Eating clean for rookies {part 14}

Spring Break is in weeks, and I'm going to Charleston for a few days during that break! I'm very excited, but also realize that means I have to get stricter about my clean eating habits. I've been eating clean at least 2 times a day, but sometimes for every meal of the day this week.

Spring Break beach body is the motivation. I'm so happy to read about how these fitness and clean eating posts have motivated and helped people trying to participate in a healthier lifestyle. Health and happiness go hand-in-hand, and these blog posts are some of my favorite to do! Sharing my journey also holds me accountable.

I'm down 20 pounds total since July 2013 and I always feel better after a day of clean eating.

Check out some of my recent snacks and meals

Shrimp cooked in olive oil, lemon juice, and lime juice. Sprinkled with paprika, basil, and parsley

Dinner: 3 slices of tomato, shrimp (shown above), half of a raw avocado, broccoli 

I went shopping and got all of this for under $25! Enough for a week of clean meals!

Spring mix (lettuce), radishes, white mushrooms, baby spinach, 3 tomatoes, shredded carrots, bunch of bananas, sweet onions, 2 bags of brown rice, and green salsa.

After shopping, I washed and chopped up the fresh foods in order to make dinner and package them for the week. Hehe, and I may have shaped my chopped clean food into a heart...

These are some of my favorite items to buy and eat because they go well with just about anything. They can be cooked or eaten raw. And they're all relatively cheap.

Lunch: Spring mix greens, 2 tomato slices, some leftover broccoli, cucumbers, radishes.

Lunch another day: Similar to other salad, but I added brown rice.

Breakfast: Eggless omelet - I'm sure it would be great with eggs, but I don't like eggs. I sautéed spinach, mushrooms, onions, and avocado in a dime-sized drop of olive oil. So good!

Another version of the salad with the food I chopped early in the week along with green salsa.

Dinner: Brown rice, with the fruit/veggies I prepped along with green salsa on the side.

P.S. Check out these clean breakfasts my friend Hannah made

You can follow her on Instagram here

Homemade Açaí Bowl full of antioxidants, and easy to make! 
She used almond milk as her liquid base and blended frozen raspberries
 and a banana with 1 pack of Sambazon's Acai 

Homemade Açaí Bowl full of antioxidants, and easy to make! 
She used almond milk as the liquid base 
and added blueberries and blackberries with 1 pack of Sambazon's Acai

What's your favorite healthy snack or meal? 

I'd love to try it!

Have a great weekend!

UniverSoul Circus review

I love doing things that make me feel like a kid again. When I was younger, my parents would take me to the UniverSoul Circus for years. I still remember the chants, led by the ringmaster and some of the acts. When I found out the UniverSoul Circus was coming to Atlanta, I knew I wanted to go back as an adult! I got tickets for my boyfriend and me using a Groupon deal. We had such a great time!

Photo via UniverSoul Circus

I love so many things about the UniverSoul Circus

It's an enjoyable experience for kids, young adults, and older adults. They do things to include all age groups and demographics.

It's black owned and operated and includes a diverse set of acts, including talents from Central and South America, Europe, and Caribbean Islands. This isn't always the case for other circus productions.

It's an interactive show that really gets the crowd involved. We weren't just watching acts perform, but we had the opportunity to get up and get involved in the production. They also allow for professional photos with some of the animal acts, a chance to go inside the ring and interact with the ringmaster, singing and dancing, and games. Kids love this circus. And you will not get bored.

Photo via UniverSoul Circus

The acts are truly incredible. They al make their talent look effortless, while still showing just how impressive their talent is. My favorite act was the group of ridiculously flexible women. Seriously insane and it makes my old gymnastics training look beyond basic. I also enjoyed the motorbikes in the sphere cage. I was so nervous for all of the performers, but these people know what they're doing, and they are clearly having fun doing it!

Other information

The show we attended lasted about 2.5 hours, but I've heard from others that it ranges between a 2 - 2.5 hour show, so be prepared for that if you're taking little ones who have an early bedtime.

This is a great show for large groups or just with a friend/significant other.

They sell typical circus/fair food during the show as well as promotional items and photographs.

They're in Atlanta until March 3 - buy your tickets now!

Enjoy! :)

Recent thoughts and lessons learned

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently. That's my thinking face (above). And when I have tons of thoughts racing through my head, I have to get them out or I will go crazy. I typically write them down in a secret place, but I'm sharing some today.

Some of my recent thoughts and lessons learned

A lot of people my age and older don't know what they want to do with their lives…but I think that's OK. It's nice to know we're all on this crazy journey together.

Every opportunity, regardless of how it seems at the time, is a blessing and chance to learn more about yourself.

The older you get, the more difficult it gets to meet new people and have meaningful interactions.

Netflix is amazing.

One-sided relationships do not work and aren't fair to the person putting forth the effort.

Family is one of the greatest aspects of life. "Family" does not always mean blood relatives, but the people who have been there for you and will always be there for you.

The people who cheat and cut corners to get ahead will regret it in the long run.

I cannot compare myself to other people or my success to other people's success.

Grad school is actually very similar to undergrad.

Atlanta weather is really bizarre.

People make time for what and who they choose to make time for.

I love public policy and politics.

Getting through a challenging/busy week is more rewarding than getting through an average week.

We all need a support system.

Life is short and we should appreciate the ones we love every single day.

Everyone has insecurities and weaknesses.

Writing down what I'm grateful for every day makes me happy.

Staying in on Friday nights feels good.

Saving time in my schedule for (me) to do nothing is important.

Our words can really affect people just like our actions can really affect people.

My life has changed so much in a year, and I'm thankful for that.

Pilates is challenging for me, but I enjoy doing it and the results.

Lastly, venting is sometimes necessary and therapeutic. 

Have you had any thoughts/realizations recently?

Mixing bright colors

I recently spent some time with my fashionista niece, and I loved the way the mixed all of the bright colors she was wearing. I can get a little crazy when mixing colors and patterns so I'm always looking to others for inspiration.

 Her bright blue sweater, mustard gold peacoat, and floral headband went together so perfectly.

She was rocking this messy bun.

I love this color combination, so much.

So cute.

Love her gold necklaces with this bright blue.

How do you feel about mixing bright colors?

Eating in ATL {FLIP burger} part 2

Burger boutiques do exist, and I love them.

My friend Hannah shared our "cheat meal" at FLIP Burger this weekend. And it was a great decision. I blogged about this restaurant before, but they change their menu often that this is basically a new "Eating in ATL" post. There are several FLIP Burger locations in Atlanta, so if you're near one, definitely try it out! See what Hannah and I ordered:

This time, I ordered the Brussels sprouts (with bacon) and the shrimp burger (shrimp patty, tempura fried lemon, shredded iceberg, tomato, cajun-aise).

Hannah ordered fries and onion rings for our table. Oh yeah.

Hannah ordered the turkey burger (my usual meal at Flip Burger).

Yum.

Oh, and I finally tried one of their famous milkshakes.. I approve. I got the vanilla one and Hannah got the Nutella one topped with burned marshmallows. 

Every time I eat at this place I love my food and it makes me want to return!

What looks the best to you?

Netflix recommendations?

I'm very, very, ridiculously late to the Netflix party. 

After weeks (seriously weeks) of reading tweets, seeing comments, and hearing my friends discuss shows on Netflix…I finally caved and joined the party.

The show I've been particularly excited to see? House of Cards. If you're a regular reader, you know that I have a real love for politics because there is never a dull moment. And just about everyone I know has been raving about this show, even people who don't know a thing about politics! So I knew it had to be good.

I started my free trial of Netflix yesterday and I've already watched 7 episodes of House of Cards…so yeah, it's pretty good. After this busy week, I'm grateful to have lots of free time this weekend to relax and watch some of what Netflix has to offer.

If you've had Netflix, help me out - what do you recommend I watch?

Leave a comment with your favorite Netflix features.

Have a great weekend!

Meals by my roommate {buffalo chicken enchiladas}

 

Oh. Yes. Those are indeed buffalo chicken enchiladas.

This week has been my busiest week in 2014, mainly because of a combination of school assignments due and going back to work after missing days during the Snowpocalypse. But I'm almost to the weekend and I can feel myself winding down. I haven't had much time to cook this week, but my roommate had a clever idea to try making buffalo chicken enchiladas. I'm not sure what inspired her to cook these, and I don't really care…because they were amazing!

I'm sharing the recipe below, enjoy!

Mixing the chicken once it's boiled

Before cooking in the oven

Before cooking in the oven

After! Yum!

Ingredients

 boneless chicken breast
whole wheat taco or tortilla wraps (should make 8 wraps)
Monterey cheese
2-3 green onions aka scallions
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (add more to desired spice level)
28oz red enchilada sauce (*important: make sure to get the enchilada sauce that contains tomato paste*)
celery
cilantro
gorgonzola cheese (optional)
ranch (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut chicken breast in half
2. Boil chicken breast for 45 minutes
3. Hand shred boiled pieces or use fork utensil
4. Mix enchilada and buffalo wing sauce in a bowl
5. Mix chicken, shredded cheese, and chopped green onions together
6. Add half of enchilada + buffalo sauce mixture
7. In a large baking dish, coat with cooking spray or olive oil
8. Drizzle enchilada/buffalo sauce in large baking dish
9. Preheat oven to 375
10. Scoop chicken mixture into tortillas
11. Roll tortillas and place them in baking dish (folded side down)
12. Drizzle more buffalo sauce on top
13. Sprinkle Monterey jack cheese on the top
14. Chop celery and sprinkle on top
15. Bake 20 minutes
16. Remove from oven and add gorgonzola cheese
17. Ranch can be used as a cooling dipping sauce (optional)


Enchiladas are my absolute go-to dish when I eat Mexican out, so I'm excited to try this recipe myself. What kind of enchiladas do you like?

Little pink dress {part 2}

This Monday might be a struggle because I haven't been to class or work in about a week because of the snow. And, this is one of my busier weeks schoolwork-wise and event-wise. I'm going to the Lauryn Hill concert tonight! But I've prepped for this busy week (and will share my prepping methods soon) and I'm ready to tackle everything that comes my way. 

I wanted to share part 2 of the #LPD photo shoot where I styled the dress a little differently, adding heels and simplifying the accessories. I also took the strap off my kate spade bag, turning it into a clutch.

I hope you have a great week!

Little pink dress {part 1}

Planning outfits for Valentine's Day + redesigning my company's site has gotten me dangerously obsessed with the color pink. I used to steer clear of all pink items because they seemed overly feminine, but lately I've been embracing and loving this color.

I have a few pink dresses, but this one is my favorite #LPD (little pink dress). It can be styled several ways and is so comfortable, yet classic looking. 

Also, I borrowed this head scarf from my niece and I really like it! 

Since a little black dress is necessary in every wardrobe, why shouldn't the same rule apply to a little pink dress? Consider this my push for the LPD movement!

xoxo

Roses are red {Valentine's Day recap}

So about yesterday…it was by far my favorite Valentine's Day yet. I've always loved the holiday because my family has always celebrated Valentine's Day as a day to remember how much we love the people in our lives. But this year it was extremely special. I spent most of the day with my sweet guy who gave me beautiful red roses and other sweet treats. And I bought my parents concert tickets for a show in Atlanta that they really enjoyed. It was an all around perfect day.

Obsessed with these flowers. And check out my outfit below:

I love this new red sweater - I got it on sale from H&M! 

And my new Kate Spade bag (Birthday/VDay gift to myself)

I even got to hang out with my best friend Shayla for a little bit before Valentine's Day ended - I loved her VDay outfit!

How was your Valentine's Day?