Awesome Eats

Thursday was pretty much awesome. It started with an early-morning walk with Mama before the sunrise. Afterward, I had a new and interesting breakfast.

Cantaloupe and oats cooked with 2 egg whites for added staying power.

 Later, I got myself looking all spiffy, and Mons and I went to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown for some quality sister bonding time. Good food makes good times that much better.

Panera classic cafe salad and black bean soup with an apple.

Mons was happy with her meal.

Bowl of broccoli and cheedar soup with sourdough OTS.

Deliciousness

After a leisurely lunch, we walked around the square, slinking in and out of interesting shops along the way. 

Matching sisters. Cute, right?

 Then, we hit up my fave store, TJ Maxx, for some more shopping.

Bags in hand, we got some sweet treats, courtesy Chick-Fil-A. Mons and I debated getting a “small” ice cream (which is actually huge) or the kids’ size. We came to the conclusion that kidlet size would be sufficient.

I'm lovin' it. Wrong fast food motto, but who cares?

 

Definitely my favorite ice cream ever. Easy to please.

 Later, Mumzy and I went to get my wedding dress. We got to our location early, so guess what we did: got food.

Bahama Breeze rocks my socks. We began our meal with some yummy cocktails.

Tropical delights. Sangria for me, Pina Colada for the mama.

 I planned on getting a salad, but the bad eating demons crept over me and I ended up ordering possibly the unhealthiest thing on the menu. In my defense, I was not aware that what I ordered was essentially a deep fried Cuban pizza.

Tostones and chicken bits topped with mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, salsa, and a ridiculous amount of cheese. This was an appetizer. No joke.

Mums got black beans and rice.

I devoured this in about 3.5 minutes. Devilishly delectable.

 After being sufficiently stuffed with spicy, greasy goodness, I went to try on my wedding dress. I figured, if it fits after eating like that, I was good to go…

It didn’t. But, let me clarify, this was not my fault. The seamstress admitted that she made the part around my ribs a little too tight. The same mistake was made on Mama’s dress. Nothing a little letting out can’t fix.  

After about an hour of girly chatting, we made our way back home. It was at that moment that I got the worst spell of indigestion in my life. Since I was already feeling like crap, I topped it off with a tea cookie. Probably not the best decision I’ve ever made. As I sit here, curled up in the fetal position while writing this post, I realize that the food I ate, although now rotting in my gut, was completely worth the pain. Cheers to livin' it up.

Short-Lived Spring Break

Where’re all my people at?!?! I hope everyone is super excited that the weekend is here! This weekend is (was?) doubly exciting for me because Thursday (yesterday) marked the beginning of Spring Break!! I am quite certain that at least 90% of all college students look forward to this week for some much needed R&R, and probably some VERY memorable experiences. Well, I am here to tell you that yours truly is not part of that 90%. Unlike my fellow students, I will be spending my break finishing my senior thesis. Sure, I’ve been invited to do fun stuff over the break. “So why don’t you.” you might ask? Here’s my logic:

• I only have about 15 more pages to write before my thesis is complete
• Completing my thesis means a less stressful end of the semester
• If I wait until the last minute to do it, I will also be working on papers/exams for 3 other classes WHILE stressing out over my upcoming wedding
• And finally, I can rub it in everyone else’s face that I am done. Heh.

 I am sick of having this gigantic thing looming over my head and dislike working on long-term projects. The way I see it, finishing it this week is the only solution.

Biff is in the same boat as I am, and will actually be staying at school for most of the break. So, we figured we should spend the first two days of SB enjoying ourselves. And enjoy we did.

Thursday promised to be a usual day…

Coffee and cookie dough oatmeal with strawbs.

Cauliflower and peanut butter sandwich.

…until my third class got cancelled. That’s when it all began.

Since I wasn;t really feelin’ school, I played hooky from my fourth class. Admittedly, Biff and I are unable to defend against the siren song of the sweet tooth. As a result, we found ourselves at the local fro-yo place call Sweet Spot. This week’s flavor: peanut butter. 

Spring in a nutshell.

 I cannot even describe the amazingness of this fro-yo. It was like a party in my mouth.

Holy fro-yo!

 The fro-yo delight quickly came to an end, and we went to get our hands dirty at Journey’s End and play around with a bunch of wild and uncontrollable furry rats (the little doggies). Once we were sufficiently covered in hair, we headed back to the app for a nap. I woke up feeling _________ (fill in the blank. I don’t even need to say it). Enter, soup!

Left-over Kitchen Sink Soup

 After dinner, we rushed over to Zumba class. We shook our little hinies and sweated it up. I could Zumba ALL NIGHT LONG (if they’d let me)! I think there is no better workout if you want to have fun while burning an obscene amount of calories.

Back to the app we went to get ready for our night on the town. I say night, but it was really more like “hour” (more about that later). Me and my girls spent about 3 hrs dancing it up in the living room before going anywhere. You know you have good friends when you can be in a fully-lit apartment with only four people, an iPod, and fairly quiet speakers and have a full-on dance party.

Watchin' TV on the floor. Bestie snuggle.

I have no idea what's with these faces.

Straight up gangsta.

Signature dance move #1.

Signature dance move #2.

The dinner table was the only available photographer. The coffee table was the only suitable stage.

 While dancing, I imbibed a Woodchuck’s Hard Cider. Flavor: Fall.

Happy Woodchuck consumer.

 Here’s a mini-review… I love Woodchuck’s Hard Cider because it’s gluten-free and delicious. I have tried the Granny Smith, Pear, and Amber flavors, and loved all of them. I’d say, I’m pretty partial to the Amber. I recently found out that Woodchuck’s makes seasonal cider (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) that is limited release. When I saw the Fall cider (ok, a little behind) I decided to buy one (yes one) and do a little taste test. Ding, Ding, Ding! Winner. This delicious brew tasted of cinnamon and nutmeg, and had a little bit of a woody finish that gave the Amber some stiff competition. I was really pleased with it. Like all of the Woodchuck’s ciders, it had a super smooth finish. A+ from me.

Moving on…  After amusing ourselves with our signature dance moves, the girls and I figured we should be sociable. So we ventured out to continue our dance marathon. After a VERY short time, we returned to our in-house fiesta. Home is BETTA! It has snacks…

Mouth full of Food Should Taste Good olive chips.

Pretz.

Sabs and Biff with cheeseless pizza.

1/2 peanut butter sandwich from lunch.

Snack'ems!

This is my Biff. She doesn't eat hot things.

Biff sitting on the floor because she literally fell on the floor laughing.

When our legs started to feel like they were about to fall off any second, we knew it was time to hit the sack. 

Piled on Sabrina's bed.

 The next morning, Biff and I awoke at 8:30 am. What the…? I had a top-notch breakfast.

Chocolate and banana protein shake in a kid's Olive Garden cup. This is the epitome of class.

 We had plans to go to the beach or pool, but were sadly disappointed when we realized that the Florida weather had planned otherwise. Gloomy weather and bathing suits just don’t mix. Instead, we hit up Chick-Fil-A’s Free Fry-Day (clever), and got a free medium fry and free desserts with the coupons we got from the cow ambush on Tuesday. 

Tray of sugary, fried happiness.

Fries and brownie.

Fries and ice cream.

 Somehow, ice cream and waffle fries make failed plans seem so small and insignificant.

Thursday and Friday’s fun has helped my come to terms with my upcoming week of non-stop work. We work hard and play hard. I suppose in this case, we did it backwards. I’m ok with it.