Unlucky, but Lucky

I thought my pizza-beer lunch would hold me over until dinner with no problem, but my stomach started to grumble around 4:00 pm. I knew dinner wasn't for at least another 3+ hours, so I decided to snack on a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar. I was excited to try this flavor, mostly because of my love of peanut butter and cookies, but I really wasn't impressed by it. The peanut butter flavor didn't come through as much as I had expected. It was just kind of bland... and now that I've had the Coconut Cream flavor, it's going to be very hard to top!

Wedding Dress Shopping

My sister didn't have much luck at Priscilla. She tried on a couple of nice dresses, but being samples and all, the quality of the dresses was rather poor... basically like a lot of people had already tried them on! Most of the dresses were just handled too much-- and not really worth the money. My sis has plenty of time to find a dress, so she wasn't upset about not having any luck. 

Birthday Dinner

My sister wanted a have a margarita to celebrate her 27th birthday, so we decided to have dinner at the Catcus Club, which is always one of my favorites. Dinner started with chips and salsa. 

Of course, I agreed to have a margarita with my sis. I got mine on the rocks with salt. 

I haven't eaten many veggies lately, so I opted against a Mexican entree, and went with the boring, but healthy, garden salad with creamy balsamic on the side. The salad was fresh, but it was your "standard" garden salad. It had the basics, but nothing fancy.

My mom, however, ordered a wonderful salad! In her salad: greens with sliced apples, gorgonzola, walnuts, and drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette. Mmmm... much more exciting! I should have gotten what she ordered! 

Tonight, my mom brought a bag of fall goodies for both my sister and me. Inside our bags: 2 apples and a carmel-walnut-covered apple from my mom's work and an eggplant from her garden. I get very excited about food gifts! :)

I cut into my caramel apple within minutes of arriving home. I LOVE caramel apples! They remind me of many good times in my childhood. My mom would always treat my sister and me to one when we went pumpkin picking each autumn. Ah, memories. Anyway, over the course of the evening, I've pretty much peeled all of the carmel off my apple. So good! 

I have my last day of training at Healthworks tomorrow, followed by lots of studying, a possible art show, and dinner with Mal's parents (aka my in-laws!). Another packed Saturday for me! 

P.S. There may be some "issues" with my blog tomorrow morning. I apologize for the inconvenience-- mostly everything should be up and running by Saturday night. 

Shepherd's Pie

I can't tell you the last time I've eaten shepherd's pie. Well, it was awhile ago. I was jazzed when Mal suggested making it tonight with ground turkey instead of beef, and I am still shocked that we had a can of corn. (FYI: Shepherd's pie is traditionally ground beef, mashed potatoes, and corn.) 

I have to admit, I've missed this easy-to-make comfort food. I forgot just how much I enjoyed eating it.

My portion... 

Mal and I both had one of those days when you need a beer. Danielle was kind enough to bring a couple of Killian's down for us to enjoy. TGIT! 

Dessert was the same as last night: Puffins and peanut butter chocolate chips. I actually considered eating some of our leftover, stale wedding cake for dessert, but I decided to just toss the rest of it in the garbage. It was in no shape to be eaten. (I hope this was the only time ever, in my entire life, that I throw away cake.)

I was hungry when I got home from work-- probably because my lunch was kind of pathetic. Mal was running late after work, so I made myself a snack of Kashi crackers and a spoonful of balsamic sweet onion jam to hold me over. It was an interesting combination of flavors. 

If you can't tell from my post, my brain is in slow motion tonight. Time to give it a break. Good night! 

Good Talk

Having a glass of wine with my friend, Pam, tonight was enjoyable, relaxing, and inspiring. We hadn't seen each other since my wedding, so we had tons to talk about (as always). Pam and I first caught up on the usual stuff, but then we realized that we're both making big changes in our lives. It was nice having someone know exactly how I am feeling and what I am thinking and why I am thinking it. Pam was so supportive of my career decision, and she made me feel even more excited about the coming months. We definitely had a good talk! :)

At 6B, I enjoyed a glass of pinot grigio, which wasn't great, but hey, that's what you get for $6.50 in downtown Boston! 

On my commute, I brainstormed a fun idea for dinner, but when I got home, I discovered the key ingredient was missing: cheese! Grrrrr... we didn't have a single shred! I wasn't in the mood to run to the grocery store, so I decided to alter my plan. I had wanted to make a Mexican baked potato with black beans, salsa, jalapenos, and cheese, but instead, I topped my potato with buffalo sauce and sliced deli ham. It was good, but I think my original idea would have been tastier! 

Dinner also included a big salad with creamy Italian drizzled on top. I'm surprised that I am not sick of eating salad for dinner, but having so many fresh veggies in the fridge encourages me to eat them before they spoil. Might as well eat veggies for dinner! 

I thought about baking something delicious for dessert (I have at least 10 different recipes that I want to try), but I was feeling lazy, and threw together a small bowl of honey Puffins and peanut butter chocolate chips. They were so yummy, I went back for a second serving. Mmmmmm. 

I haven't decided if I am going to workout or study in the morning... all I know is that I will be getting up earl-ly! Time for bed!

Burn Baby Burn

Like I expected, BURN kicked my butt (in a good way)!! The trainer pushed us hard while we worked between running on the treadmill and strength training circuits on the floor. On the treadmill, we frequently changed speeds and inclines for interval training-- at one point, I was running at 9.2 mph on the treadmill, which was a first for me! For the strength training portion, we did a mix of free weights and core/stabilization exercises. By the end of the 50-minute workout, I was pooped and absolutely drenched in sweat! BURN is SUCH a great workout! I'm positive that I will be taking another class very soon! 

When I arrived home, dinner was already made and waiting for me. (Best husband ever!) Mal cooked homemade pizza with green peppers, onions, mozzarella, and sliced deli ham. Delish! 

I also made myself a side salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, and Claire's relish. Lots-o-volume. 

From above...

Sorry that I am short-winded tonight. BURN was tough! I'm looking forward to my bed, an episode of the Hills, and sleeping in tomorrow. I need a little break from super early mornings. 

Sleep well, blog land! 

Hello, Choreography!

So, I've been taking step aerobics classes for more than a decade now. I don't practice regularly, but I consider myself rather skilled in the art of step aerobics. Tonight, I decided to take the "advanced" step class at Healthworks. Honestly, I thought I would easily navigate the "advance-ness" of it, but this class was a different animal! The actual choreography wasn't that tough, but the instructor whizzed right through the routines, stringing 5 or 6 together to make a much longer routine, but without much review at all. The rest of the class had no problem keeping up, but, for some reason, my brain couldn't remember the moves that fast! I must have looked like such a fool bouncing around and making up moves as I went along. I definitely got a good workout-- it just didn't look pretty! :) 

After an hour of advanced step aerobics, I took a 15-minute abs class offered by the Fitness Specialist on duty. I figured it would be beneficial to see how the class is run since I'll be running it myself pretty soon! Oh boy! 

After a quick shower at the gym and a long commute home, I was famished! My Larabar did a great job holding me over, but my stomach started to seriously grumble about 20 minutes from home. As soon as I walked in the front door of my apartment, I immediately started munching on baby carrots while I put together a big-ass salad for dinner. Tonight's salad included romaine, grape tomatoes, green pepper, baby carrots, and topped with Claire's relish and leftover pasta from dinner last night. It filled me right up! 

Our previously-frozen wedding cake is still sitting in our fridge from last week, so I decided to have a small piece tonight. I pretty much love ALL cake, but this cake is definitely on it's final day. The cake was a tad stale and the frosting had lost its creaminess. :(

I'm planning another early morning study session tomorrow, so it's just about time for bed. Good night, folks! 

Tough Decisions

Mal and I are having such a tough time picking the Barney Butter Giveaway winners!! You guys are quite the poets... and I bet ya didn't even know it! (Sorry, had to.) I will reveal the winners bright and early tomorrow morning. Five lucky readers will receive their own stash of Barney Butter. I'm already excited for them! :) 

Dinner tonight was a pasta dish made with broccoli, lemon, garlic, and parmesan cheese. I was really in the mood for pasta this evening, and just threw together this dish based on what was in our fridge. I'm happy to report that the meal turned out well! 

Measurements:

Serves 2-3

1.5 cups dry pasta 

1 tsp olive oil

tbsp chicken low-sodium chicken broth

1 large garlic clove (minced)

1.25 cups steamed broccoli

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

With the lemon-garlic-parmesan pasta dish, I also had a salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, carrots, and almond slices, drizzled with peanut sauce. 

Dinner from above with a glass of ice water with lemon slices...

Dates Return!

I used to have quite the obsession with dates (the food), but after trying medjool dates, I haven't been able to go back to the conventional Dole dates. Medjool dates are 10 times more delicious-- they're like candy! However, I had a serious craving for dates when we went food shopping the other night, so I decided to just buy some Dole Pitted Dates. (Sadly, our grocery store doesn't sell the wonderful and amazing medjool dates.) 

I stuffed tonight's dates with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Such a good snack! I've missed it!

My dessert was 3 dates stuff with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Yum! 

I'm changing it up with my workouts this week. I've decided to reserve my schedule-- workout after work and study in the mornings before work. We'll see how it works. I need to change it up every once in awhile-- keep things interesting.

Sunday night movie time! :) Good night! 

Big Day Tomorrow

It's a big day for me tomorrow-- it's my first real shift at Healthworks. (I only worked for an hour last Wednesday night-- we covered the basics: paperwork, uniform, safety, etc.) I'll be working with the Assistant Fitness Director tomorrow, learning the ropes and getting my feet wet in my new Fitness Specialist position. 

Immediately after my shift, I'm off to a Red Sox game, and then to my sister's engagement party after that. I've got a packed, but fantastic day ahead! 

Dinner tonight was a repeat of last night's chili + wine. Amy's chili was wonderful again tonight-- I highly recommend it! It's great for an easy and quick meal... and if needed, it can stay in your kitchen cabinets for months! :)

On the side, I had a plate of carrots, grape tomatoes, and Kashi crackers. 

We finally went food shopping tonight! (Wahoo!) We stumbled across a bottle of my new favorite wine: Robert Mondavi Chardonnay. (I fell in love with this wine at the Hancock Tavern last week.) I'm currently enjoying a glass right now! :)

Lunch

Sorry no lunch post today. I went to lunch at the Savant Project with 4 of my coworkers-- a couple of which do not know about my blog and future plans. So, I'm sure you guys understand why I didn't want to take photos of my lunch, explain everything, and then have my coworkers find out about me leaving in the semi-near future. It's just not quite the time for me to tell my office. 

At the Savant Project, I ordered the Roasted Portobello Pita Sandwich with Spanish chimichurri sauce, tomatoes, and melted parmesan cheese with fries on the side. The sandwich was fab and super filling. The portobello caps were nice and big and roasted to perfection, and there was a thick layer of melted parmesan on the pita. I heart cheese! Again, sorry no photo. 

I did capture a photo of my afternoon snack. Here's my orange mid-peel...

My big day starts bright and early tomorrow (8:00 am) and lasts into the evening. I'll need to be clever with my planning, especially my bag for the day. Multiple events = multiple outfits! 

P.S. Forgot to add: I'm baking Shape's (September 2008) Cocoa Brownies! I heard they were delicious. I'll let you guys know! :)

Canned and Frozen Foods

As you can see, our food situation is bleak....

(Our kitchen cupboards look pathetically similar.) 

Despite coming from a can, dinner was rather awesome tonight. We purchased a can of Amy's Organic Chili months ago, but never got around to eating it. (I actually forgot we even had it.) Tonight, it was finally put to good use! I portioned-out about half of the can (1 cup), added my own hot sauce, heated in the microwave, and then topped with shredded cheddar. I was surprisingly wowed by this meal! I love when meals unexpectedly come together. 

On the side, I had some Kashi TLC crackers (Fire Roasted Vegetable flavor), which I used to scoop up the chili. 

With zero options for dessert, I decided to defrost a piece of our leftover wedding cake. (Not the top layer, but leftovers from the reception.) The cake is a zesty lemon flavor with strawberry filling and covered in a creamy, buttery frosting. It was almost as delicious as our wedding day! :)

It is most definitely bedtime for me! I spent almost 2 hours reading, studying, and making flashcards tonight. I haven't been a student in years, and my brain needs to seriously step it up! 

Holy Buffalo!

My first night went really well! (Details tomorrow, promise!) My first night also ended earlier than I had expected, which was a pleasant surprise! 

When I finally checked my cell phone, a text message was waiting for me from my friend, Carl, asking if I wanted to grab dinner and drinks and watch the Sox game at the Hancock Tavern with him. Since I had a couple of extra hours and no dinner plans for the evening, I decided to meet him and my other friend, Blain. 

I really didn't feel like drinking, but found myself ordering a glass of pinot grigio (and a glass of ice water). Turns out, this brand of wine tasted horrible, so it worked out that I didn't drink much-- about a 1/3 of the glass. I wasn't a fan. Yuck.

Dinner, however, was delish! It took awhile for our order to be delivered to our table, but my meal was well worth the wait. As Carl said, "You can't rush perfection!" I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Pizza, which came covered in mozzarella cheese and breaded buffalo chicken. Yum! 

I ate 3 pieces from the 10" pie, which means... Buffalo Chicken Pizza for lunch tomorrow too! :) Let's just hope Mal doesn't come home from the Sox game and devour my leftovers! 

Carl and me at the Hancock...

While I was in restroom, Carl took a self-portrait on my camera. Isn't he cute?

Monday night's Hills then bed for me! Good night, all! 

Make It Fast

Yay, relaxing facial tonight! I thought the Boston readers might want to know my little secret. I get my facials done in a student clinic at an esthetics school, called the Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics, in Woburn (just north of Boston). The student clinic allows estheticians-in-training to practice their skills on "live" clients. The best part: As a client, you only pay for the products used during your facial, which means that the services provided by the Catherine Hinds students are free! Therefore, for example, a 60-minute Basic Facial is just $24! You can add fancy enzymes, ampoules, and essentials oils to your facial for an additional $10, which is still quite a steal! If you are anywhere near Boston, you should definitely give the Institute a try. I've only ever had amazing experiences, and you can't beat the price!

Ok, dinnertime! Dinner was thrown together in 10 minutes: Dr. Praeger's veggie burger on a Thomas' Bagelbread with a side salad made with romaine, grape tomatoes, and drizzled with creamy Italian dressing. 

Simple, but delicious dinner. For something sweet after dinner, I dug into an Oatmeal Raisin Bar. I brought a batch to work today (they were a hit!), but Mal and I have our own stash at home. :)

More on Sugar

Tips for Dealing with Sugar Addiction (courtesy of Kathleen Moriarty):

• Reduce or eliminate caffeine: The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar swings, causing cravings to be more frequent. 
• Eat sweet vegetables or fruit: They're good for you!
• Experiment with spices: Some will naturally sweetened your foods and reduce cravings.
• Use gentle sweets: Avoid chemicalized, artificial sweeteners and foods with added sugars.
• Get physical activity: It will help balance your blood sugar levels and reduce tension without medicating yourself with sugar. 
• Get more sleep, rest, and relaxation: When you are tired and stressed, your body will crave energy--  in the form of sugar. 
• Eliminate fat-free or low-fat foods: These foods contain high quantities of sugar to compensate for lack of flavor and fat, which will send you on a roller coaster of sugar highs and lows. 
• Drink water: Sometimes sugar cravings are a sign of dehydration. 

If you're interested in learning more about sugar cravings and how to tame them, feel free to contact Kathleen (www.kmoriarty.com). She gave a wonderful workshop last night-- it definitely opened my eyes!

The Pats Pull It Off

The Pats won this afternoon! Yay! Of course, I am glad that they won, but to be honest, I barely watched any of the game! I was busy cooking, eating, and chatting... all of my favorite leisure activities! :)

To our friend Jacky's house, I brought a raw veggie platter with garlic-flavored hummus, which was a hit with everyone. By the end of the game, there wasn't much left. 

Also, as an appetizer, there was the most wonderful Hot Wing-Blue Cheese Doritos. I usually don't like junky food like Doritos, but I was surprised just how delicious these tasted-- I definitely ate quite a few! :)

While preparing lunch/dinner and chatting, I sipped on soda water with lime. 

The main course was Hawaiian burgers made with teriyaki sauce and pineapple. The pineapple was freshly cut and so delicious! 

Nice pineapple hat, Jon! 

We also cooked red potatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. We wrapped the seasoned potatoes in tinfoil and baked them on the grill. 

Burgers and pineapple ready for grilling...

Grill-tastic! The grilled pineapple was my favorite part of the meal! Loved it! 

Hawaiian burgers right off the grill...

Our friend, Adrienne, also made her amazing Buffalo Chicken Dip for our lunch/dinner. I am pretty much obsessed with this stuff-- I could probably drink it! I ate about 5-6 Wheat Thins with Buffalo Chicken Dip. 

My plate... 

It doesn't seem like a lot of food, but I filled up on the veggies, chips, and Buffalo Chicken Dip. 

I ate my potatoes with the Buffalo Chicken Dip-- such a yummy combo! 

We ended up eating our lunch around 3:30, which is why I referred to it as lunch/dinner. It's after 7:00, and I am still not at all hungry for dinner. My lunch/dinner this afternoon is holding me over very well! If I do end up eating dinner, it will probably be something small like a bowl of cereal or peanut butter and toast. 

Did this weekend fly by or what?