The first time I saw Nix, I got the vibe that it was some crazy heavy metal bar. A biker bar perhaps. Well, at least a place where short skirts and sleazy guys might hang out.
I mean, they DO have FLAMES in their logo:
So fresh and so (not) clean
I’ve been in Charlotte for nearly 2 months now, yet my place is still in disarray. So, my primary goal for the weekend was to be OOBER productive. Looking back I’d say I did a fairly good job of meeting that goal—good enough that I may even be able to post some pics of the apt in the next week or so 
Amidst all my oober productivity, I squeezed in a Body Pump class Saturday morning and a “run” (Ah! more on that to come) Sunday morning.
After the Body Pump class, the instructor called me a “real regular”. I know it seems silly, but her little comment and acknowledgement that I’ve been body pumping on a regular basis gave me this sense of pride and accomplishment. I guess it’s because I’ve NEVER been able to stick with any sort of strength training program. I’ve tried. I’ve failed. Annnd repeat. I mean, you all remember my strength training powerpoint, right? Fail.
The hard part for me was finding something I could stick with, and something that I KNEW wasn’t a waste of time. I’m happy to report I’m four months in to Body Pump and going strong! So strong in fact, that today without thinking I flexed my biceps in the bathroom mirror at work. Who does that?! Luckily no one walked in on my “which way to the gym” routine
Anyway, after body pump Saturday I headed home for a quick shower and scooted out to run some errands. I was about 5 centimeters down my street when I realized that I had not only forgotten to shave my armpits, BUT I’d also forgotten to put on deodorant. I slowed the car down to a crawl contemplating on whether or not I should turn around. On one hand I had my goals of oober productivity. On the other hand I had my newly formed goal of not ruining my chances of making new friends in Charlotte because I smell like B.O.. Now if it had been my cell phone I’d forgotten, you’re darn tootin I would have turned that car around. But hairy au naturale armpits? Not so much. I guess we all have our limits 
I hit up Lowes, Target, and Trader Joes before rolling my famished self (neglected armpits included) into my first ever visit to Zoe’s!
Simple.Tasty.Fresh!
My strength training obsessed BF tells me I need to make sure I get bookoo protein in after body pump, so as I perused the menu for something meaty I giggled when I saw they had a dish called The Protein Power Plate. Really?
REALLY??
As unappetizing as the name sounded, the description really hit a special place in my heart. Flat-grilled chicken, caramelized onions, and slaw. Say it with me. CARAMELIZED ONIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
I was also pleasantly surprised that the dish was sprinkled with a bit of feta. You know what they say. Feta makes everything betta.
This was one DELICIOUS dish. One that I’d eat again regardless of my body’s protein replenishment needs. Zoe’s has a ton of other things on the menu that look worthy of a taste – several sandwiches, kabobs, salads… not to mention the hand-made chocolate cake and homemade cookies. Can’t wait to go back!
After lunch, I headed back to the apt where I unloaded my booty… as in all the goodies I scored shopping… not as in #2… ummmm moving on….
One thing I scored was this lamp shade from Lowes:
I love the color and pattern. Yes, I plan to take the plastic off. Please note the pile of crap on my nightstand. Now envision a 1,000 square foot apartment filled with similar piles of varying heights. That’s what I’m working with, folks.
Slowwwwllyyyy but surely
3 Ingredients to Breakfast Bliss
What do these three ingredients have in common?
Cottage cheese (bleghhhhhh), eggs, and oatmeal?
Despite being super healthy and good for your body, these three ingredients have one MAJOR thing in common.
A big ole plate of PURE breakfast bliss, that’s what.
I hope you are as excited as I am 
Thank you to Jessica from Warfield Ninjas for sharing with me one of the simplest yet tastiest belly pleasing recipes I’ve tried in a while!
For two good sized pancakes (similar in size to a toaster waffle), you’ll need to combine the following in a food processor:
- 1/3 cup uncooked oats (I used quick oats)
- 1/3 cottage cheese (I used fat free)
- 2 egg whites
Give all the goods a quick buzz in the food processor until the lumps are gone, and cook them up like you would “normal” pancakes!
get. in. my. bellllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
I was feeling a little OVER THE TOP, so I decided to top mine off with some all-natural peanut butter, Dannon Vanilla Greek yogurt, strawberries, AND Smuckers sugar free syrup.
Feel free to use the toppings of your choice. To each her own pancake, I always say 
I made a smaller version of these for my mom over the holiday weekend, and she said they were surprisingly tasty and that she appreciated the “healthy and hearty” texture of the pancakes. I completely agree!
Pure breakfast bliss.
I’m looking forward to playing with this recipe a bit – and hopefully making it waffle-iron ready 
Stats on two pancakes (without any toppings): 203 calories, 21g carbs, 2g fat, 22g protein, 3g fiber.
Chicken Larb
Reasons why you should never judge a recipe by its cover.. err title:
Chicken Larb!
Say whaaaaa? What the crap is “larb”? Google tells me “larb” is a type of meat salad. Good to know, Google. Good to know.
Had I known this fun fact, I might not have hesitated to clip the recipe for “Chicken Larb” out of one of my issues of Cooking Light. But lucky for my belly, I looked past the gag-reflex-prompting title and filed this puppy away in my big black book.
I tweaked the recipe slightly and scaled it down to one delicious serving. First up, toss the following in a food processor:
- 4 ounces chicken breast
- 2 tsp red curry paste
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
- sprinkle of black pepper
Give it a quick buzz in the food processor, and you’ll end up with this crazy orange colored ground chicken:
I’m still amazed that I can make my own ground meat at home. It’s the little things, I guess!
Saute the chicken in a pan coated with nonstick spray over medium heat. I occasionally added a tbsp of water to the pan to help moisten things up.
Meanwhile, combine the following:
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp minced shallot
- The juice of 1/4 of a lime
Thing of beauty:
Once the chicken is cooked through, combine the chicken with the cucumber mixture and then spoon onto romaine lettuce leaves, and juice a quarter lime over top:
Looks crazy good, am I right? I had a big serving of roasted broccoli on the side:
This was super tasty and SUPER healthful. I decided mid-meal to grab a tablespoon or so of fat-free plan Greek Yogurt to dollop on top. It really was the icing on the larb 😉
This was my first time using red curry paste, and the paste along with the cilantro really made for a tasty combo.
There’s a recipe on the back of the paste bottle for Red Curry Shrimp. I need to try that STAT!
Roasted broccoli 
A delicious dinner enjoyed on my newly assembled patio furniture:
It’s nice to have a little helper. Or a 6’4” helper… either way
Stats on the Chicken Larb + 1.5 cups broccolee broccolye brocco-lee-hee: 221 calories, 19g carbs, 1g fat, 27g protein, 4g fiber
I can’t believe how outrageously low cal yet still tasty that meal was – next time I may beef it up with some beans or avocado.
Soooooo did you catch the broccoli reference?!?! PLEASE take 4 minutes and watch this. You won’t regret it. And as an added bonus you will now know the song I sing to myself every time I chop up broccoli 
Chocolate Coconut Love + Luna Bar Giveaway!
Guess what arrived?!?!?!
A giant package from DrugStore.com…………
I currently have 15 strike that 14… ok 13 CHOCOLATE DIPPED COCONUT LUNA BARS in my possession 😀 😀 😀
As soon as the package arrived, I tore into the box.
Immediately, I tried to smell the chocolate coconut goodness through the wrapper.
I don’t smell anything…
SMELL HARDER!
This game didn’t go on long before I ripped open the package and took the first glorious bite of the new luna bar flavor.
HOLY CANNOLI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Almond Joy lovers hold on to your seats. This was so DELICIOUS and so worth the wait not to mention risking my life in a Cleveland ice storm.
See all the flaky coconut goodness?
Lucky for you all, I’m ready to share my goodies! So, I’m going to give one reader TWO Coconut Luna Bars plus a Blueberry Bliss Luna Bar (one of my all-time favorite flavors)!
Here’s how you can enter:
1.) Leave a comment including a link to the BEST healthy or healthified recipe you’ve ever tried.
2.) Tweet about the giveaway (my twitter ID is @Fervent_Foodie) — make sure to leave a comment here letting me know you tweeted. Here’s a shortlink for you: http://wp.me/pW6Qg-1f0
3.) Like the Fervent Foodie page on Facebook and leave a comment here saying you did so.
I’ll let this run through Midnight eastern time on Tuesday Feb 15, and then I’ll use a random number generator to find out who I get to share some Luna Bar love with. I hope you are as excited as I am… I know.. I’m obsessed. It’s ok.
