"It's Not Fair!"

Please enjoy the funniest thing I've seen in a looong time. I hope it makes you giggle as much as it did me! :) I know you'll at least agree that IT'S NOT FAIR!!

(I love the subtle Justin Timberlake video references...and you know you're going to be going around singing, "When my world revolves around food it's so hard just not to eeeeeeeat!!!!!")

Speaking of food and all that jazz, my regular readers are probably wondering why I haven't weighed in the last two weeks. Well there really hasn't been much to report. My eating has been sketchy and my workout regimen has been less that stellar. I've only gained like 1.5 pounds over these two weeks which is minimal damage so I'm OK with it. 

Now, I haven't been bingeing like mad or anything crazy. It's just been a bit hard to adjust to my new schedule and keep everything else on track at the same time. I ate out a lot last week because I didn't get my lunch ready to bring with me.  I'm also adding about 4 hours onto my day, which adds more time for cramming in calories. *haha* And I'm still trying to think up healthy snacks I can bring with me that AREN'T loaded with carbs but are still easy to pack up in the morning. (I've been eating too many granola bars recently. *haha*) 

My exercise opportunities have been cut in half to begin with, but then I've had some additional activities in the past week and a half that have limited it further. And I'm so pooped when I get home in the evenings the LAST thing I wanna do is head to the gym. I know, I know, welcome to a normal life. I guess I didn't appreciate what I had until it was gone, y'know? In hindsight, I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to do some hardcore blubber-blasting for the months I was out of work. I know it sped up my progress...and hopefully instilled some habits that I'll be able to continue once I get myself adjusted.

Cornbread muffin sabotage

Jeremy's Birthday is on Wednesday, so his beloved Famous Dave's sent him an e-mail coupon for a free meal. We decided to take advantage of that offer yesterday afternoon on his day off. 

I was determined to be good on my diet and not use this as an excuse to splurge. I thought surely I could figure out how to do that. Unfortunately, we decided to go there after we were already out of the house running errands so I couldn't look up the nutritional information in advance. But when we got there, I decided I'd have a cup of chili (not a bowl! Just a cup!) and because I cannot resist them...one cornbread muffin. Just one! And I didn't add any butter, like I normally would. I estimated that one of those was maybe 300-350 calories. 

Hahahahahaha. When I got home, I looked up the calorie information on the net - what a shock! ONE STINKIN' MUFFIN = 600 calories!! 600!! That's like, two meals!!  Then you add in the chili I ate and I practically couldn't eat for the rest of the day. Obviously, I have a long way to go when it comes to estimating calories. Stupid muffin. ;)

One thing I'm definitely learning is that bad food + cardio = a nasty, awful feeling. I had a replay of my vacation-gym indigestion last night at my Cardio/Core class. Several times I thought I might actually vomit and I kept getting a stitch in my side. (Jeremy doesn't acknowledge "stitch" as a legitimate description...so for those of you in that camp, I kept getting a CRAMP in my side. OK? *hehe*) Plus I had zero energy. Normally I'm huffing and puffing but I can make it through the whole cardio routine. Last night I was pacing around on wobbly legs, completely nauseous, holding my aching side. Yuck, not fun. Note to self: LOG this feeling in your memory for next time you get tempted by things you shouldn't eat!

Luckily, there are so many things that I can have that are completely delicious! For instance, several years ago my manager at the time gave me a recipe for the yummiest Taco Soup. And it is easy-peasy-lemon-squeazy!! You literally just dump cans into a pot. Love it! 

1 can pinto beans

1 can corn

1 can diced petite tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 lb browned hamburger

1 package taco seasoning

And that's it! 

Well imagine my delight when I found practically the exact same recipe in my Hungry Girl cookbook! The only difference is that she added black beans and a package of ranch seasoning. I was thrilled to see that it's a very low calorie meal. So I whipped up a batch the other day...minus the ranch seasoning (cause I forgot to buy it) and I used ground turkey instead of hamburger. I even used low-sodium taco seasoning and corn. Yay me. :) It is so super yummy!! 

(Couldn't resist using my new measuring cup. *hehe*)

With some crushed baked Tostito's and fat free cheddar on top, it's a completely easy and guilt-free lunch/dinner/or even (in a smaller portion) a snack! Yum!

Mini-Vacation in Minneapolis

Hello blogland! Did ya miss me? I hope everyone really enjoyed their Valentine's Day and President's Day weekend!  We had a nice little trip to Minneapolis with lot's of shopping, sightseeing and *eek* eating. Yes...there was cheesecake. There was movie theater popcorn. There were nachos. I didn't even try to hold back. But we'll get to that in a minute.

I'm gonna break this trip down into three posts: First, what we did away from the Mall of America, then everything Mall related...and finally I'll post about all my goodies I came home with. Here we go!

Day One

Our first stop in Minneapolis was The Cheesecake Factory. How is it that I've been to this place twice in the two months I've supposedly been dieting? Somehow that just doesn't add up. *haha* I had my usual Banana Cream and Jeremy got brave and tried his very first piece of cheesecake EVER. He got a peanut butter/candy/chocolate/somethin' or other flavor. He said it was "ok," but didn't like the parts of it that had "too much cheesecake" in it. Silly boy! I just don't know what's wrong with him!  The nice folks sitting next to us offered to take our picture when they saw I had my camera with me. 

From there we drove to REI which was nearby. Ever since we went camping in the Fall of 2007, we've loved REI. They've got way more than just camping stuff and we both love their clothes. I didn't find anything this time but Jeremy got a couple of shirts. 

Next it was off to their LSS (that's "Local Scrapbook Store," meaning not a chain store like Archiver's.) We had found this store's address online...but look what we saw when we arrived! They were having a HUGE sale!!!

Every.Single.Thing. in the store was on sale! What a treat. And my heart literally skipped a beat when I got inside and saw THIS SIGN:

If you're not a scrapbooker, this doesn't mean anything to you. (Actually, you could be a scrapbooker and this still might not mean anything to you. *haha*) Fancy Pants is an awesome scrapbook company that makes some of the neatest stuff out there. They're quickly climbing to the top of my favorite companies list. I know, now you're really wanting to see what I got. But you're gonna have to wait till tomorrow! :)

By then it was time to check into our hotel. We stayed at The Crowne Plaza in Bloomington, which is basically Minneapolis but just right outside I guess. What an exciting surprise! Since we booked it through Priceline.com, we weren't sure exactly what to expect. But when we got there we found out we had gotten a HECK of a deal! It was such a nice hotel! 

Silly hubby + our rental car & the hotel

The slick, glowing check-in counter

The lobby, bar and cool firepit

Beyond just the normal shampoo and soap bars, we had these goodies sitting on our bed when we arrived: an eyemask, earplugs, lavender linen spray and a relaxation CD.

We decided to head downtown that evening and take a look at their "Skyway." Basically, they've got indoor walkways that connect the entire area so you never have to walk out in the cold. (Oh, did I mention it was really, really cold there? Yeah. BRR!) 

Well everything downtown looked really cool, but much to our disappointment everything was closed! At 6pm on a Saturday night! VALENTINE'S DAY, for Pete's sake! So we walked around in the empty hallways for a while and then decided to call it a night. Dinner was at Boston Market, one of my favorite places on earth. We used to have them here but they're long gone. :( Yeah, I could've eaten healthy there but I had, had, HAD to have the mac&cheese. It was downright heavenly. :)

Day Two

Well as you probably remember, I had every intention of working out while we were on vacation. And I'm psyched to tell you that I DID! Let me tell ya, God really blessed me with that gym. Every worry I'd had beforehand was provided for!

What if they have crappy machines? 

Far from it! In fact, the elliptical machines they had were the same kind I use at my gym, except an upgraded version! And they had TV's attached, too. Spiffy!

How am I gonna get enough water?

I drink A LOT of water in my daily life, especially when I'm working out. So I was a little worried as to where I was going to find all the H20 I needed. Lo & behold, they had a neato water cooler right there in the gym. Thank you Lord!

So I got in a whole hour. It was kinda exhilarating!  At first I was alone, but by the time I was done, every machine was being used, as well as the weight set. It was exciting, all of us there in pursuit of our fitness goals together. :) I even pushed my way through some terrible indigestion, which I'm sure I owed to all the naughty crap I'd eaten the day before. :^/

Guess what's located right across the street from the Mall Of America? Our beloved IKEA! :)  So we went there for breakfast and to take a quick peek around. Little did we know, they were offering FREE breakfast all weekend in honor of the holidays! That drew an unbelievable crowd. I've never seen an IKEA that busy! What's funny is that the breakfast is normally still only 99¢, so why was everyone so downright excited about getting it free? *haha* 

While walking around the store we spotted a display room that had paired OUR couch with OUR rug. I took that as validation that it must look good together. *haha* (It's not our exact couch...we have the version without the sectional attachment. But it's definitely cousins with this couch.)

To be continued...

Mall of America fun!

"Weight" just a minute!

*singing* "It's just another weigh-in Monday! I wish it was Sunday! Cause that's my fun-day." :)

But what am I whining about? Today is a GREAT weigh-in day! Because today, my purdy new scale is telling me I've lost 2 pounds! Woohoo!!! That brings my overall total since I started in January to 9 pounds. (Plus I kept off 5 of the pounds I lost when I was sick all December, but I've decided not to count those since I didn't WORK for them, y'know? They were a "gift." *haha*)  

I have bad news about my body fat percentage, though. The other day Jeremy calculated his own percentage on the scale and we were comparing our numbers. Mine was lower than his, so of course I felt inclined to gloat a little. Just a little. "Women's body fat is supposed to be higher than a man's...we just carry more fat, y'know, in "those" places. Blah blah blah, mine is lower than yours, so I rock." Then he retorted with something like, "Well your number is only lower because you're taller than me." Indeed. This is a fact we shlink around, though, and try to ignore. He doesn't bring it up and I certainly don't rub it in his face, but I AM taller. ;) Everyone knows it. 

So then he pulls me into the bathroom and makes me stand back to back with him in front of the mirror. I insisted that because of the shape and SIZE of my immense head, the results of this test were bound to be skewed. :) So then he makes me stand up against the door jam, like a growing child, and makes a mark above my head. And then I do the same for him. When he pulled out the tape measurer, we were both in for a surprise. 

I've been telling people for YEARS that I'm 5'6". For YEARS! Come to find out, I'm barely 5'5"! *haha* And Jeremy was indignantly sure that he was 5'5" but in reality he's right at 5'4". And this meant that we had entered the wrong proportions into our smart li'l scale, so our body fat was measured wrong. So we were arguing about it for nothing. And we're both shorter and fatter than we thought. *hahaha* Oh well. Such is life.

On the diet front, this morning I made the most AMAZING pancakes! Pancakes, you say? Pancakes aren't for DIETS! Well, my friend, you are mistaken. Because these pancakes were made with Fiber One's pancake mix! (I'm beginning to think FiberOne is destined to take over the entire diet market...even more so than Special K! It's insane how many products they make.) 

As you can see, this mix has fiber, whole grain, calcium, blah blah blah. Plus you get three pancakes for 180 calories.  And they're so delicious! Light and fluffy, simply scrumptious. If I were a better pancake-flipper, they would have been pretty too, I'm sure. But I can never seem to get them turned over without them skidding across the pan, leaving little batter entrails splattered all over. Which doesn't make for a pretty pancake. 

I was so excited about eating them that I forgot to take a picture before my first bite, sorry. :) 

Ok, here's one from the other side which was still in-tact. *haha*

Now, you may be thinking, "Sarah, this looks like a complete rerun of the waffle breakfast." But I assure you it was a completely different taste experience. :)  

The boys got to enjoy one of the cast-offs that got a little too done. They enjoyed it and wanted more, see?

Sadly, there was a casualty in my kitchen this morning. I don't know if any of you do this, but I often get the burners on my stove mixed up, turning on the wrong one. Normally it's not a problem because my stovetop is cleared. But today an unsuspecting oven mitt met it's untimely doom. And my kitchen still smells like burnt cotton.

Cake Wrecks

I love "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network! They seem like the coolest group of people. Duff (the owner and head chef) has the greatest laugh and laid-back personality; he always makes me smile. The talent these guys possess never fails to amaze me. Every single cake they make is AMAZING!! I would love to work there, but alas, they'd never let me. Because for one thing, I'm not nearly cool or quirky enough to fit in with their crew. But mainly they wouldn't hire me because I would turn out cakes that look like this:

Cake Wrecks

Have you ever seen this website? I discovered it the other day and it had me (literally) LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!! Basically it's a collection of "professional" cakes that are absolute botches. Some of them have ridiculous misspellings, some are the result of a miscommunication between baker and customer...and some are just poorly, tragically decorated. Go, you simply must! You will not regret it. Absolutely HILARIOUS! The cakes aren't the only funny thing...the writing is witty and sarcastic and sure to make you smile! Check it out! (Here's another favorite of mine! You won't believe!)

You bought me a WHAT?!?

My hubby brought home a "gift" for me yesterday that probably would have gotten most men smacked: A new scale. But don't worry, I didn't hurt him. Instead I was totally psyched! I've been saying that I wanted a new scale. Ours is missing one of its "feet," so I didn't believe it could really be giving me an accurate reading in that condition. Plus, I wanted one that would measure my body fat.

Well when he was at Target he happened to remember my request and ended up finding one that was majorly on sale! Oowah oowah! Isn't it purdy? Ok, so yeah, it's still a scale meaning "woman's worst enemy." But I'm going to put this thing to work. (It won't cry "OH!" when I step on it like the Wii Fit, will it? *haha*) 

I was anxious to see what my body fat percentage was, since I'm always CLAIMING to be a "dense" or "thick" person that builds muscle really easily. That's how rationalize I how much I weigh. *haha* But seriously folks, I've been watching this show on Fine Living Network called "Last 10lbs Bootcamp" and all of these girls look about what I think I look like, but weigh a lot less than me! So I was relieved, nay, GIDDY, to see my body fat percentage was at a much lower number than those gals. In fact, it matched the number that some of them ended with! So THERE! ;) But I looked up what a woman should average and my number is still too high...so I'm just excited to see that number go down as I continue to build muscle...and I hope that will make up for when the other number stops moving. We'll see how it goes.

Ok, let's talk about something else, shall we? I discovered a bit of a miracle product and I feel the need to share. You already know I love Kashi, right? Well I just discovered (at Super Target) that they make rice! Did you know I also love rice? (Love really isn't the word. I have a bit of an obsession with rice. I could eat it at every meal, which would negate all of its healthiness.)  I picked up a package of the "Original" to try.

Ok so if you don't like wild rice, you won't like this. I'm describing it as a "wilder" wild rice with lot's of texture. But I thought it was really, really good! The miracle, however, lies in the nutritional info. You get a whole cup for 220 calories (I only ate 1/2 cup and it was PLENTY!). Plus, there's 7 grams of fiber in a serving and 8 grams of protein! PROTEIN! In a "carb" side!!! I could do backflips. What a concept. 

So last night I came home from sweatin' it up at the gym and I was ravenously hungry, but way too tired to really want to stand around in the kitchen cooking. So I threw together the easiest peasiest dinner that was delicious and healthy! (It involved the Kashi rice, in case you're thinking I didn't even bother transitioning. I don't NEED TO! Same topic here! *haha*) Want the recipe? HA! 

1/2 cup Kashi Original 7 Whole Grain Pilaf

1 cup Birds Eye (steam-in-the-bag) Asian Medly (my FAVE! So yummy!)

1 chicken breast (which I'd baked earlier and just had to reheat.)

And voila! So satisfying.

I need to tell you about my workout last night. I decided at some point yesterday that I was going to take TWO back to back classes at my gym. This sounded like a super idea...untill after I was done with the first class! *haha* It's called TurboKick, and guess who teaches it! You got it, the teeny tiny firecracker of energy! I was pooped by the end of it and was really considering leaving before the next class started. But I told myself, "No, just stay at least for a little while and see how far you can go." So I did. It's called Cardio/Core and I really like the instructor. I took some classes from him last year and enjoyed them...until I fell off the wagon but that's another story. :^P Anyway, he's very athletic but not in a body builder "We're going to pump you up!" kinda way, more like a coach. He's really funny and energetic, and for some reason he doesn't get on my nerves like the super peppy female instructors do. He says things like, "How we doin' athletes?!?" and encourages us to yell "HEY!" with every kick. He doesn't just stay at the front of the room, he comes around and works in all sections of the group. It's all very energizing. I even start to think, "Yeah! I AM an athlete!" when that couldn't be further from the truth.

Ok, I digress. So I stayed for the class and at one point he was showing us the high intensity version of a move and I decided to try it. I was dying, but it felt really good to push that hard. And then suddenly I got like a second wind and wasn't tired anymore! It was like an adrenaline rush, I guess, and it felt SO GOOD!! I was jumpin' and kickin' and huffin' and puffin' but loving every minute of it. Then, of course, I crashed hard right around the time we were moving into the "core" portion of the class, but I still tried that part. I was SO proud of myself when I got home and it's inspired me to push myself harder every time. You know on shows like The Biggest Loser, when they have the contestants do something really hard, like hike up a mountain or carry someone on their back? The trainer usually says something like, "Now that you know what you're capable of, you can never make excuses again. Look back to this moment and know what you can achieve." Well I never really understood that but now I think I kinda do. Normally in a class, if I was feeling tired I would just stick to the lower intensity using the rationalization "well I don't wanna make my heart explode!" But now I've seen that my body really is capable of carrying me that extra mile or working at that higher level! No more excuses!!

Super Duper Snack

I made up a couple Hungry Girl recipes for our Super Bowl celebration yesterday. The first, which I was most excited about trying, was a cheese dip that ended up very disappointing. In fact, it is the first time I've disliked anything that HG has created or recommended. It was just really....bleh. Not nearly cheesy enough for my tastes. Oh well!

Good thing I also whipped up some Krispymallow Treats from the cookbook. THEY were good! Think Rice Krispy Treat except with good stuff, like fiber and whole grains. And they're only 47 calories per SQUARE! (Well, since I can't cut straight, I think mine range from 40-60 calories per lop-sided trapezoid.) Can't beat that! They're sweet enough to be considered a treat, plus they're crunchy and chewy at the same time. Bonus! I had one this morning with my fruit & yogurt breakfast (I've run out of waffles!! Waaah!) and found they were even better today. They seem to hold together more now that they sat for the night. Don't know how long it will be before they go stale, though. (They likely won't last that long!)

They're really easy to make, too. In fact, I got brave and did some substituting since I ran out of one kind of cereal. (I know that's not really "brave" to most of you...but I'm a kitchen coward, remember?) It CALLS for Fiber One, puffed wheat, light butter (or butter spread) and marshmallows, but mine had Fiber One, Kashi GoLean and a little bit of Fiber One Caramel Delight. Delish! 

Top of the waffle to ya!

I broke out of my breakfast rut this morning. Not that the rut was bad (some kind of Kashi cereal + banana + sometimes yogurt), but I've recently been inspired by those Eggo commercials. Y'know, the ones with the precocious children that have supposedly created their own special (and surprisingly healthy) "signature" waffle? "I'm Elle, and this is MY eggo!" Sure, sure it is. Why don't any of these waffle creations include M&M's or marshmallows? Now that's something a kid would come up with. *haha*

Anyway, apparently Eggo sponsors a lot of things I watch, because I kept seeing those commercials and finally, yesterday when I was at Target, the thought, "WAFFLES! MUST HAVE WAFFLES!" crept into my head.  Just that subtly! But alas, Eggo's commercials backfired on them because I bought Kashi brand waffles instead. Sorry, Eggo. They're a lot healthier (more fiber, fewer calories) and let's face it, just buying something by Kashi makes me feel all cool and backpacker-ish. I got the Honey Oat flavored ones.

To top my own special waffle creation I picked up some strawberries and blackberries. Originally bananas were going to go in the mix, but I've had bad luck with Target bananas. They're always very green on the shelf...but they seem to go straight from too green to BLACK. Yuck! So I stuck with the berry blend. Then, to kick it up a notch (BAM! Anyone watch Emeril? Nevermind...) I got some sugar free honey! How exciting! 

This morning as I was chopping up and mixing the berries, I was really struck by how beautiful they are. Such rich color! It made me feel very Springy. :) I dusted them with a little Splenda to tone the tartness down a bit and Voila!

So, let's do this right.

"I'm SARAH! And this is MY Kashi Honey Oat waffle!" *hehe*

Pretty, isn't it? Drizzled in honey with those lovely berries on it. And DELICIOUS! Scrumptious, even! Guess someone who gets this excited about a waffle should break out of their rut more often. ;) (Gotta tell ya, I'd highly recommend these waffles! They're a little sweet and have a nice texture. Yum!)

My Apple Dumpling Gang

I'm proud to say that I've been eating really healthy the last two weeks (with the exception of "Cheesecake Day," but let's look past that.) I've been tracking all my meals and snacks at Spark People, a nifty little diet site that's absolutely free! I've used it in previous diet attempts and found it really helpful (well, apparently not helpful ENOUGH! *wink*) since it adds up the calories, fat, sodium, y'know EVERYTHING for you...and you can also log how many hours you spend exercising to see how many calories you're burning. There's also lot's of different message boards and support groups you can join if you want. See? Nifty.

On the page where you track your meals, there's a spot at the top where you say how many glasses of water you've had (something I have NO problem with...chug chug chug) and how many fruit and veggie servings you've had (something I have...well...a little more of a problem with.) It's very eye opening to look at a day where you thought you were eating pretty healthy, but realize you didn't come close to the fruit and veggie quota you're supposed to reach. So I've been trying much harder to keep up with that.

But I digress...the entire point of this post is that I've been eating lot's of apples. Probably "an apple a day" which, though cliche, must be a good thing. I love, love, LOVE golden delicious apples, so I bought a bag of small ones and have been going through them like crazy. 

Well, I'm a dog-mom that likes to share with her dogs. I let them lick my plate (Yes,all you haters, plates that I wash and then use again. If you don't like that, bring your own dishes when you come to my house. *haha*), yogurt cups, ice cream bowls....whatever I was eating as long as it's not harmful to them. So the other day I had the random thought, that I would let them taste the apple core after I was done. Not totally EAT it, they're not really garbage disposals, I am aware of that. But y'know, lick it and maybe chew a piece off. What a discovery that was. They LOVED it!! It was hilarious though, because as each dog took his turn, they would first latch onto it like, "Great thanks, I'm gonna go eat this over there..." but then realizing I wasn't going to let go of it, they'd release their grip and just kinda lick it. They've gotten better at this as time has gone on, and today I got such a kick out of them (and my camera "happened" to be right there) so I took some pictures. MoJo was being camera shy, I guess, because he never came and took a bite while I had the thing out.

The last one is my favorite...Wrigley's scrunched up face just cracks me up. He was really serious about it!

Adventures in Scrapbook Shopping!

On Monday I was fortunate enough to be invited to Kansas City for a day trip of scrapbook shopping and cheesecake eating! How completely fantastic! :) I went with Mary and Toni, two amazing friends I had the pleasure of working with at the Garden, and Mary's friend Linda. It was a really fun day, but it certainly wasn't without its share of hiccups. 

As we were driving along down the highway, having a good ol' gabbin' time, we suddenly heard this loud screeching noise. At first we credited it to some semi's passing on the other side of the road. But then they were gone, and the noise was getting louder. Toni yelled, "I think you have a flat!" and Mary pulled over. We were all in disbelief but lo and behold when we got out to look, the front left tire was in, well, pretty poor shape.  

My mind immediately traveled back to that morning when, as I was getting ready to leave, my loving husband had said, "Make sure you have your AAA card!" And I had laughed to myself thinking, "Oh you sweet, silly boy. Like we're going to need THAT!" Ha! Major jinx, I guess. But after Mary and Linda had surveyed the donut situation and realized we couldn't even get to the thing (it was attached underneath the rear of the car), I whipped that card out and dialed for help.

After my call was FINALLY handled by the "first available representative," I was giving the woman all of our information and she asked us what mile marker we were nearest. Well none of us knew that, but when we looked out the back window we could all see it and it didn't look that far, so Toni volunteered to run and see. (Poooor Toni. *haha* We had no idea how far it really WAS!) 

As she was running and huffing and puffing, these two gentlemen pulled over and asked her if we needed any help. She was able to convey, through broken speech and motions *wink* that we indeed DID need some help. And since AAA was going to take at least 45 minutes to show up, we were thrilled that these fella's were willing and able.

 They told us they'd actually been driving in the OTHER direction and saw poor Toni running down the side of the road. They both said they would never want their wives or daughters to be in that position, so they turned around to help us. Real gentlemen!!! They wouldn't accept any money for their time and we didn't get their names...but GOD BLESS YOU, you nice men, wherever you are. *haha*

So then we had the pleasure of spending an hour in the Ottawa Wal-Mart getting new tires, since we didn't want to be driving on that donut all day. :^/ But eventually we DID make it to K.C. And the first stop for these weary, starving travelers had to be, beyond shadow of a doubt, The Cheesecake Factory! Possibly my favorite place in the whole, wide world of food. :) I ordered my usual: Fried Macaroni & Cheese Balls (yes they're as decadent and fattening as they sound) and Banana Cream Cheesecake, which I think I could eat every day for the rest of my life and never, ever get tired of it. It is DEEEEEEVINE! Heaven on a plate! Mmm mmm MMMM!!! Ok, enough raving. We all enjoyed our lunch, but LOVED our cheesecake! See? 

Me with my banana DREAM!

Toni got some kind of Reece's/Butterfinger Extravaganza! Delish! 

Mary had her favorite, the Snickers Cheesecake. It had chunks of Snicker bars in it! INSANELY yummy!!

Linda tried the 30th Anniversary special chocolate cake + cheesecake layers...amaaazing dahling.

You might be surprised to hear that the day improved even BEYOND amazing cheesecake! Because then it was time to go scrapbook shopping!!! Our first stop was Jo Ann's, which in Wichita is not a very exciting place. But the K.C. Jo Ann's is HUGE and has a big ol' scrapbook section, beyond even what Hobby Lobby has. But big deal, what were they possibly gonna have that I would need? Famous last words. I rounded a corner and there, before my eyes, were the two lines from Colorbok that I had wanted SO badly, but Kathy refused to order. (Remember that ordeal?) I was able to find some of it on 2P's but they didn't carry it all. Well, not only did Jo Ann's have it all, it was 40% off!! 

Um, this is what the section looked like after I got done with it...*hehe*

As you can see, I was slightly excited.

Jumping for joy! *haha* (Toni & I had talked earlier in the day about how popular "jumping" pictures are these days, so we decided this was an appropriate moment to try one ourselves. Funny stuff.) 

After Jo Ann's we went to Archiver's and while there was no literal jumping up and down, I found some great stuff there too!! Most of which was also on sale, so I felt obligated to take it home. *haha*  So much fun! Thanks for letting me tag along, girls!!

Turkey Taco Meatloaf...Soup?

*sigh* This is why I don't cook.

I decided last night that I would pull out my Hungry Girl cookbook and find something yummy to make. I wrote down the list of ingredients I would need and picked them up on my grocery store run today.

My recipe of choice? "Crazy Good Turkey Taco Meatloaf." I like tacos and I like meatloaf...and I LOVE things that are "crazy good" so it seemed like the one to try. *hehe* The recipe was simple enough, but I, the queen of kitchen blunders, found a way to screw it up. 

The recipe called for (or at least I thought it did) 1/2 can of corn. When I went back and read it again, it said "1/2 cup canned corn KERNELS." *sigh* Hungry Girl, you let me down. You've got to S-P-E-L-L it out for me! "DRAIN the corn, Sarah! DRAIN IT!" But no, I dumped half a can, liquid and all, into the mixture. It didn't look runny...but after I pulled it out of the oven 30 minutes later...oooh dear. My meatloaf was floating in a pool. I freaked a little, angry that I'd spent the time and wasted the money. But after draining off the excess moisture, it tasted ok. I'm excited to try it again because the flavor was really good so I know if I do it right it will be amazing. 

Alas, I had spongey meatloaf for lunch. You think I was gonna go through the effort the make something ELSE after that? *haha*

Yum Yum Brownie Muffins and Easy-Peasy Lemon Cake!

Last night our Young Married's group from church had our annual Thanksgiving Potluck. They're always a lot of fun because it's an extra chance to eat all the favorites of the Holiday AND chat with a bunch of great friends. We had a great turnout and lot's of yummy food.

I signed up to bring dessert because I wanted to try a couple of recipes from my Hungry Girl cookbook. The baking began early enough in the afternoon that if they didn't turn out, I still had time to run to Dillon's and pick up a backup. *haha* But as luck would have it, everything turned out completely delicious! And they were so EEEEEASY!! You'll never believe it.

The Yum Yum Brownie Muffins baked up big and fluffy and incredibly moist. Here's the "recipe"

1 box Devil's Food cake mix

1 can pure pumpkin

Mix these ingredients together, spoon into muffin cups or muffin tin sprayed with no-stick spray and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

AND THAT'S IT!

The dough is a little sticky and hard to work with, but other than that everything was easy-peasy.  They have 170 calories per muffin (and they're good-sized) plus they have the fiber from the pumpkin which is a dieting bonus.

I dusted mine with some powdered sugar to make them a little prettier.  They're more of a muffin than a cupcake so they don't really need frosting. 

They were  a big hit! When I revealed the ingredients, everyone was shocked. PUMPKIN? You really can't taste it. Well, Jeremy said HE could, of course, Mr. Picky Pants. *haha* 

I also made a lemon cake using a tip I found on Hungry Girl's website. It's equally as simple.

1 box cake mix (I used lemon) 

1 can of diet pop (I used Diet 7-up)

Mix ingredients together and follow the baking instructions on the box!

It's amazing to me that a can of pop (or pumpkin, for that matter) can do the same job as eggs and oil. Weird, right? But it turned out great too!!  So you have no added calories or fat. The flavor was really nice and the texture was moist...although a teensy bit crumbly. I sprinkled powdered sugar on that too and they tasted like yummy lemon bars.

And you know what I'm gonna say...if I can do it - YOU CAN DO IT! *haha*

All I Have to Do is Dream...

Does anyone else ever wish they could record their dreams to watch them back later?  I will often wake up from a dream and while it's fresh in my mind I reflect on the details and "characters," but then the next morning they're almost completely wiped away! It's sad that something my imagination works so hard creating can be forgotten so easily. *haha*

Last night I had two particularly "memorable" dreams that I wish I could see once more. One of them was more like a movie than a dream...but of course I ended up as a main character. Isn't that how it always works? :)  I would like to go back and take a look at the other people in the dream. Do you ever wonder HOW your imagination can just make people up from scratch?  Or maybe you only dream about people you know? I constantly am dreaming of people I've never seen before...and I'd love to be able to study them more closely and figure out if I'm morphing multiple real-life faces together or if my imagination is just that awesome. ;)

The other dream from last night was particularly humorous. Jeremy and I were at some public place waiting on something, maybe an airport or a bus station? We left our belongings unattended (which as you know you're NEVER supposed to do) and when we came back I went to use my laptop and it WAS NOT my laptop! This one was old and nasty and scratched up all over, and of course mine is still quite new. Well, I was able to immediately make the logical leap that someone must have switched their old awful laptop for mine!! What a crime! *hahaha* I also somehow figured out who had done it and he said, "Ok fine, here's your laptop back." But that one wasn't my laptop either! I think I remember this going on a few times until I was so aggravated, I restrained the fella (all by myself...where did Jeremy go? *haha*) and called the cops! Over the phone they told me there was nothing they could do until I paid a hefty fee (Is this really what my subconscious thinks of our legal system?) so I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I started to interrogate him, aka - beat the SNOT out of the guy! It's hilarious to think back on, but in my dream I remember feeling so angry and just letting it rip! I'd shake him by the neck and scream, "WHERE IS MY LAPTOP?!?!?" *hahaha* As if he were holding on to some national security secret or something. All this and I didn't even watch last season of 24. Think of how much worse this could have been? ;) I don't remember if I ever got my stupid laptop back or not, but when I woke up I felt pretty ashamed of myself. Even though I didn't actually beat anyone up, the fact that I felt this passionately about a hunk of metal is ridiculous. 

This afternoon I went to my eye doctor to see their Optometrist. She adjusted my frames and I'm seeing much better now.  She told me that these new frames had much more of a curve to them and that's why I felt like I was looking through a fishbowl. I still don't feel like I"m seeing perfectly but it's MUCH better. She wants me to wear them till Friday and if I'm not happy with them by then we'll look at the prescription again. 

Before I go I have to mention - have you ever tried Pringle's Stix? 

I just picked up some pizza flavored ones at Target with Jeremy in mind, but decided I'd try some for an afternoon snack. They're REALLY good!! Crunchy and flavorful and even low cal. I had a pack with a cheese stick and it was a nice little treat! :) I think I'll try the honey ones next time.  Yum!