Posts Tagged :

Food

best tacos in los angeles

Best Tacos in Los Angeles

 683 1024 Sheridan Gregory
2

Guys, this is not click bait… I found THE BEST tacos in Los Angeles & I need to share them with you guys in case you’re in the area or coming to visit at some point! I am kind of a Mexican food snob & I am 100% obsessed with Chicas Tacos in Downtown Los Angeles. Not only do they have the best tacos in Los Angeles, but they also have THE best sauces & nachos. Their green sauce is so incredible that next time I go back, I’m bringing home a few jars!

 top tacos los angeles

We stumbled upon this place at random one day while wandering around downtown & since then, I daydream about it daily. I also want to just talk about how incredible the exterior & interior is (which was what brought us to this spot in the first place)! Plus, we met one of the guys who own it & he was such a nice guy. He was making sure everyone was happy & it sold me on this place even more!

chicas tacos los angeles chicas tacos dtla best tacos DTLA

I know this might seem a bit over the top but I just couldn’t wait to share this place with you guys! It is seriously a must try! So if you live near Los Angeles or are planning a visit, don’t miss out on Chicas Tacos. I promise you won’t regret it!

 

Outfit Details:

Keep It Rad Tee

Distressed Denim Jacket

Distressed Black Denim (similar)

Gold Star Sneakers

 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

 1024 637 Sheridan Gregory
9
These are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made//eaten!!! Yeah, I know that’s a big claim but I am dead serious. We had a friend over on Sunday who was craving some cookie dough so I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies. I found this recipe & saw it had a secret ingredient that supposedly made the cookies super chewy & delicious. Who doesn’t like super chewy cookies? Well, let me tell you, they are the softest//most chewy cookies I have ever eaten. In fact, they were so good that I made them again last night! (In case you didn’t know, I usually don’t do that.) So, are you curious what that secret ingredient is? I thought you might be 🙂 It’s just instant vanilla pudding!! So simple right? Whoever thought of that was a genius. A literal genius. Thanks to these cookies, I realized how much I miss baking & so don’t be surprised if you start seeing a few more recipes on here. I promise I will only post them if they are as amazing as these chocolate chip cookies though. Pinky promise 🙂

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(This is by far my favorite food blog. She is a literal genius. Every recipe she makes is incredible!)
Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg (I replaced with 1 T. flax seed & 3 T water so we could eat the cookie dough :))

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 – 2 cups chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips)

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.

2.) In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and
sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine.
Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine.
Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
3.) With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch
apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let
cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
4.) Enjoy!
 Yields: about 2 dozen cookies
Pre Post Workout Snacks Meals

Pre / Post Workout Meals

 1024 576 Sheridan Gregory
0

Who’s ready for Summer!? I’m back on the grind & trying to get back into shape so I thought it would be fun to share what I’m doing in a little video series. If you’re looking to get back in shape (or even just maintain) let’s do it together!! These options are perfect pre or post workout meals & are super healthy. Plus, they’ll keep you full for a while which makes it easier to stay on track with a healthy diet. Stay tuned for more fitness videos coming soon & make sure & SUBSCRIBE to my channel to see more fun videos 🙂

*Straw-Bana Green Smoothie:
-Handful of spinach
-1/2 banana
-3-4 frozen strawberries
-1 scoop egg white protein
-3-4 ice cubes
-1 cup almond milk

*Egg White Fritatta:
-Egg whites
-Sprinkle of salt & pepper
-1/2 Tofurky Italian Sausage
-Handful (or 2) of spinach
-Sprinkle of cheese
*Spray pan with cooking spray & pour egg whites into pan. Sprinkle salt & pepper & then add Tofurky. Cover with lid & let the bottom get white. Add spinach & cover again until fully cooked. Sprinkle cheese on top & let melt. Enjoy!!

*Veggie Quinoa Bowl:
-1 cup washed quinoa
-2 cups water
-1 bag of frozen mixed veggies
-seasoning of your choice (I like this Outer Spice mix)
-1/4 cup slivered almonds
*Wash quinoa & then put into the rice cooker with the water. While quinoa is cooking, cook veggies with a bit of seasoning & olive oil. Mix quinoa, veggies & almonds in a bowl & season with a bit more seasoning to taste. Enjoy!

look up

 650 975 Sheridan Gregory
5

Being a blogger, I spend quite a bit of time on my laptop & phone.
Editing photos, researching, writing posts & responding to emails,
can mean spending hours a day just staring at a screen. Lately, I have
been trying to take breaks throughout my day & get outside for a
nice walk with my little one a few times a day. Sometimes, we forget to
put our phones away & get outside to experience the beautiful world
around us. That’s why I love that smartwater is doing the Instagram challenge “look up” (check it out #lookupsweepstakes). I am so lucky
to live in such a beautiful city & love the reminder to look up
& see the beauty that surrounds me daily! The other day, I looked up
& saw this.. 

Southern California is known for it’s Palm
trees & sometimes I forget how pretty they make Los Angeles. In a
city full of buildings & bustling streets, it’s nice to look up
& see these. The bright blue sky & Palm trees make me want to
embrace this warm weather & put together a fun Summer outfit. Since I
can’t get those beautiful palms out of my mind now, I decided to
embrace one of my favorite trends for this season & put together an
outfit incorporating the Palm tree pattern! Here are some of my favorite
pieces..

 

 
 What inspiration did you guys find with the “look up challenge”? I’d love to know what inspires you guys since I’m always
telling you what inspires me 🙂 Make sure to follow @smartwater on Instagram & check out the hashtag #lookupsweepstakes to join the challenge & let
me know what you guys see!
 Disclosure: This post was sponsored by smartwater through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about smartwater, all opinions are my own.

ZICO. Crack Life Open™

 650 975 Sheridan Gregory
4
I was first introduced to Zico® Premium Coconut Water a couple years ago. It was a few months before I got
pregnant with Kannon & I was instantly obsessed. While I was pregnant,
the chocolate flavor was my go-to sweet treat & boy did it satisfy my sweet tooth
(I drank more than you guys could probably imagine J). Do you know what the best part about 

Zico®
Premium Coconut Water is?
There are a ton of great things about it really, but my favorite is that it’s
healthy!!! It has all the benefits of water but is packed with 5 natural
electrolytes & has as much potassium in one bottle as a banana. I love that
I don’t feel the slightest bit of guilt drinking it & feel like I’m
indulging at the same time! Plus, it comes in quite a few flavors – Natural,
Chocolate, Pineapple, Mango & Passion Fruit. So you have a flavor for every
mood! I honestly can’t get enough of it & basically take it everywhere
with me. Plus, I love that their tagline is Zico. Crack Life Open™ because that’s exactly what it makes me want to do!

 

Hiking up at Mt St. Helens. It is the perfect drink for after (or during) a workout!

 

I love to just throw a bottle in my
diaper bag so I have something satisfying & healthy to drink while I’m out
& about! Another plus is that Kannon loves it as well so we share.

 

I’ve been taking a lot of road trips
this Summer & 

Zico®
Premium Coconut Water™ is the perfect beverage to have on hand in the car. I
hate having to stop for unhealthy snacks & this makes my life so much easier
whenever I’m driving around! So, do any
of you share my obsession!? What’s your favorite flavor?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by ZICO through their
partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post
about ZICO, all opinions are my own.

Chef Govind Armstrong’s Indi Chef Challenge

 720 540 Sheridan Gregory
0
How often does a celebrity chef offer up the opportunity to
cook with him, feature you & your dish on his restaurant menu, and present
with him at a high-profile culinary event? I’m thinking probably not that often! 🙂 Have I told you guys that I’m basically obsessed with cooking shows//contests? Well, it’s one of my guilty pleasures! My hubby & I can’t get enough of them & we are super excited to see who wins this!
Chef Govind Armstrong – who’s been featured on Oprah and
Iron Chef – wants to recognize and help aspiring cooks (or just passionate
ones!) in this very cool opportunity.  He
got his start as a young kid from Wolfgang Puck at just 13 years old (holy smokes, right!?. A
combination of passion, talent, and support from his mom, who’d drive him
around for his early culinary jobs, helped him get to where he is today. Now he
wants to help YOU!

He’s partnered with Indi.com, a new talent discovery site,
to pay forward his good fortune and hard work, through this fun cooking challenge.
So if you love to cook, then record yourself making a dish that you think might
fit well on one of Chef Armstrong’s restaurants – Willie Jane, Post & Beam,
or 8 oz. Burger Bars (think: yummy soul food like his famous short rib grilled
cheese sandwich). Then send in your video to Indi.com for a chance to win
a combined total of $1,000 in gift cards, some great notoriety, and work with Chef Armstrong
at one of his restaurants as a sous chef! 

Chef Armstrong’s Challenge is open for submissions from
March 14 – April 14, 2014.  Please check
out the details for this by clicking on this link (or visit Indi.com). So what are you guys waiting for!? Enter now!! & if you enter, send me a link to your video, I would LOVE to see them!! 🙂

Tropical Green Smoothie

 650 975 Sheridan Gregory
3

This is one of my favorite smoothie combinations! I love the sweet taste of the pineapple, bananas & coconut and then the addition of spinach makes it super healthy. If you couldn’t tell already, we are huge fans of green drinks at our house. Even Kannon is obsessed! I drank a green smoothie almost everyday while I was pregnant so maybe he’s just used to them? Who knows! This is one you should definitely try though!
Tropical Green Smoothie
1 banana
1 C pineapple chunks
1/3 C coconut
A handful of spinach
1 cup of ice
A splash of pineapple juice or coconut water
Blend until smooth & you have yourself a very tasty//healthy treat!! Hope you enjoy!

The Best Homemade Wellness Shot

 650 433 Sheridan Gregory
2
With my whole family sick, I’ve been trying every possible way to stay healthy. I still haven’t gotten whatever flu//cold bug they have & I’m crossing my fingers so I don’t! I whipped up a batch of my homemade wellness shot recipe for everyone (not Kannon, he just got a green smoothie :)) & the flavor is strong but man are these little things powerful! I highly recommend making these if you are sick or even if you feel like you are going to get sick.
Wellness Shot Recipe
3 stalks of celery
1/2 of a cucumber
Pinch of cilantro
1 lemon peeled but keep the pith(white stuff)
1 granny smith apple
2 inch piece of ginger root
Dash of cayenne pepper on top
*Buy organic produce if at all possible! Juice in a juicer & voila! You have a super healthy wellness shot that is sure to kick any cold//flu bug!!
Here are the benefits of all of the ingredients…
*Lemon– Combats infections & has antibacterial properties. It really helps if you have a sore throat!
 
*Green Apple– Helps to boost your immune system. An apple a day really does keep the doctor away! 😉
 
*Celery– Helps fight bacteria, viruses & inflammation. Also helps stimulate the immune system, which means it’s going to help your body fight off that nasty cold//flu!
*Ginger Root– Believed to help treat headaches & other cold//flu-like symptoms. Winning!
*Cucumber– An excellent source of vitamin C & A (anti-oxidants). Made up of about 96% water so it”s a great way to keep you hydrated while sick.
 *Cilantro– Also a great anti-oxidant & also has anti-bacterial & anti-fungal properties. My hubby loooves cilantro 🙂


You can also add a dash of Cayenne Pepper for its anti-flu & cold properties. I’m kind of allergic to it so I avoid it when possible!


Hope this helps you guys fight those nasty bugs going around! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or email me! & also, keep letting me know what posts you want to see! I love hearing from you guys!

healthy road trip snacks

 650 433 Sheridan Gregory
2
I absolutely love road trips! I love to just drive & explore new places along the way. My one problem with road trips? It’s so hard to eat healthy while in the car! Sure we stop at Chipotle & Subway and those are some healthy food options but they can get old really fast. Today, I am showing you some of my favorite road trip snacks! I also like to snack on some veggies & green juice but I didn’t have a cooler this trip so I had to live with snacks that didn’t need to be refrigerated 🙂 What are your favorite healthy road trip snacks?? Let me know! I’m always looking for new ideas!
1.) Fruit: I know that too much fruit isn’t good for you but I would much prefer to have the natural sugars instead of the processed junk.
2.) Kind Bars & Kashi Bars: These are my absolute favorite bars! I used to avoid bars because most of them are high in sugar & have a lot of unnecessary ingredients. These ones have a shorter list of ingredients then most. If you want even more natural ingredients, try LaraBars, they only have 3-4 ingredients in each bar! They are a little bit higher in fat though due to the nuts.
3.) Nuts: Whenever I’m looking for a snack, I eat a handful of nuts (6-10) & then drink a glass of water. Nuts are high in protein (obviously! :)) so they keep you full longer. Don’t eat too many though because even though they are good fats, they are still full of fat & you don’t want too much of that!
4.) Popcorn Chips: I know that these technically aren’t ‘healthy’ but they are much healthier than regular chips & sometimes you just need a little crunchy snack to get you through the trip! I also love the little rice cakes. Go for the flavored ones, the plain are nasty!
5.) Dried Edamame: These are another great crunchy snack! They are a good source of protein as well so they will keep you full.
 
FYI Make sure you look at the labels so you can do portion control!!!
Look at the serving size & how many calories so you don’t eat more than you think you are 🙂

Cake Batter Truffles

 150 150 Sheridan Gregory
7
I dove deep into the blog archives to find this recipe because it’s one of my favorites & I realized I haven’t made it in years. I figured I would share it again here (sorry for the poor photo quality & small images) because it’s a quick recipe for Valentine’s Day! I’m going to make these with the boys today & I know they’re going to be obsessed. Who doesn’t love cake batter flavored anything!?
Just a little side note, the recipe calls for candy melts but I didn’t have any so I used white chocolate instead (which was seriously amazing). That’s why mine don’t have the silky smooth coating!
Cake Batter Truffles
Slightly Adapted From: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Dough Balls:

1 ½ cups flour

 

1 cup confetti cake mix

 

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

 

½ cup white sugar

 

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons milk

 

 

Truffle Coating:

 

16 ounces white chocolate (or white candy melts)

 

1 Tablespoon yellow cake mix

 

sprinkles


Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished.

 

 

 

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.
Sheridan Gregory