My Thrilling Night

Well hello there. I am so happy it is a beautiful day out today because if it had been gloomy I think I may have had to hold my eyes open all day. I have been extremely tired this week and (wahh wahh) I think it’s because my body is readapting to normalcy versus being a lazy bum like I was all last week. I should be back in the swing of things by next week.

There has been a high need for the coffee this week.

Breakfast yesterday was a Melanie staple: Greek yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, and honey. I had a dentist appointment yesterday morning so I omitted the chia seeds because they have a tendency to get stuck in the teeth. You can view more about Eccella Smiles to take care of your teeth.

Dinner was a comfort to me. You have seen this salad before but in the mix is mixed greens, black beans, tomato, avocado, peas, broccoli, cheddar cheese, and my very favorite honey mustard dressing. It was a hit in my belly.

I worked late last night so after dinner it was already almost 8:00. I made a few phone calls then made my way to the couch to hang out with this handsome fellow and watch Modern Family.It was a hilarious episode as always. Mitch and Cam had Lily on a child leash at Disneyland and it was extra funny to me because I witnessed someone at Disneyland with a leashed child last time I was there. It is hilarious to me. I love that show.

After Modern Family we watched a recorded episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, Croatia. Moose really enjoyed it because the episode involved a dog sniffing out truffles. Any time he hears dog noises on the TV his head perks up and he becomes enthralled by the show. Clearly he was captured by this one. I wish we could teach Moose to sniff out truffles in the ground. Are you taking notes, doggy?

I finished the night off with freshly popped popcorn.

And that was my thrilling night. 😉 Can you stand the excitement?

I am happy it’s Thursday because that means tomorrow is Friday. I am hoping to get a run in after work today as I neglected to get up early this morning for a run.

I hope you all have a beautiful day.

Continue Reading My Thrilling Night

Two Tickets to Paradise

Well friends, we are all packed up…

And we’re off. Off we go into the wild blue yonder flying high into the sky. For those of you who may have missed it, Dana and I are going to be spending a good chunk of time in the beautiful Dominican Republic. We plan to lay on the beach, swim, go on at least one tour of the countryside, hike up the waterfalls, rest, eat, drink, and do whatever the heck we want.

We do plan to continue training for the half marathon while we are there. All of our running gear is packed and we will hit the beaches a few of the mornings for beautiful, scenic jogs.

I had a hard time saying bye to this little man. He gives the most painstaking puppy eyes that get me every time.

This photo of Moose and Dana was from Wednesday. Moose was NOT that happy looking when we left for our trip. He is going to be in very great hands though and will have a blast going for walks, runs, and probably getting even more attention that he gets from us.

Paradise awaits. I am off. I have a few posts planned for you all while I am away. Hope you enjoy them. I look forward to catching up with you when I get back!

Continue Reading Two Tickets to Paradise

Is it Friday Yet?

My initial thought this morning: Is it Friday yet? I don’t what the deal is this week but it is crawling at turtle pace and completely kicking my butt. Also, I haven’t been super motivated to workout this week either. Hmm…possible correlation between lack of working out and being tired? It could very well be.

To top it off, I woke up with a terrible headache.

K, that was my speedy downer rant. It feels good to let it all out. Now, gimme some coffee.

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I worked late again last night but was actually hungry when I got home unlike the night before.

I threw together a salad topped with broccoli, peas, corn, cheese, black beans, and Newman’s Own Lite Honey Mustard and had my self a pretty tasty salad in no time.

So delicious as always.

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I neglected to take a photo of my breakfast this morning possibly due to extreme crabbiness, but I can tell you it looked a lot like this.

Ok, more like identical to this, same bowl and all. Fage non-fat Greek yogurt, black berries, and raspberries, all drizzled with honey.

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I’m trying to think happy, positive thoughts so that I can make it through the rest of the work week, so, I thought I would leave you with some funny photos of Moose getting his teeth brushed by Dana.

I think it is one of the funniest things. He acts like he doesn’t like it at first and hesitates to lay down, but once he does cooperate, he warms up to it and ends up licking the brush afterwards like he loved it.

You brush your teeth...ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch
Mmm...minty.
Don't forget the eye teeth, dad. The smile gets the ladies.
Love this.

I hope everyone has a great Thursday. I will try to remain positive the rest of the day if you do!

Continue Reading Is it Friday Yet?

Nerd in the Kitchen

Happy Saturday! I am leaving for Easter #1 at the in-laws in about 9 minutes so this is going to be short but very sweet.

This morning Dana, Moose, and I hit ground running for 4 miles, finishing just before the rain came.

When we got home, I hit the kitchen hard. Four desserts, baby.

Sneak peak of chocolate chip caramel bars in the making.

Homemade Lemon Bars in the oven.

Total nerdo in the kitchen.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake for Easter #1.

My cute boys.

Off to Easter #1!

One dessert is still in processing and was camera shy but I promise I made four today!

I felt like super woman today. Call me Melly Crocker. I am out! Happy Day!

Continue Reading Nerd in the Kitchen

I Went Greek

You will never guess what I had for breakfast yesterday morning. No, it wasn’t overnight chia seed yogurt. Can you believe it? It was pretty close though. I made a bowl of Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt, blueberries, blackberries, banana, chia seeds, and honey.

I gave it a good ol’ mix and was left with a creamy delicious bowl of sweet perfection. I loved the textures from all of the different fruits.

It was a good change of pace, however I missed not opening the fridge in the morning and having breakfast waiting for me to eat. Which is why this morning I decided to make myself an overnight oat, chia, and fruit bowl. I will spare you the photo because you have seen a kazillion of them lately. I do have to say this was the best overnight bowl I have ever made so far. It was very thick and I’m thinking I may have added some extra chia seeds this time.

Moose posed so nicely for a quick photo with me yesterday before I left for work. Such a good boy (sometimes). Such a cutie pie.

When I was looking at this photo I was taking notice of the background and remembering that I have yet to show you that finished wall behind me. I mentioned this wall project a while back but have been slow to decorate it which is why I have neglected to post a photo thus far. I still haven’t quite finished decorating it, but have placed temporary pieces on the shelves for now. Since I don’t know when I’ll be be completely finished with it, I decided I’d just show you it now.

It’s Moose’s cozy nook where he eats his breakfast and dinner.  Anyone have any ideas on decorating these shelves on a budget? I would love any input.

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Workout

After work today I had planned to get a work out in. The whole drive home I was really thinking that it wasn’t in the cards for me because I was pretty pooped. I pulled in the driveway and told Dana I didn’t think I was going. Then the head games began. Come on, Melanie. If you get your workout clothes on, you will most likely go, and you will be so happy you went. Just do it. Go. 

So, I listened to my head and got my workout clothes on, grabbed my music, and headed on the door.

I planned to run a couple of miles, but wound up running three. My head won. I am SO glad I went. The weather was perfect at about 65° with a light breeze. I even challenged myself to a big hill so I can build up my hill-running endurance and muscles. Sometimes it’s good to listen to that voice in your head (when it’s positive talk of course).

Dinner

After Tuesday night’s cauliflower fritters, which involved a lot more effort than I usually give to weeknight dinners, I decided that last night’s dinner was going to be simple. Simple, but there would be no skimping on flavor.

I went Greek(ish):

A whole wheat low carb Lawash Flatbread Brand tortilla, a layer of hummus, feta cheese, diced tomato, avocado slices, and baby kale.

Holy moly this thing was so stinkin’ amazing! The flavors all worked so well together. I want to make it again, like now. It was so easy, fresh, and a perfect weeknight meal.

The wraps were served alongside grilled asparagus and broccoli dipped in hummus (broccoli not pictured).

After dinner, we cleaned up the tiles in the bathroom downstairs so that they are ready to be sealed. Bathroom renovation is quite the process I tell ya. I have decided the bathroom colors are going to be gray/brushed nickel, dark brown, and white. I haven’t bought the accent towels or decorations yet but I am itching to do it! It is going to have a modern and classic look when I’m finished with it. I can’t wait for it to be done so I can show you. So excited!

Have a great Thursday!

Continue Reading I Went Greek

Looking Good

Yesterday afternoon we went to pick up this handsome lad from the groomer. He is freshly shampoo’ed, conditioned, and brushed thoroughly. We also bought him a new forest green collar. Looking good, looking fresh big man.

He was completely exhausted after his spa day and spent the rest of the evening laying pretty low.

All the while, Dana and I continue to stay busy painting the bathroom downstairs. We decided on the color, “perfect taupe.” I was wanting a gray toned color but also was hedging towards a tan, so this one was the perfect compromise.

We look really happy when we paint, huh? 😉

The bathroom is looking real good!

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Dinner came together in about 5 minutes last night thanks to leftover cowboy caviar (altered slightly from last time by adding a half a jar of jarred salsa) and fresh homemade canned beans. Yes, I cheated by using canned refried beans last night. I bought a can of fat-free refried beans in case of an emergency, and this my friends was an emergency. We were both completely drained from the weekend and totally hungry. I emptied the can into a bowl, heated them up and found that my intent for burritos was going to be slightly modified considering we only had one tortilla left. Being the good wife that I am, I sacrificed it for Dana.

Burrito with refried beans, cowboy caviar, lettuce, and pepper jack cheese all rolled into a whole wheat tortilla for Dana.

Refried beans, cowboy caviar, pepper jack cheese, alongside a big green salad for Melanie. Everything ended up getting mixed together on my plate and is was fantastic!

After dinner we finished laundry, made my lunch for today, and I even prepped dinner for tonight! I am super pumped about it too. I hope it turns out. Stay tuned!

Monday Positive Talk

It’s Monday again so that means it’s time for me to say something positive about my day. This Monday, I am so happy that dinner is all ready to go into the oven when I get home from work. Also, it is a dreary day which makes it easier to go to work because I wouldn’t want to be outside right now anyway.

This Monday talk is getting easier and easier for me! How about that. I am rebuilding my relationship. Happy Monday!

Continue Reading Looking Good

A Well-Stocked Fridge

Step right up. Come see the town’s most incredible circus dog! He can leap through hula hoops in a single bound with elegance and grace.

Such simple pleasure we have.

 

I have been feeling pretty good about my reacquaintance with intuitive eating. I have been truly listening to my body’s hunger and satiety cues and have been feeding it with very healthy wholesome foods. I plan on keeping it up!

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My Sunday breakfast was simple oatmeal with peanut butter and fresh blackberries on the side (not pictured). Of course, breakfast was accompanied by my beloved cup of coffee and coupon cutting.

We stocked up on the produce while out running errands today and our fridge is full of grape tomatoes, celery, carrots, sugar snap peas, kale, zucchini, apples and more. I have a couple of dinners all planned out in my head for the week ahead, and you can check out more information about the same. I love when the fridge is stocked full of healthy foods. I have a bunch healthy, easy to grab foods at eye level: grape tomatoes on the right, broccoli and celery sticks on the left. In the red bowl on the top shelf is leftover cowboy caviar from a barbecue we went to at a friend’s place last night. I have plans to use that tonight with dinner.

Let’s see how long it takes us to go through all of this food. It is amazing how much we can eat.

Lunch came together in a pinch. Sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, celery, and cottage cheese (with a little low fat ranch on the side). Not pictured were a handful of Emerald’s Mixed Nuts and a juicy apple.

Our Sunday has been pretty busy and very productive. Our bathroom remodel downstairs is really coming together fast. We have been painting today and just made our 100th trip this weekend to Menards for the baseboards. I can’t wait to show the before and after photos once it is finished!

Next on the agenda is picking up Mooser from the groomer. He had an appointment for a shampoo and conditioner treatment as well as a much needed brush-out. He has been shedding like crazy so this should help a little. I can’t wait to see him, he is going to look so handsome.

After that it will be the fun usual Sunday business of laundry, cleaning up the house, and getting ready for the week ahead taking place at our household. I am hoping for a little R and R later this evening.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and productive Sunday!

 

Continue Reading A Well-Stocked Fridge

Some TLC for the Big Man

After all of our Sunday errand running yesterday, it was time to give the Mooser a little TLC. We took him out for a nice hilly walk where he sniffed and explored as if he had never seen the outside world before.

That’s 92 plus pounds of lean mean doggy machine.

I worked up an appetite out on our walk and had plans for a killer stir fry for dinner. Before our walk I began marinading Tempeh in soy sauce and garlic powder (I used the other half of the Tempeh a few weeks ago in spaghetti sauce and froze the other half which I used last night).

When we got home I first got the quinoa cooking in the rice cooker: one cup of quinoa to two cups of water. I love how the rice cooker cooks the quinoa. I made a cup because I wanted leftovers.

Next, I began chopping up the veggies. I had leftover asparagus from two days ago that I hadn’t made into asparagus wraps so I chopped that up along with green cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and red onion.

I poured about a half a tablespoon of garlic olive oil in the wok, heated it up, then added onions. I let the onions cook down for a minute before adding the mushrooms. Next, I added the asparagus and carrots, and then lastly the tempeh and cabbage. I flavored the stir-fry with soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and a little ginger.

Once the quinoa was done cooking and the cabbage in the stir-fry had started to wilt ever-so-slightly, I plated everything up, gave it one last splash of soy sauce (because I love sauciness) and chowed down. This was my first time putting cabbage into stir-fry and I’d say it was a winner!

I really enjoyed the tempeh in there too. It had a slight nutty taste which was exciting. 😉

After dinner we watched a couple of episodes of Modern Family, Season 1, then headed out to the backyard to entertain the dog for a little while. Dana threw the ball to Moose using the Chuckit! which is one of the best dog toy inventions in my opinion. You don’t have to touch the nasty slimy tennis balls ever. You grab it with the claw of the Chuckit! and “chuck” the ball, and it does all the dirty work for you. How about that.

I made myself an evening snack of PoPcOrN! I spruced it up with some butter spray and salt and it was the perfect salty snack to conclude my Sunday with.

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Now, I am going to get this body moving. Hope everyone is having a tolerable Monday! Oh, I almost forgot. I decided last Monday that every Monday I wanted to write something positive considering I am trying to rekindle my battered relationship with Mondays. So, today I am very happy because I have the day off and my family is coming over for dinner tonight. There.

Let’s hear your positive Monday talk!

Continue Reading Some TLC for the Big Man

Short and Sweet

Well hello! I hope everyone is having a fantastic Sunday. Ours has been pretty productive! I have lots of photos to share.

Starting with lunch yesterday. I threw together a fruity salad. In the mix:

  • mixed greens
  • strawberries
  • grapes
  • walnuts
  • feta cheese

The salad was topped with this gem of a balsamic vinegar. I was inspired while out in California by all of the tasty balsamic vinegar combinations, and spotted this one at Target, so I thought I would give it a go. It is Strawberry Basil by Archer Farms and it is really good!

I had to scarf down lunch, because apparently no matter how much time I give myself to get ready, I am almost always getting ready down to the very last minute.

After lunch, I headed off to a friend’s baby shower. She is due in April and looking great! It was great to see all of the ladies.

For dinner we met up with Dana’s mom and dad for dinner. It was a celebration for Sue and Dana’s birthdays, which are both coming up this week! We met at bd’s Mongolian Grill which has create-your-our own stir fry.

I opted to go for the vegetarian option today, but they do have a great assortment of meats if you would rather go that route: beef, chicken, turkey, crab, shrimp, scallops, etc.

Here is my bowl o’ veggies (and one lonely egg) before I brought it to the stir-fry men. I chose a teriyaki soy sauce blend with a little bit of garlic.

In the stir-fry mix: zucchini, broccoli, baby corn, water chestnuts, carrots, edamame, mushrooms, onions, bean sprouts, and an egg. I think that was everything in there. Oh, and sugar snap peas maybe. It was very delicious and so healthy. I felt just comfortably satisfied after I was finished.

We had a great time as always! After dinner we headed home to our big man who was very happy to see us. He was in need of a little attention.

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This morning began with pb2 toast with banana alongside some coffee and coupon cutting.

Later I headed over to mom and dad’s and went for a walk with the little dog and my mama.

Although it was only about 26° out, there was no wind and the sun was out so it felt pretty nice. Aren’t they adorable?

This afternoon Dana and I ran a few more errands including some birthday boy shopping. Now we are home for the night, and contemplating having a fire in the fireplace. I have dinner simmering away in the crock pot and can’t wait to share this recipe with you tomorrow.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. That was the short and sweet version of mine. 🙂 Have a cozy night!

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Love My Runny Eggs

Today is my last day of work before VACATION! Friday morning Dana and I will be on our way to sunny California and I am beyond ecstatic! I am even excited for the flight over there because I plan to read, eat, and relax. Moose is a little bummed he can’t come with us. He’s always wanted to see LA. 😉

I need to get to L.A. if I'm ever going to catch my big break.

Guess what I did this morning!?

I actually got up early, out of my warm heavenly bed, and got a run in on the treadmill! I have been terrible about getting morning workouts in lately, but I figured this morning was the only time for me to do it because we have a laundry list of things to do tonight to get ready for our trip! Plus my friend who is extremely dedicated to morning workouts texted me an encouraging message this morning to help get me out of bed. She is amazing. 🙂 Thanks a million!

More good news, I didn’t have any knee discomfort today. Whatever was causing the discomfort the other day has completely subsided which I am very thankful for.

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Tuesday Recap

I really loaded up my bowl for yesterday morning’s breakfast. Besides the usual fruit, yogurt, and cereal, I also added in a small handful of chopped walnuts and extra yogurt for more “staying” power. This baby held me over until lunch.

Since it was Ash Wednesday, we were supposed to fast in between meals. I found that this is extremely difficult for me because I am a “small meals throughout the day” kind of person versus a three meals that’s it person. I always have breakfast, sometimes a snack around 10 but usually not, lunch always, piece of fruit or small snack mid-afternoon, dinner, and then a snack before bed. Yesterday I stuck with just breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and my body was upset with me almost the entire day. Oh well, it was just one day!

After work I met Dana for Ash Wednesday mass. Day one of no sweets was a good one. My body is seriously unhappy with me after all the sweets I have eaten lately. It is thanking me for a break. I feel out of balance and it’s time to get back in balance.

I went for a walk on the treadmill when I got home. I have been a little lazy when it comes to actually making the trip to the gym, which is only 7 minutes away BTW. I honestly feel that the laziness is associated with the sugary diet lately. It is amazing how quickly you can begin to feel a slide.

Dinner was veggie-filled. I sautĂ©ed up a bunch of veggies from the fridge including this little cute eggplant that I had bought at Whole Foods last weekend. It’s just a little babe!

I also threw in leftover fajita filling from last night’s dinner, broccoli, mushrooms, kale,with a little garlic powder, salt and pepper, and topped the warm dish with diced tomato, shredded cheese, and of course, a runny egg. I love my runny eggs.

Delicious and satisfying as always. The rest of the night was dedicated to one last load of laundry, and relaxing while watching Modern Family and Whitney! Wednesday night is our “big” night of shows! No packing was done last night which means tonight will be a fun-filled packing extravaganza. I really don’t like packing. I always pack WAY too much because I never know what I will need!

I am off to work! Have a Happy Thursday!

Continue Reading Love My Runny Eggs
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