Puttin’ Gift Cards to Use

I worked up quite an appetite running errands, making returns and shopping (Thank goodness for Christmas gift cards)! 

I hit up Prime Outlets, an awesome array of outlets less than 20 minutes away from my apartment. 

The Goods

 

I left with: 

• Short-sleeved turtleneck sweater from Banana Republic ($15!!)
• Coral dress from J.Crew
• Yellow sports bra (Nike Outlet)
• Black Nike Dri-fit work out top

When you go shopping, what are you most likely to leave with?  

A.) Workout clothes B.) Casual clothes C.) Work attire D.) Dressy clothes 

I am a sucker for workout clothes. One time I counted all of my sports bras and it was embarrassing how many I had. Still, I always feel the need to buy more (Exibit A: The yellow sports bra I bought today). 

Lunch 

Since the free samples I munched on at le gourmet chef didn’t hold me over for too long, I was starving by the time I got home. 

I threw together a quick lunch because I had a puppy waiting on me for a walk in the beautiful Florida weather. 

I grabbed a crumbled box of MorningStar farms Italian Herb Chik Patties out of the freezer and microwaved one to enjoy in a bowl of veggies (broccoli + asparagus) with Emeril’s roasted gaaahlic pasta sauce and Parmesan cheese. 

MorningStar Italian Herb Chik Patties

 

Fortunately I had roasted asparagus and steamed broccoli leftover from yesterday’s lunch, so everything came together in a flash. 

Sauce Me, Puh-Lease

 

Ahh, That's Better

 

Deeeelish. 

I was still a lil’ hungry, so I grabbed a handful of Emerald cocoa roast almonds to munch on during the beginning of my walk with Sadie. 

I took little Miss Sadie on a 40 minute walk, which involved navigating our way through the Farmer’s Market near our apartment. It seemed like everyone and their dog (literally) was there today. The 72 degree weather makes everyone wanna play outside, I guess! 

I’m off to see if Plato’s Closet will gimme some money for some of my nicer old clothes before taking a big load of clothing and books to Goodwill. After that: Dog park and dinner! 🙂

French Toast Strips and Christmas Shopping

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. I curled up and went back to sleep for another hour or so since there’s no cozier sound than rain against the window. Ahhh, I love the weekends!

Once I got out of bed, Ryan and I leashed up Sadie for a chilly walk in dreary Orlando. It actually felt like winter! Brrr. Our chilly walk prompted cravings for a warm breakfast. Cinnamon sounded tasty and I wanted to try to make French toast strips out of Joseph’s lavash bread.

French Toast Strips

I used egg whites and lots of cinnamon to dip the lavash strips in before placing them on the griddle. They smelled and tasted phenomenal. Of course I topped them with yummy syrup.

Yum, Yum

After breakfast, Ryan and I headed out to put a dent in our Christmas shopping. We arrived 20 minutes before the stores opened (we figured they’d be open by 9 a.m. – not so!) and wasted time wondering around the shops.

Since it was cold outside we stopped by Starbucks for some hot beverages. I ordered a skinny caramel latte.

Hot and Delish

After Starbucks we wandered into Le Gourmet Chef where I think I ate my lunch in free samples! Yikes! They had so many different foods and dips to try and I couldn’t resist any of them. I even took several handfuls of animal crackers to enjoy while I browsed.

I loved just about every thing I saw in J. Crew, including these pj pants:

J. Crew PJ Pants

Every year on Christmas Eve, my family gets new pajamas. I love this tradition because going to sleep in my new Christmas pj’s makes me feel extra festive. Plus, it’s fun to have something to open before all the Christmas madness begins in the morning. 😀 Needless to say, I always take extra time looking at holiday pajamas in the stores.

After stopping in several more stores, Ryan and I headed toward the car.  I dropped Ryan off at home before heading out to a shopping center near our apartment for a little more shopping. My shopping stamina exceeds his by just a little. 😉

We bought some (hopefully great) gifts for our loved ones.

Shopping Success

On my way back from my second round of shopping I got a call from Ryan with a special request: the new eggnog milkshake from McDonald’s. Since neither of us have ever tried it before, I swung by the ol’ McD’s and picked up a small shake.

What’s your favorite kind of milkshake?

Eggnog Shake

This seasonal shake was g-o-o-d! I think eggnog is very tasty and this shake replicated the flavor really well. YUM.

Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend so far!