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April: Love, Indulgence, and Joywaves

Posted on April 30, 2015 by kissmybroccoli

Good MORRRRRNING, peeps!

I hope you are all having a great week. Mine’s been a bit on the busy side, but in a good way…especially since I’ve been killing sheep and taking names. Errr, what I mean to say is I’ve been sleeping like an angel (subjective terminology) and haven’t felt better. Though I’ve tried melatonin in the past and it’s never worked very well, but I’ve found myself a new one and it’s working grrrrrrrrEIGHT…hours of sleep!

So, since it’s the last day of the month and time for my latest round of “Currentlies”, you get to look at me with my bright and rested, non-makeuped eyes as we get started!

Current Book:

I wish I could say that I’m in the middle of the first Game of Thrones book, flying through the pages like a madwoman, baaaah-ut I chickened out and did the opposite. I picked out the tiniest book from my bookshelf…a copy of Killing Mr. Griffin that I’ve had since middle school and…? It took me all MONTH to read it. #bookwormfail

Current Music:

Like I said last week, I haven’t been able to get Joywave off repeat. One of the things I love most are all the “hidden gems” found inside the album…pieces where the sound, tempo, and instruments change-up unpredictably and I LOVE the dialogue they stuck in from Bambi just before the song, Clover.

But this song, Traveling at the Speed of Light, one of the softest songs on the album, just sticks with me for some reason. I’m seriously bummed that they’re coming to Nashville next week and I missed out getting tickets! 🙁

Current Guilty Pleasure:

After seeing these babies on Instagram and quickly turning up my nose, I have to admit that curiosity got the best of me a couple of weeks ago. And? They were surprisingly good! Definitely on the sweeter side (even for an Oreo) but not sickenly so like I thought they’d be. But what I’m really waiting for is the new s’mores Oreo!

Current Entertainment:

Must watch ALL THE NETFLIX! I only thought I had an addiction to live streaming, but since I came home with that Google Chromecast last week, I’ve created a monster! I’ve already finished two seasons of shows and am hungrily looking for more!

Current Wish/Needs:

A dress to wear for the cocktail hour at Blend next month. I’ve kept putting it off and putting it off, but HOLY CRAP, I just realized it’s only weeks away now! Ohhh, and somebody to come over and pack for me. Yeah, that would be nice. Any takers? Of course, I am willing to pay in food. 😉

Current Food:

I know you’re probably getting tired of seeing this pic after now after the THIRD time it’s slipped itself into a post, but I canNOT get enough! #grillporn.

Current Drink:

Please see introductory selfie. I may be getting sleep, but I still need that little caffeine jolt to unfog the head in the morning/afternoon/whatever. Also, I’ve been kicking ASS on the water lately. *fist pump*

Current Triumphs:

It’s funny how the two go together, but as soon as I started sleeping better, I started getting to the gym more often. And my latest adventure has been ellipticalling (that’s totally a word) my way to the mountains!

Gym - Ellipticals

Let me explain…I’m trying to build up my endurance level so I don’t keel over halfway through the mountain hike at Blend. I remember the first year I went and even though I was working out regularly, the altitude kicked my ass! Since starting my sweaty little adventure, I’ve been able to go up THREE resistance levels so I think it’s safe to say that I won’t die…until 2/3’s of the way up. 😉

Current Bane of Existence:

My yahhhhhrrrrrrDAH! The neighbors got some sort of wild weed treatment done on their lawn in the last year and now it makes mine look like the dog pit from The Sandlot! And I keep picturing myself pulling a Jim Carey…evil laugh and all. I guess you could say I’m a little “green” with envy.

Current Blogger Crush:

This has been an ongoing thing for years and she’s well aware of my not-so-secret stalking since I harass her with Snapchats almost daily, but seriously, Meghan?! After catching up with this blog post a few weeks ago (and laugh-spitting all over my computer in the process), I realized just how much I miss her! Then she had to go and post this the other day. Don’t let her fool ya folks, she’s really a sap deep down. 😉 Happy TEN YEAR anniversary, girlie! Can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!

Current Indulgence:

Dessert in the form of yogurt! I picked a few of these up from Publix MONTHS ago and somehow lost them to the depths of the fridge, but I found them the other day and holy SHIT are they good! I may or may not have gone back to the store yesterday and bought one of every flavor…? 😯

Current Blessing:

This man, my little monkeys, and the best spring break EVER! And the fact that since I’ve spilled the beans, I don’t have to talk in code anymore. 😀

Current Outfit:

After finding a super SWEET deal on leggings at Walgreens of all places, I’ve decided for sure that this will be the year of no pants. And Jason has no problem with that whatsoever. Rawr baby! 😉

Current Excitement:

I’m definitely looking forward to next month, but not just because I get to meet all my Blends in beautiful Colorado. Nope, before that, I’ve got a weekend winefest with a group of my favorite people, Mother’s Day, and I’m sure there’s something else in there I’m forgetting. Whew, it’s gonna be a busy month!

Current Link:

http://blendretreat.com/schedule/ <- I will NOT be doing that trail run! I know myself. Trail run = quick trip to the emergency room for Heather.

Current Mood:

SupercalifragalisticexpealaDOPESHIT! 😉

What are you CURRENTLY excited about?

What have you indulged in this month?

Posted in Currently | Tagged Blend, books, coffee, grilling out, insomnia, Jason, Joywave, music, Oreos, selfie, workouts, yogurt | 9 Comments

What I COOKED Wednesday!

Posted on April 28, 2015 by kissmybroccoli

Whaaaaaat?!?!

Heather’s posting a What I Ate Wednesday?? Quick, somebody alert the presses! I know. I was shocked myself when I noticed something about my Instagram feed last week…it was full…of FOOD! 😯

I’ll admit, I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster ride with cooking over the last year, but I think I’m finally finding some balance. And would you believe all it takes is a little planning? That was sarcasm in case you missed it. But since I know I’m not the best at sticking to the whole “food prep” thing so for now, I’m just trying to take it a few days at a time. Anywho…

It’s time to show you guys some grub!

First off, I had big dinnah plans for Monday last week. I had chicken thawing in the fridge. I was gonna bake the shit out of those titties and serve them up alongside some cheesy potatoes. Oh yeah, I was gonna do it up riiiight. And then? Well then, Heather got hangry and this happened.

Pizza

This would be a Kroger-brand pizza (sundried tomato and roasted garlic to be exact) which I “beefed” up a bit quite literally by adding some leftover cooked ground beef that I’d cooked over the weekend for some tacos. Oh and bacon was also invited to the party because well, bacon. DEEEElish!

Then there was an impromptu lunch date with my sister at Which Wich where I finally ~~got to~~ try remembered to order one of their salads. I went with a Greek-themed salad with spinach, turkey, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, banana peppers, mushrooms, hummus, and feta cheese. Now I know I was just going on and on about planning meals and such, but ya know, sometimes your sis calls you up when you’re sweating your ass at the gym and a quick cold salad is just what you needed. Plus it fed me TWICE! Best seven bucks ever spent! And we ALL know I know my way around a salad. 😉

And speaking of going to the gym. I’ve gotten back into the habit of hitting the gym when I first wake up in the ~~morning~~ afternoon. So, since I usually grab a bar on the way, it helps give me just enough so I don’t feel like I’m gonna chew my arm off by the time I’m done. Which meeeeeans…I have time to actually MAKE something instead of just cramming the first thing I see in my mouth. #twss

Yolkporn over Creamy Buckwheat

This was from my little buckwheat kick from two weekends ago. I haven’t made any of this stuff since well, here? But once I found it hiding out in the back of the fridge, my love was reignited. I stirred in a handful of spinach, topped it with some sautéed mushrooms and a fried egg annnnnnnd devoured it in less time than it took to cook. Yeah, about that not wanting to chew my arm off thing…

Sometimes it’s just easier to fry up some eggs, slap some butter and pepper and garlic honey on toasted bread, and call it done. Though I will say this breakfast only lasted Jason and I about two hours before we were hungry again. Ha!

Having Jason around used to make me nervous when it came to cooking. In the beginning of our relationship, I tried a few times to make him meals that I was used to eating. Only thing was…he could probably count on one hand the number of vegetables he’d eaten in a WEEK! I could tell he suffered his way through a couple of them so I got a little discouraged. BUT NOW I finally know what I’m doing!

The trick is to get him manning the grill. It totally counts as cooking even though you don’t actually touch the grill because you pat out some big ass juicy burgers and then…? BAM! You slide in some green stuff as he takes a sip of beer and he never even notices! 😉

I’m kidding! Believe it or not, my picky man LOVES asparagus (?!), but the thing is they have to be suuuuuuper soft. So, I just spritz ’em with a bit of EVOO and give ’em a sprinkle of salt and pepper and then he grills ’em till they’re nice and tender (I’m still too afraid of losing my arm hair/eyebrows to man the grill). And I know I already talked about these burgers, but DAMN, they were seriously of smack-yo-mama quality! We’ve GOT to make them again!

As you can see, asparagus (or aspara-gwuy as we like to call it) tends to make an appearance to a lot of our grill outs. Yep, they played nice with this grilled chicken (yep, the titties from earlier in the week finally got some TLC…oh get your mind out of the gutter), some cheesy damn-I’m-good mashed potatoes where I didn’t measure anything, and a slice of toasty garlic bread.

Another good way to “sneak” in some veggies? SOUP! Jason is a big soup lover so I surprised him this past Monday morning afternoon with some beef and barley soup that I’d thrown in the crock pot before going to bed after work. The recipe was from this cookbook (though I added a random assortment of veggies and not just what it called for) and was amazing!

And just so you know, it is now Wednesday and we’ve barely made a dent in this thing. Please, send haaaaaalp!

I have wine! Hey, what else do you think fuels all these cooking endeavors? 😉

Be sure to hop on over to Peas & Crayons and check out all the deeeeeelicious link ups, get your drool on, and don’t forget to leave some love for Jenn, our dear hostess with the mostest creative ways for serving up some veggies! 😀

Do you cook for any picky eaters? How do you compromise?

What is your favorite grilled vegetable?

Posted in What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged asparagus, burgers, cheese, eggs, grilling out, Jason, pizza, soup, wine | 12 Comments

Thinking Out Loud: The Calm Between the Storms

Posted on April 23, 2015 by kissmybroccoli

Hello there, loverlies!

I hope you are all having a great week and if not, well, tomorrow’s Friday, right? Though I won’t be looking forward to MY weekend ending and my workweek beginning, I am more than excited about my massage appointment tomorrow morning. It has been too long since I’ve slobbered all over my therapist’s massage table. CAN’T WAIT!

Since this is technically my Sunday, I’m going to give a little weekend recap Thinking Out Loud style soooo, the rambling starts….NOW!

Saw this at TJ Maxx the other day and just had to get a picture. Oh sarcasm, how I love you so! If you can’t make fun of life sometimes, what’s the point, right?

And believe it or NOT, I walked out of the store empty-handed. I must’ve caught them on an off day because most of the shelves were lacking and then, I don’t know…with all the gloomy skies and rain we’ve been getting lately, I haven’t really been feeling like getting out and doing much.

So thank the dear Google gods for they’re technology advances! Jason and I bought a Chromecast the other day (because we’re sick of staring at my tiny ass computer screen whenever we want to watch Netflix) and omg, you guys, I’m addicted! It literally took minutes to set up and is so user-friendly AND your phone is basically your remote!

It also helps that I have free space on my lap now that I don’t have to hold my computer THISCLOSE to our faces…which of course makes more room for other things of ~~equal~~ much more importance. #treatyoself 😉

Since Jason and I started dating, we’ve both put on our fair share of what we like to call “fat and happy” weight SO…we’ve been trying to balance out our couch time with some movement. We’ve been able to squeeze in a couple of walks lately, but it hasn’t been easy with all the sporadic rainstorms we’ve been getting. The trick? Walk a short track where the car is always within sprinting distance. So hey, if Mother Nature wants to fuck with you, you can just be like, “Eh, I was planning on a HIIT workout anyway, bitch!” Umm, yeah, sometimes I have conversations with personified entities.

How about that #grillporn, huh?

Yep, it may have been only 50ish degrees (10 Celsius) outside last night, but we got our grill on! Sirloin burgers topped with Butterkaise (amazing) cheese served up with our favorite grilled veggie. And even though it was thrown together in minutes, it ended up being one of those meals that we talked about for the rest of the night.

On that note, I’ve got some leftovers that are all of a sudden calling my name from the fridge. Funny how that works. Be sure to hop on over to Spoons and fork you up a good dose of random ramblings. Ha, you see what I did there?

And since I forgot to leave you guys with some good tuneage last week AND there is NO WAY I can keep this to myself, please, enjoy the musical talents of my favorite odd-looking guys with some insane electronic sounds, Joywave!

I’ve had their latest album on repeat since it released on Tuesday. While it’s hard to pick a favorite, I’ve gotta say this one is extra special since the chorus makes me think of Jason. 😉

Give me some highlights from your week!