Sake, pillaging, pizza and signs.

I can breathe

I can smell

I have no tickle in my throat

And snot?? What’s snot?

It’s a miracle!

I took some Mucinex and Zyrtec Thursday morning and once I did, a complete 180 happened. I wasn’t sneezing, sniffling or feeling like all around crap.

I even found enough energy to whip out my camera while at a stop light because I had to take a picture of the mini van with its reindeer ears still on in February!

I think they saw me take a picture because they proceeded to drive terribly slow, not use their indicator, swerve within the lane (possibly drunk at 8A?) and all things annoying when I’m trying to get to work on time.

I was most excited about eating foods they weren’t scorching hot or liquid, since that’s all I’ve been craving since Monday.

Hooray for salad!

 Anytime I’m sick, all I want is super hot soup preferably hot and sour- or ice cream. I dodged temptation from buying a gallon of ice cream this time around, go me!

The real reason I wanted to get better was so I could enjoy Cowfish. My friend and I have been trying to make plans to go but fate keeps telling us it’s not in the stars. We had reservations, which I never would have though we needed reservations for a restaurant in Charlotte on a Thursday night, but apparently the wait without a reservation was two hours. Some of you may remember Cowfish from when I went to their soft opening. This was my first time back since then so I was interested to see if it would live up to the soft opening.

All sake is half off on Thursday night. Hello lover!

I really want to get a sake bomb but didn’t want to get sloshed so we got the sake sampler which includes (from left to right)

*warm sake (the only time I like it warm is when it’s dropped in a beer

*sparkling sake (mmmmm)

*regular sake (again, would be good in a beer)

*unfiltered sake (it looked like a shot of jizz)

Seriously

*plum sake (my favorite!)

A great deal for $6, especially if you want to try different sake’s!

I wanted a burger but I also wanted sushi. I tried their burgushi last time I went but wasn’t blown away by it but soon saw a perfect solution to what I was looking for–a bento box!

 More places should offer bento boxes–I love that I could get a burger (topped with roasted red pepper and goat cheese), sushi, edamame, sweet potato fries and cucumber salad living together in harmony all on one platter in front of me!

We were sitting near the bar and one of the managers swung by telling us that they had an extra spiked milkshake leftover and if we wanted it. Answer-hell to the yeah! It was spiked with dark and light rums plus banana, ice cream and strawberry. A few sips floored me and I could not stop sucking down on it. Yay for booze but double yay with a cherry on top for free booze. I had a great experience again but don’t think Cowfish will be a regular spot for me. The sushi rolls range from $12 to $18 which is a lot of money in my book for one roll. I need to find a man to take me here soon!

I had a fabulous breakfast of quick oats this morning that left me warm and fuzzy!

with walnuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon and flax

I needed a bunch of energy to go pilaging

Ok, maybe not pillaging exactly but I was being sketchy and on a mission to check out all the empty cubes on our floor to dee if I could find any goodies

File organizer, markers and a sweet and sour sauce? Aw yeah bitches!  Sadly, I’m most excited about the sauce.

Maybe I should check if the sauce has an expiration date? God knows how long it’s been sitting in a dreary, sad, gray cubicle. But then again, a happy meal lasted four years so I should be ok if I dip some chicken into this sauce.

Speaking of sauce, I tried something new for lunch……Indian food! I’ve been very adamant in the past about not diggin the Indian food because I cannot stomach the smell or taste of curry. But I want to try new things and give it a second chance so Indian it was. One of my co-workers suggested an Indian place in our work building and we were on it like tiki on masala! I haven’t taken an actual lunch in ages so it was nice to get out of the cubicle, chow and chat with a co-workers.

I got some chicken and veggie combo but still have no clue what it was

I love that my co-worker let me take a picture of his food as well……and he didn’t even question why I was taking pictures of food.

The portions are sick–so much food for so cheap! And you know what? I loved it! I ate all of it up and it kept me full for a loooooong time. So long that I came home from work, hung out and  went to the gym without having dinner first. If I go to the gym at night I always have dinner first.

I had a decent workout including 35 minutes on the Crossramp doing intervals and then some upper body strength training action but I need to figure out how to change my weight on my Polar since I think it’s underestimating my calorie burn-if anyone knows how to let me know!

When I got home from the gym, I was finally ready for some food yet had no idea what I wanted. So, I went towards old faithful-homemade pizza using Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough. This was a different pizza from what I’ve tried in the past. Why you ask?

*Sweet peppers and tomatoes as the toppings. I’ve never used fresh tomatoes as a topping on my own pizza so I just hoped it would turn out well. I drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and oregano to give it a little pizzaz.

 * Newman’s Own Vodka Sauce-I was out of marinara and had this sitting all the way in the back of the cupboard. I haven’t had vodka sauce in a long time and welcomed it back into my life with open arms.

 

Such a delicious, fresh pizza to make and a perfect end to the week!

Day 7-Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality

I’m a Sagittarius (from Astrology Online):

Sagittarians have a positive outlook on life, are full of enterprise, energy, versatility, adventurousness and eagerness to extend experience beyond the physically familiar. They enjoy travelling and exploration, the more so because their minds are constantly open to new dimensions of thought. They are basically ambitious and optimistic, and continue to be so even when their hopes are dashed. Their strongly idealistic natures can also suffer many disappointments without being affected. They are honorable, honest, trustworthy, truthful, generous and sincere, with a passion for justice. They are usually on the side of the underdog in society they will fight for any cause they believe to be just, and are prepared to be rebellious. They balance loyalty with independence.

They have both profound and widely ranging minds, equipped with foresight and good judgement, and they can be witty conversationalists. They love to initiate new projects (they make excellent researchers) and have an urge to understand conceptions that are new to them. they think rapidly, are intuitive and often original, but are better at adapting than inventing and are at their best when working with colleagues of other types of character that compliment their own. They are strong-willed and good at organizing, a combination that gives them the ability to bring any project they undertake to a successful conclusion. Their generosity can be balanced by their extreme care at handling their resources.In other personal relationships they are reliable, seldom betraying any trust given to them. They can, however, be impulsively angry and both male and female Sagittarians know how to be outspoken and exactly what expressions will hurt their adversaries most

 

Yep, from reading that I’m a Sagittarius—that describes me perfectly.

But then all this drama with the 13th sign happened and supposedly now I’m a Ophiuchus. When I started to read the traits of the O, I didn’t think I could fit the bill but then I continued reading and turns out I could very well be an O. I keep saying O b/c I have no clue how to pronounce my new sign.  Provided by Buzzle (the ones in bold are ones I agree with about myself, the ones in bold and italicized are ones I 150% agree with about myself):

• People who fall under this sign are knowledge and wisdom seekers and try to do the same throughout their lives.
• These people are favored by authority figures.
• They have a flamboyant dressing sense and are seen to prefer bright colors.
• These people are seen to progress well throughout their lives. Steadily and surely.
• It is their success that earns them many jealous onlookers as well as enemies with the evil eye.
• It is a sign that attracts a lot of good luck and blessings.
• They have varied astrological talents.
• They are very intuitive and have a lot of foresight.
• These people look to heal and attain a higher position in life.
• They are bored of monotony and seek change in their routine.
• They think with their hearts.
• They are straightforward and honest.
• They have a high sex appeal and are known to be charismatic. This is what makes them very popular among others.
• They hate overbearing rules and restrictions and love their space and freedom to explore new avenues and satisfy their curiosity.
• They have a special love for arts and language and are highly passionate about pursuing the same.
• They have less patience and do not like to indulge in meaningless or senseless banter.
• They do not like to be treated or talked to as a subordinate or an inferior person.
• They have a lot of pride and that is what makes them arrogant at times.
• They can be secretive and mysterious and hide things.
• These people are easily affected by jealously and therefore may develop trust issues.
• They are always looking for adventure and new avenues and therefore are easily bored. This quality can spill into their relationships as well and they might not be the ideal candidates for a monogamous relationship.
• They can have temper tantrums and a poison tongue, such that what they say can be very hurtful.
• They have a sarcastic sense of humor and therefore tend to make very few friends who can understand this streak in them and can take it in their own stride.

So I guess I’m a little bit Sag and a little but O? Does that make me a Sago?

Some emo Lincoln loving for you

Hope everyone’s weekend is off to a fabulous start!

Taking food pics in front of co-workers: Yay or Nay?

Inspired by Boyz II Men

Motownphilly’s back again
Doin’ a little east coast song
Boyz II Men going off
Not too hard, not too soft

Um, yeah, I’ve had Motown Philly in my head all day. All frickin day.

 At first, it was awesome having an old school tune running through my head and I was surprised I remembered most of the words. But after a few hours, it got straight up annoying. No matter what annoying song I tried to think of, nothing would replace the Motown Philly. I even tried singing annoying songs like “Mony Mony”, “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas” and “California Girls” (Katie Perry version of course) but nothing would stick. So I decided to go with the song and let it inspire my dinner—cheesesteak pizza!

I took about 4 oz of sandwich steak, sprinkled with Spike seasoning and cooked those suckers up on the stovetop while I had some Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough in the oven (I let it cook for three to four minutes before adding sauce and toppings).

And of course, couldn’t leave out the shroomies

Instead of sauce, I used two wedges of Laughing Cow cheese to spread on the pizza dough then topped with steak, shroomies and mozzarella cheese

Added slices of habanero peppers on top to let the flavor cook in (I don’t eat them since they are insanely hot!)

Delicious, cheesy pizza. I love the homemade stuff. Plus you can freeze pizza dough when you buy it so you don’t have to use the entire amount when you buy it!

And did you know that Boyz II Men have a love cruise?? One of my friends sent this to me last year when I was planning my birthday cruise but thankfully, I chose a normal cruise line. I wonder what the love cruise entails though? I think it’s interesting how they advertise it as Whether you’re in love or looking for love, Join the Boyz II Men “Love Cruise”

I don’t think I would like single ladies looking for potential suitors if I was on a love cruise with my man. Do they separate people, are certain decks for singles or couples? Do they have all the couples staying on the same floor so the sound of them boning doesn’t bother the single people? Or that could be vice versa I guess maybe it’s a boatful of boning. Are all the dishes lovey themed? Has a break up or  divorce ever been stemmed from a Boyz II Men cruise? What if your significant other had a traumatic Boyz II Men experience and you knew nothing about it and took them on the cruise? Do they only play Boyz II Men songs? Do other acts have their own cruise? And last, there are only three Boyz II Men in the pictures on the website,  weren’t there four Boyz II Men–what happened to the last one? So many questions I tell you.

I think this is the most I’ve talked about Boyz II Men in my entire life.

All Over The Place

I had yesterday off with no real plans so I went to Ulta and treated myself. I usually buy Loreal or whatever is on sale but that’s just not working anymore. With aging and damage from the sun, my skin is just not what it used to be. I’ve heard great things about Bare Minerals and curious what it’s all about. I got the full on demonstration from the makeup girl and loved it. I felt like I didn’t even have any makeup on but it make my skin illuminate and felt great.

I also stocked up on some Sexy Hair products (Buy Two, Get Two Free) and a new dry shampoo to try

I made Chicken and Spinach Casserole for lunch. As you all know I like a deal. When I am looking for a rotisserie chicken, I go to the supermarket after 7P and they have the rotisserie chickens at a discount. I went Sunday night and picked one up for $4 which will give me a few meals packed with a bunch of flavor.

I’ve been eyeing this recipe since I saw it in this month’s Martha Stewart Everyday Food and figured, I have all of the ingredients on hand at any time all I need is the rotisserie chicken and I’m set. I have it in the magazine but can’t find it anywhere online which kinda stinks but I made some modifications with mine.  Basically you start with tearing up bread pieces (about 1.5 cups) and tossing in extra virgin olive oil and salt in a bowl and set aside. Then you take a couple of handfuls of spinach and cook in extra virgin olive oil until done and take off from the heat. Take one chopped onion and cook in the pan along with garlic then add white wine, 1 cup half and half, 1 tbsp all purpose flour and mix together until thick then add chopped rotisserie chicken last.

 Transfer to a baking dish, top with the bread pieces and bake for 10 minutes or until bread is browned and voila-a meal.

 Ok, so it really doesn’t look too appetizing but it’s tasty, I promise!! It would be a perfect meal if it wasn’t 85 degrees out but it was still delicious.

 I had a nice workout in the afternoon

Kettlebell 20 lbs

Shrugs (12 reps, 2 sets)

Sidebends (20 reps, 2 sets)

Upright Deltoid Row (12 reps, 2 sets)

Step Ups (25 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell 15 lbs

Curls (13 reps, 3 sets)

Shoulder Press (13 reps, 3 sets)

Front Lateral Raise (13 reps, 2 sets)

Misc.

Donkey Kicks (13 reps, 2 sets)

Push Ups (15 reps, 2 sets)

Crunches (20 reps, 3 sets)

Lincoln and I went to Freedom Park afterwards and enjoyed the day. We walked around for a little bit then sat under a tree and relaxed. I had a lot on my mind so it was nice to sit in silence and think about things. Basically, I am not happy my routine lately. I haven’t been focusing on my health at all and you can see that through what I’ve been eating and drinking along with my lack of exercise. I just feel unmotivated at this point and I can see the weight coming back. I don’t feel comfortable in my skin, don’t feel pretty and just feel blah. I suffer from a case of high self esteem so when something like this brings me down, it brings me down in a major way. I don’t want to go shopping for new clothes because the last two times I did, nothing looked good. I just want cooler weather to be here so I can hide in my sweaters and be motivated to work out again. Unlike others, I am not motivated in the hotter weather to work out nor do I lose weight in the summer months. I am driven to work out more in the winter and often drop lbs in the cooler months. My social calendar has picked up since I moved to my new place a few months ago but with that comes more dinner, more drinks and more hangovers resulting in me not wanting to do anything the next day.

With that, I’m frustrated. And sad. And angry with myself. I don’t like the way I look and just not happy with myself and  this needs to change.

 I need to go back to the girl earlier this year who cooked more, moved more and drank less.

I like to keep things light-hearted on here but sometimes I just gotta keep it real and that’s how I’ve been feeling lately. Rant over. Thanks.

Anywho, when I got home from the park,  I walked into a house smelling of barbeque sauce and pig. I had a half rack of spare ribs thawing out in my fridge for the past day and was cooking them in the crock pot for dinner. I cooked on high for four hours with KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce and took a few for dinner and then saved a couple for later this wk. I brushed on a little more bbq sauce to make it gooey. I also had roasted red potatoes and a side salad for a filling meal.

Even though it was Monday night, it still felt like a Sunday night. Don’t you hate that? I was restless about going back to work but it’s all good since this is my last week at my job. I’m really excited to start next week but at the same time I’m nervous since I’m pretty comfortable in my current role. I am the rock star of my team and the go to person whenever someone has an issue and I won’t lie, I like that. I am anxious to learn something new but just nervous that I won’t catch on or be the best (I’m super competitive).

This morning, I was out of it. I got a good nights rest but was in a daze. I forgot to put coffee in the coffee marker and woke up to brownish hot water. However, I wasn’t going to let them bring me down. I was determined to have a good day since it is one of my last! I pretty much spent the entire day renewing my benefits and transferring any relevant emails to our N Drive then zipping the files. That’s how four years worth of emails folks, not fun.

Lunch was basic yet yummy-salad topped with leftover rotisserie chicken and soup that I made last week.

I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner since I had no plans. My headache was killing me from doing mindless work all day and I wanted something quick and easy. Maybe it was the smell of bacon on the bus this morning that inspired me but I decided to have a BLT on a spinach wrap with some Trader Joe’s Kettlecorn Popcorn b/c I’m random like that. I spread a  Laughing Cow Bleu Cheese wedge on the wrap for a little umph.

Le sigh, I wish I could roll well.

I also picked up an oldie but goodie at the supermarket the other night.

I used to love Yoplait but then I discovered the wonderfulness that is greek yogurt so I don’t eat Yoplait that much anymore. It’s too runny and too sweet for me. Luckily, my vote can be swayed and I have days where I want runny and sweet. And Black Forest Cake flavored? Holy schnikes-that stuff is gooooood.

I think I’m gonna follow this guys lead and get under the covers and veg.

Peace out.

Working for the Weekend

Happy post 90210 day! One of my friends had “Happy 90210 Day!”as his status on the FB and I thought it was hilarious and didn’t even think of it yesterday

Yesterday I attempted to make a western omelet sandwich with peppers, onion,zucchini, ham and cheese but it didn’t turn out so much as omelet as opposed to a mess.

Then I realized I had some cucumbers in the mix of chopped veggies. And you know what? Warm cucumbers do not taste good. After picking them out, it was frickin delicious  so I shall call it a success!

I broke my Starbucks streak yesterdayy….only because there was no line. I have to walk through the Bucks to go to my office so if there isn’t too much of a line I will go ahead and get my coffee first thing but if not, will wait until it dies down a bit. I was fine the previous two days without the Bucks but I think it agitates me a bit. And when I say that, I mean the clientele. I love the baristas there and we know each other by name and they are nice and outgoing without being overly perky. But the people who visit the Bucks are just too much for me, I find them rude or they seem to be confused about the whole process of ordering.

Some days I’m afraid I’m going to have a freak out session like this

I love the subtitles and bootlegs

So maybe, I am better without the Bucks? Or maybe I need to practice a little thing called patience which is supposedly a virtue? I guess it has to be the latter as much as I don’t like it.

I had leftover pesto spaghetti with balsamic glazed chicken. I felt so bad for the woman standing next to me in the break room while I was heating it up-all she had for lunch was a hard-boiled egg. Ummm….and that’s it. I asked her why she was torturing herself and she was doing some kind of cleanse to “jumpstart” her system. No thank you. I will skip the jump starting and attempt to do it right and eat real foods. It just made me sad to see that while I was feasting on a great meal.

And this meal was great but a few bites into it, I asked myself “What could make this better?” and behold……

Laughing Cow Mozzarella and Sun Dried Tomato  added to the pasta….oh yes!

Today was a great day at work since I got to leave a little early being the day before a holiday. There wasn’t a whole lot of work to be done in the morning and that was a welcome break.

I walked over to The Energy Cafe for lunch. This place is a fabulous alternative to the fast food, unhealthy joints that seem to be a staple for many. They offer fresh, healthy food along with smoothies and protein bars (or fuel bars as they call them) at a reasonable price. Anytime I’ve been they are super quick with making your food right in front of you and although there is usually a line, it moves pretty quick.

I love how they put the nutritional stats on their menu so you can see how much you’re taking in (plus they have stats for protein and fiber as opposed to just cals/fat).  I got their medium build your own salad, which I think is the best deal—$5.99 with unlimited toppings and only $1.49 if you want to add protein (I got the chicken). They have a varied selection of dressings along with low-fat options for the creamier ones and I got the Greek vinaigrette —it has chunks of feta in it and anything that brings more cheese into my life is a good thing.

Seems like a lot of traders and closers were gone by Noon so I stuck around until 330P getting some busy work done and out I went.  I have plans to meet up with friends for dinner tonight and figured if I can take time to get pretty, I can fit a workout in.

I did a quick kettlebell session with a few dumbbell moves in there and did two sets of the following:

Kettlebell-20 lbs

Shrugs

Halos

Squats

Upright Deltoid Row

Swings

Side Bends

Dumbbell-15 lbs

Curls

Shoulder Press

Front Lateral Raise

Dumbbell -10 lbs

Tricep Extension

And with that I am—time to get ready for drinks and dinner. I hope everyone has a fabulous and safe Labor Day weekend! The parental units are coming in tomorrow plus a couple of my sorority sisters will be in town so I don’t even feel like I have too much of a weekend since I will be running around but it is guaranteed to be fun!

Fresh

As much as I love the eggs, I really need to start buying egg-whites again. I think my heart will thank me after the fat fest I had for breakfast yesterday morning: Two Scrambled Eggs with Muenster Cheese, Avocado and Tomato

 

Lunch was a BIG salad with carrots, tomato, feta cheese, quinoa, green onions topped with pulled pork and pomegranate balsamic vinegar. Holy balls. I don’t like the idea of hot and cold together most times (with the exception of greek yogurt and oatmeal) but I nuked the pulled pork up for about a minute and the combination was terrific. I also liked how the pomegranate balsamic vinegar tasted with it. I didn’t want to ever end 😦

One of my co-workers came over to my desk and told me she had a treat for me. I love treats. And I love treats in the name of fresh produce even more. I thought she was just being sweet but she had an ulterior motive but it worked out fine because I can be persuaded just to do about anything if you put some good food in front of me.

I want this dogs life

A girlfriend and I had plans to go to dinner so she came over to my place and we walked over to Lebowski’s Neighborhood Grill, a semi-new place here. Can I say how happy I am that I moved? I love the convenience of being able to walk to restaurants, shops, bars, etc.  I know I keep talking about it but that right there is something I am willing to pay more money for. I can tell a difference in my energy level and attitude from not having to wake up at the butt crack of down and having a long commute.  Love it.

I got the Jerk style Gardenburger with garlic fries (I’ve heard people raving about them so had to see if they lived up to the hype)

There was jerk sauce and pineapples under the beautiful layer of melted cheese.

And the fries? They totally lived up to my expectations, it was a fair amount of garlic but nothing that would keep a vampire away. We had quick service, enjoyed the patio area and had reasonable prices, I would definitely go back.

Today was another day full of fruits and veggies. I needed to take a little break from the eggs for breakfast and had a green monster in a bowl instead. I made it with blueberries, spinach, almond milk, xanthan gum and half a packet of Spiru-Tein Blueberries and Cream Protein Powder topped with Kashi Go Lean Crunch

Yeah…..and there was about 1/3 still left in my magic bullet.  Again, if you haven’t tried xanthan gum, what are you waiting for?? It’s awesome!

Lunch was yet again a BIG Salad with romaine, tomato, quinoa, carrots, cucumber, onion, ham, hardboiled eggs, Laughing Cow french onion wedge and sunflower seeds topped with Ken’s Fat Free Raspberry Vinaigrette. Add another salad to the list that I didn’t want to end.

I was heading to zumba class after work and tried my Boomi Bar that’s been sitting around

I really liked this, it was a simple almond bar and it wasn’t too sweet or moist (I feel so dirty when I say that word)

Zumba was great but I didn’t rock it as much as last week since I am still a tad achey from Jackie Warner’s One on One Training DVD I did the other day. I didn’t jump around as much but I still got a good workout in with a nice calorie burn of 677 and average heart rate of 166—yes!

I was ready for a big dinner when I got home! I made turkey burgers (with parsley, green onions, Heinz 57, garlic and panko breadcrumb) 

Laughing  Cow makes everything better

I served with a cold quinoa salad with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper with carrots, cucumbers, tomato and red onion thrown in.

I loved the meals I’ve had the past two days and can honestly say that all this fresh produce is my favorite part of summer. I am going to miss having access to different farmers markets in the area once fall comes around but I think it’s a fair trade-off for football, sweaters and cold weather. There are so many veggies to look forward to as well which means new stuff-yay!

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?

Thirsty Thursday

I remember in college Thursday night was the night to go out on for ladies. Most of the bars had no cover along with drink specials until midnight or even all night! Thirsty Thursday were great–drinking everything under the sun, grabbing as many free drinks as you could before the special ended then at the end of the night stumbling to the pizza place or hot dog man and stumbling home.

Now? I’m sitting on the couch with a Turby Twist on my head with a dog snuggled on my left shoulder as I type. I can barely hear because I have the drier and dishwasher running (yes, I am trying to see how high my electric bill can go). Ahhhhh…how things change.

Breakfast was oats, frozen blueberries, flax and TJ’s Apricot-Mango Greek Yogurt (love this stuff)

But it didn’t fill me up like it normally does.

 Maybe it was because I waited until 10A for coffee today?

 I had one cup at home while getting ready and usually wait for my coffee buddy to get in since he gets in around 9A and I roll in at 745A. I IM’ed him the coffee emoticon to let him go but no response. I pinged him again with five coffee emoticons and nothing. I walked over to his area and his teammate told me he called in sick-that scammer! I went down to Starbucks and splurged on a vanilla almond biscotti and grande Pike with two pumps of SF Cinnamon Dolce. Si, perfecto.

 Then I got an email from my library I have some books to pick up that I have been waiting for. Does anyone know how authors get paid by libraries who pimp out their books? I’ve always wondered that and in a way, it’s like a Dewey Decimal system-esque itunes for books! If anyone knows, please enlighten me!

I was on the USDA’s website because I A) A Dork B) Was bored and thought of my idea for LI No, not Long Island LI would be a rapper (kinda like TI) and he would rap about the symptoms of Lactose Intolerance and raise awareness. I thought this would be a fun little ad campaign they could do to let people know it’s ok to come out of the closet with their LI issues and share their stories. But not too much detail though because really all that funkiness going on in people’s stomachs and nether-regions…eww. Maybe I could write them a letter and suggest that??

I sported my new earrings today and got compliments from the females….and the males! Oh city of Charlotte, why don’t you have more hip gay men??

Me looking beat…..if you can’t tell, I like red

 Lunch was great and something unusual for me-soup and sandwich. I love to cook so I like to bring in leftovers of my meals and have always thought that a soup and sandwich was just downright boring for lunch. But it was my only option today as I didn’t cook anything last night and try to save money by not going out to eat lunch. I had Campbell’s Select Italian Wedding Soup My sandwich was Smart Deli Roast Turkey Style Veggie Protein Slices—which are surprisingly good, Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb Cheese, Dijon Mustard and baby spinach on a toasted Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin.

I wish I had more veggies to pile on but paydown is tomorrow so bring it on!

I was really pleased with my lunch! Why am I not like the rest of the world and do it more often? There are so many different options for lunch out there that the possibilities seem endless……

I also perused Run For Your Life  to see store locations and get news. I am in desperate need of new running shoes. I use Asics now but they are worn out and my high arches are killing me after my run and day after (hence ballet flats today as opposed to the Nine West heels I normally wear @ the office).

 It hurt so bad to take Lincoln out before bed because he has so much energy and for a 10 lb dog he can pull pretty hard! I could barely walk yet my legs aren’t hurting too bad. Maybe my body is getting used to this running idea? And I find it super amusing that I am actually looking forward to my runs now (even if I am super slow and don’t go to far!) Maybe these runner people who I formerly called crackheads for enjoying it, are onto something?? 🙂

Bored again, I took a 1.5 mile walk around Uptown Charlotte. They call is uptown and not uptown but no one has any clue why….weird. I walked to the Bank of America Stadium where the Carolina Panthers play and walked back. It was around 50 today so perfect weather outside!

 I was so exhausted on the bus ride home and could barely keep my eyes open. I caught a little nap and woke up just in time for my stop-ophew!  I came home to a happy puppy and some Netflix movies for the wknd!

I made Shake N Bake Chicken with Ken’s Lite Honey Mustard for dipping and a baked potato with greek yogurt and butta for dinner

I caught up with a friend on the west coast since I haven’t talked to her since we went on a cruise back in December. It’s so difficult to catch up with my people out there! I miss my friends 😦

I then made Allison’s Peanut Butter Granola Bars 

I’m all for saving money and eating as clean as possible so these bars were a great recipe to try!

The dry ingredients:

The wet ingredients on the stove top

Mixed together in harmony…..

Laid to rest before going in the fridge for 30 mins (like a cadaver? Wow, morbid sentence there!!)

I had to test one out to see if this was worth it 🙂

The verdict?

FLIPPIN FANTASTIC!!! I cut these into an outstanding 12 bars which I plan on freezing as well and they taste great! I didn’t have brown sugar or hemp seeds but just substituted splenda and more sunflower seeds instead.

Allison-thanks posting this great recipe!!

On another note, I now have a ton of unsweeted coconut—anyone have any tips on what to do with it? I am not a huge baker but if it’s easy I am willing to try it 🙂

Giveaway fun!

 Click here for a chance to win a Precision Pro Scale—this ends tomorrow night so head over soon!

Love tea? Go to Naomi’s site for a chance to win Celestial Seasonings Natural Wellness Kit (worth $60)!

Click here for a chance to win a fun pack of goodies!!

So many opportunities to win goodies-yay!

One more day to go………

Dial 1-900-MIXALOT

Fridays are always my day “off” per se. Where as I track food on Livestrong.com every day, I tend not to on Fridays. I do this mostly for my mental sanity. I could be good all the time but that just isn’t my nature. I need to have a day off where I can go eat something I am craving, whether it be good or bad and simply not care, beat up myself or obsess about my meals. And what a foodie frenzy Friday it has been!

All I wanted last night was a good night’s sleep to start my Friday on a good note. But apparently that is too much to ask! I was in a peaceful slumber until a little before 4AM. My dog woke up (he has a bad yet cute habit of burrowing under the covers and sleeping right by my side–literally!) and kept jumping on and off the bed then couldn’ t decide if he wanted on or off the bed! I kept tossing and turning afterwards and just decided to give in to the day. 

I figured if I was up so early, I may as well to go to the gym. But then it was raining cats and dogs (who coined that term anyways?) and just decided to have some coffee and breakfast instead. I usually wait until 8 or 9A to eat breakfast but wanted to make something out of the ordinary for a weekday breakfast.

I put some chopped spinach on the stove top and seasoned with garlic and pepper and let cook. Then I threw in some liquid eggs and spread on a tortilla with Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb Cheese and sprinkled Tabasco sauce on top.

It was wonderful! I really only use spinach in lasagna and an occasional smoothie so I am trying to incorporate it more.

I caught the early bus and rolled into work super-duper early. I love being there before anyone else gets there because it is actually peaceful and I can catch up on my emails and work before the phone starts ringing and the emailing flying in. It turned out great though because my stinky co-worker wasn’t there! YAY-Life is good 🙂 Background: I have a stinky co-worker. I am not talking funk, I am talking bleu cheese and butt (or hot trash and baby diapers) but they stink. Really bad. And I have tried in the past to hint around but have no clue why they smell so bad and apparently it doesn’t bother anyone else on my team. When they come over to my desk, I have to take a deep breath and breathe through my mouth. It sucks. Maybe I am just really sensitive to smell? 

Work was alright though, since Stinky wasn’t there I covered their workload and it kept me busy the entire day which helped the day go by quickly.  I perused online in between doing stuff and looked up some heart rate monitors and for my price range, think I am gonna go with the  Polar F7 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor. It’s one of the gifts to myself with my tax refund and I have wanted one for a while.

Snack was Chobani 0% Strawberry Greek Yogurt with some flax and strawberries.

Since it was still miserable outside  i.e. raining and 30 something the entire day! I mean, if it is going to be cold and nasty out, I want snow! I decided to get lunch at Showmars inside our building. I love convenience! On Fridays, they have my favorite item on special for five bones—-Gyro with Fries

 

 Also know as heaven

I would love to eat this all the time but try to limit it to once or twice a month. For a quality food served fast kind of place, awesome gyros. Now if only they had some Greek, hairy men making them, it really would be heaven (I am weird, I know)

After work I went to the grocery store (one of two this wknd) to use my coupons and hit the big sales. With my coupons here are some of the deals I got:

*Daisy Sour Cream $.10

*Tabasco Sauce $.35

*Huge Spaghetti Squash (so excited to use, never cooked with one before!) $2

*Thomas’ Whole Wheat Bagel Thins $1.20

and so on and so on……….

I had some of my Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough that I had to use up so I made some pizza…..again. I can’t help it, I love it.

I grilled up some spinach, artichokes, roasted red pepper and mushrooms and threw turkey pepperoni on there and this was the beauty in which it  evolved 🙂

Seeing all these colors make me happy–and they are the colors of the Italian flag! Hey mambo….mambo italiano…….

 

 

 

I wish I would have never discovered TJ’s pizza dough, if you can’t tell I kinda like it.

I love lazy Friday nights. By the end of the week, I am either ready to go out and have some drinks or veg and tonight is the latter. I have no plans really for this wknd except go out on Sunday afternoon/night and find somewhere to watch the SuperBowl. Go Colts!

Speaking of the SuperBowl, I saw this list on-line and had to read through it!

The 10 Best Butts in the NFL

I definitely agree with Miles Austin but my second pick would be Troy Polamalu. Tom Brady has the perfect life (well except last season with the whole knee thing) so he really doesn’t need the boost of #2. And Peanut Tillman? Whoever voted for him needs to put down the crackpipe. Personally, I prefer my pancakes with syrup, not on a man. I don’t like a small waist and a big butt on a guy (because, I am cursed with that) but it’s nice to have something to gran onto and now just flat.  All in all, I dig a man with some bubble. A man red beans and rice didn’t miss! And now I have E.U.’s “Da Butt” song in my head!

The anxiety sets in

I also have anxiety and can’t sleep on Sunday nights….only because I love my job so much and I am so excited to get back to work! Not so much.

I don’t know why but ever since I have been in this position, I have had this issue with Sunday nights. Plus Sundays are my lazy days and I really want to take a nap in the afternoon but can’t because that will interfere with my sleep schedule on Sunday night. I am not sure why I have anxiety. Maybe because I am unhappy? It’s not challenging at all and I have done the same function for three years.

My afternoon snack was liquid eggs nuked for 30 seconds on a toasted Thomas English Muffin, Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb Wedge and a smidge of ketchup along with 1 oz of True North Pecan Almond Peanut Clusters (Addictive!!!)  And diet coke, yummy yummy diet coke which I am trying to get off of. I haven’t had once since Friday (which is good for me)

 Dinner was the crock pot chicken I had cooking today and some butternut squash (forgot to take a pic of the meal) 

 

For two split chicken breasts, I got about four servings out of it so less cooking for me this week.

Now I am just sitting sipping on some hot chocolate (with a splash  of International Delights  Creamer —Sweet Italian Creme)

Awesome mug, I know 🙂

Other than that, I am just trying to figure out my taxes. When I say that, I mean figure out what I am going to do with my money back. I plan on getting a new digital camera, a heart rate monitor then put the rest in my savings (and throw in a little in my vacation savings account!)

I just found out we are getting a Yoforia in my neighborhood! Yay for frozen yogurt. And extra yay’s for it being within walking distance and in the same shopping center as Starbucks and Trader Joe’s.

Lazy Day…..or not

Today has been a great day thus far!

Woke up and had a wonderful cup of coffee along with my favorite orange juice (and the only kind I will buy)…..Indian River Juice. If you have never tried it, please do! I am originally from South Florida and grew up on this stuff!

Then I had a cup of coffee in my favorite coffee mug (how could you see this mug and not be happy? I collect mugs and got this one in WV when I went up in the fall)

I made a wrap for breakfast with three slices of Butterball Turkey Bacon, Papetti Easy eggs, laughing cow garlic and herb cheese wedge with a bit of ketchup on a burrito size tortilla and a side of fruit. Wonderful, easy, filling….fabulous!

After that, I felt like my day was ready to begin….yet I had no plans. I decided to put together dinner for tonight —– Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with Beer  from myrecipes.com

Anything with beer and beef has my vote plus I have never had parsnips before so cheers to trying new things! I choose Frugal Joe’s Beer from Trader Joe’s.  A wonderful cheap beer if you have a TJ’s near you. And you can mix beers and create a variety pack for yourself or friends as a gift from their varied selection!

Here’s all the ingredients together in the crock getting ready to cook

 After that, I cleaned my kitchen (finally!)

After that I went for a 2 mile walk.run (even though it was colder than I thought out!) and made it back and made lunch……Cheemo Spinach and Feta Perogies with grilled onions (if you can’t tell by now, I am onion friendly) and Chobani 2% Plain Yogurt with pepper and garlic mixed in for dipping. I love making these because they are so easy and something out of the ordinary. I definitely want to learn how to make my own perogies this yr!

I went to the dog park with my friend and her dog with Lincoln afterwards then came home to this beautiful creation all finished.

The meat just melted about when I took it out of the crock and I am excited for dinner tonight!

All together now….

The meal

Broccoli with some Ken’s Lite Honey Mustard

My friend and I went out to a local bar shortly after and enoyed some beer

Then I spotted a baby…..in a bar. Lovely. At least there is no more smoking allowed in the bars here (on another note, I believe I left before the baby did—eek!)