Tag Archives: sweet

Give Me Fuel Give Me Fire

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Today’s lesson: fueling.  Can we just call this a ‘what not to do’ lesson?

When I woke up I was sooo tired (we’ve been staying up way too late catching up on Scrubs) that I convinced myself it would be better to push my run back to the afternoon.  That’d be great and all, except that I am a way better morning exerciser.  Especially except the fact that I can run at 9am after downing just a Goo, but by 5pm I need to have actually eaten food and that was a little tricky.  Two different loaves of bread simultaneously sprouted mold yesterday and if our cupboards had a fuel gauge it’d be reading empty.

I ate a few spoonfuls of ice cream frosting (yuuuuum),

and a slice of swiss cheese,

but then it seemed like I probably should find food food.

But by the time I’d walked a block away from the house it started to pour, which is how I ended up convincing myself that (an entire tray of) nachos would make awesome running fuel.

Also, I had a cupcake.

Too cute not to be a good idea!

Adam came home earlier than expected this afternoon and as we hung out it got later and later and myplanned  7-mile run seemed harder and harder.  Which is why nachos actually do make awesome pre-run fuel: I felt like such a fat idiot that I was extra motivated to get out there!  Go me?

I headed to Delaware Park for four 1.75 mile loops.  7 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  <– that time is especially sad when you consider that I stopped every loop to stretch/drink and I paused my clock for the breaks.  Maybe I do need to relook at my fueling.

I didn’t get done with my run until after 9pm so I ended up just skipping dinner.  <– don’t do as I do

This was a strange post. Also, clearly I’ve stayed up too late watching Scrubs again.

Pretty Good

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Hello there; I hope everyone’s having a nice weekend.  It’s been a good Saturday around here, I spent lots of time with the husband, I got to take a few walks, and I received some good news I’ll be sharing later.

Our plan this morning was to cash in a Groupon for brunch, so to kill time while the restaurant opened I headed out to the Farmer’s Market and the Co-op.

While I was up on that end of Elmwood I stopped in at Wilson Farms for my new favorite coffee.

Half Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee (regular) and half Jamaican Me Crazy Cappuccino (sweetened).

Adam and I also drove over to the lake to check out the crazy fog.

Spooky!

Then it was time for brunch at Empire Grill.

But apparently brunch is only a Sunday thing, boo.  And the bad news didn’t stop there, Adam and I hated our brunch lunch order.  I really don’t want the blame the restaurant (the food wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible either), we just made really bad order choices for our preferences.

We split a Blue Point Toasted Ale,

the Caribbean Shrimp and Mango Salad with mixed greens, mango viniagrette marinated jumbo shrimp, black bean and pineapple salsa and a mango viniagrette,

and the California Turkey Wrap with coleslaw, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and a chipolte aioli.

I sort of hate raw spinach and I hate wraps so, again, it wasn’t really the restaurant’s fault.  Nonetheless, I ended up eating basically nothing for brunch.

Thank goodness for Banana Split Cupcakes!

Amid chowing down on two cupcakes, Adam and I took a trek to the post office and got to enjoy almost 2 miles of walking and talking, win!

Random sidenote (super random when you consider that this isn’t even a new top) – how awesome is it that this shirt has a bustle?!

I had fancy plans for dinner, but when Scrubs reruns are on you never turn down pizza.

Adam and I split another Buffalo chicken slice,

along with a big pile of baby carrots.

Yep, pretty good for a Saturday!

Make Like A Banana And Split

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Oh my goodness, I am just too excited!  My baking project turned out so well that I’m going to hurry through blogging dinner so I can tell you about it.

Dinner wasn’t bad.

It’s just that nothing can compare to cupcakes.

I made this lentil soup packet from Manischewitz.

And Adam and I split a slice of buffalo chicken pizza as our carb.

Done and done; now I can talk about dessert!

Do you see why I was excited?

It’s been forever since I’ve eaten an actual banana split, but once I got the idea of Banana Split Cupcakes into my head I couldn’t get it out!

Banana Split Cupcakes

  • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 large bananas, well mashed
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • 12 Tbsp hot fudge sauce
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 5 oz vanilla bean ice cream, fully melted
  • maraschino cherries
  • rainbow sprinkles
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Line a cupcake tray with 12 paper liners.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine mashed banana, white sugar, egg, and melted butter.  Stir to combine, then fold in flour mixture and mix just until smooth.  Fold in walnuts.
  4. Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter.  Spoon 1 Tbsp fudge sauce into each cup.  Top with remaining batter.
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Allow cupcakes to completely cool before icing.
  6. While cupcakes are cooling, use an electric mixer to beat together softened butter, powdered sugar, and melted ice-cream.  (This icing will keep best if stored in the fridge rather than at room temperature).
  7. Ice cupcakes then top with cherries and sprinkles as desired.

I wasn’t sure how the ice cream icing would work, but it ended up being perfect.  And it goes without saying that a layer of fudge in the middle of a cupcake is pure joy.

I ate two cupcakes (and did lots of nibbling) and it’s definitely time for me to put in my retainers so I don’t eat a third one!

For your own good, I beg of you; make these yourself this weekend!

Thank You, Friends Up North

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First things first, the winners of today’s giveaway were Jenny and Monica –

Congrats guys, get me your mailing addresses and I’ll send out your coupons.  Everyone else (and Jenny and Monica too, you can enter more than once if you’re feeling extra lucky), don’t forget that another giveaway chance will be posted tomorrow morning.

I feel a little strange writing this post because today felt a little strange.  We haven’t been getting enough sleep and I feel like I’ve been walking through a haze.  I’ve been insanely hungry and I’m sure it’s tied to my lack of sleep.  Though let’s pretend that I’m hungry from my good habits instead of my bad ones, like my workout this morning!

I had 40 minutes of cardio on the agenda so I hopped on the elliptical – level 6 random – for 40 minutes.  I worked up quite a sweat, but my pace was super slow and I knew that I wasn’t really pushing myself so I added 25 minutes on the stationary bike.  I had absolutely no idea what I was doing with the fancy tv-style settings, but I was dripping when I finished so I must have done something right.  As I was getting off the bike, I spotted a fun looking game setting that I’m eager to try out next week.

By the time I got home I was hun-ga-re!  Enter my newest dream team.

I topped a 1 cup serving of Quaker Golden Maple Oatmeal Squares with a serving of Amande strawberry flavored almond milk yogurt and 2 Tbsp of crunchy peanut butter.

I probably won’t buy this yogurt again, the texture was definitely a little “fake” and I’m not too keen on non-Greek flavored yogurts anyways, but I do highly recommend it for any vegans looking for a yogurt fix.  I sent my pb through a spin in the microwave to get it all melty and it became very swoon-worthy.

Unfortunately I didn’t eat “breakfast” until I got home and showered from working out and it was near noon.  My insane hunger coupled with the weird meal times meant I ended up grazing all day.

I had a perfect, crunchy pear.

Two onion rolls with Smart Balance Light.

And a packet of cinnamon roll Oat Revolution with brown sugar, a splash of skim milk, and a big handful of raisins.

Around 2 I did stop stuffing my face long enough to get gussied and leave the apartment – it’s time to find a summer job!  My long stroll up and down Elmwood (in a suit, with a packet of resumes) wasn’t fruitful yet, but at least it got me back off the couch.  I have a couple of prospects I’m feeling hopeful about, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed because the next step will be looking for jobs that aren’t walking distance from the apartment.

Adam picked me up towards the end of my walk home and we split a mini turtle Blizzard.

Then we came home and made a pile.  <– watch “Where the Wild Things Are,” you’ll thank me

I was flying solo for dinner so I went simple.

A leftover Reuben Stuffed Turkey Burger,

with a big plate of baby carrots to get in some veggies.

Notes – 1. I added a slice of cheese to that burger right after I snapped the photo.  2. My hand has been sneaking into the tin of cashews all evening but there’s no pictoral evidence.  3. Those burgers are really good!

And with that, I’m off to watch “Missing” on Netflix Instant Watch.   I rediscovered it recently and it’s rocking my socks.  Is there anything Canadian tv can’t do??!  I also loved “Are You Afraid of the Dark?,” “Braceface,” “Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy,” “That’s So Wierd,” and “In a Heartbeat.”  <– loooove

Did you watch any of those shows back in the day?

A Victory Lap

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I’m free, I’m free; now I’m really free!  I’m finally done with school for the year and it feels go-oood!  I’m sure I scared some of my more studious readers this morning, but I did save myself enough time to get my presentation perfectly prepped.

I had a final exam at 10am so I didn’t leave myself time for breakfast, but I did grab a coffee with skim milk when I got to school.

There were lots of happy-go-lucky feelings when we finished our final; I was the only one in my group of friends who still had to present so they were officially finished with school at noon.  Our friend Rachel brought in goodies and we had a little mini celebration.

Peanut butter chocolate no-bakes,

and sangria!

I had a packed lunch from home too, a final serving of Buffalo Wing Baked Pasta,

and an applesauce GoGo Squeeze.

Then, lisp-inducing retainers far far away from my mouth, I headed off to my final presentation of the semester.  I won’t actually get my grade until the next school year, but I think it went really well.  I was composed, I got in all the important points, I know my PowerPoint was perfect (I met with my teacher a few weeks ago to perfect it)… My voice was definitely shaking, but you can’t win ’em all!

When the clock hit 3:30 and we realized the year was officially done there was some serious excitement.  After a quick trip back home I went with a group of friends to immediately sell back our textbooks.  Why wait, ya know?  While we were out and about we took advantage of the Starbucks half-off frappuccino happy hour.

I ordered a tall coffee coconut frappuccino.

Pretty darn good.  Celebratory even.

We had some trouble getting motivated when I got home, but some pretzels and hummus helped to fuel us up.

I ate about a serving of each.

Around 7:30 Adam and I finally headed out for a victory lap.  We went down to the path at Delaware Park for two 1.75 mile laps.  I ran my clock the entire time (even during a few walking breaks) and in total I did 3.5 miles in 34:50.  We drove home and then took a long stroll around Elmwood.

My knee feels funny again but I’m crossing my fingers and icing.

I was stuck on the kitchen floor for 30minutes so I directed Adam through dinner from there.  I had him bring me the Sharpies too so I could make the birthday card for our niece.

By the time my masterpiece was complete, so was dinner.

We roasted up some white asparagus.

It was meh, a little watery and bitter, nothing like its green cousin.

Plus some Trader Joe’s orange-style chicken,

which was fabulous.  I wish we lived in a real city where I had the option of picking up more of this!

Now I’d like to stay up late on a night when it’s not a terrible idea 😀

Time Crunch Tuesday

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I’m not going to tell you about my day.  I’m definitely not going to tell you about how hideously unprepared I am for my two important tests tomorrow.  I am going to stick to my blog-everything-for-30-days goal.  Photo details only to follow…

An everything style Bagel Thin with a slice of 2% Colby cheese.

A small white hot chocolate made with skim milk.

Apple dippers.

A GoGo Squeez applesauce pouch.

A Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar.  (Oh God, this was good.  It tasted like a Samoa!)

A dulce de leche Skinny Cow mini ice cream.

2 mini bags of popcorn with Smart Balance Light.

Leftover Buffalo Wing Baked Pasta,

with baby carrots,

and a pickle.

A frozen coffee.

Workout = 3 mile run down Elmwood, 28:40.  No stops, yay!

Done and done.

They Can’t All Be Winners

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It wasn’t my most succesful day.  I had a crappy run, I didn’t do a lick of school work, I have not been drinking enough h2o, we’re up too late yet again…

Let’s look at some of the things that went right –

  • a crappy run is still a run, AND my knee doesn’t even hurt 😀
  • even though it’s late, I’m sticking to my 30-day blog everything goal
  • I’m feeling super fortunate about having the best mommy on the planet  <– fact

I started my morning with a we-suck-at-bedtime inspired Big Gulp.

That’s coffee from Wilson Farms with some Silk Vanilla Almond Milk.

I skipped the sweetener because this was supposed to be my pre-run fuel.  B-A-D, bad idea!  I stopped to pee not once, not twice, but three times during my 5 mile run!

My knee felt good when I woke up this morning (and all day yesterday) so I felt ready to tackle my training plan’s scheduled 5-miler.  The husband and I headed to Delaware Park to complete 3 laps around the ~1.75 mile loop.  My knee felt fine the entire time but my endurance was a horse of a different color.  Guys, I can’t even tell you how many times I had to stop during this run 😦  All total, I did 5.25 miles in 51 minutes.  I turned off my watch during all my breaks (I would just stop at stretch, not cover any distance) so I don’t know how long the entire start to finish time was, but I do know that each loop took me 17 minutes.  Yay for not slowing down!

And yay for still no knee pain; knock on wood!  I did ice my knee when I got home.

But ice water in a plastic baggie was a terrible idea so that didn’t last very long.  Some bags of frozen peas are on my grocery list for next week.

Somehow I decided that 5 miles at a 10-minute-mile pace was enough of a workout that I needed to sit on the couch the rest of the day.  Boo for being a loser!  Throughout the afternoon I ate popcorn – there are two mini bags in that bowl,

a Smart Ones Tuna Noodle Gratin frozen meal,

and a Skinny Cow Caramel Cone mini ice cream.

How on earth do they pack so much goodness into 170 calories?!?  That flavor was ridiculous good.

Our one accomplishment of the day was finally switching out our summer and winter wardrobes.  I’ve had that task on my to-do list for almost a month but Buffalo’s reluctance to enter spring kept it from feeling urgent.  Adam’s glad we put it off; the whole process took for-ev-a!  By the time we were done it was after 9pm and we ended up going out to dinner at Panos.

Sidenote 1 – we did not give up on our eat-in-more goal already, the meal was actually a gift for me from my mother-in-law, who clearly does not get the spirit of the holiday.  Sidenote 2 – not to worry, we’re not as clueless as we seem, we did buy both sets of moms nice gifts too.

I ordered the blackened chicken Caesar salad with roasted veggies and smoked gouda.

I shared 90% of my chicken with the husband, and dove into his fries in return.

‘Twas a great date night meal!

What was the best thing about your weekend?

Seis de Mayo!

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Okay, okay, so I’m a day late on my May 5th post.  Normally I hate to do long-overdue recap posts, but since my new 30 day goal is to post everything, here it is.  Quick sidenote – mad props to everyone who engages in drogging (aka drunk blogging); I wanted to share this yesterday but it was just not an option 😉

My classmates I add were touched by serendipity yesterday, when Cinco de Mayo and our last day of classes fell on the same day.  After a very long last day of classes (9:25 in the morning to 7 at night) we were able to head out for some much-needed celebration.

First, the morning.  Our last day of lab included drawer check out and a final exam.  I had a little extra time in the morning to study since I had to skip my workout (boo!), and I think I did pretty well on the exam.  I didn’t have it together for breakfast, but I did grab a medium iced coffee with skim milk from Starbucks.

And it was so good I forgot to take a picture until I was down to my last sips; clearly I needed coffee!

Our last lab let out pretty early, and we were left with a six-hour break before our final evening class.  No problem, I took my friend Rachel on a mini tour of Elmwood!  We ambled down the street from school, stopping to visit a friend at work and hit up the Spot for a study session.  I grabbed some brown rice veggie sushi from the co-op for lunch.

And actually stopped at the co-op on the way back to school for dinner as well.

During my night class I noshed on Thai cucumber and peanut salad,

and some vegan pasta salad.

Suddenly we were taking our last quiz of the semester, packing up, and we were done with our first year of school!!!  I mean, there are finals next week, but still exciting.

Cinco de Mayo plans were supposed to include a holiday appropriate trip to Cozumel Bar, but a $10 cover later we ended up at JP Bullfeathers.

That was a Jack and ginger ale, but it tasted more like dirty water.  Weak drinks aside, JP Bullfeathers ended up being a perfect spot for our end of school celebration; not too packed for good conversation, but busy enough to still be fun.

We ended up sitting at a table and ordering some food as well.

My friend Janessa and I split the turkey and gorgonzola pannini,

which was delicious.  Turkey sandwiches seem to be my go-to restaurant order.

And how to do go out on Cinco de Mayo without margaritas?!

What’s the Spanish word for sloshed?  Let’s just say I’m glad I could walk less than a minute and be home!

I did stay up to share some dessert, of course.

That’s a caramelized macadamia nut and chocolate mousse tart that Adam brought home.

Now on to today.  In true college-girl fashion, I managed to stay in bed well past 1pm!!  It helps to have the bladder of a camel and a four-day break before finals begin.  🙂

Adam and made the executive decision that we needed a day together, so we took down a full season of Scrub’s recaps and an entire pizza.

That’s a bruschetta pizza topped with extra green olives, the best pizza topper ever.

The half a pizza pretty much covered all my food groups (what?! dairy, grains, veggies…) but I did sneak in one more veggie with a slice of carrot cake from the co-op.

A few facts – Carrot cake does to count as a veggie.  I think I need to be done with the co-op for a few days.  It was a glorious day with my husband.

Did you do anything to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  What are you looking forward to this weekend?