Ch-Ch-Ch- Chicken Enchiladas! OLE!

If you are my friend on Facebook, you’ve probably seen me post pics of the meals that I cook for the Huzz and myself. Cooking is something I actually enjoy, I really enjoy taking something that is normally labeled as “unhealthy” and remixing into something that is good for you and doesn’t sacrifice flavor or taste.  I’ve gotten lots of requests for the recipes, so from now on I will post them here on the blog. First up…Chicken Enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas

You’ll Need

medium pot

non stick skillet

Pyrex or casserole pan

Ingredients

boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

low sodium taco seasoning (I used Trader Joes)

1 small can green chilies (optional)

1 medium can or 2 small cans enchilada sauce (I used Trader Joes)

1 package of whole wheat tortillas (I prefer La Tortilla Factory’s Smart & Delicious or Tumaro’s Low-carb)

1 package of 2% shredded cheddar ( I used veggie shreds since the Huzz can’t have dairy)

non-fat Greek yogurt ( I used Dannon)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 450 and rinse chicken breasts and then boil in medium pot until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Remove cooked chicken from pot and place in a bowl. Shred chicken by following this tutorial here.

2) Heat oil in non stick skillet. Add onion, green chilies, shredded chicken and half packet of low sodium taco seasoning.  Cook until onions are translucent Stir until well blended. You may need to add just a little bit of water, but not too much.

3) Once chicken mixture is done, it’s time to prep the tortillas. Stack and wrap them in a damp paper towel, then microwave them for 20 seconds. This will keep them from tearing when you roll them.

4) Now, spread a thin layer of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the Pyrex dish/casserole pan. Then, take one tortilla and fill with chicken mixture and cheese. Place seam side down in Pyrex dish. Repeat this until you have no more chicken or tortillas left.

5) Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with Greek yogurt or low fat sour cream.

Feel free to adjust cooking times and amounts accordingly.

Fall Back Into the Groove

Wow..it’s already September!  Please excuse my brief hiatus from the blogosphere. The last time I checked in with you guys I had just given my weekly workout rundown and my plan for the next week. Well guys, I have to confess. That workout week was shot to hades. I think I worked out twice that week…a pathetic run one day and some treadmill/elliptical work another..ho-hum.

I tried to rationalize what went wrong and I think I found the answer. First of all, I hadn’t really established a clear routine of when I was going to work out and how that was going to mesh  with my new work schedule, my husband’s work schedule, and my new role as a wife. In my single days, I could just simply wing it and roll with the flow, make a random concoction for dinner or stop by Jason’s Deli or Subway and be fine, as I lived alone and did my own thang. Now I am a married woman and I have new responsibilities as a wife. I mean don’t get me wrong, the Huzz fully supports my health efforts and encourages me to stay on track with exercise and eating right. But I don’t want to be selfish and force him to rely on cold cereal for dinner every night, nor do I want the only time we spend together to be the hour before we go to work and an hour before we go to bed.

Secondly, the gym we belong to recently had some shifts in classes, meaning some of the classes I was most interested in were eliminated due to employee changes. Don’t know if they quit or were let go, but the only classes that were offered in the afternoons and weekends after the changes were a weight lifting class and Zumba. I’ve taken the weight lifting class before and didn’t like it, mainly because of the instructor. She spoke in a monotone voice and had no energy at all. I could probably get more motivation from a wet mop. I like Zumba, but I don’t want to take it 5 times a week as my sole source of cardio. I know it’s fun and you sweat and it’s a party, but doggone it I want some hard core stuff..give me some burpees, some sprints, some jump squats, and blast some music that gets me hype and makes me want to give my all. That’s what I’m used to and that’s what my body likes. Not to mention, Zumba makes me crave chips and salsa, and I can’t be eating chips and salsa 5x a week.  So essentially, I was left to the cardio machines which I got bored with very quickly.

So now what am I going to do?

Well, first I went back to my roots. I started researching different workouts and circuit combinations I can do on my own…something I used to do a LOT back in the day. I basically keep a notebook and write them down and rotate them so I don’t get bored. I test drove a few last week and OOOH-WEEE!!! They got my heart a-pumpin’ and I left drenched in sweat! I was a happy girl, and the Huzz was happy after I took a shower.

Secondly, our gym has added some classes to the afternoon schedule! I’m really excited about this because one of the classes is an afternoon spin class, and I LOVE spin. The Huzz and I talked and we decided to hit up the gym together more too. We couldn’t really go together much before because of some crazy hectic stuff going on at his job. Now things have mellowed out, and we came up with a workout schedule that will work for both of us and accommodates our work schedules as well. It will be great to get to work out with him again. I kinda like him!

Thanks for hanging in there with me kids. I plan to return to a normal, less sporadic blogging schedule too. I’ve got so many recipes, outfits, shenanigans, and fun stuff I need to share!

Fall Back Into the Groove is in full effect!

Weekly Workouts 8/7-8/13

One of the things I wanted to do on the blog is document my weekly workouts. This is more for myself than anything or anyone else.  At the end of each week I will post my workouts from the week before.  Please note that I am not a physician, so if you choose to do any of the workouts that I list, please do so at your own risk. Remember to consult your physician before starting a fitness/workout regimen.

Shortly after getting settled here in Lawrence, I began to research different gyms. I belonged to the Y and worked out at a place called D1 Sports in Chattanooga. Both places were like home, especially D1, as I built a great sisterhood with some awesome women.(GOOOO DIVAS!!!) There were several gyms to consider, but the Huzz and I eventually found a gym that suits both of our needs, convenient to our house, and worked well with our budget.

Here’s my break down from last week:

SUNDAY- OFF

MONDAY- 20 minutes cardio (elliptical)/lower body strength training

TUESDAY- 1 hour cardio (various machines)

WEDNESDAY- OFF

THURSDAY- Zumba-1 hour class

*FRIDAY- OFF*

SATURDAY- 5 min cardio warm up (stairmill), 1 hour upper body strength training

* I hadn’t intended for Friday to be an OFF day, but I was feeling, well, off so I rolled with it

The goal for this week is to get in a MINIMUM of 5 days in the gym with at least 2 days spent doing HIIT. I also plan to continue with strength training and trying some different classes. It will be interesting to see how things go this week as I return to work (yay-yuh!) and will be on a schedule, which will mean unless I get up at dark-thirty to go to the gym, I will be back to going in the afternoon. I’m used to that anyway, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

What are your workout goals for this week?

So Fresh and So Clean

         Ketchup Bottle

In this outfit I proclaimed to my husband that I looked like a bottle of ketchup with all the red going on. To which he replied, “Yeah, you kinda do.” LOL..

Romper: Forever 21, Cardigan: GAP, Wedge sandals: GAP, Handbag: street corner in Times Square in NYC, Sunglasses: Rue 21, Necklace: ALDO

Happy Birthday Sprinkles and Splatter Paint

I wore this outfit on my birthday! When I first saw the shorts I wasn’t so sure of them because of the ‘sprinkles’ or ‘splatter paint’ all over them. Once I got home though, I saw some pieces in my closet that would actually work with the shorts, so I went back and got them. (for $9-holla!)

Cardigan- BCBG  (Legends in Kansas City), Cami: The Limited, Shorts: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Journeys, Necklace: ALDO

 

                                                I’m Not a Star

 

There’s no real reason why I named this outfit I’m Not a Star other than the fact that that was the song that was playing on my Pandora station, so I just went with it. It was a gorgeous day in Lawrence, and the booboohead and I were on our way to Legends in Kansas City to do some shopping. Seriously, if you live in the KC metro area you should hit this up. For realz. Before I moved here, every time I came to visit the booboohead it was a requirement that we go to Legends. Everything from department stores(i.e JC Penney, TJ Maxx, and the recently opened Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th), men and women’s fashion (i.e Banana Republic Factory Store, GAP outlet, Aeropostale), children’s fashion (i.e Gymboree outlet, Justice, OshKosh, carter’s), to specialty stores (i.e beauty brands, GNC, Sunglass Hut) and 27 restaurants to choose from (everything from McDonalds to Dave & Busters to Jazz Louisiana Kitchen). Just a 25 minute drive from Lawrence or 15 minutes from Kansas City, Missouri (KCMo). I’ll save my purchases from there for another post.

Dress: Forever 21, Sandals: Urban Outfitters, Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Hits and Misses

I remember when I was younger I used to play baseball in the backyard with my parents. Ok, it really wasn’t baseball. It was more or less my mom and dad taking turns throwing a ball and me swinging a big, red plastic bat trying to hit it. There were times I would swing and hit that ball so hard my dad would yell “HOMERUN!” (Even though I know he could’ve caught it).

(source)

And then there were times when I would swing with all of my might and not so much as graze that ball at all. When I did hit the ball, I felt a surge of accomplishment. I felt great! I did it! Me! Me! ME!!!! But then, when I missed? Oh I hated it. I thought the world had come to an end.  I would be ready to throw that bat down, march my 7 year-old self back in the house and flop right down on the couch and watch TV. 

 

(source)

 

As I got older, I realized that sometimes in life, we have many “hits”-when things are going our way and we feel like we are on top of the world and we also have “misses”- when our plans don’t go as we would like and we have to regroup and try again. Of course we never know when we will be handed a hit or a miss, but we have to know how will we handle each. If we get a hit, will we celebrate and sing to to the rafters? If we get a miss will we wallow in self-pity and give up?

Let’s examine a situation I was recently faced with. I present to you Exhibit A:

Looks pretty good, huh? Here we have shrimp salad stuffed pita with some baby carrots on the side. I prepared this beauty to have for dinner one evening. Not wanting to use the oven because it was so brutally hot, I whipped this up as a cooler alternative. Fresh, cool, and satisfying. Right?

Wrong. Do not try this at home people. This was downright disgusting. I won’t go into what I used to prepare this because I want to get the recipe right ,and  I don’t want you scaring people away.  Friends are great to have, but if you serve this you won’t have any, I promise. Booboohead was a trooper and choked it down, but kindly asked me not to prepare this anymore. This was definitely a Strike 1 and you’re out ballgame.

So two days later I went back to the training field, as I was determined to redeem myself. I refused to resort to take-out. Doggone it I was determined to whip up a homemade meal that would knock one out of the park. Thus, I  regrouped and re-entered the game with this:

Forget Japanese takeout..I make my own!

Chicken Stir Fry and Cabbage with Brown Fried Rice

*Please note that for this meal, I used the brown fried rice recipe featured here*

Chicken Stir Fry and Cabbage

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 bag coleslaw mix-dry

1 small yellow onion, cut into rings

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

low sodium soy sauce

pepper

dash of sea salt

In a wok or nonstick skillet, heat olive oil. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and add to hot oil. Season with salt and pepper while in oil. Add onion and coleslaw mix. Cook and stir until vegetable are soft and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce to taste. Serve with sriracha or teryaki sauce if desired. My veggie friends could easily sub tofu for the chicken.

So what did the boooohead think of this meal? Let’s just say he went back for 2nds and 3rds, and this meal is officially in rotation at the Daniels’ Manor.

Homerun, baby.

Totally Awesome, dude!

Last Tuesday joined the ranks of “The Most Awesome Days” of my life. I mean, really we should celebrate every day and live it to the fullest, but there are some that just shine a little more than others. Here are some things that made July 26, 2011 ‘”totally awesome, dude!”

#1-This Hugh Jass Salad for lunch

Can we please have a moment of silence for this salad?  Full of everything I love-romaine, spinach, crab meat, fresh baked croutons, sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and dried cherries! One might think you would have to go to a gourmet sandwich shop or deli and spend $$$ for a salad of this caliber. Nuh-uh…got this beast at a gas station. HOLLA!

2) This Poster

I came across this poster while in TJ Maxx and instantly fell in love with it. So encouraging and uplifting. How bossy would it be to come home after a crappy day and have this staring back at you. I didn’t buy it, but I am seriously considering going back and getting it..fo’ realz.

3) This outfit

Romper: The Limited (recent buy-June 2011), Shoes: Journeys (2 years ago), Sunglasses: Rue 21 (May 2011 –$5), Necklace: Francesca’s Collections (3 years ago)

4) This Concert in Kansas City

 

The Huzz and I were fortunate to be able to score tickets to see John Legend and Sade at the Sprint Center! Hands down, the BEST concert I have been to. John Legend did a great job of getting the crowd ready. He had lots of energy and delivered a very soulful show. Then Miss Sade came out and put the icing on the cake. She did all of her earlier songs (Sweetest Taboo, Your Love is King, Smooth Operator) mixed in with some new cuts from her new album.  Pure perfection.

And that, my friends, was my totally awesome day!

Tell me about your  most “totally awesome” day.

Shop Your Closet

Hey friends! Sorry for going ghost on ya the past two days. This weekend was busy for The Huzz (Booboohuzz?, lol) and I. We got a lot of stuff done around the house, and are settling into our routine as newlyweds.

So last Thursday, I attended the Downtown Lawrence Sidewalk Sale and walked away with some pretty good deals.

Clockwise from top- army green asymmetrical shirt dress ($10-Urban Outfitters), heather gray/blue tee ($7.50-Gap), white skinny crop jeans ($11.50-Gap), Smurfette tee ($5 – Urban Outfitters), Rock Chalk Jayhawk Tee ($8- The Jocks Nitch), Hire Me tee ($5- Urban Outfitters) Total spent= approx $50 including tax.

My plan was to take these pieces and incorporate them into what I already had my closet. Major props to J at  Js Everyday Fashion for showing me how to do this. If you like fashion on a budget, then this is the blog for you. I first found her blog last July and have been hooked ever since. J believes that you don’t have to spend $$$$ to look fashionable. A great look can be achieved by “shopping your closet”. Check out her blog here.

I created 6 different looks using the items above and items I already owned. Let me preface this by saying that I am by no means a  model  or a professional. I don’t consider myself to be the most fashionable person there is. I just like to have fun! Sometimes there are hits, sometimes there are misses. You may or may not like the looks that I’ve put together and that is perfectly fine. I encourage you to find and wear what you like.  Now without further ado…on to the looks!

                  Comfy Casual

This look incorporates the Hire Me tee from Urban Outfitters. I paired it with a pair of crop cargos I got from Express last year and Michael Kors sandals from TJMaxx. You can’t really tell, but I am wearing an owl necklace pendant from ALDO. This is an outfit I may wear when running errands around town, to the movies, or a game night at home with friends.

              Sassy but Classy

Here I pair the Smurfette tee from Urban Outfitters with a blazer I got from Target four years ago and shorts from Express. Nine West peep toe pumps are from Belk department store (3 years old). I’d probably wear this out for drinks and dancing.

 

             Rock Chalk

Here is the Rock Chalk Jayhawk spirit tee from the Jock’s Nitch. I paired it with some distressed jeans I found last year at Rue 21 for $5 and a belt with a Jayhawk belt buckle that The Huzz (booboohuzz?, lol) already owned. I’d probably wear this to  a Jayhawk football or basketball game.

                              Salute

This is the army green asymmetrical t-shirt dress from Urban Outfitters. I chose to belt this dress with a belt from Gap outlet . The wedges are from Gap outlet also. The necklace is from Francesa’s Collections. This dress is sooo comfortable. I’d probably wear this outfit out to dinner on Mass Street with my husband.

                      Lovely Lady

And here we have the heather gray/blue tee from the Gap. Before you say anything, no, that is not my bra. I layered the tee over a coral sundress that I bought from Rue 21 two years ago. J talks a lot about doing this on her blog and Jenna, from Eat, Live, Run, recently did an outfit similar to this on her blog. Click here to see it. I paired the Michael Kors sandals  and owl necklace from outfit one with this outfit. The belt is from Wet Seal (purchased last year). This is something I’d wear when shopping with girlfriends or out to lunch.

                Hustling in the Hamptons

And last but not least, we have the white skinny crops from the Gap. I paired these with a striped button down from Express, the blazer from outfit 2, black version of the belt from outfit 4, and beaded choker necklace from Express. The Steve Madden shoes were a family gift. This outfit is very J inspired. I call it “Hustling in the Hamptons” because it has the preppy look, but the shoes kind of give it a rocker edge. Maybe I’ll wear this outfit if I make to the Hamptons one day.

Well those are my looks! I had a lot of fun with this. A big THANK YOU to the Huzz ( booboohuzz, lol) for snapping the photos. Hopefully I can share more outfits with you all in the future.  Happy shopping and stay stylin’!

Questions

1) What’s your favorite piece of clothing or accessory you own?

Simply the Best

Hey peeps! How we doin’ on this Friday night? I hope you all enjoyed my recap of the Downtown Sidewalk sale yesterday, as well as the PSA for today. I owe you guys a fashion post about my purchases from yesterday. Fingers crossed I will have it up tomorrow. I think y’all are going to like it

This afternoon I joined The Huzz and some of his work friends for mini field trip to Silver Lake, Kansas. Silver Lake is about 45-60 min west of Lawrence, just past Topeka. Our objective and destination was clear. We were going Silver Lake Chinese Restaurant, known for having the best Chinese food in Kansas. Everyone except for myself and 3 other people had  been there before, and they (The Huzz included, who is STILL talking about how good the food was 4 hours later)all swear by it. After a nice ride through the Kansas countryside we were there.

Once seated we ordered our drinks and perused the menu. Let me just say that I didn’t take any pictures inside of the restaurant. I guess I was being a little shy because no one here knows about the blog ( or so I thought) except my husband, and I didn’t want to be the crazy lady with the camera snapping pictures of food and what not. But later he casually brought it up during dinner. Come to find out he had told some people in the office about it already. Everyone was really interested in it and wanted to know the URL. (I’m thinking about making business cards). Now I wish I had taken more pictures! Food pics from  now on no matter what.

Ok so back to the restaurant. There was guy named Mark who was with us who actually used to work at the restaurant when he was in high school. He gave us the inside scoop on the menu.  I chose shrimp fried rice as my entrée, and The Huzz and I shared a cup of wonton soup. His friend Will ordered crab ragoons and egg roll appetizers for the table. I stole a bite of each.

OH. EM. GEE Talk about a foodgasm!

Later, everyone’s food came out. The portions were HUGE! It’s served family style like at PF Changs, so we all took turns sampling each other’s entrees. There was my shrimp fried rice, cashew chicken, kung pao chicken, sweet and sour chicken, moo shu pork, chicken and mushrooms, and a beef dish called “Silver Lake Beef’ (how original, ). This was all served with bowls of steamed white rice and several sauces on the side. The most popular was the Silver Lake Sauce, which kind of reminded me of a teryaki brown sauce, but better. I took a small tablespoonful of each and loved every bite. I have to agree with everyone. This was the best Chinese food ever! Seriously, Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives should come here!

After dinner we headed back to Lawrence and the topic of frozens came up. Now if you are from Chatt you know what a frozen is, and that the best flavor is blueberry. You also know that the best part of a frozen is a) the syrup on top when you take the lid off and b) when you flip the frozen out of the cup and turn it upside down. If you are unfamiliar with frozens you need to get to know them, It’s just that simple people. Basically in a nutshell it’s super sweet sno cone juice that’s been mixed with water and sugar and then frozen. Everyone in the van seemed really intrigued by these and wanted to know more about going to the frozen lady/candy lady’s house to buy them. The next thing I know we are on a quest to find the necessary stuff to make some good ol’ frozens. We went to Wal-Mart to find the sno cone juice, but no such luck. We did get the cups and sugar though.

Since it was getting late and we still wanted to satisfy our “frozen tooth’ we stopped at Tad’s Tropical Sno on 6th street in Lawrence.

 

The Huzz and I ordered a regular pina colada to share.

I had about 4 bites and called it good and gave the rest to him. Guess I just wasn’t really feelin’ it.

Now we’re home and it’s time for me to kick The Huzz’s butt in some Wii Frisbee golf. Today falls in the 20% of the 80/20 rule of balanced healthy living. Tomorrow morning we have a hot date at the gym! Yeah bay-bay! Have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Questions

Ok, what do you think of my new name for my husband? Should I go back to

“Booboohead” or keep it as “The Huzz”?

PSA for Friday, July 22, 2011

It is not acceptable to use the string from your child’s yo-yo to floss your teeth. Thank you, that is all.

(source)

Downtown Lawrence Sidewalk Sale

Today is the day that many citizens of Lawrence and the surrounding area look forward to every summer. For the third Thursday in July has been selected as the day of the annual Sidewalk Sale downtown on Lawrence’s famed Massachusetts Street (aka Mass St). Merchants and vendors open their doors in the wee early hours of the morning to welcome bargain-hunting customers in search of a good deal. Many of these shoppers camp out in front of the stores to ensure that they will be the first in line to see what door busting deals they find. Most stores opened at 5 am, while others opened at 4am, and one business stated that they would open once  the first customer knocked.

 

I chose to sleep in this morning, so I didn’t get in on the action until around 9:00 am. By then the sun was already scorching and I felt little beads of sweat starting to form on my forehead. It kinda made wish that I had gone a little earlier to beat the heat, but alas. I am a trooper and forged ahead. My first stop was the GAP.

 

I was surprised to see that this store wasn’t as crowded as I had expected. There were rows upon rows of clearance merchandise marked 40-50% off.  Not much left on these racks with my size (apparently it’s popular), but I was able to find some white cropped trousers, a heather blue/gray tee, and some slacks for The Huzz. There was no wait for a fitting room or checkout and I was in and out in about 20 minutes.

Once I made my purchases at the GAP, I headed up Mass St to see what else I could find. I loved that many store had a sidewalk set up as well as offering deals on the INSIDE as well.

As I walked Mass St, I saw masses of people, young and old, clamoring over tables, racks, and bins of merchandise. I overheard many conversations as well. Some were talking about the deals they’d just scored, the perfect outfit that was just found, the best stores, etc. One college aged girl remarked that she’d been up for 24 hours! Hats off to her!  The city of Lawrence was well prepared to tackle the heat that intensified each minute. Lots of organizations had tents set up along the street to distribute free bottles of water, which I happily accepted. There were also areas that were designated “cooling stations.” These areas served as a spot for shoppers to step in and cool off in the air conditioning before heading out in the hot sun.

As I window shopped and meandered my way through the crowds, I was in search of one store that was bound to blow me away with their amazing deals. The one store that I’d read about on Twitter and Facebook. The one store that I kept hearing people talk about on the street. And then I saw it.

Urban Outfitters.

The slashed prices in this store were simply off the chain! 50% off of basically everything in the store! Tees. jeans, accessories, shoes, you name it. They had a set up outside and inside also. I remembered  the budget I set before I left home, so I had to pace my self. I carefully chose a few items and then headed to the fitting room…oh, but there was a mondo line.

So I entertained myself by checking Twitter and Facebook and snapping some pictures.

Finally a fitting room became available and I tried on my items. I ended up buying two tees and a dress. I think I spent about 45 minutes to an hour in this store.

Once I left Urban Outfitters, I crossed Mass St and started to walk back to my car. The meter would only let me have 2 hours at a time, so I knew it was time to leave. Not to mention I’d already reached my spending limit for the day. As I walked back to the car, I simply took in the sights and sounds. I was a little surprised to see that lots of restaurants/eateries were participating too. Once restaurant was offering half price martinis! Classy!

Once I reached my car, I saw that time had expired, BUT I didn’t have a ticket. SCORE!!

All in all, my Sidewalk Sale experience was a positive one. The sun is setting here in Lawrence, and the sale is winding down now. Big shout outs to the the workers, vendors, and merchants who do this every year from sun up to sundown.

Can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Do you like to shop?

What do you call a “good deal”?