Sweet Home Santa Barbara

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Weekend Photos

Pizza Night

Me and the Birthday Girl!

Yeahhh Patriots!

It was a great weekend filled with great friends. There was some delicious pizza, lots of dancing, a limo bus ride and most importantly, a Patriots win!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Do you ever just have those nights where you can't find anything to wear? Where nothing in your closet seems to look good? That happens to me far. too. often. But there's one combination that never seems to fail me, and that's jeans and high heels.

I will usually shy away from high heels unless everyone else in the group is wearing them. I'm tall-ish as it is, so wearing high heels can make me feel like a giant. But recently I've realized that nothing makes me feel more confident than some cute heels and jeans. It's simple, and I love the look with any top. Now if I could just have the bank account to increase my shoe collection, maybe I'd have less of those nights where nothing looks good.

And that's all for today folks. I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was busyyy, but so much fun. Pictures to come soon!

Happy Talk to us Tuesday!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Made it to another Monday, and that means it's time for another Fit Club update. As for last week's healthy snacks, I would say they were a success. I'd portion out two tablespoons of either the peanut butter or the hummus, and grab some apples or carrots to eat with it. I'm gonna be real though, and say that this weekend I seriously slacked on my healthy eating. The goal to follow the 80/20 rule is proving to be a bit more challenging than I originally thought it would be. But I'm not giving up! It's a new week, and I'm going to give it my best effort to make this one a healthier one. Considering that I spent way too much money this weekend and in turn, will not be eating out this week (or next), I'd say I've got a good chance. Ready for the good news?

I made it to the gym 5 times this week:

Monday: Boot Camp class (1 hr)

Tuesday: Lower Body Blast class (1 hr)

Wednesday: TurboKick class (1 hr)

Thursday: 25 minutes on the treadmill (2.7 miles)

Friday: Took a day off (aka was in no condition for 6am spin)

Saturday: 45 minutes on the treadmill (4.6 miles)

Sunday: Took a day off

Getting to the gym at least 3 to 4 times a week? Check! Now time to get this healthy eating business in order. Should be a bit easier with recipes like this one:

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

Canola or olive oil cooking spray

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat

1 pound chicken tenders

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a large wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

2. Place flour in a shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish. Combine Parmesan and breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish.

3. Toss tenders with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt in a medium bowl. Coat each tender in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then roll in the breadcrumb mixture. Place the tenders on the prepared rack. Generously coat the top of each tender with cooking spray.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each tender over and coat with cooking spray. Continue baking until the outside is crisp and the tenders are cooked through, about 10 minutes more.

And you're done!

Per serving (the recipe makes 4):

293 Calories

8 g Fat

3 g Sat. Fat

140 mg Cholesterol

22 g Carbohydrates

31 g Protein

3 g Fider

603 mg Sodium

465 mg Potassium

The recipe includes 1 cup marinara sauce for dipping, but I used mustard instead. I'm a pretty big mustard fan, weird, I know. BBQ sauce was pretty good, too. Enjoy!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Friday Facts!

1. Big news:

See that guy right there? He got his first 3 college acceptances this week. 3 for 3 baby. I'm so happy for my little brother, and I know he'll have a blast in college just like I did.

2. I had way too much fun with this girl this week:

Tuesday, we went out to a Mexican restaurant where her friend works for some drinks. And Wednesday, we went back to Creekside for some more line dancing. Adding fun into the work week makes it wayy better.

I had my first ever jello shot in a shot

3. You know what else makes the work week better?

For the last two Thursdays, Kristi and I have met downtown to get frozen yogurt on our lunch break. This week Carly joined us, and I think this is going to become a "yay, it's almost Friday!" tradition.

4. And on the topic of food, Monday's fit club post will include a recipe for these amazing and healthy parmesan crusted chicken tenders:

They were really good, and three tenders are less than 300 calories! Score.

5. And for the Bible verse of the week:

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.

Bend down and listen as I pray.

Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.

Psalm 17: 6-7

I love starting and ending my day with prayer. I used to stress a lot when laying in bed, because my mind would just wander. Now, it's become a habit to pray first thing when I wake up and right before I go to sleep. I love it.

6. I already have my next plan trip planned since San Francisco was such a blast. Sometime either next month or in March, I'll be flying to Sacramento to visit these two:

Amanda, Heather and I

Amanda just had herself a beautiful baby girl, and I cannot wait to meet her. It's already been 8 weeks, so I gotta get my butt up there.

7. Goal: get my passport sometime this month. I really need to get that thing so I can take my travelling to the next level. Ireland, Italy, Spain, here I come!

8. In about 10 days, I will officially have been working full time for 10 months. 10 months! That's crazy. Maybe sometime I'll get around to doing a post about what I've learned in those ten months (Like don't wear the same skirt that you would wear downtown to your workplace. What? Is that common knowledge?).

9. Carly just posted pictures from like the last 4 months on Facebook, so I had to steal and share this picture of the gorgeous bride from the wedding we went to back in November:

It was her birthday yesterday (actually today, cause I'm totally being a good blogger and planning ahead). Happy Birthday, Justine!!

10. Whew, made it through another 10 facts. They really are hard to come up with! I just can't bring myself to shorten the list. But anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! And Go Patriots!!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

$5

As I was leaving San Francisco, I was stopped at a red light.

A homeless man was standing on the corner, right next to my window.

I had gotten some extra cash for the ride home, and I never carry cash. So I reached into my wallet to pull out some money to give the man. I had two $5s, and one $1. I didn't want to give him only $1, so I grabbed a $5.

I rolled down my window to give him the money. He took it from me and said "God bless you." I said the same. He looked down to see what was in his hand. His jaw dropped.

"Oh my gosh" is what he said. He looked completely shocked. I am assuming he was expected just $1. I watched as he put his hands together to say a prayer.

He was so thankful. For just $5.

It was the best money spent during my entire trip.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

San Francisco!

I had the best time in San Francisco this past weekend. It's amazing what just an extra day off of work will do. It turns an average weekend into a vacation. And boy, was it a good one. I'll let the pictures do the talking: