Shopping, Pizza, Breakfast

I felt like I was on my feet for hours yesterday! Oh the woes of Christmas shopping!

My sister, Leslie, came in town late in the afternoon and we headed off to hit up some stores for presents for our loved ones. We were literally shopping for almost four hours! I think we took the term shop ’til you drop to a new level.

During our shopping extravaganza, I picked up a decaf coffee with cinnamon to enjoy.

Cinnamon Coffee Delight

On our way back to my apartment, Leslie picked up a margherita pizza from Red Brick Pizza.

PIzza, PIzza!

We both agreed that the pizza was great! I love thin crust and the crust was doughy and crispy (and not greasy!) at the same time. All the cheeses blended together perfectly. Yum.

After hanging out for a while, it was bed time!

Leslie heads back to St. Pete this afternoon but I enjoyed my little house guest! I’ll see her and my family again on Friday when Ryan and I head to St. Pete once again. We’ll be in town for the big game!

UCF Knights!

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is playing in a bowl game near my parents’ house and we’ve got tickets! We’re tailgating and heading to the game with a bunch of our friends. Pre-tailgating, we’re having a gang over to my parent’s house for a pre-tailgating BBQ and drinks.

Any suggestions for yummy party-pleasing foods?

We’ll definitely have staples like hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, pasta salad, chips and dip, Rice Krispie treats, etc. Any other yummy ideas are welcome!

Today

Today I woke up and hit ze gym for a good cardio workout:

• 15 minutes stair master
• 15 minutes arc trainer
• 20 minutes elliptical

Breakfast was warm and gooey.

Canadian Bacon and Cheese Sammie

I made a sammie on a honey wheat Arnold’s sandwich thin with a slice of Canadian bacon and Colby jack cheese.

I enjoyed my breakfast sandwich with a hot cup of honey lemon tea and a bottle of water.

Thursday's Breakfast

Tasty!

Giveaway Winner

Using Random.org’s random integer generator, the winner of yesterday’s giveaway is Melissa!

Melissa said her favorite way to enjoy nuts is in “White chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies!”

Please email me (pbfingers@gmail.com) with your address and I’ll send your your goodies ASAP! Congrats! 😀

Blogger Secret Ingredient

Please don’t forget to enter your recipe in the Blogger Secret Ingredient competition. I don’t have many entries yet, so you may have a great chance at winning. Snag some nutmeg and get cookin’!

Enjoy your Thursday!

Garlicy Dinn-ah!

Since I began fostering my love for Brussels sprouts this year, I’ve only tried a small handful of recipes involving the yummy vegetable. 

Fresh Brussels Sprouts

I typically limit my Brussels sprouts preparation to tossing the sprouts in olive oil, salt and pepper before roasting them. 

When I saw that this week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient was garlic, I knew I wanted to use garlic in my next Brussels sprouts dish. 

Garlic

To begin, I chopped up the Brussels sprouts, getting rid of dingy leaves and the hard bottoms. 

I then tossed the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper before roasting them at 400 degrees for 13 minutes on one side. 

Pre-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I then flipped the sprouts and roasted them for another five minutes on the other side until they were soft, but slightly crispy on the outside. 

Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This recipe was fan-flippin-tastic. I loved the added oomph of flavor from the garlic and balsamic vinegar. Delish! 

Though the Brussels sprouts were the highlight of my meal, I also enjoyed a salmon burger on a whole wheat Arnold sandwich thin with cucumber and plum tomato slices and a dill dijonaise sauce made with  light Miracle Whip, dijon mustard and dill. Great dinner! 

My Dinner!

Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts 

Ingredients:

• 1.25 lbs. Brussels sprouts (roughly 5 c. chopped)
• 1.5 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop Brussels spouts, removing hard ends and wilted leaves. Combine all ingredients, tossing to coat the Brussels sprouts in the mixture. Spread on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes before flipping the Brussels sprouts and baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Is .wordpress.com a Big Deal? 

I have a question for all of you blog-followers out there. Do you think having “.wordpress.com” in the domain name of a blog hurts readership?  

  

Wordpress "W"

 I am not computer saavy at all and have toyed around with making the jump from WordPress to my own domain name (I even purchased peanutbutterfingersblog.com – peanubutterfingers.com was taken. 😦 ) I am happy using WordPress right now, but know it’s much easier to remember blog names when it’s just the blog name.com. 

Please share your thoughts! 🙂 

Wedding Dress Input 

Thank you to all of you who commented on my simple vs. sha-zaam wedding dress post! It was so interesting to read such a wide variety of opinions. No wonder there are bazillions of wedding dresses out there to choose from. I hope I find a beautiful dress and I will be sure to keep you guys updated on my progress. 😀

Simple or Sha-Zaam?

This weekend Ryan and I are heading to my parents’ house in St. Pete for more wedding planning.

I have an appointment at a bridal boutique to look for a dress which prompted me to search the internet for examples of what I like.

After my first experience trying on dresses, I found out what I did not like: beading, the “bedazzeled” look and tons and tons of poofy stuff under the dress.

My taste seems to gravitate toward two completely different types of gowns: a simple lace gown or an elaborate ballgown. Simple vs. sha-zaam!

Here are a few examples of the lace dresses I like:

Lace Gown (minus the sash)

(Dresses in the middle and on the right)

And the sha-zaam ballgowns:

Big and Beautiful Dress

Ballgown

Wow-zaa

Pretty

I don’t think any of the above dresses are the dress, but I’m curious as to what you guys like…

Do you prefer simple or sha-zaam? Which dress can you see me in?

Knowing me, I’ll probably end up in a dress nothing like any of theses… something like my mom’s!

Remember that one?

Me in My Mom's Wedding Dress

Workout

Today’s workout was true to my normal Tuesday routine: all cardio. I started with 10 minutes on the stair master before walking on a slight incline on the treadmill for five minutes. Then the fun began! I did the treadmill HITT workout I saw on Jessica’s blog for 20 minutes. I worked up quite the sweat! That workout is no joke. It doesn’t seem that hard at first but the last five minutes really got my heart rate pumpin’! I cooled down with 15 more minutes of incline walking. Thanks for the great workout, Jessica!

Breakfast

With the holiday season comes tons of treats and goodies around the office. Fortunately yesterday we got a healthy delivery. Harry and David pears!!!

Harry and David Pear

Anyone who has tried one of these pears can attest to their amazing, juicy flavor. I ate one as a snack yesterday afternoon and packed one up for my breakfast this morning.

Breakfast was a pear sammie consisting of Canadian bacon, Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese and pear slices on a whole wheat Arnold’s sandwich thin.

Open Sammie

This sandwich was awesome and I enjoyed the combination of the sweet and salty flavors. Yum.

Tuesday's Breakfast Sandwich

I had several pear slices leftover and enjoyed them with my breakfast sandwich.

Slices of Delight

Carba Nada

Sadly not everyone could win my Carba Nada giveaway, but Lisa is hosting one on her blog today. Check it out! These noodles are beyond amazing.

Oh My Achin’ Bones

When I woke up this morning, I climbed out of bed and immediately sensed soreness. Looks like my first workout with a personal trainer was a success!

The weirdest thing is that I am sore in places I’ve never been sore… like my sides. All my major muscle groups are completely fine, but oh-my-sides! I guess that’s how you know you’ve worked something that typically goes neglected.

I am a firm believer in working out even when soreness sets in, so I hit the gym for a total-body weights workout and 30 minutes of light cardio. Great way to kick off the weekend!

Breakfast

I loved my lunch yesterday so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about how delicious my peanut and apple butter sandwich was when I finished. It was exactly what I wanted for breakfast this morning.

Instead of using apple crisps in the sandwich, this time I used slivered almonds for an extra nutty dimension.

Peanut Butter and Almonds

Yummy Apple Butter

Sweet and Salty Breakfast Sammie

I filled my tumbler with a combination of my gym’s free Barnie’s French vanilla and cinnamon butter cookie coffee. So tasty! I can’t wait until the holiday flavors make an appearance.

Friday's Breakfast

Hurry Friday!

I’m really hoping today goes by quickly because Ryan and I have tickets to see Robin Williams tonight at 8 p.m. We love his stand-up comedy and I think he is such a talented comedian and actor (love Patch Adams!). I can’t wait!!!

Question: Who is your favorite comedian?

PB and Apple Overload Sammie

I love a good salty-sweet combination. I think this is attributed to my childhood love of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

My mom used to make my pb and j with mint jelly. It was my favorite. Who eats that!?

My love for mint jelly began when my mom served it with lamb. She made a big deal about calling it special jelly and I think this, coupled with its sweet and refreshing flavor, fostered our strong love connection.

My lunch today was a pb and j remix… “Remix” because no jelly was actually involved. Instead I used this:

Apple Butter

(Even Sadie knows this stuff is the jam.)

My dad would always eat apple butter with cottage cheese which looked beyond repulsive but tasted ah-maze-ing. I stole this particular apple butter during my last visit home. My parents are the best sharers.

My lunchtime sammie featured a whole wheat Arnold’s sandwich thin, smothered in apple butter and creamy peanut butter.

Peanut and Apple Butter

I added several Brothers-All-Natural apple crisps for some crunchy crunch.

Apple Crisps

Apple and Peanut Butter Sammie

Perfection. Salty, sweet, doughy, delicious.