Wedding Ring Effect

Wedding ring talk in un momento…

Lunch

One of the best (and worst) parts about having people over is all the food that remains once the party is over. Of course I’m more than excited about the leftover goodies, but having lots of cookies, chips and dip around the house makes our apartment a very tempting place to live.

Today I brought a lot of the remaining goodies from our weekend BBQ into work for the freegans to enjoy.

I did not, however, relinquish certain dishes, such as the light Italian pasta salad (made with Mueller’s rotini twists) which I enjoyed for lunch today.

Light Italian Pasta Salad

Along with the pasta salad, I enjoyed tuna salad for a punch of protein.

Tuna Salad

My tuna salad contained:

• 1 can tuna
• 1 tbsp. light Miracle Whip
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• Chopped celery
• Chopped green pepper
• Cherry tomatoes

The two salads complimented each other perfectly and I am satisfied but not overly stuffed… Just the way I like to feel after a yummy lunch.

Mid-Day Monday Meal

Now for the wedding ring talk…

Wedding Ring Effect

In an article I read on PsychologyToday.com, the author discusses the “wedding ring effect,” which refers to the belief that married men who wear a wedding ring are more desirable to women.

The belief says that this effect occurs because:

• A man who is married has already demonstrated the ability to commit to a long-term relationship
• Another woman has found him desirable enough to make him her long-term mate, making him appear all the more desirable

To be honest, this makes me really sad. I hope that women (and men) can respect the sanctity of marriage and the relationship a married man has with his wife (and possibly his children) enough to lay off the lovin’ on those who are committed.

This got me thinking…

Two Questions:

1. Do you find men who are in a relationship more attractive?

2. If you are married or engaged, do you feel like men started treating you differently once you had a ring on your finger?

To be honest, I think a lot of men don’t even notice a ring on a woman’s finger.

This past weekend at Beer Fest, I was approached by a guy who romantically referred to me as “Yellow Dress” (How sweet! 😉 ) and struck up a conversation about his friend who was talking about “the girl in the yellow dress.” I was nice but told him that I was engaged and pointed to my ring. I don’t think he (or his friend, apparently) even realized I had a ring on my finger.

Me & Ryan (After all the Engagement Craziness On the Night of Our Engagement)

On the other hand, I have had a guy (who I honestly thought was really interested in Sadie!) stop mid-conversation and say, “Oh, you have a ring,” and move along his merry way. (Sadie gave this particular guy the bob-and-weave treatment and didn’t let him pet her… I think she knew his intentions and stayed loyal to her daddy).

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the “wedding ring effect!” For some reason I find it so interesting because I’ve always been the kind of girl who immediately puts guys who are married (or even in a relationship) in an “off limits” category, though I can see how they might appear more attractive if a woman hears about how wonderful they are to their wife or girlfriend.

Feel free to weigh in! 😀

(I have to admit, while writing this post I’ve been singing “If you like it than you shoulda put a ring on it!” in my head over and over again.)

Would You Like to Stay for Dinner?

Back in high school I loved eating dinner at my friends’ houses. That’s not to say that my mom didn’t make us fabulous food, because she definitely did, but I loved trying out the goods other people ate on a regular basis.

I loved it when dinnertime approached and I’d hear the fabulous question, “Would you like to stay for dinner?” Yes, please!

One of my favorite dishes was served at my friend Kristen’s house. Her mom made the best pasta salad, full of noodles, veggies and Italian dressing. (I tried my very best to recreate it in December.)

My love for pasta runs strong, but I almost always enjoy it hot and often topped with marinara sauce. Today I changed things up and drew inspiration from Mrs. Bauer’s pasta salad.

Italian Pasta Salad

My noodle bowl included:

• 1.5 servings Carba Nada pasta
• 4 tbsp. light Italian dressing
• 100 grams chopped yellow squash
• 50 grams chopped portobello mushrooms
• 60 grams chopped broccoli

Pasta + Veggies + Italian Dressing

Close Up

I made the pasta salad after dinner yesterday and let it soak up the goodness from the Italian dressing overnight.

By lunchtime it was cold, zesty and delicious!

When you were growing up, did you enjoy eating meals with your friends’ families? Any favorite dishes?

Fluffy Pancakes and Cinnamon French Toast

Did you miss the events from this weekend?

Go Knights!

Saturday was one of those days I wish I could re-live because it was so fun!

Sunday was a recovery day full of lots of relaxation. I made a big pancake breakfast for me, my family, Ryan and Ross to enjoy.

Sunday Breakfast Spread

Along with big, fluffy pancakes we enjoyed a bowl of fresh strawberries and blueberries and mandarin oranges.

Fluffy 'Cakes

Fresh Fruit

Mandarin Oranges

We had a wide variety of syrups available so everyone got to use their preferred syrup. We also topped our pancakes with whipped cream for an extra treat!

Sugary Sweet

We enjoyed our breakfast and hung out at the table for a while after we were finished. Aren’t leisurely Sunday breakfasts the best?

For lunch we enjoyed more hot dogs and hamburgers that were leftover from the pre-tailgate party the day before. I ate a lot of homemade pasta salad which is possibly the easiest side to make in the world.

Italian Pasta Salad

I made this salad in an attempt to imitate the pasta salad my friend Kristen’s mom would make all the time when we were growing up. It’s so tasty!

Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes tri-colored pasta
• 1 can black olives, sliced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 bottle light Italian dressing

Directions:

Prepare the pasta as instructed on the box and refrigerate until cold. Top with Italian dressing, olives, tomatoes and cucumber. Toss until the pasta is coated and the vegetables are evenly dispersed.

Christmas Cards

During the afternoon my sister and I addressed lots and lots of our family’s  Christmas cards to send to loved ones to spread some holiday cheer.

Family Christmas Card

Does your family send out holiday cards?

I love looking at everyone’s holiday cards! I told Ryan he better be ready for us to send out our first one next year! 😀

Since I was clearly in the Christmas spirit, I made a cup of hot chocolate to share with Ryan while I addressed more cards. Ryan  drank the vast majority and I ate most of the fluff on top. I wasn’t a huge fan of the cocoa mix I used so I’ll have to make another cup soon so I can really satisfy my desire for a good cup of hot cocoa!

Hot Cocoa

Today

Today I woke up and it was freezing! I could actually see my breath on the way into the gym this morning (I know all you northerners are hating me because you’ve probably been experiencing this for the past three months now).

Apparently the cold scares Floridians because the gym was practically empty. I had a good workout though! I took a BodyPump class before doing 25 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical. Sadie and I enjoyed a chilly walk together afterward. Her poor lil’ body was shaking!

After such a cold walk, I wanted a hot breakfast!

I made French toast strips using Joseph’s lavash bread and lots of cinnamon.

Lavash Cinnamon French Toast Strips

With a hot cup of tea and some syrup, this breakfast hit the spot!

What’s your favorite breakfast on a cold day?