My face hurts from reading…

I feel like I don’t have control of my life. It sounds worse than it is, but I am so busy and rarely have free time anymore. When I get busy my body shuts down. My body says: “Hey you, I’m done. You will do something nonproductive.” I know I need this once in awhile, but my body shuts down when I need it the most. This morning was a long one. I couldn’t function. Ugh.

Emo time is over. I need an Emo theme song.

Breakfast was pretty awesome. I stopped at Starbucks for a Pike Place coffee and a low fast raspberry muffin. The muffin made my morning and went well with my fresh strawberries from home. I sat in my office at 7am with this meal and graded. Wah, wah. Grading is not fun. I like reading student work, but I hate stamping a grade on it. I rather give them muffins.

After breakfast I had class, then I taught, then I observed a colleague’s class, then I went to class again. THEN, I went to Zumba. Lunch was slipped in there somewhere. It isn’t important. Turkey on rye: blah, blah, blah.

After Zumba Lars and I grabbed dinner at a Korean restaurant, Green Sprout. Lars ordered the sushi salad, which was not only beautiful, but delicious.

I ordered the omelet filled with fried rice and spiced pork. Lars always has the best meal of his life, and I don’t. The problem with this dish was the fried rice. I’ll go to the place again (because it is spoken so highly of), but maybe I’ll order something else. We had fun removing the egg coating to reveal the solid rice cylinder below, though.

I have been reading all night, so I deserved ice cream. I have had the Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream sandwich before, and loved it. This time I bought the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough instead. It was good, but not as “cookie dough” as I would have liked. It was good, but I prefer the brownie.

Ugh, back to reading/writing/planning.

I am having a karaoke party Friday. Any suggestions for party foods would be appreciated.

Nursing a Sweet Tooth

Thanks for the kind words about the dentist. I don’t know what hurt more: the tooth or the hole in my bank account.

I was driving back to Ohio, and I thought I’d take a drink. Mouth still numb. Wet Lap. I got home around 2 and at that point I had only eaten a bowl of fruit. I ran inside, threw my stuff down, and searched for food. I found an Amy’s Spinach personal pizza in the freezer. I really enjoyed this, but I wish it had more tomato action. I love tomatoes.

I also had 3 tiny pieces of a dark chocolate bar I bought at Target. It is only 55% in Cocoa content. I usually like it very very very dark. I loved this bar, though. Inside it had dried raspberries  that had this sweet crunch to them. I cannot wait until I break off my next piece.

In an attempt to use up the food in my apartment before I move, I utilized the big pile of spinach in my fridge for dinner. I made a salad with grilled chicken and Annie’s Gingerly Vinaigrette. I was also able to use the random mandarin oranges in my cabinet. Fruits in green salads rocks.

The real highlight of my evening was dessert. I took one of my Oatmeal/Molasses cookies and crumbled it on top of vanilla bean ice cream. Yum! I still have more ice cream to eat before the move, boo. And, I still have that other derby pie to eat.

Whew, what a day! I need a cup of tea and an early bed time. I have a day full of baking (get ready for some serious cookie action), cleaning, and packing. Ew. And, I have to deal with switching over to a new insurance plan. Don’t you hate making phone calls? I do, especially when it concerns money. Boo. Maybe I can just mess with them, like this video:

Hope your hump day wasn’t bumpy!

An Uneventful, but Relaxing Friday

I finally made it home without turning around again to see if I turned off the oven. Lars met me in Indy, and we decided to hit up the local Irish pub.

I ordered my favorite meal: a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of roasted tomato soup.

Lars enjoyed some fish and veggies. Did you know I hate seafood? Ashley FACT!

Afterwards, Lars and I grabbed refreshing Iced Passion Tea.

I was glad we ate before my brother’s going away party, because I would have eaten worse foods. The party was fun, but we left my brother to his friends. Lars and I decided to get frozen yogurt, which is self-served. I had marshmallow and strawberry frozen yogurt, topped with strawberries and raspberries.

While I type this, I eat a bowl of Cinnamon Life. I was so hungry. Oh well, listen to to your stomach.

I must go to bed, I have a packed morning: a workout and the farmer’s market! Oh, news flash: my family loves the cupcake-shaped cookies.

Monster

That boy is a Monster.

M-M-Monster!

I’ve been listening to Gaga non-stop on my drive to Indy. But, let us start my day at the beginning.

For breakfast I had Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal: Warm Cinnamon and raspberries.

Then I dropped of all my thesis-related books at the library. That burned a lot of calories, I’m sure.

I needed something quick to eat because I was running late. I had Amy’s Margherita personal pizza. Freaking yum, as usual. I also had it with some sliced apple.

Then I hit the road, but I had to turn around because I thought I forgot to turn off the oven. I got that obnoxious trait from my mother who always asks “Did I turn off my curling iron” when we are in the car ready to leave. Well, I got here. And oh, the oven was off.

What is an annoying habit of yours?

Such a Housewife

I’m posting late tonight ladies, but for a good reason: I was baking.

I met my friend Rachel at Wild Bistro, our local and only Chinese restaurant. We gossiped and laughed; good times.

I ordered my usual: Steamed Broccoli and Chicken. I’m going to miss this dish after the move. Although, I couldn’t even eat half. I don’t know what my deal was.

When I took a picture of my dish, my friend said, “Take a picture of mine!” Ha! She ordered the shrimp fried rice (medium spicy).

After dinner, I went to the grocery store and bought some baking essentials, including my first rolling pin. Then I was ready to bake. I used this simple cut-out recipe from the Food Network. While the dough was chilling in the fridge, I had a quick snack. A yogurt parfait with chocolate granola and rapsberries.

I was super excited about using my new cookie cutters from Crate and Barrel. Yes, those are cupcake-shaped cookies.

I made frosting with powdered sugar and boiling water.

I frosted these babies while watching Bethenny Getting Married? and drinking wine (that is why the frosting is a little sloppy). That is right, it is a mini-four pack. I will only be here for one night and I didn’t want to waste an entire bottle. My favorite part is that it is a Cabernet/Merlot. Ha. It did its work.

I baked these cookies for my little bro who is leaving Sunday for the Air Force, thus I’ll be an emotional wreck this weekend. I’m going back home to spend the weekend with him. To make sure I wasn’t poisoning him, I ate one of the cookies. They had a subtle sugary-ness. If that makes sense. I don’t like cookies that make my teeth hurt. These were just right!

Please check out My Marble Rye’s latest giveaway…and just read the blog….love it!

Boring Breakfast and Film Recommendation

Breakfast was boring, but yummy. I was going to make oatmeal, but my apartment is HOT. So I had some leftover yogurt parfait: low-fat vanilla yogurt, chocolate granola, and raspberries. I also grabbed an apple. It was a perfect simple summer breakfast. Do you have a favorite summer breakfast dish?

Yesterday was my roommate’s birthday, but today she is having a HUGE party at our apartment. I’d rather relax, but I’m sure once the party starts I’ll have fun. I have the worse trouble at parties: the desserts and the drinks. So my challenge: enjoy a party in moderation. To help win this challenge, I have decided to make some healthy desserts and treats so that I can “behave” at the party. I have a feeling the blogging will help.

Time for a film recommendation!

I recently watched this documentary and I thought you should all know about it: America the Beautiful. The movie is about the price (monetary and otherwise) of being a “beautiful” woman in America. It is narrated and created by a man, which I think is interesting. He does an excellent job of showing how beauty is socially constructed though advertisements, film, and internet sites. His interviews are really great, too. I know this is a well-covered topic ,but I learned a lot. It is free on netflix, if you have it . I have put a preview below.

Sleeping In Parfait

Lars and I woke up at 9:30. It was a fantastic sleep-in. We went to bed at 2, which was necessary because we were watching Mad Men (which we continue as I type this). Lars and I went to the grocery store to buy food for our Mad Men Marathon. I was still out of it, so I bought a small nonfat iced latte from the coffee shop in my grocery store.

I decided I wanted a yogurt parfait for our brunch. I instantly was attracted to this chocolate granola:

I thought it would go best with some fresh raspberries and low-fat vanilla yogurt. It was surely a treat!

It was awesome. Lars even said it was “fantastic.” Back to Mad Men! We’ll be back at lunch with some pizza .