Gluten Free Enchiladas

Happy Afternoon!

I hope everyone is having a great week, tomorrow is Friday!! This weekend we are going to my in-law's to celebrate my hubby's birthday! It's our first birthday celebration as a married couple, so I'm pretty excited : )

I've talked about my gluten free journey before, and today I have a little recipe to share with you! Eating gluten free can be tough at first, and often a little tricky but once you learn to substitute ingredients, it really isn't bad! Give this recipe a try and tell me what you think!

Gluten Free Chicken "Enchiladas"

What you'll need:

-corn tortillas

-1-2 cans of Rotel (I use the "hot" one but they have different variations)

-small container of sour cream

-chicken stock (1-2 cups)

-Cheese! Use either mexican blend or colby jack

-4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

What you do:

1. Cook the chicken. You can either boil the chicken, or my favorite way is to cook it in the crock pot, on low for 4-6 hours (until done) in chicken broth, salt, pepper, and a little cumin

2. Shred the chicken

3. Add chicken and a little of your cheese to a tortilla, roll it up, and place it in a casserole or baking dish. Repeat the process until your chicken is all gone. **Save some cheese as you will need it for topping**

4. Once you have finished with the tortilla process, add a little butter/olive oil and chicken stock (about 1 cup) to a sauce pan. On medium heat, add your can(s) of rotel, stir well. Then add a tablespoon full of sour cream to pan, keep stirring until creamy and well blended. Do not let the sauce boil, or it could cause the sour cream to curdle. 

5. Once the sauce is well-blended, pour it over your "enchiladas" in the casserole dish

6. Top the enchiladas off with cheese

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes

8. Broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to brown the cheese slightly

**The corn tortillas may not roll up very well, if they crack it doesn't matter, once everything is cooked it'll blend into a big creamy mess anyway**

Serve it up and enjoy!!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as my husband and I have! I'm going vegetarian, so I've made these with bell peppers inside and they are ta-sty! It's an easy dinner that is sure to please, plus it reheats well : )

Xx,

LG

Get Fit and Fab Linkup: Gimme Da Juice!

Goooood morning cutie pa-tooties!

How was everyone's weekend? Amazing I hope!
I'm happy to be linking up again to share more about my health and fitness journey!

A few weeks ago I mention that my hubs and I purchased a juicer. I'm delighted to report that it is a big hit with my main squeeze, and he has been juicing just about every day! He usually makes me a tasty juice in the process, so today I'm going to share some of my favorite recipes with you!

We haven't experimented too much with it yet, but our go-to juice is:
2 apples + 2 carrots + 1 handful spinach + 1 handful grapes, sometimes we add an orange and that gives it is a citrus kick that is super tasty! The only juice I've had that I didn't like had a stalk of bok choy in it. Good lordy it was like a shot of horseradish with every sip! Definitely don't give that a go, unless you like that sort of thing ; )

Juicing is a great way to get macronutrients that your body desperately needs, but it can also be used to make remedies for just about everything! Joint pain? Yep. Tummy ache? They have a recipe for that too! Seriously, the world of juicing is a broad one. Here are a few concoctions that look tasty and beneficial!

If you're looking to detox and help your tum-tum out, give this one a try:

1 beet + 1 handful kale + 2 carrots + 2 green apples. If y'all don't know the power of beets (fresh, not that weird processed beet nonsense) then you are missing out! Beets have saved me from many gallbladder attacks!

Want a refreshing and cold-fighting refreshment? Try this guy

1 piece of ginger + 1 lemon + 2 apples + 2 carrots + handful of wheatgrass (if you can get it). The mixture of ginger with the vitamin C in the lemon is enough to send any germs or viruses packing!

This one also looks tasty! Plus did you know that kale has more iron per weight than any red meat?! Granted kale isn't as "heavy" as meat, but it is super good for you!

Source: pinterest

If you give juicing a try, let me know! My one tip for you is: don't look at, or smell the juice. The look and smell can be deceiving!

Until next time lovelies!

Xx,

LG

Being Intentional in Marriage.

G'day everyone!

I seriously hope that everyone is staying warm. Y'all, if you haven't noticed, it is fri-gid out there! I'm not appreciating the cold weather one bit! Especially since I've gotten sick again. This time I have a nasty chest cold, so I get the pleasure of coughing like a smoker, sounding like an old man, and being short of breath after doing essential things like eating and brushing my teeth. I'm pretty attractive these days.

Regardless of all that, today I wanted to share with you something that's on my heart, which involves being intentional in relationships/marriage. Marriage is hard you guys. Everyone told me that before I got married and I sort of shrugged it off, but seriously, it is tough. At the end of the day marriage is worth it and I love my husband more than ever but that doesn't mean I don't have to work at it.
In my ultimate newlywed wisdom (I'm being sarcastic, guys) I have found that there are a few things that bring my husband and I together, things that I intentionally do that make him feel special and bring us closer. Everyone is different, but there are some basics that just about every human being needs. I'll share with you some things I do to be intentional in my marriage!

1. Designate hubby-wifey time.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes life gets in the way and it's challenging to spend quality time with one another. My husband works a lot, and he is getting his MBA so he's usually pretty tired when he gets home. Sometimes we are limited to a few short hours before it's time for bed, that means those hours are very precious. I try to designate my attention to him during that time, do I always put away my phone and computer? No. But I try to, and that effort goes a long way in the eyes of my hubs.

2. Keep up with the little things.
When I was crazy busy during the holiday, my hubs was sweet and kind enough to take over a lot of things for me. He'd make me dinner, clean up, and make our bed (which means a lot to me). The little things, no matter how small, make the world of difference!

3. Think of them, and let them know.
If I have a precious memory pop in my head during the day, I text or email my husband and tell him. He does the same for me and I can't tell you how excited and giddy it makes me! It's nice to know that you're being thought of : )

4. Show love in different ways.
Now, I'm not the most creative person out there but I try to think of different ways to serve my hubby and shower him with love! Sometimes I leave little notes in with his lunch (so cheesy, I know), give him a pedicure (I hate feet, but he has clean, nice feet so I manage), or wake up early enough to make him breakfast. Every little gesture goes a long way and makes your spouse feel loved.

5. Date nights!
I can't stress this enough. For us, date night just means something out of the ordinary. These nights don't have to be fancy or extravagant, they can even be done at home! Just try for a weekly date night to switch things up and enjoy quality time together : )


There you have it! What are some things that you implement in your marriage??

Xx,

LG

What the Haps?

Happy Friday lovelies!

I'm currently writing this from the comfort of my soft couch, with my husband by my side. Not to brag, but this morning has been a good one. The hubs has to work late tonight, so he doesn't have to go into work until 1pm, luckily I don't have to work either, so today has been spent lounging, doing school work (my hubs), and brunching at our favorite place.

From brunch a few weeks ago

I still feel like I haven't gotten back into the swing of things on my blog, maybe if I schedule blogging time into my week I'll be better? Who knows. I'm a profesional procrastinator.

Anywho, I just wanted to take a little time to share some exciting news with all of you! This week has been a little tough, so to have some positive news is much needed right now!

1. We are officially moving out of our dreadful apartment!! This is a HUGE blessing! We will be moving to a beautiful, spacious, 2 bedroom basement apartment with no weird neighbors. Praise Jesus I don't have to play the "neighbor games" anymore! 

2. I am starting my Masters in March! Some of you may know that I want to attend Medical School- this is still a dream of mine, but right now I feel as if getting my Masters is a good strategic move. Plus, I get my education fo freeeee through my husband's job, so I really can't pass that up! 

3. I had a job interview last week and one of the women who interviewed me seems to like me! I'll still have to go through a couple more interviews, but I'm hoping and praying that I can get the position, having a full time job would be a huge blessing right now : )

4. Our wedding was featured in Chapel Hill magazine! It's really great to think that someone thought our wedding was nice enough to be featured in a magazine, I mean, I thought it was beautiful but I'm totally biased. It's an honor to me to be featured because Chapel Hill has such a special piece of my heart! My mom is all kinds of excited, she even took the liberty to find this picture of our spread.

Thanks for reading my sporadic post, I can't wait to link up on Monday to share some more about my fitness journey!

Xx,

LG

Gluten free/Clean Eggplant Parmesan {Recipe}

Good morning babes!

How's everyone doing this week?? I hope that the polar vortex didn't freeze your little bums too much!

I'm happy to be linking up again with the Brittany, from Happy Is a Choice and Sam from Life Style Love! I'm proud to say that the past few weeks have been great for me health/fitness wise. I've been eating well, hitting the gym, and spending lots of time with friends. I know that it'll be hard to keep up withe everything once life gets more hectic, but for now I'm enjoying my progress!

I'm also excited to report that my hubs and I purchased a juicer! I've been wanting to juice for quite a while, but I wasn't really sure if I could sell my husband on the whole idea. Well I was wrong. He is all about jucing and I love it! If you're curious about it there are some great resources online, there's also a great documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" which I highly recommend! I'll be chatting more about my juicer in weeks to come but today I'm excited to share a great recipe with you!

I love italian food, especially eggplant parm! Being gluten free and cutting out most dairy hasn't always been the easiest and I'll admit that I thought this recipe would be tricky to substitute for, but in all actuality it is easy peasy! 

Here's what you'll need:

1 eggplant

Olive oil

Gluten free bread crumbs (can be found at your local grocery store)

Spaghetti sauce (or you can make your own)

GF pasta- I used quinoa pasta and it was ah-mazing!

Directions:

1. Rinse your eggplant and then slice it into rounds (not very thick). Begin heating olive oil in a pan. Also preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly cover the slices in olive oil, salt and pepper

3. Roll the slices in the GF bread crumbs

4. Place the slices in the skillet and cook them for a few minutes on each side, until a little crispy

5. Place slices to a casserole dish and bake in the over for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. 

6. About 5 minutes before removing from the oven, cover the eggplant in pasta sauce and allow to bake.

7. Serve the eggplant and sauce over the pasta and voila!

So it technically isn't eggplant parmesan but it's close enough! This recipe was super easy and a big hit! Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Thanks for reading, until next time!

Xx,

LG

The Battle of The Neighbors

Good morning y'all!

I hope that everyone is having a beautiful, and warm day. I know that our temps aren't as bad as many, but it is pretty frigid here in good ole' Virginny!

Today I'm going to rant about our horrendous neighbors, if you've ever lived in an apartment then you can probably relate.

Case 1: "Sketchy Neighbor"

This was our neighbor right across from us, I gave him his beloved nickname mainly because he was sketchy, but also because I never knew his actual name. Why was he sketchy? Well, he used to wait for my husband to get home, then right as his car pulled up, he'd run outside to chat with him. That may seem totally harmless, but it was weird the way he always timed it out. Then he would walk my husband to our door and when the hubs entered our apartment, HE TRIED TO FOLLOW HIM IN! This happened on more than one occasion. Once he asked me for a ride, and I said I couldn't, but while we were chatting both he and his friend tried to come in my apartment. Not cool, bro, things like that will get you shot around here.
He'd also ask us for rides to places, knock on our door multiple times a day to see if we had any money for the laundromat, and once, I looked through the peephole on our door to see who was knocking, and he waved at me through the peephole. Creepy. He also put a sign on his door that read "Donating plasma, be back in 30 minutes." Y'all, I'm pretty sure he was on drugs.

Now, I'm not trying to be hateful, but the man needed to pick up on some social queues, ya dig? There were plenty of times that my husband drove him places or helped him out. He was a nice guy, just very...special.

Case 2: Little Drummer Boy

This little fella was something else. He would sing at the top of his lungs, not well I might add, while strumming his little guitar, and often he banged on the drums. It was just down right obnoxious, especially because according to our lease, musical instruments can't be played in the apartments. If you tried to knock on his door to ask him to stop, he'd suddenly get quiet and pretend like no one was there. Real smooth, you definitely fooled us.
The worst thing about Little Drummer Boy is that when confronted, he would totally deny it! My hubs once went downstairs to politely ask him to stop, and he was like "What? I wasn't playing any music." even though we knew he was, and there were musical instruments everywhere.

Luckily LDB has since moved out and peace has been restored to our community.

Case 3: McGang Bang, Sexy Times, Dog Abuser

Get ready because this is the worst offender of all, which is one of the reasons he has so many nicknames. This guy has the loudest sex of anyone on the planet. If National Geography and Hugh Heffner teamed up to make an "adult film" they'd both be offended by the noise.
Now, I'm not one to shoot a man's horse, especially if he's having sexy times, but a person can only withstand so much. His girlfriend literally screams at the top of her lungs and yelps like a dog being beaten. It's just too much.

To combat the annoyance, I left a nice note on his door, it read:

Merry Christmas, neighbor! I'm so excited that you're getting laid so often, but if you could do all of us in ----- 549 a favor and keep it down, that would be great! It sounds like someone is being tortured. Thanks!

Okay, I admit, it isn't my best work but I was desperate.

Mr. Sexy Times has so much sex I can't even imagine how it's humanly possible. If his girlfriend is over, basically there will be noises. They've woken us up at 2:30 in the morning, disturbed our guests, and made us consider whether or not someone was actually being abused. We are so irritated that we've jokingly plotted dropping some sort of foul something through his air duct. Don't worry y'all, we won't actually do it.


So there you have it! Have you been graced with horrible neighbors? Tell me all about them!

Xx,

LG

Get Your Gym On

Happy Monday, readers!

Today I'm excited to be linking up with some wonderful ladies. Brittany and Sam are the hosts behind this wonderful link-up, which is about health, so I'm very excited to be joining! Follow along and join in, so see where we're going in 2014!

I've mentioned before that the last year has been a struggle for me in terms of diet and feeling ill. I'm proud to be a more informed and aware 'eater' and I can now manage my diet in a way that keeps me feeling good! A few months ago I also got a gym membership and it has been a huge blessing for me; I have a healthy way to release stress and I can get fit and healthy while doing so! I log my workouts on the Cody app (check it out in the app store) and it's great to see the progress I'm making. My goal for 2014 is to stick to my gym routine and get fit, hopefully fit enough to run a 5k, which would be huge for me considering I've never been a runner!

The past few weeks I've really settled into a gym routine and I feel better than ever! If you're a gym newbie, it may be hard to decide what you want to do once you get there. Sure, there's Susie Sweats-a-lot with her sculpted hiney and perky ta-tas, but even Susie had to start at square 1 (unless surgeons are able to sculpt babies so that they come out looking like that). Moving on.

The easiest thing for me is to map out what I'm going to do that day at the gym, sort of like meal planning, but for my muscles. If I'm doing 'legs day' I look up workouts for legs, figure out which ones will work for me, and then make a routine. I then write down the exercises (I actually put them in my phone) so that when I get to the gym, a.) I can remember what the heck I'm doing, and b.) not talk myself out of anything. I always start out my workouts with some sort of cardio, and I end with stretching! It's important to switch things up, and if you're feeling lousy, put on some fun tunes and crank out your workout!

So there you have it, ladies! Tell me, what are some of your favorite exercises?

Tune in next week, I'll be sharing more about my fitness routine!

Xx,

LG