Veggi-licious, Definition, Makes OP go Crazy!

…anyone? Well, VeggieGirl might know what I mean, because the other day, I went home and on my bed, there was an object not there before:

 < fra-geel-ie… Must be Italian!

 hmmm…

 BUBBLE WRAP!

Nah, just kidding! Really:

 < og. Chocolate Macadamia & og. Chocolate Cherry Almond Hazelnut nut butters

 

 

 

 og. Orange Almond & og. Cherry Almond nut butters:

 

 

THANK YOU, VEGGIE GIRL!!!

I, of course, had to try them! I intended on trying just one last night… but once I tried one, I opened them all to try!

^ half CCAH (left) & some OA (left)

I tried them all, but this is a small taste. Very small in comparison to what I had, spread on graham crackers! I was surprised that I liked the cherry & chocolatey ones best, because I’m not a choco-holic… &, of course, I thought the orange would be my fave. It’s great, but they all are!

This mornin’ I put the orange almond butter into play & switched it up with some oat bran! I also added smilk, cinnamon, Agave & a lil’ box of raisins!

I liked the switch of the oat bran instead of rolled oats- kind of like Cream of Wheat or almost grit-like, or something… but good & warm! I have a bulk-bin bag (*say that 3 times fast!*) of it, so I’ll keep using it!

Oh, and this Booger was thirsty for some joe:

 

Any plans for the weekend?!

One of my friends is having a birthday party on Saturday & it’s Beatles-themed! I have to work tonight & tomorrow nights, but plan on going afterward!!! Whatever it is, appreciate your time doing it!

And, I hope all you chilly winter-ers are staying safe & warm!

Bizzy Me!

So! I wore my newly-exchanged shoes to work out on Tuesday and I was still feeling a little squished in them… so I looked at the box: 8. I looked inside the tongue on the shoe: 8. When I did the exchange, I brought the 8’s from home, along with 8.5’s from the store, which I wanted… the guy at the register did the lil’ transaction, handed me back the 8’s & I went (happily) on my way… until Tuesday after my workout! Geesh! I guess I’ll be going back again. Until then, I’ll have to keep them sparklin’ clean!

*This is what I’m looking at, while I blog to you:

 Hi, Milo!

Tuesday, I had another great day! I went to the gym & did the Arc trainer, lifted arm weights & did some abs/core. Then, I went home & made another smoothie. This one was AWESOME! I didn’t get a picture, but it was a pretty pink color, which made it more appetizing than my last effort with the green one! I used this protein powder (13 g. protein + anti-oxidants), added some extra frozen fruit, a couple of T. of sogurt, ice, some water & whiiizzzzzzz…. dee-lish!

I also made this for dinner:

 

^ Mesquite-grilled tofu with mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, snap-peas, mushrooms, onions) over quinoa, Bragg’s & garlic-roasted pumpkin seeds <– a nice touch!

^ I got hungry a little while later, so I had this snack, consisting of:

packet of plain oatmeal, some Chia Goodness cereal

Now, I am definitely not one to waste food. But yesterday… just look what I came up with & tell me if you would do the same:

I started with this packet:

…it looked promising, being hemp protein & full of goodness

 

 

 

 

 

 

…& I added some frozen fruit (including peaches & a banana), some sogurt, ice & water… to get this narstiness:

 BLEGHH!!! Again, I wanted to like it & I hated the thought of all those good ingredients (& $$$) going down the drain, but one dip-of-my-finger in this blend put a sour look on my face and I had it thrown down the garbage disposal before I had any other reaction! The dogs didn’t even get a chance to sniff it out & look pitiful enough for a handout… so I went back to a tried-and-true standby: Spirutein (vanilla flavor) soy protein powder:

Then, I added a banana, some (maybe 10 or so?) almonds, sogurt, water, ice, cinnamon & cocoa powder to come up with a much better outcome:

Then, off to work, where it was a total MAD HOUSE because:

• It was “Senior Day”, where folks aged 60+ got 10% off everything in the store
• Brendan Brazier came to talk about his book (Thrive Diet) & products (Vega nutrition)… check him/it all out here. After the lecture let out, people swarmed the store to try some of the products & get their lil’ paws on the goods!

It was a successful day, for sure… just very busy! Finally, I had this to get me through & make me feel a lil’ spunky:

 Ginger Kombucha!

I’ll update about today, which started very early with a staff meeting before we opened the store this morning. It’s sure to be another good day!

Happy New-President-Day!!!

Milo says so, too:

FREE, ME!!

I slept in, mondo… when I woke up, I put out the FLAME!!! Okay, I was watching the news on TV this morning when I woke up (okay, afternoon) when I saw it: smell like a burger! For $3.99 you can smell like a flame-broiled Burger King ham-boogie. Nice. They also referenced the SuperBowl commercial from McDonald’s where a man mistakenly puts a wrapper in the dryer and his wife’s clothes smells like beef and he is turned on… see it on YouTube here, with Miss OP:

Okay, onto the good stuff…

I finally finished my semester!!!!

YIPPEEE!!! YOW!!! HURRAY!!! ZIP-ZIP-ZIPPERRR!!! WEEE!!! So, I’ll happily be blogging more until I start mid-January (the 12th or so?). I’ll be working (*grumble*), relaxing, and doing other unforeseen things in my future. Unfortunately, either of my sisters will NOT be home for Christmas. It’s gonna be weird. And sad. Me lovez ‘da sistah’s!

So, yesterday. As soon as I woke up, I went for a brisk walk around to wake up and energize me! It was so nice out and great for my mind. When I got home, I put on a pot of coffee and made some oats for brain-food.

^ I had Target’s Pumpkin Spice coffee (I mix the grounds with generic/cheaper variety with the yummy stuff to make it last longer. I also add cinnamon to the filter!); the oats are: ~1/3 (+) c. Bob’s Red Mill 5-grain hot cereal, chopped apple, ~1 T. Skippy Natural Chunky PB, cinnamon, a splash of soymilk, and brown sugar. MmMmMmmmmm…

So, then Government Exam. Yow!

Then, the gym for some cardio… gotta get the heart pumpin’!

I have to tell you something. My uncle has been looking for a job for a while now. He’s a real estate appraiser, but work is hard to find right now with that… so he’s also been a black-jack dealer! Cool! Anyway, he wants to work at a big casino around here, but until he can be transfered here, he has to work at another location, a few hours away. He also has a cat (Milo!) and a dog (Bella, who is also Jasper’s sister!!!!), so I am staying at his house to watch his “brats” (or “kids”- they’re both! HA!).

It’s been pretty fun. Man, Bella is FULL OF ENERGY, ALL! THE! TIME! And Milo was barely seen, until a couple of weeks ago. Aww, he likes me! Because I feed him, probably. He’s a one-minded animal! Let me introduce you to them- Milo:

Bella: (actually sleeping?!)

It’s a mini-Jasper! 

So, since I told you that, I’m staying at his house. I’ve moved in my stuff, OP’ed his kitchen, I get my own room and Bella snuggles with me at night. BUT, his shower-head is like a drizzle… so I went home after the gym to shower. And, my fab Paris-sister is still home (she can’t get a flight back, uh-oh!), so we went to Publix to get sammiches. I love their hoagie-bread! 

^ Mine was a veggie with spicy mustard, Provolone cheese, S+P, and all the veggies, except black olives. EEK! (green pepper, banana peppers, tomatoes, onions & pickles… I think that’s all!)

Then, work. It wasn’t too bad. I got paid, but since I went to Paris the last weekend I’ve worked, it was a small paycheck. I’ve only been working Thursdays & Saturdays (and some Sundays) during school, so over break, I’ll probably pick up some more hour$!  It was slooowwww though!

Afterward, I decided I needed a fun lil’ zing to celebrate the end of my semester! I was by myself and tired, so I found this baby in my uncle’s fridge and saw a little recipe on the back, so I improvised. My version of cookies & milk, no?!

hmmm, I’m not a big drinker, and this tasted in NO WAY like alcohol, which I loved… but I drank it so quickly, and limited it to just one cup. I heated some soymilk and mixed it that way. Great! While watching Jim Carey’s version of The Grinch, it was a little nice to have no agenda!

So, then I slept in until, late. I woke up at 8:30, but have NOTHING TO DO, so I rolled over and kept sleeping. It was strange for me, since I’ve been a morning person these days, but I stayed up late (for me!) and had a lil’ drinky-drinky! 

Have a great start to your weekend, loves! Any plans?! Holiday shopping done? I’m allllllmost there. Just something else for my mom & Paris-sis. Hopefully I can navigate the crowds, but since I already have gift-ideas for them, it shouldn’t be too bad!

I work Sat. & Sun. then not again until next Sat! ENJOY!