The Dirty (and not so dirty) Thoughts in My Head

When will the hot water come back on so I can do these dirty dishes?

Whose dirty boots are these in my office? They remind me of a scary movie. Andrew knows not to wear his shoes in the house- so they arent his...;)

My dentist said this is the best gum choice for stanky breathe and dirty teeth. Did I just say type stanky? Is that a word?

Leaving carrots in a cold oven all night will, in fact, make them look like wrinkly dirty ol' carrots. If you were wondering. And if you havn't roasted carrots before, you should do it now!

Will Andrew and I both follow through with our vague (28 days past New Year's) Resolutions?

Have you tried this coffee yet? It is delicious and cheap. Its dirty as Nelly would say...

Did Andrew buy me flowers because he skipped out on the gym Friday.. or because he really really loves me? ;)

Enjoy your Weekend people!

Three Simple Ways to Eat More Fruits & Veggies!

After paying for a new radiator in my Honda the other day, I thought my car troubles were over. WRONG. I think that purely thinking that was a bad idea- because literally two days later my cute lovable Civic is back in the shop. Poor baby. I hope they take real good care of her over at Woodford Street Garage.

And before I forget, if you have extremely dry lips.. try this stuff. It's called Rose Hip Seed Oil and can also be used for dry scalp and hands.

The oil is from Whole Foods in Portland. Along with using this stuff religiously, blistex works like a charm.

Anyway.. getting to the title of this post. I LOVE fruits and vegetables now. I used to dislike them  and definitely was one of those kids who put sugar on everything- from fresh strawberries from the garden to my bowl of cereal before school in the morning.  Ugh, fatty. haha.

Once when I was little, my dad sneakily put salt in the sugar container. That was a disgusting bowl of frosted flakes- Let me tell you!

Simple Ways to Eat More Veggies

• Eat What You Like: I think it's great to experiment, but sometimes, stick to the original. I love broccoli so I always have fresh broccoli or frozen broccoli to cook up.

• Roast it: Roasting really brings out the flavor in vegetables. I never liked brussel sprouts until I roasted them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Now I LOVE them.

• Hide it: Try a green monster! This delicious concoction is simply

              1 Frozen Banana
              2 Cups Spinach
              Milk (Skim, Almond, Soy all work well!)

              Blend away until smooth in blender.


Oh yes, and I must say- you can't win every nutrition argument. Sometimes, you just gotta give in and let your roomie get some junk food :)

Oh yes, and another wonderful find at Trader Joe's..

This pasta is delicious. I am honestly not a big pasta person- at all- and because of lack of other options made this up one night. It was a little mushy because we overcookied it, but was really good- definitely try it.


I hope you have a wonderful Thursday! xox

Snow Day

Happy Hump day! Today I woke up to this:

Whenever there is a big snowfall, it looks absolutely beautiful at first. As the days pass and the dirt gets mixed in with the snow, the white stuff loses its appeal for sure.

On a walk the other day. Dear Portland, you dirty! Can we talk about how bad Portland smells on trash day?

We are pretty much out of groceries (no eggs, no cereal, no PB) so I made a yogurt bowl for breakfast.

In the mix:

• 1 Cup Plain Non-fat Yogurt
• 1/2 Cup Trader Joe's Frozen berrie medley (Very good!)
• 1/4 Cup Oatmeal
• Sprinkle of raisins and peanuts

Yum! This was an excellent breakfast- with a healthy mix of lean protein, fruit, and carbohydrates. The oats in the yogurt kinda of get chewy and taste really good. TRY IT!

On the schedule today? Work was cancelled so we might head to one of our favorite places for lunch or if I find the motivation, we'll walk to Hannaford for groceries to make butternut squash soup- vegan style!

See ya!

Manic Monday

My morning will consist of my four best girlfriends:



This mess:

And a big mug of this to keep me going:

Link

Heh.

Oh yea, stick to your Dawn. This Trader Joe's dish soap isn't anything special.

Have a great day!

The Case of the Missing Skittles

Blogging's one of those things that you think will come easily all the time- but some of the time it doesnt. Kind of like one of my "friends". She seems to have an issue of being too lazy to shave her legs every day. Blogging is kind of like that. You should do it, but sometimes it takes a little too much effort.. that you cant seem to find.

Anyway, Andrew and I made an amazingly magical and spectacular Gingerbread house. It was actually a graham cracker house- same thing right?

So, the next morning, we're both in the kitchen and we realize that every single skittle is gone off of our humble abode. I look at Andrew--did he wake up in the middle of the night and eat all the skittles?

Very likely.
He insists it was a mouse.

 Obviously, we are gona keep the gingerbread house- we invested about $30 bucks into it! There's just some cute little mouse traps that have been added to it. See?

Haha. Anyway, don't buy this salsa from Trader Joe's. So disapointing. Tasted like a burnt tomato mixed with rat poisin. Or something.
What you should try is this:

This coffee tastes like Christmas Day. It's a great way to wake up.

Another FAIL by Trader Joe's:

You might like these if you like mushy carrot filled veggie burgers.

Also, Trader Joe and I are fighting anyway. They overcharged me almost 10 dollah! I called though, and they were super nice. So we might be ok..
 Check your receipts people! I was overcharged at Trader Joe's and then at Old Navy just yesterday.

Oh yes! Portland, Maine: Go to Bayside Bowl. It is my favorite place ever!! AND last night they had free BEER for the first 100 people!! Clearly, I had to have a beer (or 3) if they were free.

Source

Anyway, have a great day!

Trader Joe's Reviews

Charles Shaw Merlot- What is 2 buck chuck supposed to taste like? Fermented juice? Spot on here. 5 out of 5 for value.

The Bagel Spinoza "The Works" Bagels- Andrew said he enjoyed these a lot. His rating "Similar to a Pepperidge farm bagel, pretty chewy, 3 out of 5 if a 5 is an Einstein bagel." Einstein is a bagel and coffee place that is all over the Midwest. One bagel of theirs could feed a family of 4--they are the perfect bagel.

Peanut Flour- If you are a peanut butter lover, go buy this. It is a wonderful, less caloric form of peanut butter. Make sure to add a pinch of salt and a 1:1 with water for this. What a cool product full of protein. The package says it can be used for thickening soups, making breads or pastries, etc. I use it as a peanut butter spread. 5 out of 5.

Pumpkin Butter- Oh my, this stuff is delicious. I have been using it as a spread for rice cakes. 5 out of 5.

TJ's Organic High Fiber Cereal- I love Fiber One cereal, especially the little twigs one. This stuff tastes like legit  cardboard. 2 out 5. I gave them a 2 because it does keep me full.

TJ's Chickenless Chicken Nuggets- Won't be buying again. Tastes mushy and bland inside. Outside crisped up in the oven but the inside was super dissapointing and gross. 1 out of 5.

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken- YUM!! This chicken was crispy, easy to make, and delicious. The bag cost 4.99 and we made 4 meals out of it. If you like Orange Chicken buy this for sure. It wasnt super healthy but I topped my salad off with some of these little chicken bites and it was wonderful! Andrew said 3 out 5 and I said 5 out of 5.

I waited in line at the Portland Trader Joe's for about 30 minutes. It was insane on opening day and I kept wondering if I should drop my basket and run out the door.

I am so ready for a day off! Thankfully, I have one coming up on Wednesday and I could not be more excited. Have a great day!