friday things + DIY lip scrub

TGIF!
TGIF!
TGIF!

Is three times enough to say that?

I am super excited about this weekend.
Particularly because it starts at 5:00 today with an overnight trip to Athens!

I don't think I'll ever stop getting that giddy feeling when I make trips to Athens.
Home away from home.

The trip came about because I have a lingerie shower to go to tomorrow for my dear friend, Steph, who's wedding I'm in this June.
So tonight, Ashley, Steph, and I are going to do what any girls in their mid-20s would do on a Friday night.
Make margaritas and watch Breaking Dawn.

Duh.

This week I honestly didn't cook too much...mostly out of laziness, I suppose.
However, I did make my first actual shopping trip to Whole Foods and got some fun stuff to experiment with next week!
One of which is spaghetti squash, which I am totally pumped about trying and Joe is...let's say...less than thrilled about.
I'm determined to get him on board though.
Stay tuned.

Other things I've been up to...

Playing with my new Mason jars and juicing up a storm.

Pictured above: an apple, carrot, celery concoction.

In the last two weeks I've had approximately seven hazlenut macchiatos.

#cantstopwontstop

Wrote my first guest post for a fellow blogger!

You will see the recipe for these babies coming soon over at Fitness & Feta.

Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you know what day so you can check them out!

And lastly, I made a lip scrub that I've fallen in love with so much that I decided it had to be shared.

Why people buy $20 lip scrubs when you can make one yourself with things already in your kitchen is beyond me.

Things you'll need:

1 small glass container, like these 

2 tsp honey

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp lemon juice

sugar

Directions:

Add honey to jar and heat in microwave for 5-7 seconds.

Add coconut oil {stir until melted if you use the solid kind like I did}.

Add lemon juice.

Slowly at sugar a few tablespoons at a time until you get the consistency you want.

You want it to be like a body scrub would be...not liquidy, but coarse and easy to spread.

Don't worry about messing up though, because you can always add more liquid or more sugar to compensate!

To use:

Put a little on your finger and rub on lips for 20-30 seconds in a circular motion to exfoliate.

Rinse with warm water.

Apply chapstick or lip balm.

I've done this twice a day {when I wake up and before I go to bed} all week, and my lips 100% stopped peeling after day two.

It's amazing!

So get to scrubbing, lovelies.

And enjoy the beautiful weekend that's ahead!

pork medallions with sweet and spicy sauce

I swear I had every intention of posting this recipe on Friday, but somehow time got away from me.

If you live anywhere near Atlanta, you know time flew by this weekend because there were approximately one million things going on.
Enter Final Four festivities, free concerts at Centennial, multiple Braves games, G-day, and {my personal fave} the Color Run!

Granted we only participated one of the fun things I listed, but time still went by crazy quick because we were out enjoying the beautiful weather and watching a ridiculous amount of sports with friends.

I really wanted to throw a trip to Ikea into that list of activities, but it just wasn't happening with the outrageous amount of traffic everywhere.
I am determined to pick up some succulents for our new apartment soon, though.

via

Yeah, we're not moving for a month.
Whatever.
I'm impatient.

Let's get to the food.

These pork medallions were an idea that was inspired by Clean Eating mag and turned out totally amazing.
Especially considering I dressed them in a sauce totally different from anything I've ever made before.

Needless to say, I was nervous.
If there's anything I know my man loves, it's meat and potatoes.
So pouring an experimental sauce all over his meat before he even had a chance to taste it was quite terrifying.

It went swimmingly though, thank goodness!

Things you'll need:

1 pork loin, sliced into 12 medallions

sea salt

black pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (or 1/2 cup apple butter)

dash of cinnamon

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Sriracha {optional}

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 tsp honey

Let's talk about the sauce really quick.

First off, the original recipe calls for apple butter.

However, I didn't have that, so I mixed unsweetened applesauce with a pinch of cinnamon and microwaved it for 2 minutes to create my own apple butter substitute.

After that, I mixed my faux-apple butter with ginger, soy sauce, lemon juice, Sriracha, and honey.

Bring to a boil on medium heat, then cover and simmer on low for 4-5 minutes.

Be sure to taste it!

If it's not sweet enough, add a tad more honey.

If it's too sweet, add a tad more soy sauce or Sriracha.

You get the point.

Trim your tenderloin as needed and slice your medallions.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat, and add medallions.

Cook on each side for 5-6 minutes, until cooked thoroughly.

I did six medallions at a time for six minutes on each side, and they turned out beautifully.

Thoroughly cooked and not tough whatsoever.

Drizzle with sauce and serve with your favorite side!

These would be great with asparagus or a pretty spring salad.

I served them with my spicy roasted red potatoes because we've had a 10 pound bag sitting on our counter for a week now begging to be used.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size: 3 medallions

Cals/serving: 120

Carbs/serving: 6g

Fat/serving: 15g

Protein/serving: 57g

Also, FYI, the entire sauce recipe is only 112 calories.

For the entire pot.

So per serving it's anywhere between 5-10 calories.

Not bad for a sauce, if I do say so myself.

What did you guys do this weekend?

Anything exciting?

I know I'm not alone when I say I absolutely hate Mondays.

But at least it's a pretty one!

light alfredo sauce, aka i'll never buy ready-made sauce again

BREAKING NEWS: You can have Fettuccine Alfredo for dinner and still be healthy!

I know.
You probably don't believe me.
Since we all know Alfredo sauce is hands down one of the dieter's worst nightmares.

I know it's one of mine.

Mostly because it tastes so good.
Undoubtedly because it's full of butter and cream.
Again, dieter's worst nightmares.

Let me just throw these numbers at you real quick.
Did you know that one serving of Alfredo sauce at Olive Garden is 380 calories?

And that's on top of all the pasta.
Which brings the dinner portion of an order of Fettuccine Alfredo to a whopping 1,220 calories!
With 75 grams of fat!!!

FYI, just to put that in perspective, my entire daily calorie intake is between 1,200 and 1,400.

No wonder America has weight problems!

So, now that I'm done ranting about that, I'll get to the point.
Remember that basil fettuccine I received from my penpal?

image via

When I saw this I immediately had a vision in my head of shrimp and broccoli Alfredo.

But, I was determined to make a sauce that wouldn't ruin all the hard work I've put in the last few months correcting my diet and exercising.

{I'll go ahead and apologize for advance about having no pictures of this delicious dinner...honestly I didn't expect it to turn out as amazing as it did, so it didn't even cross my mind to photograph the steps!}

There's been a lot of hype in the food blog world lately about making your own sauces and salad dressings, and I think I'm finally jumping on that train after this major success.

Things you'll need:

{recipe adapted from here}

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

2 cups 1% organic milk

1 cup 99% fat free chicken broth

3-4 tbsp flour

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese

Saute minced garlic in olive oil on medium heat until golden brown.

Add milk, chicken broth, flour, salt, and pepper.

Whisk until thick.

Stir in Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted.

Serve over your favorite pasta dish!

Mine at the moment just so happened to include medium-sized shrimp, organic broccoli florets, and that amazing basil fettuccine, which you can buy here on Amazon or at a store near you.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size: little less than 1/2 cup

Cals/serving: 73

Fat/serving: 3

Carbs/serving: 8

Protein/serving: 4

Seriously, 73 calories versus 380?

3 grams of fat versus 75?!

We will eat Fettuccine Alfredo and still have our summer bodies, yet.

Just you watch.

foodie penpal reveal day!

This month I participated in my first activity as a wannabe food blogger, Foodie Penpals.

My penpal this month was Leah MacKenzie over at MacKenzie Memories, and let me just tell you.

She nailed my taste down to a tee!

Here's what she sent {all the way from Minnesota!}:

• Basil Fettuccini noodles - As suggested, we'll be trying this sometime this week with chicken, broccoli, and alfredo sauce.  They look delicious!

• Granola from 3 Tiers Bakery Bistro - This stuff is amazing.  I've hidden it in my desk at work and have been having it for breakfast everyday for the last week.  True story.

• Midwest Spice Rub - I am looking forward to trying this on chicken {and maybe fish?} at our new apartment, where we are allowed to have our very own grill! This couldn't have been sent at a better time, obviously.

• Chile Limon Chocolate Bar - This I am loving.  It's so different...unlike any chocolate I've ever tried before.  It combines my love of dark chocolate with my absolute favorite food quality - spice.  This stuff hints that it will be spicy and it is.  So interesting!  {This is also being hoarded in my desk at work...sorry, boyfriend.}

• Lemonades - Who doesn't love Girl Scout cookies?  Now spring can officially start.

• PROBAR Fruition bars - Monday and Tuesday last week, before I started stuffing my face with granola everyday, I tried these for breakfast.  So good!  Finding a breakfast bar made with ingredients that I can recognize and pronounce is tough, so these were perfect!  I liked them both, but I think the blueberry was my favorite out of the two...just by a shmidge.

• A cute little postcard with facts about Minnesota!

Thank you so much for my package, Leah!

I loved everything and have signed up for another month since this was such a success.

You're awesome!

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Are you interested in joining us for Foodie Penpals next month? Here are some more details:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
• Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for April, please CLICK HERE  to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!

*If you’re from Europe, please CLICK HERE to signup.

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Have a great Monday, everyone!

friday things - what i've been up to

Congratulations, everybody.
We made it through another week!

I don't know about ya'll, but I am exhausted.
I had a real issue with going to bed early this week.
My body just didn't want to do it.
Straight up refused.

But that's okay, because now the weekend has arrived!
That always makes everything okay.

Since I've been posting more sporadically lately, I thought I'd give you a little run down of what I've been up to the last two weeks - as uninteresting as it may be, ha.

Pup and I spent some time at Joe's parents house visiting with Ashley.

I didn't realize how huge he's gotten until Ashley put together this comparison.
My baby is all grown up!

I finally got around to trying Eggs Benedict.

I've been wanting to try it forever, but somehow there's always something on the menu that catches my eye quicker.

This time I was determined and just went for it.

And oh my god.

Best decision ever.

Eggs Benny is totally where it's at ya'll.

My brunching experience has been changed forever.

Tulips are popping up all over Alpharetta, and I am totally loving it.

I started noticing them the day after Joe and I were approved for our new apartment.

Coincidentally on the same street as the tulips pictured above.

I love me a city with some pretty landscaping.

I am still absolutely obsessed with avocado toast {I had it for dinner twice this week and am having it for lunch today - when I love something, I commit}, but last night I added some wine and cheese to my toast diet.

Joe had dinner plans, okay?

FYI, Costco-brand Cabernet kind of tastes like water...

Tart, red water.

But those mini light Babybels...amazing.

I'm thinking next we'll try Yancey's Champagne Cheddar, hopefully with the fancy wine from Napa we've been saving!

I can't bring myself to drink a wine that expensive without a special occasion to be celebrating.

Am I right?

This weekend will be spent visiting Joe's parents in Peachtree City and making a trip to see my dad in the rehabilitation center he was recently transferred to for his hip injury.

And hopefully a few Reese's peanut butter eggs will be thrown in there too.

I'll enter those into MyFitnessPal with pride, thankyouverymuch.

honey soy chicken thighs

Hi strangers!

Sorry about the little lapse in posting there.
I've been dealing with a family emergency that has taken all of my attention for the last week.
Thankfully, things are slowly but surely getting handled, and I was able to come home and cook an actual homemade meal - first one in a week!

My body was thankful for that, also.

While I was away, I kept myself busy doing hundreds of crossword puzzles and researching new recipes to share here with you.

The first one I've chosen is some honey soy chicken, adapted from the honey tamarind chicken in the March issue of my new favorite magazine, Clean Eating.
If you haven't flipped through a Clean Eating mag before, you are totally missing out.
I found enough recipes for a whole month's worth of dinners!

And the best part is they're all super easy and don't contain any crazy ingredients that my live-in picky eater won't touch.

Jackpot.

heavily adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, March 2013 edition

Things you'll need:

5-8 chicken thighs {I used organic, vegetarian fed chicken thighs from Costco, 5 to a pack}

4 tsp soy sauce, divided

2 tbsp honey, divided

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tps freshly chopped ginger

1 tsp Sriracha

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together half of soy sauce, half of honey, sesame oil, and ginger.

{Original recipe called for tamarind, but of course my crappy Walmart doesn't carry it.}

This was my first time working with fresh ginger, and let me just tell you.

The smell is amazing.

I'll definitely be using that more often in my recipes from now on.

Mmm.

After trimming fat from the chicken thighs, add them to the bowl of marinade and toss to coat.

I only let them sit for about five minutes, but if you have the time it couldn't hurt to let them marinate for awhile in the fridge.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet {or lightly spray baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray}, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through.

With a fork, whisk together the remaining soy, honey, and Sriracha {optional}, and drizzle over chicken for a sweet and tangy sauce.

Be sure to taste test the sauce!

I just played around until I found the mixture I liked the best.

And that's literally it!

15 minutes and dinner is done.

Now you can't use the "I don't have time to cook" excuse.

Sorry.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size: 1 chicken thigh

Cals/serving: 126

Carbs/serving: 4g

Fat/serving: 5g

Protein/serving: 21g

I served this with steamed organic broccoli florets, but I think it would also go well with quinoa and some stir fry veggies since it has a little Asian kick to it.

Opinions are always welcome on side dishes though!

Coming up with those are always a problem area for me.

Besides recipe searching and crosswords, I haven't been up to much.

Joe and I applied for a new apartment yesterday {and got approved - yay!}, so we are officially moving to Alpharetta on May 4th!

Exciting and bittersweet, all at once.

I'll miss Dunwoody...we have a lot of great memories there.

But with moving comes new furniture and decor, so I am pumped about that!

I also received my first Foodie Penpals package, and it is nothing short of awesome.

I'll be sharing what I got on April 1st, so stay tuned!

What have ya'll been up to?

spicy lime avocado toast and feta french bread pizza

I don't know if you guys have noticed, but avocado toast has really taken off in the food blog world.

And for good reason, apparently.

After reading fifteen million recipes {yes, there are that many different ways to make an avocado spread}, I decided to do some experimenting of my own and see what all the fuss was about.

Of course, just to be safe, I made a separate piece of toast that was pizza style.

Can't be too careful when you're experimenting on dinner and putting all your eggs in the avocado basket.

And thus was the birth of "fancy toast night."

Dinner is interesting when the boy is out of town.

Things you'll need:

1/2 loaf of Trader Joe's Demi French baguette, sliced longways

olive oil

1/2 avocado

1/2 fresh lime, squeezed

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/4 tsp per slice

1/8 cup spaghetti sauce of your choice

1/8 cup part-skim mozzarella

1 oz. crumbled feta

Slice baguette in half, then slice in half the long way as shown above.

I like the TJ's demi baguette because it's small and calorie-friendly.

Feel free to use whatever bread you have on hand!

Drizzle a little olive oil on each half.

Put under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, until slightly golden and crispy.

When bread is toasted, assemble your mini pizza.

I used traditional tomato sauce, shredded mozz, and a sprinkle of feta.

The cheesier the better, if you ask me.

Pop back in the oven under the broiler for another 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted.

While pizza is cooking, begin assembling your avocado toast.

In a bowl, mash together avocado, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Taste as you go and make sure the seasoning is right!

Spread on toasted bread and sprinkle with crushed red pepper.

And just like that, dinner is served!

Sprinkle some crushed red pepper on your feta pizza for some extra spice {we all know I did}

and enjoy!

This dinner took about ten minutes to throw together.

Perfect for nights like this when all I can think about is jumping into bed to watch more Scandal.

{Did I mention I watched like eight episodes yesterday? Obsessed.}

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving: 1 slice avocado toast

Cals/serving: 194

Fat/serving: 11g

Carbs/serving: 25g

Protein/serving: 5g

Serving: 1 slice feta French bread pizza

Cals/serving: 194

Fat/serving: 8g

Carbs/serving: 19g

Protein/serving: 12g

Side note:

These came out to be the same amount of calories by complete accident.

How weird is that?

I'm going to be completely honest with ya'll.

I love pizza...

But this avocado toast was seriously delicious.

Like, I think I liked it better than the pizza.

I can't believe I just said that.

But it's true.

Go make it and tell me your thoughts!