New York Part Two: Pizza & Pleasure Things

Whooooooaaaa Nelly.. what the heck am I talking about? Well, you asked. I delivered. A post with actual pictures. I'm sorry to leave you all hanging! Haha.. I meant to do some last night, but I just got carried away at home, doing... nothing. I was resting!!! I am still in recovery from all the excitement, but I'll get there. It's amazing how now that I am older, it takes me twice as long to recover from events than before.. ohhhh the joys!
So.. you want to see a few things.. like the food I ate and what I wore right? Well, we'll start there!

What did I eat?

Saturday:
Dunkin Donuts. Bagel, egg, & cheese. Greasy. And disgustingly good. It was just one part of the grossly good food we had.. No picture! I ate it too quick!

Saturday Afternoon:
I ate half a chicken fajita wrap from some little deli across the street from the hotel. It was ok- the guy didn't warm it up- so blah. I ate chips and dip to make up for it.

Also consumed: A Magnolia cupcake, cupcake. At the Bleeker St fair that we stopped at during the SATC tour. It was delicious!

Later that night- we had pizza! This was the best pizza I've had in a LONG time. Maybe it's because I haven't had pizza in forever either.. and I was starved of pizza-ness..


The pieces were huge! But I still ate two of them. And two more at 3 am when we got home. Let's just say, I was busting out of my dress.. and it wasn't just because my boobies are big!

So my favorite part of the SATC tour was stopping at the Pleasure Chest. So I'm going to warn you, if you have a weak stomach, stop reading now! If you are like me and have the sense of humor as a 15 year old boy... get ready to laugh hysterically.



(we were not allowed to take pictures inside the store- but no matter- you see these and get the idea!)
Some sights that were seen inside the store.. a "c*m rag". It was a "dish towel" labeled as something one would use to clean oneself. We each bought one. LOL

Then there was the man inside the store the with the uber short shorts...................... he had a little something something hanging out...Sarah, Tanya, and I saw him.. we just about died! (Imagine forced whispers and shocked small gasps while elbowing each other and trying not to scream in horror.)

I saw loads of dildos, some that should not go ANYWHERE. One was the size of a NASA rocket. WHERE DOES THAT GO?????????!!!!!

Lots of ladies were buying things and I don't think they realized that they wouldn't be able to be inconspicuous about it either.. Because of the stores no return policy they need to make sure you know what you are buying.... so they take it out of the box, wave it around, tell you how to use it....

So we left, after touching and poking each other with almost everything. What can I say? We are like little boys. Ha!

We headed back to the hotel to get ready for the night.. The following pictures are pics I jacked off my friend. I hope you like!!!


Well those are just two of the pics.. I'll be back more tomorrow or Thursday with some more.. : ) I hope you liked them!!!!

Ups And Downs

Hi guys.. it is Thursday here and I am hunkered down in my house waiting for Hurricane Earl to strike at any moment... Actually I'm not, but that's ok! To all the people down in the Carolinas or anywhere Earl has visited, I hope you are staying safe! We are only supposed to get a lot of rain and a lot of wind. The last time we had a hurricane "strike" up here was Hurricane Bob- August 19th 1992. Please.. someone ask me how that date is so near and dear to my heart :)

So it's been hot. Agonizingly hot again and once again, I am suffering the effects of the air quality- wheezing and coughing- gross! Asthma, I hate you! So yesterday was especially hot and I decided, never mind the heat, I will work out in the gym at work.

Cue the violins...

I thought that I forgot my socks at 11:15 am. Planned to do yoga in the gym..

At 11:25 am, I found my socks and my big ole sweatpants that I grabbed instead of my shorts. Not great, but still ok for some biking..

At 11:35 am, I was in the gym, just about to sit down on the recumbent bike (my favorite place in the gym), when one of the engineers in my building came in. You know the type, skinny, geeky, wears his work shirt, basketball shorts, black socks, and sneakers that looked like they survived Pearl Harbor. (and he did too)

This MF sits right next to me on the other bike in the gym.

Never mind, the treadmill, the elliptical, OR the fact that I KNOW this guy "lifts" weights. He sits right next to me. Did I mention he smells bad????

I got up off the bike and went outside, muttering to myself about what a jerk he was.. Doesn't he realize he stinks and looks like a nerd crossed with a homeless man?

It was HOT. BIG MISTAKE. I should have sucked it up inside. But I was craving cardio and cardio I got. I almost fainted it was so hot. (A trivia side note, a major football team in the area stays at the hotel next door to my building) I really thought I was going to die. A couple of players drove past me in their tricked out Land Rovers and Escalades. I swear, if I were any less of a woman I would have collapsed crossing my fingers some burly football player would give me mouth to mouth. Then I remembered I am engaged and I don't think Charlie would like it if I got smooched by some hot big guy... Damn you conscience!!!

But I survived (duh) and was left with a major headache for the rest of the day. Oh God it was a rough afternoon. I drank so much water I could have floated home and somehow mustered up enough energy to make myself some really awesome shrimp.

The potatoes were these:

They were NOT as good as I make them! But they sufficed for a nice easy carb serving. (I could have had a bowl of cereal you know..)

Oh and one more FUNNY thing. My grandmother turned 830 today (just kidding, 83) and she went ahead and bought herself a birthday cake two days early on Monday. She had them put her name on it.
Her name is PALMA. But with her heavy Boston accent, she calls herself PALMER. OH GRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well all my cousins thought it was hysterical.. and my mom made me take a picture of it. I feel bad for laughing about it, but she's a tough old lady, she'll probably out-live me.. I think she can take it!

I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead of them! With all the rain scheduled for tomorrow night, it's a good night to stay home and watch CAMP ROCK 2. Yes, I am 28 years old and yes, I LOVE the Disney Channel! No shame ladies!!!
And thank you for all your comments on my last post- STRONG STRONG STRONG.. :)

Shocking, I Know

Happy Weekend! It was a hot day today over here in NE. I still haven't made it to the beach yet. I'm very upset about that one, I need to tan! I really shouldn't - I'm trying to stay out of the sun, but.. I can't help but love the sun!!!

Well Friday was uneventful. And I mean that. My Pilates workout that I penciled in, I got in at the end of the day. And that's ok by me! As long as it gets done at some point, it's all good! I did eat my weight in fruit salsa and pita chips that my mom made. I really love this!! My mom has outdone herself! Simple! Sweet! Delicious!

My mom made Jambalaya with shrimp and chicken as well for dinner and I helped myself to a nice plate of it. This was easy as well. GOYA (be still my beating heart..) RICE and shredded chicken and cut up shrimp. See? It's easy to cook ladies, even if you have no clue what to do!

My dessert was something that has been sitting in my freezer for a while now-


This was so yummy! A nice little dessert for the end of a hot night!
Saturday was a big day for us, me and Peanut had a lot to do! I started the day by doing a Hip Hop Abs Total Body Burn.. it burned my body, gave me a nice boost!
My breakfast to power up for the day.. yummy waffles with Raspberry preserves and Dark Chocolate Dreams PB. YUM!

Lunch was.... a salad, shocking, I know!

I tried a new dressing, Annie's Raspberry Vinaigrette- it was pretty darn good. I liked it! But... I hate to break it to you, but I ONLY had a salad because for my "real lunch" I was having one of these:

This is a caramel frappacino from Starbucks made with soy milk for an extra 50 cents. I LOVE these things, but I practically have to pawn my belongings to pay for one. But, it was my treat and was worth the trade off for "real food" for a change. And hey, it's the weekend!!
And here, my dears was my dinner! Barbecue chicken and apples sprinkled with brown sugar. I had two pieces of chicken.. it was so good! The skin was crispy and juicy at the same time and the flavor was awesome!

Well tomorrow, there is not much planned. Church, pool, pool, sun, pool, sun. I expect to get crispy and juicy like my chicken. You know, burnt and wet. From the pool!! God guys, what kind of a person do you think I am?! Anyway- have a fabulous rest of the weekend dears, I'll be blog reading soon, tomorrow night, tonight, I NEED to get my laundry done! I'm such a rockstar!!!

Get Your Green On

Yes, it is official. I have had a salad every day this week. Wow! To those who have followed my blog or know me personally, this is an acheivement! I have one packed for lunch for tomorrow too. I rarely eat salad, and here I am getting my green on for lunch every day. I'm patting myself on the back right now! I used the Newman's Own dressing today, but yesterday I made my own dressing using my nutrional yeast, lemon juice, and olive oil. It was pretty darn good! I'll have to tweak that!!

Anyway, workouts have been MUCH better because of the weather and I'm doing my yoga and my Hip Hop Abs. I have a Pilates workout penciled in for tomorrow morning and a walk planned for SURE at lunch time. I have my workout bag packed and everything!

Thanks for all the warm thoughts about my job too- I'm really hoping that something comes out of it.. I have to convince my managers there is room for me in that area. I found my niche, something they've been harassing me to find. So to keep me from going someplace else, they better hook me up!

Now onto the food for the day! This is what I brought for lunch, today and tomorrow. Yep. I'm predictable!


That is my famouso salad- a spring mix salad with green peppers on top. I ran out of tomatoes!
Also, carrots, waffles, and tuna for protein. And no, I didn't eat them all together! The waffles are breakfast! Haha.


My dinner for the night was soup and sweet potato fries. So good- although the soup was a little lacking- it did have enough substance for me.. but was still tasty. I'll take it!

I just had a piece of dark chocolate, so I am spent, tired, full, and satisfied. I am totally ready for bed now, even though it's only 9 p.m. I feel like I need to get to bed earlier and earlier every night to wake up at a decent hour. Anyone else feeling old lady-ish??

I hope you all have an awesome night! Good luck to my lady Katie on her big move today!! Stay safe doll!

A Weekend Like No Other

Wow, is it really July 5th already? I can't believe how fast the weekend went by. We certainly had a thrilling one. Seriously!!
I'm still coming down from the high I have right now. And yes, before you ask, it was completely substance free. Haha..

What did we have going on anyway?? I'm busy digging through my pictures trying to figure out how to chronologically put all this in here. So let's start with Saturday if we can. Peanut and I woke up late and I worked out- doing a Hip Hop Abs Total was Body Burn. It was tough but I loved working my abs off!!! So after that, Peanut and I went to the store at the outdoor mall near my house, we went totally NOT looking for anything to do but to return something. And we walked into a wild kid party. There was some road race going on the next day and there were tons of kid related activities, designed to get the parents excited about the race. I think that's what it was anyway.
So we stayed and got swept up in the action.

Face painting! And Qdoba! Yummy and perty!


We got airbrush tattoos too! So fun! Mine is almost rubbed off and Peanut's is totally gone. But they looked good when we got them!
After that adventure was done and over with we went home, ate again, and headed out to the fireworks... whoooooo!


They were really really awesome! I loved them.. but I was anxious to get myself home again. I was ready for BED. It really felt like the best day ever with the Peanut. We just really went with the flow and had a great time! Amazing!

But then came Sunday. And Sunday, I cried like a baby that night. I finally got to see my step-daughter after trying to survive without her. I have my own little one, but when I say she is the sweetest little girl I've ever met (besides mine of course!) I mean it! I love her so much!
Well, the three of us had an awesome time together. We went swimming (check FB for some fun pics) and then ate dinner and then went for ice cream. It was a blast. My SD said it was the best day ever.

My lil sis and her hubby came over and we had some crazy laughs. My lil sis is an awesome story teller- from her facial expressions to her crazy accents and mannerisms. Love it!
So this morning Peanut had her first day of summer camp and I ended up leaving Maria there as well. It totally broke my heart to see how much FUN she had at camp with the other theatre kids. Her mother won't let her do things like that because ... well I don't think she's interested in what Maria wants to do for fun. BUT I AM! Whatever it takes to make the kids happy (within reason of course! lol)
When I spoke to Maria on the way home she told me she couldn't wait to be living with me and Peanut. Again, I cried on the way home from dropping her off.

I realized something else tonight. I didn't think about food. I ate when I was hungry. I ate enough food and didn't think about "too much" or "do I really need to eat this?". I just ate. And I didn't even take any pictures of any food either! I consider this weekend to be a success. It was the best weekend I've had in a long time. I hope you all had marvelous weekends as well and enjoyed your time off if you had some.
Will be checking in tomorrow at some point! *hugs!*

The Battle

Well it's FINALLY FRIDAY!!!!! I can't believe it, I'm SO happy for the weekend you guys have no idea! Well you might.. It's a double good time.. pay day and the weekend. I'm always happy on those days!

So today is the Peanut's LAST DAY of 2nd grade! I can't believe it! She's getting so big!!!! No seriously she is, I'm convinced she is already a full head taller than I was at that age!

So what to do.. what to do.. I am planning on taking her out tonight for dinner. Someplace cheap and quick and easy. My options are as follows: Red Robin, Five Guys and a Burger, Friendly's, or Picadilly Pub, or IHop. I don't want to go to "the Pic". It's definitely a townie spot, complete with crazy waitresses and too expensive for what you get food. Red Robin seems like a good idea. Since Monday I've been dreaming about a big huge burger for some reason. I won't share what else I dreamed about though.. it's too crazy!

This morning though, when I got my lazy butt up to workout- I reached for my Pilates DVD and instead ended up with Hip Hop Abs. A way, I suppose to burn a lot of calories in preparation for the burger tonight.

The whole time I was working out, my thoughts were consumed with ED thoughts. Move faster, don't rest in between sets.. Then at work, I sat here thinking to myself.. "how the hell am I going to be able to do this tonight? What was I thinking?". I haven't been out to eat in the longest time it seems like. I struggled with a nutrition calculator on the Red Robin website trying to get ONE of the burgers down to under 600 calories (when my starting point was 1200, I'd say, I'm on the right track!). But how do I not screw this up? How do I not panic in the middle of the restaurant and scare the Peanut? Should I put aside my craving and just get something I know I'd feel more comfortable eating like soup and salad? Wait, I hate salad. Soup and.... soup. It's like, I want a freakin burger, so why can't I just put aside my fears and just go for it???
Who else has had this happen? And what have you done if anything about it?
I did however, have a salmon burger last night. But it was in fear food rage when I first thought about taking the Peanut out to dinner. Maybe if I have this, it will quiet the urge to eat a burger...

No, try again. This is not going well today...

I'll let you know how I make out tomorrow..

101 Days Till..

Last night I was lying in bed wondering what my problem was. I have been hungry. And tired. And tired of being hungry and tired. Mood swings, stomach problems. Headaches and bodyaches. I've been stressed out about money, work, life, planning, not having any support from C's family, etc. It doesn't help that I've also been in a pollen induced coma lately due to the high pollen count around here. It's all overwhelming sometimes and I want to snap. Instead I usually just cry. Yesterday "prevening" I did and I thought there might be some solace in my yoga mat. I did an hour and a half of yoga and damn did it feel GREAT. I loved every second of it. It reminded me of my old runner's high.. I've been having a lot of pain in my foot, so running is out- even though it's still ok to bike ride so far.. so biking is my only form of cardio lately... When I was done I was starving. Yoga burns mucho calories for me I think!
So anyway- while I was reaching deep into myself (my soul people... GOD YOU GUYS ARE GROSS!) I thought about how I should do a yoga challange- maybe that will distract my mind if I have a place to go for 30 minutes everyday where I can focus on not what is going wrong, but what my body is doing right. I'm not tooting my own horn here but I can go into some pretty freaky yoga poses just from being uber flexible in my hips. Oh man I miss my hubby... (sorry now I'm being gross)
Then I read Biz's blog today (by the way- nice new layout Biz!) and she started a 101 Days of Summer Challange. I missed the start date so technically I am going for 99 days of Summer... but Biz signed me up anyway!!!

My challenge to myself:
1. Eat more healthy fats.
- I don't count calories, but I'm not stupid. I'm not eating enough fat. Maybe that's why I've been such a bum lately.

2. Do at least 30 minutes of yoga daily.
- this may change as my body protests so much stretching. But I'm open to a couple of days of Pilates in exchange for yoga.

3. Biking 15 miles a week
- I don't know how I will keep track of mileage but I have a general idea of how far I can go based on my previous running routes.

Please note. I AM NOT trying to lose ANY more weight. I don't want to say what my weight is right now as that might trigger some people. Every body is different and carries their weight in different places. Right now, every pound I have is in my butt and my boobs. So if I have new readers coming over from different places, please don't ask what I weigh, I won't share!! *hugs*

What does this mean for the blog? I gotta start posting everyday.. FKGLODSL>A>A WHA?!!!
I knew you'd all be shocked! Even if it's just a little blip and there are no pictures. No humor. No jokes. No food. I'm gonna flippin' post everyday. If I happen to have an online stalker who reads everyday.. if I miss one, make sure you smack me.


I will try to have a little ditty on food and such that I'm eating, but I can't make any promises that some of my posts will be beyond.. "FML- I did my yoga. Now beat it." HAHA.

Here is my little badge to make it official.. Now I'm IN!

TODAY- I already did my yoga ; ) this morning, bright and early.. It was nice to go back to the mat after just doing a bunch of yoga last night.

FOOD: Using my leftover chicken, and throwing together many things I had hanging around my freezer, I managed to come up with a MEAL. *GASP!!!!!* I know you are all shocked! It's so easy! Even all you peeps who have commented and said you are terrible cooks, this was so terribly easy. Toss frozen veggies in a pan. Heat. Toss in sauce. Heat some more. Toss in grilled chicken. Heat some more and WhAMO.. we have a meal!


Here is what went into it... Some nice Gluten-free teriyaki sauce... It smelled
SO good! I loved it!


I should have thought of this the other day when everyone was eating Chinese and I was picking at rice and an egg roll!

Well thats all I got for you guys! I better get back to work over here. My phone call time is UP- time to work on EMAILS. BAHHHH!

Say Ahhh...

Is it Tuesday? Really? Have I really been gone that long? Sweet niblets!!
Well, I am back, it's been a LONG week already and it's only 8:48 in the morning (well it was when I started writing this anyway!)

I don't have too much in terms of words to say. But my nephew Melo turned 1. I love him so much I feel like I birthed him sometimes- and he doesn't seem to mind that I act like that either! I'm always getting hugs and kisses from him - what a flirt!!!! So here are the pics from our little cake-cutting ceremony on Sunday - his actual party is in two weeks, more on that in a second.


Here is he is eating the ice cream cake...adorable isn't he??


It was a good day with all the kids, I wish I took more pics! I have to save some of my memory though for this weekend when I have 6 children at my house for 4 days. Please, someone ask me WHY, HOW, WHAT. WHY did I say yes? HOW did they convince me to say yes? WHAT was I on when I said yes?
I'm weak when it comes to the kids! My SIL asked if I would babysit for her cherubs (qty 3) this weekend so she can go to Vegas (ummmm no invite??). I said ok for a three day weekend- how long can one stay in Vegas and stay sober and wealthy? Then it suddenly turned into a five day trip and I had to take three days off work for it! Yikes! So then, my niece (qty 1) and my BIL's younger kids (qty 2) want to come as well. If anyone is looking for me... I'll be the one with the mangy hair, sweatpants, with the crazed look on her face. Yep. For sure! I'm hoping the weather is nice, we will just walk around the neighborhood and go to the park and play outside. Please.. pray for sunshine!
So what was on muy food menu for the weekend? I have to get back to work over here, so I'll just put up the pics, you can bask in my food glory for now.. more later this week, if I haven't killed myself..
This pizza was pretty good- nutrition facts a little daunting but I sucked it up and ate the whole thing..


My go-to snack!



Chicken nuggets and fries! Don't worry, they were the good kind, no MSG or HFCS here ;)


And the best GF-DF french toast.. ever!!!!! I love this stuff! Highly recommended!

Well- I'm back off to work- I'll be trying to get caught up on blogs today- sneaking them between emails, so don't be surprised if you see a comment from me today!!!

What Goes In...

Hi everyone!!! How's it going? It's going over here I think! BTW- thank you SOOOO much for all your comments on my last post- I'm so happy to be a part of the lovely blogging community!!! : )

Not too much is happening in my neck of the woods- we've had a couple of great days weather-wise and now it is back to "normal" for spring time here. I think. Chilly, rainy, and dreary. Oh how the rain brings down my mood!!!!! Does that happen to anyone else? I don't get grumpy- just blah!

Well like I said, there isn't too much going on here you know? But I have some stuff to share.. so let's start at the very beginning, a VERY good place to start!
(anyone??? you know that??)

There was a hearty discussion going on over there at Hangry Pants with Heather regarding school lunches and who is ultimately responsible for providing healthy school lunches for children and what really is the defintion of a healthy school lunch. For me? It all starts at home! I feel like for the most part, we food bloggers are in an elite group for knowing what is "healthy" and what is considered "junk" for kids. However, there are parents who WANT to provide healthy lunches and foods for their kids and can't really afford to.. whether that's because the food budget doesn't allow for it or there are many mouths too feed and not enough to go around. It IS cheaper to buy a bag of Dorititos than a bag of Cinnamon Apple Chips. It IS cheaper to buy a box Stop & Shop dino shaped chicken nuggets than a box of Cascadian Farms chicken breasts. Reading about the school lunches on Heather's site made me remember about how when I was growing up, we got free lunches because my father was either un-employed or under-employed for a huge chunk of time. With four kids to feed, mac& cheese and cereal were staples in our diets. It's also where my disordered thoughts about food started kicking in. A portion of my Advanced Placement Chemistry class was spent learning about nutrition (I guess my teacher thought we should know about it? I have no clue why we did this..) and we measured calories in food. Suddenly I knew how many calories were in that free calzone I was eating. The tater tots. The nachos with nasty orange cheese. Gross. Me. Out. And I started obsessing over everything that went in my mouth. I gave away half my food and only drank skim milk and ate the piece of fruit that came with the lunch. I lost a good 15 pounds in a very short amount of time. I brushed it off as "growing into myself" but inside I was panicking... how could my mom let us eat this crap??? Why were we eating this crap??
I don't believe we had much of a choice. It was a financial burden lifted not to have to get four lunches together everyday and only having to worry about dinner.

Being a single mom myself when the Peanut was in school I had the chance to apply for free lunches for her and I chose not to. Instead I added money to her account and everytime she got a lunch menu, we picked four days where she could buy lunch and that was it. Does it suck trying to make sure I have enough money for breakfast lunch and dinner for her and myself? Yup- especially because she's a pretty picky eater! Have you ever met a kid who doesn't like bread? Well, if you have met the Peanut, that's her! Won't touch a sandwich! But we've made it work and although I feel guilty sometimes because she has the SAME lunches almost every day- it's the best we can do for now!
here is a peek inside the Peanut's lunch bag..

Crackers, cheese, ham rolled up. Yogurt, fruit, and some goldfish! Yummy!
The Peanut's digestive system does a whole lot better with out a ton of wheat and processed foods. Did you know that? She is the first person I know who functions much better on an organic diet! ; )
I think we would all function better on an all organic diet.. haha! But on pay-days, that's when we get the "good stuff" and in between, we get the cheap stuff. Pick your battles folks! So did my long-winded post have a point? Maybe not, but I needed a story behind why I took a picture of her lunch box. Ha!

Seriously though, anyone care to jump in the discussion about where nutrition starts? Home or school? Parents should be teaching about nutrition or leave it up to health class and after school trips to Dairy Queen?

Well that's all for now dears.. I have a ton of other things to talk about, but I'm planning to do a weekend post as well, so look out for that! And TONIGHT I'll break the computer out at home and get officially caught up on everything! I know Christina left me an award a while back.. so I have to put that up. And I have a couple of funny stories from this week as well.. I didn't want to stuff it into ONE post..

Easter And Exhaustion

Hello dear ones.. it's Tuesday and I seemed to have missed my usual Saturday and Monday post. I am so sorry! I've been a little "unplugged" from the world lately. I'm just really tired all of a sudden! Bed time is creeping in earlier and earlier- which might not be a bad thing! But who knows why...

So Easter weekend you say? What did we do? Well, alot happened! First of all on Saturday, the Peanut got to go to the zoo with her Aunties and my nephew Caiden! Lucky!!!! She had a blast and didn't come home until about 8 that night. Party ANIMAL! What did I do while she was gone? I went to a salsa workshop with my dance class in Cranston. As you remember last week we had the "Historic Flooding" here in Rhode Island and the dance studio we went to was literally a stone's throw away from the Pawtuxet river. Brilliant! I got a couple of good pics of the roaring river.. Still going strong!


This place caught my eye though... soft serve!!!!! Yummy!

The class was absolutely AMAZING! Well worth the extra money to go and spend a beautiful afternoon inside for! I loved it and learned A LOT! I also appreciated how confident my dance teacher is in my dance skills- I'm only in the second level for dance class now and when it came time to split up into "beginner/intermediate" (my level) and "intermediate/advanced" (ummmm not me!) he made me go into the advanced class. Ego boost! It was a little harder, but I worked my tail off and did it. Good stuff you know?
So I don't know if you guys may know, but the last couple of weeks have been rough food-wise for me. I've had to talk myself into eating a lot of times and working out like a looney some days. Not cool. I'm a work in progress though I think and some days are better than others. Well anyway- I considered Saturday after class a success because I managed to talk myself INTO (and not out of) having soft serve frozen yogurt. With chocolate sprinkles. All while day-dreaming by the Pawtuxet. It is a small success, but because I can't remember the last time I let myself indulge like that- it's a good one. Baby steps my friends.. I told my C about it, who said I needed to have six more. He thinks I'm too skinny.. lol

So Easter came and so did the Easter bunny! I forgot to take a picture of what he brought the Peanut, but he brought me Starburst jelly beans! I love those things! Oh "Easter bunny" knows me so well!
But here we are in all our fancy dolled up glory! (please ignore my extreme whiteness- mama needs to lay out!!!)

It was the usual routine for Easter- church, food, egg hunt.. and nap time!
I made a lovely lovely dish that I borrowed from Christina (thanks girl!)- a polenta lasagna. I made mine with ground chicken, polenta rounds, Muir Glen marinara sauce, and "rice mozzarella cheese". I sprinkled nutritional yeast over the top of it and baked away. This is pretty simple to make I gotta tell ya! On Saturday I sauteed the polenta rounds and browned the chicken and set it aside. Then on Sunday I layered the ingredients. And baked it. Wow. So intensely hard!!!! Ha!
Here is a picture of it uncooked. I forgot to take a picture of it cooked!

EVERYONE loved it! I was as surprised as my mother was! I think the key thing was, I didn't mention the fact that the cheese was not "real" cheese. :) No one noticed. Shhhhhhh!!!! I thought it was amazing! The "cheese" melted like it was supposed to and did not taste fake at all. GOOD DEAL! Adding this one to my permanent recipe book in my head!
I did have to buy that cheese at Whole Foods though (argh- so expensive!) I also bought some Amazing Grass products to try at the same time.. only becuase I came across a blog post of Christina's (girl I blogger-creeped you this weekend..) where she mentions that Amazing Grass has all but rid her of chronic headaches. If you know me, I always have a freakin' head ache. So I got some to sample see if I liked it enough to buy it on a regular basis.


I tried this bar yesterday afternoon. Despite its questionable looks and odd taste at times, it was quite delicious. And the best part was it kept me full for hours- which is completely weird. I eat like a cat- only a little bit at a time and I eat something almost every couple of hours. I think my metabolism is all out of whack though because no matter what kind of meal I eat, I'm hungry again three hours later- whether it's a huge burger and fries or it's a yogurt sprinkled with granola. Strange! But anyway- although the taste was a bit weird for me- I kinda liked it! It wasn't too bad! I have some of the chocolate "amazing meal" stuff so I'll give that a whirl sometime this week as well.

Well anyway, I have to get back to work. You know, so I can do. Work. *gasp*

I'll be catching up on your blogs soooooooooon. Tomorrow night probably- I have dance class TONIGHT! Whoooooo!