Buy me a chiropractor please.

Well, I had a great Columbus Day Weekend how about you??  Me and J spent a lot of QT time together after a week of work.  It was a nice relaxing weekend but somehow still wasn’t long enough.  I made my first batch of granola and I must say it was pretty awesome.

 

I think I may have overcooked it a little but I know now for next time!  Maybe some PB Granola?!  Speaking of PB, I just tried Peanut Butter and Companies Cinnamon Raisin Swirl and I am in love.  I was unsure how I would feel about it when J forced me to put it in the shopping cart but it’s so good I’m pretty sure you should walk/run/drive/take the subway to your nearest store and buy some right now.

Pizza tends to happen on our relaxy quality time nights.

But let’s pretend it doesn’t and talk about my new crockpot usage instead.  On Monday I knew I had a long week ahead and some late nights where making dinner is out of the question so I got out our handy dandy crockpot,  It has been pretty chili here lately so I thought making some would be a good idea. 

Quinoa Chicken Chili.  I used this recipe from Sweet Treats & More.  Soo good. And it made a big batch so I had dinner when I got home late on Tuesday and Wednesday night!  I am loving the crockpot!  Plus it makes the apartment smell amazing!

Some more pics from the weekend.

In recent news, I still can’t get enough of my foam roller, my body has been pretty painful, but I am loving dancing again.  It’s worth it I say!  But if anyone would like to buy me my own personal chiropractor I would be forever grateful,  I am in desperate need of a realignment. 

Lastly. next Tuesday is me and J’s 2nd anniversary and since I wont be home until after 10 we are celebrating on our Sunday!  I cannot wait.  He is keeping it secret where we are going for dinner because he knows I hate love secrets but it adds to all of the excitement.  He thinks he has to outdo last year when he flew from London to Myrtle Beach to surprise me and it actually worked, but I think just being together finally will be enough!  I’ll let you know how it goes! 

See you next time. Gobuysomecinnamonraisinswirlipromiseyoullloveitandafoamroller.

Byee

Caught in the Rain.

Lately me and J have been running at night time which has really been keeping me awake so yesterday we went to the gym in the morning and did weights and then when he went to work I went for my run.
As I was nearing the end (thankfully) it started to rain. No not just rain. Pour, One of those rains when the sky is blue one second and then it just opens up on you the next. I wish I had a picture of myself running through the rain but I was too busy sprinting home! I guess I should have reveled in the beauty of it all, but I was to busy getting soaked. So I made it 5.3 miles before I had to stop.
I came home, had dinner, listened to some music and choreographed/danced around in my living room by myself for awhile while I baked some muffins!

My mom told me that I couldn’t even think about getting a really cool decorative muffin pan {like this} until I had used my regular muffin pan at least three times! And you know what I said? Challenge accepted. I have made cupcakes, Nutella brownies and now these apple cinnamon muffins. Technically that is three; however, I will count the cupcakes and the brownies as one because I made them on the same night. It’s okay because I already have something planned for my third use! You will just have to wait and see…

Also, I think I should tell everyone about the amazing smoothie I made the other day. If you know me at all then you know when I say the other day I usually mean yesterday. I am not very good at keeping track of days. Or time. So this smoothie… I make them all the time and just kind of go with the flow and and they usually taste pretty good (except for the time I put celery in. Definitely never again). This smoothie however was AHmazing. So let me tell you what was in it.

I made the Best Tasting Smoothie ever!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 Kiwi (no skin)
1/2-3/4 scoop GNC Chocolate Caramel Protein powder(it’s my fave and Im pretty sure this makes it! But any protein powder will do.)
3-4 icecubes
1/2 cup water(I guessed this, because I’m not really sure.)
2 handfuls of Spinach (as much as you want)
1/2 tbs flax seeds

Now see I have one of these GNC blenders that make the smoothie right in the cup so this is the order I put it in and then it gets turned upside down. But if in a regular blender I would throw it in in the opposite order so that the flax and the spinach get smooshed into the blades and get shredded and crushed. I am pretty sure that this tasted peanut buttery even though there was no peanut butter. It was yum.
OK Byeee.

Peanut Butter Overload? Impossible.

I basically had the most amazing weekend.  Thursday, was hanging time with the rents while they checked out our new place, ate some of my zucchini coconut bread and then we drove them to the airport for their 40th Anniversary trip!  Yay for 40 years.  I am extremely jealous, but figure they deserve it.  Plus, J promised to take me somewhere really awesome when we have ours! {Hint: Greece would be nice.  End Hint.}

This also arrived..

We finally have a little place to eat dinner!  {It opens out on both sides to make a round table!}  It’s perfect for our apartment and I am so lucky that I have a handy man to put things together and fix things for me.

I have been taking a rest from running lately and have been doing more strength training or just long walks.  Friday was a rest day and me and J went for a walk running errands and around the park.

He went home to get ready for work and I continued on to do about 5.3 miles. But a nice pace. Some views..

 

 

 

 

Then I cam home made some Zucchini Chips and dinner.  They were burnt, but better that way.  Some of my eats..

Saturday we ran some errands for some special baking that I wanted to do, went for a walk and J went to do more work while I drove up to my parents for the weekend.  We had plans to get some more things from storage, put some back in, and hang out with some friends of ours to celebrate their recent engagement.

I got to my parents and took advantage of the neighborhood {not city} environment to go for a run.  I don’t usually try to go for speed in my runs, it is more about just running and how I feel but this time I figured since I had the opportunity of flatter ground to see if I could make it faster.  I did 6.3 miles at an average pace of 8.12.  Not too bad since I have been running slower lately. 

I got back and started my baking!  It was nice to be able to bake in a bigger kitchen.  And not so hot.  I made some Nutella Brownies from Hungry Meets Healthy.  I only made four of these because I was more excited about the other goodies and did not want to go too overboard.

These weren’t so bad. But not my favorite.  Nutella is difficult to work with!

Then I moved onto some Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes with peanut butter frosting!!  They were as good as they sound don’t you worry.  I wanted to bake cupcakes for my friends who just got engaged so these sounded perfect.  I got the recipe from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life.  Amazing!!

 

 

So.. you mix it up and then pop the Reese’s peanut butter cups in the center so they get all melty! Is melty not a word? Yes.. its ridiculously, amazingly, wonderfully good!

Next you make the frosting!  I wasn’t sure how this was going to go since I’m not really a baker,  but I figured I would try it.  And thank God I did! 

 

 

 

 

It is literally the best frosting I’ve ever tasted.  I halved the recipe so I actually ended up having to make a little more for the last few cupcakes.  I made fifteen total! We had some left over frosting which was pretty great because you can dip anything into it! Anything.

 

 

 

To complete the cupcakes you add some extra Reese’s on top! I really thought I would be peanut buttered out.  But I guess that isn’t possible.

{They look like little bowties!}

We didn’t end up seeing my friends so unfortunately we were stuck with all of these fantastic cupcakes to ourselves.  Sadface.  Notreally. Oh, and some champagne.  So instead we celebrated ourselves {because we are pretty awesome} with champagne, frozen pizza and PB cup chocolate cupcakes!  It was actually pretty wonderful!

So all in all the weekend was great!  Me and the Hubbso had some really great quality time together, we ate lots of cupcakes and sugar, watched the ending ceremonies of the olympics and some of the meteor shower! Lucky we were upstate! QT time well spent.

Oh and last night we went for a jog together.  It was weird but wonderful.  See, I can share.

Byee.

 

Today I danced.

Today was a fantastic day.  I started it off with a super awesome dance class! I haven’t danced in ages (about 2 or 3 months) which is ages to me.  I got to take from my friend Danielle who is amazing. Her choreo is crazy good and it felt so good to be dancing again. I am not going to lie but I was a little nervous to go, but it felt great!

After class I stopped in Fairway Market to get some more grapes to freeze and I bought some watermelon for after class.  I had an impulse moment walking to the register where I by accident picked up some chocolate covered caramels. By the time I had decided to put them back everyone was yelling “next in line” and there was no chance, so I had to take them. (Life is so hard)  Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  Oh and I forgot the grapes.

Me and J had a really good chat today and it felt good to talk to my best friend. I got some things off my chest and it was nice.  Later, I went for another quick run that turned into 6 miles.  My new usual trail around Fort Tryon.

It was super hot and my legs were like lead from class today but the run felt so good.  And the sky was beautiful.

After my run I came home had dinner and some wine and then I baked cookies! WHO?! yeah. I really did.  They were really simple 5 ingredients only. I got the recipe from the blogger the girl who ate everything.

Umm they are brown because I used CHOCOLATE peanut butter mixed with regular crunchy. The light brown specs are peanuts.  I like to do it how I want okay?

SOOO I may have burnt them a little but it’s okay because that just makes them taste somewhat like peanut brittle.  Or at least that is what I tell myself.  Ask J, he had the first bite:

I really need to fatten him up.

Trust me, they were amazing.  With wine. And kettle corn.  And some Remy. What?

My stomach is happily protruding now, but I did do my 30 (girl) push ups for the day.  I know, I am supposed to call them modified according to my gym teacher from high school, but I do what I want. And I’m a girl. Okay?

I didn’t even mention the M&M’s.