Healthy Meal of the Week

Hey everyone!  This week’s healthy meal is “Steak Sandwiches with Pickled Onion and Herb Aioli” from the August 2012 issue of CookingLight.  It was very quick and easy and pretty tasty too!  I added some roasted asparagus as a nice side.  I hope you all like it as well!

Ingredients:

¼ cup water

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

¼ cup canola mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound flank steak, trimmed

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (12-ounce) French bread baguette

1 cup arugula leaves

Directions:

1.  Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave on HIGH 2 minutes or until boiling.  Stir in onion.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

3.  Combine mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients (through garlic).

4.  Rub steak evenly with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place steak on grill rack; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes.  Cut steak across the grain into thin slices.

5.  Cut baguette in half lengthwise.  Hollow out top and bottom halves of bread, leaving a ½-inch-thick shell; reserve bread for another use.  Place bread, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted.

6.  Drain onion mixture; discard liquid.  Arrange steak evenly over bottom half of baguette; top evenly with onion and arugula.  Spread mayonnaise mixture over cut side of top baguette half; place on sandwich.  Cut into 4 pieces.

Hands on time:  21 min.

Total time:  40 min.

Serves 4 (serving size:  1 sandwich)

Nutritional information:  403 calories; 11.8g total fat (2.5g saturated fat; 5.9g mono.; 19g poly); 30g protein; 43.4g carbohydrates; 1.8g fiber; 37mg cholesterol; 3.8mg iron; 677mg sodium; 39mg calcium

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hey all!  How was everyone’s weekend?  It was good here, just a bit busy.  I know I’m a day late, but better late than never, right? 

My purchases this week are very few.  At Ulta all I picked up was a new nail polish from China Glaze in “Love’s a Beach”.  It’s a neon pink pearl from their “Summer Neons” collection.  It’s really pretty and I can’t wait to wear it.

Then at Target I got a new Mossimo dress in a pretty coral shade and a mint green lacey tank top to wear underneath it, also by Mossimo.  I’d really like a pair of nude heels to go with it but I’m waiting for the ones I like to go on sale, lol.

That’s really all I got this week, next week will be even less, lol.

Moving on, here’s “This Week’s Sales”:

Hautelook:  Diane von Furstenberg (Tuesday); Rachel Roy (Wednesday); Amarita Singh Jewelry Blowout (Thursday)

Rue La La:  Anne Klein Collection (Wednesday); From London with Love:  Bags by Mulberry and More (Friday)

Gilt:  Swarovski Jewelry (Tuesday); Rebecca Minkoff Handbags (Wednesday); Pro Hair Care Shop (Thursday)

MYHABIT:  Mark + James Shoes (Tuesday); L.A.M.B (Thursday); Sonya Dakar Skincare (Sunday)

Sephora:  Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil Stash now $12.00 (limited time); Makeup Forever “La Boheme” Baked Eye Shadow Palette now $25.00 (limited time)

Ulta:  20% off entire purchase with code 70186 (exclusions apply); Buy 1 Get 1 50% off Neutrogena Cleansers and Makeup Removers; Buy 1 Get 1 Free Ulta Cosmetics and Brushes

Finally tonight we have this week’s manicure.  This one is “Vermillionaire” by essie, a red-orange crème shade.  The flower I did myself with a homemade dot tool (a straight pin, the kind with a ball on the end, stuck into a pencil eraser) and a small paintbrush.  I normally only wear orange for Halloween but I figure it makes a great summer color as well.

So that’s it for this week, I hope everyone has a great week ahead.  I’ll talk to ya’ll later! J

Healthy Meal of the Week

Good evening everyone!  It’s time to get your healthy meal fix!  This week we have “Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic” from the August 2012 issue of Cooking Light.  It was a big hit here, perfect for a summer evening.  I hope you all check it out and enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon kosher salt

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 pints multicolored cherry tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved

¼ cup small basil leaves

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450°

2.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt.  Add pasta; cook 10 minutes or until al dente.  Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 6 tablespoons cooking liquid.  Return pasta to pan.  Combine reserved cooking liquid and 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.  Boil 4 minutes or until mixture measures 1/3 cup.  Add oil mixture to pan with pasta; toss to coat.

3. While pasta cooks, combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil, tomatoes and garlic on a jellyroll pan, tossing to combine.  Bake at 450° for 11 minutes or until tomatoes are lightly browned and begin to burst.  Add tomato mixture, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to pasta; toss to coat.  Top with cheese and basil.

Hands on time:  4 min.

Total time:  35 min.

Serves 4 (serving size:  about 1 cup)

Nutritional information:  417 calories; 18.4g total fat (4.4g saturated fat; 11.1g mono.; 2g poly); 14.1g protein; 49.8g carbohydrates; 3.7g fiber; 10mg cholesterol; 2.6mg iron; 599mg sodium; 205mg calcium

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hey everyone!  How was everyone’s weekend?  I hope it was good.  Mine was definitely more relaxing then the past few ones, that’s for sure.  Now it’s time for this week’s wrap up.

Changing things up a bit, I’m gonna start with my few small beauty purchases this week.  I stopped at Ulta and picked up a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in “Milk”.  This one is a pure white with no shimmer and is perfect as a base for lots of different looks.  I should have bought it long ago, lol.

Saturday we had a grand opening for ROSS Dress for Less here, 2 of them actually. I hadn’t been planning on going but since it was right by Ulta I went ahead and stopped by.  It was packed so I didn’t stay long.  I looked around a bit but didn’t really find any clothes I was interested in. 

I did however find two new perfumes.  One is “Incanto Bliss” from Salvatore Ferragamo which has notes of yuzu, kumqat, apple, freesia, water lily and rose.

The other perfume is “Just Cavalli for Her” from Roberto Cavalli which has notes of Sicilian bergamot, bamboo leaves, jasmine and vanilla among others.  This one I did find out is discontinued so it may be hard to find more.

That’s it for purchases this week, not a lot but what I did get was nice.

Tonight I’m starting a new feature, “This Week’s Sales”.  Each Sunday I’ll list a handful of sales from different places; flash sale sites, other online sites and some brick and mortar stores.  I hope everyone enjoys it!

Hautelook:  Nine West, LEILA Blowout (Monday); Lotus Cosmetics (Tuesday)

Rue La La:  John Hardy (Monday); Judith Leiber, Bruno Magli (Tuesday)

Gilt:  Helmut Lang (Monday); Boutique 9 (Tuesday); Rachel  Zoe (Thursday)

MYHABIT:  Chloe Sunglasses (Monday); Stuart Weitzman (Tuesday); Vivienne Westwood (Saturday)

Sephora:  Philosophy Bath Gels 3 for $33 with code 3FOR33; Free mini Smashbox Luminizing Primer with $25 purchase use code LUMINIZE; Free 3-Day Shipping on orders over $50

Ulta:  $3.50 off any $10 purchase (some exclusions apply) using code 74872; Buy 1 Get 1 50% off Revlon Cosmetics; Buy 1 Get 1 50% off Organix products; Free shipping on orders over $50

Target:  20% off Disney D-Signed and Shawn White collections (in store promo)

Well, that’s it for this evening.  I hope everyone has good week coming up.  I just have to get thru this week then I have a week off!  I’m excited, we’re not going anywhere so I’m hoping to get some tutorials filmed and get up some product swatches for everyone! 

Again, have a great week everyone.  I’ll talk to ya’ll later! J

Outfit of the Week

Happy Friday!!  I hope everyone had a good week.  Anyone have any exciting weekend plans?  I’m just ready to relax.

So, I mentioned in last week’s wrap up that my new dress would probably be appearing in an upcoming “Outfit of the Week”, well here you go!

Dress in turquoise, purple and black:  Xhilaration (Target)

Black sandals:  Bamboo (TJ Maxx)

Silver heart lock necklace:  Tiffany & Co.

Silver star bracelet:  Michael C. Fina

Signature strap watch:  Coach

Sunglasses:  Coach

Silver chainlink Maggie handbag:  Coach

Healthy Meal of the Week

Hi all!  It’s Tuesday evening which means it’s time for the “Healthy Meal of the Week”.  This week’s meal is from CookingLight.com.  It’s “Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi”.  I thought it was pretty good but Scarlett didn’t seem to like it very much.  I would say it’s probably not very kid friendly.  Anyway, check it out below!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked orzo

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon salt, divided

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 ½ pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp

2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1.  Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Drain.  Place orzo in a medium bowl.  Stir in parsley and ¼ teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.

2.  While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle shrimp with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.  Add half of shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done.  Transfer shrimp to a plate.  Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan.  Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done.  Transfer to plate.

3.  Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan.  Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Stir in shrimp, juice and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp is done.

David Bonom, Cooking Light

March 2009

Serves 4 (serving size:  ½ cup orzo mixture and about 7 shrimp)

Nutritional information:  403 calories; 10.4g total fat (4.8g saturated fat; 2.2g mono.; 1.4g poly); 40.1g protein; 34.7g carbohydrates; 1.7g fiber; 276mg cholesterol; 4.3mg iron; 549mg sodium; 97mg calcium

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hey everyone!  I know, I know, it’s been about a month since my last wrap up.  The past few weeks have been very hectic around here but I hope to get back into the swing of things now that it’s seemed to calm down some.

I want to start this week by just saying life is too short, always remember that.  Make sure your friends and family know how much you love and care about them.  This past month we experienced a death in the family when Aaron’s uncle passed away in early June.  Then, a week later, the best boss anyone could ever have, passed away suddenly.  Both were gone way too soon and will be missed terribly by many people.  Always strive to be a good person and make your mark, you never know when you’ll leave this world.

So, now that I’ve depressed everyone, what do you say we move on to happier things?  I’m working on a new segment for the “Weekly Wrap-Up” to replace the weight loss section.  Since I’m mostly maintaining with small fluctuations, I figure there’s not much to report here.  I’m thinking of doing  a segment on upcoming weekly sales, like on Hautelook, Rue LaLa and Gilt (all flash sights for those that don’t know) and also in brick and mortar stores like Sears and Kohls.  Probably also Ulta and Sephora too (these would be online and in store specials).  This would start with next week’s wrap-up, I didn’t think of it in time to put together the sales for this upcoming week.  What’s everyone think about this idea?   I’ll try it for a while and see how it goes.

Moving on to purchases this week, I only have a few.  At Ulta I picked up some Ulta Extreme Wear gel eyeliner in “Strut”, a nice purple.  I have this same eyeliner in “Ink”, a blue, and find that it’s very good for the price. Regularly it is $10.00, I got the new one on sale for $4.00.

I also grabbed a new nail polish, “Vermillionaire” by essie. It’s a bright orange I can’t wait to wear.  I usually only wear orange at Halloween but I think this color is perfect for summer.

The last item I got at Ulta is the Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy flat iron spray.  I usually use Aquage Shine Spray when I flat iron my hair, but thought I’d try this out.  I have the shampoo, conditioner and hydrating mask in this line and so far I like it.  I’ve used the flat iron spray once so far so the jury’s still out on it.  I really like the Aquage stuff a lot so we’ll see if the Organix spray will work well enough to replace it.

At Target I picked up a Revlon Just Bitten Kissable lip stain in “Rendezvous”, a really pretty coral color that doesn’t look to bright orange-y on me.  I also got a Loreal leGloss in “Plum Rush”, a pinky-purple. So far, I’m not liking this one, it has a weird taste and not near as much color as the ads claim.  That’s okay, this one was on clearance for like $1.72 or something like that.  I’m gonna give it another try buy may end up giving it to Scarlett.

The final item I got a Target was a cute turquoise, black and magenta color block strapless dress by Xhilaration.  It’s really nice and casual.  It will probably make an appearance next week as the “Outfit of the Week”.

Speaking of “Outfit of the Week”, since I missed getting it up on Friday, I’ll go ahead and include it here.

Blue top:  Susie Rose (Walmart)

Black skirt:  twenty-one (Forever 21)

Black heels:  Mossimo (Target)

Silver heart lock necklace:  Tiffany & Co.

Gunmetal cuff bracelet:  no brand (Burlington Coat Factory)

Silver tank bracelet watch:  Coach

And closing out this evening is this week’s manicure in “Wavelength” from the Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition collection. This one is a bright pink to coral changing one.  It’s been reminding me of something else since I put it on, I just can’t figure out what.  Don’t you hate when that happens, lol.

Well, that’s it for this week.  I hope everyone has a great week ahead.  I’ll talk to ya’ll later! J