In plain view

I started Monday with an early morning workout.

Ok maybe not so much early morning but a 11am workout. What can I say, it takes a few hours for me to mentally wake up.

And can we just say holy workout from hell?

Kettlebell 20 lbs

*Plie Squats (15 reps, 4 sets)

*Tricep extensions (13 reps, 4 sets)

*Lateral Row (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Shrugs (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Halos (13 reps, 2 sets)

*Chest Press  (13 reps, 4 sets)

*Side Bends (25 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell 10 lbs

*Deltoid raise (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Tricep kickbacks (13 reps, 2 sets)

*Curls (13 reps, 3 sets)

In between sets, I would do sets of 30 jumping jacks or crunches which made me super sweaty in no time. It may not look like a lot of stuff but this workout had me reaching for my water. Oddly enough, no matter how tired I get when strength training, I can keep going. Not so much with cardio though, I get too bored after awhile and can’t concentrate.

*

Kicked

My

Butt

I don’t even want to talk about how much pain I’m in today but to say I’m hurting a bit is an understatement. I couldn’t cool down after that even after showering and lounging for awhile but I’m I got that out of the way early on so I could go play!

First stop was Wagging Tails Thrift Store, which benefits the Humane Society.

This place didn’t look like much from the outside but once you step inside, it’s like a huge warehouse full of junk! And I’m talking really, really random junk!

I wanted to buy these and some clear pepsi to go along with it

Other random trinkets included:

I have no clue who the Fercos are but I imagine some kind of Siegfried & Roy knockoff? Aha, turns out they are just like Siegfried & Roy and will have their own show on Animal Planet!

All BSB, all the time!

Oddly enough, one of the Twilight movies is playing in the background as I type this. I am definitely not Team Edward, he is too emo and needs a tan. Team Jacob all the what!

Look what I found!

I guess others don’t hold Dawson’s Creek in such high regards as I do?

And this place has Playboy dvd’s right in plain view for all to see. Awkward much? Personally I would never buy nudie dvd’s at a thrift store but to each his own. And if it’s raising money for the pups, that can’t be bad right?

After that and the longest trip to Target ever, we went to lunch at a Panera-esque place, Corner Bakery. I have to say, I really like how pretty much every place I’ve been to in DC has the calorie contents in plain view. A girl could definitely get used to that. A girl being me of course but I guess if other girls need it, it’s ok as well.

I ate a light Asian wonton salad since it was humid and hot out plus I wanted to save room for something sweet….cupcakes! My friend and another friend mentioned Lilly Magilly’s and once they did, I knew we had to stop there for a treat.

I love the pink and black décor of Lilly’s plus the beautiful display of cupcakes. Plus, the aroma of cupcakes just make me happy.

We split two cupcakes to get the true Lilly’s experience. I got the chocolate coconut and Neyal got the red velvet cupcake. She says she always orders red velvet wherever she goes to test the place on how they do. Me, I like to get whatever sings to me that day.

Both cupcakes were fantastic but the coconut was definitely my favorite.

I’m still curious who Lilly Magilly is though.

Matilda was there with us! I’m sad that Matilda scared some people out there—she means no harm!

We stopped by 7-11 on the way home to take partake in free slurpee day! I thought the idea of them giving out 7.11 oz slurpess was creative but cmon, give me a bigger slurpee. I’m not a midget so my slurpee shouldn’t be either.

Later on, the plan was to have shrimp and mango kebabs on the grill with grilled veggies

But then Mother Earth decided to be a bitter beezy and ruin our plans

We brought everything in before the rain hit and put the kebabs in the oven and let the veggies cook over the stovetop. I made cucumber and tomato salad to go with the veggie themed meal and dinner was served!

 

Do restaurants post calorie content for public view where you live?

What’s your favorite thing to make on the grill?

For my kettlebell users-what are some other exercises I can do? I need to mix it up and will occasionally do wind mills and swings with my workout but other than what I normally do, I’m at a loss of what else to do with mine.

What gives?

I’m staying with one of my friends until tomorrow and I am in love her house. Houses like these make me want to settle down someone and buy something that I can call my own but we all know that’s not happening any time soon. My old place was right outside the city and her place is the opposite-in the country. Ok, not really, but country to me. It’s in civilization but there is tons of land, trees and nature all around me. And you know what, I kinda dig it!

Bonus points because I get to play with her cute pup (Lincoln’s girlfriend Monet)

I met up with some of my sorority sisters for dinner on Friday night. We went to Chili’s and I honestly can’t tell you the last time I’ve been to a Chili’s since I’m not a huge chain food person. However, while perusing their menu ahead of time, I saw they have a 2 for $20 deal where you can get an appetizer and two entrees for only $20. Works for me! We got the guacamole and I ordered the Grilled Margarita Chicken with beans and rice

After a few bites, I was done. I had a margarita (house margaritas only $3.49—wha what???!) and was full from the chips, salsa and guacamole.

 

I’m gonna miss my friends but I know this isn’t goodbye.

This morning I woke up semi early and found the nearest YMCA to go to. I did 35 minutes of HIIT on the Precor Crossramp. I went in not wanting to do a damn thing but I hadn’t been to the gym in a few days and wanted to do something to up my heart rate. The ones where I plan on doing nothing usually turn out to be the best ones for me. This time after 20 minutes on the elliptical, I didn’t want to stop. Then the 30 minute mark hit which gave me a five minute cool down and then I had to stop since there’s a 30 minutes time limit when people are waiting.

The Y facility I went to was really nice but I wasn’t quite sure about the whole wiping of the machine system there. A few of the machines had a spray bottle on them but with no towels. The Y I normally go to has machines and towels on all the machines so you know that’s what you’re supposed to wipe with. I tried to watch people as I was working out to see what I was supposed to do but some of them wiped with a paper towel while others with their own towels-what gives?

After reading Stephanie’s post on Dunkin Donuts coffee  (which you should totally go over to her site a wish her an early happy birthday!), I was in the mood for an iced coffee from the DD.

I went to a DD location I’ve never been to before and it was pretty gross inside. It was early but crawling with unruly ankle biters. When I got to the cashier to order, the girl looked at me like I was an alien. I looked at her for a few seconds then I said “Hi” and again, she just looked at me. I followed up “How are you??” and then she finally caught on to the whole let’s have a conversation and get my order concept.  To quote Principal Rooney in Ferris Buellers Day Off “I weep for the future” What gives?

Once I was clean and looking like a lady again, my friend and I went out to run errands and go to lunch. Of course I had a Groupon because that’s how I roll. I am not leaving this town without going through every single one I can! It was for Topz , dubbed “The Healthier Burger Grill”

My pet peeve with going to new places is if I don’t know the deal is. Meaning, is it sit down, waiter service, do you get a number or just wait around for your food? What gives?  At Topz you order but my friend and I didn’t know if we should just stand there or what so we sat and hoped that someone would bring us out our food. Our magic worked and we soon got our food. I got their turkey burger with a side salad.

Nothing like a burger hot off the grill! This was so juicy and the grilled onions added even more flavor to it. They offer all of their burgers with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions and 1000 Island dressing but I went without the the dressing because that just sounded nasty. Plus, on their condiment bar they had garlic ketchup—I’ve never heard of such thing! So I grabbed a mini cup of that and topped my burger with that and it was delicious. I love how they offer turkey burgers, veggie burgers and a few salad options in addition to angus burgers, hot dogs and fries.

We some errands afterwards and I finally picked up a reusable cup for my cold bevvies I enjoy in the summertime

We all know a Saturday afternoon isn’t complete without a trip to Target!

Um, when did these books come out??? I MUST FIND!!

As I’m a firm believer in “no coupon left behind”, we had one last stop to make

Free cupcake? Why the hell not?? SAS Cupcakes is right across the street from Target and absolutely adorable inside

It was like a magical. sugar laced candy land full of cupcakes and other goodies! I was torn between the Cookies N Cream and Chocolate S’more cupcake but once the employee told me that the S’more was filled with marshmallow crème, game was on!

Well, until they made a major cupcake faux pas….a cupcake to go served in a bag? Really SAS-what gives?

I handled the cupcake with extra care on the right home so it would be almost pristine condition when I got to enjoy it but one side was a little smushed.

The frosting was a graham cracker crust frosting and absolutely delightful. The actual cupcake, even though filled with marshmallow crème, fell flat. It was dry with not a lot of taste to it. After eating one half of it, I gave up for someone else to enjoy it.

Sigh, at least it was free.

Have you had any “What gives?” lately?

Taste of Charlotte

 

Friday was a big food day thanks to Taste of Charlotte! I went last year so I was stoked to see what the lineup was this year. I made the big trip Uptown to go since I had some free food coins coming my way courtesy of Yelp. Big trip, it is not, it’s only 10 minutes away however I never go because I’m cheap and don’t want to pay for parking. And in regards to the nightlife, it’s a bit douchey and more of a college crowd which I’m not into. I took the bus in and the first stop of the day was the Starbucks in my old building. I went to this place almost every day for six years so it’s like a second home to me. But then I started to freak out, what if the baristas I know and love weren’t there? What if they didn’t recognize me? Well, neither happened since a few of them were there—it was so good to see them again! I texted a few of my ex co-workers and let them know I was downstairs. Most of them were swamped or in meetings but I got to see one!

Would you believe that’s my first picture in front of a Starbucks? Mental note, I really need to buy stock in the Bucks.

Afterwards, some members of the most recent team I was on told me I should come up to see their new area they moved to. I was up there for maybe 10 minutes when management kicked me out. I told them I wasn’t stealing customer information ( a) that’s wrong and I would never do that b) I wouldn’t last a day in prison) and I was just there to say hi but they weren’t having any of that.I was going to make a remark on how one of the guys who left came up to our old floor when I worked there and how this was sexist but I just left quietly instead.

One of my old co-workers and I grabbed our coins and started to walk around. And just like last year, it was a scorcher out. They set up Taste of Charlotte along Tryon Street, the main road that runs through Uptown, so we walked up and down checking out who was there. Of course we found the cupcake place to stop, I’ve never been to Polka Dot Bake Shop so this was the perfect opportunity to try them.

They had mini red velvet cupcakes for one coin so that was the first thing to try. I was even good and took two little bites instead of popping it in my mouth. The cream cheese frosting? Holy smokes—it was great! However two bites doesn’t have me completely sold on Polka Dots so I will have to stop by there sometime. I love justifications

It was so hot out,  I started to get a bit lightheaded and felt like I was going to faint. Hello horrible timing—it’s a food festival, it’s my happy place! I think it was a combination of the heat, dehydration and number of people crammed into one street. I sat down and got some water and was ok for a few minutes but continued to feel “off” all day. Thumbs down.

Next up was Chicken Satay from Namaste India

I just saw a huge sign reading “THAI FOOD” and I was there. I’m still a bit confused by the Indian place was serving Thai food. Hmmmm. I’m proud of myself for straying from my stand by of pad thai. I like to think I’m an adventurous person and want to try other thai dishes when I go out but I just love the pad thai so much I’m afraid I’m going to try something else out and it will pale in comparison. The satay was delicious….and this is coming from someone who doesn’t like peanut butter.

Last on the BBQ Slider from Outlaw BBQ. The meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned that I didn’t even need bbq sauce—unheard of!

It was fun to try things from restaurants I’ve never been to but Taste of Charlotte was a bit of a letdown this year. It felt like there weren’t as many vendors as there were last year and that there were more chains. Also, if TOC wants to play with the big boys, they really need to expand. You’re crammed in with people near cookers and it feels like hell. I don’t like sweating while eating much less feeling sweat run down my crack.

Later that evening, I went to Vida Cantina for my friends birthday. The reservation wasn’t until 8:30 as always, I was a bit early. I am perpetually early so one can only imagine how much of a pet peeve tardiness is for me. Luckily, there were other perpetually early people I recognized enjoying a cold one. I was trying not to try all week and if I did, I was going to have liquor or wine because I really need to cut down on how much beer I’ve been drinking. But the idea of a cold beer on a Friday night sounded too enticing to pass up so there I was with my Dos Equis Amber.

We had a big table in the upstairs area which is the more private dining area. There was only enough room for our table and the other big party there so it was as crammed nor did we have a lot of food traffic like downstairs. I love Vida but there is a huge wait staff and usually a line of people there so it seems like you’re always on top of someone else.

There were a couple of rounds of tequila shots but this girl sat out thanks to…..I just don’t like tequila. Even the quality stuff. No thank you.

 

Me and the birhday girl

I loved her rings! The one on the left goes on two fingers—I’ve never seen that before.

 

We noshed on lots of baskets of chips, salsa, guacamole and queso dip. Like lots of chips, we would start going through one basket, be done, wait for another, get it, devour it, repeat. I wasn’t feeling a huge meal so I order the appetizer of mushroom flautas

Gorgeous right? They were just the portion size I was hoping for and I could only finish one of them! I took the rest to go and hope they will be semi decent leftover….who am I kidding, Mexican food leftovers are usually better than the original!

Are you a big festival person? I love festivals! It’s more the crowd that hate dealing with so if I do go to one, I want to go in the down time where there isn’t a bunch of people.

Do you have a food festival like Taste of Charlotte in your city? If not, do you have other festivals?

My shrooms

I really need to remind myself not to buy tons of fresh produce before I am set to leave town. I went to Trader Joe’s on Sunday night and got some staples for the week such as bananas, apples, onions, oranges, kiwi and mushrooms. I’ve been able to eat all of them except my beloved mushrooms. And to make it even more annoying when I cook with shrooms I always sing “My Shrooms” to the tune of “My Humps”

“My shrooms, my shrooms, my shrooms, my shrooms

Cooking baby bellas bellas and even shiratake”

I can’t help it, I turn everything into a song.

I made crock pot chicken the other day using Hawaiian marinade. I mixed the sauce with chicken broth then threw in leg quarter and cooked for seven to eight hours.

While that was finishing, I cooked red onions and pineapples with two tbsp of low sodium soy sauce and garlic then laid on top of the chicken

I had rice on the side then added a huge pile of shrooms on top to make a very filling meal.

The next day I enjoyed a heaping portion of mushrooms with eggs

On Wednesday, my friend and I went to Icehouse for lunch to use up a $20 Groupon I had. I need to start burning through all of these Groupon and Living Social deals I’ve bought before I leave so it’s go time. When we walked in, we saw this lovely sign. Game on.

It was only appropriate for me to get a beer. Because it was Wednesday, sunny and half off of course.

I got the Thai Noodle Salad with chicken and ate the whole thing, it was flavorful and refreshing, which was much needed since it was 90 something degrees out. Plus I’ve been craving pad thai like whoa lately so this subdued the craving for a few days.

Afterwards, we stopped by Not Just Coffee. I was in serious need of java. This is a new coffee shop and I keep meaning to go even though I’m a tried and true Starbucks gal.

But the thing is they have weird hours. They open in the morning, break for siesta then open back up at night and are closed on the weekend. I dig the siesta concept as I love an afternoon nap but closed on the weekends does not work well for me.

 

It’s a small joint with a couple of stools set up at the bar. We wanted something cold and both went for the iced mocha. The barista was friendly, took his time making the drinks and you could tell it was made with love.

Topped with some of the best whipped cream I’ve ever had and cocoa. Suck that baby down and go straight to my hips, well worth it.

And check out this beautiful mural right next door! Can we say love?

When I got home, I was out for the count. See above where I said I love afternoon naps, there is just something enchanting about them. I tried to wake up to go to a Yelp event but it wasn’t in the stars. My head was pounding and opening my eyes even hurt so I took some Excedrin and waited for it to pass. I wasn’t even hungry when I finally got up and running again so dinner was a bowl of pineapple and kiwi.

Ok, I lie, I killed the last of the cupcakes from the wedding.

The picture almost didn’t happen because it was that delish. Oh cupcakes, I can’t quit you. I’m glad you all enjoyed hearing about papi chulo and the meat parade. Maybe our paths will cross again and thanks for the mad compliments on that dress-I felt so pretty in it and scored it for $20 at Ross (originally $100) I think I will cry if I move somewhere and they don’t have Ross.

Oh yeah, I’m a brunette now!

 

I feel like I should be on Real Housewives of New Jersey with this hair color and surprisingly enough, this is my just near my natural color. But more to come on that later…

Do you like mushrooms?

Should I go back to highlights? Be honest, I can take it.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chima!

I went to a wedding reception at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse on Saturday night. Chima is huge taking up  two stories right in the heart of Uptown Charlotte.  Their setting is chic and trendy with a touch of class,  the upstairs area consists of a dining area, bar area and a couple of private rooms. I had to snap a picture of the wall because I thought it was so cool, I want a wall like this in my house!

Now the thing with Brazilian steakhouses is you gotta dig meat, like a lot. They give you these little cards that you turn off to indicate if you are ready for more meat or not so much.

This was the first wedding I went to stag. If I can’t find a date, I will usually drag a friend but couldn’t find anyone so it was me by my lonesome because my date is lame and canceled on me. It’s alright though, I make friends easily plus the drinks were aflowin

This is their signature drink and sadly,I have no clue what the name is. I just saw other people drinking it and told the waiter to bring me one of the pretty drinks. It was basically a mojito but without the mint. Regardless, it was still tasty! Add a couple of glasses of red wine and I was a happy gal.

We all made our way to the salad bar by order of table. The salad bar was ok….I was expecting more variety but the artichoke salad , monster asparagus and creamy veggie soup made up for that.

Before the meat came out, they set out polenta fries and creamy mashed potatoes but not enough. Seriously, five or six fries for our side of the table and a little side portion of mashed potatoes? Um, no, this girl likes her carbs. 

Then game on—flip that card to yes please and bring out the meat!! The meat men (seriously, what is their title?) came out decked in kerchiefs ala Don Knotts on Three’s Company armed with a stick of meat. At one point I just stopped asking what it was and just said sure.

And then papi chulo appeared. So papi chulo was one of the kerchief clad men serving the meat and reminded me of the guys in South Florida I used to like so much when I was in my teens. If he was over the age of 23, I am the queen of Sheba. He started asking where my date was, etc. You know appropriate stuff a young boy should be asking a woman while at work. I told him my ex boyfriend was supposed to come with me but canceled. He said something to the effect of “If I were your boyfriend, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight” Well, thank you papi. Then he asked me what a man should never ask a lady (I was in a dress and dolled up so a lady for the evening….not OF the evening) :

“How old are you?”

Oh hell no. I did my signature index finger in the air and started shaking my head back and forth and went off on a little rant. He backed off after that…..for a few minutes. Next round o’ meat he came back over asking if I wanted to get together at the end of the evening. I told him, sure, I would find him before I leave. I never did. Oops. Thanks for making me feel good for a few minutes papi chulo. I kind of want to go back there and school him on what not to say to women though.

It was very laid back and casual even for the setting. The setting was intimate where you could converse with the people around you without having to yell. I finally got to talk with my friend who got married without having to battle a line of people doing the electric slide.

The bacon wrapped sirloin was my by far my favorite because bacon wrapped items are proof that god loves us and the bbq ribs was my second favorite. Throughout the whole dinner, I was waiting for someone to say they didn’t eat meat because I wanted to break out my Greek accent with “What do you mean you don’t eat no meat…. that’s ok, I make lamb” but no go, it was a room full of carnivores.  I heard a rumor that there was pesto crusted lamb but by that point I never wanted to look at another piece of meat ever again and I also wanted to write an apology note to my colon. 

Game over.

Thank God there wasn’t a traditional cake served, instead….

wait for it….

there were cupcakes to go!

Courtesy of Just Baked Cupcakes, which I have a Groupon to burn through at home. They were so smart to give these out as favors instead of a regular dessert. And some people didn’t even want their cupcake –I believe I heard one guy say he doesn’t like cupcakes—wtf? So, me being the caring lady I am took a few to go. I would hate for those cupcakes to wind up in the trash while there is hungry Tiffany in Charlotte. So I went home and snuggled up with my hot date….their Zesty Orange cupcake.

No matter how much I eat, there is always room for cupcakes!

Have you ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse?

 

Feels like the first time

We have a Whole Foods near my house however  I rarely go since when I’m back home I am usually without car. So when I’m without car, my parents drive me around like I’m 14 years old again which is lots of fun seeing that I’m over 30. To add to the fun of that, my dad got into a heated argument at WF last year around Thanksgiving or Christmas time and according to him “is banned” from that WF location so he is never down for going (parents getting me drunk, think I’m dating Samoans and this—do you see where I get my eccentricities from??) But this visit I am with car so I drove around to pick up some goodies. I was greeted by the wonderfulness that is Whole Foods. However after three or four minutes of being there, I went into overload. Did I want a salad bar, hot bar, sub, sushi, noodles? Can we say too many decisions and all look wonderful? As I was perusing the hot bar, I saw a dude walk by with a slice of pizza and problem solved!  However, I wanted a salad and knew a piece of pizza wouldn’t fill me up so I got the smallest size salad. I had nowhere to be so I dined outside with the salad and Honest Tea.

 

I feel like a legit blogger with my WF salad! I always see pictures on everyone else’s blog who lives in a normal city that has WF not in some podunk city like Charlotte. And I get a bit envious. Yeah, I can get salads somewhere else but there is just something special about a WF salad. Maybe it’s just me but this was just as good as the first time I tried their salad bar. I got some type of cole slaw on there so I didn’t need too much dressing but all in all in was delish.

I picked up some coconut water and Pop Chips as well then had my slice of Florentino pizza

 

All of that for $21, not too bad at all.

I had a little help from my guys while finishing the pizza so it went quickly

I don’t know why I’m tying in feeding pizza to the dogs with Jon Hamm but a few of you commented on how you will see Bridesmaids after I said he was naked. He was kinda naked, like shirtless but no full frontals–boo! However, he is furry on top so that was good enough for me! Didn’t want to mislead any of you.

After dinner, I stopped by Cupcake Couture for a sweet treat. I  went to Couture over Christmas and tried their Boston Couture but wanted to try something different this time around (ok and I was feeling lazy and not in the mood to crack open a cupcake)

They were recently voted Best Dessert so that was a reassuring sign to see sitting in their window. I love their cupcakes because they are a) massive and b) all named after designers. Some examples:

Oscar de la Raspberry

Jean Paul Peanutier

I’m not even a fashionista but I want to buy one just after hearing the names!

I ordered a latte and the Dolce & Banana cupcake—banana bread cupcake with banana buttercream frosting.

I was a good girl and saved it until I got home. Still pleasantly full from dinner, I had 1/3 of it just to see how it was and left the rest for the next morning because there is nothing like buttercream in the morning. The buttercream was the winner of the cupcake but I wasn’t too crazy about the banana bread portion, it was dry and lacked flavor.

Oh well, you can’t win them all.

I have to show some  blogger love here after reading the  Lazy Girls Guide to Men by the wonderful MelissaNibbles. She is dead on with all of the examples she uses and could not stop nodding my head while reading! If you haven’t checked out Melissa’s blog, I encourage you to do so. She is one of the bloggers that comes to mind when I think of people who truly speak their mind and doesn’t make everything seem like sunshine and butterfly farts.  Kudos Melissa!!!

Whole Foods-Heaven sent or evil empire? What are your must haves when you go?

Do you like coconut water? If so, what brands do you like?

A couple of mayo’s

It’s around 5am and I’m supposed to be leaving for FL at 8am. Yeah, I don’t see that happening. I’ve been up since 3am and couldn’t get back to bed, which is just driving me crazy. Why does insomnia have to hit the night before an 11 hour drive??

So, we shall do a little recap of Cinco de Mayo and Yelpo de Mayo! I met up with some some friends for drinks at Three Amigos for Cinco de Mayo . Some of you may remember Three Amigos from my previous visits here and here—it’s officially my favorite hole in the wall Mexican joint in Charlotte.  The Cinco was a gorgeous day in Charlotte and I was all about getting a margarita in my system! But after three consecutive meals of Mexican food, I really wasn’t in the mood for a huge Mexican meal. So we just noshed on chips, salsa and guacamole instead.

Yep, works for me!

Oh, I didn’t mention the winner of the evening, did I?

Queso dip is proof from god that he indeed, loves us. Look at it spilling over—aw yeah.

On Friday evening, I went to Yelpo de Mayo sponsored by mi amore, Yelp. I go to Elite events every month but the cool thing about Yelpo de Mayo was that it was a free, open event to anyone with a Yelp account!

(source)

The nice part was that Elite members got to go at 7pm before the common folk. Love that since battling the masses was the last thing I wanted to do. The drinks were aflowing! Of course I had to try a margarita to properly kick the fiesta off with

Please disregard chipped nail polish

But then I said adios to the margarita and had the best drink I’ve tasted in awhile—Raspberry Truffle made with Whynatte Latte, vanilla vodka and raspberry schnapps.

I’ve tried Whynatte before at a local bar (they only offer them in bars for the time being, a little confused why only in bars) and that just had vodka in it and was good. But vanilla vodka and raspberry schnapps? Hello, this takes me back to college where I drank White Russians until I dropped (which could also be the reason I gained weight along with the discovery of ranch dressing with french fries freshman year) If your local establishment offers Whynatte, you should definitely try it out!

There were a number of local restaurants providing food. The first thing I tried was duck confit tamale from Roots, a new food truck rolling around in Charlotte!

Then tried chicken enchiladas from Three Amigos. After two visits in less than 24 hours, Three Amigos and I are as thick as thieves!

And then the cupcakes from Cupcrazed

*sigh*

The margarita mini cupcakes were the death of me. I heard a rumor that they were going to be giving to go boxes of cupcakes away if they had any left over by the end of the night. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see if that was true or not which could be a good thing. I really don’t need a to go box of cupcakes but want? Fo sho.

All in all, a successful end to my three day Mexican celebration. If I don’t have to look at any burrito or enchilada, I wouldn’t be sad.

What’s your favorite cupcake?

Any tips to help me fall asleep? I may just leave tomorrow instead if I can’t get back to bed soon. Driving 11 hours is something I don’t want to do if I’m not alert!

Babies breath

 Today I went south of the border to South Carolina for my friends baby shower in Columbia at The Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Garden. The shower was at the Botanical Garden but it also covered admission to the zoo afterwards.

I was trying to think of the last time I went to a baby shower and couldn’t even remember. Babies kinda freak me out. I think they are cute and adorable….in pictures. When I see them in person, yeah, they are still cute but I prefer babies to come with a mute button. That being said, I wasn’t too keen on a baby shower however she is one of my best friends, is moving to Colorado next month and this would be the last time I saw her pre-mommy.

 Peep my new purse!

Ah, I wish!!! One of these though! I saw her purse and demanded that I pose with it so I can put it on my vision board.

I had planned on dropping by Cupcake after the shower since it was a few miles away and I’ve read reviews about their goods. Lucky for me, I didn’t even have to go there–they had cupcakes from Cupcake!

Who doesn’t love a cupcake topped off with a Teddy Graham??

I opted for the Almond cupcake because almonds have many nutritional benefits so eating an entire one would help me, right? Right.

I was especially pleased with how the  frosting was bigger than the actual cake portion.  Never would I have imagined an almond cupcake but they did it right –almond cake along with almond cream cheese icing and garnished with an almond. I was in almond heaven!

We played a few baby games and thank God they weren’t lame ones! We did a celebrity baby name match up, fill in the nursery rhyme game and the string game where you try to guess the area around her tummy. Unfortunately, yours truly didn’t win any of them which is sad because one of the prizes was a Starbucks gift card. Boo!

Soon we headed out to the Botanical Gardens where we soon said our goodbyes. I got a little emotional since it would be the last time I saw her before she was a mommy and no clue when I would see her again. And I was stoked I finally got to meet her husband, he is Shaka approved! The good thing is that her and her husband are going to be stationed in Colorado so I have a free place to stay! I even offered my services to her if she let’s me crash….watching the baby and cooking. Mind you, I don’t even know how to change a diaper but it can’t be that hard right?

I walked through the Botanical Garden while making my way back to my car and it was absolutely gorgeous

My inner hippie smiled when I saw this

What’s your favorite flower?

What kind of baby shower would you want-traditional or non traditional?  If I were to ever be expecting, I would request fried chicken at my shower like Miranda on SATC!

Dude……sweet.

(source)

Sigh, I want to go bowling.

What’s a single girl to do on Valentine’s Day weekend?

Eat a ridiculous amount of sweets of course.

The madness started on Friday night.

I made mushroom pizza for dinner

It wasn’t huge or anything (that’s what she said) but it was enough to put me to sleep soon after. I woke up at 9pm and wanted to do something but wasn’t in the mood to drink or spend a lot of cash. Enter Amelie’s French Bakery. Amelie’s is a wonderful yep-you guessed it- french bakery and coffee-house here in Charlotte. Not only is that concept itself fabulous but it’s also open 24 hours so that itself makes it one of my favorite spots to go to. Seeing something open 24 hours in this city that isn’t named Waffle House is quite rare. I went there and ordered a Chai Latte and a salted caramel brownie.

I’ve never had one before and it was good but I think it would’ve been better if it was warmed up a bit. The Chai was one of the best I’ve ever had and it was nice to relax with some sweet stuff and a hot beverage while catching up on blogs. I felt like such a hipster but hipster sans fedora.

On Saturday, I was driving through downtown Fort Mill. When I heard Fort Mill had a downtown, I was surprised to hear since I’ve never heard anything going on there. I stumbled upon Krystal’s Eat’s & Sweets

When I saw the name Eats & Sweets, I was instantly intrigued since I like eats and I like sweets. I was in the mood for a drink so I went in and found a cozy, local establishment. Krystal’s has breakfast and lunch items that are the eats and then delectable goodies such as truffles, cupcakes, cakes, cookies, etc that complete the sweets end of the name.

When I walked in I saw Oreo and peanut butter truffles, rice krispie treats and chocolate covered strawberries along with trays of cookies and cupcakes behind the counter. I grabbed a hot tea (various Celestial Seasonings bags) for only $1.25 and decided I should try some truffles since I like to support local establishments and didn’t want to be cheap and only buy a drink. And then I grabbed a rice krispie treat because you know…..supporting local business! The truffles were absolutely amazing and pretty cheap—3 for $2. My bill came to just over three bones, can’t beat that!

The rice krispie treat sucked–it was hard as a rock (that’s what she said again–cmon too good to pass up) but the truffles were out of this world! I even liked the peanut butter ones and if you know, you know am not a huge pb fan.

Another thing adding to the sweet factor? A cute Valentine’s Day package from my sister.

Fannie May’s—my favorite!!!

Some Nutella–since I’ve never owned a jar I’m looking forward to experimenting with it. I love the note on the container…..

Seriously, how sweet of a package is that?

I made some cupcakes for my assistant and a thank you for all the hard work she does.

The frosting ended up in here

Frosting is my kryptonite so it was absolutely necessary that it went in the trash instead of lurking in my fridge because one of these days I will come home stressed from work, grab a spoon and go to town on that can.

 I had other things to do after that, like fixing my bed…again.

This bed is really starting to get on my last nerve. Even Lincoln doesn’t want to jump on the bed, he knows something is up and that it’s faulty.

And since it’s Valentine’s Day and all, I serenaded my bed with a little Al Green

Seriously, can you please stay together shitty Ikea bed??

So I think it’s sturdy for now but I guess we will see how long that lasts. I am not wanting to fix this on a weekly basis.

Afterwards, I went to Panera to get some lunch and free wi-fi. I always order the same thing at Panera but switched it up today–I got the french onion soup and mediterranean veggie sandwich since it’s meatless Monday and all.

I really enjoyed this combo! The sandwich was fresh and fantastic with a good amount of basil and feta. If you have both of those, you win my heart. I really enjoyed the french onion soup as well, instead of having the entire cup covered with a piece of bread and cheese, it was covered with bits of cheese and croutons.

I went to the gym afterwards and a very productive workout. I did 45 minutes on the Precor AMT then did lower body sets (leg press, seated leg curls, hip adduction/abduction, leg extension)

Then I came home and hung out with my Valentine

It was such a gorgeous day out—65 and sunny, just like spring! It was nice to have the windows open and get some fresh air in the house, it reminded me that spring is near. I don’t mind spring at all–if it was 65 and sunny year round I would be happy girl but when it gets into the 80’s and 90’s is when I get irritable.

I made baked spaghetti for dinner.

I started off cooking spinach and leftover mushrooms from yesterday in extra virgin olive oil with garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes

I cooked four servings os thin spaghetti earlier today and microwaved that with vodka sauce for a few minutes in the microwave

Added half a can of tomatoes and chopped parsleyand 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella to the spinach and mushrooms

The only measuring cup I had, was not trying to be cute with the hearts...

Why hello colors of the Italian flag!

Added the spaghetti to the spinach mix

Then transfer into a casserole dish

Top with more mozzarella cheese (about 1/3 cup) and   bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees

This was enough for dinner tonight plus three other meals this week and it freezes well-holla.

Great Harvest Rosemary Garlic bread

And apparently, I need to get my booty up to Boston–it’s the top city for single women-go Boston, it’s your birthday! Pittsburgh is also on the list which is positive since that’s one of the front-runners for cities I am going to next.

What’s your kryptonite?
Any creative ideas of what to do with Nutella? Recipe wise, not kinky wise…..

I’ve pissed off the cupcake gods

Hello friends! How in the hell is already Sunday afternoon–where did this weekend go?

We are supposed to get hit with major snow (read seven inches) tonight and I’m hoping I won’t be able to go into work tomorrow. The south freaks out over any kind of snow, even if it doesn’t stick, but I am interested to see how it pans out tomorrow. So until there, I am actively doing a snow dance every 15 minutes in hopes of a lazy day with a weekend extension tomorrow.

Last night, I made a trip  just to check out Sweetcakes Bakery.  I’ve seen rave reviews about this place on Yelp and had plans to go to that side of town to meet a friend for dinner.  My friend was running late so I went over there to see what the deal was. The store is right off the main road so once I figured out the parking sitch in the back (heeeeeeey) I walked up and saw a sign in the window saying they were sold out of cupcakes. Isn’t this the main product they offer? If it was closing time I could see this but two hours before they closed? Me no likey. If you may remember, I had another cupcakeless occurence this summer when I went to Crave Dessert Bar. Maybe this a higher power trying to tell me that I don’t need cupcakes? From the size of my ass, I know damn straight I don’t need any cupcakes but wanting cupcakes is a totally different ballgame. Somewhere along the line in my cupcake adventures, I’ve  pissed off the cupcake gods. Must fix ASAP.

So what’s a girl to do when she can’t get cupcakes? Shop! Don’t worry, I didn’t break my resolution of not buying any new clothes until March. I saw a Salvation Army I hadn’t been into and figured what else but low prices could fix my negative cupcake experience? I was in and the place was absolutely huge. I like to jam when I shop and they had a mix of hip hop and gospel music to raise my spirits for all the good deals I found. This one is  near the lake where all the rich folk live and apparently, donate all of their stuff.

I found some shoes……

$4.99-ugly but comfortable for the work place.

Aerosoles that are also good for the work place. Chapped by ass to pay $7.99 for these but oh well, they will last me a while.

Ralph Lauren wool pants for only $4! They are a little snug but I will make it work one of these days, I just couldn’t pass them up for $4. And some random label of jeans for $2.

Cute summer-y top (or dress?) for $2.50

Very Bradley head band. Don’t hate me if I tell you I got it for free. The cashier there recognized me from another Salvation Army I frequent and he didn’t feel like calling to see what the price was so he said it would be our little secret (well, not anymore!)

When I got back to my car, my friend called and asked if I still wanted to go to Sweetcakes. I told her the story about them running out of cupcakes and she was a bit disappointed as well. We brainstormed for a few minutes about other cupcake venues in her part of town and we called some places but everything was closed. We did dinner as planned since I had a BOGO coupon. We went to Asiana Fusion Sushi. The menu is huge with separate listings for appetizers, rice dishes , noodles, entrees and sushi. They have sushi rolls that are only $3 to $5 in addition to their regular sushi menu. I wanted sushi so badly after scanning their extensive menu however the cold chill tonight had me looking for something to warm me up. I looked and looked and everything looked delicious so I went with old faithful—shrimp pad thai.

If you mess up pad thai, that’s how I know you’re a bad place. And it was quite tasty!! I like how they put peanuts on the side and it is enough for two or three servings so I could enjoy it there plus take some home for leftovers one day. The pieces of shrimp they threw in there were huge and fresh, score! I am just bummed that I don’t live closer to this place because I won’t be able to hit it up as often as I’d like.

Besides that, this weekend has been low-key. I had plans to go to two yoga classes, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. The one on Saturday was a free class at a local jiujitsu studio but when I got to said location, there was no sign on the door or name written anywhere so that was a fail. Then today, I had planned to go to a $5 good karma class and really wasn’t feeling it. I feel like I have a cold coming on so felt a little heavy in the head and when I got there, they told me it was canceled. I was happy about this because I just wanted to get back home and do nothing. But I made a trip to Trader Joe’s before going home since I needed to pick up some fresh produce and my hair was looking good so if I saw the cashier I went out with, I wouldn’t mind.

I got a nice selection of veggies, fruits and pizza dough

and something new……

Ohhhh lala! Now I can make cold and hot Chai at home, which will most definitely assist in my quest to spend less money on Starbucks. And boy was not there so I didn’t have to worry about stepping into his check out line then having an awkward moment…..even though my hair was kinda hoping for that moment.

I got some good news on Friday night—I am going to be joining the YMCA. There is some bad blood between me and the Y. I refuse to pay $65 for a membership of my own but my friend told me her and her other friend are wanting to go splitsies with someone else on their membership so my cut will only be $26/month. I can’t wait to get back to something consistent and eek, going on an elliptical again! It’s been over a year since I’ve been on one–I wonder if it will be like riding a bike??

Do you go to a gym or workout at home? If you do go to a gym, do you spend an insane amount for membership or do you think it’s reasonable?