I’m Late, I’m Late! November 7, 2009

So after waiting and counting down the days until our Real Housewives Bloggers of Atlanta dinner at Seasons 52, I got dressed and ready to head out last night to pick up Kelly!  I ended up getting there about 10 minutes later than planned, and even though I hate being late, I figured 10 minutes late wasn’t so bad – it could be worse…

After meeting her adorable doggie Reuben and quickly nosing around in her beautiful house (like out of a magazine!), we excitedly hit the road for the restaurant.  We got there (or so we thought!) and had the car valet-ed (?) and went in to find our bloggie friends (we were already running even later at this point due to traffic on the way there which nessecitated a detour).  They weren’t there!  Turns out Kelly and I goofed and went to the wrong location!!   I felt so, so terrible!!

So we immediately asked for our car, paid $2 for letting the car sit in the deck for 5 minutes, and headed to right location.  We were an hour LATE!  I really know how to make an awesome first impression, don’t ya think?!    Anyway, the lovely Lee, Angie, Liz, and Laura were all politely waiting for us to order and greeted us with such sweet smiles although I’m sure they were all thinking, “uhh, we’re HUNGRY girls, where have you been?!” 

Anyway, we got right to chatting and I had a blast talking with everyone!  All the girls were super sweet and friendly and it was great because we instantly had a common bond – we love good food!!   The menu was quite overwhelming since everything looked so delicious, but I finally decided on the Autumn Vegetable Plate with golden beets, butternut squash (which I embarassingly thought were sweet potatoes at first, haha!), grilled tofu, mushrooms and onions, carrots, and organic Lundberg wild rice.

 

It was a lot of food, but I managed to show my true colors and cleaned my plate!

 

The BN squash was way better than mine at home.  Perfectly baked!!

 

Then they came out with the rack of dessert shooters!! 

 

 

I decided to stick with my autumn-y theme for the evening and pick the Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Snap crust.

 

It was fabulous and such a perfect size!  Every restaurant should switch to these fun little desserts – they’re too cute!!

 

We stuck around and chatted about all things blog until we realized how late it had gotten and decided we should call it a night.  Before leaving, we had a waitress take a picture of our lovely group.

 

 

 

 

 L to R: Em, Liz, Laura, Lee, Angie,  and Kelly

 

Thanks for a FUN night girls and my apologies for being the white rabbit!   I won’t blame you if you never invite me again (though I’ll be very sad)!!

 

This mornin’ I woke up wanting something yummy.  Didn’t know what, so just started pulling things from here and from there and came up with this festive little breakfast concoction.

 

 

1/2 cup pumpkin oats, honeycrisp apple slices, PB in the middle, and those sneaky little candy corns that just won’t leave my bowls alone…

 

I think I’m going to go practice disc golf with Andrew and by that I mean while he plays, I’m going to run/walk the trails surrounding the course.  Hope all of you are having a wonderful fall weekend!!  

Cranberry Walnut Stuffed Kabocha November 5, 2009

Last weekend I finally found the kabocha squash I’ve been seeing on many blogs lately.  I wasn’t sure how to make it for my first time eating it, so I decided to look up some recipes for inspiration.  Even though Kath used an acorn squash for her Cranberry Walnut Stuffed Acorn Squash, I thought that kabocha would work just fine.  I pretty much followed her recipe exactly, except I omitted the brown sugar and I stirred the goat cheese in with the warm brown rice the make it ooey gooey cheesy yummy.

 

 

Andrew wasn’t quite sure what to think after his first bite.

 

 

But after a few bites he decided he loved it!

 

 

I just couldn’t stop taking pictures!  My meals never turn out this pretty!!

 

We both enjoyed our stuffed squash with a glass of Andrew’s homemade pomegranate cranberry cider.

 

 

Ya’ll would love this stuff.  So festive tasting!  Cheers!!

 

I’ve been looking forward to something alllllllllllllll week long!!  Tomorrow is the Atlanta Healthy Food Blogger’s First Meet Up (I think I just made that name up, not sure, haha)!!  I’m so looking forward to meeting back up with Kelly!!  We’re carpooling together – duh!  We live about 5 minutes away from each other!!    So excited to meet up with all of these fabulous ladies after getting to know them through their yummy foodie blogs!!  I hope to be back with a post about our evening sometime this weekend. 

 

For now, I leave you with a link to listen to one of the most lovely foodie ladies in the world!!  Love Nigella!!  Who doesn’t??  Andrew’s actually the one who told me about it.  Definitely worth a listen.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Festive Pumpkin Eggs November 3, 2009

After seeing Em’s (Eating to Run) boyfriend Brian’s creative idea to add pumpkin to his eggs, I’ve been intrigued by the thought of it.  So since I was on my own for dinner tonight, I decided it was the perfect evening to get crackin’!  First I scrambled 1 egg (Eggland’s Best) with an egg white and added a heaping spoonful of pure pumpkin and some salt.  Then I poured the mixture in the pan.  About halfway through cooking, I added some baby spinach leaves.  Then when it was almost ready, I added in some dried cranberries for some sweetness.  To serve, I got two slices of bread and spread a tablespoon of cream cheese on each slice.  I put the festive pumpkin eggs on top.

 

I had Kath’s kale chips on the side.

 

 

Ok, usually I don’t feel confident about my creations to demand you try them.  But you must at least consider the possibility of making this ASAP!  Oh my goodness.  First of all, the pumpkin in the eggs is such a wonderful flavor.  Also, the combination of savory and sweet with the dried cranberries is pretty much amazing.  Think I got enough greens in with my dinner??

 

The spinach is actually leftover from the dinner I made last night for Andrew and me.  We had Turkey burgers stuffed with spinach, onions, and goat cheese.

 

 

Andrew was in disbelief that I came up with these on my own and did not follow a recipe.  He loved them!

 

 

I had mine with a big serving of my leftover pumpkin chili I made Halloween evening.

 

 

What’s your favorite green veggie?

 

 

Pumpkin Eater November 1, 2009

Yesterday I woke up with a goal for the day: eat as much pumpkin as possible! You see, in previous fall seasons, I’ve gone through pumpkin like it was going out of style.  I haven’t been eating much this fall.  Not sure why.  But I got a sudden craving for all things pumpkin last week so I decided to catch up on all I’ve missed out on!!

I started the day out with delicious pumpkin pancakes!!  With a side of PB for dipping, of course!

I decorated them with Andrew’s homemade toasted pumpkin seeds.

Then for lunch I had a pumpkin cream cheese & apple wrap.

For the pumpkin cream cheese spread, I simply mixed 2 tablespoons of cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin, sprinkled some pumpkin spice and a packet of Truvia and mixed it all up with a fork.

Pre-wrappage.

Post wrappage with the leftover honeycrisp apple slices.  Honeycrisps were $0.99 a pound at our local grocery store yesterday!!  They are far superior to any other apple in my book!

Then I took my little Hallo-weiner, aka Ripsey my furdaughter, for a little walk/run around our neighborhood.  It was fun watching everyone get ready for Halloween!

Then I came home and had snack #1.  Vanilla yogurt with pumpkin and pumpkin spice mixed in.  I sprinkled walnuts on top.

I have no idea how those candy corns got in there…

Snack #2 was out of boredom…

Kashi warm cinnamon H2H cereal.

Then I got started on dinner.  Pumpkin Chili!!

I kind of made this recipe up as I went along.  I did google some recipes, but I was very proud of myself for altering things here and there to come up with my very own recipe.

Spicy Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• EVOO
• 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 1  can of vegetable broth
• 2 cans of pinto beans
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin
• habenero extract
• 2 cayene peppers from my grandma’s garden (!!)
• salt and pepper to taste

First I put some EVOO in the bottom of my chili pot and cooked the peppers and onions for about 5 minutes or so.  Then I added in the rest of my ingredients and cooked it on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

The chili turned out great if I do say so!  Even Andrew, the chili master, liked his!

I served mine with a golden corn VitaTop.  I’d never had this flavor before.  I was so excited to eat it!!

Then after turning my back on it to greet some trick-or-treaters, my little piggy, aka hallo-weiner, chomped down on it!!!!!!!  I was not happy!!   She got a big NOOOOO!! When I told Andrew about it later, he said to Ripsey, “Your mama can take a lot.  You can pee on  her and she’s not mad.  You can whine and wake her up and she’s not mad.  But mess with her food and she’s pissed!!”   Haha, couldn’t have said it better!!

Thankfully I had one more in the freezer so I toasted it and quickly ate it before my piggy could!!  It was so sweet and delicious!!  I loved it!!

Then I decided I would let myself have one of each of the pieces of candy we were giving out.

Spooky really how that candy corn kept getting in all of my bowls!!

I enjoyed every bit of my candy and even though it might have been more than I needed (though they were all mini size), I decided it isn’t an everyday occurence that I eat candy bars or candy anything, so I don’t feel bad.

What did you indulge in on Halloween?

October Challenge Reflections October 31, 2009

Remember 31 days ago when I announced I would be doing either yoga or pilates every other day for the entire month of October?  Well guess what!!  Even though I didn’t do the best job updating you about it, I completed the entire challenge!! I was actually pretty nervous that I would fail.  Why oh why do I continue to doubt myself??  Anyway, I would love to share some reflections with you, in bullet form, to share about my experience.

• I am much more stretched out. My legs don’t hurt nearly as much when I’m running or doing other forms of exercise.  Yoga is great at preventing injuries and since I had/have knee problems, I know just how important taking the time to take care of yourself is.
• My flexibility has greatly increased. I could not get my knees to touch the ground when I would sit in cobbler’s pose.  They still don’t touch completely, but they are much, much closer.  I also could barely touch my toes when I would be sitting and bending over with my legs out in front.  Now I can hug the arches of my feet!  I couldn’t touch the floor in pyramid pose on October 1.  Now I can put my palms flat on the ground!  Incredible, right?!
• I am temporarily (at least) less stressed. I wish I could say yoga and pilates completely made me less stressed, but it didn’t.  But, after coming home from a long day with 20 lovable, yet demanding 6 year olds, yoga has been like going to a spa each day.  Focusing on my breath, slowing things down, and clearing my mind have really helped me regroup before Andrew walks in the door.  I think he appreciates me being in a calmer and happier mood.
• My balance is much improved. I have actually gotten really good at poses like pose of the dancer, tree pose, half moon/revolving half moon, warrior 3, extended hand to toe, and standing splits.  As I was trying to put on some black leggings last week, I noticed I wasn’t falling over to one side like I usually do.  I put them on like a pro with the greatest amount of ease.  I looked like I was in tree pose doing it and I wished someone had been there to witness it!  I was so proud!!
• My upper body strength has increased. I could not do chaturangas without sloppily collapsing to the ground.  I can do them gracefully and with ease now!  And having to stay in a plank or down dog for more than a few seconds used to be torture.  Now I do it like no big deal!
• My clothes are fitting better. Not by much, but I just feel leaner.  Crazy, because I’ve actually gained 2 pounds since the beginning of the month!  Muscle, maybe?  I’m not too upset by the gain because I feel smaller.

As you probably figured out, I did yoga much more than pilates.  I like pilates, but not nearly as much as I enjoy yoga.  And these are just some of the benefits I’ve gotten from yoga.  I’ve also learned to slow down, to look inside myself more, to reflect on things, and to b  r  e  a  t  h  e.  I plan to continue doing yoga as much as possible for the rest of my life.  I even have a prenatal yoga DVD for whenever I become pregnant.  Yoga is great because anyone, any age can do it!!  So am I a yogi now?  Do you do yoga?  If so, how often?

Looks like now I get to schedule either a massage or facial for myself.  It’s already been paid for too because it’s a gift certificate I received for my birthday from my mother-in-law!  So what would you get? Massage or facial?

 

Edited to add: I’d like to put out a BIG congratulations to my very dear friend Em from Eating to Run for completing the challenge also!  She loves yoga just as much as I do (if not more!) and also took part in the challenge with me!!!!  Check out her comment below to see what she thought!  She feels so strong!!!!!  Way to go Em!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!!  Stay safe out there if you’re going out!!!!!!!!! We’re not sure what our plans are yet.  We were invited to a party, but since it’s so rainy, I really want to just stay in and watch scary movies.  We shall see!

P.S.  If you’ve never checked out Cake Wrecks before, you need to see today’s Halloween post.  I especially love the last cake!  hehe!

I Savored My Oats October 29, 2009

I never liked oatmeal as a kid.  Well, I take that back.  I don’t think I really ever tried it (I was a very picky kid!!) until I was in college.  I started out with instant packets, like brown sugar flavor, cinnamon roll, and any kind of sweet dessert-type flavors.  I didn’t really like it, but I knew it was healthy and good for me, so I ate it anyway.  Then I got tired of choking down my breakfast, and got on a year long eggo waffle kick.

Then sometime shortly after graduating college, I tried oatmeal again, but this time on the stove and with real oatmeal.  I even got the crazy idea to start putting  sliced peaches, cinnamon, and splenda in my oats.  I fell in love and ate peach oatmeal for the entire next year.  I finally started getting more and more creative with my oats.  I added in all kinds of things like apple chunks, peanut butter, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, strawberries, granola, and eventually got even more hardcore and started adding flax!  I always made it sweet though by adding in splenda.

About a year ago, I read on someone’s blog that oatmeal was delicious with the recommended amount of salt added.  So I tried it… without the usual splenda.  My oatmeal life as I had always known it changed in an instant.  Now I always add in a pinch of salt and rarely feel the need for sweetened oatmeal.

After this life changing oatmeal experience, I thought I’d seen and tasted it all.  That is, until I saw Sarah from The Foodie Diaries post about her savory oatmeal she had last week.  It looked so good, but I honestly didn’t know if I would actually like it.  So I tried my best to replicate it (minus the mushrooms, didn’t have any) last Saturday for lunch.

 

• 1/2 cup oats
• steamed broccoli
• a few tablespoons of mozzarella cheese
• sriracha!!  key ingredient!!

 

This was so delicious.  So filling.  So healthy.  What more could I have asked for??

Since that beautiful first day of savory oats, I’ve had it 3 more times.

This was the same as before, but with the addition of some black beans underneath the broccoli!!  Loved it!!

This bowl had black beans too, but I added in some cauliflower and instead of the mozzarella, I used cheddar.  I liked the mozzarella better.

I think this was my favorite bowl so far.  I got the idea yet again from one of Sarah’s posts.

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 broken up laughing cow swiss cheese wedge mixed in
• 1 fried egg on top
• sriracha!!

Next time I want to scramble up the egg.  But I loved the yolk part in this one.  So creamy and yummy with the combination of the oats and cheese.

Andrew thinks I’m crazy for liking savory oats.  What do you think? Have you tried savory oats yet?

If not, what are you waiting for?!?!?!?!?!

Sit Back and Snuggie Up! October 27, 2009

This is going to be kind of a random, jump around kind of post, so be warned!

To kick off the madness, let’s back up to Sunday morning when I came downstairs after Andrew left for his disc golf tournament and saw this odd note on our message board.

Then I look around and see this.

Yes, he really meant snuggie when he said snuggie!

Not only did my man buy me a snuggie, he proceded to carefully tape one of my (complimentary) school pictures to it.

And yes, since I’m such a wild woman, he chose the zebra print for me.  I know what you’re thinking.  You wish you were as lucky as me.

Ok, so snuggies aren’t as warm as they seem.  I’ve been snuggie-ing up with mine and it’s really not all it’s cracked up to be.  It doesn’t stay up on me, kinda slips off and I keep having to tug it back up around my neck, and then I get frustrated and just use it like a regular ol’ blanket.  But hey, at least I’m prepared should I ever be invited to a snuggie pub crawl!  And I’ll definitely be one of the sexier snuggie-ers in my zebra print… doncha think?!

Not only does Andrew like to keep me warm and up with the latest trends, he also likes to keep me happily fed.  Tonight he sauteed some chicken fingers with onions and bell peppers from our garden.  He then topped it with marinara sauce.  He served it with some leftover gluten-free pasta casserole my mom made especially for him over the weekend.  And to please his veggie lovin’ wife, he threw in some steamed brussels sprouts.

Anything covered in marinara sauce is infinitely comforting to me.

For dessert, he sliced up some apples fresh from the apple orchard and sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon.

Can you guess what’s in the middle of those apple slices?!?!?!

Here’s a clue…

Yep!  Pumpkin seeds he roasted in sesame oil last night!!  They are awesome!!

The bottom of this one rotted, so Andrew made it look like he was half buried.

Speaking of halloween, look at what I got in the mail today!

A halloween card from my grandparents!  With $2 for me and $2 for Andrew.

My grandma is the best!   She is of course referring to our PB&J halloween costumes this year!

Maybe I can use my money to buy some more of these halloween treats…

As soon as I saw these limited edition Spooky S’mores Z Bars, I grabbed them right up!  I did not get enough!!

Who needs halloween candy when you have these tasty treats?!

I still have more foodie things to tell you about, but I think I’ll have to save it for another night.  I’m pooped!  Hope all of you enjoy your evening.  Gonna go snuggie up in my snuggie with my snuggie buddy!

Instantly Friends October 26, 2009

Thank you so much for the sweet comments on all of my halloween costumes!  You all really know how to make a girl blush!

 

I am so happy to report that this week has started out so much better than last week did.  I’m not feeling nearly as stressed and overwhelmed.  I’m making more of an effort to let things slide and not worry about perfection as much.  Oh and let me tell you how fabulously my weekend ended!!  I’ve been dying to blog about it ever since it happened!!!!!!!!

Ok, so yesterday, I got a comment from the fabulous Kelly at Fitting Back In saying how much she liked our Juno costumes in my previous post.  I knew she was in the Atlanta area, but didn’t know exactly where.  So I said if she was ever in my area, to let me know and that she was more than welcome to borrow Andrew’s Bleeker outfit for her husband Austin to wear.  Well, soon after she emailed me back explaining where she lives and we both were in shock to find out we live probably 5 minutes or less from one another!!  Crazy small world experience!!

So we planned to meet up at a nearby Starbucks that evening for a warm beverage and to talk.  She is seriously such a  sweetheart!!  We had endless things to talk about.  She is one of those people who is genuinely interested in everything you say and makes you feel so at ease.  And her fashion sense is just fabulous!  I don’t think I even told her, but she was so super stylish!!  I really need her to go shopping with me since I’m probably like 5 seasons behind!!

We were both having such a great time and couldn’t believe that it was 9:30 when we finally got up to leave!  We sat and talked for 2 and a half hours!!  It was just so nice to talk to someone who totally understood my fascination and adoration for food blogs, fitness, weight issues, etc.  I even told her things I would never usually tell someone I just met, but she just made me feel so comfortable and like I was talking with an old friend.  I really regret not getting a picture of the both of us to show you!  Oh well, maybe next time!  Thanks for treating me to the hot ginger green tea, Kelly!!

October Challenge Update: I did a pilates segment on Exercise TV today.  It was so hard, but in a good way!!  I always feel a little bad though when I can’t do certain moves.  Like teasers.  Ugh, I cannot do pilates teasers.  I always chicken out and just do crunches or reverse crunches while the instructor does them.

Alright, hopefully my week will continue to go as smoothly as it has started out.  I’m off to snuggle with my boy and then get in bed early tonight!  Goodnight friends!!

The Ghost of Halloween Past October 24, 2009

Halloween 2006

A German beer maid

Halloween 2007

Hermione, eh hem, a very revealing Hermione *sorry Mom!!* with Harry Potter

(see, still had a little poochie tummy even when I was smaller!!  Not criticizing myself, just making note)

Halloween 2008

Juno and Bleeker

(very poochie tummy here!! ) And I was really happy here, just trying to play the Juno part!

Halloween 2009

PB & J!

I made Andrew take a better picture after this!

I got the idea for us to be PB & J after seeing Spotty Prep Goes Healthy and her husband’s picture dressed up so cute!  Andrew bought our shirts for $1.75 each and screen printed them at his work for free.  NICE!

Looking through these past Halloween pictures, I can’t help but think about how much physically I’ve changed through the recent years.  Halloween 2006 was when I was at my smallest.  2007 and 2008 I was at my goal weight.  But, you know what, I’m not beating myself up about it like I thought I might.  I’m happy and healthy in 2009 and even though I’m struggling with my weight right now, that doesn’t mean that I can’t still look in the mirror or at pictures and like the person I see.  My hair sure has changed too!  I like it now the best!

I did eat and drink too much at the party last night.  I woke up feeling very swollen and FULL still.  Hate that feeling!!  I’m going to be drinking as much water as possible today and I’ll do some yoga in a little while.  We’re going to celebrate my sister’s birthday tonight and I know there will be healthy options, so I’m going to stick with those and will not eat any cake.  Not after all the sweets I had last night!  I’m craving salty and savory anyway today, so it won’t be hard!

I’ve decided to put a temporary stop on My Progress page.  Not much progress has been going on lately and I’m not doing as good about making an effort to lose weight as I had been.  I’m feeling a bit discouraged and unmotivated to make any changes to try and lose more weight at this time.  I do plan to continue to of course eat healthy homecookedem food and maintain my current weight, just not going to try and lose anymore right now.  I’ll let you know if I resume active weight loss mode and updating My Progress page!

Hopefully all of you are having a great start to the weekend!!    Oh, I almost forgot!!  Check out my guest post on Carrots ‘n’ Cake today!!  What an honor!!   Thanks again, Tina!

Blog Love + Bread + Apple Cider Apples October 22, 2009

Thank you so much for the blog love you left me after my post last night.  Seriously, I’m so touched by your supportive comments.  I truly love being apart of this amazing community filled with respect and encouragment for one another.  It’s one of the best things that could have happened to me.  Ok, let’s move on to some food before I start getting teary!!

I just have to tell you about my new food find!

I love Pepperidge Farm bread.  And no, they’ve never contacted me or sent me any samples.  I just love it that much!  And this new kind I found, German Dark Wheat, is probably the best thing since sliced bread!!   I’ve already had it toasted with PB on top and it was so good!  Tonight I decided to make it apart of dinner.

I scrambled up some egg beaters with diced tomatoes and green peppers.  I also added in some crumbled laughing cow cheese as it was cooking.  I used to always spread the cheese on the bread and then top it with my eggs, but not anymore!!  You should try this at least once – that is if you’re a fellow laughing cow fan like me!  It makes the eggs much creamier and fluffier!

The flavor of the bread along with the scrambled deliciousness was so satisfying to eat.

I also have a new favorite dessert to tell you about!  Apple cider apples!  With PB on top, of course since we all know everything is better with PB!   All I did was chop up an apple and microwave it for a minute and then sprinkled pumpkin pie spice on top and then microwaved it for another 45 seconds.  It has the exact same flavor of the apple cider I had last Sunday when we were apple picking!!  So comforting!!

October Challenge Update:  I did 20 hard minutes of a new weight loss pilates segment on Exercise TV.  It was a little different from the standard pilates workouts I’m used to, but I really liked it!!  I feel so confident that I will complete this challenge and earn my spa gift to myself!!  And wow, do I need it………….

Ok sweet blog friends, I’m gonna go start getting ready for bed.  I have a busy, but fun weekend planned.  Tomorrow night we have a Halloween party to go to, Saturday we’re celebrating my sister’s 21st birthday (!!!!!!!), and Sunday I’m hanging out with one of my BFF’s at her new house!!   So not sure when I’ll be back, but rest assured, I will be back and will continue to visit all of your blogs in the meantime!!!!!!    Bye for now!!