What I'm Reading This Week #30

Happy Friday me lovelies!  (Apparently I speak pirate today)

I think I scared the massage therapist yesterday because I told her I was still sore in 2 places but not too bad and she backed WAY off.  She did stone massage and lots of hot towels and even massage. The hour always flies by too because we just gab away!   I do appreciate it but I really kind of wished she dug in a little more because I did Tae Bo the night before and my legs were giving me the what for.  Note to self:  Never mention soreness again, just let the doc zap any soreness with the laser the following day.  So it was rolling, scraping and shiatsu for me yesterday.  Hopefully the chiro will be able to release some stuff today since the demon is still firmly in place.

But enough about my iss-ews, let's get to...

A Dietitian Explains Why You Need to Ditch the Diet If You Want to Lose Weight  (We're kind of doing this right now)

Researchers Say Eating Chocolate Every Day Can Have Serious Health Benefits  (I literally found this whilst eating my daily 72% square o' chocolate!)

Exercising On an Empty Stomach: The Surprising Benefits  (I can't do morning workouts)

Consumer Reports Highlights Dietary Supplement Dangers   (Skip to the list of ones to avoid toward the end)

18 Things Your Optician Wishes You Knew  (All good things to keep in mind!)

I Drank Only Meal-Replacement Shakes for One Week. Here's What Happened  (Men not following directions.  LOL)

Jennifer Aniston Has Crises of Confidence Too  (She's just like us!)

Is Social Media Changing The Way We Think About Aging?  (Some really interesting observations in this!)

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Beauty Products (but should)  (Very good info especially if you're trying to clean up your beauty routine)

16 Common Household Pests and How to Get Rid of 'Em  (I swear if I see one more fly!!)

9 Tips for Living a (Semi-)Normal Life While Your Home Is Being Shown  (For anyone in the midst of selling or thinking about it soon)

28 New Uses for Things You Were Going to Throw Away  (CoffeeMate lid...mind blown)

This Couple Had The Most Cringe-Worthy Reaction When Their "Trading Spaces" Makeover Went Hilariously Wrong  (I absolutely remember this!)

We've got a road trip planned for the weekend.  I'm hoping the weather isn't going to poo poo our plans.

What do you guys have planned for the weekend?

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Goin' Deep to...

It's Thursday...the day I've been dreading since last Thursday when my new massage therapist informed me that this week she would go deep tissue on me.  Uh, so all of that pain and bruising wasn't from deep tissue massage??  FML.

Oh, I didn't tell you about that, did I?  Well, I really like her.  She's chatty, funny and seems to really enjoy her job.  We were gabbing away as she was working on my right leg (not the problem leg but has problems of it's own) and then she moved on to the left leg.  When someone stops in the middle of a conversation, gets quiet and then says "oh my God" under her breath, you know it's bad.  It was confirmed when she said "this is bad."  Yep.  Something tells me I'm going to be a comparison story for both the doc and the massage lady because they both do everything but pose for a selfie beside the massive volcano of flesh that is the demon knot in my calf.

I went to the chiro Monday and he recoiled slightly at how bad my bruise was from my massage but I've been diligently dry brushing and kneading it with my shiatsu massager to reduce it so it should be totally cleared up today just in time for her to bust a vein for this week.  The difference is I reminded the doc that he wanted to laser me the day after my next massage so I'll go back to laser the pain away tomorrow morning.

My morning routine to get out of bed now takes like 15-20 minutes.

1)  Determine how spasm-y and tight my legs are.
2)  Bargain with God for 3-10 minutes.
3)  Roll arches and tendon attachment on the bottom of the foot with super hard spiky massage ball. (affiliate link) 
4)  Roll arches over hard tennis ball until tendons snap into place.
5)  Dry brush from the ankles up the legs with natural bristle brush  (affiliate link) to get the blood circulating to trouble spots.  (Really helped heal the bruise!)
6)  Use jade slab (affiliate link) to dig into arches and bicep tendon if I slept on it wrong.
7)  Walk and listen to ankles crack on the way to the bathroom.

It makes me feel so young.  It makes me feel like there are songs to be sung!  I believe the song is "When I'm 44?"  Oh...when I'm 64!  Got it.  Even if I feel 25 years older.

I'm trying to be patient.  I told him the bottom of my foot throbbed over the weekend, the spot that was the original problem child.  We could actually FEEL the tendons click as he released them on my calf.  He was like "oh...I saw that one!"  I said "I felt that one!"  He was nice but was kind of like "yeah, so if something feels remotely off, don't assume you're going through an adjustment period, get in here and let's laser it and head it off at the pass."  Sigh...I don't think I could barely get out of bed due to the depression at that time but I bet if I knew this crap was waiting on me I would've!  Live and learn, dope.

So around 9am EDT, pray for me.  :-)

What's your get out of bed routine?

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Movie night and no love for the Mr

Happy Wednesday all!

It was a pretty low key Tuesday.  Actually, super low key.  I can barely recall much that would put a tingle in yer jingle.  We watched American Ninja Warrior off the DVR and all either of us can see now are blown Achilles on the warped wall.  Thanks Dr. B!   It is inspiring but I just can't imagine putting my body through that.  Though I'd assume someone on there would look at what I've put my body through and say they can't imagine doing that either, to which I'd have to answer "touche."

We did at an home circuit with some booty shakin' and then had dinner.

Yes, that's chili in 90 degree heat but since I make it a practice not to go outside, we're not really affected by it much in our indoor igloo.

We did rent the movie Criminal (affiliate link) with Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones.  I have to say it was pretty darn good but a little violent for my liking in the beginning.  But it got much less so as it went on and I rather liked Costner in this role sans the grunting.  The little girl?  OMG, so adorable.  Ryan Reynolds must like the whole mind transfer stuff since he was in this and Self/less.  (affiliate link)  We were both happy to see Colin Salmon from Limitless in there too for a short stint.  Worth a rent, I'd say if you like action packed movies.  If you don't like violence, you'll know when to look away, at least there weren't any surprises on that front.

Then it was a quick trip to the recycle bins, to return the movie and the post office to mail a special lady's birfday gift.  Since we got tired of hearing the same pop songs on Music Choice, we've been listening mostly to ambient and old school jazz most of the day.  I wanted to listen to some of the pop songs I had the Mr download while we were out last night and when we got in the car, he had his old band's album on.  I said "feeling nostaglic?" as I searched for the playlist he made of my pop stuff.  When I found it, the first song started..."Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber.  (*hangs head in shame*)  He yelled "you seriously turned off my band for Justin Bieber!?!?!?!?  Do you even love me at ALL!?!?!"  I cracked up and turned it to "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor.  Hey bub, I didn't pick the song but YOU SIR are the one that made the order so you must secretly want to hear Justin's breathy vocal stylings first...closet Belieber.

Rent any good movies lately?  Any current guilty pleasure songs?

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Food Review: Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter & Sage

After seeing this in the freezer section for quite a while, I decided to finally throw it in the cart the other day.  Last night was time to give it a try.

Here's the blurry nutritional info.

and the cooking instructions.

I decided to go saucepan route since I thought the microwave might make it mushy.  Here it is fresh outta da bag.

I added 3 tbsp of water total and here's how it came together.

The finished product.

I made it with BBQ shrimp and green beans.

The verdict?

Holy schnikes!!  It was absolutely wonderful!  It had a nice subtle flavor and totally filling.  I don't know that I'd really say I could identify it as sweet potato though but that doesn't matter.  The Mr agreed we should get it again.  I would suggest pairing it with something like shrimp with a punch of flavor because of how subtle the dish is on it's own.

Linked up with French Country Cottage

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Props, YouTube torture and thanks past me

Happy Monday all!

I know Instagramer's saw it but wanted to make sure the Mr got his props here as well.  He got me some pretty flowers Thursday...

Note the rubber bands still left on in the water.  Cracks me up.

Did you all survive and not catch fire when you went outside this weekend?  I swear there was a moment walking into Hobby Lobby that I thought my left arm was going to ignite going from the car to the store.  That's how I knew it was time to reapply sunscreen when we got back in the car.

I'd love to say we had an excitement filled weekend but we didn't.

Friday the cable company was out for the second time in two weeks and the idiot reran our line to the wrong house and had to redo it.  What should've been a 30 minute visit was 2 hours.  Stooge.  We did this new to us strength video with bands that night and I must say, I think this will be perfect for vacations and maintaining our strength.  This whole ordeal has just shown that no matter how exhausted we are by the days activities that we need to do at least 30 minutes of our usual routines or our bodies are going to seriously revolt on us.

I made a mental note that I needed to make a test batch of noodles soon but I only got as far as filming Grandma making the noodle dough, I didn't go back and film her rolling them out and cutting them I don't think.  Why didn't I do that?  Sigh.  So I was looking at recipes online for homemade noodles and I started bawling.  My heart ached for her so badly.  It sucks to know she's just up the street and doesn't know me or what the hell noodles are.  F**king dementia.

We tried a new burger place Saturday and it was decent.  A little salty for my palate but the Mr loved his burger.  I'm going to give them one more shot in the future, maybe in another month so they can hopefully get the kinks worked out.  We drove around town a bit but it was just too friggin' hot to do anything outside.  We stopped by one of the groceries downtown that was having a sale on ahi so I got four fillets to the Mr's delight.  He knows I do good stuff with 'em.  It was so funny because when we walked away from the butcher he said "I wanted to tell him, you don't even KNOW how good these are going to be!"  So I guess I know what I'll be making this week at least one night!   I also saw a good sale on Pacifica eye makeup so I had to grab it!

(After reading the name of the palette, I had "Shake Ya Ass" by Mystikal in my head)

Saturday night, I kept watching YouTube vids of Grandma's baking.  I ran across Nana's Cookery and she's such a sweetie.  I sat there teary eyed and weeping watching her recipes or watching some other twenty-something going through her nana's bag for a video and she was so cute and funny.  These people have no idea how lucky they are to be able to film them.  To share a laugh with them.  For them to know their names.  Thank you to those on Facebook who said such nice things while I was in the middle of watching those...torturing myself.

Sunday, the Mr had to work from home.  He said it was 2 hours but I knew better.  It's never the amount of time allotted so two became six.  Yes, SIX.  So there went any part of our day.  We still had the last of groceries and a workout to do.  Ugh.  We did a Fitness Blender upper body strength workout and we were both toast.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank past me for Food Saving (a verb (affiliate link) ) this meal a month ago.  I set that bad boy on delayed start and when we came up the corn was almost done, I warmed up the chicken in the oven and microwaved the baked beans.  In 10 minutes, we were eating deliciousness.

I need to plan the menu for the week and get on some projects.

What did you guys get into this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #29

Good Friday mornin' all!

I had my massage yesterday.  Holy ball sack!  She didn't even do deep tissue apparently.  I have never been so sore in my life!  I've got two more sessions with her and she said between that and the chiro, it should be good to go within 2 weeks.  I'll hold my applause until after next week.  I am officially scared though I do like her so I guess there's that.

But enough of my sore spots, let's get to...

I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Losing a Lot of Weight  (Very interesting perspective)

8 Habits of Highly Fit People  (All good tips!)

8 Foods That Repair A Day of Unhealthy Eating  (Love most of these!)

Surprise Diet Sabotage?: A Closer Look at Almond Milk  (Rut roh!)

4 Exercises to Rev Your Metabolism As You Get Older  (Sigh, makes me sad I'm reading this crap)

12 Ways to Make Water Taste (Much) Better  (I like anything that makes water more palatable!)

Why Your Random Eating Schedule Could Be Risky for Your Health  (Hmmm)

3 Reasons You Shouldn't Be Discouraged by the Biggest Loser Study  (All excellent points)

"Fit" Women Are More At Risk for This Type of Heart Attack  (Good to know)

The Best Places to See Fall Foliage in New Hampshire   (Yes, I'm ready!)

Paget Brewster To Return As Emily Prentiss On Criminal Minds  (I'll take what I can get!)

The Last VCRs Ever Will Be Made This Month  :-(

30 Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Recipes to Get You Pumped for Fall  (Again...READY.)

It's supposed to be disgustingly hot this weekend.  I was really hoping to go for a paddle tomorrow but I don't think that's going to happen.  We've got plans the following weekend so who knows when that'll happen now.  Pfft.

What are you guys up to this weekend?

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And just like that...

You're back on the injured list.

http://www.colorluna.com/

I was pulled from doing any kind of leg day shenanigans for the foreseeable future.  The chiro said my Achilles tendon is sending me warning shots and if I don't back off, I'm going to rupture it and that's not part of my to do list.  He told me how he treats some people who have done American Ninja Warrior and the one that blows the most Achilles is the warped wall.  You have that hyper-extension of the Achilles on the curve and BOOM!  He didn't say I couldn't do regular cardio but I'm going to be super choosy since he said any repetitive motion leg moves would not be in my best interest right now so probably Walk Away the Pounds and more strength than I can shake a stick at for at least the next week.  When I first went in, he asked how I was doing since the last visit and I said

"you ever seen Dream Warriors?  Nightmare on Elm Street?"
Thinks for a moment and smiles and says "yeah."
"You know that marionette scene?" I reply.  (DO NOT watch that link if you're squeamish!)
"Oh...yeah.  Well we don't want you living in a nightmare!"

He cleared me for today's deep tissue massage with their lady who specializes in it and giggled when I said the other lady didn't dig hard enough for my liking.  "Oh well you won't have that problem with Tonya" he smiled.  Just 10 minutes prior, a guy in the lobby said massages with her were "torture."  Yay?  But I want this feeling of everything lifting upward to go away and I think my IT bands need released in a major way and he doesn't do that kind of thing.  He said she's going to love digging into all of the knots I have.  The Mr shook his head and said I have a high tolerance for pain because sometimes he does it and I cry but tell him to keep going.  I can see past the current pain to the impending relief.  The chiro said this could give a nice push toward healing too and I'm all over that shizz!

We did an upper body Fitness Blender strength session and while I couldn't do duck walk PT, I could do my forward leans so I did what I could handle.  No balance board for me until the tendon stops pulling.  I shot backward twice the other night and it was like being shot with a BB gun in the back of the leg.  Aces.  Dinner was mahi tacos and Brussels before icing the offending foot and getting to work on some other stuff.

Patience isn't my strong suit but I know I have to be super careful and do everything he says.  When a doctor calls one of your legs a mess, you know you'd better follow orders to get it right again.  I scheduled my next appointment for Monday and I want to try to sneak in another that Friday.

Well, I suppose I should go mentally prepare for this deep tissue thing.  I'm hoping for some serious relief but I'm also thinking I'll be sore until, oh...Monday!

Have you had a deep tissue massage?  Any fun injuries to share?

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Heal already and still miss him

Good Wednesday to ya's!

When you type out the word Wednesday, do you say Wed-Nes-Day in your head so that you type it out the way it's spelled?  Just me?

Movin' on.

My legs were quite angry with me for the previous night's workout.  I told them go eff themselves in the form of my Stick roller.  I've got my chiro appointment today at 4:15pm and made one for the Mr right after me.  He needs a hit of the laser for his shoulder and heinous plantar fasciitis.  Of course he also needs to do more than randomly roll it over a squishy spiky ball on occasion but I ain't his mama.  I gots mah own foot issues to take care of.  Tomorrow I have an appointment with a different lady at the chiro for a deep tissue massage.  The one that's there most often is kind of wussy on the pressure and doesn't always spend time on the places you tell her to.  Sorry, I wasted money on two sessions with you, not going to do it again.  The other girl specializes in deep tissue massage and sports injuries so I'm hoping she will release the krackens lurking in my legs.

I got on a Christmas craft yesterday and got it mostly shot so now I just need to edit, write it up and do one more this week.  I am trying to do two December posts per week so that in two months I will have it covered.  It does start to seem weird doing Christmas crafts when temps are tippin' towards triple digits and you don't go outside for fear you'll spontaneously combust.  Dreaming of snow keeps me cool...and lots of A/C.

We did Turbo Fire 45 and my heels were not happy with me in the least when I was done.  I tried to do my balance board but any time my heels dipped low in the back, stretching the Achilles tendon, it felt like it was going to snap on the left side.  I know I've only had one treatment but when you're waiting for everything to heal up and still trying to get on with life/exercise, patience is not my strong suit.  We had BBQ chicken black bean quesadilla and Brussels for dinner and we needed to go to Trader Joe's but it hurt for me to even bend down halfway to unload the dishwasher.  The Mr was kind enough to load the dishes and go to TJ's for me to get my yogurt for the week that we forgot over the weekend.  My hero!

We settled in for the night and watched The Crow.  My god, what an amazing movie.  I always get so sad thinking of the immense talent that was Brandon Lee being lost in that film.  So much of his personality is in that character in the sweet, tender moments.  I can't watch it often because I get too emotional just like the day I saw it opening weekend but when I do, it always makes me miss a man I never even met.

Do you have any demon kracken you need released?  What movie still moves you as much as the first time you saw it?

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I've got mail

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  I planned on doing a holiday photo shoot but we awoke to storms all morning and then overcast skies so the light wasn't going to cooperate.  So I did what any woman obsessed with a band just over a decade her junior would do and blasted The 1975 (affiliate link)  most of the day.  I was happy to find Amazon streams the deluxe version of the first album which includes the original EP's. 

After work, the Mr dropped off a return for me and then took both cars up the street to get the oil changed.  (Reminder for those of you putting it off!  ;-)  )  So that's another thing off the check list.  

He also dropped off the mail that arrived for me.  I got not one but two cards from friends for no reason at all!  That really gave me the warm squishies inside.  It's funny but seeing the handwriting from the one from the guy instantly brought back good memories because it reminded me of postcards he used to send me when I was away for the summer or silly letters when I was in high school.  Cards are rare from him these days so I definitely make sure I keep them!  The funny thing is I sent out a card for no reason to the girl I got one from yesterday!  Great minds think alike!

It was time to get down to business.  We did a Fitness Blender barre workout and I was very careful when I was doing it because it's very leg centric.  I also got some pulsating demon knot that acted up right before we started so I rolled it and hoped for the best.  Hopefully I'm not paying for it today...the Mr was a few hours afterward.  We had dinner...

Mahi with orange zest, spinach carrot polenta and grilled zucchini.

Then we watched The Sweetest Thing (Unrated Edition of course!)  (affiliate link) because I was in the mood to laugh.  That one always does it for me for some reason.  I guess I just like to see ladies being the crude ones and I know every word to the Penis Song...which I sang.

I iced mah foot and mounted some Christmas pictures I printed out since I got my pack of 10 mats in the mail.  I told you...I'm getting a jump on it and yes, I'm listening to Christmas music.  Hee hee   We rounded off the evening with Christmas bowl of smoking bishop...err, coconut mac nut tea.

When was the last time you sent or received a card for the heck of it?

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Mac Fail, Party Triumph

Happy Monday all!

I hope you had a good weekend.  Well, our road trip to paddle didn't happen because my legs have gone screwy on me.  I jokingly told the Mr that the influx of TTS emails/messages I've been getting lately feel like God trying to smack me around.  Unfortunately, that smack came too late and last Thursday I had nerve issues which I haven't had since I had TTS as well as a horrible tugging pain on the back of my heel where a spur is.  I got in the next day to the chiro and came in with my list of things I felt contributed to this condition.  He said everything I mentioned along with being crammed in coach on the way home for basically an entire workday were the perfect storm to really do some serious damage to my legs.  He dug into my legs front and back and lasered me front and back.  All I want is for that nerve pain to go away (which it has dissipated thankfully) and that horrible pain in my heel to take a hike.  So the Mr was adamant we recover this weekend over paddling and putting more pressure on either of our aching feet.  Womp womp.

One of the things on our culinary bucket list was to try those cringeworthy Mac and Cheetos.

It looked nothing like the ads (nothing ever does) and we both took a single bite and threw them out.  That was about what we thought we'd do but yeah...not on our list of favorites.  Sorry BK.

We stopped by Hobby Lobby and I was not sad to see this....

Unfortunately no sales where that stuff was concerned but I'll bide my time.

We also saw these...

What exactly makes these "80's Glam?"  No one knows which is why they're half price.

Sunday we went to a birthday party and my adult coloring book (affiliate link) went over well.  People saved the last 10-15 minutes to share drama...tappin' out.  I don't know what kind of reaction people think I'm going to give to things I've told them I seriously don't care about but they saw that I mean it...don't care.  Other people's issues are other people's...I have no interest and I'm glad I no longer get baited into those conversations.  Hurray for indifference!!  On a sad note, a family member who had been doing so well with weight loss for so long has gained most of the weight back.  It makes me so sad because they really worked hard and they lost the weight at a time when they had to be strong food wise because there weren't good choices in the house then.  We skipped dessert because frankly, it didn't look good so I didn't feel remotely tempted.  I just said a little prayer they get themselves in order because they've proven they can.

Thankfully we got our Tae Bo workout in in the morning before brunch and our party visit so when we got home, we didn't have anything to do.  I sat down and planned meals for the week after getting back from the grocery store while the Mr read a book.

What did you guys do this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #28

I am so ready for the weekend.  Don't know why but, you know...weekend.

Let's jump right into...

10 Myths About Grains -- Totally Busted  (Like, totally)

4 Simple Ways to Prevent a Side Stitch  (That's what that's called?  I always called it "pulling a fat roll!")

Does the Sound of Chewing Piss You Off? Here's Why  ( I wouldn't say it pisses me off more than makes me ragey when my hearing goes supersonic the week before Aunt Flo.  I swear I can hear a flea fart that week.)

9 Things You Need To Know About Varicose And Spider Veins  (Cannot wait to get those bastards lasered.  Thanks a lot paternal genetics and morbid obesity!)

Estrogen Patch in Newly Postmenopausal Women May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk  (Attention to those five to 36 months into menopause!!  Might be something to call your gynie about!)

8 Surprising Things Giving You a Headache  (Well, I'll be a monkey's aunt!)

10 Dusting Hacks That Will Make Your Home Sparkle  (I'm SO doing that blind/tong thing!)

13 Healthy Snacks to Pack for Your Next Road Trip  (Um, where is candy corn??  I mean hello...corn!)

This is How Many Calories You Actually Burn at Your Standing Desk  (This just reminded me I have a standing desk...in the basement...in a box...covered in dust.  9 calorie an hour fail)

You Asked, We Answered: Why The Olde Pink House is Pink  (That's too funny.  Now I want their seared scallops and biscuits)

Six Truly Iconic American Road Trips  (Cool to know we've done half of them!)

For the Record (PREACH IT GIRL!)

Leslie Jones Turns Heads in Red Gown at Ghostbusters Premiere After Designer Ordeal   (I seriously cried when I saw her.  She looks BEAUTIFUL and of all of the stars, she was by far the best dressed.  Go Leslie!)

19 Pictures That Will Make You Say ‘Me As A Wife’  (13 and 15)

I don't know that we have concrete plans yet for the weekend.  Aunt Flo is here and there's probably going to be chocolate involved.  I thought about a paddling road trip before the heat of the day sets in. But I somehow always end up with a wet butt when I paddle and since cotton rockets are not something I ride, a saggy raft in drawers doesn't sound too appealing either.  But I kind of still want to do it.  I believe that just went into the TMI category.  Eh...nothing you long timers probably haven't read before.  To newcomers...welcome to my brain.

What are y'all into this weekend?

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Grilled Honey Chipotle Zucchini

Just a quickie recipe for you guys today.  When we were in the country last weekend, we stopped by this farmers market that had massive zucchinis.  I'm talking these things would give Tommy Lee goals if you know what I'm sayin'.  They were 3 for $1 and I am now swimming in salami sized zukes I must use soon.  I got a start on that task last night...

I grabbed some of my Big Island Bees Chipotle Pepper Honey but Beekman 1802 also sells a similar flavor with a bit more punch depending on your spice level.  Look how that zuke takes up 3/4 of the cutting board!

I sliced off the ends and cut it lengthwise.

Then I cut those halves in slices.

I was prepping for later so I bagged 'em but you could just skip this step if you're getting right to business.

I gave a nice squirt of canola oil to the skillet.  (I use Target's canola oil that doesn't have propellants in it.  So far, so good)

I put it on medium high and added the zucchini and some fresh black pepper.

I like 'em to get that nice little crust on either side.

Now you could totally stop here and be done if you wanted to.

I didn't wanna.  So I added about 1 tablespoon of the chipotle honey.

I gave it a nice toss and it was ready to serve.

We had it with turkey tacos and I added the pinchiest pinch of salt at the end since salt draws out water.

Basically any calories comes from the honey so this side dish clocks in at about 35 calories!

Do you grow zucchini?  How do you like to prepare yours?

Linked up with French Country Cottage, 

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Hey good lookin'

Whatcha got cookin'?

My mom used to sing that to me for some reason when I was a kid.  I do love to cook but I've always loved to get inspired by what others cook.  When we come back from vacations, I like to try to recreate some of our favorite dishes and if I'm able to, make them healthier.  I've also liked the idea of taking a cooking class.

(via Sur La Table.com)

I always see a calendar if we happen to be at a Sur La Table but I'm too cheap to pay $150 (give or take) for the two of us to go.  I'm trying to talk myself into it some time but looking for the right class.

Here are some that look fun.  (All class descriptions from Sur La Table's website)

Date Night: Summer in Nantucket

Menu: Crab Cakes with Old Bay Aioli - New England Lemon-Shallot Crusted Cod - Summer House Salad - Crustless Blueberry Pie

Class Description:  Try a new twist on date night—join us for this fun, hands-on class featuring incredible flavors from the New England island of Nantucket. Our instructor will walk you through the steps for creating traditional seafood favorites, including techniques for breading fish and pan frying crab cakes. You’ll love working alongside your date and other couples honing knife skills as you create a classic summer salad. Plus, we’ll show you how to make aioli from scratch and satisfy your sweet tooth with a fruity dessert.

(I think that would totally remind me of our trip to New England!)

French Macaron Workshop

Menu: Green Tea Macaron with Chocolate Ganache - Lemon Macarons with Poppy Seed Buttercream

Class Description:  Talk about love at first bite! From the moment a macaron's crisp meringue crunch gives way to a smooth, delectable filling, you may forget all other cookies exist. These colorful French confections can be tricky to make, but after you master techniques form meringue making to macaronage, you'll love creating your own macarons at home. Our instructor will share secrets for incorporating food colors, piping with precision and even achieving the perfect pied (foot). We'll celebrate summer by creating a delightfully fruity macaron with buttercream filling along with a fancy take on a traditional campfire favorite. When you present these scrumptious and spectacular treats to friends and family, they're sure to say "Ooh la la!"

(I have always wanted to learn how to make them but have been intimidated by getting the foot correct and all of that fun stuff.)

Croissant Workshop

Menu: Croissant Dough - Classic Croissant - Parisian Ham and Cheese Croissants - Morning Buns (Croissant Dough Rolled with Cinnamon and Sugar)

Class Description: Who can resist a flaky, buttery fresh-baked croissant? Not us, that's for sure! Join us for this 3-hour intensive workshop and learn the surprisingly simple techniques for making the quintessential French treat. Our instructor will walk you through all the steps—from mixing the dough and preparing the butter block to the turning and folding process. You'll enjoy working alongside classmates learning to shape dough and crafting three varieties of croissants, including classic, sweet and savory.

(Just ONCE in my life I'd love to bake something that beautiful!)

Homemade Ravioli Workshop

Menu: Basic Pasta Dough - Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Tomato-Pancetta Sauce - Gorgonzola Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce

Class Description:  If you love fresh ravioli but think you could never make it yourself, this class will change your mind. Our instructor demystifies the process, sharing secrets for making perfect pasta dough every time. We’ll walk you step by step through ravioli making—from rolling and cutting dough to filling and cooking ravioli. You’ll enjoy working alongside other students learning to transform seasonal ingredients into some of the best fillings you’ve ever tasted. Plus, we’ll show you how to prepare two amazing sauces to complement your homemade ravioli.

(Ever since having the amazing pimiento cheese ravioli at Poogan's Porch in Charleston, I've wanted to learn how to make ravioli from scratch.)

I'll have to bite the bullet sometime and actually book a class for the Mr and I when the schedule allows.  We see their date nights set up and it looks fun and the store always smells amazing after they're done.  Plus I think you get a 10% off coupon to spend that night should you be inspired to take home that skillet you used in class.  LOL

Have you ever taken a cooking class?  What cuisine would you like to learn to make?

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Productive Monday

It was a productive Monday for me.  I started working on some Christmas projects.  

Yeah, you read that right.  I have vowed that December is going to be as stress free as possible so I'm getting a jump on stuff and checking them off of my mental to do list.  My goal is to only have to blog the link posts every Friday.  Fingers crossed, I hope you guys like the projects!  Honestly, I was surprised I could lift my arms to craft because Sunday night's paddle really put the smack down on both of us.  

My shoulder definitely popped out of joint and short of going Riggs on it, I'll just have to hope it works itself out.  Our workout was an upper body bicep/tricep strength session.  I am back to pre-vacation dumbbell weights so I'm happy about that.  

I wish I'd done some prep earlier in the day but I didn't so I had to do a goodly amount of work for dinner...spinach stuffed shells.

After dinner, the Mr played some video games and we caught up on some taped HGTV shows while I did some work.

I know...mind blowing read, isn't it?  Sorry.  :-\

Oops and then I forgot to hit post last night so it's late to boot!  LOL


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Scenes from the bucolic weekend

I think I mentioned that I needed a friggin' getaway this weekend or my brain was going to be toast.  I needed to escape to the country.

And that's just what we did.

I needed to be around and pet animals that were stinky with shiny coats and see new animal families.

I needed to hold puppies with sweet smelling fur.

Ewok!

I needed to relive my childhood a bit.

I needed to ponder Christmas and the awesome captured in this bundle o' merriment...

I needed to let my dirty mind kick in while looking at totally non dirty things.

I needed to take pics of crafts I'd never sit down to do but totally thought of a friend when I took it.

(I'll know whether or not she emails me with a "was that wreath for me?" if  I was right or not.)

We needed to refuel at the grocery stores.

My thoughts exactly, Trader Joe.

And I needed a calm, sunset paddle to get ready for the new week.

What did you guys do this weekend?

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