Soul Food Sunday

Things have been super busy lately. Works been crazy and Sean's back at school, so easy dinners are where it is at! Last night I made this amazing meal that warmed my soul on a freezing cold night, and required VERY minimal work. Slow cooked pork in the crock pot and an easy-peasy mac and cheese(y). (Sorry, I could not help myself). Here's the meal:

I based the pork off this recipe from 100 Days of Real Food (one of my favorite blogs) but changed it up, because I like more of a sauce to mine. Here's the recipe for this amazing, healthy, delish pulled pork:

• 3 tablespoons of paprika
• 1 tablespoons salt (if desired, you can cut back on the salt by only using 1 tablespoon)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried savory spice
• ¼ cup light agave
• ¼ cup ketchup 
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ water in the bottom of the crock pot
• 1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin (or your preferred cut of pork)

Mix up all the spices in a medium sized mixing bowl, and then mix in the wet ingredients (except the water) to make a paste. Put the water in the bottom of the crock pot, place the pork in, and cover with the spice paste mixture. Cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, carefully take the pork out and it will be fall-apart tender. Use a fork to shred any big pieces, and pour sauce from the crock pot over the pork (or pour into a dish for everyone to put on as much or as little as they would like). That's it.  It's that easy! 

Later in the afternoon, I realized I hadn't planned any sides, and I thought mac and cheese would be super yummy, but I didn't have butter. A quick google search (God bless Google) revealed PLENTY of butter-free mac and cheese recipes. I went with this one.

I cut the recipe in half, since we're just two.  Here's the butter-free Mac & Cheese:

• 2 cups dry pasta of choice (we had Rotini, so that's what we used)
• 1ish cups shredded cheddar cheese (I might have used a little over a cup)
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

I don't like to use the microwave, so I just made it on the stove stop in the same pot I used to boil the pasta. 

After making the mac and cheese (took about 20 minutes by the time I boiled the water, cooked the pasta, mixed it all up), I decided to get fancy and I put it in little dishes, sprinkled with whole wheat panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on top, and threw it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up. 

Then I just steamed the green beans (Sean had raw carrots because he hates green beans) and we were done! This amazing dinner took about 40 minutes between prepping the pork at 10 a.m. and making the mac and cheese and green beans about 30 minutes before the pork was done. 

If you have a busy day ahead of you, I would highly recommend this meal! Whether it is Sunday dinner or a weeknight meal - you can't go wrong! Buon Appetit! 

Natural Beauty

Since middle school, I have been obsessed with makeup. I love it. I don't think I've left the house without eyeliner in a decade... at least. 

However, in my quest for a more healthy life style and in doing more research on what is in my food, I also started doing research on what is in my makeup and beauty products. The results were horrifying. For years and years, I've been putting chemicals on my face and body (everything ranging from aluminum to words I cannot even pronounce). 

So I started on a quest to find the most natural make up and body products I could find. I started with one of my favorite bloggers, Food Babe, and I've been slowly accumulating information, and am proud to say I am now using a majority of natural and organic products. (Full disclosure: I'm still using some non-natural products, including eyeshadow and shampoos/soap, simply because of budget and not being able to buy all new everything at once).

At first I was skeptical, but not only have I found some products that I love, but that also work even better than traditional make up. I even included an extreme close up picture as evidence. 

Here's what I've been using and my thoughts on it:

Lights, Camera, Flashes!

• Face: Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Luminous Foundation. I LOVE this stuff. The coverage is great! Smells a little odd at first, but then it goes away. Also what I love about Vapour is that you can order 5 samples for $15, which is a great way to test their products. I did not like their other foundation (Soft Focus) at all, but am obsessed with the Luminous.
• Blush: Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Blush in Intrigue. Also amazing. It's a creme blush and lasts most of the day. I'm interested to see how it lasts in the summer when it's quite hot, but for now it is really wearing great!
• Eyeliner: Tarte, MultiplEYE in Black. Eyeliner was the item I was most nervous about, because it is my favorite and most relied upon beauty product. This is AMAZING. It really actually shocked me. It goes on so smooth, it's easy to use and it lasts ALL DAY without smearing or running or fading. 
• Mascara: Tarte, Lights, Camera, Flashes! in Black. Mascara - second most necessary makeup product, especially as a ginger. Without mascara, my weird ginger eyelashes are almost non-existent they are so light. This has a two-sided brush, one for volume and one for length and both sides are amazing! (Though it takes a little to figure out which side is which because the black mascara covers the purple side of the brush). But again, it lasts all day, really helps lengthen my lashes and doesn't flake!! I HIGHLY recommend this product. 

Here's my extreme close up picture to see what it all looks like (disregard my frizzy hair):

I have been so happy with these products, and knowing that I'm slowly getting away from loading up my body with nasty chemicals, both from the inside and the outside. I would highly recommend any of these products, and I'd love to hear if any of you are already using more natural beauty products, and if so, which ones.

There are more beauty products listed on Food Babes' shop, and I would encourage you all to do your own research as well. It's really opened up my (well lined and mascara-ed) eyes. ;)

Leaning In

It has been quite some time since I blogged from the bus, let alone the morning bus, but things are quite hectic and as they say, there's no time like the present.

After a wonderful trip to Charleston, SC, for Christmas, and celebrating New Year in Chicago, we were off to New York for time with family and friends and to take care of some wedding stuff. Then things at work have gotten super busy, so I've hit the ground running. 

Though I didn't have any resolutions, I did want to take time to read more this year. I've always been an avid reader, but in 2013 I didn't read as much as I would have liked. The first book on my list was Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. It's about women in the workplace, and the challenges they face. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but it is informative, enjoyable and inspiring. 

After vacation and reading this book, I came back ready to take on challenges, be open to opportunity and, maybe most importantly, believing that I can accomplish and deserve these things. 

I highly recommend the book, but if you don't have a chance to read it, I hope you remember to believe in yourself and stay positive and see opportunities, even though they may not look like them.  You never know what life is going to hand you - but be open to it. You might be pleasantly surprised.

A New Year with No Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you've had a relaxing few first days of the year. I'm at home today because we've had quite the snow storm, which means an extra day to sit by the tree and day dream about all this year will hold. 

There is so much excitement and so much potential, so I've decided not to make any resolutions. I want to just enjoy the journey and see where 2014 takes me. There will be so much to celebrate and so many new exciting adventures and opportunities that I'm just resolving to be completely open to every experience, put my best foot forward and take it all in stride as best I can. I'm ready for great things. 

I will be continuing with some my 2013 resolutions, including continuing on my health journey with even more homemade recipes, less processed foods and products, and trying new foods (though it might be hard to top this year, considering I tried SUSHI in 2013!!) and keep working out. 

I accomplished a lot of my goals last year, and it makes me feel like I can do anything this year. I'm so excited for all the potential. It's like looking at a brand new notebook on the first day of school (all my fellow nerds know what I'm talking about!). 

I hope you are as excited as I am. I'd love to hear if you are making resolutions this year and, if so, tell me what they are! I know we can accomplish anything and everything this year, so let's do it!