Smoothie of the Day (and bread!) - September 20, 2010

Well, this part looked good anyway

I've been stuffy and sniffly and drippy for a few days - my chiropractor blames allergies and the changing seasons (it's still in the 90s every day - what change?) while I still think it could be something more sinister. My heart wanted a coffee smoothie, but my brain said no, be healthy. Be strong. Get your veggies in.

Behold, above this text, the smoothie-before picture. I'll give you a bit to look at it, because it looks so nice and innocent. I based it on the Ruby Smoothie from the Vitamix cookbook, with a few tweaks. One apple (Gala), a big bunch of kale, some unsweetened vanilla almond milk, some water, some raw honey from my friend's bees, and a handful of frozen berries from the Trader Joe's berry blend. OK, now scroll.

Yeah, not quite as appealing

How...greenish brownish. How swampy. How not at all what I was hoping for. And the taste was KALE with a hint of apple. It tasted healthy, you know what I'm saying? So I dumped it back into the blender with a half a cold banana and some frozen strawberries. That improved things enough that I'm drinking it. Sigh. Maybe later I'll make a coffee smoothie.

Here's a palate cleanser:

Nom nom nom bread

Just BEHOLD that bread. Take in the goodness. Click on it to read the ingredients. Look at how it was marked down just a touch (it was a day old) and yet even before the discount was reasonably priced. It was so good - I bought it on a whim at the farmer's market and have been dreaming of it since I gobbled down the last crumb.

Edited to add...that I myself did not read the ingredients closely enough, apparently. I ate the bread, I took the picture, and I thought "I'll post it on my blog so people can see it has things like cage free eggs!" I missed the partially hydrogenated oil in it. AKA trans fat. DAMN. DAMN AND DAMN AGAIN. Because that bread was so good, but I will never be buying it again. Sniff. How could you do this to me, farmer's market? My heart, she is broken.

Today was my daughter's first day back at preschool after her week break. She used her walker to RUN down the hall, and she walked into her homeroom with her hands above her head, cheering "yeah!" as she did so. Hooray! I'm more worried about tomorrow, when she realizes that yes, she has to go back every day, but today was good. Plus we picked up her first birthday party invitation from a classmate. The party is Saturday and I have plans to pick up a present from my favorite local independent children's bookstore, Little Shop of Stories.

I was going to shop today, but my husband just invited me to go see the Atlanta Thrashers practice, so I'm off to do that instead. Maybe I'll get some pictures I can share with you later...

Smoothie of the Day - September 11, 2010

Before - with leftover fruit salad

After - a lovely shade of green!

Most evenings, my husband takes the kid out to practice walking while I catch up on work and other things. Often they wind up at the mall, where there are wide open, flat spaces on which she can use her walker. Last night I went with them - it was a lot of fun. Along our journey, we stopped at Chik-Fil-A for a fruit cup for her (I also got cookies from the Great American Cookie Company with a 50% off coupon from Scoutmob). She didn't finish it, so I brought it home and it became the base for today's smoothie (which also had origins within the green drink mentioned in the Butcher and the Vegetarian). The fruit salad (after the kid had picked out what she wanted last night) was chopped apples and grapes. I added almond milk, fresh strawberries, frozen mango, and frozen pineapple. And a TON of kale. You can see how it turned out. The texture was a bit off - I should've let it run a bit longer - but it was delicious.

I ran out to the consignment sale this morning but it was really hot (no A/C?) and everything was overpriced. The line was too long to wait for a single pair of $2 jeans, so I left empty handed. Ah well.

Nine years ago I was in my apartment in Somerville, MA, in my bathrobe (having quit my job a few months prior with plans to move to New York City by October). I had lunch plans with a friend and was just wandering the house getting ready when I flipped the TV on. I watched as the second plane hit and was glued to the TV for the rest of the day. I didn't know where my husband was (he was working at Fenway Park and it took forever to reach him). A friend's sister came over to keep me company. I broke down a few times. Today my thoughts and prayers are with all of the families who lost loved ones that day.

Smoothie of the Day (plus shopping) - September 6, 2010

Almost-ice-cream smoothie

Another Monday, another smoothie. It's a "there's no preschool and we're going on an adventure" smoothie. Look how thick it is:

The straw stands up!

Cow milk, chia seeds, fresh strawberries, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, frozen blueberries, squirt of agave. Oops, I forgot the spinach. I shared this one with my daughter - she thought it was funny that she had to work so hard with the straw to get a sip.

Mules & Clogs by Dansko

I earned another $5 Amazon gift card from Swagbucks today - since I started, I've earned over $300 in Amazon cards and cash from that site. Easy peasy. I'm saving the credit I earn from there and from MyPoints (where I have enough for a $25 Amazon gift card, but they're temporarily sold out) to buy a new pair of Dansko clogs. They may not be the most gorgeous shoes in the universe, but I wear them every single day and go through about one pair per year (sometimes two). They're pricey, but they last longer than ten pairs of cheaper shoes ever did, so I find the investment totally worth it. But applying earned Amazon credit to my purchase makes it a lot easier to handle!

The weekend is winding down nicely. Saturday, the mailman brought me my $5-for-$10 Trader Joe's gift card courtesy of Plum District. (Last week they had a deal of a $5-for-$10 gift card to Chik-fil-A! Love it!) Yesterday we went out to lunch at local restaurant El Tesoro (my daughter loves the black beans there - I need to write a Freakmenu post about it) and then headed back to the Decatur Book Festival to check out the vendors. I tried a second flavor from the King of Pops - white peach and raspberry - and found it simply divine. KoP is going to be at my local CD shop next weekend, so I'll get to try yet another flavor (or two?). Exciting.

Today I'm not sure what we're up to. I have some ExtraBucks expiring at CVS, so I'm going to grab a free razor and possibly some free gum. Beyond that? An adventure, like I said above!

Smoothie of the Day (plus BPAL and AGT) - September 2, 2010

Super extra-creamy smoothie

I'm loving frozen pineapple in my smoothies. It adds a nice sweetness and texture to them and I think it's going to be a staple in my freezer from now on. Today I was low on both almond and cow milk, so I used a combination of both, which made today's smoothie extra creamy. Then I threw in fresh and frozen strawberries, flax seeds, frozen pineapple, frozen spinach, and a squirt of agave. Delicious, and hopefully it will keep me going through the morning.

I'm a fan of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume oils (perhaps I'll make a "Let me tell you about" post about it in the future). There are thousands of different oil blends, and each one smells different on an individual's skin, and I may or may not have quite a large collection of sample-sized vials (known as imps' ears) that I poke at from time to time. Today they released info about the Trick or Treat inquisition; on occasion the company will offer T shirts and oils that have a theme (usually Halloween and the winter holidays) and then require you to send in a fun request for what you want - naughty or nice? trick or treat? - with no guarantees of what combination of oil and shirt and other goodies you'll actually receive. It's a lot of fun and very creative, and this year I like both T shirt designs (I haven't always in the past). I had a chance to smell some of the inquisition oils at a BPAL event a week ago (I liked Marshmallow Pumpkin), but in the end this is probably too pricey for me at this time. But it may be something in which you'd be interested; go look!

Edited to add: Oops, a friend of mine pointed out to me that I misread the site - there are no shirts this year, the art is for the labels of the products. I'm so disappointed, I love the art this time around!

My guesses were pretty off regarding the America's Got Talent results last night. I was surprised that the judges picked the dance crew over the singer, but I also am tired of singers winning the competition. The top ten is a really great mix of variety acts and I'm looking forward to the finals (although I also am getting tired of how they're stretching this out forever and ever - I think there are two more weeks of finals to go...). My top three are Prince Poppycock, Anna and Patryk, and Michael Grasso. I think. No, wait! Fighting Gravity has to be in there too! Realistically, the young opera singer (I know her name, I just am not reaching for Google hits for her...) will probably place in the top three, if not win, but again, I'm tired of singers winning so I hope it's something more interesting in the end.

Frozen Nutella Hot Chocolate? Yes, please!

You know you want some...

I used to trek out to Paris Creperie in Brookline, MA, just to get a Nutella frozen hot chocolate in the summer. It was rich and creamy and Nutella-y and just a phenomenal treat. Then I moved away, and even when I visit Massachusetts, there's never enough time to get over to Brookline. Sigh. But now that I have a Vitamix, I figured I could try to recreate it.

I followed a modified version of the recipe I found on ChowHound's message board that's supposedly the real thing. I used Kroger-brand lite vanilla ice cream instead of frozen yogurt, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk (which kept the calorie count down), and I used far less Nutella than the recipe called for. It came out wonderfully (and the almond milk worked just fine). I WILL be making this again - and often. I also am considering trying another recipe I found that doesn't have any ice cream/froyo and that still sounds yummy.

Looking forward to tonight's America's Got Talent results show!

Smoothie of the Day (...to go! plus bento of the day and America's Got Talent babble) - September 1, 2010

Smoothie to go!

It's a smoothie to go today, because I had a chiropractor appointment I had to run off to. This one came out really yummy - almond milk, fresh and frozen strawberries, frozen grapes, frozen spinach, and frozen pineapple, plus some flax seeds and a squirt of agave nectar. I drank it as I walked and enjoyed the slightly cooler weather we've been having (only in the 80s!).

Bento for the kid - more of the same, but at least she eats it.

I haven't posted a bento in a while because they're largely the same most days. Here's today's - strawberries and a whole banana, organic string cheese and broken up whole wheat crackers, and pasta with sauce and veggie burger crumbles in a new lunch jar. The lunch jar is plastic, which I don't love, but it seems to be easier for both my daughter and her aides at school to handle, and I think it may even keep food warmer than the other jar (which I'll still use for her and for me on occasion).

I'm watching America's Got Talent from last night as I type this. This is probably my favorite line up of all the shows this season. My favorite singer, Debra Romer, probably won't get through, but I loved how she basically said she now gets paid to sing and she's already won. This show is all about the exposure, whether you win or not. Fabulous. Predictions: Jackie Evancho, Michael Grasso (so glad they brought him back), Fighting Gravity, Michael & Ashleigh (ditto - the judges made great choices for wild cards), Nathaniel Kenyon (I think there's a contingent that will vote him through). I'm still rooting for Haspop, but I don't think he'll make it. I could see the kid that plays piano sneaking in there somewhere instead too.

And look, Pomplamoose collaborated with Ben Folds:



Rabbit Rabbit. It's almost autumn.

Smoothie of the Day (and babble) - August 31, 2010

Simple and sweet - strawberries and banana

I didn't feel like getting too complicated with my smoothie today. I feel like I'm in a rut and I just wanted to get it made and move on. Almond milk, cold banana, fresh and frozen strawberries, frozen spinach, chia seeds, and a splash of agave. It was smooth and delicious, but I probably will need to eat something else later or I'll be starving. My typical mid-morning snack is a 100-calorie roll and two Laughing Cow wedges, yum.

So. The rut. I have an important phone call to make, but I don't want to do it because it will be annoying. I have ponytail holders to make, but I can't really get that done while my husband is working (too noisy). I should take a deep breath and drive to Kroger (I have a lot of issues with driving and when I do drive, it's to a very small list of very, very close places) so I can use my freebie coupons and grab some mayo (how exciting). I have a ton of books to catch up on. Mostly I want to just sit on the couch and stare at the computer and/or TV, which is unhealthy, boring, and unsatisfying.

Motivate me! Comment on this blog post (not on any feeds, please come directly to the blog page or I'll miss it) and give me a pep talk for this Tuesday.

Smoothie of the Day (plus a case of the Mondays) - August 30, 2010

Too small a smoothie.

As you can see, I underestimated the ingredients in today's smoothie: almond milk, chia seeds, cold half a banana, frozen strawberries, fresh raspberries, frozen spinach, and a few splashes of chocolate syrup.

I definitely have a case of the Mondays today. My daughter did not - she was thrilled to be going to school and pretty much ignored us as we left her classroom. But on the way we witnessed a minor-yet-scary car accident that shook me up. Also we had to drive through a movie shoot - yep, Cartoon Network is filming something (apparently not a cartoon) nearby - that slowed everything down.

So instead of doing the 30-Day Shred or anything productive. I'm going to watch the Tivoed Emmy's and last night's Drop Dead Diva second-season finale. Then I'll probably take a walk to drop off buttons and maybe gawk at the movie set a bit. Hopefully that will snap me out of it.

Smoothie of the Day (plus more America's Got Talent ramble and chia seeds) - August 26, 2010

Isn't this smoothie pretty?

I'm not doing things in the order I usually do this morning. I had to stop watching America's Got Talent last night to take care of something, so I missed the final decision on the final person. I couldn't wait, so I made my smoothie and just finished watching. I'll do the 30-Day Shred in a minute. (Day four!) The smoothie is almond milk, chia seeds (more on them in a second), fresh strawberries, lots of frozen berries, and a big handful of fresh kale. It's OK - a bit tart - but look at that gorgeous color!

Chia seeds are weird! Yesterday I experimented with them a bit. I ate them plain - fine, crunchy, no major flavor. Then I put a large spoonful in a glass of water and let it sit. I knew they developed a gel from absorbing liquid, but I didn't realize exactly how that would manifest itself. The glass was full of suspended seeds - it looked really cool but I didn't get a chance to take a picture. Maybe I'll recreate it in the future. I couldn't manage to drink it though - a few sips were all I could take before the texture got to me. So I'm going to stick with putting them in smoothies and perhaps working my way up to a smaller amount in juice.

And as for America's Got Talent, I'm really disappointed in the results from last night. Confession: I didn't vote. But I suspect that in this case, my votes wouldn't have changed much. I was rooting for Anna and Patryk and Prince Poppycock, as you know. But I am not happy with the other three finalists - people voted with their hearts, which is lovely and beautiful (and I am a big sap, don't get me wrong!) but the acts that I thought had the most potential to put on a great show were the ones who got cut. I just can't see someone paying big bucks to see any of the singers that got through. And next week I like about seven of the finalists. Seriously, I love this show because, as Howie Mandel said last night, it's a true variety show. And also I'm a dork.

Finally, this morning, my daughter not only didn't cry when we dropped her off at preschool, but she actually smiled, said "Yeah! Yeah!" a few times, and waved bye bye to us. Yes! This afternoon we have a six-month follow-up appointment with the neurologist; I doubt we'll learn anything new, but it is good to have people keeping an eye on her progress, I suppose.

Smoothie of the Day (plus button plans and the Decatur Book Festival; gushing about America's Got Talent) - August 25, 2010

Lots of frozen fruit before...

Delicious smoothie after!

Day three of the 30-Day Shred and I still can't quite do the whole thing. But at least I'm up and moving around every morning, no? So while I really wanted to make a coffee smoothie, I instead made a healthy one. Almond milk, fresh banana half, chia seeds (interesting), fresh kale, frozen grapes, frozen strawberries, frozen mango, frozen blueberries. It's delicious.

As I type this, I'm watching last night's America's Got Talent. I'm happy to say that I don't know who will make it through tonight - or at least I can't narrow it down to my personal favorite five. I do hope that people voted on the best acts, not the most sentimental. [Correction: As I watch more, it seems like my top five are pretty obvious after all.] [ETA: PRINCE POPPYCOCK I ADORE YOU! My top five: Prince Poppycock, Anna and Patryk, Antonio Restivo, ArcAttack, and I still love AscenDance even though the judges weren't jazzed. I felt SO bad for the singer who got three Xs and wanted to give her a hug. Still looking forward to Haspop, Debra Romer, and the other two magicians.]

Today I feel like I have so much to do and not enough time to do it. I have errands to run and buttons to make - I'm planning on stocking my favorite local independent children's bookstore (that also has the most amazing selection of grownup books ever) Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA, with tons and tons of book-love buttons to sell during the upcoming Decatur Book Festival. Which means I need to get started...now.

Smoothie of the Day (and 30-Day Shred and more savings) - August 23, 2010

Sunflower seed butter smoothie

Today's smoothie had a little extra protein oomph because I'm back to doing the 30-Day Shred. The smoothie of the day is a half a frozen banana, some cow milk, some flax seeds, some fresh strawberries, a scoop of sunflower seed butter (Trader Joe's brand), and some ice. It was sweet and yummy.

Ah, the Shred. Everyone I know is doing it (or at least it seems that way) and I'm on board with an exercise program that only takes about 30 minutes out of my short mornings. But as I mentioned in a previous post, I also have a bad knee and took a break. My knee feels better, so I started back up this morning, at least in a modified way. I'll see what I can do about sticking to it this time around.

Last night we went back to Publix and for the first time in a long time, if not ever, I saved more than I spent. I got four more boxes of Barilla whole wheat pasta, two more bags of New England Coffee, and a free jug of Arm & Hammer Power Gel thanks to a coupon my friend Jen (of Saving Cents in the City) scored me at the BlogHer convention (she actually got me three coupons, because she's fabulous, but I wanted to try it before I got three jugs). Those plus a coupon for cat treats and a Publix coupon for organic milk added up to big savings, even when we threw in other stuff like yogurt and cheese. I saved over $25 and spent less than $25.

Today I'm off to...how do I describe Your Dekalb Farmers Market (YDFM)?...the farmers market, the local giant health food store, the grocery store with every vegetable under the sun, the amazing store near me. I'm going to get chia seeds and coconut oil and kale and...a lot of yummy stuff. They don't take coupons, but their prices are amazing, and they have fresh bread made with organic flour and they grind their own coffee and and and...yeah. Love it.

Happy Monday!

PS I've also been making milkshakes in the Vitamix. Yeah, totally great for the diet, but I'm using low-fat Publix brand vanilla ice cream, a bit of 2% cow milk, and a frozen Vitatop. Yes, really. It's sooo good and it's lower calories/higher fiber than a milkshake from a restaurant, so that's something, right?

Smoothie of the Day (and Happy Birthday Tori Amos) - August 22, 2010

Banana-coffee smoothie experiment

Sundays are great for experimenting, no? I tried making a fruit smoothie WITH coffee. The results were acceptable, though I probably won't make it again this way. For the record, it was cow milk, instant coffee, frozen spinach, a splash of vanilla extract, a whole banana, a squoosh of chocolate syrup, a spoonful of sugar, and a whole bunch of ice. If I do delve into this sort of thing again, I'll use a smaller amount of coffee for sure.

And a happy, happy birthday to my favorite musician ever (even if I haven't absolutely loved her last few studio albums, I will always love her live), Tori Amos. I've been a fan since late 1991 and have seen her in concert (and at a few radio performances, two discussions with Ann Powers, and one book signing) about 40 times over the years. Not much else in my life has been quite that consistent.

Smoothie of the Day - August 21, 2010

More coffee smoothie!

We're going to be running around all day today, so I made another coffee smoothie to get me through. This time I was out of chocolate chips (I may or may not have eaten them all), so I tried using Ovaltine instead. I also used cow milk, instant coffee, vanilla extract, frozen spinach (LOVE IT), and ice. But the resulting drink was bitter. Sigh. So I threw it all back in the Vitamix with a spoonful of sugar and more milk - much better. (I also made a breakfast burrito with Trader Joe's eggs, Morningstar Farms fake-bacon, Trader Joe's peach salsa, and a Laughing Cow lite swiss wedge on a Smart & Delicious tortilla. Yum.)

We're going to try to make the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new ice rink today in Forsyth County. (Sadly, the name of the town in which the rink resides is also slang for something somewhat obscene, and at the moment that's not the kind of traffic I want to encourage for this blog...)

Then hopefully we'll visit with a friend of mine who lives near the rink, and later we're going to the library - I'm picking up RuPaul's book as well as Lynn Peril's book College Girls: Bluestockings, sex kittens, and coeds, then and now. Speaking of books, I'm about 3/4 of the way through Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a public librarian by Scott Douglas. It's enjoyable, but it's a bit slow in spots, and I preferred Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert. I've also started poking at Sunshine by Robin McKinley, which one friend gave me and another insisted I read. And I also have (from the library) Every Day in Tuscany by Frances Mayes, The Butcher and the Vegetarian by Tara Austen Weaver, and a few others that I can't think of off the top of my head...

Smoothie of the Day (plus going out to dinner and America's Got Talent) - August 19, 2010

Coffee smoothie before!

No bento pictures today, because today's bento wasn't particularly exciting. And I went out last night (more on that in a minute) so I needed a smoothie with a bit more kick and instead went with a coffee-based frappe/smoothie. It has cow milk, instant coffee (a single-serving instant coffee packet has the perfect amount; I got a bunch of them for free at CVS), vanilla extract, a splash of agave nectar (and yes, I'm aware of the controversy regarding agave nectar, but I have in the house so I'm going to use it), some semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a bunch of ice cubes. Oh and some frozen spinach - yep, really. I took a risk with that.

Mmm, coffee smoothie after.

Oh this was so good. It came out icy and creamy and sweet and delicious. And far cheaper than going to, say, you know, Starbucks. And no, I could not taste the spinach at all - win!

Last night I got to have a mommy-night-out with a friend. We went to Feast in Decatur, Georgia, and had a great time. I'm not a restaurant reviewer (yet?) and I didn't take any pictures, but I can tell you that I love this place; it's one of my favorite local spots, although I don't get there often enough.

We first shared a basket of "mushroom chips" that were basically lightly breaded and fried exotic mushroom caps - crimini, portobello, and shiitake, with a gorgonzola dipping sauce that I could have eaten with a spoon. So good. Plus I had an X and the City cocktail - vodka, fruity liqueurs, pomegranate. Sweet and fruity and girly and it had QUITE a kick (or I'm a lightweight...yeah, that's probably it).

For my main course, I had the only vegetarian full-plate option - the mushroom and homemade wheat linguini dish that was hearty and rich without being heavy - but I let it get cold because I was having such a great time talking about everything under the sun with my friend. That's OK, it was still good cold. It was, however, kind of a shame that I had mushrooms and then more mushrooms - I adore mushrooms, don't get me wrong, but it would've been nice to have a non-mushroom choice for my dinner. (There's also a mushroom pizza on the "small plates" menu - but again, more mushrooms - and there are two other vegetarian appetizer options, so that part is my own doing, but I really wanted the mushroom chips, as did my friend.) This is a very minor concern though, as everything was delicious. We finished with the bread pudding with white chocolate glaze that was perfection - we shared one bowl, but I could've eaten another quite easily.

Now the best part. Feast sends out emails with secret passwords from time to time. Last night, by saying "Back to School" to our waiter, we got one of the entrees for free. Fantastic. You can get on the mailing list on the website, where you can also see a full menu (which I used as a cheat sheet for this blog entry).

A few years ago I attempted to start a website on which I'd review the vegetarian options at non-vegetarian restaurants. I called it FreakMenu - so look for the FreakMenu label on posts here in which I will let you know what's available for we wacky crazy vegetarian types at various restaurants in and around Atlanta/Decatur, Georgia.

I'm watching last night's America's Got Talent results show while I write this entry. I really have enjoyed this season (unlike some other talent shows, ahem), but I am surprised that the kite-flying boy got through. He's great, but he's a sentimental choice, and I would've put both Doogie and the acrobats through instead. (During the performance, my heart STOPPED when the female acrobat dropped down. STOPPED.) I'm rooting for Prince Poppycock, AscenDance, HasPop, and Debra Romer. I like all the magicians this time around too.

PS I just found out that today's Groupon deal is a $50 Gap gift card (good in stores only, not online) for $25. That is AWESOME and I think I'm going to have to get one. You should too! (And yes, those are referral links. If you sign up, I get a Groupon credit. Thanks!)

Bento and Smoothie of the Day (+ owl rings and gel cups) - August 18, 2010

Bento for the kid - August 18, 2010

Today's bento focused on things I know she'll eat, since yesterday's came back rather full after school. Strawberries and bananas, string cheese, Snapea Crisps, Annie's cheddar bunnies in the bento box. The food jar has black beans with olive oil and parmesan cheese. And a cereal bar.

Smoothie before - see all the green I snuck in?

Today's smoothie in the Vitamix - cow milk, semi-frozen half banana, fresh strawberries, frozen strawberries, frozen spinach, frozen pomegranate seeds, flax seeds, and a spoonful of Ovaltine. (I'm hoping when this container is finished that I can find a non-Nestle replacement.)

Smoooooth smoothie!

Again, yummy. And healthy!

I'm trying to lose a bit of baby weight (yeah, my baby is three, so?), and so these smoothies are all that I have for breakfast most mornings. I've also purchased Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred DVD as well as hand weights. I did the Shred once, and I really did enjoy the intense-yet-short workout (my free time is very limited, even with the kid in preschool, so short is good), but I also threw my knee out before I started and found it to be a bit too intense right now. So I've done one day out of 30 - that's how it works, right? One day a week for 30 weeks? Oh. Instead I'm occasionally doing Wii Fit aerobics (on the setting that I love, where I can watch TV/a movie while stepping) and thinking VERY hard about doing another day of the Shred. Really.

Meanwhile, I've been loving these non-gelatin gel cups from Trader Joe's:

A fabulous snack for this vegetarian.

I noticed them a few months ago in the store and grabbed them - there's also a peach-mango flavor - and became an instant fan. They're low calorie, they're delicious, but most of all they're vegetarian. I don't exactly miss gelatin (when I think about what's in gelatin, I definitely don't miss it), but I have some fond childhood memories of it, and it's nice to be able to indulge again.

And I made some rings last night - these will be for sale at a local boutique soon, but I think they'll show up in my etsy store too, if you're interested.

Everyone loves owls, hearts, and little birds!