What I Wore Wednesday: Remembering 9/11

For this week's Pleated Poppy "What I Wore Wednesday," I'm taking the opportunity to pay outfit homage to my amazing country: The U.S.A.!

On the 11th anniversary of the tragedy that was September 11, I pulled out the most patriotic attire I could find in my closet.

For work, I paired a J. Crew plaid shirt with a navy pencil skirt and accessorized with some great red heels and a yellow skinny belt. I felt very "Americana."

Shirt: J. Crew
Skirt: The Limited
Belt: Betsey Johnson (TJ Maxx)
Heels: Kenneth Cole (Dillards)
Pearls: gift

Later that evening, a few of my girl friends and I headed to a local wine bar for flight night.  I paired the same J. Crew button up with another plaid shirt.... (I've gotten much more brave with my pattern mixing since my first attempt).  Though you can't see the bottom half of the outfit in my only picture of the night, I paired the shirts with some cut off jean shorts, my Nine West camel bag, and some camel ankle boots.

Did you dress in red, white, and blue for 9/11?

Recipe Week in Review Pt. 2

Time for part 2 of my recipe week in review.  Today? Loaded Cauliflower, Eggplant Rollotini, and Avocado Caprese Salad!

Loaded Cauliflower

I am a carb-fanatic.  Potatoes, rice, pasta.... I love it all.  Unfortunately, carb overload is my diet downfall.  So when a recipe promises to satiate my carb cravings without packing on pounds, I am always willing to try it out.  This recipe delivered to the max! I'd say we have our second perfect TEN!

Loaded Cauliflower Original Recipe

Modifications:
     1. I used butter buds in lieu of butter to cut out some of the calories.
     2. I used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  This was my first time trying the yogurt/sour cream swap.  As a sour cream junkie, I can promise you this is legit! I, nor my husband, could tell the difference at all!

Next time:
     I wouldn't change anything about this recipe.  It was life-changing!  Even my husbands friends from work have asked for the recipe.  I can't wait to make it again!

Eggplant Rollatini

After my pin-success with Eggplant Parmesan (see this post for the amazing recipe!), I was excited to try my hand at Eggplant Rollatini.  Eggplant is another big carb-substitute, since its texture is similar to that of pasta.  This recipe, however, was just lacking something.  I can't put my finger on what it might be... some additional spices? Maybe some garlic? Whatever its missing, I just plan to stick with my Eggplant Lasagna for those nights we're craving some Italian cuisine...

Eggplant Rollatini Original Recipe

Modifications:

     1.  My lone modification for this recipe was serving some italian seasoned turkey meatballs.

Next Time:

     Sadly, I doubt there'll be a next time on this recipe.  Don't get me wrong it was pretty good and very filling.  However, both my husband and I prefer the Eggplant Parm recipe to this one.  Hands down.

Avocado Caprese Salad

Yay for another big hit in the Lopez household! And thank goodness for a new salad to add to the normal rotation! We absolutely loved this as a side, and I could probably eat it as a lunch all by itself.  The only downside?  This salad did NOT keep well, and just 2 days later the Romaine had wilted.  Why?  Because the salad is dressed when you make it.... so perhaps keeping some set aside to be dressed later could solve this problem.  Overall, a definite keeper.

Avocado Caprese Original Recipe

Modifications:

     I made no modifications to this recipe.

Next Time:

     As I mentioned previously, I will save some of the salad to dress for later so it keeps better.  Other than that, no changes necessary! So refreshing and healthy... it was a huge hit.

Recipe Week in Review Pt. 1

Well folks, I am one week back in to my P90x regimen, and I am pleased to say I've dropped 4 pounds.  What I am even more excited about is the fact that (unlike last time) I have found some GREAT recipes  to keep me and my husband happy!

Some background:  The last time we did P90x (about a year ago), I was quasi-suicidal because I. LOVE. FOOD. and we were eating the same bland and boring meals day after day:

Teriyaki marinaded grilled chicken, chipotle marinated grilled chicken, hawaiian marinated grilled chicken, BBQ marinated grilled chicken, lemon pepper marinated grilled chicken, STEAK.... rinse and repeat.

Throw in the normal rotation of green beans, broccoli, salad, green beans, broccoli, salad.... etc etc... I was miserable.  BUT, I was seeing GREAT results.

So, the question became, could I stay motivated again through that boring weekly menu?  Well, I don't have to! Thanks to Pinterest!!!!!

As promised in a previous post, I tried out a ton of new recipes this past week, and some of them were HUGE successes.  So over the next few days I'll be reviewing the good, the bad, and the ugly of our first week of P90x.

Today: Monterrey Chicken & Salad, Buffalo Turkey Lettuce Wraps, and Tomato Basil Cheddar Soup.

Monterrey Chicken & Salad

This was actually two separate recipes that I combined because the ingredients were similar.  Because I have so many new recipes to tell you about in these posts, I am just going to link you to the originals and let you know about any changes I made instead of typing them all out.

Monterrey Chicken Original Recipe

Salad Original Recipe

I would give this meal about a 6/10 (though my husband liked it more than I did).  With some alterations, I think it could be put into normal rotation.

Modifications: 

     1. The only modification I made to the chicken was the use of real turkey bacon bits instead of traditional bacon bits.

     2. As far as the salad, I obviously omitted the chicken from my salad, and just served it along the Monterrey Chicken.

     3. Also, I used Walden Farms Calorie Free, Carb Free Ranch dressing to cut down on the "bad stuff."  Walden Farms makes delicious healthy dressings... we usually buy the Bacon Ranch, but they were sold out last week.  You can find the dressings at almost all grocery stores.

    4. I omitted the corn and tortilla chips from the salad for obvious reasons.  To be honest, the salad didn't need the extra ingredients... the black beans were plenty filling.

What I'd Do Next Time:

     1.  More BBQ sauce.... Maybe about an additional tablespoon per chicken breast... just to amp up the flavor a bit more.  Since I used thick breasts, the chicken toppings made for a few great bites and a few bland ones.... adding the sauce should solve that problem.

Buffalo Turkey Lettuce Wraps

TEN!!!!!!!!!! TEN!!!!!!!!!!! TEN!!!!!!!!!!! I was so blown away by this easy recipe! My husband, the king of the wing, who was extremely critical when I placed turkey wrapped in lettuce in front of him, liked it more and more with every bite.  We really could have doubled this recipe.... We were practically licking the bowl! 

Turkey Wraps Original Recipe

Modifications:

    My only modification was the fact that I used romaine lettuce instead of iceberg..... simply because I like it better!

What I'd do Next Time:

    I'd do absolutely nothing different.  This is a recipe I'd eat even if I wasn't dieting!

Tomato Basil Cheddar Soup

Inspired by Yard House's out of this world tomato bisque, I searched for a healthy, yet creamy, tomato soup.  This one used Greek Yogurt instead of heavy cream.  Boy oh boy was I impressed!  I'd give it a solid 9/10!  My husband was out of town for this meal, but my mother loved the soup as much as I did, and asked me for the recipe for herself.

Tomato Basil Cheddar Soup Original Recipe

Modifications:

     1. I only had three 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes on hand, so I actually used a little less than the recipe called for.  I'd never have known the difference.... it was plenty tomato-y!

     2. I used Splenda in lieu of sugar

**NOTE: I used an immersion blender for this soup.  I avoid putting soups in the food processor at all costs because it always makes a huge mess, and though the recipe said it was not necessary to blend the soup, I absolutely think it is!

What I'd do next time:

     Again, I wouldn't change anything about the way I made this recipe.  It was VERY good, and very filling!  I served it alongside an apple walnut salad, which I'll be reviewing later in the week, so stay tuned!