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! 😉
Wow, so you guys REALLY wannawin 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?
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.comand 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 Twitterand leave a comment telling me you did.
5. Follow PB Crave on Pinterestand 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.
My name is Heather! I'm a southern gal with a passion for food, fitness, and photography...and alliteration if you didn't notice! Here you'll find a mix of random musings, delicious recipes, and hopefully a chuckle or two! Check out my "About' tab to learn more!
I wouldn’t take a picture of myself just to show how excited I was to babysit Pete and RE-Pete this evening.
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.
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.
