Fiesta Fiesta

Happy Friday! Anyone have a food coma/hangover out there? I paced myself so I could wake up at 5am for spin! I’m on a train on my way to New Jersey for a wedding filled weekend Last night my family got together to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and also to welcome home my baby brother who is now 21 years old and home from college for the Summer.

He’s all growed up now

My family is totally normal.

Our spread included lots of my mexican favorites

Salsa & Guacamole w/ Chips (too interested in eating to take a picture)

Mexican Lasagna

Chicken & Steak Fajitas

Southwestern Egg Rolls

SkinnyGirl Margaritas

Fixin’s Bar

and of course a Mexican flag triple layered cake. No party is complete without cake.

This festive cake was REALLY easy to make and super delicious. Check it out.

Mexican Colored Triple Layered Cake

Ingredients

• 1 Box Funfetti Cake Mix
• 1/3 Cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 Cup water
• 8 oz fat free vanilla yogurt
• 4 eggs
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
• Food Coloring or Decorating Paste (red and green)

Directions

•  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• With an electric mixer, mix the cake mix, oil, water, yogurt, eggs and pudding mix until well combined; about 1 1/2 minutes.

• Divide batter evenly into 3 bowls.

• Add red and green to two of those bowls.

• Once mixed, pour each colored batter into well greased 9 inch cake pans (3 total).

• Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cakes are cooked through.  Cakes will be thin.

•  Once cooled completely, remove from pans and place first layer of cake onto a cake stand.  Spread frosting over top layer then place second layer of cake on top and continue this pattern until all layers are frosted.  Frost top and sides once layers are frosted.

• Add decorations as you see fit. I’ve added pepper toothpicks to the side and a sombrero in the middle.

Ok so maybe it’s not the easiest cake ever… But it’s pretty darn simple. I like to serve this with ice cream.

Or a glass of milk

Hey, I’m allergic to it all so really, whatever is worth the pain!

It’s Favorite Friday!! In the winter I’m fine with a movie and dinner (at home) because I hate the cold…But when it gets warmer I love to go out on dates. Creative outings are always fun – It keeps the spark in your relationship strong.

Top Date Night Ideas

1. Attend a cooking class
2. Go for a hike
3. Head to the Zoo or Aquarium
4. Attend a concert
5. Miniature golf, bowling or arcade at the boardwalk – Make a fun competitive bet
6. Have dessert for dinner. Make sure this indulgence is worth it!
7. Take a drive to a city in your state you’ve never explored
8. Fill up a picnic basket with goodies and share your feast
9. Go camping
10. Participate in a wine tour at a local winery
11. Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity or something similar
12. Take a hot air balloon ride
13. Watch the sunrise/sunset
14. Head to a local comedy club
15. Learn a foreign language
16. Get a couples massage
17. Take ballroom dancing lessons
18. Go to a farm where you can pick apples, strawberries or whatever is in season
19. Play a game of tennis, head to the batting cages or one on one volleyball
20. Attend a sporting event

I really could go on, but this is getting a little wordy!

I’m almost to NYC where my boyfriend is meeting me at Penn Station. Wedding weekend (not ours, duh) here we come

What is your favorite date idea? 

WIAW

Happy Wednesday! We’re half way through the week =) It’s actually my Thursday because tomorrow is my Friday! Wahoo!

I’m doing another What I ate Wednesday Post thanks to the lovely Jen - So let’s get to it!

This is actually what I ate YESTERDAY so I could post it today

Breakfast: 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, handful of raisins, 1 apple chopped (some in the bowl, most on the side)

Lunch: Operation get rid of all of the veggies that are about to go bad: Stir Fry – 4 oz chicken with red peppers, green beans, snow peas, water chestnuts and mushrooms in 1 1/2 tbsp teriyaki sauce

Dinner: Home made Black bean burgers w/ mango & avocado salsa (I had this plus another half)

Snacks: 1/2 Whole Wheat Wrap with 1 tbsp PB, 1/2 banana, a drizzle of agave and a sprinkle of cinnamon – This is my new favorite snack and I’ve been eating it almost every day!!

Snack #2 – Left-over Sesame-Miso Cucumber Salad &  1/6 cup of black beans w/ a square of dark chocolate

Dessert: Scoop or 2 of White Chocolate Wonderful

Since this is also a fashion AND fitness blog I’m going to share my workout and what I wore today yesterday as well.

Wearing:

• Headband – Charming Charlies
• White Shirt w/ Glitter Pocket – Old Navy
• Necklace – J. Crew
• Pink Skirt – Forever 21
• Belt – J. Crew
• Watch – Michael Kors
• Bracelet – David Yurman
• Flip Flops – Rainbow (comfiest shoes EVER)

Workout: 30 minutes of cardio after lunch and before snack #2 and 60 minutes of bootcamp before dinner where I basically got my butt kicked

Remind me to never take weeks off from that class ever again!!

My delicious dinner was actually prepared by my aunt so I don’t have step by step pictures but I did want to share the recipes

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

• 30 0z can of black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1/4 cup whole wheat panko
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2  medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 large egg whites
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Place black beans in a medium bowl and mash with fork
• Stir in panko, cumin, oregano, sea salt, jalapeno and egg whites
• Shape bean mixture into 6 1/2 inch thick patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, carefully turning once

Mango/Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups chopped mango
• 3 tablespoons onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 avocado peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss gently.

We topped our burgers with the salsa and served it with romaine lettuce instead of a bun. You could always add the lettuce on top of the burger w/ salsa and place on a Whole Wheat bun. These are so good! I’ve been wanting to make black bean burgers FOREVER so I’m glad it finally happened

Tomorrow I have a post on eating healthy for Cinco De Mayo – If you have a healthy recipe feel free to link it and I can add it to my post! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

QUESTIONS: What did YOU eat today??