Cookie Butter & a juice called Yellow

Once a foreign world to me, Trader Joe's has become quite a staple these days in my "Fit Girl" life. I can remember when the TJ's opened up in Winter Park and how excited everyone was; "why is everyone so hyped up over a grocery store? Oh goodie, produce and milk!" It was a strange concept to me, for one to like a store so much so I stayed a Publix regular and didn't give it a second thought especially since it was located out of my way.

One day after a few drinks at Mitchell's Fish Market my friends and I ventured in to the land of fresh produce just to see what all the talk was about. I left with $3 wine, fruit leather, and a jar of cookie butter, there were zero complaints. If you've never had cookie butter let me explain- you can literally eat it off of the spoon, it's that fantastic. I like it best with bananas and sometimes put a small spoonful in my oatmeal. In the aforementioned shopping trip I didn't do much price scouting or give any thought to the produce so I didn't come back to Trader Joe's anytime soon after.

At the beginning of the Fit Girl journey I purchased all of my detox week's food at Trader Joe's and was completely overwhelmed. I went into the store on a time crunch and with an anxious (and very much acting like a bored child) boyfriend accompanying me so things were already off. The organization of this store is what first threw me off; the isles aren't labeled, but they're grouped together sensibly once you figure it out. I mean, there are only like four isles in the entire store but they manage to have everything that you need.

That day I chose to not buy my cashew and almond butter there because the price tags on those items were a bit steep but everything else seemed to be fairly cheap. They get away with having such low prices by not selling any brand names, everything in Trader Joe's is their own unique brand. One of the things I've really liked about this store is I find the produce stays fresh longer; I think this is because their vegetables are so fresh in the store that you're bringing them home quicker than you would be from any other big-chain grocery store. Something else I like about this place is their atmosphere- I don't know if it's because it's in a well-to-do area or what but the people at this store are always so friendly and the cashiers always try to strike a conversation which I think is really nice.

I haven't compared the prices yet to that of Publix but I surely plan to in the future because I feel like they are cheaper at Trader Joe's which (if true) is phenomenal. I'm going to continue shopping here, even if I have to refrigerate my bread because it lacks preservatives. If you haven't checked out a Trader Joe's I would recommend it if you're ever given the opportunity. It's a place that makes me happy, and I'm sure it will make you happy too!

Sweet Potato Burrito

As you all know I recently took part in the Fit Girl's Guide 28 Day Jumpstart. Over the course of 28 days I am proud to say that I lost 6 lbs; the next challenge starts on April 18th and I plan on diving right back in with that one! Throughout the challenge I picked up on some healthier eating habits which were the main aide over these past few weeks (I worked out like 60% of the time that I should have) and they've allowed for me to be more experimental when it comes to choosing what meals to make at home. 

Today I was wondering what I'm going to have for lunch before I have to head off to the night shift at work and just as I was contemplating just heating up some leftovers from last night I remembered that I still have ingredients from last weeks meal prep. My inspiration for this dish came from Fit Girl's Guide's Sweet Potato Street Tacos which were surprisingly delicious and probably one of my top tree meals from the jump start. 

I got up off the couch and set my phone (and all of its distracting, not to mention time consuming, apps) aside. I pulled from the refrigerator and pantry a few items that I thought I would be needing- sweet potato, black beans, chicken, spinach, tomato, cheese, and sour cream along with cumin, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder from the spice drawer. And I mixed it all up in a skillet and viola! my meal has been made. I put it all on two left over wheat tortillas and had enough to eat for dinner tonight or tomorrow. What makes this meal even easier was that both the chicken and the black beans were already in my fridge ready to go from last weeks meals. 

Below I'll leave the recipe so you can try to make this yourself at home; I'm not putting any measurements because I didn't measure anything and you can do it to your own meal plan preferences. Let me know what you think and any suggestions that you may have.

Happy Fit Cooking!

Sweet Potato Burrito

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato-diced

Black Beans

Tomato-diced

Chicken-diced

Spinach

Jalepenos 

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Sour Cream

Tortillas

Spices-Cumin, Oregano, Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder

1. Microwave the sweet potato in a bowl with a little bit of water for two minutes to soften them up and make cooking quicker
2. Saute the chicken and cooked sweet potato in a skillet over medium heat
3. Cover with spices and then drizzle with olive oil. Stir to combine the ingredients
4. Add in black beans, diced tomato, and jalepenos. After a few minutes add in spinach and allow to wilt before transferring to tortilla
5. Spread the sour cream on the tortilla and then sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese
6. Top with the sweet potato mixture, roll into a burrito and enjoy!

Epcot Flower & Garden Festival 2016

This year my friend and I decided to get annual passes to Walt Disney World; we go at least once a year and I wouldn't mind being able to go whenever I want so it seemed like a great idea. Now that I have purchased my pass and have experienced the park as an annual passholder I have to say it's a great experience. To be able to go to the park without trying to cram everything into a single day is in itself rewarding, if you live relatively close to Disney I would totally recommend getting an annual pass.

I have been to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot on two separate occasions and was pleased with the outcome both times so I was excited to learn of another festival at Epcot: the Flower and Garden Festival. Much like the Food and Wine Festival, the Flower and Garden Festival has different booths spread out among the countries at which you can purchase unique food items and beverages that you can't get the rest of the year. I approached this new found festival not having looked up any of the offerings, so I was full of hope as I was voyaging around the world showcase. 

When we go to the festivals, my friend and I prefer to do two things: 1) we don't like to get dessert on the first round, that way we can have all the savory snacks we want without mixing our palate and 2) we always start in Mexico and work our way around. I'm going to address the booths in order of when we approached them, whether we got something there or not. 

B is for Bows

"Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance." -Coco Chanel

Last year in November I made Minnie Mouse ears for my friend and I to wear to Disney during the food and wine festival. This year as Spring was approaching I decided I was going to purchase an annual pass to Walt Disney World- I live in Orlando, I spend $75 a year to go one time, so why not spend more over a period of time and be able to go whenever I wish?! I didn't even really need to think about it before making a definite decision. With the idea of frequenting the lands of Disney came the idea of making more ears to wear while I was there, but there are a few things about ears that I don't really like all the much: they are annoyingly tight to wear for extended periods of time, they feel super top heavy, they're a bitch to make. So then I decided why not just make the thing that's the cutest about them, the bows. And with that decision came a revelation, I can wear bows to other places besides Disney and not look like a complete buffoon. 

So today I set off to JoAnn fabric with little intention of buying a lot of things. I left with about six different printed fabrics and a couple of Easter decorations that were on extreme sale and I barely spent over $30! I had to run to Walmart after making four bows to get some more glue sticks and there I grabbed a couple more patterns of fabric, go figure. 

I'm going to continue on this bow making journey until my fabric supply has dwindled down to nothing. Currently I have the materials to make a few Little Mermaid themed bows and that's pretty exciting. That's the only Disney themed bow I'm making as of now but I'll return to the fabric store well prepared to get the supplies for many more Disney themed accessories! I'm planning on making them as clips as well as headbands because after making them I noticed it would be cute to wear them on the crown of your head with your hair down as well as the usual "bow in your hair" placements. 

Below are the bows that I have made as of this second- let me know what you think. I've opened up an Etsy shop! It's in the making but you're able to buy current bows as well as submit custom orders.

Go go kitchen gadgets!

I have an obsession with shopping... I know what you're saying, "well you're a girl and every girl-" blah blah blah. No. Like I buy things I think I'll need when in fact I don't need them at all. Then I'll have them in my apartment just sitting in a drawer or cabinet somewhere only to never use them more than twice. For this reason exactly I have for sets of knives, two garlic presses, four cutting boards, two vegetable peelers, an egg separator, and other things like those. Some were hits and some were misses, I'll share with you the bottom and the top items on that list!
First up, the garlic press! For some reason this diet made me really think that I needed to own a garlic press, so I bought one at TJ Maxx. I purchased a Zyliss brand one, it's white. The packaging stated that there was no need to peel the clove of garlic prior to pressing it. look at the picture below and tell me if you think that worked...

See it barely worked. So after this you have to open the press back up and remove the skin. I guess on a good note it "easily" peels it for you. 

But when you open it back up the garlic is stuck in the grooves of the top, so you have to pick it out and put it back into the compartment to be pressed again. The second picture shows the second press, it results in more garlic but you have to use a spoon to take it out. Honestly this thing is a bitch to clean; the garlic gets pressed (go figure) into the red piece and you have to pick it all out. My general consensus was that this is a terrible item, especially after reading a bad review on it- but then I got another one: the Cuisinart garlic press. 

My Cuisinart garlic press is more difficult to use but easier to clean, not really anything better. 

You put the garlic in the same as the other one, unpeeled. You press. And you get nothing. So then you have to reopen it, remove the skin, and press it again. 

As you can see, after pressing it again you do get garlic out of it, but considering the first press resulted in nothing I don't think this is a lot. I usually put two cloves in when I'm cooking just so I can yield enough. I use this one over the other one simply because it's easier to clean, not because of its efficiency. When you scrape the remaining garlic out this is what you have left-

Needless to say, I'll be purchasing a higher quality garlic press. 

Next on my list is my can opener, as boring as that sounds. I didn't actually purchase this one, my mom gave it to me because she didn't like it; I love it! This bad boy removes the entire top of the can and leaves the edges dull so you don't have to worry about cutting yourself. This is definitely something I would recommend anyone to go pick up. I've seen them for sale at stores like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods as well as grocery stores. 

Last but not least in anyway is an item I had to pick up for my FitGirl journey (down 6 lbs now!). One week called for breakfast sandwiches and they suggested using an egg ring so your egg fit neatly onto the english muffin. This little guy makes making muffin-shaped eggs a breeze! I got mine at TJ Maxx for like $4 so I'm pleased. I'm still unsure, though, why it's a pig. 

Happy cooking!