Double Chocolate Oat Cookies

Yesterday was a good day. I started the day off right by heading to the gym to hit the treadmill for some fartlek training.

Fartlek is interval training where you adjust speeds throughout your run, which challenges your internal functions to keep up as they are in charge of making major adjustments when varying from slow, to fast, to moderate paces.

I varied my run from a moderate paced run, to a slightly uncomfortable pace, to a sprint, then recovered for 1 to 1.5 minutes before starting it all over again. This constant change in pace means a constant change in heart rate. Research shows that this type of workout can also speed up the metabolic process post-workout, which means more calories burned throughout the rest of your day post-workout.

I don’t feel comfortable going further into the science behind “fartlek” runs, because I am certainly  not an expert, but I do know these types of runs can be very helpful when training for longer runs. They tend to keep me very entertained during runs as well and make the time fly by.

After the run, I hit up a few arm weights and core strengthening, then headed out to run a bunch of errands. I think I found a bath mat for the new bathroom downstairs that I’ m going to keep. The bathroom is 95% done!

I also tackled more laundry, stopped at the library to check out two books for my upcoming trip (!!), cleaned up the house, put photos in frames, and cooked a big batch of 32-bean soup for dinner.

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Cookies, cookies num num num

The other day, I had a hankering to bake and a chocolate craving. What’s a girl to do? Why, head to the kitchen of course and get busy. I took this cocoa cookie recipe, and revamped it. These are cookies that you don’t need to feel guilty about. They are low fat, are made with whole wheat flour, and are fairly low in sugar (c0mpared to other chocolate chip cookies). Check out the recipe.

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 Tablespoons egg whites, or egg white from 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. In medium bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, use electric mixer to cream together oil, yogurt, sugars, and cocoa powder.
  4. Beat in egg whites and vanilla.
  5. Add flour mixture, until combined.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips.
  7. Use a tablespoon to drop dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
  8. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until almost set. Remove, let cool. ENJOY.

These cookies are not super sweet but they do a great job satisfying any chocolate craving you may be having. I decided to freeze the majority of the dough and then I will just be able to bake up one or two cookies if I get the urge. I adore warm right out of the oven cookies when the chocolate chips are melty and gooey.

Have a great day!

Continue Reading Double Chocolate Oat Cookies

Homemade Grilled Pizza

Yesterday I was out running errands in shorts, and this morning I woke up to see snow falling outside. Only in Minnesota. It isn’t going to stick at least, but gross.

Sunday was an amazingly productive day at our household. It began with a leisurely first part of the morning. Breakfast was a banana with honey, cinnamon, and a touch of almond milk PB2.

Sunday mornings always involve coupon cutting, reading the newspaper, and I always read Dana and my horoscope out loud.

Melanie: Scorpio

Dana: Pisces

Then off we went to Home Depot to return some unused pieces from the bathroom construction, and Target and Costco to restock the fridge. Neither Dana or I work late this week so I am thinking we should have some good meals throughout the week nights.

Let’s see, after our errands it was about 11:00 and we were both famished. The decision was made to eat an early lunch. I threw together a mediocre salad. I really thought it was going to be good but when I ate it just tasted “meh” to me.

In the salad was mixed greens, broccoli, sugar snap peas, tomato, carrots, shredded cheese, leftover grilled chicken and honey mustard. That sounds good right? Oh well, I can’t win them all. At least I got my veggies in.

After lunch we got to work on the house. I put on the Glee station on Pandora and began cleaning like a mad woman while Dana continued working on the downstairs bathroom. I cleaned for about 2 hours then was cleaning was happily put on hold because my mom was stopping by to say hi and check out our new bathroom. It is still not completely finished so I haven’t shown you guys yet. It will be very soon. Mom stayed for a little while and then it was back to work for me.

We were still on the prowl for our towel racks, toilet paper holder, and robe holders, so we set out to Kohl’s to take a look there. We have already looked at a handful of other places but haven’t seen ones we liked. Needless to say, Kohl’s didn’t have what we were looking for however we did buy towels for our bathroom. I bought two white shower towels, one gray hand towel, and one brown hand towel.

We are still searching for out floor mats but I think I will take a look at Macy’s next and see what they have. Anyway, since we didn’t find out towel racks at Kohl’s, we decided to head to Menard’s to see if we liked any there. We had looked there before but hadn’t decided upon any so we thought we would lood now that we are really in the buying mode.

We found our towel racks! Wooo!

Home we went to install the towel racks, toilet paper holder, two doors in the bathroom, a built-in vanity mini closet, shower curtain….I felt like Heidi on Home Improvement as I was Dana’s assistant with tools and such. I felt so handy yesterday!

In the midst of bathroom business (that sounds wrong, sorry), I managed to squeeze in a 30 minute walk on the treadmill in between assisting Dana and folding the laundry. I am still amazed at how much work that bathroom has been and it’s still not finished.

Let’s get to dinner because you are going to want to hear about this. It was homemade pizza night. I made this bread machine pizza dough  however I used only whole wheat flour, and cut the recipe in half as I wanted a thinner crust. I added all of the ingredients to the bread machine, set it on dough, and let it work it for an hour and a half.

Once the bread was ready, I plopped the dough onto a floured surface and began kneading it out to a circular shape. I then flipped it and kneaded a little more. I sprinkled a small amount of corn meal onto each side of the crust, then coated each side with olive oil cooking spray to evenly cover the surfaces.

In the mean time, Dana preheated the grill to medium-hot heat. We sprayed the grates of the grill, then slid the dough onto the grill, closed the lid and cooked the one side for five minutes or until the bottom began to brown and the top started to bubble slightly. We removed the pizza, brought it inside to “decorate” the cooked side.

I started with jarred marinara sauce (as much or as little as you like).

Then reduced fat mozzarella cheese, and a mixed cheddar cheese. Next, for our toppings: green olives, lightly sautéed mushrooms and onions, and Roma tomato slices.

We then turned off half of the heaters on the grill and turned the two remaining on, to medium heat. We sprayed the grates of the grill one more time, and slid the pizza on to the grill.

Close the lid, and let the pizza grill for 10-12 minutes on that medium heat. Remove pizza carefully and cut into triangles, squares, diamonds, whatever you feel like, and enjoy a seriously delicious homemade pizza.

I savored every bite of two slices, and had a handful of sugar snap peas on the side. This crust is so amazing and the fresh toppings are the best. I love making my own pizzas because you can regulate what goes into the crust, how much sauce goes on, how much cheese, and I like to make sure each slice has an equal amount of toppings. OMG, this was incredible.

After dinner there was dessert, but I am going to have to save that for another day because I have some errands to run and workouts to workout. 😉 Here is a sneak peek of what went down….

It’s chocolately!

Positive Monday talk: I have today off of work, I am a happy camper.

Question of the day: Did anyone cook up anything delicious this weekend?

Continue Reading Homemade Grilled Pizza

Sweet Grilled Garlic

I had a wonderful little Saturday yesterday.

I woke up early and hit the ground running for 5.3 miles. It was definitely not an easy run day for me, but I fought through to the finish.

After my run I showered up and headed to my great friend Haley’s baby shower. She is due at the end of May and looking FANTASTIC. We celebrated the soon arrival of the babe with great company, a couple of games, and nummy food. There were chicken shawarmas, veggies, fruit, chips, cheese, crackers, cupcakes, brownie cookie bars, etc! It was a dream world for me. Sorry I didn’t snap a photo. It was so good to see Hales. I miss her so!

Once I got home, it was time to get busy on finishing up the bathroom. Dana had been hard at work all day and the least I could do was hold the flashlight while he screwed in some fixtures and such.

Amidst the bathroom work was a little laundry folding, and a trip to Home Depot (whoopee exciting Saturday night, right?). At around 6:30 we figured we should probably start thinking about dinner. We ran to the grocery store to find something to grill and ended up buying two chicken breasts, two garlic cloves, and a whole grain baguette.

We threw those three items on the grill and wahlah…

A healthy grilled dinner.

For those of you who have never tried grilled garlic, you should probably try it. It is pretty amazing. Just cut the top off of the garlic bulb, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a little salt and pepper, wrap up in tin foil and grill cut side up for about 20 minutes (depending on the size of the bulb and the heat of the grill). Unwrap them, squeeze the whole bulb of garlic to pop out the individual cloves. You are left with slightly sweet and buttery garlic cloves. Num.

For dessert, two pieces of Easter chocolates.

The rest of the night was spent relaxing, ordering some wedding photos for frames that are still naked around our house, and watching a couple of episodes of Modern Family.

That was quite the speedy recap of Saturday. It was pretty great though.

I am off for now. Tons to do around the house. Catch up with you later!

 

Continue Reading Sweet Grilled Garlic

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars

Happy Hump Day!

I worked late last night and so often when I work late, I get home and don’t have much of an appetite. Last night was one of those nights. I decided just to pour myself a small bowl of Fiber One Original with some raisins on top.

Then I had some of these (love these things).

And made my way into some almonds, a few more raisins, and a bite of peanut butter. Not super exciting but it was good enough. I called it an early night and woke up feeling semi-well rested.

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I went for a 30 minute walk on the treadmill this morning with a slight incline. It was a nice soothing way to start the morning, along with this yogurt bowl. I made it this morning and let it do it’s “overnight” thing for just 30 minutes before digging in. It turned out just as great!

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Anyway, moving on to the good stuff. I have one final recipe from last weekend that I still wanted to share with you. You may recall seeing photos of these…

Those are Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars and they are divine. I did make a few fat-saving adjustments here and there but really, this pan of amazingness is truly decadent, and should try to be enjoyed in portion controlled servings. Good luck with that though.

I have to share.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars (recipe adapted from www.eatrunread.com)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 Tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup and 1 Tablespoon non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 11 ounces caramels*
  • 4 Tablespoons fat-free half and half
  • 1-2 teaspoons sea salt

*(I used an 11 ounce bag of small pearls of caramel that don’t have any wrapping and are great for baking)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Coat a 9 inch square pan with cooking spray (or line with aluminum foil then coat with cooking spray); set aside.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, cream together yogurt, butter, and sugars.
  4. Add the egg, egg white, and vanilla; mix until smooth.
  5. Slowly add in dry ingredients, mixing on low until all ingredients are incorporated.
  6. Hand mix in chocolate chips; cover dough and place in refrigerator.
  7. In medium microwave-safe bowl, combine caramels with half and half. Microwave on high stirring every 20 seconds until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.
  8. Press half of cookie dough into bottom of prepared pan.
  9. Pour caramel on top, and spread to cover in even layer; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt.
  10. Dollop the remaining half of dough on top, and carefully spread to even layer; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt.
  11. Place bars in oven and bake for about 60 minutes (cooking time will vary so keep an eye on them) until top of bars have set and have a light golden color, and the edges begin to pull away from the pan.
  12. Cool bars on wire rack at room temperature. Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream if you wish!

Total decadence.

Continue Reading Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars

Healthier Reese’s Recipe, Now Hide the Sweets

Yesterday morning I woke up not feeling the slightest bit hungry. It may have been the larger than average meal I ate on Easter Sunday, but I was actually surprised I wasn’t hungry being as we ate lunch/dinner, “linner” at about 2:30, and didn’t eat much the rest of the day.

Nevertheless, I knew I needed to eat something before heading off to work, so I whipped up a classic. A heap of blackberries and raspberries, topped with Fage o% Plain Greek Yogurt, and finished off with a drizzle of honey. It was light, refreshing, and a healthy way to begin my day.

Hunger finally set in at lunch time. I had packed leftover pulled chicken mixed with celery, carrots, pickles, and mustard, a big baggie of carrots and sugar snap peas, an apple, string cheese, and a Lara bar. That held me over well until dinner time.

After work I headed to the gym. I began with 10 minutes on the elliptical, then moved to the stair master for 10 minutes, before hitting the weights. I was not in the most motivated strength training mood but knew I would feel good once I was done. I have been saying that a lot lately, huh? Anyway, I focused on legs today but really didn’t get too crazy: some leg presses, calf raises, leg curls, and that was it.

Dinner last night was not very impressive (can you tell it was a tired Monday around here). I snacked on some more sugar snap peas as I deliberated what to make for dinner, realizing that we are running low on groceries. I decided on a wrap similar to a Greek one I had made not too long ago, but this time with a few less ingredients.

Lawash Brand Whole Wheat Flatbread, hummus, feta cheese, and avocado.

Super simple, lots of great flavors, and enough to keep me satisfied for a while. Now, with such a simple dinner, how is it that I manage to injure myself, whereas I can make elaborate dishes involving copious amounts of chopping and go unscathed? I managed to get in a fight with the pairing knife while trying to twist out the pit of the avocado.

The one ingredient I needed to cut in this whole dish, and I managed to splice my finger open in the process. I got a little woozy but Dana kept me calm as I ran it under water and then put pressure on it. He bandaged me up and of course I am fine, but it did hurt and it’s always scary. Dana to the rescue. I can be a little dramatic.

After dinner I had a few million Easter treats. It was my “Fat Monday.” I decided I had one more day to enjoy a bunch of my Easter treats before I put them away in the freezer for a while. They are now zipped away in a ziploc freezer bag in the freezer, in the garage. That’s what we have to do around here to keep our sticky fingers off the candies.

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This may seem a little backwards considering I just told you I hid all of my Easter treats, but I wanted to share a delicious recipe with you all for a treat I made last Saturday.

One of my all-time favorite candies are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, however they aren’t the most figure-friendly candy. I wanted to find a healthier version of these delectable treats without sacrificing the wonderful peanut buttery flavor. I stumbled upon a recipe for healthier Reese’s eggs, I put my own spin on it, and this is what I came up with.


Healthier Reese's Eggs
Print
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup almond milk
  • 3 Tablespoons chia seeds
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ⅓ cup PB2 prepared
  • ¼ cup light maple syrup
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In small bowl, combine milk and chia seeds and let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. After ten minutes, combine chia seed mix with remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips; mix well.
  3. Shape mixture into small eggs, and place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  4. Once eggs are chilled, begin melting chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until completely melted.
  5. Roll "eggs" in the chocolate, covering them completely in the melted chocolate.
  6. Place them back onto the parchment paper. Decorate with sprinkles if desired, and return to the refrigerator. Allow chocolate to set before serving. Remove from fridge 15-20 minutes or so before serving.

 

The inside of these eggs are soft yet chewy with the perfect amount of sweetness and peanut butter flavor. The chocolate on the outside of the egg adds a semi-sweet touch that balances the bites perfectly.

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Soul mates

They may sound a little off the wall being that they have chia seeds in them, but I’m telling you they are awesome! You don’t need a special occasion to make them either.

Give ’em a whirl!

Now, the candy and treats are all stowed away, and I refuse to fall back onto the sugar train.

Anyone eat any delicious treats this past weekend? I would love to hear from you. Sharing is caring!

Continue Reading Healthier Reese’s Recipe, Now Hide the Sweets

Slight Sugar Shock

Easter #2 at my mom and dad’s was a success!

The Easter Vigil at our church was beautiful, the weather was gorgeous, the company was outstanding, and of course, there was plenty of food and treats.

I adored these coral and yellow tulips mom had on the table, so beautiful.

I tried out a new recipe for parmesan potatoes which was super easy. I simply sprayed a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, sprinkled the pan with grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and a little salt, then placed halved (small) potatoes cut side down on the pan. I sprayed the round topside of the potatoes with cooking spray before I placed them in the oven. They cooked at 325° (since that’s the temperature the ham was cooking at) for about 50-55 minutes. They turned out golden brown with just the right amount of saltiness and crisp.

Mom using an electric knife to cut the ham in the kitchen. It works like a charm.

My plated dinner: ham, parmesan potatoes, broccoli with cheese, deviled egg (went back for another) and olives.

On the side was a bowl of sweet and colorful fruit: strawberries, plums, apricots, mandarin oranges, and raspberries, all drizzled with a little honey.

I offered to be in charge of the fruit salad, and desserts, which is why I spent most of my Saturday in the kitchen. To me, being in the kitchen baking treats is very fun and relaxing most of the time. I truly enjoy it.

I had tentatively planned my dessert menu a few days ago, and decided to bake up all three options I had mentioned but put my own spin on them as I love to do.

I made homemade lemon bars….

Healthier “Reese’s” Peanut Butter cups and I absolutely must share this recipe with you soon. These little eggs were so unbelievably melt in your mouth good to me, and the ingredients will surprise you!

And the grand finale dessert…….drum roll…..Chocolate Chip Caramel Bars. OMG. These put me into a sugar coma today, but they were AWESOME. Really, how can you go wrong with chocolate and caramel?

Not pictured is two Easter baskets full of goodies which are now nestled into our cabinets at home. I strategically placed them on a shelf that is not visible right away when you open the cupboard so that I will be less likely to grab for them. I will really need to be on my best behavior while these sweets are around. My body was in a little bit of a sugar shock today but don’t get used to it!

Needless to say, I had an amazing Easter weekend. I got to spend a lot of time with my families who I love to pieces.

I have a couple of recipes to share with you all, so check back soon. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well. Now, back to the work week we go.

Monday Positive Talk:

I have a lunch packed full of fresh fruits and veggies to help me “cleanse”  after this weekend’s indulgences.

Please offer your Positive Monday Talk. I’m sure we could all use some extra support today!

Continue Reading Slight Sugar Shock

Nerd in the Kitchen

Happy Saturday! I am leaving for Easter #1 at the in-laws in about 9 minutes so this is going to be short but very sweet.

This morning Dana, Moose, and I hit ground running for 4 miles, finishing just before the rain came.

When we got home, I hit the kitchen hard. Four desserts, baby.

Sneak peak of chocolate chip caramel bars in the making.

Homemade Lemon Bars in the oven.

Total nerdo in the kitchen.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake for Easter #1.

My cute boys.

Off to Easter #1!

One dessert is still in processing and was camera shy but I promise I made four today!

I felt like super woman today. Call me Melly Crocker. I am out! Happy Day!

Continue Reading Nerd in the Kitchen

Fat Tuesday? It sure was.

Happy Hump Day!

How ironic that I ended up having a complete bottomless pit stomach yesterday on Fat Tuesday. Huh, funny. I didn’t snap photos of all of my food yesterday because quite frankly I would have had to glue the camera to my hand. My day started off with a nice patriotic looking bowl of fruit and greek yogurt.

Btw if you are wondering, I typically buy FAGE (pronounced Fa-yeh) Total 0% all natural non fat greek strained yogurt.

Quick Nutrition Facts (Per 1 cup):

  • 130 calories
  • 0 g fat
  • 85 mg sodium
  • 9 g carbohydrate
  • 9 g sugar
  • 23 whopping grams of protein!
  • 25% daily value of calcium

It’s obvious I really enjoy my yogurt sweetened with a little honey and mixed with a ton of fruit, but it can also be used as a substitute for sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, etc. We have been going through it pretty quickly around our house.

I worked until 1:00 yesterday so I had packed some snacks to tide me over until I got home for lunch. I packed a string cheese, apple, carrots, sugar snap peas, and a banana. I ripped through those snacks like it was no ones business and also had an Archer Farm’s fruit strip on the car ride home. I was going to go to the gym and then eat when I got home but I couldn’t make it. I needed MORE FOOOOOODD! I was like a tornado whipping through the kitchen. I immediately sliced off a piece of bread and slathered it in pb and J. I scarfed that down then headed to the pantry for a few handfuls of Special K blueberry cereal. I wanted more but decided I needed to cool it for a bit, especially if I was planning to get any sort of a workout in.

My intentions were to go for a run on the treadmill. I started running but noticed a little pain in the outside of my left knee cap. I tried to keep running thinking I was just warming up and it would go away, but it didn’t. I turned my run into a 45 minute walk and then cranked out some abs and planks. I hope the pain goes away soon. I think it will.

Anyway…back to the snacks again. I wanted to share with you this new hummus that we bought (new to me at least). It is Cedar’s Artichoke Kalamata Hommus. Oh wow, I can’t begin to describe how good this stuff is but I’ll try. It is creamy and slightly salty with a hint of olive flavor and tiny specks of artichoke. Perfect to dip crackers, veggies, or pita chips. If you ever see this stuff in your grocery store, give it a go.

Now, where was I going with this post? Oh yes, dinner last night! My long-time friend, Kalley came over for dinner last night. We’ve been friends since the 8th grade. Back in the day we passed notes, gossiped about our biggest crushes, and danced and sang to N’sync and Britney Spears. Hmm, come to think of it, not much has changed. 😉 Except now we are passing texts, talking about husbands and real significant boyfriends, and still dancing and singing to JT (although I still have love for Britney too).

Homecoming 2001 (Me, Jules, and Kalley)
Ellen's Wedding 2010

It had been way too long since we had gotten together so we decided to hang out in our comfies and make dinner together. On the menu was veggie fajitas, guacamole and a whole lot of catching up!

Fajitas:

  • bell peppers
  • onions
  • corn
  • pinto beans
  • fajita seasoning (chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder)
  • whole wheat tortillas
Kalley’s Guacamole:
  • avocados
  • red onion
  • lime juice
  • lemon juice
  • cilantro
  • salt and pepper

It was SO great catching up! Also, thanks for the books! I started reading Firefly Lane last night. Thanks for coming over Kal!

After Kalley left, Dana and I had our last dessert before lent and it was a good one. Coldstone ice cream (cake batter ice cream with brownies and other goodies) and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

No.more.sweets.

Just noticed the time. I still need to finish getting ready for work!I am out! Happy day!

Continue Reading Fat Tuesday? It sure was.

Sweet Day & Fun Plans

Hello there! No monkey business I have lots to share as always.

Yesterday we had a potluck lunch at work. It was Valentine’s themed so everyone was supposed to bring food that was red, pink, or purple. My food-minded brain started thinking of tons of different options: pink quinoa with Craisins, nuts, and apples, cupcakes with pink frosting, apple nachos….had a hard time deciding on one. But I did decide to go with the Apple Nachos. I got the idea from Pinterest but changed it up a bit.

It included sliced apples, melted peanut butter drizzled over top, and was topped with almond slices, walnut pieces, Craisins, and chocolate chips. This was a huge hit and it was so simple to make! This would be a huge crowd pleaser with kids as well.

At the meeting there was everything from beet salad, to pb and j sandwiches on pink bread, strawberries, red bell peppers, heart shaped egg salad sandwiches, pink and red M & M’s (which I had WAY too many of), pink cupcakes (also had one of those), meatballs, etc. We go all out at our work meetings. Lunch held me over very well.

I had another meeting from 5:30-7 and didn’t get home until about 7:30. This was waiting for me at home upon my arrival.

My favorite gummy treats, three amazing cards which were all so sweet (from Moose, Dana, and one from my mom too), and the gift in the pink bag was a bathrobe from Target that I have literally been eyeing up for the past year!

On the menu: Lightly pan-fried scallops and fresh Mahi-Mahi that Dana caught earlier today. 🙂 Ha ha, that would be great! Alongside were oven-roasted fennel and artichoke hearts. Everything was unbelievable. I even liked the fennel! It didn’t have much of a licorice taste like I was expecting, it took on a “roasted” flavor and I actually really enjoyed it. I couldn’t finish everything on my plate because I was filling up way too fast and I knew there was some really great dessert yet to come.

Dessert started with these adorable chocolate covered strawberries.

Second course of dessert was cookie dough ice cream and warm, fresh brownies.

The combination of cold ice cream and warm brownies, and the way the ice cream melts into the brownie and creates a fudge like brownie….I can’t even believe how amazing it is. I don’t get this treat very often, but when I do, you better watch out, I will put myself into a brownie and ice cream coma.

This picture does not describe the magnitude of my love for this dish. Once I finished this deliciousness, I felt like I had a boulder sitting in my stomach. I ate enough sugar today to last me through the whole month.

After dinner, we watched a great Valentine’s episode of Glee, and before we knew it it was 9:30 which means time to get ready for bed! I promise I am only 26 years old. I really need my sleep though.

Dana really pulled off an amazing Valentine’s Day. I told him “he won” this year for sure. Not that I really mean it’s a competition but he just put so much time into it and made it so unbelievable. The couple hours that I did have with Dana made up for me having to work until 7 last night.

Now, I have some major gummies to eat before lent begins next week!

One last note. Valentine’s Day holds an extra special place in my heart, because I remember my Grandma K who passed away 8 years ago on this day. She was able to join her husband in heaven on this special day devoted to love. She was an amazing, caring, funny, spitfire of a woman who will always be remembered.

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I mentioned previously that I had exciting events planned for the upcoming year. It’s share time.

  1. Trip to California to visit friends–next week!
  2. Get Lucky7k run on St. Patty’s Day
  3. A weeklong vacation to the Dominican Republic—end of April! We just booked this two nights ago!
  4. Race for the Cure with mom on Mother’s Day
  5. Boundary waters weekend trip in May
  6. Two half marathons in June
  7. Warrior Dash at the end of June
  8. Long weekend trip to visit my brother in Bogota later summer, early fall

I’m probably forgetting a few things in there! In between those events are birthdays, baby showers, weddings, fun sun time, hopefully a garage sale….and more. It is going to be a great year! I am so pumped for it all! I’m off to get ready for work and maybe going to throw something in the crockpot? We will see. Have a great day! Happy Wednesday.

Continue Reading Sweet Day & Fun Plans
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