Exciting news!
Cooking With Carly is currently under construction– I am moving over to my own domain name and revamping the whole site to make it more user-friendly- and cuter, of course!
It should be ready to go in a few days, so I will be sure to announce it!
Thanks for hanging in there 🙂 .
Breakfast
Yet another mid-week meal scrounged together because we haven’t been to the grocery store yet. I sure can get creative!
Fortunately, chocolate peanut butter oatmeal saved the day! I microwaved 1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats with water, stirred in 1/2 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, and 1/2 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. If only I had a banana…
Workout
After breakfast, I headed to the gym. I did 15-minutes on the elliptical before heading into a BodyPump class. I heard a rumor that a new release is out, but I think my gym is behind the times. I officially know all the words to the songs, so I’m ready for the new one!
Lunch
After the gym and running some errands (including grocery shopping!), I was more than ready for lunch.
I threw together a lovely salad that included:
-Organicgirl 50/50!
-Celery
-Baby Carrots
-Chickpeas
-Feta cheese
-Organicville Sesame Goddess Dressing
On the side, I had a bowl of cherries.
Oh, how I love when cherries are on sale!
In other news, Corey and I have gotten into quite a routine the past few weeks. After work, Corey scoops me up and we drive around to look at houses!
When we moved out of our apartment and into our current place, we knew the move was temporary. Just how temporary, we weren’t sure. After some serious consideration, Corey and I decided that it would be ideal for us to buy a house before our wedding in November. So, the search is on!
Last night, we met with our realtor after work to look at some potential homes. Now I know why they call it house hunting– if you don’t pounce on the one you want immediately, it’s gone!
We made a list of “deal-breakers”, which include:
-No backyard
-On a busy street
-2 bedrooms/1 bathroom
-LOTS of work needed
Dinner
Corey’s parents invited us to dinner, so we met them at Antonio’s. I ordered the Grilled Salmon Salad:
It was delicious, and made me wonder…why is it so hard to order something healthy like this when you go to a restaurant? I never regret it when I’m finished!
You can read about our previous visit to Antonio’s here.
If you were buying a house, what would be a deal-breaker for you?
Workout
I slept absolutely terrible the night before last, so by the time Corey’s alarm went off at 6:15AM, I was already wide awake. He convinced me to go for a run with him. Somehow, he’s become some sort of marathon runner in a matter of days, and our usual 3-mile distance (which was quite a feat for me) has turned into 5 or 6 miles for him.
I like to run.
Luckily, I was able to threaten his life effectively enough that he stuck to a 3-mile route this time. I actually hung in there pretty well, up until the very end, where I may have dropped a few F-bombs. But, I survived!
Breakfast
I started the day with a bowl of Quick Cooking Oats with 1/2 tablespoon of natural peanut butter stirred in, topped with fresh blueberries.
After breakfast, I headed to the bridal store to…drum roll please…
PICK UP MY WEDDING DRESS!
I was so excited, but at the same time, really nervous. I originally purchased my dress in ivory, but at the last minute, I changed it to white without seeing that version of the dress, or even trying it on. Risky, I know. I was so happy when I put it on and realized that I loved the white 100 times more than the ivory.
Ivory
White
Now that my dress is actually in my house, I can’t stop thinking about it! I’ve already tried it on twice 🙂 . 4 more months until I can actually wear it!
Lunch
I was starving by the time I got home, and one of my favorite childhood meals was calling to me. Grilled cheese and tomato soup! I heated up a can of Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque:
And served it alongside a toasted whole wheat bagel thin, topped with a melted slice of Meunster cheese.
Dinner
Being the coupon lovers that we are, Corey and I couldn’t resist a “Buy One Meal, Get the Other Free” deal at a brand new Panera that opened by our house. I ordered French Onion Soup and half of a Greek Salad.
I don’t know about you, but I am in full recovery mode from 4th of July weekend!
My meals consisted of way too much this:
And this:
And not enough this:
Funny how vacation works that way…
On Sunday, I’m not exaggerating when I say that we spent the entire day like this:
Glued to the Casey Anthony Trial! I was loosely following the case up until this weekend, but Laura has been following it every step of the way and there was no way she was going to miss the end!
Around lunch time, I assumed Corey’s position of “Grill Master” and took the liberty of grilling some hot dogs for everyone.
Next thing we knew, it was 8PM! We all showered and got ready, and then headed to a great place that Laura told us about, called Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill & Beach Club.
After ordering some drinks, we browsed the menu for a few minutes.
Seeing that we were on the beach, I knew my decision had to involve seafood. Corey and I decided to share a bowl of SheCrab Soup, and two Grouper Tamales.
We both agreed that our food was excellent- we wish we could’ve eaten there more during the weekend!
Frenchy’s was featuring a live band that was awesome.
We had so much fun singing along to the songs and dancing! I even got their card from their manager to see if they perform at wedding receptions 🙂 .
We had a great weekend, and we were definitely sad to leave.
Now, it’s back to the grind!
Yesterday was a day full of fun, food, and friends!
Breakfast
Laura made breakfast for all of us, consisting of classic bacon and eggs.
After we ate, Laura and I headed to Publix to pick up food for the weekend, while the boys went to stock up on beer. Laura’s older brother and his girlfriend, as well as a few of their friends, were planning to join us yesterday to cook out and hang by the pool. He told us he was bringing filet mignon and shrimp, so we volunteered to make the rest of the food for dinner.
After a quick Google search, I was able to find the recipe for a delicious-looking corn salad that I saw Sunny Anderson make on her Food Network show last week.
I grilled 9 ears of corn and 2 endive, chopped it up and threw it in a bowl with feta, parsley, red onion and lime juice.
It was quite a hit! Sunny’s recipe can be found here.
We also blended up some skinny pina coladas, thanks to a bottle of Skinny Mixes that Corey picked up for us. He knows me well.
The boys lounged in the pool while Laura and I slaved away in the kitchen. So typical 🙂 .
Kitchen Slave
Laura made some fabulous bruschetta for everyone to enjoy as an appetizer.
Laura’s brother grilled bacon-wrapped filets and shrimp, and once they were ready, we had a feast! Laura and I also made some smashed potatoes to go along with it.
Once we were finished eating, some of us stayed out by the pool, others came inside to take a nap.
Later on, a string of strange activities ensued, including, but not limited to…
iPad dance party…
Espresso making…
And measuring ourselves with a tape measure…
And the party continues today!
Happy 4th of July Weekend people!
Breakfast
I started my day yesterday with a big bowl of hot oatmeal.
I mixed a 1/2 cup cooked oats with 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, and it was perf.
Lunch
Lunch was another wonderful salad, which I have been fully enjoying lately.
I topped a bed of Organicgirl 50/50! with 3 leftover turkey meatballs, chopped baby carrots, garbanzo beans and Organicville Sesame Goddess Dressing. Delish!
Workout
I spent 25 minutes on the elliptical sweating it out to the Casey Anthony trial, and then I ventured into a BodyPump class at 9:30AM.
Dinner
Corey talked to our friends, Austin and Laura, on the phone, and randomly decided that Friday night was a perfect time to drive to Clearwater for the weekend! After this news, I thought dinner should be relatively light and healthy. Corey and I pan-fried some Ready-to-Cook Publix Breaded Chicken Cutlets, and laid them on top of a bed of Organicgirl 50/50!.
After dinner, we hopped in the car and made the two hour drive to Laura’s house in Clearwater, FL. We enjoyed a glass of wine before going over to her friend, Kristen’s house.
We played drinking games with cards and laughed the night away, as expected of 23-year-olds. Don’t judge.
Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Raise your hand if you’re ready for the weekend!
You can’t see me, but both of mine are raised.
Tabata Method
Lately, I’ve been trying to take the 7:15AM spin class at my gym once a week, after finding an instructor that I absolutely love. Yesterday, I decided to sleep in and shoot for the 8:45AM class. Unfortunately, I forgot that this class is taught by an instructor that I do not absolutely love. She’s very boring, has a monotone voice, and walks around for practically the whole class. On top of that, the spin room is under construction at my gym, and they took out the black lights and removed the blinds from all the windows! Um, hello awkwardly bright room…(spin connoisseurs know that classes are always dark!)
Anyways, I was determined to make the best of a less than ideal situation. The class was off to a very boring start, but then, the instructor surprised us by introducing the Tabata Method. She explained that this is a method of working out that activates both your aerobic and anaerobic pathways simultaneously, which optimizes results and gets you in much better shape in a significantly shorter amount of time. The key to this method is doing a total of 4 minutes of extreme exertion- you do 20 seconds of an exercise at maximum capacity, recover for 10 seconds, and repeat 7 times. That’s it! The studies showed that people who did the Tabata Method 3 times a week lost more fat and were in better cardiovascular health than people who did 60 minutes of cardio per day, 5 times a week. Pretty crazy, huh?
By the time our 4 minutes of misery were over, everyone was drenched and pretty fatigued. We recovered for a song or two before powering back up for the rest of the class.
I don’t know if I believe the statistics, but I think it’s a very interesting theory, and I don’t see the harm in incorporating this method into my workouts.
Have you tried the Tabata Method? What do you think of it?
Breakfast
After class, I was more than ready for breakfast. I was planning to have a yogurt bowl with strawberries, but this idea went out the window when I discovered that my fresh strawberries had frozen solid overnight!
Whoops.
Frozen fruit can only mean one thing- smoothie!
I made a chocolate strawberry smoothie by blending up:
– 1/2 cup skim milk
-7 frozen strawberries
– 1 scoop Chocolate Muscle Milk Protein Powder
– 1/2 tablespoon natural peanut butter
– Handful of ice cubes
Clearly, not my mug 🙂 .
Lunch
Lunch was a fabulous repeat, with a twist.
I topped a bed of Organicgirl 50/50! with tuna salad (1 tablespoon Light Mayo, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard), garbanzo beans and…pickle chips! I secretly love pickles on salads, even though basically everyone thinks it’s weird.
Dinner
I used the help of a box of Annie Chun’s 100% Natural Pad Thai for dinner.
I cooked the noodles according to the directions, while microwaving a bag of frozen vegetables. After draining both, I mixed everything together in a big pot with 1/2 pound of shrimp and the sauce that came in the kit. It was ready in 10 minutes flat!
*************************************************************************************************************************
I also just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my fabulous mom!
I love you so much!
Last night was a rainy one here in Orlando. I don’t know what it is about rainy weather, but it seems to always call for comfort food! To me, Italian = ultimate comfort food. I decided to make classic spaghetti and meatballs, using my recipe for Turkey Meatballs to lighten it up.
Turkey Meatballs
Servings: 4 (3 meatballs each)
Ingredients:
1.3 lbs. ground turkey meat
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of:
garlic powder
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
basil
oregano
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, add all of the above ingredients.
Use your hand to combine all the ingredients with the turkey.
Working with approximately 2 oz. portions, roll the meat in between your hands until you form a perfect ball. Lay them on a nonstick cookie sheet, and pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Serve on top of whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite marinara sauce.
************************************************************************************************************************
Other meals of the day…
Breakfast
Fage 0% Greek Yogurt topped with fresh strawberries.
Lunch
Organic Girl 50/50! topped with tuna salad (made with 1 tablespoon Light Mayo, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard), garbanzo beans and Organicville Sesame Goddess Dressing.
Workout
After taking a week off from BodyPump, I was definitely ready to get back to lifting weights. I went to the gym ahead of the scheduled class time so I could get in some cardio beforehand. I did 25 minutes on the elliptical before Pumping it up 🙂 .
Breakfast
The yogurt bowl is ruling my life these days. I’m trying to keep carbs to a minimum during the week, just for the next few months, in an effort to look bueno in my wedding dress. We’ll see how long that lasts. All this really means is that instead of having a carb-heavy breakfast, followed by a sandwich for lunch and something carb-y with dinner, I’m trying to stick with yogurt-centered breakfasts and salad-heavy lunches.
I filled a bowl with Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, topped with a handful of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds, for some crunch.
Lunch
Corey and I were talking last night about our favorite lunches. He asked me what I would eat for lunch if I could pick anything to make at home every day. I said, “Honestly, I just like leftover dinner on top of lettuce!”
Anytime we have a little leftover chicken, fish, or even burgers, with some steamed or roasted veggies on the side, I love to chop up some Romaine lettuce and throw the leftovers on top (heated, of course). I just add a few other salad toppin’s and my favorite dressing, and lunch is ready to go.
Yesterday’s creation was a small leftover turkey burger and steamed brussel sprouts with a sprinkle of 2% cheddar cheese and Naturally Fresh Ginger Dressing, on top of a bed of Romaine.
Workout
I put off my workout for as long as possible yesterday. Generally, I really prefer to wake up in the morning and get my workout over with. It’s a great feeling to be finished and know that you can spend the rest of the day doing other things. If I don’t, the thought of having to workout later looms over my head all day. Yesterday was one of those days.
I loaded up my iPod with all kinds of new songs (basically 3 new Nicki Minaj jams, duh), and headed out the door around 4:00PM for a run. Well, that didn’t last long, thanks to some shooting leg pains and a severe thunderstorm over my head. I made it for about 10 minutes before coming inside to complete a treadmill workout for 35 minutes.
Dinner
Corey and I needed to make a grocery store run, so we decided to eat dinner first at one of my favorite places- Green Lemon Cafe. I ordered my go-to salad- Tuna with Balsamic dressing.
Afterwards, we decided to venture over to Whole Foods next door. After realizing that we could barely afford a lemon in that place, we started to make our way out the door. And then, the bakery caught my eye. Everything looked so great! I picked out a Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie that was size of my face for us to share.
Corey also picked up a treat.
His version of the word “treat” and my version are clearly very different 🙂 .
What is your favorite leftover meal?
For the first time in a full year, I officially have absolutely nothing to do.
I am not complaining!
I’ve spent the last year working my butt off trying to finish my nursing pre-requisite classes, working different jobs, and dealing with lots of stress. I honestly couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but now, I’m finished!
On Friday, I finished my last day of a week-long training course to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. Now that I’m done with that, I just have to wait for a letter telling me when and where I can take the state board examination. I will have to take a written exam, and then complete 3 different nursing skills that a supervisor will choose at random. Once I pass, I can start applying to jobs! Fortunately, there are a lot of places hiring CNA’s right now, so getting hired shouldn’t be a problem. I cannot even express how excited I am at the thought of finally having a job- and not just any job, a nursing job! I hope that letter gets here SOON.
For now, I’m definitely savoring every precious moment of down time that I have, because I know my schedule will be back to crazy in no time- especially when I add wedding planning and nursing school to the mix!
Breakfast
I made a delicious yogurt bowl yesterday, made with a cup of Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, a handful of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds, sliced strawberries and a drizzle of honey.
I’ve decided that honey + Greek yogurt is the ultimate combo.
Lunch
Yesterday’s lunch was something a little different, and totally inspired by Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers!
I made one of her “Cheese and Jelly Bagelwiches”, served with a side of baby carrots.
I spread a toasted whole wheat bagel thin with a little strawberry preserves, and melted a slice of Meunster cheese on top. Delish!
Dinner
When Corey got home from work, we tossed around some dinner ideas before deciding that turkey burgers sounded perfect. Corey seasoned the meat with garlic powder and a little BBQ sauce, and then I made the patties and popped them under the broiler for 10 minutes.
We served our burgers with steamed broccoli, brussel sprouts, and some Sante Fe rice.
Carly
Cooking With Carly 