my favorite skinny margarita

I may be mistaken to be younger than my 18 year old sister quite often (I swear it’s just the height difference!!) BUT I am of legal drinking age. Lately, I have been sippin on these homemade skinny girl margaritas! I promise you, you will not miss the preservative-filled, high-sugar, 500 calorie per serving (could be a bit of an exaggeration) sweet and sour mix that is used in most margaritas!

Blondie’s Skinny Girl Margarita

makes 1

2 squeezed limes

2 oz. tequila (I like patron, but let’s be real…I’m a college student so that only happens when I go home!)

touch of agave nectar (I get this at trader joes)

Shake up and serve over ice with a slice of lime! So refreshing and perfect with a yummy fajita night dinner!

Enjoy & let me know if you try them out!

xo,

kara

hi!

I’m alive!!

Keeping up with the blog while in college, working and having an internship has been tough, so my posts may be sporadical but I’m not going to give up on it!

I am now finishing up my last year of college and in the process of figuring out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life! Ahh! It’s scary, but so exciting. Even if I don’t end up doing something in the field of nutrition, it will continue to be one of my biggest passions!

In other news, my sister and I have started a healthy lifestyle Instagram! Follow us at @keepit_klean. We often post recipes, inspirational quotes and workout ideas! Below is a little taste of what will be on the Instagram account.

delicious vegetarian dinner of a stuffed portabello mushroom, artichoke & roasted asparagus! with a fresh, low-cal margarita on the side! recipe to come 😉

acai bowls! the newest addition to nugget markets smoothie bar! #addicted

favorite salad lately. mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber on a bed of baby lettuces. drizzled in a balsamic vinegarette & lots of pepper!

protein zucchini oatmeal aka protein zoats. recipe on the @keepit_klean instagram!

cheesy baked pesto chicken with steamed broccoli and cauliflower & a sweet potato with coconut oil and cinnamon. easy and quick college girl dinner!

xo,

kara

been playing this on repeat for the last hour…

I can’t help it! It’s so catchy and sassy! 😉 Love ya tswift!!!!

Don’t you agree with me?!

xoxo,

kara

life lately via my iphone

hannah came to visit!

healthy breakfast cookies

green lemonade: kale, romaine, lemon, ginger and stevia!

recent fave and easy meal: veggie burgers, sunnyside up eggs with hot sauce & a variety of condiments

i have a newfound love for hermit crabs

amy and i gettin our spin on

ceej feeding lilypad.. is this not the cutest picture ever?!

persian food feast! nomzz

fruit crumble made with green apple, bluebs, plums, strawberries and peaches

hoomygosh please.

cauliflower crust pizza!

watch out world this guy is 21!

i’m gonna miss this soon-to-be italian!!

falafel burger at Village Grill

tahoe with the sista. before we went on a long bike ride!

my birthday dinner with dad & kristin

taking out all my foodie stuff from the kitchen cabinets & getting ready to move …..how did all of this fit?!?! sorry roomies #foodbloggerprobz

best creation ever…sweet potato with almond butter, maple syrup, south african smoke grinder (from tjs) and cayenne pepper. it’s the perfect combo of sweet, salty, nutty, and spicy! don’t knock it till you try it!

lily learns to swim! …this picture is from my sister. i did not witness this momentous moment in time 😉

hiking with flowers in our hair

can’t wait to try the Tone It Up girl’s protein powder, Perfect Fit!!!

weekly gourmet dinner with the boyf: bobby flay chicken fajitas with homemade peach salsa!

i had to…essie nail polishes in jazz, set in stones and bikini so teeny

got bored and chalked my hair! i put turquoise, pink and purple in it (you can’t really see it that well in the picture). but it looked cool and only lasts a day!

getting dressed up & enjoying the last few weeks left of summer!

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful past couple of weeks! I’ve been meaning to blog but I’ve been so busy with summer school (organic chemistry argghhhhhh), job hunting, and moving out of my apartment into a house! More on that later 😉

Also, most of these pictures are from my instagram. Follow me @kelundeen!

What’s the latest with all of you?!

xoxoxo,

Kara

july foodie pen pal reveal!

It’s that time again….Foodie Penpals reveal day! A huge thank you to Lindsay of the Lean Green Bean for organizing and coming up with the super cute and creative Foodie Penpal event!

This month my penpal was Magen who blogs over at madebymagen! She also sells super cute handmade bracelets that you can find at her etsy shop GoldenSpeck. I love the bow bracelets she makes!! Check em out. She has inspired me to start crafting more!! If you follow me on Pinterest, you’ll notice I’ve been pinning DIY projects like it’s my job ;).

Let’s see what the lovely Magen sent me all the way from Florida!!!

the box of goods!

yummness galore!

First up, I had to try the dark chocolate covered goji berries. I literally debate buying these every time I go into Whole Foods and I was stoked to see they were included in my penpal package!

dark chocolate +goji berries = a superfood powerhouse!!

i think they melted during the trip to california! but they were still yummy. i ate the whole bag in one day…whoopsies!

Next up, PB2!!! I know PB2 is all the rage among bloggers but I have surprisingly never tried it. This is probably because I have never found it in grocery stores and would have to order it online to try it. So this was perfect!

PB2!!!!

45 cals for 2 tablespoons?! You’re kidding me!

All mixed up with water, a little bit of stevia and cinnamon. It looks just like peanut butter! And it tastes pretty close to the real deal.

Drizzled over a protein pancake (don’t mind the color of the pancake, I used hemp protein so it looks a little green!!!)

I was also very excited to find Odwalla bars in my box!

I have never tried this flavor! It tasted like the sweet and salty peanut nature valley bars but healthier!

I forgot how much I love these!! Especially this flavor. Yummmo.

My friend Hannah used to bring Clif Bar Bloks (which seem similar) to swim meets for some extra energy and I loved those, so I was interested to see how GU Chomps compared!

pure energy!

I had one before a workout and definitely felt more energized!

Finally, I tried the Organic Strawberry Fruit Strip that was included in my package from Magen. It was the perfect snack and made with apple juice instead of sugar!

like a healthy fruit roll up!

Thank you Magen for an awesome package full of some of my new favorite foodie things!!! I can’t wait to continue reading your blog 🙂

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re interested in participating for August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!

———————————————————————————————————————————————-

If you would like to see what I sent my foodie penpal last month click here!

And thanks again to Magen for the gift!!!

xoxo,

Kara

White Chocolate Cinnamon Coconut Peanut Butter

I’ve been craving peanut butter lately.

But let’s be real…when am I not?

At first I was planning on making fresh peanut butter using peanuts as the one and only ingredient.

just peanuts.

But then, my roommates love for white chocolate got me thinking….

Why not make my own version of White Chocolate Wonderful? Without the added sugars and oils so it’s “healthier,” right? 😉

And of course, white chocolate wasn’t enough so I added coconut and cinnamon to add my own little twist.

heaven in a jar.

White Chocolate Cinnamon Coconut Peanut Butter

1 1/2 c peanuts (I used unsalted)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 c white chocolate chips, melted

1/3 c unsweetened shredded coconut

Add peanuts to a food processor (I used my Vitamix) and blend until a thick nut butter forms. It took me about a minute in the Vitamix but it will probably take longer in the food processor. Turn off the processor, add the vanilla and cinnamon and melted white chocolate.

add the cinnamon and vanilla

mix in the melted white chocolate…ohhmyygawd the best part

Then add 1/3 c coconut and blend until smooth.

in goes the coconut!

Enjoy with sliced apples, bananas, celery, pretzels, in oatmeal, by itself on a spoon….! It will probably taste good on anything.

and don’t blame me when the whole jar is gone in 2 days…

xoxo,

Kara

june foodie pen pal reveal (my first one!)

Wahooo it’s Saturday! Hope everyone had a beautiful day.

This month I participated in the Foodie Penpal event! Lindsay of the Lean Green Bean came up with this awesome idea and when I read about it on her blog I knew I had to be a part of it! And I’m so glad I did because I got to meet and get to know two new ladies from the blogosphere! 😉

I received my goodies from a wonderful reader who’s name is also Kara!!! Best name ever! She is from Michigan so naturally she sent me some of her favorite snacks that I would not be able to find in California! I loved everything. THANK YOU KARA! 🙂

And here’s what was inside the box…!

I love getting food in the mail!!

First up I tried the Castachio Nuts!

Pistachios are my favorite nut! And of course who doesn’t love cashews?!

They were lightly salted and oh sooo delicious

Then I tried the Raisin Granola made in Detroit, Michigan!

yummm love me some granola

I had this with greek yogurt and berries…

AND with homemade strawberry jam! Kara, you are da bomb. I loveee homemade jam.

I added it to my greek yogurt with berries and granola!

Next, I tried Kettle Cooked potato chips!

There’s even a picture of the Great Lakes on the package!

yummm these were delish! and accompanied my sandwich perfectlyyy!

I haven’t tried this yet, but I have always had my eye on Justin’s Almond Butter!

I can’t wait to add this to my oatmeal in the morning

A big big thank you to Kara for my delicious box of treats!

For those of you who are new to this and interested in joining, here is what Foodie Penpals is all about.

– On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penapl and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

– You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

– The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

– You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

– Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents. Please note, Canadian residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, Lindsay will keep two separate lists and match US with US and Canada with Canada!

If you’re in Europe, please contact Carol Anne from This is Rock Salt (thisrocksalt.com) at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!

If you live in Asia or Australia and want to get involved, email Lindsay at lclivingston@gmail.com and she will see if there is enough interest.

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th! You will receive a confirmation email from Lindsay within 24 hours if you sign up. IF YOU DON’T GET ONE, send Lindsay at lclivingston@gmail.com an email!

Please check out other Foodie Penpal reveals here!

Raw Revolution Bar Review

Hii babes!

A while ago I received a box full of goodies from Raw Revolution. I have been eyeing their Organic Live Food Bars at Whole Foods and was ecstatic to finally try them out!!

These bars are vegan, uncooked, peanut-free, dairy-free, made with organic & sprouted flax seeds, preservative-free, kosher, contain no refined sugars, non GMO, contain omega 3 & omega 6 fatty acids, low sodium, cholesterol-free, contain up to 6g of fiber and 8g of protein, contain no artificial ingredients and are made with organic sunflower seeds. The owner of Raw Revolution is also a registered nurse and a natural foods chef (ahhh I would love to have her life!). These are the definition of a clean, au naturale, healthy snack!

soooo many flavas – original size, green superfoods, and 100 calorie size

greens superfood bars (ranging from 150-170 calories each)

Tropical Banana – Very prominent banana taste, so if you don’t like bananas I wouldn’t recommend this one! I loved it though.

Lemon Dew – My favorite of these three! Light and refreshing taste (refreshing is a weird word to describe a bar but I don’t know how else to describe it!)

Apple Cinnamon – Reminded me of a healthy version of apple pie!

Lemon Dew!

These were my favorite! I liked that they weren’t as high in calories as the original, came in more fruity flavors (surprising because I usually like chocolate flavored bars!), and had added green goodness like spirulina, kale, broccoli & wheat grass powder.

original size bars (ranging between 210-240 calories each)

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle – Not very sweet, barely there raspberry and chocolate taste.

Coconut Delight – Very nutty and had a sweet coconut flavor.

Chocolate Crave – Not my favorite, it was too bitter and rich for my liking.

Spirulina Dream – Tasted just like Golden Cashew but it was green!

Golden Cashew – My favorite flavor! Chewy, and just sweet enough.

Chocolate Coconut Bliss – Very dense, could be a little sweeter (it had a bitter flavor from the cocoa powder i think), and a light coconut flavor.

Heavenly Hazelnut Chocolate – I could definitely taste the hazelnuts but it was a little to bitter.

They also have two new flavors that I’d be interested in trying: Cherry Chocolate Chunk and Almond Butter Cup!

Heavenly Hazelnut Chocolate. Look at all those chunks of nuts and seeds!

100 calorie minis!

Cashew & Agave Nectar – Just like Golden Cashew!

Spirulina & Cashew – Same as Spirulina Dream!

Chocolate & Cashew – Not a fave, just like Chocolate Crave.

Chocolate & Coconut – Pretty good, similar to Chocolate Coconut Bliss. I like the first two of these the best though.

Cashew & Agave. A quick snack before the gym!

Spirulina & Cashew.

Chocolate & Coconut close-up! You can see the almonds and sunflower seeds in there.

All in all, these bars do live up to their healthy name, although the flavors were not particularly amazing. At least not enough to get me to spend $2+ per bar at the grocery store. If they were more in the $1-2 price range then I think I would buy Spirulina Dream and any of the Greens Superfood bars on occasion.

Thanks to Raw Revolution for letting me sample their products!

Have you guys tried any of their bars? Let me know what you think/thought!

xoxox

Kara

WIAW #14

Hellooo! It’s What I Ate Wednesday! Let’s get to it 🙂 Also a big thanks to Jen for hosting the partayyy over at peasandcrayons.com every week!

breakfast: a tone it up protein pancake with blueberry green tea slim life yogi tea on the side

Recipe found here 😉

This recipe is from Toneitup.com, my most recent obsession. It is a fitness/food blog by two friends, Karena and Katrina, both certified Personal Trainers and have designed their own nutrition plan and workout videos (a lot are free on their youtube channel). I absolutely love them! I heard about them in a Self magazine a few months ago and just recently started checking out their blog. They are such an inspiration (check out Katrina’s body transformation), are so genuine and have really helped motivate me to work for that beach bod I’ve always wanted. You should check out their blog if you haven’t already! They post free workout videos, recipes, motivational quotes, weekly check-ins, etc. They also have a store where they sell cute tank tops, lunch boxes, stickers…andddd they just launched their line of Beach Babe bathing suits (SOO cute! Right now they don’t sell sizes separately, so when they do, I will be ordering one…or two!)

crazy cute

or this one! and they’re reversible!

lunch: a yummy salad from Pluto’s with spinach, garbonzos, kidney beans, cukes, broccoli, mango, strawberries and almonds. with whole wheat bread!

A day full of shopping ensued…

kristin and i decided to go out on a limb and try on lipstick at the MAC counter (i never wear lipstick!). i am wearing their matte lipstick called “ruby woo” and she is wearing “creme de nude.” i ended up buying the red!! i can see a makeup tutorial in the near future..

After shopping (I bought the red lipstick and some cute jean shorts from Urban Outfitters), Kristin and I rushed home because we wanted to make it to a workout class at our gym called Chizzled. I snacked on a few grapes before dashing out the door.

Chizzled was a great workout! We did lots of squats and pushups. I’m feelin in already and I love it! We both ran 1 mile on the treadmill afterwards but were too tired to do any more :p.

dinner: ezekiel wrap with hummus, half a homemade black bean burger (recipe being perfected!), cukes, home grown sprouts, red bell peps, avocado, spinach, and baby kale. with a pink lady apple on the side and lots of H2O!!

After din, I hung out with two friends from high school, Alexis and Sheeva but we were too busy catching up on each other’s lives that we didn’t end up following through with our plans of watching Project X and eating popcorn with chocolate chips (our faveee). Oh well! Missin the rest of the fab five though, Hannah and Jordan who need to come home!!!

Questions of the day:

What’s your favorite red lipstick? Or nude? I would love to try out some cheap drugstore brands too!

What was the best thing you ate today?

xoxo,

Kara

p.s. I also noticed that I ate vegan today completely unintentionally! Maybe I am a true vegan at heart…

the past couple weeks in pictures..

pie a pi phi philanthropy event. lemme tell you, whipped cream is not easy to wash out of hair!

toffee bars nommm so good

Recipe for these found here. Unfortunately they’re not super healthy 😉 maybe someday I’ll try to recreate them!

spring formal with my loves hayley and arielah

yummy carrot veggie quinoa with watermelon and more carrots on the side..i love my beta-carotene!

whole earth festival for mother’s day! fluffy chicken in the upper righthand corner!

enjoying the summer sun

making fresh juice! chard, cucumber, carrot, mango, celery and parsley!

failed peanut butter protein granola…it was all good until i added too much stevia and it had a very bitter aftertaste! i’m perfecting a recipe and will be sharing it with you shortly!

a 5 mile hike and a beautiful view of lake berryessa!

monster salads!

kayaking in lake shasta

pre-workout snack! my favorite luna bar and triology kombucha (one of my faves)

my crazy friends

a HUGE veggie and chickpea naanwich from raja’s tandoor at the davis farmer’s market!

we made sliders! in every flavor you could think of: teriyaki burgers with grilled pineapple (which cj is holding), falafel burgers with cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, turkey burgers with brie cheese and apples…..best idea ever!

healthified lemon cornmeal pancakes – recipe coming soon!

homemade funfetti/cookie bottomed cupcakes!

And that about wraps up the last few weeks I haven’t been able to blog. A few of these photos were taken using Instagram (follow me @kelundeen)!!! Check back soon for a product review and revealing of my Foodie Pen Pal gift!!!!

xoxo

Kara