Posted to
Food on Mar 24, 2013 - 07:21
Nothing's more comforting than having a fantastic grilled cheese sandwich. One of my new favorite places in the city is located in Andersonville and it's called Jerry's Sandwich. What's better than a huge list of amazing sandwiches? Amazing craft beer to go with it!
I am a huge fan of craft beer, so this place really hits the spot when I just want to hang out and have a nice meal with good
beer.
My caprese grilled cheese was amazing! Perfectly grilled without feeling greasy, and paired well with a side salad and mac and cheese. Can't get any more comforting than that!
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xoxo
Posted to
Places on Mar 20, 2013 - 21:25
eeing how today is suppose to be the first day of Spring, and it's also my day off (woohoo!), I decided to make my way over to Montrose Harbor to just take in all of the beauty. When the weather is warm and the sun is shining, I can't help but just to make my way over to the lake.
A lot of people love fishing by the harbor, and so do I, but because I don't have a fishing pole anymore I
usually just go for the view. I mean who wouldn't want to just sit and look at the lake and skyline all day?
Today wasn't the warmest day here in Chicago, but I just couldn't help myself. Definitely can't wait until I can just lay out a blanket and sit and read here all day!
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xoxo
Posted to
Food on Mar 19, 2013 - 23:50
This recipe is definitely not a part of my Low Carb Diet, however treating yourself once in a while is recommended. Healthy eating should not be sad or depressing, so having treats here and there are good. Just remember, it's all in moderation.
I was preparing a meal for a few friends, which I love cooking for, and I decided to make these Jalapeno Poppers as an appetizer choice.
It's
fairly simple, and incredibly delicious!
Start off by preparing the filling: cream cheese, cheddar/mont. jack cheese, roasted garlic, and crushed bacons bits. You honestly can add anything else you want to the filling mix, it's all about preference.
Then, de-seed all of your jalapeno halves and fill them up with a good amount of your cheese filling. Take individual crescent roll dough pieces and wrap it around the jalapeno, thus creating a wrap.
Lightly brush the unbaked poppers with egg wash and top it off with a little cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes allow to cool, and serve!
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xoxo
Posted to
Food on Mar 14, 2013 - 16:14
It's hard "restricting" yourself from certain foods because the cravings will always be there. But that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to such extremes where you don't enjoy eating anymore. For me, I love raw vegetables, so when it comes to substituting carbs for vegetables it wasn't that hard for me. However, one of the cravings I usually cave in to are pizza.
I absolutely love
Margherita pizzas because I love anything with tomatoes. So last night, after a short night out I found myself craving for a pizza. While my friends went out to fulfill that craving, I just decided to go home (since it was late anyways) and see what I had in my fridge.
Because I actually had all of the essential ingredients in my kitchen, I was able to make this low carb Margherita Tortilla Pizza, that actually turned out pretty fantastic. In just 10 minutes, using a small toaster oven, I was able to treat my taste buds without feeling overly stuffed.
So what do you need? Of course start off with a regular, 8 inch, tortilla and brush it with extra virgin olive oil on both sides. Lightly toast it in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for about five minutes. re-toasting the tortilla helps keep the tortilla crunchy.
Then, remove it from the oven and add your marinara sauce, fresh basil, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. Place it back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes, until all of the cheese is melted.
Quick, easy, delicious, and guilt free!
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xoxo
Posted to
Health & Beauty on Mar 12, 2013 - 22:30
Winter isn't over yet, but the weather has been improving here in the city. During the colder seasons I definitely appreciate the darker, black toned polishes. For some reason darker polishes just look so clean and chic, especially with a shorter manicure. A lot of people use to think it's unprofessional to have a darker manicure, but now a days it's more fashionable and sleek looking.
So
while I was re-organizing my nail polish collection (which is way more extensive than I had imagined), I came across OPI's Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees, which is a deep charcoal gray. The picture honestly does not do the polish any justice since it just looks black, but in person you can definitely see the lighter hints of grey to the polish (also please excuse my terrible dry cuticles, they are not doing so well this Winter).
I absolutely love how creamy and opaque this polish was, and of course OPI never let's me down on the quality of their polishes. Two thin coats and you have the perfect "black" manicure. Next to OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark, I would have to saw OPI Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees is my next favorite blackened polish.
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xoxo
Posted to
Food on Mar 12, 2013 - 16:39
Who says you can't have a breakfast sandwich while on you're low card diet? I know you hear it all of the time, but it's true that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. I use to have a really bad habit of skipping breakfast, and that's when my weight would fluctuate. Then I realized that having a larger breakfast (packed with protein and fiber) was more important than a
larger dinner.
You want to start your day off right, supplying your body with the energy it needs to function. Otherwise, you'll just find yourself snacking and packing on those unwanted calories from sugary sweets.
So how did I make a healthy breakfast sandwich? It's simple. Substitute the bread choice for a 7 Sprout Whole Grain Bread choice (usually found in the freezer aisle at the grocery store). The "bread" is made of a combination of organically grown grains and legumes, rich in vitamins, proteins, and fiber.
When toasted, you can't tell the difference between this and regular whole wheat bread.
So for this morning I decided to throw together a nice breakfast for a friend and myself. Lightly fry up some lean turkey bacon (patting away any excess grease), add some spinach and an egg over easy and you'll have a great meal to start off your day.
Make the sandwich even better for you by making it an open face sandwich.
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xoxo
Posted to
Food on Mar 5, 2013 - 19:54
One of my must haves for every meal has to be a serving (or two) of vegetables). It's a great way to easily fill up your stomach without packing on those calories. I usually just pick up one of those containers of a spring mix (with had the usual lettuce, spinach, and arugula), and add fresh tomatoes and cucumbers to the mixture.
The tomatoes really add that tartness that brings in a lot of
flavor to the salad, while the cucumbers give that crunch and freshness which really helps fill you up.
For this week, I decided to "dress up" my usual salad by adding more Quinoa to everything. It's a great way to add more grains to your diet, and is definitely much better for you than those croutons (which I admit, can be so freaking addicting!).
Toss everything together with your favorite store bought salad dressing, or you can get creative and make your own!
I love having this on the side with any type of protein. It's really filling, but doesn't weigh me down (avoiding all of those food comas). I will usually make a large batch in the beginning of the week, making it easy to pack for lunch in the morning.
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xoxo
Posted to
Fashion on Mar 5, 2013 - 19:39
I don't know why, but I have really been into delicate jewelry pieces lately. I'm always looking at them online and it's slowly becoming an obsession. They are just easy to pair with any outfit, and I find them appropriate for any occasion. Also I think having little, delicate pieces add a bit of that classic touch to your look.
So after a few weeks of eyeing the Tiffany Twist Ring, I
decided to treat myself to a little splurge since I honestly do not have anything like it in my collection. It's a very simple, basic ring, made of sterling silver with a twist band detail.
I love wearing this on my middle finger, and honestly have not taken it off (other than sleeping and showering) ever since I picked it up. I love how simple it looks, but it still adds a little special touch to my outfits. With Spring Fashion all over the web lately, I'm slowly retiring all of my darker, chunkier rings and am more fond of a simple band.
Definitely glad I decided to pick this one up.
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xoxo
Posted to
Health & Beauty on Feb 27, 2013 - 05:20
I am definitely late to the game when it comes to these L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows. Honestly, when I first saw these shadows I didn't think much of them because they just looked like any other satin finished shadow. And because I am not really drawn to purchasing single eye shadows, I just decided to skip this collection overall.
So why did I finally decide to pick these up? While I was
at CVS, they were having a BOGO sale for a few of the L'Oreal products, and these L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows were part of the promotion. So when I was looking through the color selection and saw these two I thought they were too gorgeous to pass up.
The two shades I went with were Iced Latte and Golden Sage, mainly because I thought they would go beautifully together for St. Patrick's Day. Iced Latte is definitely a shade that has been talked about a lot int he beauty community, but I am most excited for Golden Sage, because I don't have anything like it.
These L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows are incredibly velvety, buttery smooth and just apply onto the lids like a dream. They are a powder shadow that gives a look of a creamy finish, which really makes the eyes pop. The application is incredibly effortless, and if you can't tell by the swatches the colors are incredibly pigmented. I would recommend using a synthetic, flat eye shadow brush to pat the shadows on to avoid any fall out. Then, blend everything out with a nice fluffy brush.
I can't say I would purchase any more of these because all of the other colors are pretty similar to what I have already. But I will say that I am incredibly happy I picked these two shades up (especially during the promotion), and will definitely enjoy these in the next month. If any of you are curious about the higher end versions of these types of shadows (i.e. Chanel and Armani make a very similar version of these), but don't want to spend as much, I would definitely say that these L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows are worth purchasing.
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xoxo
Posted to
Health & Beauty on Feb 26, 2013 - 20:22
One of my skin care routines for the week usually consists of some sort of clay/mud mask treatment. It's a great way to give yourself that at home spa feel without spending the same amount you would at a spa center. I had heard of this Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar from Raeview on YouTube (or The Raeviewer here on blogspot), and because I usually trust her opinions on the products she
reviews I decided to pick this up and give it a try.
The Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar is a purifying face and body mask made from 100% Umbrian Clay. The clay works as a deep cleanser, that works to detoxify and clear any unwanted spots. The high mineral content in Umbrian clay absorbs any toxins in the pores and is soothing enough to calm any irritation on the skin.
"Umbrian Clay occurs naturally and solely in the Italian town of Nocera Umbra. It has been the basis of therapeutic treatments for centuries, dating back to the 6th century B.C." - Sephora.com
After reading all of the reviews and doing a little research about Umbrian Clay, I was definitely excited to give this a try. Although I was not thrilled that the product is in bar form (since it gets a little messy to work with), the Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar really does wonders for my skin. I use it as a once a week treatment (twice a week if my skin is going through a rough time), and I can definitely see and feel a difference. After every treatment, the mask leaves my face feeling so clean and incredibly moisturized (unlike other masks that might make your skin feel a little bit tight).
The Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar works great for both the face and body, but I mainly use it as a facial mask. Run the bar under warm water and massage it onto your skin around your face and let set for about 10 minutes before rinsing. If you're not a fan of facial masks, you can use the Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar as a spot treatment instead, just applying it where you notice any spots.
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xoxo
