Makeup?

I have been asked to blog about some pretty odd topics but when I posted this picture on facebook, I was inundated with messages asking me to blog about makeup.

I am a self proclaimed makeup novice. I didn't start wearing makeup until way after all of my friends, in fact I think I was in college before I started wearing makeup. Even now I'm completely intimidated by makeup and on a regular basis I have 3 things that I use.

The Sublime Bronze is a Loreal airbrush tan. I do tan in a tanning bed but I like the airbrush finish I just feel like it evens out my skin and gives it the "airbrushed look." Some people think it gives me an orange-y color, but I spray tanned through my pregnancies and I actually love the bronze glow. I usually do this every other night, and only on my face/neck/chest area.

I use a dark brown eye liner, I think this one is black/brown. I don't use it every day but I probably do have it on in most of my pictures. I have huge eyes anyway so I could probably go without using it at all but sometimes I'll put it on anyway. I just use a little bit on my lower lash line and smudge it so it's not a harsh line.

I use black mascara and I'm never so sure about that because a lady at the cosmetic counter at Dillards told me I shouldn't use black mascara because it's "too harsh for green eyes." For the record that was unsolicited advice! 

I'm actually the one who needs makeup tips because I'd love to be able to do a smokey eye or even to make my little skinny lips look plumper or accentuate some cheek bones that I don't really have, but really y'all I'm clueless, lol!

Adding flavor, cutting calories

Y'all know I never jumped on the low carb band wagon. There is no way I could ever make it through my workouts if I gave up carbs. Unfortunately pasta, potatoes, and rice come with a healthy amount of calories. The way to combat those extra calories is to bulk up your dishes with vegetables but keep your serving sizes the same. I'll show you the calorie breakdown after I share this recipe.

Garden pasta

16 oz box garden rotini

2/3 cup fat free italian

chopped veggies 

fresh grated parmesan cheese (optional)

-Boil pasta until al dente and drain

-Mix in italian dressing

-Cool in refrigerator 2 hours

-Stir pasta and then mix in fresh chopped veggies

-Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese

You can use any veggies you want in this. I used tomatoes, black olives, and green peppers. I had a cucumber to use too but for some reason my refrigerator was turned up too high and it froze! I also think spinach leaves would be good in this recipe. 

Calorie breakdown:

1 cup of this pasta without the veggies would be about 250 calories. Now with the veggies added approximately 1/3 of that cup is going to be filled with the veggies taking away 83 calories. The veggies that were added and are taking the place of those extra pasta calories are under 5 calories. You just made a 

250 calorie meal 170 calories and made it taste better. Obviously the more veggies you add, the more calories you're cutting.

Let me help you!

In the comments let me know what your favorite comfort foods are and I'll choose some to make a healthy version of.

Game night homemade salsa

In our house we eat, sleep, and breathe football in the fall. I always try to do fun "football food" on Monday nights (turkey tacos, grilled shrimp fajitas, homemade pita chips and salsa, etc). A few years ago my aunt and uncle were making home made salsa like crazy and after I tasted my uncle's salsa I knew that jar salsa would never satisfy me again, never mind the benefit of the fresh veggies in home made salsa the taste was in-comparable! I know some people never tackle the task of homemade salsa because I think people think it's harder than what it is but it's so so so easy.

2 tomatoes

1 jalapeno

1 bunch cilantro

1/2 yellow onion

1 lime

1 clove garlic (not pictured)

sea salt (not pictured)

Cut stems off cilantro wash and strain.

Wash jalapeno remove seeds and chop onion (not pictured).

Run the onions, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic through a food processor. I always use the magic bullet because it's just easiest for me.

Add the pepper, cilantro, onion, garlic paste to the pan.

Dice tomatoes and run those through the food processor.

Mix all together and squeeze the juice from one lime.

Grind in sea salt to taste while simmering on low for about 20 minutes.

And chill a few hours in the fridgerator!

Blog makeover

Sorry I've been MIA, I'm a terrible blogger I know this, y'all know this, but hopefully I can get better. I blog in hopes that I can keep myself accountable as well as share some of my wisdom. So many people have told me that they don't struggle with the fitness side of leading a healthy life style but with the nutrition side of it. I can totally relate, I LOVE to workout, but I also love reese cups, french fries, and ranch dressing (not together those are just my 3 weaknesses)! So I'm going to gear my blog more toward a nutrition standpoint on healthy living. There are so many fad diets out there but I take a completely common sense approach to eating healthy: lean proteins, fruits, veggies, water. I'll never understand fad diets like Atkins for insance, how healthy can a diet be when you can eat all the bacon you want but you can't have an apple? 

The recipes, meal ideas, I'm going to share are going to be family friendly because I have to feed these gorgeous little faces.

Y'all know I'm not discounting the importance of exercise and I will still continue to preach blog about it but I want to give y'all alternatives to feeding your family this.

What? You don't feed your family pink goo? If you take them to McDonalds for a 4 piece Happy Meal you do!

Grossed out yet? Go back here to get a recipe to make chicken nuggets at home.