(Pho)ning It In

I regularly drop off the face of the blogging planet and I haven’t even started my next rotation yet!  It’s rumored to be time-consuming and exhausting, but I’m sure that won’t keep me from hitting my 30-days goal this time.  I mean, I made it an entire day the last round!

You missed – bubble tea with a friend, Adam and I splitting an entire bag of chips and dip for dinner, and other stuff that can’t have been that exciting because I honestly can’t remember any other food item from the past two days.

Also, the end of my purple hair.

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I had to get rid of the streaks before my next rotation so I’m back to brown, albeit a darker, redder brown.  I’ll try to get a picture in good light this weekend.

Today was the end of my winter break make-up and an on-campus meeting before we switch placements (I’ve got five weeks of clinical rotation in a local hospital coming up on Monday).  Coffee was needed.

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I earned a free coffee with a book store punch card so I went big (literally!) with a venti non-fat half-pumps toffee nut latte.  Note – I drank my giant coffee and a diet pop in lieu of water all day and I totally paid the price this afternoon.

I was running late this morning – we ran out of water in the middle of my shower!!! – and I packed a fairly ridiculous trio of foods for my breakfast/lunch.  A green pear.

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A Honeycrisp apple.

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And a package of Annie Chun’s Brown Sugar and Sea Salt Roasted Seaweed.

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I wasn’t exactly full, but at least it all tasted good.

Our meeting got out a smidge early and three friends and I made it over to the mall for some high school-style fun.  We wandered, window shopped, and got froyo.

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A little plain tart with tons of popping boba for me!

Unfortunately, my dehydration kicked in during the fun and I ended up getting hit with a bad migraine.  {Sorry to be such a downer guys!}  I made it home just in time to throw up in my own bathroom; always a plus.  Then I took medicine, and a nap, and managed to feel much better in an hour or so.

My boys joined me for the nap and this scene occurred –

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They are too cute.

Once I rallied, Adam and I headed out for a fun dinner.

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Red Pepper might be my new favorite restaurant.  They gave us free tea and fried wontons,

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and served me the best bowl of vegetarian Pho I’ve ever had.

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Adam and I both thought that the broth was swoon-worthy.

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I took the 2nd half of my trough home with me and we are quite excited for leftovers tomorrow.

‘Night!

And A Class To Go Before I Sleep

My mom texted to check on me after I didn’t post last night, but I promise I wasn’t snowed in/buried alive/on a bender – I’ve just been busy!  Monday wasn’t quite as crazy as Sunday, but I am getting this post up early before night class so I have some tiny chance of painting my nails this evening.  If I miss another holiday colors polish opportunity I will be so sad.

Sunday I ate this Tandoor Chef Vegetable Pad Thai for breakfast.

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Not traditional “morning food,” but one of the best frozen entrées ever.  It is a little calorie-dense at 490kcal a package, but the texture and flavor makes it taste like a splurge and not a sad frozen dinner.

I tried to take a cup of my latest impulse purchase to work with me, but ended up passing Adam my glass after one sip.

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I love Silk’s almond milks but I think I am just not a soy milk girl; this had such a strong aftertaste to me.  Thankfully the husband enjoys it so our carton won’t go to waste.

Adam and Webster picked me up from work, and we got this box from the co-op hot bar on the way home.

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Vegan “cheesy” pasta and 3 stuffed grape leaves, shared 70-30 my favor.

We also split this Opal apple.

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It is fun to try new varieties, but we probably won’t get this one again for the increased price versus “regular” apples.

I was tired from work, and really didn’t want to go to the gym, so I bribed myself with this Justin’s Chocolate Almond Butter packet.

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That stuff is just chocolate frosting, I swear!

At the gym, I finished my first week of CT10k workouts.  4 minutes walking/1 minute running, x 8.  Except I shouldn’t listen to Fiona Apple while I run because I’m obsessed; I ended up running for 10 minutes straight in the middle of my workout.

Dinner was all over the place, but the components were all good.  A handful of baby carrots.

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Pizza crusts stolen from the husband.

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A bit of Chocolove Currants and Almonds in Dark Chocolate.

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Who knew I loved currants?  They definitely helped break up the intensity of the bar.

Finally, we made tasty smoothies.

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Thai young coconut, frozen banana, frozen blueberries, and a bit of brown sugar.

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Adam has recently decided that he is obsessed with Thai young coconuts, so expect to see more of these.  Especially since our coconut was so exciting – it was pink!

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Apparently it’s a common variation relating to the varied levels of phenol found in the coconuts.

Today I grabbed a Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

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I attended a workshop on TPN in the morning so I got to eat in the hospital rather than my car, which was nice.

Lunch was another tasty black-eyed pea salad.

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Black eyed peas with bread and butter corn, green pepper, smoked almonds, and green Tabasco.  I made a big batch so my lunch for the next two days is already packed.

With a serving of the dark chocolate for dessert.

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And when I got home I ate a pear.

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I took care of a few things for school when I got home from the hospital, and sudddenly I was starving.

Dinner was pretty lame, but I’m in a hurry trying to get to school so I can finish some reading before class.

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And lame doesn’t mean it didn’t taste good!

A box of Health is Wealth Asian Spring Rolls,

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with a dipping sauce of chunky peanut butter and Smart Balance Light.

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Mmmmmmn!

P.S. – You can still win!  Comment on this post before midnight for a chance to win a copy of the “Petite Treats” cookbook.

Last Friday Night

I spent Friday night getting a little drunk.  Mind you, not so drunk that I would actually want to listen to Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night.”  We did watch some bad stand up comedy on Netflix though.  <– Tim Minchin, not as funny as this joke would lead you to believe.  (It’s so dirty, don’t click, Nana!)

Yesterday, Bitchtastic

Friday morning started with a Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar on the way to the hospital.

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I had plans for a morning gym session but when I saw the weather report I decided to sleep in instead.  We got really lucky here, the snow was annoying but not anything dangerous.

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I had a nice day at the hospital in spite of the weather.  I got to chart on several interesting patients and had a little more practice with doing pediatric TPN orders.  I love the nutrition support aspect of dietetics but children are really different from what I’ve done with adults.

Lunch was a simple salad.

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Chopped green pepper and cucumber with evoo, Sriracha, and some salty peanuts.

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What a winning combination!

Plus a GoGo Squeez Cinnamon Applesauce packet.

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Great on the go, but not as amazing as the pile of fruit I had when I got home.

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Underneath my mounds of blue and blackberries was Naked Vanilla Oat Milk, a little honey, and 1/4 cup each All Bran Bran Buds and Nature’s Path Coconut Chia Granola.

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So flipping good.  And it was a good thing I got in a healthy snack because my responsible food choices took a downhill turn during the rest of the evening.

I blame the Bitch Bubbly.

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A girlfriend came over and she, Adam, and I drank the bottle in mimosas.

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The sparkling wine was pretty bad, but our next round was fantastic –

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Sips Lavender Lemondrop Sparkling Cocktails!  This was so fun, and quite delicious.  I described it to my coworker today as “Kate Spade’s Four Loco.”  I would definitely buy them again.

But maybe I’d eat dinner first next time.  My evening meal ended up being… A slice of bread with Smart Balance Light,

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and a huge bowl of popcorn with melted Earth Balance.

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Major thanks to the husband for making me two bowls of popcorn; I spilled that first one within a matter of minutes!

Fashion Friday

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Today, Tofutastic

Saturday’s meals were a little healthier.  Still very tasty though.

For breakfast, Adam and I split a great pb & j.

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With a pear on the side.

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I worked today, but only a half shift, so I had time to get lunch from Wegman’s hot bar.  Some tofu and veggies in mushroom dashi with two pieces of inari.

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I did lots of Googling, and as far as I could tell mushroom dashi is just mushroom stock, so I’m still not sure what that yummy sauce was.

We made tofu for dinner too.

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A bed of cabbage —a bag of “Asian Slaw” mix cooked with a bit of Earth Balance with caramelized onions tossed in towards the end— topped with walnuts —cooked in a skillet with salt and sugar— and tofu —super firm tofu cooked in the skillet we used for the onions, finished with a sauce of tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, honey, and orange juice.

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I was glad I added the nuts at the last-minute to help break up the texture.  The flavors were spot on though.

I had Goody Good Stuff Tropical Fruit for dessert.

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Adorable, and much firmer than the other varieties.

Was your area hit with this weekend’s crazy weather?

Petite Treats Book Giveaway

Since the giveaway ties in with breakfast, I’m going to post this day in reverse!  Also I’m going to do it quickly, since I’m late picking up the husband.

Dinner – Veggie summer roll from Wegmans while we knocked next week’s grocery shopping out of the way early.

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Lunch – A tempeh sandwich with Sriracha Nayo and Strawberry Crofter’s on a Sandwich Thin.

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A pear.

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And more soft strawberry licorice.

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Breakfast – A ridiculous coffee in the car on the longish drive to an off-site clinic.  Venti soy latte with (half pumps) cinnamon dolce syrup.

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And delicious mini scones.

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Actually, Blueberry Lavender Skookies.  <– squeeee!

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The skookie recipe came from Petite Treats; Mini Versions of Your Favorite Baked Delights, a book I was sent to review.

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Here is what the publishers said about it –

Good things come in small packages—and now so do all of your favorite desserts!

Introducing “Petite Treats,” an adorable cookbook featuring delicious, bite-sized, reduced-guilt sweets that are sure to charm family and friends at any gathering.

From the authors of “Mini Pies” and founders of the Seattle-based Mini Empire Bakery, “Petite Treats” shows you how to miniaturize everything from tiny fruit scones and mini pies to bite-size brownies and cutesy cannoli—sweet satisfaction guaranteed.

This book includes dozens of full-color photos and easy-to-follow recipes, as well as decorating and presentation tips. Let “Petite Treats” be the star of your next holiday, birthday or cocktail party.

And here are my thoughts –

  • a good mix of healthy and decadent treats, all in the miniature
  • the instructions were easy, and easy to follow!
  • some recipes are vegan (like the skookies)
  • they included a mini piecaken (a pie within a cake) so you know that the authors must be on top of their dessert game!
  • the pictures make me drool

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They gave me the opportunity to share a book with my readers too.  Since you guys like me, I knew that y’all love things that are small and sweet!  <– that was so corny I think I made myself throw up.

For a chance to win a copy of the book – simply comment on this post by midnight on Monday (February 11th).

Breakfast In A Jar And Dinner On The Lam

Adding in exercise is making blogging very tricky this week.  When you leave for the gym at 9pm, all you want to do when you get home is sleep.  Especially if you have to run errands at Target on your way home from the gym.  Especially if you were too busy all evening to eat dinner.

I started my day with packet of Spiru-Tein S’mores protein powder shaken with 1 cup of Naked Vanilla Oat Milk.

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I was pretty amazed that the powder was vegan (minus honey which I’m not worrying about for the Vegan 20 Day Challenge).  It wasn’t the best tasting thing I’ve ever had, but I was impressed with how thick it got.  I shook it up in a recycled jar, making this a very easy to-go breakfast.

I’m having a good week at the hospital; it’s starting to feel like I’m hitting my stride.  If there is one thing I’ve learned so far from this rotation it’s this – I knew absolutely nothing about pediatric nutrition.

Lunch was a pear.

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A yummy sandwich of 5 grain tempeh on a Sandwich Thin with yellow mustard and Smart Balance Light.

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And the other half of my rice milk chocolate bar.

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When Adam got home this afternoon he helped me crack open this guy…

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I may have had to eat over my work, but I still had a great afternoon snack.

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Adam and I shared the Thai young coconut in smoothie form.

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With frozen banana, peach, and blueberries too.

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And fancy bread with Smart Balance Light on the side.

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I’m glad I had a big snack, because journaling took so long that I never had time to make dinner.

I did make it to the gym though.  30 minutes on the elliptical at level 6 random.  Certainly not the most intense workout ever, but a far cry better than what I wanted to do (sit on the couch).

And now all I want to do is go to bed!

Peachy Bean

Since I didn’t have time for breakfast yesterday, I made myself get up even earlier today.  6:40, ouch!  <– yes, I know for most people that’s not actually early

Rounds start earlier today though so I need to leave the house earlier than yesterday too.  Make breakfast, eat breakfast, post breakfast, leave earlier?… I’ll keep this quick!

A smoothie for breakfast.

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Into the blender (for 2):

Like peach pie.  Sort of.  If peach pie had too much protein powder in it and tasted like chemicals.

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I forced most of it down so I won’t be hungry all morning.

what i’ll be having for lunch…

Today’s lunch is going to be amazing, I’m sure of it.  I’m bringing back my new favorite salad.  There is healthy stuff on the bottom, I swear.

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Black eyed peas + chopped green pepper + chopped Kerrygold Vintage Dubliner + smoked almonds + green Tabasco.

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Clifford the Big Red Pear.

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Milk and dark toffee candy.  More on that in a minute.

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I’ll see you after I finish my 2nd day of dietetic internship!

p.s. My word-play in the title is making me want to experiment with putting fresh peaches into barbecue baked beans.

back to the candy…

The toffees were actually part of a sample from SurprisesByMail.comNote – I received the sample free of charge to review.  All opinions are my own.

Here was the info I received from the company:

SurprisesByMail.com offers a variety of gift boxes filled with your choice of goodies, a perfect gift for anyone this Valentine’s Day, from mom to a significant other. Pick out your Valentine’s favorite treats; from sweets, to chocolates, fudge, baked goods, nuts, dried fruit, pretzels and more. Boxes can be customized even further with personal messages and images. Available in four affordable box options.

And here is what I got:

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Two different boxes, one with dark chocolate nonpareils and another with a candy assortment (milk and dark chocolate covered Oreos, toffees, caramels, and some buckeyes).

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Pros: the packaging was cute and fun, both candies felt high-quality and were very tasty, and the site has a good variety of options that are fairly priced.

Cons:  though it is cute, the multiple layers of packaging are pretty wasteful; I wish that the service was a bit greener.

Have you ever gotten any mailer gifts?  My mom got me two subscriptions for Christmas; one to Birchbox (loving it!) and other to a natural snacks company.

New Favorite Things For 12/12/12

Hello, hello, hello!  Did everyone take a moment to appreciate today’s day?  I had lots of things to appreciate today.  Here are three:

1. Being done with finals for the semester.

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2. The gorgeous cashmere infinity scarf (squeee!) that my aunt and uncle sent me for Hanukkah.

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3. I may have won some money in a contest… I’m not getting excited until I’m sure it’s for real though.

On to the day’s recap.  Why yes, I was up at 4:45 am drinking a 20 calorie grape Rockstar.  {it was delicious}

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You see, I have this mental problem where the night before two important final exams I spend 4 hours getting my hair dyed, 1 hour on Pinterest, and 2 hours watching Jim Gaffigan on InstantWatch.  Genius.

My food consumption as a whole was low in nutrients but I definitely covered things on the calorie front.  Plus everything was ridiculously delicious.  Plus technically I’m still exam eating.

For breakfast, an overly juicy red pear.

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and an Iced Gingerbread Clif Bar.

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This flavor verges on being too spicy but then the sweet, juicy raisins pull it back from the brink.

I had exams from 7:40 to 11:00 and a shift at work from 12:00 to 8:30 and in between a friend took me to the grocery store because I don’t have a car.  <– it’s a long, sad story and I’m hoping my almost 2 week streak of car-less-ness will be over by this weekend

At work I had a 0% Fage with Honey.

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And a Coco Cafe that I bought on a whim at the co-op.

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Holy frick you guys, the coffee was so good.  It was the kind of good – creamy and sweet with a caffeine kick – that almost hurts because you are enjoying yourself so much.  By the time I finished drinking the Coco Cafe I’m sure my coworkers were more than ready for me to stop gushing about my new favorite thing.

<– hold on to your hats, I have another new favorite thing still to come in this very post.  Yes, you can have multiple favorite things.  That’s a thing.

After work I took the dog on a long walk and it become another night where I came home so hungry I thought I was going to have a fit.  Microwave “nachos” on the last 1.5 servings of Nacho Cheese Tortilla PopChips fit the bill.

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Um, and then I had another plate but with Food Should Taste Good Chocolate Tortilla Chips.

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I know that isn’t the healthiest dinner on the planet but, you guys, the cheese.  The cheese.  Both plates were made with Kerrygold’s Vintage Dubliner and it rocked my freaking face off.

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The Vintage Dubliner was super nutty and it had these amazing pieces of crispiness spread throughout.  Plus it melted perfectly.  It is my new favorite cheese.  P.S. I found it at Wegmans if you want to have a new favorite cheese too.

I realize that this post was pretty packed with enthusiasm but I’m deliriously tired happy so I’m good with it.

What is your new favorite thing?

Sushi Date

I had a bunch of errands to run and yesterday somehow felt really busy.  No post because I never actually ate any meals, mostly I took random spoonfuls of cookie butter and stole salt and vinegar chips from the husband.

Instead of a recap I’ll share a few of the highlights –

#1 – I met up with a few friends and over coffee we finally figured out our room situation for FNCE – the AND’s yearly conference.  Three (maybe four!) of us are going and we managed to find something safe and affordable.

#2 – My easy errand took me to the mall.  I am loving the “birthday month” deals that have been rolling in.  I’ve wanted this Sugar lip duo from Fresh for years and Sephora just gave it to me for free!

#3 – While I was at the mall (see #2) I drank something that has changed my life forever.  Peanut butter frozen hot chocolate from Dairy Queen.

Since the first sip it’s basically been all I’ve been able to think about.  I’ve already started trying to figure out how to recreate it at home.

Today was fairly lame on the food fruit.  The things I ate were all great but I didn’t eat all that much.  Quality over quantity?

A small bun with ~1 Tbsp evoo for dipping.

Juicy green pear.

Bottle of Classic Green Tea from Honest Tea.

Dinner was extra exciting because we made a quick turnaround on a recent Groupon purchase and headed out to eat.

We were both impressed with Sakura Sushi.  The service, speed, and food were all good.  The menu boasted a bunch of fun rolls (like the “Buffalo Roll” with spicy fried tuna!) but Adam and I both stuck with what we knew.

I got a green salad with ginger dressing to start.

And a Spicy Crunch Salmon Roll.

Deep fried salmon / mango / tempura flakes / spicy sauce.

Yum!  It wasn’t the easiest thing to eat like a lady, but the taste was worth the mess.  I obviously could have gotten something healthier but this was a nice compromise between a plain roll and the cream cheese stuffed, whole roll tempura options that I was eyeing.

We had to spend a little bit more money to use up our Groupon so the husband and I split a dessert.

Coppa Mascarpone – a chocolate cream, followed by a smooth mascarpone cream, topped with amaretto cookie crumbs and chocolate curls.

It was fun way to end the date.

Adam and I have skin checks across town tomorrow morning and I am determined to get in bed so that our wake-up isn’t brutal.  I’ll be dreaming of peanut butter frozen hot chocolate!