drawkcab dnekeew.

My littlest sister turned 15 years old on Sunday…which means this coming Sunday, I will be turning 23 years old. Bizzare.

We had a joint birthday party this weekend since we are only 1 week apart.  Before hand, Jarid & I went to play basketball, and afterward, returned home to a house full of family guests.

Burned a whopping 973 calories.  Danggg.

The weather was gorgeous, and we hung out on the deck for most of the day.

Thanks to this goober, I found lots of photos of myself on my phone of me while I was opening gifts.

Along with the presents, came the food.  Of course I ate more than just this to re-fuel (think protein shake, fruit, no sugar-added ice cream, & a chocolate vitatop) but this was all that made it to my camera.

Poppa FF grilled up hotdogs, hamburgers, and of course chicken for those of us who were opposed to pork (rat?) & beef (:  I made a pita out of mine, courtesy of Joseph’s + some roasted red pepper hummus & reduced sugar ketchup along with a salad of iceberg, cukes, and cherry tomatoes with light zesty italian dressing.

With my 23rd  year of life comes several new adventures…

A&P starts on Tuesday @ 7pm…right after my first ! HOT YOGA class!

This past weekend, I also trading biking on this:

for biking on this:

I live in a very hilly area, so bike riding isn’t easy.  I just wanted to be outside, and took a 5 mile loop near my house instead of staying in the basement on the stationary.  I appreciated the switch and enjoyed some fresh air after I hit the gym Saturday morning. 

My new sneaks are wonderful.  Completely comfortable and are great for cross training.  Whether I’m playing basketball, running, or biking, they’ve adapted!

Jarid was working, so after my workout that morning, I ate lunch, took a shower, & went to donate some clothing to the consignment store in our area.

I found these cute brown peep toe pumps for just $7! Along with a discounted soup in the grocery section!

I’m happy to report, that I have a new favorite soup.  This stuff was AWESOME.  Impeccable nutrition stats & ingredients, too! 

It came in handy when I was feeling too lazy to actually cook for dinner that night…

For snacking?  My choice was this kashi chocolate turtle roll that I also found at the consignment store.

It was only priced at 25 cents!  Bargain shopper, I am. 190 calories, 12g protein, 6g fiber. It kicked my candy craving for the day.

Finally, Friday night, I made another dinner for the boyfriend & I. This time, turkey burgers were on the menu, using Jeanie-O Lean Ground Turkey.

Here’s the recipe I used:

• 1.25 lb lean turkey burger
• 4 T of your favorite flavor hummus (I used roasted red pepper)
• 2 T worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 medium onion, diced (i used a red one)
• 2 t cumin
• lots of black pepper
• dash of cayenne for spice factor 

They grilled up nicely on the George Foreman, but they ended up being a little bit dry…I expected a little more flavor, too.  Next time, I’ll add more hummus and spices!

Regardless, the boy really appreciates when I cook for him.  He is probably the most appreciative person I know…he makes me feel like a million bucks…even when I cook up a recipe that’s less than stellar 😉

The spread was healthy, with the exception of the pierogies I made especially for Jarid…I knew steamed green beans and turkey burgers wouldn’t quite cut it for him.  Although, I did put together a nice little toppings plate!

Heirloom tomatoes, avocado, and romaine lettuce.  He tried avocado for the first time…and immediately removed the small bite he had taken from his mouth…haha.  NOT an avocado fan. 

After dinner, we spent the night peroozing the mall in search of gifts for the little sister.  We managed to get finished in time to catch a $2 movie…

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Bad Teacher was playing and we thought that it would be a decent flick to see.  It was funny, crude, and overall not bad.  Nothing spectacular, but we made it fun!

So there you have it, my weekend…DRAWKCAB.  Or backward, if you still haven’t caught on 🙂

What was the best recipe you’ve tried recently?
For me, it was Mama Pea’s Mmm Sauce.

What’s the best movie you’ve seen this summer?
I’d have to say Crazy, Stupid Love.

XO.

Top Ten From My Last Two!

10.  As you may remember, I mentioned that I found some goodies at the Consignment Store which just opened a grocery section.  This little gem was found there and snatched up for just $1.49!

After Thursday I started on it, and after this weekend I’m down to just 1/2 the bar.

Green & Black’s Dark Chocolate with cherries is pretty awesome, if I do say so.

Check out the chunkage of dried fruit in there!  It was sweet and sinful, yet tart.  I’m savoring each and every bit of it.  The stats aren’t too bad for chocolate either.  12 pieces for 210 calories.  I usually take 2 or 3 at a time.

9.  Catching up on my One Tree Hill episodes while working out!

The new ones come on Tuesday nights, so while I’m sitting in class from 6-8:45, the Tree Hill gang is lighting up the screen with their new episode.

Thank goodness for cwtv.com 🙂  Gotta love the early morning workout with no makeup and lookin’ like death.  Haha.

Between OTH & Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, I managed to stay occupied for a little over three hours on Saturday morning…which leads me to number eight…

8.  Barney Butter re-entering my life.

And at minimal cost, thanks to another Consignment Store find!

I used it to fuel my three hour elliptical maddness.

With some sugar-free strawberry jelly on a La Tortilla Factory wrap, heated in the microwave for about 20 seconds until melty & delicious.   Bring on the fats!

7.  A new favorite protein, which was also found at the Consignment Store.  I pretty much heard a ‘hallelujah choir’ when I spotted this on the shelf.

Bourbon Vanilla Tera’s Whey ❤

Only $10.89!! Which I put right to work after my cardio sesh Saturday to mend the muscles.

It was sweet, and reminded me of a carmely flavor, too!  Thanks to Janetha who inspired me to get this flavor 😉

6.  I tried a new “sauce” this weekend, which was absolutely fantastic.  IT’s funny, because I just got a comment from Missy letting me know that I should try Bragg’s Liquid Aminos…I had JUST picked some up at the farmers’ market less than a week ago.

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I mixed her up with a little bitta sugar-free syrup and some chili powder and marinated some brussel sprouts & carrots in it.  After roasting my veggie babies in the oven at 375° for about 15-20 minutes, I arrived at one of the most delicious lunches I’ve had for a long time.

I even got to use my tofu xpress!  Is it weird that I like RAW tofu?   At least I’m not alone.  I was thinking of you, GC while I was eating it! 

Nom, nom, nom.  <–I don’t even like using that.

5.  Meeting this little man!  Jamison Bishop.

Our friends, Jay & Kami came over on Saturday night for dinner.  They just had a little boy and I hogged him a lot of the night…he’s only 2 months old!

There’s something so relaxing and comforting about holding a baby….more baby talk later 😉

4.  I rediscovered my love of tea this weekend.  Teatulia teas to be precise.

100% Premium Organic Bengal Breakfast Tea

Mmmmmmm..Add a little bitta almond milk (another GC inspiration – milky tea!) & some Ideal no calorie sweetener.  It’s the perfect after dinner treat!  Reviews to come 😉

3.  An amazing message on Sunday morning from CLA’s, Pastor Wayde Wilson.

It was all about trusting God with what he’s given us and being generous with our money and “material things”.  It totally makes sense that we would be blessed more if we GIVE more.  I mean, if God gives us a little bit and we show Him that we will put it to good use for HIS purpose, He knows He can trust us with it and He’ll give us MORE. 

HE will ALWAYS provide.  We will NEVER need for anything if we hand our finances over to Him.

2.  Getting my car washed.  Lame but true.

I feel so much better driving a clean car 🙂

1.  VISITING the bestie & BABY BOWMAN

…in the CRIB ROOM, which is ultimately one step closer to the door!

They are doing so well.  I’m so proud of Bowman!  He’s growing like a weed and he’s a little over 3 months old now!

Also, he’s in crib #31 now, which is MY favorite number!  It has been my basketball number for as long as I can remember.  He will be going in for some testing this morning, so please say a prayer for him!  This could be the big week that he finally gets to come home to his Phillies’ nursery!!

Hope you all had at LEAST ten highlights from your weekend.  Leave a comment telling me a few! 😉

Xo.