Breaking the Fast

Oh, my.

Best toast EVER?

(I almost said “best BREAKFAST ever” but honestly, is anything better than my oatmeal?  The oatmeal that Brent keeps begging me to make every morning?  I finally feel like a real wife!)

I was so hungry and excited just thinking about this toast that I actually popped the bread (Big Sky Bread) up from the toaster prematurely…..twice.  Just to see if it was finished yet.  Sad, I know.

When it was (finally) finished I spread ~ 1 tbsp of Skippy Natural peanut butter + ~1/2 tbsp coconut butter, then sprinkled with chia seeds. 

Meant to be together!

This is the coconut butter I got yesterday at Whole Foods.  It is very calorie dense + $$$$, but a little goes a long way.  And it is absolutely delicious.  This morning I melted it too much.  It is a solid in the jar and must be melted to spread.  Instead of spreadable, I made it very liquid-y.  Still good, though.

Breakfast has become my very favorite meal of the day!

Perfect Saturday

Today was a wonderful, beautiful, perfect Saturday.

Actually, it all started last night – we ordered pizza and watched Chocolat, a really, really good movie about a woman who opens up a chocolatier in a little French village during Lent.  Although it came out in 2000 and was nominated for 5 Oscars, we had never seen it before.  Netflix recommended it, probably because of my love for every movie Johnny Depp has ever made. Anyway, the movie made me want to open a quaint little chocolate shop.  Knowing me and my chocolate habit, my shop would not be financially viable and I would weigh 500 pounds.  I may just need to make a trip to Peterbrooke soon. 

Anyway, we went to bed really early for a weekend night – 9 pm – planning for a whole 9 hours of sleep.  We were so tired!

This morning Brent went cycling and I did two walk/jog miles down the sidewalk to the gas station.  My new favorite route!  And it was a beautiful day!

When Brent came back, we left for Birmingham.  We had planned this trip in order to go to Costco for the Vitamix demonstration + sale.  Oh yes we did.  Our stalking of the website has intensified over the past week and when some one told us about this weekend, we knew we had to go. We watched the demonstration for all of 10 minutes before we made the decision.  All it took was one sip of the tortilla soup to seal the deal!  Yay!  We are so excited!

As a side note, we loved Costco much better than Sam’s!  They had a much bigger food selection.  I found a huge jar of almond butter for ~ $6!!!  Brent got a value pack of Nutella, Mt. Olive pickles, vitamins, and ketchup.  All are necessities in the Freeman household, so we were glad to find such good prices.

After Costco………….

Our old favorite restaurant!  We started off with chips + cheese dip and salsa (the green salsa is the best):

And then, the meal….

Brent had the chicken quesadilla + soft taco and I had the Baja Fish Tacos. It came with mango salsa, Mexican rice, black beans, and tartar sauce.

The tacos were really, really good but definitely too much food!  I didn’t eat the rice, beans, or salad, but I did try a few of the mango chunks.  They tasted like summer!!!  Delicious!

There was definitely some Droid love at La Paz:

Next stop was Whole Foods, mostly just to look.  We found a few new items to try, including coconut butter and some chocolate oatmeal!  Whole Foods is dangerous….I’m very glad there is not one closer to us.

The final stop was Yogurt Mountain for “a taste” of dessert.  Yogurt Mountain is a self-serve frozen yogurt bar with over 50 toppings and  just happens to be the BEST IDEA EVER.

A “taste” of vanilla yogurt, Heath bar, Oreo, Reese, cheesecake bites, and caramel.  So good.  This really is dangerous, because we just got a Yogurt Mountain in Tuscaloosa – a mere 2 or so miles from the house!  Yikes!  Although it was such a beautiful day, it was really too cold for yogurt, so I burned Brent up with the car heater.

On the way home we admired the sunset:

Today was interesting because I honestly missed living in Birmingham for so long after we moved to Tuscaloosa.  And although there are definitely things I still miss (specifically the Lakeshore walking trail) I must admit that Tuscaloosa has really grown on me.  I was relieved to come back into town after dealing with the traffic + crowds in Birmingham.  I like being close enough to visit, but I’m just better suited to small-town life, I suppose.

Now that we are back home-sweet-home, we have settled in with the pugs and Nettle tea (recommended by You Are What You Eat), watching the Olympics and looking at Vitamix recipes.  Looking forward to lots of new and yummy cooking experiments!

Beets & Ice Cream

Brent and I have a new obsession – we are back on the healthy eating, whole-food bandwagon.  Which is why we went to Zoe’s for lunch.  Zoe’s is pretty much awesome – it is fresh, wholesome Mediterranean fast food.  Brent had the spinach quesadilla, which I tasted – very good!  I had the pita pizza, which came with a side salad.  It was also very good, but I only ate half.  I think I will get the quesadilla next time.

After reading You Are What You Eat, I have been craving juice.  Remember (Brent?) when I wrote about the Green Monster?  Well, I haven’t had one lately, mostly because it has just been so cold.

Well, today was the day.  Actually, I started out thinking that I was going to make a faux vanilla milkshake (I have been craving a Chick-Fil-A milkshake!), so I blended 1/2 banana, 1 c. almond milk, ice, vanilla extract and guar gum (to hopefully thicken it up).  Unfortunately, it didn’t work that well.  The flavor was good, but the texture…blah.

So, I decided to make it into Green(-ish) Monster and added Naked Juice, 1 handful of spinach, and 1 beet.  Voila!!

The pugs BEGGED for some!

Sorry guys!

Tonight was Creamy Chicken, another E-mealz that had been cooking away in the crockpot all day.  It was delishus!  It was a chicken breast with a “gravy” that contained cream of mushroom soup, white wine, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning.  Garlic bread and sautéed zucchini on the side.  The garlic bread probably needs to go, seriously.

 

I have wanted to try this recipe for protein ice cream for the longest time, so I decided to make it tonight.

Unfortunately, I think my poor blender just cannot handle it.  The flavor was really good, but the texture was off.  It needed more ice.  Not sure.  It was certainly tasty, though, and Brent agreed.  We will certainly be making this one again!

Time for bed!!!

I am Warehouse Soup?

This is me exercising this morning:

I’m well aware that I am looking very rough in this picture.  It was the best out of the 5 or so that I took, believe it or not. Evidence is necessary, though, because Brent doesn’t believe that I exercise unless he actually watches me.

After shower + makeup:

Well, my stint in jury duty is over, officially. I got dismissed today.  Boo!  However, the case they dismissed today was one that I am definitely glad I did not have to participate in.  I earned a whopping $20.24 for the past two days, which, in my estimation, is a sweet deal. Ha! 

The TuscCo courthouse, where I served my civic duty and had the opportunity to meet a few interesting individuals (one in particular).

The sun came out – it was a pretty day, but cold.  And they’re calling for possible SNOW tonight and tomorrow a.m.  This AL weather is crazy.

Tonight for supper we made Warehouse Soup + cornbread per E-mealz.  This was super, super easy and tasty!  Total comfort food.  The soup contained kielbasa, diced tomatoes, canned split pea + ham soup, and cream of potato soup.  The cornbread was from a mix, but called for 1/2 can of whole kernel corn.  I don’t like cornbread, but I loved this with the kernels of corn in it!  So good!

The book in the picture is a book Brent brought home for us to read.  It is by Gillian McKeith, a holistic nutritionist that I have never heard of but apparently is well-known in the UK. She even has her own TV show. The book is about how food affects our health – not only in context of weight, but all kinds of health issues/symptoms.  I keep trying to read it, but he keeps snatching it away from me.  He has gone into full-blown “teacher mode” and is reading long portions of it aloud -apparently the portions he thinks especially apply to me.  FYI: painful bumps on the tongue (which I sometimes have and have actually been to the doctor for) are caused by an emotional episode/upheaval.   Go figure.

 

So apparently, if you are what you eat, then tonight I am warehouse soup + cornbread.

Speaking of food, yesterday at lunch I had the BEST pizza of my entire life at Jason’s Deli.  It is the Pizza Fresco – basil pesto with pine nuts, provolone cheese, roma tomatoes, and mixed veggies (including artichoke hearts + spinach) on foccacia bread.  It was great.  All other pizzas pale in comparison.  Must have this again soon!  I may be able to replicate it at home.  We’ll see.

And we went to Manna, where we found two new staples for the Freeman household.

First, Big Sky Bread:

This bread is SO GOOD.  It is whole wheat + all natural ingredients and has a very good flavor.  It is chewy, thick and substantial.  I had two slices for breakfast and it was filling and lasted for hours.

And then……

Best. Cookie. Ever.  I mean, ever.

The brand is Liz Lovely and the flavor is chocolate fudge. It is gluten free and vegan, believe it or not.  Not that I care about either one of those things, but just cannot believe something all-natural and wholesome tastes SO GOOD.    This is definitely a serious cookie.  1/2 has 170 calories and 7 grams of fat, but the 1/2 is enough.  Plus, you have to make these last as long as possible because they are $$$$$$.  Definitely a special occasion cookie.

Now, cuddling + American Idol, then zzzzzzzzzzzz.

P.S.  I’m due for a hair appointment and I’m thinking of one of two changes:

1.  A good cut that would enable me to wear my hair curly again (too long now)

2.  Dying it brown again (cool instead of warm – in other words, no reddish tinge)

You Wish

This was the title of the email I sent to Brent this morning with the following pictures.

First of all, the pugs think they are human beings.  Obviously.  Brent and I allow them to think this because we are good parents.  I mean pet owners.  But we draw the line at their grandiose delusions of royalty who are condescending to live with us. 

Which is why we sometimes subject them to such:

 

In these pictures you can tell that Milly is clearly baffled.  A mixture of dumfounded + betrayed would be the word that best describes the expression on her face. Oscar, on the other hand, knows the drill after 7 years with us.  Doesn’t mean he likes it.

He leads the mutiny:

Foiled!!!!  Ha!

Look at him trying to guilt-trip me in this picture! 

This is after:

If looks could kill…….

Can’t you just tell that she is thinking evil things about her Mama?  I mean, owner?

“Don’t you even think about coming one step closer.”

Weekend Warriors + Jury Week

This weekend, Brent participated in his first training race of the season (cycling) in Gadsden, AL.  I am so proud of him!  He did great in his group, coming in in the top 10!  Woo hoo!  Unfortunately, I was unable to go with him because I was working.  :(  However, we may be going back this coming weekend for another one.  I refuse to stand by and let his adventures in racing go undocumented!

He thoroughly exhausted himself:

This week is JURY WEEK for me.  I am excited about it and I realize this sounds very lame. 

I love downtown Tuscaloosa!

While we have been busy, the pugs have been up to no good, as per usual: