Packing, I Hate You

I know, I know, hate is a strong word. My mom said you should only say you "hate" something if you wish it would die.

Well, I hate packing. I wish it harm. I wish it death.

Though I am extremely excited about my bachelorette party weekend, which begins right when I get off work tomorrow, I was feeling less than enthusiastic about packing this evening.

I blame my father.

He hates packing as well. When I was younger, the night before any family vacation you can bet you’d find me and my dad chillin’ on the couch watching something about sharks (they fascinate me) on the Discovery Channel (I love Shark Week!) with our bags completely unpacked. We’d then sulk around and slowly drag our feet into our respective rooms to pack, moaning and groaning the entire time. So dramatic, I know.

Tonight was no different. I tried to make the experience more enjoyable by making a list. Turns out organization and lists do not make packing more exciting.

And neither does an all-too-enthusiastic dog who wants to help.

Still, I managed to make it through the horrific chore. I have a fully packed bag that is likely missing something extremely important like underwear or my running shoes, which could make running Sunday’s half marathon awfully challenging.

With a packed bag under my belt, I got to work in the kitchen.

Dinner

Tonight’s dinner was made while terrorizing Sadie. She missed her evening walk due to inclement weather, so she was extra annoying chipper tonight!

Since packing took up quite a bit of time, I opted for a no-cook dinner.

For some reason a turkey sandwich sounded absolutely perfect, so I went with it!

I made myself a turkey sandwich on a whole wheat sandwich thin with dijon mustard, sliced grape tomatoes, cucumber and fresh spinach.

On the side I enjoyed leftover rutabaga fries with some ketchup for dippin’.

This plate was assembled in under three minutes and was exactly what I was in the mood to scarf down.

Now it’s time to tackle some last minute things around the house and spend some quality time with Ryan since I’ll be in Chicago through Monday. Lots to do!

Question of the Evening

Has your luggage ever been lost? Have you ever forgot to pack something important?

I’m So Exciiited, I’m So Exciiited (+ Giveaway)

Is it any shocker that today’s lunch included carrot slices?

Carrot + Cuc + Tomato

Since I had a carrot the size of a toddler chillin’ in my fridge, I knew I better start eating that bad boy since it will likely take me five years to get through the whole thing.

I enjoyed the sliced carrot with cucumber and grape tomatoes alongside a fakie-bacon and cheese sandwich, made with two Morningstar Farms veggie bacon strips.

Fakie Bacon

For a lil’ sweetness, I also included a cup o’ Motts natural apple sauce which brought me back to childhood.

Mott's Natural Apple Sauce

The Full Spread

Speaking of childhood, I was am a huge fan of Saved by the Bell and read in a magazine this morning that today is Jessie Spano‘s birthday and she is now 38 years old.

Jessie Spano

This clearly must be false. She is only 28. Time does not fly that fast!

Anyway, happy birthday Jessie! I’m so excited, I’m so excited, I’m so… scared for you. 😉 (Seriously, who gets that loony on caffeine pills?)

Chocolate Indulgence Giveaway Winner

The winner of the Chocolate Indulgence Giveaway is…

Fallon: “I love putting chocolate chips on top of my self-serve yogurt, like Yogurtland!”

Congrats, Fallon. Please email me (pbfingers@gmail.com) with your mailing address so I may pass it along to the folks at Stonyfield!

Gourmet Nutrition Book Giveaway

A giveaway two days in a row? What is this?

When Jessica, the wonderful woman behind the new blog Give Away One Thing A Day, contacted me about hosting a giveaway on my blog I was immediately intrigued by the unique concept behind her blog. Jessica started her blog in an effort to bring more positivity into her life and focus on doing something good for others.

When someone wins a giveaway offered through Jessica, they are asked to “pay it forward” by giving away an item of their own and sharing their story with Jessica. (Just FYI, you do not have to have a blog to enter this giveaway. If you win, you may giveaway something to someone you know and simply tell Jessica about it.)

Jessica is offering one reader a copy of Gourmet Nutrition, a cookbook for “the Fit Food Lover.”

Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook

According to the book’s website, “We’ve taken the healthiest ingredients and whipped them into nearly 300 pages of delicious culinary creations that you can serve with confidence to the most discerning foodie – or the most nitpicky nutritionist.  We’ve included detailed cooking instructions and ideas for improvisation.  And we’ve even photographed every recipe in beautiful color to show you just how appetizing healthy food can be.”

To enter this giveaway, simply comment on this post below.

Jessica will randomly select a winner tomorrow, so be sure to check her blog to see if you won! I will also post a link to Jessica’s announcement of the winner once Jessica has randomly selected someone.

Good luck you foodie lovers, you!

Flash Freeze

Going to bed last night I figured I’d wake up and make myself a healthified Egg McMuffin for breakfast.

Fast forward to this morning and my body was screamin’ for oats.

Gimme oooooats. Make ’em coooooold. Stop talking to yoursellllllf.

I’m not one to ignore a craving (Lord help me when I’m pregnant), so I switched my eggy plan and opted for a big ol’ bowl of cold oats with Greek yogurt and a chopped peach.

The Goods

Since I didn’t plan ahead and cook my oats last night, I prepared the oats this morning and stuck them in the freezer to chill while I showered. Gotta love the last minute flash-freeze!

By the time I was all cleaned up, my oats were sufficiently chilled.

Cold Oats, You are Fantastic

Before digging into my oatty yogurty peachy (“y” overload!) bowl of delight, I sprinkled the mix with some beloved nutmeg.

I'm Nuts for this Stuff

If you’re a cinnamon lover and haven’t branched out to other spices, put nutmeg on your to-try list. You won’t be disappointed. And if you are, come back and look at this picture and just tryyyy to stay angry. 😉

"If you're still mad, I'll come give you a sloppy kiss... and then breathe on you and invade your personal space until you're happy again... or really irritated."

The nutmeg was a welcome addition to my breakfast and made the whole meal taste a little more special.

Peach + Nutmeg

Food on Spoon Photo - My Fav

How It Really Looks When I Eat It

D-to-the-lish.

I think Ellie was spot-on when she described the texture of the cold oats and yogurt combo as “a lot like rice pudding.” Ellie, you’re a smart cookie (and I love the name of your blog: Inside I’m Still Dancing)!

Workout

Breakfast was a fantastic thing to come home to after a good workout this morning! I took my usual 5:45 a.m. BodyPump class, and followed it up for 20 minutes on the elliptical.

Half way through the ‘Pump I realized I probably won’t be doing any strength training for a week! I leave for my bachelorette party weekend after work tomorrow (Hooray!) and won’t be back until Monday evening.  I love strength training and will miss the muscle burn, though I’m sure my legs will feel some burnin’ during Sunday’s half marathon. Yow-zaa!

Question of the Morning

It’s a random one this morning…

Do you like rice pudding or tapioca pudding, or does it totally gross you out? What’s your favorite flavor of pudding?

I like all flavors of pudding, but I’m a little partial to plain ol’ chocolate. If you’d like to throw some Oreo pieces in there too, I won’t object. 😉