Kiss My Broccoli

What Exactly is Normal?

kissmybroccoli — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:50:12 +0000

It couldn’t possibly be taking multiple pictures of yourself in Photo Booth trying to achieve your best “perplexed” look…

Hmm, so in other words…boring.

Of course you guys KNOW I am anything but normal…I mean, heck, I write love stories about peanut butter for God’s sake! But you know what? I think my life is a bit mor fun on the “abnormal” side.

If I were normal…

I wouldn’t take a picture of myself just to show how excited I was to babysit Pete and RE-Pete this evening.

I most assuredly wouldn’t have documented my pack-n-go dinner for such an occasion.

I probably wouldn’t have lost myself in a moment of playing Matchbox cars while I fantasized of cruising down the freeway in a life-size version of the car of my dreams.

Maybe I wouldn’t have encouraged multiple poses in a Spiderman photo shoot for the boys…this was the best one of oh, about a dozen!

And I sure as heck wouldn’t have found myself in a grocery store in the middle of the night doing a little retail therapy* after finding out my time with these little munchkins has come to an end.

*Some people buy shoes, others purchase clothes, I scout out manager markdowns at my local supermarket!

Yep, that’s right…mom and dad’s bible study group has come to an end, meaning they will be home with the boys on Wednesday nights from now on. I only pray that the hints of my being available for date nights/unexpected meetings/trips to the store for milk…will work out for me in the near future!

Because I’m seriously gonna miss these little super hero, carrot-chomping cuties!

They said my carrots gave them extra super powers…

Just like I’m pretty sure chocolate chips give this fro-yo the power to knock my socks off!

FYI: “Peanut Buttery Swirls” = absolute tongue tantalizing Heaven!

Of course the most obvious picture of my abnormal behavior would be that I Instagrammed every single one of the pictures on this post!

What’s one thing that makes you “abnormal” aka FUN?

Have you tried Ben & Jerry’s Greek Fro-Yo yet?
What’s your favorite flavor?

Is the Fridge Half Full or Half Empty?

kissmybroccoli — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:18:26 +0000

Wow, so you guys REALLY wanna win some peanut butter! Keep those entries coming in for your chance to win not one, but THREE jars of PB Crave whose flavors are going to knock your socks OFF!

And for the rest of you who have already entered and are here for to drool over some good eats…don’t let me keep you waiting!

Yep, that’s right! It’s time for another round of What I Ate Wednesday and this week’s theme:

Is the Fridge Half Full or Half Empty?

Well, I guess that just depends on your level of optimism, doesn’t it?
I’ll let you be the judge!

BB and I got home kinda late after my flight from Blend so the hopes of refilling my fridge for the workweek disappeared when my head hit the pillow and I was comatose 5 minutes later…I kept telling myself I would get to the store, but with it being my 10 hour shift week, it was impossible to fabricate any more hours into my days…

And so I give you some of my odd (yet totally delicious) creations for the week:

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, the BBQ PB&J combo shouldn’t alarm you (for any new readers, check out this post and “don’t knock it till you try it!”), but I also got a little creative with some macaroni noodles I found hiding in the back of the pantry…

Mexican Macaroni Mystery: whole wheat macaroni, 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, avocado, red bell pepper, and salt-free taco seasoning

Italian Macaroni Mystery: whole wheat macaroni, 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, avocado, red bell pepper, Italian seasoning and LOTS of garrrrrrlic!

It’s always fun to spice things up with…well, SPICE!

As for the sweet potato concoctions, I was out of everything I wanted to make one of Jenn’s savory sweet potatoes, but I think I mastered the art of the sweet with the avocado and this granola combo…mmm, mmm, MMM!

The pancake “things” for lack of a better description are definitely not blog-worthy at this time (notice how I had to cover up the burn marks with peanut butter and jam), but not to worry, I WILL have a recipe soon!

By some miracle, I made it through the entire week on my meager amount of vegetables and NO fresh fruits. I have to admit I was a bit proud of myself, but I couldn’t let it go on any longer…

Not too much…just the necessities!

So why did I call it quits on my refrigerator adventures? Well, it was time to do some REAL cooking…for Mama Broccoli!

Her wish for Mother’s Day?

“A fruity salad like the one that’s on your Facebook page…um, salmon…and…ohhh, asparagus!”

Her wish was my command!
Grilled salmon topped with a yogurt dill sauce (plain Greek yogurt, fresh dill, garlic, and lemon juice), roasted asparagus, and spinach salad topped with goat cheese, strawberries, blueberries, and almonds!

I even broke out the Xagave from my Blend swag bag and whipped up a quick
balsamic dressing:
Equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil to half that in agave syrup

♥ Food is love! ♥

Since Sunday, my meals have gotten more normal looking:

Geez, my mouth is watering looking at my OWN pictures! Lol

So which to you prefer: creative meals from a fridge half EMPTY or more traditional meals from a fridge half FULL?

Although I much rather prefer to have a good assortment of fresh fruit and veggies at all times, it was fun coming up with new combinations…you never know what will go together until you try it…like BBQ and PB&J!

Did you have a special meal for Mother’s Day? If so, what did you have?

PB & Me…A Love Story

kissmybroccoli — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:52:13 +0000

A few months ago, I did the unthinkable…

As the ultimate test of foodie willpower, I gave up all nut butters and the like for the entire duration of Lent.

Am I Catholic? No.

Did I think I may have had an allergy to tree nuts? No.

Did I have a moment of temporary insanity? Very possible.

I’m not going to lie…it was hard. The first and last weeks were the hardest. I’m still surprised I actually made it through!

It’s no secret that I’ve had a few flings with the ~~tall, dark, and handsome~~ short, jarred, and spreadable variety in the past, but throughout all my escapades, there has been one – the one I kept coming back to – my anchor, my ~~knight~~ nut in shining armor…

Peanut Butter (or as most people know him, PB)

It started out like most young romances…

We had been ~~friends~~ snack-mates for as long as I can remember…but for some reason, I never recognized my feelings for him. So many of our brown bag lunch dates I took for granted, blabbering on about how my mother could never remember that my sister was the one who liked oatmeal sandwich cakes, and not I.

In the summer, I was more concerned with the number of times I could jump through the water sprinkler or how I was ever going to master the art of a wheelie on my bike than I was with coming inside to have lunch with him. A couple of times, I’d sit with him on the front steps, but it was hurried and my mind was always elsewhere….

Summer days faded into school days and school days propelled me forward into the years. Once I got to high school, the days of brown bag lunches with PB were a thing of the past. Now my entire focus was spending my time with the captain of the football team, Pep Pizza. Strong yet slim, greased up, and loaded with ~~steroids~~ preservatives, Pep was the object of my infatuation through the rest of my teenage years. It wasn’t until after graduation that I realized how unhealthy our relationship had become and what direction it was heading in.

I was starting to pull away, ready for a new life at college, while he was content to stay in our small town and take the junior varsity coach’s position that just opened up. He begged me to stay…even promising me french fries and ketchup, but I knew what I had to do…

On my first day of college, I pulled out a package of brown paper bags similar to the ones from the days of my youth. I opened up the cabinet door, and there he was.

We began to spend a lot of time together…he introduced me to his relatives (Uncle Sunbutter and Cousin Coconut were always around) and we all enjoyed late night study sessions, carpools to work, heck, we even had a few breakfast dates! Before long, I began to realize that he was more than just a ~~friend~~ snack…

So this is where you would think the story would end “happily ever after,” right?

Well, remember Lent?

We’d been together so long…I could feel the natural course our relationship was taking and honestly, I started to get a little bored. I talked to him about some of my concerns so we tried to spice things up a bit…instead of just plain ol’ wheat bread, we moved on to oatmeal, pancakes, and even yogurt! Things were great for a while, but one day I woke up and realized I didn’t really know what life was like without him. I had become so dependent on him that I wasn’t quite sure if I could ~~live~~ prepare breakfast without him.

So we had another talk. I told him I needed some space…from everyone…time to clear my head…to figure things out…and PB, being completely supportive told me to go.

There were many ups and downs during that time…moments when I thought I felt better without him and moments when I cried to my friends about his absence. In the end, I started to see the truth. I needed PB and even if he was too strong to say it, he needed me too…

When I awoke Easter morning, I knew where he’d be waiting…only I never thought in a million years, he would greet me with something special:

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then COOKIE DOUGH peanut butter is a foodie’s soul mate!

Through tears of happiness, and sounds of utter joy (yes, there were moans), I apologized for ever leaving him and I knew from that moment on that the spark would never die in our relationship again!

And I couldn’t have been MORE right!

PB didn’t stop with the cookies…since that day, we have been on a seemingly never-ending roller coaster of deliciousness:

CHOCOLATE

CHOCOLATE BANANA

And WHITE & DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY! :O

Ugh, I’m weak in the knees!

We have been having the time of our lives, every day tastier than the one before…and guess what!

We (along with the amazing people behind PB Crave) want to share some of that tastiness with one of YOU!

3 jars of creamy sweet deliciousness for you to have your way with…don’t worry, it’s free so it’s not like prostitution

That’s right, it’s time for a GIVEAWAY*!

Mandatory entry:

1. Leave a comment telling me your most favorite way to enjoy peanut butter!

For additional entries:

2. Sign up for the email newsletter at www.pbcrave.com and leave a comment telling me you did.

3. “Like” PB Crave on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.

4. Follow PB Crave on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did.

5. Follow PB Crave on Pinterest and leave a comment telling me you did.

Separate comment for each entry or it will not be counted!

The giveaway is only open to those of you in the US (sorry my international peeps) and will run until midnight (CST) on Friday May 18, 2012 with the winner announced later that night! Good luck!

*Although PB Crave did send me their peanut butters free of charge, I am in no way being compensated for this review/giveaway.

Goodbye Blends!

kissmybroccoli — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:55:30 +0000

Alright…this will be my last Blend recap post, I swear!

Unfortunately, it will also be the hardest…

Because as if it wasn’t hard enough to actually leave all these beautiful ladies on Sunday afternoon, now, I feel like I’m doing it all over again…

After a delicious Chobani breakfast, we all geared up for the raffle. And seriously, you would not believe what all the sponsors had thrown in there…gift certificates to Bob’s Red Mill, cases of Chobani, blog redesigns, KEURIGS…it was unbelievable!

AND there was enough for EVERYBODY to go home with something special!

I actually won a HUGE gift pack of NuNaturals stevia products, but since the company has been so good to me in the past and I have enough stevia to get me through a zombie apocalypse, I ended up trading someone for an insulated Chobani grocery tote and a SUPER soft Chobani T-shirt!

Then we all headed outside for our Blend 2012 group photo:

Photo credit: Bobbi

Can you spot me in all the Blends?

After all that excitement, the rest of the morning was a blur…before I knew it, over half the crowd was gone and the last few taxis had arrived…

Even as I was packing my EXTRA bag just full of swag, it was hard to be excited about going home after such an incredible weekend.

So you can imagine how happy I was to find out that I some of my fellow blends were going to the airport at the same time! I was actually able to sit down and have “lunch” with Christine…I refused to pay almost $10 for a sandwich and opted for swag instead…although I WAS tempted to snatch up one of those local whoopie pies
(Hello red velvet!)

Then I got the shock of the day once I boarded my plane and found I was sitting RIGHT BEHIND Jen!

It was a nice flight home and although I did doze off a few times (coming down from my Blend high, I guess), I actually got a few chapters of Catching Fire under my belt. I introduced The Hunger Games to my mom and sister and now they’re both chomping at the bit waiting for me to finish the second book! lol

Once we landed, I felt the butterflies coming…it was time to find BB!

It felt SO good to see him after what felt like forever since we didn’t really spend any time together before I left for my trip.

And he even brought me presents!

I am now the official owner of my very FIRST fishing pole…and a pack of mini peanut butter Moon Pies that I am still hoarding!

After gathering all my bags and seeing the look on BB’s face once I told him that one was entirely full of snacks, we realized we were both starving and headed into downtown Nashville for a date night:

We tried a new-to-us place in the middle of Broadway, Merchants Restaurant & Grille, and we both thought the prices and menu options were great!

I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and BB opted for the grilled salmon BLT and we both got the melt-in-your-mouth sweet potato fries!

Of course we each had nibbles of the other’s sandwich….and while I loved the flavor of the salmon paired with the bacon and basil mayo on BB’s, my sandwich with the chipotle mayo, avocado, and smoked gouda was out of this world!

Hmm, welcome home hugs & kisses, presents, and dinner…I REALLY need to go out of town more often!

After we got back home, I think it was about 15 minutes before I was in PJ’s and already snoozing away. And of course I dreamt all about my blends…

Photo credit: Bobbi

I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to Lindsay, Katie, Janetha, all the people of Chobani and our other generous sponsors, for making this weekend one of the best of my life! So many laughs…so many experiences…so many memories that I will ALWAYS hold close to my heart.

It’s not goodbye, it’s see ya later!

Can’t wait to see you all at Blend 2013!

Breast Exams, Bear Assaults, and the Mustache Motif

kissmybroccoli — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:27:17 +0000

Happy Friday everybody!

Hopefully you’re not getting tired of all my Blend Recaps, because after today’s post, I still have ONE more…and if you are tired of them, well…too bad!

So far, I’ve highlighted the swag, the food, and the fitness, but I honestly, the most fun I had this weekend was just getting to know my fellow Blends…

I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) with all the excitement on Friday night that I didn’t even remember to take out my camera and capture some of those moments. Thankfully, Janetha took care of that for me:

Photo credit: Janetha

Actually, the only picture I have of myself all dolled up for the night is this one that I took with Sarah…after we practically grabbed each other’s arms and jumped up and down when we first saw each other!

God, I love this girl…Gingers unite!

I also snagged this one of our three hostesses for the weekend dressed in their best!

Because obviously when you get a group of foodies gathered in the same room with a table FULL of cupcakes, the sugar in the air gets to them a bit…

Lindsay and Katie might’ve been trying to introduce our sponsors for the night, but Janetha felt compelled to tell all us about the importance of self breast exams

Haha! And that was even before anyone had had a bite of sugar!

But as soon as dinner was over, you better believe I got some photo documentation of
The Great Cupcake Stampede of Blend 2012:

Small children and the handicap beware!

No one stands between a foodie and her cupcake…don’t believe me? Just take a look one at Calee’s face.

Sorry girl…I HAD to!
(Photo compliments of Janetha…again)

After lunch and drinks on Saturday afternoon, Gina, Callee and I got a chance to peruse the artsy fartsy part of downtown Boulder:

Live music, homemade gemstone jewelry, Barbie shoe earrings, a balsamic vinegar tasting tent, and even a little shop that did HEENA tattoos!

You think those are anything like the henna ones?

I was so envious of all the creativity and craftiness in the square…I may pin the heck out of the DIY stuff on Pinterest, but without a step-by-step tutorial, I am at a total loss…

I mean, how do you look at some fabric, buttons, and cotton stuffing and come up with this? Soooo cute!

But you wanna know one thing I AM good at?

Sexually harassing strange stuffed bears in the middle of a crowded shopping strip…hopefully BB won’t get too jealous! ;)

After our afternoon of artsy enlightenment and my bear mauling, we were off to meet up with a bunch of the other girls at Rio Grande and unlike Friday night, I didn’t forget to pick up my camera this time!

Actually, I don’t really remember ever sitting it down! Lol

Obviously a little tequila makes me snap-happy! Oh and speaking of…thanks for the shots, Christine!

Time flew by and I couldn’t believe when it time to head back for the night…

I ended up walking back to the Missions Lodge with Lindsay, Katie, Janetha, and Katy (Lindsay’s gorgeous and hilarious sister) and even though we were still full from dinner (and shots) once we stumbled upon a frozen custard shop, there was no saying no!

First time ever trying frozen custard! Um, yellow cake batter with cookies and sprinkles? Don’t mind if I do!

Once we got back to the cabins (2.5 miles later…how bout that for sobering a person up?) we changed into comfy clothes and hung out in the common area for a while snacking on food leftover from breakfast…yeah, remember me saying something about still being full from dinner? Well that goes out the window when there is a coffee table full of muffins, bagels, and homemade jam in front of you! And seriously…who’s to blame for bringing out that Oogies popcorn?!

While talking/laughing about our night out, we were surprised by a little impromtu fashion show of sorts…

“How to Strut Yo ‘Stache” performed by Courtney, Jillian, Tina, and Alyssa:

Afterwards, there was an encore which I hear is all the rage in Europe…

“The Art of the Unibrow”

(And AGAIN, thanks for the pics, Janetha!)

Are you a crafty kind of person? What is your favorite craft to do?
I guess I can’t say I’m completely retarded when it comes to creativity…I do possess SOME painting ability…but I don’t know ONE thing about operating a sewing machine!

Have you ever tried frozen custard?

Blends: Making Fitness Fun!

kissmybroccoli — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:51:21 +0000

Hey guys!

I’m so glad you like the foodie recap from this weekend at Blend Retreat…I can’t believe we crammed so much deliciousness into one weekend!

Well, actually…I can.

Because we DEFINITELY earned it.

Starting bright and early Saturday morning with the FitMixer sponsored bootcamp led by Lindsay and Tina:

I have to admit, when they busted out the whistles, I was a little nervous…

But it was so much fun…I guess following the Tuesday Trainer workouts DID pay off! I even learned a few new moves that I’m going to try incorporating into my own circuit training.

Photo credit: Lauren, Sarah, and Tina

We warmed up with a jog and some dynamic stretching, then Lindsay and Tina took turns taking us through their sets of strength, cardio, and “butt burner” moves. But that wasn’t even the best part…

The best part was when we got to play with BALLS!

Photo credit: Jillian

First, we were separated into teams…

Then we were introduced to our balls and given the breakdown:
1. Each tennis ball has a workout move printed on them
2. Pick a sprinter from the group
3. Sprint to the pile and grab a ball
4. Sprint back to your team
5. Then everyone on the team has 60 seconds to perform that move
with as many reps as possible.

Annnnnnnnnnd GO!

We didn’t have enough time to perform every move, but it was enough to break out the competition…AND the sweat!

Blame it on the endorphin rush or the fact that I was now STARVING for breakfast, but for some reason I got a little snap happy following the workout…

After our kick ass breakfast, we all headed back to our cabins to change and pack up for our hike in the Flat Irons!

We met back up at the at the main area in front of Chatauqua, picked our Simply Bar flavor (hike sponsors) and got on our way…

As we made our way up to the start of the trails, I could not get over the view…

Um, yeah…we don’t have mountains like this in Tennessee!

And this was no stroll through the hills…

Just check out that incline!

But even with most of us out of breath from either the almost vertical climb or the higher elevation, we made it look GOOD…

When we got to Sentinel Pass, I thought we had made it to the top so I started snapping away…

Then, I turned around was shown a sign that our trek had not yet come to an end…

Like literally…I was shown a SIGN!

Then, after the longest 0.23 miles of my life…we finally made it to the top!

And you know what? All that muscle burn, sweating, and huffing and puffing was a distant memory as soon as I saw this:

I love how the horizon just seems t0 fade into the sky!

I could have stayed perched on that mountain top forever…the breeze was perfect, the view incredible, the company warm.

But after the high wore off, I realized I was dirty and sweaty and one Simply Bar just wasn’t gonna cut it!

So off we went, down the mountain side to get cleaned up for our night on the town which was FULL of deliciousness…I’ve already told you about all of that, but I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to drool over those pics again!

Do you like exercising outdoors?

Have you ever been on a hike…I mean a REAL, climb until your quads are smoking, hike?

What I Ate With My BLENDS!

kissmybroccoli — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:52:03 +0000

Ok, so I hope you guys are ready for this…

Because I just spent over TWO HOURS editing and collaging my pics of all the deliciousness that was my weekend at Blend Retreat and I have to tell you…
I’m STARVING!

Be sure to stop by Peas & Crayons to see all the yummy link ups this week…but I’ll just say right now, nobody is going to top this!

It all started with the Core Power sponsored dinner on Friday night:

The tables were set in the Chautauqua dining hall. And you better believe there was some major drooling over the beautiful cupcakes ~~calling our names~~ lined up on a table in the entryway as we all made our way to our seats.

The flavors: Cinnamon Coffee, Raspberry Lavender, Peanut Butter Pretzel, S’mores, and The “Junkyard” (a variation of carrot cake) all made by a small Colorado bakery.

And the BEST part about them?

100% of the proceeds went to the local homeless shelter!

For dinner we were all served a light salad to get things started and then we were presented with our entrees.

I had the grilled chicken over quinoa with steamed broccoli and seriously…that quinoa/sauce was full buttery, juicy, and all kinds of amazing flavor!

I chose the raspberry lavender, cinnamon coffee, and s’mores for my cupcake selection, but I got lucky enough to taste them all by the end.

Verdict: Give me ~~some more~~ s’mores cupcakes!

But that’s just the tip of the mouthwatering iceberg (because we are going to pretend that icebergs are actually giant snow cones right now…don’t question me, just go with it!)

Just when we all thought dinner couldn’t be topped, we were all FLOORED by Xagave’s presentation of breakfast the next morning:

The “bread station” with real fruit jams made with Xagave!

The “yogurt station” stocked with plain Cho and TONS of toppings!

The “granola and muffin station” featuring THE BEST lemon blueberry granola (Nature’s Indulgence) I have ever tasted along with Blueberry Cranberry and Carrot Cake muffins…again BOTH made with Xagave agave nectar!

Hooray for lower sugar treats!

And finally, the “oatmeal station” lined with pretty much anything a foodie could think of to top a warm bowl of oats!

Given all the options, to say I had a bit of trouble decided what to get is a bit of an understatement, but in the end I finally had my little hodgepodge breakfast…with coffee of course!

Unsurprisingly, later in the day after we finished up a 2 hour hike up The Royal Arch (more on that later), most of us couldn’t WAIT to get to downtown Boulder for some lunch and sightseeing.

My group decided to try Mountain Sun…and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we were ANYTHING but disappointed!

Pub AND Brewery!

I just KNEW I was going to love this place once I found out that not only do they have like 2963 different kinds of beer on tap…but they will let you try any of them…

FOR FREE!

In only a matter of minutes, with the help of my Bearded Bartender Dude, I knew which one was the beer for me…but of course, I still tried about 5 more after I decided and purchase my glass!

In my best Viking grumble: Mmmm!

And I made NO mistake in my decision to order the Cinco de Mayo Burger…

They had me at “grilled zucchini and squash”…

But holy mother of beef burgers, just look at that melted goat cheese!

I’m drooling now just thinking about it!

After we finished up with lunch, most of our group decided to complete the Boulder Beer Experience with a trip to Avery Brewing Co.

I found Bearded Bartender Dude #2 and purchased a few of the dollar “tasters”…aka the cutest little beer glasses I’ve ever seen!

Then we took an impromptu tour around the facility while snapping pictures and sipping from our cute little glasses (pinkies up, please!)

The best part though was just hanging outside the place for hours afterwards enjoying the company of my blends…oh and we made some doggends (dog friends) too!

Pink collar: Daisy
Green collar: Dobie
How cute is that?! A Doberman named Dobie!

Oh yeah, and that would be an amazing basket of sweet potato tots with guaca-hummus (Heather is a mastermind when it comes to substitutions and combos at restaurants!)

Well, I’m sure by this time you’re thinking that we definitely had enough booze to end the evening, but au contraire…

What is Cinco de Mayo without some Mexican food and tequila shots?!

Laura (my foodie soul mate) and I shared the Vegetarian Fajitas: grilled portabello, peppers, onions, and squash with rice and black beans, corn tortillas, and mandatory condiments.

And well, the first tequila shots of the night were FREE…now who could turn that down?

Ahh, peer pressure!

Believe it or not, I did not have as much to drink as it seems…not even the slightest hungover the next day…which was good since there was one last meal to enjoy before the close of our trip!

Our official sponsors, Chobani provided a breakfast full of grains, fruits, and protein to help fuel us after a kick a$$ boot camp (yep, more on that later too!)

What-cho want for breakfast?

Again, I hodgepodged it up…

Oh the stress of deciding between cream cheese and peanut butter!!!

And played with the Keurig for the last time…I swear if it was cost effective (aka, better suited for coffee addicts like myself who require 2 LARGE cups of coffee daily), I would TOTALLY get one of these!

Whew! Did you make it? Are you still with me?

But more importantly…is your keyboard about to short circuit?? Quick, grab a napkin!!

Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

What is the best thing you ate over the weekend?

Welcoming Blends

kissmybroccoli — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:22:58 +0000

It’s official…

I’ve been home from Blend Retreat for over 24 hours…

And for the last 26 hours, all I’ve been thinking about is how INCREDIBLE of an experience it was!

I don’t know where to start other than from the beginning…

When slowly, I watched as the clouds that hovered over my little part of Tennessee

Parted and made way for an altogether different terrain

And I had my first view of snow-capped mountains!

Do you see them?

I met up with Jillian and Ashley at the airport and waited for the shuttle to carry us to Chautauqua. I knew from the beginning that I was with “my people” when we started in on a conversation about our significant others eating coveted foodie items without a second thought…that’s right guys….if you are lucky enough to love a foodie, you better ask before swiping up the last few bites of sunflower seed butter for your next sandwich!

The hour and a half van ride flew by and before we knew it, we were pulling up to the Missions House…

Our home for the next 2 1/2 days!

I could never say thank you enough to all the people at Chobani for making this weekend possible…nothing but good and nothing short of amazing!

And I couldn’t get over the beauty that surrounded us at Chautauqua!

As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by Lindsay, Katie, and Janetha with hugs, smiles, and fitness class waivers! Lol

(Totally ganked this photo from Janetha’s amazing stash of pics on Blend’s FB page)

I was so excited to FINALLY meet Janetha for the first time! I’ve been reading her blog since I got started with KMB back in 2010 and I can’t even begin to explain the feeling I got when she sprung around the corner and greeted me with one of the biggest hugs ever!

I knew from that point that this was going to be a great weekend!

Oh, and the huge bag of tricks they gave us helped too…

In my best Wayne & Garth impression:

”Schaaaaaaa-wag!”

Wanna see? Wanna see? Oooooooooof course you do!

But before I allow you to peek inside, let me give you a few details of that bed:

Queen, wooden, cozy, warm.

And now…covered in swag!

It’s like the fit foodie version of a Halloween bucket!

There were so many incredible things stuffed inside, I surprised myself by having enough restraint not to try a bite of everything…well, except for the organic face masks.

I could not believe the amazing generosity of our sponsors!

Or how this fudge literally tasted like birthday cake!

Um, my next birthday…I’ll take a candle in 28 of these babies…
please and thank you!

I was also paired up with my roommate for the weekend, Amanda (who is planning on started a blog in the VERY near future…and if she doesn’t, I will be driving to Denver to hunt her down! Lol!)

We’ll just pretend that I had better foresight and took this photo on the first day of the retreat and not the last, mmmkay?

Over the next couple of hours, everybody got checked in and there were plenty of squealing stereotypical “girl” moments as most of us met each other for the very first time.

As night began to approach it was time to get all dolled up and head to dinner…

But that’s a story I’m going to make you wait for!

Hint: Juicy chicken over quinoa, crisp white wine, and mini cupcakes that make you want to smack yo mama!

Ohh, the suspense is killing you isn’t it?

Check back tomorrow for a recap of dinner and all my other delicious eats for What I Ate Wednesday…BLEND style!

Fly By Friday

kissmybroccoli — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:23:14 +0000

So as you read this, I am getting ready to board my plane (and hoping to enjoy some FREE wi-fi..fingers crossed) and flying from good ol’ Tennessee to the beautiful…

COLORADO!

The mess that was half my closet strewn across my bed…

Became sorted and organized:

From top…to bottom:

A delicious breakfast sandwich was ~~enjoyed~~ sloppily devoured in the car:

Incredible Greens infused egg whites on PB&J!

Coffee was consumed:

In my new mug that I just HAD to have the other day when I went to Walmart for hair gel and windshield wiper fluid (interesting combo, no?)

Car photography ensued:

See how excited I am about my new cup?…oh yeah, and the trip too!

A boyfriend/chauffer was oogled:

Hugs and kisses were shared outside the airport:

Gonna miss this face this weekend!

Foot wear was exchanged:

And this blog post was typed out:

Whew! Whatta morning!

I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

And I can’t wait to see all you ladies who will be joining me at the
BLEND retreat in Boulder!

I’ll be back Monday with a full recap!

Three “T” Thursday!

kissmybroccoli — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:24:47 +0000

Hey loves!

So this has been a helluva busy week for me, but through it all, I’ve managed to maintain a little sanity and balance…and it just so happens that today is Thursday, so you know what THAT means!

What is it about Thursdays that makes me want to make a list of things?

For starters, it could be the fact that I’ve been blog-stalking the queen of all list makers this week. Last week, I finished up with Phase 1 of LiveFit (review coming soon!) and I thought I would take a little break this week and play around with some other workouts. Ever since Lindsay started up the weekly feature Tuesday Trainer, I’ve been saying I was going to get around to trying some of the workouts.

Well, EIGHT months later, and I finally committed! This week, I’ve done 3 out of the 28 different workouts…

1. Tuesday Trainer

Hey, go big or go home, right?

Plyometrics, combination moves, and supersets…the recipe for one sweaty Heather!

So far, the Back & Bi’s workout has been my favorite (I LOVE working my back…and if I’m completely honest, although I know plyometric moves are some of the most effective for increasing endurance, burning calories, and developing muscle power, I can be a total wimp at times.

If given the choice, I’d take each and every explosive move and pour water on their fuses!

2. Thinking Outside The Box

In an effort to clean out the fridge before the weekend, I’ve been having to get a little more creative/accepting when it comes to meals and snacks this week, but what is it they say, “Necessity breeds innovation”?…

Like the brilliant idea I had last night to use up the last of my spinach…

Green monster smoothie meets overnight oats!

Just a couple handfuls of spinach, protein powder, 1/2 banana, and water blended up and then mixed with 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/2 cup raw oats, a splash of vanilla extract and a ~~dash~~ dump of cinnamon…

VOILA…greenified overnight oats!

Or how about the 1/2 a cantaloup I busted out at work today…I got some looks, but eh, I know they were just jealous of my juicy melon(s…that’s what she said!)

Or my (unpictured) spinach and avocado sandwich I inhaled (hence the lack of photographic evidence) a few hours later…I swear you could slather avocado on a stick and I’d eat it!

And hey, why not eat an entire thing of kale chips with dinner?…man, I’ve had a LOT of greens today!

So why have I been trying so desperately to clean out my fridge?

3. Tomorrow!

I know I haven’t talked about it much…honestly because I felt like the day would never get here, but at 9am tomorrow morning, I’ll be on board a Southwest airplane on my way to the BLEND Retreat!

Ahhhh!

Peace out homies, I’ve got more packing to do and I have to get up in like 5 1/2 hours!

What are your 3 “T’s” for Thursday?

Have you ever tried any of the Tuesday Trainer workouts? What did you think?