Frugal Friday: A coupon a day

So, I used to have this little feature called Frugal Friday. I would post every Friday about the deals I found along with some tips but then it kinda slowed down. With all the traveling and packing I’ve been doing, I’ve been a little behind on posting. But not because I’ve stopped saving money,  I’ve actually been saving money in a big way. Mostly because I’m going through every coupon I have available to me and using them before I leave. No way I am letting my Groupons, Living Social and other deals go to waste!

*Bath & Body Works.

When I was in Commerce, GA last weekend, our hotel was located right next to the Tanger Outlet shops. I drove through there and didn’t see any stores that stood out to me and then I saw Bath and Body Works. I don’t need to accumulate stuff since I’m trying to get rid of items for the move but I saw their semi annual sale going on with 75% off and I knew I had to clean house.

I stocked up on lotions, body wash, hand soap, sanitizer and body spray. I was surprised to see they had Coco Cabana which used to be the scent I wore in college! Oh memories of summer time, ladies night free drinks and pizza at 2am!

Nine items for $21? Don’t mind if I do! I would be a fool to pass on a deal like this.

*Pedicure @ Nails of America

I bought a Groupon awhile ago for a pedicure but forgot that it was up in Mooresville, about 25 minutes north of Charlotte. I tend to stay in my neighborhood and in the Uptown area so going somewhere that far meant it was going to be a day trip for me. I stopped at a friends place in the area, got my pedicure and ran some errands. Always read the fine print with Groupons since this one had to be used with an appointment.

I always get pink or red on my toes and wanted to mix it up. I went with “Orange You Glad It’s Summer” by OPI

*Chick Fil A

I snagged a Free Chicken Mini coupon awhile back at Bark for Cancer. I completely forgot about it until I found it while cleaning the other week.

I got a soda along with that and brought my computer since they have free wifi. Never would I have thought Chick Fil A would offer wifi but they do and it’s quick. What makes it even better is that the employees will come up to your table and get refills on your drink for you. This may be better than Starbucks since there was only one other table in the place! Keep an eye out for businesses that have signs offering free wifi, this was better to go to for the the quiet and lack of people there factors.

*Café Monte

French stuff intimidates me—Chanel, Bastille Day, their food, wine, accents and the list goes on. 
Ask me what french food is and I will be either reply fries or croissants since it all seems too fancy schmancy for me.  As I vowed not to buy any more Grupons, I saw this one for Café Monte and toyed with the idea of getting it for a few hours. I decided to suck I up and buy it. I’ve heard about this place from many people in the past five years and wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.

My friend went on Monday morning right when they opened and there was only one other table in the restaurant. I absolutely loved the pale yellow walls but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting black and white walls in cramped quarters so seeing it’s spacious inside adorned with mirrors, images of France and natural light.

Even though there was only one other table in there, the service was lagging. Our server would come over and barely check back on us. This is not ideal when it’s morning and I’m having coffee since anyone who knows me knows I don’t do just one cup of coffee. To save some sough (and calories) we split the Eggs Benedict. They even brought out the half portions for us already split.

Quite tasty. They had other breakfast items such as the standard eggs, sausage, toast along with Belgian waffles, crepes and quiche. I wouldn’t go back because most of the breakfast items were $10 or more and that’s just too high for my wallet at this time. If I am going to drop some money on a meal, I would rather spend it on lunch or dinner. Add the whole service kind of sucking thing and yeah, I would rather go somewhere else. But then again, I think it comes down to

*Dunkin Donuts

America runs on Dunkin and so do I! I always go through my junk mail since they send out pages of coupons in the mail. The only downside to it is that they are only specific in the region you’re in so you can’t use them if you’re traveling.

What deals have you found this week? Do you have outlet malls in your area and if so, do you shop at them?

She’s gone country

The drive to Indiana started out ok.

I got my traditional breakfast of Dunkin Donuts egg white turkey sausage flatbread along with a cup of joe (but with an extra shot of espresso)

And I gotta say, not a fan of their flatbread they’ve been using recently. I noticed they changed it in the past year. The bread now seems tougher and lacks the flavor of the previously one used. Thank God, Lincoln was the only one in the car with me while eating this because it was one of the unsexiest things I’ve devoured. I was practically gnawing at the sandwich just trying to get one bite. I must write DD soon and voice my opinion because unsexy flatbreads aren’t good for anyone.

Homeboy looks confused why I am trying so hard for a little bite of food.

So, I drove. The drive heading west into Tennessee moved very slow due to the rain in the mountains but once we went across the TN border, it turned into a gorgeous and peaceful  day.

Until I turned on the radio.

All country, all the time. Ok, I lie, all country and Christian rock music. These Christian rock folk are sneaky too. I would be jammin to the song then all of a sudden I listen to the lyrics and hearing about sacrificing, loving Jesus, etc. I am all for the J man but not with music. Especially when I was listening to Nine Inch Nails “Closer” a half hour before. So the country came on and  I listened Mostly because I was too lazy to grab a cd or turn on Pandora. I like torturing myself like that. Then “Strawberry Wine” by Deanna Carter came on. I haven’t heard that song in ages and wore out the cd “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” when I was in high school. I actually still use that saying whenever I have a bad date. I’m not a country music gal at all but I did go through a small stage in high school and time after college where it’s all I listened to. I blame this on working at Roadhouse Grill as a hostess and dating a guy from Texas, respectively. I listened to the country station after that and heard a song and thought it was cute. I was thinking to myself “Please don’t be Taylor Swift, please don’t be Taylor Swift” and yeah, it turned out to be “Mean” by the Swift bunny. Grrr. I don’t like that girl. I don’t know if it’s because she is so tall, lanky, looks like an evil bunny rabbit (I affectionately call her Donnie Darko), that we share the same birthday or that she does the love sign with her hands all the time when I was doing it way before her but I just don’t like her. Yet, I was jammin to her song and contemplated downloading the song.

Maybe I can get on board with country music?

Not only was the music a let down, the snack department was disappointing. I grabbed this Oikos greek yogurt from the fridge since I  could always use a container of protein loving

I think I’ve been spoiled by Chobani because no other greek yogurt comes even close to theirs. Like the Yoplait yogurt I tried a few weeks ago, I wasn’t a fan of the Oikos.

I brought a coconut water with me

Nasty as well. I struggled just to choke down 1/3 of this and poured the remainder out at a rest stop. It wasn’t overly sweet or tart, it was just nasty and not like other coconut water I’ve tried. I will be staying away from the passion fruit flavor in the future.

In true Frugal Friday fashion, lunch was free! When in Kentucky, I stopped for gas and when I went in to go pay for a Diet Coke, I saw this sign

Oh, it was on. Gas station pizza may not be the best option for lunch but I’m not one to turn down pizza.

Look at those mini puddles of grease sitting on the pepperoni, yum.After a few blots of a napkin, Lincoln and I shared the piece then went on our way through Kentucky.

The drivers in Kentucky were crazy—the speed limit was 70 mph and I was going 80 mph but I felt like everyone else was going at least 90mph. I kept getting over in the right hand lane to let people pass and I’m not going to go off on a rant but some people out there really need to learn that the left lane is passing lane. You don’t just sit there and hang out. If someone is behind you, move over and let them go. I cannot stand the coasters.

I was getting a bit worried because I had a coupon for Chick Fil A that I wanted to use for a free dinner but didn’t see any in the state.

I kept thinking to myself “What is Kentuckys beef with Chick Fil A?” and then bam-I saw a billboard for it. And the angels were watching over me because I saw there was a Starbucks at the same exit and believe I raised my hands in the air while exiting saying “Praise Jesus” which I never say. I blame this on Melissa from Real Housewives of New Jersey and her Jesus talk. I got my salad to go, along with a cup of ice to keep it cold since I wouldn’t be eating it until later then got some caffeination.

For those of you who want to see what Louisville looks like, here you go:

 

 

That cup of ice that I got at Chick Fil A came in handy big time. When I was an hour south of Indianapolis, traffic came to a dead stop and went to one lane then slowly started to move again and went back to two lanes. Why not do construction on a major road leading to Indianapolis on not only Memorial Day Wknd but Race Wknd as well (Indy 500 is on Sunday) So, we were back at two lanes but 20 minutes went by and we didn’t move at all. I start to get a little agitated with this, not only do I have to pee, my butt was asleep and there was a creepy trucker next to me waiving at me. I looked up traffic online and turns out that there was a big rig carrying hazardous materials heading south on I-65 that overturned and went into the northbound lane, so northbound was completely shut down. We sat there for another hour before traffic returned to normal and I could do the minimum speed again. All I could do was stare at Lincoln and wish that I could have someone driving me around (and that I had a furry bed like his)

I got to my sisters house and took a bubble then enjoyed my salad.

 

I was disappointed with the salad. The lettuce didn’t taste fresh and it was meh at best. And don’t think just because I was on the road I didn’t score some condiment loving

 

 

 

I leave you with two items that I can’t wait to try:

 

Do you like country music?

What do you do to pass time when you’re stuck in traffic?

Happy hour, hot babes and humidity

While hanging out here in Florida, I feel like I’ve been quite productive. Yes, the days have consisted of napping, hanging by the pool and beach and spending time with these pups

but I feel like I’ve gotten a lot done besides that.

I found the local YMCA branch in Boca Raton and dropped in the other day to see if I could work out there. I asked my local branch if they knew the rules when visiting Y’s in other cities and they said it’s at the discretion of the specific branch. So when I went to the branch here, I was pleasantly surprised when they told me I could visit 14 times in one month! woot woot! The place may smell like old people and they don’t have the latest machines like my Y in Charlotte but it is definitely useable. I went the past two days and had some decent workouts.

And holy hot babes at the Boca YMCA batman! I don’t know what these men do for a living but they are gorgeous—kind of like a toned down version of Jersey Shore-current and in 30 years. These men are out of control hot so it’s awesome to have some eye candy while working out.

The dbag wearing a wool hat to the YMCA when it’s 90 degrees outside? Dude, stop trying to be Colin Ferrell.

My mom really doesn’t cook that much anymore and my parents are always going out to eat. I am usually fine with dining on someone else’s dime however I do not want to be going out to eat every single meal since that just spells trouble. I told them instead of going out for every meal, let’s do one meal of lunch or dinner at home then go out to eat for the other. This has been working well except for the fact that my parents keep trying to get me drunk.

Don’t worry, they aren’t trying to take advantage of me anything. Or maybe they are trying to get me drunk so they can steal my car and my dog. Add the fact that I am unemployed to that and I’m a country song!

Ok, maybe not so much but Florida has happy hour specials whereas North Carolina doesn’t. So that means that here they do BOGO drinks from 4 to 7pm or whatever hours they do happy hour.  My parents keep pushing me to get a drink when I go out in a very ABC afterschool special kind of way. They don’t tell me that all the cool kids are having drinks but they are a step away from it. So, with that, more Blue Moons that normal have been consumed.

We went to The Quarterdeck on Tuesday night since we had a coupon for a free half rack of ribs

Yep, frugality runs in the family

We went in and sat in the bar area however once I sat down and saw the sketchers sitting at the bar, I asked the parentals if we could sit outside. I’m all for people watching however these guys were giving me the heebie jeebies! One of them had an eye patch on. I’ve never met a normal person with an eye patch so there has to be a story there, one guy was taking up three seats at the bar and looked like he brought his own pillow to sleep there and the others looked like they just got their sweet freedom from the Broward County Pen.

I ordered the fish and chips with a side of two Blue Moons.

When the fish and chips came out, I was stoked. Nothing like some fish and chips, especially when you’re near the beach but to put it nicely…..it sucked. I don’t know if the cod was past it’s hey day or what but it didn’t taste fresh and squeezing a few lemons and dousing it in tartar sauce didn’t even help. If I ever go back, I will stick to their conch fritters as I have in the past.

I met up with some of my sorority sisters on Wednesday for lunch at Rocco’s Tacos. Even though I went to college in WV, a few of them moved to FL after college and have been here ever since. I love getting to visit family and friends while I drop by.

Seeing friends and eating Mexican food? Count me in! My parents told me their guacamole was out of this world and they make it tableside for you. When we sat down, I was secretly hoping that we would order it and my friends told me we had to get an order. Success!

I could have ordered a bowl of the guacamole and been happy. Seeing that it was $12, it could have been a meal itself! Instead, I went with the blackened mahi taco platter with rice and salad.

The mahi was fresh and flavorful so I was happy with the 180 degree change of fish from the other night. However, instead of little pieces of mahi, they give you one huge chunk so it’s not as messy as potentially could be. A good time had by all though, it’s crazy to think that I’ve known these girls for over 10 years.

Other random things?

*I am totally down for being a Cicada bug. I think I could sleep for 13 years!

*I have a new love and it goes by the name of Temptations by Jello Strawberry Cheesecake

Yes, it may be gone after only three bites but it’s absolutely delish!

*I’m started to develop an unhealthy habit for Dunkin Donuts.

I went to three different DD’s within a 24 hour time span.This can’t be a good thing for anyone.

*I had Cool Whip for breakfast the other day. But then the adult in me spoke out and told me not to have Cool Whip…..put some fruit under it to get my produce in!

*Ross sells Philosophy for only eight bones!

*I thought Charlotte had bad humidity. I was wrong. I forgot how bad it is here and am finally just starting to dry off after being inside for 20 minutes. Gross.

*And how is Charlotte out of eggplants when Florida is selling them for $.99? Why is the Sunshine State hogging all the eggplants?

*The Coconut Mocha frappuccino is a gift from the gods. I really didn’t need to know that something so delicious existed but oh well, at least I got it half priced.

What’s your favorite frappuccino?

Do your high school or college friends live in your hometown? A lot of my high school friends still live there but since I went to college 18 hours away, not too many of my college friends?

Greetings from Florida!

Hello everyone—hope everyone is having a great week so far!!

All I need is to insert a postcard here and I will be all set.

(source)

Sigh, I long for the days when stamps were $.37.

But for now, I will just show this gorgeous picture of sunset Sunday night (please disregard the dead flies on my windshield)

We left early on Sunday after a good nights rest. I started with my regular pre trip breakfast of Dunkin Donuts. Their egg white flatbread rocks my world and you can’t go wrong with their iced coconut coffee.

It was a gorgeous day for a drive, thank God we didn’t have any horrible weather or traffic.

I wish I had some good stories from the road but unfortunately I don’t. I just jammed out, stayed alert and watched Lincoln.

He slept through SC…..

through GA….

Woke up to help me drive in FL….

To save money, I brought some snacks for the road. I hate how much gas stations and rest stops charge for food plus you don’t find the healthiest selection of stuff. Plus when making an 11 hour drive, I wanted to fill my body with good stuff as opposed to crap.

Which I ended up getting the hummus on my pants so it looked like a funky, yellow stain near my girly bits. Good times.

Dannon Greek Yogurt-Honey. Wanna know my thoughts on this?

Save your money, it was disgusting!

I ended up stopping for linner since I wasn’t sure what was going to be on the agenda for dinner. I saw a billboard for Daytona Pig Stand BBQ and knew I had to have it.

They had a spacious patio are that was pet friendly! The server ever brought out some water for Lincoln.

I went in to order and when I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, they asked if I wanted it ON garlic toast or a regular roll. A sandwich on garlic toast?? I’ve never heard of such thing so yes, Pig Stand, I would like my sandwich on garlic toast.

It was fantastic! The pork was served without bbq sauce and you can add the original or hot bbq sauce. I wasn’t too impressed with the original but the hot bbq sauce had some heat and was tangy.

There was so much meat on there, Lincoln got to have a little treat o’ pig!

But he did not get one ounce of that mac n cheese since I was licking the bowl for the last remnants of cheese. This was a great spot to stop at and relax for a little while. Plus any place that is dog friendly gets two thumbs up in my book.

I rolled into my city and talked with my parents. They were still on the road from visiting my sister on the other coast of Florida and would be home soon. I said “Ok, I will just let myself in” thinking that they left a key for me since who wouldn’t leave a key for their daughter who had been driving 11 hours with her dog right? No. So I sat in the parking lot of Whole Foods and waited for them to get home. I was starving at that point and wanted nothing more than to go in and get some grub but I was all grody from driving all day. I swear, the second I got into FL my skin and hair were on red alert because both went from normal to greasy and frizzy.

My plans were to sleep in on Monday but it was so hot in our house, I couldn’t. I felt like Elaine on Seinfeld when she goes down to FL with Jerry and stays the night on the fold out couch and can’t sleep because it’s so hot. I almost had a freak out session because of the humidity….almost.

I woke up at 630am and was on a mission to find coffee, food and free Wi Fi. I ended up at Sequella Café in Boca after reading reviews on Yelp.

I ordered a small latte and contemplated getting breakfast but the items were pricier than I wanted to pay. Plus, when I got online, the connection was terrible slow. As much as I enjoyed the atmosphere and Beatles playing, I was ready to get out and find another spot.  When I went up to pay, I learned you had to spend at least $5 if you wanted to use your check card. I was a couple of dollar short so I got two raspberry rugaleh to go and headed out.

After that, I headed to Starbucks where I was greeted with normal prices, comfy chairs and speedy Wi Fi….and hot men! Each time I looked up, it seemed like another hot guy was walking into the place and I was diggin! Until I saw the popped collars that is. I saw two guys with popped collars within 20 minutes. Ugh.

I went to the beach for about an hour and a half around lunch time. I wanted to stay longer but I forgot how expensive parking gets there you only get 10 minutes for $.25 and I had $1.50 in quarters. Next time I go, I will go back to being 15 and have my mom drop me off and pick me up.

And the beach? Holy men in speedos Batman! And I’m not talking sex pot, Greek god body like Daniel Craig in a Speedo

(source)

I’m talking men who look like Celine Dion’s husband and are too furry to not shave (and this coming from a girl who likes fury men) Thanks everyone for your input on which one to read—I still can’t decide!! Next time I go to the beach this week, I will start on one of them!

Well, my time at Starbucks is up—I can’t wait until I can get back to using Internet access in my own home where I can get stuff done when I want. I have blogs to catch up on among others things! Til next time……

Do you pack snacks when traveling or stop off at different spots?

What’s the best beach you’ve ever been to?

Loving the Q

My friend was in town last night flying out of Charlotte so we got together for dinner before I took her to the airport. She was in the mood for a salad and I couldn’t name off a good salad place right off the bat so we checked out The Liberty, a newer gastropub in Dilworth.

I got the BBQ pork belly sliders and a side of fries

Beautiful babies! These succulent and delicious.

When I got home from the airport, I did absolutely nothing and enjoyed every second of it. There was a SVU marathon on so I put on my comfy clothes, parked myself on the couch and zoned out. I hate going out on Friday nights since I am usually exhausted from the work day. Soon I was in bed and I ended up sleeping a beautiful, soothing nine hours—that never happens! Most weekends, I wake up around 7A, have my coffee, breakfast and decide what I’m going to do with my day. I had plans to go with friends to the North Carolina BBQ Festival so I had to get ready then get on the road.

America runs on Dunkin-you got that right.

I picked everyone up then we hit the road. Lexington is supposedly the BBQ Capital of the World and only an hour away from Charlotte so it was a perfect day trip. I don’t know what I was more excited about—the bbq or the people watching

We went in not knowing to expect. I was expecting different restaurants from all over the state having their own tents with their style of bbq but there were only a few tents with the same general bbq, so it was a bit of a let down. In addition to that, they have every kind of fair food imaginable.

Fried butter? Um, no.

When we got to the food tent, there was a selection of hot dogs, pork sandwich, pork platter and fries. To get the full bbq experience, I went with the platter.

Oink oink!

It came with pork, red slaw and two buns. Lexington is known for their red slaw which has ketchup instead of mayonnaise and it was damn tasty.

The food was good and so was the people watching. We saw many mullets, men without shirts (Why??? It’s October in North Carolina-put your damn shirt back on!) and teenage moms. I don’t know if they aren’t doing sex ed anymore but it was really sad seeing these young kids who I think are babies having their own babies. Use condoms, they work.

At the north end of the festival, we found a location soda shoppe kind of place called Char’s so we stopped in for some ice crea, One of their specials was birthday cake ice cream which one of my friends raves about so I had to give it a try

Holy balls. Why did I try this? It was absolutely amazing—I don’t need to know that this yummy goodness exists!

Soon we found the beer garden. We were walking around and found it quite odd that there wasn’t any beer vendors. We walked right by it and got in line to get in. While we were in line, I saw the Sweetwater van. Sweetwater Blue is one of my top three favorite beers ever so I was happy that they were offering it. Not only did I see the van…..a guy was painting it a funkalicious tie dye color while we were waiting

Yay for hippies, double yay for beer.

We got in and sadly, they were out of Sweetwater and out of most beers there. I went with Bud Light Lime since it’s refreshing when it’s hot out. I can drink a few but after three, it tastes a bit nasty to me.

Dinner was lazy—-Totinos Pizza. This frozen pizza takes me back to my high school days and I know it’s totally bad for me but sometimes when I see frozen pizza for $1, I buy it. And when the hell did they change their pepperoni? I used to love their little pepperoni bites but no mas.

All in all, a great, foodielicious day. It was nice to get out-of-town for a bit, partake in some interesting people watching and eat some Q.

If you haven’t entered my Fresh Express coupon giveaway—there’s a few hours left so jump on it!

Also, I’ve added another tab to the top of my page featuring restaurants I’ve visited recently here in Charlotte but in other cities as well so feel free to check it out–The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

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!!

Mmmmmm….Meaty

I had to get my car inspected yesterday morning—–at 7A. What fun. I grabbed a Kind bar and was on my way to the inspection place. After reading this post by Janaetha about fitting in workout moves into your every day life, I also grabbed my heart rate monitor so I could go on a walk while my car was being inspected. I figure I could sit on my booty reading some old magazines or play on my phone until the battery died since I forgot to charge the night before or I could get some cardio action in. I fit two miles in while my car was being inspected (I was hoping I would walk by Marshall Park b/c it would have been too freaky and fun seeing that’s Janaetha’s hubby’s name but no go).

I am a total Starbucks whore but at times, get a craving for Dunkin Donuts. I keep forgetting we one in my area and yesterday was the day I would hit it up after a hiatus. I got a medium strawberry Coolata and their new French Toast Bagel Twist

The bagel twist was super tasty….until I looked online and saw that it has 380 calories. It was good but I don’t want to waste that many calories on something so little. I finished half of the Coolata and kept the rest to enjoy later on an inevitable hot day.

 Saturday afternoon, some friends and I went to the Charlotte Summer Irish Festival

Hair sticking to my forehead is not hot

Ok, so I’ve been before but this year it was kind of lame. I went the first year when it wasn’t such more of a festival in a parking lot but in Connoly’s bar with bands playing, drinks a plenty and like a casino, you had no concept of what time it was since it was a dark and smoky bar. This year they had a lot of vendors, more family friendly stuff, dancers and such but it was outside in a barely covered parking lot and it was just dreadful outside. The one positive was that beers were only $3 but after being there for an hour, we were ready to head inside for some food and air conditioning!

Do you have a place in your city that you insist people go to when they visit? Well, I have a few of them and Mac’s Speedshop is at the top of my list. Mac’s is a bbq joint but also kind of a biker bar and anytime I have someone asking where they should go to eat when they are in Charlotte, Mac’s is my answer. They also have a patio area with picnic tables that’s great to kick back with some beers and bbq when it’s nice out but it was just too hot out this time.

 I got the Texas Beef Brisket Sandwich with grilled onions and a side of mac n cheese. This was MAJOR for me since the only thing I’ve ordered in the past has been the pulled pork sandwich (the Big Pig) and I have been so happy with it. I hate when I have an item I always order somewhere and I don’t want to stray away from it because what happens if I don’t like it as much?  But what if I try something new and it’s the new LOML? That’s love of my life folks.  This time I got the brisket and was not disappointed at all.

I didn’t mention how the brisket is served on Texas Toast huh? And this right here is one of the reasons I love Mac’s so much!

Come to momma!!!

My belly was so happy and full after this meal. The brisket was awesome and I didn’t even need a knife to cut it since it was so tender. I can’t believe it took me so long to try something different but I am sure happy I did. I was telling my friend that this restaurant is reason alone why I will never give up meat. Yeah, there is tempeh and tofu but I’m sorry it just doesn’t compared to some oink oink or moo moo.

That was kind of a linner meal going on so I wasn’t too hungry later on that evening. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich thin with Peanut Butter & Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl and Cranberry Preserve on a Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin.

Now I can see why people like the peanut butter so much. This was delicious!

This morning I brought back and oldie but goodie–eggs in a hole

with a side of fresh, sliced peaches

Just an fyi, eggs in a hole does not work with liquid egg whites. Now that I type that out, it’s a big obvious but when it’s 8A in the morning and I haven’t had coffee it didn’t seem so clear and obvious. Regardless, I love a hearty Sunday morning breakfast.

I don’t know what today will bring and I  really don’t have any plans until the evening. I think I am going to break out the  kettbell and maybe take Lincoln to the park for a walk since he seems bored lately.

Happy Sunday Funday! 

98 Degrees

And no, not talking about these guys.

Although, I do kinda miss the boy band craze of the late 90’s sometimes (Jeff was my favorite 98 Degree-er)

That’s how hot it was today. 85 degrees by 10A and just nastiness outside. I feel like I am living back in Phoenix but with humidity. Make. It. Stop.

I had such a wonderful day off and felt like I got so much done. I was in normal spirits, had more energy, etc. it’s a real shame that this work thing gets in the way of my life schedule. But, gotta pay the bills right?

I slept in until 745A (which was just fabulous), I felt so rested and relaxed, it wasn’t even funny. I made an egg and egg white omelet with red peppers and Trader Joe’s Feta with Mediterranean Herbs

I was waiting on the washer/dryer company to come pick up my set but of course they gave me a six-hour time frame in between 8A and 2P so I lounged around while Lincoln sat out looking at the window. He wasn’t doing anything, just sitting there. It really makes me wonder what he does when I’m at work or away. I’m really tempted to get a nanny cam but then if I see he is just sitting there bored, I will feel sad about going to work and having a life. Look at how he was glaring at me!

There was only one thing to do at that point-Fight Club Chihuahua Style. I got a puppet dog out of Lincoln’s Baby Bin (a bin with 20+ babies aka toys) and we had a training session.

Don’t worry, I have no intention of fighting Lincoln and am disgusted when I hear about dog fighting. I think people who fight their dogs should get thrown in a pit full of hungry, vicious dogs and let them go to town. I just want to know Lincoln can hold his own if he ever gets into a “situation” when someone is trying to mess with him. Good session indeed. I was on such a high from training Lincoln (and kinda was feeling like Mickey Goldmill) that I put him in my room and had a workout session of my own.

Kettlebell-20 lbs

Upright Deltoid Row (13 reps, 3 set)

Side Bends (20 reps, 2 sets)

Swings (20 reps, 2 sets)

Shrugs (12 reps, 2 sets)

Halos (13 reps, 2 sets)

Squats (20 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell-15 lbs

Shoulder press (12 reps, 2 sets)

Curls (13 reps, 3 sets)

Dumbbell 10 lbs

Tricep Dumbbell Kickbacks  (13 reps, 2 sets)

Tricep Extensions (12 reps, 2 sets)

Front Lateral Raise (13 reps, 2 sets)

Stability Ball Crunches (15 reps, 2 sets)

The delivery guy came right after that once I was in my normal clothes again and not looking like a complete wreck. Lincoln is a quiet dog for the most part but barks anytime a stranger comes and goes absolutely berserk when a man comes in, he just doesn’t like them (which is not good for my game). The delivery man came in and not one peep from Lincoln, which really perplexed me. I was telling the guy this and noticed he had an accent and asked him where he was from originally and he responded with “Mexico” then I said “Ahhhh it’s b/c you’re of the same ethnicity—he’s part Chihuahua!” LOL he thought that was funny (all I’m ever looking for is some laughs to validate my great sense of humor and wit) and he went over to Lincoln, pet him and said “Hola amigo!” It was cute. I went to the pool for two hours afterwards and had the entire thing to myself—it was great! I was sure to re-apply the sunscreen every 20 minutes because I didn’t want to burn and need to protect my money-maker as much as I can.

I was famished by the time I got in and made a tuna melt for lunch. It was so nice to make my lunch, listen to the Beatles and dance around the kitchen for once. I always listen to music when I am cooking or prepping and it makes it an even happier event than normal. I mixed tuna with Light Mayo, pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes with red pepper and onion and placed on two toasted pieces of whole wheat bread and topped with tomato and 2 slices of Monterrey Jack cheese then broiled for 10 minutes and served with a side of Trader Joe’s Organic Baked Nacho Tortilla Chips with Tabasco sauce.

I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping, I got some cute clothes for NYC and some accessories to go with and had an iced coconut coffee with skim milk from Dunkin Donuts. Ummm, why does it look like an Arnold Palmer?

Broke into my Newman’s Own Organic Champion Chip Cookies-Double Chocolate Chip

It’s 160 calories per serving, which is only four cookies. Edit, four small cookies. I enjoyed the taste, they were super chocolate and mint flavored but wouldn’t buy these on my own based on that serving size (I won these in a giveaway)

I am still on Operation Clean Out My Kitchen so for dinner I made Health Is Wealth Jalapeno and Cheese Munchees

From the website:

“Health is Wealth Jalapeno & Cheese Munchees are bite-sized, crispy puffs of wheat, crunchy on the outside, cheesy on the inside with just the right amount of Jalapeno peppers. Jalapeno Munchees cook up in minutes and pucker when done.  Our lip-smacking blend of all-natural, low fat ingredients with no added sugars will keep you coming back for more.”

I’ve never tried any of their products before so I was super excited because I love trying new stuff! I bought these on a whim awhile back but you never know with the frozen products how they will turn out. They reminded me of Totino Pizza Rolls.

They only took eight minutes to cook in the oven and I served with a baby spinach salad with onion, zucchini, tomato and cucumbers topped with Red Vinegar and T Marzetti’s Light Ancho Chipotle Ranch

I sipped on my new favorite—cucumber water, so refreshing!

Hope y’all had a Happy Humpday!!

Remember tomorrow at midnight is the deadline for my giveaway!

And if you like giveaways and you like peanut butter—check out Diana’s fabulous peanut butter goodness giveaway!