Pizza Night Date Night- sort of....

Happy Thursday Everyone!!! How was your day?!?! Mine?! okay... I guess. I actually had a REALLLLLY hard time getting out of bed this morning and I didn't end up getting a work out in, but its okay.... some times you need a rest day! Right?!? I am a little bit mad at myself. Today was gorgeous and I would have loved to have gotten in a run in this fabulous weather. Tomorrow...

Tonight was ACTUALLY supposed to be a night at the Valley Junction Farmers Market but with the crazy weather I opted for plan B. Today was such a weird day. It was sunny and beautiful one minute and then down pouring the next. Gotta love Iowa.... :)

We ended up heading to Gateway Market for wine and bite for dinner. Gateway has $2 glasses of wine from 4:30pm- 6:30pm LOVE THAT!!! CHEERS!!!

We sat outside!! What a great night to sit outside and sip some vino!!! I had a glass of Chardonnay and Aaron had some Pinot Noir. I loooooooooooooooooooooooooove wine!! :)

For dinner we decided to split the Chicken Pesto Pizza. New to the menu!! And it was so delicious!!!! I am mildly obsessed with tomatoes so it totally made my night to get in a few on the pizza. AND I love, love, love pesto!!! Supposedly my parents are making some homemade tonight so... I'll let you know how that turned out for them.....

The crust was crunchy!! Aaron's favorite!!

MMMMmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love pizza!!! Isn't pizza and vino the best combo EVER??

My slice with some fresh basil!!!

I seriously LOVE Gateway Market!! The menu is so diverse and you can't beat a $2 glass of wine. For dessert- because dinner is always better with dessert we had some mini cheese cakes!

Just enough... I had chocolate chip and Aaron had mint something.... Both were SOOO good!!! Especially with a little sip of wine!

Almost Friday!!! TGIF!!! I can't wait!! Any big plans this weekend??? I will be spending a large portion of the weekend "shopping" for last minute things for our trip to Italy!!! I'll be out of town next weekend in Chicago for a wedding so this is really my last few days to get some stuff ready!!! We really are sooooo excited!!! Sept 4th can't get here soon enough!! PS- we never actually finished the movie last night... usually we aren't people that just turn movies off but last night was an exception. So, nothing to report! SORRY!!! Hope you all have an AMAZING and FAST Friday!!! Talk to you soon!! :)

Pasta and peanuts -- MMMMmmm good!

Happy Wednesday!!! How is everyone doing?! Hope your week is going fabulously!!! Last night was a BIG BIG night!! My mom, aunt, and I made an appearance at the BIG Iowa State Fair!! So much fun!! We ate lots of YUMMMY things!!! Pizza, corn dogs, salted nut rolls, cup-o-cookies, wine, and much more!! ALLLL so good! I love the Iowa State Fair!! I didn't take too many pictures tho... still trying to figure out how to use the new camera. Here is a shot of my mom and aunt! They REALLLLLY wanted to make a debut on the blog!!

We had a glass of wine or 2 at the Iowa Wine tent!! Enough about the fair..... I don't have any fun pictures to post so... not as much fun to type about.

This morning I was worried it was going to rain on me so I opted for the gym. I did 2 miles on the treadmill 6.0 at 5.0 incline!! What a FREAKING workout!!! And I did another 20 minutes on the elliptical. I was drenched when I was finished but felt great after all the junk food the night before.

For breakfast I had my usual.... Quaker Oat cereal and blueberries. Lunch was a quickie- banana and Activia mixed berry smoothie so by the time I was home I was pretty hungry!!! I decided to make some pasta tonight for dinner!!

Aaron was trying out the new camera.....

I cut up some tomatoes and mixed it with some salt, pepper, garlic salt, and fresh basil for my "sauce." I also steamed some broccoli to add some veggies in as well.

Here is Aaron's plate. He just wanted some pasta with "jar" sauce.

He topped his plate with some broccoli too. Gotta get the veggies in....

And... Here is my bowl!! It was actually WAY WAY too much pasta but I did pick through and eat most of the veggies!! I topped it with a little Parmesan cheese. It was soooo yummy! I think I've mentioned this before but I've been pretty obsessed with fresh tomatoes this summer ESPECIALLY the ones from my grandparents garden!!

AND for dessert.....

These might be my new favorite treats!! They really aren't that bad and ONLY 120 calories!!

I had to get my sweet treat in- DUH!!!

Aaron had a cup-o-cookie I brought him home last night and this salted nut roll!! Sooooooo good!!!!

I might have had a little bite too!! This was AMAZING!!! Gotta love the fair food! :)

Tonight after dinner we ran a few errands and then rented a movie-Obsessed. I'll let you know how it is.... so far not so hot! Glad it was only $1!!

I can't believe its dark out at 8:45!! Wasn't it just a few nights ago when it was light until like 9:30!!!????? Where did summer go?!?!!?! Does anyone else feel like summer just FLEW by?? Seriously??!! I am soooo not ready for it to be over! :(

Okay, enough complaining... Hope you all have a great night!!!!!! Talk to you soon! PS- We are LOVING our new camera!! Can't wait to take it to Italy with us!! :)

Never fear... I'm still HERE!!!

Hello EVERYONE!!! Happy Monday!!!!! How was your weekend?? How is your week going so far??! We had a busy weekend!!! Friday night was a fun dinner with friends and Saturday night we made the trip to Rochester for our twin niece and nephew's baptism on Sunday. Quick little trip but soooooo great to see everyone!! Today was a busy day as well... gotta love Mondays! I actually made a VERY yummy dinner and took pictures of it BUT we bought a new camera tonight and I want to play with that so.... no pictures tonight!! Tomorrow- Promise... well... may be NOT tomorrow... We are heading to the IOWA STATE FAIR tomorrow night so... probably Wednesday. Forgive me PLEASEEEEE and hang in there!! I'm VERY excited to use the new camera!!! I'll post lots of pictures next blog! Okay?!?!!... off to play!! Talk to you all VERY SOON!!! Have a great night!!

A Salad Eating Machine

Gooooood Evening Everyone!! Happy Hump day!!! How is your Wednesday treating you?! I had an okay Wednesday! Work has had me a little bit stressed out but I'm hanging in there.... another day closer to Friday. So, I just realized that the 3 out of 4 meals (not including breakfast) have been salads the past few days!! Yummmmy!!! Tuesday for lunch I had a Cashew Chicken Salad from Culver's. Not pictured and really not that bad either. I was on the road and had few choices... Last night I met my mom for a glass of wine and dinner at Gateway Market! We both had a couple glasses of Chardonnay and the Market Salad!! LOVED it!!!

A GREAT mix of greens topped with some Feta cheese!! Yummy!! It was gorgeous here yesterday and this salad and a glass of vino was just what the I needed after a loooong day of work!! We did however; keep droooling over all the other fabulous dishes they were bringing out for other tables so I will probably try to branch out next visit.

Today I had an Activia Smoothie for breakfast!! I didn't work out this morning so I wasn't all that hungry but by lunch I was STARVING!!!!!! I actually hurried up and made an egg white sandwich with a little bit of cheese on a bagel. I know, I know.... bagels are grrreat for you but I've been craving them and finally decided to give in and by some at the store this past weekend and I've enjoyed every single bit I've had- thank you very much!!

For dinner we had a Mexican Fiesta!!! Aaron made beef tacos...

And I grilled some shrimp and tomatoes for a Mexican Shrimp salad. YUMMY!!! It was fabulous!! And the shrimp was AMAMZING!!!!

I topped it with a little bit of cheese and some salsa!!! So FREAKING good!!

A very light summerish salad!! PS the tomatoes are from my little tomato plant and they were really sweet and really yummy!! I'm very proud of my gardening skills!! My love for tomatoes has really grown this summer!

And for dessert......

I stole this bad boy from my parents house earlier this week!! Can you FREAKING believe Halloween candy is ALREADY in the stores!!!???!???! I love Halloween candy!! I also grabbed a bag of Candy Corn this week at the store too!! I've had a couple handfuls here and there! :) Aaron and I split this tonight and it really hit the spot!!! So delicious!! Not ready for fall yet but I will take advantage of the sweet treats while we have them.

Well... that's all folks!!! I am really really ready for a relaxing evening!! I need it!! Trust me! Long week so far..... Hope you all have a great night!!! Talk to you soon!!

Working it, working it.....

Hey Everyone!! Happy Monday!! Hope you all had a FABULOUS day!!! My day was pretty busy... I have a stressful and busy next 2 days ahead... AARRGGHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Oh, well... what can you do?! I'm sure a glass of vino will be in my near future.

I didn't really take any pictures today and I really didn't eat anything to terribly exciting either. Sorry!

• Activia Smoothie
• Grapes
• Banana
• Turkey Sandwich
• Candy corn (yes, I just typed that- can you believe its in the stores already?!?! it isn't even fall yet!! but i love it!)

I don't have much time to blog tonight... just didn't want to NOT blog tonight!!! Hope you all understand.... Gotta get back to work- preparing for my next 2 days.

Have a great night!! Talk to you soon!! Pictures next time... promise! :)

A lazy rainy Sunday

Hey Everyone!!! Happy Sunday!!! Hope you all had a FABULOUS weekend!! Seriously can't believe its almost over.... :( Today was a crazy day- weather wise. It was hot and sunny and then dark and rainy. And then at about 6:30 another storm blew in. Aaron actually grabbed the camera to take a picture and before he could he could even take the picture SERIOUSLY 60mph winds came out of NO where and then a BIG storm started. I love a good ol' thunderstorm but this baby was WINDY!!! Kind of crazy.... This weekend was pretty low key. Aaron was back in his home town for the weekend and I took advantage of the Tax Free weekend we had here in Iowa and did some shopping. I actually didn't get much but.... I sure did a lot of looking.

Friday night Aaron and I went to see Julie and Julia. Grrreat movie!! I love it!! Meryl Streep was AMAZING!!!! Hilarious! Fantastic!! And Amy Adams was adorable. Go see it if you get the chance.... I had Panera for dinner. You pick 2. Bacon Turkey Bravo minus the bacon and there garden salad. It was Fabulous!! I love Panera. No, picture. Sorry! And Aaron had some popcorn for dinner!! Nutritious of us huh?!

Saturday morning I was able to get in about 5 mile run/walk. I ran 4 miles and then walked about a mile. It was HOT. Not as hot as I thought it was supposed to be here this weekend but definitely not some thing I've had to deal with much this summer. We've been pretty lucky here in Iowa. The weather has been pretty freaking great this summer. Can't complain... great running weather for sure.

After my run I met up with my parents at the mall and did some shopping! I was on a mission to find some "comfy shoes" for our Italy trip but was pretty unsuccessful... I'll keep looking. We spent the majority of the afternoon shopping around and for dinner mom and I met up with dad and had some Los Cabos!!! MY FAVORITE Mexican restaurant EVER!! I had the chicken fajitas and AGAIN didn't take a picture. Sorry!! They were very yummy though...

Today I woke up pretty early and decided to get some Starbucks. I figured that since I was up I might as well get my grocery shopping finished. I did some "deep" cleaning after that. Felt great!! My house needed a good deep clean. So, by 11ish I had finished all my "chores" for the day and was READY to relax!!! I did just that.... I pretty much did NOTHING today!! Which felt AMAZING!!! I needed it too... I have a very busy week ahead of me... work-wise. I did get over to see my grandparents and they gave me some tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers from there garden!! YAH!!! Can't wait to start cooking with them....

And I did just that....

Tonight, I decided to make Brushcetta for dinner with tomato and basil. IT WAS SO YUMMY!!! LOVED IT!!!

I chopped tomatoes and fresh basil and added some salt, pepper, and garlic salt to make my topping. Gorgeous huh?!

Then I cut up a loaf of bread, brushed some Olive Oil on it, and put it on my grill pan. PS- Grill pan best purchase EVER!!

After I grilled the bread I topped the slices with my tomato mixture!! And ATE!!! It was so freaking yummy!!! I love, love, love brushetta!! Love it!! And its such a SUMMER type of meal.

So yummy!! I can't stop thinking about it.... I will FOR SURE make this AGAIN VERY soon!!!

Aaawww..... what a great weekend!! So low-key and SOOOO relaxing!! :) Sad, its over but I have a BIG week ahead of me and I am READY to tackle it!! Hope you all have had a great weekend!! Not sure how much blogging I'll get in the next few days but I'll try..... Hope you have a great night!! Have a great week this week!! Talk to you soon!

Chopsticks and Bedroom Furniture

Good Evening Everyone!! Happy Wednesday! Hope you all had a fabulous Hump Day!! I did. My day went by rather quickly... love that. I did about 4.5 miles this morning. It felt grrreeat! I realized this morning that I hadn't ran since Friday morning. It was a nice break but I am glad to be back at it. :) I also decided I think I am going to run the Des Moines 1/2 Marathon in October which means I need to get my butt in gear REALLY quickly. I am excited about this. This will be my first race. Starting small... hoping to work my way up to a full marathon some day.

This morning I made ANOTHER fruit salad. Minus the banana. Just wasn't that hungry. So I decided to save it for later.


I had another Activia Fruit Smoothie (mixed berry) for a mid morning snack and was able to make it home for lunch again. I wasn't terribly hungry but I wanted something to stick with me so I had a banana and Barney Butter sandwich. MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm!! What a fabulous combo.

After work I met Aaron and Homemakers AGAIN and we FINALLY pulled the trigger and ordered a bedroom set!! YIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited!! I can't wait. 4-6 weeks for delivery. Not bad, not bad. I'll post pictures once it arrives!! Hopefully, this one will fit in our hallway this time! Fingers crossed. :)

For dinner I was CRAVING Z' Mariks noodle cafe. I first started eating Z' Mariks when I was living in Iowa City and have been in love it with ever since. It seems every few months I find a new obsession. Last few months I've been on a spicy kick. Tonight I had the Thai Stir-fry served over a bed of lettuce instead of a bed of rice and it was FREAKING AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I love, love, love, love this stuff. It had chicken, roasted peanuts, broccoli, and carrots sauteed in a Spicy Peanut Sauce and it was FABULOUS!! Again, no picture. Sorry! I went there straight after Homemakers and didn't get home to grab my camera. I think I need to just start carrying my camera with me at ALLL times folks. Seriously, this meal was so yummy and I really am disappointed I don't have a picture for you all to see and drool over. Next time...

Well, not much else to say. Dinner was great, my run this morning was fabulous, and we finally ordered a MUCH needed bedroom set. Today was a BIG day!! I'm off to finish watching Hell's Kitchen with the hubby!! Hope you all have a great night!!! Talk to you tomorrow.