Author Archives: Emily

Resoultions Check In: March

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Hello, weekend!  Another week ends and another visitor rolls into town, my brother-in-law is with us until Sunday afternoon (whee!).  But the fun began before he even arrived.

First, not fun – I didn’t post yesterday because I was so tired I felt practically brainless.  I made it through school, and a meeting, and a night shift at work, but when I walked out into the snow at 9pm I burst into tears and proceeded to cry the whole way home!  I knew it was insane but I just couldn’t stop.  On the drive I even said aloud through my tears, “you are crazy cakes, cut it out before you get pulled over.”  Then I came home to the boys playing poker and I stayed up until midnight watching terrible made-for-tv movies and eating Easter candy.  We have our final week of work coming up but I am going to do my damndest to catch up on sleep this next week.

Now, fun – we got to go indoor rock climbing this morning.

We bought a Groupon with another couple and even though Michelle and Patrick made Adam and me look like fat losers we all had a great time.

We were there for two hours before all four of us cried uncle.  I was terrible, weak and flailing, but I loved every minute of it.  I want to focus on arms for the next few months and then go back and try again.

We were near the “good” Wegmans so we stopped on the way home for lunch and grocery shopping.

Fried food abounded but I managed to put together a healthy lunch.  Chicken pot stickers.

Asian style veggies, brussels sprouts, butternut squash.

Pineapple, watermelon, and grapes.

And then we shopped and I didn’t buy Ben and Jerry’s because they didn’t have the new Greek yogurt flavors and I’ve decided that next week I’m going to buy like a million flavors of B&J’s so my freezer is full of choices.

After decorating my blog with run-on sentences (see above) I decorated the apartment for Easter (see below).

I can’t wait until we live in a grown-up house and I can really decorate for holidays.  The main thing holding me back now is the lack of storage space for decorations.

For dinner we broadened my brother-in-law’s horizons and took him to the Indian place.  He’s a fan!  Adam and I split a mango lassi.

And we had paneer pakora (fried cheese) to start.

I ate what’s shown plus another half piece with sauce.

For my main meal I ordered extra-spicy chicken vindaloo which came with rice and a side of veggies.

Here were my servings –

I also ate all of the veggies minus the potatoes and a small piece of stolen naan.

After dinner the boys dropped me off at home alone.  The reason my BIL came into town this weekend was to see The Wrath of the Titans with Adam.  The plan was for me to stay home and get some work done but instead I took a freezing walk and made Katie’s Chocolate Toffee Pretzels.

But the night’s not over yet; I may do some work or drink a beer or both!

Resolutions Check In: March

Um.  Meh?  Not a good month.  But on the plus side I did identify a few things that are holding me back.

1. Workout a minimum of three times per week.

Fail.  Total fail.  I have an old issue with my foot that has been a problem lately and my foot hurts and it’s numb and it’s scary but really that’s no excuse.  I did my typical routine of “Oh, I can’t run?  Guess I better sit on my ass and do nothing.”  I think, thankfully, that I can run again now though.  My specific goal for April is to workout every Monday of this month.  I need to get my weeks off to a better start.

2. Continue to read at least one book a month, for a minimum total of 30 books this year.

13. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Win.  I wish I had read more but I fulfilled the minimum and I’m well on my way to 30 books this year.  Plus I adored The Hunger Games.

3. Put the time and effort into my school work that I can be proud of each week.

Pass.  I got a 98% on my stats test and I scored well above the average on my other exams.  But I haven’t been working ahead as much as I’d like.

4. Continue working on being a positive person.

Pass.  My specific goal was the March Back Home No Take-out Challenge.  We met our goal but we only did the challenge for three weeks which isn’t all that impressive.  For April – eat breakfast every day.  I know how important breakfast is but lately it’s been eating lost in the shuffle.  I’ll be happier and healthier if I at least shove half a Lara Bar into my backpack.

One In The Hand…

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…is worth two the in the bush.  Or $1 if you’re holding a silver dollar.  Or a quick blurb if you’re reading this post.  What I’m trying to say is, pictures in this blog post will be accompanied by a quick blurb.  I’m tired.

Our larders are bare and as I said, I’m tired, so today’s meals were tricky.  My food consumption was very strange, fairly processed, and eaten entire by hand (minus two dishes by chopstick).  I ate small bits consistently throughout the day and that seemed to work.  It wasn’t the healthiest day of all time but for this day I’m pretty proud of how I did.

A Cappuccino Lara Bar.

Always a favorite.  I’m amazed every time I eat this at how well they managed to balance the coffee flavor so that it’s not too intense.

The final two Buttered Rum Raisin Cookies.

So sad to see these good, they are for sure in my top five recipes list.

Note – I also had a large handful of unphotographed Reese’s Pieces.  We used them for a problem in Statistics and then were allowed to nibble.

Trader Joe’s Wasabi Roasted Seaweed Snack.

This was good but super spicy; I was crying before I was even halfway through.  Crunchy, spicy, and a bit strange means this was something I loved; I really wish I had bought more.  And for 30 calories you were snacking for a long while, definitely a volume food.

A Pepsi Next.

This 60 calorie soda is Pepsi’s answer to Coke Zero.  Sadly I wasn’t a fan, it tasted too much like regular Pepsi to me (duh, Emily!).  If you enjoy regular soda but want to cut back on calories you should probably check it out.  I wish they would make a regular soda that simply contained less sugar, rather using fake sugars.  I love the flavor of diet but know that I could do without the chemicals.

A Mango Passion & Banana Buddy Fruit packet.

I love these so much!  One pack equals one serving of fruit and the blend was delicious.

A mini pretzel bagel with some of the leftover cheese from last night’s cheese plate.

It’s hard to go wrong with the pretzel and smoked Gouda combo.  Eating these side-by-side rather than sandwich style felt gloriously simple.

A So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk box.

Meh, I prefer the Silk Vanilla Almond Milk.  I like the idea a vegan milk box though and I’ve had this product in chocolate in the past and enjoyed it more.

Dinner was eaten by chopstick and gets no blurb.  Seaweed salad and a brown rice veggie sushi roll.

What can I really say about that?

But dessert?  Oh my gosh, dessert.  A Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar filled with Speculoos Cookie Spread.

Why didn’t I buy more of these?!  I am kicking myself now.  The chocolate was creamy and a little bit bitter, the filling was sweet and gritty, and I was basically swooning.  I actually did buy two bars but I gave one to a friend who’s similar obsessed with Biscoff and I’m feeling pretty darn generous right about now.  But I do, at least, have a jar of TJ’s Cookie Butter waiting for me.

What was the best thing you ate today?

Tired Haus 3

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Man, oh man, am I tired!  My insomnia seems to be coming back but for now I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the problem is just the vacation/visiting/excitement.  It’s my mom’s last day in town and we are heading to the airport at 4am.

On a short walk with the dog, Starbucks dopio espresso with the rest of the cup filled to the rim with skim milk.

Wegman’s hot bar for lunch with my mom.

Veg – roasted veggies, asparagus salad, a piece of chili garlic eggplant.

Protein – a piece of fried tofu and 2 steamed chicken dumplings.

I had to go to two classes today but this afternoon we took a nice walk down Elmwood.

A pear was eaten on the walk,

along with two Buttered Rum Raisin Cookies.

Plus two more cookies that snuck into my mouth while I was in the container.

During our walk we also stopped at Organic 3 Cafe for juice.

My custom blend was carrot, cucumber, double spinach.

We headed back to Lagerhaus 95 for my mom’s final meal in Buffalo.  Good food was eaten, with lots of sharing.  Basil truffle fries.

These were fine as far as fries go but not amazing; nothing like the truffle fries here.

Haus Cheese Board.

The four cheeses were provolone, smoked gouda, dill havarti, and a sheep’s milk cheese.  It was good, but that’s obvious because it’s cheese.

And speaking of cheese, I got the special for dinner – Crispy Duck Mac and Cheese.

The mac was made with smoked gouda and was topped with panko, truffle oil, crispy duck, and goldfish crackers for crunch.

Mmmmmn!  Smoked gouda is always a win and the goldfish ended up being surprisingly nice.  I usually shy away from duck but I did enjoy the few bites I took that included it; it was a lot like beef jerky!  I finished half of the dish or so and the husband is very excited to have the rest for dinner tomorrow.

I also had a few bites of his truffled wild mushroom panini.

And we split a side salad with lemon caper vinaigrette.

The dressing was good but my salad was missing the herbs from last time.  All in all it was a fun “last” meal.  Quite decadent too, what with all the cheese and truffle oil!

And now I’m getting up in 5 hour so I should skedaddle!

Window Shopping Wednesdays

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I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school all day Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

1.  The Vinyl Record cutting board from Joseph Jospeh.

Totally unnecessary but totally cute.  I’d probably use it to serve appetizers rather than in the kitchen.  Maybe fruit fondue dippers because of the banana?

2.  Chocolate Chunk Shortbread from Salem Baking.

I think a shortbread obsession might be my newest thing.  These just look so crumbly!  And this company bakes with natural ingredients and no trans fats.

3.  The Base Camp Ballet shoes from North Face.

These may not be quite as cute as other ballet flats (though they are still pretty darn cute!), but I bet they are a heck of a lot more comfortable!  North Face has never served me wrong with durability and function either.

4.  Bananas Foster Ready-to-Eat Cheesecake from Bananappeal.

Holy frick, is this a thing now?!  1.  Bananappeal is the cutest name ever.  2.  Best concept ever – everything is made with bananas and comes in an adorable jar.  Here’s what they say about this flavor: “Our creamy signature banana cheesecake is sandwiched between a brown sugar shortbread crust and a layer of cinnamon rum caramel whipped cream.”  Now please!

5.  The owl peephole cover from Basic French.

Again, not necessary but oh-so-cute.  There’s nothing wrong with gussying up your front door.  If Janetha ever comes to visit I need one of these.

What are you coveting this week?

Triple “O” Long

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Today was a lo-o-ong day!  Out of the house from 9 am to 11 pm; whew.  Not necessarily an exciting day, just a busy one.  Class –> driving my mom to the mall –> clinic –> picking my mom up from the mall –> work –> Target for Easter basket goodies, the one fun stop of the day.  I felt bad abandoning my guest all day but she did apparently have a very fun dinner at Moe’s with the husband.

Since our fridge is beyond bare and I was basically too busy to eat all day this recap will be quick.  I ate a Peanut Honey Pretzel Luna Bar during Statistics.

It was good but not ridiculously good like I was expecting it to be.

And I inhaled a sandwich from the campus book store before work.

“Bourbon maple turkey, cheddar cheese, and herb and spinach spread on a whole wheat lavish bread.”

And a Starbucks Double Shot Energy in Coffee was split with the husband.

I’m a fan.

Tomorrow bring on all the food, especially the produce!

Miles To Go Before I Sleep

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Technically the miles were already traveled but sleep somehow feels very far and very urgent!  I had some great bites today but I’m going to keep my descriptions quick in favor of bed.

Breakfast – cereal mix with vanilla almond milk.

Coffee – Highlander Grog from Winans (<– my favorite coffee ever) with a shot of toasted marshmallow syrup and skim milk.

The cup was giant but my mom and I shared.

It was sad to say goodbye to my grandparents but the weather got quite cold and the safety of the car felt nice.  It was a gorgeous day though.

Lunch – A mini pretzel bagel with blue cheese pecan spread.

Plus an apple that escaped the camera.

Favorite thing ever – froyo!

I got a small cup of plain tart topped with mini marshmallows, lots of fruit, sprinkles and an insane amount of marshmallow cream.

It was a marshmallow day, I almost ordered a s’mores milkshake with dinner.

Several hours later when we pulled into Buffalo I also ate this cookie dough bite from Winans.

It is restaurant week here and we went to SoHo Burger Bar for dinner.

The lighting was bad but the deal was good.

I ended up with a turkey burger with jalapeño compote and a side of chips and a pickle.

I ate 100% of my pickle, 75% of my burger, 50% of my bun, 25% of my chips, and 5% of the compote.  Plus several truffle oil tater tots.

The included dessert was a sundae that I let the husband have to himself.

Even with the lame last course I still highly recommend stopping in a SBB during restaurant week.

Locals – where should we go for our next restaurant week stop?

Buttered Rum Raisin Cookies

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After my string of bad luck I was beginning to worry that I’d lost my baking mojo for good. 

I’ve found it.

Inspired by buttered rum and rum raisin ice cream, but tasting a heck of a lot like gooey butterscotch, these cookies have pulled me out of my slump.

Buttered Rum Raisin Cookies, yields 4.5 dozen

  • 1/3 cup dark rum
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Bring rum to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat, taking care not to bring to a boil.  Add raisins and remove pan from heat.  Cover and let sit for at least an hour.  You can allow the raisins to soak overnight if you wish.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.  Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper and baking spray.
  3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown 11 Tbsp of butter.  Melt the butter, swirling the pan to keep it from burning.  Browning should take 2 – 3 minutes; when the butter is a deep brown and starting to smell delicious it’s done.
  4. Transfer the browned butter to a large, heat-safe bowl.  Add remaining 5 Tbsp of butter and stir until melted.
  5. Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla into butter.  Whisk in eggs.
  6. Gently stir flour and baking soda into the butter-sugar mixture.  Fold chocolate chips and rum raisins into dough.
  7. Roll dough into heaping tsp sized balls and place in evenly spaced rows on prepared cookie sheets.  The amount of batches you work in will depend on the size of your oven.  Bake 10 minutes.
  8. Carefully remove baked cookies from sheets and allow to cool before serving.

Do you like rum raisin ice cream?

I Have To Grudgingly Admit

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… I love, love, loved The Hunger Games!  We are reading it for book club and I’d been resisting, but I got in bed with it last night at 11 and couldn’t stop reading until I was done!  My late night meant I missed my run this morning but it was still totally worth it.  I need to get my hands on the next two books asap.

Breakfast was a bowl of cereal (a mix) with vanilla almond milk.

Plus a pear.

We ran around all afternoon, including a trip to the mecca.

Squeee!  I didn’t buy even a tenth of what I wanted but still came away with a few goodies, including this Zico Chocolate Coconut Water.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but I think this might be my new favorite thing.  The taste sort of reminded me of a chocolate egg cream.  I hope this becomes available in Buffalo soon!

Our meals for the day were eaten at chains, but both were good.  Lunch came from Panera Bread.

I got a soup and salad combo.  A half serving of brocoli cheddar soup.

And a half Thai chopped chicken salad.

With an apple as my side.

And part of a cookie to finish.

I made it through the drive back to the house but then my late night hit me hard and I ended up taking an afternoon nap.  I’m still feeling pretty tired and my mom and I have another 7-hour drive home tomorrow so I’ve got to get to bed early tonight (as in the minute I publish this post!).

Dinner was at Red Lobster.

I started with a side salad with balsamic vinegar on the side,

and of course a cheddar biscuit.

The salad was watery so I ignored it in favor of the biscuit which was delicious (of course!).

I did another combination for my main meal.

The stuffed flounder – which wasn’t as good as my meal last night at Outback,

and coconut shrimp – which came with tasty piña colada sauce.

I wasn’t expecting to get such a platter of food!  I managed half of the fish and 4 of the shrimp, plus all of my side of cole slaw.

All that’s left to eat is sugar plums!