This Week Currently, Volume 11

And oh my gosh, it is Memorial Day weekend next weekend. How did that happen? My busiest times at work now seem to overlap with every holiday weekend so my nose is buried in work and deadlines and then I glance at the calendar and am like "Crap, it's summer."

I have said it before that summer is just never my season. I do not really love hot weather at all, I do not really like sweating when the sweat is not the by-product of exercise (and even then…), and bathing suits are just panic-attack inducing.  So I tend to hibernate and read inside by the air conditioning. Which means I am about as anti-social as a human being can possibly be in the summer.

So for about half a second, I thought about making a Summer Bucket List of things to do. But then I remembered last summer when I had high hopes for the Best Summer Ever. And last summer sucked. So I have declared the Summer of 2013 to be The Summer of No Expectations. Whatever happens happens. If it is fun, then I can be happy that it was. And if it totally sucks, then I cannot be disappointed.

It is The Summer of No Expectations.

Funny story. I started taking evening spinning classes pretty religiously last October. And I always reserve the same bike in the back of the room by the window. All these months it has been dark outside so it was only recently that I turned around and thought, "Awesome, the sidewalk diners at American Tap Room have a pretty amazing view of my butt." Mortifying. In my head I will just think that the windows are shaded enough so that no one can see (they aren't). I could switch bikes but I am such a creature of habit that I just cannot do it.  Maybe those trees will grow some more. 

Reading the giant stack of magazines that has once again accumulated under my coffee table. 

Eating all my vegetables. I feel like I am FINALLY making good at eating all of my daily servings of vegetables.

Listening to the Summer Hits of the 1990s Pandora station. Any station that starts my morning off with Ice, Ice Baby and the theme to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air back-to-back is a very good station.

Thinking that everyone's eyeliner suggestions were awesome. I have ordered two from Sephora and I will work my way through the suggestions. Thank you all!!! 

Craving a grilled bratwurst. A coworker brought me some Wisconsin cheese curds last week and while I was enjoying those squeaky bites of deliciousness, it just made me want a bratwurst. And the bratwursts sold in the DC area just don't compare to the ones back home. 

Cringing at women who wear heels that they obviously CANNOT walk in. They could be the most fabulous heels in the world but if you can't walk in them you look ridiculous. 

Trying to block the memory of this microwavable meatloaf recipe that I saw in Cooking Light. I love meatloaf and I love simplicity. But any meatloaf recipe that can cook in a microwave in eight minutes, well, that makes me throw up a little in my mouth.

Wearing my hair up in a bun. The infamous DC humidity has returned with a vengeance over the past week and the volume and frizz in my hair has increased in proportion to it.  

Laughing at Erin's post about the Old Navy Magic Skirt. When she sent me the link to the skirt after she bought it, I saw the words "pencil skirt" and was like no way. My body in a pencil skirt is just ole no. But then I read the reviews of the Magic Skirt and saw people with exactly my body type raving about it. So of course I ordered it (it was $14). And dang it if it isn't the first pencil skirt to ever work on my body and not leave me looking like sausage. (And the quality of the fabric is better than some of my skirts that cost way more than $14.) 

Celebrating the disconnection of the malfunctioning water damage alarm that has been going on off at ear-piercing intervals for the past week. Not to worry, it will be reconnected tomorrow. But at some point over the weekend when my hearing was being damaged by it, the maintenance staff agreed to disconnect it. Related, I did not know I had a water damage alarm until this week. 

Loving the new Mi Cocina restaurant that is about two blocks from my front door. I have been there for lunch and for Happy Hour and I love everything about it: Great food, great atmosphere, great patio great addition to the neighborhood!

Wanting to eat all the chocolate chip cookies in the world. I have never in my life preferred chocolate chip cookies over any other cookie or baked good. But now they are all I want. I blame all of the vegetables I have been eating. 

This Week Currently is my variation on the Sunday Currently post and link-up hosted by Lauren.

Eyeliner suggestions, I need them

I must confess that while I upgraded my ancient TV to a fancy widescreen HD version well over a year ago, I never traded in my standard cable box for the HD one.

Why? Well, that answer is a bit embarrassing

It is not that I barely watch TV and I do not really care if Psych is in high-definition or not.  Though this does play into it a little bit.

It’s that the Royal Wedding is recorded on my DVR and I don’t want to part with it quite yet despite it being nearly two years later.

That was such a magical and fun day. I remember tweeting with friends at 4 a.m. that day about how handsome Princes Harry and William looked. I remember it being kind of awkward watching the ceremony, like a very public intrusion on a private moment. I remember smiling at the kiss on the balcony.

Not that I have watched it in its entirety since then. But I like that I have that option.

And yes this is all incredibly lame. Maybe that will be my gift to Royal Baby, my old DVR with the wedding footage.

But also on that Royal Wedding Day, I remember being in complete awe that Kate did her own make-up. Talk about high pressure. I could never do that. When my wedding day rolls around, I will for certain be hiring a make-up artist to do mine. On any given Wednesday, I can barely do my own make-up. I always think about taking a make-up class but I have seen people walk away from make-up lessons at department stores and there is usually more blue eye shadow involved than should ever be involved ever.

So I settle for watching YouTube make-up videos and trying to mimic make-up looks I see in magazines.  And I remember seeing Kate on her wedding day and thinking, I need to start wearing eyeliner. Granted not as heavy-handed as hers is generally applied.

Eyeliner has always been a bit scary to me. When I put it on, I never quite look like myself. Which is a strange notion to wrap my head around when I see my reflection in the mirror. But I was inspired by Kate to start wearing it more. And now it is such a part of my routine that when I forget to wear it--or more accurately, if I am running late and it is either apply eyeliner or make the train on time, I usually get asked “What happened to your eyes today?”

While I have been wearing it, I have not necessarily found a brand I love. I rotate between blacks, browns, and greys depending on my mood and whatever I can find on sale at CVS.

Despite living in walking distance of every high-end department store ever, a Sephora, and a blue mercury, I generally buy my eyeliner at CVS because make-up counters intimidate me and I always end up buying things I do not actually need or want. (Also I can never tell who actually works at Sephora and I end up mistakenly asking some random customer for help and have to exit the store from sheer mortification.)

But a few weeks ago I was sitting at my desk at work and glanced in the mirror I keep off to the side and had one simple thought “Why is my face covered in glitter?”

Because I left the very misguided “glitter as make-up” phase behind in college.

As it turned out, my CVS-purchased eyeliner was loaded with glitter. Making me ready to go from-the-office-to-the clubs in 2.4 seconds. Because that happen, um, never. And I realized that maybe I needed to get a new eyeliner.

So the point of this unnecessarily long and winding post that started with the Royal Wedding and ended with a glitter mishap is that I want to know what eyeliners you use and love (and the ones you hated). 

I like ones that go on smooth and last from morning until night. I have no preference between ones that need sharpening and ones that do not.  They can be a CVS brand or higher end brand, though if you are suggesting a $50 eyeliner I am going to need a dissertation to justify that one.

Snack of the Week: Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears

When I was in grad school, my favorite on-campus study break was to walk over to the little convenience store in the student center. This little store was home to the bulk candy bins. And that is where I discovered the weirdly delicious candy that is chocolate covered gummi bears. They never tasted amazing. But they were not awful either. They were, for lack of better word, weird. The chocolate never tasted like real chocolate and the gummi bears never tasted like real gummi bears but together the two not-quite-real flavors were addictive.  And a welcome break from all of the studying.

And I don't know that I have given chocolate covered gummi bears a second thought since I left the Duke campus. (Maybe I have given it a thought. I have a lot of thoughts. I cannot always keep up with them.)  

But then I was at World Market last week. World Market is like greatest retail collection of random things that somehow make you feel oh-so-international as you shop. Especially the candy aisle. Which is where I often find myself. (They have Sixlets, one of my favorite candies and they are hard to find.) And where I was reunited with my grad school candy fave.

Of course I had to try them. And yep, they still look weird and taste weird.

But it was nice to eat them without the stress of an econometrics exam looming over me.

Snack of the Week is a weekly feature where I profile the snacks that I am eating. Equal parts healthy and indulgent are how I aspire (and sometimes fail) to eat my way through life and I try to reflect in these snacks. All snacking is done with a budget-friendly mindset as well. To read previous Snacks of Week, click here.

If you have any suggestions for snacks you would like me to try and profile, please email me at iwbadg@gmail.com. Unless it is super weird or expensive, I will probably try it.

Snack of the Week: Nutri-Grain Fruit Crunch Bars

When I was in middle school, I remember the popular crowd used to eat Nutri-Grain bars for breakfast and I thought that was so cool! Like a pair of Z Cavaricci jeans, I insisted that MUST HAVE NUTRI-GRAIN bars.  (Obviously, my bar for determining coolness was pretty low.)

And it turned out that I generally found Nutri-Grain bars to be pretty gross. (Z Cavaricci jeans though, I loved.) 

So I can't say Nutri-Grain bars are something I grab when I am perusing the aisles. But the words "apple cobbler" will probably make grab anything, even if it brings up middle school memories.

The Nutri-Grain Fruit Crunch Bars are completely delicious. The crispy/crunchy granola bar tastes so much like real apples and since the ingredients list "dried apples" I am inclined to believe there are real apples in these bars.

And the bottom is coated with what seems to be white chocolate which gives it a sweet kick.

I might have sampled one too many of these during my taste testing. I had to stop so that my Z Cavariccis would still fit. 

And last week, I featured a product in the Cracker Jack'd line by Cracker Jacks. Cracker Jack'd saw this and tweeted me a link to sign up and try another product in the line, The Hearty Mix. If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, sign up to receive a free sample of the new line here. Enjoy! (PS I hate that blogging has come to having to say this but I get nothing in return for sharing that link and encouraging you to sign up. Just sharing my love of snacks!) 

Snack of the Week is a weekly feature where I profile the snacks that I am eating. Equal parts healthy and indulgent are how I aspire (and sometimes fail) to eat my way through life and I try to reflect in these snacks. All snacking is done with a budget-friendly mindset as well. To read previous Snacks of Week, click here.

If you have any suggestions for snacks you would like me to try and profile, please email me at iwbadg@gmail.com. Unless it is super weird or expensive, I will probably try it.

This Week Currently, Volume 10

On Saturday afternoon, I crashed into one of those glorious naps. Sunny afternoon, window open, perfect napping temperature, it was everything napping should be. And while I intended to nap for just an hour, it definitely turned into the great three hour nap. And I only woke up because I was certain I was going to miss the Kentucky Derby. I love the Derby! I had talked about it all week! I really had no idea what time it was on! I flew out of bed, turned the TV on, saw the commentators chatting away. Which they continued to do for another hour and a half before the race was actually run. I could have still been napping. But since the late nap seriously messed up my bed time, it is probably better that I wasn't.

I love the Derby. I love the pomp and circumstance and the hats. But they are horses. There really is not much you can say about them.  Though I think NBC Sports really really hopes that one day they are going to put a microphone in front of a horse and it will talk. 

{Tulips on my coffee table.}

Reading the newest book in the Capital Girls series. It is such a silly little series targeted at a crowd probably half my age but I get sucked into it. And I love all of the DC references in it. 

Listening to Cruise by Florida Georgia Line. The first time I heard this song, all I could think was "Ugh, this is going to be THAT song this summer." The one that gets overplayed to the point of annoyingness. And I hated it. But then I discovered the remix of it featuring Nelly. And one of my basic rules of life is that Nelly can do no wrong. And so I have listened to the remix approximately 376 times over the weekend. And yep, it is totally going to be THAT song for me this summer. 

Laughing at the effect hot rollers had on my hair over the weekend. I was getting ready for a bridal shower and thought it would be good idea to use them. The result was something I named "Possessed Poodle" and I had to tame it down with a flat iron. The end result was probably still "Semi-Possessed Poodle" but it was okay. 

Wondering if I overestimate how much my sunglasses hide my eyes. Because I put them on and I think they give me the super power to people watch (er, stare) undetected. I should really verify this is the truth.

Celebrating that I moved up a level in Pilates. I was hoping for a formal graduation ceremony. Or maybe even "walking over a bridge" like in Girl Scouts. But there was zero pomp and circumstance. And just an intense workout in my new level class. But I survived. And hummed "Ode to Joy" to myself as I walked out of the studio.

Loving all of the restaurant popping up in my neighborhood! Le Pain Quiotidien opened last week. Mi Cocina opens this week. This neighborhood has changed so much since I moved here and I love all of the changes and the energy it brings!

Wanting to create a well-edited wardrobe. I am trying very hard to only buy classic pieces and pare down the number "so trendy" pieces that I buy. I have spent a lot of time analyzing which articles of clothing get the most wear and most love. Those "so trendy" pieces get like two wears and then I end up donating them to Goodwill. It is a waste and it is just not worth it. And at some point, I became a fabric snob. If only because cheap fabrics make me sweat so badly. So if it means buying one classic dress over a period of a few months instead of 10 cheap things, I think I might be okay with that. 

Needing silver shoes to complete my bridesmaid outfit for a wedding month. I kept procrastinating and then I realized I had six weeks left and should probably focus my efforts a little bit more. This pair is currently at the top of my list. But God, I love these. They totally fit into a well-edited wardrobe, right?

Feeling almost human again after a brutal bout with allergies. I tried not to complain too much and probably did not succeed at that at all but this year was brutal. I just need to remember to block off all of April next year with the goal of merely just coexisting with the pollen. Any attempt to get anything beyond that done even when properly medicated just does not happen. All I want to do is sleep and rub my eyes. I am not quite 100% yet, maybe 80% at this point. But seriously, I will take it.

This Week Currently is my variation on the Sunday Currently post and link-up hosted by Lauren.

My Essentials: Warm Weather Outdoor Workouts

Last year I realized that I am mentally and physically happier when my week involves multiple walks on the Capital Crescent Trail. The three or four mile loop I do is just my happy place. With my trail playlist buzzing in my ears and my sunglasses perched on my nose, that time on the trail just clears my head and gives me a great workout.

But I used to only take the time to go on the trail in perfect weather conditions, not too hot, not too cold. It was very Goldilocks of me. Which in DC does not quite work because we have like four of those days in April and three in October. And that's it.

So I had to adapt my approach so I could be on the trail year round. I wish I were low-maintenance enough to be to throw on a t-shirt and shorts and go for a walk but I am not that girl. (Mainly because I do not own shorts and will never ever wear them.) And so I had to buy a few things and by the end of last summer and the end of this winter, I had warm weather and cold weather routines down.  Granted in the summer it means that I am on the trail at like 6 a.m., just after sunrise (I am never ever on the trail in dark because that is dumb and not safe!) when the humidity is only awful and not yet "I might pass out" awful. And honestly, I love those warm early morning walks. I feel detoxed. And disgusting. But we'll go with detoxed. It sounds better.

And I have seen the results. I get time to brainstorm and daydream without technological distractions and in the past year, I have cut about fifteen minutes off my time and am just in a lot better shape. And I am now incredibly good at jumping from the path of little kids learning to ride their bikes on the trail.

It was matter of finding that form of exercise that I did not hate and did not dread.  I needed more exercise and I had to find a way to make it work. Even if it meant a lot of shopping.

And these are the five things that helped me keep up my Capital Crescent Trail time in the summer. (Well except for the jumping away from renegade toddlers on bikes, that's just my cat-like reflexes.)

1.lucy Crossbank Tank - I always carry ID, some money, and my health insurance card with me. Always. I am not entirely sure I need the health insurance card but I never want to be in the circumstance that I do not have it and need it. This means I need a tiny pocket. lucy introduces a new style of this crossback tank every year and it has a tiny zippered pocket in the pack that I can slip everything in. The tanks are so comfy and flattering! Note: NEVER EVER pay full price for this tank, no matter how many times the sales staff there says it is "flying off the shelf." As they phase in new colors every three or four months, the old colors go on sale. And I week later, they go 30% off sale price. I have ALWAYS waited until the 30% point and you know how many colors I have missed out on? ZERO. (The customer service at the lucy I shop at has gone downhill so dramatically as of late that I do not feel one bit guilty for sharing this info.)

2.up&up Continuous Spray Sport Sunscreen - I pretty much spend the summer shellacked in this stuff. I have to be really careful about sun exposure (as does anyone, really) and at the end of last summer, I was as pale as I was when it started despite being outside more than I had ever been.

3.Nioxin Scalp Shield, SPF 20 - Where I was not so pale at the end of summer was on my scalp. I really do not like wearing hats and I have fine hair so I had to invest in a scalp sunscreen this year. Scalp sunscreens are really pretty hard to find and I think it might be for bald guys? I don't know but so far, so good. It doesn't leave to much of a residue on my hair which I really would not care about anyway. I excel at sweating in even the mildest of workouts.

4. Contiga Water Bottle with Storage Compartment  - This water bottle was featured in my gym bag My Essentials post but I originally bought it for my trail walks. Because it is so easy for me to get dehydrated so I needed a water bottle to carry along. This one has a handle and that storage compartment is handy as well.

5.Arm Pocket - I cannot walk without music so I always have my iPhone with me. I do like to be hands free on the trail and generally prefer an armband holder. But I have an iPhone5 and it is in an Otterbox. And a lot of accessories have not yet been adapted for the size and bottom headphone plug-in of the iPhone5 but the Arm Pocket has and I love it. I can even leave my phone in its Otterbox when I put the phone in the armband. (I guess I could technically not be so devoted to my tiny lucy Crossback tank pocket because of the pockets on this armband but it is just one of the best workout tops ever!)

Snack of the Week: Cracker Jack'D Power Bites

Until my sister sent me a package of these, I had completely forgotten about Cracker Jacks. I used to love them as a kid. Well, really, I loved the toy or prize in the box; I do not remember remember having particularly strong feelings about the popcorn mix. It was really about the excitement of the prize. Even though it was probably a five-cent piece of junk, you just never knew! You might get something magical! Or you might get a lame temporary tattoo. 

But now Cracker Jacks appears to be targeting an older demographic with its new Cracker Jack'd line. And specifically, the five-hour energy (Is it five hours? Or three?) crowd with their latest product in the line, Power Bites.

Each package contain the caffeine equivalent of one cup of coffee.  Naturally the very first time I went to grab the package of these from my cupboard, it was 8 p.m. and I was craving something sweet. Considering I am up until 2 a.m. if I have a sip of caffeine after like noon, I am quite grateful that I thought this through before trying them.  Instead I had them at like 11 a.m.

The "power bites" are chocolate covered wafers. 

They actually tasted really good, in both this mocha flavor and the vanilla flavor. But each package is 290 calories. And for that, I would rather just have the almost non-calorie cup of coffee. 

However, if they put a prize in the bottom of the Cracker Jack'd package, I would reconsider this decision. 

Snack of the Week is a weekly feature where I profile the snacks that I am eating. Equal parts healthy and indulgent are how I aspire (and sometimes fail) to eat my way through life and I try to reflect in these snacks. All snacking is done with a budget-friendly mindset as well. To read previous Snacks of Week, click here.

If you have any suggestions for snacks you would like me to try and profile, please email me at iwbadg@gmail.com. Unless it is super weird or expensive, I will probably try it.

This Week Currently, Volume 9

Unless I am wearing a statement necklace or have a really high neckline, I almost always have a Maya Brenner Wisconsin necklace on. With a little gem where my hometown is, I like that I carry a little bit of home with me when I wear it.

But since I wear it almost all the time, I often forget than I am in fact wearing it. And when that happens, it leads to awkward situations like this.

The scene: a crowded elevator. Me, tucked into the back staring at my feet because I hate chit chat on elevator. (Well, I hate chit chat in general but I hate it even more when I am on an elevator. And since my stop is often the top floor I spend a lot of time on the elevator.) 

"Is that Michigan?" booms a loud voice in front of me.  I glance up from my feet to realize everyone is staring at me. 

Me: Huh?

Loud Voice: Michigan. Is that Michigan?

Me {now realizing that I have my necklace on}: Oh, it's Wisconsin.

{Entire elevator continues to stare. And I start to be a little offended that the person thinks it's Michigan. As any Wisconsinite would.}

Loud Voice: Oh, are you from there?

Me {wondering why a person NOT from Wisconsin would be wearing this necklace}: Um, yeah.

Loud Voice: ARE YOU A BADGER? {In caps because it was shouted at me.}

Me {utterly confused because for the first time in the history of saying I was from Wisconsin, I was not immediately asked if I were a Packers fan}: HUH?

{For the love of modern mechanics, this elevator ride is taking forever.}

Loud Voice: A badger? You know, the Wisconsin Badgers. {Entire elevator now staring at me like I am a total idiot.}

Me {Okay, I am a total idiot}: Oh, no.

Loud Voice: Oh, well, then. {The loud sounds a bit offended. Am I supposed to apologize? The elevator dings and the elevator spills out leaving me by myself. I really need to start taking the stairs more.} 

{This is an old outfit pic from last October. That outfit had a lot going on. Wow.  Owls, polka dots. Sorry about that. I was young and wild.} 

Reading the new Sophie Kinsella book, Wedding Night. I feel like after the first three Shopaholic books, Kinsella's every other book is good. I loved the last one, I've Got Your Number but so far I am enjoying this one too despite from rather terrible reviews I read of it. So maybe my logic is off.

Eating everything in sight. Last week was one of those awful weeks where I was exhausted all the time and starving all the time. Which means I did not want to exercise but wanted to eat everything. It is the worst possible combination. 

Listening to the REO Speedwagon Pandora station. It is my favorite.  It is the perfect amount of Richard Marxx songs that does not make me feel like I should be sitting in the waiting room at the dentist. 

Thinking that my goal for the summer will be try some of the restaurants that have lingered too long on my "I Want To Eat There" list. Even if means facing my fear of dining solo. I am not sure how I can love love LOVE  vacationing alone but the thought of dining alone makes me a bit panicky. (I do eat on vacation. I am not sure how I accomplish this but I do.) 

Laughing that I thought it would be a great idea to run errands on Saturday with a massive headache and an empty stomach. We can all just be glad that I realized the error of my ways before I punched anything. Or anyone. And instead made a quick trip to Chipotle for lunch and headed home. And took a nap.

Wondering if anyone buys the 5-pound bag of Haribo gummi bears that they strategically place in the line at World Market. Because I am tempted every time but know that will end with a stomachache and never wanting to eat gummy bears ever again. And I like gummy bears too much for it to end that way.

Wearing my fleece pajama pants. The weather here was gorgeous on Saturday but the temp keeps getting so chilly that I cannot warm up. 

Loving that I finally finished my huge pile of ironing. Just in time for it to start building up again.

Wanting to see any celebrity in town over the past weekend for the White House Correspondents Dinner over the weekend. (Here in DC, it's known as the Nerd Prom.) But no celebs were spotted. And I was even in Georgetown on Sunday! And that is where the celebs seem to congregate. Also, I feel like the Dinner was not quite as hyped as it was in the past. Or maybe I just was not paying attention. Either is possible I guess. 

Needing to know if is proper etiquette to wave at cars that stop at a stop sign to let you use a crosswalk. I get the wave etiquette if there is not a stop sign but am I supposed to wave and thank them for obeying the law? I generally do not wave but then I see other walkers and runners wave. And then I feel rude. But if I wave at every single car that follows the law, my arm with fall off. 

This Week Currently is my variation on the Sunday Currently post and link-up hosted by Lauren.

Savory Sunday

Since I am attempting to cook more, naturally Savory Sunday is back. Because I get the bulk of my meal ideas from other blogs, I am just continuing on the Circle of Blog Meal Planning Life. (You can just picture the scene where Rafiki is holding Simba up in the Lion King. Except Rafiki is holding up a MacBook as bloggers across the world gather before him.) 

Anyway, I am trying to eat more vegetables. That is one of my goals for the summer. I just need easy ways to incorporate them.

Spring Stir Fried Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots - My favorite recipe of the bunch! I would make this every single day! Except I would probably get sick of it, so maybe once a week. I think it will be my summer go-to recipe because I can mix in different vegetables; I made another variation of it using asparagus and it was equally delicious. The recipe calls for using a wok. I do not have a wok. I used to have one but in a small kitchen I have to make sacrifices and storing a giant wok that I do not use a lot is something I sacrificed. I used a regular pan and it was fine.

Three Bean Chili - This was so bland! So bland that I forgot to take a picture. I tried to add Annie's Cheddar Bunny Crackers to liven it up a bit but then I almost choked on the bunnies every time I ate one. Which made me wonder if they are designed so that kids (the intended consumer of these animal crackers) will not choke on them but adults will?

 

Southwestern Black Bean, Quinoa, and Mango Medley - I really loved this salad; it would make a great summer dinner party side dish. But it made SO MUCH. And I swear the leftovers doubled in size every night they spent in my refrigerator. But the the third day, I reached the "I cannot eat this anymore" point. I will make this again, I will just make a third of the recipe. 

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats - I have seen this recipe featured on so many blogs with rave reviews so I thought it would be a safe recipe. Except the week I made it, the grocery store had only the tiniest zucchinis in the history of zucchini. If there was a market for vegetable reality shows, these zucchini could have starred in Little Zucchini, Big Garden. So they were probably not the best zucchini to use for boats to stuff with filling. But I did it anyway. I loved the enchilada filling but the zucchini were so slimy that I could think about was eels. And then I could not eat them.

I am constantly looking for new recipe blogs. Ones that do not use a ton of prepackaged items or Cheez-its coating on everything. I use Skinny Taste a lot but are there other ones that you love?

Snack of the Week: Strawberry Yogurt Creme Grahamfuls

One day when we have moved onto the newest form of technology and communication (and possibly jetpacks!), I will look fondly upon the memory of this blog and be forever grateful that Snack of the Week introduced me to Grahamfuls. They are one of my favorite things ever. And they keep rolling out new flavors and none of them have been bad! I loved the peanut butter flavor and the banana flavor and I love the new strawberry flavor!

Each little package has two graham cracker pieces with strawberry creme sandwiched between.

They are my favorite little midmorning treat! And while I harbor no grand illusions that the strawberry in the creme is in any way real, I am comforted by the fact that it is not some mutant neon pink. 

Snack of the Week is a weekly feature where I profile the best snack that I am eating. Equal parts healthy and indulgent are how I aspire (and sometimes fail) to eat my way through life and I try to reflect in these snacks. All snacking is done with a budget-friendly mindset as well. To read previous Snacks of Week, click here.

If you have any suggestions for snacks you would like me to try and profile, please email me at iwbadg@gmail.com. Unless it is super weird or expensive, I will probably try it.