Friday Favorites

I haven't shared a Friday Favorites in over a month so apologies for this lengthy post.

#sorrynotsorry

Today I'm linking up with 

 Andrea

Erika and Shay have taken a little time off but if you are new to blogging and have never checked them out...do so NOW.  You will not be disappointed.

ONE

For the last year or so I have been dealing with increased sensitivity with my teeth.  So I finally broke down and decided to give Sensodyne a try.

Y'all...let me just say it has been a life changer.  

At first it made my teeth feel electrified (like when you accidentally bite down on aluminum foil) while brushing; not painful but a tad bit uncomfortable.  I could tell a difference immediately after brushing but then my teeth would be become sensitive again after a few hours.  But since I have been using it for an extended period of time I have all day protection.

Sorry Crest but you have lost your spot on my vanity.

TWO

Spring has sprung in GA!

My favorite flower is the daffodil.

I just love seeing these beautiful yellow flowers sprinkled throughout the countryside.

THREE

Meet Juliette...

This precious girl was born on February 7th.  Babies, in any form~human or animal, are always a fave!

FOUR

Notes from my girl.

She left this for me on Tuesday night.

Interpretation:  For lunch today, #Wednesday, I would like my Nacho Lunchable.  I would like some of your healthy breakfast (aka Shakeology).

Please also take note of her illustrations!

Definitely a favorite and still making me smile.


FIVE

My newest piece of art.

Last night AB's school had an Art and Music Night.  The art teacher had taken a picture that each student had painted; had them matted and framed and displayed in the gym.  It was truly like walking into an art museum.  You had the option of purchasing your child's art for $25...which of course I did.

This picture doesn't do the painting justice...it is absolutely beautiful!

Now to decide where to hang it.

SIX

And last but certainly not least...this man right here ↑.

He is for sure a favorite!  I don't tell him that enough...love you babe!

Well that about wraps up this weeks addition of Friday Favorites.

Be sure to check back on Monday for some Motivational Monday.  I'll be starting a new workout program on Monday as well and can't wait to share that journey with you.

Peace out my peeps...have a great weekend!

Until Next Time,

Heather

Mexican Taco Lettuce Cups

Today's recipe is brought to you compliments of Autumn Calabrese and her FIXATE Cookbook.

Google Image

Autumn is the creator of 21 Day Fix; an easy to follow workout and meal plan utilizing 6, 30-minute workouts along with a meal plan utilizing colored, portion control containers.

Within this cookbook she shares healthy recipes, tips for meal prep and adds the equivalents of the containers if following the 21 Day Fix plan.

Anytime that I can substitute a healthier ingredient without losing taste-I'm all in!

Last night I tried the Mexican Taco Lettuce Cups, a great alternative to the taco.

Let me tell you...it was DELICIOUS!
A bit messy...but DELICIOUS!

Now I love a taco as much as the next person but I did not feel as if I was being robbed by this substitution.  Don't be afraid to give it a try.

Mexican Taco Lettuce Cups

Ingredients

Bibb Lettuce Leaves  *I used Romaine

Mexican Taco Meat (1lb.)

Shredded Carrots *I used 3 medium sized carrots

Black Beans (1 can)

Corn Kernels (1 can)

Salsa

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions

  After browning your ground meat of choice (I use venison.  I would also suggest ground turkey as opposed to ground beef/chuck); add your taco seasoning packet & water by following the directions found on the label.

Autumn provides a recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning but I aint got time for that. #letsbehonest

In the meanwhile, drain your black beans and corn.

Once all of the seasoning has been incorporated into the ground meat, add the drained beans and corn.

Mix it up and heat through.

Now time to construct the 'taco'...

Lettuce leaves for your "shell"

Shredded carrots

Meat, bean and corn mixture topped with shredded cheese

Add a little salsa

and

VOILA!

Have plenty of napkins ready as the lettuce tends to break during eating but aside from that it was really good.  I'll definitely make them again.

IF you happen to be interested in the colored container equivalents, give me a shout out in the comments below and I'd be happy to provide them.

Linking up with Allie.  Be sure to check her out to see other yummy recipes.

Until Next Time,

Heather

Playing catch up...

It's been a minute so let's don't waste anymore time and get straight to it...

catching everyone up to date on what we've been up to lately.

SOFTBALL

AB has began softball practice.  She is learning to pitch and doing a great job so far.  I'm excited for the games to begin.

RUNNING

I have continued to get a run in 1-2 times a week as I am also doing BOD workouts as well.

I'm feeling good, sleeping better and it doesn't hurt that I am also seeing results on the scale.

FOOD

I am still LOVING the Spicy Southwest Chicken Salad from Chik-Fil-A.

Meal prepping on Sunday for me and Z makes for a much easier week.

And I can't have Shakeology without AB wanting her own...I'm certainly not going to deny her the added vitamins, nutrients and superfoods.

Well that is about all I have to report on today.  The last couple of weeks have consisted of just what you see here...softball, workouts and food.

Before I go, speaking of food--I'll be trying a new recipe on Wednesday and sharing on Thursday.  Check back on Thursday for a healthy alternative to tacos.

Until Next Time,

Heather

Kale Soup

I have spoken about my love of kale, as well as my love of soup, before.  So what could be better than combining my two loves...Kale Soup.

Thank you Trisha Yearwood for sharing this easy and yummy recipe via Trisha's Southern Kitchen.

Also a big "Thank You" to Allie for hosting today's link up: 

You can find the recipe here.

Kale Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound fresh chorizo 
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed *I used 8-10 'mini' yukons
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped  *I used 1 large shallot
• 4 cloves garlic, minced *I used minced garlic from a jar (2 heaping tsp)
• 8 cups chicken broth 
• 1 pound kale, stems removed, leaves torn into 1-inch pieces 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Kosher salt and black pepper 

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown the chorizo in the oil, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the potatoes, onions, garlic and chicken broth.

Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the kale, and cover. Cook until the kale wilts, 7 to 10 minutes.

Uncover, add the Parmesan, and heat through for about 5 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Brown the chorizo.
I also added the shallot and garlic during this step.

Add the potatoes and chicken broth.
Simmer until potatoes are fork tender.

Add the kale.
Continue to simmer until the kale wilts.

Add the parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!!

Until Next Time,

Heather

What's Up Wednesday?

Unfortunately for me, What's Up today is no internet 😠.

Upon a call to our provider it was determined "that there is an interruption between your house and the street".  So a tech has been dispatched and it should be back up and running by Friday.

Given this unfortunate event, I will not be bringing you my regular "What's Up" post so instead jump on over and check out my hosts:

Mel,

Shay

&

Shaeffer

Check back here on Friday for my latest edition of Friday Faves!

See you then...

Heather

A Day in the Life...

...of us.

It's time for another installment of "A Day in the Life of Us".  I always love to read other bloggers post about their daily lives & routines; just call me #noseyrosey.

But seriously, it's always nice to see how others "do life".

So here is a glimpse of how I do "Friday".

February 17, 2017

First of all, today's date was picked randomly by my husband.  I throw out a series of numbers for him, "1-28 and not 14", and he makes his choice.

Up and at 'em at 5:30 a.m.

On this particular day, due to some unexpected car trouble, I had to take T to work.

As a side note, I have previously mentioned that I love the Google Keep App...this is why.

There is no way that I would have remembered, upon waking, that I needed to take pictures for the blog, so I set myself a reminder in Keep & it kindly reminded me.

Thank you Google Keep!

Since I was out and about so early in the morning, I decided to surprise Zane and AB with breakfast upon my return home from dropping T at work.

Bojangle's for the win!

I arrived back home at 6:15 and it was time for COFFEE!!

Zane makes the absolute perfect cup of joe.

I had 15 minutes to enjoy my coffee before having to "get ready".

During this time I check social media for any breaking news...see what I missed while catching some zzzzzz's.

Facebook

Instagram

Follow me @heatherausburn

Snapchat

Follow me @ hal1974

6:30 and it is time to get serious about my day...

First up~makeup

I sit on the love seat in our bedroom and apply my makeup with this compact mirror by the light emanating from the bathroom.  It's a miracle that I don't leave the house looking like this...

Image from Google


Next up~Hair

Time to tame this mane...going with the 1 day dirty style today.  Add a few curls, some hair spray and VOILA~done!

Rise and Shine!

Someone didn't want to wake up...

What do I want to wear today?

We are ready and out the door by 7:35 every morning.

First stop...elementary school

What AB does to pass the time it takes to get to school...all of about 8 minutes.

On this day, I had to make a detour on the way to work in order to purchase our annual car tags from the tax commissioner's office.  They don't open until 8:00 so I enjoyed my breakfast in the car while I waited.

Cinnamon toast with butter
#buttermakeseverythingbetter

Tags purchased...
Happy Birthday Zane
now...
off to work.

8:15 a.m. and I am now in my office, ready to tackle this Friday.

During lunch I often take 20 minutes to get my workout completed for the day.

This Friday, I chose to ride the stationary bike.  It gave me a run for my money...I struggled.

BUT, I got it done.

Lunch

Tuna Creations Hot Buffalo Style over lettuce with ranch dressing

Pita chips with hummus

And of course...water

AND...just as I sit down to eat, I get a phone call from my son that he had been the passenger in a mild auto accident.  Luckily he was just down the road by a couple of miles so I ran out to check on him.

Luckily, no one was injured and he was able to go back to work for the remainder of the afternoon.

So was I...back at the grindstone until 5:00.

YAY!!!  Time to start the weekend...

Picked up Wendy's on the way home.  Nothing like eating at the bar, browsing the weeklies for all the good deals in preparation for grocery shopping on Saturday.

Finished the night with a little reading...Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks.

9:55 p.m.  Nighty~Night

Well there you have it, a day in the life of us.  A pretty typical Friday with work, friends and family.

Until Next Time,

Heather