Literally

Soooooo……lots of Jersey Shore fans out there huh? I think I am going to have to suck it up and watch it. I let ya’ll know if I regret it or not.I woke up this morning and was out of eggs. Boo to that. The only thing that would’ve been worse was being out of eggs and cheese.  That being said, I had a different breakfast.

Having a different breakfast apparently threw me way off of my A game coffee wise, I didn’t even hit up the Bucks today! And you know what, I lived to tell you all about so maybe going a day without the Buckies is possible?

I was pretty busy this morning bit it left me time for surfing the web and catching up on news. I found two interesting articles about rivals Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods:
 
*Trader Joe’s how they are the store on the rise and changing shopping in our culture:
 
 
I love how they say “It’s an offbeat, fun discovery zone that elevates food shopping from a chore to a cultural experience.” Because I couldn’t agree more
 
*Whole Foods on how they are an affordable necessity 
 
 
When asked about the nickname “Whole Paycheck” Co-Founder John Mackey says “On like items, Whole Foods is very competitive. … We have 30,000 items, and you can probably find 30 on which we’re more expensive”  Really? Are we talking about the same Whole Foods because when I go there I only buy a few items since the prices are so inflated compared to my beloved, Trader Joe’s. I found it really interesting that he says their best-selling item are bananas out of everything in the store.
 
Today is Tuesday which means it’s Hippie Day. I got another batch of great produce including red pepper, sweet potato, apple, cucumber, zucchini. 

 
I had leftover taco casserole for lunch today with a side of chips, I keep it healthy what can I say?
 
 
I got out of work a bit early so I could go to zumba class. The class was at 615P , I didn’t have time to make dinner but snuck a snack in before I headed out for it.

Can we say kicked my butt? I haven’t been in a few weeks and it was great to be back but tonight was a tough one.

Dinner was General Tso’s Chicken with quinoa and veggies

Red pepper, zucchini, red onion and string beans cooked in fish sauce and soy sauce with red pepper flakes, garlic and pepper

I was drying my bra in the kitchen since there is a hook right above the oven…..I never said I was classy. And now I have to re-wash my bra.

I used Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken (frozen) but didn’t have any sauce leftover and used Kikoman General Tso’s sauce. I love making take out Chinese at home, tastes just like the real thing!

See, there is actually quinoa under there!

I walked over to Harris Teeter afterwards to fix this whole no egg business in my house. I always have eggs or egg whites so I’m confused how this happened. I found a beautiful deal while perusing the aisles at the Teet though.

Laughing Cow for only $2.50!!! I started chanting “Ahhhhh aaaaaahhhhhh ahhhhhhh” like a Benedictine monk but then switched it up to “Holllllllllllaaaaaaaaa” since it was a frickin sweet deal. I was only going to get one but I had to be a smart consumer and stock up.

Along the line of articles, did anyone see this article about the girl who lost 118 lbs and credits that to Weight Watchers, applied for a job with them and was told her her body mass index was too high? According to the article, her interview was going great and she had tons of experience teaching but then a question regarding her BMI came into play. She provided her weight and height and then the interviewer told her she  couldn’t complete the interview process any further. Anywho, I saw the article and thought that it was  absolutely ridiculous and hypocritical. Thoughts?

This day has left me exhausted, both mentally and physically. I think I am going to follow this boys lead …..except I won’t be passed out in front of my wine rack…..I will be in front of the wine cooler.

To Shore or Not To Shore?

Today was a Summer Bank Holiday in the UK which apparently affected a huge portion of my work. It was completely slow today and I found myself with extra time to surf the web, read, talk walks, etc. This was nice but I can’t roll like this every day, I need some kind of work to keep me occupied.

I had leftover taco casserole from the other night. I added some extra cheese (since cheese makes everything better) and salsa to thin it up a bit. I am all for the spice but this had me fanning myself for a half hour afterwards. Not so much my mouth but just my body, I just wanted to cool down and be at a normal temperature again. I have one more left and froze another portion for a later date and am anxious to see how it froze. I love making batches of meals then having it a few times and freezing the rest. I don’t understand why more people don’t eat leftovers or take it for lunch, I think it’s usually better the second time around!

I was blissfully full but an ugh was about to hit. I had some dude from the past start IMing me at work. Really? We went our separate ways last year but he just started with my company last week and felt compelled to IM me. That’s a tad annoying. I mean, I understand why he would want to IM me but still, let it go. Plus, isn’t it a tad inappropriate and unprofessional to be doing that?

The lack of work today had me questioning things in life….what am I doing career wise? Am I going to stay in Charlotte? Why has this year gone by so quickly? Should I  start watching the Jersey Shore or not?

Unfortunately, I focused on the last question the most. I’ve never seen an episode however I know who all the key players are and know they like the GTL and like to get drunk. Besides that, I think they may work? I am just confused what they do all day and what the hype is. What also confuses me is how some of them make so much money when they seem like idiots who just get drunk and party? I will surely become an idiot if someone would pay me that much. Desperate times call for desperate measures and I can be very dramatic if the mood calls for it and if the money is talking. I love reality tv but think if I start watching, I will become hooked. I don’t want to be that girl who goes onto The Jersey Shore bulletin boards to read what the spoilers are and start following these people. Plus I have so many questions-Why is their hair so big? Why do they tan so much? Do they know the dangers of tanning?  Why are they all from places except Jersey? Why are they in Miami and what are they doing there? I never see them smile with their teeth, do they have any?  I am very intrigued but kind of believe The Jersey Shore is like Pringles-once you pop you can’t stop.

Perplexed by all things Jersey Shore, I made an Italian dish for dinner-Balsamic Chicken over pesto spaghetti with green onions and fresh tomatoes

Yay for the colors of Italy–represent!

Feeling uninspired from my strength training workouts lately, I did just a kettlebell and kettlebell only session

Kettlebell-20 lbs

Side Bends (20 reps, 2 sets)

Halos (13 reps, 3 sets)

Swings (13 reps, 3 sets)

Shrugs (13 reps, 2 sets)

Step Ups (25 reps, 3 sets)

Upright Deltoid Row (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Bentover Row  (13 reps, 3 sets)

Paired with a whole bunch of jumping jacks, planks and dancing in between sets, this workout kicked my butt. I was dripping by the end and felt like I was pushing myself more than my normal workouts when I incorporate a 10 and 15 lb dumbbell. I had an awesome calorie burn and my heart rate really got up there. It was interesting to see what a difference it brought from workout out along with my dumbbells and want to start incorporating kettlebell only workouts in my routine.

I refueled with a pomegranate smoothie with Chobani Pom Greek Yogurt, Pom Wonderful, Flax,Almond Milk and Vanilla Whey-delish

I am excited for tonight. I have absolutely no plans and the highlights will be washing my hair, doing the dishes and catching up on blogs. This past week was a bad one for me. I just felt off and not as happy as I usually am. I am going to blame it on coming back from Phoenix but I was really in a bum mood most of the week and just not feeling anything. I feel myself again and happy I am out of my funk!

Time Flies….

Well, you know the rest of the old saying. Where did this wknd go? I feel like I was just scheming to get out of work early so I could make it to happy hour on Friday.

Yesterday morning was a bit rough for me but some friends called and asked if I wanted to go to lunch and see what the hangover wasn’t fully gone, I gladly accepted. We chose Village Tavern since they have a huge patio and it didn’t seem like it was going to excruciating, sweat falling down your butt crack kinda hot out. We pretty much had the patio to ourselves since it was kinda dead. We had an interesting server guardian angel….yeah…..that’s what our server introduced himself as. I found it weird but cute.  Kinda dead but with slow service, what’s up with that? I got a diet coke since I needed caffeine to jolt my system and I was sucking them down like there was no tomorrow. Shows them for charging $2,50 for a soda—when did that happen?

I got the Miami Burger with fries—burger topped with ham, swiss, Dijon mustard and pickles.

Look at the gooey cheese!

We sat around for a while and chatted but then remembered the new Pinkberry was right around the corner. I’ve never tried Pinkberry but love all things fro yo and if Pinkberry is good enough for Paris Hilton, it should be good enough for me right?

Wrong.

It was insanely packed which I can handle but was expecting more of a selection flavor wise. I got the pomegranate fro yo topped with blackberries, kiwi and fruity pebbles and it was good but I’ve had better. I would rather go elsewhere, mix and match and have it weighed. Also, I’m a pretty happy person however the happy happy joy joy act was a bit too sunshiney happiness up my butt for me personally. But then again, I was hungover so yeah…..

 

And then when we were waiting in line to pay, the power went out for a few seconds so that meant the computers took forever to reload with the cash registers. And then overcharged me by $2 but it was so ridiculously crazy and happy in there I didn’t even feel like going back in.

I felt so overly bloated the rest of the night I went for a 3 mile walk just to move. I felt so stuffed the whole time so seeing that I was wearing a heart rate monitor, was a bit uncomfortable.

I had a BIG salad for dinner with spring mix, tomato, avocado, mushrooms,cucumbers, ground turkey, onion, sweet peppers and cheese with some new dressing.

I loved this dressing, it would be awesome as a chicken or pork marinade as well. And what is it about avocado that makes everything better?

I would love to say I went out again or had an exciting but no dice. I was in bed with this beauty, I am enjoying it immensely but fell asleep a few times while reading since I was exhausted.

I would have loved to gone out but I have been spending way too much money on dining and drinking lately. I love my new little neighborhood but feel like I have been loving it a little too much since everything is so convenient. My wallet and my waistline are not diggin this. I had a resolution to drink less beer this month and that’s not going well at all. I have been working out a few times a wk but really need to get more exercise in more consistently.

I had a sweet potato that was needing to be used so this morning I cut into little rounds, brushed with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and let bake for about 20 minutes. Now looking back, the fact that I was handling a knife with no caffeine in my system was not a smart move on my behalf at all. Along with it with an egg and cheese sandwich thin topped with avocado, green onion and ketchup.

Fabulous way to start my morning.

Soon, I was off to go to my friends pool. I’ve been so spoiled with growing up in Florida, living in Arizona and living here and always had a pool. It’s just standard in my world and not having one kinda sucks. I figure this wknd would be the last of the summer I would get some pool time in so off I went. It was a great time until we were people watching and this woman had a panty liner  or some kind of toilet paper attached to her booty—eek! We just kept staring and ate one point I felt mortified for this lady and finally had to look away. It was a persistent pest as well  since it was on her, she went in the pool, got out and still stuck! Someone finally went up to her and told her but that bad boy stayed on for a while. And for the rest of the day, I was wiping my butt all paranoid and stuff.

 I feel like I am all booked for September already, look at how popular I am jk 🙂

Wknd of 4th-Parentals and some sorority sisters in plus going to a new stylist to get my hair done

Wknd of 11th-Greek Fest!

Wknd of 18th–Diana in town

Wknd of 25th-Oktoberfest and a possible guest in town. I can tell you now that wknd is going to be shot with the Oktoberfest b/c it will be the hangover from hell. WVU also plays LSU that night so it’s going to be a crazy one!

Starving by the time I got back, I picked up at a 6 inch meatball sub from Harris Teeter since it was the $2.99 special today. I mixed it up and got chipotle mayo and banana peppers on it and it was messy and tasty!

I lounged around, caught up on Real Housewives of DC and gave myself a manicure and pedicure since Sundays suck and those things make me happy. If I am going to dread going back to work, I may as well enjoy the night before right?

Dinner was random-fried green tomatoes and nachos

I sprinkled some tabasco on them for taste

So the nachos were kinda depressing. I am using to just throwing them in microwave for a minute to melt the cheese but now have to use my oven. I obviously didn’t know how long to do it for since they turned out a tad crispy but still edible. I need to work on that a bit. I miss having a microwave 😦

Hope everyone had a fabulous wknd and let’s hope this one goes by quickly since we have a three day wknd to look forward to next wknd!

That’s What She Said

Thursday breakfast, I ate like a queen! I recently bought these Pops Mix It Strawberries flavored cereal. I am not much of a cereal person and if I do indulge, will have the healthy kind like Kashi Go Lean. Fruity Pebbles will forever be my favorite kind of sugary cereal —mostly because the milk gets a stained glass look afterwards and that’s just fun! But I never buy the Fruity Pebbles and only bought this kind since it was $1 for the bag.

 

It tasted good but didn’t keep me full at all.  When I got to work, I had plans to meet up with an old co-worker of mine for coffee. We went to Einsteins and when I got there I remembered that a coupon for free hash browns and free coffee when buying an order of Chicken Mini’s at Chick Fil A. If you don’t get their calendar and love the Chick Fil A, you need to get on that around Christmas time. It’s become tradition that my parents get me that every year and that’s fine with me b/c I am easy like that (that’s what she said). Tip—if you buy a $25 gift card, you get the calendar for free. The Chick Fil A near me takes expired coupons as well so I am still using some from last years calendar.

 

Chick Fil A was also the highlight of my lunch on Thursday with their fat free honey mustard dressing.

I love you Chick Fil A..

Has anyone out there heard about the Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt?

 source

I know this is a heart attack waiting to happen but I am going to try it. One of my sorority sisters will be in next wknd and she is crashing with me and we have made plans to make a late night trip to Denny’s (sober unfortunately) and have a go at it. We talked about splitting it but who knows if that will happen. All I know is I am so excited!!! And I am going to enjoy every last bite of it since I love all things cheese. The fact that it’s only $4 doesn’t hurt either.

Thursday night I made a Taco Casserole for dinner with macaroni, ground turkey, black beans, mushrooms, jalapenos, shredded cheddar, onions and sour cream. Wow, that’s a mouth full right there (that’s what she said). I’ve never made this before but it seemed like a really good recipe to try since I had all the items on hand and could mix everything all together and save for later.

I added some cayenne pepper, garlic and Tabasco to it for a little kick and kept me full for hours.

 

Pretty 

Dirty

 I made the mistake of watching Dexter Season 4 Thursday night. I was sleep deprived since the sugar from my adult drinks kept me the night before but needed to watch it.  I always tell myself I am going to only watch one or two episodes but five episodes later I was on the season finale and wow. That’s all I can say. Such an amazing show, I love the story lines, the dark humor and the character development.

I got up at 530A on Friday only to find I was out of coffee. No bueno. I need to jump on that asap b.c me in a house with no caffeine is just not right. At least was up with me…….well, kind of.

I made yet another egg and cheese sandwich topped with ketchup and green onions but got a little creative with the presentation

 

I am so happy I am a 30 yr old woman with the mentality of a 14 year old boy

I missed my bus but had Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang to keep me company. I just love her so, she is just so crass. My dream lunch (or happy hour) would be with her and Kathy Griffin, I just know we would be besties!!

Friday was unbearably slow. By 945A I was done with all my catch up work and had nothing to do. Thankfully, I remembered the hippies were outside and took a break to go read some more Chelsea and get some hippie loving.

 

All of this for $8. I love hippies long time. I got green tomatoes and of course am going to make fried green tomatoes. I’ve had them before and they were delish and can’t wait to make them this wknd! I asked how long they are going to be out this year because they usually go away in September but she said they are going to be there as long as they can with their winter produce available. That made me happy.

 

Lunch was leftover enchiladas, just as good the second time around!!

 

Then one of my co-workers brought me over a piece of her carrot cake she had from the night before. It was so yummy, I thought it was Cheesecake Factory quality but turns out it was Food Lion, go figure.

Does anyone remember the Pizzeria potato chips from the 90’s? They looked like Doritos and has different flavors like Pepperoni, Supreme, etc. These Wheat Thins taste so much like them its freaky!! I wish I could find Pizzeria’s on-line but don’t think they exists anyone, sadness.

I was itching to get out of work since I had happy hour plans after work and had a little overtime this week so I got to leave a little earlier than normal. I got out a little early and was waiting at the Charlotte Transportation Center (AKA Blvd of Broken Dreams) and I feel uneasy whenever I’m there. Someone is always smoking something, I get eyed like I’m a fried pork chop and I feel like a riot is about to break out. I was just sitting there with my ipod and big sunglasses not making eye contact with anyone and waiting for the bus to get there. The bus never showed up and I thought I was going crazy but turns out it was 15 minutes late which was cutting into my happy hour prep time. I don’t like that.

I started with some Abita Light. I never tried this beer before but love their Purple Haze so thought I would give it a go. It was a decent beer and kind of had a nutty flavor to it.

Then we went to Piccaso’s Sports Bar for drinks and grub. They claim to have the best wings in Charlotte so I had to give them a go. I got the Hot BBQ wings

Mmmmm, look how messy they look! I devoured these babies and they definitely lived up to the claim. I was still hungry afterwards and may have had some of my friends onion rings. Good times had by all.

Again, I woke up this morning with no coffee. But I did have food so I made a slammin cheese and green onion omelet topped with avocado and tomato

Hope everyones weekend is off to a great start!

M&M

I am really digging making my own breakfast at home. I love that I can whip up an egg and cheese sandwich within minutes and am no longer spending $6 for a box of some frozen, preservative ridden sandwich pack. Now if I could only get motivates to make some bacon or sausage with it…

I don’t dig bringing a lunch of leftovers that I know isn’t going to be anything special. I brought over the rank chicken from the other night but this time covered in Heinz 57 sauce (because cmon, it makes everything better) with a side of brown rice.

Can we all say “Boooooooring” in unison? Lets! It was decent, it somewhat filled me up but it was more meh than anything. Thank god there were no pineapples in it because I might have thrown up.

I am so happy I stocked up on kiwis the other day at the store. I love kiwis so much (yet hate kiwi flavored stuff) and is a reminder that summer is almost over. Anyone else just take a bit right out of one? Or is it just me? I always heard growing up most the vitamins are in the skin so I just eat like an apple.

Unlike yesterday, it was busy today. Pet peeve of the day-when I am busy with my own work and have the highest volume work load but people still ask me to help them with their stuff. I am doing double what you’re doing and I’m not asking for help, someone please explain this to me? I was in no mood to be messed with, I had at least four people complaining about one person on our team and kept giving out my managers info so they could speak with her directly. I can’t help that some morons are still working on our team (note—it wasn’t Stinkalicious although were some complaints about the stinker today)

Yummy coconut pineapple bread on top of Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt. I brought in the rest of the coconut pineapple bread so I wouldn’t eat the entire loaf. We have many a hungry people in my office so they were willing to take it off my hands. I heated up the slices for them and they kept telling me how good it was.  I will admit, I like the compliments, it makes me feel good.

I had a $30 Groupon for the Deck, a local beach themed restaurant in Dilworth offering seafood and summer style foods.

The Deck is a somewhat newer place and in a location that one would think would be good but businesses never seem to last there. I was itching to use the Groupon and in the mojito so my friend and I walked over there to see what it was all about. We wanted to enjoy the rooftop deck (hence the name of the restaurant) and there was a little wait. We wasted no time and headed straight for the bar. $5 Mojito’s and $6 Martini’s on Wednesday nights? Don’t mind if I do……

I started off with a French Martini. I had a few sips of my friends for the first time when I was in Phoenix this past weekend. When I heard $6 martinis I knew I needed to try this! It was absolutely fabulous.

Martini and Mojito love

A table finally opened up and up we went! They had an awesome singer outside playing great music like DMB, Jack Johnson, Pink Floyd, Sublime and The Beastie Boys. I was in heaven! I could just sit there drinking mojitos and listening to Mr. Magic Hands sing songs of others. Oh yeah, I can’t do that. I have a little thing called work getting in the way of my schedule. Boo.

Next drink on the agenda was the Mora Negra Mojito-muddled blackberry, lime, sugar with mango juice and Bacardi Superior. Do I ever have to tell y’all that it was delicious?

I chowed on some chips and salsa while my friend had the She Crab Soup and dinner came shortly.

I got the Honey Wasabi Tuna Burrito-honey marinated yellowtail tuna with rice and pico de gallo in grilled flour tortilla. Look at how gorg that tuna is!! It was late by time my friend got off of work and I was starving but I guess my eyes were bigger than my tummy. Our server was peculiar, he came up to us asking if we were mad at him because we weren’t eating. He kinda sounded serious maybe he is buddy buddy with the cook? It was great but I just wasnt in the mood for scarfing down the plate of food (What has happened to me?? Did I just type that!?) It was a nice Mexican alternative to the usual fried, cheese ridden Mexican food I find in many restaurants.  As I am a Florida girl, I love anything beach themed and everything on the menu was looking mighty fine.  I was happy with the food but the drinks were the highlight for me.

Has anyone ever tried shrimp and grits? Supposedly, theirs is the best in Charlotte but the idea of it kinda skeeves me out. I like shrimp and I like grits. But together in unison? No thank you.

So I’m watching LA Ink right now and this is my first time watching it. Has Cat Von Dee always sounded so……gruff? I am sure homegirl slice could kick my ass but she sounds a little man-ly. And who says we don’t learn something new every day?

And how did I not know about M&M’s Premiums?  When did they come out with all of these? They have Mint Chocolate, Raspberry Almond, Triple Chocolate and more! I don’t know if I should thank or curse Christina for sharing this link with me but I will say thank for now (untul I go up another dress size at least) I wonder if they will ever make a chocolate espresso flavor or gahhhhhh…..cookies and cream! I will be in M&M heaven. I must find a Costco soon so I can go buy a feedbag of it and be in M&M heaven! Or perhaps I should just walk over to The Deck and be in another M&M kind of heaven. Ohhhh……M&M flavored Martini……now we are talking.

Happy humping 🙂

A Tale of Two Pineapples

Happy to see so many people like roller skating! I used to love it as a kid and it was my first time roller skating since i was 14 so it was fun to try again as an adult. Not gonna lie, I was terrified at first b/c I was thinking I would break my neck but it was just like riding a bike. Soon after, I was skating my way round and round. But no backwards skating though, that’s too gangsta for me. I was amazed by the young kids and their skating skills. There were even groups of skaters who were synchronized skating. It was awesome and I kept joking around how I wanted to see skating gangs like West Side Story but no such luck. Skating was so big back in the day but I kept wondering how does one get into roller skating these days? Do they come from a line of skaters? Do the young boys who skate tell the girls this and it makes them go crazy? So many questions. 

When I got back Sunday night, I needed a drink…..badly. I stopped at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille to get some grub and a beer. I ended up befriending some of the wait and bar staff who were off that day and the day drinking began! We sat outside, had beers and talked, it was a bunch of fun. Yay for Sunday Funday drinking! After three hours there, I finally ordered some food to go and got the Chicken Spiedie Pizza (even though I originally went for wings). I don’t know what their Spiedie sauce is but this was the bomb!!!! 

 

 

I had Monday off as well to get stuff done which was all done by 10A. I decided to take myself out on a picnic date to Freedom Park since it was a gorgeous day. You can really tell fall is right around the corner with the cooler mornings and not so sweltering days. I love it. 

 

 

 

 

 

It felt so good to be out, enjoy some fresh food, read and just be. Now if I could only swim in the water……. 

A Cherry Misty Float was in order after that 

 

For some reason, I was in a baking mood the other night. I’ve had this recipe for Coconut Pineapple Loaf Cake from Martha Stewart Everyday saved for a while now and finally decided to try it out. I didn’t have any butter on hand but subbed extra virgin olive oil  instead (thanks for the tip Mo!) 

Toasted coconut

 

After smelling the yummy goodness of coconut and pineapple for an hour, it was done—success! 

 

 

I think this will be really good warmed up over some greek yogurt. 

And then the fail of the night-Pineapple Stuffed Jerk Chicken also from Martha Stewart Everyday (can you tell I had a surplus of pineapple on hand?) Sounds like a great idea and looks gorgeous on the website right? Well mine could have turned out great but apparently I don’t like to read directions. Instead of having two different mixture bowls of stuffing and spices to coat the chicken, I added them together. In theory it should have been ok since they all would be going to the same spot but it was horrible. I finished half of my chicken and had some leftover pizza instead. 

 

Looks appetizing right? 

 

Good lord, this was rank. Maybe it was the all spice I didn’t like or just the ugly appearance of it but I wasn’t a fan. Thankfully, I salvaged some of the chicken to use in salads throughout the wk.

Fit in a nice walk afterwards 

 

Breakfast this morning was an egg and cheese sandwich on a whole wheat sandwich thin 

 

Cheese on the inside, sneaky sneaky

Lunch was a BIG Salad with spring mix, chicken, turkey pepperoni, shredded cheese, mushrooms, onion and tomatoes with Chick Fil A Fat Free Honey Mustard 

 

 

I fit in another walk this afternoon and covered about 1.2 miles. It felt so good to get out and come back to my desk knowing that I won’t have a ton of emails that I need to rush to answer. 

Influenced by my trip to Phoenix, I made mushroom and black bean enchiladas for dinner 

 

 

 

 

Fabulous! I hate how when I am looking to make something vegetarian, I can’t think of anything but when I’m not even trying, whip something delicious up 

I had an ok kettlebell session afterwards. I really wasn’t in the mood to work out but am happy I got off my butt for a half hour 

Kettlebell-20 lbs 

Swings (13 reps, 4 sets) 

Shrugs (12 reps, 2 sets) 

Upright Deltoid Row (13 sets, 3 sets) 

Side Bends (20 reps, 2 sets) 

Dumbbell-15 lbs 

Curls (13 reps, 2 sets) 

Concentration Curls (13 reps, 2 sets) 

Shoulder Press (13 reps, 2 sets) 

Front Lateral Raise (13 reps, 2 sets) 

Dumbbell -10 lbs 

Deltoid Lateral Raises (13 reps, 2 sets) 

Tricep Kickbacks (13 reps, 2 sets) 

Tricep Extension (13 reps, 2 sets) 

PS—Click here to enter to win a $40 CSN gift card at Ashleigh’s Slice of Life

Valley of The Sun

My trip to Phoenix was fabulous. It was so great to see my friends and surpruse my friend at her birthday party. Next time I go, I definitely need to plan a longer stay.

I’m exhausted (even with today off) and really have no motivation to go to work tomorrow so this is going to be short

Some highlights:

Pita Jungle (Tempe) Mediterranean Platter

Chicken Platter-Pita Jungle (Tempe)

 

Jacob was along for the ride

Arizona Biltmore pool

The best daquiri I've ever had

At Tempe Marketplace

Lotis On Fire Roll-the best!

Rose Roll

Adding this to my wish list

Time to go roller skating!

Heeeeeeeeeyyy!

Peace out.

Leaving on A Jet Plane

Greetings all from the Charlotte Douglas airport! I’m heading out to Phoenix today and had to get some use out of their free Wi Fi.

Yesterday’s eats weren’t anything too amazing

Chobani Greek Yogurt with Kashi Go Lean Crunch!

I love Caribou Coffee’s cups. I kept singing “Sip It, Sip It Good” to the tune of “Whip It” yesterday…..it was starting to get annoying after a while (even if it was me doing it)

Lunch was a fail—tuna and egg salad on whole wheat toast with sliced apples. I didn’t realize that parts of the bread was starting to mold so tuna and egg salad alone it was. It was good but it didn’t fill me up at all.

 Last night was date #2 with dude from the other night. He came over to my place and we walked around deciding where to go. He was at work and there a bit later than expected so by the time he got to my place it was 9P. I was a tad hungry and moody by that point since my appetizer of beer and baked Lays didn’t exactly fill me up. We decided on dinner at Big Daddy’s Burger Bar. It was trivia night so the place was packed but we got a table inside and had some beers and unofficially played trivia. I had the Emilio’s Burger with jalapeno bacon, guacamole, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, mozzarella and poblano pepper mayo.

No picture….again…..awkwardness with going out with a new guy and whipping out my camera. I can honestly say that it was one of the best burgers I’ve had in my life. On the menu it’s a chicken sandwich but I subbed a burger in its place and wow, good times. I  was even thinking of it this morning!! lol I had a great time with him though and have plans to do something when I get back in town so we will see where this goes.

This morning, I packed last minute stuff and got Lincoln ready for his stay at the boarding place. Go me for fitting everything in a carry on! When I go somewhere, I have to pack option after option but figure if I am going to be there not even two days I really don’t need that much stuff. It’s my friends 30th birthday party tonight and she doesn’t know I am coming in. Word on the street is that she is kinda pissed at me so I can’t wait to see her reaction when I roll into the party. I can’t wait to see old friends for the wknd and kick back in the 110 degree weather. Yay Valley of The Sun!

I stopped at Dunkin Donuts and got their egg white sandwich with turkey sausage and a medium coconut coffee (my favorite thing there)

I was a little bummed when I got the sandwich b/c it used to be in a triangle shape when I was all about. Not that the shape of a sandwich should affect the taste but I wasn’t too excited about the round sandwich. Turned out I was wrong b/c this was a great sandwich and kept me full!

With that, it’s time to go. I need to get some water, find my gate and get everything. Hope everyone has a fabulous wknd!!

Chicken Head

Thanks all for your warm wishes for Lincoln (ok ok and props onmy zebra print dress!), he is doing a lot better but that situation is just frustrating. It did not feel good to go back to work today. I was a tad hung over, didn’t have time to prepare my coffee and the bus was 20 minutes late which brought me into work just as our meeting was starting. I hate when we do early morning meetings and I don’t have time to start my computer or have my coffee. I was a brat and pretty much sat there with a scowl on my face the entire time b/c that’s how I stick it to the man. However I got an email when I got back to my desk saying there was free Starbucks coffee a few rows down from me. So maybe I shouldn’t try to stick it to the man anymore.

Breakfast was good though-simple eggs with ketchup and a side of toast with cranberry preserve

I officially put the candy bowl away today and locked it in an overhead bin at my desk that I need a special key to unlock with.

 This has been the bane of my existence the past two weeks.

I got a new read for my flight to Phoenix this wk

But I’ll also be bringing my laptop since I got Dexter Season 4 Disc 1 and 2 today-booyah!

So I decided to pimp myself out today for some Chick Fil A Fat Free Honey Mustard. Anyone who reads this knows I sing the praises of their crack-laced fat-free honey mustard. The fact that is fat-free just makes it even better. I went to Chick Fil A for lunch since I had a free coupon for a drink when you buy a sandwich and I asked if I could possibly get a packet of the FF honey mustard. I went on to tell the cashier how much I love the stuff and how they should sell it in stores. I may have leaned over a little to show some skin in high hopes he would give me more than one packet of the stuff and it worked! I waited for a few seconds and he flashed his smile with six teeth and told me he threw in some extras —–four total—holla!! I guess showing a little cleavage at a Christian backed fast food place doesn’t hurt huh?

I was planning on having the sandwich and my salad for lunch but I wasn’t too hungry so I had the original chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce and a nectarine.

Today wasn’t that busy at all, I took a relaxing 20 minute break in the afternoon and just sat outside and looked around. I breathed in the air, looked at the flowers and just was. It was so nice and peaceful. Then I saw Lisa’s post on taking pleasure in the simple things in life and I just smiled.

Some observations from sitting outside

*It should be illegal to be blaring Savage Garden from your radio while you’re cruising. Savage Garden—really?!?!

*Why do men think if they grunt at you, you will talk to them? Baffles me every day

*I love old couples who hold hands, it’s just cute and it makes me smile.

*It smelled like patchouli outside yet there were no hippies in sight. Funky.

I had a BIG salad with the same ingredients as yesterday with my beloved Fat Free Honey Mustard. I thawed some Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burgers and cooked them up on the stovetop

Thumbs down on the chicken burgers-they were straight up nasty. If I still had the box, I would return them but I gave the rest to Lincoln and he thoroughly enjoyed! I guess I was all about the chicken today. I don’t have too much fresh produce on hand since I’m going out-of-town so I can’t make anything. I could’ve made a bowl of oats but wasn’t feeling it and was in the between stage of hungry and satisfied.  And that just sucked.

With that, I tried Breyer’s Smooth and Dreamy Chocolate Caramel Brownie Sandwich.

This was a perfect portion for what I was looking for-a light snack that would satisfy my sweet tooth.

And ladies —Happy 19th Amendment Day! Today is the the 90th anniversary of when the 19th amendment passed and gave us the right to vote.

Thought I’d share the love– click here to get 16 free tracks from Spin’s September Issue (this is legit, I downloaded it to my iTunes)

She’s Quirky

I tried to do it. I got up, had my coffee and breakfast

I took Lincoln for a nice walk, showered and spent extra time in the shower trying to perk up but nothing. I have the tension headache from hell going on and was ready for it to go away. I hate calling in sick to work but when I feel like this, I really don’t want to deal with anyone or anything work related.

One thing that contributed to this headache was that……sigh……Lincoln kinda got attacked last night when we were out walking. We were  two blocks from my house on a residential side street where this older man was sitting out in his front yard with his dog sitting in front of him. We were about to pass in front and I said hello and his dog (who you would think would be on a leash?) lunged toward Lincoln and starting growling and biting him. Lincoln was whimpering and I was yelling at the dog while the guy was trying to get him and me trying to Lincoln in my arms. His paw looks swollen and he keeps licking it but besides that he seems to be ok. It’s just a little off-putting when we were just taking a walk and his dog comes at him out of nowhere. Then about five minutes later, I saw another guy with his dog not on a leash-wtf? If we lived in a rural area, that would be fine but we are in a city and there are busy streets around us. Lincoln now seems to be ok now but he is skiddish in the first place. If you’re a new person who he’s never seen, he is apprehensive when you pet or approach him. I don’t know if this has something to do with his previous owners and if there was an incident but that’s how he is.

Dinner last night was pizza quesadillas with turkey pepperoni and mushrooms. I threw some oregano and red pepper flakes on them while they were cooking for a little punch.

Apparently, I like mine really burnt. They were still tasty anyways 🙂

Today has been a completely relaxing day. I took some Excedrin Migraine this morning and it seemed to help a bit. I caught up on some reading and did some laundry. And Lincoln was right by my side as always.

Ok maybe not by my side so much as thinking that my body was his bed.

I had a BIG Salad for lunch with everything under the sun in it. Ok I am exaggerating a little but I will see if I can name everything that was in it:

Romaine

Mushrooms

Tomato

Hardboiled egg

Gorgonzola Cheese

Purple Pepper

Mushrooms

Zucchini

Cucumber

Tuna Salad made with carrots and red onion

pomegranate vinaigrette

 I would be lying if I said I didn’t have some more retail therapy today. I got two cute dresses for my trip to Phoenix this weekend. My friend’s birthday  party is friday night and it’s a theme party—Playboy Bunny. Yay. I don’t want to see myself in bunny wear and I’m sure that means nobody else does (and I have very high self-esteem so yeeeeeah). I bought a cute dress at Ross with little fuzzies around the collar and figure it could be cute for that party since it is similar to a nightie. Pair it up with some cute heels and get drunk with friends, I can do that!

Afterwards I stopped for some fro yo. I contemplated getting peanut butter fro yo but I figured that would be a little too much for me since I am trying to get back to loving the nut……butters. I got mango and blueberry fro yo with kiwi, blueberries and strawberries topped with crushed graham crackers and coconut

Aww yeah.

I wanted to get off my butt and planned on having a 15 minute weight training session that turned into a 40 minute one. Nothing wrong with that. I enjoy those ones the most where I don’t think I am going to work out for long than go longer than expected.

I tried out my new Nike Dry Fit top but wore them with Reebok pants so I’m not sure if I am breaking any rules by that? It feels good to rebel sometimes. Who am I kidding? ALL the time!

Kettlebell-20 lbs

Shrugs (12 reps, 2 sets)

Snatches (13 reps, 1 set)

Side Bends (20 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell-15 lbs

Curls (13 reps, 2 sets)

Reverse Fly (13 reps, 2 sets)

Shoulder Press (13 reps, 2 sets)

Front Lateral Raise (13 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell -10 lbs

Deltoid Lateral Raises (13 reps, 2 sets)

Zottman Curls (13 reps, 2 sets)

Tricep Kickbacks (13 reps, 2 sets)

Tricep Extension (13 reps, 2 sets)

Misc.

Donkey Kicks (15 reps, 2 sets)

Scissor Kicks (30 sec.each, 2 sets)

Jumping Jacks (50 reps, 4 sets)

I really liked this top. It kept the girls in place and I felt less sweaty and wet than working out in my normal workout gear. Two thumbs up Nike. My post workout snack was a smoothie in a bowl–almond milk, banana, vanilla whey, mint chocolate syrup

No picture of dinner tonight since I had a date and that would been a little odd to whip out my camera. We went to Tavern On The Tracks and had an appetizer of hot peppers and I had the meatball sub with french fries. Had some beers after that and the atmosphere was great. Good times had by all 🙂

I think I looked slammin. I wore my zebra print dress that proved successful on another date last week. I say screw pants until it gets cold out

Some cool things I’ve seen

*Julie Go Lean’s Giveaway for 10 Cedar’s Mediterranean Cuisine Products

*She-Fit’s Giveaway for 7 free Chocolite Bars

*Jess at Fit Chick In the City posted a link to Marie Claire’s Virtual Weight Loss Tool. This was a fun thing to play with. You can upload a photo of yourself, input your height and weight then adjust it to see what you would look like if you gained 5 lbs, lost 20 lbs, etc. Check it out–very interesting

*This post on loving your quirks

Some of my food quirks are (and I’ve been singing She’s Quirky to the tune of She’s Crafty ever since I saw this post)

*I love tomatoes and can eat them like apples but despise hot tomatoes

*Curry scares me

*You don’t want to see me without coffee. Whenever someone mentions Starbucks, Caribou, Dunkin Donuts, etc. my ears perk up and if you offer to buy me coffee, I do a happy dance

*If I order a meal that has french fries, I always eat the french fries first then whatever is left on the plate.

*I didn’t realize that ranch dressing  could be more than just a salad dressing until freshman year in college. I remember the night clearly, we went to Hardee’s and my friends asked for ranch dressing. This perplexed me a little  since no one had ordered a salad (although Hardee’s does have world-class salads) and they told me they were going to put it on their french fries. I attribute this event to my massive weight gain.

*I have something to drink around me at all times

What has two thumbs and is exhausted? This girl. Time to go back to work tomorrow and back to the real world.

What are your food quirks?