Self Workout in the Park 2010

A bit of a warning before you continue to read on… the photos you are about to see are mostly photos that were taken by Missy and Mari - and some from my camera phone.
On Friday night, i decided to hit the hay early. I was zonked from giving blood and knew that I had a big day ahead of me with the girls. I must have really been tired because i not only slept through my 7am wake up call but i missed my courtesy call from Mari. She had texted me the night before saying she wanted to leave at 8:30 am. Her call was at 8:30 and I was still in bed.
Already you can tell my day was going to be SUPER!
I walked mickey and got ready quickly as it started to rain. I met up with a disappointed Mari (cuz I always seem to be the “late” one) and we got on the train. And thats when the train decided to be retarded and go re-route us. We arrived to meet up with the rest of the girls 45 mins late. They were really nice about it too- i probably would have left me behind. I realized when we were on the train that I also left my camera in my gym bag. fml.
The rain had stopped and we made our way to the park.
Mari: Did you bring your ticket, Mo?
Mo: what ticket?
SMH- luckily, Self Prepares for people like me. And i got in with no problem.
While rifling though my bag and what not I came across a cool new toy. “Mo, stop clowning around and lets go”

Couldn’t help myself. Lucky for those ladies my clown nose was hard to breathe with and I was gonna need my oxygen for all the wonderful goodies to come. Here is a lovely group of girls! From left to right: Julie, Kristine, Layla, Angela, ME, and Mari…taking the photo: Missy.

We found a spot in the large arena (after we made a lap for free stuff) and started the sexy stretch, complete with pelvic thrusting, lusty hip rolls, and shimmying.

I love how Mari is enjoying her stretch, I’m not even aware that Im being photographed. Please note: Mo Diva is not as annoyed as she seems. Lets say I was feeling the burn, yes?

Neck rolls. You gotta roll that neck and stretch properly to ensure a good workout!
Getting ready for one of our first workouts! I think the best part of all the working out was how i wore pants without drawstring and spent a good chunk of time pulling my pants up to my armpits to keep them from falling off (thankfully, that image was never captured- that I know of)

Look how many fitness divas there are!!! Yo go GIRLS!

The event was full of awesome stuff, and because i was so late we all missed out on the rebounding classes (sorry!). Lots of vendors with free samples and coupons. Among my favorites: Crystal Light provided fitness water, Asics gave out these cool sacks that contained a lovely ball of hair ties, Silk gave out samples of chocolate milk, Blue Diamond gave out almonds, and Reebok had great footwear and such to try on!

The first class that I took and LOVED was the Masala Bhangra with Sarina Jain. What an awesome workout. It wasnt difficult to follow and was actually really fun!

After the workout, we were taking a break and spotted Ms. Jain herself filming a documentary for Masala Bhangras 10 year anniversary. Mari nearly had a heart attack and i hated myself for forgetting my camera. Missy let me get in on her photo – Missy u can EASILY crop me out of this one! LOL.

In Mari’s excitement she told Sarina: “I do you every day” Thats what she said. Love you Mari.

I skipped the AB workout cuz I wanted to peruse the free crap some more but was sure to come back for the Retro Robics. Another awesome workout that had the greatest music from my fav decades (80′s and 90′s) I also skipped the tai boxing cuz I suck at that.

The girls took a break before the next workout began. We took a peek at Jess Getting her Rebounding on – she didn’t wait for me hence, she was able to score a spot in the class. Smart Girl – i will be taking her spin class next week – that is, if i can wake up! LOL.

We were all starting to get tired and hungry so we took time to strike one more pose (after 5 or so minutes of the hardest class ever- Rock Bottom) and decided to get the hell outta there.

Missy spotted the signage and we spotted a photo op.

Mari

Mo Nizzle.

We had a few ideas on what we should eat and after tossing around this and that we decided that there was really only one place for three girls by the name of M from Queens to go…. Thats right, 5 Burro Cafe. And bonus, we NEVER get here early enough for a LUNCH SPECIAL!!!

Should have gotten a mini margarita but I was “thirsty” and forgot about my promise to not drink after the pimps and hoes party… stupid Mo. Luckily i only drank half.

Me and Missy. We Hungry! Mari really wanted a pina colada and the stupid blender was broken and I couldnt capture her sadness… but we made up for it later.
Chips! i noshed on one too many of these. I was just so hungry. boo! And after much debate over a salad or a steak….

i went with the steak and figured: what the hell! its LINNER!

And since we were RIGHT near TLC we got some dessert. And since Mari missed out on her pina colada she got one at TLC.

If any PR from TLC are reading, We experienced horrid service at the Forrest Hills Location. Our favorite girl Stephanie was not there but an older woman was there. She over charged us and was being anything but pleasant when we asked for flavors that had to be made. She even told a customer that the fluffernutter came with caramel and that she didnt have any. It was not a good time for us… but at least my cappuccino soft serve was *decent* (at best).

I had a great time with the girls and cant wait till next years Self Workout in the Park! Only next year we gonna wear matching outfits and be *those* girls LOL.

If you receive bad service at a resturant or chain, do you send a complaint to corporate or do you just ignore it?

My First Look at Otarian

Last night I had the opportunity to check out a new restaurant to hit the foodie scene. Its the First Low-Carbon restaurant to hit the village and thanks to Missy and Foodbuzz, I got to check out the place and try the goods! Otarian is a brightly colored and chic fast food joint that serves vegan and vegetarian dishes that are prepared with the least amount of Carbon emissions and use compostable materials to pack and serve food.
I wont lie, when the offer presented itself to put my tastebuds to the test I was a bit skeptical. i’m a carnivore. I do enjoy a steak every now and then but I can eat like a vegetarian any day! I kind of thought this place was a lot of hype at first and went in with low expectations. I grabbed some literature that I read on my trainride home and found that the restaurant is furnished with recycled materials and everything served on my tray was compostable! even the cups and forks!
Missy and I decided to order a few things and split them so we could try a little bit of everything. The staff is still pretty new so they were a little unsure of things but none the less, were very polite.
Prior to placing our order we got to sample the potato onion O dill wrap which was phenomenal. After a quick glance of the menu and having already tasted one thing on the menu we opted for a salad, a burger, and an entree of sorts.
Looks like there are free refills on drinks at Otarian (SWEET). Price wise, our three selections and two beverages came out to $30. Otarian offers combo meals that have a starter, an entree, and a dessert but those combos average around $20-something… ordering items a-la- carte seems to be more reasonable. We chose the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna that is a Meat Comparison of a Beef Lasagna. The savings from choosing Otarian save the planet 2.63 kgs of carbon from the 5.21 kgs it would take to make the beef lasagna. Pretty impressive!

We also opted for the Avocado, Tomato and Mozzarella salad with Pesto Dressing. The comparison on the menu is that of a lamb dish… i dont think that would be a substitute here…but the large salad creates 1.46 kgs of carbon (pretty awesome).

It came with this pesto dressing that Missy and I fell in love with… more on that later.

Lastly, we got the Portobello Mushroom Burger. Whole wheat poppy seed bun with a juicy portobello mushroom cap, pesto, mayo, cheese and arugula. This is the meat comparison of a beef burger which has a carbon emission of 2.28kgs and the Otarian option only emits 1.30 kgs.

I drank a diet coke. Missy had unsweetened tea.

The veggie lasagna was chock full of herb roasted tomatoes, onions, and squash. The cheese wasnt melty or gooey but the melted layer on top was a nice little touch. I really enjoyed the flavors of the tomatoes mixed in with the noodles and the veggies. Definitely a winner! A serving of lasagna will set you back $9.95 and 470 calories… please note the serving above is HALF a serving.

The salad was quite impressive with the pesto being the star of the show. Otarian uses a nut free pesto that consists of basil, pumpkin seeds, parmesean, arugula, garlic and salt. Its fantastic. So fantastic in fact that as i finished my half portion of this salad, i walked up to the counter and ordered two additional containers of pesto dressing to use on my shrimp salad later this week. The large salad will set you back $7.45 and 550 calories.

Lastly, Missy and I went in for the burger. The bun was buttery soft and was the perfect bite of flavors. At some point , with my mouth full of yumminess i said i would never have noticed it was a meat free burger. And i beleive Missy agreed. It was wonderful and they have a Vegan version of this burger with egg free mayo. had we known that before we ordered, we would have ordered the vegan version. But eggs and all it was wonderful… i say its that crack they call pesto!

The burger will cost you $7.95 and 530 calories.

With our full bellies we considered for a second on getting dessert… but decided to talk a rainy walk to the Mecca.

The Lite Choice. Where we could have a guilt-free dessert! The only thing missing from this photo is Mari. We missed our third M. Mari, you are gonna LOVE Otarian!

I got a dark Chocolate truffle with cookie crumbs. Soooo good! And then Missy and I walked it off when we went shopping for some lip gloss. My lip gloss is poppin’.

Overall, I was surprised by Otarian. I think its reasonably priced, delicious and a great treat for those that want to do something good for the planet! Everything on our tray was biodegradeable and we felt good knowing that nothing was going to waste!

I approve and reccomend!

My Date with Bobby (and Friends)

Who’s Bobby? Bobby Flay.
I didn’t REALLY have a date with him but i had a date with friends at his restaurant. So, by rules of seperation I had a date with Bobby and I’m gonna keep telling myself that. He is the only white boy I’d forsake all others for. A man that can cook… thats my kinda man (and yes, i know he’s hated most among food network chefs… but I think they just jealous of his grillin skizzles)
I digress.
Sarah and Co. were near the Mo-Tel (aka- my house) and called me Sunday morning telling me to get my booty ready for brunch in Manny Hanny. Had it not been for Miss Mickey giving me a reason to do laundry on a Sunday Morning I would have been ready in no time… but Fam on the Run are some patient peeps.
We hopped on a train. Walked into the beautiful Mesa Grill and were told there was a 1.5 hour wait. DIABLO. But since we had some stops to make in the vicinity we put our names on the list and took a walk.
On this date, we did our dessert first. Not even on purpose, we walked by The Lite Choice and had decided on the spot we should grab a nosh… since we had almost 2 hours to kill waiting for Bobby to make room for us at his place. And since a small of pretty much anything on the menu is around 100 calories, we figured what the hell- we got walking to do, we’ll burn this off in no time. I got the Columbian Coffee with Carob chips. I liked the flavor but i thought it could have been LESS SOUPY. Because this cup of soft serve was really coffee soup. It wasnt just mine, the Fam on the Run had the same consistency. Oh wellz.
We walked to first avenue for Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free bakery.

Sarah and I went there a few weeks ago with Lauren and still rave about the mini cupcakes and jalapeno corn muffins. Not having a sensitivity to gluten I have no problem going to a regular bakery- but tu-lus is awesome! like so awesome! and I should have felt guilty buying the last two corn muffins- but i didnt. And we were disappointed that Tully wasnt there… but she was away and shes a sweetie- she deserves to get away every now and again, right? yeah. And there was a new item on the menu: Brown Sugar Lemonade. Tasted very much like an iced tea lemonade.
when we made our way back to 5th Avenue, our table was ready. We were seated upstairs and given ginormous menus.
I was torn. I wanted to try the stuffed poblano…and the enchiladas… and the burger and the grits. But the waitress said the burger was great and so did Sarah and Co. So I decided to go for the burger and a side of the “famous” grits.

Bobby sent over some sweet breads with a smoky and sweet jalapeno jam. I might have sampled half of everything in the basket and smothered it in jam. It was goood. But then this came to my table…

and I wasn’t ready…. need a better image, no problem! A huge beef burger with cheese, caramelized onions, spring greens on a buttery seeded roll.

Like LITERALLY the size of my face! Bobby must really love me… or really love burgers. Im guessing the latter.

also, a BOATLOAD of “GRITS”… looked more like potato salad. And if i may say so, these were the weirdest “grits” i have ever tasted. As you know, i love grits; but these? NO. I do not love these grits Bobby! The grains are on crack or something! those lumps in the grits…those are the grits! And they tasted garlicky and kinda loaded with mayo. I love mayo but not in this dish. tasted like warm potato salad… but with a weird aftertaste.

But enough about the bad stuff lets get back to the glory that is my burger

i was working really hard on this baby. And on my 2nd half i discovered the mustard. Oh the Mustard. it was a yellow mustard with the burning nostril sensation one would find when having a little bit too much Wasabi. It was glorious.

One might also want to know how i did on the monstrosity:

I eated it…and I eated it GOOD. I can have fries any day so i left those behind and the grits were gross so i devoured that sucka. And hell yes, when I feel the urge to consume and entire cow, I will head over to MESA Grill. Thanks Bobby! (and Thanks to Sarah and Co for being so AWESOME!)

When I got home, still digesting my baby cow, I went to unpack my gluten free goodies… i had heard they melted a bit when left out for too long…

and by the big stain in the box… i knew i was too late.
RIP baby cupcakes. The chocolate peanut butter was completely a mess… and thats what created the stainage on the box. the red velvet and the chocolate chocolate though were saved.
The Vegan Brownie survived.
As did the cheddar jalapeno corn muffin!

I had a great day with Sarah and Co and i am so happy to have been able to try a new restaurant with her and her fam! They are some good eaters! and I love good eaters!

Is there a restaurant on your list of “I Want To Go To There”? Or are you jealous of my monstrosity of a burger? You can be both – its okay.

PS. Missy has a really sweet giveaway going on and even though I wanna win this one…i will share the love. tweet tweet. Enter here

Tres Ammmigas

If you know how to swim, you probably weren’t remotely phased by the downpour that hit the tri-state area over the weekend…I am a great swimmer so getting around over the weekend was easy. JK
In all seriousness- the tsunami that we called “a little rain” was gross and put a damper on some of my weekend plans- BUT NOT ALL of them!
Mari, Missy, and Myself (the three M’s- thanks mari) had planned a girls day a few weeks back filled with Margaritas and Tex Mex… and even as I was cursing the rain while walking my dog, the thought of margaritas was making the day seem beautiful. Especially Margaritas from 5 Burro Cafe.
The three of us met up at 3 pm on Saturday.
I got there first and wasted no time in ordering my poison: Raspberry Margarita. I would have take a fresh pic but I was being scoped out by a couple who was mesmerized by my beverage and were asking me questions about it. I felt whipping out my camera to take a pic of it might be a little weird- best if i have a few glugs and then take pic of it… or wait till Missy got there.
Missy arrived next and sat beside me while her apricot margarita was made. Just as she got her drink, Mari arrived and we got to be seated.

The waiter kindly placed this tempting bowl of tortilla chips and fresh pico de gallo on our table. Having only nibbled on some toast in the morning, i was ready to dive in face-first. I nibbled…okay- maybe i shoved chips into my mouth while glugging a perfectly thick and potent raspberry margarita!

Mari, was a good girl (who gave up meat for Lent) and had a gorgeous Shrimp salad. I always say Im gonna try the salads there… but I feel like if im gonna be at 5 burro, its a SIN to not get the steak.

Missy was also being good and ordered the veggie salad. I have to say this was a gorgeous salad. I love how generous they are with the veggies… and I spotted a huge chuck of avocado in there! nice!
The ladies split a side of house made guac. Clearly, that shit is legit! I would love nothing more that to eat this guac right out of the ramekin with a spoon. But i didnt because this was not my guac and despite what you all think…i do have SOME self control (some!)

But self control went out the window when i ordered my steak tacos…

and when the ladies wanted to take a pic of my food… I’m not an ugly girl but I love taking weird ass pics like this. SMH. This pic is called “a Ravenous Mo”. I was enjoying tender juicy chunks of skirt steak smothered in guac, garlic and onions (kiss me?) and skipped the wraps and dove into my mexican rice and refried beans (musical fruit indeed).

While stuffing my face, my drink needed replenishing:

Ah, thats better! Its important to remember that if you plan on drinking heavily you should have extra protein (preferably meat), since that is the key to alcohol absorption. Since I inhaled my steak I was feeling a nice buzz from my margarita… and the second one sealed the deal.

Thanks Mr. Waiter, for taking a nice pic of us! We are so hot. and tipsy.

We decided to take a walk… and when mari and Missy nearly FLEW away (oh, those skinny girls – jk) we walked into Barnes and Noble which might have been a mistake.

Photo ops. Loud conversations, random giggling and several pee breaks… we got a lot of attention. Too bad i didnt care.

I’m holding the “New York Bartenders Guide” paying homage to my drunkeness. ALL Hail the Margarita!

And since we were in Queens and we are bloggers and we love dessert we walked our sobering behinds to the alley with The Lite Choice.

Can you see my excitement? Cuz Im really excited. Stephanie was there! Our homegirl who took care of us the last time. She remembered us (and probably thought “OH NO, NOT THESE GIRLS AGAIN!) and she took very good care of us!

Peanut Butter Fudge Beyotches!

with oreo topping.

Me and Mari. Mari got the caramel with waffle cone crumbs and Missy got the oreo mix that she loves to pieces.

thanks Stephanie for taking our pic! We had a great time just dishing, and eating out soft serve… we were gonna go back to get a mini margarita from 5 burro (i know- where AA when you need it?) but mother nature turned on me and I got the worst headache of my life. I suffer from seasonal allergies and now that spring is coming I get the worst sinus headaches ever… so i called it a night.

Feeling stuffed and headache-y, mari and I decided to walk most of the 1.5 miles… in the tsunami.

This is what I look like after getting rained on and whipped with high speed winds and a headache.

Stay Tuned… next month the Tres Ammmigas hit up Brooklyn. WATCHOUT BK… we Thirsty!

I Seem to have lost my MoJo

I’m in a Funk.
I can’t get right.
I’ve gained 2 lbs since getting sick a month ago. I am still coughing. I am emotionally and physically exhausted. I was soaring a week ago but it seems that I can’t even fake being happy and energetic the past few days… and its affecting everything. I need to work out. I need to feel those endorphins. I need to stop coughing. I need to stop bitching. I need a new hobby.
I’ve even gone so far as to attempt to join a dating service. So when I went to sign up the price tag killed me! Normally the price isnt a big deal but I think the Universe is telling me I need to go on a dating detox. I need to find my MoJo again and be happy and energetic with every fiber of my heart, mind, body, and soul. Faking it just wont cut it.
We’ve all been there. How do YOU pull yourself out of a funk?
This funk has been affecting my eating habits. Nothing sounds like its gonna taste good. Nothing sounds like its worth making… I grabbed some of my new Low fat Granola and paired it with some “boston cream pie” yogurt from Weight watchers.

The Granola was amazing. Perfectly sweet and an awesome nutrition label (90 cals for 3/4 of a cup!) but the yogurt- not so great. I’m happy that the granola was so yummy otherwise, this would have been a complete disaster…

But don’t worry- Lunch was a complete disaster. LOL. I made some broccoli slaw and some dumplings since I was in the mood for dumplings… the slaw came out nice and I smushed a laughing cow into it for an “alfredo” but the dumplings were gross. Which is sad because i typically enjoy this particular brand of dumplings.
So since broccoli slaw alone wasn’t gonna do it, I made AMYS Brown Rice and Vegetable Bowl. This particular one is REALLY good. Extremly flavorful and not so bad calorie wise. texturally- MUSH. But whatever.

I decided to prepare for my week ahead and prep some tofu.

Marinated it in Ponzu sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, touch of brown sugar, touch of ginger, and a sprinkle of rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes.

For dinner, i took yet another dish out of the freezer. Some Indian leftovers.

I had some leftover rice, a veggie kebab and decided to steam some cauliflower to go along with it. When I was in search of an additional condiment I came accross some Indian Fare from Trader Joes that I thought would complete this impromptu dinner. It was comforting.

I realize what I need right about now is a day in my kitchen where I can start something, finish it and have it come out exactly the way I want it to. And then have an angel come over and clean the kitchen while I sit and enjoy my creation.

I was really looking forward to dessert. An oreos n cream that was in my freezer. it might have melted a little too much before I put it in my freezer… and the entire thing was icy and flavorless. If it hadnt been already 8pm, i would have taken an frosty walk to Forest Hills for TLC fix…

Please forgive this very dumpy post. I hope to get my MoJo back very soon!

(i should note that the first two letters of my first and middle name are Mo and Jo…)

Pizza pinwheels!

Happy Birthday Lincoln! You didn’t have to close the office today or on Monday but I am ever so grateful! I will honor you by taking advantage of Presidents Day sales and going to the movies to catch a girly flick with mom. And I will NOT buy the $8 soft pretzel and cheese combo again. I know i said that last time but i mean it today. I mean it.

A while back I received some loot from Pilsbury and the awesome peeps at My blog Spark! I recently cashed in and got my two free Pilsbury crescent thingys and cooked up something for an upcoming par-tay.  (oh, what party? The Valentines day bash for all my single peeps… who are unknowingly going to be bringing home about 100 free condoms each. lol) Its an easy recipe and one that will surely please. Pizza Pinwheels!

What you’ll need? for one batch of these babies you will need some of your fave marinara sauce (pesto would be awesome too), some mozz cheese, and a roll of crescent dough.

Roll out your crescent dough and pinch the perforated seams shut… In this series of photos I didn’t adhere to my own instructions and it got really messy so pinch the damn seams and be happy about it!

Sauce it up! Don’t over do it. Leave some space around the edges.

 

Add some cheese. Normally there would be some veggies in here or my fave pizza toppings but in case you hadn’t noticed..its gross as shit outside and I’m not going out for a pepper and some mushrooms. I will next time.

 

Okay. CAREFULY roll the dough into a log or a burrito or whatever you feel like… as long as you can achieve the next step. If you notice carefully you will see the some marinara sauce peeking out…. thats the seam i forgot to seal. I scored the rolls into inch slices.  and placed them on a well greased cookie sheet.

 

Yes, they are very ugly. I never score high marks for anything dough related… but flavor-wise? thru the roof! Bake these babies according to your crescent dough directions (425* for 13 mins)

 

Or see above for desired results.

 

I estimate that each pizza pinwheel is approx 120-150 calories, depending on how small they are and how much cheese is in it. i served my self one two three with a side salad. I froze the other 2 dozen for the party and when they are ready to be consumed pop them it the oven to reheat.

 

and have some of this TLC goodness for dessert! Mmmmmm! Almonds!

And I have one more thing….

WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?

Clearly, God is trying to make me laugh

*ding- dong*
Who’s there?
Fed Ex.
MMM. Okay?
Sign here. Have a good day.
Dear Diva,
I know I have some explaining to do about creating such a stupid excuse for a man and putting him in your life, making you fall in love with him and then later having you realize he was a douche bag. Please accept this apology and gift and know there are plenty other fish in the sea. Good Luck!
Love Always,
The Big Man Upstairs.

In case you couldn’t tell…. this is a box of about 500 condoms. Apparently, someone thought I would make an excellent advocate for teens and young adults in preventing STDs and Pregnancy. Because I spend so much time watching Jersey Shore and am scared shitless of teenagers (somethings making them mean!) it makes me a great candidate to pass out condoms. nice. And then add insult to injury- i just dumped the dipshit. SMH. God really does have a sense of humor! I take it all in stride. I actually have lots of friends who will benefit from such loot! (psst, NY bloggers, If you arent embarrassed to meet me for some free rubbers, email me) And if any of you are stuck in this horrendous snow storm- you might need some love gloves to keep you warm… no?

Hope you are all well fed, warm, and cozy in this nasty weather!

On SuperBowl Sunday, my good friends opened up their home and ordered 100 wings. They asked me to join and I was more than happy to come. Not wanting to show up empty handed I asked them if i could bring anything. In a matter of minutes the requests for Mommy Crack were pouring in.

I made mommy crack a few times in the past and its easy and delicious. Just be warned- its not for the health conscious!

I was making a big batch for those hungry peeps. I started with two pounds of sausage. One spicy, one Sweet.

I removed the casings and diced them into itty bitty pieces and browned them. When they were cooked, I threw them into my 4 qt crock pot.

then two cans of spicy tomatoes or Rotel (can you beleive my supermarket didnt have ROTEL???) on top of the sausage crumbles.

Turn your crock pot on High.

Add two blocks of cream cheese. I used the low fat version… but i didnt tell the guests. I gave it a little stir and let it warm for 1 hr.

After one hour I set it on warm and let the party peeps dip and munch as they pleased. Its an easy crowd pleaser and its affordable! I got this recipe from a stay at home mom who upon tasting it the first time she made it dubbed this the MOMMMY CRACK. and it stuck!

We used the dip on chips, celery, shrimp, even wings!

And BOY where there lots and lots of wings!!! Honey Mustard (my fav), buffalo blue, Honey Terriyaki, and Garlic Parmesean. I will not lie. After the weekend i had i was looking for comfort and I found it in a plate of 6 wings, random handfuls of chips, spoonfuls of mommy crack….

And a big ass bottle of wine!

My beautiful Friend Arlenys, is modeling the damage made to the cheaply delicious JUG of Carlo Rossi Sangria that we polished off in about an hour.

When the Superbowl was over, I walked my tipsy ass home and had the nerve to want to eat some soft serve. And in light of a certain someone being a jackass I sought comfort in eating what I brought for him….

Yes, this feels right… but it should feel better than this.

There, thats better. Now i can enjoy his Soft Serve.

have a great snow day bunnies!!!!

A Weight has been Lifted

For the past 10 days I have been self diagnosing myself with a cold, allergies, sinus infection and whatever else I have felt like. I was so grateful to have felt kind of like myself at the blogger meetup and the next day the situation (fist pumps) snow-balled into something ugly. I havent been sick in two years… not this sick at least. But Sick enough to travel an hour and a half out of my way to see my ENT. My savior. My doctor. He gave me the healing drugs (praise cheeses) and as I sit here typing at my desk, i wish I was home in bed but i am feeling a teensy bit better. i am looking forward to feeling ALOT better tomorrow…
because in just two short days, Henritos will be home! the last three months have been so hard (TWSS) and I really appreciate all my new friends who have been so awesome.
But now that I am on my way to feeling better and Henry will be home… i feel as though a weight has been lifted!
Oats. I have always liked oats. The other day, Lynn made some savory oats and I immediately was intrigued. I have a love for grits because of their savory goodness but never knew my oats could be savory too… I had to try this out. The smell of oats makes me think “SWEET” definitely not savory. So I admit I was a skeptic from the start. I prepared half instant, half rolled oats and added some salt and pepper. While it was thickening, I made an egg over easy.

That was one gi-normous egg.

Served it atop my oats. the verdict: so good! the yoke was a nice addition to the savory oats. I couldnt beleive how satisfying it was!

Later in the day, I met my papa for a late lunch. I had a craving for a salad and went to my beloved Spaghetti Western. I looked online and planned ahead! I allotted myself a cool 600 cals for lunch because it was late in the day and I was likely to have a cup of soup for dinner.

the Grilled Tuna Nicoise Salad was calling my name. Seared Tuna, herbed poatoes, green beans, honey mustard vinagrette…all of it was calling out to me!
and thats when I got this…

A pretty looking interpretation of what a Nicoise Salad should be. It was filled with a lovely mix of greens… that was yummy. The tuna was nicely seared… however, it was topped with anchovies… i never tried them before but gave it a shot (verdict: SALTY but okay). Next I found some odd substitutions… snow peas instead of green beans, potato chips instead of herbed roasted taters, balsamic vinagrette instead of honey mustard… and orange sections. I need to know why anchovies and oranges are in the same salad. I moved the oranges to the side and ate them as dessert.

So, my dining adventure with dad has not gone the way i intended (AGAIN). I calculated this “salad” as acurately as possible and becuase I am sick I cant workout… it left me little options for dinner.

But i was totally psyched to have an ice cream bar for dinner!

NYC Blogger Meet-up

Being a blogger for a little over a year now I have FINALLY had my first blogger meet up. Over the last year I have had the pleasure of connecting with local bloggers via email and the rare face to face meetup and I have been DYING to meet everyone. Mari and Sarah decided to round up the locals and Missy chose the venue. Since she is a big fan of 5 burro Cafe she thought the others would enjoy it as well… lucky for me I have been here before and I LOVE IT HERE!
the Attendees were Me, Missy, Mari, Sarah, Julie, Joanne, Dawn, and Jen.
Missy did us a favor and got there early to get our name on the list. This place is a little on the small side and even on a slow night there is a wait. Luckily we waited about 15 minutes….if that!
We were seated in a nice long table in the back. They served us some corn tortilla chips and fresh homemade salsa. We were so busy chatting and giggling that we kind of forgot that they were there (good thing for me!)… and then the cameras came out! 8 bloggers plus 8 cameras- sooo many awesome pics!

from left to right, Joanne, Mari and Sarah. I snapped this pic as Jen was coming in.

Missy, Julie, and Dawn.

And I must say, this is one gorgeous group of blogging ladies! And we all had a lot in common!

Time for drinks! I love their margaritas! The kind of margaritas that sneak up on you with their potency. I got the raspberry. Only one! I was on cold meds and didnt want to chance getting loopy on everyone (even though I am already a little loopy as it is).

Missy was the only one to snap a picture of the toast. But cheers to a fantastic group of ladies!

Stole this pic from Mari- its a great pic- if i must say myself. I’ve known missy via email for a year so it was so nice to finally meet her!

Me, Missy, Julie and Dawn.

Our food took forevs to arrive! And the consensus was that the Steak Fajitas were the cats pajamas! So good. Buttery and juicy skirt steak seasoned perfectly along with yummy grilled peppers and onions, rice, guac and sour cream. Julie got a shrimp salad and it looked REALLY good!!!

The poor waiter got stuck with 8 cameras and made us say Tequila about 16 times! But he managed to get everyone and it came out great! The meal was fantastic! and I was most looking forward to what was coming next!

No, we didnt bar hop!

Last week, when Mari and I had our tour at The Lite Choice, they heard about our blogger meet up and arranged for the Forrest Hills Location to stay open an extra hour JUST FOR US! We were so psyched!

The walk to TLC was short and when we walked into the store, My big mouth announced “the bloggers have arrived”!

wasting no time, i asked Stephanie for a snickers. Any Flavor, any time! She served me some chocolate soft serve and put a healthy portion of fresh peanut butter and mixed away!

Delicious! Before I put my spoon in i offered tastes to the other ladies who were still deciding.. the majority declared it was yummy! I loved the fresh peanut butter in it! it made for a yummy texture! I saw they had some pints prepared and one of them was called O’Henry. Henry will be home after his 3 month business trip this coming thursday and I think that will be a cute little surprise! Here we are! Enjoying out Lite Choice Soft Serve!

thank you to THE LITE CHOICE for accomodating us! It was the perfect end to a great night!

An awesome Treat for Resolutionists!

Yesterday, Mari and I were given an amazing opportunity to tour The Lite Choice. Claudia, The Director of Operations over at The Lite Choice extended an invitation to tour the facility and learn about how their soft serve is made. In my excitement at the offer, I called Mari who also had an oppportunity. We figured it would be great if we did our tour together.
When we arrived, we were a bit early but we made our selves comfy and looked around.
I love the decor in the store- mainly because i love soft colors. They are so calming. When we sat down we began the unofficial tasting.

I was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to play a Wild Card when she offered which flavors I wanted to try. She chose for me the Peanut butter, hazelnut fudge, coconut and french vanilla.

So awesome! The cup was a small and it was filled to the brim with sampling goodness!

Mari got the Peanut Butter, French Vanilla and Coconut… she approves with a big thumbs up.

I started to mix mine up… it was delish. Looking back, i wish I would have combed my hair a bit. the joys of hat hair

Looking around we saw the calorie ranges of the sizes on the menu board. You are all probably thinking “Oh No, Mo cheated” but i assure you, I didnt break the diet in the slightest way (of course, i did eat enough ice cream to miss dinner)

The Lite Choice is an all natural, low calorie, lower fat, low carb soft serve with OVER 50 Organic Flavors! There are no artificial ingredients or corn syrups. Most locations are certified Kosher too!

There were 6 featured soft serves of the day but what I love about The Lite Choice is that you can order any flavor on the menu at no additional charge! My favorite is the peanut butter soft serve and on days when its not being offered in the big machine, you can order a freshly made one! yuuuuum! and they even have an almond butter machine! sweet! Fresh nut butter is amazing!

Mari wanted to try the pina colada.

Start with Original soft serve,

add some coconut and some pineapple,

mix it all up…

and eat! I enjoyed this one… but Mari LOVED it… mostly due to the fact that she LOVES anything pina colada!

We also got to taste the fresh peanut butter, almond butter, banana, and the reamining pina colada. All we could do was say YUM! i fell in love with the almond. the texture was heavenly as well as the flavor!

PHOTO OP! Mari and I wore green…and we didnt even plan that! great minds think alike!

Just when i thought I was blown away with the softserve, they brought out the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. Coffee Freeze. I should just state taht I am a coffee fiend as it is… and this was perfection. The perfect strength of coffee with the perfect sweetness as well as a creamy texture. this might be my go-to iced coffee fix this summer!

but in the mean time i will warm up with their hot-choco-lite! An all natural lower calorie hot chocolate. Its rich and decadent. Its made with all natural ingredients and is super cheap! 99cents! cant beat that!

You’ve got something for everyone at The Lite Choice!

I want to thank Claudia, the Director of Operations, and Ron, the President and CEO of THE LITE CHOICE for their generosity and all the wonderful treats they provided. They not only showered us with samples but have allowed for us to end our blogger meet up at one of their queens locations! They really do know the true meaning of customer service and i KNOW they will be very very successful in all their future endeavors. I am happy to spread the word of such an awesome company. Thanks Guys! i will be back!!!

Heres what I love about The Lite Choice:

- a Small is true to size. You will always get the right amount each time. Perfect for calorie counters (ahem, like me!)

- You can satisfy a sweet tooth without destroying your diet! As much as I ate last night i still woke up with a huge loss on the scale (down 5lbs!)

- The flavor is all there without the aftertaste of artificial flavors and sweeteners

- ANY FLAVOR at ANY time! You will never be disappointed!

- ice cream cakes! made with their lower calorie soft serve!

- ice cream bars! also made with their lower calorie soft serve!

- they are awesome!

There seem to be locations everywhere! See if there is one by you.

Claudia and Ron… thank you thank you sooooo much! I cant wait to bring my friends and fam!!!!

Oh and please follow them on twitter or become a fan on facebook!