And Now I'm Starving

This weekend was huge in the B household.  Not because we did anything uber exciting but we set 2 new records for ourselves.  

1. We managed to eat e.v.e.r.y. meal at home this weekend, with the exception of Sunday brunch courtesy of my parents. 

2. We went to the gym every day this weekend.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  AND on top of that, I had 2 of the best workouts ever.

Both of these things never, ever happen.  You see we live within a 2-mile radius of at least 50 amazing, non-chain restaurants and we can walk 2-3 blocks in any direction to at least 20 or so of these.  Therefore eating out is quite a temptation and normality for our lifestyle. 

We've decided that in preparation for Greece we're going to eat out less frequently (with the exception of restaurant week) and hit the gym extra hard and watch even more so what we eat. Below are some of the yummy, but healthy, things we noshed on this weekend.

Shrimp Tacos/Fajitas

Yum, yum, yum!  These have become regular weekly meals in our house because 1. they're healthy and 2. they're quick and easy.  The original recipe came from Gina and is actually a Weight Watchers-Friendly recipe.  Trust me, you'd never know it.  We've tweaked it a bit for our liking.

Cilantro & Lime Shrimp, brown rice, black beans, cilantro, fresh pineapple, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, salsa = low-fat, high protein taco!

Healthy Substitutes:

avocado instead of guacamole

brown rice instead of white rice

whole wheat tortillas instead of flour tortillas

Homemade Mozzarella, Proscuitto & Tomato Pizza

This recipe originated from VA Belle and it is delicious, I'm so glad she shared.  The best part is that we saved time by using T. Joe's whole wheat pizza dough. 

T. Joe's whole wheat pizza dough, fresh basil, EVOO, mozzarella cheese, homegrown tomatoes (fresh from my granny's garden), proscuitto.

Healthy Substitutes:

whole wheat pizza dough instead of regular pizza dough

non-fat mozzarella cheese instead of mozzarella cheese

extra virgin olive oil instead of veggie oil or canola oil

4-Cheese Tortellini w. Alfredo Sauce

This was definitely the least healthy meal we ate this weekend, but it was quick and easy and I spruced it up w. some sauteed veggies and a salad.

Fresh cheese tortellini (store-bought)

Alfredo Sauce (light)

Healthy Additions:

added: sauteed peas, tomatoes & broccoli

When cooking pasta we only buy/cook whole wheat pasta so this is a splurge, however, I've had zero luck finding pre-made/fresh whole wheat pasta in stores.  Has anyone seen pre-made wheat pastas?!?!

As for exercise and working out, currently I'm loving these things at the gym.

+

cBv

My Big, Fat Vacation!

Well, it's official!  In 41 days the hubby and I will be here

Our flights are booked and we're finalizing all of our accomodations and activities. I cannot wait!  If you have any recommendations on place to see, stay or things to do in Athens, Santorini, Crete & Mykonos I'd welcome them. 

My biggest fear...how I'm going to pack everything for this trip.  The last time I flew, was for a business trip, for 3 days, to San Antonio, by myself, and my luggage was 4 pounds over the weight limit!!  Let's just say I have a little problem with packing the essentials and not my entire closet!

Speaking of my closet...the Nordy's sale this morning was a success.  Have a great weekend!

cBv

Watch Out!

Umm, is anyone else as excited as I am for Nordy's Anniversary Sale that starts tomorrow?!  There are quite a few pieces I plan on snagging from the catalog and of course I'm sure there will be plenty of unplanned purchases as well {I know my hubby will be oh so thrilled...}.

My birthday is at the end of the month and I've been trying to decide what I want to mark my 27th year.  I'm trying to be rational and pick something that 1. I need and 2. will use or keep for years to come.  Lately I've been on a watch kick.  I definintely hit phases and will wear one everyday for months and then go without for months.  I've always had fashion watches but never a really nice dress watch, but not too dressy.  I want it to be versatile enough to wear on a daily basis.  Of course, I'd love a Michele or TagHeuer but that just won't be happening so I've moved on and am considering these.

love this {now} but somehow it doesn't seem very practical

And just because

oh my...

As you can see I'm not partial to any particular shape.  I feel like it might be wise to get a two-toned watch so that it matches all of my jewelry but I'm not sure.  Does anyone have any recommendations on brand, style, color, etc.?  I'm all ears!

Thank God it's Thursday, I'm looking forward to the weekend and dinner tonight w. friends!

cBv

Let's Talk Paper

So you know I have just a teeny, tiny obsession with paper, stationery, penmanship and everything in between.  And I'm a firm believer that there isn't an excuse in this world for not taking the time to hand-write a thank you note, no, an email does not suffice.  But there are times when, even in my old fashioned mind, an electronic note or invitation is acceptable for certain things.  For example, that last minute barbecue you're having next weekend or brunch with your best girls.  If I had it my way, I'd send a traditional paper invitation for every dinner, barbecue, crab feast that I host/plan but my hubby might just ring my neck for spending money on "unnecessary" things. 

Enter two of my favorite electronic stationery sites, Paperless Post and Pingg.  Both sites offer free online invitations and stationery for all occasions.  Paperless Post and Pingg both focus on bringing traditional paper stationery into today's fast-paced world to allow members to send thoughtful, cute and personalized correspondence. 

I often use Paperless Post to send a quick card to friends and family when it's last minute, unexpected or I don't have a card on hand.  PP offers classic casual and formal cards for all occasions, cocktails to save-the-dates.   I especially love PP because they offer personalized stationery, envelope liners in a rainbow of colors and designs, and when the recipient opens the card it looks like a paper card.  

How cute is that?!

Pingg is a favorite for sending invitations, specifically.  You can set up the invite so that you are emailed each time a guest responds, making it easy to track numbers and details.  I often use this for impromptu dinners, cocktail parties, Mother's Day, Father's Day, girls' day, etc.  

  

The next time you're in a pinch to send out a card, note or invite, don't fret, Paperless Post and Pingg have got you covered! 

Completely unrelated - Banana Republic is offering 40% off today only, online. Enter code N1DYXWT1YYQ3 at checkout.

My sister's bridal shower was amazing and a huge success!  I'm still sorting through all the pictures and will do a post in a day or two showing you all the girly, monogrammed details! For now, I'll leave you with a picture of the cake, which was probably the most delicious cake I've ever eaten, and the favors, monogrammed cookies!

cBv

Scrambled...

I have a busy weekend ahead, unfortunately, I can't give details because sometime's a certain someone checks this blog and reads up.  And my luck would be that today is that day!  But I can promise there will be plenty of pictures and nitty gritty details to share next week.  Lots of sweat, stress and tears have gone into tomorrow and I hope it all runs smoothly and one person in particular is pleasantly surprised. I can't wait!!

I had an appointment last night to get a new gel mani.  This time I opted for the CND Shellac french mani.  The salon I go to has both OPI & Shellac.  I'm curious to see how the french holds up and to see if I have a preference for one over the other.

please excuse the blurriness!

Did anyone watch Big Brother last night?  With Mr. James' drama I'm not sure if it was actually on or not.  I hope not because Mr. Tivo didn't record it.  Have a great weekend!

cBv

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Literally, I can't believe I've been MIA from blogging for 2 months, give or take. Well not completely, yeah I haven't blogged but I have been keeping up with my favorite blogs. It would take me a good month to bring you up to speed as to where I've been and what I've been doing.  Let's just sum it up with it's been an insanely, crazy, busy, family-filled, party-planning, memories-made, amazing two months and a few pictures of the first bit.  Of course, my beach pics have yet to be uploaded.

My sister's graduation, my soon-to-be brother-in-law's commissioning, two trips to NC, a week at the beach, lots of wedding & shower planning and the world keeps spinning.

In other news, I managed to squeeze in an OPI Axxium Gel Manicure a week and a half ago and have another appointment tonight.  There's definintely pros and cons to these bad boys.

Pros:
- durability
- no chipping
- no breaking

Cons:
- quick nail growth

Although I love the bright colors and matching my toes, my suggestion is to stick with natural colors like Bubble Bath & French Manicure to extend the life of the mani and reduce your chances of looking like you haven't tended to your nails in months.  Afterall, the whole point, in my opinion, of paying a bit more for the gel manicure ($30 at my salon) is to prolong the time between manis.  I love the gels, but it's going to have to last more than 11 days to convince me to stick w. it instead of reverting back to traditional manis.

I promise more pics to come! I can't wait to get back into routine blogging & bring you up to speed with our summer happenings.
cBv

Day of Silence for Cohen!

Sending thoughts, prayers and hugs to Megan, Brent and their family today!

cBv