How To Wear Yoga Pants

Happy Friday everyone! I'm just hanging out right now.. 9 pm on a Friday, and I am hitting the hay very soon. It's very hard to believe that a few years ago, I would be taking a shower getting ready to go out right now.. I feel so old!! Maybe I'm just more responsible :)

So I haven't been cooking at all this week, I have been going the old frozen dinner route- shame shame!! But at least they are the good ones and not Hungry Man or something..
Peanut and I went to the store tonight to pick up some stuff for my momma and I found these little doo-dads- Dark chocolate soy pudding cups.

They looked so yummy! I was excited to try them.. These are dairy, gluten, and casein free and are sweetened with beet juice and have added fiber with chicory root. Pretty darn healthy! I tried one when we got home.. it was "ok". It had a bit of a fruity flavor and less of a chocolate flavor. These are whipped, so it was very light and fluffy, so maybe that might have had something to do with the off flavor.

Since I don't like to waste food, I'm still going to eat them!
The other snack I picked up.. oh goodness. Can I even tell you how much I *love* plantain chips!?! Seriously they are the freakin' bomb! The chips I grabbed are sweetened with honey.. more of a dessert than a salty snackie.. So you could say I was eating dessert all night tonight!

Well, no one asked for it.. But... presenting a fashion like post! I have a serious addiction to Forever 21. Katie, you feel my pain girl! F-21 is a MUST to buy trendy goods up!!
I'm not a fabulously trendy person, but I usually go for a classic, not trashy look. Tonight, Peanut and I were going food shopping. Where we shop, one can find a few different types of people. Ghetto fabulous moms who should be at the club and not food shopping with their children. Or girls with flannel pants and their boyfriends hoodies. I'm not trying to trash anyone, but go to the store at 8:30 pm and you KNOW you know what I'm talking about!

I hit somewhere in the middle with this.. Black yoga pants by Express, Black flip flops by Payless, Bra cami top by Express, and a striped silky belted cardigan by Forever 21. It creates an "effortless chic" look that I love.. it says "I didn't try too hard, but I still look human". (I look a little boobalicious in this picture!)

Well, that's it! I'm off for the night.. let me know if you thought my attempt at a fashion post was a flop or I get a gold star (ok, silver star???). Good night all!!

Hurricane Snore

Ok, ok that is the stupidest post title, ever! But, Hurricane Earl was the most boring hurricane ever by the time it got up here. I know it caused so much damage all over the Carribean and I hope that the places it hit get help asap.. BUT.. it rained for a few hours and that was it!

Anyway, Peanut was coming back in the storm, she had gone to Maine with my parents, my niece, and my Aunty Kathy and her two Labrador puppies, Abby and MgGee- adorable! They had a blast up there (they were close to Canada!!!) out in the woods, swimming in the lake with the dogs, riding on the ATVs.. it was a good weekend for her! :)
So they were driving home in the rain that night and I was stuck at home worrying about my baby!!

What else does one do when one is at home with nothing to do????

Well, I watched Camp Rock! Anyone else watch it and love it?? *cricket**cricket*

And I am going to shamelessly admit that 21 year old Joe Jonas is really really cute! OK?!?! Now pretend I didn't say that!

I also made cookies at 10:30. Proof below:



These are pretty good! I liked them.. of course, easy to make, but what do I make that ISN'T easy to make?!

So the Peanut came home safe and sound and we have just been getting ready for school, cleaning her room, organizng her closet and her school supplies! She starts school on Wednesday! I'm so excited for her! My baby is going into 3rd grade!

I won't be posting up pictures of her school outfit, but if you want to see, send me an email, because she picked out an AWESOME back to school outfit.. she is too cute! Seriously! Finally her fashion sense has evened out a little bit- and she is getting the hang of making her own outfits. I love putting together outfits, but I never wear them- because I look absolutely riduclous in all these new trendy things people are wearing. I would love to do a fashion post on here every week- but I'm afraid people wouldn't like what I have!

I'm glad you guys liked my gym story too- I thought it was funny myself, even while it was going on.. like one of my "only happens to me!" thing! Ha!
Well I'm off to bed now - at 9:02 pm on a Sunday- but I am WIPED out!! See you all real soon!

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.. :)

Skip The Gym & Eat Your Fishies

Hi all.. how's everyone doing so far this weekend? Not much going on here.. thanks for all the birthday wishes! I was trying to keep the fact that it was my birthday a little hush hush.. but shoot you guys figured me out! LOL! I "know" too many people in real life I guess!

Well, what's going on in your next of the woods?? Mine is pretty clear :)

So I told you the other day that I got a $50 gift card to Amazon.com right? Well, one of the things I bought was an Exhale: Core Fusion Arms and Abs DVD. Strong is the new Skinny right?? Holy moley- I couldn't believe how hard this one was! I loved it! It came with a bright green resistance band to do some of the exercises. If you already have one, you can use yours.


The DVD is set up with 5 ten minute sections each one harder than the last. I was planning on only doing the first 20 minutes and instead I kept going! I'm pretty sure that my abs have never had a workout like this before.. and my arms have been aching ever since I finished the moves.. Holey Moley!

Strong is the new Skinny people.. seriously! I can already tell that if I can keep working on this DVD, I will for sure be getting alot stronger- without even using heavy weights or doing crazy gym workouts. All I used was that dang resistance band and a mat!

So what was on my menu this weekend? Fish. Fish fish fish. Can you tell that I love fish? I suppose I should start calling myself a pescatarian (a veggie lover who eats fish too) but I hate labels, so I'll just call myself a fish lover!

Fish Night #1

Salmon.. bought from Target in a bag... topped with olive oil, garlic powder, a pinch of salt & pepper and cracked red pepper. Yummy! Served with sweet potato fries!
Fish Night #2

More salmon, from the same bag of frozen fish.. expect to see alot of this ok?? This time topped with BBQ sauce, served with fresh green beans steamed and sprinkled with a little garlic salt. See? It's not too hard to get healthy eats in a pinch. Both meals literally took 16 minutes from start to finish! (including cooking time)
I totally understand that I am not one of the most creative bloggers out there. There are other bloggers who just absolutely kill it in the kitchen, and every day I really really want to be like them! But I'm not, I'm a lazy cook, limited in my food choices due to my food sensitivities. However- I still enjoy my food.. and now you know how easy it is to make healthy food choices and not just curl up with a bowl of cereal (of which I am VERY guilty!!!!)

Well, I hope you all are having a great weekend!! Let me know how you are doing please!!!!

Snackity Snack

Hi all, I am back! I'm hoping that I can post a little more this week! We have a couple of people out on vacation this week, and that always stirs up some trouble.. but I'll just roll with the punches :)

This post will be short and sweet as I can manage because I need to get some cleaning done that I didn't do yesterday! Sunday is usually my cleaning day but I took a long nap in the afternoon. On Saturday I spent wayyyy too much time out in the sun and my chest is BRIGHT red. Like Red Sox red. That hasn't happened in forever! I feel bad for myself, but then again, I should know better! Idiot! But I have a tan on my legs, I feel that the ever elusive leg tan makes up for the pain of the chest!!!

So the weekend..... no big plans, but the Peanut and I had a good time! We had plans early in the morning for her with a play date and I dropped her off and then spent the two hours catching up with a friend of mine. Oh adult time is sooooo treasured these days!

Then we hit up Whole Foods and I bought this... YUMMMMMMM in store made Peanut Butter. I have a serious problem with peanut butter.. It's like my life force. But that's ok, protein is protein!


I put a blob in my oatmeal....holy wow! It looks like it's a small blob, but it's really not- all hidden under there!
Saturday afternoon we went to the petting zoo, taking a bag of carrots with us to feed the animals. And here's what we fed ourselves with..

Pretty decent snackage no?? I love plantain chips for sure!!! They are so freakin' awesome!
When we were at the petting zoo, we were attacked by savage goats. Look at these guys, practically beating the fence down trying to get to our carrots! SAVAGES!!

We saw some pretty interesting animals (well, they haven't changed much since we were there last.. but still.. lol) I pet the horse and the horse and I had a "moment" It was cute... Haha..
So like I said, I spent half of Sunday sleeping. I needed it!

Today- I made some shrimp. Can you tell I love seafood?? I made this with garlic, pepper, and wheat free tamari- simple and easy. Looks good right??


In terms of workouts, I'm still going strong and would you believe I'm already seeing a difference in my muscles?? I can't either, I'll have to post some pictures up at some point! Too bad I didn't do before and after shots! Ha!

Well, it's almost bedtime for me.. a few more minutes of Facebook stalking and then it's a wrap! Have an awesome Tuesday!
Oh and congrats to Anthony, son of my girl Katie.. it was his first day of school today- ummm Peanut doesn't start for another 3 weeks! Wow!

Friday Night

Happy Friday everyone! Oh goodness, I can't believe how fast the week flew by- seriously! I woke up today and realized it was almost the weekend and I got sooo excited! Not like I have HUGE plans, but I just get excited when I remember that I don't have to go into work. :)

Thanks for the congrats on the award! Ameena, you would not really want to come and see me at work! We don't sell anything that anyone would want, except every single manufacturing plant in the US. We sell parts that run plants, and I just spoke to someone today who told me that our parts help run the MBTA in Boston! So the next time my Boston readers get on the T you can think of me! Please don't curse me if something bad happens though!

So anyway, moving onto more important things in life.. My Strong is the New Skinny campaign.. I have been working my butt off all week long for it and with ANOTHER award I got at work (yesssssssss.. I've been feeling so special all week long!) a $50 gift card to Amazon.com, I got 3 new workout DVDs. Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and two Core Fusion DVDs. I can't wait to try them and focus on getting STRONGER.

That way I can whoop y'alls butts someday! Hopefully next week things will calm down a little bit at work so I can post more often!

OK- my food! Just two meals I had, not ALL of them.


This was so awesome. I loved it.. too good. The salmon cake was a little bit on the spicy side and the pilaf was a bit chewy.. but- overall a big YUM from me!

And this is what my mom made for dinner tonight. MY GOYA RICE. And MY SHRIMP. Glad to be giving food to my moms! Ha!


Other than that.. the weekend will be spent sunning, sleeping, and (window) shopping. My favorite things to do! I'll probably finish reading a couple of books!
What are YOU doing this weekend??

Strong Is The New Skinny

Good evening fine people! How are you all? I'm doing ok.. for a Monday! I wish I could say I had the Monday blues, but I didn't feel too bad.. went to work, got some good news this morning, and was on cloud 9 all day! It was great! Usually work doesn't equal good news, so it was fine by me!
I just wanted to go over some food stuffs that I got over the weekend when Peanut and I went to Whole Foods! I love Whole Foods.. I've heard it likened to a religious experience.. and I almost agree with that!


Look they even have a cow across the way from Whole Foods where you can get fresh milk!

Nah, I'm just playing- that's the JP Licks cow. JP Licks is possible the best local ice cream place in the Boston area. Peanut and I got some ice cream ;) The only dairy I just can't possibly resist!


At Whole Foods I picked up a delectable new yogurt- I tried this with a little sprinkle of granola. OMG.. It's not dairy free but it is lactose free- which is really what messes up my stomach. This was seriously soooooo good! I was mad that I didn't buy more of them after I ate this! And look at the nutrional facts! So good!



For dinner yesterday while I was bored at home.. meatless meatballs with gluten- free pasta, pasta sauce, "cheese" in the form of Rice Mozerella sprinkle cheese & nutritional yeast.. simple and delish!


So I've been seeing around blog world that "strong is the new skinny". Ladies.. we need to embrace this!! Seriously! Look at this video below:

This is a little kid trained by gymnast Damien Walters- check out my FB page for a video of Damien Walters. Email me, if you need my info for FB :)
Could we do that if we are running on empty? Struggling to be as skinny as can be? I mean, I don't think I could do any of that ANYWAY.. But that's not the point. The point is.. we need to fuel ourselves ladies!!! Don't be afraid to work your butt off and then eat a full meal! I know I have a hard time with this sometimes.. but I'm gonna be changing my tune up. I need to get stronger, not skinnier. I want a six pack, not rib bones poking out everywhere!..

I hope you can join me in my new mission!

So hey, my work news? I won an award for my excellent customer service :) The sales guy who gave me the big bottle of tequila nominated me for it. I was so happy and proud of myself. I'm the first one on my team to get one so far with our new employee regognition.. It goes on my yearly review, plus the award is worth $25. The more I get, the more money I get. Yay! All my hard work is finally starting to pay off a little bit!
Well, hope your Monday went well! I hope to be catching up on blogs tomorrow, work was just too busy today.. Goodnight!!!!

They Call Me Psycho

Holaaaaa... I'm back for some more fun! Yesterday I spent the day aching and paining. I've been feeling a bit better, I know nothing is broken and nothing is sprained- just badly bruised. I think my pride is my hurt than anything! But I'm glad I survived! I seriously can't wait until I'm feeling 100% and I can tape that yoga sequence for you guys!! I worked out yesterday and today (yep, I'm crazy) but I seriously can't go a day without workin' it!

Thanks for the belated birthday wishes for Peanut! She did have a blast! She's definitely a superstar!! She had so much fun at her party.. Biz I love how fast you type and that was a GREAT idea for a birthday party! I told my mom about it, and she said she went to one once when she was 15 - and had a FACE MASK on. Ha!

So I did find a picture of those sweet and sour meatballs I made for her party!

Recipe as follows- (makes about 40 full size meatballs plus sauce)

2 bags of pre-made meatballs (I used turkey)
2 cans of tomato sauce
2 cans pineapple chunks plus juice
vineagar to taste
tamari to taste (or soy sauce)
S & P to taste
1/2 cup of brown sugar

heat sauce and simmer for a few minutes, then add frozen meatballs and simmer for an additional 25 minutes..

YUM!
I also found the elusive Chocolate Chip Cookie dough Larabars at Whole Foods!!!!!! YUMMMMMMMMMM!!! They are SO GOOD! I also tried the Peanut Butter Choco Chip Dough too- just as yummy!

Today I receieved this email from a customer:
"Sorry I didn't mean to isolate you I just feel safer addressing a person
verses an ip address . Plus you have been professional, prompt, gracious
and dependable to work with, so I figured we would try to claim you as *****'s rep."

I guess my years of drama class have finally started to pay off! HAHAHA!

I'll be back sooooooooonnnnnn! It's almost my bedtime! I have decided to cut out caffeine and I can't stay up past 9:30 anymore.. too sleepy!

For The Very First Time

Hey guys! Am I coming back to no one?? Comment if you read, just so I know everyone is alive and well. I am! Well, barely hanging on by a thread anyway..

This week is my week before you know what, so I've been extra groggy and grumpy. The two G's are never a good thing! So I stayed away from the computer so I wouldn't sound like a whiny annoying sap. All things my dad called me this week... but that's not the point! The point is... it was the Peanut's birthday last weekend! I took a few days off from work to help her celebrate.. and we did, by throwing a party and having a fun day in the city!

Pics are as follows!
It was hot in the big ole city and we melted pretty much the whole day. We drank a lot of water and had a fun time navigating the subway and streets of Boston. Sorry for the lack of pics of me and her.. try to keep somethings sacred. (In other words, all my pics are of me; I look hot and sweaty.... I'm sending those to Charlie.. lol)


But we went to the Children's Museum and walked the Freedom Trail. We are history buffs and learning dorks for sure!

Later on in the week was her PAR-TAY! If you weren't invited you must not be cool- cuz all the cool kids were there! Actually, it was a small party, but we played in the pool, ate, danced, and ate to our little hearts desire. It was a good party- plus she got lots of presents... what can beat that??

For food we had typical Luau food- fruit, pigs in a blanket and sweet and sour meatballs. Here is a picture of the fruit, the only thing I managed to snag a pic of before it was devoured. YUM!

But here is a dish I made at some point last week in a brief moment where I remembered I had a blog.Shrimp and green bean stirfry. This was totally simple to make dears- saute fresh green beans in a little olive oil, onion, pepper, and a sprinkle of garlic powder. Add wheat free tamari sauce (or soy sauce...) and gluten free teriyaki sauce (to taste).. then add shrimp (I use cooked shrimp, tail removed). Shake it around in the pan a few times, then cover and let it simmer and steam. After about 5 minutes, uncover and EAT.

It was easy, a little spicy, and totally worth the 10 minutes it took to make it.

So, tonight, for the very first time, I was injured while practicing yoga. Yep. And not in a glorious way, where I was practicing pigeon pose and I dislocated my hip.

Look back in my yoga post... the one where I was standing on my head with my legs spread open wide like a stripper? I was in the kitchen (mistake) when I shifted my head about 1/2 centimeter to the right (mistake) and I tried to tuck and roll when I fell (mistake) but instead I crashed into the table. OUCH. Not even an ouch. There's probably no word to describe the pain I felt. I thought I cracked my neck, back, legs, arms, everything. I think I stayed on the floor for a good ten minutes before I moved, just to make sure I was still alive. The cat came over to check it out as I was splayed out under the table. I swear, she must have thought I was dead. I think she tried to start to eat me.
So far, the backs of my legs are bruised and my elbows are puffy and hard to straighten and turning suspiciously blue. I have a 1600 dollar deductible for insurance- so in case anyone asks.. unless you are sending me the cash, I will settle for bathing in ice for the next couple of days. It hurts to type, and is getting worse now. Ice bath here I come!

The Unedible & Edible

I have no idea if I spelled that word correctly or not..Ha! I sometimes think of myself as a pretty decent writer, but there are some words in the English language I CAN'T PRONOUNCE. OR SPELL for the LIFE of me!
Some examples: Preliminary. Specific. Receiving. Niche. Yeaaaaaaaaa... anyone else feel like English is like a second language??

Well nothing too much as been up lately for us.. we have just been hanging out! I did get a pretty decent tan laying outside by the pool! It was nice! I know, I shouldn't be in the sun, but something about the lawn just calls to me..

Tonight I spent some time on the yoga mat and in the kitchen! Shocking, I know! But I have been practicing my hard yoga poses which are getting REALLY easy with all the Pilates I've been doing, so it's pretty cool! Here's what I made in the kitchen-

Mexican Casserole! It was a mix I bought a while back - and I've been wanting to try it, now here's my chance! It was pretty cool! I'll let the pics do the talking!




As you can see it was pretty simple to make! And it was a little bit on the spicy side which I loved! I packed up the rest of it for leftovers for the week too. Yay! No more wondering what to eat for lunch or dinner : )

I also made something that WASN'T tasty at all! I wanted to whip up Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter cookies. What I ended up with was lumps of clumpy sticky burnt balls of crap. Look!


These ended up in the trash. So sad! I won't share what I did with the recipe, just so you guys don't end up trying to make them :(

Well- I also did my hard yoga right? Yea! Here are a couple of the poses I did- I know you all want to see pictures of me in my sweatpants on my yoga mat... even better that I am in the TV room. Which is completely ghetto! Haha! You'll even see that hanging on the wall is my little sister throughout the years. My mom did that for all of our high school graduations- and even though she graduated 5 years ago... it's STILL hanging on the wall. Go figure!



Interesting no??? Not too shabby I think! I have to admit, I do really like my shoulders in that last picture! I LIKE my shoulders! They look pretty strong!

Well, I'm off to bed now! I'm wiped!

What do you like about yourself?? And what words do you not know how to spell/ pronounce??

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!!!