Scrumptious Lunches

This week let’s take a look at some lunch recipes that are healthy yet tasty! I hope you’ve been sampling some of the dinner and snack recipes. Please let me know what you like! If you are looking for more chicken, seafood, beef, vegetarian recipes or maybe you need more breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack ideas? Let me know!! I will find some delicious recipes for you to absolutely relish in yet not feel guilty about eating!

California Melt: QUICK AND EASY FOR THE DAY OF

Servings: 4 open faced sandwiches

Calories: 335 kcal

Cholesterol: 26 mg

Fiber: 7.2 g

Sodium: 170 mg

Carbohydrates: 21.1 g

Fat: 22.5 g

Protein: 15.6

Ingredients:

4 slices whole-grain bread, lightly toasted

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds

1 tomato, sliced

4 slices Swiss Cheese

Directions:

• Preheat the oven broiler

• Lay the toasted bread out on a baking sheet. Top each slice of bread with ¼ avocado, mushrooms, almonds and tomato slices. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese.

• Broil the open-face sandwiches until the cheese melts and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Serve the sandwiches warm.

Other Ideas To Enhance Flavor:

If you’re looking for a little more protein, add a fairly thick slice of your favorite lunchmeat (e.g. ham, turkey, chicken).

Mexican Ceviche-PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE

Servings: 8

Calories: 387 kcal

Cholesterol: 86 mg

Fiber: 7.5g

Sodium: 733 mg

Carbohydrates: 57.6 g

Fat: 12.4 g

Protein: 17.7 g

Ingredients:

5 large lemons, juiced

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste

tomato and clam juice cocktail

2 white onions, finely chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped

1 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 bunch radishes, finely diced

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

tortilla chips

Directions:

• Place shrimp in a bowl (You may either coarsely chop the shrimp, or leave them whole, depending on your preference.) Add lemon, covering shrimp completely. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until opaque and slightly firm.

• Add tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, radishes and garlic; toss to combine. Gradually add cilantro and jalapenos to desired taste (jalapeno will grow stronger while marinating). Stir in tomato and clam juice to desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve chilled with tortilla chips.

Caribbean Crabmeat Salad-IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING LIGHT AND REFRESHING!

Calories: 304 kcal

Cholesterol: 11 mg

Fiber: 3.3 g

Sodium: 629 mg

Carbohydrates: 50.1 g

Fat: 7.9 g

Protein: 9.8 g

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked rotini pasta

1 (8 ounce) package imitation crabmeat, flaked

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 mango – peeled, seeded and cubed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon lime zest

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water.

• Place pasta, crabmeat, red pepper, mango, cilantro and jalapeno in a large bowl and set aside.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, honey, cumin, ginger and salt. Pour over salad, toss to coat and let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. 

The Craze of Top Knots: Tutorial!

Photo Credit: http://beautyeditor.ca/2010/08/04/move-over-side-braid-its-time-to-embrace-the-top-knot-a-k-a-summers-perfect-hairstyle/

Top knots are super hot for this fall and they never seem to go out of style. Celebrities all over Hollywood love rocking this chic hairstyle, whether they're running errands and making the sidewalk their runway, or walking the red carpet at some of the hottest events worldwide. However, you don't need the lights, camera and action to achieve this playful and flirty look, nor do you need to break the bank at a hair salon. With a few simple tips and tricks, you'll be rocking a top bun like you own it.

First, you need to get your hair tied back into a slick ponytail. Of course, you can always leave some pieces hanging down for a more relaxed look.

Once you have your hair tied back into a ponytail, divide it into two parts and start to separated wrap each around the elastic band that is currently holding your hair into a pony tail. Feel free to get creative with the wrapping! Braids and twists would be fabulous elements to this hairstyle.

Secure each section that you have wrapped around your elastic band with some bobby pins. Try to intertwine the pins into the actual base of the ponytail for a better hold.

Now, that is the basic top knot bun that you can achieve, and once you have that down pat, it's most certainly time for you to indulge in your inner creative side and see what else you can pull off. As mentioned, twists and braids are always trendy tweaks that you can imply into any hair style. They're also super easy to achieve to add a little more personality into your look.

Another great option would be to twist the separated pieces in opposite directions. Your hair will fold into the top knot bun differently, and with this hair style being so trendy, it can't hurt to add a little spin and look different! If you really trust your talents and bobby pins, try to separate the ponytail into three or four pieces instead of the original two in the basic tutorial above. This will provide volume and texture and surely, the unique look that you're craving.

Celebrities from Kate Bosworth, Sienna Miller, Nicole Richie and Whitney Port are some of Hollywood's hottest stars that are often spotted rocking this fabulous little hair style. Now, you can look just as marvelous and achieve the top bun look without the salon and all of the hassle that most hair tutorials bring! All you need to know is the basic top knot bun tutorial and from there, you'll be able to implement different elements into your hair to achieve the look that you want.  Are you lacking some inspiration? Scan over some of the hottest Hollywood stars versions of the top knot and see if you can make the tweaks necessary to get the same look. And well, if you do - don't forget to give us a little shout and tutorial at the Flat Iron Experts blog, okay?

How to Choose a Salon for You

Photo Credit: Dare to Enter

There are several things that you want to pay attention when trying to decide whether a certain salon is the perfect option for you. Unfortunately, finding that ultimate spot to get your hair done can be absolutely dreadful, but it's important that you know that the process doesn't have to be trial and error. Who wants to go to salons in hopes that they don't mess up their hair, right? Take the error part of the "trial and error" process and follow these tips on decided whether or not that salon is going to deliver... before they start taking the scissors to your head.

First and foremost, do judge a book by it's cover - but only when it comes to a bad appearance. If there is dirt and hair flying all over that salon, you can be certain that the hair salon isn't the most sanitary. Appearance is everything - that's why you go to a hair salon after all, right? If there's anything that is not perfect in that hair salon, walk right out of that door that you just came in through. You are allowed to be picky. It's your hair! As mentioned, do not judge the salon by it's appearance if it's nice, because unfortunately, ritzy, glamorous salons doesn't mean that they have talented hair artists. This is when the next tip can really make or break that classy salon appearance.

If you walk into a salon and everything seems perfect, things look great and the vibe is everything that you want from a salon, it's time for you to be judgmental again. Judge the hair salon staff and stylists on the way that they are interacting with their clients, as well as one another. If a hair stylist has a customer in their chair, watch how they communicate. If the salon isn't busy, watch how they interact with you. Judge them on everything because at the end of the day, you're putting your hair in these people's hands and you want to be sure that you can trust them. If you are getting a shady feel from their interaction, head back out that door and try out the next!

Once you have found a hair salon that is clean, glamorous and with great staff - it's time for you to eliminate the untalented. When trying out a new salon and/or stylist, you should always - always be given a hair consultation. You shouldn't have to ask for one either! Your hair salon stylist should want to know everything that you love and hate about your hair, how it sits, the texture of it, the style - everything. If you aren't offered a consultation - run before it's too late.

Choosing a hair salon is a life long decision. Once you have found the perfect one for you, you won't ever have to look again, so don't settle. It's not worth loosing your locks over, right? With these tips, you can find the perfect hair salon for you, without risking your luscious locks that you love so much.

Signs of Infidelity

 

                Okay ladies, let’s be honest, being committed to someone is not always easy. Relationships have their ups and downs. However there is a golden rule that should never be broken! And that’s faithfulness. Never ever forget it. Regardless of the situation or hardship your relationship may be going through; it is never okay to allow a guy to hurt you, just as it is not okay for you to play around and hurt him. Most of the time women are blinded by love and don’t realize that their man is playing them, or other times women know that their man is cheating but they just hope and pray that their man will soon come to his senses. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes a man realizes what he may loose and  does comes to his senses. But whether or not to give him another chance would be a complete personal decision. Now I know you're probably wondering how would I be able to tell if my boyfriend/husband is cheating on me? Here are a couple of eye openers.

Another woman’s things: Smelling another woman’s perfume on him, finding lipstick smothered on him or his shirts… or finding something feminine in his car that doesn’t belong to you (this one by far being the biggest eye opener!)

Surprising business trips or work activities: Yes I understand that sometimes business trips or work related activities do pop up, that’s normal. However having them pop up on a weekly basis seems kind of sketchy, especially when these occurrences happen within less than 24 hours.

Dressing to Impress: If all of the sudden your man starts dressing up, putting on lots of cologne every time he goes out (without you), he might just be trying to impress someone else! Let’s us not be fooled ladies. 

Commitment and resolution: It is always important to see how committed your man is to you and the relationship. If you feel like you’re the only one trying to work past your issues and he is not trying, it may be because he wants out (most likely because he has someone else.) Always keep in mind that it takes two people to make a relationship work and one to mess it all up. 

                Alright, these are just a couple of signs to be aware of if you feel like your man is not being completely honest or truthful to you. If you are currently going through this situation, stay strong, and make sure you put yourself first (in other words, state your ground; especially if you decide to give him another shot!) Now if you have an amazing man by your side make sure you show him how much you love him, sometimes reassurance is necessary.