Homemade Hummus & Shoes

This was a gorgeous weekend full of fun and relaxation. I had a great day yesterday shopping with my boyfriend's mom and sister, and I bought (well, all three of us bought) these adorable wedges for only $30. I can't wait to wear these this summer 

I also found a few cute clothing items, and I really like this feminine gray dress that I found in a boutique downtown (Kreations)

Today was spent re-couping a bit from some margarita consumption followed by a few more cocktails last night. I have had this "Homemade Hummus That Changed Everything" recipe from Oh She Glows for a while, and I've been dying to make it:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, liquid reserved and set aside
• 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 Cup tahini
• 7-8 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp reserved chickpea liquid (or water)
• 4-8 drops of Tabasco sauce (amazing), to taste
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Paprika, for garnish

Directions: Place all ingredients into a food processor (except the salt) and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Now add in salt gradually, stopping to taste as you go. I find the salt preference of hummus varies a lot by the person, so be sure to adjust it to your needs. Also, if you use unsalted chickpeas, you may need more salt. Scoop into a bowl and drizzle with a good quality olive oil and garnish with paprika. Makes about 2 cups and lasts for about 4-5 days in the fridge in a sealed container.

I made the recipe almost exactly as instructed, but I decided to add roasted red bell peppers to mine (love them). This recipe was easy to make, and the results were well worth it.

That's a lot of lemon, isn't it?

The finished pureed product

And the final presentation!

I don't know that I'll ever buy hummus again. You can do SO many things with this recipe to manipulate the flavors, and all of the ingredients are relatively inexpensive (other than the Tahini, but the container will last for at least 5-6 batches). Give this one a try, you will be happy you did!

I hope everyone else had a great weekend. I'm making some baked zucchini sticks tonight, which I have had before and LOVE. If we don't devour them before I get a chance, I will take a picture and share the recipe for that as well in a later post.

Enjoy what is left of your Sunday! 

Workout Bargains, Wine Shopping

Happy Weekend to all! I know that I am SO thankful to have some relaxation time after a very long work-week. Once I got off of work yesterday, I came home and had a delicious glass of wine (and proceeded to finish most of the bottle with help from my man!). I also had some of the amazing Simply Lite Dark chocolate I mentioned in one of my previous posts. Ahhhhhh, it was divine and I could feel the serotonin flowing through my brain :)

When it comes to purchasing wine, I always go for the best deal (of course). Since I work for a company that sells to retailers & wholesalers, I know a thing or two about how inflated retail prices can be (and how much things are REALLY worth!). When I shop for wine, I typically go to my friendly neighborhood Raley's and venture to the wine aisle looking for the highest mark-down off of retail price. I like to spend $8-$15 on a bottle and I look for wines that retail for $18-$25. This usually doesn't do me wrong. I also do the classic woman's intuitive decision-making skill where I choose the bottle with the prettiest label. That is also effective :)

One wine tool that I can't believe I've only had for a couple of years is my Houdini wine opener. I can go old-school and use a corkscrew, but I am NOT skilled and I have a 70% success rate with them (maybe not so bad now, but I've broken a cork or two in my day). If you don't have a Houdini and don't think you need one, you are wrong! Okay, maybe you're a talented de-corker, but I would suggest looking into one of them. They also come with a nice little contraption that cuts the foil cover on the top of most wine bottles. Great inventions. I wish I'd though of it myself!

Now it's Saturday and I had to work off my wine. The day I found out a bottle contained 600 calories, I just about died. But it hasn't deterred me (clearly) from consuming regularly in moderation (and some times in gluttonous proportions).

When it comes to getting standard cardio, there is no place I enjoy working out more than my apartment gym. I get free access to this gym (with the money I pay for rent of course), and there is rarely ANYONE in there.

The thing I like most about my apartment gym is that I have no excuse no to go there. I have a paid gym membership elsewhere, but I don't like crowds or waiting on machines. I can walk here and I don't feel intimidated experimenting with free-weights and dong things like jumping squats and lunges that I would feel a bit silly doing in front of people. Today, of course, there was a woman on my elliptical (sigh), so I was forced to use the treadmill. Seriously, longest four mile run of my life. Anyway, if you have an amenity like this where you live, take advantage! I go to my apartment gym 3-4 times a week and I go to my actual gym about 2 days a week.

I'm not knocking my actual gym, because they also have a ton to offer. For me, the only reason I keep my membership is because of the group workout classes. There is one AMAZING instructor (plug, Liana @ Chico Sports Club), and her classes are worth my visit every week. I particularly love Kickboxing and High Intensity Training, which is a fast-paced Step/Boot-camp-ish class.

Group classes can be a little iffy since it's hard to make that first visit and be the uncoordinated person in the back flailing their arms and legs like an idiot (I've been there), but it's worth those few embarrassing visits! After you go to a class a couple of times, you'll notice the instructors use similar moves repetitively and your muscle memory will do a lot of the work for you. You will start to intuitively know which move is coming next, and you'll be a pro in the front row before you know it. Most of these classes are free with a gym membership, and they are like having a personal trainer, but for no added cost. Brave the doubt in your mind and give one of these classes a try. You won't regret it; I promise!

Well, that's all I have to say for now. I'm planning on shopping a bit today, so I might have some great purchases to share later on. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the gorgeous weather!

Beauty Enhancers, Asian Inspiration, Tasty Snacks and Dress Sales!

I can't believe I haven't discussed the miracle that is makeup until now! I love, love, LOVE makeup to the point where I can drop a good $200 in Sephora effortlessly (I know, it's obscene). This probably seems a bit hypocritical since I've been talking about ways to save money, but I definitely splurge on a select few makeup items.

One thing I really love is Makeup Forever's Mat Velvet Foundation since I have very oily skin. This stuff is not cheap by any definition, and the container looks small, but a little bit goes a long way. I pay $34 for this foundation.

Remember how I mentioned my skin is oily? Well, for that reason, a "matifying" foundation is not quite enough; I also have to do double-duty with the Duo Mat Powder, which costs an additional $32 (you see how it adds up so quickly?!). But honestly, this stuff is amazing and so worth it. I've never had it look cakey, even when I'm applying it with a concealer brush.

There really isn't an alternative for me when it comes to this type of foundation, but I did fall in love with a cult favorite, NARS Orgasm blush, and I think I've found a close substitute... I can't discount how gorgeous this blush is, because it is so perfect on all shades of skin. The color is a pink/peachy color with gold flecks that highlight cheekbones marvelously, but it costs $27, so those had better be 24 karat gold flecks!

The last time I was in a Sephora, about to purchase some of this blush when I found a Sephora brand blush that looked very similar for $12! I bought it and I love it. It's not exactly the same, but for how much I saved, it is well worth it. The color is called Corail Frisson.

There are a ton of great finds in the "sets" you can find online and in-store; most of which save a good $50-$60. These sets are great as gifts, but also if you want to trial a new item that is a bit pricey for the full size. There's nothing worse than getting something expensive home and hating it the next day. This set is worth over $50, but it only costs $15!

Drug Stores have a lot to offer as well. I have a couple of favorites that you can find everywhere:

One staple that I always have on hand is Cetaphil face moisturizer. I've used this since I was a teenager, and it's perfect for sensitive skin, plus it's only $9 for a giant pump

Since I've made a commitment to myself that I will never use a tanning bed again, I have had to come up with some alternatives to avoid being the whitest person ever. Spray tanning was okay, but I really wasn't impressed with the results for the price. I really like this Sublime Glow lotion which is like a self-tanner/lotion combination. I notice within a day that I have a bit of color and that keeps me going. I really like the price at $10. Caution, this is, after all a self-tanner so make sure you rub it in really well!!

I've used a lot of expensive mascaras and I really don't see the point in paying $30 for a tube of any luxury brands. I don't like clumpy, hard to manage brushes, so I really like Cover Girl's Lash Blast Length. This one runs for about $7.

That's enough beauty talk for now. On to some more great meals/snacks from this week!

I was really in the mood for something sushi-like, mostly because I will jump at the chance to dip anything complimentary into wasabi mixed with soy sauce, but also because I generally like the flavors of sushi. I found this veggie roll at Trader Joe's (Brown Rice Veggie Roll) and I was pleasantly surprised that a 4-piece serving was only 200 calories. I had a very filling and delicious lunch because of this purchase (I had 4 pieces, but I'd already eaten one when I took this!)

Another great find was this Simply Lite Sugar Free Dark Chocolate. I'm usually a little weary of sugar free candy, but knowing that dark chocolate is naturally light on the sugar, I gave it a try, and I am happy I did! Two squares (just the right amount) are 67 calories, although a serving is 3 squares at 100 calories. The flavor is amazing and really gets my chocolate fix. 

I also tried out some frozen Teriyaki Chicken from Trader Joe's (150 Calories for one cup and lots of protein!). I threw together a stir fry of broccoli, onion, garlic, zucchini & water chestnuts and put the chicken and stir-fry on top of a bit of organic brown rice (the 90 second microwave kind from Safeway). Here is the finished product (It was SO good and under 400 calories)

For dessert I had my favorite treat, Dreyer's Whole Fruit Coconut Bar. This bar is 120 calories and since I'm a huge fan of coconut, it really doesn't get any better for me. I would HIGHLY recommend these bars. I also like the other fruit flavors, most of which are about 80 calories for a bar.

Last, but most certainly not least, check out these awesome deals I found online for cute spring looks:

Lulus.com Dress On sale for $28.00

Forever21.com Ragland Top on sale for $11.00

BananaRepublic.com Dress on sale for $79.99 (it's Silk!)

Well, this has become a novel, but I had a lot to share and some spare time to get it all out of my head :) Hopefully I'll get the chance to be creative in the kitchen this week with some more of my new items!

Groceries, Pesto & Leaving Room for Wine

I went on a much needed grocery shopping trip yesterday to Trader Joe's, and I got a TON of stuff. I usually go to Raley's because it's conveniently close and they have an amazing health food section, but I save a lot of money at Trader Joe's, even with a full cart. I got all of this for under $100!

Part of the reason why I so desired the grocery trip was because I wanted to try out a recipe I found on one of my favorite sites, Hungry-Girl.com. Lisa Lillien brings a fun, healthy, quirky & creative twist to a lot of great  foods. I especially like her efforts for creative recipe titles like the recipe I made, "Simply the Pesto". Come on, who doesn't love a good Tina Turner play on words?! Here is the recipe:


Simply the Pesto
PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, about 2 tbsp.): 68 calories, 5g fat, 228mg sodium, 3g carbs, 0.25g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 3g protein -- PointsPlus™ value 2* 

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping
2 tbsp. pine nuts
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a small blender or food processor, and blend/process until a smooth paste forms. If you like, add additional salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS




I made the recipe basically just as instructed, but I used all of the organic basil I bought because I love basil, and I knew I wouldn't use it before it went bad anyway. Here's what it looked like in the food processor (don't judge just because it's the smallest food processor you've ever seen):

I went out on a limb and bough some brown rice pasta, mostly because it only had 200 calories for a cup of cooked pasta, which is quite a bit better than normal pasta

I added some Trader Joe's marinara sauce & sun-dried tomatoes to the pasta, and I also added a green salad with fat-free Feta, a few croutons, & Trader Joe's Parmesan Ranch (amazing and only 30 calories for TWO tablespoons!). The meal was under 400 calories, and I didn't even have to modify it to make it tastier for my boyfriend! I even rationalized having a small glass of red wine just because I couldn't believe this pasta dinner was so healthy (and because I just wanted a glass of wine!). 

You can see the finished product above! It was great. I'd highly recommend all of it. We even have half of the pesto left to use for sandwiches and dip this week!


Well, that's all the time I have for now since I'm on my lunch break, but I am definitely following up to talk about some other great Trader Joe's finds and to talk about one of my favorite topics: Makeup! Until then...