Announcement!

So I’ve been slacking a little with posts this week for a couple reasons – I’m finally getting over my nasty cold I caught a few days ago, but the more exciting reason is that I started working on my Etsy shop!  So far I’m only listing items that are for printable digital files, but I’m hoping to expand eventually when I have a little more time.  I don’t have much listed now but should be adding more items within the next couple weeks.

If you are a fan of my subway art, definitely check out my shop – I would love to create something for you!  I have added an Etsy Shop tab to my blog for easy reference or visit the shop here.

Sixth Month – Losing It!

Not a lot to report this month…the pounds are barely coming off at this point so I’m not sure how much more weight I will lose unless I start working out a lot more.  I know I should be more active but it’s just a matter of following through at this point.

I’m SO close to 30 pounds total.  Weighed myself this AM and I’m officially down 29.8.  I know, it’s close enough to 30, but I want to actually see that number on the scale for it to be real.  I’m 6.2 pounds away from my weight loss goal but I have to be honest in thinking I won’t get there. 

With holidays coming up soon, I wonder how I’ll survive this year?  Last year was a complete downfall for me – I pigged out at every party and went out of control with cookies and pies and all the other good “cold weather” treats.  I remember my realization of how I needed to be healthy again was when I weighed myself Christmas Day.  I think the next few months are going to be rough…and I’m really hoping I can just stay at the weight I’m at now at least.

Well this was a pretty negative post, so let’s end with a few positives.  I think I’m officially down a pants size – all the jeans and dress pants I have purchased within the past few weeks are a size lower than what I normally wear.  It’s just frustrating depending upon the store – because sometimes I’m still in my normal size and then other times I’m not.  I did receive a ton of compliments on the form-fitting dress I wore to a wedding on Saturday – I know the results are showing but I still want to keep losing.

Stats:

• Down 2 pounds since last month
• Down 29.8 pounds total since March 27th

Weekly Menu 9/26/11-10/2/11

So I’ve been slacking horribly on the weekly menus…really need to start doing these again!  And on a side note…um, it’s going to be OCTOBER this weekend!  What?!  Sigh, where did September go?

Monday 9/26 – Chicken  Chile Lime Burgers from Trader Joe’s

Tuesday 9/27 – Margherita Flatbread Pizza

Wednesday 9/28 – Homemade Hamburger Helper

Thursday 9/29 - Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Tenders w/honey mustard dipping sauce

Friday 9/30 - Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Saturday 10/1 - Drop Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

Sunday 10/2 – Rosemary-Scented Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa

Vacation Recap – Maine 2011

We were lucky enough to take a week off at the end of August and rent a beach house in York Beach, Maine.  It was so relaxing and much needed.  Since we went the week that school starts, it was a little cheaper to rent the house and it wasn’t as crowded as it normally is at the beach.  I would love it if we could continue to go away this week every year as it’s a nice way to celebrate the ending of summer.

We started off the week right with some delicious burritos, tacos, and margaritas at Guac-N-Roll.  I tried a cucumber margarita…not my fav flavor there but still tasty.

A lot of the time was spent at the beach since our cottage was only a mile away.  I bought a beach “hut” for hubby since he’s not a fan of the sun and the beach was much more enjoyable for everyone this summer :)

We did some shopping at the outlets in Freeport and then also in Kittery on our way back home.  Shopping during Labor Day weekend means lots of good sales.

We toured the Allagash Brewery in Portland, which was definitely the best tour I’ve ever been on.  They let you taste the beers first, but I think it may be because their beers have a higher alcohol content and they want you to walk around a little before driving :)  This tour was serious since we had to rock the safety goggles, but it was well worth it because you actually see the bottling process close up. 

We stopped by the Portland Head Light, which we had never visited before.  It was so pretty here – the views are just amazing.  The weather was perfect this day, as you can tell by the gorgeous blue sky below:

   

Our cottage was only a short walk away from Brown’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, so of course we went there a few times.  At least we walked to get there and back ;)

Mini Golf in Old Orchard Beach at Pirate’s Cove was a must after we met up with some friends for a nice dinner.

We ate a TON of salt water taffy.  The ones from the Goldenrod are the best.

I had some very tasty lobster mac & cheese for dinner one night in Portsmouth, NH.

We spent a night in Ogonquit with our parents who came to visit us for a few days.  Marginal Way and Perkins Cove are beautiful and I highly recommend stopping there when visiting southern Maine.

    

Our last night in Maine we headed up the coast to Kennebunkport to check out some of the shops – the sun was setting just as we were about to leave.

On the way back to York, we made a pit stop in Wells and found a great ice cream shop called Scoop Deck with an overwhelming amount of flavors to choose from.  I went with the Candy Bar explosion.

 

And then we ended the week with stopping in Portsmouth again on the way home for a late lunch at Redhook Brewery.  Can’t go wrong with a beer sampler.

Oh little cottage, you were the perfect home away from home for a week.  Hopefully we will be back next summer :)

Happy Birthday Hubby!

“You’re better then the best
I’m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow, that’s right
Completely unaware, nothing can compare to where you send me
Lets me know that it’s okay, yeah it’s okay
And the moments when my good times start to fade
You make me smile like the sun, fall outta bed
Sing like a bird, dizzy in my head
Spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile”

- “Smile” by Uncle Kracker

Happy Birthday Hubby…love you!  :)

It’s Friday…let’s have a drink!

A White Russian is always a good go-to after-dinner drink, but we made it even better with one slight modification.

Start by getting your normal ingredients of Kahlua and milk, but instead of using just plain old regular vodka, mix it up a little.  Try using Pinnacle Chocolate Whipped Vodka.  When I found this at the state liquor store in NH (for $12 at that), I was way too excited.  Later on when we made these, all I could think was “wow”.   These go down so smooth, it’s scary.  Next time I’ll be trying this in a mudslide recipe :)

image source

 

Classic White Russian Recipe with a “Twist”:

• 3/4 cup 1% milk
• 1 oz Kahlua (or other coffee liquor)
• 2 oz Pinnacle Chocolate Whipped Vodka

Mix ingredients well and then pour over ice in a highball glass.  Or find a fun glass like the one below…reminds me of a scorpion bowl:

image source

 

Find some other yummy recipes using Pinnacle Chocolate Whipped Vodka here.  It’s probably a good thing Pinnacle wasn’t around when I was in college or my liver would probably be in much worse shape now!

Recipe Review – Tortellini w/Veggies

One of my goals to get back on my weight-loss track was to try out some recipes from Betty Crocker’s The 300 Calorie Cookbook.  A recipe I knew I wanted to make right away was the Tortellini w/Veggies.  You can find a web version of the recipe here.  This did not disappoint and considering it’s less than 200 calories for a serving, I thought that was pretty good considering the tortellini is cheese-filled. 

This is way too easy to throw together – I definitely recommend it as a “I don’t feel like cooking but I know I shouldn’t order take-out” kind of meal.  The frozen tortellini boils pretty fast, and the veggies are up to you and what you have in your kitchen.  I cut up some cherry tomatoes to start off with, set those aside, and then decided to boil carrot chips and frozen broccoli spears along with the tortellini so everything would soften at once.   

Next time I would boil the veggies for a few extra minutes, but other than that, this got a thumbs-up from both me and hubby.  I would rate it an 8/10.  For leftovers the next day, you may just need to add a few drops of vegetable oil as the pasta and veggies tend to get dry overnight.

Inspiration – Recipes for Autumn

Some recipes I need to make for this upcoming season…all found on Foodgawker. 

 

Meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting

 

Source: skinnytaste.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caramel Covered “Pumpkins”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: bakingdom.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheese Leaf Platter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: theyummylife.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pound Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: singforyoursupperblog.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Cornbread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: vittlesandbits.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Source: annies-eats.net via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: whatmegansmaking.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caramel Covered Apple Cupcakes

 

 

 

 

 

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Potato Skewers

 

 

 

 

 

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies w/Candy Corn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: motherthyme.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caramel Apple Parfaits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: cindab.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosemary-Scented Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: made-famous-by.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

Lots of pumpkin, cinnamon, apples, cranberry, and potatoes…mmm mmm mmm!

A Maine Wedding: Ceremony Part 2

“Well you've done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
and now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon its again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing, we're just one big family
It's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

 

Do you want to, come on, scootch over closer dear
And I will nibble your ear
I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I'll be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
So please don't, please don't, please don't.
There's no need to complicate
'cause our time is short
This oh, this oh, this is our fate, I'm yours…”