Not many words necessary here. Although I am not a daily oatmeal eater like many of the blogger ladies out there, I do get a hankerin’ for it on occasion, most likely a non-workday morning when I am not rushing out the door and letting my oats get cold on my commute.

On this particular day I decided to go all in with an oatmeal parfait, complete with banana soft serve, a food items that I had never tried before.

I layered my parfait with oats, honey PB, strawberry preserves, and banana soft serve.

Tasty and good looking.

I am ready to go to bed. Do you ever have those kind of days? It wasn’t a bad day, at all. I just got into an afternoon slump that I never got out of, even with all of the Cinco de Mayo festivities all around.

I started my day with something a little different. I actually prepped my breakfast last night so that I could have overnight oats.

They were a little thick, but overall I was really happy with how they turned out.

In the mix: 1/3 c oats, 1/2 container blueberry Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1/4 c? milk.

I topped with fresh strawberries, strawberry preserves, and The Bee’s Knees peanut butter. I had some granola to add, but it was too thick for another mix in, plus my spoon was already too small to handle it all.

AM snack was some broccoli and cauliflower tossed in some ranch dressing (maybe 1 tbsp?).

Lunch was an Amy’s Organic Mexican casserole bowl that I topped with jalapenos, tomato, and plain Greek yogurt.

Plus a side of some Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips.

I had an incredibly slow afternoon. Once I felt the afternoon blahs coming on, you know that part of the day where you start to drag especially when you aren’t busy, I grabbed a  snack to see if it would help. I started with some carrot sticks and pepper slices.

That snack seemed to open the flood gates if hunger. I grabbed an apple to try to make it better. No luck there.

When I left work I was really hungry, but we couldn’t go to dinner because our house was being shown and we had Piper with us. Once our house was free B had to grab a shower. Gah!

Finally we left for dinner. I had the brilliant idea to grab some Mexican food for dinner in honor of Cinco de Mayo….and so did everyone else in town. We sat at the bar, which was so busy it took 40 minutes for someone just to take our food order and then another 20 or 30 minutes to get our food.

I understand why it took so long, the place was slammed! Thank goodness for chips and salsa. I devoured at least 3/4 of the basket in the blink of an eye. And I completely ruined my appetite for dinner.

Good thing we ordered a grande chicken burrito to split!

I still haven’t shaken those afternoon blahs so I am going to hit the sack. I need to feel good tomorrow because I have to start buckling down on my packing and cleaning efforts. It is going to be moving day in no time!

I am at the point in my evening where I am completely zapped of energy. I am so ready to go to bed but I have things to get done before then. Boo.

Today has just been a blah day in general though. Especially with food. It’s just been one of those days.

I started my day with a beautiful bowl of oats.

Unfortunately, they were just not what I wanted. And the sad thing is that I knew I didn’t really want them but I made them anyways hoping I would change my mind. Not the case, I ended up passing them off to B as I walked out the door for work.

Instead I ended up eating a not so beautiful chicken sandwich from Chic Fil A….again. It didn’t taste as good as I was hoping but it was way better than the oatmeal.

Somewhere in my uneventful morning at the office I ended up eating a bowl of fruit. Simple yet tasty.

Quick lunch foods are scarce in my house at the moment. I am not sure what happened to my fridge and pantry, its like all of the good food disappeared!

My lunch wasn’t all that quick but I was happy with how it came out. It was definitely my best meal of the day. I had Annie’s mac n’ cheese, baked beans, and green beans. I would eat the leftovers tomorrow, but B has already gotten to them.

My afternoon was busy with a project and it flew by. I love when that happens!

Once I got home I ate some veggies. For some reason it seems like all we have in the house veggie wise is carrots, sweet peppers, and spinach. I think I am going to have to head to the farmers market this weekend.

I am happy to report that my Craigslist items seem to be selling. I sold my massage table Monday and my elliptical machine tonight. Woohoo! I was supposed to sell my desk tonight but the girl was a no show, fortunately I have a backup person who is coming tomorrow. Plus someone is coming to be my stationary bike Saturday!

Me and B had laid out some salmon for dinner but we were both lazy and didn’t want to cook it. B normally does the fish so I sucked it up and gave it a half-hearted try.

It was awful!

I should be so ashamed at the waste of food and money. The fish was super salty, the rice was super bland, and the shrimp were stuck to its shell and were somewhat inedible.

I ate what I could but ended up resorting to a spoon full of honey PB and 2 pieces of Great Harvest cinnamon chip toast. I was hungry and did not feel like dealing with my camera, but its okay because you have seen it all before.

Do you ever eat foods that you don’t really want because that was the “plan”?

Hello from North Carolina! It is so gorgeous here and I am dying to get outside for a few!

I am so lucky that my house has so many windows because it is so bright in my house. I feel like I am getting to enjoy the weather even though I am sitting in my kitchen blogging.

I am happy to report that I did get myself a little bit motivated last night. I (we) managed to get the dishwasher unloaded and reloaded, laundry done, packed, and I even prepped snacks for today. I didn’t do a full on workout, but I did do certain moves in between tasks. 50 crunches here, 30 spats there, and pushup here and there. You get the idea.

My morning was so nice after prepping last night. I did not have to rush around the house. I even laid out an outfit so I didn’t even have to worry about that!

Since I had a some extra time on my hands I decided to make a small bowl of oatmeal to go with the fruit (green and red grapes, strawberries, and a nectarine) I had chopped up for breakfast. I kept things simple with 1/4 oats, 1/4 c water, 1/4 c milk, salt, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and cinnamon. Yum!

I have been a little miss snackypants this morning. I started snacking before 10 AM! First up was a mini Babybel. These are good, but I think I like mozzarella sticks better because they have more flavor.

Next up was a big ole Doctor Kracker that I crumbled up with a wedge of Laughing Cow and 2 carrots worth of carrot sticks. 

I was really surprised how well this snack satisfied me. I came home for my lunch break, but I am not feeling hungry.

On my way home I did pick up a foot long turkey breast sandwich from Subway. I plan on leaving half for Brian to eat later this afternoon. I know I have leftovers from last night in the fridge, but they seem to heavy for such a hot day and nice cool sandwich is just what I am craving. I won’t be eating right away, but it is only a matter of time before I get hungry. I can’t let hunger distract me while I am trying to wrap up my work for the weekend!

Do you have a long weekend this weekend? What are your plans?

Also, what do you like to eat on a hot/warm day?

Happy Hump day!

Today started out on a sweet note. First of all, the pain in my leg is slowly getting better and I was craving a nice hot bowl of oats for breakfast.

In honor of Valentine’s Day I made some Chocolate Cover Strawberry Oats.

1/2 frozen banana (I let this cook up before adding the oats), 1/4 c oats, 1/2 c water, splash milk, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1 tsp flax, drizzle of agave, and 4 frozen halved strawberries. I should have added some vanilla and cinnamon but I forgot.

I topped with Nutella and PB.

I loved the tartness of the strawberries with the sweetness of the Nutella. I will definitely make these again and I will remember the vanilla and cinnamon next time….I hope.

My oats didn’t hold me over at all and I started snacking around 10 AM. Throughout the course of the morning I ate these Stacy’s pita chips. They were super crunchy because they are starting to go stale. They were good but some hummus would have made them much better.

Surprise , surprise I had a clementine as apart of my morning snack too. I can’t seem to get enough of ‘em.

Wednesday lunches at Yoshi’s are becoming a regular thing for me and Jennifer. I had my fave steamed gyoza and a tempura roll. As usual I was starving and got excited about eating so I dug in until Jennifer was kind enough to remind me to photograph my meal. Thanks Jennifer!

When I got back to the office I really wanted some thing sweet, preferably chocolate, but since all of my v-day goodies are at home I turned to another treat instead.

Clif Kids Organic Twisted Fruit. I love these but they are priced a little steep at $.99 each. I will definitely be on the lookout for when these guys go back on sale.

See you for dinner!

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.

On top of being in a super icky mood yesterday I was really ready to get off of work so I could head to a blogger meet up for dinner. Seriously, the anticipation of this meet up is what has kept me going this week. If that makes me lame I don’t care.

Dinner wasn’t until so I had a snack to try to hold me over.

Surprisingly this orange held me over until at least 6:30 PM. For me, oranges don’t usually have that kind of staying power. Maybe I was just nervous at meeting these bloggers for the first time.

The occasion for dinner was not random, Holly the Everythingtarian is in town visiting so it was a perfect occasion to get some food bloggers together for dinner.

I came straight from work and got to the area super early and ha d over an hour to kill. I spent my time checking out Marshall’s, Rack Room Shoes, Ulta, and Books A Million, all that walking made me hungry. By the time 7 PM rolled around I was starving.

Me, Meredith (Whit’s sister), Whit, Holly, and Stacy.

Whit had been to this restaurant before, Blu Basil, and quickly ordered the hummus platter for the table.

This stuff was tasty. I love bread, especially when covered in hummus.

My good hair day was long gone by this point.

The menu looked great, but there was one thing in particular that caught my eye. There was a picture of their spaghetti and meatballs in the menu and I knew that is what I was having.

I also ordered a side of sautéed veggies.

The food did not disappoint. Plus there was so much! I brought at least half home to eat for lunch today. I had to save room for dessert.

For dessert we all split chocolate cake, turtle cheesecake, and tiramisu.

They were all good, but the tiramisu was definitely my fave. They also had some red velvet cake that looked amazing.

Thanks to Whit for getting this dinner organized!

I was really sad that I missed the fashion show at Marshalls, but this girl had to get home. I can’t wait to hang out again.

And while I am on a roll I will go ahead and show you what I had for breakfast.

Oats! I was going to call them AB&J oats but they are more than that.

I started by heating up 1/2 banana in my pot. I looked like it was melting. Then I added 1/3 c oats, 1/3 c water, and 1/3 milk. I seasoned with a little salt and some cinnamon. I topped 1/2 microwaved apple with my oats and then topped them with wheat berries, Nature’s Path granola, AB, and strawberry preserves. This was a great combo, nice and chewy.

This morning is flying by, thank goodness! And I have to get back to work.

I am so happy it is Friday!!!!! But I am really worried that the snowy/icy weather they have predicted for the weekend is going to throw a kink in my plans. Eek!

After dinner last night I got Brian to swing by EarthFare since it was only 2 minutes away. I had seen that Kelsey got some local milk there and wanted to give it a try myself. So of course I had to break it out for breakfast this morning.

The price is steep as is the case with a lot of local and/or organic foods. This bottle (a quart?) cost $4.34 up front, but I can get $2 back when I return the glass bottle. Considering B and I have gone through 2 gallons this month I am not sure we could completely replace our current milk with this. This milk definitely had a different flavor that the milk I am used to buying. It was surprising but very tasty.

Being a big ole cheapy, I only put a splash of milk in my morning oats and then poured myself a glass for sipping. Playing with angles this morning. What do you think?

My oats were simple this morning. Nuked apples, 1/4 oats, almost 1/2 c water, splash of milk, some brown sugar and cinnamon topped with PB and some semi sweet chocolate chips.

And it was all served up in one of my new super cute bowls. Bah! I could not get a blur free shot without making myself late for work.

This morning’s snack was popcorn and an orange.

I love the salt/crunch combo.

For lunch I really wanted a burrito. But instead of making a stop by Moe’s I went home to my spaghetti squash leftovers and boy and I glad I did! You can’t even tell that this cheesy goodness was leftovers. m Baked spaghetti spaghetti squash. (meant the 2 spaghetti’s). Mmmmm.

After I had licked my spaghetti squash dish clean I remembered that we have cookies in the house. I quickly got to putting one in the oven. How could I resist the thought of a fresh, hot cookie with my fresh local milk? I couldn’t!!

But I did have to take it to go because by the time the cookie was done it was time to head back to work.

I can’t wait til 5 because I have some big plans for this weekend. Tonight will be all about baking my dog treats for the winning bidder of the Bake 4 Haiti bake sale and possibly dropping in on a Girls Night Out that some of my friends are having. There may or may not be some burritos in my future as well. Plus tomorrow morning, if the weather cooperates, I get to meet Whit! I am so excited!

Do you have any big plans for the weekend?

Monday (workday) is almost over. I am ready to head home and enjoy this beautiful weather. I am really looking forward to taking Piper for a walk.

This morning breakfast was oats.

1/2 apple, 1/3 c oats, 1/3 c water, 1/3 c milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a dash of salt topping with PB.

I totally forgot about brown sugar…until I took a bite. Ick. Fortunately the oats were hot and the brown sugar stirred right in when I realized my error. Unfortunately I only got to eat about 1/2 my oats before I left the house and didn’t manage to get back to them once I got to the office.

By the time I was ready for a snack I was no longer in the mood for oats so I had some chips instead.

I love these Riceworks chips. They are usually really tasty and hold me over forever. This morning not so much. I was hungry again in an hour.

Lunch was last night leftovers.

The daylight photos came out so much better. These leftovers were amazing, just as good as last night.

Unfortunately my lunch didn’t hold me over as long as I would have liked so I pulled out my last pear.

This guy was super juicy but wasn’t hitting the spot. Plus the skin was irritating my teeth so I threw it out after eating only 1/2. So I am still hungry. Now I must decide…popcorn or apple? Hmmm…