Spaghetti Squash

I first heard about Spaghetti Squash on the Biggest Loser. I had no idea what it looked like, how to cook it, or what it would taste like. So one night, I decided I would add it to my grocery list and see if the nearest Food Lion sold it. Well, they did! There was only one left, so I bought it.

This is what it looks like:

I didn’t know how to cook it, so I followed the Biggest Loser recipe.

I cut the ends off and cut the squash in half.

I scraped out the guts with a spoon. It’s kind of like scraping a pumpkin.

I wrapped both halves in plastic wrap and cooked them in the microwave for 10 minutes. I then took it out of the microwave, let it cool a little bit, and started shredding it with a fork.

The end result:

You get A LOT of spaghetti from squash. We add some homemade turkey pasta sauce on top and ate to our heart’s content. We even had enough leftover for lunch the next day! While it does take a little prep work, it’s definitely healthier than any pasta out of a box.

Have you tried Spaghetti Squash yet?

Catch Up!

I am horrible at blogging.

I honestly have it on my to-do list everyday,

because I enjoy doing it

and then something always comes up.

Every.Single.Time.

Like…just now.

I started the first of this blog post

Then went to the gym.

Ha!

Anyways, I’m back!

And I have some pictures to share.

I feel like the blog is my personal year book.

I can look at it at the end of the year

And reflect back on all the great things in my life.

 

Like…St. Patty’s Day!

 

Love my green hat!

The hubby was trying to embarrass me by…

tying his jacket around his waste

Since it was his birthday,

I let him get away with it

The official birthday / St. Patty’s day countdown!

Love being a holiday couple!

(Though, I don’t get a countdown. boo.).

 

 

Good Food & Great Fashion

It’s almost the weekend! Hope everyone’s week so far is going well!

Yesterday, the hubby and I met some friends for drinks.

I’m not sure if I’m a fan of Wed night happy hours.

I always feel slightly wrong for drinking so early in the week.

Maybe it’s because I had margaritas instead of wine?

Anyways, I dressed up all cute for the get together.

And we had a great time after by turning it into date night

 Sweater: Banana Republic; Jeans: Express; Necklace: J.Crew

 I’ve also stopped making dinner the last few days.

The hubby wants to diet before Miami.

So, I’ve been making healthy tapas instead.

Two of my favorites: 

 And, of course, a picture of Hilo! Love that dog.

Happy Thursday! Anyone have plans for St. Patty’s Day?

Rain Rain Go Away

Yesterday was so beautiful! And today’s crummy crummy rain. But…it’s getting so much closer to vacation time! Honestly, I can’t even focus on work anymore. I keep getting randomly excited and then I realize it’s because I’ll be on vacation in a few days. We just booked a jet boat tour off of Naples! And decided to spend the day on Sanibel Island. I’m so looking forward to some quality relaxation time with my hubby!

Well…a few more days to go. For today, boots were required for all the puddles!

 

Sweater: AE; Skirt: Banana Republic; Scarf: Kohl’s; Boots: Target

 

 

 6 days till Fort Lauderdale / Miami!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

 

Spring is in the air!

Well, sort of. It was a bit chilly this morning. But it’s going to be in the 60s later! I purposely didn’t bring work to lunch today so I’d leave the building and go get something to eat. I never leave my little cube on most days, so it’ll be nice to get out today.

How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was AMAZING! We an impromptu party on Saturday. My cousin, who lives in Philly, texted me on Thursday saying she wanted to stop by and meet the dog and catch up. So I told the hubby and he said why not have people over later and turn it into a party. Since it was already Thursday night by the time we decided, we doubted many people would be able to make it. So we texted a few friends and co-workers and I started party planning. I thought Coors Light and Doritos might be a bit boring. Since we were about to watch the last episode of Downton Abbey that night, I decided to turn it into a “Downton” theme party. Holy sh*t did it take off from there.

Our main entertaining rooms were turned into Downton Abbey look-a-likes. We had a giant picture of Lady Violet printed. Then I made a bunch of the food they ate in the show (cucumber tea sandwiches, english toffee scones, cranberry scones, goat cheese & fig on raisin crumpets, black olive spread) and then I made a Lady Mary Cocktail. We had London beer and folks dressed up! The night turned into shots & flip cup, but everyone loved the Downton theme. It was fantastic. I didn’t take many pictures that night, but I’ll try to post some recipes in the coming days.

We relaxed on Sunday and went to the park. The party and the team work made the hubby and I fall in love all over again. I’m so smitten by him!

Anyways….today’s OOTD:

Skirt: Gap; Cardigan / Scarf: Banana Republic; Glasses: Guess

7 days until I’m on the beaches of Fort Lauderdale & Miami!

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Where’s the Snow?

So, according to my mother, my husband’s mother, and every weather site on the web…we’re supposed to be getting snow. Um, when? Most of my office is working from home because it’s supposedly snowing out. The roads were pretty clear since I guess everyone thought there was a blizzard coming (yay! no traffic!). I think we’ll probably see some snow tonight. Which means…I’m going to leave the office early and grab me a glass of vino!

Anyways, since I decided to come into today, I figured I’d wear a rain proof outfit. I like looking pretty on rainy days. I feel like the drab weather makes me sleepy, but the prettiness keeps me awake. It’s all a balancing act!

 

Cardigan: F21; T-shirt / Skinnys: Kohl’s; Boots: Target; Necklace: Hawaii!

Hope everyone stays dry today!

p.s. if you aren’t following me on instagram (@jalpabhav) you should! yummy healthy recipes and outfit posts there too!

tuesday.

It’s Tuesday! And boy, was I tired yesterday. I went to bed at 10pm in the hopes of going to the gym in the morning. ha! Sleep was much needed for this gal. And now they’re saying snow day tomorrow? Does that mean more sleep? I guess I can’t get a technical snow day – being an adult and all. Anyways, since today was the day in between a tired day and a snowy one, I decided to put on a pretty scarf and a comfortable cardigan and head to work! I can’t dress like a noticeable bum since I work in a big corporate office, but I can totally rock skinny jeans that pass for dress pants! Throw on some boots and makeup and you’ve got yourself a cubicle outfit!

 

Cardigan: Target; T-Shirt & Skinnys: Kohl’s; Scarf: Five Below; Boots (not pictured): Target

Have I mentioned I’m heading to Fort Lauderdale / Miami in 13 days!? So excited!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Juicin’

Recently the hubby and I decided to start juicing again. I used to do it at my parent’s house but for some reason the juices always tasted like pure veggies. As a teenager, that was not the best tasting thing I could find to eat or drink. Anyways, I have been having some stomach issues lately – burning stomach around mid-day – and I read that it might be due to a highly acidic diet. Acid builds in the stomach and the body system due to consuming fatty, caloric food. While the hubby and I eat relatively healthy, I figured reducing the acid in my body even more couldn’t hurt!

Naturally, I took to Google to find out how I could reduce acid in my body. I came across this blog that talked about alkaline diets. Now I know there’s millions of diets out there, and I’ve read about many of them, but I’ve never heard of the alkaline diet. From reading The Alkaline Sisters’ blog and other articles off of Google (Livestrong fan, anyone?), I decided to give it a try.

So what is an alkaline diet? It basically requires eating less acidic food and more alkaline foods. Alkaline foods include lots of vegetables and root vegetables. You can also add in some fruits (blueberry, strawberry, peach, lemons, etc). The idea is to stay away from meats (beef, chicken, pork), sweets, and dairy. Kinda sounds like a vegan diet, right?

This sounded wayyyyy to extreme for me. I definitely needed more fruits and veggies in my diet, but I didn’t need to go cold turkey on all the other goodies! I decided to take the juicing approach instead. The Alkaline Sisters’ blog has great starter recipes. Green Ginger Ale one of my favorites! At first I used the ingredients on their list. Then I started mixing and matching my own. I think the goal is to use a bunch of veggies and fruits, but only use the ones you like!

Here’s what I used this morning:

This morning’s smoothie contained (makes about 10 oz):

• a handful of Spinach
• 1 apple
• 1/2 a lemon
• a handful of parsley
• 1/2 cup of blueberries
• 1/4 cup of strawberries
• 2 carrots
• 1 cucumber
• a small piece of ginger

I put all of it through my very old Hamilton Beach juicer (the same one my mom used about 10 years ago!). Then I poured it in 2 empty Gatorade bottles and topped it off with orange juice. I like topping it off with coconut water better — hubby prefers the OJ. You’ll get more juice if you’re making it for one person and you won’t have to top it off with anything. Either way – healthy healthy and so delicious! I now drink one bottle every morning!

Any other juicer fanatics out there? What are your favorite recipes?

Happy juicing and Happy Monday!

January and February in Review

I can’t believe it’s already March of 2013! The months sure do fly. I’m glad the warmer weather is just around the corner though. The hubby and I have tons of activities planned for the spring / summer and I can’t wait to get started. But first, since I haven’t update the blog in close to 6 weeks, I thought I’d add a collage about my January and February. At the beginning of the year I decided I wanted to try to travel for all 12 months of 2013. Vegas started the year off in January and then I was supposed to go to Boston University’s Alumni Weekend in February. Well, snowstorm Nemo wasn’t having any of that, so Boston got cancelled. Nevertheless, the hubby’s 30th birthday is this month and we decided to continue our trips with one to a warmer climate – Miami! In 2 weeks, we’re off to sunshine, cocktails, and beaches. Yay!

Despite the no travel in February though, we managed to have a good time. Our cute dog, Hilo, has been growing up so fast! Taking him hiking and playing with him has become one of our favorite things to do. We’ve also been attending tons of meetup events — if you haven’t been to a meetup, check one out in your area! It’s a great way to meet new people and make new friends!

So here’s a little collage of our January / February 2013!

Can’t wait to experience all the goodness March brings!

p.s. For those who have been following the blog, you’ll notice a few changes. I thought it was time to do something different. Hope y’all like it!

 

Weekend!

Quick post everyone! Had some errands to run and then just wanted to relax. I’m going to finish typing up this post, drink my cup of tea, and read a good book (Cloud Atlas?).

Scarf: London; Top: Burlington Coat Factory; Tank: Kohl’s

Leggings: Gift from Mom!; Boots: Payless

Hope y’all are having a fantastic weekend!!