Quick & to the point

The week started off great with our monthly potluck at work. This time we decided on yummy "Taco Bar"

I went to Conway this weekend to visit my parents and this little cutie!

It was a low key relaxing weekend. Saturday mom and I did a tiny bit of shopping then went and saw a movie. It was good but a tear jerker  = )

On our little shopping excursion I found an awesome item at an Antique store

Yes, I bought an old ladder. I'm addicted to Pinterest and saw this pinned, and thought what a cool idea. I love it!

I recently found out another girl from my work, who also has been on the TEAMworksUkraine trips, is adopting a precious girl from Ukraine. I couldn't be more happier for her and her husband.

She's one lucky little girl- please pray for this family and another one from work for the paperwork process to go smoothly/quickly. I hope they get to go get their little ones very soon and bring them home!

-Have a fabulous week-
~Kara~

New adventures

How was everyone's week? Mine was great- celebrated Andrew's birthday Monday very low key since went out Friday night. I decided to get him some pineapple/canadian bacon pizza since I can't eat it during the Nutrition challenge and I was good and got a salad. UGH so hard not to eat pizza- however I have cheated a little and ate some this weekend- whoopsies = ) We also celebrated Andrew's birthday Thursday night with his parents at Marketplace. I hadn't been there in forever but it was good and a nice change.

On Friday's I don't work a full day and Andrew is off right now so I mentioned we could go to Crystal Bridges before it got crowded that night. I think I could walk around the building and admire it over and over. I like art but I'm more of a modern art person, but I still liked going and those paintings are GOOD! It amazes me how good they paint or use other materials to make a picture.

This was by far my favorite piece! Made with thread spindles -AMAZING! If you look in the middle pole you can see it right side up

Friday night Andrew went to go play poker with some friends and I was pumped to do nothing and catch up on TV- well my friend Sarah mentioned something about craft night so I asked if she wanted to come over because I had a couple of ideas for an old window frame I've had for awhile. We made a trip to Hobby Lobby and Sarah found some cute fabric and this is what we came up with

I'm not a crafty person AT ALL, so thank you Pinterest and crafty Sarah- and yes I did help cut out fabric and hot glue them = )  I'm going to print off black & white pictures and put them in the spaces

Saturday I woke up early and went to hot yoga with Sarah- I've been before and was not a fan at all but thought I'd try it again. I liked it a lot better this time, don't ask what was different but I enjoyed it more and my abs are sore today from it ha! I'm not going to become a regular but definitely go for some stretching after some rough Crossfit WOD's (workout of the day). Afterwards, we went and ate some yummy breakfast at Table Mesa...mmmmm, so good.

I finally went and saw "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" with Big Kara and it was so good! Definitely would go see it again and can't wait for the next movie but need to finish the series first!

Just in case you missed my facebook this week I'm going to give another awesome Paleo recipe (Pork Carnitas) and give you a different Paleo brownie recipe that's delicious!

Pork Carnitas

• 2-3 lbs pork (butt/shoulder works best)
• 1/4 c. diced yellow onions
• 1/4 c. diced green chiles (canned is okay)
• 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic
• 1 1/4 c. (1 small can) diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp agave/honey
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. orange juice
• 1/2 c. barbecue sauce

***Place all ingredients in crockpot on low for 6-8hrs. About an hour prior to eating (if can) shred the pork with a fork and stir. Serve in a lettuce bowl/wrap- if don't want to do a wrap use corn tortillas


Who doesn't love an easy crockpot meal?

Now onto the yummy Paleo Brownies

• 2 cups of almond butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of Agave nectar or raw organic honey
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup enjoyed life chocolate chips (at Wal-Mart by Gluten free stuff)
• 1/2 cup of dried blueberries
• 1 very ripe banana

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325*
• In a large bowl, use a mixer to blend you almond butter to make a smoother consistency
• Next blend in the 2 eggs
• Blend in agave nector and vanilla
• Add salt, baking soda and then cocoa powder 
• Fold chocolate chips and the blueberries (mix really well to ensure even distribution)
• Take banana and mash it to a paste and mix it in
• Grease a 13X9 baking dish with coconut oil and cook for 30-40 minutes or until passes toothpick test

                                Mmmmmm......so good!

Have a great week!
~Kara~

In the zone

Yes I'm in the zone- I'm doing the zone diet which I briefly discussed in my last week post. It gets a little difficult at times to stick to it I'm not going to lie. Especially for me who likes to go out to eat all the time! Which you can still stay on the zone diet (grilled chicken/fish and veggies) but there's certain foods I love at restaurants that I just can't resist = )  The zone diet isn't a horrible diet though, it's just eating healthier items and eating the right proportions.
Friday night Andrew and I went to one of our favorites, Bonefish, for his early birthday dinner. He got the tilapia burger (which was awesome and I'll be getting tilapia next time- yeah I guess I like some fish now) and I got Lily's chicken. I haven't had this in awhile- I passed on the garlic mashed potatoes too (which I love) and got vegetable medley, which was good though. My lily's chicken had quite a bit of goat cheese and I'm sure the sauce was pretty fattening but I like to think I didn't stretch the diet too far ha!

                    I remembered a little late for the picture = )

Saturday was a lazy day for us until that night and we went to Chuck-E-Cheese for Jonah's 3rd birthday party. Jonah wasn't too sure about the place at first but ended up liking a big truck ride and loved eating his cake.

 I was proud of Jonah for not diving into his cake when it was sitting in front of him for almost 10min. waiting for Chuck-E-Cheese.

   But he decided he would take little licks of the icing- it was too cute

Tonight I decided to make a paleo dinner and dessert. I made Cinnamon Chicken and Brownies (yes paleo style). They were both pretty simple to make and I really liked both. Andrew wasn't really a fan of the chicken- he said he didn't like the cinnamon/paprika together, it was too weird. I loved it though and it was different. The brownies are made with dark chocolate and I actually like them, considering I don't really like dark chocolate candy bars. Here's the recipes in case you want to try them

Cinnamon Chicken

• 1 3lbs chicken, cut into 8 pieces (breasts, drumsticks, thighs and wings); I just bought chicken breasts
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2/3 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 cup water or chicken broth

Directions: ***I didn't have to cook my chicken as long because I bought thin chicken breast***

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic and cinnamon. Rub the chicken pieces with this mixture and allow it to sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Place the chicken pieces in a large roasting pan, sprinkle the meat all over with the paprika and add the onion slices to the pan.
4. Cook for 35 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 F. 
5. Stir in a cup of water to the roasting pan and continue cooking for another 50 minutes.
6. Serve and use the juices from the pan as a sauce.

   Sorry my picture doesn't have great plate presentation- I should know better after watching Top Chef!

Paleo Brownies

16 oz of walnuts

1 egg

1 cup honey

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 tbs pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt


1 tsp baking soda

2 oz unsweetened dark chocolate chopped
(I cheated a little and bought semi-sweet because I bought unsweetened cocoa)

1 – 2 tbs coconut oil

Nut butter- I have no clue how much sorry- this part was left out of ingredients part of the recipe but was in the directions, I just winged it

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 325.  Grease a 8 x 8 baking dish with coconut oil.

2.     Pulse walnuts in food processor/blender until smooth and creamy.

3.     In a large bowl, beat an egg.  Add in the nuts, almond butter, vanilla and honey- stir to combine.

4.     Add in cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.  Stir in chopped chocolate.

5.     Pour batter into greased baking dish.

6.     Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes.  It will puff up in oven and settle when it cools.  To check doneness, insert a toothpick or knife in the center.  It should come out clean.

7.     Cool for 15 minutes and then cut and eat.

              Um yes those are fork stabs in the middle where I tested to see if they were done

Oh and I made paleo pancakes for breakfast this am after my workout. I meant to put blueberries in them but forgot- they weren't bad but probably would've been better with some fruit in them. I used Agave honey for a syrup which I really liked it. I'm not about to show my picture of them because they did not turn out pretty- next time I need to use a different pan  = )

Paleo Pancakes
Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1 T water

1 T vanilla extract

2 T local honey- I bought Agave honey

1 1/2 c blanched almond flour

1/4 t celtic sea salt

1/4 t baking soda

coconut oil, for cooking

How I wish this picture was from me, it it not- from the website I got the recipe fromhttp://sheridanfrench.blogspot.com/2011/11/paleo-pancakes.html

 

**Use medium to medium low heat, and do not make them larger than 3" in diameter. That is the trick! Flip when little bubbles form, and add more oil as needed.**


I think I messed up because I didn't stir it long enough for a good consistency- I have some batter leftover and I'm going to try a different a pan, I'm sure they'll look prettier.


The picture from the website- oh gosh mine were awful looking compared to these bahaha

Here's the honey I used as syrup, and no not all of this for the pancakes, I used the rest for the brownies

On a different a note- on our TEAMworks Ukraine blog (www.teamworksukraine.com) we've been featuring kids that we saw in the orphanages and have gotten great responses and have families that are very interesting in adopting and some are in the paperwork process right now! I LOVE IT! A family just got back yesterday from adopting their sweet little girl = )


Have a great week!
~Kara~

WPS!!

What a great way to start off the new year with a Hog win! Andrew and I had decided not to go to the Cotton Bowl but then my cousin won tickets off the radio so we got hers! Thanks Shody!
We got the tickets about 2 weeks before the bowl game so I was panicking to find a hotel (fairly cheap). Well I don't know my way around Arlington so just started googling hotels close to the stadium. I found a great deal on one called the DFW Convention/Hotel. It had 3 stars, comments were pretty good and we were only staying for 1 night so who cares. So I went ahead and booked it thinking surely it can't be that bad since it's close to airport and everything. Well we get to the hotel around 2 on Friday and there is 2 Kansas State girls giving the front desk a piece of their mind. They told us everything that happened to them (which was A LOT!) and told us good luck. I looked at Andrew and just said "Well let's give it a shot". We get in the room and it's not too bad (again I got it for CHEAP so wasn't expecting to stay at a place like The Wynn) then we venture into the bathroom and they only had 1 big towel. Well my nice hubs calls it ha! I say that's fine I'll just ask for another one, but the other hand towels just looked dirty like they've been washed in mud! Then I grab them and notice black hairs all over them- NASTY!! That made our decision to NOT STAY IN THIS HOTEL- so just forewarning you don't want to stay here.

The game was amazing though- I was a nervous wreck the whole time and pretty quiet. Andrew kept saying are you ok? I was in the zone though and nervous! The Kansas state fans by us were not the nicest either- just yelling stuff and I was not happy- so it felt nice beating them for that too. OH and yes, I actually kept my cool and didn't say anything back to them = ) Friends you should be proud!

Andrew and I drove back into Dallas for sure to find a hotel since farther away from Arlington, but didn't find one until we got to Allen. There was some other game (maybe soccer?) in town and hotels were booked! Next time I'll just pay the $$$ to stay somewhere I know will be good ha! It made for a good laugh though.

I'm excited to watch the BCS national championship game tomorrow night- I don't want either one to win really. I honestly cannot pick a team because just can't stand either one!! So I'm just going to watch and hope for a good game.

I've started a 9-week nutrition challenge with just about everyone else at CFNWA. It hasn't been too bad so far but has just been a week. I'm hoping to stick to it and at the end of the 9-weeks will see some improvements in the workout we did as a baseline and my body fat.

                    Sweet girl loves sleeping with her mama

Have a great week!
~Kara~

Goodbye 2011!!!

Wow where has the year gone? Seriously does not feel like it should already be 2012, but I'm looking forward to another great year!

Andrew had to work on NYE so we decided to have a date night. We had a coupon from LivingSocial for Tusk & Trotter and decided to use it. I believe I've talked about their amazing chicken & waffles dish but I remembered to take a picture this time = ) I also got to go to Bordino's Wednesday night with Big Kara and Whit- I was one happy girl to get to go to some of my favorite places = )

Friday after work Whit and I went to Dallas to celebrate NYE with friends. As we were driving to Dallas we saw these blue Christmas lights that looked like a tunnel and were flashing. As we drove a little bit farther we saw tons of pretty Christmas lights, so we exited off and found them. I'm glad we did because I didn't get to see many this year and these were so pretty and interactive. Plus a drive thru instead of having to walk around! They did the 12 days of Christmas, so get ready for lots of pictures of lights and the trip in Dallas.

     Ahhhh- I love this purse- it's just so pretty

                      My life motto = )

We went to a sushi restaurant on NYE night- and it was quite tasty. I do not eat sushi but tried some and it was actually pretty good
                     My yummy salad

                 I liked this one

          Chicken fried rice was so good, different but very good!

             
                         Pretty sushi

                    A little blurry, reading to start 2012!

Whit and I got home fairly early today so I decided I'd cook some dinner. I've been eating awful with all the holidays and need to get back on a schedule at CrossFit and start eating better! So tonight I made Paleo Chicken Enchilada Soup. It was easy and not many ingredients but pretty good. Sorry I'm not Pioneer Woman and take pictures of the steps to cooking a meal = ) But I will share the recipe- I got it from a girl I workout with- so she gets all the credit.

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ½ tsp. minced garlic (or already minced kind)

4 Cups Low sodium fat-free chicken broth

¼ Cup chicken broth to saute onion and garlic

1 can (10 ½ oz) Rotel Tomatoes with green chilies (undrained)

1 (16 oz) can Crushed Tomatoes (undrained)

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Mexican seasoning (McCormicks taco seasoning lower sodium)

1 Cup torn cooked white skinless chicken breast (entire package of 3 chicken breasts)

Package of yellow corn tortillas (or can make your own)

--------Optional-------

cheese

fat free sour cream

(I didn't use any of these and it still tasted great)

-----------------------------------------------------

Boil chicken for about 10 mins. or until cooked before starting soup. Once cooked, remove from water and let it cool off on a plate. Pre-heat oven to 350*

In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in ¼ cup chicken broth until cooked. Add the can of Rotel, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, green chilies, chili powder, mexican seasoning, and cumin. While that stuff is simmering, shred chicken into smaller pieces with hands (it gives a better texture than dicing). Once it's all torn, add the chicken to the soup. Put a lid on the pot, reduce heat and simmer 30-40 minutes. While simmering, cut the tortillas into thin strips, spread on cookie sheet and bake for 12-20 mins depending on how crispy you like them

After all of that you get this  = )

Have a great week!

~Kara~