Author Archives: Emily

Around The Web; Aren’t You Punny?

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I don’t know how much this comes across on the blog, but I’m pretty much a giant nerd.  I constantly make terrible pun-based jokes, I’m obsessed with all things Whedon, and I loved the “Stargate: Atlantis” series so much that I plan on naming my first-born after a main character.

Adam and I have not been a cool influence on each other; he forced me to take another look at “Star Wars” and the “Aliens” movies and I introduced him to “Buffy” and bad puns.  We are a match made in Comic-Con Heaven.

Like a raccoon with things that are shiny, I like to gather up things that I find funny from around the internet to share with y’all.  This edition is devoted to the dorky.  {I even found one that was punny and Whedon-based, swoon!}  P.S.  The chromosome one basically made me pee myself with laughter.

cover mesource

imperial rage

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a new... nevermindsource

sex cellssource

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frayed knotsource

Do you consider yourself a nerd?

Weekly Wrap-Up; Is Winter Over Yet?

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Ugggh, this week.  Let’s not even front, last week was ridiculous.  Nary a vegetable to be found.  There will be no “healthy living blogging” in this post, in fact, there will barely be blogging of any sort because I couldn’t be bothered to snap pictures of 60% of my week.

The insane snow and brutal cold just killed my will to live{a healthy lifestyle}.  We’ve got another week of icy cold coming up, but at least my mood seems to finally be on the upswing!

Here is some of what I ate over the past seven days, though like I said, a lot of it -mostly cheese – missed the camera…

things that were ridiculous

“Breakfast” at the hospital.

DSC07534

And I washed that twist down with an 8 am diet soda.  I usually don’t even like donuts – I’m not sure what my new obsession with these guys is – and I need to go back to eating them never.

A carbtastic “dinner.”

DSC07531

DSC07533Annie’s Real Aged Cheddar Mac and Cheese – topped with more cheese – and a big bowl of popcorn.

A mug cake.

DSC07546

Number 2 Pencil really knows what she’s doing!

Thai turkey nachos.

DSC07541

Ruffled chips baked with sharp cheddar, green onions, and lean ground turkey cooked with ginger and green curry.

DSC07537

I know most people don’t think that everything works as nachos but the flavors actually went really well here.

An attempt at dessert from Martha’s Bakery.

DSC07584

DSC07588The tres leches was both dry as hell and studded with canned peaches.  No.  I don’t know why we are having such a hard time getting a good slice of tres leches!

things that were (somewhat) healthy

The only thing that saved me at all was that Noosa sent me a very generous shipment of their delicious yogurts.

DSC07516

Here what the company had to say:  “Unique, Aussie-style Noosa Finest Yoghurt brings out the decadent side of yogurt in a whole new way. It’s made in small batches, set, and infused with honey to give it a delicious sweet-tart tang, with a smooth, velvety texture that sets it apart from the throng.Noosa is made on-site at the family-owned Morning Fresh Dairy in Bellvue, Colo., and is free of artificial ingredients of any kind. Noosa’s 100% natural fruit purees are made with the highest quality, best-tasting fruit on the market. It’s now available in nine flavors nationwide, including: NEW Tart Cherry, NEW Lemon, Passion Fruit, Blueberry, Mango, Raspberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Peach, and Honey.”

Here’s what I had to say: YUM!  I had tried the honey Noosa in the past (and loved it) but the fruit on the bottom flavors have been blowing my socks off.  They are just sooooo creamy and delicious.  I’m not going to go through them one by one, because I have loved them all.  My only complaints are that Noosa doesn’t make any low-fat varieties and yogurt is packaged in a very large serving, which means that this stuff ends up being a pretty big calorie commitment.  However, it is a big serving for the calories and the yogurt is quite filling.  I wouldn’t make this my only yogurt choice but I will definitely be buying more with my own money.

Here’s what Adam had to say:  “OMG, YUM!!!  Can I have more?!”  It is definitely worth noting that the husband says Noosa is the best yogurt he’s ever had.  He is 100% obsessed with it and has been plowing through the flavors at lightening speed.

Blueberry Noosa for breakfast.

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I probably also had coffee with this.

Work lunch 1.

DSC07520

Raspberry Noosa with fresh blueberries and a side of Haribo Juicy Gold Bears.

DSC07523

DSC07526DSC07528The raspberry flavor was both Adam’s and my favorite.

Work lunch 2.

DSC07549

Honey Noosa with a Honeycrisp and a banana fudge cereal bar.

DSC07552

DSC07555DSC07551I microwaved the cereal bar for 60 seconds and it was insane, totally worth bringing in a plate to work for.

Casserole.

DSC07593

I had been looking forward to making this casserole – a mix of roasted broccoli, celery, sautéed mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, crumbled tempeh, brown rice, and light mozzarella – for more than a week, but the end result was so bland that I am not even going to share the recipe with you.

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Boo.

My best coffee idea yet.

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An iced Americano (with some skim milk) with fat-free chocolate milk.  I don’t like “mochas” at all but when I add my own chocolate milk to coffee it is magical.

Lemon Noosa with toasted coconut on top.

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This was basically crust-free pie, delicious crust-free pie.

How does the cold affect your healthy living goals?

Three Day Weekend Wrap-Up

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My first long weekend as a worker bee was fabulous.  Friday through Monday were packed with fun (and food!).  Adam and I managed to spend a ton of time together.  <– heavenly  Here’s some of what we ate…

breakfasts

Breakfast in Park Slope with Adam and a girlfriend.

DSC07434I got poached eggs with toast, hash browns, turkey bacon, and a mimosa.

DSC07435Sadly our meals were all slightly burned and boring.  Win some lose some.  The iced coffee we got from Cafe Dada afterwards was a total win.

DSC07440They have almond milk on their milk bar!

Speaking of almond milk, that’s what I put in my homemade iced coffee, cold pressed for the win.

DSC07491Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.  Plus some maple syrup.

DSC07493And almond milk went in my cereal too – Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes with bunches of blueberries.

DSC07494That cereal has stayed my favorite for months.

Another day another coffee.  This time with a banana and fudge cereal bar.

DSC07475The bar was de-lish.  I am eagerly looking forward to microwaving one and eating it warm.

lunches

Friday’s lunch at the office.

DSC07417Leftover mac with sardines and broccoli.

DSC07423And a Wallaby low-fat Greek yogurt with strawberry.

DSC07420Hot bar date at Whole Foods in SoHo.

DSC07505I choose 2 vegan dumplings, a scoop of macaroni and cheese, and made a salad with mixed greens, balsamic, olives, and blue cheese.

Plus Adam and I split a Raspberry Chia Kombucha.

DSC07509dinners

It’s been crazy cold in our area recently and we’ve both been craving soup.  So I whipped up an Asian-inspired batch of the hot stuff.  With a creamy soft-boiled egg cracked on top.

DSC07464It was so good I even recorded the recipe.

DSC07460Asian-Inspired Soup; serves 2

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 fresh jalepeños, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 5 oz bok choy, sliced lengthwise in quarters
  • 1/4 tsp all spice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch each salt and pepper
  • 3 cups broth
  • 3 oz stir-fry noodles
  • {Optional toppings} Sriracha, sliced green onions, soft-boiled eggs
  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add jalepeños, green onions, and bok choy to oil and cook until softened, 3 – 5 minutes.
  2. Add all spice, cloves, cinnamon, salt and pepper to vegetables and stir to combine.
  3. Add broth to pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  4. When the broth has reached a boil, add noodles to pot and reduce heat to bring the soup to a simmer.  Continue to simmer until noodles are softened, 3 – 5 minutes.
  5. Serve and top as desired.

DSC07467Another night we went all fancy (sort of) with polenta (sort of) stacks.

DSC07477Layers 1, 3, and 5 were sliced polenta baked with dried basil and mozzarella.  Layers 2 and 4 were lean ground turkey sautéed with evoo, thinly sliced garlic, thinly sliced turkey pepperoni, and marinara sauce.

DSC07484The pepperoni totally made it.  Roasted broccoli on the side.

DSC07481And the last night of the weekend we did take-out from Yesterday’s Diner.

DSC07514Adam and I split a turkey burger with mozzarella and french fries.  We love their turkey burgers.  And it helps that they send a juicy pickle and blue cheese dressing for dipping.

snackage

This section is full of love!  Like this snack plate of super sharp cheese with Honeycrisp apple.

DSC07431Haribo Juicy Gold Bears became my favorite gummi.

DSC07446DSC07442The texture is perfect – chewy and firm with no teeth sticking – and they are sooooo juicy.

The rest of the treats are all mint based, since I’m having a total love affair with the frosty flavor lately.  The best froyo ever.

DSC07470Mint with chocolate crunch, yogurt chips, and hot fudge.

A fabulous first trip to Emack and Bolio’s with Adam.

DSC07498He got ice cream that he deemed the best he’s ever had and I went with a scoop of grasshopper pie frozen yogurt.

DSC07501We also got a chocolate egg cream that was the best we’ve ever had.  We want to go back immediately.

Finally, a vegan mint cream cookie sandwich from Babycakes.

DSC07511Are you a mint fanatic too or is it too toothpastey for you?

Weekly Wrap-Up; Lots Of Leftovers

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You saw most of this week’s eats yesterday, so this post is just to fill in the gaps.  What you’re not seeing – the coffee.  I was terrible about bedtime this week and the result was constant coffee consumption.  This work week ended up being particularly busy, so it was serendipitous that I was extra-caffeinated.

snacks

Numi Cardamom Pu-erh Tea with skim milk.

DSC07413Valentine’s style Junior Mints.

DSC07375Junior Mints are my favorite chocolate candy, second only to York and Pep bars, and these were shaped like freaking hearts!  Too exciting.

Popcorn with caramel and turkey bacon.

DSC07298Does that goodness need more explanation?

stuff I didn’t cook

Brunch at Biscuits and BBQ.

DSC07307DSC07299Adam went super Southern with chicken and waffles,

DSC07300while I got the bbq chicken sandwich.

DSC07303It was good, but I was expecting the meat to be pulled and smothered and I probably would have ordered differently if I’d known it wasn’t.  At least the serving was giant; Adam ate my 2nd half for lunch the next day.

We were mostly there for dessert anyway.  I read a review in the Times that said Biscuits and BBQ had some of the best key lime pie the reviewer had ever tasted.

DSC07305Yep.  Key lime pie is my favorite dessert and this was definitely one of the best slices I’ve had.  The only way it could have been better is if the traditional crust was a graham cracker crust – the way my mom makes it – because I like my extra-sweet with a side of extra-sweet!

Sushi take-out from Kisso.

DSC07327I went with two boring, cooked rolls (both with tempura!) but Adam said his chirashi was the best he’s ever had.

leftovers for lunch

Since I made a different recipe each night for my book review, I ended up with lots of leftovers for lunches.  Eating tapenade and tofu egg salad on my lunch break felt fancy!

A packaged lunch.

DSC07336Roasted seaweed.

DSC07338A Strawberry Apple Crusher.

DSC07341And some Bumblebee Spicy Thai Chili Tuna with crackers.

DSC07340I loooove that tuna, it is so flavorful.

An eggless lunch.

DSC07364Leftover eggless egg salad.

DSC07369Scooped with pita chips.

DSC07371With a side of green grapes.

DSC07373Crudités for lunch.

DSC07378Leftover lentil tapenade with celery and baby carrots.

DSC07391A giant honeycrisp.

DSC07385And baby Lindt HELLO bars.

DSC07382a dinner

The night I was left to my own devices in the kitchen I made mac and cheese and trees for dinner.

DSC07428Just a box of this adorable winter shapes mac and cheese with 0% Greek yogurt, smoked paprika, a tin of Bella cayenne pepper smoked sardines, and broccoli roasted with truffle salt.

DSC07408DSC07426Gussied up box macaroni is the best easy dinner.

What’s your go-to order when you’re channeling the deep South?  Adam does chicken and waffles while I like pulled chicken and fried okra.

Livin’ Lean With Trader Joe’s {Book Review}

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I recently was contacted about doing a review of Jamie Davidson’s new book, Livin’ Lean with Trader Joe’s.  Since January is the month of resolutions to eat better/lose weight/get healthy/et al, it seemed like the perfect time to share my thoughts with you guys.  I even have a sample recipe for you.

Livin' Lean with Trader Joe'sNote – I was sent a PDF copy of the book to review, free of charge.  All opinions are my own.  I was not provided with further compensation for this post.

About: The Author

Jamie has a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and has been teaching people how to eat nutritiously and conveniently for over 20 years.  She is also the author of Quick and Healthy Meals from Trader Joe’s and Simmering Solutions, Healthy Slow-Cooker Recipes.  I don’t believe that she has any formal chef training, but she is quite adept at putting together meals that are balanced and flavorful while still being healthy.  While I think that Registered Dietitians should be the gold standard source for nutrition advice, Jamie’s background makes her far more qualified than most of the other authors of this season’s diet advice.

My Thoughts: The Book

Two thumbs up!  Adam and I loved all of the recipes that we tried – they were tasty, healthy, and a snap to prepare.

The first few chapters of the book focus on Jamie’s advice for weight loss and healthy living, followed by a comprehensive collection of more than 150 recipes.  As a Registered Dietitian, I think that her philosophy is solid.  She promotes exercise and a balanced diet (note – “diet” as in a lifestyle or way of eating, not meaning a short-term, quick-fix “diet”) and doesn’t make outrageous claims.  She does a great job of explaining why and how her recipes can help you lose weight.

Many of the recipes are simple assembly and prep, and if you are a more advanced cook this book may be too basic for you.  But if you are struggling in the kitchen or have made a recent commitment to prepare healthier meals – whether you are looking to lose weight or just lead a healthy life – I wholeheartedly recommend purchasing this book.

The Goods: Recipes I Made

{1} Lentil Tapenade (Wrap).

DSC07322This recipe combined some of Adam’s favorite flavors – lentils, olive tapenade, and feta – that I would not have thought to put together on my own.  It took less than 5 minutes to throw together and we loved the final result.

The recipe was for a wrap, but we made a (double) batch of the spread and served it as part of a cheese plate instead.

DSC07325Lentil tapenade, buffalo blue cheese kettle chips, green grapes, pesto gouda, and an amazing goat’s milk cheddar.

{2} BBQ Chicken over Polenta.

DSC07407This was one of those basic prep recipes; not something I would normally look for in a cookbook but a great find on a late night when I would have ordered take-out (for 8 billion calories) but spent 5 minutes throwing this together instead (for less than 200 calories a serving with 16 grams of protein).

Served with green beans.

DSC07400DSC07396FYI, I did skew my serving ratio a bit towards chicken versus polenta.

{3} Really Low Fat Greek Yogurt Dressing.

DSC07354Served on a salad, obviously.  With romaine, smoked almonds, raisins, and pesto gouda.  I liked the tang of this a lot.  And I loved that there were only about 35 calories a serving, because the husband tends to coat his salads in dressing.

DSC07352Served with…

{4} Eggless Egg Salad.

DSC07361This was our favorite recipe of the bunch.  It has a tofu base, but an avowed tofu hater wouldn’t know it was in there until you told them.  I don’t usually put so many veggies in my egg salad (though I totally should) so I tasted this before I added in most of the produce and yep, it tasted just like egg salad!

DSC07348This was delicious, and vegan to boot.  Definitely a recipe I plan on making again.  And you can make it too, since Jamie said it was ok to share the recipe with you guys (click on the image to enlarge) –

Eggless Egg SaladDSC07344Did you make any health related resolutions this New Years?

Insta-Wrap-Up; IV

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I’m overdue; it’s been more than a month since my last instagram share.  Per usual, this post will feature a lot of dog.

sticky notes from the dollar section of Target {things I like}

sticky padsparkly socks – so warm! – from American Eagle {things I like}

sparkly socks2sparkly socksa puny birthday gift that was perfect for Adam {things I love}

humorous punmore humor, via Cafe Dada in Park Slope {things I like}

cafe dada humorcold weather gear {things I hate}

snow bootssweater vestWebster {things I love}

holiday dachshunddachshund in beddachshund butt in my lapdachshund loveWhat is the breakdown of your instagram shots?  I’d say I’m 50% dog love, 40% food, and 10% everything else.

Weekly Wrap-Up; One Day Late

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Usually I get these posts up by Friday, but that implies that I was moderately functional on Thursday night.  This week, I was not.  In spite of being insanely tired all week (I got into a bad sleep habit pattern that snowballed), I did do pretty well on the food front – breakfasts most days, fancy-feeling dinners, the works.

work

Speaking of work…  It’s going well.  I feel like I am fully settled into my position.  I am definitely missing the inpatient setting a lot, but I do feel like I’m getting to make a positive impact.  Part of the reason I’m so passionate about pediatrics (my long-term career goals center around nutrition support  and pediatrics) is because nutrition is so crucial during periods of growth.  Well, working with prenatal patients means I’m counseling adults who are growing{babies!}.  My clinic sees a great variety of clients; among other things, I’ve gotten to deal with anemia, diabetes, hyperemesis gravidarum, and pica.  I’m still waiting on vegan diets, eating disorders, and maternal pku.

On a less serious note, I decided to stop Fashion Fridays.  I’m just not that fashionable.  And I’m really not that good with my camera, which meant I was taking blurry pictures that weren’t highlighting the cool details that make me love my outfits.  I doubt anyone but my mom will miss this feature, but I just wanted to explain why it was going away.

breakfast

Coconut Macaroon Larabar and a short non-fat salted caramel hot chocolate.

DSC07179DSC07195Breakfast from the cafeteria.

DSC07228Kashi Caramelized Onion Hummus Crisps and an apple.  I enjoyed both.

Non-fat iced caramel flan latte.

DSC07243This wasn’t as exciting as I wanted it to be.  I asked for no whipped cream and they skipped my caramel drizzle too.

Two servings of S’mores Krave cereal with blackberries and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

DSC07281I didn’t like the original version of this cereal when I tried it last year but the s’mores kind is quite tasty.  And for a “sugar cereal” it’s not even terrible, with 10 g of sugar per serving.

lunch

Monday.

DSC071830% Fage with mango and soursoup,

DSC07189a super juicy pear,

DSC07188dried clementines,

DSC07191and Duane Reade milk chocolate with toffee and sea salt.

DSC07193Tuesday, I ran out of time to pack.

DSC07220A Chicken and Greens Cesar from Starbucks.  I loved the use of kale in here, I didn’t know a Cesar could feel so healthy.

DSC07225And a Strawberry Apple Crusher from TJ.

DSC07221Wednesday.

DSC07230Hickory smoked tuna with crackers,

DSC07234and salted milk chocolate and a pear for dessert.

DSC07238For Thursday, a jar of fresh pineapple.

DSC07259A sandwich of Applegate Farms roasted turkey, dijon, and light jarlsberg on an everything ciabatta flatbread,

DSC07256and some sesame roasted seaweed.

DSC07263My coworkers were very curious about the seaweed; two of them even were brave enough to taste it, not that they ended up being big fans.

I didn’t have my camera yesterday, but I bought a slice of veggie pizza from the cafeteria for lunch.  And, um, I also bought a doughnut for breakfast.  I almost never eat doughnuts (I didn’t grow up with them) but I had randomly reeeeeeeeally been craving one so it was serendipitous that the cafeteria had cinnamon twists on the morning I couldn’t pack breakfast.

dinner

A fancy night.

DSC07206We topped salmon with meyer lemon and this Dark Horse Smoked Brown Sugar before baking.  We hardly ever make fresh fish at home and this was such a treat!  The texture of properly baked salmon is swoon-worthy.

DSC07197DSC07211With a side of roasted broccoli,

DSC07213and potatoes – mashed with butter, goat cheese, and tons of dijon mustard.

DSC07216It was a great meal.

A tired night – I was too sleepy on Tuesday to even bother with dinner.  Refer down to the “snacks” list below 🙂

A sandwich night.

DSC07276Smokey tofu sandwiches were a total win.

DSC07265We topped ciabatta flatbread with smokey tofu, light muenster cheese, and turkey bacon.  The tofu was baked with a sauce I threw together – ketchup, maple syrup, and liquid smoke – and it turned out great.

DSC07268DSC07273Plus green beans.

DSC07271A restaurant night.

DSC07287Those are the complimentary yam chips that Laverne sets out, by the way, and they are fantastic.

For my meal, I ordered the Drunken Noodles with shrimp, extra spicy.

DSC07291Oh boy, did they ever deliver on spice!  The noodles were exactly to my liking, which is to say, almost unbearably hot!  Adam took a tiny taste and was not happy.  Thai iced tea helped me to cool down a bit.

DSC07289And after dinner we went out for giant cups of froyo.  Sadly, the evening took a sharp turn downhill from there.  I made myself a much bigger froyo than I usually do, loaded up with all sorts of toppings, including, apparently, something that didn’t agree with me.  Even if you’ve never thrown up after eating the spiciest meal of your life you can probably still picture it.  I basically rolled around on the floor and screamed.  <– sorry, husband!

snack

When I sent Adam to “the fancy store” to pick up salmon, he came home with this 26 month aged Beemster Dutch cheese as a surprise.

DSC07199Do you see those salt crystals?!  Love.  We didn’t even use crackers, just ate big chunks all week long.

Vivaloe Watermelon Aloe.  Surprisingly, Adam liked this even more than I did.

DSC07241We both have been missing the variety of boba we could get in bubble tea in Buffalo and the chunks of aloe are a nice substitute.

Onto the chocolate portion of our show… My last Alter Eco Velvet Truffle.

DSC07285I’m amazed these lasted so long in the house (they are outstanding), but it seemed like we just kept on bringing home new treats.

Like the Lime Splash Lindt bar that I obviously had to buy because, hello, it’s new.

DSC07293Two thumbs up.  And I know that the cover photo makes him look like a creeper, but I’m currently loving Grant Achatz’s memoir, Life, On The Line.

Finally, my (sugared up) take on Something Swanky’s Single Serve Skinny Brownie Batter.

DSC072445.3 oz vanilla Greek yogurt + 1 Tbsp brown sugar + 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar + 1 and 1/2 Tbsp almond meal + 1 Tbsp Dutch cocoa powder = brain exploding goodness!

Loves Of Late

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Did my United States readers all survive Snowmageddon?  If I make a list of “Hates of Late” in the near future 9 degree weather will most definitely be near the top!  If you’re checking in for the results of my Eggland’s Best giveaway – Jessie C. won and she’s been contacted.

I just wanted to pop in and share a few of the things I’ve been obsessed with lately…

{1} The song “Come to Me” by the Goo Goo Dolls.  I know it’s not new, but it’s new to me.  I heard it on the radio, cried, then listened to it on repeat constantly for the last week.

{2} Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris.  I’m actually not a huge Sedaris fan – I don’t mind his short stories but I hated Running with Scissors – but this book was awesome.  I laughed loudly and awkwardly on the train many times.  My favorite stories by far were the fictional essays.  If you are liberal and pro-LGBT rights you should definitely pick up a copy {and if you don’t believe in marriage equality you really really should pick up a copy, but you’ll probably be pretty offended}.

let's explore diabetes with owls{3} NOT the dog.  Of course I always love the dog, he’s my little man, but lately I’ve been kind of hating him too.  He takes anti-seizure medication twice a day, usually rolled up in a slice of pepperoni because that is quicker and less messy than making him a peanut butter spoon.  This method has worked for months, but over the last week or so he has started eating the ‘roni and then spitting out the pill!  Not good, not good at all.

funny text{4} “Teddy Has an Operation.”  A fellow surgeon introduced this video to Adam and it is fab-u-lous.  I’ve been playing it on repeat between rounds of “Come to Me.”  Don’t worry, Teddy.

Do you share my weird sense of humor, or are you lacking a crotch unicorn?  What do you think of the teddy operation video?