Organized Chaos

I live in a state of organized chaos. 

Whether it comes to my kitchen with my limited counter and cabinet space

The contents of my fridge

And yes, when I am feeling uninspired and too lazy to look through hundreds of recipes that I have at my fingertips, I simply pull up a stool to the fridge and stare until I come up with meals to make.

How I organize my cookbooks

Hell, even my magnets on my fridge are organized chaos

And especially at work, this is my desktop on a day where I have 95% of my work done and I’m feeling good about it

My thoughts are  in a state of organized chaos. ALL. THE. TIME.

But I’m cool with that since that is how I am used to things being and living. Some may not understand that but that’s how I am and operate. I have so much going through my brain on the daily, it’s difficult to keep things straight but somehow I manage. I thank my Blackberry memo pad that lets me jot down random thoughts and things I need to get done and of course, Post It notes. I can’t live without Post It notes.

(source)

Even living with Lincoln is a state of organized chaos since he is the dog who like to rest with a pillow on top of him, not under him

My workouts are in a state of organized chaos. I go to the gym with no idea what I’m going to do but knowing I want a killer workout. I do this because the gym I go to gets busy which means that finding a machine can be difficult. I try to find any kind of machine I can whether it be elliptical, treadmill or bike and go to town on it. Afterwards, I usually do some kind of strength training but again, unplanned. since that is how I roll.

Meals are sometimes in a state of organized chaos and unplanned….like on Monday.

I had off on Monday but since I have been so overloaded with work, I went in for a few hours to knock some stuff out without distraction. I was there for two hours and really didn’t get that much done nor did it give me the peace of mind I was hoping for.

I made a tuna, green onion and avocado salad with tomato on top of a sandwich thin with a side of Kashi Mediterranean Bruschetta crackers

This was such a fantastic and flavorful combination! I didn’t use any mayo and it was still rich and creamy.

Dinner was a bit unorganized as well and the brainchild of sitting in front of the fridge for a few minutes.

I chopped up some tofu then pressed for few hours

Mixed with taco seasoning

Then fried those little suckers up

I added some black beans and corn that was looking for a home

Then I remembered I had cooked mushrooms that were also in need of a home

While that was cooking, I chopped up a few springs of green onion and two jalapenos (with gloves of course!)

Then added everything together….plus some tomato, cheese, avocado and salsa

I already have enough organized chaos in my life, why not add some more to the mix with food?

This was such a terrific meal but I got too ambitious with my toppings and they were difficult to eat. I love that since most of the ingredients were fresh I didn’t have to add alot of seasonings to the mix except for the taco seasoning.

And it left wonderful leftovers such as a naked burrito bowl.

Dinner on Tuesday night was a completely random one….. brown purple pink green monster!

Instead of using baby spinach like I always do, I used kale instead after reading about a kale smoothie on Thorns Have Roses. I love me some kale but never thought to use it in a smoothie before so I was a tad apprehensive. I mixed with almond milk, strawberries, flax-seed and Spiru-tein Blueberries and Cream protein powder

I would never really crave a green monster for dinner but I had my permanent crown put on Tuesday afternoon and was supposed to stick to soft foods for 24 hours.

Do you live your life in a state of organized chaos?

How do you keep your thoughts and life organized? Paper, phone, calendar, planner?

PS–Win a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate!

Frugal Friday-Saving in South Carolina

 On Saturday, I made the huge trek to South Carolina. That 12 mile drive completely did me in but there was a good reason I traveled so far-cheap gas and lower sales tax. South Carolina has a 6% sales tax (counties are allowed to add 1% to that though). Sales tax in North Carolina is 5.75% however there is also a 2% local sales tax rate and my county has a 1/2% transportation tax so add those together and things tend to get expensive at 8.25% in my county. On the weekends if I have time, I like to drive down to South Carolina and load up on groceries and gas, not only is the sales tax cheaper but the gas is  around $.20/gallon cheaper as well.

I had a Groupon for Groucho’s Deli in Rock Hill and invited one of my friends to meet me there for lunch.

 I felt like I was back in college since it seemed to be all Wingate University  kids, except I had no rubber stamp on my hand from the night before and wasn’t hungover.  I thought the situation would be like a typical deli but turns out it’s a sit down kind of place.

And they carry  Dr. Brown’s soda, I love that stuff!

 Service was super quick and friendly, we were greeted right when we sat and had our sandwiches about 5 minutes after we ordered. I got the Brown Moose which was fantastic and you must try the Formula 45 sauce if you go–a nice combo of 1000 Island and French dressing. Funky? Yes. Tasty? Hell yes.

I was reaching for my friends sanitizer after the meal and while doing so, knocked her water over…..all down my leg. I was there, I saw it happen, felt the cold water hit my leg and  drench my jeans but I was so in shock I couldn’t stop it—I hate when that happens! So we had to get towels, ask for a mop and I had to ring out my jeans. Thank god they didn’t get wet around my girly bits, that would’ve been a tad embarrassing.

But the main reason I was in SC was to go to Big Lots. I love Big Lots like I love thrift stores and discovering new Big Lots makes me warm on the inside.

I hit the mother load at this Big Lots!

Almond milk

Kashi products

Ketchup chips?

I love chips and I adore ketchup but the idea of the two together sounds absolutely disgusting to me. I respectively had to pass on these.

Satay sauce

Pretzel crisps

Cacao berry Tea

 

 

I told Amy from The Scene from Me about this tea since we have been tweeting about chocolate tea. Two days later, she tweeted a picture of the same exact tea found at Whole Foods…..

……for $6.99 more!!? WTF?? Thank God I found that tea at Big Lots

Men who ask you what bra size you wear. No picture, sorry. I wish I was making this up but this is my life. I was making my over to the cash register and passing by the Valentine’s Day lingerie section–who knew Big Lots even had this? It was very classy as I’m sure you can imagine–I think the bras were $5 and panties for $2. I don’t think I would like if my man got me lingerie from Big Lots–at least go to Target or Wal-Mart! Anyways, this redneck man asked me what size bra I wear since I look like his wife “up there” Not too many atime am I left speechless but my jaw dropped and I was at a loss for words. I think I muttered “Umm, I don’t feel comfortable telling you that” then made a beeline for the cashier. Who asks random girls what bra size they are? We probably wouldn’t have been the same size anyways since I wear Very Sexy by VS so they perk my girls up a bit while his wife is left wearing Big Lots lingerie. I don’t know why stuff like this always happens to me but this is the norm in my life sad as it is.  These creeper men are out of control!

I went to CVS afterwards and stumbled upon a 75% off basket filled with Burt’s Bee’s goodies!

I was going to stock up on these since they were only $2.50 a piece but ended up getting one of each. I have way too many lip balms at home and tend to have at least three in my purse at any given time. I never know who I’m gonna be smooching so I have to make sure my lips are soft and ready to go!

What’s the farthest you will travel for a deal?

Do you shop at Big Lots?

Happy savings!! Speaking of savings, stay tuned for a giveaway in the next few days!

Wake up, wake up, wake up

It’s the first of the moooooooonth! Whatever happened to Bone Thugz anyways? Must google. Ironically enough, I’ve had “Crossroads” in my head all day. I can’t believe it’s September already but am psyched for it to be here. College football is starting this week, cooler mornings are already here—bring on the fall!
 
I woke up at 615A this morning since I needed to get to work early. I don’t know how I used to wake up at 6A for years, now it just seems impossible to do.  I had a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Honey Almond Flax with a  banana

 
And I am just throwing it in there that today is day two of no Starbucks. I’m not trying not to drink it but I just haven’t gotten a chance to go in the morning. I usually just stop in before I go and the last two days they’ve had a line 20-something people deep and I just don’t have the patience to wait for that. If I don’t go right when I get in, I go when my coffee buddy gets in and with meetings and such, we’ve been missing each other. I thought I would be a raging beeyotch with not  having my daily fix of Bucks but I’ve been surprisingly nice and even smiling. Maybe I don’t need Starbucks to survive? Hmmmm…..
 
I met up with Brittney for lunch at Eggheads. I had a $20 Living Social deal to use and a lunch break is always welcome in my world. This place has breakfast all day along with a lunch menu.  I had cereal this morning so my cholesterol wouldn’t go through the roof with the excess of eggs (funny how five yrs ago I would have never thought about that)   I was craving eggs and all about the egg salad sandwich but then I saw the Cobb Salad and that just sounded refreshing seeing it was so hot out

 
Brittney had the Veggie Omelet with hash browns and toast.

 
It felt so good to get out of the cube, even if it was just for an hour. I can’t believe how much having a lunch break “breaks” up the day—I may have to start taking one more often  🙂
 
When I got back my inbox was totally out of control but I got everything in check shortly after. I even had time to take two breaks later in the afternoon
 
 
I had plans on going to  Cardio Funk with Andre  at 7P and wouldn’t get home until 545P so I had a small meal before leaving work—cold quinoa salad with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red onion, zucchini, red pepper and cucumber

 
Let’s talk about Cardio Funk. I was a bit nervous about going to the class because I took one of his classes at the YMCA last year and couldn’t walk for three days afterwards. Plus I did zumba last night and my calves were a bit tight from that. I thought zumba kicked my butt last night, oh no, that was nothing. I had such an amazing workout and he is a great instructor! I burned 730 calories with a max heart rate of 210 and average heart rate of 164. My butt hurts just as I sit so tomorrow I should be feeling interesting.
 

When I got home, I was ready for a hearty dinner. I made something I’ve envisioned in my heart for awhile now-pizza nachos.

I topped with turkey pepperoni, red onions, red pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, parmesan and mozzarella cheese with Trader Joe’s Fat Free Pizza Sauce for dipping

Amazing! It was the best of both worlds and exactly what I was looking for. If you haven’t made this, I definitely suggest it.

And with that I’m out–hope everyone’s September is off to a super start!

PS—Click here to enter to win a Blender Bottle over at The Fitness Dish!!

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!!

Senor Mumbles

The eats today were as planned

First, a banana with almond milk and Kashi Go Lean with a cup of coffee

And lunch was a BIG salad with baby romaine, cucumbers, red onion, sweet pepper, carrots, gorgonzola, a turkey burger and Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch with lemon juice.

Now that I look and think about it, there was a lot going on in the salad. A party in my mouth if you will!

It was a cooler (well cooler being low 90’s as opposed to high 90’s) and  overcast day in Charlotte. The hippies usually get spooked by the rain and don’t show but I looked out the window and there they were!

 A white eggplant! I am so excited to cook with this and see how the taste compares against a regular eggplant. Anyone try this before?

I am loving how it looks like Mother Nature’s idea of a bowling pin.

HUGE bag of fresh basil for only $2! I see a lot of pesto in my future.

And then I got home. I was planning on having a quiet night at home with my Netflix. But I was having a craving for Mexican food in a serious way and posted something on facebook just saying that. I really wasnt looking to o get Mexican food but one of my friends texted me and said she would go. Screw dinner at home! I haven’t had full on Mexican food since I went to San Antonio’s and got sick and have been wanting to delve into it again

We went to Monterrey in Matthews and got in right away. When I got out of the car, the smell of good food hit me full on but I couldn’t decide what it was since there was an Outback, Chinese place and Monterrey all in the same strip. Add a pizza parlor into the mix and I would be in aroma heaven!

Our waiter was…..umm….interesting? I am trying to be nice. Who am I kidding??! He was senor mumbles!! He kept coming up to our table and I would smile and try to answer whatever he was saying then he would walk away and I would say to my friend “I don’t like him”. It was like he was struggling to speak the espanol but was having issues with him.   Where I would normally say he was Creeps McGee, we shall call him Creepers Rodriguez just to be festive!  Not sure if he was drunk or on something but at one he asked me something and I just handed over my stuff and smiled, I hope he was asking for my plate. Hmm, guess we’ll never know.

My friend had a coupon for free queso–ole!!

I got the chicken and beef flautas with guacamole salad–I found it interesting that they called it that as opposed to just guacamole, sour cream and lettuce. But now that I think about it, I guess guacamole salad makes sense. It felt so good to have a full belly full of Mexican yummy goodness again. I wish I was a person who didn’t like the Mexican food so much but I can seriously be down for it anytime of day no matter how full I am.

I went to a small resort about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta called Costa Azul two years ago for a week. They had an awesome deal throughout September with $100 a night including room, food, beer and activities. I had enough frequent flier miles to get a free first class flight roundtrip and was an enjoyable, relaxing week.

Showing my enthusiasm before trying tequila at a local tequila distillery in Puerto Vallarta

Sadly, my enthusiasm didn’t take me too far

Who doesn’t love a swim up bar where they also bring you food? Immersed in water while drinking Corona, eating nachos and getting tan? I think I found out what my heaven would consist of.

 The best part was the all-inclusive part on the food so we could order whatever we wanted when we felt like it. If it was 3P and you were hungry, order up some ceviche or nachos. The coconut shrimp was always the first thing to go at dinner so you had to go early but when I got back home, I was still wanting Mexican food. It is something I will never tire of.

Did anyone watch Swingtown while it was on (or if it still is?)

 I got the first disc of the first season from Netflix today and am a bit intrigued. A show about swingers in the 70’s intrigues me enough  since it is one of my favorite decade (I only lived 18 days in the 70’s but like to think I rollerskated my fat baby body into the 80’s) and anything with Grant Show will reel me in as well-rawr!

 Even if he does have a handlebar moustache on the show 🙂

Got some interesting stuff going on tomorrow (which you all will hear about soon!) so I got to rest up. Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday!

Yawn

Today has been a pretty relaxing day, I broke into my box of Kashi Go Lean Crisp! for breakfast and made a banana parfait with Trader Joe’s 2% Plain Greek Yogurt

I shouldn’t have eaten something so big, I completely forgot I was meeting a friend at 11A for brunch at Pewter Rose Bistro. I normally wake up so early on the weekends but slept in until 9A today so I could’ve had a banana but this was still delicious. Regardless, I’ve never been to Pewter Rose and have heard raves about their weekend brunch so it was on like Donkey Kong!!

They serve you fresh, warm butterscotch scones-nothing wrong with that

I was contemplating getting either the Mashed Potato Omelet (cheddar cheese, bacon,scallions, sour cream) or Banana Fosters French Toast (rum butter, sweet banana cream, whipped cream,maple syrup) but french toast always wins!

The french toast was delectable and had a rich banana cream on the inside (it reminded me of the honey walnut cream cheese at Einsteins) I wanted to lick the plate but remained a lady and left one bite on my plate but everything else was happily devoured. I will be going back fo sho!

Lincoln is a tad tired from posting yesterday

I got some cute buys at Target

Yes, I know I am 30 years old but will forever be a child of the 80s

Polka dot notecards for $1!!

Found the Cardio Burn Yoga DVD Mari gave me when I visited NYC

Dinner was random, my stomach is still acting up a bit and I was full from the fabulous french toast I had earlier on.

I cut up two whole wheat tortillas, brushed with extra virgin olive oil, pepper and chili powder and baked at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until crisp

Put some soup on the stove top

The “chips” came out perfect and I paired with Trader Joe’s Spicy Hummus

After a few chips, I wasn’t feeling the hummus (I don’t think I’ve ever said that in my life) so I just ate the chips plain and they were still terrific. I broke into my newly purchased bag of Trader Joe’s Wasabi Peas. I’ve seen bloggers writing about these and finally caved in and bought a bag, they were delicious!

Pretty much a boring day but I am feeling better and hope this week at work goes quickly. I am driving to Indianapolis on Friday (with Lincoln) and working overtime throughout the week so I won’t have to use any vacation time to leave early on Friday. Hope everyone had a fabulous (and perhaps more exciting) weekend than I did!

Stick a fork in me…….

Today has been the longest day-oi! Let’s start at the beginning, I woke up at 4A due to nerves. I’ve had so much on my mind with NYC, moving and other random stuff that I have been a tad on edge lately and my sleep issues are starting to come back. But on the flip side (get in flip…..can’t sleep…..tossing and turning? Ha!) none of my sleep issues are coming from stress at work so I guess that’s good. I was tossing and turning all night and decided to get out of bed at 4A (yeah, you read that right) and be somewhat productive. It was definitely a dance party kind of morning when I put on some old school music, make a pot of strong coffee and dance the morning away.  I popped in a rap cd from college and started jamming, dancing and drinking coffee (not simultaneously, I am not looking to get burned). “Bling Bling” by BG came on and I kept dancing and after the 8th time it played, I finally took notice. I like Bling Bling but even I have a limit. Yes, I know your pinky ring is worth about 50 and that you have Lorinsers on Yokahama tires. Oh BG, why do you do me like you do?

By the time I got to work, I was a tad delirious from the combination of lack of sleep, major coffee consumption and dancing. I had a bowl of Chobani Greek Yogurt Honey style with Kashi Go Lean Crunch!

This did nothing for me. Plus, I didn’t have any fruit on me so that was a major bummer. I did get another free coffee at Just Fresh but did I really need it? You tell me, it’s 11P, I woke up at 4A, have had no nap and am still going strong. Suck on that, Energizer Bunny.

It was a pretty quiet morning even by quarter end standards. Quarter end is absolute madness in my world however there were few issues today which was great. I was also trying to get through the day without letting people I work with know I would be off until next Wednesday. When they find out I am leaving, they try to throw everything on me last-minute and I am just not a fan of that.

It was another day of free food! We had Olive Garden for lunch, I normally despise Olive Garden (since I think it’s fake Italian food) but hell, I will eat Fazoli’s if it was free. Sooooooo many things wrong with the concept of fast food Italian but that is for another time. Let’s talk food, I had a slice of the lasagne, two bread sticks and a side salad.

This was half a slice! When I was getting a slice from the pan, I could barely lift it up because it was so heavy! And I like to think I have some pretty strong forearms but something is wrong with that picture. I cut it half and it was still huge! This right here is why I make my own lasagne at home.

I may talk smack on Olive Garden but I will never talk smack on their salad and breadsticks.

Work ended soon enough, I set up my voicemail and email out of office for the next week and I was outta there! I was sketchy and snuck out with only saying bye to people because I knew if I ran into others, something would happen and I would have to stay later which I was not all about. Plus, I had to get home to take the doggies out and then meet up for a Charlotte  Blogger Meetup!

Lauren from Clean Eats in The Dirty South   sent out an email this past wknd about meeting up for dinner this wk and got a pretty good response from other bloggers in the area. I didn’t even know there were that many!  I love the name of her blog. Oddly enough, it makes me think of Ludacris which then makes me think of chicken and waffles. Oh the irony! Regardless, it makes me smile.

We met up at Big Daddy’s Burger Bar for some great food and we sat outside which was nice b/c this was the first day in two weeks it hasn’t been in the 90’s!!

The ladies

Kelly, Me, Brittney, Jen, Jessie, Lauren and Katie

I love how our server got all creative with BURGERS streaming across in the background. Nice job dude!

I had the Cantina 1511 Burger (Cantina 1511 is a fabulous, local Mexican restaurant)—a black bean burger topped with green chiles, avocado, Monterrey and Cheddar Cheese with a Chipotle Ranch. You can also substitute a salad as your side for only $2 more and you can create a side salad—how awesome is that? I got a side salad with baby spinach, red peppers, feta, strawberries, jalapenos and walnuts with Balsamic vinaigrette

 Two words—GOOD LORD!  This was one fantastic meal! The black bean burger was great and not dry at all plus the green chile and avocado added a rich, punch to the flavor. The salad was great as well, as I said before, I love that you can create your own salad and I love the combination of feta, strawberries and balsamic with the spicy jalapenos. When I move next week, I will be by their other location and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be going there again! And yes, I just threw out some Annie tunes right there!! It was great to meet other bloggers in the area and I had a fabulous time—thanks again Lauren for organizing this!

Looks like North Carolina tied the spot for 10th fattest state with Mississippi still coming in first for the sixth year in a row—where does your state rank?

Yay for vacation officially starting! I am doing absolutely nothing but running around tomorrow doing some last-minute shopping, returning some things, pool time, doing my nails and brows (instead of going to get them done, it will save me $25 which is about two drinks in NY haha) and sadly, taking Lincoln to get boarded.

I promised myself I am not going to be the girl who cries when she drops him off for his first time being boarded but don’t know if I can keep that promise. They have a webcam which I can check but I am just nervous. He has always stayed with someone when I go out-of-town and just get sad when I think of him alone in a crate. Sigh.

That being said, I’m borderline delirious right now from my lack of sleep. I was doing well but am going to crash in a few minutes after I take the pups out.

Night night!

The Longest Day and a Giveaway!

Happy Longest Day of the Year! I got schooled on the summer solstice today, click here for some fun information and facts! My fondest memory of this day was back in college. It’s one of my best friends birthdays today and we went out for her 21st birthday. Your truly got completely wrecked and she ended up being DD on her own birthday while I decided to get rid of the liquor consumed that night via mouth with the window rolled down on the way home. She drove to the gas station right after that and was hosing off the car……at 2A….on her birthday (not my greatest moment in friend history) and whole doing so I was laughing, pointing at different “spots” she missed and letting her know so. She’s forgiven me but doesn’t let me forget about this night.

And did you know this Friday is Take Your Dog To Work Day? I think if people are allowed to take their kids to work, dog owners like me should be able to their dogs to work on this day. I am sure my company wouldn’t be too keen on the idea but Lincoln would absolutely love it. I could even put up one of those baby gates at my desk and let Lincoln ply in my space. If not, he is very lovable, he would probably go up to people in their cubes and sit in their laps. He would spread joy to everyone!

Speaking of……one of my co-workers came in today with his baby. Edit….his sick baby. I was petting the baby (b/c I don’t know how to interact with them so I pet them like a dog) and he was like “Yeah, I brought him in because he’s running a fever”. Naturally, I jumped back and reached for the sanitizer but doesn’t anyone see something  wrong with this picture? He was only there for an hour but bringing your sick baby into work? Not cool at all. When I get sick, I get really sick. I surpass over a cold, I get bronchitis or a sinus infection and I don’t get a stomach bug, I get a full on flu. Plus with me going to NYC next wk (I can’t believe it’s almost here!!!), the last thing I need is getting sick. So here’s to sanitizing my hands every hour and filling up on my vitamins. On a happier note, I rocked my cute dress I bought a few months ago. This was my first time wearing it and it was so comfy. I think I looked pretty cute as well, everyone kept asking me if I had an interview and what the special occasion was though. But I looked like a lady….oh how looks can be deceiving.

I’m going to pair up with my red heels next time I wear it. I hate being on a limited closet right now with all my stuff, packed and ready to go!

Blueberry was yet again the theme for my breakfast—I had Chobani Blueberry Greek Yogurt with Kashi Go Lean Crunch and a grande Pike from Starbucks.

I had a big salad for lunch with baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and turkey topped with T Marzetti’s Light Ancho Chipotle Ranch with half a packet of Sea Salt Somersaults

Did anyone watch True Blood last night? I have been catching mine online since my cable company finally caught onto the fact I was getting the HBO for free and desperately miss True Blood and Entourage. I am hoping to watch it tonight or sometime this week so I can catch up on its juiciness! I read five of the Charlaine Harris books (which the series is based on of and I highly recommend and was always Team Bill but after seeing the show I’ve converted—Team Eric all the way. Rawr.

For dinner, I made Chicken Fried Rice.

I am not a fan of frozen veggies at all but I am trying to clean out my freezer and used half a bag of stir fry vegetables

 

In lieu of me moving, I have a lot to pack up and get rid of at the same time. What does this mean for those reading? A giveaway!

I’m giving away some random stuff but it’s all fun and I am sure someone will enjoy it  🙂

Package O’ Love includes:

*Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisp Variety Box

*Chocolate Cheerios Single Serving Box

*Giuseppe’s Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Mix

*Peach Crystal Light (almost full box, I wasn’t a huge fan of the flavor but know a lot of other people like it)

*Kashi Chewy Cookies N Cream Bar

*Coke Zero Pedometer

*Raw Revolution Cashew and Agave Nectar Bar

*Blue Diamond Almonds 100 Calorie Pack

*Two Packs Justin’s Honey Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs

Multiple ways to win:

1) Leave a Comment telling me your favorite book

2) Favorite new song

2) Link this contest back to your blog and let me know

Contest runs up until midnight EST on Thursday and I will announce a randomly selected winner  (via random.org) on Friday (Residents of US and Canada please) good luck all!

What I liked About Today

It’s Friday! But au contraire Chris Tucker, I DO have a job and DO have shit to do! Can’t believe that movie is 15 years old, oh how time flies……and who would’ve thought Ice Cube went and pulled a Eddie Murphy and started doing all these family movies?  I guess no more f*** the police huh?

My Kashi Crunchy Bar that surprisingly kept me full throughout the morning

A gyro that was actually a gyro-as opposed to the crappy gyro wannabee I had last wk. And crinkle cut fries with it all for under $6? Sounds good.

A slow afternoon-it was nice and slow. I got to take a 20 minute coffee break and flipped through recipes a good part of the afternoon, nothing wrong with that.

Giving to the homeless-I was walking to catch my bus and this homeless man approached me and asked if I had cash or something to eat. I really don’t give anything to homeless people on the streets b.c I just don’t trust them. I know that sounds bad but I don’t. Instead, I donate to the Salvation Army and local food banks where I know it will be used. Anywho, this homeless guy was younger and hot (this right here is why I have problems with my love life, don’t worry I won’t date a homeless man. Men with jobs who I’ve dated have had issues with my job, pay and success, I can’t imagine how a homeless man would feel) I told him I had an apple and he graciously accepted. When I’ve offered food in the past, they just walk away (example A why I don’t trust the homeless) but it felt good knowing he took the apple. And he didn’t hurl it at me which is nice. Now if I could give them some of my half empty bottles of body splash from B&BW……

Arnold Palmer Lite-I never see this stuff on sale anymore and I went to CVS in hopes of getting a soda but nothing appealed to me…..and a 20 oz bottle being $1.69 may have had something to do with that. When the eff did it get that expensive?? That will definitely keep me from buying the soda.

Random Dinner-yet again, I had nothing planned for dinner. I had a pork chop defrosting in the fridge while I was at home but didn’t plan what to make. I usually plan out a few meals during the weekend for the upcoming week and have just sucked at this lately. I really need to look through my recipes and get on the ball. I cut up half a pork chop and cooked on the stove top along with zucchini, onions and peppers with extra virgin olive oil, pepper and garlic salt. While that was cooking, I found some pierogies in the freezer and fried those babies (not to be confused with Lincoln’s babies) up.

Nap time with Lincoln-after dinner I was exhausted. I hate commuting 2 hours a day and am over it. Luckily, one more month in ghetto apartment and then I will be 10 minutes from work. I didn’t take any pictures of nap time (because….um…I was sleeping) but Lincoln decided to revive nap time as I type. When I am typing and I am not paying attention to him, he pouts because I’m not rubbing his belly. I think he got the whole “It’s all about me” state of mine from me though 🙂

Caffeine drinking in the pm-without having to worry about work or waking up at 6A. I love it.

The wedding I’m going to tomorrow-I haven’t been to a wedding in almost two years. I don’t even know the people getting married but weddings are just exciting and fun….. except the bouquet toss, I absolutely hate that. I don’t like being called out because I am single and attention on me (but I pout like Lincoln when attention isn’t on me..hmmm) and I have a competitive side of me and am no holds barred so I really want to throw elbows and trip the other girls but don’t want to be that girl at the wedding. I have my outfit all ready (there will be pics)  and my fake name in place (Gina) in case I come across any creepers (given my track record, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I do).

With my caffeine high in place, I need to do laundry, wash dishes, take a shower (hello water consumption) and clean my place before I leave tomorrow morning. We are doing pool time at the hotel I’m staying at with my friend who’s in town and then wedding time is on. I also have to pack Lincoln’s stuff to go since he will be crashing with my friend and her dog.

Hope everyone has a fabulous wknd!!

ay brotha

OMG I am in pain today. My kettlebell session last night was a workout and a half. It hurts to walk, sit, type, etc but oh well, bring on the pain. I may have even whimpered a bit today but I will get over it. It just means I had a good workout 🙂

And I am glad to know I’m not the only one who is skeeved out by the nips showing through the shirt–thanks for the comments everyone!

Today was a great day at work–not slow but not ridiculously busy. Just enough to keep me occupied yet get me out on time— we like that.

Breakfast was a repeat from yesterday-Chobani 2% Plain Yogurt with fresh strawberries, unsweetened coconut topped with Kashi Crunch Cereal. I have two boxes sitting in my kitchen and never once thought to add it to my yogurt.

The produce for the day

Lunch was tuna salad on whole wheat with baby spinach and tomato and a bag of Trader Joe’s Lite KettleCorn

It used to be that any time I ate popcorn, I would have a Diet Coke. But I had a Diet Coke yesterday and it just tasted gross. I guess it’s actually possible I’m starting to not dig it as much after cutting down on my sugar and trying to cut down on artificial sweeteners as well. I rarely get any sugar free syrups in my morning coffee anymore (whereas I used to get two pumps Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce every morning) and have cut down to one splenda in my coffee with a sprinkle of cinnamon. But still, not liking Diet Coke? I never thought this day would happen. Pass me the water, thank you.

And get this—this was the first lunch over 10 minutes I got to take in three weeks! I IM’ed a co-worker in another building and asked if she wanted to go for a walk and away we went. We walked 2 miles in 30 minutes and it was a great way to re-energize myself. The sun was out, we caught up on stuff and just nice not to be looking at a computer screen for a half hour.

On a daily basis at work I always have people telling me “If you’re ever in NYC or Boston, I owe you a drink” and I had a guy tell me this today. I told him that he better watch his mouth since I will be in NYC in July and he said we’re going out to lunch. Score for a free lunch! Now, to start collecting on all those drinks that I’ve been promised….

I stopped at the grocery store after I came home and took Lincoln out. I was excited because Bi-Lo had Chobani on sale for $1 so I was going to stock up. And they had none-major bummer. I got a rain check for 10 of them so I am waiting for this sale to end and stock up! They did have Yoplait Greek Yogurt on sale for $1 also but let’s be real, it’s no Chobani.

I stopped at Trader Joe’s as well since I feel like I haven’t been there in forever. In reality, it’s been five days.

And I got some new hummus (hummi?) to try!

I finally picked up a bag of their Pita Puffs

I was running low on my Kalamata Olive Hummus so took this opportunity to finish that up (if you look in the background you will see  a dog waiting for one to drop)

I’ve had a hankering for pesto lately and whipped up a batch

1 bunch of basil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp pine nuts

1/3 cup grated parmesan

Garlic, salt and pepper (I add red pepper flakes to mine for a little bunch)

Could not be easier and such a flavorful alternative to spaghetti sauce and it’s amazing on sandwiches

Dinner was chicken breast baked with Kalamata Olive Hummus topped with feta and Farfalle Pasta with mushrooms, onions and pesto

This was a huge plate of comfort. I haven’t had a homecooked meal this good in awhile and will definitely be making this again.

And tonight is the last new episode before the series finale for Lost. I am so sad to see it go and don’t know what I am going to do without it (maybe finally catch up on Glee?) I really need to watch the last two episodes over again and may have to buy the complete series when it comes out. I am such a dork about this show. I won’t even begin to tell you how I go on the message boards to read people’s theories and such! lol

Anyone have any good suggestions for books? I finished Jen Lancaster’s latest book and can’t seem to get into anything else. I love Chick-Lit like Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin, Meg Cabot, etc. and mysteries. If anyone has read anything good, let me know 🙂