Just Jodi Style

Hump Day Treat – Southwestern Chicken Casserole

November 2, 2016

Happy Wednesday Everyone! I have seen so many of my friends recently starting to share their cooking creations via snapchat and I love it because now I can ask them all for their recipes. One of my friends Lauren snapchatted this delicious southwestern chicken casserole and I immediately texted her for the recipe. I know when people think of casseroles they immediately think “ew it’s just a hodge podge of a bunch of stuff”, but this casserole looks and tastes delicious! Hope you all enjoy it!

Ingredients:

½ small onion, chopped

2 cups cooked chicken (shredded)

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice

1 (15 ounces) can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 (10 ounces) can diced tomato and green chili blend (drained)

¾ cup unsweetened almond milk

2 eggs (beaten)

1 cup reduced fat shredded mexican cheese blend

1 teaspoon cumin

½ tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic salt

Salt & pepper ( for taste and personal preference)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven at 350 degrees F

2.Coat casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray

3.In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients

4.Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake for about 25 minutes or until center is firm

5.Let cool for 5- 10 minutes and serve with desired garnishes

6. ENJOY!

Fitness Tuesday- 30 Day Squat Challenge

November 1, 2016

Happy November everyone! Wow crazy that today is the first day of November. This year has truly flown by and can’t believe that we are so close to the holiday season. Most people know November as no shave Movember, but since the 1st of the month fell on Fitness Tuesday here at Just Jodi Style I wanted to give you all a challenge for this month. This month I am going to be doing a 30 day squat challenge. Different than the ab challenge for last month I wanted something that was similar in the sense that it’s not as time consuming, but target a different area of your body. I have done the challenges in the past where you do wall sits or lunges, but I have never done one with simply just squats. You think that it wouldn’t do anything to your body, but look at Jen Selter. She is now known for building her backside into what it is today and she did a lot of that with simply doing squats. I mean I don’t necessarily want the same results as her, but she has truly made her brand with it. With Thanksgiving coming up just around the corner I know that it’s going to be full of food and treats so I want to be mentally and physically prepared for it :-). For all of you who did the ab challenge last month I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I personally can tell that my abs are stronger than before and I do feel more toned. I don’t have the flattest abs in the world, but I am surely getting closer to it. If you didn’t do the ab challenge last month you can always try again this month. Hope you all have a great Tuesday and happy November to you all! <3

Happy Halloween! Sandy From Grease

October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween Everyone! Every year I go through the motions of should I buy a costume or should I just use clothes that I already have to make a costume? This year I chose to use items in my wardrobe that I already had to create my halloween costume as Sandy from Grease. I already owned this amazing off the shoulder body suit from Express which comes in so many colors and is so comfortable and easy to wear. My half leather leggings are from Paige Denim that I got a few years ago with my mom at Bloomingdales. During the winter this is a great piece for when I want to have something that is a little bit fancier than just plain jeans, but also as comfortable as a pair of leggings. If you don’t have open toe shoes like the ones I am wearing just a plain pair of black pumps or boots or heels will do the trick! When I went away to Kansas this weekend I didn’t bring these leggings so instead I wore a pair of black mid rise jeans and paired it with my Gucci belt and a pair of leather booties with a leather jacket thrown over it. It is super easy to just use things you already have in your closet to dress up. For example one of the popular halloween costumes that I saw this weekend on facebook was to be a member of Fifth Harmony in their work from home music video. All you need is a pair of denim shorts or even a pair of overalls and a plaid shirt with a brown belt. Honestly, who cares what shoes you are wearing with some of these outfits they normally get cut off in the picture anyways 🙂 Hope everyone has a great Halloween and even though I am too old to go out and get candy I will get a bag from CVS for myself in honor of the holiday <3

Gold Nameplate Necklace

October 30, 2016

Happy Sunday! This week I have felt a bit nostalgic and I was going through my jewelry box and came across one of my favorite pieces of jewelry:my gold nameplate necklace that I had made in college because back in 2008. Let’s all remember Lauren Conrad and her nameplate necklace and ring were one of the hottest trends. I don’t know if you all can notice, but there is a little heart above the “I”. This is something in my life I have been known to do with my name so when I wanted to get a nameplate necklace I wanted this to be incorporated into it. I was in my college dorm room and I searched online for a few hours. I then found an online jeweler based out of Florida called personalizedboutique.com. At the time I was skeptical about ordering something custom online so I gave the owner a call. I wanted to make sure that if it was something that couldn’t be returned especially since it’s personalize I wanted it done right. I explained to him I wanted a simple gold nameplate necklace, but with a heart above the “I” and I can remember him saying on the phone to me that he had never done that before. He said he would try and see if he could do and sure enough he was! If you go on their website it isn’t an option for their generic nameplate necklaces to put a heart above the “I”, but if you call them they will do it for you if you ask nicely :-). Their website also has a lot of other great jewelry pieces that you all should check out. If you have any questions call them. They are one of the few jewelers that I have personally called and they are truly the nicest. Great customer service and very timely as well.

Colored Denim – #50ShadesOfGrey

October 29, 2016

It’s Saturday night and what’s a girl to wear when it is freezing outside, but jeans? I have been trying to change up my jean wardrobe from the standard denim or black jeans. I have experimented with colored jeans, but when I saw these grey jeans from 7 for all mankind I absolutely fell in love. Now being as short as I am there is always the dreaded time of finding skinny jeans that are cut just right to the point where you don’t have to go to the tailor to get them hemmed. These jeans from 7 for all mankind are the skinny ankle cut and they are a high rise waist and because of them being ankle skinny I don’t need to get them shortened! It is amazing! Sadly, the high rise ankle skinny this season only came in this color because if it came in other colors I personally would have purchased them all. I love the grey of these jeans because they aren’t too dark that they look like a pair of black jeans that just lost its color and they aren’t too light that you feel as if you are wearing them during the wrong time of the year. When you are looking for a great pair of grey denim take a look at the care label. I personally always wash my jeans inside out and then I let them air dry until they are almost completely dry then I put them in the dryer on a low heat for 20 minutes max. This way they aren’t super stiff when you try to put them on. I know some people may think “am I really going to wear grey jeans enough to invest in an expensive pair?” My answer is yes! I honestly didn’t think I would at first, but now they are my go to going out pair. I can pretty much wear them with anything. I have worn them to casual events and even to fancy dinners as well. A great pair of colored jeans styled correctly can go from day to night. Just like how I have it styled here with suede booties and an off the shoulder t-shirt. This is an outfit that I could go out with my friends in and also could even wear to work on a casual Friday. The opportunities are endless. Go out now and buy a pair of grey denim-before you know it all of the sizes will be gone 🙂

Steals & Deals: Halloween

October 28, 2016

Happy Friday everyone! We all know what that means: It’s time for some steals & deals but this week, halloween style! Right now if you go to party city online and order any costume they are up to 80% off! They have done this in the past and yes they do get you on the shipping because who doesn’t want their costume on time? BUT I have heard people that have gone into the store and they show the online price and if you get a really nice in store employee they will match the online price! Another great place to get a cheap halloween costume is Target! Yes, Target! One of my friends went to Target and got footie adult pajamas and because it wasn’t considered a halloween costume it was a fairly good price and they had a ton of sizes left for her. For me, every time I go halloween shopping I never seem to find a costume in my size since by the time I figure out what I want to be there is nothing left. Another great place to look for costumes is on Amazon. If you are a prime member this is the day to use it and get it by Monday for halloween. If you are like me and live in the city, check Prime Now. Since there is a warehouse right outside the city I am sure they have a lot of inventory on hand for the holiday. Can’t wait to see what everyone dresses up as. Check out these links below for some great costumes:

Target – http://www.target.com/c/women-s-costumes/-/N-5tf57?lnk=womenscostumes

Party City – http://www.partycity.com/category/halloween+costumes/sale+halloween+costumes.do

Amazon – https://primenow.amazon.com/browse?srs=15429241011&ref_=pn_br_tl_15429241011

The Basic Black Pump

October 27, 2016

Happy Thursday everyone! It is throwback Thursday so I wanted to throw back today’s post to the basic. What does every girl need in their wardrobe? A great pair of classic black patent leather pumps. This is something that at one point in your life you will need and also will never go out of style. I got these amazing black patent pumps back in college! Yes, I have had these bad boys since Fall of 2010. They are from Steve Madden and are probably the comfiest pair of heels I have ever owned. The reason why I first fell in love with these shoes was because in college my mom knew I would be going out a lot with friends and didn’t want me to spend a ton of money on shoes that I would ruin walking around Arizona. I also love how they have a platform in the front of the shoe, but you can’t tell because of the way the shoe is made. Most of the platform patent leather pumps, show the platform part by how the front of the shoe is cut. This one does not show and it is a solid black patent. Now, since I am no longer in college, I have a more expensive pair of black patent heels for fancier occasions, but when I want to go out to the bars in NYC these are my go to shoes. If you are in the market for a black patent shoe there are a few things you should look for. The first thing is to make sure that the heel isn’t too high for you because if this is something that you would potentially wear to work you want to make sure it is appropriate for the office. Second, make sure that it is a solid patent with no buckles or anything on it. I had a friend in college who got a great pair of black patent heels but they had a gold buckle on them and that made it harder for her to match it with outfits and also made them look less expensive than what they actually were. The amount of people that have asked me if my shoes were Stuart Weitzman or YSL is crazy! . When I tell them they are Steve Madden their mouths drop in disbelief. Check out these amazing black patent leather heels on Steve Madden right now and check out all of their latest shoes. I know you’ll love them as much as I love mine <3

Hump Day Treat: Halloween Themed

October 26, 2016

Happy almost Halloween everyone! In honor of the upcoming holiday I thought what better way to honor today’s hump day treat recipe then have it be halloween themed. One of my favorite things about halloween is obviously the candy, but as a kid I always was searching for the house with the best stash. I am sucker for anything that has M&M’s in it because they are honestly one of my favorite candy. Here is a a really cute and easy recipe complements to Tasty from Buzzfeed that incorporates M&M’s.

Ingredients:

½ cup of butter

4 cups of marshmallows

8 cups popcorn popped ( regular no flavor)

1 package of M&M’s chocolate the harvest blend (you can honestly do any flavor you want)

1 cup white chocolate

1 cup dark chocolate

1 teaspoon orange food coloring

Directions:

Put the package of M&M’s in the freezer for 15 minutes so they can be firm before using.
Melt butter over medium heat. After the butter is melted add the marshmallows. Stir constantly until all of the marshmallows are melted. After remove from heat.
Fill a large mixing bowl with the popcorn. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and mix around with a spatula gently!
Add the M&M’s and continue to mix gently with a spatula
Take a cookie sheet and grease it or you could also use parchment paper and grease that over a cookie sheet if you’d like.
Apply a thin layer of cooking spray or oil to your hands and grab a handful of the popcorn mixture. Gently form into a ball and place on the cookie sheet. (Repeat this step until all the mixture is gone)
Place the popcorn balls into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to set.
Melt dark chocolate. Once cool spoon into a small ziplock plastic bag.
Melt White chocolate. Stir in food color evenly. Once cool spoon into a small ziplock plastic bag.
Remove popcorn balls from refrigerator
Snip the corner of the dark chocolate bag to create a spout and drizzle evenly over the popcorn balls. Repeat with the white chocolate.
Return to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set chocolate
Then place in cupcake tins if you wish and on a serving tray and ENJOY!

Images taken from Tasty from Buzzfeed

Fitness Tuesday: Kickboxing

October 25, 2016

It’s Fitness Tuesday everyone! Recently, one of the biggest workout kicks that everyone has been on since spinning, is kickboxing. We have all seen our favorites like Gigi Hadid and pretty much every Victoria Secret model swear by it, so I personally had to see what all the hype was about. I have now being going once a week to kickboxing classes and I am hooked! Every studio is different and I have tried a few different ones, but it all depends what type of workout you want. I went to one by my apartment where the class started with a warm up exercises of running around the room with different interval exercises such as burpees, squats, air squats, lunges and of course all the different ab workouts you can think of. By the end of the “warm up” at this kickboxing studio I was always drenched in sweat, but ready to hit the bags. Other studios you did a simple a warm up then you either are doing some sparring with a partner or against a bag. Still to this day my favorite was Prevail which is based out of LA and has been featured on some tv shows including Vanderpump Rules. The one thing I will say to everyone is make sure you protect your wrists. I wear a bracelet on my right wrist everyday and I have noticed it start to bother me during kickboxing. If you go enough to classes it is worth investing in some of your own wraps for your hands. I bought two different ones off Amazon and I wash them myself. This is something my brother does and he said it just makes you feel better knowing you cleaned them and they are yours. I have my own gloves that I got for signing up with one of the studios and they work great for me. Some people have said because their hands are small like mine they bought their own pair of gloves and that is totally up to you! Just make sure that you protect yourself, because it is very easy to hurt yourself in kickboxing. I have definitely seen a change in my arm definition since starting kickboxing and I hope that one day I will have arms like Gigi Hadid 🙂 . Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Link to some great wraps from amazon:

Kickboxing Wraps

(image taken from google)

The Perfect Leather Skirt

October 24, 2016

Happy Monday! Now what is a Fall wardrobe without including a great black leather skirt. This black leather skirt is from Alice and Olivia and I am obsessed with it! I bought this skirt 3 years ago during summer right before I moved to New York. My mother always says with certain staple items in your wardrobe they are your investment pieces. She says this because these are the pieces that never go out of style and you will wear from season to season to season. When it comes to looking for a great leather skirt find one that is a solid color, but also one that isn’t necessarily a straight cut. This skirt has pleats in it and also it cinches at the waist. Unlike other leather skirts that I have tried on in the past this skirt gives me more of an hourglass shape, but also with the pleats it makes the skirt look fuller than it actually is. Someone one time even asked me when I wore it out if I had something under the skirt to make it look fuller than it actually was. If you are unsure if you would wear a leather skirt every winter then this season buy a faux leather one and test it out. See how often you wear it during the season and if you find yourself wearing more than 5 times before spring then you should purchase the real deal come spring. Like I previously said I purchased this skirt during the summer before I moved to New York because it was on sale. These pieces are honestly the best to buy during the off season because they get heavily reduced, but if you want one right now just remember that Thanksgiving is just around the corner!! Crazy! Hope everyone has a great Monday.

Here are some links to some great faux leather skirts:

Charolette Russe

Forever 21

Nordstrom

Here are some links to some great real leather skirts:

Bloomingdales

ASOS

Urban Outfitters