Another Friday Five!

Hellooo! It is Friiiiday, Friiiiday. 

You know what that means? Another Friday Five, brought to you by Laura. Love this little weekly list!

The Friday Five

1. What I'm Reading:


....the same book as the last two Fridays. Oops! I promise to have started a new book by next week!

2. What I'm Listening To:

This song. Nonstop.

3. What I'm Watching:

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Finally caught up on Weeds this week. Anyone out there a fan? I had FIVE episodes to watch, including the season finale. This season totally redeemed the show after a couple lackluster seasons; so entertaining, and they brought back lots of familiar faces. It was a new story line, but reminded me why I loved Weeds in the first place. Such clever, witty writing and amazing characters.


Andy and Doug are still as hilarious as ever. And my, my, Silas, how you have grown. ;) Long gone is little "Strange" Botwin, too...although Shane is still PRET-ty creepy. 

Strange Botwin, all growns up. And still strange.
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And you have no idea how excited I am for both Dexter and How to Make It in America to start on Sunday!!! Sundays are regaining the lead for my favorite TV night...sorry, Jersday (<but I still love you)! 

I used to hate and dread Sundays when I was in school, but now I love them! Chilling in Philly with the football package and inhaling veggie 'za from a Greek pizzeria is a perfect new tradition, and now a bunch of my favorite shows are on at night. Yessss.

4. What I'm Eating (and what Koda is eating):

Pork tacos with (subpar) guac. Should've went with the salad with broiled shrimp instead. Womp.

Oh, and five tons of The Great Pumpkin Bread. Going to make more this weekend, as well as bake some of Julie's Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cookies. Ohhhh yes.

Kodes is also pumpkin-crazy like me...he went bonkers when I let him taste the tail end of my pumpkin pie protein shake from the gym (which tasted like heaven in a pumpkin-y milkshake).

In a frenzy!

Gimme.

5. What I'm Pinning:

Recipes, recipes, recipes.

All links can be found via my Pinterest!

In other news, I am worthless. At least when it comes to plants. Rawr.

Is this a joke?

Sorry, "New Plant." Bringing home to my green-thumbed mother for an emergency repotting and attempted revival. I suck.

On the agenda for this weekend: some yoga, hopefully seeing the new Harry Potter (nerd alert!) that I still have not seen, getting my hair done (so very needed...my sun-and-bleach-parched hair needs some lowlights and some lovin'), some more baking, and pup walks.

Heading off to the gym for some much-needed cardio after more crab fries and beer at the Flyers game last night (and there may or may not have been a glass of red wine consumed as a nightcap). Have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo

Give Me Everything Tonight

Holla!


I was excited for BodyCombat 48 release yesterday. The sixth track was alllllll kicks. Oh my goodness. And the core and pushups conditioning at the end was absolutely killer. I did BodyFlow after and had a tough time through the ab track after doing Combat's. Here is the tracklist for Release 48:


1a: In My Head (Kris McTwain Remix Edit) – Henry Blank
1b: Airplanes (Kris McTwain Remix Edit) – Groove Chasers
2: Smooth Criminal – Badlands Inc
3: We Dance On – Subz Project
4: Come In Hard (Don’t Like Rock ‘N’ Roll) – Hardknox
5: If I Were You – Breeze & Ritmen
6: Drummer Boy (MoDrums Remix) – Alesha Dixon
7: The Last Fight – Bullet For My Valentine
8: Everywhere (Breeze & UFO Remix) – Master Blaster
9: The Time (Dirty Bit) – Red Beans & Rice
10: The Silence (New Single Mix) – Alexandra Burke


Sad I am missing the new BodyFlow launch tomorrow...but the plans I have instead pretty much make up for it. 


A night in Philly and the Flyers game? Worth it. So happy hockey season is BACK (well, preseason)! And hopefully my boys will look better than they did last Wednesday when I went...yeesh. At least Chickie's and Pete's crab fries and beer made the loss a little more tolerable. 

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We lost the core of our team and it'll be interesting to watch all the newbies get used to playing together. Although I gotta say....new goalie? Did not look so hot on Wednesday. Hope you were worth it all, Bryz.

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So uh...finally ready for a new drawing??


Still putting some little touches on the sand and the background in general, but here you have it. Some things bug me about it here and there, but it is just a drawing for fun, so I am not going to do much more to it.


Avalon seagulls (they are snack thieves), inspired by my beachy East Coast summer.

Thanks to this guy, I made lots of awesome new friends during the summer of 2011. Thanks, guys, for letting me be a part of your beach house (cough, cough, freeload, cough). Love you all!


It was definitely a summer to remember....perhaps my best yet.

Rehobeth dates with my Boston BFF

And South Jerz dates

My 24th birthday

And celebrating Grandma's 75th

One of my very best friends got married!!!

So we danced....

...a LOT.

Avalon Sunday Fundays

Dewey Beach nights

Reading The Help while drinking Bloody Marys

Becoming friends with our regular waitress at Tonio's

My very first White Brier Happy Hour (please ignore the atrocious state of my hair here)

And my first Tour de Shore at Golden Inn!

So many great times.


And these two songs will forever have Summer 2011 emblazoned in my mind:

Long live shufflin'.

So long, sweet summer. 


Already counting the days until spring. Until then, I will be freezing my tuchus off and reminiscing about my days in Arizona and Nevada and California. 
(Although I will see you in MARCH, Vegas!!!!)


BodyPump again tonight, first time doing it twice in a week. Yikes! (Perhaps I just want to hear that Tiesto song again.)


xoxoxo

The Great Pumpkin (Bread)!

Hello, friends!

I added some buttons to my sidebar for links to SBI&D's Facebook page, as well as my Twitter and Pinterest. Still have lots going on behind the scenes...think new name, domain, and background/banner...but I want to get some drawings and commissions done first before I unleash the beast!

So! BodyPump 78 release was yesterday. Overall, I am a fan!

Here is the new tracklist:


Warmup: Saturday – Basshunter
Squats: Beautiful Monster (Damn-R Remix) – Mick Lion
Chest: Sweet Child O’ Mine – Swade
Back: Tonight Is The Night 2K10 (Extended Mix) – Raindropz! vs Le Click
Triceps: Yeah 3x – Chris Brown
Biceps: Raise Your Glass – Pink
Lunges: Firework (Klub Smasherz Remix) – Galaxy Surfers
Shoulders: Welcome To Africa (Short Cut) – Paffendorf
Abs: Please Don’t Go – Mike Posner
Cooldown: Just A Dream – Fire & Ice
Alternate Biceps: Escape Me – Tiesto feat. CC Sheffield


....that "Alternate Biceps?" That was our "surprise" towards the end of class. A bonus track if you will. And let me tell you, biceps are by FAR the hardest tracks for me. TWO bicep tracks? Owwwwch. Totally my weakest, I plan on fixing that.


The lunge track was full of squats and lunges...my legs were shaking at the end! Really good one (except for the fact that I cannot STAND the song anymore...Firework, go awayyyy).


And the ab track was my favorite, as usual. That is my strongest, yet this track worked us pretty hard. Plus, I love the song. I also really like the Tiesto song for the alternate biceps.

I was sad that I didn't have any cash on me and I felt ridiculous using a credit card to buy a drink (not that I haven't done that before...), but the gym has $1 off shakes all week (it is Open House)....and they have PUMPKIN!!! You better bet I will get in on that at some point this week.

Speaking of pumpkin, I present to you, the BEST pumpkin bread....ever.

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The Great Pumpkin Bread!

(Peanuts reference? Anyone? ....anyone?)

Ingredients:


3 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 whole clove, chopped (optional)
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)
1 cup white chocolate chips (the secret ingredient!)


Directions:


Grease & flour 2 loaf pans. 


In a bowl, stir together flour, soda, salt, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped clove; set aside.


Cream eggs, sugar, & oil together. Add water to the mix, and then the dry ingredients.


Add the pumpkin, and then the white chocolate chips. Mix well.


Pour into loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until done.




I am not a baker; I usually eyeball ingredients, and that does not make for great baked goods. I am too impatient and think my eyeballs are as good as measuring tools, and that is not always so. However, I adapted this from a recipe my mom found in her recipe stash (who wrote this? You have really nice handwriting, Mystery Person!), adding in the oats, clove, and the white chocolate chips. These chips make for the most moist bread ever (sorry, Allie, I know you hate the word "moist")...they bake into the bread and you don't really see them, but they definitely up the moist (sorry again) factor. This stuff is great out of the oven, but even better in the days after as the bread sits and all of the flavors mingle.


Serve it with a glass of milk and you are all set! Or use it in breakfast bowls...I find any possible way to eat this multiple times a day until it is all gone. Addicting.

Also, while I am on this pumpkin tangent, I highly suggest this baby:

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I tried one this weekend in Philly (thanks, Riz!), and the second I find this in a store, I just may buy out their stock. My favorite pumpkin ale to date.

"New Plant" Update:

Oh yeah, and an update on "New Plant" (still no name yet...I need to get on that):

Well....he's seen better days. What is wrong with me? Perhaps it was the wasp I buried in the dirt the day I brought New Plant in to work. I fed him a heaping mug of water today, hopefully that will perk him up.

Off to the new release of BodyCombat tonight...I'm exciteeeeed!

xoxoxo

Envy of the Healthy-Living Blog World!

...I am about to be the envy of every healthy-living blogger in the world.

Wanna know what it looks like when your mom works for a natural foods company and she gets to go to a semi-local city, Baltimore, for an expo (i.e., she can drive back as many bags of swag as she pleases....no suitcases or airline limits involved)?

...good gracious.

Not sure these pictures even do this gathering justice.

I win. 
(Because I...WIN!)

This is what happens when I casually ask her to check out a few specific booths and bring back some samples. Overkill? Perhaps. But I certainly do not mind reaping the benefits. ;)

Some of the goods I am most excited about:

SunWarrior Raw Protein Powder samples (Chocolate AND Vanilla), TONS of all-natural, many gluten-free snackeroos like hummus chips and popcorn, different kinds of bars to try (no Larabars, my top booth I wanted her to check out, but she DID get to taste them while she was there), BLK water (Real Housewives of NJ, represent!!!), gluten-free brownie mix (I am not gluten-free, by any means, but I DO love me some brownies), different dried spices and herbs, lots of doggie treats for Koda and Ginger, and Virgil's Root Beer (<this was SO yummy).

BLK Water  launch! I'll try your water, Albie.
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Fancy! And delicious.

I will have to let you know how some of these items are as I try them.

Like these snacks today: Blue Sky Free Stevia Soda, Lemonade flavor, and a Banana Walnut ReBar.

The naturally sweetened lemonade was pretty good, and a much better option than my usual Diet Pepsi (I know, so bad...but I am an addict). Plus, I love anything carbonated.

As for the ReBar...it reminded me of the consistency of a Larabar, and at 170 calories and 8 (!!!) servings of fruit 'n' veggies, it was a good supplement to my lighter (and nearly veggie devoid) lunch.

Listen to the ingredients list on this gluten-free, organic, vegan baby:
Apple, Raisin Paste, Vegetable Blend (carrots, beets, spinach, cabbage, and bok choy), Walnuts, Brown Rice Syrup, Banana, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavour.

Whoa.

And did you spot the random prickly pear she threw in one of her SIX huge bags?

Coop and I killed a package of chocolate-covered Goji berries and an entire bag (whoops) of Hippie Chips while we sifted through all of the items, picking out ones we wanted. It was like Christmas morning!

And Kodes loves his new Zuke's bandana. See?

How BIG does his head look there?

Zuke's dog treats are the best, and both pups LOVE them. Luckily, my mama grabbed them some treats while she was there! That is why he is smiling.

There were a few questionable items (male AND female...ahem....enhancement supplements?! Mom.....you're funny, but really?), but mostly, these products are great and I cannot wait to try them!

So pumped to refill my snackage drawer at work.

In line with my recent pumpkin fever, this morning started off right with some crumbled pumpkin bread (recipe to come, perhaps later tonight...this is especially tasty) in some 0% Plain Fage Greek Yog, sweetened with honey ('cuz otherwise it tastes like sour cream!!!). Also, some of that Natural Products Expo East swag...Adagio Pumpkin Spice Tea. Yes, please.

 

Also made some crab pasta this weekend. Man, I have a lot of recipes to gather on here. This crabby veggie-filled pasta, the killer pumpkin bread with a secret ingredient, Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad, and Shrimp, Black Bean, and Avocado Quesadillas (with Chipotle Cilantro "Sour Cream"!!!). Lots goin' on in the kitchen, lately!

Also, finally some new drawings on here this week! I've been a busy bee. So coming this week...recipes, reviews, and DRAWINGS!

Here is another preview of the drawing I am finishing up today in my downtime:

Almost doooone!

Off to finish some work and drawings. And BodyPump tonight...I've missed it!

xoxoxo

Hello, First Day of Autumn.

Oh hello, First Day of Autumn. 
Gone are the hot, sunny, beachy, crazy-fun, crazy-busy, packed days of Summer 2011.

You make me happy for the following reasons.

I love fall-scented candles (hey, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin from Bath & Body Works. I love you for reals), scarves, pumpkin everything (pumpkin ales and pumpkin bread = put it together with a bowl of hearty, warm, comforting, spicy chili and I am a happy fall girl), football, the impending BEST holidays of the year (waddup Thanksgiving & Christmas!), my boot collection, and things like that.

Speaking of, I now introduce you to my September budget....and then some.

Coveted Frye boots, you are alllll mine.

(Wearing them with bare legs while I still can.)

Helloooo, my cognac crush.

First Day of Autumn, you also kinda make me want to cry.

I don't have my own place to go all housewife and decorate for fall like I normally do. I miss being crafty. What good is all my Pinteresting if I can't follow through with the fabulous decorating ideas?!

Oh yeah, and it is RAINY and COLD and DREARY. I am sick. And this means winter is just around the corner. I still have West Coast blood. I may be having a mini panic attack....no, seriously.

At least I will be spending more time wrapped up in my fuzzy leopard blanket (affectionately referred to as simply "LB").

Brrrrrrrrrr.

Oh, and more quality time with the toy hoarder.

He will bring out every. Single. Toy. To you.

Ahhhh, think happy thoughts!!!


Before I head out, I'll leave you with my newest Friday Five.


The Friday Five

1. What I'm Reading:

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Still reading Rant, which I love. Normally a really fast reader, but I have just been SO busy lately, and free time has been spent at the gym, drawing, and watching TV for the most part.


2. What I'm Listening To:

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Jonah Hill on Howard from the week in review. 'Nuff said.


Oh, and BPM and Area on SiriusXM radio. Startin' the weekend early today, my friends.


And of course I blasted Metallica full force when I had to get my revenge in our daily rubber band war at work today. It was WWIII, I tell ya.

We do this on the reg.

3. What I'm Watching:

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I have been watching Breaking Bad late night on my computer when I head to bed at night. 3 eps in and I'm already addicted. 
(This is in addition to the 492013 other shows I watch. I like to think of myself as a connoisseur.)


4. What I'm Eating:

Drool.

Dark chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels. By the ton. Handmade by the bossman at work. Protein! Antioxidants! Right?


Snuck a gingersnap in there, too. Forgot how much I love these!

Fall-ish!
(And ignore the chipped polish.)

Don't worry...there was plenty of nutrition in there today, too....but these are way more interesting than the cereal and turkey sangwich I had earlier.


5. What I'm Pinning:

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Pinned these avocado quesadillas yesterday, which prompted me to create my own version for lunch yesterday. Yum.




Have a fabulous weekend! 


xoxoxo