White Castle Giveaway!

Oh hey there.

I’ve been absent. Which makes me feel bad (sorta).

And since I feel bad, I’m going to try and make up for it. Give me a minute and I’ll get to it…

Just so you know- I have an excuse! Our company holiday party happened and, not only do I participate, but I also help plan.

This year involved a dinner cruise. Insert any one of the following responses:

“I’m on a boat!”
“I”m king of the world!”
Hum the theme of Gilligan’s Island.

As can be expected. We were on a boat. And I AM pretty much king of the world. So yeah.

Cheesy? Maybe a little. But I didn’t mind. I find anything acceptable if you wave free food and drinks in front of my face.

This girl can be easy to please.

We didn’t dock and leave the boat until about 10:00 pm. In which we immediately hit a bar at Navy Pier until it was clear we would all be a wreck at work the next day due to sheer exhaustion. 

Clearly my regular routine was disturbed. Clearly I opted to sleep in instead of go to the gym. And clearly I wasn’t about to deal with making  breakfast.

But it’s ok. Because White Castle sent me a few awesome coupons for when they rolled out their breakfast menu.

Do you know all the things you can get with a $5 off coupon?Holla’.

Breakfast sandwich sliders? Are you kidding me?!?! I opted to try the sausage one and offered my roommate the bacon one because I didn’t want to seem obnoxious with all the food.I’m a little sad that my roommate accepted the offer. Because I could have easily eaten two.

The french toast sticks? They were sort of lackluster. I didn’t mind offering the last one to my roommate nearly as much. Maybe they forgot to give me something like syrup to dip them in. Or at least that’s what I would have done.

Sure, it’s not the most healthy breakfast in the world. And I’m sure I could have made something similar on my own. However, sometimes time is short and fast food just seems like the perfect thing to fix a craving. It’s all about balance, ya’ll.

Either way, I’m glad there are a few more coupons for coffee and sliders for when I’m running a little later than usual to or from the office.

Which will be nice. Because I’ve also been spending time offline to visit Little Miss Mon. She recently found herself in an emergency surgery situation and is spending a few days in the ol’ hospital. No worries- everything is fine. I just took it upon myself to visit her and fill the “sarcasm from Amy” quota she needs to live her life properly.

I also got a scary look into what my life will be like in 60 years when we’re carting IV stands for each other to the bathroom. The Golden Girls have got NOTHIN’ on us.

Anyhoo, because White Castle hooked me up, I am going to hook YOU up.Oh boy….

Look at all the fun stuff they sent!I’ve had more than one house guest attempt to steal the shirt. It’s a hot item, my friends. But I saved it. Just for you.

May I suggest you wear it when you go see the third Harold and Kumar movie? Maybe with your free sliders hidden in your purse as a movie snack?

Just a thought…

To enter, all you need to do is tell me if you’ve had White Castle or not. Or what your favorite fast food breakfast is. Or any comment at all, really. I’m not picky.

For a second entry, tweet about it and let me know you did so! Twitterific!

I’ll pick a winner next Monday so that SOMEONE gets a neat pre-Christmas present. You know you want it.

Happy Thursday!

Manna Giveaway!

Thank you for all the congrats on finishing the 15k this weekend! You guys are the bestest of the bestest!

And because you are the bestest of the bestest and I just really like you guys in general, why not have a sweet giveaway?

Do you all remember when I got this in the mail from Manna Organics?

Four whole loves of the good stuff.

I started out by trying the sunseed and the sourdough and just recently took down the whole wheat sprouted bread that was chillin’ in the freezer.It was my breakfast all last week.

The thing I really like about the sprouted bread is that it’s so soft and cake-like. It’s addicting stuff. This is a warning.

And it also goes extremely well with coffee. Which, with me, is a non-negotiable in the morning. Obviously.

Three loaves down. Only one more in my possession. Sadness.

But lucky for you, the folks at Manna Organics contacted me once again and thought it’d be fun to do a giveaway!

I agreed. Because free food is always a good thing.

So, if you want to receive the same package of goods I did, you have three different ways to enter:

1. Tell me something new you tried this weekend.
2. Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment saying you did.
3. Go on facebook and “like” Manna Organics. Then comment and let me know you did.

You’ve got until I pick a winner next Monday morning. Aaaaannnnndddd GO!

PS- This giveaway is only open to US Residents. My apologies go out to our friendly neighbors to the north.

Oh and look at the flowers Miss Annie got for me last Tuesday- they’ve bloomed like craaaaazy!She had called after seeing my first picture and was rather upset with how they looked. I assured her the directions in the box said they’d start blooming in the first 24 hours of being in water, and they weren’t kidding!

Happy Monday!

Announcements

Thursday!  It’s here already!

I celebrated by another morning workout.  I know- kinda lame.  But that’s sometimes how I roll in the middle (ish) of the week.  Just go with it. 

Yesterday I did elliptical, but I wanted to get one more decent run in before Saturday’s race. So today, I strolled into the workout room and it was empty.  Again.  I sort of love it.  The only other people I’d ever see in the morning is the woman who refused to acknowledge my existence and the old man running around in his super tiny swimming trunks after chillin’ in the hot tub (I’m still weirded out at why he’s doing this at 5 in the morning?).  So I welcome the alone time.

I did 4 miles at almost exactly an 8:30 pace.  I’m not wearing anything to track mileage for Saturday’s race, so I’m hoping this is my natural pace that I’ll fall into (considering I’ve been hovering around it for the last month).  I’ve worn my Nike+ for a couple races, but end up just driving myself mad by looking at it over and over.  I’m sure they’ll have clocks at the mile markers.  That’s all I need.

Now for a few announcement of sorts…

I got a haircut last night!  It’s like I’m a new woman. 

Actually, it was just a trim.  And that’s a lame announcement.

Surely I can think of something better?

I am signed up to do the Hustle Up the Hancock!

For all of ya’ll who have been reading for a while (seriously- I can’t believe you’ve made it this far!), I went to support my friend Mon as she attempted it.  That didn’t work out so well- but I’m going to let her tell you that story in her words eventually.    Anyways, Mon refuses to do it this year, so when her friend started to get the team together, she asked if I’d consider it.

Heck yes I will! 

At first I wanted time to think about it (it’s a bit pricey for me when it comes to events), but it was sort of a ”need to know in less than a week” sort of thing.  For the last couple of years it has sold out within an hour or two of registration opening.  For real- I had to double check that I wasn’t accidentally signing up for the Boston Marathon or something… it’s crazy how many people want to do this!

So on February 27th, yours truly will be climbing the 94-floor stairwell of the John Hancock Building.  I even have a partner in crime to participate in the insanity…  I bribed convinced asked Megan if she’d want to do it, too. 

I’m not sure, but she may be just as crazy as I am- because she totally said she would!  So watch out friends- there’s training that will need to go down and we may be coming to a stairwell near you!

That did not sound creepy in the slightest.

I’m hoping that training for this will be just the thing I need to change up my workout routine.  Not gonna lie- I’m on the brink of running burn out.  Some serious cross training will do me good. 

And finally… I guess it’s time I tell you about who won the Adora Giveaway, huh?

Congrats Lindsey!

Please email me your mailing address so I can pass the info along and get your chocolate to you! 

Oh and thanks for all the comments on my random things.  I can’t believe how many of us loved Doug!!!  Hilarious.  And the getting kicked out of band story isn’t nearly as cool as I wish it were.  The new teacher didn’t really care for my friend and I (probably because the old teacher loved us).  As soon as he found an excuse to get rid of us, he did.  We were late.  Once.  Got the boot.  Lame.

I’d like to think I’m over it and moved on, though. And it’s just fun to say it happened. 

Ok kids, it’s time to get to work. Later!

Tuesday Giveaway!

Because seriously… Tuesday needs help in the “fun” department.  Don’t you agree?

Well even if you don’t, I’m giving away stuff.  Woot woot!

I was contacted by Jennifer from Adora a few weeks ago.  After going back and forth and a little mailing mishap (stupid apartment complex), I got a package of two kinds of Adora calcium and vitamin D supplements- milk and dark chocolate.They had given away bags of the dark chocolate at Healthy Living Summit back in August, and I was excited to try the milk chocolate variety.  Not kidding- excited.  Because it tastes so much like candy, it’s not even right.  I had a couple of my friends hooked on them after I gave them a few to try.

According to the package and web site, each individual disk contains half of your recommended daily value of cacium, along with vitamin D and magnesium that help you to absorb it better.  Fabulous!

When I was growing up, my doctor actually had me start taking calcium supplements because I took after my mother and wasn’t a huge fan of milk.  Yes, there are other ways to get calcium- but I was picky.  It was lacking.  I’m positive I would have much preferred these over the huge horse pill I took back then.  Instead of chalky pills, these are all-natural premium chocolate!  And you can have two a day!  What’s not to love?

Anyhoo, when getting ready to send the samples, Jen asked if I’d also like to do a giveaway of a sample package that they’d get together for one of my readers.  Um… why yes, yes I would!

So, here’s the deal-io.  You have until the end of Wednesday at midnight.  There are a few ways to enter:

1. Comment on this post of if you’ve tried Adora or if you want to try it, which flavor would you try?

2. Tweet or post about the giveaway on your blog.  Come back here and let me know you did! 

3. Give me good ideas for my race playlist for the weekend.  I’m looking for random- not top 40.  I’ve already got plenty of that on my ipod that I’ve horribly overplayed.  Help!

Thanks and good luck! 

Toffee Madness

You guys did an awesome job at guessing (I giggled at the Blago guesses- you can’t even believe how many people dressed like him last year)!  And a lot of you knew exactly what kind of costumes we were making:Us chicks are paying tribute to our favorite local band- Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press!!!  I could start discussing how awesome they are- but I’ll wait until after we see them play over the weekend.    You’re spared.  For now.

And as promised, for those of you who guessed correctly, I decided to pick TWO (not just one) random winners:

Krista and Beth (Beth’s Journey)!  Please ladies, send your addresses so I can make sure you get your sugar fix for the week!

What kind of cookies am I sending, you ask?Chocolate chip toffee oatmeal cookies!  Say that 5 times fast.

Toffee has been my obsession as of late.  I love it.  LOVE it.  And my heart was set on oatmeal cookies- they are the best when they’re thick and chewy.  The. Best.  So I found a way to mix the two!

I based the cookie on Smitten Kitchen’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ( did a recipe and a half).  But I don’t like raisins.  So I skipped them and added all this:I really like the Heath toffee baking bits.  But I wanted to make sure there were some really big chunks of toffee in there, too.  So I bought 2 Heath bars to go along with the 1/4 cup of heath baking bits.  And then a 1/2 cup of white and semi-sweet chocolate.

And as I always say, if you feel like adding more/less- do it to it.

After mixing it all together, I made sure to chill the dough.  It’s mentioned in the recipe post and I’ve also read it on other sites. I never did it growing up, but it seems to make sense as a way to keep the cookie thick, versus quickly thinning out if it hadn’t chilled/hardened beforehand. Even just chilling it an hour seems to make all the difference! I absolutely adore how the toffee melts into them… swoon…

Another trick when baking?  Have a friend over while doing so.  It’ll keep you from throwing your face in the bowl.  Or sneaking back into the refrigerator for a swipe of it every 5 minutes (been there, done that).  Mon came over and kept me company, ultimately distracting me from being overcome with cookie dough madness.  Besides, what friends do you know wouldn’t come over when they hear you’re baking? 

Unless you sort of suck at baking. Then I understand the need to distance themselves from the situation.

Not only was Mon nice enough to come over, she also reluctantly volunteered to be a taste tester.

Life is hard.

But with her approval, these cookies are sealed up and ready to go!

Well, that’s all for me.  I’m off to enjoy my DAY OFF!  Or at least I will eventually- I’ve got cleaning and a trip to the gym to fit in before I’m supposed to be off to the beautiful, yet VERY windy, city of Chicago!

Did I not mention that before?  Yeah… well I have a friend who’s staying in the city for a few days and decided it may be a good excuse to take a nice mental health day.  Plus, I may or may not have a few other plans… but we’re keeping those under wraps for now. 

I’m so mysterious these days.  Muhahahaha.

Adventurous

Sometimes I like to try new things.  I do.  Seriously- I stray from routine on occasion.  Please don’t be so surprised. 

Like yesterday when I did The Shred in the morning (made me feel awesome all day, by the way…) or when I had scrambled eggs instead of my usual loaded up oatmeal (a little more substance would probably be necessary- it lacked the staying power and I broke into some snackage later in the morning).

So when I stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up a bag of salad and some wraps (both so typical), I thought I’d get a little crazy and try something new.  Because these caught my eye:I’ve always been curious as to how “chickenless chicken” tastes.  Why not?  I reached for the shredded BBQ chicken, but then I thought about the giveaway I won a few weeks ago from Bobbi and her hubby over at NHerShoes and figured I could save the two quarters and make my own.  The BBQ sauce was intensely good.  They know their stuff in Memphis.  Spicy perfection.  I wouldn’t know a reason why I would ever have a meal without this stuff if I lived there.  I’d be that girl who was consistently walking around with a bbq stain on my tshirt.  But wouldn’t care.  Because it would be worth it.

Now that I’m done with my ode to Corky’s BBQ Sauce, let’s talk about the chicken (errr… chickenless strips).  Eh.  I was actually surprised how close it came to the same texture as regular chicken.  But it still doesn’t compare.  In all honesty, I think it just tasted like crappy chicken.  But I can see how if you were trying to go vegan or vegetarian, this wouldn’t be a bad alternative if you ever had the craving.  I’d try it again, but probably not this kind.  Sorry there are no pics- it was just a bbq wrap with black beans and spinach on the side. As mentioned earlier, there’s usually nothing pretty about me and my bbq, so I skipped it.  The spinach was also lackluster.  *sigh*

Thank goodness for the bbq sauce.    But do any of you guys regularly eat the soy “meat”?  Any tricks to preparing it? I’ve still got some left to work with…

This was all for a late dinner.  I didn’t run last night- I switched it to cross training in the workout room.  Which was cool.  Because for one, raindrops were in the air.  Secondly, I’m trying something new.  I was discussing running things and such with Phampants and we decided to do a little run together tonight.  Pham brings up a good point- it could be very helpful for both of us.  I’m faster than him and he can run longer than I can.  So in theory, we’ll both be pushing each other.  Which is good.  Or will kill us both.  Either/or.

So I crosstrained with Mon instead in our apartment workout room.  Now I would love to belong to a gym.  And LOVED my trip to Annie’s gym on Friday.  But one good thing about our cozy little excuse for a fitness center?  It was just me and her.  And we got to chit chat on and off the whole time.  About whatever we wanted.   And shouted it all across the room.  Without feeling bad.

So I guess sometimes my workout room has its benefits.  We like to think it’s our own private room.  Don’t tell me it isn’t. 

This morning was day #2 of trying new things for breakfast.  I know, I know.  Whhhhhaaaaatttttt???  I got really serious with some oatmeal pancakes today!  (Really it’s Trader Joe Multi-grain pancake mix with a scoopful of oatmeal- pretty simple stuff) 

So yum.  For reals. It’s like carb loading for my run tonight…. right?    I think I’m going to continue the new breakfast idea another day.  If anything, I’ll appreciate my oatmeal more when I go back to it.  Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

So what’s a new thing you’ve done this week?

Oh crap… I just realized it was Tuesday. Ewwww.

A Whirlwind

Yesterday was just that.  I feel like it all went by so fast!  I swear we filled all the seats.  It turned out well.  Whew…

One event down, one more to go.  Then sanity can re-enter my life.  And I will welcome it.  With open arms. 

Because of the early morning, I did get to head home a little earlier than usual.  And got a little face time in at the pool!  It was a rest day (thank goodness, because I was dragging), so a lazy late afternoon was lovely.  There was sunscreen involved- no worries. 

Today I was very excited to receive a package in the mail from the lovely Leah at Why Deprieve?!I originally won the book.  But she sent me a few extra goodies from Canada for fun.    I’d be lying if I said I didn’t break into the candy almost immediately…  Yummm…. thanks Leah!  Now I have a new lunch-time read!Aaaahhhh Friday morning.  You got here quickly and I am happy about that!  You also started a little later than yesterday, which is greatly appreciated.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying the dressing up part of work this week.  I’m sure it would get old fast, but for now it’s kinda fun.  Today is just helping out with some registration stuff, but I’m still hoping to score free lunch.  Cross your fingers…

I’ve still got the ghetto phone.  It takes me five minutes to send a quick text.  Awesome.  I’m calling the repair store today, though.  This is out of control.

Does anyone feel like the spring/summer months are flying by?  I can’t believe July is next week already…

Sorry for a short and uninteresting post- gotta go!  Have a good weekend and stay cool!  (In more ways than one…)

Holla’…

Who’s Going?

I’m talking about the Healthy Living Summit in Chicago this August… Registration is this Wednesday and I’m trying to decide if I want to go!  Supposedly the tickets go pretty fast- so I’ll have to be on the ball if I do.  My only concern is it comes at a time in the middle of my friend’s wedding festivities, attempts at a family vacay, and my half marathon.  So I’ll be busy busy busy- which is fine, I just don’t want to double book myself on accident!  Thoughts?  Did anyone go to the one last year?  Anyone else coming to this one?  Wanna hang out? 

Monday was pretty standard in many ways.  I did some more reading over lunch. Say good bye to the turkey sandwiches! I’m getting close to the end of We Thought You’d Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro.  I just never got into it like I thought I would.  *sigh*  But I feel like I’ve invested this much time, might as well finish it out.  Have you ever just not finished a book?  I’d be the one to stop reading a page or two before it got good… so knowing that, I always finish them.

Training got switched up.  Not like it’s that big of a deal, though.  After spending waaaaay too much time on weather.com, I decided to switch yesterday’s run with today’s cross training.  It’s supposed to be nicer, aka the sun will be out at some point.  So running on the trail will be much more enjoyable today.  Hopefully. 

Cross training isn’t as much fun as running, but it’s not bad.  It’s not so much what I’m doing, it’s where I’m doing it.  There was always a list of characters that used my workout room in my apartment complex.  But I feel they’ve slowly rotated out.  Maybe moved.  Either way, the old suspects have now been replaced with one silent guy who does some sort of interval training (which may or may not be comical to watch) and a few gym bunnies who more or less just pose at their designated machine to say they worked out for the day.  And then there’s me and Mon.  Looking like deadbeats next to them.  Sweaty… gross, 5-year-old tshirts… hair slicked back with a headband and sweat.  So far I haven’t minded the bunnies.  They won’t annoy me as much as weights guy does.  He’s a puffer for sure… and one to let the weights SLAM down.  In a smaller area, this is quite a disturbance.  Almost worthy of a good swift kick in the knee while he’s in the middle of a set.  Almost…

So here’s what I did- 23 minutes on the elliptical (why 23?  No clue.  It seemed like a nice random number.).  A mile-and-a-half on the treadmill.  And 14 minutes on the stairmill at an easy level (Again with the random number?).  With a few weights and crunches on the exercise ball inbetween. 

I wore my new shirt I just recently got in the mail from a giveaway Beth did along with the company Thriv.  I really love the shirt- it’s soooo soft.  And it’s 50% bamboo.  How neat is that?  It’s great to work out in- same feeling as the tech shirts, but a little softer with no uncomfortable twisting or anything when I was mid-run.  Love it!  Still looking a little SWEAT-TAY after I got home.  Yet I’m still rocking out to the tunes… Katy Perry’s new single “California Gurls” is my new repeat song.  Yes, I take new songs and ruin them for myself that way- even before the radio can do it for me.  Old habits die hard…

Oh and I’m really self-conscious about the ring I am wearing in the picture- don’t think I work out in jewelry.  I never do.  And sometimes have a hard time taking someone seriously if they go all blinged out.  (see “gym bunny” description above)  But I didn’t realize it was still on until I got there and I’ll be damned if I take that off and set it down only to lose it.  It used to be my aunt’s before she died of cancer when I was in high school.  It’s my fav piece of jewelry- which may or may not say alot because I don’t wear alot of it.  Hence the reason why I feel really weird working out with it on.  But I digress.

I was gonna do a southwestern wrap thing.  But then I realized I was out of black beans- what the?!?!  So I switched it up.  I broke out a can of tuna instead.  And threw in some cheeeeeeese!  I hesitate to call it a tuna “melt” because that just never sounds delicious.  But in all reality, that’s what it was.  And it looks so bland with some frozen sweet corn my mama sent home with me a while ago.Soooo bland looking, right?  But it wasn’t.  I broke out the seasoning.  It may have been seasoning for chicken- but I like to mess around like that.  I’m crazy.  Clearly.

Anyways…it’s Tuesday and we all know I’m not a fan of Tuesdays.  Let’s cross our fingers and get through it together… see ya! 

Bad Table Manners

Thanks for the input everyone- I’m gonna make attempt #2 at steel cut oats this weekend when I have time to possibly fail and try again.  My mornings are super structured.  And I don’t enjoy deviating from the system.  It doesn’t work.  It ends up with me driving like a bat out of hell and possibly being late for work.  Especially if I’m trying something new and am unsure of the outcome.  I’m usually a microwave gal when it comes to my oatmeal (I still use the old fashioned- not a fan of the instant really…), and if I can’t let it go to go blow dry my hair for a little few minutes and put on the first “layer” of makeup, I’m already off the entire morning!  And that just makes me nervous.  OCD much?   

The second thing I tried from my lovely winnings was the Yogi Detox tea.  I had it after work- after making sure to check that it was caffeine free.  I used to be able to chug iced tea like it was my job- an hour before bed.  And still get a good night’s sleep.  Now?  Nope… If I have that afternoon cup of coffee, it’s only half-filled and before 3:00.  Almost positive my grandma and I now have that in common.  Sweet.

Back to the tea:It was… interesting.  I think the dandelion in it threw me.  Not sure if I like it.  But I’ll try it again.  I’m also concerned about the “detox” part- healthy kidney and liver function?  As long as I don’t lock myself in the bathroom for half the day tomorrow, I guess it’ll be all good.  Like I said, not crazy about it (or you could say- it’s not my cup of tea- hahahaha) but I’m giving it another shot tomorrow.

This is how I had dinner:Laptop closed.  I spend too many meals at the coffee table with the ‘top open and distracting me.  I need to have meals like this more often.  When they talk about it in articles and such about no distractions when you’re eating- they’re not kidding.  They say it for a reason!  This is such a bad habit of mine when it comes to meals…   Do you have any that you’ve fixed or are aware of?  Honestly, I’ve probably got a few more that I don’t even realize I’m doing.  Like being the crazy taster while cooking… it just happens!  

But at least this is an improvement- I’m almost always sitting to eat.  I used to be really bad about quite the opposite.  My roommates would often find me with my hand in a cereal box in the middle of the pantry- just staring at what I should eat next (after consuming  my weight in puffed and carbalicious snacks). 

Speaking of eating at the coffee table- I know that’s a bad one, too.  But there’s not much I can do about that one.  I don’t have a dining table… yet.  This weekend I’m taking another trip (I took one forever ago but couldn’t commit to anything- story of my life) to go furniture shopping!  Now that I’ve received my refund check, I’m able to go and secure myself a couch (yes, a grownup one) and a table.  Or at least one of the two- depending on what I can find.  Yep, stimulating the economy one counter-height bar stool at a time.  You’re welcome, Obama.  I too am very happy about this decision!

I think my comfort in doing this is I’ve decided to extend my lease another year.  Yep, that’s right.  This will officially be my first year since I moved to college that I will NOT be moving.  And I couldn’t be more excited!  Moving is just awful.  I won’t lie- it’s kept me from stock piling crap.  And I’ve become pretty efficient about the whole moving process.  But this time, I get to stay!  My furniture that has been with me every single year is thanking me for one less trip of wear and tear.  And no one likes to move in the middle of summer.  No  one…

To wrap it up, I thought I’d give you a summary of my fitness activities for the last couple of days.  Oh wait… there really weren’t any.    Still off the leg.  It’s getting better.  I don’t wince when I take a first step like I did Sunday and Monday.  I’m hoping that a lot of that had to do with stiff muscles.  I’m trying to be patient and not get upset.  At least this time around I know all the risks of continuing to work out and am off of it.  Last December?  Not so much.  Here’s to being optimistic!  And until I’m back up and running (literally), I’ll be working solely on those arms and abs again…

I miss you, Jillian… can’t wait until you kick my ass up and down my living room again…

Have a good one!

Tuesday wasn’t so bad!

I won’t lie.  Yesterday could have been the best Tuesday I’ve had in quite some time.  I hate Tuesdays.  They’re awful.  And slow.  And just “ick”. 

But yesterday wasn’t so bad.  The UPS man brought me a fantastic shipment from iherb.com- from a gift certificate I had won from Meghann over at Inner Workings of a College Grad.  I opened the package at work and couldn’t believe how much stuff I had walked away with!  Here it is in all it’s glory- minus a box of Clif Z-bars that immediately went into my snack drawer at work.I think what makes me most excited is the fact I’ll be making homemade granola bars soon from the brown rice syrup I acquired.  Either that or the new organic chunky peanut butter that I get to try.  You know me and my peanut butter problem…   Thanks Meghann and iherb! 

The day kept speeding by.  Unusual.  But I liked it.  Then Mon called- there was a delivery for me in the management office of my apartment and she offered to get it for me.  It was a wellness kit from Celestial tea that I had won from Erin over at Erin Eats and Exercises (she is no longer blogging, which is a sad thing!).  Mon brought it over (with a bottle of red so we could catch up with what’s been going on in each other’s lives) and we cracked open the box to see what else I had been sent:I’ve got enough wellness tea to get me through at least three or four head colds and a couple rounds of the flu.  Anyone feeling shitty?  I’ll mail you a bag of tea… I’m sort of serious.  This is out of control!

Seriously, I never win anything.  So the fact that I won both of these in such a short span of time kind of blows my mind.  No complaints!

Sad thing is, I still had grocery shopping I had to do (after all this swag coming my way)… mostly to prepare for the Car Bomb Cupcakes order I received from a friend- she needed two dozen this weekend and I of course said it wouldn’t be a problem.  I’m still trying to perfect the adaption I make anyways, so the practice is good!  And it’s my official first order of cupcakes!    Not that I’m pimping out my baking skills, but I don’t mind the extra $$$.  Or the excuse to make that Bailey’s frosting… oh my word…

While I was at the store, I picked up some chicken randomly.  Which is the first time I’ve bought chicken, or “meat” in it’s raw form, for months.  I don’t buy it ever.  I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I spend most of my days eating meatless (with the exception of a frozen dinner or two here and there or when I order at a restaurant).  Why?  Because it’s generally quicker to prepare a meal without it.  It’s cheaper (the sale on chicken was $2.99 a pound- which I still think is expensive for some reason).  And I don’t really feel like my diet’s lacking without it.  Not that I don’t ever eat it- hello, this girl can take down a 1/3 lb burger like it’s nothing when I’m craving it (and there are plenty of places around here that offer carryout that can confirm this).  I just don’t buy it often.  There was probably some subconscious craving for it after seeing Kelly or Andrea blog about it yesterday.

Anyhoo, so I had no real plans of what I’d have for dinner, but got inspired when I saw the chicken on sale.  And the avocados.  A little taco seasoning, black beans, corn, and a bit of sour cream later and all the sudden I was having a mexican themed pita full of goodness.  Plus some toasted pita chips with smashed avocado to top it off.  I say smashed avocado because I thought I had some guac mix.  I was wrong.  Garlic salt did just fine as a substitute.  But it’s not really guac.  Oh well.The presentation?  Not so much.  Taste factor?  I deserve an A.  So good… 

I had quite a few leftovers, so I’m sure I’ll have quite a few Southwestern inspired meals the next couple of days.  Again- no complaints here. 

After a glass or so of some wine and a night of catching up with the lovely Mon, Tuesday ended up being quite a good day.  I guess there’s always going to be an exception… this one was it! 

This morning, I broke out the steel cut oats that were part of my iherb winnings.  I’ve been wanting to try them for a long time, but I’m a thrifty shopper (see the buying chicken comment above) and don’t want to spend more money on half the quantity when it comes to steel cut vs. old fashioned oats.  Yes, I’ll buy a pair of shoes without blinking.  But that extra $2 on oats kills me.  I don’t get it either. 

I think I failed.  My microwave is crazy and I have issues with adjusting the power as to make sure it doesn’t explode or spill all over the place.  Next time I should probably use the stove top and not cut corners.  I’d show you a picture, but they just looked sad.  And that’s no way to start your Wednesday morning.

What’s the best way any of you have made steel cut oats?  I could use the tips!

Happy Hump Day!