photo diary: 8 florida towns in 3 days

My ADD-ness has spread into the way I travel.... and I don't mind it at all. Why visit ONE place, when you could rent a car and make it an adventure/road trip?

This time it was all about Florida. I only had three days to work with, not a lot of money, and I booked it less than 3 weeks before I left. Luckily, flights to Florida are pretty damn cheap most of the time.

The first decision I had to make: Atlantic Coast or Gulf Coast? Thanks to pictures of Siesta Key, the Gulf Coast was the winner, and Tampa would be the starting point.

With a bunch of friends in Tampa, it makes it an easy starting point. My first gamble was on the rental company. Sixt had an incredible deal on a convertible, and reviews that were either awful or fantastic. I'll take a gamble on saving $200 and not getting the car I want. Luckily, even though they told me they didn't have what I reserved, I saw it in the parking lot. A beautiful VW Beetle convertible. [LOL at making him think it'd be something like a Mustang then being all HAHA SUCKA I'M DRIVING EXCEPT FOR WHEN I WANNA TAKE PICS!]

There was some solid people watching in SoHo Tampa [and a huge, nice hotel that did not get enough use] before it was on to the next stop: Siesta Key.

It's America's #1 Beach, so I kind of expected it to be a little crowded, but man I was wrong in that expectation. Even at one of the main public parking entrances, there was barely anyone around. Maybe it was because it was so huge and flat that it felt empty, or maybe people hate little waves, clear water, and searching for sand dollars. When is the last time you've seen this much beach and only three people in the frame?!

I remember going to Sarasota as a kid and searching for sand dollars for hours with my mom... we'd wake up really early and go before everyone else found them. Now I know the real trick is to look when the tide is changing. Suddenly I was finding ALL OF THE BEAUTIES, and also a lot of really ugly rejects. I left those for the lazy people who didn't wanna find them in the water. 

Finding good food has surprisingly become one of my favorite things about traveling. Okay... I say surprisingly but really, I've loved food my whole life... I'm totally fine with eating gas station food most of the time, though.. just NOT WHILE TRAVELING. 

Ask people who have been... check Yelp... do research. The meal could be the best thing about a trip. [I still can't stop thinking about the meal I had in Key West and it's almost been two years!]

Shut up Elizabethany and show the damn food.

Thanks to my boss and his wife, I knew I should skip the oceanside restaurants and head a little north for The Columbia Restaurant. Cuban food, delicious sangria, and so many options. What you see on my delicious plate is Mahi Mahi topped with crab and hot damn- I'm glad I saved some so I could have it for a second meal.

This is when I made my first mistake. Even though I purposely didn't book a hotel for night 2 ahead of time, I stuck to the plan of going to Ft Myers instead of staying in Siesta Key/Sarasota. As we were driving away, the town was picking up, the old people were going to sleep, the people who were hungover from the night before were coming out, and I love a good beach bar... but we headed south to check out another city. 

The problem was.... there was no exploring of Ft Myers. Maybe because it was Sunday night and there were no bodies to be seen walking around, or maybe it was because I had probably the worst sunburn of my life. I don't get sunburnt. That's something silly that white folk have to deal with while I put on SPF 8 and get a slow brown. I learned a valuable lesson that day in Florida: DO NOT DRIVE A CONVERTIBLE, IN THE MORNING, WITHOUT SUNSCREEN ON. YOU WILL GET VERY BURNED IN LESS THAN AN HOUR.

Okay, there may be some dramatics coming into my whining, but think back to your first/worst sunburn. You were crying and complaining for days too, RIGHT?!? 

The lesson was learned, sunscreen was on, and Naples was the next stop. I don't think I've ever seen a cuter town in my entire life. So much green, and vibrant colors in general.

There were also these huge trees, that I've now learned are "banyon trees." If you've never seen a huge one of these in person, you're missing out. You're also missing out on an old person yelling at you with their half-voice if you don't climb it. 

The pier was just as beautiful... and full of gray [hair]. People were fishing, then throwing their fish back into the water where dolphins and pelicans would get them. The dolphins were SO close to the pier and even the swimmers, but of course I don't have pictures to capture that.

You don't really need more than a few hours in Naples, I don't think... unless Grandma June is there or something. 

It was time to take on the Everglades. I had done some research on all of the different airboat rides, but in the end- unless you're paying the big bucks for a private boat, they're all highly rated and about the same price. Wooten's had an animal sanctuary and a late final-boat time, so that was the winner. They had a white tiger, lots of crocs, otters... all kinds of babes... but we were there for the ride. 

I was a little discouraged when we got on this big ass boat... I was so rudely thinking the big guy can't do tricks... but it did. All the spins, all the coasting over mud, and quite a bit of fear tbh. It's only about 45 minutes long, but that's all I needed. Here's a quick clip:

And the third stop in one day: Miami.

There was a restaurant that I went to by myself the last time I was in Miami, and I was determined to find it again. It was so cute, the vibe was great, live cuban music was playing.... It's called Moreno's, and it's hiding in an alley attached to a hotel.

The service was worse than I remember, but it was still such a good vibe with neat drink options that I wouldn't write it off.

Now is when I should say Miami brought the crazy party, there was so much bar hopping and fancy drinks, and dancing next to rich people... but I've been having to severely limit my drinking lately. [If this is the first time you've heard this, it could be quite shocking.... but I've been sharing on the show and some on social about my migraines. Something about drinking is triggering cluster migraines and it is totally life changing in all the awful ways.]

Instead of partying the night away, we walked along the beach/strip of hotel pools that are probably full of rage on the weekend. Then I found a patch of green in the middle of downtown Miami Beach and decided to lay down and look up for a while.

When's the last time you've done that? Put your phone away, shut the bleep up, and just relax and observe.... It was foreign to me, but hot damn did it feel good. So good, this picture of my view over here gives me happy feels and it's not even a good picture.

The final day was all about Ft. Lauderdale... specifically Ft. Lauderdale Beach Park. Who's gonna turn down a bunch of picnic tables, an outdoor gym [lolz not that I'm gonna use it on vaca but it was fun to watch the babes on it], and nearby restaurants?! No one smart, that's who. 

It was another huge, flat beach, that was pretty empty on a Tuesday. There was also a huge chair so *cue photoshoot.*

I had been looking for a good place to get fish tacos all week and finally found a dive bar celebrating Taco Tuesday! Perfect! ...except that their Taco Tuesday was strictly chicken and beef since they pump out a bunch of them. They were $1 each and hella good.

Somehow the entire trip was a combination of adventure and relaxation. Sure, there was a lot of moving around city to city, but it was only 3.5 hours total driving, and a lot of laying around once we got to each place. If you're looking to do the most amount of traveling and sight seeing along the Gulf Coast in 66 hours, here's where I'd go again:

• Tampa
• Siesta Key/Sarasota
• Naples
• Everglades
• Miami
• Ft Lauderdale

I had hoped to get to Sanibel Island and also this coral castle in Miami, but it would have messed with timing more than I'd liked. You can save a lot of time by getting sandwiches to eat at the beach and only eating dinner out. Drive in the morning or at night, and soak up the daylight hours away from the car. Just like when I went to California, I starred places I wanted to see on Google Maps, then picked the best route/timing to see as much of it as I could.

66 hours.... that's literally all we had to do all of this. Make the most of your time, always.

love,
elizabethany

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ebootcamp: that's a wrap!

It's been a week since #eBootCamp officially ended, and it's also been a week of looking back on the last six weeks. I'm kinda mindblown, to be honest.

When I first announced this challenge, I had no idea who would join in and if they'd keep up. It could have been two of us, five of us, hundreds of us... I had no clue if it'd be successful or not.

I had 40-50 people who were interested, and 16 people who committed until the end! To all of you- thank you. Thanks for joining me, making me feel special, and holding me accountable. It was the motivation I needed and I can only hope that you got the same in return. According to your emails [that I have printed out and will no doubt keep forever], you're grateful for it all too!

First things first, the winners!

CONGRATULATIONS to MIKE who lost over 30 pounds [holy wow] and STEVEN who had the most social posts!

And since everyone had their own way of doing it, here's his: 

[Is it wrong to say I really didn't think BOTH winners would be dudes?!? All da ladies gonna want them!] They're both gonna be getting some sweet stuff to keep the workouts/diets going! I'll post a pic of them once they're all together!

As for me... [it's MY blog after all, duh]

When this started, I prepared myself for a lot of things. People thinking differently of me because all of the sudden I'm trying to be healthy when I'm typically all OMG LET'S DRINK AND PARTY AND EVERYTHING'S GREAT. I also prepared myself for some hate. Beyond that I knew I'd have to stick to my diet and workouts with no excuses because people were counting on me to do that. What I didn't expect, is so many people hating me for being "the skinny girl who thinks she's fat."

Before I go any further, I really wanna address that. I thought about putting up a whole blog about it at the time, but ended up avoiding all of that and instead responded to people individually. In no way did I say I was some large, super fat person. What I said was that I feel uncomfortable in my own skin, which is a really unfortunate feeling. It sucks to hate every picture you take. It sucks to go up a flight of stairs and think you're having an asthma attack, especially when you've been a gymnast for most of your life. It sucked even more to have someone tell me I shouldn't feel the way I did. When someone feels this gross about themselves, no matter what size they are, they should do something about it [without harming yourself, of course]. If you don't feel good about yourself, everything else in your life will suffer. That is what had happened to me and I couldn't let it keep going. Still, I needed a little more motivation than living a better life. Crazy, right?!

Six weeks later, I am so much happier. Sure, I sacrificed a lot of time and beers, but I'm ready to conquer more than I was ready for before. I've officially lost 8 pounds [only about half of what I'd like to lose], but I think it's pretty noticeable physically and mentally/emotionally.

[a nice beginning of summer tan helps too :)]

How the hell does one lose that stupid tire right below the belly button?! It's such a cruel thing to do to a body. Also cruel: losing some booty when everyone is showing off their big ones. And all I really did when working out was cardio and booty exercises. Sigh.

What DID I do?! In case you're looking for help or new ways of doing things, here's an overall look at my workout/food plans.

WORKOUT PLAN:

• First of all, I just had to get there every day. I've always made excuses for why I didn't have time, but I can't do that anymore. There's a gym in my building. If I had 15 minutes, I'd go for 15 minutes. Or for a mile. OR... I'd even force myself to do 1am workouts. 
•  My goal was to burn at least 500 calories a workout. I've always done the elliptical, but I started doing fast walks at an incline for at least 30 minutes [while watching Empire on Hulu cuz ya girl needs a distraction]. Turns out- that burns more! Sometimes I'd add ankle weights, but that ended in a pulled calf muscle, so maybe don't do that... or just stretch more than I do. 
• I do a lot of body weight workouts. As a gymnast, that's what I grew up on. It's what makes me the most sore and what feels the most *right* to me. I have a bunch saved on my Pinterest page over here. Like I said, I concentrated on my booty the most, abs second. Arms if I was bored.
• Keep some ankle weights or resistance bands in your office. I walked around with the weights all the time and when I was standing in the studio, I'd do squats with the bands. It's easy, it gets you moving when you're bored, and it burns a couple extra calories!

EATING PLAN: 

• My GOD it was hard to stop eating so many sweets. I couldn't give them up, so I let myself have one kind of sweet a day, normally after lunch. No more than 40 calories worth, just enough to satisfy the craving. Though this may not seem that important to some people, I have a serious chocolate craving, so this was my most important. 
• I'm already a fairly healthy eater, but I had to stick to some core rules:
  -Only one meal out a week. Even if you think you're ordering the healthy salad, I learned after working in a restaurant that there is a lot more butter/ingredients going into things that you can't account for. Just don't eat at restaurants unless you have to.
  -Limit the carb intake after breakfast.
  -Drink 2-3x more water than usual
  -Absolutely no carbonated beverages. [No beer was tough... luckily I'm a big fan of blueberry vodka and water. As for caffeine: I'm really dependent on Mio Energy. It has become my Mountain Dew replacement and I'm in heart with it. 
• BREAKFAST: Was always one of two things. A protein english muffin with PB&J plus extra cinnamon, or overnight oats- which I just discovered to be very lovely. 
• LUNCH: Typically something with egg whites. Extra protein, not extra calories. It may sound ridiculous, but I really liked having an egg, turkey, and guac on rice cakes, with some fruit. OR I'd do eggs with tons of peppers, onions, and veggies in general with salsa and/or avocado on top.
• DINNER: Salmon and chicken are my go-to's, and always have been. On busy days, I'd just put a chicken breast in my favorite Lawry's marinade and cook it in the toaster oven at work with microwavable veggies, or I'd pick up a salmon from Giant that's already got some marinade on it. Some of my *fancy* Sunday dinners are pictured right over there if you wanna click them for the recipe! [The spaghetti squash discovery could be a real life changer.]
• SNACKS: Again, I became a bit reliant on rice cakes. I'd smoosh bananas and cinnamon onto them for "dessert," or spicy guacamole. Almonds are also the quickest way to satisfy the hunger with a quick couple bites. 
• METABOLISM: I have no idea if any of these things actually helped speed it up, but I once read it on the Internet so I tried them. I chugged warm lemon water as soon as I woke up, took one cayenne pepper pill every day, and drank one cup of blueberry green tea. I also added a lot of cinnamon and spices in general to all my foods.

I really am proud of myself for sticking to it all and being able to smile when I look in the mirror as soon as I wake up... but I will absolutely be continuing on! I found a paper on my fridge while moving that reminded me I was 138 two years ago when I first started gaining the weight... but damnit I better step up my squat game some more.

There are no words for how things like this make me feel. It's more than gracious, and I'm beyond amazed. It's cool what the Internet can do to bring people together after a 3am idea.

I wonder what the next random idea will be.....

love,
elizabethany

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recipe: creamy shrimp fettucine

The last meal. The final meal before the diet kicked back in. Did you have one on Sunday? I'm normally really good about eating healthy but I have clearly not given any bleeps about it for the past two months or so. Now it's time to crack down again, but not after one meal full of terrible, terrible things.

By terrible, I obviously mean delicious... just ingredients that I tend to ban from my kitchen: Butter, cream cheese, and pasta.

Now that I got your mouth watering and you wanting to cheat on your diet [which I say is totally okay once a week, preferably Sundays], here's what you need, via Lauren's Latest: 

• fettuccine pasta
• shrimp [I buy frozen then thaw it out so I don't have to make a whole lot for one person]
• stick of butter
• 1/3 block of cream cheese
• minced garlic
• diced tomatoes
• lemon juice
• parsley, salt and pepper
  
  And I added:
  
• diced red peppers
• a little swirl/dump of white wine- any kind
• couple shakes of Old Bay because, duh.

 It's really easy to make and very quick. The shrimp/sauce is done in the time it takes to cook the noodles, and it's really hard to over or under cook any of it.

For the full recipe, click here! 

By the way- that wine is the bomb. My coworker Toby gave it to me for Christmas. It's called "Back Dat Glass Up" from Notaviva winery in Virginia. They pair every wine with music, which is making me want to visit the winery ASAP. Who's coming with me?!

love,
elizabethany

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recipe: baked salmon with avocado salsa

It's not often I get to make a solid dinner. 75% of the time, I'm making dinner at 1pm to eat in the studio at 8. Last night I decided to actually make something delicious. 

Some salmon, spices, and a simple salsa... the flavor only got better in the hours I impatiently waited to eat it. 

For the salmon: 

Mix equal parts of salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and black pepper. Rub it into the salmon with olive oil and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Avocado salsa: 

Cut small slices of avocado, red pepper, red onion, and a spicier pepper if you'd like. [I used a potato peeler to make all the slices super thin and easy to soak in the flavors of the "sauce." Mix in juice from two limes, 3 tbs of olive oil, 2 tbs of chopped fresh cilantro, and salt to taste. 

Voila! It was light and healthy-ish and the spices on the salmon were perfect. 

If you wanna see the original recipe I was Pinspired by, click here!

love,

elizabethany

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recipe: chicken parmesan baked quinoa

The last time I made quinoa, it tasted delicious, but I totally burnt a bunch of it and my pan. This time, I actually go it right! Two times to perfection, hell yes!

I made an easy version of this Baked Chicken Parmesan Quinoa. [AKA why make your own sauce when you can buy a delicious jar of it for $2?]

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 lb of boneless chicken breast
• 1 jar of your choice of pasta sauce
• 2/3 cup of mozzarella cheese
• 3 tbs bread crumbs
• 2 tbs parsley
• 2 tbs Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs cooking oil

WHAT YOU DO: 

1. In a large skillet, use the oil of your choice to cook the diced up chicken. [I added some italian seasonings just to bake extra flavor into the chicken]
2. Place the quinoa and broth into a pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cover, and cook until all the broth is absorbed. [Time has varied for me. I think it was about 15 minutes this time, but keep stirring/checking on it so it doesn't burn.]
3. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa and chicken, and add sauce to your liking. I used about 3/4 of the jar. 
4. Spray or wipe a baking dish with oil and put half the mixture in, then half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with the other half of each. 
5. Add bread crumbs and parsley on top, cover with foil, and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 5-10, or until cheese is starting to brown.

Mine didn't come out nearly as pretty, but it was definitely delicious.

It's really just another "healthier" way to make your traditional chicken parmesan! I'm into it. It'll definitely be made again.

love,
elizabethany

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recipe: southwest turkey lettuce wraps

For the first time in my entire long life, I'm going to the west coast!!!! Los Angeles has been calling my name and I can't believe it's finally happening. [I also can't believe it's happening in Ellen's off season. Guess I'll have to make another trip ASAP.]

Anyway... an LA trip calls for an LA diet. Meat and veggies, with some carbs in the morning. I'm gonna have to get a little creative.

After discovering that romaine lettuce is only 50 cents more than iceburg in the city and way better for wraps, I've been making all sorts of lettuce wraps. My favorite so far: This southwestern take on ground turkey.

[It's always sad to eat alone, in the studio, and with paper/plastic utensils, but deliciousness makes it better.]

What you need: 

• 1 lb of ground turkey
• 1/2 packet of taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
• 1 can of diced tomatoes/green chiles [as someone who hates tomatoes, I really do love this so much]
• ~3 tbs of plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 can of corn
• cilantro [I put quite a bit of dried cilantro in because I love it. Fresh would be even better.]
• lettuce for wrapping

What you should do:

1. Cook the turkey and taco seasoning in skillet for about two minutes to get the flavor going in there. 
2. Add in salsa and tomatoes/chiles, then corn. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. 
3. Drain grease and add in a couple spoonfuls of greek yogurt to make it more creamy. 
4. Scoop some into lettuce and enjoy.

Lettuce wraps are not only delicious and super healthy for you, but the easiest and quickest thing I can make. It takes me 10 minutes tops to make this and be out the door. Plus, this fed me for two nights [and with proper "portion sizes," probably should have lasted another night]. It holds well over a few days, too. 

If you have any favorite lettuce wrap recipes, help a girl out! I might be sharing a lot of them coming up.

love,

elizabethany

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my dinner: chili-garlic shrimp and quinoa

One look at Pinterest and you'd think the entire world is eating quinoa every night of their life. [BTW... if you're not familiar... it's pronounced keen-wah, which I embarrasingly learned after casually asking someone about kin-oh-uh.]

I decided to finally give it a whirl. I really should have come up with an easy dish to try first, but that's not my style. I had never even cooked raw shrimp before, but it was hella easy. So I found some plain quinoa [found by the rice, not the pasta] and this delicious recipe and went to work on a dinner for one.

Because I was too excited [/extremely flustered because reading and cooking is hard], I didn't get process-photos. Here's a look at the final dish, though!

The quinoa was a little undercooked but also burnt on the bottom of my pan, so I clearly need to read up on the proper ways to cook it, but the flavor was amazing! I didn't even use 1/4 of the butter sauce they recommended, and it was still one of the most flavorful things I've ever cooked.

Here is Pinch of Yum's recipe that feeds four, and a much better picture of a full dish.

YOU NEED: 

-1 tbs olive oil

-1 lb of raw shrimp [I used Nature's Promise frozen shrimp]. Leave only the tails on

-1/2 cup finely chopped onion

-5 teaspoons of minced garlic

-2 cups of uncooked quinoa

-4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth

-6 tbs butter [they recommended salted, but I used unsalted and thought it was almost too salty]

-2 tsp chili powder

-fresh parsley for garnishing

-I also added 2 sliced green onions

YOU DO: 

1. Heat the oil and saute your onions until soft, about 3-5 minutes

2. Add in 2 tsp of garlic and saute for about a minute. 

3. Add in the uncooked quinoa, 1 tbs of chili power, salt and pepper [to taste] and stir for about a minute so the flavor really gets in there. 

4. Now add the broth and bring to a boil. Bring down the heat and cover... cook for 15 minutes stirring regularly. [And keep and eye on it... mine burnt pretty quickly after the broth was dried up.]

5. While the quinoa is cooking, cook the shrimp. Melt 1 tbs of butter in a skillet then add the shrimp. Sprinkle with 1 tbs of chili powder and saute until slightly browned. [When almost done, add 1 tsp of garlic to the pan.]

6. Melt 5 tbsp of butter and 2 tsp of garlic in the microwave. This will be drizzled on top. [Like I said, you could use about 1/2 of this and be good]

7. Put the shrimp on the quinoa, and drizzle the sauce on top and VOILA! 

When I made this, I thought the calorie count was going to be through the roof, but it's only 330 calories per serving! Take out some of that butter sauce and it's actually a pretty healthy meal! 

If you have any tips for cooking quinoa to perfection, I'd pay you in love for them!

love,
elizabethany

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7 waffle iron recipes to celebrate international waffle day

Happy International Waffle Day!

Do you have a waffle press? I got mine because it was $5 on Black Friday so.. duh.. that means it's a necessity. Unfortunately, I haven't used it for nearly as many things as Pinterest tells me to.

In an effort to celebrate and motivate me to use it more, here are some fun [/interesting] recipes I've found beyond the regular waffle.

Waffle ice cream sandwiches! The easiest!

Stuff em with pizza!

Cook up some non-fried crab cakes

And this is like fried/crispy macaroni and cheese!

Or stuff some other meats in there

Cornbread waffle with chili on top! 

I'm pretty sure "anything with Red Velvet involved is a win" is a law.

There are a ton of other things, too... basically cook ANYTHING in there! Brownies/cookies... hash browns.. eggs... cinnamon rolls... Anything that can be baked can be thrown in your waffle iron for a couple minutes and come out magnificent.

It seems as though I'm going to have to invest in another one, though. Mine is a Belgian waffle maker and I don't see that ending well with some of these recipes. 

If you've tried anything, lemme know what you loved!

love,

elizabethany

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eb recipe: refreshing salmon wrap

Pretty sure I'm gonna have some new nickname all about how I only eat wraps for dinner soon... but like... SO WHAT! They're delicious and easy and there are unlimited ways to make your mouth orgasm from the goodies of a tortilla.

When I'm in need of something light, refreshing, and otherwise known as "healthy," my go-to is this salmon wrap that I concocted myself. It's typically not fresh salmon [because I ain't got time or money fo' dat], but everything else is fresh produce and straight up diet-abiding. [I think I just made up a word....]

Here's what you need:

• Salmon filet or frozen salmon burger [what I used]
• Tortilla- I recommend spinach or regular flavor
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cucumber
• spoonful of greek yogurt
• lime juice
• chili powder
• dried cilantro
• dried mint [optional]

Here's what to do:
1. Cover salmon in chili powder on both sides and cook accordingly. Seriously, I put a lot of chili powder on that ish.

2. While the salmon is cooking, prepare the cucumber salad mixture- Chop up the cucumber. Mix it with 1 tbs dried cilantro [I might even use more than that], spoonful of greek yogurt, 1/2 tbs lime juice, and just a flick or two of the mint.

3. Slice up the avocado, and arrange on the tortilla.

4. Top that with the cucumber salad, then add the salmon on top.

5. Wrap it up and VOILA!

The best part about this is the cucumber salad stuff. A lot of times I make extra for a side or something... it's just so refreshing! You could totally pair it up with chicken or steak and it would be just as delicious.

Enjoy, you beginning-of-the-year health freaks!

love,
elizabethany

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pinbusted recipe: crockpot apple oatmeal

What a letdown!

I randomly got a spurt of energy while doing my before-sleep pinning and saw this recipe for the overnight crockpot apple oatmeal. I immediately got up and put it all in the crockpot, expecting to wake up to delicious smelling breakast.

Fail. All I could smell 6.5 hours later was a little bit of burnt something. It was over an hour less than what it recommended, but still the bottom and sides were burned.

I tried it anyway... and.. well... it was worse than the smell.

It was a spongey, chewy, tasteless glob. I couldn't deal, no matter how hungry I was. 

If you're going to make it, I'd do at least 3-4 cups of milk with 2-3 cups of water, and at least a tablespoon of cinnamon... and definitely don't cook it for the full 8-9 hours. Put that in the pot with two apples, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and two cups of oatmeal. 

Or... if you've made it in some delicious way, please spill your secrets!

love,
elizabethany

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recipe: skinny tex-mex pasta bake

Living alone again means that when I cook a dinner, I normally eat it for a couple days.. so when I can make something that is great for eating leftovers, I'm all sortsa pumped.

This casserole was perfection.

Meat, carbs, veggies... all in one delicious dish that I can heat up in the microwave day after day and it still tastes just as delicious. PLUS.. it's fairly good for you as long as you're not on the Atkins kick again.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• 1 can 10.75 ounce Campbell's Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese Soup
• 1 can 10.75 ounce Campbell's Healthy Request Tomato Soup
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 can 4.5 ounce green chilies
• 1 10 ounce can Rotel Mild tomatoes
• 1 15 ounce can Black Beans
• 1 15 ounce can Sweet Corn
• 2 cups cooked whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbs dried cilantro

TO DO: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray a casserole dish.
2. Cook the garlic, onion, and meat in a large skillet until turkey is cooked through.
3. Drain any grease and add in cheddar cheese soup, tomatoes, chilies, 1 tbsp of chili powder, cumin, and salt/pepper to your liking. Cook 3-5 minutes. 

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together tomato soup and 1/2 cup of water.
5. Add that mixture to the cooked pasta, and layer that on the bottom of the dish. 

6. Layer the meat/cheese mixture on top of the noodles. 

7. In another small bowl, mix together the corn, black beans, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tbsp cilantro. 

8. Bake for 15 minutes and voila! It's delicious and ready to eat! 

It seems like a lot of ingredients and dishes and such, but it was really easy to make and saved me a lot of time for the rest of the week... so I'll definitely be making it again. 

love,

elizabethany

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recipe: garlic-pumpkin hummus

We had a company potluck today, and even though I've sworn [after learning the hard way] that I wouldn't make something I've never made for a party, I did it. 

I wanted something different and fall-y... so, PUMPKIN duh! Even though I'm not a big hummus person, I decided to throw some of that together. 

If you have a blender or a food processor, it's hella easy and... good! [Even though I didn't find that out until the end of the party cuz I was too scared to try it ahead of time in case it sucked... then I'd have an excuse. "Oh man, I had no idea!"]

WHAT YOU NEED: 

-2 7.75 oz of chick peas

-1 cup of pumpkin puree

-1.5 tbs olive oil

-1 tbs tahini

-2 cloves/tbs minced garlic

-1/2 tsp ground cumin

-1/4 tsp cinnamon

-pita chips to eat it with!

WHAT YOU DO: 

1. Blend/puree the chickpeas and olive oil. 

2. Add in the pumpkin and do it again. 

3. Add in all the other ingredients. [FYI this is what tahini looks like. Kiiiinda weird, but smells delicious!]

4. Mix it all up, chill in in the fridge for a little, and BAM! Enjoy!

Seriously... how easy is that?! I had about two hours to work with this morning, and this took maybe 15 minutes!

BONUS: Pumpkin is an aphrodisiac... especially for guys. Hellloooooo office drama!
....I mean... what?!

love,
elizabethany

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