Friday, May 25, 2012

Chicken Salad Salad and Revenge!

I was right to not do too much of a workout before work yesterday because when I got back there I completed more leg lifts, crunches, push ups, and other conditioning! Fun but very tiring!

When I got home at 9pm I was so ready for dinner. Since I eat late at night very often because of my job I try to make my late meal a small one or at least eat something on the healthier side. I gobbled down this chicken salad salad. Yes, I meant to say salad twice!

Today for lunch is a yummy Bertolli meal, chicken alla vodka and farfalle. It is by far my FAVORITE Bertolli meal. I used to live off frozen meals, now I am trying to eat things that are healthier but once in a while you can't help but sneak in an old favorite! =)


I think I forgot to comment on the Revenge finale the other day! Oh my goodness. It is one of the best shows on tv right now (well not RIGHT now..but you know what I mean!). I think the characters are so intoxicating and there is so much to discover in every episode. I am so thankful it got renewed and am so excited for the new season to start because that means we find out about Emily (aka Amanda) 's mother!


Now I'm off to eat my lunch! Yum yum yum!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Glee Finale

So I finally caught up on the Glee finale. I just finished it and am crying right now which isn't all that weird for me but I think the ending was so incredible depressing.

A little spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't watched it yet...but Finn and Rachel break up. Well sort of. He "lets her go free" and sends her off on a train to New York and he goes off to the army. The whole moment where he runs along the side of the train literally broke my heart in two pieces. I know the writers had to do something with them since he didn't get accepted to school and she did but I think it could've been handled in a way that didn't make me completely depressed.

Yes, we all know Rachel will be okay and that she will achieve wonderful fame and will be so happy in NY, but everyone who was a Finn and Rachel fan I'm sure died a little inside when they watched both of them cry over breaking up.

Besides the chasing after the train part, the other worst part was watching everyone in the glee club hug Rachel goodbye at the station. It's been two years since I graduated college but goodbyes hurt so badly! I had a hard time watching everyone get so upset saying goodbye. I was a little bummed they briefly touched on the other characters and where they were going, Santana to NY, Mercedes and Sam to LA, Brittany has to do another year because she flunked senior year, Puck passed, Quinn to Yale, etc...Where is Kurt going without his acceptance? I guess I'll have to wait till next season to find all that out...

Why do I get so upset over tv shows? Clearly these characters aren't real. Judge me if you want but I can't help it!

Lunch and Quick Circuit

Lunch today consisted of my favorite salad

Salad mix, cut up carrots, shredded cheese and free thousand island dressing. After I finished this little beauty I ate up some of the leftover mac and cheese from dinner last night. I could've eaten the entire bowl and licked it clean but I stopped myself! In case you didn't know, mac and cheese is my favorite food in the entire world...just sayin!

After lunch, I headed down to the basement gym to get my workout on! I alternated walking and sprinting on the treadmill to warmup for 20 minutes. Then I did a quick little circuit

  • Leg lifts
  • Surfer girls
  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • Bicep curls


It was a nice quick little workout since I will probably be completing a circuit workout tonight at work!

No Strings Attached

Yesterday my latest Netflix movie came in so I decided to watch it right away so I could send it back and get my moneys worth for the month!

The movie that came was No Strings Attached with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. I thought it was a really cute movie however I liked Friends With Benefits a LOT better. Both movies had very similar premises but I just enjoyed watching Friends With Benefits more.

Could it be because of this...?


source


Say it with me..... "Sa wooon!"

I think he's more attractive then Ashton Kutcher so maybe that's my reasoning? I think the storyline of No Strings Attached got a little boring too, it felt like it was dragging on. I wouldn't go out of my way to see it...but I also wouldn't avoid the movie like the plague.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Shopping and Roxy- Day off!

Today was a wonderful day off spent with one of my favorite ladies, my mom!

I woke up a little late today (okay a lot late...) and so instead of eating breakfast I headed straight for lunch. I had the same chicken salad sandwich as a few days ago...


Sorry for the old picture, I did NOT do well taking pictures today so unfortunately am having to resort to old ones! I did NOT participate in the chip club today and opted just for my sandwich with salad mix!

My mom and I dropped our little princess, Roxy, off at the groomers so she could get a bath and a haircut. The poor little thing HATES going there but luckily the woman who owns it is the sweetest woman in the world and absolutely loves animals so we know Roxy is treated well there! 

While we waited for her to get groomed, we went into Westerly to the cemetery where my grandma is buried to check on the flowers around her stone. While there we of course ran into walmart and cvs and I grabbed a couple of essentials!




Some of these are products I absolutely love and swear by and some are new products I haven't tried and would love to review on this blog. I am a huge fan of trying products out and seeing what the beauty world holds!

The products I got are: 
a mug for my dad for fathers day (I tend to buy presents really early, I need to get something else for him too but this is a start)
Covergirl exact eyelights eyeliner which I absolutely love
Loreal infallible eyeliner which I've never tried but am excited to see how it works
Listerine Advanced mouthwash which I've actually never used before
Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste which I love. It had prevented all of my canker sores!
John Frieda Frizz Ease spray protectant. I have not used this before but am running out of my current heat protectant. 
No damage hair elastics- boring but the best ones I have found!
Q-tips- Incredibly boring purchase but so necessary
Burts Bees Chapstick which is my favorite product in the world
Macademia Natural Oil Hair Mask- I use this product once or twice a week in the shower and I think it makes my hair so soft!


After spending some time shopping it was time to pick up the little girl!


What a cutie in her memorial day scarf!

Dinner tonight was picture-less. It was steak, broccoli, corn, mac and cheese, and rice. So yummy and a nice and colorful plate I wish I had taken a picture of it!

Now I'm off to watch a movie and clean up a little bit. Then I will be watching the Revenge finale tonight! woohoo!


Applebees



Good morning!

Yesterday was a typical day of work, errands, cleaning, and eating!

As you all know lately I've been OBSESSED with chicken salad...so today I decided to make my own salad and include a little chicken salad in the mix. I mixed lettuce, carrots, chicken salad, shredded cheese, and thousand island dressing to make my own little salad! It was really yummy and now writing about it is making my mouth water and want to run downstairs to the fridge and mix one up...which I will have to do later on...

I know that salad doesn't usually fill me up. so I made myself a grilled cheese as well! I make my grilled cheese in an easy way which makes me a little bit of a weirdo...I throw two pieces of bread in the toaster and then when they are done I put cheese in between them and heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Then cut and serve! It's so much easier then grilling it on the stove top!



Last night after work I had plans to meet up with one of my best friends, Kristin, for drinks and appetizers at Applebees. We arrived at exactly the same time in the parking lot which was pretty amusing! I ordered a strawberry daiquiri and she had a bahama mama. I LOVE LOVE LOVE strawberry daiquiris, they are so yummy.

Of course I hadn't had dinner so I was ready to eat an appetizer all on my own. I opted for the spinach and artichoke dip while Kristin decided to skip right to dessert and order a triple chocolate meltdown. Her dessert looked so delicious that I wished I had ordered one too. Not that my dip and chips was not delicious too, because it definitely was! I practically licked the dip bowl clean! =)




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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Bachelorette Drinking Game

Last night was a sad night...I had to say goodbye to two of my good friends Megan and Hannah. Their lease ended at their house in Narragansett and now they are both heading off in their separate directions!

On my way there I went through dunkin donuts to grab a little snack...
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I love a good iced coffee! My bagel was COVERED in buter. So badly that I needed to wipe off some of the butter...yuck!

Once I got to Megan and Hannah's, I helped them empty out their pantry and clean up their kitchen. The entire house needed to be cleaned and packed since they had to be out by 10 this morning!

Once they were all set we sat down to watch the Bachelorette. We had six people in total watching the show, three of us actually enjoy watching the show (myself included) but the others do not...so we turned it into a drinking game!

The Bachelorette Drinking Game

Rule 1: Every time Emily mentions Ricki, drink.

Rule 2: Every time one of the guys says they are ready to be a father, drink.

Rule 3: Every time one of the guys says Emily looks beautiful, drink.

Rule 4: Every time someone says the word "connection", drink.

Rule 5: Every time a rose is given, drink.


It will get you sufficiently drunk, please only participate if you are of legal drinking age! I did not participate but definitely will on a night I don't have to work the next morning!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Return of the chicken salad

Monday's are definitely not as much fun as the weekend! 

This morning was the last time I have my little preschoolers because their program ends the last week of May but we won't have class next Monday because of Memorial Day! It was sad to know it was the last time to play and talk with them since a bunch of them head of to kindergarten in the fall! I will still have them for gymnastics but not for preschool!

For lunch today I made another chicken salad sandwich but this time I stuck it on a roll rather than a wrap. I also opened up one of those portion controlled bags of chips. This is the only way I can manage to eat the right amount of chips. If I open a huge bag I will just attack it! It's so bad!




Yum! It was delicious!


So tonight is The Bachelorette which I am reallllllly excited for! I have work tonight but then will be heading back to Megan and Hannah's house for their last night in their house! Both of them will be moving out of their rental tomorrow. Megan is heading home to Easton and Hannah will be moving to Newport and I will miss them terribly! Hopefully we can find something fun to do tonight....like watch the Bachelorette?!?! =)

Have a good night everybody!

Sunday Fun!

Sunday started off with some errands...nothing too exciting, other than getting a new case for my iPhone which made me a very happy girl!

In the afternoon I headed to Connecticut to attend my cousin Annabel's bridging ceremony. She was a daisy and is now a brownie!








She is the sweetest little girl and I was so proud of her! We enjoyed a nice pizza dinner after the celebration. They also had quite a few desserts but I managed to stay away from those...somehow!

As soon as I got back into Rhode Island, I headed off to Narragansett for my friend Hannah's graduation party! She graduated from URI yesterday with a Bachelor's Degree in Education. Congrats Hannah!

I was a little late for the party so most everybody had already left Megan and Hannah's house, but I did manage to take a few pictures.


Megan's sister Kelsey showing off her work jacket...


Andrew and Megan


Me and Hannah (the graduate!)


Megan and I


They had platters and platters of food. I loved the guacamole dip and ate a bunch of that, had a few bites of chocolate cake and offset it all with some fruit! Megan's dad makes a delicious Rum Punch that I need to learn the recipe for. I will have to ask her because it is delicious but definitely also gets the job done if you know what I mean!

I finally headed home around 11:30 so I was able to get to bed and get some much needed sleep before work the next morning!

Overall it was an amazing jam-packed, fun-filled weekend!


Saturday Recap

Happy Monday everyone! This weekend was insane and flew past without even one minute to blog!

On Saturday I worked for a few hours and then had to rush straight into town to buy flowers for one of my students! I only had an hour between finishing work and getting to her recital so I really had to rush my lunch.

I bought a turkey grinder from Stop and Shop (my grocery store of choice), a water, and a candy bar!
I had just survived a tough week at work and decided that a candy bar would be the perfect treat! =)

I then headed off to the show where my student did an AMAZING job!




Later in the evening I headed off to my co-worker Doreen's house and had a great time hanging out with her. Then our other co-worker Steph arrived with her boyfriend who was visiting from North Carolina! We enjoyed chatting with one another and having a couple of drinks! I stayed there until almost midnight and then came home to get a full nights rest for the next day!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Stress and Anxiety

Oh my goodness, I finished zumba about an hour ago and I am still feeling warm! I had a wonderful workout with all my fellow zumba-ers (is that a word..?) My zumba teacher, Laura, definitely kicked my butt tonight!


When I left class, I was so hungry I couldnt wait to eat until I got home so I enjoyed a granola bar on my short little ride home! Can you tell by how red my face is that I was exhausted and sweaty and gross?!


Of course I forgot to take a picture of what I had for dinner! My weight watcher rigatoni with vodka sauce meal was delicious! I had a piece of toast on the side and drank an entire bottle of water. (my 5th one today!)

Stress/Anxiety

I wanted to take a few minutes on my blog to talk about stress and anxiety since it is a huge part of healthy living. I have always been extremely anxious and stressed. Even when I was younger I remember being so anxious I couldn't fall asleep at night. I now have my stressed managed by don't think that it doesn't sneak up on me from time to time. I am currently prescribed anxiety medication to help me deal with the stress in my life which is of course an option some may not take. I also like to make sure I get exercise everyday to let out frustration. Now I also have worked on being patient with other people and taking deep breaths and REALLY listening to what they are saying. When I go to bed at night I simply focus on falling asleep and how tired I am. I used to just let my mind wander but that led me into trouble and I would end up staying up all night writing down things I didn't want to forget, making lists, and worrying about things beyond my control. 

Overall I believe that anxiety is not worth dealing with your entire life that's why I chose to take control of mine and have honestly been happier everyday since then! 

Pudding/Granola Snack


Happy Friday!

Today I had a normal morning at work and arrived home to eat a delicious lunch.



Does it look familiar?! I'm a little boring and often get obsessed with a meal and continue to eat it until I get sick of it! So there it is again my chicken salad and salad mix wrap!

So far it's been a nice relaxing afternoon. I watched the 2 hour Glee episode from Tuesday night which was awesome! I had been kind of been not too interested in Glee lately...but this episode made me so excited. I almost teared up at the end of the episode and cannot wait to see next weeks!


I decided to mix up a little snack and I was absolutely CRAVING chocolate. I knew the best way to fulfill this craving was to open up a fat free pudding but I also knew that it wouldn't fill me up. So I mixed a Chewy granola bar into the pudding. It was a nice little chocolate fix!


Now I'm off to watch the season finale of Hart of Dixie which I've heard is really good! Then it's back to work and then I'm taking a zumba class tonight!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Thirsty Thursday...Smoothie Style!

Before I headed back to work today I made a DELICIOUS smoothie!


It definitely hit the spot! I enjoyed it with the company of my mom on our front porch.

Then it was time to head back to work....where I managed to sneak in my workout. (The wonders of working in a gym!)

Each exercise was done for 2 minutes, I only ran though this one time but definitely could've benefited from doing it again!

Rope climbing
Squats with medicine ball
Leg lifts on incline
Dead hang on bar- knee ups
Wrist clips
Jumps on bar to front support then cast away on a block

It was a fun workout which shocked my system!

Dinner tonight was yummy. I had rotisserie chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic fried broccoli, corn, and crescent rolls. Mashed potatoes are one of my absolute favorite foods. I cannot resist them! =)


Fall Renewals

Last night before I went to bed, I snuck in a little late-night snack as I was watching Revenge.

Organic Apples with Peanut Butter on top!

That is one of my all time favorite snacks, I absolutely love peanut butter but the apples add just a hint of sweetness into one of my favorite tastes!

As I mentioned, I was watching Revenge while I ate my snack. I love the show Revenge. My friend Megan actually got me completely hooked on it this past fall and I can't stop watching it! It is one of those shows I make time for every week. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend tracking down the episodes from this season. It is a suspenseful show and I never know what Emily Thorne (aka Amanda) is going to do next!

Speaking of TV shows, this morning I heard on the radio that it was announced yesterday what shows would be renewed for the fall. As we all know, I love my tv. I love to have shows to get caught up on in my spare time. So I spent a few minutes before work this morning looking up which of my shows has been renewed. To see the list click here .

Just to review the shows I have been hooked on this year...(no judgments please! remember I don't get to watch them every week..usually I catch up on them during my days off)

Sundays: Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives,  Kardashians (whichever one is on)

Mondays: Hart of Dixie, Make it or Break it, Bachelor/Bachelorette, Pretty Little Liars, Lying Game

Tuesdays: Glee

Wednesdays: Criminal Minds, Revenge, One Tree Hill

Thursdays: Secret Circle

So I was VERY VERY bummed to see that Secret Circle did not make the renewal cut. I read a couple of articles on it being cut before writing this blog post. To see what the producers would have done next season click here.

I really thought that I would have a chance to see where all the characters were going next season...but unfortunately that's not the case! The only other show that I had to watch this happen to was October Road a show that I got hooked on while in college. It only lasted a season and a half before it was given the boot. I still own it on DVD though! 

So now I no longer will be watching Desperate Housewives, One Tree Hill, or Secret Circle. I'm sad that they are off the air, but this year tv was a little intense for me. I started watching a few shows (PanAm, Playboy Club, and Grimm) and eventually lost interest because there just wasn't enough time in the day! Maybe now I can catch up on my Netflix which has been seriously neglected!


Anyways!

For lunch today I arrived home just as my mom was emptying the car from buying groceries so I was in luck! She had just bought all natural, organic chicken salad! Yum yum yum!



I used the same type of wrap as yesterday but of course took a few bites before I remembered to whip out my camera! It was delicious. I threw in some salad mix too so I could get some vegetables in my lunch and also give my wrap a little crunch to it! =)



Somebody...I won't say who...stared me down while I ate....

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Day Off

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

I have been greatly enjoying my day off! It's been amazing to have an entire day to myself, doing whatever I've felt like doing at the moment.

I enjoyed an hour or so of catching up on my scrapbooking. I love to take pictures and especially love to put together all my memories to be enjoyed in the future.

That fun ended when I had to apply for jobs. I am planning on leaving my full time job where I don't have health benefits and find one that does have them. Hopefully a better paying job with benefits will allow me to move out of my parents house and start my own life.

Anyways, for lunch today I mixed up a quick salad with salad mix, cut up carrots, shredded cheese, and free thousand island dressing. I have really been craving salad lately (which isn't a bad thing at all!) so this definitely hit the spot. I also heated up a Anzio and Son's roll with a few pieces of Land O'Lakes American Cheese for my famous cheese roll. Cheese is one of my favorite foods, you can often find me just eating slices with my hand in the fridge grabbing the next one. It definitely off-set my salad to say the least =)



Today's workout was based off a circuit workout I found on PBFingers page.

legs and abs circuit



I decided to change things up a little bit. I followed the circuit until I go to the plank hip lifts. Instead I opted to keep focusing on my abs longer and completed:
60 seconds of plank
25 leg lifts
10 sit ups
20 out cross cross
60 seconds of holding my legs straight out in front off the floor

Then I hopped on the treadmill for 10 minutes of cardio. I did 90 seconds walking, 60 seconds sprinting for 10 minutes. I worked up a pretty good sweat and decided I would be done for the day.

Then it was time for dinner!

My family was having tacos...and I have a strange food confession to make...I HATE GROUND BEEF. I know it's weird but I don't like the taste or texture and it makes me want to vomit. So instead I made myself a veggie wrap.





It was very exactly like my salad I had for lunch (I know I'm so original!) and equally delicious! I used a FlatOut Bread light italian herb wrap to add a little bit of flavor. 

Now, I'm enjoying the rest of my day off. I just caught the tail-end of Leap Year on ABCFamily. I love this movie. I am such a hopeless romantic. I've always believed that there is a prince charming out there who will eventually find his way to me! This movie just feeds into my emotions. *sigh*

Anyways, enjoy the rest of your day everyone!

Good Morning!

Good morning!

Last night, after an exceedingly long night at work I got home and heated up a quick meal for myself.


Ravioli Florentine with a piece of whole grain white toast on the side!
It was just what I needed after a long night at work!


Today, I slept in nice and late listening to the sounds of the thunder storm happening outside and finally rolled out of bed around 10. It was WONDERFUL to be able to sleep in so late! I took my vitamins, made some cereal and decided that I am not going to leave the house at all today! Which made one little lady very happy...



Don't get me wrong, this is not an entirely lazy day (I'm not really sure I know how to do that anyways...). I have already done laundry, cleaned my bathroom, dusted, and cleaned the tank my frogs live in.
I'm just glad I have an entire day without plans! (The first one in quite a long time!) =)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Ostrich Eggs and Von Trapp Family...

Sorry for no post yesterday! I got a little caught up in my day to day activities! Here's a quick recap!

Sunday night consisted of watching the season finale of Once Upon A Time and the series finale of Desperate Housewives. D.H. I have watched for YEARS, since the very first season started. I even have several of the seasons on DVD. Overall I was very emotional during the final episode. I was sad to see Mrs. McClusky pass away but happy to see Bree's trial end. I was glad to see that all four of the main women ended up leading happy lives after the finale. I was a little creeped out by all the ghosts at the end....

Once Upon A Time did NOT disappoint. It is one of my all time favorite shows only one season in! I was shocked with the ending of the episode and am unsure of where they are going with the plot...but I'm sure they have some sort of brilliant plan!

Yesterday I had quite an appetite. After eating mac and cheese for lunch, I hopped on the treadmill and did a 30 minute walk while watching Sex and the City re-runs. I did a quick circuit workout, really concentrating on my arms and abs.

Once I finished I was hungry again and found these in our pantry.


I wasn't sure how I would like them but they were actually very good!



After a long night at work I enjoyed a yummy dinner of steak, mashed potatoes, and corn. I added a side of salad with free thousand island dressing- my favorite!



After I ate dinner and showered, I headed over to my friends' house to watch The Bachelorette. Hannah and I absolutely love the show, while my other friend who lives there, Megan, likes to make fun of it while we watch. I enjoy The Bachelorette far more than The Bachelor simply because of all the boys! I am seriously crushing on Sean right now! I thought some of the guys were rather interesting. An ostrich egg....really? Dressing up like grandma.... really? Boom Box....reallllly? When that one guy said he had six kids I was seriously thinking that if they stuck Ricki in with the six of them they could have their own little Von Trapp Family. Oh well, as the season goes on I will probably talk about it quite a bit =)


Today started off with my regular bowl of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. I went to work, came home and immediately made myself a nice little salad! I've been on a salad kick lately, but I guess that's not a bad thing.


Now I'm off to take an afternoon rest before I have to head back to work! I also think a smoothie is somewhere in my future =)

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my beautiful mother who has always been amazing, surrounding my brother and I with support and love.

My mom, Dan (my brother) and I headed off to the cemetery where my grandma is buried to put roses on her grave. We met up with both my uncles and my papa and we stood around talking for awhile, admiring the cleaning my mom had done on my grandmas stone and catching up with one another!

Then we headed off to eat lunch...


At Mystic Pizza! (Yes the site of the movie, yes they play it continuously while you eat)


Papa and I sitting at Mystic Pizza.


Mom and Dan at Mystic Pizza


The BEST mints ever! They give these to you with your bill. They taste delicious!

I had a chicken parm grinder and shared a side of fries with my mom. Everything was delicious and everyone else raved about their meals as well. It was so nice to spend time sitting around a table with my family just talking about old memories and everyones future plans. I love family days!

After lunch, we headed to my great-grandma's nursing home. She is 99 years old and will be 100 in October! She is still as sharp as a tack and asks a zillion questions about what is going on in your life. I should also mention that she just recently got put in a nursing home, she's been there less than a year which is incredible! We chatted with her for about an hour and then decided it was time to head home to our respective houses.

On our way home, we made a not-so-quick stop....



Dan and I got Iphone 4GS's! I had the Iphone 3G so I upgraded...and Dan needed a new phone, his was reallllllly old...

So we are all happy customers today! =)


Now I'm off to watch the Once Upon A Time finale and then the Desperate Housewives finale.. two of my favorites!