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I just looked up at the clock and saw that it said 10:26 and I almost fell off the couch! When did it get so late?

After work B and I were both recovering from rough afternoons and were starving. I had no desire for the raw veggies that I took to work so I had to scrounge for a different snack. I ended up using the last crushed remnants of our tortilla chips, leftover turkey taco filling from earlier this week, and 3 slices of provolone cheese to make some make shift nachos. After the goods were all melty we topped them with salsa and plain Oikos. We ate them straight off the pan with forks. They were delicious. So delicious that the contents of the pan were consumed and the pan was cleaned and put away before I remembered that I was supposed to take a picture. Oops.

After our snack I left for the grocery store. I didn’t want to spend my Saturday doing it all, except for a quick trip to Costco. I have a coupon for a jumbo bag of Food Should Taste Good chips!

After I got home from the grocery store I got started on dinner. Some Brussels sprouts that were on their last leg and sweet potato fries.

I just halved the Brussels sprouts and tossed in olive oil and S&P. Same with the fries.

They were tasty but lacked staying power. I am definitely going to be eating more before bed.

While shopping tonight I was excited to see some decent looking strawberries. They are from Florida so they aren’t local but it could be worse. They were a little tart and had a decent flavor. I am so excited to have some fresh berries!

That is it for tonight’s eats. I think I am off to get a good nights rest so I can make the most of the day tomorrow.

Night!

Argh. I am pooped and I have no idea where the day I went. I feel like it was 9:30AM one minute and then it was 3PM in a flash. Eek! I want to relish my weekend not forget where it went.

Friday when I got home from work I was hungry and didn’t know what to eat so I grabbed a handful of roasted almonds to hold me over for a bit.

It turns out that B wanted to go to Corkscrew for some wine and cheese.

Dinner was simple. Sun-dried tomato tortellini, pasta sauce, and Italian sausage.

Dessert was some Valentine’s candy. I ate the caramel one.

Today my Mom and I had plans to run some errands which include Concord Mills Mall. I knew morning nourishment was a must, but I made pancakes instead.

While shopping I wanted to be buying these beauties. Sexy heels.

Instead I was seriously considering these. Naturalizers.

I meant to pack some fruit before we left the house but I forget. We were too hungry to wait to eat lunch and ended up eating food court Chinese food. I had forgotten about the Salsarita.

After the mall we picked up B and headed to see Pawpaw at work. Its been a few weeks so we needed to catch up. I am going to have to schedule a dinner with him soon.

After Pawpaw we made a trip to EarthFare to pick up dinner. We ended up with an interesting selection of food.

Appetizer included boiled shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce, guac and chips, and Raclette cheese and crackers.

My brother recommended the raclette. At least that’s what I think he said.I didn’t like it at first taste but I think I got cheese from too close to the rind.  These crackers are delicious by the way, Back to Nature sunflower basil.

Dinner was Chilean sea bass, roasted potatoes,  Brussels sprouts (for me), and sautéed chard (for Mom and B).

We had bought some bourbon marinated salmon but decided it was unnecessary after the exorbitant amount of appetizers we consumed. Now we have lunch for tomorrow!

I am now headed to the kitchen for some frozen Somoas and Homeland Creamery milk. Sweet.

Whew, it has been a busy weekend, or felt that way at least.

Saturday morning we started by making breakfast for B’s parents. We made eggs, grits, and bacon. Since I do not really like eggs I passed on those.

I also ate some clementines while I got caught up on my blog reading. After some time playing in the snow we decided to get out for a little while and decided to head over to Concord Mills Mall. Concord Mill is a great place to walk around and get some shopping done, plus you can drop the guys off at Dave and Buster’s to play games and watch sports if they get bored.

We ate lunch at Firehouse Subs, and B and I split a meatball sub.

After lunch we decided to head home except for a pit stop at the Bradford Store.

The Bradford Store is a really cute store that sells primarily locally grown and organic produce.

They even have ground beef from a local farm.

I will definitely trying some of this meat once we go through the deer meat the B’s parents just brought us.

All we bought was some milk from Homeland Creamery. We really loved the flavor of this milk when we bought it at Earthfare. Thanks Kelsey for introducing us to it!

After our trip out everyone else was ready to nap, except me, so I went back out and about. Of course I ended up at 4 different grocery store and came home with some goodies.

So the Mrs. Meyers is not a foodie item, but I was excited to find this big bottle of All Purpose cleaner at Marshall’s Homegoods for $4.99! I  scored the Dr. Kracker crackers at Homegoods too.

I also came home with some other goodies. But you will have to wait until later see what’s in this box.

It didn’t take me long to dig into some of my goodies once I got home. I started by making a mocktail like I have seen on Kath and Ashley’s blogs.  I am a huge soda fan but have been cutting way back over the past few months. I only though this was meh, but I also know that I was expecting it to be too much like a coke. I will definitely try it again, maybe with more juice next time.

Next up was appetizers.

Hot capicola and Dubliner cheese.

Plus an Uncle Kracker cracker.

Lamb was on the menu for dinner. B’s parents have never eaten much lamb and it has been becoming a favorite of mine and B’s so we wanted to share it with them. The meat is cooked really simply. All we do is season with salt and pepper or grill seasoning and sear both side in a hot pan with olive oil. Once I have a nice sear on both sides I reduce the heat to medium, put a lid on the pan, and leave it alone for a bit. They came out great!

I sautéed some Brussels sprouts, red onion, and bacon to go on the side. And Brian mixed up some yogurt sauce. 3 – 4 oz of plain Oikos and 1/2 tsp of dried dill weed. Yum-ee.

Plus a side salad with organic ranch dressing. I had to buy organic in order to find a ranch without MSG. I was sad to throw out or Hidden Valley.

As if this day did not have enough food we went to Cold Stone for dessert. I had my usual. A kids size chocolate ice cream with Heath bar and caramel.

And last but not least I had one of these guys as a late night snack.

I found these Clif Kids Organic Twisted Fruit on sale at Harris Teeter. I was always a Fruit Roll Ups fan growing up so I figured this was right up my alley. It was great! I only bought 2 but I am definitely going to go back to get some more!

After all this eating I still wasn’t done! I went ahead and started prepping for Sunday’s breakfast. I wanted to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast so I had to get the dough made so it could rise. More on those later.

We had a great visit on Saturday with even more in store on Sunday!

Good Afternoon. Today has been surprisingly good for a Monday and even included a trip to the dentist.

I started my day out strong by getting up early for a workout. I decided to use a YogaDowload.com pose guide since my knee was hurting. I really need to work on my stretching. I think I ma going to look into getting some more of these workouts.

Next up was Oats in a Jar!

The jar of deliciousness included 1/2 apple, 1/3 c oats, 1/3 c milk, 1/3 c water, salt, cinnamon, 1 tbsp flax, 1 tbsp chia seeds, and 2 tbsp wheat berries. Plus I topped with 1/2 an Ultimate cookie that I crumbled on top.

There was so much in this little jar that I could not finished it all.

Since I knew I would be eating lunch early I tried to keep my morning snack kind of light. I started with some tiny pickles.

In my opinion these guys are a great substitute for chips since they are crunch and salty. I just forget about them sometimes.

Plus a really big carrot.

I had a busy morning so time seemed to breeze by. All of a sudden it was time for me to heat up my lunch and hit the road to head to a dentist appointment. I was actually running a little late thanks to an impromptu conference call that caught me off guard.

In preparation for my busy lunch I packed some food for the road. Unfortunately it wasn’t particularly travel friendly.

It is not the easiest thing to drive down the interstate with a plate of tuna and Brussels sprouts sitting in your lap. I somehow managed to get to the dentist almost on time with all my food in my belly and none on my clothes (not that I have noticed yet).

I sautéed these Brussels sprouts and onion in balsamic vinegar this morning while making my oats. I was not a huge fan. I like them better with bacon.

Once I got back to the office I treated myself to a cookie.

A little crunchy for my taste but still tasty.

Time to dig out an afternoon snack and start wrapping things up. Catch you for dinner.

I think today has been one of my busiest Saturdays in ages.

I was up early this morning because I was excited about brunch at Kath’s house. Although I almost ruined it for myself. I had in my head that brunch was at 10:30 when it was actually at 10. Good thing B looked over the email or I would have been late!

After realizing my error in timing I rushed to get a shower and get ready. I have really horrible dark circles under my eyes (I think its hereditary), so I rarely go out and meet new people without concealer under my eyes. At the beginning of January I bought a new product to try, Erase Paste by Benefit.

I finally have a camera where I can get a non-blurry close up. This is my eye before and after.

I have been really happy with the results compared to the other products I have tried, which include Bare Mineral Bisque and Bobbi Brown corrector/concealer combo.

Onto Brunch. I did not get a group picture but the group included Me, Kath (of course), Diana, Whit, Stacey, Emily, Kate, and Michelle.

Oatmeal was on the menu and we has a spread of amazing toppings.

There were several Great Harvest baked goods and some biscotti.

A large assortment of nut butters.

Agave Plus granola, TJ’s pumpkin granola, Crofter’s Superfruit spread (blueberry I think), pumpkin butter, cranberry preserves (or something like that). There were also wheatberries and fresh raspberries that I forgot to get a picture of. In my bowl was banana oats, Agave Plus granola, wheatberries, raspberries, Nutzo, and Crofter’s Superfruit Spread.

This was a fantastic bowl of oatmeal! And it came along with some great conversation. We all sat and talked for 2 hours! It was really great to meet all of these ladies.

By the time I got home I was ready for a little lunch. On the ride home I had decided on Brussels sprouts.

Sautéed Brussels sprouts, onions, and turkey bacon. This bowl was nice and light and saved room for what I had planned later.

At 3PM B and I headed to Birkdale Village to go see Avatar in Real 3D. Of course I had a big tub of popcorn planned for me and B to share!

Plus some peanut M&M’s. There may have also been some Mr. Pibb involved too. 

I liked the movie despite the similarities people have pointed out between it and Pocahontas. I liked the story and it actually held my attention for the whole 3 hours.  I really did not think the 3D was spectacular and was really excited that it didn’t make me motion sick.

And if all of that wasn’t enough food B and I still had dinner.

We decided to use leftover shrimp to top a salad of spinach, romaine, and baby bella mushrooms.

So far that’s it for so far. Time for chores since I have been out playing all day. Boo.

Tonight I don’t even know where to start. I have been in a horrible mood all day even though nothing particularly bad happened today. I don’t know what got me in this funk. Do you ever have those kind of days?

This afternoon involved some snacking.

I started out with an apple.

Then I moved onto an orange.

My snack didn’t last long because I was ready for dinner right after I got home.

Rosemary balsamic chicken, roasted potatoes, and Brussels sprouts with sautéed onions and bacon.  These Brussels sprouts were awesome. I am so excited that I got restocked on this past weekend’s trip to CostCo, and they won’t last long.

For dessert I ate the last of my PB chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. The pictures were awful though.

I scrubbed down the kitchen and that has worked up my appetite again and I am thinking a smoothie would be perfect right now.

I hope I don’t make a mess and ruin the cleaning job I just did. Night!

** Somehow I lost all of my pictures from Thanksgiving 2009 until December 22, 2009. Ack! **

I am sure to have a nervous breakdown every morning before work. I will get to more of that later.

Sorry about the lack of activity. I am trying to make sure that work is my priority when I am in the office. I haven’t got in trouble over blogging and I want to keep it that way. This is some preemptive prioritizing. Then last night I was a baking machine, and when I wasn’t baking I was getting my Twilight fix. I am re-reading Breaking Dawn now.

So I left off yesterday after breakfast. Yikes! That feels like so long ago.

My morning snack was some hummus and crackers.

I finally finished off my Kashi Honey Sesame crackers and they were definitely stale. I just could bear to waste them.

The for lunch I went home and ate the turkey burger that I was craving on Monday.

Flatbread, Jennie-O Turkey burger patties, spinach, shredded cheddar, ketchup and mustard.

It was good but I totally over-cooked the patties. Oh, the joy of microwave cooking.

My burger kept me full all afternoon so no snackies for me. Soon after I got home Brian and I got started on dinner. Brian was a huge help since I was trying to get my cookies in the oven too.

Dinner was salmon patties, Brussels sprouts with bacon, and Lipton butter and herb noodles.

Added some ketchup to the salmon patties after I snapped my pictures.

Bacon and Brussels sprouts are amazing. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today.

This was an amazing filling meal but I had to taste test my cookies too.

This is the only cookie that I took a picture of. I was a little engrossed in what I was doing. I made chocolate chip, oatmeal scotchies, and sugar cookies.

The sugar cookies came out bland so I made a glaze for them and let it harden over night. I go a bit distracted this morning and never got to try them. My coworkers are going to be my taste testers.

After my baking was done I curled up with my book and inhaled a bag of popcorn while I read. I was so hungry that taking a picture was nowhere in my thoughts. But you have seen popcorn before anyways.

So this morning I was totally on track. I had my hair and make up done. I had breakfast in the over and I was bagging the last of the cookies (you will see). All of a sudden I look around my kitchen and there were little red paw prints all over my kitchen Eek!

Piper had some sort of blister on her foot that Brian and I noticed last night. It was too late to even think about going to the vet and we didn’t know what to do so we decided to leave it alone. Apparently Piper had a different idea in mind. I called her into the kitchen wanting to check her paw and to make sure she wasn’t bleeding on my rug.

I called Brian to come help. Look at the makeshift bandage we put on her foot.

One of Brian’s old socks taped around her leg. Brian got Piper taken care of while I mopped the floor. Piper hated the bandage, but it was the best we could do.

This totally made me late. I ran out the door with only 10 minutes to get to work. Eek!

I will be going back to check on Piper at lunch. I may try to run by Pet Smart to get some first aid supplies and a more doggie appropriate bandage. I think we are going to assess the situation tonight to determine if we think this will require a vet visit. I hope not!

I was totally frazzled when I walked in the door 5 minutes late. But I was greeted by a sweet surprise.

My co-worker Sal had bought me some Starbucks hot chocolate. Unfortunately it was cold when I got it because of my lateness, but a quick pop in the microwave fixed it right up.

Thanks Sal!

I drank about 2/3 of it before it got a little too sweet for my taste. It was yummy and a nice way to start my workday after my mess at home.

For breakfast I had baked myself an egg casserole or quiche or something like that. I wanted something I could put together and put in the oven so I didn’t have to mind it while I was putting the sugar cookies in baggies.

I beat 2 eggs with a splash of milk in a ramekin. I season with salt, pepper, and cayenne and then topped with some cooked bacon and shredded cheddar. I popped this in a 400* for 10-15 minutes.

After my mess, I had to cover it in aluminum foil and wrap it in a towel (the ramekin was still hot) so I could put it in my snack bag before I ran out the door. It was still warm when I pulled it out at work nearly an hour later. I was so excited about it that I forgot to take a picture until here…

Oopsy. I am not a huge egg fan and today was no exception. This was only meh. And I only ate about half before scraping it into the trash can. I made sure to pick out all of the cheese and bacon first though.

Since this did not nearly fill me up I decided
to start sipping on the rest of my Odwalla Mango Tango from Monday.

Now I am in for a busy rest-of-the-morning as I have conference calls until noon and then lunch. And my Wednesday afternoons tend to be hectic. I will leave you with a picture of the goodie basket I brought into work for everyone. I hope they enjoy!

** Somehow I lost all of my pictures from Thanksgiving 2009 until December 22, 2009. Ack! **

I am quickly learning that it is not easy to blog with a dog in your lap. Piper was in need of some attention so I decided to let her cuddle up with me. She is too sweet! Right now at least.

For dinner tonight I had planned to make some kind of tofu with butternut squash fries. I still wasn’t totally into the tofu when I got home, but I did get straight to making my butternut fries.

They turned out great!

All the work it took to cut it up was totally worth it. I think I ate at least 1/3 of the squash as soon as the came out of the oven.

I followed LC’s lead and seasoned them with Cumin. This gave them a savory flavor that I usually miss in the sweeter veggies.

Next I decided to give the tofu a try. Total FAIL.

I was trying to use Caitlin’s baked tofu recipe. The flavors were awesome, it was the tofu that sucked.

First of all, I squished the tofu when I was trying to get the liquid out which made it get kind of crumbly. Totally my fault.

I salvaged what I could and then baked it. The texture was ick-eeeee. I am saving for Brian to try. And I am thinking I will not be trying tofu again anytime soon.

After I while I was still feeling hungry so I decided to make brussel sprouts with bacon.

Yum-eeee. I inhaled this as fast as I did last nights dinner. And this has to be way better for me. I was a good wifey and saved some for Brian (he was playing flag football).

I have been craving dessert for a while but nothing in the house seems suitable.

I did eat another clementine.

Piper wanted some too.

Now it is time for a bath so I can get rested up. Tomorrow is Friday. WooHoo!

It has been a great evening in spite of the icky weather.

My Mom got to my house shortly after I got home from work. I get her for over a week this time! She came in today because of the St. Jude Walk on Saturday. We have some pre-Thanksgiving shopping to do. We still don’t have a turkey!

I had to put a rush on dinner because I had an appointment for a haircut at 6:30PM. Fortunately I already had it all planned out.

Sautéed chicken with TJ’s General Tsao’s Sauce with Lipton Mushroom Rice and sautéed brussel sprouts. So yummy. All of it.

This was my first time cooking and eating brussel sprouts. I was really pleased with the result. They got good reviews from Brian and Mom too!

For dessert, I ate a Reese’s Cup as we were running out the door to my appointment.

What do you think of my haircut?

The picture doesn’t do the haircut justice. CJ at Modern Salon in Birkdale Village did an awesome jobs as usual.

After looking at this picture I am self conscious that my face looks fat. Ick.

When we got back from the salon Brian had opened a bottle of wine. Some 2 Buck Chuck.

It was really good! We all had a glass.

Mom and I have been doing random stuff online all night. I have been showing off my blog and some of my favorite blogs. I wanted to show her the pictures of California wine country that Jenna has been posting. And I introduced her to green monsters.

My parents are moving to Fayetteville, NC next month and have to find a place to live so we have been researching this. And my mom wants to get a job once they move, so she can stay busy. The internet at her house has not been working so she will be working on some of this tomorrow on my computer while I am at work.

In the midst of all of our computer work Brian requested cookies. So I busted out the cookie dough from last night.

Unfortunately he fell asleep before they were finished. He has had a stressful week for sure.

I did go ahead and eat a couple, with some skim milk, without him. I think I might pack some up and staff them in his computer bag to munch on tomorrow. To let him know that I am looking out for him.

I am pooped and off to bed.  Night!