Healthy Meal of the Week

Hi everyone!  It’s healthy meal time.  This week I made “Stone Fruit Chicken-Rice Salad” from CookingLight.com.  It turned out to be a really yummy meal.  It did take longer than my recent meals but that was mainly because it takes a while to pit the cherries.  I hope you all try it out!

Ingredients:

3 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, trimmed

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups pitted, coarsely chopped nectarines

1 cup cooked brown rice, cooled

1 cup coarsely chopped pitted cherries

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup dry-roasted almonds, chopped

3 tablespoons torn mint

Directions:

1.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 5 minutes. Chop chicken.

3.  Combine oil, rind, juice, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add chopped, cooked chicken, nectarines, and remaining ingredients; toss well.

Serve a bitter lettuce, like frisée, or a peppery green, such as watercress or arugula, with this savory-sweet twist on a whole-grain salad.

Serves 4 (serving size:  about 1 ¼ cup)

Nutritional information:  299 calories; 11.4g total fat (1.6g saturated fat; 7.2g mono.; 1.9g poly); 23.2g protein; 26.9g carbohydrates; 4.1g fiber; 49mg cholesterol; 1.7mg iron; 750mg sodium; 53mg calcium

Healthy Meal of the Week

Good evening all!  It’s time for this week’s healthy meal.  This week it is “Capellini with Spicy Zucchini-Tomato Sauce” from the May 2011 issue of Food Network.  It was a big hit here, very yummy.  Scarlett even when back for more; a first when it comes to the “Healthy Meal of the Week”.  It was also a quick fix, took about 35 minutes total. I hope you all try it out and enjoy it!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes

Kosher salt

1 medium zucchini, cut into small chunks

½ pound capellini

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is just golden, about 1 minute.  Crush the tomatoes into the skillet with your hands and add the juice.  Add ½ teaspoon salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.  Add the zucchini and cook until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the capellini and cook as the label directs.  Drain and add to the sauce along with the basil; toss to coat.  Top with parmesan.

Serves 4

Nutritional information:  351 calories; 11g total fat (2g saturated fat); 10g protein; 52g carbohydrates; 6g fiber; 0mg cholesterol; 280mg sodium

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hey all!  Again, I’m a day late but I guess better late than never, lol.  I hope everyone had a good week last week and a nice weekend. 

I took a trip down to Oklahoma City and went outlet shopping.  I got some pretty good deals.

At the Coach Outlet I picked up a Kristen Round Satchel in “Rose” patent.  She was 40% off regular price plus the outlet was running 30% off coupons so I got her for about $250 off her original price!  This particular bag is a boutique delete.  That means it was originally manufactured for the full price boutiques and was sent to the outlet when the style was discontinued.  The outlets also have what are called “Made for Factory” bags, these are bags manufactured specifically for the outlet stores.  I have a mixture of both types and have never experienced issues with either one, they are all very nice.

Our next stop was the Michael Kors Outlet.  This was my real reason for the trip, lol. I’ve been looking at getting a Michael Kors watch for months, watching for sales at Dillard’s with no luck.  When my friend and I made plans to head to the outlets I knew that as long as they had one I liked, I’d be getting it, lol.  I found beautiful rose gold chronograph watch (model MK5026).  I love it!  Aside from silver/white gold, rose gold is the only “color” gold I like and it just looks so pretty.

My last stop was the Sak’s Fifth Avenue Off 5^th Outlet.  I always stop by one whenever I’m near just to see if they have any Christian Louboutin shoes on major markdown.  No such luck as usual L.  I did find a pair of 7 For All Mankind skinny jeans on clearance for just under $160 less than regular price and a cute sweater, also on clearance, for about $106 off regular price.  They were running a  50% off clearance sale so they were really good prices.  Plus, this past weekend was Oklahoma’s tax free weekend on apparel so that was even better.

All in all I think I did real well on items and pricing. 

I don’t really have anything else for purchases, no real beauty purchases this week.  I haven’t really seen anything I need/want.  There is a new mascara I’m planning to try soon, the Loreal “Voluminous Full Definition” mascara.  My friend Kim says it’s awesome for the price and comparable to the Giorgio Armani “Eyes to Kill” mascara but a ton cheaper.  I’m gonna try it and see.  You know how I love my Tarte mascara so we’ll see how comparable it is to that one.

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

Hautelook:  Sam Edelman (Monday); e.l.f Cosmetics (Wednesday); Missoni Shoes (Thursday)

Rue La La:  Prada (Wednesday); Elizabeth and James (Thursday)

Gilt:  Charlotte Ronson Beauty and Apparel (Tuesday); Ash Shoes (Wednesday); Fashion Jewelry Under $50 (Thursday)

MYHABIT:  Linea Pelle Jewelry, Linea Pelle Handbags (Friday); Villimey Organic Skincare (Saturday)

Sephora:  Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzing Powder and Deluxe Kabuki Brush $15 (no code necessary)

Ulta:  $3.50 off any $10.00 purchase with code 75096 (exclusions apply); FREE Bamboo Uplifting Root Blast 2.2 oz with any $25 Alterna purchase (while supplies last)

And finishing up this evening is my manicure.   This week it is “Life’s a Beach” from China Glaze, a bright neon pink with slight shimmer.  Great for summer!

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

Outfit of the Week

Hey everyone!  I know I’m a few days late but here’s this week’s outfit.  Let me just say, it was “tourist day” at work the day I wore this but everyone thought it was a cute outfit so I figured I’d share, lol.

Here ya go!

Denim capris:  Ariya Jeans (JC Penney)

Blue tank top:  No Boundaries (Wal-Mart)

Tropics print shirt:  no brand, belongs to my husband (purchased in Spain)

Purple flip flops:  Xhilaration (Target)

Silver whale tail necklace:  no brand (locally crafted in the Galapagos Islands)

Signature strap watch:  Coach

Healthy Meal of the Week

Hey all! How’s everyone’s week so far?  Good I hope.  This week’s healthy meal is “Herbed Shrimp and White Bean Salad” from the August 2012 issue of Cooking Light.  It was very quick, only took about 20 minutes total, including chopping the herbs.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons sherry vinegar

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups loosely packed arugula

1 cup trimmed watercress

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 (15.5 ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon water

24 peeled and deveined medium shrimp (about 1 pound)

Cooking spray

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.  Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.  Add arugula and next 4 ingredients (through beans) to bowl and toss to gently coat.

2.  Combine honey and 1 teaspoon water in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add shrimp to honey mixture; toss to coat.  Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray.  Sprinkle shrimp with salt.  Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Serve with salad.

Serves 4 (serving size:  6 shrimp and about 1 cup arugula mixture)

Nutritional information:  276 calories; 6.7g total fat (1g saturated fat; 3.6g mono.; 1.3g poly); 30g protein; 23.3g carbohydrates; 5.5g fiber; 172mg cholesterol; 4.7mg iron; 581mg sodium; 147mg calcium

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hey all!  How was everyone’s weekend?  It was pretty good here.   I head back to work tomorrow after being on “vacation” this past week, I wish it lasted longer, lol.  I did manage to get quite a few  things done this week though.  I filmed 4 tutorials and swatched all the palettes I’ve purchased over the past few months.  Now I just have to get everything posted, hopefully that won’t take me too long.

I only have one purchase this week.  I bit the bullet and purchased a pair of Jessica Simpson “Callie” pumps in nude patent from Dillard’s.  I’ve been looking at these shoes for months and finally just decided to get them.  They’re really cute and I like them a lot.

So yeah, that’s my only purchase this week.  This coming Saturday some friends from work and I are heading down to the Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City.  I’ll be sure to have a few purchases to share with you all.

Finally tonight are “This Week’s Sales”.

Hautelook:  NYX Cosmetics (Monday); Kelsi Dagger (Tuesday); Skinnygirl Shapewear (Wednesday)

Rue La La:  Shoe La La Semi-Annual Shoe Sale (Tuesday)

Gilt:  Demin Guide:  Colored Jeans & More (Monday);  Chloé Handbags and Sunglasses (Tuesday); House of Harlow 1960 Accessories (Thursday)

MYHABIT:  Hello Kitty Watches (Tuesday); Calvin Klein (Friday); Marni Jewelry (Saturday)

Sephora:  Smashbox Master Class Eye Shadow quad $10.00; Hello Kitty “Hello Pretty” Palette $25.00

Ulta:  $3.50 off any $10.00 purchase with code 79853 (exclusions apply); Buy 1 Get 1 50% off NYX Cosmetics; Stila Lipglaze trio (in either “Fiesta” or “Tiki”) $7.99

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

Outfit of the Week

Hey all!  How’s everyone’s week going?  I hope it’s been good.  It’s Friday so that means it’s time for the “Outfit of the Week”, enjoy!

Coral dress:  Mossimo (Target)

Mint tank:  Mossimo (Target)

Nude patent heels:  Jessica Simpson (Dillard's)

Silver mini heart lock necklace:  Tiffany & Co.

Signature strap watch:  Coach

Sunglasses:  Coach

Sabrina satchel handbag in lavender:  Coach