Labor Day Weekend Recap #3

The weekend was finished off with a trip to The Waffle Shop for breakfast with my babe (it’s his favorite meal of the day), and then a picnic after the commute home with my family.

I was in the mood for oatmeal, so that’s exactly what I ordered.  I doused it in sugar-free syrup & got a fruit cup on the side, too.  The milk remained unused.

FFBF ordered a Banana Nut Waffle with whipped cream.

He said it was reallllly good.  He was so full by the end of it, but finished it off like a champ   He obviously knows about the blog…and all my weird habits…haha.

I hateeeed saying “bye” because I’m not sure when we’ll get to see each other next, and it doesn’t feel right going home by myself.  At least I had the picnic to look forward to!

By the time I pulled into the driveway, it was already lunch time!  I wasn’t THAT hungry, but after looking at all the goods, decided to throw together some veggie & protein power.

Momma Freckled Foodie is the BEST.  She always makes sure there’s a plethora of fresh veggies because she knows how much I adore them.  <3

My plate:

Lettuce, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, green pepper, tomato, grilled chicken, onion, mustard, and Annie’s Fat Free Mango Vinaigrette.

Rounded out the meal with the BEST part!  Sweet, steamed corn on the cob.  It is SOOOO yummy this time of year!

Dessert was an unpictured chunk of SUGAR FREE BLACK CHERRY JELLO, which my surrogate Mom, Hainey brought to the picnic!  IT’s my FAVORITE!  Thanks, Hainey!

After lunch, this cutie pie showed me some skateboard moves in the driveway.  I LOVE her name, too.  Totally original….Anyone else out there know a girl with the name MONTANA? Didn’t think so

A little while later, this sweet little man offered to share some of his sugar cookie with me.  I passed on the cookie, but took him up on the lovin’.  If you remember correctly, he just had a 1st birthday not too long ago!

The kids played hockey in the driveway and enjoyed the indian summer weather.

I played Quiddler with the ladies for awhile,

and chatted it up with them about our upcoming trip to the Women of Faith Conference which we’re all pretty stoked about.

Probably my favorite part of the day??? The MINUTE my BESTIE ARRIVED AT THE PICNIC!!! I haven’t seen her since the boy and I went to Philly to visit she and her new family.

Since we didn’t get to see one another on our birthday days,  she gave me a gift when I saw her yesterday.  I ordered hers and can’t share it on the blog since it didn’t come  yet, and she’s a reader  

It was a virtual card from her, but I took a screen shot so I could show you all.

Six subscriptions for EATING WELL magazine!  How thoughtful is she?! EVERYTHING that’s going on in her life right now, and she STILL took the time to celebrate my birthday.  I’m getting super impatient to give her hers!! I sort of wanted to tell her about it yesterday, but that would kind of ruin it.   haha.  I’m SO bad at that!

Throughout the day, I had SEVERAL snacks like string cheese, vitatops, and THESE bad boys

Sugar-Free Chocolate Meringues!

Don’t they remind you of chocolate kisses?  Only with these, you can eat 13 cookies for just 40 calories and 5g protein +0g fat!  MMM!  Can you tell I’m on a chocolate kick lately?

Oh yeah, and I can’t forget…I did take some time to get some studying done…

my reward was some cocoa roasted almonds.

Dinner time came and I wasn’t even hungry, but when surrounded by all the delciousness, I made myself a plate almost identical to the lunchtime fare.  You get the picture   Orrrr maybe you won’t? 

Anyway, I hope your Labor Day weekend was as enjoyable as mine!!  I had a blast.  PS- Wanna win some Larabars?? Wish Katie a Happy Birthday and ENTER!

XOXO.  LOVE YA’LL!

 

 

 

 

Summer Lovin’

Verse of the Day:

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

- Psalm 119:130

Breakfast was unexpectedly a total treat.  You’d be amazed what a little cinnamon mixed with oats can do for the texture of Peach Chobani  

1/3 C. raw old fashioned oats & cinnamon sprinkled over 1 Peach Chobani

It reminded me of a chilled peach cobbler!  A great start to my morning at work, not to mention quick & convenient with barely any prep work which was only appropriate considering I didn’t even take the time to do some of the essential grooming steps due to time constraint.  But breakfast?  There’s ALWAYS time for breakfast

Lunch WAS prepared ahead of time.

All packed up in my Finlandia lunch box, I had a large veggie salad (a bed of spinach, sliced baby peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, snap peas, and cukes) drizzled with Leonardo Roberto’s balsamic vinegar (THE BEST)

I also packed 1/2 of this sandwich made with 2 slices of Manna Organic Bakery Sunny Sourdough bread, sliced turkey breast, 1 Sonoma Jack’s cheese wedge, some Sweet Jalapeno sauce from Bolani, spinach and 1 tomato slice.

Work.was.unbearably.slow.  Thankfully, I had some of my favorites to rescue me from boredom. 

Oh yeah, and I did some studying over my breaks.  Did I tell you?  I got the 2nd highest grade in the class on my last exam?    My average is currently a 92ish.

When I got home, I had an exciting package awaiting me from Amazon.  Arctic Zero!!!  I know what you’re thinking. 

This stuff is ridiculously expensive, but believe me it is so worth it.  I can eat a whole PINT of “ice cream” for just 128 calories and 16g protein, 0g fat. 

I can’t always afford it, but since I have been doing really well saving money on groceries, AND I just got my annual increase, I figured 1 splurge couldn’t hurt. 

Next up, I packed a picnic dinner for the boy & I.  I had another sand volleyball match at City Island so I packed up the other 1/2 of my sandwich from lunch,

made him a PB&J, packed a salad for us to share (drizzled in balsamic post picture),

and we hit the road. Same thanggg.  Sorry for the meal repeat.  I’m craving turkey for some reason?

Before I knew it, game time rolled around and we lost YET again.  It was fun, though, and I love my team. 

Afterward, we played pick up for awhile and the boyy joined in!  Soon a storm rolled in, and we were ready to peace out.  We got home around 8:40PM, after driving through the insanity of some hard, hard rains.

I whipped up two protein shakes with my Optimum Nutrition Mint Chocolate.

1/2 C. 1% fat free milk, 1 scant scoop protein powder, & ice

We played DICE for about an hour with the FF lil’ sis, and he left for home at about 10:30PM.  I was exhausted!  Before bed, I had some a peach and some baby carrots dipped in some Naturally More.

On that note, don’t forget to enter my Amazing Grass and Crayola Giveaways! 

Three Question Thursday:

1.  What is your favorite summertime sport? I’d have to go with sand volleyball!  Although I love basketball as well.

2.  Do you let yourself feel guilty about expensive food purchases? I do for a little while, but then I realize, it’s for a good cause!  Lots of things that people spend money on are useless, but nutritious food is at least promoting health, right?!

3.  What’s the most money you’ve spent on a food product? I think these things are the most expensive that I’ve bought.  Nut butters are pricey too, but $46 for 6 pints of ice cream is a little extreme, I suppose? Haha.

XOXO.

[Almost] Wordless Weekend.

Kenny’s 1st Birthday.

Overnight chia seeded oats.

Picnicking in the park.

Sweet eggwhite puff with SF Black Raspberry Polaner.

The most handsome birthday boy on the face of this earth.

‘Loupe.

Present opening.

 Swings & cousins in the park.

Imitation crab & salad bar goods for the outdoor dining.

Campfire.

Grades for my first exam & h.w.

Salad beast.

Street hockey near the park [cousins & friends included]

Nature’s Path Pumpkin Spice.

The usual at Great Wall.

Anddd to start off the week right, Julie Go Lean is giving away a ‘fu expresssssss.  Check out her ‘fu pizza! Annnnd Averie’s $100 CSN Giftcard Giveaway!

XOXO.

Frills & Thrills.

Hey Friends! I’m back from the holiday weekend and have SO much to fill you in on.  In all fairness, I had better forewarn you that this post may, and probably will be ridiculously long.  That being said, I’m going to stop blabbing and start showing

Friday night was kinda lame, but I knew the realities of needing some downtime before all the craziness of the weekend began.  I hit the gym, going on this yummy snack (one of two banana softserves of the weekend!)

 

ingredients for chocolate covered banana softserve.

 which turned to this:

with fiber one topping.

 with a little help from Bella.

The gym consisted of the classic workout

I came home, showered up, made a nice big summa salad for dinner:

colorful veggies.

steamed sugar snap peas, carrots, cucumbers, orange peppers, & tomatoes over mache mix.

And some fresh summer fruit were consumed for dessert!  Watermelon & strawberries, to be exact

The rest of Friday was spend in complete relaxation mode after my shower, post workout.  Mandy came over and we hung out for awhile, helping my Momma get some cookies & such ready to take along to seester FF’s softball tournament in the AM.  I also experimented with my Wholesome Sweeteners and Fabulous Flats goodies!

Cinnamon Sugar breadsticks to be!

I sprayed the entire whole wheat pizza crust with some PAM, placed it on a baking sheet, sprinkled it with cinnamon & Organic Zero, and baked it for about 15-20 minutes.

baking.

 After the baking process was complete, I cut it into 6 portions (the serving size),

portioned.

and stored in a tightly sealed container for quick snacks on the go! OF course I tried one. 

close up.

Tasted just like a graham cracker!

Saturday was a complete turn of events.  From a low-key chill night, to an on-the-go adventure day.

The gym was calling my name around 9AM (which is actually sleeping in for me!)  I did have breakfast, but there’s no photo proof, which is sad because it was yummy!

[insert photo here: 2 low-fat whole grain eggo waffles + 1/2C. FF cottage cheese & drizzle of SF syrup]

Again, same routine as Friday night–> I really need to switch it up! Any suggestions?

Afterward, I came home, biked for about 20 minutes, and hopped in the shower.  By this time, it was approx. 12 PM, so I grabbed some lunch

 

 

 

 

broccoli slaw over mache mix with light ragu & ff cottage cheese

and packed some snacks to take to the ArtsFest.

light string cheese, 1 sandwich flat, & 1 gala apple.

Mandy met me on Front St. because most of the riverfront was blocked off for ArtsFest 2010, and we somehow managed to find some on-street parking pretty close!

glazewear & pottery.

We got to check out some of the coolest handmade stuff I’ve ever seen! 

We didn’t buy much,

 because everything was crazy expensive

moster soap dish.

(especially the jewelry, which was our fave!)

I was in love with that octopus bracelet! {$120}

We listened to some great bands play

made some new pirate friends

arghh.

tried on some original creations

and snatched up a bunch of home-cured meats for Poppa FF to try out when he got home!

meats

Elk, buffalo, beef, and venison! I got him one of each

It was a hot day with lots of walking, but a ton of fun.

Next up, I went to watch the little sis play a softball game, where my circus buddy met me so we could leave for the show! We stopped at Subway on the way there, where I ordered a 6in. turkey sub.

He was all ready to go, and fit right in

haha

 we saw tons of crazy stuff likeee

3 girls in a tiny glass box.

I don’t think ANY amount of yoga could get me to this point…:)

1,200.25 lbs.

Or any amount of strength training could get me to this point.

The animals were beautiful and well cared for.

It made for SUCH a fun night.

ANNNND the best part, was that we still managed to catch the end of the Flyers game on the way home at a sports bar!  They’re in the CUP finals and ended up losing the first game of the series, but it was close!

I passed out pretty immediately after getting home around 12:30PM.

Sunday morning came early & I was headed to another sermon at CLA. 

Breakfast was a quick classic:

SOC in all its glory.

This was the last message in the “Family First” series, and it was on “How To Have The Perfect Kids”.  The pastor there is so awesome.  Totally passionate on EACH topic.  He keeps your attention and is very good at bringing things to light in a relative way for me.

I had packed a lunch & extra clothes because I was headed straight to the little seesters softball tournament from church. 

veggies, sweet egg white omelett, & sourdough bread slice w/ SF jam.

I’m pretty much in love with SF Polaner jam + Fiber. So delish.

When I got home around 4PM from the game, I showered and got ready for my dinner date with my Army boy   He picked me up and we headed to the closest town for dinner reservations at 6ish.  I had shrimp cocktail & a house salad with vinegar on the side. 

I missed him SO much!  I could sit and talk to him forEVER.

We came back to the house & hung out on the deck for awhile and then started a movie.  We decided on “Brothers” which was pretty good from what we got to see!  Unfortunately, the night had to be cut a little short because we were going to pick my Daddy up at the airport at 10:30PM!

patiently waiting...

My sisters and I made “Welcome Home, Daddy” & “We Missed You” signs.

awhh.

It was SOOOO good to see him again…I’ve got lots of pictures to share with you from his trip!! We got home around 1AM and I slept like a baby!

Monday morning started out the same way Saturday did!  Again, I hit the gym.  It was Memorial Day, which meant NO WORK for this gal! 

Same thing, don’t judge

Afterward, I came home, helped prep for the picnic a  little, showered, and it was time for lunch!

my plate.

Grilled chicken (post photo put on a piece of sourdough)+tomato, lettuce, & onion.  Cantaloupe, bloobs, cukes, & watermelon.  Ahhh fresh produce how I love you.

The whole day was spent in the sun with family & friends.

For dinner, picture this same plate. No add’l photo necessary. 

YOU KNOW what else happens on Mondays, right???

Lemme give you a hint…

That’s right, The Bachelorette was on!  I made sure I got my fix.  SO glad Craig is gone.  Ali saw right through that jerk !  I’m still gunnin’ for Roberto!! Although Jesse & Frank are close seconds! 

Hope all of your weekends were as relaxed or action packed as you prefer and that your Memorial Day was…well, memorable

Happy Tuesday!  Woo hoo for a short week! Make sure to enter IGE’s Subway giveaway by 5PM TONIGHT!

1. What was the highlight of your weekend?

XO.