The smell.

Elixir of the gods. And when I say a "hint", I really mean a full cup of it when you double the recipe. Weeeee!

It fills the entire house. So imagine my dismay when I arrived back home after a day of store returns (ahem… and more shopping) and I got smacked in the face with the wonderful smell of buffalo chicken soup. And there was still about 3 hours of waiting around until dinner time.

The longest part of assembling this recipe was cubing and cooking the chicken. There's a LOT of chicken involved. Yay for protein!

3 hours. That’s a LONG time when you’re hungry and the only thing you had for lunch was a gigantic cookie from Nordstrom’s Ebar.

Don’t judge me.

I'll admit- it's not the prettiest soup there is. But don't judge a book by its cover. Personality-wise, this soup is the sexiest thing to ever grace your plate. Muy caliente!

Anyway, this soup was SO good, guys. SO good. Probably one of my favorite things we’ve made lately. And that’s really saying something because the roomie and I are self-proclaimed cononisseurs of the crock pot.

Oh and it is high suggested you top it off with Trader Joe’s cheese and garlic croutons.

Perfection. That is all.

With a beer on the side. If there’s any kind of soup that would be paired well with beer, this is it. (Can someone say “good super bowl recipe”?)

I couldn’t resist. I don’t expect you to, either.

So click HERE for the recipe link (this isn’t so much a suggestion, but a demand).

The only adaptions we had were the elimination of celery and the switching in cheddar cheese for the velveeta. Both (the celery and velveeta) gross me out and give me icky feelings on the inside.

Also, check out the rest of the blog where I found the recipe- this chick made something in her crock pot every day for an entire year.

Needless to say, the roomie and I will never run out of things to attempt for Slowcook Sunday. Ever.

Also, be sure to chug a glass of water before and after dining. Because this stuff as a serious kick. And may or may not have a weeeee bit more sodium in it than your normal eats. You’ve been warned. And advised. Chug-a-lug, kids.

We pigged out ate white watching the SAG Red Carpet Show. You’d think this would have slowed my eating down.

It didn’t.

However, the soup was also taken down for dinner last night.

The cauliflour was roasted. Not moldy. Promise.

It lead to me doing situps, pretending to do pushups, and planking my way through a good part of last night afterwards as I watched The SAG Awards Fashion Police. All after a 4-mile run (8:18 pace!).

Because I really need to focus on being red carpet ready. This should help for when, oh you know, Jason Segel and I start dating…

Is anyone else like me where it is totally not a good representation of the music you normally listen to?

Sure. There are songs in my regular rotation that make it to the workout playlist. But there are also songs on there I most likely don’t want my friends to know I paid $1.29 to download.

Lucky for you, as I continue on with my half marathon training (6 miles on Saturday- holla’!), I don’t seem to have much shame and have decided to share a list of the Top 10 Songs that make every single running playlist I make:

1. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. It’s catchy. And truth be told, this is my official “happy song” and in my top 10 favorite songs OF ALL TIME (dun dun dunnnn). I can’t not stop life for a second to be cheerful while listening- no matter what kind of crap I’m dealing with. If you don’t already have your own happy song, you’re totally allowed to borrow it until you do. You’re welcome.

2. On To The Next One by Jay-Z. Gotta feel balla’. Especially somewhere near the middle or end of a run. Sometimes I imagine J sitting on the side of the race with a 40 in his hands and a Yanks hat over his eyes (races are pretty early in the morning) saying “run yo’ ass off, girl”. It’s just what I need. Thanks boo.

3. See You Again by Miley Cyrus. The first of many embarrassing tunes to grace the ‘pod. However, I’m totally guilty of playing this song whenever because I just sorta like it. Even if she was maybe 16 when it was recorded and she sings like she smoked a pack a day since birth. What gives?

4. What Doesn’t Kill You by Kelly Clarkson. This is a relatively new addition. But she’s been a staple in my list for years. Something about that slightly bitter yet empowering rant of a song that she can produce time and time again. I hear ya, Kelly. Guys do sometimes suck, don’t they?

5. A Favor House Atlantic by Coheed and Cambria. Do you know much about these dudes? Yeah… me either. However, my ex-boyfriend in college downloaded this to my music library maybe 8 years ago (omg- how old am I?!?!). The song has stuck around. Much unlike the boy. Ah well. I got a few good tunes out of it, a band t-shirt and all of his N64 games. So uh… winning? (please don’t tell him about the N64 games- I heart Zelda)

6. All The Things I’ve Done by The Killers. Much like my girl Kelly Clarkson, The Killers happen to always make it on my playlist some way or another. This just happens to be the tune of theirs I’m feelin’ as of late.

7. I Want You Back by N*Sync. There really isn’t an explanation necessary, is there? Good… because I don’t have one. But I do have to admit I also know the little “dance” to this song. And even broke it out during a wedding dance once. I am not ashamed.

8. Ass Back Home by Gym Class Heroes. Another new one that I’m sure to kill by playing it on repeat 100 times and then hearing it another 1,000 on the radio. I never learn.

9. The Distance by Cake. How cliché, right? Funny thing is we used to listen to the entire album (Fashion Nugget) on the way to track meets in junior high. It was always super cool if you were the one in the back of the bus that got to hold the cd player blaring the music. Now that I think about it, I feel this was Tom Sawyer/fence painting trickery. Because who wants to have to hold the cd player the entire time? Everyone else was able to socialize and, I dunno, use both of their hands…

10. Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind. Yet another shout out to past Amy. And another song in my all-time top 10. I’m pretty sure almost everyone within a 20-year age range can sing this song by heart.

So there you have it. 10 songs guaranteed to be played during any race I do in the next year or so.

I know. I’m weird.

What’s your most embarrassing song on your iPod?

It’s possible mine would be some old-school Enrique. Because it’s awesomely bad.

I can be your hero, baby…

… this old woman will absolutely NOT go out the next night. Seriously- who can do that??

Kids these days…

Granted, I don’t normally go out a lot on Fridays anyway. At the end of the week, I just really want to come home and collapse.

And catch up on my DVR. Because I need to watch my “programs”. Like an old woman.

That’s right. I think I’m getting old.

I’m constantly the only one cold in the office. I’m frugal. I fell in love with a picture of a cat my friend sent yesterday.

Dag nabbit. I’m a lost cause.

And I imagine, if there were such a classification of “old woman food”, this may be it:It’s no secret I’m a brussels sprouts fan. And can eat half a bag in one sitting, no issue when I simply cut and roast them.

But… there are other options…Like if they’re sliced/shredded. It deceives me into thinking I’m eating more this way. Sweet. Because being painfully stuffed afterwards is never a good thing.

Really, I saw this on a few other girls’ blogs and only wanted to do it to save time. It’s much faster. Which is good. Because I have no patience.

Plus, it’s kind of pretty.

Maybe that’s a stretch. But the shredded went well with the artichoke pasta I paired it with.And it went REALLY well when I just decided to mix it all into one mess. Just sayin’.

Because old women fall asleep on the couch by 11:00 at night, they often wake up pretty early the next day.

And because they often feel the need to be productive, there will be a grocery shopping trip and a 6-mile run at the gym. Most likely all before noon. This provides plenty of time for an afternoon nap.

Typical.

And because old women such as myself often feel the need to pretend they’re younger than they really are, this old woman will be attempting her second night on in a short period of time.

Send help. Or a sweater. I’d hate to catch a chill.

Thanks.

But before I go… does anyone have a butterscotch?

Sure, work has kept me pretty preoccupied, but fact of the matter is, I’ve just been in a mood.

We could blame the weather. The gray skies justify it. Maybe it’s winter blues?

We could blame the monotony of the last few weeks. The holidays aren’t missed, but I do miss the freedom and travel that comes along with them.

We could blame a lot of things.

I don’t really care to place blame. I’m more concerned about fixing the issue. Assumably, so are the people who interact with me on a daily basis. Sorry dudes.

So when I came home after sitting in traffic for an extra 20 minutes longer than average for the second day in a row with the brilliant idea of happy hour, my roomie quickly agreed to it. Not sure if she’s in the same funk or is also making the attempt to help me get over myself. Let’s not ponder.

Funny because as we drove home from family dinner a week ago, we were amused by all the people out and about asked “geez- how do they do it when they all have to work in the morning?”

Guess I’m about to find out the answer.

After downing a massive bowl of cereal for dinner (not recommended- it doesn’t settle well with the bud light), we ended up strolling down the street from place to place. Earlier in the day, I narrowed it down to three neighborhoods. Then the roomie narrowed down the bar selection. Seemed like a good system, but we couldn’t seem to narrow it down any further than that.

So we just visited them all. Problem solved.Somehow we ended up at an Indiana Hoosiers bar. Even if we were cheering on Wisconsin in silence as the big game was on.

Shhhh- don’t tell anyone…

After staying out past the start of Jersey Shore (no worries- we dvr’d it) and even past bed time (craaaazy), nothing felt better than knowing Friday was my rest day for the week and sleeping in an extra hour and a half.

That and the fact I have about 3 hours worth of quality tv waiting for me when I get home from work?

Priceless.

Mood officially lifted.

Coffee officially necessary.(Source)

Happy weekend, kids!

With the crazy that is work, I barely noticed Tuesday go by.

Good thing- sometimes I’m a bit irrational on Tuesdays. Stupid, stupid day of the week…

Anyway, I wasn’t chattering away as normal yesterday on here, but you can assume it was the same ol’ same ol’ around here. This girl has issues breaking from routine.

But today we’re changing that a little.

Nikki was talking about her interval running yesterday and it happened to catch my eye. The treadmill boredom is a real thing. And it’s awful. Plus, if you want to see change, I can’t just “think” or “talk” about going outside of the box. I’ve got to actually do it.

Seems reasonable enough, right?

Speed work isn’t my favorite, but that doesn’t mean a little interval training is going to kill me. And it’s all for the greater good. So that’s what happened this morning. For 40 minutes, I did a 5-minute circuit:

3 minutes at 8:34, 1 minute at 7:47, 1 minute walking

Because I’m OCD, this happened for 45 minutes (9x) so I could make sure to hit 4 miles of actual running.

Running. It’s a sick addiction.

So yeah. 45 minutes, ya’ll. That will tire the hell out of you.

And apparently also make you say things like “ya’ll”.

Clearly it’s the exhaustion talking.

Another way I was thinking outside of the box?Oh hey there, pretty green thing.

How did you find your way into my shopping cart last week?

Oh yes- the sales at the grocery store.

Blasted! I’m more of an orange/yellow pepper kind of girl. And I ended up having to go and buy something else to go with it in order to use it. So really, was there money saved? No.Ah well. I still like green peppers decently well and they work fabulously in wraps with spicy chicken sausage. So no harm done.Not for the faint-hearted. Spicy spicy spicy! (especially if you throw some salsa in there)

Plus, it assisted in the quest to help my roommate use  up a bag of flour tortillas that is about to kick the bucket (according to the “use by” date).

It’s all about teamwork.

Making it a win-win.Maybe the protein is what kept me from collapse on the ‘mill this morning?

Thanks pretty green thing- you made it all possible.

Just remembered I need to be sure to wash that glass. Tonight will be spent cheering on Mizzou once again. We’re ranked #2 right now and seem to be on a bit of a roll (knock on wood).

It’s my half birthday today, so they better not let me down.

You hear that boys? Do it to it!

How you enjoy them are completely on you.

I tend to spend mine doing the things I do best.

A low key workout… Catching up with my dvr… Reading…

And consuming every single cookie in my sight.

After making another giant cookie for just myself, like I did last week, my friend Annie called to see if I wanted to go out and grab something of a sugar-infested nature.

Who am I to turn that opportunity down?My just “going along to grab some coffee” turned into picking up a small butter cookie and then helping Annie finish off a giant piece of carrot cake.

Never say no to dessert.

No really, I mean it.

That philosophy is also one of the reasons I spend so much time at the gym. But whatev.

Another philosophy of mine is to spend as little time in the kitchen on a Sunday as possible.

Enter more crock pot greatness.Funny how I just said I never eat steak and here it’s making a second appearance in less than a week.Straight from the farm. It’s how I like my beef but not my boys.

The cookbook was broken open once again- we used a steak dumpling recipe as a guideline for our own concoction.Minus the celery, of course. Because no one actually likes it. Fact. We also switched out the “dumpling” part for noodles. Because noodles look fun. We had them on hand. And the point is to be lazy. They won out by a landslide.

While I was out getting coffee and cookies, this bad boy did work. And I came home just in time for this:From what I’ve experienced, 4 hours seems to be the magic time for potatoes and onions to cook to perfection.

And yet again, a successful meal that required little more than throwing together a bunch of things from the refrigerator/pantry. A successful meal to be enjoyed while watching 4 football teams you could care less about.

Yeah. I said it. My focus has already switched to basketball. Go Bulls.

Happy Monday everyone! I’m especially happy because the snow is slowly disappearing and the temperatures don’t make me hate life. That single digit crap was really working my last nerve. As was seeing all the yellow snow in my dog friendly neighborhood.

Is it Spring yet?

This could be a good or bad thing. Depending on how you look at it, I guess.Brunch and basketball. It’s a beautiful thing.

You know me. So you know I baked the donuts myself.

They were a recipe from Prevention RD. I’ve seen her make one fabulous donut after another, so when the ‘rents gave me a donut pan for Christmas, I stalked her blog. I hope she’s ok with me admitting that…

I went with the basic cake donut with chocolate glaze. However, this girl doesn’t have cake flour on hand and used all-purpose flour instead. They came out a little imperfect, but it’s ok- that just means they need to be better covered in chocolate glaze. And possibly that I need to practice by making more… Holla’.

The ones with sprinkles were the first to go. Either the boys don’t like coconut/nuts on their donuts, or they happen to love sprinkles just as much as I do…

By the end of our Saturday shenanigans, they were all gone. As was the champagne.Someone didn’t get the memo about it being an Andre kind of party.

I must say, it really is an enjoyable pattern. We have champagne brunch. We watch Mizzou win. We celebrate. We eat pizza. And we’re still home at a decent hour which makes Sunday morning that much more bearable.

One thing done differently this week from last week is the workout happened on Saturday instead of getting pushed to Sunday. This was definitely a better decision on my part. 6 miles today would have been rough.

It was actually a little rough yesterday anyway. To be completely honest.

Not since the Hot Chocolate 15k have I gone that long. 6 miles is in the plan for next week’s long run, too, so this week was just a matter of getting the distance in and not worrying about pace. Pace comes next week. So I kept it at 8:41 the entire time.

Now my butt is sore. I swear it’s getting bigger and feel like this just confirms it. Totally fine. It makes up for the lack of curve elsewhere. Just as long as I don’t have to buy new pants. It’s not in the budget.

And now that we’ve covered a wide array of topics, it’s time to stop talking about myself so you can actually go and enjoy your Sunday. And it’s time for me to go browse recipes for Slowcooker Sunday.

It’s another part of the pattern that we don’t plan on changing around here.

That has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of this post. I just wanted to say it.

Anyway…

Last night, my roommate and I made a journey over to Megan’s house for one of our regular “Family Dinners“. We started them late last summer and it’s nice to get together every other month or so to catch up somewhere other than a noisy bar on a Saturday night.

In other words, we’re like old women. I’m surprised we haven’t also set up a quilting circle yet.

It’s just a matter of time.

But that’s neither here nor there.

Why I mention our latest get together is this-

Megan was teaching me how to prepare salmon. As you all probably know (or you may not- try not to beat yourself up about it), I’m straight up terrified of the whole cooking fish thing. Even if it’s one of my favorite things to eat. So as a way to complete my new years resolution, Megan agreed to teach me her ways.Dun dun dunnnnn…..

Or at least she thought she was teaching me how. That or I just tricked her into making me dinner…

Check out that shaking action. It’s all in the wrist.

Actually, she did make it seem easier than I had worked it up to be in my head. Keep the seasoning simple. Broil for 6-8 minutes. Check to see if it flakes. Pair with brown rice and broccoli.Done and done and done.

Does this mean I actually have to make it next time? Crap.

We skipped dessert, but had a 20-minute conversation about favorite candy from our childhood and the holidays. Does that count?

*Mine was 100 Grand and robin eggs (Easter), by the way.

Because I know you were wondering.

Anyway, I’ve got work to do and a snowstorm to avoid, so I shall leave you now with a big HAPPY FRIDAY!

Well…

I won “Most Interesting” blogger!

Sadly there was no red carpet…. no fancy dress… no Jason Segel as my date…

But hey- I’ll take it!

And not pretend an unusual amount of time was spent sweat pants doing absolutely nothing this last weekend. Because interesting people don’t do that. Nope…

You know what? I bet the sweatpants thing may explain why I didn’t win “Sexiest Female Blogger”. Makes sense.

What a kick in the pants. We don’t think you’re hot… but hey… at least you have a nice personality?

Just kidding. I’m still very pleased to be acknowledged in any way, shape, or form for being the constant interwebz dweller. So thank you to 20 Something Bloggers and all who voted! Not sure how this  happened, but I’m excited to slightly amuse each and every one of you. At least on occasion. Hopefully.  Fingers crossed.

Moving on…

In efforts to continue on the path of half marathon excellence (and maybe kickstart my campaign for ‘sexiest blogger’ next year?), I headed to the gym after work for a run as called for by my non-plan plan. The days are a little switched around already, but hey- this is why it’s a non-plan. Life happens.

3.7 miles ran at an 8:20 average pace next to the dude who wouldn’t stop peeking at my stats. Back off, dude. I may or may not be running faster than you. Deal with it in your own time. Thanks.

Whew. Sorry kids. Just a mild annoyance of mine… And yes, I do feel better now that I said that.

Another annoyance? How quickly I’m getting through The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.It’s way better than expected. And I’m kicking myself for not jumping on the bandwagon sooner. But most importantly, what am I going to do when I’m done with the other two?!?!

Nevermind the weird and uncomfortable dreams I’ve been having. Surely it’s not from the book about catching a serial murderer/rapist. It’s probably from the chili overload. Heartburn does crazy things to people.

At least I have coffee to fight my sleeplessness. So there’s that…

I know. Hard core Amy up in these parts. Love ‘em and leave ‘em. But what’s a girl like me supposed to do? I love them both and they both know what I like. We got all sweaty at one date. The other was spent refueling with cheap drinks.

Weirdly enough, they know about each other. And are totally cool with it.

Clearly they know there’s enough Amy to go around.

Of course they do. Because they’re two of my friends. And going out on dates with them is way easier than actual dating. Because they don’t really care what I look like and there’s no awkward end of the night involved. Win.

The first was with Annie as a guest at her gym. She called last week after a new class she attended called R.I.P.P.E.D.. I’m not sure what all the abbreviations are, but it involves 50 minutes of stretching, plyometrics, cardio, kickboxing, arms, and whatever else will get your heart rate up.

This is my summary of events:

1. It’s quite obvious I haven’t been in a group exercise class for at least 5 years. Awkward.
2. I can’t kickbox to save my life. Or really do any move that involves more than 4 or 5 steps. The calorie burn during that section was pretty low because I was too busy laughing at myself in the mirror. Again- awkward.
3. My triceps have been super ignored. This was already known, but when the instructor kept making us “pulse” at ever move during the arms section? It’s a wonder my entire arm didn’t just fall off completely. Which, looking back, may have hurt less.

All in all, even with my awkward ways, it was fun to do my cross training with Annie. Definitely a switch-up in the routine- which was welcomed. Yay for date night at the gym!

Afterwards, I drove my tired butt over to Gatsby’s Pub- one of the hole-in-the-walls Mon and I frequented when we were still neighbors. Cheap beer, cheap food, and quiet enough on a Monday night for us to freely conversate about everything we’ve been up to in the last month (Wait- month? We really need to start hanging out more. What have I been doing?!?!).

Maybe it was the cheap beer, or the mindless gossip, or the hour of strength training that just happened, but I was just as surprised as Mon was when it was time to order and I blurted out “steak quesadilla please!”What?

Here’s the thing. I went through a phase in high school where I wouldn’t eat beef. Really ironic, considering my dad is a cattle farmer. Maybe this was my way of rebelling as a teenager? Strange on all accounts.

Anyway, I warmed back up to the idea of hamburgers and such (who wouldn’t?), but steak was something I never developed a craving for again. Probably a texture thing?

And I don’t see myself ever really ordering a big t-bone anytime soon. But sometimes strips of it in a dish like this with cheese and guac? You’d do it, too…

Alright kids, wish me luck on my journey home tonight. Rain/snow/freezing rain is happening all day. Sounds about right. It is Tuesday, afterall…