the sushi stand may have lost a loyal customer

i think this has to be one of my most favorite meals.

perfectly cool on warm texas days.

full of yummy veggies

and that sweet chili sauce you put on top

makes my mouth water.

i typically hit up the sushi stand at the grocery

for these or veggie sushies

but i decide to make the rolls myself this time.

they were a bit tedious, but totally worth all the work.

too bad i only bought one cucumber.

only left me with 6 rolls, 4 of which husband ate.

small fail.

*that little lifestyle change is working. three pounds down. go me!

random jibber jabber

-leftover fruit + ice + a little splenda = rocking slushies & plenty left over for italian ice type snacks!
-puppers thinks our bed is her bed now..  um yea no. as much as i love her.. she has her own bed.
-the weather has been wicked.. i saw a trampoline in a front yard on my drive in if thats any indication.
-trains are still comforting to me.  its good thinking time.
-just dance 2 - just sweat is awesome. just sayin'.
-i'm itching to weigh in everyday, but that only sets me up for disappointment. must resist the urge!
-today i'm eating the last of the avocado dip. i'm sad.  it is my favorite afterall.

got some random jibber jabber?

hot dogs with avocado dip are the shiznit!

the holiday weekend is over, but we have enough hamburgers and hot dogs left to feed a small army. good thing i like both of them. and whats better is i have plenty of avocado dip* left.  and good thing my fitness pal doesnt get too snarky when i add one of the items to my diary of food consumed.

i hope everyone had a terrific weekend, got lots of rest (if that was your goal) and enjoyed all your family and friends.  husband and i sure did all of those things. our first bbq was what i deemed a success & yesterday we spent the day cat napping and watching ridiculous amounts of tv.  but thats okay, because we are adults now and can do whatever the heck we want.

i did make my "summer" debut at the swimming pool sunday evening. its still too cold for swimming, if you ask me. and chances are the next pool outing will include me sitting in the childrens area, enjoying the mist off the waterfall.  i've become that much of a swimming pool fuddy dud.  its the whole strange kids jumping and splashing me in the face thing i dont enjoy. 

*avocodo dip is this super awesome green dippy stuff that is delicious on everything.  maybe one day i will share the recipe. its not quite guacamole, because it contains no onions or tomatoes. as you all know i think those are both equally disgusting.

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i created a tumblr sometime ago (last year) and never used it. i kept thinking whats the point?! but then my super pinterest/photo addicted self decided it would be a good outlet for all the photos i find across the interwebs that i love. whether its food, fashion, places to visit, whatever, it will be there. just so im not flooding le blog with all my random photo searching.. 

i probably wont do any "live" blog posting over there, but i think it would be neat to keep a photo journal of sorts.  well see what happens.

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i've somewhat decided 30 days of jillian michaels wont work for me. shes way to aggressive. and the fact that i couldnt really sit down correctly for like four days probably isnt great for my body.  so i'm thinking more like every 3rd or 4th day will do.  in between i will mow yards (because the hoa says i have too), dance to the wii like a crazy lady with no coordination, and walk my dog.  that should work.

the eating thing i've pretty much got down pat.. self control is the main factor.  realizing what is a good choice and whats a bad choice are what most of us have problems with.  this weekend was a test.  and i really think i passed with somewhat flying colors.  (who can resist homeade jalapeno poppers.. really!)

two pounds down.  only like 36 to go.

feeling generous. and super awesome!

before i absolutely leave you all before the weekend, one more thing.

feeling generous and feeling super awesome with all the changes in my life this week.

contact me to take advantage.

cheersbethani {at} live {dot} com

offer ends 11:59PM monday

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its an {what i consider} important friday + a recipe



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 its friday may 25, 2012. you know what that means right?  today is the last day before a three day weekend. a three day weekend to celebrate all those heroes that arent recognized enough. the heroes who gave their lives and time to protect our country. those heroes who leave their families, friends, jobs behind to make our world a better place.. those heroes who should never be forgotten.

but this friday is also a day closer to my birthday.  a day more that i am married to my wonderful husband. a day closer to christmas.  a day more of living a more healthy lifestyle.  its friday. one of the best possible days of the week.  its also payday!!

also:

we have a bunch of awesome people coming over for a super grill out session sunday.  i cant say how bad i want a good ol home grilled hamburger.. sans bun of course.. 

i will try this for the first time.  its a terrific subsititute for chips, or anything fried potato.

monday, i'm making those super delicious looking avocado cucumber salad rolls from this post a couple days back..

i may finally get that movie night i've been craving the past couple weeks.  we've been trying to fit it in. we really have, but things like blue bloods, metalist and all our other awesome DVRed items trumped a movie.

the first group of snail mail social addresses went out to their respectable people yesterday! very excited about getting my package together, sending it out and having our link up party....

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and since its friday and for those participating or following along on the i am me series, here's a recipe i made last night.. great addition for pasta, salads, or anything needing a little protien.

simple low-fat turkey meatballs

ingredients
1/2 lb all white meat lean ground turkey

1/2 yellow onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup parsley (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 egg
1/2 cup dried Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
olive oil (for browning meatballs, not in mixture)

how to:

Beat egg in large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients.Mush together well using your hands.
Form into 1/2 inch balls.Heat small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp to keep this recipe low-fat) in skillet.
Put half the balls into the skillet and cook until browned evenly on outside.
Remove and add remaining balls.

eat!

enjoy your weekend everyone!!

i am me. the series.



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 i did a post a few days back about learning to comfortable with my own skin.

before i met husband it was very easy for me to be in shape and live a very healthy lifestyle.  working out everyday, eating all the right foods and consuming more water than a thirsty horse during a cattle drive. then i met him, became terribly happy with our relationship & we fell into a lifestyle of unhealthy eating, laziness & doing basically whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.  and the pounds piled on both of us.

i know it has affected me a lot. clothes dont fit the way i would like them to, acid reflex, asthma/bronchitis systems that i NEVER had before & a general tired feeling all the time. not to include mood changes, being grumpy & irritable.  and its terrible feeling this way.

so i'm grabbing my life by the horns or balls, possibly both, and making a change. husband has decided to participate too, maybe against his own will.  and making a change doesnt have to be anything drastic, it just has to be a change for the better. including healthier eating, no more eating fast food - drive thru windows are youre worst nightmare, exercising atleast 4-5 days a week, even if its just walking the dog.

i've done it before & i know i can do it again.  the picture above has a meaning. a great meaning. jillian michaels may be hard, she may be tough and somewhat a bully, but she gets results. you may feel like you are going to die, which i have MANY times, but you wont.  you may feel like you are going to puke, which you might, but you wont die.  i have to constantly remind myself of that. exercise, eating right and general lifestyle changes are a mind game. they really are.  your body will do anything it wants to do, you just have to convince your mind of doing it.

i hope to make this i am me thing into a series of posts along our little adventure. posting healthy recipes, exercise ideas, progress reports (maybe including pictures) and posts of overall health and general feelings during the process. i've also added to the bottom footer of my blog a weight loss tracker as a tool to keep me motivated and allow others to see my progress. 

if you want to join along, feel free. if you want to participate in our lifestyle change, feel free. friends losing weight together is always easier than alone.

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day 1 - yesterday, may 23, 2012

i downloaded myfitnesspal to my iphone & created an account - cheersbethani is my username. its an awesome tool - even if you just want to keep track of your eating... i highly recommend this app.

below is my summary for day one.

husband and i also started the 30 day shred by jillian michaels.  20 minutes of hardcore training. i must admit. it was hell. husband even called jillian an evil nazi at one point. and i thought i was going to puke.  but we made it through.  and i can honestly say, the great feeling of accomplishment afterwards was well worth every second of the workout.  only 29 days to go. then on to levels two and three.

take me away mary poppins

so husband and i havent vacationed since our honeymoon.  and with the warmer temps arriving and summer vacations starting, i have definite travel fever. i want to somewhere exciting and soon.

well not too soon.  we are thinking next year would be the perfect time for an actual trip of sorts somewhere and i am constantly talking about all the options we have.  the possibilities are pretty much endless, except no out of the country travel for us. no passports. next year also gives us plenty of time to save our pennies, so we can have a blast while we are away and get the full experience.

a few choices we are throwing around:

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maine. one of the highest possible places to be in the united states sits a quaint, picturesque place.  full of seafood, ocean front property and more beautiful scenery than my little eyes can probably handle. high on our list of options. we would probably stay in a b&b and spend most of our time outdoors enjoying our surroundings.

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north carolina. i mean have you seen nights in rodanthe? beautiful beaches, forests, amazing food & beautiful weather makes this location ideal. another b&b situation, but we've stayed in one before and absolutely loved it.



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boston. it has always been a must visit on our list since we've known each other. full of history, good food and sports galore, we would have plenty to see and do while visiting. b&bs are a possibility but a hotel might be the best option here.



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nyc. my favorite place on earth. well so far. i didnt get alot of time before to scope out the city and would love the chance to change that. plus husband has never really experienced nyc for what its worth. good food, a million sights, great entertainment and shopping galore, we wouldnt get bored. hotel lodging would be the only way to go, but it would be a hunt to find a nice quality, great priced one, as well as a good location for walking.


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vegas. i've never been to the strip or even close to nevada, but heard its something everyone must experience.  husband went as a child, but not since being of age.  plenty of sights, food, entertainment and gambling to keep us busy during the trip. no car rental in this city, walking would be our mode of travel.  this would allow for plenty of funds for our hotel stay so we can get the perfect accomedations.

heres what i'm looking for.  out of these, where would you go? have another suggestion that i didnt think of to add to our list?  we are pretty much open to our destination, minus super beachy, tropical places.  we arent beach people really. we can enjoy a good beach, but we dont want it to be our main attraction. 

our time is probably going to be around our anniversary.  april-may. getting warm, but not peak summer season.

and go.
thanks in advance.

a dash of pinterest



red velvet cookies



english muffin pizza



cucumber avocado salad rolls





avocado olive quesadillas



buffalo chicken dip



blackberry margarita

want to follow along?

you can here!

the lights.

everything about this song takes me back here.

the sounds, the feel, the lights. it was amazing.

i am me.

i vividly remember being in high school & hating it. i also vividly remember having that feeling of trying to look that certain way to be accepted - i even had an eyeshadow collection that would make tammy fae jealous..  everything had to look perfect and even then it wasnt enough.  trying to be with the in crowd, only to find yourself as one of the smart kids. one of the kids who had their yearbook signed saying something like "expect to see you in national geographic one day.."  is that a compliment even? i still wonder about that.

and then we grow up. well most of us do. we start living more like our mothers & fathers had taught us - "beauty is from within.." "you must love yourself for who you are before anyone else can." back then it seemed ridiculous and stupid. and we could never quite understand why they babbled so much.  now i realize why they said the things they said. we can gob on ten pounds of eyeshadow and the darkest bronzer, but we still are the same person inside.

my makeup routine since the formative years has become quite simple. enough to embrace the freckles i hated so much in grade school. the brilliant blue eyes that people are convinced are just colored contacts. the fair porcelain skin that i used to get upset about because i couldnt tan like the other girls. & most of all the rosy red cheeks that come about just from alittle stress.

i am me.

 

weekend wrap-up: lots o' food & some fun too!

festivals were in full swing this weekend around the metroplex // husband and i found us a new & closer nursery to visit

red velvet cake w/ cream cheese frosting ice cream // a bottle cap doesnt have to tell me twice

a super drool worthy hamburger at a birthday party // outdoor dining was a must have yesterday after some crazy shopping at a grand opening

roxanne had a check up saturday. it went beyond well. she's gained three pounds since her near death experience and has decided that army crawling is the way to travel just about anywhere.

color crushing much?? mint green and french pink are super gorgeous so why not put them together??

how was your weekend?  do anything exciting?

a recipe: triple chocolate peanut butter pudding cake

who's feeling a little crae crae this morning?? oh dont know what crae crae is? oh thats like the new super hip, cool person slang for crazy apparently.  and that person who's feeling super crae crae, its me.  i dont know if its the lack of sleep catching up with me (thank you non stop, no reason at all barking puppy) or the amount of work at work thats not working that is causing this crae crae feeling, but i have this really bad gut feeling before the week is over (or even possibly today) someone will be crying. whether its me doing the crying or its me causing someone to cry, its gonna happen. and its not intentional at all. its just pure, raw & hard core frustration.

and what do you do when all those feelings are happening? bake something filled with ridiculous amount of chocolate & sugar. thats what!!! i found this recipe thanks to pinterest.  it wasnt actually on pinterest, but when i linked from another recipe on pinterest, it took me to bhg, which i love, which linked me over to this:

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup chocolate milk or regular milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter-flavor pieces

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Chocolate bar pieces (optional)

How to:

1. Lightly coat the inside of a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. (oh and when it says a specific size slow cooker, they have a reason for it.. i used a large one, and make cake was thinner than normal, but still delicious.)



2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add chocolate milk, oil, and vanilla; stir just until moistened. Stir in peanut butter pieces, chocolate pieces, and peanuts. Spread batter evenly in the prepared cooker.


3. In another medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Gradually stir in boiling water. Carefully pour cocoa mixture over batter in cooker.


4. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.


5. Remove liner from cooker, if possible, or turn off cooker. Let stand, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes to cool slightly. To serve, spoon pudding cake into dessert dishes. If desired, top with ice cream and chocolate bar pieces.


I dont dare add the nutrional information for this, because I mean if you really want to make this, then you really dont have concern for calorie count, I promise.  But if you still insist, you can find it here.

Thanks bhg for filling my chocolate needs!Enjoy!

it would have been a million times better with vanilla ice cream.

snail mail social is moving right along.  a handful of people have signed and i couldnt be more thrilled. everything has to start somewhere, so i'm super excited everytime a new person signs up.  there is still plenty of time to sign up - the deadline is wednesday may 23. 

in order to particiapte all i need from you are your name, address, & blog address if you have one. it would also be helpful if you follow along via GFC so if there any blog post updates about s.m.s you will see them in your reader.

i wore my bangs in a braid for the first time yesterday.  and surprisingly i really like how it turned out.  very different, but very fun.

i go back and forth on how to wear my hair all the time. it doesnt cooperate very well, so the easier the better. but straight every day gets old really quick.

any suggestions on quick easy ways to style?



last night i made triple chocolate peanut butter pudding cake.  i was very hesitant at first because it looked really "gooey" around the edges. but when i served it, ohhhh emmmm geee it was delicious. would have been much better if i had vanilla ice cream to serve with it.

recipe coming soon..

hope your wednesday has started off and continues terrific!

chuga chuga. chuga chuga. choo choo!

pictures - some are mine - some are from weheartit

something about trains fascinates me.  whether its the clicking along on the tracks, the blowing of the horn, or the train cars themselves, i always fell captured by their simplicity.  zooming down the tracks, hauling anywhere from cars to food to living beings, the thought always crosses my mind of what their destination may be. and of course all the things they have seen along their trip.

my drive home from work, i pass over two rail tracks within just a few miles of our house.  and the major train station for cargo and such is just north of us. we can see all the lights and hear all the sounds of the train world. they are comforting sounds. i can judge when its time for me to leave for work, by the blowing of the train's horn either leaving or entering the station. pretty awesome if you ask me.

we have a train in grapevine that carts people between there and downtown. the trantula, they call it. its pretty whimsical if you ask me. i've ridden once. and have been hoping that husband and i will embark at that little adventure again sometime soon. as the train makes it way from one city to another, a little history lesson is taught about the train itself & you can hear the giggles and excitement from the children waving out the windows to on lookers.

the best part? during the summer months, they have a night time train robbery event. after passengers board and start their way down the tracks, "robbers" ride up on horses and take the train over.  sounds like my cup of tea.  come on summer!