Decking & Doilies

Happy Monday!!  How was everyone's weekend?

Friday night was spent at Patrick's apartment with Mike & Kelly. We had some cocktails on the deck (we call this the act of decking) and then played Singstar & Buzz- a singing & trivia game respectively, for Playstation.

Doesn't my drink look innocent like sparking water? ;)

Some white wine spritzers  & cherry vodka with sprite zeros were enjoyed. Patrick found these cute little wine charms in his cabinet ( I love finding cute crap in my cabinet!)

Saturday I went to the beach with Emily and took no pictures because I didn't want sand in my camera lens. I will tell you though - the ocean had so much seaweed in it that it looked like a mojito!! I've never seen so much seaweed in water! It kept wrapping around our legs and getting all under our bathing suits ick ick ick!

The water was also super rough and we both lost our sunglasses after getting knocked down by multiple waves!  I love that we kept subjecting ourselves to this! Eventually we just sat in the sand by the water, trying to catch our breath. Whew! I needed new sunglasses anyway - it was this sexy pair:

Last night I went to Kohl's to get some new jeans & sunglasses. Apparently grandma's doilies are in fashion this fall.

This morning I craved something simple and went with toast with butter & raspberry jam.

I had a loaf of regular wheat bread in the freezer from a buy one, get one sale. I had it this morning but really wasn't feeling the taste of it too much. I am thoroughly spoiled by sandwich thins and bagel thins!

I enjoyed a cup of honeydew melon on the side.

Off to do some work!!

Getting Back Into It

So, this week hasn't been a great one health wise. I mean, it was fine, just clouded with some poor choices. Going out for a birthday is great and a part of life and I will always find a balance to include such activities in my life, but it's not a reason for a full derailment! I could've drank a bit less on Saturday (shhh judgies ;) and I could've made better hangover food choices the next day. And Monday - Ok now that's ridiculous. There was no need to ruin Monday. I need to remember to keep my eyes on my goals. I did feel however that on Tuesday (the start of my health week) I felt a renewed sense of drive. I'm thankful for that and even paused to be a lil bit proud of myself. In the past, I would've just gone on for weeks, saying I'd start over in September, or on my birthday mid month etc.

I found that when I used my blog to keep me more on track I .... get this... stayed more on track!!  So here are some meals!

Yesterday morning I made my awesome tropical smoothie, but this time had some spinach on hand.

Greeeeen

Check out this green! :D I love this color! I want to paint my walls this color and buy matching throw pillows. You can't even taste the spinach in this. I recommend it as a great way to get more veggies in.

For dinner I had a great salad. .. But I need to remember to position each addition nicely so I can take a prettier picture!

In the mix:

• lettuce
• spinach
• tomato
• celery
• baby carrots
• corn
• jalapeno peppers
• black bean burger

I ate this dressed with Wishbone Honey Dijon. After tasting this dressing, I promptly divorced Pete and married the dressing. SO GOOD! I do want to check the ingredient list though. Whenever something is this tasty, there is usually high fructose corn syrup in it. I like to try to stay away from this. It's hard though since it's in everything!

This morning I felt I initiated myself into the "Healthy Blogger" world. I finally bought Chia seeds!!! :D

*Naturally I didn't take a photo*  *Still learning blogging*

As soon as I opened them, I had to resist the urge to mix them in water & slather them all over Peach to see if I could grow my very own Chia Pet.

Don't you dare.

I was excited to finally try these little powerhouses out. They have a ton of omega 3s in them and have a gelling action when exposed to water that makes them plump up, keeping you fuller *not a word for longer.

I added them to my usual sandwich thin with peanut butter, 'naner, & cinnamon.

I can't wait to try them in other recipes where they really plump up.

So that's all for now! I will be photographing more stuff that I eat soon & attempting to stay on track in the meantime :)

Inspiration, Goals & Gaga

Its August! (2nd).

Time is flying and 29 is rapidly approaching. I've felt a bit discouraged lately and needed a couple pick me ups the last few days as far as goals. It's funny how when you ask, the universe throws you some signs.

On Friday I stumbled across Janetha's post over at meals & moves called words of wisdom. It has her favorite motivational quote which I immediately fell in love with.

“Do something about it. When something is troubling you, make the commitment to change it. Then begin to act on that decision right away. Some of the influences in your life are under your control, and many of those influences are outside your control. Yet you can always decide upon and put into action a positive response to anything.

Don’t sit around being amazed at how miserable you are and at how unfairly life is treating you. Instead, be amazed at how quickly and effectively you can do something about it.

Don’t complain to others about how tough it is for you. Instead, inspire them with your positive and enthusiastic attitude and actions.

When the world feels all wrong, that’s a valuable signal. It’s your way of telling yourself to get going and make a difference.

You have plenty of good options if you’ll simply make the effort to find them. Pick the best one, get busy putting it into action, and take positive control of your world.”

-Ralph Marston

The comment section of this post also has a ton of inspirational & motivational quotes that are favorites of others. Thanks for the inspiration!

I've also been enjoying Julie's new Tuesday segment over at PBfingers.com - Blog Talk Tuesdays where she is bequeathing her tons of blogging knowledge on us!! It's been helpful and interesting to read as someone new to blogging. In the same day (last week) I discovered Tina's own blogging tips over at Carrots 'n Cake. She created a wondefully helpful post that I highly recommend for anyone who blogs and is looking for some pointers. I found these just as I was beginning to get a bit frustrated at being in just the beginning stages of this blog. I know I need to build this up, lots to learn, and put lots of work into it but this info all fell into my lap at just the right time. It reminds me that other people have created successful blogs and that it is a posisbility for me too!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a taping of The View! I was super excited about it because Lady Gaga was co-hosting & performing! Plus The View is just a fun place to go any day! I always love seeing behind the scenes stuff.

Thanks to my friend Karl, me & some friends (Mike, Brandon, Jose & Derrick) were able to get the VIM (Very Important Monsters) treatment and sat super close!

Gaga was cute, fun to listen to during hot topics, and knocked out an amazing performance.

 She is one of my (our) favorite acts and it was so exciting to see her up close!

I've seen Gaga perform a number of times at concerts, benefits & now at a tv show and she never disappoints! It was a great way to start my week. :D

Back to the 80s

How y'all doin'? Why do I suddenly type like Paula Deen?

Saturday night was spent celebrating Ms Emily's birthday. Me & Pete got into the city a bit earlier and had some drinks beforehand. We stopped at a cute place called Walker's (RIP Brother's & Sisters) and sat outside to enjoy the beautiful afternoon.

I've been craving wine lately and ordered a German Riesling. It was crisp and refreshing!

I had to make sure to order water since I was thirsty from walking around. Note to self: Do not quench thirst with wine.

Then we headed over to a place called Bubby's to enjoy dinner!

Can you see where this nite is headed?

This place uses mostly organic & local ingredients. I love exploring downtown NYC. Even though I'm a native, I'm rarely in this neighborhood.

After dinner we walked down by the water which was 2 blocks away from to check out the sunset.

Velcome to the America!

After dinner, a stop at a bar and a walk by a Delorian (sufficiently 80s themed!) we headed over to Canal Room for an 80s band called Rubix Cube.

It was a fun night of  80s music and dancing!

The next day it was back to the 2010s (what are we calling this decade?) and nurse a hangover relax at home. We finally said goodbye to Duke.

I was wondering if I would be sad or miss his cute face, but 20 minutes before he left he took a dump on my carpet. Time to go!! Sticking with kitties! :)

Smoothie Queen

This morning I woke up still sore from the 30 Day Shred DVD I did on Thursday, but kept the flow going and did Jillian Michaels Shred It With Weights DVD.

I'm trying to get into the habit of doing strength training more regularly. I love feeling my muscles respond and getting stronger! I really like most of this DVD. There is one move where you swing the kettle bell from between your legs to up over your head, but when I do this move my shoulders hurt. They hurt in a "might come out of the socket" sort of way. (I realize they most likely will not, but who wants to tempt it?!?) Plus when you get to the top of the swing you are supposed to flip the kettle bell over so that it's leaning on the back of your hand, and I also feel like this could cause wrist injuries.

Other than that move I really like this work out. I've yet to try level 2. One day!

I was starving after this workout and decided to make yet another summer smoothie. I wasn't in the mood for the usual chocolate one. I'm actually not a huge fan of chocolate. I much prefer vanilla but currently don't have any vanilla protein powder.

While I browsed the fridge & freezer, I decided to make something tropically.
 I LOVE frozen 'naners and always have a few on hand. I know some people who are smarter than me peel the banana and THEN freeze it, but I keep forgetting to do this. I find it simple enough to open though. I simply cut the banana in half, and then make vertical slits into the skin. It pops right off!

Do you like my blue, white & yellow theme? I felt brilliant when I added the pineapple Chobani instead of a plain one. It's the little things!!

ZOMG this smoothie was awesome! All it needed was some rum and it'd be perfect! ;)

I enjoyed this with another iced coffee that I made all by myself.

Did you notice the tiny spoon?

Tiny spoon!

How cute is it?! I also bought it in red. I love that this one matches my smoothie bowl!
Last night I dragged Pete to Crate & Barrel and nearly bought everything in the tabletop section. I should really design my own dishes, mugs and kitchen utensils! Pete always laughs at me because he thinks I love anything that is smaller than average. I immediately protested until I realized he's so right.  Anytime we're in a store and I see a small plate, mini sized colander or tiny spoons I get super excited. I don't normally buy the pieces, but I couldn't resist the cute spoons!*

*I did not wind up eating the smoothie bowl with this spoon as it would've taken 2 hours*

I plan on using the spoons for things like ice cream & pudding.

Lastly, I want to send out a Happy Happy Birthday wish to Ms. Emily!

You are the best and I love you to bits and can't wait to celebrate tonight 80s style!! :D xoxo<3

Thai Lunch Catch Up

Yesterday I went to lunch with my friend Emily! We met during an internship back in college and have been friends ever since. We even lived together for three years!

Since our pics at lunch were a bit dreadful, here are some nice photos of us for you to look at.



Dress me, woman!



We're getting together this weekend for her birthday times but haven't seen each other one on one in a while, so we decided to hit up one of our favorite thai places, Spice.

We keep meaning to go to other places, but we really love the lunch special where you get an appetizer and choice of meal.

For my appetizer, I got "Duck Wrapped". It was so good! It was lil duck pieces, carrot, celery, peanut, sweet radish, soy hoisin sauce. I ate it like a lettuce wrap, which made it refreshing!

And for my meal I got Wok HOLY Basil (which I like to say like some crazy preacher man.) This dish is always a winner!

I ate every last bit! Have been craving Thai for a while and this was worth the wait!

As we were leaving the restaurant, I dropped my shitty $7 sunglasses. The lense on the one side always pops out and I pop it back in, declaring that I will soon buy new sunglasses, but never do. Today both lenses fell out. How trendy do I look?

Sexay!

I guess it's really time for some new sunglasses! I'm off to the mall!