Baby you my everything ...

Anyone else love this song as much as I do? I think I listened to it 12 times in a row while uploading my pics ...

I had a pretty good Monday. I started the day by steaming some spinach:

And mixing it with this:

Some almond breeze, 1 scoop chia seeds, a banana, and 1 T of this:

It was a nice and creamy, green monster:

For a morning snack I had a glo-bar:

I can't wait for my holiday variety pack of glo-bars to arrive so I can try the new flavour! I am VERY picky when it comes to bars, and these things are amazing.

I had to run out and grab lunch as today is grocery day, and there was no lunch food in my house. I picked up a pita pizza (This is an old pic, but it is exactly what I had today - same toppings and everything - bruschetta mixture, black olives, mushrooms and mozza):

This afternoon as I was running outside to supervise the kiddies, another teacher handed me a decorated sugar cookie. There was nothing I could do but eat it :-) Yuummmm! The kids were jealous. Hehe. Suckers!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dinner today was some rotisserie chicken, organic sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli:

I did a bit of work on my thesis this evening. It wasn't fun.

Dear thesis:

Please write yourself.

Sincerely,
Jolene

I was craving more greens this evening, so I made another Green Monster!

Instead of spinach I just mixed these three:

With some peanut butter:

And drank it down:

H1N1 ain't got nothin' on me. Bring it. (Not really though - because that would suck).

Okay, 11:00 bedtime. What time do you go to bed? Get up?

Good evening peeps! I hope you all had a great day!

My day stared out right with a family brunch at Smitty's.

I had coffee and OJ:

And then the eggs, bacon, and sausage from this plate ... and only 1/2 a pancake because they were hard and bland:

I spent the afternoon trying to work on my thesis - but it was painful, and I just wasn't feeling it. I figured out how to write my stats into my results section, and then wrote a couple of pages. I will do more tomorrow and Tuesday, and then hopefully I will be able to send a draft off.

I have no problem writing once I get into it, but I just was NOT into it today.

For dinner we went to hubby's parents home and had jambalaya:

I had a glass of crystal light with it:

My FIL wanted me to take a picture of the lovely cake he bought :-)

I am not a big cake person, but I tried 1 bite. I really liked the thick layer of chocolate ganache on top. Chocolate and me love each other.

We brought a special friend with us for dinner today! Our little nephew! He will be 3 in "Feburosy" as he told us tonight:

He had fun looking at flyers with uncle Chris and showing us what he wants for Christmas:

Every day that I spend with this little guy is the best day ever!!!!!!

Here is my to-do list for the week:

Monday - Work, write thesis
Tuesday - Work, finish 1st draft of thesis
Wednesday - Work, bake cookies, Christmas shop
Thursday - Work, shop with my dad for house stuff
Friday - Set up Christmas tree!!!
Saturday - 1st Christmas party of the season!!!!

So if I can make it past Tuesday, I am going to be one happy girl!

Do you make to-do lists?
I make all kinds of lists. I am a total list writing nerd.

Just Another Saturday

Yep ... it is late post today ... we were out doing very important things. You know, like playing a Napoleon Dynamite board game, and other such ridiculousness.

You would be jealous of some of the drawings.


(A dolphin/ horse)


(A fox/ monkey). Monkey? Really? Our friend Jeff is a great drawer.

Jealous? I can see if my friends will offer drawing lessons, if you are interested.

Last night I wanted a Green Monster, but had no bananas so I made a blueberry smoothie. My smoothie contained a cup of almond breeze, about 2/3 cup frozen blueberries, and a Mott's fruit cup (berry applesauce):



I enjoyed my smoothie while watching "The Proposal" with hubby. It was cute :-)



Breakfast was some lovely whole wheat pancakes with real maple syrup to dip:



And some java of course:



After a painful morning of avoiding writing my thesis, I had some Annie's Organic mac and cheese for lunch:



Later on in the afternoon I had a Christmasy Lara Bar:



Nom. Nom. Nom.

Before dinner I went for an amazing 90 minute massage. It was the BEST massage I have ever had! I was in heaven. I have had a rough couple months, and this was just what I needed. I am going back for another on Thursday!!

We enjoyed dinner out with friends this evening at a place called Viet Thai. I had the tofu, veggie sizzling hot plate, 1 fresh role, and rice on the side. I used some of hubby's green curry sauce on my rice.





After dinner we went to a friends house and played silly games all evening. I consumed 8 potato chips, 1 ounce of nasty fruit liqueur, and 1 beer throughout the course of the evening.

And now I will sleep.

How was your Saturday? What did you do? Any big plans for Sunday?

The Hubby

Happy Friday Everyone!! First I will tell you about my eats today ... and then I will introduce you to "The Hubby."

Some of you may be wondering just who "hubby" is. Does he have a name? What does he do? Etc. Etc. Hang tight, and we will get there.

Last night I was feeling rather nutty ... so my snack consisted of an apple with peanut butter:

And 1 slice of rye toast with almond butter and honey:

This morning, I was still being nutty ... so I had a bowl of oats with a banana, peanut butter, and chia seeds loaded on top:

I also had some orange juice to nurse my cold:

Lunch was obviously leftover pulled pork (which I dumped on a bun):

I also had some cheese:

And a fruit cup:

After work I went for a drink and ended up staying at the pub until 8:00!
Since it got so late we ordered dinner. This was unplanned and I didn't have a camera with me.
I had 2 Caesars, about 12 pieces of calamari, and 1/2 a veggie quesadilla. I didn't eat much because I was busy chatting away with friends. I might make a green monster tonight for some veggies, as I didn't get anywhere near enough today!

The Hubby

On the blog I usually refer to my husband as "The Hubby." He does in fact have a name, believe it or not!! We like to call him Chris :-)

He is my best friend, my soul mate, and my love. This is a picture of us waiting in the airport together for our flight to Mexico 2 years ago:



This is Chris being goofy in Vegas (I surprised him with a trip for our anniversary this year):



Chris works at a very successful Structural Engineering Firm as a structural technologist. He does a whole bunch of things on the computer that I do not understand. He likes his job, but if I had to do it for even one day, I would cry. I seriously cried in drafting in high school ... a structural engineering firm is not the environment for me!!

Amber had this great quiz on her blog that inspired this post ... so here are my answers to the quiz about "Us" (Chris and Myself).

What are your middle names?
Jolene is actually one of my middle names, but I have gone by it since I was 7. My other middle name is Catherine, and my first name is Marie. Chris's middle name is Leigh.

How long have you been together?
Since 1999! This year was our anniversary of 10 years together, and 5 years married! We were married on July 23, 2004.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We knew eachother for about 10 months before we started dating.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me out ... many times ... finally I said "yes."

How old are each of you?
I am 27, and he is 28.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
We probably see my sister the most ... because we just use her to get to our adorable little nephew :-) JJ, Leah. You are cool too. And Sal. Cool.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Renovations. No more explanation needed.

Did you go to the same school?
Nope, but were were high school sweethearts. I went to his grad, and he came to mine! We did go to the same university though.

Are you from the same home town?
Yes

Who is smarter?
This is impossible to determine. When it comes to memory, and academic stuff, me ... but when it comes to lots of other things ... him. Like I said, I couldn't do his job. It is too hard for me.

Who is the most sensitive?
Me I suppose.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Probably Korea house lately.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Hawaii.

Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us.

Who has the worst temper?
Me. But he has tamed it. A bit.

Who does the cooking?
We both do!! I probably do it more often though. He has been amazing over the last couple months having dinner ready for me as I finally dragged myself in after a long long day at work and school.

Who is the neat-freak?
Him maybe.

Who is more stubborn?
Me.

Who hogs the bed?
Hehe. I am going to say him. I will hear about this tomorrow!!!!

Who wakes up earlier?
Him.

Where was your first date?
I can't remember - isn't that bad! We went on "dates" as friends before we were even dating ... so I don't really know.

Who is more jealous?
Me ... but I don't ever get jealous about anything ... I would just be the one more likely to.

How long did it take to get serious?
Not long ... we knew we were meant to be :-)

Who eats more?
He does.

Who does the laundry?
He does.

Who’s better with the computer?
Depends. He is better at the technical stuff, and I am better at social aspect and searching stuff. He will probably argue that one too - zip it honey :-)

Who drives when you are together?
He always does. I don't like to drive unless I am in the car alone. I am easily distracted.

~ Choose a few questions and answer in the comment section for you and your significant other ~

A lot of bloggers are doing a vegan for a day thing today - but I was totally unprepared and low on groceries ... so I WILL do this, but it will have to be another day in the near future! I definitely do want to try it out.

I don't have my sore throat anymore, but I am really stuffed up. I bought some homeopathic cough and cold pills because they worked wonders the last time I had a cold. Being around so many kids is tough on the immune system!!

Breakfast today was the usual GM (gotta keep H1N1 at bay :-):



(I had to use an old pic, because I chugged this so quickly that I completely forgot to snap a pick).

I didn't have much of an appetite today so I didn't anything else until lunch. For lunch I ran out to Subway and got a 6" turkey sub with veggies, cheese, and honey mustard:



I came home from work to the smell of a cooked dinner! Hubby made pulled pork (he threw it together in the slow-cooker this morning). We had roasted veggies on the side.









I am going to grab a snack, and watch survivor! As many of you know - I am a reality junkie!

What is your favourite "reality" show?

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

I have been trying to nurse my sore throat - being a teacher, it is really hard to do my job when I have daggers in my throat. Last night I had a cup of bronchial tea that I got from the health food store. It looks like coffee, but it is a really dark purple!



This morning I made a powerful Green Monster (3 cups steamed spinach, 1 T almond butter, 1 scoop chia seeds, 1 T amazing grass, 1 cup almond milk, ice). I could feel my immune system getting stronger!



Lunch was leftover stir-fry:



And an orange for vitamin C:



This afternoon I had a couple bites of this bar, and then stashed the rest for tomorrow:



Dinner tonight was chicken soft tacos (made with ground chicken, salsa, taco seasoning, cheese, and dipped in sour cream):



After dinner I went to the university for a bit to do some stats for my thesis (after this thesis is written - in about a week ... I am officially DONE).

When I came home I decided to make some sour-cream blueberry muffins! I found the recipe in my "Food and Wine" magazine that just came in the mail.

Check out the batter:





I may or may not have dipped my finger in this batter. Twice.



Recipe:

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups (plus 1 T) flour - set the 1 T aside
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 T unsalted butter, melted
1 rounded cup of sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 rounded cup frozen blueberries

1) To make the topping - Preheat the oven to 375. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon. Rub with your fingers to form coarse crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2) To make the muffins - Spray a 12 cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, whisk in 1 /12 cups of flour with the baking powder and soda, and salt. In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the egg until frothy. Add the sugar and melted butter and beat 1 min. Beat in the sour cream, zest, and vanilla. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining flour, and then fold into the batter.
3) Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full and then top with the topping. Bake for 25 min.

When they are done your house will smell amazing, and they will look like this:





Someone totally dug into one of these before they were even out of the pan. I have no idea who that someone could be.

While I baked I drank a Acai Blueberry Red Tea:



This drink is still from my stash of free samples that I received and reviewed this summer. I drink more water than anything, so these are around for "once in a while." I like how they are natural and refreshing! This flavour is pretty darn good too.

And now for some fun ... a bloggy survey that is making the rounds:

Favorite food to crunch - Tortilla chips in some yummy guacamole!

Favorite comfort food - 100% no question, Soup!!

Favorite picnic lunch - A big sandwich topped with veggies, and cheese. Cheese and crackers, veggies with hummus, and wine!

Best summer snack - Fresh fruit from the farmer's market, or a homemade pico de gallo with cilantro from my herb pot :-)

Favorite winter snack - Christmas baking and a cup of gingerbread tea, or a latte.

Food that reminds me of the ocean - Seaweed

Most likely to eat for lunch - Leftovers

Least likely to eat for lunch - A sandwich

Food that makes me gag - Blue Cheese. And oysters.

Food tradition I love - Chips and dip on Christmas eve (like my mom used to make us as kids). And Sunday morning breakfasts with my family :-)

Soup or salad - Soup for sure.

Favorite breakfast food - Bacon. Hehe. As a meal - a frittata, bacon and fruit.

Favorite ethnic cuisine - Italian and Korean

Favorite vegan ice cream flavor - None, I don't think I have had vegan ice cream, and I don't eat much ice cream in general.

Favorite type of chocolate - Bernard Callebout. Anything he makes.

Favorite beverage - Water and red wine.

Smooth or crunchy peanut butter - smooth

~~~What is your favourite food tradition?~~~