For The Sake of Cake

It’s no secret that I love sweets (you do know the name of this blog, don’t you?).

Do you want to know what happens right around this time of year (every year, without fail)? I eat ice cream. A lot of ice cream. Like, every night. The madness needs to stop.

While meal planning this week, I started thinking about some healthier substitutes I could use to satiate my ice cream craving this summer. Here are a few of my favorite items that are cold, sweet, and guilt-free!

Chobani

Option #1 – “Fro Cho”

I’m not someone who is really a fan of “dessert substitutes.” Just give me the real thing, please. However, frozen Chobani is really, really good! I like to pop one in the freezer right before dinner, and by the time my sweet tooth kicks in I’ve got an ice-cream like treat.

Option #2 – Chobani Flips

I’ve already talked about how much I love the key lime crumble Flip in previous posts. I buy at least one per week (we spend the rest of our Chobani budget on the “regular” cups), and I usually make it to Tuesday before digging into it for dessert. (I always have good intentions and think I’ll “save it,” but it never happens!)

Edy’s Outshine Frozen Fruit Bars

I just bought these at the store this week, and I’ve quickly become obsessed. There are only 25 calories per bar, and 1 gram of sugar. I realize they’re sweetened with Splenda—and that’s not everyone’s thing—but it really doesn’t bother me.

Frozen Yogurt (with moderate toppings)

Frozen yogurt is a great alternative to ice cream, and I love all of the self-serve places that have been popping up. (If we’re getting them here in Reading, PA, I know they’ve got to be in your town, too.)

My downfall with this sweet treat is loading up on the toppings. When I stop and think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever used the fruit toppings available. I go for the “good stuff”—cookie dough, peanut butter cups, gummy bears, etc. Keeping the fro yo portion under control and adding some of the healthier toppings available make this a good option.

Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars

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I tried these bars for the first time last summer, and they’re great—a little creamier than a regular ice pop. Chris and I were able to find them at BJ’s and purchased a big box for a reasonable price. Since I’ve first tried them, they’ve come out with lots of yummy flavors, so I’ll have to track these down again.

Fruit Smoothies

You can’t beat a fruit smoothie on a warm summer day! Fresh or frozen fruit, combined with yogurt, milk, protein powder, etc. makes for a sweet—but healthy—snack.

Do you have any “sweet substitutes” I should add to this list?

Hello, all!

Another weekend in the books! As always, it went by too quickly. On the bright side of things, I’ve managed to stay relatively caught up on my school-related work, which has given me some time to actually enjoy my weekends… sort of a foreign concept!

Last weekend I did a Sunday Snapshots post—a photo dump, if you will—of pictures taken throughout the weekend. I liked it so much (a picture is worth a thousand words, right?) that I thought I’d do it again. Perhaps it’ll become a Sunday night tradition?

T-minus 5 days until Gatsby! And only Monday stands between me and the entire album… can’t wait! My students have a half day on Friday (it’s prom!) and up until this past Friday, I thought I got to leave at 11:00AM. Turns out, I have in-service in the afternoon which totally put the kibosh on my matinee plans. Argh. I still have plans to see this on Friday though; I definitely can’t wait any longer.

I totally got sucked into buying this coffee after seeing so many commercials for it. The good news? It’s amazing!!!

After school on Friday, I headed to King of Prussia to do a little dress shopping. My brother-in-law is getting married on the 18th, and I needed a long dress. I found this little number at Nordstrom, and I love it! Now I’m just hoping that the petite that’s being shipped to me fits without any necessary alterations; I waited until the last minute to get something!

A half-priced mocha cookie crumble frappe was enjoyed post-dress shopping. Who can resist the Starbucks happy hour deal?

Saturday was my cousin’s son’s first communion, and this was just a sampling of the sugar I consumed.

The cookies were made by my aunt, and the cake (amazing!) was made by a local bakery—Unique Desserts. A few year’s ago when my cousin’s other son made his first communion, they had a cake from the same bakery. Let’s just say I’d been looking forward to another slice for the last 3 years and it didn’t disappoint.

Last night, Chris and I headed to The Knight’s Pub (quickly becoming a favorite!) to watch the Phillies lose yet again. I’d been eyeing up the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese every time I had been there before, so I finally caved and got it. Um, amazing.

Last but not least, after all of the indulgent eats on Saturday, I definitely made sure to get myself to BodyPump this morning!

Tonight’s question is totally unrelated to anything but I heard this “would you rather” on Cosmo radio this morning, and I thought it was a good one!

Would you rather… give up cocktails/alcohol for a year, or give up makeup for a year? I would EASILY choose to give up alcohol. It wouldn’t be good for anyone if I couldn’t wear makeup for a full 365 days.

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

This evening, I’m keeping things simple with a relatively wordless post. Here are a few snapshots from the past few days… enjoy!

This is how I left Stewie Friday morning before work.

Finally getting my car washed Friday afternoon. This was looong overdue!

Spin class on Saturday morning.

Peanut butter cup protein smoothie from my gym. This is amazing and tastes like a milkshake. (Yes, that’s a pillow with a pug on it that you see in the background.)

Saturday dinner – Pulled pork over bleu cheese potato gnocchi from Say Cheese!

Saturday dessert – pear tart… yum.

Sunday AM snack – strawberry banana Cho. I think I’ve decided this is my favorite flavor.

Sunday lunch – burger with portobello mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

How was your weekend? Relaxing or filled with lots of to-do’s?

Hi everyone! Happy What I Ate Wednesday and half-way through the work week! Even though this is a short week for me (we had Monday off), I always find that short weeks feel just as long as regular ones. Oh well!

I’m taking a different approach to WIAW this evening. I made three new-to-me dishes for Easter this past weekend, so I wanted to share the recipes with you all.

Oh, and be sure to check out the other posts in the link-up on Jenn’s blog.

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I’ve mentioned this before, but Chef-in-Training has quickly become my favorite go-to site for recipes. Two of my Easter dishes came from recipes posted on Nikki’s blog!

First up… overnight blueberry French toast.

I wanted to make something special – or at least a little bit out of the ordinary – for Easter morning. Since I knew I’d be in the kitchen baking Saturday night, I picked up the ingredients necessary for this dish and got everything prepped before bed (I love a good overnight recipe).

On Easter morning, I was up early to work on my side dish, so I put this in the oven to bake while I worked on that.

Chris and I were both really impressed with this; the cream cheese chunks added a little something extra. This would also be perfect if you’re hosting overnight guests.

The dessert that I made was from Something Swanky Desserts and Designs.

Better Than Easter… Carrot Cake Poke Cake was so simple to make, and so yummy. Although I’m familiar with poke cake (<— super-old post alert!), this was my first time using the new Cool Whip frosting. I usually prefer thick, butter cream frosting to whipped, but this stuff was amazing (and the recipe made lots of it)!

The side dish that I contributed to Easter dinner also came compliments of Chef-in-Training. When I saw the ingredients in this broccoli craisin salad, I knew it would be a hit.

Like I mentioned earlier, I prepped this Easter morning and let the salad sit with the dressing for a few hours. I actually plan on making a second batch of this mix to keep on-hand for me and Chris to snack on.

I was so happy that all three of the recipes I tried turned out well. These are all going to be made again for sure!

Did you try any new recipes this Easter?

Am I the only one in a little bit of disbelief that Easter is right around the corner? I guess it is unusually early this year, but still… it snuck up on me.

Luckily, there’s always Pinterest to turn to when holiday inspiration is needed. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Pinterest Easter Finds in case any of you are looking for something yummy to bring to a family celebration.

Cadbury Crème Egg Cupcakes

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I actually have two versions of Cadbury Crème Egg cupcakes pinned. The first version, from Pizzazzerie has a Cadbury Egg baked inside of the cupcake.

The second version, from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody has a Cadbury Crème Egg Filling Buttercream Frosting… whoa.

 Unfortunately, Windows Live Writer isn’t allowing me to add a picture of these cupcakes, but you can check them out here.

Admittedly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Cadbury Crème Eggs, but Chris is, so I want to make one of these versions for him.

Easter Bunny Bait

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This recipe, created by Sweep Tight, is similar to Puppy Chow. I love the presentation idea, too. This would be a great, homemade gift idea (similar tins are available in the $1 section at Target!).

Peanut Butter Cookie Pie

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Crazy for Crust is a woman after my own heart. Peanut butter? Yum! Cookie pie? Double yum! This could really be for any occasion, but the pastel-colored peanut M&Ms add a nice touch for Easter.

Mexican Deviled Eggs

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I’ve had these deviled eggs from Run Pretty pinned for a while now. Deviled eggs are a staple within my family, and I’d love to give these a try. The addition of avocado, jalapenos, cilantro, and cayenne pepper are what make them “Mexican.” I highly doubt my presentation would look anything close to these, though!

As you can see, my Easter pins are heavy on the sweets! My mom is hosting Easter this year, and I want to bring a side dish. So, my question to you all is…

What’s your favorite, Easter-appropriate side dish? Feel free to include links!

What’s your favorite Easter candy? Cadbury Eggs… yay or nay?

Hello, hello! After last week’s funky mood and a weekend off from work, I’m feeling refreshed and ready to tackle this week!

I always like looking back on the weekend, so let’s take a look at what I’ve been up to the past few days.

Friday

I was so happy to finally make it to Friday! I promptly plopped down on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate, my computer (to catch up on blog reading), and Friends on TBS. Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I’m obsessed with Friends; it just never gets old!

I also managed to put together a decent dinner. This is always a small victory for me on a Friday, as I’ll usually just settle for something quick.

To make the chicken, you combine about 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt with about 1/4 c. parmesan cheese (I say “about” because I rarely measure!). Then you spread that mixture on top of the chicken breast and top with bread crumbs and bake it at 350* for 20-25 minutes… so simple. The broccoli and fingerling potatoes were both of the steam-in-the-bag variety.

Saturday

Saturday morning, I attended a blogger meet-up at The Hotel Hershey. The event that we attended – a chef demonstration – is part of the hotel’s Chocolate-Covered February promotion (more on this tomorrow!).

First, we watched the chef prepare/cook a few items including chocolate pecans and cocoa spiced braised lamb.

Then, much to my excitement, we were given a taste of the chef’s creations.

Afterwards, we gathered for a blogger group photo with the chef himself.

Janice, Amanda, Sarah, Steph, Danielle, Me, Erin, Lindsay, Danielle and Sara

Afterwards, we headed to the Cocoa Beanery. I ordered a caramel latte (so good!) and chocolate peanut butter pie (also so good!).

It was great to catch up with some of my favorite PA bloggers and meet some new faces, too!

Sunday

Sunday morning started with a 7 mile run on the treadmill. I had 11 miles on my “plan” this weekend (if you can even call it a plan at this point), but 11 miles on a treadmill is just not (mentally) feasible for me. The good news is that physically, I felt great after 7 miles! I could have kept going if I didn’t have a long to do list to get started on!

After the gym, Chris and I went to lunch with his parents then ran our errands for the week. I tossed around the idea of picking up dinner somewhere – I had Chipotle on my mind – but Chris said he would cook dinner.

He grilled steaks (in the driveway because we are very fancy people), made twice-baked potatoes, and a salad with yummy toppings.

I was in heaven! A delicious meal that I didn’t have to make?! What more could I ask for?

All in all, a great weekend!

What’s something fun that you did this weekend? Have you ever been to Hershey?

Ugh. Today was a day. I can’t/don’t want to go into it all, but let’s just say half the box quite a few of these were consumed immediately upon arriving home this afternoon.

Side note: aren’t peanut butter patties the best Girl Scout cookies?!

Anyway, rather than drone on about my miserable Monday, let’s take a look back at the weekend… mmmkay?

Friday night, I made this HungryGirl recipe (originally on my meal plan for Wednesday of last week!).

It’s really so simple to put together and it was extra yummy served with a side of steam-in-the-bag broccoli.

On Saturday, I met up with a friend and completed 10 miles!

I know some other bloggers might consider 10 miles chump change, but this was a big deal for me! We ended by going up a slight incline at the end, which was killer and perhaps poor planning on our part?!

I think I’m going to attempt 11 miles this coming Sunday, and then do a short run the weekend between the upcoming one and the half marathon… we’ll see how everything plays out and what exactly I have time for. I’m taking the “no stress” approach from here on out.

Saturday night, my family and I went out to dinner for birthday celebrations. Unfortunately, we didn’t end up going to the Kutztown Tavern as planned, because it started to snow. Instead we stayed local and stopped at my parents’ house afterwards for cake, ice cream, and presents.

Sunday was filled with… grading. I’m at the bottom of a never-ending pile of stuff. I did take a break to enjoy some leftovers from Saturday’s dinner… I ordered scallops with angel hair pasta.

Clearly, I had to swipe a giant roll as well.

And now you’re all caught up on my life!

How do you shake a bad day? After stuffing my face with Girl Scout cookies, I managed to squeeze in a quick FitnessGlo workout which helped me to feel a bit better!

Hey hey! Phew, it feels like it’s been a while since I last posted. (I guess it sort of has been!)

Time to play catch up!

Thursday

On Thursday Chris and I finally signed the papers and became homeowners! For those of you that may not know, we’ve been living in “our” house for just over 6 months, but we were doing a rent-to-own deal. We were supposed to settle at the end of December, but nothing in our home-buying process has been easy, so that didn’t happen. Needless to say, I was about ready to cry tears of joy on Thursday… such a huge weight lifted off my shoulders!

Since I had to leave work early for our appointment and Chris had some time to kill before he had to go into work, we went out to lunch. Chris selected Chili’s; I hadn’t been in what felt like forever. We talked about how strange it was that we hadn’t been there in so long because it used to be one of our go-to spots.

Anyway, I went with the Big Mouth Bites which are basically cheeseburger sliders.

So good, yet so greasy

Of course, since we were celebrating, I requested a stop at my favorite place in all the land… Sublime Cupcakes.

Chris had to leave for work not long after we got home, and Stewie and I ended up taking an unexpected – yet much needed! – nap.

In the evening I headed to a combo class that my gym offers – CX Worx + express BodyPump. I had to make a quick pit-stop at Target on my way home, and I stumbled upon these goodies:

Peanut Butter Toast Crunch + Key Lime Crumble Chobani! I had been keeping an eye out for both, and trust me… neither disappoints! The key lime Cho’ qualifies as a legit dessert (and coming from a dessert fiend like me, that’s saying something!). I’ll definitely be stocking up at the grocery store for when my sweet tooth is in full force.

Friday

Friday was just another “normal” workday… nothing too eventful! I had to stay a little late – on a Friday, gasp! – to work on some yearbook stuff, then after a quick stop at home I was off to run a few errands. Since I was out, I stopped at Panera for dinner. I didn’t take a picture, but I got the “You Pick 2” – broccoli cheddar soup (yum!) + their new chopped chicken salad with avocado (also yum!).

Stewie and I ended up falling asleep on the couch (shocker!) before heading up to bed for a good night’s sleep.

Saturday

Saturday morning I had a training run on the agenda – 8 miles.

This was the first time I had to track down a bathroom during a run! haha I made it about halfway through when I realized I was not going to make it a full 8 miles. A local grocery store did the trick (I was nearly distracted by the Girl Scouts selling cookies!) and I was on my way.

This run felt so much more difficult than last week’s 7. I’m thinking I need to make more of an effort to squeeze in a extra short run during the week. Anyway, I had to take a few walking breaks, but I always promise myself to not walk during the last mile. It was tough but I finished in just over an hour and a half and felt accomplished!

The majority of my afternoon Saturday was spent cleaning (blah!). I went to church, then Chris and I enjoyed our weekly pizza night.

Sunday

Since I had gone to church last night, I was able to get a workout in this morning. (I usually take a rest day on Sundays.)

BodyPump was on the agenda!

The rest of my Sunday was spent grading… seriously. The. entire. day. I wish I could say I’ve got my day off tomorrow wide open for fun and relaxation, but there’s a yearbook deadline so I’ll likely definitely be working on that. How many days until summer?!?!

Did you do anything fun this weekend? I definitely don’t count cleaning and grading as fun, so I have to live vicariously through all of you!

I donated blood today. (Every year, the school where I works hosts a huge blood drive.) As I was finishing up, the nurse told  me I shouldn’t exercise or do any “heavy lifting.”

I had planned to go to BodyPump tonight, but this instruction left my afternoon wide open.

On Thursday, I have a secret Santa reveal party at work, so I used today as my opportunity to make my contribution to the dessert spread.

Make these. Now.

Don’t you wish you worked with me?

Have you done any holiday baking? I’m finally going to get around to making cookies this weekend!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with your family.

Our first stop yesterday was my parents’ house, where our family celebration was taking place.

Me and Chris

Me and my sister

“Dinner” (lunch, really) was ready quickly!

We had all of the usuals… turkey (of course) cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn, potato filling, sweet potato casserole (my contribution!) and rolls. I added a little bit of everything to my plate.

I went back for seconds of the potato filling, green beans, and sweet potatoes. Everything was so yummy.

Of course, dessert wasn’t far behind.

As you can see, I forgot to snap a photo before digging in, but I had a piece of pumpkin pie along with a pumpkin whoopie pie (another one of my contributions).

After spending some more time with my family, Chris and I headed over to his parents’ house. Luckily, our families only live about 5 minutes apart, so it’s an easy trip.

I ate pretty much everything that I had at my parents’… Thanksgiving “take two.” For dessert, I had a piece of cherry pie that my sister-in-law, Andrea, made; delicious!

After we left my in-laws – about 9:30PM – I headed to Target. I’m definitely not someone who goes “all out” on Black Friday, but I saw an $8 waffle iron advertised in their circular, and I wanted to pick one up. Clearly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The parking lot was packed, the lines were out of control, and they were already sold out of the waffle maker.

Luckily, they had re-stocked by the time my mom and I ventured out again this afternoon! I was pumped to finally get a waffle iron (I’ve been wanting one for a little while now) and bought some red velvet mix to try out tomorrow.

I also got a good deal on 2 large candles from Bath and Body Works. Colleen posted about the two for $20 deal this morning, and the cinnamon frosting and twisted peppermint scents called out to me!

Another exciting Black Friday purchase? New running shoes!

I went to a local running store – A Running Start – and got properly fitted. After being shown a few different styles, I settled on these Saucony Guide 6s.  I can’t wait to get out there and give them a try… probably on Sunday!

I returned home to a pizza that Chris picked up while I was out shopping. Now, we’re settled in for a quiet evening at home… typical.

What was your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Are you a Black Friday shopper? What was your best deal of the day? I also picked up two tops at LOFT (for myself, ha!) and a bunch of little items for a Secret Santa exchange that I participate in at work.