Attacked!

Happy Monday! There’s not such a thing but one of these days I’m going to convince myself that a happy monday exists out there. I know I shouldn’t complain because I’m working a temp gig that isn’t challenging whatsoever but the sleep fairy was not on my side last night. I went to Barnes & Noble last night after dinner and read some magazines awhile because I’m cheap like that. I caught up on my celebrity gossip thanks to US Weekly —Jennifer Aniston is having a baby—whaaaaaa? And then I picked up an issue of Hello magazine and caught up on my British celebrity gossip. I recognized a few names here and there but others I had no clue about and couldn’t tell you who I read about if you paid me. But for some reason these strangers stuck with me in my dreams last night. I’m not talking some freaky freaky dreams, I’m talking violent-let’s-set-people-on-fire-and-shoot-people kind of dreams. All I recall is one of the rugby players I read about being the head honcho of some renegade hoodlum group. A renegade hoodlum group  who would go into banks and restaurants robbing people then murdering them. Pleasant right? The fact that they were all gorgeous, wore cowboy hats and had accents didn’t help either. Just another case of me liking the bad boys. Then I remember Bindi Irwin holding a koala in Outback Steakhouse while reciting a poem about how wonderful the Alice Springs Chicken is.

(source)

No, no thumbs up Bindi. What the hell is wrong with me? Why are my own thoughts attacking me in my dreams?

Not an ideal way to start off my Monday but at least I had a pleasing weekend. I took a stab at making green salsa. It’s been forever and a day since I made salsa so it was long overdue plus I’ve never made the green variety before but found a great deal on tomatillo’s at the swap shop. I picked out six of them and removed the husks and cleaned them off. It took a little longer than normal since they were sticky but once I did I chopped into quarters.

I also chopped up some cilantro, three deseeded jalapenos, one plum tomato and red onion. I threw that in my magic bullet along with some minced garlic and water and voila-green salsa!

I’m not sure why it came out so frothy but once it settled it was tasty and something different.  I made so much of it I wasn’t sure what to do with it. The original plan was to make chicken tacos but I really wasn’t feeling that. I racked my brain thinking of what I could make and brought back another oldie but goodie-nachos.

Oh cheesy nachos, you make me want to sing to the heavens. Nachos are the sole reason why I can’t keep tortilla chips in the house regularly since I could eat them every day without thinking twice. I attacked that plate as soon as it was done in the microwave, poor thing didn’t even have a chance. The next morning I spiced up my scrambled egg wrap by adding the green salsa to the wraps.

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early and ready to take on the day but unfortunately I didn’t have anything to do until the afternoon. I went to the gym and had a nice sweat session on the elliptical and some lower body moves.

I was shortly reunited with an old flame

 

I got the roasted pork with rice and veggies. I guess they consider the onions on top and peas in the rice veggies? Oh well, works for me. I miss Pollo Tropical so much and its one of the perks being back in FL. When I lived in AZ there was El Pollo Loco which doesn’t hold a candle to Pollo Tropical. Plus, cmon, I do not want to eat a crazy chicken. If I’m eating chicken, I prefer to think that he was a stable chicken with no mental problems.
Afterwards I hung out with the pool and that’s when the attack began. There were these nasty bugs in the pool. I am not completely afraid of bugs but once I see bugs with wings, I get freaked out. Pretty much anything with wings freaks me out and don’t even get me started on birds. When I see pigeons or crows, I cower away afraid that something out of “The Birds” is going to happen to me.

And I’ve never even seen The Birds but I can only imagine when it’s about and have visuals of crows pecking at my gorgeous face. Meh. And once again, ADD has taken over…..back to the story

I was in the pool, minding my own business when this creepy wingy bug swims over to me and jumps on me. I flip out, shriek, splash around and he is still on me. My dad was sitting on the patio reading and threw me a cup to get him out of the pool with. I finally get him in the cup, throw him on the ledge and kill him. I go back to where I was standing, reading my book in the pool. Bliss. No bugs and a good, fun read in my hands.

 

I’ve read this book twice before but love anything by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. If you haven’t read any of her books, please go out and read one of my favorite books of all time, The Dirty Girls Social Club. 

ADD, right……

Soon enough I  see another creepy crawly swimming in there but coming right towards me. I didn’t freak out as much this time around but I got him in the cup and had a repeat session of the first victim. And what do you know, again, another ones comes after me. I think it was their dad or something trying to avenge their death because he attached myself to their bathing suit and would not let go. I finally got him into the cup and put him onto the ledge to meet his demise. And the effer was smart because he got away. He played a game of cat and mouse for 10 minutes and then he escaped for good. I thought I was just being dramatic at first about the bugs following me but my dad even admitted it was a bit odd that they were going after me. I don’t know where he is or where he is hiding out but I have a feeling we will meet again. When I walk out onto our patio area, I keep scouring the pool for him. I am afraid of this little bug for some reason and the next meeting, I’m not going to be so nice.

 

Once the bug drama was done with, Mickey came in the pool to float around for a few minutes. Seriously, how cute is this dog? He’s not as agile as he once was but I’m hoping Mickey hangs in there for another year. He can’t hear or really see anymore but doesn’t appear to be in pain. I feel bad for Lincoln because Mickey is the OB (original baby) and I coddle him like there is no tomorrow. Whenever I walk in, I say hi to Lincoln and give him kisses but quickly pick up Mickey, hold him like a baby and rub his belly and ears. Lincoln has bigger fish to fry though, like avoiding being attacked by grandma. Lincoln goes in her bed every night to cuddle with her. But I walked in the other night and saw him pinned down, not being able to move from the force that is grandma’s thigh.

I guess we are all being attacked over here, physically and mentally.

Do you remember your dreams?  I tend to have super weird ones like last night or can’t remember anything at all. One of my favorites was when I came home drunk one night and dreamed that Alec Baldwin was the leader of a cult and tried to kill me. I tried to escape him but he was on the mission to have my murdered and tried to get me via speedboat chase, a run through the jungle and chasing me in a case on a winding road. Thankfully he never caught me but when I woke up the next morning, I turned on the tv and The Hunt For Red October was on. Freaky.

What’s your favorite salsa?  Do you buy it or make it? If you make it, please share your recipe!

An update

Hey all–glad you all  are entering the I Love My Dog bumper sticker contest—I absolutely love hearing about everyone’s dogs so keep em coming! Lots going on so I am going to attempt to categorize this and make it light and easy

On the food front: A whole lotta randomness has been happening. With the weather getting nice out (you know, since it’s February and all) I’ve been craving less than stellar stuff….like nachos. However, it’s rare that I have tortilla chips at home seeing that I can plow through an entire bag in one sitting. So what to do when a girl wants nachos and doesn’t have tortilla chips? Make her own!

Instead of brushing with extra virgin olive oil like I normally do, I sprayed with vegetable oil non stick spray then sprinkled black pepper on them. I popped them in the oven and cooked for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

This was a terrific way to make nachos in a pinch and did the trick for me!

Friday was a stressful day at work. I was running late plus we had a two-hour training to get to from 10A to noon–who does that? What kind of masochist schedules meetings and trainings on a Friday? I just don’t get it plus Friday is my day to catch up on stuff and tie up loose ends. I turned to old faithful to relieve some stress—a gyro and crinkle cut fries from Showmars.

Oh Beatles even though I love you so, I beg to differ, sometimes all you need is grease.

A new sweet treat I’ve been having lately is a chocolate Vita Top topped with Pumpkin Spice topping from Smuckers.

I bought the topping some time ago on clearance and completely forgot it. When scouring my cabinets I found it but had no clue what I was going to do with it since I rarely have ice cream at home (their fate ends the same was as tortilla chips)

Do I need to say how delicious this is or does the picture do it justice?

Another sweet treat that I indulged in this weekend?

SHAMROCK SHAKE!!!!!

Can I get a holla?

Yep, that Shamrock shake didn’t live to see five minutes of life on this earth. I slurped it down in record time….and without brain freeze thank you very much. Last year, I didn’t have success with finding a Shamrock shake so you can imagine how excited I was to find one this year! When going through the drive thru, I told the employee at the window how happy I was about the Shamrock shake and he told me that he was happy for me and I quote “Your hair looks good, boo” Just what I needed to hear after getting my hair done. Love. Now the question is, when am I going to have my next Shamrock shake?

Shortly after, I had plans to go day drinking so my friend picked me up and we had plans to go to Angry Ale’s since I had a Groupon for $20 worth of food

We thought it was a little odd when we drove up no one was out on the patio on such a beautiful day. I guess we didn’t hear about the fire that happened there back in January. Oops, sorry Angry Ale’s! And for those of you who know how frugal I am, don’t worry, I already contact Groupon and got a refund!

We ended up going down the street to Brazwell’s.

There is when we had some real nachos.

Those nachos but my mock nachos to shame.

I went with the buffalo shrimp as my main course. Why am I saying main course? It was 3pm on a Saturday on a patio where I was enjoying $2 Coors Lights. I guess I am too lazy to change it, yes, that’s what it is.

The crowd started to get a little too early 20’s, pastel colored popped collar crowd (i.e. the reason why I cannot date in this godforsaken city)  soon after so we headed to Dilworth Neighborhood Grill to let the day drinking commence.

I guess Coors Light is currently the “it” beer because there too it was only two bones. Or maybe they think Coors Light just sucks and they were trying to get rid of it. Lucky for them, I will drink cheap beer. I actually prefer Natty Light over some others.

I was just really happy to be back in dress-wearing weather. It felt nice not having to bundle up in layers and rocking some sandals.

I love day drinking, I prefer it over night drinking actually. Of course the sad thing is that day drinking must come to an end at some point unless you live in Alaska. I hate the transition from day-to-night drinking like when you’re at a bar day drinking, a couple of hours pass, you walk outside then boom, it’s night-time. It always catches me off guard as if I don’t know the night is coming or something.

I indulged in some shrimp pad thai with shrimp from Noodles & Company. I wasn’t too impressed with their pad thai, it was more meh than anything. But then again, I really wasn’t expecting anything authentic from Noodles & Company when it comes to Asian fare. I got the shrimp pad thai and there was some chicken in it–good for me, bad if I was a vegetarian.

I had some oats with Pumpkin Spice topping + baked apple+cinnamon+flax seed

Holy deliciousness!

Roast beef sub with potato salad

On Sunday night, I made an interesting new dinner!

First I cooked some baby carrots in the crockpot for five hours on low with water and 1/4 cup brown sugar

Then the main event–cooking a whole chicken

I’ve never cooked one before so this was a new experience. I took it out of the packaging and just stared at it—what was I supposed to do with it?

I quickly googled what to do with an entire chicken and realized I had to reach inside and pull out the innards. Gross. Don’t worry, no pictures of that b.c I put on some gloves, grabbed it then tossed it in the trash.

I patted the chicken dry then rubbed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley and green onions

I cooked at 400 degrees for a little over an hour. Having a meat thermometer would have been extremely helpful

Such a beautiful bird! Luckily, it was cooked all the way through just right.

Dare I say, this was one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever made. Having the bone in makes such a difference with the flavor and makes it more succulent. The seasonings I added were simple but just enough to make my senses come alive!

Exercise wise: I went to the gym on Friday night and did 45 minutes on the Precor AMT then did some upper body exercises such as lateral pull down, chest press, row and deltoid row

On Sunday, I attended  a free  Combat Cardio class at Dick Harrell’s Martial Arts studio courtesy of Yelp.

I was a little nervous to go to the class after watching the videos–this looked like another CrossFit type of class. But I am always up for a free class and mixing it up from my normal regime.

We started out with a little jog then ran in a circle inside while people with in the middle individually and practiced kicks, jabs and crossover jabs.

Then we partnered up (I had the same partner at my CrossFit class so it was good to work with someone who I’ve worked with before) and there were five station rotations-burpees ,  sit up passes (with a 12 lb medicine ball), wall squats (with a 15 lb medicine ball) sprinting (with a resistance band while your partner pulls against you) and kicking. Not that that is exhausting enough but we did that set four times in a row which totally kicked my ass. I can say with certainty that I hate burpees and surprisingly enough, the sprinting was my favorite. I now have parts of my body hurting that I never thought could hurt but it’s a good hurt if that makes sense? Plus I had a pretty sweet calorie burn–thanks Yelp for sponsoring this–I am looking into going to more classes there!

Job wise: Work still sucks. Even though Monday was a bank holiday I went in for a couple of hours just to get stuff done. I will be putting in my two weeks notice in April so I can get a good reference (hopefully?) then ride out the rest of my lease. I have plans to check out Pittsburgh at the end of March. I have a bunch of friends who live there, hear it’s a fun city, near WVU where I went to college and is cheaper to live than Charlotte. I’ve been looking into what I will do financially and think I am going to take out some of my 401K–just enough that I will be able to live off of and then still have a nice portion left so I can roll over into a rollover IRA. Still working on paying off my one credit card I have and paying extra on my student loans and car loan.

So yep, that’s what’s going on over here–a busy and full weekend!

Have you ever cooked a whole chicken?
Anyone else having gorgeous weather?? I am confused how it’s 70 and sunny in February but I’m actually enjoying it!

This is a very boring post.

Ok, so I am bored. Like really bored. I feel like there’s nothing to do tonight and I had today off so I finished everything that needed to be done. I need some excitement. I need some variety. I need something.

Thursday night dinner was a complete fail. I saw oven roasted vegetables on Snacking Squirrel and it looked amazing! So I tried my best to make a meal like that but yeah, fail.

I started with mixing chile pepper honey marinade with tofu and let it sit.

Then I chopped up baby spinach, kale, onions and mixed in with the tofu. When I chopped up everything and mixed it together, I kept imagining how tasty it was going to be along with healthy.

Baked at 350 for 15 minutes.

 In theory it was good but I didn’t have any squash or something heavier in there to make it a full meal. So I sat around wondering what to do. I could make something easy like pizza, nachos or pasta but I wanted something different. I called some friends and no one was available to dine with me, boo. I was flipping through my coupons and such and saw this:

Hmmm, Ruby Tuesdays? I worked there in college but really haven’t been since. I’m not a huge fan of chain places but why pass up on a free burger? I went and opted to sit at the bar so I could at least distract myself with beer and spots.  I was the only chick at the bar and felt like the only one not there on business since there are three or four hotels within a 1/2 mile radius. Oh well, I would enjoy being a younger woman all by her lonesome…..with the help of some Yuengling and biscuits.

I got the Alpine Swiss Burger which came out in no time along with their endless fries. The fries were crispy, fried, salty goodness. My only complaint is now they are a tad more chic, the ketchup is served in ramekins and not a bottle in sight. I put ketchup on everything so I like to have a bottle within reaching distance. I definitely didn’t need endless fries and didn’t take them up on the offer. And the burger? Succulent with just enough toppings to make it fun yet not fall apart. I think the menu said it was 8 oz and it was a lot better than I expected.

I could only finish half and was happy to take the other half to go. I think I’ll enjoy it on a salad this wknd! The rest of the night was hanging with little man.

It was technically my Friday since I had Friday off from work so guess what we did? Yep, watched even more Gilmore Girls.

Instead of just lounging around the rest of the afternoon, I got off my butt and went to the YMCA. I did 35 minutes on the elliptical then did an upper body circuit including

*Rows -40 lbs (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Lateral Pull Downs-50 lbs (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Seated Shoulder Press -20 lbs (13 reps, 3 sets)

*Concentration Curls-20 lbs (13 reps, 2 sets)

*Curls-20 lbs (13 reps, 2 sets)

*Seated Fly-20 lbs (13 reps, 2 sets)

Then the after came and went. I really don’t know what I did after that since I was so bored and probably just sat around. Seriously, I am really bored over here and am not being melodramatic. For dinner, I made nachos with black beans, onions, jalapenos, avocado and cheese.

Personalized license plates-love em/hate em/don’t care?

Anyone who knows me well knows the answer-HATE EM!!!

If you have a personalized license plate–what’s the store behind it?

Weekend reunion

Hi All! This weekend has been so fun and fabulous it’s a shame it went by so quickly! One of my best friends from college came into town to hang for a couple of days in Charlotte. She is in the Army and will be moving to Colorado this spring so it’s one of the last times we will get to hang out for an extended amount of time while she’s on the East Coast.

On Saturday, we went to Yelp’s Charlote Elite Event: Holiday Detox at the Breathing Room yoga studio. The fun included an hour-long yoga session, complimentary grub from Blynk Organic, tons of Vitamin Water (including a lot of swag!), champagne provided by Palm Bay International, free hand massages and manicures and mini massages. Yeah, it was awesome. Even more awesome that it was free just for being Elite ’11!

(source)

Vitamin Water Champagne Dreams!

I got my nails done in Luxedo by Essie

Plus TONS of free goodies courtesy of Vitamin Water!!

Tote

Yoga Mat + Bag

Grey T Shirt with Yelp and Vitamin Water logos

Lavender Eye Mask

Spa set

Such a fun time! Don’t worry, Lincoln wasn’t neglected at all. We got back home and watched the Steelers-Ravens game before we were to head out. Lincoln was showing his team spirit!

It was great to see her this wknd, it’s funny how you can go without seeing someone for a long time but then when we reunite, things are the same and not awkward at all. I like to think we haven’t aged that much either

Oh to be young again!

This afternoon, I hit up the Y and had an amazing workout! I did 35 minutes on the Precor Crossramp elliptical then did

* seated leg adductions (100 lbs 15 reps, 3 sets) 

 * seated leg abductions (140 lbs 15 reps, 3 sets) 

*leg extensions (65 lbs 13 reps, 4 sets)

*leg curls (50 lbs, 3 sets)

Of course I had some freak next to me when I was on the elliptical. This older guy was going ballistic on the machine next to me and he kept grunting and hitting the machine with his fists-wtf?? I turned up my music in an attempt to drown him out but it did nothing and he kept getting louder. Thankfully, he finished about 10 minutes into my workout but I was trying not to stare at him and say something. Don’t need to me burning bridges this early into my membership but yeah, he was a freak.

So happy to be back at the Y. Working out at home just wasn’t cutting it for me and unfortunately, my pants can attest to that as I’ve gained weight ever since I stopped running. I definitely need a consistent cardio routine in my life and am looking forward to more workouts.

My body was a bit confused with the 50 degree, sunny weather we had today. It’s been so miserable and dreary this week (which I am weird because I love that kind of weather) so I was surprised to see the sun again. I stopped by Dairy Queen after going to hood Wal Mart and picked up a cherry Artic Rush. But when I went, I ordered a Mr. Misty because that’s what I’ve known it as so it took a few seconds for us to communicate with each other as to what I wanted. When did this whole name change nonsense happen?

Dairy Queen, will you marry me?

Lunch was an oldie but goodie—nachos! I love love love nachos but haven’t made any in awhile, which makes me sad. So to happify myself, I whipped up a plate in no time! I used these chips as they are my latest obsession and way better than Baked Scoops.

I topped with black beans, fresh jalapeno and cheese for a simple meal then mixed plain greek yogurt and salsa in a bowl for dipping

Fabulous. So fabulous it left me in a mini food coma which resulted in a two-hour nap through episodes of RH of Beverly Hills and Atlanta.

I made Olie Pants falafel recipe for dinner tonight. I saved this recipe since it would be killing two of my resolutions in one—eating less meat and making ethnic meals. I didn’t have any wheat germ so I used ground flax-seed that I had on hand.

I have a small oven so I didn’t get to make the entire batch that I prepared but saved it for later use. Anyone know if the wet mix will freeze well or if I have to make it within the next few days?

I don’t have a food processor on hand so I used my Magic Bullet but it doesn’t blend stuff as well as my food processor, especially dry ingredients. I used some of the bean juice (ew, that just sounds dirty) when I blended it so my mix turned out wetter than expected. I ended up making them as patties instead of balls (hehehe, again, dirty)

I bought some kale earlier today and made kale chips for a healthy side dish. Plus I haven’t had them in forever which always happens with kale chips, I go in major spurts of eating it.  That needs to stop since they are delicious and remind me of actual chips just healthy and with more flavor! I tossed in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Spike seasoning.

They turned out extra crispy-just the way I like!

While the falafel was cooking, I whipped up a bowl of tzaziki sauce. I love using mint however when I started chopping it, I was majorly jonesing for a mojito.

Holy patties (get it, holy balls normally but they were patties this time around, yes, no? Is this thing on??), such a fantastic meal! It was like there was an international flavor party occurring in my mouth and I loved it. So many flavors, so little time. I recommend trying the falafel recipe–it was fun to mix it up with trying different flavors!

Looking forward to a day off tomorrow–anyone else off or are you working?

PS-If you like Tastycakes (which, cmon, who doesn’t??), click here to win some!

And click here to win a Herbivore Prize Pack!

Cheapskating It

I’ve been a cheapskate when it comes to food this week.

Leftovers have been the theme. I usually don’t mind leftovers but I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel with food from my freezer that needs to be consumed. I am going out of town on Saturday and don’t want to buy alot of groceries to either see it A) Go to waste or B) Be used later when I can save the money for something more useful. Why not venture into the freezer and see what’s available?

If it hasn’t been leftovers,  I’ve been eating at places where I either have a BOGO coupon or a free entrée coupon. I hit up two places on Wednesday and all I spent was $6 the entire day. $6 for two meals is absolutely fantastic, especially when it’s good, quality food.

The first place I went was Mortimers at the EpiCentre in Uptown Charlotte. I’ve heard fabulous things about their menu and after hours specials but didn’t think anything of it until I saw the BOGO coupon in my Citipass book. They have a huge selection of unique sandwiches offered on a variety of breads, a pretty sweet salad selection and some entrees. I went in intending to have a salad but after walking there in a windy 40 degrees, I wanted something hot.

I got the WWIII–spicy turkey, bbq sauce, jalapenos, cole slaw, Texas Pete sauce and melted pepperjack cheese on a roll with a side of the potato salad. This sandwich? Out of this world!!!! I scarfed it down and was sad to see it go from a huge, beautiful sandwich to a few crumbs scattering around in the basket.

Warning….blurry pics….

My friend got the nachos-unfortunately they looked a lot better than they were. Normally, I never have a negative thing to say about nachos (since it’s kinda difficult to mess them up) but these were less than stellar. The chips had a funky cheese and the cheese was a cheese sauce like Velveeta. I love Velveeta but it was more along the lines of not fully melted Velveeta and hard, ick. Very rarely do I have nachos that don’t meet my low standards on the nacho scale but these were at the bottom of the totem pole in my book.

They have cutesie names for a number of items, they are a pub and have Rat Pack memorabilia on the walls so I am still scratching my head with what their theme is? All in all a good spot but still a bit perplexed by the concept.

Next deal for me was dinner on Wednesday night. I went to Phat Burrito since I had a free entrée + drink coupon that was going ot expire soon. After four years in this city I finally decided to give it a shot. I’ve always been curious about this place with its eccentric outside decor, bars on the windows plus I like with things starting with F but are spelled out PH (however I hate when things that start with C are spelled out with a K but that’s besides the point). I went right after work and there were only two other people in there….unheard of! Part of the reason I’ve never been is because the parking lot is full and I can’t find anywhere to park so I was pleased to know I would finally get my Phat on. When I walked in, it was very colorful with a lot of dirty tables. Eek. But I saw their sanitation score and it looked safe so ordering I went.

I got a chicken burrito to go and it was ready in less than 5 mins. It seemed like there were two people working that shift so I was surprised with the turn around time. When I got home and sat down to eat, I unwrapped the foil around the burrito and holy crap—it was bigger than Lincoln’s head!

See-told ya!

Super tasty and I didn’t have to add any salsa or hot sauce. It was perfect just the way it was. It wasn’t too dry but at the same time wasn’t sopping wet and falling apart. Perfecto.

Since I have no food on hand, I went to Harris Teeter to pick up some fruit for the next few days. I got some pretty sweet deals on different bars. They were marked down on clearance and the most expensive one cost $.69

I also picked up two bottles of Fruit 2Day. They were on sale for $1.50 plus I have a $.60 off coupon and figured now would be the time tro try it.

Each bottle has 2 servings of fruit up to 120 cals per container with real fruit bits in them. I was pleasantly surprised with this product, I tried the Strawberry Peach this morning. Usually these drinks either taste too artificial or the fruit bites are too big and you have to choke them but this was absolutely fantastic. Plus right there I got in two servings of fruit. I don’t think I will substitute this for fruit (which sadly some people will) but when I want to get something fresh and need fruit when I don’t have it I think this will be a nice alternative.

While waiting for my morning java at Starbucks, I saw some of the Starbucks and building employees going back and forth between the Bucks and the lobby. When I saw the huge vats of coffee being transported-it hit me-tenant appreciation breakfast! I’ve worked in my building for the past four years and they do a morning of breakfast and coffee in December and an afternoon of ice cream in the summertime. This time around it was various Bojangles breakfast sandwiches, Bojangles sweet tea and Starbucks coffee. Free breakfast and free coffee? Count me in! I had my travel mug in hand and filled up with their Bold coffee and picked up a chicken biscuit.

Dinner tonight was another free meal. I have a coupon for a free small sub or salad at Sub Station II. I really wasn’t feeling a sub but salad sounded good since it was 30 degrees outside. I opted for the chicken breast salad with honey mustard. It was ready within 5 minutes and on my merry way, I went. When I got home, I was so excited. It was a big size salad and I could smell the onions, pepper and oregano they topped it with. Plus it didn’t look too shabby.

Mmmmm, tasty salad, right? Wrong. Apparently Sub Station II doesn’t like to put chicken on their chicken breast salad so while it had a variety of toppings, it lacked something substantial. Plus the lettuce was chopped up into little pieces. This was the most ghettorific salad I’ve ever had. Albeit, I scarfed down the entire thing but I was still upset about the lack o’ chicken. Sadness.

I also visited the Christmas mart they have open downstairs in our building today. They have a number of local vendors with candles, soaps, fresh produce, nuts, apparel, hot sauce and honey! I like honey but would never feel compelled to buy it (since I am ghetto and just ask for extra honey packets at the Bucks) but when I saw the whipped honey offered by Cloister Honey, I had to try it out.

They had a variety of flavors like original, pumpkin and chocolate. I tried samples of them and they were just delightful. They are natural and only 16 calories per serving and perfect on top of crackers or even alone! I bought one jar along with a bottle of their chile pepper honey marinade.

I love supporting local businesses and it’s even sweeter when it’s a tasty product!

So, that has been my past few days. Unfortunately nothing too exciting but we can’t all can’t have exciting ones can we? I am proud to say through eating leftovers and using my coupons, I’ve spent minimal money, cleared out my freezer and kept my checking account balance in tact.

Thanks all for your love on Ugly Christmas Sweater party + moo moo. I was too lucky to find an atrocious moo moo but the question is, how will I trumph that outfit at next years Ugly Christmas Sweater party?? 

PS–Win some free Alouette cheese over at Fashion Meets Food!

Da Bears

I’ve been in Charlotte for a little over four years but haven’t developed any loyalty to the teams here. I’ve tried–been to games, even bought a Panthers jersey to show my support and such but when it comes down to it-the teams here suck. The Panthers are 0-5 this season which is just pitiful and I don’t even consider the Bobcats to be a real NBA team. Which then leads me to thinking what is with the city of Charlotte and their obsession with cats? Panthers? Bobcats? CATS—the public transportation system? I guess Charlotte is pussy whipped.

One of my co-workers was selling his Panthers tickets for yesterdays game and asked if I knew of anyone who was interested. I asked him who they were playing and he answered with “The Bears”. I started freaking out right there since the Bears are my favorite NFL team. I was born and raised 30 minutes from Chicago so growing up, I rooted for all things Chicago. I remember playing the VHS of “The Super Bowl Shuffle” over and over again at home (sadly that is from 1985 and I don’t like dating myself).

I asked one of my friends if she was up for going although she is a Patriots fan and she said yes so with tickets in hand we were ready to go! And check out the seats! I texted my co-worker when we got there with “OMG these seats are amazing!” and told him to keep me in mind if he ever needs to get rid of them again.

Oh, I didn’t mention how it was 87 degrees did I? And yes, it’s October so a big WTF is in store. When I think of football, I think of cooler weather and layering it up but not at this game. We were shaded for the first half but then Mr. Sun decided to make an appearance right after the half and it was just miserable.

The Bears scored within the first two minutes—woo hoo! I can honestly say, I think I saw more Bears fans than Panthers fans. There was orange everywhere. And I am gonna put this out there, the male Bears fans were hotter than Panthers fans. Just saying, in my opinion men from north of the Mason Dixon line are hotter and have better dental hygiene.

So…….almost the end of the first quarter

And the third quarter….really Panthers really?

We left at the beginning of the fourth quarter since we had a feeling there wouldn’t be a lot going on after that. And we were right Bears won 23-6! Another win for them, another loss for the Panthers. Boo hoo.

I did get some nachos though so I was a happy gal.

Afterwards, I went home and took a much-needed long nap (five beers will do that to you) and found it was only appropriate to celebrate the Bears win  by having leftover chicken pad thai in a Bears bowl.

I also started a new book—this chick is kind of a tamer Chelsea Handler but funny nonetheless. I recommend so far!

And today….well today is fabulous since I have off. I love having Columbus Day off since no one else really does and I feel like I am a normal person out living and having fun. What’s not fun is when my Internet connection is so horrendously slow and I have to go to Panera to get a good connection. But it’s all good because they have free refills and now they have a My Panera rewards program. I don’t go to Panera too often because I find their food to be dull and overpriced but I do dig their coffee and free wi fi. Ok, I also the dig the pastries but it’s been forever and a day since I’ve have one from here. But I love any place that offers either punch cards or reward programs so Panera is ok in my book. Who knows what else the rest of the day will bring?

So the question for you all is….working or lounging today?

Quarter End

Yay my last quarter end I will have to go through again is over. Well, last one on my side at least. And in true quarter end fashion, I was there for a good 11 hours. Ugh. At least I got some over time which is great…..if they want to pay me time and a half bring it on! AND I just found out one of my best friends from college will be in Charlotte tomorrow since she is flying out Friday night. That means I can leave work early, meet up with her and catch up!

We had our team building outing at work yesterday. I was kinda hoping we would do the whole cross-your-arms-and-fall thing, you know the trust test? But no dice. We got to go bowling instead at the newer swanky Strike City.

Yeah, not your typical bowling alley. There were only a few people eating there and we were the only group bowling, which I thought was a little odd since it was lunch time and at the EpiCentre.  In a never-ending search to find the best nachos in Charlotte, I had to try theirs.

How could I not be a happy girl with a plate of nachos like that?? They were loaded and yummy. However I hate when they load up nachos with too much stuff that they get soggy and really don’t have a crunch. But on the other hand, I don’t want naked nachos. catch 22 I guess?Sadly I couldn’t finish them but with some beer and a nap after wards I could’ve!

I’m actually going to miss my team (excluding one person) when I leave, sigh. And wtf is up with my arm? I feel Carrie from “King of Queens” in that one episode where Deacon and Kelly get a portrait of Doug and Carrie painted and she has a monster arm and one puny arm.

I really need to invest in a good foundation. I shouldn’t be this shiny. But I am Italian and cursed with greasy skin so I guess it’s in my genes. Ulta is on my trip list!

Last night, I seriously did nothing. It was rainy and gross outside, which I love, so when I got home I changed into my comfy clothes. And once I change into comfy clothes, there’s no turning back for me. 99% chance I won’t get back into normal clothes and go out. Even though I was in comfy clothes, I ventured out to Chick Fil A to redeem a free combo meal coupon that’s been sitting in my wallet.

Oh Chick Fil A, you never fail me. And whenever I ask for something your employees always say “My pleasure” in a sincere way and you have flowers at your tables. I love you Chick Fil A.

I would love to say I had a really exciting Wednesday night but it consisted of me, Lincoln, the ABC Wednesday night line up and the couch. It was bliss. Very seldom do I unplug and just be but it was a nice change of pace. Lincoln got a belly rub for a full four hours so I think he was a happy camper as well.

And ok, it may consisted of a Cookies N Cream sundae as well

Maybe not the smartest idea at 10P but 100% worth it. And wtf is up with the tv this fall? I am loving every single show I watch, which is not a good thing. I really don’t need to be sitting at home tuning in each night but that’s what’s going on.

Since it was quarter end, we had lunch catered to us. We were supposed to have Carabba’s but our order somehow got “lost” (how an order for 60+ people gets “lost” beats me) so they ordered Jason’s Deli last-minute and it was a success. We all got to choose a sandwich with a pickle, chips, drink and dessert

Naturally, I chose a brownie and it was delectable

Mmmmm…..mmmmmm.mmmm….meaty!

After being at work for 11 hours, I needed one two of these bad boys

And a carbolicious meal

And yeah……that’s all I got. Life is pretty boring at this point and need to mix it up a bit. Any suggestions?

Happy Thoughts

This morning I was up at the crack of dawn to get ready and make a huge breakfast

Why big breakfast on a weekday you ask? Because I had a job interview today! Edit–I had three job interviews in a row for a position within my company. It was at 9A but I usually get in around 845A so I went into work a bit early and needed something to hold me over. I think the interviews went very week and I have a great feeling however all I can is wait it out at this point. I am supposed to hear back within a few weeks and hope that the days don’t go unbearably slow. Soooooo…..any good vibes you could send my way would be appreciated!

I have the funky sinus thing going on that everyone has caught the past two weeks due to the weather changing. I just feel nasty and my throat is swollen. I hate how I never had allergy problems until I moved here but oh well, just gotta suck it up at this point and hope I get better soon. The fact that we had two people out of the office (yeah, we are a team of five) and that I’m training our new guy didn’t help either.

I had my stuffed peppers for lunch and they were tasty!

Thank God I like hot stuff because these had my mouth on fiiiiiiire! I blame it on the chile powder and jalapenos but it was all good.  don’t mess around when it comes to my spice.

I haven’t had stuffed peppers since I was young and think I was scarred by them. My mom used to make them all the time with just rice, ground beef and cabbage doused in tomato sauce. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty but having that meal one week for weeks on end that turn into years gets a tad redundant. How do you make your stuffed peppers or what do you stuff them with?

I picked up a new book at the library–thanks Amy for the recommendation! After her sending me cookies and recommending books, I just feel like this is the wk of Amy.

I didn’t feel like cooking tonight so I made some ghettolicious nachos for dinner. They were pretty boring but tasty. By boring I mean just jalapenos and shredded cheese on top with salsa on the side. I didn’t even have the energy to open up a can of black beans and drain there, sad huh? Again, blame it on work.

I tried a new product for dinner last night-Trader Joe’s Tokyo Style Soba Noodles Kit.

Even though I’ve never been to Tokyo and have no clue what “Tokyo Style” included, I was psyched to try these. They’ve been sitting in my cupboard for a while and perfect for a lazy night (which is starting to be the norm) when you don’t want to cook.

While I threw the noodles in to cook-I cooked up some red peppers and water chesnuts for some crunch along with chicken seasoned with ginger, red pepper flakes and black pepper

It really did only take 10 minutes like the box states-shocker! I never believe products that say something is done within a certain, unbelievable time frame (eyeing you Miss Rachael Ray) so it was a nice, Monday night surprise.

I tossed the noodles in the sauce from the kit then topped with the dry seasoning (seaweed something or another) that came with the kit. All in all, a quick, delicious meal. It was a bit salty for my taste so I’m not sure I would buy it again but it was something fun to try

I brought back an oldie but goodie for a snack tonight-Fage Greek Yogurt with a diced peach and flax-seed. And wtf—why didn’t anyone tell me that Fage is pronounced “fah-yeh”? I never knew that until I read it on the packaging tonight.

And with that, I am out. I am about to have dreams of unicorns and Burt Reynolds thanks to Benedryl…..ok maybe not unicorns and Burt Reynolds but I once did have a dream about Oscar the Grouch and Jerry Orbach so go figure. As long as I don’t have a dream about three ex boyfriends in one sleep session like I did the other night, it’s all gravy.

She’s Having A Foodbaby

This wknd a food baby was conceived. I was fine but from meal to meal, it was all eating out and some of the decisions were not the best. I’ve been outing out more since I moved to my new home a couple of months ago and definitely not eating at home as much as I previously have been. I have people in town all weekend which resulted in going out from restaurant to restaurant and eating more than I normally do. Friday night I went to PF Changs with some girl friends to celebrate one of them rejoining the work force. We all started with the PFX-X-RATED Fusion Liqueur, Mango Vodka and Pama Liqueur shaken with a splash of Sprite

Isn’t it cute? It looks like a pink lemonade. I had to stop myself from slurping it down in three sips.

We split an order of the chicken lettuce wraps and split entrees:

Lucky Cat Martini-Vanilla Vodka, Chambord, Pineapple Juice. This was a perfect finish to a tasty meal.

One of my best friends was in town and we went to The Flying Saucer  for lunch on Saturday afternoon. They have a kick ass selection of beer but Saturday was going to be one long day so I stuck to Diet Coke and got an order of the Bratwurst Nachos

Very tasty and it came with a side of jalapeno sour cream. I love jalapenos and love the sour cream so I was in piggy heaven. I hate how there can be a million thing on a menu but once I see nachos, my mind is made up. Since my friend is a Yankee and never heard of Cook Out, I felt compelled to introduce her to the wonderfulness of their shakes.

She got the Oreo Mint, I got the Chocolate Cherry

And wtf is up with the shadows on my forehead?

I saw The American on Saturday night. It was good but more like a foreign film than any of George Clooneys movies I’ve seen.  And you know what? Watching George Clooney do a prostitute doggie style with your dad right next to you is totally awkward. Just saying.

On Sunday, lunch was from Dean and Deluca. When my parents come into town, we go there to get free samples since  A) they are amazing and B) no pesky sales people watching you circle the place. When we arrived there, they must have known because there were no free samples. Thumbs down. Not to fear though, I got sushi and dessert to go

We went to Brio Tuscan Grille   for dinner. They have a lovely outdoor area where you can have adult beverages while you wait.  After watching The American (which is set in Italy), I was jonesing for some wine. I have a smooth glass of Trivento Pinot Noir

 I am really not too big of an Italian food fan since I can make it at home but they had a varied menu so I found something I was happy with-Artichoke Crusted Beef Medallions

Holy balls, these just melted in my mouth. This was as delicious as it looked but it was quite heavy so

Some of you may recall about my desire to check out Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt. I didn’t think we had Denny’s in Charlotte but apparently there is one in the hood. After dinner on Sunday night, I met up with another friend who was in town this wknd to conquer this bad boy and this is where the food baby was conceived.

Thoughts?

A) It did not look like the pictures I saw online

B) It did not come with the marinara sauce to dip it in

C) It was disgusting and not anywhere near as great as I thought it was going to be.

D) Even though my friend and I split it, we couldn’t even finish our halves. On the way home, she decided she had a cheese baby settling in his stomach while my food baby was just starting to sprout.

And she brought me pepperoni rolls from WV! I love my friends 🙂

I tried a fabulous new beverage, Sweet Leaf Tea. I had the Lemon flavor—it’s organic, has 70 calories per serving and while flavorful, it wasn’t as sweet as Arizona Iced Tea which is too much for me.

While at Ross on Monday, I saw something great

In Phoenix, I saw only the Tupac set but here they have the West Coast family set ??! Loves it!! I will be back for you, friend.

Lincoln got a new baby to add to his collection

For dinner, we hit up Cabo Fish Taco on Monday night.

I got the BBQ Mahi Tacos. I absolutely loved the shells they were on—they were light and fluffy yet crispy and durable. How they did that? No clue but I am a fan.

All in all, a terrific weekend. I would like this foodbaby to leave my body though, I am sick of wearing flow-y clothes.

Peace out.

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!!