Big Spaghetti Dinner

Big spaghetti dinners were one of my favorite meals growing up.

I would sit in my big, wooden chair at the dinner table as my mom placed a pot of steaming noodles on a hot plate in front of me. The steam from the noodles would moisten my face with a warm heat and my stomach would growl in anticipation. Next to me would be a bread basket filled with buttery garlic bread for easy access.

My mom would make this dinner for me the night before I had a cross country meet in junior high.

I would get so nervous before a meet even though I was not even kind of good and the team never really depended on me. I hated the competitive nature of meets and would nearly make myself sick with nerves. A big spaghetti dinner was one of the things that calmed me down and made me relax.

Though tonight’s dinner wasn’t quite as fantastic as the spaghetti dinners I  enjoyed growing up, it still was quite tasty.

I prepare our pasta feast using Barilla thin spaghetti.

 

While the noodles bubbled away in a big pot of boiling water, I chopped up steamed broccoli florets to toss on top of the cooked pasta.

I also popped open a can of clams to add a little protein and salty flavor to the mix.

Before digging in, I topped the spaghetti, broccoli and clams with marinara sauce.

Even though I’m not the teeniest bit Italian, I sure do like eating like I am! 😀

Question of the Evening

• What is a meal that always makes you feel relaxed and calm?

Wedding Cake: The Selection Process Begins

Today’s lunch took me out of the office!

Several of my coworkers and I headed to Dexter’s, a cute restaurant in Thornton Park, for make-your-own sandwiches!  (You may read about my past lunches at Dexter’s here and here.)

I ordered a roast beef sandwich on whole wheat bread with all the veggies and Dijon mustard. I didn’t snap a picture of my meal, so please enjoy this replica from a past lunch at Dexter’s when I ordered a turkey sandwich!

Replace the Turkey with Roast Beef in Your Mind!

The whole wheat bread at Dexter’s is delicious and has lots of seeds throughout the slices which gives it a nutty texture that I adore.

A Peek Inside

I ate every last bite! 😀

Though I typically prefer to each lunch at my desk to save moo-lah, it was really nice to get out of the office and chat it up this afternoon!

Wedding Cake

I am unbelievably excited for this weekend!

Ryan and I have some seriously fun wedding-related appointments on the agenda, one of which is tasting and selecting the design of our wedding cake!

There are so many different cake designs to choose from. One thing Ryan and I know for sure is that we want a tiered cake with only white icing. I think cakes with colored icing can be adorable, but we both prefer a simple, color-free look.

I would love to incorporate some beautiful flowers from our florist into the cake, preferably on the top, as I think flowers on a wedding cake can add a pop of color and a romantic, feminine look which appeals to me.

I am pretty much obsessed with Jessica’s wedding cake…

The "How Sweet It Is" Wedding Cake

Isn’t it amazing? (Aside from looking breathtakingly beautiful, it also had a chocolate fudge center. Heaven.)

Though Ryan and I were asked to select several cake flavors to try during our tasting this weekend, we selected only one (red velvet cake) and told the pastry chefs to “surprise us” with the other flavors by selecting popular flavors people seem to enjoy.

I’m excited to see what they have in store!

Blowing Out the Candles on My Red Velvet Birthday Cake

Side note: If you are a red velvet cake fan like we are, definitely try making these red velvet cake brownies. SO tasty!

Question of the Afternoon

• What was the flavor (or flavors) of your wedding cake?
• If you’re not married, what flavor wedding cake would you like for your big day?

Game Night + Sundaes

Game night last night was a blast!

Girls + Games

A small group of us got together to play Scattergories at my friend Laurel’s apartment.

Her adorable (albeit slightly crazy) cat Natasha also joined in on the fun.

Natasha

We were all laughing at the way Natasha sprawls out with her legs behind her. I’ve never seen a cat do that! So stinkin’ cute!

Laurel is such a wonderful hostess and had all the fixin’s for ice cream sundaes for us to enjoy.

In honor of Operation Healthy, Ryan and I decided to share a sundae.

Best Food in the World

Ryan made our sundae by topping a fresh-out-of-the-oven ooey gooey brownie with a couple of scoops of peanut butter cup ice cream, whipped cream, peanut butter sauce and hot fudge.

I think we polished off the entire bowl in 2.5 seconds.

Someone went back for more…

Round Two

You know I had several bites of his second sundae. What kind of a fiance would I be if I let him polish it all off by himself? 😉

It is very hard for me to not overdo it when it comes to ice cream because I love it so, so much. I honestly think I could polish off a half-gallon without a problem.

Fortunately last night I enjoyed the ice cream without overdoing it and left Laurel’s feeling satisfied but not overly stuffed. Success!

Workout

This morning I woke up with a cramp in my calf!

I jumped around our bedroom breathing deeply and trying to stretch it out. Eek! No fun!

Waking up to a cramp in your calf really wakes you up, so I was quite the chipper little girl at the gym this morning.

Today’s workout included:

• 10 min. stair master
• 20 min. arc trainer
• 20 min. elliptical

I did all of my workouts while browsing through my ginormous stack of bridal magazines.

I am on a mission to get through all of them within the week. I am tearing out any pages with ideas or inspiration for our big day and leaving the rest at the gym. My magazine stack is getting out of control (Yes, I blame you, Mama! 😉 )!

Breakfast

Wanna know something kind of weird? I prefer my peanut butter and banana sandwiches made with slices of frozen bananas. I think they are more flavorful and hold up better in the sandwich for some reason.

Frozen Banana Slices + Nutmeg

I dusted today’s peanut butter and banana sandwich with nutmeg to make it all gourmet looking to impress you guys.

Did it work? 😉

PB + Nutmeg

PB & B

I also enjoyed an Adora calcium disk because they taste like candy to help my bones stay strong.

Adora

Everythaaang

Peanut butter, I love you.

Along with breakfast I also enjoyed a tumbler full of my gym’s free coffee.

Free Coffee Makes Me Smile

Oh! And before I forget… Sadie says “hi!”

"What Up, Yo!?"

Question of the Morning

• Do you like to play board games?
  
• What is your favorite game?

I love Taboo! 😀