‘Brunching’ It

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Happy Mother’s Day Mom, I love you! Not just for what you have done for me, but for loving my daughter just as much…if not more than you love me. 😉 I wish we could spend the day together, but we will as soon as you get back in town. ❤

Hope you are off to a good start. It’s a girls kind of morning!! Best way to spend Mother’s day is with my little lady!

Gabriella is like her Momma, we have to star the day with our coffee!!

We read some books (not this book, I figure it’s best not to start the day off sobbing 😉 ), bounced in her jump a roo, and she’s now crawling around…

but all of her crawling is tiring her out! ^notice that big yawn!

Shortly it will be nap time for G, and while she naps I am going to get everything ready for brunch! My sister, brother in law, nephew & niece are coming over later this morning to celebrate Mother’s day together!! I’m SO excited because we haven’t seen them in what feels like FOREVER!

On the menu (so far) is Sally’s Super Crumb Coffee Cake, (<—Sally NEVER disappoints, so I know we are in for a treat!), Mini blueberry scones, cinnamon twists & fruit with Chobani fruit dip!

I also made a banana bread, which is a recipe that I got off of Courtney’s blog. It happens to be her favorite banana bread recipe. I saw it on one of her posts earlier this week & I couldn’t get it out of my head.

It was funny she happened to write about it, because I had a bunch of browned bananas just sitting on the counter. I ALWAYS have a problem with having way too many bananas.

I am picky about banana and really don’t like when they even have one brown spot on them, believe it or not, I prefer them with a hint of green. Call me crazy..?

Without further ado, here is the recipe- I changed very few things from her original recipe.

Courtney’s Banana Bread

(adapted from Courtney at Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life)

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45- 50 minutes
• Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Truvia baking blend
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until crumbly, 1-2 minutes. Add egg, then egg white, beating well after each. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in mashed bananas, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon & ground flax seed; stir into wet ingredients until just moistened (do not over mix).

Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45- 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!

I think this may be my new go-to banana bread recipe! The reason that I enjoyed it so much was that you don’t need any oil, and the sweetners are all natural. I swear you can actually taste the honey in each bite- delicious!

I also had a little helper in the kitchen.

^THIS little lady loves to be in the kitchen whenever I’m cooking. I just put her in her little bumbo seat & she just watches. Let me tell ya, one of the BEST tips I ever got regarding teething was from my sister in law- Stephanie. She told me how much my nephew just loved chewing on a cold spatula. Just put one in the freezer for a bit & then let them bite away!

She pretty much attacks it the minute I hand it to her. It is quite funny. 🙂

Enjoy your Sunday, I hope you get to spend it with loved ones. ❤

Thursday Ramblings

1. My husband likes Chobani. I am a happy wife. Randomly he decided that he wanted to try it. I had given it to him before, but he didn’t love it. But he tried it again & he LOVES it. And he eats it almost every day like me. Mission accomplished 😉 His favorite flavors: Blood orange & lemon. Boy loves his citrus.

I had to stock up on it at Target when it was on sale- only $1 a piece!! SCORE.

^that’s only about half of our current stash 😉

2. Gabriella is FOUR months. How did that happen??

Her new favorite thing? Her feet. She LOVES them. And a plus for us: it keeps her entertained for a few minutes. 😉

Another update: She STILL REFUSES the bottle. I mean ABSOLUTELY REFUSES. SCREAMS bloody murder. It’s terrible. We have just decided to kind of give it a rest right now. It just makes us all miserable & after a month of trying every night, and then ending up with a crying baby..it’s been hard.

3. You know I have to tell you something else about Gabriella, because well, she’s my whole world. Guess who can start solids now?!? Yep, G Marie!

We haven’t tried any yet, we may wait just a little bit, but I think within a week or two we will try the rice cereal. I picked this kind up at Target the other day, I hope she likes it.

We CANNOT wait to try solids with her. It’s going to be FUN!!

4. I have one of my VERY favorite races this weekend in Jacksonville!! The River Run!

I can’t wait. It is one of the VERY best courses I have ever ran. It is so scenic & a TON of cheering fans along the way. It’s going to be weird running without a stroller.

Anyone else out there running in it??

PS: I’m looking for more races in the Florida area- preferably half & full marathons. Would you happen to know of any?

5. New debate, which is better… Dunkin Donuts Dark roast or Starbucks iced coffee?

I had to try the Dunkin before the picture. (oops) I have to say, Starbucks still wins in my book. Just because it’s stronger, love the bold flavor. But Dunkin is a good alternative with their new dark roast!

6. We ate one of my favorite meals the other night.

Sweet potato, broccoli & shrimp with Old Bay. I could seriously eat this twice a week, every week. Easily. I always forget how good sweet potatoes- I need to incorporate them into our dinners more. Oh, and that shrimp…COATED with Old Bay. I don’t believe in too much Old Bay. 😀 (& believe it or not, that was actually before Craig too.)

Hope you have a good Friday Eve! One step closer to the weekend!!!

Picky Pants

I think we all have our certain quirks. Weird things that just make us..well, us!

I happened to notice a few of them lately, and they just made me laugh. Just for your own humor, I thought I would share these quirks. Maybe you do the same things?? Or it’s quite possible that I am just a weirdo.

1. I will only buy ONE brand of hair spray. & only once TYPE of hairspray from that brand.

Tresemme Extra Firm Control. Yep, the ONLY kind I will buy. I have tried all different kinds, from the expensive stuff (around $20) to the super cheap stuff. (Like Suave) But, nope I keep coming back to this brand. I love it; it doesn’t leave my hair weighed down..and it does not make it all chunky. & the best part is it’s only $4.

2. I have an excuse for every.single.day of the week as to why I need to go to Starbucks for my coffee.

Monday: Well, I’m sure we can all figure this one out. Mondays SUCK. Plain & simple. Pretty good excuse, if I do say so myself. 😉
Tuesday: Ew. Tuesday. What a boring day. Nothing happens on a Tuesday, it’s not like a Wednesday, since Wednesday’s mean I’m half way through the week. I need something to cheer me up.
Wednesday: YAY! It’s hump day. But, oh wait…that means that I still have HALF of the week left. Yikes. Better get some caffeine to power me through this day.
Thursday: I love Thursday! Some of my favorite shows come on Thursday nights. Better get Starbucks to make sure I stay awake for those shows. (mind you I’m drinking this coffee at 8am, how in the WORLD is it going to help me at 8pm?!)
Friday: WOOOHOO! It’s Friday. I made it through the week. I deserve a treat. (treat = coffee) And don’t a MILLION people out there celebrate Friday with a Starbuck’s coffee?! I can’t be left out, I have to get mine too.
Saturday: believe it or not, Saturday is the LEAST likely day that I will get Starbucks. I am always up way before Craig, so I just typically make a cup of coffee in the Keurig (& it’s usually a Starbucks K-cup) while I wait for him to get up. BUT, if I do happen to head to Starbucks, I totally have a reason 😉  –> It’s the WEEKEND!!! That in itself is a good reason!
Sunday: Sunday is the day that I get Starbucks for Craig & I. He loves his special ‘Sunday coffee.’ I think I secretly started going to Starbucks every Sunday so that I could get coffee.
(LOVE the S-bux Valentine’s cup!)

Umm, I think I have an addiction. But I can guarantee you that I have an excuse for my addiction 😉

3. I like adding the word ‘pants’ to the end of names (people, pets, whoever) & to adjectives. (hence the title of this blog) Examples include: picky pants (most used), pretty pants (& I don’t mean when I’m describing actual pants 🙂 ), Holly Pants (not referring to my own self though), and many others…but you have probably had enough of all of this pants talking.

4. I realize this is such a typical girl thing. But I love shoes. I have way too many pairs. & I can’t stop buying them. I love all of the new colors for the upcoming season. All of the cute pastels & bright colors.
Prime example:

I’m in l.o.v.e.
The good thing about my shoe addiction is that most of them only cost between $15- $45. I’m not big into buying a bunch of designer shoes. (well, unless you think Jessica Simpson is designer. Her shoes are my favorite)

5. I like my water EXTRA cold. I always have to have a TON of ice in it. I feel like the colder it is, the more I drink. I’m sure it’s all mental 😉
ice ice baaaaaaaby!

6. I’m a picker. I pick at everything. Scabs, pimples, nail polish, etc. Any of that. It’s kind of gross, but I can’t help it. Lucky for you, the one thing I don’t pick is my nose 😉

7. Speaking of picking…I’m OCD about cleaning my face & moisturizing. I asked ‘Santa’ (aka Craig) for a Clarisonic Mia for Christmas.

I adore this thing. I HIGHLY recommend one. I have noticed a HUGE difference in my face. Less breakouts (if any), fewer blackheads (gross!) & just overall much more soft.
Well, I use this at least twice a day..and then I moisturize at night. Wanna know what I use for moisturizer? (& I swear by it!)

Yep, good ol’ fashioned Vaseline. It’s the best! Wanna see fine lines disappear?? Try this!!!! (& it’s SUPER cheap. Way better than paying like $70 for some name brand stuff!)

8. I get really annoyed when people don’t replace the last roll of toilet paper or paper towels. Drives me nuts! (& it happens all of the time at work. Grr!)

9. I’m not a big flower person, but I LOVE sunflowers. Like really love. So I guess that kind of makes me a flower person..?
wedding day flowers 🙂

My girls ❤

Heard enough of my strange ways?! 😉
Please tell me you can relate to at least one of them.

Full Body Weight Workout

I have a feeling this Monday is going to be even more rough than normal for most people. I bet quite a bit of you stayed up to watch the Super Bowl last night. As much as a football fanatic that I am, I did not stay up. I guess I’m still kind of spiteful, and think that the Ravens should have been in the big game. Don’t worry, I won’t go there. I will just keep my thoughts to myself.

The good news is that I think I’m almost over my cold….almost! I have been taking Mucinex & Sudafed like crazy. I always swear by Mucinex, I love the stuff. Every doctor I have gone to always recommends it to me. (for sinus infections)

I’m almost back to my old self.

I’ve been drinking lots of this to help with the symptoms. 😉

Nothing like Starbucks coffee to pick you right up!

I did a KICK butt workout on Saturday & then had a nice long run on Sunday. I haven’t talked much about my workout habits, only because I don’t want my blog to get too caught up in those subjects (eating/ working out); that is part of why I started this new blog. But I do want to share some of my favorite workouts with you; I know I get a lot of workout ideas from blogs, so I thought you might like me to share some of them with you. 🙂

This is a full body workout & it took me about an hour to complete. I also used heavy weight, so that on my last set I was at failure.

Exercise	Reps	Sets
Pushups on Bench (or incline pushup)	15	3
Supersetted with Dumbbell Rows	15	3
Barbell Deadlift	12	3
Supersetted with Dumbbell Sumo Squats	12	3
Bench Dips	15	3
Supersetted with Barbell Bicep Curls	12	3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press	12	3
Supersetted with Wide Grip Assisted Pullups	12	3
Bulgarian Split Squats with a barbell on shoulders	12 each leg	3
Supersetted with Leg Extensions	12	3
Barbell Upright Rows	12	3
Supersetted with Barbell Military Presses	12	3
Cable Straight Bar Pushdown (for Tri’s)	15	3
Supersetted with Rope Attachment Cable Hammer Curls	15	3

Once I finished the weight part of my workout I did some ab exercises (like incline situps, planks, etc) & then did 20 minutes on the elliptical. I was POOPED by the time we left the gym.

I love doing longer workouts on the weekends, since we don’t have any time constraints, like my weekday morning workouts. It’s nice to be able to not have to worry about leaving in a certain amount of time.

If you want any specific types of workouts- let me know! I have a whole binder full of weight workouts- I’m really BIG on weight lifting. I love it!! I used to be a cardio freak- all I did was run a TON- like 6 miles everyday. But once I discovered weightlifting, my workouts changed entirely. Now I still run, but definitely not as many miles. (unless I’m training for a race) I love the feeling of lifting heavy, & I love how it tones my body.

Some of my favorite weight lifting blogs and websites are: One Fit Foodie, Julie GoLean, JillFit, Meals & Moves, and Body Building.com. If you are ever looking for weight workouts, I suggest checking out any of those sites!

20 Questions

Good Morning!

I saw this post on Christina’s(aka ‘Xtina’s) blog the other week & thought I would ‘borrow’ it from her. (thanks Christina 🙂 )I always love these surveys, and for new readers I figured you might like to get to know me a bit better!

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?
Waking up with a cup of coffee (Starbucks in particular- extra bold), watching some shows that I have on DVR, going for a long run (or long workout at the gym), ordering take out food & enjoying a glass of wine with a movie. Sounds like a perfect day to me! 🙂

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.
1. Big Brother. I hate having to wait until the summer each year. They need a summer & winter Big Brother!
2.  Dexter…obsessed.. & I can’t wait for the new season.
3. Shameless- Craig & I just watched the whole first season & now I’m hooked. It’s such a good show & William H. Macy plays the perfect role.

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them?
Take the pictures. You can ask my family & friends, I’m like the paparazzi. Whenever we have a get together I always have my camera!

4) Why do you blog?
Well I stopped for a while, and then I realized that I DO enjoy it- I like keeping in touch with family & friends. I also enjoy the ‘blogging community’ & I have met some genuine friends, which I would of never met if I didn’t blog.

5) Share five websites that you visit
Facebook
Twitter
Aol (my email)
Google Reader (have to catch up on my favorite blogs)
E! Online (Love the latest celebrity gossip)

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list, who would it be? Lardarius Webb. Because he’s my favorite Ravens player. Love him ❤ …and I have met him before, but it was brief. I would love to be able to talk to him over lunch.

7) List a few of your favorite snacks.
Chobani Greek Yogurt (I eat it everyday, usually for lunch), Rice cakes (seriously…with peanut butter on them), peanuts (only salted), & blueberries.

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?
Fish count ,right?! I have two betta fish- one at home, his name is 27…and one at work, his name is Webb. (wonder why that’s his name?! ;))
<—27

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without?
Camera, chapstick (the green blistex…it’s the best), & toilet paper. (<—totally legit, right?!)

10) What’s your favorite drink?
Iced coffee from starbucks followed closely by ice water

11) Do you enjoy cooking?
LOVE it!

12) Do you have children?
Not yet, but definitely in the future!

13) What are your favorite hobbies?
Working out / Running, Reading, scrapbooking when I have time
<—Now isn’t that intimidating?! Yikes! 

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?
Outgoing, definitely. I’m little Miss Chatty Cathy, I could talk to a wall.

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?
I would take away my Crohn’s disease. Blah!

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress?
Mark Wahlberg / Reese Witherspoon.
<—Oh, HELLO!

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?
Ha! It’s only Tuesday. Yesterday was Monday…. So I would say it was pretty cool to get myself to work ontime. Go me. It’s the little things. 😉

18) Do you live near your family or far from them?
Most of my family is in Florida, most of Craig’s family is in Maryland.
<—My family
<—Craig’s family (well, my family now too!)

19) List three of your talents.
– Cooking/ baking- anything in the kitchen
-I have an eye for interior decorating- you might not be able to tell it quite yet, but our house is coming together room by room. We still have a lot planned to do & I can’t wait!
-I think I take pretty good pictures. It’s a work in progress, but hopefully soon I can truly call it a ‘talent.’

20) What is your greatest attribute?
I have a lot of motivation. I don’t give up easy. I am constantly pushing myself in life- at my job (always trying to move up in the company), in the gym (daily 5am workouts) , and in my relationships. I want to be the best that I can possibly be.

Now it’s your turn, tell me something about yourself that most people might not know.