Whole 30 Challenge {wiaw #6}

Holy celebrations, Batman. I was doing really great up until the 5k, I mostly walked/jogged in mid-December. Then...came our ugly sweater party, a cookie exchange, Christmas, vacation...shall I go on? So instead of showing you all the healthy eats, I thought I'd share...the indulgent, celebratory eats, instead.

All this food makes my stomach, and eyes hurt. Any time I begin to indulge, everything is fine....but after a few days, I feel gross. I guess that is a lovely perk to getting older, huh?

After seeing so much buzz, I finally decided to read It Starts With Food (ISWF). I have wondered for a while how my body was reacting to certain foods and/or ingredients. And after reading the book, I knew there was no turning back, and that I would have to start the Whole 30 Challenge, because unfortunately ignorance is bliss, and I now owe it to myself to see how this goes.

Antipasto Skewers {a recipe}

Last week, at my esthetician's birthday party, we were all asked to bring a dish to the par-tay. Being that it is summer time {our "summer" in Florida feels a bit like Hades, but I digress}, and our food would be sitting out for a few hours, I wanted to bring something light, refreshing and well, easy to make.

Enter Antipasto Skewers. These little sticks o' goodness were a big hit; so much so that I made them for the Fourth of July, with my family. I have made them in the past for other events, but this combination has become my personal favorite. Feel free to add or take away whatever ingredients you choose {I told you, these guys are easy}.

Antipasto Skewers
{makes approx 40-50 skewers}

Ingredients:
1  9 oz package of three cheese tortellini {cooked to package directions}
1  can whole pitted black olives
1  5.75 oz jar green olives
1  8 oz  package mozzarella balls {at my grocery, these were by the deli in the specialty case}
1  pint grape tomatoes
1  6 oz package of salami {I used this brand, but choose what you like}
1  6 oz package pepperoni
1  cup balsamic vinaigrette
1  package of skewers {usually comes in a pack of 50}

To make:
Place the cooked tortellini and tomatoes in a bowl.
Pour the salad dressing over the top, cover bowl, and marinate in fridge for 1-2 hours
Drain the pasta/tomato mix
Place ingredients one by one on to each skewer {I use two mozzarella balls for each skewer, but I love cheeeese. Again, all about preference}.

Enjoy!

XOXO,
Nichole

*Recipe adapted from The Hungry Housewife

Meal Plan Menu #2

Steph and I are back for our monthly link-up! Okay, so this is only our second link-up. Whatever. Link up with us and share your meal plans, food preps...a recipe. Any and all of the above! We just ask that you grab our button to help spread the meal plan l.o.v.e. Don't forget to share your link, below.
Bon Appetit!

                                                <div align="center"> </p> </p> <p> <p> <a href="http://www.casadecrews.com" title="Casa de Crews"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS5cVDCzbx-BwAR-g1S9Dw7U8syLc-EaCfS-kQoGos1gayz9jSWIHaOPGiPukiBtRdznK6CooYridFBIQWEQVF8vK9gvBXXSG46veIpNrvafdweyCbL9BPjJloxRUJCH_0w0Y-fDq2pQ/s320/mealplanlink.jpg" alt="Casa de Crews" style="border:none;" /></a></div> </p> </p> <p> </div>

Last week, I asked Jason to go grocery shopping without me because I was coordinating a wedding. While he's an adult and has made his own meals long before he ever met me, and before we ever got married, this was really the first time he's shopped for our weekly eats without me while he's been a student, working full time. Which means....last week, dude made grilled chicken breast for himself all week for dinner. And that was it. He doesn't have much time between work and class, so he grabs something easy. I could not allow my husband to eat just chicken, so I made buffalo chicken wraps this week to make up for his lonely lil' chicken last week. I topped salads with chicken for myself.



I've been loving my spiral veggie slicer, and have made a ton of zucchini "noodles" in lieu of pasta.



For lunches, I blackened chicken and alfredo sauce over said noodles. The sauce was Classico from a jar. I think at some point I'd love to try making my own from scratch.

For the 4th, we'll be at the parentals for a cookout, and a glorious day away from the j.o.b. But if we run out of eats, I did buy chicken thighs for this tasty looking chicken. Coincidentally, because I had all the other Greek inspired ingredients on hand, and the fact that chicken was on sale at the grocery, I *may* have stocked up on chicken for next week.



And of course, my ham "cups"...

What are YOU making, this week?

XOXO,

Nichole

It's all Greek to me

I love Greek food. Any chance I have to eat it, and I am there. The first time I had a gyro {which I naturally mispronounced, but I digress} was about eight or nine years ago at a place near our local Blockbuster, and Albertson's in Palm Harbor, Florida. Since then, the Albertson's and Blockbuster are no longer there, but that yummy little Greek spot still remains.

At the time, no one I knew had ever really had Greek food the way my family and I regularly enjoyed it. I would rave about the gyro {pronounced "yee-row"}, chicken souvlaki {skewers of grilled, marinated chicken}, or spanakopita {spinach pie}; most people had NO clue what I was talking about.  Fast forward so many years and that little place near my mom and dad's house,  has grown and branched out with many locations. Nowadays, most people know about this Greek chain and love their meals as much as my family and I do.

Lamb Souvlaki, another fave of mine. Lunch a few week's ago.

Spinach Pie

Chicken Souvlaki

Little Greek Restaurant opened its doors on June 1, 2004, at 320 East Lake Road in Palm Harbor, Fla., and began a loyal relationship with restaurant guests. Since then, they have grown and expanded to many neighborhoods--including a Westchase locale that is closer to me than the original one. This makes my heart and belly quite happy.


Last week, I received an invite from Carlos {CarlosEats.com} and Nick Vojnovic, President of Little Greek Restaurant, through the Tampa Bay Bloggers to a Blogger Party to kick off Little Greek's nine year anniversary. I was so excited to go. When I say my family and I have dined at Little Greek for years, I mean it. We love their food! Unfortunately for me, I was sick and unable to go at the last minute. But had to share their current anniversary offer, anyway.

To celebrate their 9th Anniversary, Little Greek Restaurant is offering one of their favorite combo meals for $6.99. During the week of June 9-15, 2013, customers may choose either a traditional gyro or chicken pita, each served with Signature Hand-Cut Fries and a Drink.

To see a local place we frequent so often, continue to grow is always a thought that brings a smile to my face. Make sure to take an advantage of Little Greek's offer. I am sure you won't be disappointed. And while you are at it, order a piece of baklava to go.

What is your favorite Greek meal?

-Nichole



*all professional photos courtesy of Little Greek Restaurants

Burger 21

Ahhh, Burger 21, I could eat there weekly. If you don't live in Florida, you may have no clue where I am talking about, but if you check out their website, it does seem as though they are growing, and for your sake, I hope f.a.s.t.

Anyways...

If you live here in Tampa Bay, you must visit B21, assuming you have not yet. There are six locations, currently. The original location is a mere six miles from Casa de Crews, and hubs and I really enjoy their grub.

Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending another awesome Yelp event at one of my all time fave burger joints, Burger 21.

All week, there was a fun twitter contest going where you could win various prizes to come back to Burger 21 for free food, later. Usually, I am super un-original and don't win these Twitter contests, but the first night, Monday, yours truly, won! $5, baby. For the kid that pretty much never wins anything  I was stoked for my five dollas'...

The event ran from 3-5 and with the gross, overcast weather, I was afraid the event would be cancelled and/or that my hair would blow up with massive amounts of frizz. Fortunately, neither such issue arose and I got to enjoy some delicious food, see some new and old faces and chow down on tasty burgers! Not to mention 21% off drinks, so a few $2 Miller Lites were also consumed.

Samplings included: Black & Bleu Slider, Cheesy Slider, Skinny Turkey Burger, and Chicken Tenders. I never did try the chicken tenders but can tell you all three bites o' burger were ah-maze.

I also tried all eight {technically ten, but I already know what ketchup and mustard taste like!} dipping sauces. My very favorites were the Toasted Marshmallow {which I have had before {and would like to do shots of if no one was watching}} and Apple Cider Dip.

Hey girl...

Jason wanted something a little more and so he ordered B21's Black & Bleu Wedge Salad {which was the first thing I ever had when dining at Burger 21 last year with the lovely Emilee} and said he really enjoyed it.

And oh the shakes! I'm not a big sweets person and by the time "shots" of shakes came around, I was quite full. But wanting to be a good Yelper, I forged on and tried each shake like a good girl. I took one for the team {yea, right}, fer shure'.

All in all, the event was a great time! The best part? I won the GRAND PRIZE of a free burger {$10} each month for the rest of the year!! Hollllla....I can't wait to go back to Burger 21 and try more of their culinary creations.

{winner, winner, burger dinner}

All the Twitter winners {including my sissy}  from the week!
Snagged this photo from Caroline.

There's no dollar sign on a piece of mind...

Yes, I am quoting Zac Brown Band. This past weekend, I started my three day weekend with a bang! Not only was it National Margarita Day BUT ALSO, Zac Brown Band Day {what, you don't name your days when something fun is going on? Psssh}.

{Trying to drink wisely and still be festive}

...until I had a glass of Lane's Beer Margarita; seriously the best E.V.E.R

Jason & I met up with friends to tailgate with said margaritas. I feel like it had been for-ever since I had been to a concert.

{Lane and I before heading in to scrounge for lawn seats}

{Sorry, ladies. He's allll mine. {he makes this stupid photo in most pics ::sigh::}}

 After a crazy fun night {and the "incident" afterward at Taco Bus}, Jason and I were a little...tired {read: slightly hungover? Neither of us even drank that much; can't hang like we used to, folks} and basically did nothing all day. It was glorious. And necessary.

Thanks to a contaminated water mishap, here in Tampa {and last week the power went out for four hours, I believe the apocalypse may just be coming}, I didn't really want to go to eat anywhere and then realized we had a twenty-five dollar gift card to Flamestone Grill in Oldsmar {where they did not have a boil water alert in place; win-win} and we ate there for dinner {and maybe, just maybe I ate the leftovers for breakfast Sunday. Don't you judge me}.

{skirt steak with chimichurri sauce}

{...this would be red velvet doughnut bread pudding. For the love of God and all that is holy...ah-maze}

Sunday was spent meal planning, spending time with the parentals, and getting a mani/pedi with my sister.

{OPI's "Don't know...beets me"}

I feel like we have a lot of ish coming up in the coming weeks, and so I was glad to have a fun and also relaxing weekend before we lose our free time, again.

Make it a good week!
XOXO,
Nichole

INSTA+LATELY #2

Happy Hump Day!! Tomorrow is my Friday {I have named Friday, Zac Brown Band day {more on that later}} and I am bey-ond ready. I feel like quite the insta-hoe' lately, posting like it is my j.o.b. and so what better way to share my week in photos, that with this fun link up?!

Prepped lots of food these last few weeks:

• fajita bowl {and my own version of Chipotle's cilantro lime rice; not as good but still tasty considering it came from my kitchen and not theirs}
• stuffed chicken breast
• I ordered this tasty breakfast sammie from Green Market Cafe in Oldsmar

Last week, we decided to have an impromptu mid-week happy hour at The Pub. They have some awesome happy hour specials {not including my cider, but I love Strongbow, so I had to have!}

Will you be my Valentine? 

• I sent Jason an "invite"  last week to have dinner at our house, super cheesy but he liked it. Then I got sick, so we're doing it this weekend. It's cool. 
• Treats for the pups for Valentine's Day
• Lots of balloons throughout our office

Tried my hand at another painting last night with Simply Art Studios. Twas' fun!

i'm strong to the finish cause i eats

Spinach! Seriously meal planning again has been a God send. While I seriously hate the initial prep work, I really do love how much extra time I am giving myself by planning ahead; not to mention controlling what all I shovel into my pie-hole mouth during the week.

Link up with Peas & Crayons!

Sooo because I am proactively planning my meals ahead of time, I find myself using the same few ingredients for my eats. This week, I am all about the spinach. I didn't even mean to, but I am kind of on a Greek flavor kick and what goes better than spinach with some feta?

This week I made my fave new "muffins"; these guys have become a staple at Casa de Crews mainly because they are ridiculously e-a-s-y. But I started to become a tad bored with sausage, egg and cheese so I switched it up a bit, and this week for breakfast we're eating spinach & feta egg muffins {find the original recipe post, here}

And since I can't let my veggies go to waste {in all honestly I love me a good salad, but I don't like most other vegetables so I find myself having to get creative. Apparently, I am four} I used that same spinach and feta to stuff into chicken! Seriously this dish is sooo good. I could eat it everyday. We have a local meat market here in Tampa {cacciatore bros, if you live close, check em' OUT} that had a promo two weeks ago for $1.99/lb chicken breast when you buy a 10lb bag....we've been eating loads of chicken, but how could I pass that deal up?! I couldn't. The recipe I used was from SkinnyTaste. I love her recipes.

{my rendition}

{clearly, I did not stuff my chicken nearly enough. I guess I will have to make again, darn}
{via}

...and while this bitchin' man has nothing to do with, well anything he was a fellow patron when I shopped for said spinach and I couldn't help but snap a photo of his ah-mazing outfit. 

It's cool, I already know I will probably go to Hell...

What have you made this week?

XOXO,
Nichole

Weekend Recap

Linking up today to share the great weekend we had {and even though I did work Friday, my "weekend" fun began Thursday}...

Thursday, the bestie, a co-worker/friend and I attended a class at Simply Art Studios, in Oldsmar, where you, yes you, can become an arteest! I have done a canvas painting before, and yet I didn't feel any more confident this time. But we still had fun, even if I feel like a five year old could have done better....I actually did get a lot of compliments on it, so maybe we're all our own worst critics? I'm already signed up for another class...hoping practice makes perfect.

{necessary "fuel" for said painting}

{photo cred, here}

{Why am I the ONLY one who isn't smiling like a NORMAL PERSON?! photo cred, here}

{finished product}

Friday night, the hubs took me on a proper date. I'd been nagging him that we hadn't gone anywhere  like the ol' days in ages {because you know a birthday trip to Las Vegas wasn't enough {is it sad that I just realized I nagged my husband for a "date" when we went a trip only one month ago? Like I seriously just remembered.  Gah, sometimes I'm a b!tch}}

...anyways

Jason got us tickets to see Traces at the Straz Center. I had no idea what it was about, but I ended up loving it. It was an urban acrobatic show; it sounds way  cooler than I just explained it, swear.

{via}

After the show, we went to Miguels in South Tampa for delicious, delicious Mexican food and a margarita or three. Honestly, a date night like this was just what I needed. Thanks, boo!

Saturday, we drove down to Sarasota to hang with friends and watch a UFC fight. No fun pictures, but I did have this bombtastic salad from Miller's Alehouse.

On the way down to Sarsota, Jason stopped for gas and the bestie and I discovered this glorious sign and all its spelling glory.

{spot the errors}

Yesterday was spent doing boring weekday stuff like cleaning, food prepping and laundry. Yuck. We did, end up at our next door neighbors' to watch the game {and eat copious amounts of spinach & artichoke dip and guacamole}. No photos, but I'll leave you with my fave commerical {um, anyone else feel like there weren't all that many good commercials, or am I alone?}

How was your weekend?