News Feed Friday

 

In honor of the Cooper River Bridge Run this weekend, I had to share this photo that I took last year as I was sweating my way to the top! I won't be running it this year, however I do plan on enjoying the festivities afterwards.

 

Take a peak at this colorful lookbook, coming soon to a Target near you!

 

15 Low Carb Dinners (in an hour or less), sounds good to me!

 

Yet another reason I'm excited that the Spring season is here.

 

These are on my radar right now, as well as this dress, and this one too.

 

The best eye makeup remover that I currently can't live without.

 

11 books that should survive every Spring cleaning session.

 

Perfection!

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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Jumpsuit Love

Jumpsuits, everyone's favorite, functional one piece garment. There is just something about a jumpsuit that is so eye-catching to me, especially when paired with the right accessories. I love the fact that you can look feminine and classy and still be comfortable in these.

 

       

Photo courtesy of: Clifford Pate via Charleston Shop Curator



I mentioned in yesterday's post that I had been on a mission to find the perfect jumpsuit to wear to fashion week.

 



Not only did I find one, (see photo above) I also came across several other great ones during my search. Since I couldn't buy them all I thought I would share my favorite finds with you so someone out there can add one or two of these to your closet!

                                             

Charleston Fashion Week Fun

Charleston Fashion Week came to a close this past Sunday. I'm so glad that I was able to attend one of the weeknight runway shoes.

 

Wednesday evening my girlfriend Megan and I headed downtown to check out the fashion scene at Marion Square.

 

We browsed around and mingled in the Fashion Village  some before the show. There were a countless number of cute outfits spotted off the runway and then there were a few interesting ones. But hey, that's fashion for ya. The stranger the better, as long as you feel comfortable wearing it. Fashion is what you make of it.

Lately I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone a little with my wardrobe purchases.  I may have worn black, however I did go out on a limb and buy a jumpsuit. I've wanted one for a while now and this seemed like the perfect occasion to go for it. (Although in this photo it looks like a dress.) I will definitely wear it again, however I am still on the search for the perfect accessories to go with it, preferable a good belt.

 

These photos aren't the best given the lighting and where we were sitting, but nonetheless, here are few of my favorite looks from the evening.

 

Elyssa Wingard's resort collection inspired by the Palace of Versailles was stunning! 

 

From the vibrant colors to the soft flowing material, I wanted one of each.

 

The Harbison Collection was an eye catcher as well. I loved the unique and luxurious structured look of these pieces.

 

 

There were also some fun looks in this collection above by Julie Le & Sean Mueller.

 

Another one of my top favorite looks (mentioned in Friday's post) came from Mosaic, a upscale boutique in Lake City, SC. Unfortunately I don't have any close up photos, but you can find several of their amazing pieces on their website.

 

Until next year, Fashion Week!

 

Oh, and make sure to check back tomorrow as I will be sharing some of my favorite jumpsuit picks that I came across during the search for my own!

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

I came across this recipe on pinterest one day and decided to give it a try. I switched the ingredients up a little and have been hooked ever since. These are  not only a quick and easy dinner option, but they also taste great and are versatile. There are so many other ingredients you could fill these magical little egg roll wrappers with, but for now I will stick with chicken.

 

 

When these are on the menu, I make sure to buy a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking my own which shortens time spent in the kitchen. Who can argue with that? 

First I shred the chicken into a bowl and mix in buffalo wing sauce. Next is the egg roll prep. I start with a small amount of broccoli slaw, top with the shredded chicken and then add cheese.

A few things to note:

• The egg roll wrappers can be found in the produce section near the cold ingredients. (I wish I had known this before...I searched all over the store.)
• Adding too much broccoli slaw will cause the egg roll wrappers to tear.  (I say this from experience.)
• Trying to explain how to fold the wrappers sounds complicated however, it's much easier to actually do it than explain it.

Once the filling has been added near a corner of the wrapper, fold that edge over. Follow by folding in the left side and the ride side and finish rolling. Place the egg rolls wrappers on a baking sheet, lightly spraying the tops with spray butter or pam if you want them to be more golden brown.

Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops and edges are brown.

 

 

Serve these crispy buffalo rolls with a side of ranch for dipping. Which by the way, I have found a delicious ranch dressing that's guilt free because it's made with yogurt.

Bolthouse Farms makes several different flavors and the ones that I've had so far are really good. I highly recommend giving them a try.

 

 

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Ingredients

1 Rotisserie chicken

1 Pack of egg roll wrappers

Buffalo wing sauce

Broccoli Slaw

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bolthouse Farms Ranch dressing or dressing of choice

Spray butter/pam

Instructions

1.       Preheat oven to 400.

2.       Pull chicken off of the bones, discarding the skin and shred into pieces into a mixing bowl. Once all of the chicken has shredded, add buffalo wing sauce to the chicken coating it to your preference.

3.       Lay out egg roll wrappers on a cutting board. Add a small bit of broccoli slaw to the left hand bottom corner of the wrapper.

4.       Next add shredded chicken on top of the broccoli slaw.

5.       Top with cheese. I used cheddar but feta or blue cheese would be great as well.

6.       Tightly roll up the wrappers starting by folding over the stuffed corner first. Then fold in the left and right sides and continue to roll tightly.

7.       Spray the tops of the wrappers with spray butter. This helps with the browning process.

8.       Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until the wrappers are brown and crisp.

9.       Serve with a side of ranch for dipping or whatever your preference may be.   

 

Weekend Recap // The Americano

I'm so happy that Spring is finally here! I wish I could say that we had the weather to go with it this past weekend but that wasn't the case. I guess I shouldn't complain though, at least it wasn't cold.

I was so excited to finally check out The Americano on Saturday night. This has been on my ever growing list of places to eat.

The inside is super cute. The décor is like retro diner meets Miami Cuban flair, with leather turquoise seating, pink flamingos and art deco tile floors. 

 

 

I really enjoyed the chips that came with the salsa. They were covered in several spices and had great flavor. For starters we had the crispy beef empanadas and some cocktails of course.

 

 

I had the Havana Fish Plate and the fish for the evening was Mahi Mahi. It was served it soffrito, Cuban rice, fried sweet plantains and flour tortillas.

I could have eaten a whole plate of the fried plantains...they were so delicious.

 

Whit had the Pollo Con Mojo, which consisted of a slow roasted and grilled half chicken, sweet plantains, black beans and Cuban rice.

 

 

I'm looking forward to going back during the summer to sip cocktails outside on this cute little the patio.

 

 

The remainder of our weekend consisted of doing productive things around the house. We have been in our home for a little over a year now and it seems like there is always a project to be completed. We bought some curtains for our living room finally but we were not so successful in finding curtain rods (suggestions welcome on where to find good ones.) I will share the final look once our mission is complete.

 

Have a great week!

 

 

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News Feed Friday

 

I'm currently eyeing this pretty little coffee table book. It would make a great addition to our bookshelves. Just take a peak of one of the beautiful illustrations inside.

 

Looking to take a vacation without breaking the bank? Take a look at this article on The Absolute Best Value Travel Spots for Spring 2015. 

 

Music can make or break the mood of a workout, which is why I was happy to have discovered this to change things up a bit.

 

If you're a lover of tacos, then this list is for you!

 

Some of my favorite looks on the runway at this year's Charleston Fashion Week came from this boutique.

 

All the healthy smoothie recipes you will ever need!

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

Chicken with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

A few weeks ago I mentioned my constant search for new and easy recipes to make during the week. Whenever I make dinner I typically make enough so that Whit and I have leftovers for lunch the next day. Not only does this help cut back on spending it also helps me in making healthier choices.

 

So, last week I opened up my trusty Cooking Light Magazine and flipped through the pages until I found something that we both agreed on. There was a pork chop recipe with roasted vegetables that caught my eye, and with a few substitutions later we had a delicious meal. We had plenty of chicken at home so we decided to use that instead of the pork chops. 

 

 

I omitted the parsley (I forgot to buy it) and I topped it with cheese when I was ready to serve. I used this 7qt roaster which was the perfect size for this meal. Side note, I highly recommend making extra balsamic sauce because it's so delicious.

 

 

 

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light 

Chicken with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables & Gorgonzola

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

12 ounces small red potatoes, halved

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges

1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, halved

1 ounce Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 425°.

2.  Heat a large heavy roasting pan over high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Place chicken on a plate (chicken will not be completely cooked through). Reduce heat to medium-high. Add potatoes to pan, cut sides down; cook 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

3. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and tomato paste in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 2 tablespoons balsamic mixture, thyme, onion, and mushrooms in a bowl, tossing to coat. Add mushroom mixture to pan. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Arrange chicken over vegetables; bake 10 minutes or until completely cooked through. Remove chicken from pan. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place 1 cup vegetable mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 chicken breast, 2 teaspoons remaining balsamic vinegar mixture, and 1 tablespoon Gorgonzola cheese.

4.  Note: I made extra balsamic mixture to pour over leftovers the next day so the chicken would be moist.