Portobello Pizza & No Carb Week 2

Week two is in the books and the deprivation feeling is all but gone. This weekend was a little tougher. I cheated twice; sushi rice on Friday night and 3 cookies on Saturday, but overall, I'm getting back into the routine of not eating carbs.

I'm still scared to step on the scale. If I don't see a loss, I don't want to give up, so I'm staying away and trying hard to trust the process.

I will say, it feels like I'm spending quite a bit more money at the grocery store. I'm meal planning for anywhere between4-6 days a week, and I'm easily spending about $200 bucks. I know that we would spend more at restaurants but sometimes I get a little sticker shock at the cash register!

For our dinners this week-

Monday - Mustard Chicken with a chopped brussel sprouts salad (store bought)

Tuesday- Turkey Tacos

Wednesday- White Chicken Chili

Thursday- Naked Salmon Burgers

 

Friday- Cauliflower pizza  

It's the closest damn thing I can get, and Friday's I just really want pizza! 

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Last week I made Portobello Pizza's (I'm obsessed), and they were DELICIOUS. I didn't follow a recipe, but I took pictures of what I did so I could re-create it again. This is a carb-free MUST.

 The Goods

5 large portobello mushrooms

1lb Italian Chicken Sausage

Marinara sauce

Shredded cheese I used a few types, any will do

Fresh Basil

Oregano, Parsley, Garlic, Salt & Pepper 

1. Preheat over to 425. With a spoon, remove the stem and hair (?) from the mushrooms, while leaving the lip exposed.

 

2. Cook and crumble sausage fulled, then mix in bowl with marinara, parsley, garlic, oregano, S&P. 

 

3. Fill caps with mixed goodness, top with cheese and fresh basil, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly

 4. Enjoy!

Weekend Report

Since we started our weekend on Thursday, by the time Sunday came around, I slept in until 10, took a nap at 2, and then went to bed at 9. It all caught up with me, but it sure was worth it.

 

On Thursday, we met up with friends in Santa Monica for a beach concert at the pier.

Every Thursday night Santa Monica beach hosts a concert, and you can bring a picnic, lunch, and concealed alcohol. 

  

Even though we are only 3 miles from the beach, we rarely take advantage of it, so the best part of the evening for me was just to be on the sand, watching the sunset, and taking in the hilarious crowd that had joined us.

 

 

I wasn't a huge fan of the band that played on the Thursday that we went, but it was such a fun way to spend the night. Plus, we borrowed Heather's idea and played about 100 hilarious rounds of shag, marry, kill.

For the rest of the weekend, I seriously sucked at taking out my phone for pictures - and sometimes my most fun weekends end up that way.

Friday night I met Joel at his office for a happy hour, and then went to sushi with our friend Matt and hung at our house catching up way later than we should.

Saturday, I ran two miles and then took in an hour of hot yoga, so a large latte was in order.

Saturday afternoon we drove up to Tarzana to have a pool day and BBQ at our friend Kristin's parents home.

They have an absolutely stunning backyard, and we drank wine, hung out in the pool, grilled out, and played with some of the cutest babies and kids ever.

Literally the only pictures I got of our lovely Saturday were the selfies I taught her cousin how to do. 

And now, all of a sudden, it's Monday. 

And since I was beyond useless on Sunday, so it's due to be a busy one. 

Introducing....myself.

In an effort to stick with my "real blogs" talk last week, I've been on the hunt to find some new blogs and mix it up a little bit from my everyday reads.

In case anyone else has been doing that lately, I thought I would borrow Natahsa's (Hello Happiness) idea and do a refresh intro myself!

 

Name/Age/Stats/Location
Very AOL messenger of you Natasha! 
Tess - which is not short for anything, although I get that question a lot. I'm 26 and live in Los Angeles, California, although home is Chicago. My husband and I moved to LA 2.5 years ago for his job, and have made it our home ever since. We love LA, and all of the people we have met here, but it's very hard for me to be so away from family. Every fall, I get very homesick, and this year is no different - it's only started in August!

Work
I'm in educational sales. I've been in sales since I graduated college (although I graduated to be a teacher), and recently changed industries from media sales to educational sales. I'm really enjoying being back in schools, meeting teachers, and feeling passionate about what I'm selling. I'm able to work from home, when I'm not at meetings, which is great. A lot of the job is cold calling, which is not great....but overall it's the right fit for right now and I feel lucky to have it.

Family Info.
I got married last June to my now-Husband Joel. We got married in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin which was amazing. If you haven't seen it, you should watch our wedding video, it's own of my most favorite things in the world. It's only 4 minutes.

Tess + Joel // Trailer from Plan A on Vimeo.

Back in Chicago, my parents live in the suburbs and I have own sister living and working in the city, and my other sister is starting her freshman year at the University of Kentucky.



Hobbies
Blogging, for sure. It's actually one of my favorite hobbies. Wine drinking? Is that a hobby? I'm great at it if it is. I also workout a lot, and read equally as much. I like to shop at HomeGoods and Marshalls, and that feels like a hobby sometimes because you really have to know the tricks of the trade to be good at it ;)

Five Things I Can't Live Without
1/ Baths....I take a bath almost every single night. It relaxes me at the end of the day and I sleep so much better
2/ Girlfriend Time...I need to have sometime during the week to connect with my friends. It can be on the phone, at yoga, or over drinks, but I need the connection of girlfriends in my life
3/ Reality TV.....What would I talk about with said girlfriends?
4/ Gym shoes....I need to be able to get outside and walk or run or play tennis, or something. I need it for my mental sanity
5/ My milk frother....I just bought it to froth my milk for my coffee, and I literally don't think I can ever live without it.
Joel, Family, and Roscoe are obvious choices so I didn't put them - just my disclaimer in case they're reading!

Favorite Things to Do
In LA, my favorite things to do include hiking, concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, wine-ing and picnicking at Malibu Wines, outside happy hours...



Go-To Outfit. 
During the summer, I'm normally in graphic shorts and racerback tank-tops with a cardigan and sandals

Biggest Pet Peeves.
Texting and driving, especially if I am a passenger in your car! Also, I cannot handle when someone is using a fork and they sort of bite it....it actually kills me. I hate chipped nail polish, flip flops on men, and hoop earrings.

Typical Day.
Normally I'm up at 6:10am to get to a workout class at 7am. After my workout, I have coffee and yogurt, and then shower and get ready for the day. I'm normally in my "office" (2nd bedroom) between 9/9:30. I work until 12:00 and then try and have lunch outside with a book, or call my mom to chat.  At 12:30, I normally have a 2nd cup of coffee and try and stay in my office until 4/4:30, normally on conference calls or trying to make appointments. I start cooking dinner around 5:30, and Joel is normally home between 6:30 and 7. We have dinner at the table and then have wine, talk, sometimes put on the TV, or sometimes I will read and Joel will work. We're normally asleep by 10.

It's really exciting over here on a Tuesday!

 

Favorite Go-To Beauty Products
My everyday MUST is Fake Up by Benefit. Need to have it. The rest is a 5 minute job consisting of all Benefit products; Gimmie Brow, They're Real mascara, Lolli-Tint cheek stain, and some Covergirl eye-shadow.

Favorite Music/Bands/Singers
My favorite Pandora station is Jason Mraz, so I listen to a lot of Joshua Radin, John Mayer, Amos Lee.
My all time favorites are John Taylor, Van Morrison, The Counting Crows, Frank Sinatra, Zac Brown Band

My Top 10 Movies
10??
Father of the Bride 2, You've Got Mail, Elf, My Best Friends Wedding, The Proposal, Wedding Crashers, Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, and....shoot, I don't know? French Kiss


Favorite Food to Make
Black Bean Enchiladas - this is from a purely selfish place, because these literally take 3 minutes to make which I love.

Top Reads (in no particular order)
I can't do it. I struggle telling you the top reads I've read in the last month. I'm currently reading The Divorce Party by Laura Dave which has been enjoyable....I really love most books I read and so I would have a list if you wanted it. I really loved Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews. Oh, and I just read All Falls Down by Jennifer Wiener which was really intriguing.

Other Q&A

What you wanted to be when you grew up: News Anchor
Beauty secret: Cetaphil face wash
Celebrity crush: Ryan Renolds
Secret talent: I have a party trick that I haven't brought out in years....basically I can scream and it sounds like a whisper...it's hard to describe but it sounds like I'm stuck in a suitcase and I can't get out.

Work Wear

So, this little edition might turn into a more "life wear" than work wear. For the last four months, my company has rented my office space at a law office. It's been nice to be able to have co-workers and an excuse to grab Starbucks and wear heels.  Currently, my company is in the midst of a merger, so I'm losing that office space and working from home when I'm not on the road/in meetings. There are most definitely perks to both side, but overall I feel more than lucky to be able to be home throughout the week.

I've worked from home before, so I know what I need to do - and what I can't do in order to stay productive. The biggest must do t putting myself together, even if I'm only working in our guest room. The daily shots will likely become even more informal, but keeping record will keep my yoga wear at bay!

Work It Girl

Monday

 

gap button down, loft scarf, gap skinnies, toms wedges

Tuesday & Wednesday

Office day on Tuesday and meetings on Wednesday....not going to lie to you! 

 

Target dress & TB wedges

Thursday

   

jcrew sweater, target tee & pants, toms wedges, F21 necklace

Friday

Worked from home

 

Splendid dress, TB sandals, Kendra Scott necklace

No Carbs Week 1 Update & a Recipe

Well, we got the first week out of the way and it really wasn't half bad. The absolute key for me is to have my meals and snacks planned out and to have a few go-to's for when hunger strikes. I also like to have meals that I look forward to...lemon chicken with a side of broccoli sounds like torture to me, so I try to keep our meals yummy without blowing it.

I tried to take pictures of my food which helped keep me accountable as well.

     

For the most part, I haven't felt hungry and I feel like I have more energy. I haven't been on the scale yet, even just a week in, I feel some positive changes.

This week may be a little harder since I'm not going to be exclusively cooking at home, but I haven't been tempted to cheat yet so hopefully I can maintain that for the next foreseeable future.

Monday - Chicken Kale Salad

Same as last week, but it's just so good and easy that it's a weekly staple.

Tuesday - Stuffed Meatballs

These are popular in the blogworld for a reason. They are life changing.

Wednesday - Portobello Pizzas

I'm doing my own version so I'll post my recipe next week 

Thursday - Concert at the beach, so we're packing yummy snacks and wine

Friday, Sat, and Sun - TBD

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I tried the oven baked fajitas last week from Pintrest and they were amazing. It was a great recipe because the mix was great on it's own, but Joel was happy to be able to eat it with a tortilla. I changed a few things from the original recipe, but it's pretty dang simple. I'll be doing this again soon.

THE GOODS

FAJITAS

2 small onion I used 1
2 medium green bell peppers I used 1
1 medium red bell pepper I used two
I added 2 sliced jalapenos 
1 lb. chicken breast
2 Tbsp vegetable oil I used olive oil
1 medium lime
I served with greek yogurt and guacamole 

 

SEASONING

I eyeballed everything

1 Tbsp chili powder
½ Tbsp paprika
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cumin
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ Tbsp corn starch

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients for the fajita seasoning in a small bowl and set aside

2. Cut the onion, bell peppers and jalapenos into ¼ to ½ inch wide strips. Place them in a large casserole dish. Slice the chicken breast into very thin strips and add it to the casserole dish with the vegetables.

 

3. Sprinkle the seasoning over the meat and vegetables. Drizzle the oil over everything and then use your hands to toss the ingredients Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring once half way through. Squeeze the juice from half of the lime over top when finished.

Enjoy with the tortilla, or without!

Weekend Report

Another baby and booze filled weekend for us which promptly started with champagne before 5 at my friend Shelby's.  

 

I can't believe that in just 2 years our happy hours now include two baby boys - and this is just the beginning of the madness!

         

When I got home, Joel and I made two cauliflower pizzas (still going carb-free strong!), drank some wine and listened to music before we went to bed at 10. The TV never went on which made it feel a little more special than our average night at home. 

I'm finding that going carb-free, it just makes sense and is less tempting to just eat at home. I've spent a lot of money on groceries but we have cooked a solid dinner for the last 10 days in a row and I'm planned out to keep the kick going until Thursday!

Saturday, Joel joined Kristin and I at our Yoga Sculpt class and then the three of us grabbed 'bux and went new gym shoes shopping. The top of my right foot has been giving me some pain, so I'm hoping these new kicks give me the support I need.

We had Kristin, Brent, Dawn, and Max over on Saturday for dinner. We grilled out which kept things easy and served my new favorite cocktail - Moscow Mules.

 

 We grilled brats and had a cucumber salad and blue cheese coleslaw that Dawn brought so dinner was easy and fun. For a good chunk of the night, the five of us just sat in a circle and watched Max and Roscoe act as our live entertainment. 

 

 And any night that ends with S'mores (which has become a staple for us this summer) and Heads Up is a good night in my book. 

Sunday was my rest day, and again, I took it literally. LA was lovely and gray all day long and I was just in Heaven. Joel and I went to a "foot spa" - basically a cheap thai massage that is heavenly - and then did laundry and cooked chili for dinner.  

I was a little melancholy at the thought of going back to grind again today but we have a few fun things planned; tennis, concert at the beach, and a pool day - so things are looking up.  

lions and tigers and blogs

Yesterday's comments were so good. If you get a chance, you should go read them. I was fascinated to hear what people thought about affiliate links, sponsored posts, and generally the business of blogging. 

It really inspired me to think about what kind of blog I want this little thing to be. Sometimes I get embarrassed posting my weekday wardrobe, or my diet, or my thoughts....it's exposing....but then I have days like yesterday and I remember why I started blogging in the first place.

This blog has introduced me to some pretty fantastic people all over the country, some that have become life long friends and some who became so close they were at my wedding. And  I have friends who I haven't met yet but love anyways....friends I know that if they lived in LA, I would be obsessed with. 

Plus, I have this fun little journal that has captured every year of this decade. And all of the small stuff. All of the stuff that you forget, I have stored by month. It's invaluable to me, which is why, week after week - I keep at it.

All in all - I'm really thankful for this blog, I really like this"blogging world", and I really really love getting to know the people that read my blog - so thanks for spending some time here with me.