Can’t Hardly Wait

 I didn’t have time to make a hearty first meal so it was breakfast on the go with a Kashi Bar and a banana

The interview went well. I knew the person interviewing me so it was a bit informal compared to interviews I had and more like a normal conversation which made me less nervous. To be honest, I don’t think I will get it since I knew some other people who are applying and have more experience than me. Also, I got some more information on the job and I’m not sure if I would want it or not if I was to be offered the position. It would be longer hours, more stress but on the flip side more money, more vacation and a better direction for my career. Basically, I would have to think long and hard about it if I would want to take on the role or not. But I rocked my dress with a cute, chunky green beaded necklace and I think I looked cute. Oh–I didn’t mention how the dress was one  size smaller than I wear huh? I am happy about that alone. Regardless, thanks everyone for your warm wishes 🙂

For lunch, I had Quizno’s Choose Two with the Honey Mustard Chicken Salad and Steak Melt Sammie

I was jonesing for some take out when I got home and couldn’t make up my mind between the two usual suspects: Pizza or Chinese Food so I decided to save some money and calories by making home-made Chinese food

Chinese Noodles with zucchini, mushrooms, sweet pepper, green onions with Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken (no sauce) with a few tbsp General Tso’s Sauce. Just like the real thing!

I had a sweet workout session afterwards. I got my workout clothes on while  the food was cooking so I wouldn’t have any reason not to work out (except pure laziness of course!)

Kettlebell-20 lbs

Side Bends (20 reps, 2 sets)

Halos (13 reps, 2 sets)

Swings (13 reps, 4 sets)

Squats (13 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell-15 lbs

Close Grip Dumbbell Bench Press (13 reps, 1 set)

Dumbbell Bench Press  (13 reps, 2 sets)

Shoulder press (12 reps, 2 sets)

Curls (13 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell 10 lbs

Tricep Dumbbell Kickbacks  (13 reps, 3 sets)

Reverse Fly (12 reps, 2 sets)

Front Lateral Raise (13 reps, 2 sets)

I didn’t get my heart rate up the way I thought I did but all in all, it was a good workout. On a unrelated note, I think I pulled my butt muscle and it hurts!

I had a post workout snack -green monster bowl with NutriBiotic Chocolate Rice Protein, almond milk, baby spinach, xanthan gum, a drizzle of mint chocolate syrup and chocolate peppermint shavings

Hope everyone is having a Happy Thursday! Is it wrong if I don’t really have plans any night this weekend and kind of excited for that? I just want to snuggle up with Lincoln, watch my Netflix and veg. I can’t wait.

Skills That Pay The Bills?

Happy Humpday all! Today was yet another good day of great eats! I am so happy I am back to meal planning and making larger quantities of items so I have things on hand. This is going to be a quick one (you will see why at the end of this post)

Breakfast was Kashi Go Lean Crunch! with almond milk and blueberries.

Note, this is the second time this week that I’ve had cereal in the twice week. I don’t think I’ve had that much since back in my high school days.

Lunch was a leftover pork chop with quinoa with grilled eggplant, parsley and green onions.

When I got home, it was hot as balls out. I took Lincoln out and then got into my comfy clothes. I was kinda hungry but not ready for dinner and I wanted something cold.

What to do in that predicament? GREEN MONSTER! I made one with Spirutein Cookies N Cream Protein Powder, Almond Milk, handful of spinach, xanthan gum and a special addition…….

Santa Cruz Organic Mint Chocolate Syrup. I bought this a few months ago on a whim and have been waiting for the perfect moment to crack it open. I figure cookies n cream plus mint chocolate? I might as well die and go to heaven!!

Look at how beautiful it is? I wish I could put into words how great it was. I know Monique will appreciate this piece of art and I will be having this again (although I will have to have some self-control with that mint chocolate syrup). Thank God for the Magic Bullet

Oh! And I ordered a Bondi Bond on Sunday and got it in the mail today-I love a great deal and fast shipping!

Dinner was another fabulous BIG salad with baby romaine, red onion, mushrooms, hardboiled eggs, cucumbers, quinoa, gorgonzola, chicken bites and ranch dressing.

Ummm, I promise there is lettuce under there!

Good God, this was yummy. I haven’t had gorgonzola in a looooong time and forgot how creamy and rich it was. “You’re dreaming of gorgonzola when it’s clearly brie time baby!”  If you can name what movie that’s from you officially rock in my book.

I went to Marshalls and found a couple of good buys

Bigger Loser Sculpt and Burn set for $5 I am a sucker for anything on clearance and figure it would fun to have on hand

Black Dress for $15.

Ok so it actually looks way cute on and not frumpy at all.

Why a black dress you ask? No, someone didn’t die but……I have an interview tomorrow!! Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows I am absolutely miserable at work and want out. I am super nervous and just found out about it this afternoon so I spent the last part of my day worrying about what I will wear. It’s for another position at the bank and would definitely be a step up (not to be confused with Step Up 3D) and a great career move for me. There is no way in hell I am wearing a suit in this weather nor do I have one since all my suits I are from before I lost weight. I figure a simple black dress is a good bet and I know the person interviewing me. I work with this team every day and think I am a good fit for the position but know there are other people applying who have more experience for me so I have my doubts I will get it but I am sure going to try my best!

 Please send some good vibes my way and we’ll see if I have the skills that pay the bills!

Thanks to Jackie’s Workout Plan

Happy Saturday? Did you know today was National Dance Day? I totally need to celebrate. And how is July already over with? I really don’t like how fast time goes by when you are older but I remember when I was younger time just seemed to drag on.

My latest addiction has been crackers and Laughing Cow Cheese. I get Garlic and Herb most of the time but took a chance on French Onion this last time and absolutely love it!

I’m not really a cereal person unless it is mixed with greek yogurt or on top of fro yo but for some reason this morning was all about a big, cold bowl of cereal with almond milk. I had Kashi Go Lean Crunch Toasted Berry Crumble with bananas

I have to go into work tomorrow so planned on running of my errands this morning,a breve iced coffee is a must on my weekends. I like to think of it as an indulgence since I usually have mine either fat-free half and half or soy milk during the week.

I tried a new workout DVD this morning–Jackie Warners Workout One on One Training. I am not into workout DVDs as I get bored really easily and just quit in the middle most of the time. I’ve had this sitting around the past few weeks from Netflix and finally decided to give it a try. It has three different 20 minute segments and you can pre-set it on your dvd player to include which ones you want to do. There is one for upper body, lower body and core/abs. I did the upper and lower body segments and I only have two words—-HOLY CRAP! It was an amazing workout and my body is not happy with me right now. Both the upper and lower body workouts were great and worked me out but the lower was my favorite since it had different variations of squats and lunges that I’ve never done before.  And it wasn’t a class setting per se, she would have her crew warm up altogether but then when doing each exercise, have just one person doing it so it was a bit more focused.

I didn’t get the calorie burn or heart rate I was looking for but I really enjoyed the DVD and felt like I got a good workout. Two thumbs up!

I was famished after that and it conveniently was lunch time. I had leftover pork from the other night with cole slaw and tomato wedges.

I picked up some new protein powders this afternoon. I’ve tried Spiru-Tein’s Cookies & Cream before and loved it (it tasted like a milkshake!) but unfortunately, I can’t find it in a tub anywhere. I looked on their website and you can’t even order it off there-wtf? They have a tub of the Blueberries & Cream though so I thought it would be smart to try it out beforehand.

Dinner was home-made veggie pizza using Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. I cooked up some artichokes, eggplant, sweet peppers and onions on the stove top with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and oregano while the oven was pre-heating.

Delicious! I made the crust a little thicker than I normally do and used more sauce (despite not digging alot of sauce) and I really enjoyed this.

I am supposed to go out tonight and meet a friend up for drinks but it will not stop coming down outside. Rain is a justifiable reason not to go outside right?

By 30

I had a fabulous breakfast of Yoplait Greek Yogurt, Trader Joe’s Very Cherry Blend and Blueberry Flax and Kashi Go Lean Crunch! 

And look at my calendar for the month of June, I am totally loving all the colors and the phrase on it ( With the new day comes new strengths and new thoughts) I think it’s a great mantra.

I am really digging this whole not being too busy thing going on. I actually got to take a 15 minute break this morning and go to the post office and drug store then I went to the Ghetto Hippies for some produce and got some good buys for $3.40

 

I brought in a frozen meal lunch, which is a huge rarity for me. I had Cedarlane’s Burrito Grande. I am a bit skeptical of frozen meals due to the sodium count and lack of flavor and it just looked good on the cover.

I love how photos deceive sometimes. Mine was not that fluffy or colorful on the inside.

 

And I just love how it says Serving Suggested on the front but there are two servings in one box-grrrr. I would rather have them just say what the full nutritional content is for the whole thing instead of per serving but oh well.

 

This was surprisingly good. It was still crispy after reheating it and packed with flavor. I could really taste the cilantro and the green chile sauce was very smooth and tasty.

I read Daisy Fuentes’ book on the bus ride home from work and finished the entire thing.

I think it’s geared towards younger girls but still enjoyed it. She mentioned this list compiled by Pamela Redmond Satran back in 1997 and I still think it holds true

30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30 by Pamela Redmond Satran

By 30, you should have:

1.       One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.

2.       A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.

3.       Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.

4.       A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.

5.       A youth you’re content to move beyond.

6.       A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.

7.       The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it.

8.      An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you.

9.       A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.

10.   One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.

11.    A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.

12.    Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.

13.    The belief that you deserve it.

14.    A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.

15.    A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By 30, you should know:

1.       How to fall in love without losing yourself.

2.       How you feel about having kids.

3.       How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.

4.       When to try harder and when to walk away.

5.       How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.

6.       The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.

7.       How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.

8.      How to take control of your own birthday.

9.       That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.

10.   That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.

11.    What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.

12.    That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.

13.    Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.

14.    Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.

15.    Why they say life begins at 30.

Ok so some of the stuff on the Things You Should Know I totally don’t know such as

 *How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship. -I’m super bad with confrontation with people I know. Strangers on the other hand, I don’t mind confronting

*Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally. Unfortunately I like to see the good in people and am naïve but I am working on that

Regarding things you should have, I have all of those (except the cordless drill) but my favorites are

*A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age. –I could write a book about my life and the shenanigans that have occurred.

*One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come –Is it bad if I have three or four like this

*A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded. I don’t need to pad b/c I am awesome 🙂

*One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry –ESSENTIAL in life!

I love this list. I even printed out a copy for me to keep so I can reference easily but I think this list is just fabulous. Props to Pamela!

On the way home, the bus was really quiet. Well quiet until I read Diana’s post about Bobby Flay’s restaurant, Mesa Grill. Seriously, look at the wild mushroom quesadillas they had. My stomach started rumbling and people were looking around while I was drooling and laughing while reading her post.

When I got home, I was super hungry and gave into my sweet craving that’s been nagging me all day. I had a single portion of Skinny Cow Strawberry Chessecake.

This was decadent and perfect for my sweet tooth. Lincoln liked it also.

 

And if you don’t think I’m sending these picture to Skinny Cow, you would be wrong.

In an attempt to make something other than Mexican for dinner, I made chicken stir fry

The veggies and chicken on the stove top

I seasoned with 1.4 packet of this stuff (without the flour or sugar though. I put in two splenda packets instead)

And nuked an Asian Sensation egg roll

Once this was all done, I threw over a bowl of brown rice

And of course, dessert was a fortune cookie!

My legs are still killing me and I think I did something to my right hamstring when stepping up on the bus today, it hurts so much. But I am itching to do something so I fit a strength training session in tonight

20 lb Kettlebell

*Side Bends (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Halos ( 13 reps, 2 sets)

*Shrugs (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Bentover Row (13 reps, 2 sets)

10 lb dumbbell

*Lateral Raise (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Tricep Kickbacks (13 reps, 1 set)

*Front Shoulder Raise (13 reps, 2 sets)

15 lb dumbbell

*Shoulder Press (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Concentration Curl (13 reps, 2 sets)

A nice little workout for the night. I can’twait  for my legs to feel better so I can do more jumping around, squats, planks, etc.

Post workout snack was Chobani 2% Plain Greek Yogurt with a squirt of maple syrup

Goals for the month of June

*Cut down on cheese. I love cheese, I would live in a house made of cheese and wear cheese inspired clothes if it were socially acceptable. But do I really need as much cheese as I like? Negatron.

*Try other ethnic cuisines. I like Mexican food if you can’t tell and love to cook but rarely venture outside my comfort zone with cooking. I need to start looking up other ethnic recipes to try to roll with it.

*Incorporate more strength training in my workout regime. Since running is pretty much a no go for me right now, I am going to stick to walking but work out more with my kettlebell and dumbbells.

Hope everyone is having a Happy Hump Day!!

PS—Check out Missy’s site for an awesome SmartSole Exercise Insole giveaway!!

Wknd Recap

Hi all, been totally MIA this wknd but I am back. This was the first wknd in the past three I didn’t have to work so I was super happy about that.

I went to Pet Palooza yesterday with one of my friends and our dogs. It was similar to Bark in The Park with lots of vendors but not as much free stuff-boo.

Breakfast

And a fun graphic tee

I laid by the pool when we got back and got some reading time in. The actual pool isn’t open yet so I only lasted an hour and a half but that was enough time to get some color on me.

I made chicken tacos when I got back

I took a much-needed nap afterwards and got ready for my date so no pics there. And the date wasn’t that much to talk about either so yeah…….I got free beer and free sushi so I guess I’m happy about that. We went to Jade Asian Fusion and it was great–had various rolls and will definitely be going back, sans dude.  I really don’t even have any funny stories or anything interesting about the night.  I got home by 11, watched some SNL, passed out, woke up at 3, took Lincoln out then went back to bed and slept in until 10A—I can’t remember the last time I slept in that late! I felt like a million bucks and was ready to have a day of relaxation.

I made a big breakfast of Nature’s Path Pomegran Waffles and egg scramble with mushrooms and cheese topped with ketchup

I laid out by the pool again then went out to run errands. Nothing big, just the grocery store and Target. And I left Target spending under $50 and not going nuts on the clearance rack-yay!

I made a roast beef and cheese sandwich for late lunch with Kettle Brand Salt N Pepper Chips

It started to rain so Lincoln and I watched a movie then had some nap time action. I hate Sunday afternoons, it’s so hard for me to be at home and NOT nap.

For dinner, I decided to try something new. I butterflied two chicken breasts, spread Trader Joe’s Kalamata Olive Hummus on it and topped with feta cheese. I rubbed evoo on the breast and seasoned with pepper, garlic salt and oregano.

And of course, had a BIG Salad on the side with baby spinach, zucchini, cucumbers, tomato and cheese.

Absolutely delicious!!! I need to make this or a variation of this more. I really never eat chicken breats anymore (if I do, I cut into strips or pieces) do to an overload of it last yr but when dressed up like this, I don’t see how I could get sick of it.

I need to prepare for this wk (I have a Friday off–yay!!!) and off to catch up on blogs. Hope everyone had a fabulous wknd!!!

And scene

Holy effballs, two days from hell in a row. Not cool. I just noticed I didn’t post food pics from yesterday so this will be a foodlicious post.

Let’s start with the food because, cmon, it’s a lot more fun than work talk!

Breakfast yesterday was a good bowl of oats with banana, coconut and blueberry flax

And of course, a BIG salad in celebration National Salad Month with baby spinach, carrots, kidney beans, tomato, cheese, chicken, peas with Ken’s Lite Honey Mustard dressing.

Dinner was boring compared to that though–leftover pierogies

My friend gave me this container of Williams Sonoma Peppermint Hot Chocolate

To make it extra chocolate-licious

Would have been perfect with whipped cream!

Last night, I couldn’t fall asleep for the life of me. I only got four hours of sleep the night before and was up until almost 1A last night (morning?)…..grrrr!

I started out with a Kashi Go Lean Chocolate Peanut Bar this morning

I went into Starbucks ready for a HOT Venti drip coffee and they told me they were out of hot water. What? Isn’t this what most of your business is based off of? I got a Venti Iced Coffee instead but wasn’t happy about it. It was cold and rainy this morning so wanted a warm cup of happiness. I could have gotten a cup of the breakroom stuff but don’t want to start growing hair on my chest.

I then had a bowl of Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt with coconut granola.

And still hungry. One may say ravenous. And then I starting having horrible stomach aches and realized I had a friend in town, meh. I was just in a rotten mood. When someone called, I was rude which I never am at work no matter how busy or crappy of a mood I’m in. I have some apology calls to make to people who I was rude to today. And people kept looking at my strange because I had my hoodie on with my hood up on my head ala the Unibomber.

And my hair looked like crap. And I forgot my lipstick so I just felt weird without having any on yes (yes I do wear lipstick to take Lincoln out and to the grocery store). Since it was raining, the hippies weren’t out today either, meh.

I brought my lunch with me but just didn’t want it. I want something greasy. Something fatty. Something fried. And that left me with one place in mind—Bojangles!!

Awwww yeah.

I got a horrible for me meal….a leg and thigh with fries and a biscuit….and a 32 oz Mountain Dew. If I was going all out, I was going to go all out.

It was delicious.

Soon after though, I felt nauseous. And then remembered why I don’t eat fast food that much anymore. How on earth did I used to put this in my body multiple times per wk year after year? Dear Body, my sincerest apologies. This afternoon was a big mess of sickness, tiredness and stress. Not a good combination. I tried to leave early but that was a no go.

 

I took Lincoln for a walk, talked on the phone with my sister and parentals and was actually in a good mood despite the horrible day. I was off to make dinner, which was a complete 180 from my lunch.

I nuked some veggies that had been sitting in the freezer forever

Made some red quinoa…..which was new for me.

And baked a catfish filet with lemon juice, butter, lemon pepper seasoning and paprika

A balanced dinner!

Not sure how I feel about the quinoa though….anyone have any tips on cooking it or types they like?

Getting ready to watch Lost soon and can we talk about Sex and The City 2 coming out soon???!! Cannot wait! I liked the movie but still love the show more but fell in love with the first soundtrack and can’t wait to hear what the second one is like.

This is my favorite song from the first soundtrack

Image Heavy

Hi all-hope everyone is having a great wknd (I can’t believe we are half way through it already!) I got a let of catching up to do so let’s get to it! And as the title says…Image heavy so just a forewarning.

Yesterday was yet another busy day at work and I started the morning off with a Kashi Go Lean Roll Chocolate Peanut Bar 

 

And of course, a Venti Iced Coffee was in order since it’s getting pretty warm out 

 

Since it was month end our manager brought in bagels and I’ve never met a carb I didn’t like but only had half a blueberry bagel with plain cream cheese 

 

It was gorgeous out so that meant the hippies were back–yay! 

 

I got an array of produce—red onion, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, okra, zucchini, apples, a pear, an avocado, cucumbers and peppers. 

 

All that for $10—not a bad deal at all. 

I had the last of the enchiladas for lunch. I love cooking but can only eat so much of one thing without getting sick of it. This was bittersweet-happy to be finished with this batch of enchiladas but sad because they were fantastic. 

I got ready and headed to Thomas Street Tavern to meet my friend Shalon out since she was in town this wknd. Thomas Street has an awesome outdoor area full of tables and seating that is perfect for day drinking. Yet another reason I can’t wait to move closer to Uptown. 

 

Leslie and Shalon

Me and Shalon

I heart you Bud Light

I kept eyeing Shalon’s shoes—only $3 at K-Mart….adorable! 

 

Love the tree

The servers kept bringing food out to the tables around us and I would just stare at the food while people were eating because I was starving by 730P. The fro-yo didn’t fill me up so well nor did the Bud Light. The original plan was to go to Cantina 1511 but there was no parking anywhere and we ended up at Thai Taste. I’ve only been there once and looooove pad thai so I was happy. Pad Thai is the only kind of Thai food I’ve tried. I always want to try something new but then what if I don’t like it? But then on the other hand, what if I try something new and I absolutely love it? I guess I’m not willing to take that chance. 

I started out with Tom Yum soup 

 

And the main event-Seafood Pad Thai 

 

Love me some Thai Taste 🙂 

 

I had to work on Saturday morning so had to call it a night by 10P b/c I can’t do the whole going to work hungover thing anymore. I got home and Lincoln was very excited to see his momma. 

 

And then attempted to get some cute pictures of us 

 

 

And Shalon brought me some fresh strawberries from her town…..hello yummies 🙂 

 

I fell asleep easily (thanks to Bud Light and Pad Thai) and was starving come morning. 

I toasted two pieces of bread and spread half an avocado on it along with Trader Joe’s Superfruit Spread. 

 

And made an egg sandwich for a heart breakfast 

 

 

When I got  to work I stopped at Starbucks for another Venti Iced Coffee. They were surprised to see me and it was actually kinda peaceful in there for once. 

 

I guess some could say work is peaceful on the wknd since no one is there but I find it rather creepy. 

 

The lights aren’t on, I kept hearing strange noises and was paranoid someone was going to creep up on me. I got a lot of work done and tested out system and everything was a go. I even input some information for other people on my team since I am nice like that. Hey, if they want to pay me out an outrageous amount of money for working OT, bring it. 

I brought some snacks for the half day at work 

 

I never had this Kashi Chocolate Pretzel bar before so I was looking forward to it 

 

 

So sad to be stuck inside in on a beautiful day 

 

I got home and was so ready for lunch. I had a major headache and was wiped from the morning at work. Today is my day off where I don’t track and really don’t care if I eat bad or not so I went with a salami and Muenster cheese sandwich with mustard. Anytime I have a salami sandwich I have to have it plain with no veggies and cheese and mustard only. 

 

While I was at work, Lincoln had a day at the doggie spa and it was time to pick him up! When they brought him out I couldn’t stop smiling because he looked even more adorable than he normally does! 

 

I love his new scarf!

We took a much needed nap then went out for a walk, went to the grocery store and stocked up on goodies for the wk. I got this adorable dress at Target for only $6!!! And I can pair it up with cute red heels (even though I have two pairs of zebra prit shoes and a purse, it would be overkill). Mind you, I didn’t have on a good pair of undies that suck in my fat but I think it will be cute when I am down a few more lbs. 

 

 The main thing I was shopping for was baking stuff because I finally decided that I wanted to try baking after many failed attempts in the past. 

I saw a recipe for Chocolate and Banana Protein Muffins with Chocolate Chips  on Mari’s site and decided it looked easy enough and was onto cooking! 

I am out of chocolate protein powder so I subbed this packet of Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion that’s been sitting around 

 

In the mix 

 

Ready to go! 

 

I was excited and nervous while they were baking. Would they turn out great? Burnt? So-So? Patience was not on my side. 

Fresh outta the oven! 

 

 

I couldn’t let them sit there and not try one. I poppedd one out and topped with Crazy Richard’s Creamy Peanut Butter 

 

 

Try 

These 

NOW!!!!!! 

OMG, I cannot believe how amazing they were! They were sweet but not too sweet with a nice balance of chocolate and banana. I tasted the hint of apple sauce and all in all, these are fabulous and y’all will be seeing this on my page more in the future. Thank you Mari for posting this fabulous recipe!!! 

 I had a hankering for pizza and had this sitting my freezer and decided to break it out 

 

While that was baking, I made a BIG Salad with spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, onions and carrots topped with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch 

 

 

Tonight may be a lame night. It’s 1030P and I already want to go to bed but am trying to wait it out and see if I can fit in one of my Netflix movies in. How is it Saturday night already? Hope everyone is having a marvelous wknd!!

A day without a hippie.

I love not being busy at work. I had time to meet one of my old co-workers for coffee this morning and wasn’t stressed about time at all. We went to Caribou Coffee since I had two $1 off coupons that are expiring this wk. I got a large coffee for $1.08—score!

I just love this cup from Caribou it just made me smile. I really need to follow these especially
“Hold Hands Not Grudges”. I don’t like Caribou drip coffee as much but their specialty drinks beat Starbucks hands down in my book. But then again, I think Starbucks laces their coffee with a little something extra to get you addicted. I used to love Dunkin Donuts but had it recently and it tasted like coffee flavor water….ick. I’m progressing with weaning myself off the Diet Coke but don’t know if I could get off the Bucks.

I had a Kashi Go Lean Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie bar as breakfast

The 13g of protein I loved. The 280 calories for that little bar, not so much.

Today was a relatively slow day again. I wish it would just even out with a steady pace instead of being super crazed one day then dead the next.

I did a side by side with a co-worker today who does a different job function so that killed a good hour of my day. Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement about the manager position role I mentioned yesterday (and the taking down of Stinky!). I got more questions from coworkers today if I’m going to apply for the manager position or not. I’m going to think long and hard about this because I KNOW I would do an awesome job but its Stinkalicious that’s getting in my way. And it would be more money and cmon who doesn’t like that? But then again in the words of Biggie…..mo money month problems.

Sigh, decisions decisions.

For lunch I had a Cedarlane Chile Relleno. I’m not a big fan of frozen meals but it was a) Cheap and b) Mexican so I was game.

 It was good…except that I had to re-nuke it three tops. Originally I cut into it after heating for the recommended time and kept getting icy bits. I would have loved to have tortilla chips to dip in the sauce but didn’t have any there. I think if I would’ve had a reliable microwave I would liked it more but I would try again.

I saw Scott Stapp lookalike again and didn’t recognize him b.c he has a beard. Not. A. Fan. I am anti facial hair—what about yall? He just looks a little too hippie for me. And speaking of hippies, my hippies (yes I now own them) weren’t out today….sadness.

 

I was hoping to get some veggies but they don’t come out when it rains. Which confuses me b.c aren’t hippies supposed to be one with nature? BS I tell you.

I had half a container of Chobani peach greek yogurt with blueberries for a snack since that was going to my brekkie.

Didn’t keep me full too long though b.c I remembered I had these mini size candies hidden in a drawer.

I had some Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough leftover and decided to make a pizza with a side salad for dinner.

Salad with red onions, half a tomato and Ken’s Lite Honey Mustard Dressing, Boring I know. If the hippies would have been out, it could have been prettier.

And look at this—I made an almost round pizza—no Richard Nixon looking or California shaped pizza! Go me 🙂

I love the combination of mushrooms and artichokes with garlic and red pepper flakes–yum!

Even though the hippies weren’t out today, I had my own hippie–Lincoln! He got into a bush when I took him out and turned into a flower child.

And I’m sorry but I think Lincoln is just one of the cutest dogs ever. And he is so much cuter in person since he doesn’t photograph well. But seriously, how could you look at him and not be happy?

I spent a good 10 minutes getting the mess out of his hair and it obviously exhausted him. Poor baby.

And I forgot—I signed up for another 5K today! I am going the Great Harvest Bread 5K on May 22nd.

 I have been slacking on running lately and this will push me to get out on the road again. And I was all set to go tonight and course the rain is coming down. Maybe the hippies did a rain dance?

Props to the hippies

Today was an interesting day. It was sunny in the first part then slowly became cloudy….outside and inside.

I started the day off right though because I had a free drink coupon for Starbucks. I decided to go big or go home and got a Venti Iced Raspberry Soy Latte. Look at that color! It’s one of the prettiest color of coffees I’ve ever seen!

My Starbucks baristas looked at me like I was crazy though since I always get drip coffee or iced coffee. I told them the only reason I got this was because it’s free because I refuse to spend $4 ot $5 on a coffee drink. Seriously, how do people afford that every day? On the other hand, under two bucks and free refills I can totally roll with.

My email box wasn’t completely flooded when I turned on my computer so I felt somewhat at ease. Also, Stinkalicious called in sick today which automatically put me in a good mood 🙂

I had a nutty breakfast of Trader Joe’s 0% Greek Yogurt, Very Cherry Frozen Fruit and their Blueberry Flax Seed topped with coconut granola.

Won’t stay too pretty for long!

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I would marry Trader Joe’s if I could.

It’s Tuesday so that means the hippies were out and got some mad deals on produce for the wk…..

Yes—sweet potatoes, tomatoes, apple, pear, onion, zucchini, squash and okra for only $7, not too shabby at all. I love that they are here twice a week and that I’m buying locally grown stuff. When it gets nicer out, the square they are in has other vendors out and music, it’s quite fun. But then again, it makes me not want to work…..but when does one ever feel like working? I also love that the head hippie lady has the nicest arms. I am talking Jackie Warner league. I want to make a shirt for her that says “Hippies Have Guns” with her posing, I think it would be cute 🙂

Quiznos had people out on the corner handing out free stuff so naturally I wondered over there to see what the fuss was about and scored a free lunch bag (with coupons inside, thanks Quiznos!)

The rest of the morning flew by while I helped with other people’s stuff, my own and various projects. I had an orange for my pre-lunch snack.

And lunch was served! I had a burrito bowl with black beans, diced jalapenos and onions, tomatoes and shredded cheese over brown rice with salsa/greek yogurt sauce.

 I’m not even a huge rice person but think I could eat this every day and be happy.

This afternoon was a blur. I was on a couple hour long calls, taking care of my own stuff but then helping other people on my team (I love no matter how busy I am I offer to help if people are drowning in work but when I ask no one helps me? Detect snark? I hope so.) It started to darken outside and made me want to just curl under my cubicle and take a nice, long nap.

I walked over to Harris Teeter to get out for a few and pick up some bananas and Kashi Go Lean bars since this was the last day of their $1/bar sale.

I caught up on some reading on the bus ride home so I wouldn’t fall asleep. I’m currently reading Spin by Robert Rave. Think Devil Wears Prada meets the celebrity gossip world. It’s great 🙂

I had a bunch of pork in the freezer and decided to try this recipe I saw on myrecipes.com…..Pork Chops with Maple Mustard Glaze. Come to think of it, apples would have been really good with this as well.

Browning the pork, I kept saying “Browning the pork, browning the pork” ala Beavis and Buttheads “Breaking the Law”

I cut up some fresh okra that I bought from the hippies and sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil, pepper and garlic salt and baked at 375 for 17 mins. I’ve only had fried okra before and was anxious to try it! I had one more serving of cheesy/onion mashed taters on hand so nuked those while everything was finishing up.

Lovely plate of goodness

This was a random but great dinner! I really liked the pork recipe-it was sweet with a bit of tang to it. And okra, omg. This will be a new go to for me, it’s so easy to make and nutritious, you can’t go wrong!

Lincoln and I spent some quality time together afterwards. By quality time, I mean me rubbing his belly

My night-time snack was a pear from the hippies

I think I am going to turn off the tv for the rest of the night and zone out to Pandora. And probably some reggae due to my hippie-licious day. Thanks hippies for all the goodies today that I incorporated into my meals and snacks. I can’t wait to use the rest of my produce throughout the week until you are back on Friday.

Crave and Lost DC pics

 I went to Crave Dessert Bar tonight with my women’s networking group tonight and it was great! Sorry no pics, I forgot my camera in the car 😦 I had a Blueverry Bellini, Hummus Platter and two cupcakes—Coconut Dream and Cocoa Cocoa (yay for cupcakes being half off on Sunday!)

I do have a pic of the Kashi Go Lean Cookies N Cream bar I had on the way there though 🙂

13g of protein? Yes please!

And now for the last of the DC pictures that I got after I got my camera back yesterday (thanks again Monique if you’re reading this!)

Riley living the ruff life.

I was stoked to stop at 7-11 and get a slurpee! We don’t have 7-11 here in Charlotte and occasionally crave a slurpee.

We went to Bethesdaon Sunday morning and walked around that area. It was so cute with a bunch of restaurants, shops, etc.

We ate at Cosi for lunch, which is Panera-esque.

I had the Tuscan Steak Salad with whole wheat flatbread.

We then ventured to my coveted destination of Georgetown Cupcake. I’ve been hearing about this place for the past two years and was super psyched to try it. They just opened up in Bethesda recently which worked out perfectly.

 I got the Cherry Blossom cupcake and the Chocolate Mint cupcake plus a free Cookies N Cream cupcake.

 We walked around after that and went through this cute square with shops and restaurants.

We went to La Sandia at Tyson’s Corner for dinner.

I don’t know what this dish is that my friend got but it looked so good not to take a picture.

I had the fish tacos with refriend black beans and yellow rice.

I almost forgot about the gift my friend who I was staying with gave me…..

AND recipes of hers that she wrote out for me since she knows I love to cook 🙂

I absolutely love it!!! Thanks again friend for taking the time to write out all of those recipes, I will definitely be using 🙂

On a final note, where the eff did this wknd go? I feel like I didn’t even have a wknd, oi.