When You Don't Like Vegetables

Why is eating healthy(or healthier in my case) so hard!? and by hard - I mean not as delicious as a double cheeseburger and fries.  I will never give up my carbs because let's be honest, people are happier when they have had a cupcake.  DISCLAIMER: I'm not a fitness guru or a health expert - it is always a learning game for me and let's face it, the game is ever changing.  I am running a LOT again.  I want to be healthier - less eating out, a LOT less fast food...but what do I eat?  I have started to eat a couple pieces of fruit a day but I am pretty sure I need to start incorporating more vegetables.

Here's the thing - I eat vegetables...but not the green kind. And NO it is NOT just because they are green. I just don't love a lot of vegetables and they just HAPPEN to be green.  The other thing about the vegetables I eat is that I eat corn and potatoes.  yeah....so that is basically the extent of my veggie intake. That is seriously one of the most pathetic vegetable intake lists EVER.  Oh but wait! To be fair, I did eat sauteed broccoli and zucchini a couple weeks ago! That actually counts =)

I eat the occasional salad - but it is basically only lettuce, carrots, and croutons. My friend calls it a honeymoon salad 'lettuce alone'! I always think of this when I eat a salad...oh I like raisins in my salad. weird? I don't think so ... but my 'normal' compass is a little skewed.

I decided to do a little research and figure out what to do if you don't like vegetables.  I browsed a couple forums with moderately useful information but they were less than supportive. A lot of people said to just 'man up' and eat the vegetables.   Here is my big thing about that...If I didn't HAVE to eat to survive, I would definitely eat a lot less.  Don't get my wrong I LOVE food but I don't live to eat.   Meals are, well, time-consuming. There is a LOT of prep and work that goes into making a meal and then about 10 minutes (MAYBE) to scarf it down.  

My partnering argument to this is because I wouldn't eat if I didn't HAVE to, I want to make sure that whatever I am putting into my mouth is yummy.  The Husband tells me I eat portions like a bird - I eat until I'm full, first.  Second, I am adamant about my portion control...I can ALWAYS go back for seconds. But I can't remove food from my tummy if/when I eat too much.  Because I eat smaller portions, I have less room for a lot of options, therefore, I want anything I eat to be delicious. So I am NOT going to just suck it up and eat something that is less than satisfying to my pallet. I like to enjoy my food.

So what do I do? I have found that I enjoy sauteed vegetables MORE than raw or steamed vegetables. OH!!! I eat fresh green beans that are baked with garlic! (that belongs up in the other paragraph - but this is literally where I thought of it!)  So I'll start trying different and new veggies and saute them. But what else? There has to be other options, right? So I went to Google to see what I could find.

I found an article on WebMD called 'Eat Your Vegetables: 15 Tips for Veggie Haters' - hey that's me!!! So I read it.  AAAANNNNDDDD I'm referencing it so CLEARLY I liked what I read.  I am always for trying a new food with an open mind - I just struggle finding vegetables I like and/or how to cook them at home.

This is the other thing I did for me today:

 

I bought some V8 Fruit juice - it has vegetable servings! Wait - I get to drink something that tastes like a fruit drink but actually has veggies in it?! I am SO in on that! I bought the Strawberry Banana and it is very yummy.  I think I could get use to this! and every little bit helps! =)

Do you like vegetables?
How do you get your veggie intake?

Friday Adventure: Food Truck Bazaar

Last Friday night, The Husband and I met some friends for dinner. It wasn't just a normal dinner - we were going to a food truck bazaar!!! We were excited and then we did some research and found that they were expecting at LEAST 1000 people! sheeesh! AND that the trucks run out of food...bummer =/

We still thought it could be fun, so after work, The Husband and I met up at the truck bazaar. 

It was fun - we met up with our friends and picked a line to stand in....thirty minutes later, we literally hadn't moved. The Husband was really hungry and starting to get a little grumpy, so we went to find everyone to say 'good-bye' and go somewhere else. As we were finishing up seeing everyone, The Husband saw a truck with no line! So he ended up eating there.  He had a Jambalaya Po' Boy sandwich.  He said it was very tasty.  I wasn't feeling any of the food at the moment so we just continued wandering until everyone else was ready to leave. 

   

We all left together and actually went and hit up a local eatery. It was fun - a HUGE group of us smooshed into this place but it was awesome. I love going to more 'intimate' style places where the atmosphere is casual and laughter is welcome because we do a LOT of that =) 

There was a cupcake truck there with amazing cupcakes! my sister bought 6 and Christy's mom bought 6. Her mom ended up sharing with everyone.  The Husband and I split a cupcake called The Pineapple Princess. It was definitely THE BEST CUPCAKE EVER!

Pineapple Princess

The Pineapple Princess is the perfect summertime treat! Our sour cream pineapple cake (made with real pineapple) is topped with an Italian Coconut Meringue and freshly toasted coconuts!

I want another but apparently the cupcake company ONLY runs at events like this. BUT I did find out that they cater...they may have to cater this cupcake to me because it is Monday haha =) 

All in all - I probably won't attend another food truck bazaar unless we pre-eat before we go so that standing in line for an hour and a half doesn't make me too grumpy =) It was a fun Friday night event and our super-not-so-awesome phone service kept us from being interrupted while we were at the bazaar...literally we had ZERO service...as in circle with a line through it! Annoying on any other day, but that night I was thankful to that we could give each other undivided attention; without interruptions. 

What did you do this weekend?
Have you ever been to a food truck Bazaar?

Cheese Steaks and Great Balls of Fire

This past Saturday, The Husband took me to some yummy places to eat. 

Places I have never been before. Adventures in food?! YES PLEASE!

They were delicious!

The Husband has been talking about this cheese-steak place that is about 5 miles from the house for really long time. He went with one of his friends when they were working together and he has raved about it since. Well I wanted Bojangles for breakfast/lunch but i know he always does what I want so I suggested going to the cheese-steak place. I'm not even lying when I tell you The Husband LIT. UP! 

So we finished running our errands for a project I will be sharing later - SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT! - and on the way home stopped in this little joint. There is a sign as you walk up that reads: "no health food served here". I about died! That was hilarious! I took a picture of it but on The Husband's phone and he deleted it before I could get to it =( 

The sub sizes are 9" and 12" - well I know I "eat like a bird" so I ordered the 9"...yeah. that was the SMALLEST I could get!  The Husband got an original Philly and I got the jalapeno cheddar. YUM! We also ordered a basket of homemade potato chips to share. 

I was not super impressed with the chips but the sandwich was oh so tasty! I'm talking SUPER delicious! This little place didn't take atm/debit/credit/checks/plastic of ANY kind - they were strictly cash only. I thought that was super interesting but luckily The Husband had some cash =) 

I was SO full and felt a little guilty knowing that we were going out to dinner for a friend's birthday that night...but then I remembered how delicious my sandwich was and stopped feeling guilty =) 

For dinner, we went to Joe's Crab Shack. 

Because I was still so incredibly full from lunch, I convinced ol' Hubster to split a couple small appetizers with me. We split 18 steamed shrimp and an order of Great Balls of Fire. They were a combination of jalapeno, crab, and shrimp in a cheese, rolled in a ball and breaded in panko bread crumbs and deep fried! Holy awesome! Seriously so delicious.  I don't know that I will ever order anything else if we go back! 

pic of The Husband and I from dinner at Joe's

oh and of course a sweet pic of me and my seester - for real, how CA-UTE is she?!

 

Do you often try new dishes or restaurants?

Hello Monday!

Hello Again!

I can't believe the weekend is ALREADY over!

I miss my blog =/ here's the thing though - I can't just write about nothing =/ i don't particularly care to ramble on and on about just whatever comes to mind.

Since we are saving as much as we can and only making purchases for the new house until we close, we aren't living very exciting....OK we aren't living very blog-worthy lives! haha! I know that is silly but we spend a LOT of time in our bedroom.  That is THE only room that stays cool since our A/C went out over a month ago. I can honestly say I don't know how we have managed for the past month.  Unfortunately, because our room is so small, the only place to hang out is on the bed. That seems great but I'm to the point now where the bed isn't comfortable to me any more and NOW I am having a hard time sleeping =(

Thankfully there appears to be an end to the madness...we are anxiously awaiting our closing date that we should be receiving in about 2 weeks with the approval letter. Our realtor said that the closing date will be within 30 days of the letter. SO we are looking at around the end of October at the latest...fingers crossed lol! For those of you wondering WHY we have waited so long, it is because we are buying a short sale property.  In the reality of it all - we are actually very fortunate to be moving along in the process so quickly.  I know, 3-4 months to close on a house does NOT seem fast but it IS for a short sale.

The Husband and I did walk around Ikea for a couple hours on Saturday. That was fun - if nothing else we came up with some new ideas for the house. We designed a couple of the rooms and additional furniture pieces.  We had a really great time together but once we got in the truck, we started seeing dollar signs. We have a plan to be able to get a lot of the stuff we want before or once we move in. Hopefully everything stays right on track.

While we were out and about we tried a new restaurant.  It is on the other side of town from where we live, so we won't be frequenting the place but it was amazing. I know I will want to go next time we are on that side of town. It is a Mexican restaurant.

The service was wonderful, the food was phenomenal. I was so so happy =) I could also eat Mexican food everyday =)

We are planning a trip BACK to Old Time Pottery sometime after we move into the house SOOOO I may have to convince the Mr. to take me back there =) I have been thinking up all sorts of reasons to try and make it over to that restaurant haha! it was so yummy!!

I think that is really the only things going on right now for us. I hope to have a project posted tomorrow. We have lots that we have been working on and still lots more to come! I can't wait =)

Happy Monday!

Using a Torch to Make S'mores is Best

Hi! So I wanted to talk about some of the things J and I did this weekend that did NOT involve having the truck hit haha =)

Saturday night we went to House of Blues to a concert for my dad's birthday. 

The opening band was amazing!  They are Anchored

They were super friendly and loads of fun.  They have been together for a year and a half and are already opening at HOB!! I love their music and they have THE most enthusiastic bassist EVER. I can't wait to see what they do in the future.

The second band was Cold...i didn't really like their music. Or their performance for that matter.  They were very good live -- well they sounded good. BUT they were very depressing and dark and I just wasn't feeling it.

The headlining band that we bought the tickets to see was Volbeat

   

They are incredible live. The lead singer sounds amazing live -- as good as the cd. That is always such a relief for me. I can't listen to bands if I find out they are horrible live. You HAVE to be really good live, otherwise I know that you aren't a great performer - that a lot of technology goes into the way your cds sound.

At the end of the night -- the birthday boy looks so happy =)

We had some drinks before we left the house -- I had two then at HOB I had two more...for those who don't know me, understand that 4 drinks for me in a 5 hour time frame is, sad to say, a LOT for little ol' me haha! Needless to say I was definitely buzzed...which was confirmed the next morning when I woke to look through my pictures and found I took 140 the night before -- most of which were taken between 9:30-12:30!! haha Hilarious!

My parents took J and I to Perkins at 12:30am after the concert and it was AMAZING! haha I always want breakfast food when I have been drinking -- especially french toast/pancakes!

Walking into Perkins

I told J that I probably won't ever go to another large venue to see a concert -- HOB was just WAY too much fun!!

Sunday night, while watching Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (which was UNBELIEVABLY cute!!), J and I both got a craving for some s'mores.  We have a glass top stove and we have a gas grill. J didn't feel like firing up the grill so I suggested the microwave. That was deemed lame so J went to his work truck and pulled out a torch.

Yeah -- this happened =)

Do you like going to big crazy concerts?

or do you prefer small, intimate venues?

Have you ever made s'mores using something unconventional -- like a torch?

{Recipe} Jalepeno Cream Cheese Chicken

So I really enjoy new recipes -- a lot. Ok not a lot because sometimes I make it and think it tastes terrible. I have recently gotten pretty good at looking at the ingredients and figuring out if I would like the dish or not. I found this recipe through allrecipes.com -- I was just perusing, trying to find something new and interesting...I just get tired of eating the same things lol. Enter:

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Chicken (Enchiladas)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1-8oz package cream cheese

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tblsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Season chicken breasts with 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place into baking dish
-Bake until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear -- approximately 45 minutes. allow chicken to cool; shred with forks and set aside
-In a skillet, heat and melt cream cheese. Mix in jalapenos, 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tblsp of garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and cumin.
-Mix in cooked chicken and remove from heat.
-Serve in warm tortillas with Monterrey Jack shredded cheese.

I definitely altered the recipe. After mixing all the ingredients you are supposed to bake it in the tortillas for another 30 minutes! RIDICULOUS haha!  I know now that I will never be an over the top gourmet cook -- that crap takes too long haha! You can find the original recipe here. We really enjoyed this recipe -- it is pretty spicy, so try it before you add hot sauce, salsa, etc.
Enjoy! Let me know if you try it and what you think!!

Do you enjoy new recipes??
Where do you find them?

Another Offer Was Made...

Saturday we went and looked at 6 more homes.  We were 60/40 on them.  Two were an absolute disaster.  Seriously -- one was a dark hole of a man cave.  Definitely not paying that much for your home when it would be better to just demolish the entire thing and start over.

The one I thought would be my favorite, came in second place.  The lot was awfully small and with the way Ruger gets to run amok at our current home in the yard, he needs a little space.

The home that we made an offer on I have been pushing to see it for the past three weeks.  The tenants have been difficult with allowing people to come see the home.  They require that they are present at the time of the potential buyer's walk thru.  It was a little awkward.  My dad went with us which was a lot of fun.  The house had a wonderful layout and large rooms.  There are some specifics that neither J nor I can remember simply because the tenants were there and, although the were nice, that tends to make you want to skedaddle haha

We can't remember how many closets are in the master bathroom...I think there are two, but like I said I can't remember.  We also can't remember where the walls are in the front of the home with the kitchen/front room/living room.  Right now, I remember there is a doorway into the kitchen but I can't remember if there is space between where the doorway is and where the kitchen starts? Weird right?! But I could envision our furniture in the home even with all their stuff in there. 

I can't wait to see what OUR house looks like with no furniture in it.  J keeps talking about how small the two front rooms are and I had to show him that they are the same size as our current master bedroom!!  I think we are going to have a very new perspective on our home once we get out of it and move the furniture into these much bigger rooms.  The house is about 1100 square feet bigger than our current home! It is going to be very strange but in a good way =)

While out and about looking at homes --  near the horrible man-cave of a house, we saw some ZEBRAS! Not even joking! In the middle of FL, this dude owns some exotics! AND they had babies that were just darling!

 

Yes I had to pull over and take pictures -- well so did our realtor -- she was just as excited as I was! =)

We have come to terms with the fact that any house we move into, we are going to re-do most or all of the floors.  The home we made the offer on is no exception.  It is all carpet and a little linoleum.  As long as we are able to stay in our current home, we can work on the new house and not have to live where we work! YAY! That is the plan -- hopefully it all falls into place and works out. 
Yesterday we spent most of the day looking for flooring that we like.  We found some -- I didn't take a picture of the tile =/ OOPS! BUT here is the wood laminate flooring we love (pictured with our couch)

We decided to go with the wood laminate because it will be more durable.  With our Crazy Critter running around like mad, we need something that won't scratch within a day of being on it.  The hardwood scratches REALLY easy -- even the 'hard' stuff =/ This will be good for us too because if anything happens to a piece of it, it won't be SUCH a nightmare to pull up and replace. 

We picked out a tile for the kitchen, bathrooms and foyer.  OH AND the INDOOR laundry room!!! Who's excited?! THIS GIRL! I know that sounds ridiculous to most of you but the 1950's home we live in has an outdoor laundry room.  This idea is so ridiculous to me because seriously -- who in their right mind wants to do laundry in the heat and humidity?!

While driving around, J and I based this little Hispanic restaurant where we bought a box full of desserts.

OH. MY. GOSH! These were so delicious! Seriously, I WILL be going back there.   We also bought a loaf of Cuban break which was divine. I just drooled a little posting that picture haha!

We also looked at some fans and came up with a budget plan for the next couple months to make sure we have the money to make the upgrades that we want.  The countertops are not what we had hoped to have in our new house but that is an upgrade we can do later =) I am also looking for inspiration for a backsplash.

You know, the great thing about not having all the upgrades we were hoping for is that we can make it EXACTLY what we want it to be. I mean, originally we wanted to find a home that was perfect, meeting all our parameters.  The problem has been that our parameters are SO specific. We want what we want. Period.  The problem is that we basically need to build our own house for that.  What we have found is that the layout and size are most important, followed by kitchen cabinets and land. We have those things at this house.  We can do the paint, countertops and flooring -- no problem =)

I am very excited about this house.  Each home has been better than the previous in some way or another. And so far we have been very fortunate to find a home we really love each time we have gone out.

I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend -- I am going to ask everyone to keep thinking happy thoughts, sending up prayers and positive vibes =) Thank you for your love and support!

Adventures in Food

This weekend, Marc and Christy invited J and I to The Melting Pot for dessert!

I had never been and was SO excited!
We decided to order 2 smalls so that we could have a littler variety.
The first was Disaronno in white chocolate.

It was incredibly delicious.  4 of us shared the dessert.  To be honest after the first, I probably could have stopped.  It doesn't seem like a whole lot when it gets to your table but once you dive in, after eating dinner, it is actually plenty. 

We couldn't help ourselves -- we ordered a SECOND! YUM! It was milk chocolate with Bailey's Irish Creme. Seriously -- I don't know how I will ever eat non-alcoholic chocolate fondue again!

Yes, it was that delicious.

Oh and those BRIGHT yellow things = bananas.  I'm not sure why they are SO colorful in my picture lol.

Our next food adventure came the next morning. J and I wanted toast with our eggs for breakfast. Our toaster quit working about a month ago. SO we don't have a toaster.  Did you know you could toast bread successfully in your oven?! We turned on the broiler and toasted plain bread. it was DELICIOUS. Now we aren't too pressed to buy a toaster lol. We did burn like half a loaf of bread because we weren't paying attention. OOPS!

The last adventure of the weekend pertaining to food was the funniest for me. J didn't find it so amusing.

That is Parmesan cheese EVERYWHERE.

For whatever reason, J decided to shake the Parmesan cheese container.  He made sure ONE side of the lid was tightly closed. He shook and then it snowed in our kitchen.  I couldn't stop laughing and J just stood in the kitchen trying to figure out what just happened. He and most of the kitchen were lightly dusted in Parmesan cheese.  Ruger thought it was the best thing ever haha.

I hope everyone had a good weekend!
Did you have any food adventures??

Skinny Betch

I'm in pretty good shape -- I enjoy running so it isn't an issue for me to work out to keep my weight at a reasonable level. Let's be real here, I workout so that I can eat.  I enjoy ice cream and candies and chips and CARBS! I could never diet because I really enjoy food.  Because of this I have to work to maintain a healthy weight -- oh and by the way, I lack a lot of self control where food is involved haha!

I am making a valiant attempt to drink TONS more water, starting today, and slowly work soda out of my life.  Other than that, I don't know that I can wean myself off of other things like sugars or chips haha. So at least this is a step towards being healthier =)

As many of you may (my fellow Floridians are well aware) or may not realize (my cousin got 6 inches of snow in NM a week ago!) swimsuit season is upon us. That's right people - it is time to lock up those sweaters and pull out the sundresses and bikinis. Hello flip-flops and boat time! ....

anyone else feel like they need to "tighten up" (or think of that scene from Knocked Up while discussing working out?!)??  I know I need to.  I run when I'm feeling blah but I really want to get back into my work out routine...life gets in the way of that sometimes.  First I was injured (back in the beginning of the year), then I was sick for a WHILE and then this past weekend I spent FIVE days in TX. People, that kinda crap takes me RIGHT OUT of my workout routine. This is not to say the family time wasn't worth it or that I didn't NEED the break from working out at the beginning of the year...it is just that getting back into it is a GIANT P.I.T.A.! But I am working on it. =)

So while waiting to pay for the largest bottle of water I could find while at the store, something sweet caught my eye...

Skinny Cow: Dreamy Clusters
(the ones on the right haha)

Now I have had Skinny Cow in the past -- I usually buy the ice cream sandwiches which are super yummy.  The best way to describe these dreamy clusters are as turtle candies...do you know what I am talking about?! They are SO yummy!! I am SO thankful that the bag isn't bigger because, seriously, I would NOT be able to control my snacking.

For reals, they are THAT delicious!

If you are in need of something sweet that isn't going to cost you 300+ calories, you should totally try these yummy little morsels!

In the meantime, happy Friday and have a Fabulous weekend!

Oreos That Wish They Were Girl Scout Cookies

J is in love with these new oreos. Me...I'm not necessarily a fan. We decided they taste exactly like the girl scout cookies, dos-i-dos. I'm not a fan of those anyway so not really a fan of these.  Oh well! Maybe with a little icing they will be better...then again that may send me into a sugar coma lol.

It Has Been One of Those Days...

for the past 3 weeks. I have found moments where I come up for air and everything is perfect for brief moments...ex: this weekend.  Christina married her best friend.  She was such a stunning bride. I will recap it tonight/tomorrow.  I just wanted to say Hi -- give a sneak peek  

   

 

Pictures courtesy of me and J

and tell you about the amazingness I found at Wendy's today!! The Twisted Frosty

Seriously -- you need to try it -- no right now.  Stop what you are doing and go get one.  the cookie dough chunks are UH-MAZING! You won't be sorry you tried it lol

Happy Monday!

Our Anniversary Weekend

As many of you know, this past weekend was our anniversary weekend (hence the title lol)! It was our very first wedding anniversary ♥

In light of this, J and I took Friday off from work to spend 3 days together.  We had such a fabulous time!

On Friday, we woke up and had a few errands/business things to take care of before getting into anything fun. After we did that, we went out to Christina's and had lunch with her -- she LOVES Chick-fil-a and since she hadn't had a stellar week, we surprised her =)

Afterwards, J and I made the trip to Plant City for the Florida Strawberry Festival -- we had an amazing time! Talk about eating your way through a few hours!! SHEESH! haha =)

          

 

If you are ever in the area for this festival -- you HAVE to try a doughnut burger!

Saturday, we went to the movies and saw The Adjustment Bureau and LOVED it. 

The premise of the movie was very different from what we expected. It was definitely worth seeing in theatres and I think Matt Damon is a great actor =)

Saturday night, Marc and Christy hosted a surprise birthday party for Christy's mom -- so we went out there where I enjoyed several margarita's.  You should definitely try the Chi Chi's premixed margarita over ice. Oh, My. GOSH! They were SO good!

   

Most of our group was there -- we all had lots of fun and plenty of laughs!

Sunday we just hung out for most of the day.  We spent a lot of time together, talking and laughing, and cuddling (of course!). We had dinner reservations for 7 at our favorite steakhouse.

        

After dinner, we stopped for ice cream (that we didn't need lol) at Marble Slab Creamery -- which is very different from Cold Stone, thank you very much =)

When we got home, we watched our wedding video and got emotional all over again. We also stuck to the tradition of eating at least a BITE of our year old wedding cake.  My parents did a very nice job storing it in the freezer -- it wasn't freezer burnt AT ALL! =)

If I gave you a bite of the cake, you would know it wasn't freshly made but you would enjoy it and have no idea it was a year old =) I may even have some tonight after dinner haha!

Happy First Wedding Anniversary (plus one day) to us! I am looking forward to many many more celebrations together!

You know -- they say the first year is the hardest.  We definitely dealt with some struggles -- not necessarily in our relationship, but in just dealing with everything else and truly adjusting to one another and the idea that we are each other's person. period.  It hasn't been a cake walk but we have had a lot of fun (for the most part) getting through the first year.  I can't wait to see what the second year brings.