Wednesday already??

I don't know where the time goes. It was just Saturday!!

Speaking of Saturday, this was it for the most part.

It rained off & on all day. I was reading Revenge Wears Prada. I really enjoyed it. We did venture out Saturday evening for dinner at Caliente.

Sunday was the big 9 mile run. I did it! The last mile was so hard. Last week I ran Tuesday, Friday & Sunday. I think I do better when I have my long run on Sunday to run on Thursday & not Friday. Although it was hard I was pleased with my time. I'd set a goal for myself. I was hoping to finish in 1:40. My time was 1:39:53. I made it, barely, but I made it. HA! Still so hard for me to believe that I can run that long without stopping.  I went straight here when I finished

  It's so quiet & peaceful on Sunday mornings. After resting a few minutes I swam 30 laps. The water always makes my legs feel better.

I met my friend Vicki for brunch at Chimes.
Really good! Poached eggs on top of crab cakes, jalapeno cheese grits & hash browns. There may have been a stop at Yogurtland for dessert. I did run 9 miles!

I finally found a spaghetti squash at the fruit stand. I had plans to cook it last night & was going to do it in the oven. Well, there was a sticker on it with microwave instructions. It takes much less time so I tried it.
So glad I went that route because it worked perfectly.
It was super easy too. The hardest part was actually cutting it in half. Dean had to do it for me. This was the first time I tried it & I really, really liked it. I put spaghetti sauce on it. I hope the fruit stand doesn't stop selling them because I'd like it to be a staple in my house. Is there a spaghetti squash season??

I haven't made it to Yoglates this week. I was planning to go this morning but I was tired. I did weights Monday. Tuesday morning I ran 5 miles & did weights when I got home from work. I have another 5 miler tomorrow before the big 10 miler Sunday. YIKES!

The countdown to my last day at the paper is down to 5 1/2 days. Very surreal & hard to believe. I'm looking forward to my short work week next week & having some down time. I want to start my new job well rested, refreshed & ready to learn.

Toodles!

Sad

This morning I got up early to run. On Sundays I have my long run so I like to eat a little something before I go. I sat down to eat & I checked Facebook. You know, the normal routine. This was the first thing I saw.



My heart sank. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Dramatic? Maybe, but it was how I felt. I listened to Kidd's radio show every morning for YEARS!! Over
10 yrs. for sure. The way the cast opened up & shared their lives on the show made them seem like friends. We've been through marriages, divorces & babies with them. So very sad. Some of you may listen to him too. His show was live from Dallas but syndicated all over the country.

I've read a lot of things & apparently he died from a brain aneurysm. He was in Gretna, LA at a charity golf tournament. That's only about 60 miles from me. Gretna is not far from New Orleans. That made it seem even weirder.

I pray for his family, friends & the rest of the cast of his show. He'll be missed.

Friday randoms!

I think I mentioned awhile back that I was going to try eating local honey everyday to see if my sinuses & allergies would get better. Supposedly, it helps. Who knows. I ran out of the first little thing of honey I bought so I stopped at the hardware store to see if they had a bigger container. The store close to me doesn't sell it but they gave me the name of a beekeeper that does. I called him, he told me where he lived & off I went. Looking back I realize this wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. Going by yourself to a strange man's house is not something you should do. I guess I didn't think anything of it because the hardware store is family owned & they said he comes in all the time. Of course that's what the neighbors always say about the serial killers too right? I guess once I got there it was even less smart to go in the house but he invited me in so I went. Not to worry I'm still alive & in one piece.
I stocked up! These jars are pretty big. I really like the honey. I put it in my coffee or on my english muffin with peanut butter.

Yesterday one of the girls I work with was out on the road & she brought me back a treat!
That, my friends, is a Dr. Pepper! Soooo sooo good! It's something about a styrofoam cup & crushed ice.

The whole new job thing is getting real!
Human Resources sent me this today. Kinda crazy. The whole situation is very surreal. I guess 17+ years at the same place will do that to you.

Tonight we're going to dinner with friends. We're celebrating a couple of birthdays & my new job. Believe it or not we're not going to Caliente! Although, we'll probably end up there tomorrow night.

Speaking of the new job, we were planning some sort of trip in October for my 40th birthday & our 10 year anniversary. Because of the new job & my lack of vacation time, that won't happen & I'm a little bummed but I know the job is more important. I'm thinking a REALLY nice gift will make up for no trip!!

The only workouts I've done this week are my 2 runs & 2 weight workouts. With so much going on interviewing, being hired & resigning I didn't get a lot of sleep so Yoglates was kicked to the curb for the week.  My 2 runs this week were 5 miles each again. Sunday I have a 9 miler on the schedule. I hope the dew point cooperates like this morning!!!

Toodles!

News

So, today was the day I didn't think would get here for another 8 or 9 years. After 17 1/2 years with the paper I resigned. YAY! I do have another job so it's not the jumping up & down screaming yay that it would be if I was "retiring" but yay nonetheless. I'm excited about the new opportunity. I'll be working at a CPA Firm & as an Assistant to one of the partners. It feels weird. I started working at the paper when I was barely 22. I've been around for a lot of changes, good & bad. It's no secret that I haven't been happy the last several months. Well, more like the last year but really who's counting? It's also no secret that the newspaper industry is dying. There's no telling what the future holds but it's become increasingly clear that our new owners have a different agenda & it's just not something I want to be a part of. I will miss some (haha) of the people that I work with. Others? Not so much!

The new position will be different. I'll go from a company of 400+ to a company of 20. I'll be reporting to one person as opposed to multiple people. I'll learn a lot of new things. My hours will be a little different, 8:00-5:00 rather than 7:30-4:30. I think that will end up being a good thing. I still have time to run before work. Seriously, back to the aliens invading my body. Never ever thought I'd be talking about running before work but I digress. Friday's in the "off season" (not tax time) we work 8:00-2:00. LOVE THAT! There are lots of great benefits & more holidays that I get now. I won't have as much vacation time as I have in my current job but that's ok. Nothing's perfect right?

I'm looking forward to the weekend. It's only Wednesday & the week has been crazy. Interview on Monday, 2nd interview & job offer on Tuesday, acceptance & resignation on Wednesday! I need a breather. I woke up at 2:00 this morning & I was just awake enough to remember what was going on & my mind was racing. There's so much to do. Not to mention I had a bad case of nerves knowing I had to talk to my boss today. Thankfully, everyone has been supportive. I expected as much but I'm a worrier.

See, I told y'all Monday there would be more exciting things to blog about eventually. I just didn't know how close eventually was!!

Toodles!

Food!

Imagine that, a post about food on a Monday. I know it's surprising. Yes, that's sarcasm. One day life will get exciting again & I'll have something more to blog about.

Have y'all ever had this candy?

I thought Hershey's chocolate was the best. This stuff blows it out of the water. One of the guys I work with gave  me some different flavors for Administrative Professionals Day. I had the sea salt & something or other. Maybe caramel? It was good but I love regular chocolate & almond. It's so good! The fact that it's so good makes this little feat even more impressive - I opened it about a month ago & I haven't finished it yet! I just eat a couple of squares when I want chocolate. It's like 20 calories per square. I highly suggest you buy some if you're a fan of chocolate! Or maybe not if you're a fan of being thin.

Friday night we had our usual dinner at Caliente but it was just Dean & I. The rest of our crew was out of town. I didn't take any pictures because by now you've seen all the food that I get there. I went with fish tacos. Trying to be a little healthy but then I go & ruin it. Instead of getting the grilled veggies & other rice that comes with the tacos, I got fried rice or whatever they call the brown Mexican rice & refried beans. 5 years ago if you would've told me I'd be eating that stuff weekly I would've laughed in your face.

Saturday we woke up bright & early to bring my car to get the oil changed & tires rotated. Such fun. Throw a Sam's trip in where we didn't buy anything that we didn't need & it was just a barrel of laughs. Next up I was yard girl pulling weeds while Dean played pool boy & vacuumed out the pool. It was hot & humid! Yeh, I know, it's July in South Louisiana. I pulled weeds in the front yard & the back yard. When I had the whole vision of a tropical paradise, I neglected to envision all the weeds that we would have to contend with. Seriously, I think I could go outside every single day & pull weeds. Did I mention it was hot? When I was finished I was just as tired as last week when I had my 8 mile run. I called it a day after all the weed pulling & got in the pool & swam some laps. It was a rest day as far as running was concerned but I'm trying to get these arms into shape.

Saturday afternoon we went to pick up my car & the plan was to go to Mass. Well, when we got to Mass the A/C was broken. Um, yeh, remember how I mentioned it was hot? We moved on to another Church. After Mass we went to dinner at a local place, Bistro Byronz. The last time we were there we saw the Blue Cheese chips after we'd ordered another appetizer & I vowed that the next time we were there we were trying them. The were sooooo goood!!!

The chips are homemade & they're topped with some sort of melted cheese & blue cheese crumbles. These are a must! For my entree I had the Creole Pasta. It was really good too.

Shrimp, spinach, grated cheese in a creamy sauce. DELISH!!!

Sunday I got up early, like 5:45 early to get my run in. It was crazy hot & humid. I'm so glad I was out early. This week I only had to do 6.2 miles. It was harder because it was so hot.

I was excited to see that I had all positive splits since it was so hot. My miles always start slow
& I get a little faster. I'm determined to have 1 mile under 10 minutes at some point. Hopefully, once it cools off I'll be faster. We'll see.

Burned a ton of calories. I managed to do well with my eating yesterday too.  Once I finished my run  I got in the pool & swam laps. Then I had to go to Walmart. Ugh. If we ever win the lottery I'll never set foot in another Walmart. That's a promise! I went with no makeup on & my hair was wet. I did put it in a ponytail & put a hat on so I wasn't total white trash. I expected to see 9,000 people I knew because of how I looked but I lucked out & didn't see anyone!

I love this cereal! Well, this is the first time I've tried this particular flavor because they were out of the one I normally buy. Another reason I hate Walmart...... Anyway, this stuff is good. It was dinner last night. Try it.

After a lovely nap I went & had my nails done & then treated myself to Yogurtland. I'm wondering if I can call it treating myself when I go at least once a week?

Toodles!

It's FRIDAY!!

So very excited that it's Friday!! The only thing that could be better was if it was 4:30 & I was walking out the door to go home.

We have no real plans this weekend. Unless of course you count bringing my car to have the tires rotated & oil changed & doing lots of stuff around the house like pressure washing, weed pulling & vacuuming the pool. I guess I should rephrase that. We have lots of not fun plans. Still better than being at work! Of course we'll go out to eat at some point. That's a given. Maybe I'll have time to fit in a visit to the nail salon & a trip to Yogurtland.

Speaking of Yogurtland, I can't remember if I mentioned how awesome the Carrot Cake flavor is. Y'all it's really good!! I went yesterday.  I got half carrot cake, half coconut with little cheesecake bites. REALLY GOOD!! In case you didn't know, the cheesecake bites are lower in calories than candy & they're so good.

Yesterday I ran 5 miles. Today I went to Yoglates. I figured something out today. Running has really helped me with Yoglates. I always thought it was the other way around & I think that's true to a certain extent but I can definitely tell that my stamina is better  & my core seems to be stronger. Today was the first time I went to Yoglates since last Friday. Before if I only went once a week it was really really hard. Not that it wasn't hard but I only skipped a couple of reps & I didn't feel like I was dying. Always a good thing. In fact, I really liked this weeks routine.  This weekend my long run is only 6.2 miles. I get a bit of a break. I'm excited about that.

I had my 6 month boob check yesterday. All is good. I really love my Doctor. The last time I was there we started talking about running & she pretty much convinced me that I could run a half marathon. Not long after I saw on Facebook there was a special & the registration fee for the half a local hospital sponsors was half price. I figured it must be a sign so I registered. Anyway, much to the chagrin of the FULL waiting room, she hung out with me for 25 minutes talking about running. She's training for her first full. Remember when I passed out at the Doctor's office last year? Yeh, same Doctor. She stayed with me the whole time then too checking my pulse & all that good stuff. I guess this means I can't ever get annoyed if I have to wait.

Is anyone watching Real Housewives? I really like OC. I've watched 3 or 4 of New Jersey, I'm done. It's just the same fight over & over & over. Speaking of TV, Giuliana & Bill are back. LOVE THEM!!! This is by far my favorite of the reality shows.

Have a great weekend!

Toodles!

Good thing I have a lot of hair!

One day last week this happened.
That would be a ponytail holder & some of my hair. Just in case you weren't sure! When I exercise I want no hair touching my face. A ponytail isn't sufficient. Have you ever hit yourself in the face with your sweaty wet pony? Not fun! Normally, I put my hair in a pony & then pull it not all the way through the holder so it's secure & basically it's in a messy knot/bun thingy. It's not pretty but it works like a charm. Until last week. When I was taking the pony down the holder was stuck in my hair. After spending forever trying to get it out I realized it wasn't going to happen & if I wanted to get to work sort of on time something needed to be done. I got out my handy dandy hair cutting scissors. Yes, I have a pair. I've been known to cut my own bangs in the past BUT I'm fully recovered & don't do that anymore. So, you can see there's a little knot in the band. I knew I just needed to get the scissors in there to loosen it up & my hair would be free. I didn't anticipate what happened next. These scissors are sharp. Even only using one side of the scissors. The next thing I know the band was out of my hair along with hair & my finger was bleeding. Apparently, when you use one side of the scissors they act as thinning shears. As it turns out that's a good thing because it didn't just make a straight across cut. I can't even figure out where the hair came from. I bandaged myself up & was good to go. This did cause me to wonder about something. If I cut myself or even get a paper cut I bleed like I've been stabbed with a machete. However, when I have blood drawn they can't find a vein & when they do blood doesn't come out. WTH??? 

I do believe I've finally found Greek yogurt that I LOVE!!! Apparently, Mango is my fruit. I have a hard time with fruit. I like some but none of it enough to eat regularly except maybe grapes. Bananas are ok but I don't like them on their own. I prefer them in smoothies. After having mango in my salad I decided that I liked it. When I saw the yogurt I decided to try it. SO GOOD!! I like it better than the pineapple.

Since we talked last I've ran another 5 miles. That was Tuesday. I also caught up on Real Housewives of Orange County when I got home from work yesterday & I did an arm weight workout while I watched. My legs were really tired after yesterday's run. I've ran 29 miles in the last 10 days. Not a lot for some but for me it is. Today would've normally been a Yoglates day but I really didn't think I could get through 100+squats. Instead I got up & did a 45 min. weight workout on my arms. I was able to watch the first episode of the new season of Guiliana & Bill while I worked out. I love them!! Back to running tomorrow!

Toodles!

Random Monday

I left work early Friday for a Doctor's appt. It didn't take long so I was home earlier than normal ready to get in the pool. I put on my suit walked outside & this started.
We've had a lot of rain lately. Luckily, it didn't last long. Our niece & nephew from Texas were visiting for the afternoon & Dean's little cousin.
They had a good time.
I enjoyed some wine.

Saturday we bought Dean a new truck.
It's really nice. Dean's truck was 9 yrs. old & it was just a basic truck with no extras. He normally gets me "the good car".  This one has all sorts of extras & a ton of room! I'm glad for once he got something good too.
That is the calories I burned on my 8 MILE RUN yesterday. The last half mile was tough but I did it. 1:32 was my time. Not great but I did it. I keep telling myself that. I rewarded myself with a nap. HA! Then my parents came over & we had lunch & floated around the pool. The floating was interrupted by rain. sigh.

As usual the weekend went by crazy fast. Today is a rest day so I had some extra time this morning. I went to the drive thru at Starbucks for a green tea. When I got to the window I was told my tea was free today because I'd been line longer than 5 mins. I've never heard of this but it was a great way to start a Monday!
Now if only the rest of the day goes as good as my morning I'll be a happy camper!!!

Toodles!

Friday!

Yoglates - how I started my Friday. Yes, my spot is all the way in the back!
My treat! It's even more awesome when it's delivered to your desk!

BTW, I succumbed to peer pressure & joined Instagram. Tracit1997 is how you can find me.

I saw this on someone's blog the other day but I don't remember whose it was. I thought it was interesting to see what other people do.

1. What did you eat for breakfast?
Multi grain English muffin with maple almond butter, a glass of unsweetened almond milk & a cup of French Vanilla coffee with honey, Truvia & sugar free vanilla non dairy creamer..

2. How much water do you drink a day?
A TON. I have a 64 oz. jug at work & I drink at least a full one while I'm at work everyday plus what I drink at home.

3. What is your current favorite workout?

Running. I feel like I'm really accomplishing something.

4. How many calories do you eat a day?
I'm not totally sure. Most days I think it's around 1500. That doesn't include weekends. My Caliente meal is probably that many calories by itself!

5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?
Kashi granola bars, Clif bars, grapes & cheese sticks

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?

During the week it's the same thing just about everyday. I make a wrap using an Ole tortilla (spinach & herb, whole wheat or tomato basil), a slice of low fat Sargento cheese & some sort of turkey. Sometimes I have lettuce & tomato on it, sometimes I throw in half an avocado. To go with it I have Special K Multi Grain Crackers & dill pill spears.

7. What is your favorite body part to
strength train?
I can't say I have a favorite. My thighs need the most work

8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?
My Core. I know it's important but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

9. What are your “bad” food cravings?
MEXICAN & fried seafood without a doubt. Although, I do like Italian too.

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?
Yes! I used to take GNC Active but they're HUGE & smell funny. I saw everyone talking about the VitaFusion gummy's so I tried them & love them. They don't smell funny, they taste good & they don't make me nauseous.

11. How often do you eat out?
Usually just on the weekends. Normal is twice a weekend I guess. Sometimes three times.

12. Do you eat fast food?
Sort of. I love Raising Canes but I don't eat it a lot. Love Chick fil A but I can't tell you the last time I ate there. I was very excited last week when it was announced Jimmy John's is opening next to Caliente! This is like 10 mins. from home & it's on my way home from work.

13. Who is your biggest supporter?

Without a doubt Dean. Poor thing always wakes me up to run or go to Yoglates. Which means he's waking up before he needs to.

14. Do you have a gym membership?
Not a gym but I do pay for Yoglates.

15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Not enough. I get at least 7 hours but for me that isn't enough. Never has been. I go to bed early & get up early. In other words I have the sleep habits of an 80 year old. There are nights that I'm asleep for 8:45.

16. Do you have a “cheat”day?
I guess my cheat days are Friday & Saturdays because that's when we eat out.

17. Do you drink alcohol?
Yep

18. Do you have a workout buddy?

No & it's not for lack of trying. My friends are who convinced me to try Yoglates because they were going. I think they lasted 6 months. 2.5 years later I'm still going. Different friends convinced me to do C25K when I didn't want to. I think my SIL is the only one still running.

19. What is the best thing that has
changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?
I have more energy, I feel better & for the first time in my life I'm sticking with something. I think I look better too.

20. What was the last healthy thing you did?

Went to Yoglates this morning!

Toodles!

Progress

There will be no pictures of food today!

Half Marathon training is really starting to get tough. Sunday I had a 7 mile run to tackle. I was scared. I did 6 the week before but for some reason 7 really scared me. Not to mention I was having sinus issues & couldn't breathe through my nose. That makes for a great run! Guess what? I did it. No walk breaks. 1:16 minutes. Last week I ran 6 miles in 1:10. Definitely progress. For the first time I actually feel like I might be able to run 13.1!!!

Check this out!
Yep, that's calories burned. I started my heart rate monitor when I started walking. I normally do a 5 minute warm up walk before I start running. I stopped it about 10 mins. after I finished my run. Considering the way I ate last weekend I needed this!

Monday was a much needed rest day. My legs were a tad sore. I thought about going to Yoglates but I figured after running 7 miles, 150 squats probably wouldn't be a smart move.

Tuesday it was time to run again. Normally, Tuesdays are Yoglates days but my favorite teacher is out for the month of July. I can't handle the crazy chick so I've switched my days around. Anyway, a 4.5 mile run was on the schedule. As usual during the week I was slow. 51:55 for 4.5 miles. I don't really care since I'm doing good with my long runs. I can't even believe I just typed that. Who would've ever thought 4.5 miles wasn't a long run for me???

This deserved a treat!! I had Yogurtland on my way home from work. I said I didn't have pictures but did you really think food wasn't going to come up at all? Apparently, during the summer there are special flavors each month. One of the flavors this month is Carrot Cake. We saw the commercial the other night. Dean made a face but I wasn't so sure that it would be awful. Guess what? It was DELICIOUS!! Well, if you like carrot cake, which I do. Now, I do draw the line with getting the grated carrots as a topping. Cheesecake bites & just a little pump of caramel are perfect. Next time I may even skip the cheesecake bites. This stuff doesn't need a topping. Once I finished my froyo I went for a swim. I don't understand how 5 degrees makes such a difference in water temp & how it gets that much warmer from Sunday to Tuesday. Sunday it was almost cold, yesterday almost hot. I swam laps so I got some arm work in. I wish I could wear my HRM in the pool. I'd love to know how many calories I'm burning. It definitely gets your heart rate up.

This morning I went to Yoglates. The holiday last week messed me up & I only went once. This teacher isn't crazy but she's pretty close to it. I'm sucking it up because she's the lesser of 2 evils. At least she wears shorts & a tank unlike crazy chick with her leggings, long sleeve shirt & sweatshirt. It's 90+ degrees people!! Looking at her makes me want to pass out. Today's teacher said this was one of the hardest routines she's ever done. GREAT! I almost didn't get out of bed this morning. Each Tuesday evening the teachers are taught the new routine for the week. It was hard. Really hard but the worst part of it was the preggo chick next to me probably kept up with it better than I did!! I skipped a few reps at different points when I thought I was about to die. sigh.
I wish I would've weighed before & after. I'm pretty sure I lost several pounds from the sweat.

Now that I'm going on longer runs I know I need something to hold stuff. I've seen a lot of different kinds but I didn't want anything that looked like a fanny pack. I HATE fanny packs.  Not to mention I think having something bulky around my waist would highly annoy me. I'm very easily annoyed. One day Amber mentioned on her blog that she bought a Flip Belt. It looked like it would be perfect for me so I ordered one. LOVE IT! It's basically just a stretchy band with a little spot that you can slip your stuff into. I wear it more along my hips than my stomach & it doesn't bother me at all. On my long run I put some gels in it & my phone. I have an arm holder for my phone but on my last long run it chafed/brush burned me so bad I haven't been able to wear it. For a shorter run I wore it on my other arm but it felt weird. The Flip Belt is the perfect solution. It's also easy to adjust the volume too. There's plenty of room. I could've put my keys & other stuff in it. I'm trying to figure out a way to bring water or Powerade with me on the long runs. A bottle won't fit in the belt but I don't drink a whole bottle while running. I need to find some little small container to put some in & it would fit fine. You know, like the mini alcohol bottles you get when you fly?? Anyway, I love my Fit Belt & highly recommend it & nobody paid me to say that (sadly) or gave me a free Fit Belt (I spent $25 of my own money)!

Toodles!

The 4th, The Weekend, Etc......

I see it's been several days since my last post. How did that happen? Oh yeh, I've been busy eating. Seriously, this is getting ridiculous.

On the 4th I went to a birthday party. My friend Allison's little boy turned 7. It was a bowling party. I've never been to such a nice bowling alley. It's new & fancy! Well, as fancy as a bowling alley can be. His cake was soooo good. I had a very small piece. I was so proud of myself. I even stopped at Starbuck's on my way & got green tea so I wouldn't be tempted with Dr Pepper.

After the party I stopped by the outlet mall & picked up a couple of things at Loft & Under Armour. I've said this before but I really think I have an addiction with workout clothes now. This is such a shocking development that I still can't believe it myself. I refrained from buying a ton of stuff & stuck with 2 tanks from the clearance racks. $11 & $13. I couldn't pass that up right?

Once I got home it was time to go the neighbors. We spent the afternoon floating in their pool. We've had a ton of rain & the humidity has been lower than normal so it's made the water in the pools almost cold. It's been great. We floated, sipped on Vodka punch & snacked on guacamole, salsa & my cheese, bacon, sour cream & cream cheese dip. Later that evening the guys grilled kabobs. There were shrimp & veggies & steak & veggies. So good & somewhat healthy.

Friday was just a regular work day & we had dinner at Sammy's. Their fried fish & sweet potato fries are really good. There went the healthy eating.

Saturday morning Dean & I went to see The Heat. It was so funny! I'd totally forgotten that Joe McIntyre from New Kids On The Block was in it. I think Dean thought I was crazy when I first spotted him. HA! After the movie we went to a new place in town that was serving brunch. Frankie Marcello's serves Italian, Creole & Seafood. My favorites! I had the Eggs Sardou which is two English muffins topped with spinach, poached eggs, crumbled bacon and two fried oysters smothered in creamy hollandaise sauce & it was served with grits & breakfast potatoes.

It was amazing!!!!! The menu says "topped with spinach" which sounds kind of boring. It should say "topped with spinach & artichoke dip" because that's basically what it was & it was DELICIOUS!!! I don't know how to describe the breakfast potatoes. They were really good. I brought leftovers home.

 

Once we got home I took a nap & then we went to Mass. We have a new Priest & bless his heart, his English isn't good. I guess it's not so much his English, it's his accent. Although he did say snack & then corrected himself & said snake but he really meant snack.  Let's pray that it gets better, otherwise there are going to be a whole lot of confused Catholics running around Baton Rouge.

 

After Mass I was off to meet the girls for Allison's birthday dinner. Her birthday was in June but we had trouble all getting together before now. We went to Bar Louie's which is a new to Baton Rouge restaurant. I think it may be a chain.

This is the Diva Martini. It's Pineapple Vodka with Pomegranate syrup & pineapple juice. It was really good.
I love a wedge salad & this one didn't disappoint. We decided to all get "small plates" & share because we were all having a hard time deciding what we wanted.
I think it's safe to say my most favorite food in the whole wide world is french fries. I could eat them every day & never get tired of them. These were called Loaded Fries. They were all kinds of bacon & cheesy goodness! I didn't realize the pic was so blurry.  Sorry.
Wendy got the meatballs & it came with all of that bread. YUM!
You can always count on Vicki to go Mexican, which of course made me happy!  Allison went with the pretzel sticks & I didn't get a picture of them. We had so much food on our table it was ridiculous. The pretzels were like the big soft pretzels from the mall but these were sticks & they were better. They were served with queso, honey mustard & an awesome honey butter dip. It was like dessert! And because all of that wasn't enough we ended the night at Menchie's.
Y'all know how I love Yogurtland. Well, Menchie's was a bit of a disappointment. It was good but they don't have as many flavors. I went with Cake Batter & Vanilla topped with mini M&M's & cheesecake bites. Menchie's is better than Yogurtland in one area - they have waffle bowls. I love love love a waffle bowl!
Vickie, Allison, me & Wendy. Not the best pic. I don't know why everything is so blurry. Maybe the Menchie's worker had been drinking.

I'm going to try to talk less about food in the next post.

Toodles!

What I Ate Wednesday

Normally, these WIAW are about what you ate on Tuesday. My Tuesday eats weren't that exciting so I thought I'd show the goodness of the last week!!

Thursday evening we found ourselves with no food. Well, no leftovers & no ideas for something to cook so we went out. I had a groupon for Reginelli's Pizzeria. They're local & I love love love their spinach & artichoke dip. I love it so much that it was gone before I remembered that I should've taken a picture. They serve it with toasted bread. Delicious!
I had the Shrimp Pesto pizza. It was marinated shrimp with pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, red onions, calamata olives, roasted red peppers, feta cheese. Soooo good! I think I could've eaten the entire pizza. I refrained so I'd have leftovers. Also so I'd have room for this.
Coconut & pistachio gelato! Yummmm! There's a little Italian deli right by Reginelli's that serves gelato. I still like froyo better.

Have y'all seen the ads for Starbuck's new Refresher drinks? A few days last week they had a special from 3-5 & the Refreshers were half price. I stopped on my way home from work Friday.
I got the Very Berry Hibiscus. It had real blackberries in it. I really liked it.

Friday night was the usual dinner at Caliente. They have some new things on the summer menu & one of them is that they make guacamole table side.
This isn't our waitress. This is our friend Kitzia. She's Mexican. Don't let her light skin fool you. Her mom is from Louisiana & her dad is full blown Mexican. She makes THE BEST guac EVER!! I'm not exactly how this happened but when the ingredients were brought to the table, Kitzia was summoned to do her thing. I think the waitress was secretly happy. One less thing she had to for our table of 20.

I've mentioned before how I love the Zydeco salad at WalkOns. I did my own little recreation of it at home Saturday.
Romaine lettuce, baked chicken cut up, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeno, mango & some broken up chips. It was sooooo good! I was so excited. Generally, if I try to recreate something (which isn't often) it's never anything special. BTW, does anyone know the proper way to cut a mango?? Next time I want to make it with shrimp.

We came across these chips at Sam's. They're all GMO free & all that good stuff.
Y'all!!! They are soooo good!! These are the chips I broke up on my salad. We'll be buying them again. They're really good with guac too.

For Administrative Professional's Day one of the guys I work with always buys us dessert liqueur & candy.  This year it was Lindt's candy.
The sea salt & caramel was good but this one is so amazing! It puts a Hershey bar to shame & I've always loved those. It would be very easy to eat the whole bar but I've been good & only eaten a few squares per sitting.

Yesterday morning I ran 4.5 miles. We had a cool front come through & it was only 70 degrees & the humidity was 88%. It was delightful. Compared to the way it's been it felt like someone turned on the A/C.  Anyway, since I burned so many calories on my run I treated myself on the way home from work.
Froyo is my favorite treat right now. Yesterday's concoction was a little different than normal. I had toasted coconut, cheesecake & red velvet cake batter yogurt topped with a few mini M&M's, some Reese's, white chocolate chips, cheesecake bites & mini caramel cups. It was wonderful!! It also ended up being my supper. I was full & didn't feel like eating anything else.

What have y'all been eating??

Toodles!

Sunday Funday!

I started the day with a 6 mile run. Yep, 6 freakin miles in 1:10. The first mile is still my hardest.

My parents brought Logan over to swim.
He looks so funny with the "gobbles" on.

CANNONBALL!!! He was also being attacked by his Nonk with the water gun.
Getting Nonk back.
Random purchase of the weekend. This thing is so cool! It's a bluetooth speaker that you play through your iPhone of iPad. ABBA was blaring in Home Depot when we were there Saturday. It was coming from one of these. We knew it would be perfect by the pool. We have outdoor speakers on the patio but to hear them from the pool they have to be loud & if anyone is on the patio it's a little too loud. This is the perfect solution.
Isn't it cute? I bought the iron pole at Big Lots. I need to take a better pic because it's really pretty & it was only $12!


Just because I thought this one was funny!

How was your weekend?

Toodles!