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July: The Month of Selfies & Sunsets

Posted on August 1, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Geez, Louise!

Wasn’t it just like…July 4th?? I know, I know…I feel like a broken record saying that every month but wow, I just can’t believe another one’s behind us! You know what that means…time for another monthly wrap-up aka “Currently” post!

It’s no secret that I’ve been a little MIA in the kitchen lately…truth be told I’ve just been feeling kinda lazy. How about we blame the summer heat? Honestly though, I’ve just had so much going on in my life lately that I don’t even realize I’m hungry until I’m HANGRY. Cereal for nearly every meal it is! So there may not be very many foodie pics in my library at the moment, but hey, I’ve got plenty of selfies and sunsets! 😀

Current Book:

I’m almost done with the Bride Quartet Series by Nora Roberts! I devoured the “make me wanna eat ALL THE FOODS” so I made a mad dash to the library before work last week to pick up the fourth and final book (see middle selfie above) annnnnd? I’m already halfway through it!

Current Music:

Yes, I’m STILL playing the Arctic Monkeys’ album on repeat. No I still can’t pick ONE favorite song.

#sorryimnotsorry

Current Guilty Pleasure:

Actually, I feel guilty for not feeling guilty! Those coconut protein bars aren’t the only goodies I’ve been enjoying from my Nature Valley friends and you guys, I am totally smitten with these strawberry Greek yogurt bars! When when faced with anything yogurt-covered, I’m all like, “IN MY FAAAAACE!” but typically, those type of snacks aren’t very filling…hence the reason I can put down an entire bag of yogurt-covered pretzels in a minute. But these bars have a good amount of protein that leaves me satisfied for at least a couple of hours. And? It tastes like a friggin’ PB&J!!

Current Nail Color:

No comment. Stupid freaking nubs!

Current Entertainment:

Seriously, WHY is this show so freaking addicting?! With only FOUR episodes left, I have to say this season is even better than the last!

Current Wish/Needs:

An idea of what to buy my sister for her birthday…in EIGHT DAYS! 😯

Current Food:

Look! I can eat something other than cereal! I told you folks, the STACK is BACK! I’ve had a sandwich for dinner every day this week and nope, not getting tired of it! Also, I’m finally powering through the shitton of condiments I have in the fridge!

#foodhoarderproblems

Current Drink:

And STILL coffee! Though I traded in my cookies and cream for what tastes like almond shortbread cookies…which you know, is my absolute FAVORITE!

Current Triumphs:

Making further strides in my journey with intuitive eating…specifically having wine AND chocolate all by myself WITHOUT feeling guilty about it.

Current Bane of Existence:

Remember how I told you my garage door was broken? Well how about I had a friend come over to try to help me fix it and we…BROKE IT EVEN MORE!? Yep, the damn thing’s been out of commission for over four months now! On the bright side, you should see my calves and hammies from making the trek up the driveway every damn day! 😉

Current Blogger Crush:

This one kinda snuck up on me…after stalking her on Instagram for MONTHS! At first I lurked in the shadows, but then the woman just had to go and post foodporn after foodporn during her trip to Chicago (I swear I gained 10 pounds just scrolling through)! After that, I noticed the balance of her feed…not all decadent sweets, but also savory nibbles, home-cooked meals, and some of the cutest little boys I’ve ever seen! So the other day, I finally took a cruise on over to her blog. And now, I am officially in love with Maegan, aka The Baker Mama. Or at least, at the moment I am…other times I’m wishing she’d adopt me or thinking about stealing her husband! Umm, sorry, Meagan!

But seriously, have you SEEN this Chicken Pesto Peach Panini? That baby has my name written all over it with the alliteration alone, but HELLO! Peaches…and pesto…and THAT CHEEEEEESE!

Current Indulgence:

The best kind of indulgence is the kind you can feel GOOD about! You can’t beat a bowl of made-in-minutes all-natural flash frozen ice cream that won’t leave your (my) crazy lactose-challenged tummy in knots! I can’t get enough! And I’m already planning to another run to Freeze Pleeze tomorrow after the farmer’s market! Hmm, what should I get?

Current Blessing:

My mom. This woman has been with me through it all…always supporting me in any way that she can…at any time of day/night. She’s shown me what a true mother’s love should be and a couple of weeks ago, I finally had the chance to give her something she’s always wanted…and watched as her face lit up and stars danced in her eyes. And that? Well just typing that made me tear up. Love you, Mama!

Current Outfit:

I may or may not be on my back porch…in my PJ’s…sipping some coffee delicious almond cookie coffee and refusing to start my day until I can see the bottom of my cup. Ok, I totally am!

Current Excitement:

Does it show my age when I get THISFREAKINGEXCITED about couponing? Now I’m not going extreme couponer on you guys, but seriously, I went to the store the other day and along with these beauties (some of which are soon to be the players in my next cereal mixing adventure), I managed to rack up a TWENTY dollar savings on my total! I may or may not have done a little happy dance at the register! And yes, I realize that I’m only further fueling the cereal addiction. 😉

#cerealkillerforlife

Current Link:

This Buzzfeed article had me laughing till I about peed my pants the other day!

Current Mood:

Satisfied, sweaty, and shocked that I got this post done in less than 1000 words!

Are you incredibly indecisive?

What (or who) is your biggest blessing at the moment?

Posted in Currently | Tagged bars, cereal, coffee, ice cream, life, music, Netflix, sandwiches, selfies, sunsets, wine | 28 Comments

WIAW: I Eat What I Want!

Posted on July 30, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a WIAW post.

And even LONGER since I’ve mentioned my journey with intuitive eating. That’s right, my continuing journey…as in, still a work in progress. While I wish I could say that after a year, I’m now “cured” from my disordered way of thinking, I’ve come to the realization that life may never be as it was before…and I’m ok with that. While I can go days/weeks at a time without giving much thought to my food choices, I still have a lot of times where I get overwhelmed and start over-analyzing every.single.morsel or let out a giant “FUCK IT” and beat myself up with an entire bag of yogurt-covered pretzels. Still, every day is a move in the right direction as long as I remember to use those moments as red flags for other things going on behind the scenes.

I wanted to share my eats from this past Saturday not only because I did a little happy dance once I realized I’d taken a picture of almost everything without even thinking about it, but also because I think this day shows the kind of balance I want to strive for on a regular basis….

A combination of foods that make me happy AND foods that fuel my body.

If you were paying attention to yesterday’s post, you may have noticed that I ate ice cream for BREAKFAST! When I first woke up though, I was still a little groggy so I just fixed a cup of coffee (which I only drank half because it was so damn hot) and some water. and took it with me to the market to meet my friend. While perusing the tents, I sampled a mini chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake (meh) and a bite of some maple bacon cheesecake (freaking amazing)!

The old me would have FRAAAA-eeeeked having started my day without a balanced meal and especially one made up of nibbles of sweet treats, but the mild sweetness of the ice cream was perfect to balance out my earlier bites.

After my mind-numbing massage, I came home to some leftover grocery store sushi (I swear Publix makes the BEST salad rolls!) from the night before and an un-pictured lime LaCroix before climbing back in bed for the best nap EVER!

When I woke up, I grabbed a bar and a bottle of water and headed to the gym for some walking/book reading. Seriously, have you guys tried this new flavor? My friends over at Nature Valley were kind enough to send me some to sample and after sinking my teeth into that perfectly sweet and salty bar with a coconut yogurt coating,

I was in LOVE!

Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way to review this bar. Actually, I wasn’t even asked to review it. I just love it and wanted to share! 😀

After my walk, I wasn’t really hungry, but a couple of hours later, and on into the night, I snacked on some sweet and juicy watermelon that needed to be polished off BEFORE cutting into the TWO I came home with from the market! Oops?

When I finally DID get hungry, I knew exactly what I wanted…Hawaiian bread! I mean, a sandwich filled with all the veggies I’d come home with from the farmer’s market that morning plus more that I picked up on the way home from the gym (let’s face it, a sandwich just isn’t complete without crisp lettuce and alfalfa sprouts!). While making my epic toasted sandwich, I snacked on some baby carrot.

A little while after dinner, I settled in with a LARGE glass of wine and my fuzzy slippers for my date night with Mr. Netflix. As usual, an hour or so into my binge-watching, I got a craving for some crunch…

Carrot sticks and some chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels to the rescue! Exactly what I needed…savored…and enjoyed!

I’ll confess that sometimes I have a hard time choosing to have dessert when I’m by myself. For some reason, I feel like it’s only acceptable to indulge when I’m with others…and half the time, I usually end up going overboard. Since that is NOT the way I want to be thinking, I’ve been working on this mentality and have decided that for now, it’s best to pair my “treat” with something healthy to help form a frame of balance in my mind. It may sound crazy, but hey, I never claimed to be sane.

Big thanks to Jenn, our hostess with the mostest for chaperoning our Wednesday shenanigans. Be sure to hop on over to Peas & Crayons and check out all the other eats and treats others are linking up today!

What is the best thing you ate yesterday?

Do you find it harder to indulge when you’re alone?

Posted in What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged carrots, chocolate, coffee, farmers' market, ice cream, Netflix, pretzels, sandwich, sushi, water, watermelon, wine | 29 Comments

My Weekend Lobotomy

Posted on July 28, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Hello guys and gals!

I hope you all had a fantastical weekend! I’m happy to report that after my week from hell last week, my weekend couldn’t have been further from the opposite. Not only did I get in plenty of mind-mushing activities, but I also got a complete overhaul and am now ready to take on another week…and this time I WILL come out on top (har har)! Yep, in three and a half days I got a MARVELOUS mind makeover and it all started with this…

My little IG/Twitter confession: Sometimes I can’t wait to go to sleep just because I know that once I wake up, I get to have a coffee the size of my head! 😉 It didn’t even matter that I didn’t sleep so well…this coffee tasted THAT good! Plus, I was excited for the evening’s festivities!

What more could a girl ask for other than a perfect starry night, a roaring campfire, never-ending Mai Tais (which I’d never had until this point), and discovering some amazing new music? Nothing. The answer is noth-ING! 😉

But just a little aside about that music…because you KNOW I have to share!

Alejandro Rose-Garcia, aka “Shakey Graves” is a music genius and seriously brings new meaning to the phrase, “one man band”! Not only does he rock the guitar, but if you pay attention, you’ll notice that he’s also playing a drum and a tambourine AND singing
AT THE SAME TIME! And that voice!

Seriously you guys, I think I’m in love!

After staying up till sunrise, it’s safe to say Friday was well spent…sleeping and otherwise loafing around…oh, and catching up on Game of Thrones! Only two episodes left and I’m finished! I really could’ve slept pretty late in the day on Saturday too, but again, I had plans that were much more important!

Like meeting my good friend Jenn, whom I haven’t seen in for-ev-er, at the farmer’s market and visiting some of our favorite vendors. I know I got a little carried away with my haul, but I just couldn’t resist the deal I got on those tomatoes and watermelons from Blocker Farms! Oh and that bread? That would be homemade Hawaiian bread! #hellyes

After strolling around the market for an hour, we were hot and sweaty and ready for the second half of our morning “date”…ice cream from Freeze Pleeze! Jen went with the amazing chunky monkey (chocolate banana ice cream with peanuts) while I went with my dream bowl, Almond Joy! The coconut milk was even creamier than the almond milk bowl I got last time and was perfectly sweet for my tastes without ANY additional sweetener. It also made my day when the owners thanked me over and over for my review post last week…I swear I had no idea they would even see it!

Half an hour after relishing in frozen bliss, I snuggled into a warm massage table and was man-handled in the best way possible! Since my favorite dread-locked, ear-gauged hippie masseuse moved to another place of business, I was nervous about trying someone new, but let me tell you, Estelle from Massage Envy is ahhhhhhmazing! I told her about some trouble areas in my shoulders and hips and she used a combination of functional massage and trigger point therapy to basically form me into a human jello jiggler!

Once home, I indulged in a little afternoon seista. I woke up feeling perfectly refreshed (which never happens) so I went for a great hour-long walk at the gym with my book. When I got BACK home, I showered and got ready for a little date night…

Orange is the New Black + Wine

Complete with fuzzy robe and slippers! 😀

I stayed up till midnight binge-watching the second season of Orange is the New Black (it’s about time, right?) after finally cracking into my wine stash! Then I went to bed and slept until TWELVE THIRTY!! Yep, you read that right…twelve glorious hours of comatose slumber. And that, my friends, is a successful use of Benedryl and wine! 😉

Waking up feeling like a new woman, I obviously had to put that energy to good use so off I went to the gym for the second day in a row (go me), but this time I decided to throw some weights around with the boys. Gah, it felt so good to get that pump…and to sweat…and to rock my new TJ Maxx workout tank! 😉

And if all the weekend’s activities weren’t enough, I had a little visual reassurance that I was primed and ready to start the week…

I seriously pulled over on the side of the road on the way to work to snap a picture of this beautiful sunset! And how about I just noticed the American flag in the bottom right corner? Damn I’m good! Lol