For The Sake of Cake

Hello, hello! I kept meaning to pop in over the last few days—I’ve got a recipe I want to share—but I wasn’t able to find a spare moment! (I’ve got it on the “agenda” for Tuesday now instead!)

Here’s a look at what I’ve been up to the past few days…

Friday

Friday was the last student day of school; they had finals in the AM. We’re allowed to take a longer lunch break on student half days, so I ate lunch at home and swung by Dunkin’ Donuts on the way back into work to celebrate National Donut Day.

Has anyone tried the new key lime pie or lemonade donuts from DD? They’re both definitely on my to-try list!

Friday night was graduation. Afterwards, I went out for a drink and late dinner with some friends.

I went with the Sour Patch martini after some urging from the waitress. She said it was sweet, not sour, and she was right—it was perfection.

Saturday

I started my Saturday the same way I have the past few weeks—at spin class. Afterwards, I picked up a “Java Jolt” protein shake and some Dunkin’ Donuts oatmeal for a late breakfast. (Saturday AM is our “normal” DD day, and I couldn’t disappoint Chris by skipping it even though I just had it the day before!)

The past few times that I’ve ordered oatmeal from DD, they haven’t had any actual oatmeal cups, so they serve it in a small coffee cup… whatever works, I guess!

The rest of my day was spent cleaning inside, while Chris was working outside.

We’ve almost been in our house for a year, and we’re Chris is finally getting around to landscaping! Chris is a former landscaper—and still does some work in the field part-time—so this is 100% his project. I have requested a few box planters on the side of our house, though!

He’s hoping that everything will be done by next weekend, so I’ll be sure to share the “big reveal.” (And please, pay no mind to the overgrown foreclosure next to us; the place is turning into a wildlife reserve and even Stewie won’t go near it!)

We both worked on our respective projects for the majority of the day, so when dinner time rolled around pizza and beer was the natural choice.

Sunday

The past few Sundays, I’ve been going for a run. Today, however, I was feeling a rest day, so I started my morning with my beloved Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch, a cup of coffee, and some blog reading.

Later on in the afternoon, Chris and I had a few errands to run and grabbed a quick lunch at Applebee’s (hadn’t been there in forever!). Then, Chris got to work on the yard again, and I did our grocery shopping for the week.

Our weekend was capped off with a filling dinner (bruschetta meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans) and a yummy dessert (homemade Frostys).

I have to go to school for a half day tomorrow, but then I’m done. However, this summer will be different from most. I hope to be able to share why it’s different in early-July, so stay tuned!

Have you tried the new key lime pie or lemonade donuts from Dunkin’? I need to know which one’s best so I know what to try first!

What did you do this weekend? Any home improvements/DIY projects? Our 1-year warranty with our builder is just about up. This means that they’ll come and fix any nail pops/random issues/etc. After that, I’m ready to tackle a bunch of things we’ve been talking about doing but haven’t actually made any progress yet!

Another weekend come and gone!

To be honest, Sunday isn’t phasing me much this week. We’ve got two full days left at school and tomorrow I’m working on curriculum all day, so I won’t even be in the classroom. That leaves me with a day of final review, then 3 days of final exams (half days for students, full days for teachers). When anything about a work week is out of the ordinary, it helps the time pass quickly, am I right?

For whatever reason, I didn’t take many photos this weekend. (And, if you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably already seen most of these.)

Here’s what I’ve got for you tonight…

On Saturday, I got the urge to clean out our pantry, lazy Susan, and freezer/refrigerator. The first picture is a before and after of our pantry, and the second picture is an after shot of our lazy Susan. Everything seemed like it was at maximum capacity, and I just couldn’t take it anymore! I ended up filling up 2 and a half trash bags with expired products… yikes!

I was up pretty early this morning, and I thought I would beat the heat  by getting out for a run first thing. Well, let me tell you… I was glad I had my mesh Under Armour tank on because it was already hot and humid by 7:00AM! Two miles was about all I could take—better than nothing!

After my run, I ate breakfast, showered, and went to church. I had quite a few errands to run this afternoon—the Hallmark store, Target, the grocery store, and Petco. When I finally got home (and ate some lunch!) it was time to grade a few essays. I curled up on the couch with my lazy pug and a Virgil’s cream soda and got to work!

Chris and I just finished up dinner and I’ve still got some grading (yes, more!) and laundry to finish up before I can relax for the evening. Chris and I just about freaked out last night when we saw a Dairy Queen commercial advertising s’mores Blizzards, so I think we may be having those for dessert in a bit!

What was the yummiest thing you ate this weekend? For me, it was probably the froyo I had on Friday!

Hello, hello and happy Friday!

I don’t know about you, but where I live it’s certainly feeling like summer. We’re in our first heat wave of the season here in southeastern PA, but I’m not complaining; I love the heat!

I realized I didn’t blog much this week, but I think it’s just because things have been pretty “ho-hum” around here—nothing too special or out of the ordinary.

The last time I “checked in” was Wednesday (with the Currently… survey), and since then nothing much has been going on. I had a weird week of sleep (unusual for me) and I think it has finally caught up with me; there’s definitely an early bedtime on the agenda for tonight.

I’ve mentioned several times that I’m the yearbook advisor for the school where I work. Twice a year I get my “extracurricular pay,” and today happened to be the day I received my second installment—woohoo! I offered to get Chris an iPad (I’ve already got a mini myself), but he declined my offer… what a silly boy.

I swung by Target after work for a little “retail therapy” and to treat myself to a few items (workout clothes, nail polish, and a high/low dress), and now I’m thinking the rest of the money will go in our savings… how boring and adult.

Since the weather was so balmy today, I couldn’t possibly leave Target without a treat from Starbucks—a cool lime refresher.

After my Target trip, I headed to my parents’ house (they invited me over for pizza). And for dessert, my mom and I went out for some froyo!

I also got to hang out with this guy for a bit:

I just got in from taking Stew for his walk. It has been so hot lately that I have to take him later at night when the sun starts to set. His little pug body doesn’t do so well in the high heat and humidity.

I don’t have anything too exciting on my agenda this weekend. I think I’m going to take a spin class tomorrow morning, then I’ve got one last push of essay grading to get through for this school year.

What are you doing this weekend?

Hello, hello!

I haven’t participated in What I Ate Wednesday in a few weeks, and I (surprisingly) remembered to photograph what I ate on Monday, so I thought I’d join in the link-up.

Thanks to Jenn for hosting!

Breakfast – Overnight oats with blackberries, pb, and honey and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee

This meal should come as no surprise to my long-time readers—overnight oats are my go-to. If you’re wondering why there are so few blackberries, that would be because they are expensive and I have to share with Chris.

I picked up a box of Dunkin’ Donuts K-Cups the other weekend, and it was a wise, wise decision.

Lunch – Peanut butter and jelly, Special K popcorn chips, and a raspberry Chobani

Monday was a hectic day, so I ate at my desk (I try not to do this). I was away all day Sunday at a bridal shower, so I used every “free” second on Monday to catch up on some work.

Oh, and I’m obsessed with those chips—so good!

Afternoon Snack – Cookie dough Quest bar

I snacked on this Quest bar during my prep period. I had heard so many people rave about it, so I was excited to give it a try for myself. The taste is great and the texture of the bar – and all Quest bars, in my opinion – really is cookie dough-like.

Dinner – Tuna noodle casserole

This recipe – from Skinnytaste – was fantastic. I really liked the flavor that the mushrooms added, and I even ate all of my peas, which really aren’t my favorite vegetable. My only complaint was that this took a little while to prepare and more effort than I’m used to on a weeknight. Luckily, Monday was a rest day for me, but if I had to make this after a gym session, I’d probably get pretty hangry.

Dessert – Cake pop

For dessert on Monday, I had a cake pop that was a favor from Sunday’s bridal shower. I had a picture of it, but now I can’t find it on my computer… whoopsies!

Definitely a good day of eats!

Cake pops – yay or nay? I think they’re adorable favors and wonderful portion control, but if I’m being honest… I want all. of. the. cake.

Good news… Monday is done! Woohoo!

Friday

Friday evening, my mom and I tried a newly-opened frozen yogurt place. The froyo was just “eh,” but the place is close so that’s plus… perfect for those times I need a quick frozen yogurt fix.

When I got home, I graded some quizzes (yes, on a Friday), then the rest of my evening looked a bit like this:

Saturday

This Saturday started out like any other in our house…

…with Dunkin’ Donuts.

I worked on a few things for school, and once the weather warmed up, Chris and I headed outside for a 3 mile run.

Since it was so nice out, we decided to take the pug for a walk after our run. The three of us were enjoying the fresh, spring-like air!

The rest of my day consisted of laundry, church, and pizza.

Sunday

I woke up around 8:00AM on Sunday, which was really like 7:00AM.

Despite indulging in pizza night on Saturday, I was still hungry for breakfast! I made an omelet consisting of 1 egg + 2 egg whites, spinach, and feta cheese. I also toasted up two pieces of whole wheat bread, topped with butter + jelly.

After I meal planned and clipped coupons, I got ready for the day. Chris and I headed out to Target and the grocery store (waaay over budget this week… womp, womp) and stopped at WaWa for a quick and easy lunch. Now that I just typed that, I’m embarrassed. We were over budget at the grocery store, so we stopped for food on the way home??? What the?!

I had my favorite WaWa sandwich… cucumbers, tomato, and cream cheese on a bagel. What’s that on the side, you ask? A portion of Special K Popcorn Chips. These are awesome!

I spent the rest of my day tied to the kitchen table – aka my “desk” – hard at work, playing catch-up.

Since I was busy, Chris offered to make dinner… cheeseburgers on the grill (with Alexia sweet potato waffle fries on the side)!

Looking back on my Sunday, I’m wondering if I ingested enough carbs?! LOL

How was the weather where you live this weekend? It was beautiful out both Saturday and Sunday! Sadly, I hear the cold weather might be making a return later this week!

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!

Hi everyone! How is your week going? I’ve been unusually tired the past couple of days; I think it’s the whole “getting back into the swing of things” after a few days off of work.

For this week’s What I Ate Wednesday (thanks, Jen, for hosting!), I photographed my meals on Monday, which was my last day of Thanksgiving break.

I got up early to go to the 6:00AM spin class offered at my gym. After my workout, I headed directly to the grocery store, where I finally spotted the cranberry bagels… delicious!

Lunch – Peanut butter and jelly, Popcorners, apple cinnamon Chobani, 1/2 a bottle of Honest Tea

Two of these items were BJ’s purchases from the weekend… the Popcorners and the Honest Tea. Ok… Popcorners… I have a serious addiction friends! Chris and I buy the jumbo bag at BJ’s, and I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s almost halfway gone already, and I’m pretty sure that’s thanks to me! They are just too good to resist.

Snack – Slice of cheddar cheese

Since I was home, I helped Chris out by making his lunch and grabbed a piece of cheese in the process.

Dinner – Black bean enchiladas (topped with plain Greek yogurt and avocado), 1/2 bottle of Honest Tea

Monday’s challenge for Elf for Health was to go meat-free, so I made my go-to vegetarian dinner. The addition of avocado took these over the top!

Dessert – Reeses Christmas tree

Is any commentary really necessary here?

All in all, a day of delicious eats!

My plans for the rest of the evening include some graduate work and an early bedtime to help kick this sleepiness I’ve been experiencing. I’m actually thinking of doing my grad work in bed, so all I have to do is close the laptop and I can go right to sleep!

Have you ever tried Popcorners? Please tell me I’m not the only one who is totally addicted to these things?!

I disappeared for a few days, didn’t I?

That always seems to happen with me during the second half of the week.

Thursday evening, I had conferences after school from 3:00-5:30PM. By the time I left work and stopped at Subway for a quick dinner, it was apparent that no blogging would be happening.

Friday, I had a few quick errands to run after work. I’m attending a baby shower for Chris’s cousin today, so one of my stops was Babies “R” Us. I always feel completely lost in there! I usually try to pick out one item that’s the exact price I want to spend, or else I’ll get totally overwhelmed trying to pick out a few different things. Anyway, I made it out within 30 minutes which I think is a record for me.

I stopped at Saladworks to pick up something for dinner, since we really didn’t have much in the house. (And what we did have, I didn’t feel like eating.) I don’t eat at Saladworks frequently – they are way overpriced in my opinion! – but sometimes a few extra dollars is worth the convenience.

I spent the rest of my evening curled up on the couch with this little dude:

Speaking of dogs…

We ended up not adopting Crosby. Chris took Stewie to meet him on Thursday and didn’t feel 100% convinced that the two would be the best of friends. Stewie is very laid back and doesn’t even really pay attention to most other dogs. However, Crosby wanted to play (aw) and wouldn’t leave Stewie alone until Stewie barked at him.

It’s hard to tell if it would be the same once we got him home. After all, he’s all caged up at the shelter! Chris and I didn’t want to take the risk though. It wouldn’t be fair to either dog if things didn’t work out well. The good news is, I noticed his picture was taken off the animal rescue league website. I’m hoping this means he found a wonderful home!

Okay, back to the weekend…

Saturday morning I was supposed to run 6 miles. After Monday’s post, a few people suggested that the training plan seems to be increasing my mileage too drastically. So, while I hadn’t planned to necessarily run 6 miles, I still had the intentions of getting a run in on Saturday morning.

Then, I just didn’t feel like it. I understand that I’m training for a half marathon and I’ll have to run even when I don’t feel like it, especially once I get closer to the race. Yesterday, however, I wanted to go to spin, so that’s what I did. I thought about doing a quick run after, but I had stuff I wanted to get done so I just moved on with my life and promised myself I’d run a few times this coming week.

After spin class, I threw together a quick breakfast… a cranberry English muffin with a little bit of butter and jelly, a blueberry Chobani, and hazelnut coffee with foam made in my Keurig milk frother.

I need to work on my cinnamon sprinkling skills!

The rest of Saturday was spent doing a little cleaning, grocery shopping, going to church, and eating pizza… yum!

I also ate quite a few of these Pretzel Crisps. Look for these immediately; they’re delicious!

This morning, I was up bright and early at 6:00AM. Chris had to go in to work for 7:00AM today, so I told him I’d get up with him. Waking up early is 100% easier if you have company. Since we went to bed relatively early last night, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

After helping Chris get his lunch together and sending him off to work, I prepared some pumpkin chocolate chip baked oatmeal for myself.

Now, I’m about to jump in the shower and get ready for the… shower. Ha!

I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to blog tomorrow; I have parent/teacher conferences from 8:00AM until 9:00PM… yikes! Of course, we have lunch and dinner breaks so I won’t truly be locked in my classroom for 13 hours.

Have a great Sunday!

Have you discovered any amazingly yummy products lately? Those Pretzel Crisps are to die for!!!

Hey everyone! I kind of disappeared for a few days, didn’t I? Well, not really… I was still around reading/commenting on blogs, I just didn’t have the extra time to write on my own. Let’s have a little life catch-up!

Thursday

Thursdays are typically a “no post” day for me to begin with, but this past Thursday was busier than usual. (Usually, I don’t get around to posting due to a later-than-normal BodyPump class.)

This past Thursday was my school’s parents’ night, so after working a full day, I had to go back in from 6:30-9:00PM! The upside? The night always moves by pretty quickly.

Friday

Since 9:00PM is when I usually start getting ready for bed, I was quite tired from Thursday night’s activities. (I was kind of “wired” once I got home!) After school on Friday, I had to take care of a few things for a grad class I’m enrolled in, then I face-planted on the couch for about an hour.

I (foolishly) thought I was going to clean the house on Friday. Nope, didn’t even come close to accomplishing that! I could barely muster the energy to do the dishes!

Ok, now onto Saturday (and some photos!)

As I’m sure you could gather from the re-cap above, Thursday and Friday were rest days this week. Well, actually, Wednesday was a rest day too! I’m not exactly sure what was up with me this week, but I just wasn’t feeling very motivated. Luckily, my job isn’t very sedentary, so at least I’m somewhat active during the day!

Once Saturday rolled around, I was itching to get back to the gym. I started off with 20 minutes on the elliptical (resistance intervals), then took a 9:05AM BodyPump class, which was great! After a few days off, I was feeling refreshed and tried to up my weights on most of the tracks.

After the gym, I headed to Starbucks, anticipating a pumpkin spice latte. Much to my dismay, the barista told me they were all out of pumpkin spice! I settled for a venti iced with a cup of their perfect oatmeal.

After breakfast + blog reading, I got to work on tackling the cleaning. Guys, I’m totally failing at maintaining my cleaning schedule. It seemed like such a good idea in theory, but has been hard to put into practice. I’ve mentioned to Chris about hiring a cleaning lady – just for the school year! I think it would be a different story if my job didn’t require so much work outside of work, but that’s not the case. What do you think? Am I being a whiny baby, or is this request justified? (Only answer if you agree with me… just kidding. ) I guess I should add that Chris said he would help more, but he works crazy hours at his job (and has been doing some landscaping work on top of that), so we’re both pretty exhausted on the weekends.

About halfway through cleaning, I stopped to eat lunch which was a random mix of leftover Trader Joe’s orange chicken and green beans.

I was also trying to drink plenty of water while I cleaned, and I wanted to share with you guys a new-to-me product I’ve been enjoying… Lipton Tea and Honey Blackberry Pomegranate Iced Green Tea To Go Packets.

I tried the honey flavor today and liked it as well!

A little later on in the afternoon, I dug into a chocolate raspberry Chobani Flip.

These new Flips also come in banana honey, which I tried (and liked!) a few weeks ago. Both flavors get a thumbs up from me!

After I finished cleaning and Chris finished up with a morning of landscaping work, we got ready and ventured out to pick up a new (to us!) sectional for our living room, but I’ll talk more about that another day!

We ended up having a “late” evening of errand running, and finally sat down to some pizza at 8:00PM! We downed a few slices and were ready for bed by 10:00PM. Exciting life, friends.

I did snap a few photos from today, but I’m thinking this post has gone on long enough. In summary, today included grocery shopping and school work… the usual Sunday combo!

Have you tried the new Chobani Flips? Thoughts?