Every week I say something about “this week has flown by” or “woah, this month is gone already”. However, I am not feeling that way right now. I won’t lie, this week seemed to take for-ev-ver (spoken Squints-style from The Sandlot). I felt like it should be Thursday or Friday and it was really only Tuesday. That was when I KNEW it was going to be a long week……
Regardless, I made it through the week (it wasn’t a bad week, just slow)! I am ready for a date night tonight for our anniversary and a hopefully (somewhat) relaxing weekend. First, let’s get to Anything & Everything Friday. A post where I share 5 thoughts, ideas, articles, etc with you from throughout the week. This week I’m talking about BarkBox, our anniversary and I have some ice cream recipes! Ayo! Let’s do this….
Bark Box:
I did sign up for Bark Box! I received my first box earlier this week. I was too excited to see what was inside this first time, so I didn’t make a big production about it with the doggies. Trust me, I will in the future! It had two chew toys (which both dogs love), training chews, some treats and then a tin to store treats in as well. It was pretty sweet! Anyone else subscribe to Bark Box? Here is what my first box looked like.
Ice Cream:
I happen to love ice cream. I mean, I LOVE ice cream. I don’t eat it that often, but if we are on vacation or up in Denver for something then most of the time I make a stop at either an ice cream shop or at a frozen yogurt place that let’s you put your own toppings on (those are heaven for me!).
I also mentioned a couple weeks ago that I bought some Salted Caramel Talenti Gelato at Safeway because I was craving ice cream and wanted to some after Bobstock. I cannot buy that anymore! I cannot. stop. eating. it! It is ridiculous. I need the pint to be gone so that I don’t think about it all the time. Man it is delicious.
I will never give up ice cream completely, but I try to eat it on “special occasions” or if we are around a specialty ice cream shop. I need to start making my own ice cream though. More cost effective and I can control the ingredients! Greatist.com compiled a list of 9 Ice Cream Recipes That Don’t Require Fancy Equipment. I think I’ll start y ice cream production there…… Double Chocolate Almond Ice Cream? Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream? I mean, come on! If you ask nicely I’ll create a homemade ice cream recipe that does not require equipment (I don’t have any anyways). Just tell me what flavor!
Breakfast Meal Prep:
If you are not a morning person then you probably roll your eyes at all my posts about breakfasts that require cooking. I won’t lie, I am 100% a morning person and I love it. I also happen to love breakfast so it works out perfectly that I can wake up early. However, if you are not a morning person or you have a million things to do (and places to be) that do not coincide with cooking a healthy breakfast then check out this article. Audrey Bruno with Self.com has 6 Sneaky Food Prep Tricks That Will Turn You Into A Morning Person. Now, I do not guarantee these tips will make you a morning person, but they could make getting breakfast in your hand a bit easier. The very first tip is to make overnight oats! I love overnight oats. Try my recipes for Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats and Strawberry Banana Protein Overnight Oats. Boom, breakfast is ready! Hardboil some eggs, cut up fruit and prepare frozen smoothie packs. Those are a few of the tips so check out the rest for some time-saving breakfast tricks to add to your routine.
Yogurt:
If you follow my Day in the Life: Mel’s Meals posts then you know that I eat Greek yogurt a lot. I have recently switched from nonfat Greek yogurt to 2% Greek yogurt and will not be going back any time soon! I prefer the flavor and texture of 2% compared to nonfat. I also only buy plain yogurt then add my own flavors using protein powder, nut butters, fresh fruit, etc. If you have been to the grocery store lately then you know the yogurt section in the dairy aisle is PACKED with different yogurts. It an be overwhelming. What is healthy? What is not so healthy? There are in fact some yogurts that are not that healthy. They can be packed with added sugars, preservatives and artificial flavors. Those yogurts are perfectly fine occasionally, but not every day (or multiple times a day if you eat yogurt like I do…). My Fitness Pal has you covered. They have written an article called Dietitian Tips for Choosing a Healthier Yogurt. They explain what to look for on the ingredient label, how much sugar to look for, fat content, etc. Check it out so that you can be more informed next time you stock up on yogurt. And trust me….. you WANT to keep yogurt in stock. It is so damn good!
Anniversary:
This last Wednesday was our 3rd wedding anniversary! We celebrated with foods from Taquiera San Miguel, the taco truck that catered our wedding, and margaritas! Gabriel asked if we wanted to order off the menu or if he should make something special. Uh, something special my friend! It was delicious. He spoils us every time we go in there. Plus, he keeps a “Donny & Mel – July 20th, 2013 – BEYAH!” shot glass in his food trailer. If you weren’t at our wedding, we gave our shot glasses as party favors. He still has his! Awesome.
Tonight we are going to Stoic & Genuine, a nice seafood restaurant in Union Station. I’ve been DYING to go here! We have been talking about it forever but it was never the right occasion. Now it is! We splurged and are staying at The Oxford Hotel, which is half a block from Union Station. I’m super jazzed about that.
Even MORE exciting than Stoic & Genuine, Donny told me he was surprising me with a trip for our anniversary. The trip is not until December, but he wanted to surprise me with it for our anniversary. He is taking me to New York City! Pretty cool, but we are going in December meaning they will have all the Christmas and holiday decorations up!!! It was on my bucket list to go see New York around the holidays and now we are going! I’m so excited. He also booked us to stay and have afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria, which is one of the more famously decorated hotels in New York! I’m SO excited….. we are going on some fun trips coming up and we’ve been on some trips, but I am really excited about this! I started Googling pictures online of Christmas time in New York. So amazing. I have the best husband!
Well that is all for today! Have a great weekend and come back for a new recipe on Monday!
