Cats, snacks, and willpower - a light bulb moment!

Yesterday I had a semi-light-bulb moment. I was driving home from the gym, thinking about dinner, when it happened – bing! Light bulb.

You’ve read about my kitties– we have two now. Mac is older (my original baby) and rescue cat. He had a hard life before we got him and was quarantined for six months. Toby, also a rescue, was found in a barn before we adopted him from PetSmart.

Their little personalities are so funny and so different. Mac is our scaredy-cat. He’s extremely alert and usually wary, but very loving to anyone he gets to know. He jumps at loud noises, he hides under the bed when strangers are over, and regularly spends his days down in the basement away from any other interaction.

Toby, on the other hand, has been nicknamed “Toby the Terrible” in the 6 months we’ve had him. He is constantly in, on, under, or around everything. He steals food off your plate and rips the curtains to shreds. He’s constantly on the kitchen counter, but also just stares at your angelically like he can’t figure out why you’re unhappy with him.

Bear with me, non-cat people. I’m getting to the light bulb!

So – to recap. Mac: cautious, shy, curious. Toby: in your face (usually literally), loud (he purrs like a diesel engine), constant.

Here’s the thing: my cats pretty much perfectly represent my willpower and relationship with food – mainly sweets and snacks.

(BING. Light bulb.)

Mac is my willpower around these foods – standing in the shadows, carefully watching but not interacting, has to be lured out into the open. Toby is the food I don’t want or need – always around, always making itself known, always standing on my head and begging for attention. While the sweets and snacks are always around, calling my name, my willpower to avoid them is much more hesitant. When I’m not in control of it or carefully tending to it, it doesn’t come out, and then I give in to the snacks. I don’t want to, but the snacks are just so much more obvious and constant, and my willpower kind of shrinks back into the distance.

I am working on getting my diet back on track following the Thanksgiving / Christmas / birthday extravaganza. I’ve really been paying attention to what we’re making at home and what I’m consuming, but I have realized that it’s all the little things that don’t seem like much, but really add up, that tend to be my downfall. Yesterday, I was tempted in the office by the following things: a box of See’s chocolates, an open package of Oreos, a loaf of homemade banana bread, and Chicago-style popcorn someone brought straight from Chicago. None of those things really sounds so terrible individually, but, added together, a little bit of each turns into hundreds of extra calories that I don’t need or want. I needed my willpower in a big way, and I stuck to my guns and said “no, thank you” to each and every thing. At the end of the day, I wasn’t disappointed or missing any of those things – none were so special that I really needed to have it – but, in the past few months, normally I would have just gone ahead and snacked. No wonder I’ve got a few extra LBs that didn’t used to be there!

I love treats. I really do. Anyone who knows me, knows that the way to my heart is carbs and sugar. It is so hard for me to pass up candy / dessert / snacks – even when it not’s something that I will even really enjoy! I eat good food for my meals, but the mindless snacking in between is what inevitably does me in.

Willpower is a hard thing to have, for me, anyway. It’s hard to call upon, hard to maintain, and hard to remember to call out of the shadows. I don’t like to deprive myself or feel like I missed out on something, so it’s far easier for me to say yes to whatever is being passed my way – even if it’s something I normally wouldn’t eat. I’m working on making that part of me stronger and louder, and making more of an effort to coax it out and at least KIND OF silence the call of the snacks. Definitely easier said than done!

Back to the cats. I’m hoping that the sense of visualization that I’ve created for myself with this analogy will help me do better with willpower and saying no to foods that I don’t even really want to eat. When I think of my kitties, I tend to always think of Toby first, because he is the one who just always commands attention. It takes me a second, but then my sweet Mac comes to mind, standing a little ways back, not quite willing to walk into the situation. He’s always there, just not as fervently as Toby is. There’s my willpower – always there, just waiting to be called and noticed. I can say no! (even as there are blueberry scones and banana bread being passed around the office as we speak… dang it!)

How do you avoid snacking? Do you exercise strong willpower?Are you a "I forget to eat" person? I'm not. How do you do it?!

Five for Friday: I'm sensing a theme...

Happy Friday, friends! It is an absolutely gorgeous day in the city, and it's supposed to be nice out all weekend, to boot! We had some storms and nasty humidity earlier in the week, so it's nice to have a little break from that. Especially because anyone from around here knows what's coming as summer heats up... humidity is so gross.

Anyway! Welcome to another edition of Five for Friday. It's been a while since my last one. Fridays have been busier than usual. My five things for this week have a bit of a theme that I didn't notice until just now... well, we all know what my priorities usually are, and this is pretty much proof. Check it out!

1 // I actually got myself together one morning this week and made myself a smoothie before we left the house. It was delightful! Smoothies remind me of being a kid, before smoothies were all the rage, when we just called them "blender drinks" and my mom used them as a way to get us to have a few more fruits with breakfast. C pointed out that I could have one every day if I'd just get out of bed the first time the alarm goes off.... hahahahahahahaha he's a funny one, that guy. #notgonnahappen

2 // I updated my address book since lots of friends and family have moved lately, and then got to wondering if I'm one of the few people left who actually uses a real address book? I really love mine, even if it is a bit old fashioned.

3 // It is possible that there is nothing better than sitting on the deck in the afternoon with a cold beer, listening to music and enjoying the scenery. Simple pleasures, my friends.

4 // If I have to be in the office on Friday, real coffee is a must... there are not many things I do quickly, but I will do what is necessary for coffee. C & I were in and out of Wawa in under 5 minutes this morning!

5 // My basil plant is finally growing, and I used the first of the leaves on naan pizzas last night... omg good. The scent of the basil was practically intoxicating - loved every single bite!

So, did you notice my unplanned topic for the week? I sure do love my good eats and drinks :)

So tell me...

• What's the best thing you ate or drank this week?
• Any big plans this weekend?
• What's one thing you still do or use that's probably considered "old fashioned" by now?

linking up with the five on friday girls:  Darci, Christina, April,and Natasha

WIAW: not the norm

It's been a hot minute (do people still say that?) since I participated in What I Ate Wednesday - I can't even remember the last time I linked up! However, I am feeling a bit off my blogging game (a few family tragedies and unexpected travel will do that to ya), so I figured that a "routine" post would be a good way to keep easing back in.

If you've never heard of WIAW, check out Jenn's blog and read all about it. It's a lot of fun, and I've found a lot of great bloggers through this link-up. Join us!

On to the good stuff. Here are my Tuesday meals!

Breakfast was semi-standard. I had my usual coffee and yogurt, but no banana. C did the grocery shopping for me on Sunday after my race, and I forgot to put bananas on the list. I'm missing them a bit this week!

Lunch was not the norm. We ate leftovers on Monday night, and I realized that it left us with nothing for lunch on Tuesday. Our fridge is looking a little bare between my being gone last week and not wanting to do a big shop before a holiday weekend, soooo the pickin's are slim for lunches. I ended up at a local deli with my boss, and grabbed this awesome sandwich. Seriously - this thing hit the spot. This deli carves your meat fresh to order, so I watched them slice my turkey right off the bones the moment I ordered. It is delicious! I added spicy mustard, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and alfalfa sprouts, and it hit the spot. There is nothing like a good sammy!

When we got home, I was feeling like my sugar was a little low, so I grabbed a couple few several handfuls of trail mix before yoga. This particular bag of TM seems really raisin heavy. Why are they never heavy on the M&Ms?! Sigh.

Creepy finger veins and all...

Dinner was a change from the norm, too. Our freezers (we have an indoor and outdoor fridge/freezer) are packed to overflowing. Since we generally cook fresh foods, I rarely use the "in case of emergency" things I've collected. Therefore, we've got frozen TJ's entrees, frozen pizzas, and containers of soup, stew, and chili just taking up space. It's time to use some up! So dinner last night was chicken taquitos from TJ's, which C paired with some Spanish rice and doctored-up retried beans (some cheese and hot sauce goes a long way for those!). It was a delicious quick, semi-homemade meal, and there was enough leftover for lunches today. Winning!

We ate dinner while watching the finale of The Voice - we actually kept up with the whole season this time around! The there finalists were some of my faves, and I was happy to see any of them win. However, the results were not what I was expecting! I thought for sure that Christina would come in first. Color me surprised, America. I enjoyed the show, though - there were some really great musical performances and guests. I will miss it...  but my ALL TIME FAVE show is coming back soon: So You Think You Can Dance! HOORAY!

So tell me...

• Are you a sandwich lover like I am? What's your favorite combination?
• How do you keep inventory of what's hidden in your freezer??
• Did you watch the finale of The Voice? Were you surprised / happy / mad about the results?

All aboard...

Let's not beat around the bush. Last week was really hard (thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post!). I spent the majority of the week eating my feelings... which I don't regret for a minute. There come some (occasional, hopefully) times in life where you just have to throw in the towel and eat ice cream for dinner, pour another glass of wine, and dig the emergency Thin Mints out of the freezer. Hopefully not all in one night, but... you do you. I'm not here to judge. I'm merely stating facts: personally, I find comfort in food, and there are moments where I just want to stop thinking about eating healthy and eat like I feel like eating (carbs and sweets, all the way). And so I did.

It looked a lot like this:

Gelato, enchilada casserole, TJ's treats, ravioli with mushroom sauce... yum.

And it was delicious. Don’t you doubt it for a second. I believe that it helped me get through the week (because Reese’s eggs are the cure for all problems, amiright?) and come out on the other side functioning.

But here’s the thing about making the decision to eat my feelings: there comes a point where I make the decision to stop (and you can, too!). I gave myself a week – I got through the time when C wasn’t home and when things were the hardest, and after that, I said enough already. Time to get back on the train.

I tucked the candies back into their hiding spot (out of sight = out of mind) and put the emergency Ben & Jerry’s back underneath all the frozen fruit. I got my butt to the gym for BodyPump on Monday evening and again last night for yoga. Two for two, y’all. It’s the little things! I hit up the store and loaded my cart with veggies and fruits, I made a meal plan, and I switched out the wine for water (ugh, rough). I had my week of throwing it all out the window, and it was fine. The world didn’t end, I didn’t gain 10 pounds (somewhat shocking), and I didn’t collapse from lack of salad. But then I stood myself up straight and looked myself in the eye and said, “time to leave this station, Lindsay!”

Thanks, BodyPump. The train is a-comin'!

We can all get back on the train. There is nothing wrong with getting off the train - honestly, you have to get off the train to get the true experience at each station; you can't just watch it from the window… (am I taking this analogy too far?) The locations beyond each station are delightful! ...But in order to get to the next place, you have to get back on the train. Continue the journey. Don’t get stuck in a rut!

The truth is, I feel better when I eat well, and I feel better when I work out. There’s not some big mystery out there about how to be healthy – it’s pretty simple. Treat your body well, and it will treat you well. So, I spent a little time treating my emotions, and now I’m back to treating my body. It’s a smidge less delicious (a lot less sugary), but it’s the right call. So, I’ve got salad for lunch and I’m off to fill up my water bottle… someone eat a cupcake for me.

Richmond restaurants: two new loves

We went down to Richmond on Friday afternoon to visit with some friends of ours, and while we were there, I had two of the most delicious meals. Y'all know how I feel about food and good restaurants, so I just have to share these experiences with you. If you ever find yourself in RVA (or live there and haven't tried these spots), I highly recommend stopping in!

Dinner on Friday night was at The Daily Kitchen and Bar on Cary Street. We got there around a little after 7 and were told that there would be a 45-minute wait (not unexpected). We grabbed drinks at the bar and prepared to hang out for a bit... well, wouldn't you know, our table was ready before we'd even finished that round! I think we ended up waiting just 20 minutes in the end - worth it! We shared the fried calamari appetizer (delicious, and I'm not a huge fan to start with) before choosing entrees. My eyes fell on the blackened fish tacos and my choice was made! There were lots of things on the menu that looked appealing, and I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed anything I chose. The fish tacos were fantastic, though, and I loved the homemade hot sauce - it added just the right amount of kick. Our waitress was friendly but efficient, and the atmosphere in the restaurant was casual and lively. It was a nice night out, and we were seated near the patio with the doors wide open. I greatly enjoyed our meal, and would happily go back and try their brunch!

For brunch on Saturday, we ended up with our Plan B - and it was perfect! We tried to go to The Pig and Pearl, but got there around 10 AM, only to find that they don't open til 11 on Saturdays (ummm... what? Odd decision, if you ask me). So, on to the next place... The Black Sheep! Personally, I'm thrilled that is where we ended up, because it was amazing! The Black Sheep is a small, hole-in-the-wall kinda place, near the campus of VCU, tucked away off the main roads. We were seated immediately for breakfast, and started with coffee and Bloody Marys (a brunch necessity, amirite?) The coffee was hot and the Bloody Mary was spicy (though I'd have liked another dash of hot sauce), and both were exactly what I needed. For breakfast, I chose the No Mas Huevos Neuvos - and I am not embarrased to admit that I cleaned my plate. The dish is described on their menu as, "Two eggs served with a wheatberry & black bean chili. Topped with an avocado salsa, served over a griddled jalapeño gritcake. Served with toasted baguette. (Add carnitas for $2.)" You better believe I added the carnitas, and was very pleased with that choice. This is one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten! Again, everything on the menu looked delicious, and I'd love to go back and try lunch and / or dinner. Yum!

I truly love discovering new dining experiences, and was thrilled that we were able to try not one, but two delightful restaurants during our quick trip to the city. Like I said, definitely add these to your "must try" list - or tell if you've tried either of them before! I am always looking for new recommendations and meals to try, so if you have any suggestions of places we should go, let me know!

Andddd because there hasn't been a cat picture here in several days, at least, I'll leave you with this:

We took a trip to the vet on Friday afternoon, and the most pitiful cat on the planet decided he was safer sitting in the sink than on the table while we waited for his test results to come back. Just look at that face! Pathetic. :)

So tell me...

• Favorite restaurant? Do you prefer chain places or holes-in-the-wall (no idea how to make that plural appropriately...)
• What was the best thing you ate this weekend?
• Does your pet act like the vet is the worst place in the world?! (Honestly, you'd think being in his cage was a death sentence.)

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Hi there! First of all, I'd like to say a big hello & welcome to anyone stopping by for the first time today - I know I've got some new viewers popping by from the Ocean Spray Facebook & Twitter pages. I'm so excited that Ocean Spray chose to share my recipe for Oatmeal Applesauce Craisin Muffins, and I hope you'll make these quick treats and enjoy them as much as I did. Thanks for coming by! Hope you'll stick around :)

Second, I have a new recipe to share today! It's been a while since I had a good, solid dinner to share, and I must admit - I'm pretty excited about this one! It's an easy weeknight meal that makes great leftovers... what more could you need?

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
serves 6

Ingredients 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 bottle buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank's)
• 2 T Ranch dressing powder 
• 4 oz light cream cheese 
• 1/2 box multigrain pasta (I use Barilla rotini) 
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 
• Green onions to garnish 

Directions 

1. Put chicken in crockpot and cover with bottle of buffalo sauce and Ranch powder. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, then shred with two forks. (Tip: you could easily use poached chicken or a rotisserie chicken, shredded and mixed with the buffalo sauce. I use the crockpot so that I come home to the chicken already cooked - plus I like that it sits in the sauce all day and really gets the flavor. Any method of acquiring the chicken and combining with the sauce will do, though!) 
2. Preheat oven to 350. 
3. Add cream cheese to shredded chicken and stir to melt and thoroughly combine. If it’s a little dry, add some chicken broth or water to get it good and creamy (sometimes my chicken gets dry if I have to leave it in the crockpot longer than usual – it’ll be fine either way!) 
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, minus a minute or two so that it’s al dente. Drain and put back in pot. 
5. Mix pasta and chicken / buffalo sauce / cream cheese mixture together in pasta pot. 
6. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and pour noodle mixture into baking dish. 
7. Top with shredded cheddar and panko. 
8. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10-15 minutes until the top is crispy and golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. 
9. Serve topped with green onions and a drizzle of Ranch dressing, if desired. 

This is a versatile dish - like I mentioned, you could cook the chicken right before you make the casserole, or use leftover chicken diced and tossed with buffalo sauce. I also think this would be delicious with a little bleu cheese mixed in, but my husband doesn't like it, so we skip that. It's great served along side a vegetable (please note that random little piece of broccoli in my picture...) or with a salad. It comes together in no time, and then you can do something else while it bakes (I cleaned the kitchen and swept the floor... gotta love multitasking). Hope you enjoy this as much as we have!

Operation: Move Less Cans

This week is an official “Use What’s in the Pantry” week, due to the fact that our pantry is being painted next week, along with the rest of the main floor. Anything that we manage to eat will be something that we don’t have to move back and forth, so that's important. Therefore, meal-planning this past Sunday involved C & I standing in front of the shelves, trying to formulate meals based on what was in front of us. Here’s what we came up with, and what pantry items are used in each dish.

This is definitely a week that will be heavy on the crockpot, but it is such an easy way to cook and use a bunch of canned goods, that it just makes sense. Most of these dishes will be paired with a side salad or other vegetable, and I think that part of the tortilla soup from Wednesday will go into the freezer for another time so we don’t end up with too many leftovers.We are probably going to need a break from chicken at the end of the week, but since we won't be able to use the kitchen for a few days next week, I'm sure we will broaden our horizons while we eat out a couple of times.

So tell me...

• What is your favorite meal to make with things you have on-hand?
• What do you do when you can't use your kitchen?
• What is a unique item that you consider a "staple"? Ours is buffalo sauce... we use it constantly!

All the time in the world

Welcome to the last week of March! We're a quarter of the way through 2014 - how's everyone doing with those New Year's resolutions?? ....yeah, about that. Ha!

I had a lovely weekend, and I hope you did, too. We kicked off with a True Detective marathon on Friday night (thank you, HBO On Demand!!) and fish tacos. I whipped up a batch of homemade salsa with a secret family recipe from my sister, and let that start to "get happy" in the fridge til Saturday. I also threw together our first fresh fruit salsa of the season to put with fish tacos... makes me so happy!

Fruit salsa is so easy to make, and it's a fantastic topper for quick fish tacos. I diced up a nectarine, a jalapeno, and some green onions, and added the juice of 1/2 a lime, a little sea salt, and a smidge of olive oil. Toss together and let sit for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors merry. So delicious!

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Southern Women's Show in Richmond with Stephanie. We spent several hours bee-bopping from booth to booth, trying hand treatments and wine slushies and sampling dips, cheeses, and salsas. It was more fun than either of us expected, to be honest! Once we we'd seen all there was to see, we headed to Cary Street for lunch. Stephanie had a recommendation from Twitter for a place to try, and we ended up enjoying a delightful meal at the Urban Farmhouse Market and Cafe. I went with the "Pick 2" option and had half of a salad and sandwich. My salad was the Asparagus and White Bean over mixed greens, and my sandwich was the Virginia Ham Cubano. Both were absolutely delicious! I am looking forward to recreating the salad at home.

After a quick trip to Costco (I'm thinking about getting a membership but just can't commit!), I got home just in time to freshen up and head out with C to go to his sister's house - we were having a family dinner to celebrate two birthdays: my father-in-law's and our brother-in-law's! We gorged on veggies and dip, my fresh salsa, and a cheese tray, before enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs fresh from the grill. It was an ideal spring kickoff meal! And the company wasn't too bad, either! We enjoyed several lovely hours with C's family, and then made it home just in time to see the start of a late-night Caps game (these 10:30 start-time West Coast games are killer!) I didn't stand a chance of making it through the game, though, and C woke me up hours later to tell me we won and send me off to bed. Nice way to wrap up the day!

Sunday morning was deemed a "no alarms" day, and we slept in happily! I made a long to-do list, and after C made BLATs for lunch (my fave!), we got to work. We are having the main floor of the house painted the week after next, and we needed to spend some time clearing off walls and shelves and getting organized. Unfortunately, we're back to looking like we don't really live here! Womp, womp.

Also on the to-do list was a little bit of Me Time - a BodyCombat class at the gym and a much-needed pedicure! I went bright pink to welcome Spring... and I am completely ignoring the fact that they are calling for snow tonight.

C put a pot roast in the crockpot for dinner, and while it cooked, I whipped up a batch of homemade brownies. I realized today that spending some time baking from scratch brings me to a similar Zen-like state that a yoga class does... talk about relaxing. I couldn't leave well-enough alone, and added some marshmallows to the top of the brownies when they were finished baking. A few minutes under the broiler led us to this beautiful pan of chocolatey love. Yum!!

A glass of wine and a little more True Detective wrapped up our weekend. What could be better? I got everything that fills my proverbial "cup" in the last few days: husband time, friend time, family time, me time. Full to the brim, and then some!

WIAW: just use your imagination

I fully intended to participate  in WIAW this week... and then yesterday kind of got away from me. Whoops! I managed to get myself together about half the time, so you're just going to have to trust me on the rest. Considering this was the day after a snow day, we're lucky I had myself together at all. These random days away from work (while appreciated) totally throw my schedule off. But it's already Wednesday! So yay.

Thanks for the link-up, Jenn!

Breakfast was standard - banana and coffee. C was in charge of a Target run last weekend, and he came home with a treat: Archer Farms Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee K-cups! This is one of our very favorite coffees, but I generally try to get K-cups for a bit cheaper than Target sells them. Well, when you send your husband off shopping alone, who knows what gets thrown in the cart?! So I've been enjoying my coffee a little more than usual - it's so good!

My mid-morning snack was pretty standard, as well: yogurt wolfed down between meetings.

Totally failed to get a picture of my lunch, but that is probably for the best - it definitely wasn't pretty. I had some leftover spaghetti squash from dinner on Monday, which I mixed with basic marinara, and some tuna salad that I threw together with red onion, pickle, Greek yogurt, and a little light mayo. It was good, but I felt obligated to eat alone in my cubical because it was so stinky! Ahh... work lunches.

I don't usually do this, but I had to give in to a treat going around the office:

[source]

My curiosity totally got the best of me - and it was worth it, because that cookie was delicious! It really did taste like birthday cake.

I forgot to get a picture of my pre-gym snack, but I ate a Weight Watchers string cheese in the car on the way to yoga. My tummy was rumbling when we got home from work, and I needed something to hold me over! The cheese did the trick while I vinyasa'd for an hour.

I got home to a delicious dinner - salsa chicken burritos! Our crockpot totally kicked the bucket a few weeks ago (RIP, old friend) and I'd been feeling a bit like I'd lost a limb without it (over dramatic much?...). We rely on it so much during the week! Luckily, my sweet aunt promptly sent us a new one as a housewarming gift, and it arrived on Monday, so we had to test it out! Salsa chicken never fails. We wrapped the filling in flour tortillas with a little cheddar melted on top, and paired it with (un-pictured) side salads while watching The Voice (battle rounds - hooray!).

I was one happy camper! And looking forward to leftovers for lunch today already. I'm so happy to have a working crock-pot again!

So tell me...

• What's one kitchen appliance you can't live without? Obvi mine is my crock-pot...
• What are you watching on TV right now? C & I both love the Voice and kind of hate American Idol.

Travel Tales: The City of Brotherly Love

Man, this was a whirlwind weekend! Hard to believe it's already over. I feel like it was 5 PM on Friday just minutes ago... A weekend that flew by so quickly must have been full of fun, right?? You betcha!

On Friday night, C went down to Richmond to hang out with his buddies for the weekend, so I had the evening to myself. I would be lying if I said I didn't take advantage of the alone time and do some of the most girly, most cliche things possible: I took a bubble bath, complete with wine and candles and a book, I listened to old country music, I painted my nails, and I may or may not have finished off a container of Ben & Jerry's that I found hidden in the freezer. I then put myself to bed early and enjoyed a night of uninterrupted sleep with the entire bed to myself. I am not unhappy about how that evening went at all. It was delightful!

On Saturday morning, I got myself up, ready, and packed before hitting the road... it was off to Philadelphia! I picked up my friend, Sharon, on the way, and together we made the journey to the City of Brotherly Love. We made excellent time and made it to Lizzy's apartment by early afternoon. After dropping off our stuff and finding a parking spot for the weekend, the three of us set off towards Independence National Historical Park - home of the Liberty Bell! I'd never had an opportunity to be truly touristy in Philly, so we decided to take a few hours to see the sites. We walked all over the area, snapping pics of the various historical buildings and locations, skipping the long lines to actually SEE things like the Bell and Independence Hall. Thanks but no thanks - a picture from afar was enough for me! It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit windy, and we had fun walking all over the place.

Lizzy took us to the Second Bank Portrait Gallery to escape the wind for a bit, and we meandered through the exhibit viewing all sorts of famous people we learned about in elementary school.

On our way back to Lizzy's apartment, we walked through China Town and cut through Reading Terminal Market, passed by City Hall, and stopped to see the original "love" sculpture - turns out, the one in NYC isn't the first!

Back at Lizzy's apartment, we had a few minutes to relax before it was time to get ready to dinner. We had a reservation at Alma de Cuba, which turned out to be an amazing choice. Lizzy did a great job picking that one!! We enjoyed a leisurely meal with an appetizer and a few drinks, and I had salmon that was perfectly cooked at absolutely delicious. The ambiance of the restaurant was lively and fun, and the waitstaff was on point. We had a wonderful experience, and it's certainly a place I would return to. Following dinner, we made our way to a wine bar called Tria for a few drinks and more chatting. Tria is very small and it was crowded on a Saturday night, so things were a little awkward until we finally found a place to sit down. Once we had some seats, though, we were good to go! The wine was delicious, and while it was quite loud, it was a fun place to hang out for a bit.

The only pic of the three of us from the weekend...
awkward photo poses aside, the waitress got a cute one!

Back at Lizzy's apartment, we spent a few more hours chatting and drinking wine - it's amazing how long a couple of girls can spend rehashing high school and college and comparing notes on stories we all remember. It was so much fun to reminisce - and I am definitely reminded of how glad I am that all those years are behind us :)

On Sunday morning, we were treated to a delicious breakfast of smoothies and French toast, courtesy of Lizzy's husband. Can't beat that! We lounged around watching Food Network and drinking coffee for a while before Sharon and I decided it was time to hit the road. Good thing we left when we did, because the trip home, which should have taken a little under 4 hours, ended up taking 6! There were several big accidents, and everything was just a mess. Not exactly the best way to end a great weekend, but I figured it was karma since the trip up was so easy. Womp, womp.

Traffic issues aside, I had a wonderful weekend with some good friends, and it was just the kind of recharge I needed. There is truly no replacement for quality time with old girlfriends!

So tell me...

• What do you like to do with friends to recharge?
• What was the last out-of-town place you visited?
• How was your weekend?

WIAW: not the norm

Let's not beat around the bush: they are predicting the BIGGEST SNOW STORM IN YEARS for, uhh, everywhere around the east coast it seems. Personally, I'm the in "I'll believe it when I see it" camp - I just don't have faith in our weather forecasters! But that doesn't mean I won't wear my pajamas inside out tonight, just in case.... (yes, I am a child).

Moving on. Happy WIAW! This link-up, hosted by Jenn, is one of my favorites - I really enjoy seeing the daily eats of other people (especially when people are honest about what they are eating - some days aren't perfect!). Yesterday was a little out of whack for me, and, as a result, the things I ate were not the norm for me. Take a look!

The day started out like normal, with coffee and a banana, followed by a mid-morning snack of yogurt. (Side note: has anyone else tried these Dannon Light & Fit Greek blends? I found them at Wal-mart over the weekend - this one is Raspberry Chocolate and it is downright decadent. They also had Strawberry Cheesecake, and it is also freakin' delicious. Try 'em if you find 'em!)

When lunch time rolled around, though, I just wasn't hungry. I don't know what was up, but that is almost never the case for me. I always want my lunch! Just couldn't do it yesterday, though, even though I had leftover baked spaghetti waiting in the fridge. Instead, I ate a cucumber-red onion-red wine vinegar salad that I'd thrown together, and some celery (with a side of ranch!) late in the afternoon. Veggies sounded ok, real lunch did not. Hmph. (And there's a preview of what's for lunch today... leftover leftovers? ha!)

By the time I got home, I was ready for dinner (phew) and knew I needed to eat before book club - otherwise I would be devouring all the snacks!! I ate some leftover pizza from the one we'd made on Monday night (and another side of ranch, duh) along with an un-pictured cup of tea because my throat was bothering me.

I didn't take any pictures at book club (because THAT is creepy), but our fab host-of-the-month, Stephanie, whipped up some yummy snacks for us, and I couldn't resist. While we chatted, I had some apples with a peanut butter dip (must get that recipe!) and some cranberry-rolled-goat cheese on Ritz. Just a few - my appetite still wasn't really there. Who am I?!

I rounded out the night with some red wine while watching the Olympics with C before bed... did anyone else see the Ice Dancing short programs last night? Or snowboarding? Poor Shaun White - the conditions on the half-pipe looked awful, and I felt really bad for the guys who weren't doing so well. But what can ya do?!

So there ya have it - my not-so-usual eats for a Tuesday. Back to regularly-scheduled programing today, I think!

So tell me...

• Are you ready for snow? Anyone else have a snow tradition (like inside-out pajamas) or is that just us NoVa people?...
• Do you make yourself eat when you're not hungry? I try not to, but also know I need to stick with some routine or else I'm HANGRY later!
• Are you watching the Olympics? What's your favorite winter sport?

a lazy girl's guide to meal planning

To call myself a "meal planner" is probably an insult to actual meal-planners everywhere. What I do is nowhere near the in-depth, detailed, ridiculous planning that a lot of people do every week (or apparently every month? There are people who plan an entire month's worth of meals at a time?! Heaven help me). However, what I do is just enough for our (current) household to maintain the order that we need.

This is awesome, but... just.... no.

Here's what "meal planning" looks like at our house: 

Scene: Sunday afternoon / evening - couch / car / laundry room - whatever. 

Me: what do you want for dinner this week?

C: whatever you want. 

Me: ok. 

Twenty-ish minutes later

Me: here's what we have - chicken, ground turkey, blah blah...

C: whatever you want. 

Me: ok.

I then open my "notes" app on my phone and open the "dinner" note. I toss some ideas around, then write out what I think we will eat, based on the main proteins we have, for Monday - Thursday. It looks something like this:

last week and the tentative plan for this week
last week is a bad example, because it was Restaurant Week and work was crazy

I usually figure that if I can have a general idea of what we are eating for most of the work week, by Friday, we will either be inspired to make something or we will be too tired to cook and we will go out or order in. I plan a main dish, and we go from there with sides and veggies as the week goes on. Sometimes, dinner one night involves a trip to the grocery store if we are out of a staple or there are no veggies in the fridge, but sometimes we just make do with what we have. We're flexible. 

Our version of "meal planning" is beneficial for several reasons:

• It saves us money. We are far less likely to default to take out if we have a general idea of what we are eating that night. 
• It decreases our stress. If we have a general idea what we are cooking, there's no arguing at 6 pm or raiding the fridge and pantry trying to decide what to do. 
• It saves us time. If I can prep C with a plan and the ingredients to carry it out, I can usually go to the gym or do whatever needs to be done around the house, because the dinner routine has already been set in motion. 

We don't always stick to the plan, and some nights things just don't work out the way we want or expect, but setting a plan for the week helps C and I both feel calmer and more confident - which is crucial when we generally have 12-hour days. I think it's also critical to say that our plan is not set in concrete: often, we are just ingredient-planning, and the meal comes together around that. For example, if I say that we are having Broccoli Chicken Mac & Cheese, and we get home and C says he would rather have buffalo chicken tenders with pasta and steamed broccoli, that's fine. (I'm not going to argue with a man who cooks!) The actual meal wasn't in my plan, but the ingredients we aimed to use were used. Both meals contain chicken, broccoli, and noodles, and we eat a good dinner. See? Flexible, but still on track. It's kind of like a game - what can you do with ingredients X, Y, and Z? Almost anything, if you're creative enough. It's still maintaining sanity.

Our "meal planning" doesn't look like much, and there's no beautiful binder full of ideas and hours spent writing it all out, but it works for us. It's part of our regular routine that keeps our heads on straight and our lives in order. Bingo!

• Do you meal plan?
• On week nights, do you cook or not cook? 
• Who does the cooking in your house: you, spouse / significant other, shared duties?

Five for Friday: burgers, bugs, and brrrrr!

This week has been nuts. I honestly can't believe it's Friday - I have no idea where the past few days went. We had a major meeting happening at work this week, and I was working extra hours every day to get everything done for various projects. Plus, we had a snow day (which just means working from home for me), which totally threw off the meeting schedule, and we've had to deal with Polar Vortex version 2.0. It's been a week for the books, and I am thrilled that it is winding down.

It's been a while since I did a good 'ol fashioned Five for Friday post, so I thought I'd give that whirl this week. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen these.... sorry not sorry.

1 // it's Restaurant Week in our town, and it is awesome. I love having an excuse a chance to try some new restaurants. Last night, C picked me up from the train and we went to Vivify for the first time. It was awesome! It's a burger joint with a bar, and it has a totally chill, fun feel. Very relaxed, nice staff, and yummy food. I had a black bean burger with siracha ranch and it was fantastic. (Added bonus - Vivify has a rooftop bar and deck that I can't WAIT to try out this spring!!)

2 // Enjoyed a glass of red in a glass from one of the wineries we visited from my birthday - I love wineries that give out normal-sized glasses with their tastings, because it's fun to reminisce while I sit on my couch. I don't know what those little tiny tasting glasses are about.... #aintnobodygottimeforthat

3 // Gave in to some of the snacks provided during our meetings... I just can't say no to Goldfish! They are one of my favorite salty treats. So addicting!

4 // This cat. I swear. First of all - that little tiny speck is a stink bug. I have NO IDEA how these damn bugs are surviving the winter (and the Polar Vortexes), but they are - I have found three in my house in the past week. The cat is more scared of them than they are of him... he just sits there and stares at them, then runs away when they move a little closer. He was hilarious to watch the other night - the bug was totally torturing him.

5 // Still riding the Ski Trip 2014 high - we had so much fun! I definitely wish we had the opportunity to get on the slopes more often. The trip never feels long enough!

Happy Friday, y'all! Hope you have a great weekend.

linking up with the five on friday girls:  Darci, Christina, April,and Natasha

So tell me......

• Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks? What's your favorite thing to munch on?
• How's the weather at your house? I am a winter-lover and I'd always prefer cold over hot, but this is getting to be a bit much....
• Do you ski or snowboard?

WIAW: Just the facts

Fact: We are one week away from Christmas.
Fact: We are two weeks away from 2014.
Fact: We are three weeks away from my birthday!

Yippee!!

Fact: What I Ate Wednesday has been Christmas-fied this week.

Fact: I am currently playing a game with myself called "how many days past the 'use by' date on yogurt can you eat it and not get sick?" You don't want to know what day this is.

Fact: Taco salad is my favorite meal. Ground turkey, corn, red onion, and white cheddar, topped with lettuce, a little leftover guac, and salsa ranch. (Salsa ranch is exactly that: salsa + ranch. Try it. You'll be happy.)

Fact: "Use what's in the fridge" quesadillas can turn out pretty dang good. This one is turkey, bacon, white cheddar, and red onion, dipped in ranch.

Fact: Coming home from yoga with Stephanie to find this meal ready and waiting was like winning the lottery (which we did not).

Semi-unrelated Fact: Yoga was delightful - we vinyasa'd our little hearts out, and today, my back is sore. Better get to that class more often, methinks... Also, yoga with friends is definitely more fun!

Fact: My husband is an excellent quesadilla maker. Look at those golden-brown spots!

WIAW: dinner debacle

This week has been... off. I don't even have the words to explain it.

Monday night involved tripping down the garage stairs and twisting my ankle (luckily, all is fine), as well as kind of backing into the garage door safety sensor and knocking the wiring all askew so it wouldn't work (a trip to Home Depot and a little handiwork later, all is well).

Tuesday night involved getting home 40 minutes late due to a broken down train (the joys of public transportation), pizza dough that wouldn't cooperate, and an impromptu sidewalk conversation with the neighbors that lasted 30 minutes.

None of that sounds devastating, but C & I are definitely creatures of habit, and we have a "routine" once we get home for the day... it does not involve any of the things that have been happening, needless to say. I'm hoping things get back to normal soon!

One thing that is happening as planned: What I Ate Wednesday! I have really been enjoying linking up with Jenn for WIAW, and hope you all don't mind if I stick with this for a while. It's kind of fun, and it's definitely interesting to see other people's blog posts featuring the things that they eat on a "regular" (or not-so-regular) day.

Breakfast for me was the usual coffee & banana, plus a special addition. My uncle brought some delicious loaves of bread from the grocery store he works at for Thanksgiving, and I decided to bring the last into the office to share. Of course, I had to have a slice before I set it out for my hungry co-workers! This one was Triple Berry, and it was very good.

Leftovers were lunch (as usual) - I dished up some of the turkey noodle casserole, and it hit the spot! I'm so sad that this is gone now... will definitely have to make it (or something like it) again soon. With a yogurt on the side for some calcium, it was just what I needed mid-day.

As I mentioned, we got home 40 minutes later than usual due to the train situation, so I knew I needed something in my stomach before I went to the gym. I snacked on some of my favorite pita chips and hummus while doing a few quick things around the house, then it was off to BodyPump Express for me. I had been planning on yoga, but, as I mentioned above, everything "planned" this week has been out of whack. BodyPump was a good substitute, even though it was a short class.

While I was at Gold's, C was in charge of making pizza with some TJ's dough I'd thawed... it apparently fought him back. I'm not sure exactly what was going on, but when I got home, most of the kitchen was covered in flour and the dough was on the stone looking... misshapen. I don't know if it was because it was frozen and then sat on the counter all day (maybe I should have left it in the fridge), but it just didn't want to roll out and form correctly. What we ended up with was a little wonky looking, but it still tasted good at 9:15 when we finally sat down to eat! Pepperoni and olives were all I had on hand - no creative toppings this time. Paired with a glass of red and a side of ranch (AKA the best way to eat pizza).

I'm glad we decided to stick with the pizza instead of scrapping it - while it wasn't pretty, it still tasted good, and cold leftover pizza is always a good breakfast in my book. I guess you know what tomorrow's eats are now :)

Ever have those days where everything just doesn't go as planned? Can you bounce back, or does it throw you for a loop? Personally, I feel loopy this week.. ha!