons of leftovers, and since there isn't any oil in these, the texture stayed the same when we re-heated them. All week people who stopped in ate these delicious wings and couldn't believe that they are in fact very healthy. So take these to your tailgates and potlucks this fall because they. are. perfect.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Servings: 5 (makes 20 wings)

{click "read more" for the full recipe and directions}

CLEAN Cripsy {baked} Chicken Wings with Clean Blue Cheese Dip

Sunday, September 22, 2013


Fresh out of the oven with extra sauce. Yes please.
"Fall-off-the-bone is the opposite of what wings should be because wings should always be crispy. Except these. These are really good. I could really get down with these."
-BF's Wing Philosophy which I proved wrong this week in making my favorite kind of chicken which is fall-off-the-bone. I hate to say I'm always right, but if the shoe fits...

Anyway, football season is here so I'm experimenting with clean eating comfort and tailgate foods that won't have me gaining 15 lbs by the time bowl games roll around. The obvious place to start is wings, so to appease both of us I did a fall-off-the-bone wing and a crispy wing (posting soon). In reality even orthodox believers of the Crispy Wing Only Lifestyle will not be able to resist these wings. I only made 8 wings because I thought I would be the only one eating them, but this recipe is easy to double/tripe/quadruple. Also if you don't have a crockpot, get one. They are so great. I got mine at Goodwill 2 years ago for $8, best food investment I've ever made. 

Juicy Fall-Off-the-Bone Crockpot Chicken Wings

Friday, September 20, 2013

Don't forget to stretch


Do some yoga or pilates

 Mix it up a little- do some exploring like hiking or running trails- if you get bored with your workouts, workouts get...well..boring. And harder to do. 


Enjoy some healthy snacks


And take a reallllllyyyy good nap (after H Street Festival of course)

Weekend Workout Wisdom from Andi


Picture from ridetheboomerang.com

Few things make one feel as glamorous as sipping cocktails on a chartered yacht. Thanks to The Boomerang, everyone can feel this glamorous for a mere $15 (which includes your first drink!). Here's my breakdown:

DC Happy Hour- ON A BOAT

So if you haven't discovered Ezekiel Bread yet, get on it. It's in the freezer aisle of the grocery store- no preservatives, no flour, made with all natural grains and stuff and I actually think it's better than regular bread. So this is a little Sunday snack I had while I was prepping food for the week. Isn't it pretty?

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute (if you count toasting the bread?)
Servings: 1

Clean Snacking: Ezekiel Toast with Avocado Sauce, Hummus and Tomatoes

Thursday, September 19, 2013


Looks just like chili right? Tricked yaaaa haha
I had to laugh as I'm posting this because I really tricked a few people with this one. Soo Monday in about 20 minutes I threw together this red bean and quinoa mix and we had it for supper (and then for lunch the next few days). Thursday, I added leftover ground turkey from Taco Tuesday and some leftover tomato sauce from the Italian Quinoa Bake and the BF said "Whoa when did you have time to make chili?!" And I was like "Oh I found some time..." [evil laughs]. Anyway here's the recipe the Quinoa & Red Beans, as well as Quinoa & Red Beans Part II: Fake Chili.

Part I: Quinoa & Red Beans
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Servings: 8 (total)
Today I did Fitness Blender's 30 minute workout that combines intervals of 2 minute tabata routines (20 seconds of super high intensity, 10 seconds off) with 50 second ab routines. Let me just say something about Tabata- it was invented in the 70's for Japanese Olympic athletes to stay in the best shape possible.  Beyonce body here I come! I followed the video with a simple arm workout- I've let my upper-body go over the last month, so I'm kind of trying to ease back into the 30-push-up status I used to have by following Ms. Skinny's Summer Arm Challenge for the next week.

Sidenote: I like this video workout because the exercises are easy to modify into an easier or harder workout. I also like that I didn't spend the whole time dreading an arm AND ab workout after... glass is always half full right?

Tabata + Ab video:



Simple Arm Workout (simple meaning I did it while watching a TiVo'd episode of Four Weddings):
15 tricep dips
rest 20 seconds
20 bicep curls
rest 20 seconds
15 tricep extensions
Rest 20 seconds
Repeat this 3 times.

Wednesday Workout

Wednesday, September 18, 2013


I may have spent half my salary on wedding gifts this year, leaving me with approximately $25 to buy dresses to wear to said weddings- my budget is especially low because we all know we can't be wearing the same dress in every Facebook/Instagram photo op. These are my favorite options I found (I wore #1 to a wedding last weekend!)

1. H&M Petrol Jersey Dress $24.99. I love this color- bright but not too bright. I wore it with a Forever21 bib necklace, a gold belt from Ross, and Nine West nude pumps I found at Goodwill for $10 (is that gross?).  I appreciate this dress's flair at the waist because it prevented people from saying "whoa look at her ass- she really let herself go this summer". Second favorite thing: it runs in Small/Medium/Large so you can avoid the H&M terror of buying a dress that is 10 sizes bigger than you would buy anywhere else.
2. H&M Sleeveless Dress in Burgundy $30: Glad I didn't wear this one this weekend because two people at the wedding were wearing this exact dress. Guess they were scoutin out the H&M sale rack at the last minute too. Anyway, this color is everything this fall, can't wait to get me some burgundy pants.
3. Merona Women's Ponte Crossover Neckline Dress from Target $27.99: Hey Target, welcome back to my price range! I have been so tired of only being able to find dresses over $40 there lately, but they did me right by this dress. It's flattering on the big booties too (a major plus in my book).
4. Glam Dot A-Line Dress from Forever 21 $29.80: I feel a certain way about polka dots, but this is an exception. I like the pleats and the zipper/collar in the back and the length. Sidenote: has Forever 21 always been this skanky or am I growing up? My word, I hate being this old sometimes

My dog has jaws of steel. Seriously, one time she thought the people mowing the yard were trying to break into her house and chewed the metal doorknob into a completely flat piece. Needless to say Andi can only chew the highest quality toys, as raw hides last approximately 10 minutes in her jaws (and give her horrible diahrrea- did you know you can give dogs pepto for upset tummies??). So I discovered the RUBBER KONG, one of the most durable chew toys in the industry (I always order one with my petcarerx orders because they have great deals on them- $6.99 versus $20.00 at the pet stores.

Being the diva that she is, Andi is quick to give up if she doesn't get immediate results (fetch? why would we do that? what's in it for me?). Being a relative of mine, she can't resist peanut butter. Being the genius that I am, I discovered this gem:

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour freeze time
Servings: 1 kong worth

Ingredients

  • 1 scoop of peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup water


Thoroughly mix the peanut butter and water until it's runny. I have found the natural peanut butter mixes much easier. Spoon the peanut butter mixture into the kong toy (there's no glamorous way to do this- I usually set the kong on a plate and spoon the peanut butter in, sometimes poke it down with my finger). Wrap the kong in a plastic bag (roommates get weird about dog toys touching their food in the freezer, plus it makes for easy clean up if the PB oozes out) and put in the freezer for an hour, or until frozen. Watch your dog entertain herself for hours. HOURS. Can you imagine having peanut butter ice cream stuck inside of something? I would be fighting for that for hours too. I mean this is too easy. Just too easy.


Step 1: 1 scoop PB
Step 2: Mix it to look like this. Like all things my dog love sto play with/roll around in-, looks and feels repulsive.
Step 3: get gloppy with it

Doggie Gourmet- 1 Ingredient Dog Treat (that keeps them busy for hours)

Tuesday, September 17, 2013


Yay for Clean Eating feeling totally normal! We were both looking forward to Taco Tuesday AND pizza night all week! This week I diversified the meals a lot- a little from every corner of the world (haha). This week I was good about preparing as much as possible on Sunday so coming home at night I just had to throw a few last things together.
Sidenote: When a meal is a fail, I don't post it so don't worry about spending time cooking something that sucks. You're welcome.

Breakfast:
Mexican Breakfast Casserole

Lunch:
Italian Quinoa Bake
Super Easy Tuna Salad
Taco Tuesday leftovers for Taco Salad With Avocado Spread
Lefotvers (we had a lot this week)

Snacks:
  • Dark chocolate (72% cocoa or more)
  • Cottage cheese with avocado and tomato
  • Grapes
  • Apples
  • Bananas 

Supper:
Monday: Stir Fry
Tuesday: TACO TUESDAY (with clean seasoning too!)!!!
Wednesday: Steak and Veggies
Thursday: Clean Eating Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Friday: Turkey/Quinoa Italian Stuffed Peppers

Grocery List:
  • Dozen Eggs
  • All-natural salsa
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese (1 bag usually)
  • 1 tub Greek Yogurt (I use it a lot so I get the big one)
  • 3.5 lbs lean ground turkey
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 3 cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 can black beans
  • low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 pack quinoa (I only need to buy this every few weeks)
  • brown rice
  • 1 thing (can? box?) natural low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 can tuna
  • 2 packs mushrooms
  • 3 large yellow onions (whatever color is on sale!)
  • 1 bag Spinach
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 zucchini squash
  • 11 bell peppers- colors don't matter (I should start growing my own?)
  •  1 bulb (flower? what do we call this?) garlic
  • 1 head of lettuce
  • 2 avocados
  • 2 tomatoes
  • Snack fruits (bananas, grapes, apples, whatever you like!)
  • 1 bag frozen veggies
  • Cottage cheese
  • 1 bar of natural 72% + cocoa chocolate (if it has more than 3 ingredients stay away!)



Week 4 Clean Eating Meal Plan, Recipes & Grocery List

Monday, September 16, 2013

 
Sometimes I think Phil from Modern Family is actually based on my own dad, so needless to say he deserves great gifts. But what to get a man whose hobbies favorite hobbies are roaming around Home Depot, watching Mash reruns and building shelves? Well thanks to Livingsocial  we have a crisis averted for one more birthday season: $25 for $50 to spend at Brookstone, and what do you know Brookstone's website has an entire sections of "Gifts for $50 and under". No joke. Here are some of my thoughts for my dad's gifts:

Stick-n-Find Bluetooth Locator: A thing you put on your stuff (keys, remotes, what else does my dad lose on the reg?) that you can locate from your iphone. O.M.G. I want one for myself






Motorized Automatic Tie Rack: Ok I really don't know how necessary it is to have this, but it is such a dad toy









Emergency 30 Day Lantern: This embodies all elements of appropriate dad gifts: totally unnecessary, rustic, kind of electric, and something all other dads will want to play with



Broke Gifts- Dad Edition

Posted on the wall. My kinda place
"Wait so you go down to a sketchy Asian basement in Dupont and let them touch your coochie?" -Good friend 2 months ago. As of one month ago she is a regular at Dupont Nail. It's that much of a bang for your buck yall.


  • Price: $35 Brazilian, $8-$12 eyebrow IN DC YALL
  • Service: Kim is great. She's really sweet and truly cares about her service. And she waxes her own self. I don't know what says you can trust a waxer more than that...
  • Quality: Same quality as an $80 wax I got a Groupon for a few years ago.
  • Cleanliness: They change out the wax after every appointment and do the same with the table coverings. This makes me feel even better than other places that just don't "double dip"

image from betcheslovethis.com

I discovered this place 2 summer ago when they were advertising their $35 Brazilians- $35!!! In DC!!!! At that point I was so desperate for a clean-up that I didn't care that it gives off the aura of a Vietnamese basement dive salon, so I went for it and have been going back to Kim every 4-6 weeks since then. Kim is so sweet and gives you a hug every time you come in, like, she really cares. (They have since been taken over by a salon management company and it has a better feel inside.)
I understand one of the ways they can keep their prices so low is by using regular brand products (i.e. aloe vera, Neosporin), but an old waxer friend told me that most salons just put "Neosporin" into a bottle with an exotic label and tell you it is a special healing cream from another country, so I don't feel that gypped by the fact that Kim doesn't try to hide the products she's using. When I go in for the eyebrow/Brazilian combo they give a little discount and only charge $42 for all the services which is still half the price of just a Brazilian at other places. I have never had my nails done here before because it is a little pricier than Revo and I just can't justify that extra $8 (it's a whole eyebrow wax!), but a friend has said good things about their gel manis. Also not sure if this is a selling point for anyone out there, but they just got a new chocolate flavored wax that smells like chocolate. I might be missing something but I really don't understand that. Neither does Kim. If anyone has information about the benefits of chocolate wax, please let me know. Until then Kim and I are assuming the salon management company has a fetish.

Here is the price list:


Dupont Nail- $35 Waxing

Welcome back to my life, Taco Tuesday

I know I love Mexican food (and margaritas and Coronas) more than the average person, which I attribute to my birthday being 2 days before Cinco de Mayo. So besides my birthday, my favorite holiday is Cinco de Mayo and my favorite day of the week is Taco Tuesday. This week we finally figured out how to do clean eating Taco Tuesday, here it is!

Servings: 5
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • For the clean taco seasoning:
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 tsp ceyenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder (but we love garlic sooo use accordingly)


For the tacos:

  • 1 lb lean ground turkey ($3.50)
  • 1 can black beans ($.89)
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced ($2.00)
  • 1/2 large white onion, sliced ($.50)
  • 1 package of mushrooms, sliced ($2.50)
  • 1 head of lettuce ($2.00)
  • Avocado sauce
  • Fat Free Greek Yogurt (as a sour cream substitute)
  • 1 large tomato, chopped ($1.00)


Combine the turkey and taco seasoning mix in a bowl and mix well. Cook on the stovetop until the meat is browned. While the turkey is cooking, saute the onions and bell peppers. After about 5 minutes add in the mushrooms. Put the black beans (with all the liquid) into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the liquids are bubbling. While everything is cooking, put the avocado sauce ingredients into the blender and blend together. We served it Chipotle self-serve style.

Taco Seasoning ingredients

CLEAN EATING TACO TUESDAY!

Sunday, September 15, 2013


"Casserole sounds like something I have to eat as a punishment" -the BF

Miraculously, the person from who's mouth that quote came, pounded this breakfast casserole and requested it again. This protein-packed breakfast was awesome and tasty and lasted us all week. Here's the breakdown

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: Breakfast for 2 for a week

Ingredients:

  • 8 large eggs- 4 WHOLE eggs and 4 egg whites ($1.50)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or soy milk ($.10)
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey ($3.50 at Target!)
  • 1 red pepper, chopped ($.80)
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped ($.50)
  • 1.5 cups of clean salsa ($1.00- Trader Joe's has a lot of options)
  • 4 scallions, sliced ($1.00)
  • 1 cup mushrooms, chopped ($1.50)
  • 1/2 bag spinach, chopped and sauteed ($1.50)
  • 1 tsp dry mustard 
  • 1 tsp ceyenne pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the lean ground turkey with the ceyenne pepper, black pepper and sea salt and cook on the stovetop until browned. While turkey is cooking, combine red pepper, yellow onion, mushrooms and spinach into a frying pan and cook over medium until onions are translucent. Beat together eggs, egg whites, dry mustard and milk. Spray a 9x11 pan with a teeny bit of cooking spray. Layer the veggie concoction. Top this with a layer of the salsa. Top the salsa layer with the cooked turkey. Top this with the egg concoction. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the egg is completely cooked. 

In the mornings I topped mine with avocado spread or Greek Yogurt. Yummmmmyyyy!









Clean Eating Mexican Breakfast Casserole

Unfortunately happy hours have really jammed up my workout schedule this summer. Actually it's not unfortunate, I've had a great summer and now it's time to get back in shape and get training for my second half marathon! Training starts in a few weeks but my goal is to not hate my life so much this time around, i.e. I need to get into some shape before I start training. Here is my 40 minute workout from yesterday:

Fitness Blender's HIIT Like a Girl : This is a good workout for trying to get back into shape- not super hard but not beginner. It's straight High Intensity Interval Training for 22 minutes and doesn't include warm up, cool down or stretching. I counted the next videos as a "cool down" and did some stretching at the end. I also miraculously had energy during the last move so switched it up to monkey jumps.




Blogilates POP Pilates Upper Body Workout (Arms, Shoulders, Chest): Spider pushups- what is that?!??! But hey, it's 10 minutes and I want Michelle Obama arms so let's go.



Blogilates ROAR Ab Challenge: I love Blogilates. I love Katy Perry (I know, I know). I love dancing while I work out. Really just get into it and it's great. 


And that's it! I made sure to stretch afterwards because my favorite excuse to not exercise the next day is "I'm too sore I can't!". I made sure to hit my lower back, calves, and quads. I hold each of these for about 30 seconds:
Get those glutes! Photo credit: www.irclinic.com.au



Quads. Photo credit: www.teachpe.com

Calves. Photo Credit. exercise.about.com

Lower back. Photo Credit: kristinmcgee.com

Wednesday Workout

Thursday, September 12, 2013

All goodness

These were a hit! These are surprisingly filling thanks to the quinoa and meat, so we had plenty of leftovers. Unfortunately the next night I came home from happy hour at Piola, took the leftovers out of the fridge to have a bite, and the next morning discovered I had left them out over night. Also I should mention I paid $17 for my 3 hours of eating delicious food and binge drinking wine that night, sooo really, try it out. Anyway- the chicken broth makes the meat especially savory, and all the seasonings add a real Italian meatball taste.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Servings: 6- unless you come home with drunk munchies and leave them out overnight. Then it's only 2 servings + 1 bite

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb of lean ground turkey ($4.00 on sale at Sniders! I loaded up!)
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa ($1.00)
  • 1/2 large yellow onion chopped ($.50)
  • 2 cups chopped mushrooms ($3.00)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, drained ($1.50)
  • 1 cup chicken broth ($.50)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1 TEAspoon cumin
  • 1 TABLEspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 TABLEspoon garlic salt
  • 1 TEAspoon chili powder
  •  1 TABLEspoon dried parsley
  • Sprinkling of rosemary
  • 6 whole bell peppers + 1 bell pepper chopped ($5.00)
  • Optional: some Parmesean cheese
  • **Next time I'm going to try adding tomato sauce to make it more Italian-y

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook your quinoa. In a large frying pan combine ground turkey, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic salt and chili powder. Cook the turkey over medium heat until there is no pink left. Add in onion, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic, and the chopped bell pepper and cook over medium until the onions are translucent.

While this is cooking chop the tops off of your 6 remaining peppers and cut out the ribs and seeds with a knife. Trust me, I have zero hand-eye coordination and thought this would be a difficult task but it's real easy. Put the peppers onto a baking sheet and heat in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until they are hot and softened a little.

Transfer the meat/veggie mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the quinoa and parsley. Mix it together and spoon the mixture into the peppers. Top the mixture with rosemary- we also added parmesean cheese which was deliissshhh.

Just look at all that fresh goodness!

Once the meat is brown add the fresh goodness, chicken broth, and tomatoes

These were REAL easy to seed and de-rib

Pepper with HATS! I thought this was hilarious. No one else did. Whatever, to each her own right?

Clean Eating Italian Stuffed Peppers

Wednesday, September 11, 2013