Tag Archives: lifestyle

chicago restaurant week ~ joe’s prime steak, seafood & stone crab

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J is a huge seafood person & had to try out Joe’s Prime Steak, Seafood & Stone Crab. It was so good. So much food, great atmosphere, awesome service. For the $33 fixed meal, it was a ton of amazing food, so it was definitely worth it!

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Appetizer ~ greens salad, manhattan clam chowder, or stone crab bisque

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Pacific Rock crab claws (amazing)

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6 oz. filet mignon & lobster tail

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The dishes came with cheesy garlic mashed potatoes, hash brows, & cole slaw that he made at the table

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K from Attention to Eattail told me I had to get the grilled tomato ~ thankfully it came as a side to the steak & lobster dish! She was spot on, this was amazing! Definitely a must when you go here.

Check out their website, they have a lot of events ~ Valentine’s Day & Pie of the Month!

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superbowl appetizers

How was everyone’s superbowl? We hope you had fun with family & friends, were as pumped as we were about Beyonce & Destiny’s Child, & enjoyed some good food! (Let’s be honest, that’s the best part!)

Here’s was L&L snacked on last night ~ some good ideas for your next appetizer!

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Mini sandwiches

Lay out a of pilsbury crescent rolls flat on a sheet. Layer add chopped ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone and roasted red peppers. Pour an egg mixture over it to keep all of the ingredients together, then top with the second tube of cressant rolls and bake for 30 mins.

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Taco dip

In a large glass pan, layer either chili or beans, cream cheese, chopped tomatoes & onions, shredded cheese, & anything else you want to spice up your taco dip. Put it in the oven for a little bit to heat it up & serve with chips.

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Chili

Everyone has their own variation of a chili recipe. Mix together ground meat (turkey, beef, etc), onions, tomato sauce, garlic, beans, tomatoes, oregano, chili powder, peppers.

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Pigs in a blanket

Wrap hot dogs (cut in half) in Pilsbury crescent rolls, put shredded cheese inside the rolls & put in the oven for a delicious snack.

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Brie

Place an entire wheel of brie inside a Puff Pastry sheet of dough. Spread raspberry jam on top of the brie, wrap the brie up tight in the pastry, and pour egg mixture on the top to seal it together. Wrap it in tin foil and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

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peeled 5-day juice cleanse

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I decided to take a risk & try something I’ve always wanted to attempt … a  juice cleanse!

I opted for a 5-day cleanse from Peeled ~ a really cool raw juice & smoothie place in both Evanston and Chicago. They have a ton of juices, smoothies & sorbets and offer a variety of different cleanses.

Juice cleanses are really healthy and not as difficult as you think! They get rid of any toxins in your body & basically kick-start your system. All of the nutrition facts are listed out, so you know exactly how much juicy goodness you’re putting into your body.

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There are four juices, 6 per day (pictured above)

Cashew Milk ~ water, cashews, dates, madagascar vanilla, raw organic agave & cinnamon

Green Lantern ~ kale, romaine, spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley, lemon & ginger

Haute Lemonade ~ water, lemon, cayenne pepper, raw organic agave, ginger & organic maple syrup

Maroon 5 ~ carrots, beets, apple, lemon & ginger

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The order goes: Green, Lemonade, Maroon 5, Green, Maroon 5, and Cashew Milk at night. You are supposed to drink one every 2 hours, along with water throughout the day.

The people at Peeled told me that if you absolutely have to eat something, it’s best to eat a food that is one of the ingredients in one of the juices, but it’s best to rely on the cleanse and really get the full effect by sticking to the juice.

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They are all pretty big, and honestly 6 per day was more than enough. I was never starving, never dying for food, and never miserable (like I thought I’d be) because these juices were so packed with fruits & vegetables. The Green Lantern tasted like a salad in a glass ~ it was refreshing & was filling enough to be a substitute for breakfast. The Haute Lemonade is pretty much the recipe for the Master Cleanse ~ as made famous by Beyonce & Yolanda of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ~ & it was so good. Maroon 5 was the fruitier juice with a hint of beets & carrots, it was okay but I preferred the other ones to this. The Cashew Milk was delicious & the perfect juice to finish off my day. By the end of the cleanse it felt like it was my dessert.

After five days of this cleanse ~ plus yoga or cardio every day ~ I felt amazing! Not only did I feel healthier and energized, but I also felt like I lost weight. Winter’s almost over, bikini season’s coming up!

I would definitely recommend Peeled ~ and juice cleanses in general ~ as a great way to get healthy, reboot your immune system, get rid of toxins, get a little push towards those New Years Resolutions, or just to try something new!

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via laurenconrad.com ~ ten foods for heavenly hair

We’re always looking for hair tips to keep our locks long & luscious! But seriously ~ the summer frizz has got to go.

Here’s a quick recap from a post from Lauren Conrad’s website today ~ ten foods that promote beautiful hair!

 

fruits & dark green veggies

vitamins, iron, & calcium ~ the vitamin C helps produce oil (the good kind) for your hair

 

foods with omega-3 fatty acids

flaxseeds, walnuts, salmon, & herring ~ shiny hair!

 

foods that produce beta-carotene

Carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, asparagus, pumpkin ~ vitamin A that nourishes hair and prevents dandruff

 

beans

Kidney beans, lentils ~ growth-boosting proteins & iron that help with thickness & hair breakage

 

foods rich in cysteine

poultry, eggs, red peppers, garlic, onions ~ amino acid that increases the thickness of each strand

 

nuts

brazil nuts ~ selenium which keeps scalp healthy

walnuts, cashews, peanuts ~ zinc that helps cut down shedding

 

whole grains

zinc, iron, B vitamins ~ increase hair’s growth rate

 

oysters

androgens ~ supports hair growth and diminishes hair loss

 

low-fat dairy

calcium ~ important mineral for hair growth

 

foods that contain silica

bananas, oats, raisins ~ hair strength

 

read the whole article here!

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tracy tracy tracy : style & trend profile

What is your favorite fashion trend right now and why? 
Cutouts! I love them because they can change a simple understated top or dress into something fun and effortlessly chic. My favorites are cutouts in the shoulders or backs of tops and the sides (hips) of dresses.
What is your favorite outfit to wear on a date?
Dark wash skinny jeans, a cute top & Sam Edelman heels

What is your go-to summer hairstyle?
Straight and down. I’ve been attached to my straightner since the 7th grade.
What hair trend do you really want to try or learn how to do?
I would love to have ombre hair like Khloe Kardashian’s, but I have been a brunette my entire life and the thought of bleaching my ends gives me crazy anxiety.
[We think Tracy could totally rock ombre locks!]
What music artist/ band do you have on repeat right now?
Ellie Goulding. Obsessed with her.

What celeb’s style do you admire most?
God too many… Nicole Richie & Rachel Bilson
Do you have a daily accessory that you always wear?
I never take off my silver mesh Tiffany’s ring and my David Yurman bracelets

How do you accessorize on nights out?
A pop of neon like a clutch or belt, heels, statement necklaces, drop earrings
What is your daily makeup routine?
Concealer, foundation, bronzer, eyeliner, mascara
How do you jazz it up for a nighttime look?
Smokey eyes and Staniac lip stain or Bobbi Brown lipsticks
What is your favorite Chicago restaurant and what is your favorite meal from there?
Gibson’s Steakhouse roasted chicken. Their cake slices are also huge and beyond amazing.

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