Library Card

Guess what I did after work today?

I got myself one of these babies:

My very own library card. 😀

As a kid and high school student, I loved going to the library. My mom is basically a library super-fan, and would take me and my sister to our local library to browse books, magazines, DVDs and CDs for hours. We loved it!

I walked to the Orlando Public Library and within five minutes of filling out a form and handing over my driver’s license, I had a library card!

I’ve put off getting a library card for so long because parking downtown to actually go to the library is a huge pain. When one of my colleagues told me that our library actually delivers books to your home for free, I was singin’ a different tune. You can select books, DVDs or CDs through the library’s catalog system and ask them to deliver them to your doorstep. How cool is that!?

Plus, I work within walking distance of the library, so I can easily return anything we check out after work or during my lunch break.

I’m also excited to check out some of the free classes offered at the library. I sure could use some extra help when it comes to website design and html code. That stuff is way over my head and as a blogger, it would be very beneficial to gain some knowledge about the “behind the scenes” stuff.

With my spiffy library card in tow, I headed home to get crackin’ on dinner.

Dinner

Ryan and I have plans to head to St. Pete this weekend for some wedding-related appointments, so we had to use up the fresh veggies we had waiting in our fridge.

I prepared a veggie plate to enjoy along with a bowl of spaghetti, which did the trick!

My veggies included roasted Brussels sprouts and parsnip fries, served with some ketchup for dippin’.

The veggies were pretty filling and coupled with a big bowl of pasta, I felt very satisfied after eatin’ this meal!

Of course Parmesan cheese made an appearance in the pasta bowl.

As Ryan and I headed into the kitchen to clean our dishes, we caught Sadie in the middle of some Brussel sprout thievery.

What a little sneak!

St. Lucia, Here We Come!

Ryan and I are off to book our flights to St. Lucia for our honeymoon! Now that our hotel reservations are all set, we gotta book transportation to actually get to the island… 😉

Good news: Tomorrow is Friday!!!

Veggie High

My goodness today is flyin’ by.

I think whenever my to-do list is a mile long, the hours tick by like minutes… not that I’m complaining!

When I finally looked up from my desk this morning, it was 1 p.m.

Time for lunch!

Big Ol' Salad

My lunchtime salad was veggie-packed:

• Artichoke hearts
• Edamame
• Sweet corn
• Zucchini
• Eat Smart broccoli slaw
• Shoestring carrots
• Kraft light Asian toasted sesame dressing

Holy Veggies!

Edamame (Or edanane as my dad says...)

Note to lettuce haters: Try making your salad on a bed of broccoli slaw. It’s crunchier, heartier and more flavorful than typical iceberg or romaine lettuce.

I definitely felt the “veggie high” after eating this salad.

Does anyone else get a “veggie high” after eating inordinate amounts of vegetables?

I feel more awake, alive and even rejuvenated after downing a massive salad or a plate full of roasted vegetables. It’s probably all in my head, but it sure beats the “ice cream low” that I seem to experience about 30 minutes after eating a huge bowl of ice cream… not that the “low” ever prevents me from eating it. 😉

Question of the Afternoon

Does eating certain foods make you feel different?

What I eat definitely affects how I feel. I am all to familiar with the sugar coma.

Cocoa Overload

Over the weekend, I just couldn’t get enough of the mocha green monster smoothie I made for breakfast on Sunday and figured I would recreate the delicious concoction for breakfast this morning.

That was the plan, anyway.

I dug out all the necessary ingredients and threw them into the blender.

Spinach: A Green Monster Requirement

I left out the packet of instant coffee, thinking I would add it in at the end.

When I tasted the smoothie about half-way through the blending process, the chocolate flavor sparked a desire for a cocoa overload smoothie. Move over mocha!

I added 1.5 tbsp. of cocoa powder to the mix to intensify the flavor and a yummy, chocolatey smoothie was born.

As with every green monster, it looked revolting…

Cocoa Overload Green Monster

… but it tasted great!

Pour it Oooout

To Eat or to Drink. That is the Question.

Drink it is!

My smoothie contained:

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 3/4 c. milk
• 3 ice cubes
• 1.5 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (for thickening)

I inhaled this smoothie within 5 minutes, which left me feeling really full. That’s a lotta liquid!

Workout

I was craving a cold breakfast after getting quite overheated at the gym this morning.

I started off my workout with 25 minutes on the treadmill. I did a slightly modified version of a workout I saw on Holly’s blog.

My version of her workout looked like this:

25 Minute Incline Treadmill Workout

This workout was hardcore! I think I only looked at the speed of the workout, and not the incline and figured it would be a breeze.

False.

This workout seriously kicked my butt. I was huffin’ and puffin’ and red faced by the time 25 minutes were up.

Phew!

I wanted to browse through Betty Crocker’s new fall mini recipe book, so I finished up my workout with 25 minutes on the elliptical while drooling over the most delicious looking cake pops (submitted by Bakerella) and turtle brownies.

Maybe that’s what inspired my chocolate craving for breakfast?

…But then again, when don’t I want chocolate for breakfast? Or for every meal, for that matter? 😉

Annnd now it’s time to work. See ya fo’ lunch!