Sauerkraut Stinks

This just in: Sauerkraut is just as stinky as tuna salad.

I learned this valuable lesson as I assembled my lunch in the breakroom today and I heard several people proclaim, “Ew, what is that smell?”

I heated up my ‘kraut and headed on my merry way, making a mental note not to enjoy lunches that include sauerkraut during peak lunchtimes.

I served the stinky sauerkraut on top of an aidells Italian Style chicken sausage which I enjoyed in a super-soft Nature’s Own Whitewheat hot dog bun.

Sausage + 'Kraut

The sauerkraut/chicken sausage combo was delish!

I know sauerkraut isn’t for everyone, but for a German girl like me, it’s the jam!

Alongside my protein-packed sausage I enjoyed fresh grape tomatoes and cucumber slices for some color.

Nutrients!

Hump Day Lunch

Pre- lunch I also enjoyed an iced green tea from Starbucks that I picked up after stopping by my orthodontist’s office to get my permanent bottom retainer in. (How cool am I? 😉 )

An Intimate Look at PBF

(Wow. Can’t believe I just posted that pic. We’re all officially best friends now.)

Iced Green Tea

Sad news though… the green tea quickly went from this:

FULL!

To this:

G-O-N-E!

I seriously inhale any cold beverage other than water. Water is the only thing I seem to struggle chug-a-chuggin’.

Snikiddy Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the following winners of the Snikiddy snacks giveaway:

• Diana: “My face cheese dish will always be twice baked potatoes… Seriously! Drool!”
• Yummy Sushi Pajamas: Her “tweet” was actually the entry that won… But here’s her yummy-sounding comment: “Oh these sound great! My fave cheese dish… is spring mix salad with dried berries, Italian dressing, and goat cheese. So good!”
• Meagan: “Grilled cheese is the best comfort food ever! Cheesy, Gooey, Deliciousness!”

Please email me at pbfingers@gmail.com with your mailing address so you can get your hands on some of this delicious grub for the free-zie! 😀

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for an AMAZING giveaway soon! I get excited about pretty much every giveaway I do on the blog (because I am a freebie-loving freak), but the upcoming giveaway is my favorite one to date! 😀

Woop, woop!

Question of the Afternoon

What nationality are you? Do you like foods that are typically associated with your nationality?

I am German and Swedish (right, Mama?). I adore foods associated with my nationality, including brats, cabbage, apple strudel and pretzels.

I Got My Braces Off!

Today I feel like an eighth grader.

I got my braces off!!! 😀

No More Brace Face

(The cup I’m holding is the awesome eco-friendly reusable coffee cup from my orthodontist that I got back in December. LOVE it. Best promotional item everrr.)

Bright and early this morning I headed over to my orthodontist’s office to get my braces off!

For those of you who are new to the zee blog, I’ve been going through Invisalign (clear braces) treatment since April 2009 and now, 15 months later, I’m D-O-N-E!

I can’t help but  remember the days when one of my friends from junior high or high school got their braces off.

“My teeth feel so slick and slippery!”

They always seemed so happy and relieved to no longer be a metal mouth.

Though I never had a “metal mouth,” I am happy that I will no longer have “attachments” on my teeth that stick out awkwardly. I’m happy that I will no longer have to brush two sets of teeth (my real ones and my aligners) every day.

Just in case any of you out there are considering Invisalign, I do want to add that overall my experience was very positive. It probably helps that my orthodontist was basically the jam and promised me she would work with me until I was 100 percent satisfied.

As far as pain and discomfort are concerned, I honestly experienced very little. Overall, I’d highly recommend Invisalign to anyone who is a candidate (unfortunately Invisalign is not right for everyone, such as those patients with serious crowding, etc.).

Workout + Breakfast

Before high-tailing it to my orthodontist’s office, I hit the gym to take my usual 5:45 a.m. BodyPump class.

It was a doozy! I’m not sure why, but I’m really feelin’ the song played during the squat track. It’s so flippin’ catchy!

After pumpin’ it up, I headed home to shower and make myself a super-speedy breakfast.

Friday Breakfast

On the menu today was a banana and a veggie bacon and cheese English muffin sandwich made with MorningStar Farms veggie bacon strips and a wedge of Laughing Cow light original Swiss cheese.

Simple 'n' Speedy

“Git in mah belly!!!”

Question of the Day

If you had braces, do you remember the day you got your braces off? How did it feel?

Extra Credit

As Ryan and I were walking to the gym this morning at 5:40 a.m. (which was really like 4:40 a.m.), I said that I think that anyone who goes to the gym the morning after the time changes deserves extra credit.

Ryan said he’d give me a gold star. 🙂 So, for those of you who got your booties out of bed and to the gym this morning, here you go:

For You!

See, wasn’t it totally worth it? 😉

Workout

When I got to the gym, I was really in the mood for BodyPump since it was early and I didn’t feel like putting myself through a quality workout. Unfortunately the instructor overslept, so the class never happened. 😦

Luckily, after joking around with other gym-goers, I felt much more awake and managed to get a decent workout.

Today I did 25 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical before completing a total-body weights routine that looked like this:

(3 sets of 15 reps of each)

• Leg extensions
• Leg press
• Deadlifts
• Hamstring curls on exercise ball
• Shoulder raises
• Bicep curls
• Tricep dips
• Abs

I hauled my booty home to take Sadie on a 20 minute walk before showering and heading off to my orthodontist’s office for an early morning Invisalign appointment.

Reppin' College Park Orthodontics Promo Mug!

I technically only have three aligners remaining. I wear each Invisalign aligner for two weeks, but we’re extending my time with my current aligner to make sure my teeth aren’t pushed too quickly. Slow and steady wins the race (Just ask the tortoise)!

Breakfast

Breakfast today was a blended success!

I used my immersion blender to blend 1/4 cup of cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin with a little bit of  sweetener, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to make a pumpkiny dip for a toasted waffle.

Cottage Cheese, Pumpkin, Spices

Blllllended

Toasted Waffle for Dippin'

The combination was yum-may!

Action Shot

Even though I look like death in the following pictures, I wanted to share some action photos with you from Saturday’s 10k race that a friend took!

Intense, Huh?

Sadie can’t be the only one with action photos on this blog!

Annnnd if you’re like me and severely neglect blogs over the weekend, here are some weekend highlights for ya:

• 10k Race
• Bowl-a-Thon + Date Night
• Pumpkin Protein Oats
• Shopping!
• Dog Park