Yeehaw

Guess whose book signing I attended after work today?

If you guessed The Pioneer Woman judging by my post title, you are correct!

The Pioneer Woman Book Signing

In case you’re in the dark about the fabulousness of The Pioneer Woman, she is the author of an amazing blog and a fantastic cookbook.

I drove to the Barnes and Noble near my apartment after work, and arrived just before 6 p.m. when the book signing was supposed to start.

When I realized the entire second floor of the store was closed off for the signing and the long line continued on the first floor my heart sank a little. So many people turned up to see Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman herself.

Long Liiiiine

Since I didn’t want to be there for hours, I stayed to listen to her speak and didn’t wait what would have easily been 2+ hours to get my book signed. Ree answered a lot of questions from the audience and was funny, personable and fun to listen to. I wish I could have met her face-to-face! Stupid long lines…

Dinner

After my little field trip, I headed home to get started on dinner while Ryan was out walking Sadie.

Ever since I received the huge box of pasta to sample from Monterey Pasta Company last week, the spinach & cheese ravioli has been callin’ my name from the fridge.

Ravioli Makes Me Smile

Monterey Pasta Company Ravioli

Since I love colorful pasta, I knew from the start I’d probably be a fan of these green ravioli poofs.

Each little poof was stuffed to the brim with spinach and cheese. The flavor was savory and cheesy.

I included steamed broccoli in my ravioli bowl to add a little more color and nutrition to the dish.

Dinner Time

My Bowl

Of course I topped everything with marinara sauce.

Stirred Up

Dinner = Delish!

Questions of the Night

Have you ever been to a book signing? Whose book signing would you like to attend?

First Time on Your Own: Healthy Food Ideas

Sadie called me at work after seeing my post this morning and was highly embarrassed that my blog not only featured a picture of her poppin’ a squat, but also showcased her doggie booty for the world to see.

She requested that I post a more flattering picture of her, and since I fear the wrath of Sadie, I had to oblige.

Much Better

Now that that’s out of the way and I don’t have to worry about our apartment being covered in drool and feces, let’s move on to lunch, shall we?

Lunch

After my appointment at the bridal boutique last night, I headed next door to browse around at The Fresh Market.

I stumbled upon Brie cheese for the reasonable price of $4 and picked some up to enjoy throughout the week.

Oh Brie, how I love thee.

I incorporated approximately 1.5 ounces of the cheese in a broccoli barley bowl for lunch today.

Barley + Broccoli + Brie

Three “B” Bowl!

Eat Up, Buttercup

Dessert

For dessert I had a small brownie.

Frosted Brownies

I made a small pan of brownies for the guy at work who helped me format our save the dates and had to sample one before they were devoured by the office freegans.

Healthy Food Ideas for Your First Time on Your Own

Last night my sister, Leslie, called me because she recently moved into an apartment for the summer and is now faced with the task of preparing her own meals for the first time in her life.

Sistas!

Leslie lives in her sorority house during the school year where the girls have all of their meals prepared for them, so though my sister will be a senior in college next year, this is the first time she’s been responsible for preparing her own breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. (Hello longest sentence ever!)

Leslie said she felt completely clueless as to what to make and since she wants to make healthy choices, she found herself eating plain, boring “rabbit” food because she didn’t know how to prepare simple, healthy dinners for herself.

I know exactly how she feels because when I graduated college and was faced with making my own meals for the first time, my entrées of choice were often Lean Cuisines, oatmeal or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I didn’t know where to begin!

We started brainstorming on the phone last night and I came up with the following ideas for simple, yet healthy meals she can prepare on a tight budget:

Breakfast

• Oatmeal with various add-ins (nuts, fruit, cinnamon, chocolate chips)
• Whole wheat waffles topped with bananas or sweetened ricotta cheese
• Whole wheat or protein pancakes
• Greek yogurt with granola, berries or nuts
• Eggs or an omelet with veggies and cheese and with whole wheat toast
• Egg sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin
• Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and fruit
• Smoothies with yogurt (or protein powder), frozen fruit, milk and ice cubes

Lunch and Dinner

• Whole wheat pasta or ravioli beefed up with lots of steamed veggies
• Tuna, chicken or egg salad sandwiches with sliced green pepper or cucumber on the side
• Sloppy joes with lean ground beef
• Baked potato or sweet potato with cheese and veggies
• Tacos or taco salad
• Grilled cheese and vegetable soup
• BBQ meatloaf
• English muffin pizzas
• Flatbread pizza topped with lots of veggies
• Breakfast for dinner (see above options)
• Lean chicken sausage with peppers

Some of the ideas listed above may yield portions that are much too large for one person, so I suggested that my sister freeze the remainders of dishes such as sloppy joes or BBQ meatloaf to thaw and enjoy another time.

What were your eating habits like when you were first responsible for making your own meals? If you’re still in school, what are you eating habits like right now?

A Morning Hunt

This morning began with a hunt.

On the Prowl

Can you spot Sadie’s prey?

Ryan and I laugh every time a squirrel enters our backyard because Sadie goes into instant hunting dog mode. She creeps up on the unsuspecting squirrel ever-so-quietly, only to prance up to it at the end, scarring it off.

She has yet to get close enough to pounce.

Workout

Maybe I should put my hunting skills to the test and hunt for a new workout outfit when I take a yoga class.

White running skirt + Power yoga class = Complete fail

Bad Idea

I tried to be all SkinnyRunner-ish this morning and wear the running skirt I bought back in February that has been collecting dust in my closet.

Let me just say that the teeny built-in white super thin spandex shorts underneath the skirt don’t leave much to the imagination when you throw your legs above your head in an attempt to do a headstand. Hellllllo hiney!

Aside from my poor outfit selection, my workout was a good one. I began my sweat-session with a BodyPump class and concluded my workout with a 45-minute power yoga class.

I’m so glad I found a yoga class and instructor I really like. Too bad the class schedule at my gym is changing next week and the Wednesday morning class is cancelled. 😦

Fortunately I got a schedule from the teacher of her classes at local gyms so I hope to attend a power yoga class at least once a week. I think I keep going back for the poses that really stretch out my hips. They feel amazing!

Breakfast

This morning I took my favorite breakfast photo of all time.

I made myself a yogurt bowl which included Kellogg’s Special K granola that Ryan had leftover from his hiking trip this past weekend.

As I went to snap a picture of the granola box, a little friend decided to hop in the picture:

Granola + Potty Time

As I’ve said before, “My dog likes to potty all the time… potty all the time… potty all the time…” 😀

Sadie clearly has no regard for important blog breakfast photos. Or she hates Kellogg’s granola. Not sure which one…

Cinnamon Pretzels + Granola + Pear + Yogurt

My yogurt bowl was filled to the brim with:

• One cup Chobani plain Greek yogurt
• Kay’s Naturals cinnamon toast pretzel sticks
• Kellogg’s Special K granola
• Pear slices

Come Cloooooser

This bowl was the perfect combination of smooth and crunchy, but I’m not sure how I feel about pear slices mixed into my yogurt bowl. They were kinda funky and I think I’ll be sticking to berries or another less-soft fruit in the future.

Question of the Day

Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction at the gym?