Whole Lotta Catching Up To do!

Hi all-I have been totally MIA for the past few days due to A) it being gorgeous outside and B) too much to do so this is the catch up posts of all catch up posts. But I do have lots of pictures of food so redeeming myself there!

Starting off with Friday, I had the greenest green monster I have ever had!

I got to work and was covering my desk + another person’s so needed a Starbucks stat……and I went venti this time which I never really do anymore.

Since I am a nice co-worker (and don’t want my butt to get any bigger) I brought in Dove chocolates and set them in the break room

I went back into the break room five minutes later to make my breakfast and they were gone. The people live their Dove!

I made a bowl of Chobani blueberry greek yogurt, sliced peaches, unsweeted coconut and flax—it was delicious!

The morning went smoothly without too many issues

Lunch was Annie’s Shells and Cheese with broccoli florets

And then the craziness started and lasted all afternoon. I did pack along a salad to have along with the shells but didn’t have a minute to get over to the break room to prep it. Nothing too horrible but just a lot going on and was happy when 5 o’clock hit!

I was riding along on the bus home and you could hear my stomach growling and the salad was just sitting next to me so I broke it out. I want to apologize to other bus riders who had to smell my salad with tuna salad and vinegar. But there were only four other people on the bus and I was starving!!!

I took Lincoln for a long walk and by the time we got back, I was mentally wiped clean. I couldn’t think after the craziness that occured at work and wanted something easy for dinner so I fried up some frozen pierogies and grilled mushrooms and onions on the side.

Oh pierogies, I will never quit you

I settled down and finally got a chance to watch this past wk’s episode of Lost which was all about Richard.

I soon had someone watching me

What an episode!! I may have to watch it again today because it answered so many questions.

Lincoln started inching himself towards me so he could beg for food

Ha, he looks drunk here

I was in bed by 1030 on Friday night because I am lame but I did get a nice eight and a half hours of sleep which is unheard of for me!

I tried out my Sticky Bun Coffee I got on sale at Bi-Lo on Saturday morning

And we all know about BFD but what about DFB? I feasted on mashed potatoes with avocado and greek yogurt for breakfast

I was tempted to add some garlic, salsa and lime juice to make guacamole potatoes because it just sounds magical.

Lincoln was due for a check up and we spent a half hour at the vet getting his shots so he can be a healthy boy!

I came home to a nice surprise—my Crazy Richard’s peanut butter I won from

I had to break into this right away because…..well….no specific reason other than I just wanted to!

I made a Morningstar Chicken Pattie with Frank’s Red Hot topped with cheese on a Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin and tomato with a sliced banana topped with Crazy Richard’s Creamy Peanut Butter.

 The verdict? AMAZING! It was super creamy which I am a total fan of and not too thick (I am just starting to like peanut butter again because it’s thickness turned me off). I will definitely start using this kind and can’t wait to try the chunky)

Lincoln wasn’t feeling so hot due to his shots so he sat with me while I caught up on some reading

Soon after, I decided to take on the mall since JCP was having a great sale. I don’t like going to the mall because it just seems like madness each time I go and too many people. If I do ever go, it’s right when it opens in the morning and I go in and get out stat. I got two tops at JCP then went to Steinmart and got two more tops(those are for work though so nothing too saucy).

WVU was playing at 7 so I got on my gear and headed to a bar a few blocks away from my place to watch. It was $2 Corona’s and yeah, pretty much stayed with those all night. I was alone so just sat and the bar and needed nourishment. Confession…..I absolutely love bar food. I know I shouldn’t but I do and could eat it every day if I could.

I got a cheeseburger with french fried potato chips

So I know it doesn’t look like much but this was one of the BEST cheeseburgers I’ve ever had. I can’t describe why, it was just amazing. I stayed there the rest of the night, made new friends and watched WVU beat Kentucky to move onto the Final Four!!!

What has two thumbs and a sister who lives in Indianapolis? THIS GIRL!

Pending I can get Friday or Monday off of work, I will be making a beautiful nine hour drive to Indianapolis next wknd. I really don’t want to drive but refuse to pay $500+ for a plane ticket. I don’t have tickets but think it would be fun to hang there with all the basketball madness going on. Plus my sister went to Butler so a little bit of a rivalry there which makes it even more fun!

Anyways, after too many Corona’s I made it home and once again, famished. I made nachos, which is just fabulous drunk food. But I wasn’t too drunk that I couldn’t take a picture 🙂 They had Morningstar veggie crumbles, cheese, avocado, jalapenos with greek yogurt and salsa on the side.

And I devoured every last bit!

This morning I was looking forward to a big breakfest….well, a super huge hungover big breakfast: scrambles eggs with mushrooms, cheese and avocado and a Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with TJ’s Superfruit Spread

Nom Nom

It’s supposed to be absolutely miserable out today which I am excited about because

*I’m hungover and don’t want to move

*Have blogs to catch up

*Need to cook lunch meals for this wk

*Have Netflix movies to catch up on:

 

Giveaway!!!Here’s two fun ones for you:

Click here to win some Violet Love headbands!

Click here to win a Body Plan Kit that includes  1 Body Ball, 1 Light Toner, 1 Fit Stick, 1 door anchor, 1 Air Stik Pump, Motivational DVD, Fit Stik DVD, and Gym Technik Mobile Application.

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………

Wake up little sushi

I started my day off again with a Spinach Coffee Smoothie (Soy Milk, Coffee, Spinach, Chocolate Whey) but added alfalfa sprouts this time from the suggestion of a friend.

He is not a good friend because it tasted to alfalfa-ey (don’t think that’s a word but I’m making it into one) and was nastier than a two dolla hooker. With the spinach at least it doesn’t have a strong taste but the alfalfa was too much for me.

I made a breakfast sandwich with Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin, Quick Eggs with parsley mixed in and laughing cow garlic and herb wedge

I do miss Starbucks Red Holiday cups but am kinda diggin the heart cups they have in lieu of Valentines Day.

And I have decided that since no man will be buying me anything( although Lincoln would if he was, ya know, human) I will be buying myself a cookie cake. I will probably only eat half of it but that’s what I want for Valentine’s Day ?

I met up with a friend for lunch and we went to Fiji Sushi Bar & Lounge for all you can eat sushi! The deal is $10 which is not bad at all. We were a little confused at first b.c we didn’t see a sushi bar with sushi readily available on it. Soon we saw servers coming around with trays o sushi and knew I was in heaven!

First round

Second round

Third (and biggest round)

I was so happy to have some good sushi for a reasonable price. And  be able to enjoy a nice lunch out as opposed to eating at my desk. No one on my team ever goes to lunch so when I have a friend who wants to go out for lunch, I get super excited! And taking an hour off from work is such a great way to break up the day

I also found this adorable shower curtain online and would totally buy it if I didn’t have a garden tub with glass door

I went to the library to wake up after Sushi Fest 2010 and got this book

 
I can’t wait to look through and get some new recipes!

I saw this and chuckled

I went for coffee after and got a refill of my Starbucks. There are so many people in there mid day, I am curious as to what they do for a living? But then again, they could be thinking that about me! LOL

I wasn’t ravished come dinner time so made a mini portion of quesadillas (filled with chicken, kidney beans, onion, cheese and jalapeno) with sour cream and salsa mixed together 

On the side, I tried Kettle Brand Jalapeno PotatoChips, which is a new product of theirs

I think they forgot to put the flavoring on them 😦 I even poured myself a big glass of water to go with it and they were disappointing. I think bbq flavor may have more kick which sucks because I love hot stuff like jalapenos. this was my first bad experience with that brand and that made me sad.

I was kinda meh about it and zoned during some of it. I am going to watch it online either tonight or tomorrow night and see if I feel differently.

Ay brotha, I miss Desmond!
 

Bring him back!!!!

Xmas in February

Started the day with a spinach-coffee smoothie! I never had the two together but holy yum! I usually have a hot coffee in the morning but have been bored with mine lately (not sure if it is the brand or just redundancy of it?)

Since I woke up a little late and knew I wouldn’t be enjoying breakfast for a while so I downed a Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter and Almond Butter

Hit

The

Spot

I need to eat this more!

Continuing on my cold drink kick, I decided to switch it up and get an iced coffee at Starbucks with two pumps sugar-free vanilla

My barista was starting to make my drink when I walked in so it was nice to throw him off track 🙂 lol I love the Starbucks baristas in my building though, they are wonderful, peppy and know what a girl wants.

I had a Bosc Pear between meals and absolutely love that I can eat it like a huge turkey leg!

Lunch was a piece of the Chicken Tamale Casserole I made the other night with a dollop of sour cream. It was great and could definitely see myself making it again. I was surprised that the cornbread taste didn’t take over, it was very mild. I was also surprised it wasn’t too spicy. I added jalapenos instead of green chiles but still mild, in my opinion.

And a disappointing snack in the afternoon: Chobani Champions Chocolate flavor

Big Thumbs DOWN! I am still sad I was so displeased with it, especially after trying the HoneyNaner this wknd. I found the Chocolate  very sour and chalky. Unfortunately, they are packaging the Chocolate and HoneyNaner together so I probably wouldn’t buy this flavor combo again. Sad, since once I day I want my own Chobani factory in my backyard…..

I feel like it is Christmas in February for me. I have been cleaning my place and found some goodies but also bought a couple new things.

New toys to play with:

New Digital!!!

I have had my old camera since 2002 so I decided it was time for an upgrade. Thanks Uncle Sam for a quick tax return turn around time!

Ozeri Food Scale

I have never owned one so I am geeked to try it

Last but not least

The Magic Bullet

I got this for my birthday back in December and haven’t even used it yet. And I don’t know why, which makes me sad. I went on a cruise in December then went to Florida for Christmas so I was moving around a lot but still, that was two months ago. I need to get on the magic bullet train!
I had a snack of Marzetti Lite Ranch Dip and Baby Carrots

Dinner was Spaghetti Squash with sauce consisting of stewed tomatoes, morningstar veggie, onion and mushrooms

I went for a short/run walk after dinner because Lost is on tonight and I feel like vegging out and watching. It was rainy and cold out (which I love) so it was only for 30 mins and about 1.5 miles. I would know if I had my heart rate monitor but sigh, still waiting on that bad boy.

I came home and refueled with what else—-a spinach smoothie(Can ya tell I like these?) with baby spinach, Chocolate Whey Protein, Soy Milk and TJ’s Plain Greek Yogurt

And the Yuengling Glass is just too cute for words

Alright. I have never put Greek Yogurt in a smoothie and I don’t know why I never tried it. This was like a malt and so delicious! I wonder what the Greek Yogurt with fruit in it would taste like? We will just have to see…..

While waiting for Lost, I leave you with some Lincoln love