Stuff on the Internets

*Just add to add this little story before publishing. Last night, a friend on twitter mentioned that she had just ordered pizza online for the first time. It immediately made me think of a story which I promised to include in this post, as it’s longer than the 140 character twitter limit.

SO. A few years ago, my ex and I were at my parents house in NY. They were in Florida for a few months, and their house was the halfway point between where he and I were living at the time. The first night we were together at the house, we decided to have a few drinks and hang out at the house. Fast forward to around 1AM and we were pretty drunk and STARVING. Since my parents were gone for quite some time, there was no food in the house. We decided to register and order a pizza online since it was pretty much the only available option.

We set up a profile for Domino’s pizza, entered my parents address, picked our poison, and prepaid. About 10 minutes later, the pizza arrived at our door. Genius idea, Dominos. Genius.

Ok, now fast forward about a year- year and a half. I was back at my apartment in Boston. I was out drinking with a friend and we decided to share a cab home. He ended up coming to my apartment for a food break (we tried to get the cabbie to stop for Chinese on the way home because we were STARVING. Cabbie wasn’t too keen on the idea). So we get into my apartment and start scavenging the kitchen for food. Pretty much the only thing that was remotely meal-like were a bunch of frozen dinners. Meh.

I had the brilliant idea of using the online pizza service. My friend got really enthused, and we quickly forgot about Chinese food. We logged in, picked our pizzas, paid, and waited. 

And waited.

And waited.

About an hour after the order was submitted (roughly 2AM), I get a call from my mom. There was a guy on their front porch (IN NEW YORK) with our pizzas. 200 miles away. 

I couldn’t stop laughing. 

My dad was PISSED.

I hadn’t changed the account information for my ‘pizza profile’ in over a year, so they still had my parents home address in the system!!!

AHAHAHA.

End of the story: My friend and I had those frozen dinners. And my parents had pizza the next night.

**********

Now, onto regularly scheduled posting:

Yet more things I have found on the internet to share. Perhaps they will inspire you. Perhaps it’s just some additional reading. Here we go:

FOOD

1. Cheesy Spinach ‘n Chobani Enchilada Bake. I am totally making this in the near future. Only, it won’t be with Chobani because they don’t sell the stuff here. Oikos to the rescue!

2. Creamy Almond Butter Fudge. Ummm, say whaaaaaaa? I am drooling. Need to jump on this one stat.

3. Wait, wait, wait. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Overload Bars?! Yeah, I need to make those too. Even though I am pretty proud of my streak of not eating chocolate. Wonder how long that will last..

4. Perfectly Easy Pancakes. I’m actually already pretty familiar with this recipe. It just reminded me that I really need an immersion blender.

5. I once tried beef in the crock pot and royally failed. However, since this recipe uses beer WITH beef in the crock pot, I think I might try again.

6. Another enchilada recipe to add to the long list of other waiting to be made. I seriously need to start making them. I’m afraid I’ll love them way too much though. This just reminded me of the first and FAVORITE Mexican Restaurant my parents and I would go to when I was little: El Conejo in Irvina, CA. I just googled it and saw that it closed a few years ago. Sad.

7. Now this is a genius idea. I think I need to make these for when we go on long walks with the dog. Or really, when I want to sit a veg (because we know the latter of the two is more likely). Trail Mix Peanut Butter Cookies. Oh my Lawd it incorporates the best of almost every world (except the tequila world. but JUST YOU WAIT for what I have to say about THAT later!)

8. At my parents house, my mom would make Hollandaise sauce from scratch. Confession: Tyler and I now make it from a packet. Oof. I recently came across this recipe that makes it appear to be much easier than I remember back home.

(I have about 5029735209375 other recipes flagged on my computer. Ahhhh, to take the time to share them all..)

HEALTH

1. I just flagged this post because it really struck a chord. Finding your happy weight. I still haven’t found mine. There are too many issues that I’ve had with eating and dieting and fitness and body image and negativity for me to have completely weeding through all that to find my happy weight. Tina explains that it’s a feeling rather than a number. Yeah, still trying to get over that too.

2. Oh, and this post, too. I secretly love knowing that there are other people out there having the same struggles as me. (Not happy that we are all struggling, but you know what I mean). It’s about food. My best and worst enemy. Especially when it comes to wearing pants that have a button and a zipper and less than 90% spandex.

3. How to Eat Healthy on a Budget. Guys, it’s possible. I did it in Boston when I was making approx. 4 cents an hour at my previous job.

4. Ahh, I loved this post. Janetha had a comment on one of her previous posts that she addressed. And her response was phenom. The comment was in regards to her projecting a healthy lifestyle, yet still getting sick. She addressed the sick part, then the response evolved into things she does that fall outside of the ‘healthy living’ circle. It’s only normal, right? You have one life so live it. Out of all the healthy living blogs I subscribe to, I identify with her the most. If you don’t already read her blog, you should!

5. Remember Fraggle Rock?! This video montage shows that were actually pretty depressing. (I’m afraid to admit I actually laughed while watching this.)

6. 5 Superfoods to eat in April. Have you been eating any on the list? (If you have, and have a cool recipe, send ’em this-a-way!)

7. Dara Torres says that exercise helps her sleep. I totally agree. I LOVE when I do a late night workout, come home, shower, and fall into bed. Then, it’s lights out for Jen for the WHOLE night. Lately, I’ve been doing my workouts in the afternoon (due to digestion issues) and I’m really bummed I don’t get that workout high right before beddy-by time.

FITNESS

1. Here’s a sweet poster that might address things you didn’t know: 40 Facts About Fitness

2. A challenge for women to go shirtless (not in the skanky way. In the ‘be-secure-about-your-body’ way.) Oh and ladies, while you’re shirtless, you’ll be participating in group fitness classes. Tie ’em down if you knowwhatimean.

3. An article that addresses the best way to change up your workouts. It wasn’t what I thought! (But totally makes sense)

4. Don’t forget to stretch! Athena explains some great upper body stretches.

You Turn: Have anything to share from the internet that stuck out to you this week? Link up in the comment section!

A-Z of Me

(I am totally posting this now as reading material while you wait for me to finish up another post on the MOST.AMAZING.CAKE.EVER. Don’t forget to check back in later for the pics and the recipe!)

I recently saw this post on Sara’s blog, so I thought I’d steal the idea and fill it in with my answers! (probably totally boring to read. sorry)

A. Age: 26

B. Bed Size: KING!

C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the crock pot, making the bed

D. Dogs: Layla!

4.4 layla

E. Essential start to your day: check my phone, snuggle with pup, COFFEE!!!

F. Favorite Color: Pink

G. Gold or silver: Both!

H. Height: 5’10.5″

I. Instruments you play: Clarinet and piano

J. Job title: Unemployed. Professional Relaxer.

4.4 me

K. Kids: In a few years

L. Live: Calgary

M. Mother’s name: Mom. Or Jane.

DSCN1761

N. Nicknames: JT, Tougs, Tougalougs

4.4 tougs

O. Overnight hospital stays: NONE.

P. Pet peeves: Hearing people chew, crumbs or food residue on the kitchen counters, slow/stupid drivers, when people in line behind me at the self check-out start to unload their items at the same stall I’m not yet fully finished with.

Q. Quote from a movie:

Ron Burgundy: Everyone just relax, all right? Believe me, if there’s one thing Ron Burgundy knows, it’s women.

Brian Fantana: I don’t know, Ron.

Ron Burgundy: Guess what, I do. I know that one day Veronica and I are gonna to get married on top of a mountain, and there’s going to be flutes playing and trombones and flowers and garlands of fresh herbs. And we will dance till the sun rises. And then our children will form a family band. And we will tour the countryside and you won’t be invited.

R. Right or left handed: Left

S. Siblings: NONE!

T. Time you wake up: 6:30ish

U. Underwear: Ok.

V. Vegetable you hate: Cauliflower. Yuck!

W. What makes you run late: Cold winter mornings when I’m in my warm bed.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Right foot (2x), Thumb, Left foot, Chest (for the medical exam for permanent residency. Weird.

Y: Yummy food that you make: Pancakes! Cookies! Cakes! Pizza!

Z. Zoo animal: Red Panda!

4.5 panda

 

(Source)

Your turn: Answer any or some or all of these in the comments below!

Check back later for a sweet cake recipe!

Stuffs on the Internets

Well, hello. I thought I’d put together a little post-y post on some stuffs I have seen on the internets as of late.

FOODS

Easter is coming up and there are some things I’ve starred as an “I’D LOVE TO HAVE THESE ON EASTER. OR ANY DAY FOR THAT MATTER”

Peep-Infused Vodka. I told Tyler about this last night and he poo-poo’d the idea. I think it’s genius. However, I might just drink the vodka straight and he would end up holding my hair back for most of the night. Probably why he poo-poo’d it.

Super Moist Carrot Cake. And I’m going to refer to it by its full title: Super MOIST carrot cake. All the time. Just to bug people out. Because it’s MOIST.

Cadbury Egg Cookie Cake Bars. Ok, so you’ve probably already guessed that these have Cadbury Eggs in them. In my opinion, they need not be in a recipe since they are enough on their own…similar to that of a jar of Nutella. I say why waste your time by adding calories to something that is already fantastic? No, just grab a spoon and have at ‘er. But yeah, these actually look good enough to make.

other food recipes that aren’t Easter related…

Spiked Key Lime Limeade. You had me at Spiked.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bars. Ask Tyler if I should make these and he’d say NO. Especially if you ask him at 10pm when he is trying to sleep and I am asking him to make his best and loudest bear or moose or chicken sound. Then start singing-SLASH-dancing to the Mindy Project intro song. Don’t know it? Check it out:

Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Bars. Because YES, yes I should make these. And you should too. And they probably won’t come out looking as good as Tracey’s, but they will most definitely come out just as tasty.

Chicken Enchiladas. I have been meaning to make enchiladas for FOREVER because I love me some cheesy goodness. But, for me, the craving has been kicked since I ordered them from El Toro last week.

FITNESS

2,4,6,8,10 Workout. Changes up many of our usual routines of same # set/reps/etc.

The Squiggly Line Effect. This is more in the ‘health’ category, but I don’t want to make a ‘health’ category. After unintentionally, but gladly losing about 20 pounds at the end of 2012, I started to go into Maintenance mode so as to not lose weight. My workouts didn’t change, but I increased my food consumption because my body just craved it. And of course I gained weight. I was beating myself up over it because I wanted to fit into my wedding dress for July, but after reading this, I realized I’m just in the ebb and flows of weight loss/gain and I should be alright.

Red Light, Green Light Workout: Using Active Recoveries Yet another workout to change up your usual routine.

Anything catch your eye on the internet lately??

Best Banana Bread

Well, hello there. I hope this Hump Day is treating you all well. I am currently typing this in my pajamas (typical), on the couch, watching trashy day-time TV with the dog cuddled up next to me. Don’t shoot me out of jealousy just yet, I am also on the hunt for a job and predict that I will be miserable, in pants, and behind a desk in the near future.

Just thought I’d pop in real quick to share some random bits with you. Shall we get started?

  • I made the TASTIEST banana bread yesterday (I forgot to allocate for the altitude and therefore it did not cook enough for me, but I crumbled it up and stored it in an air-tight container for future dessert and snacking use). I still thought I HAD to share the recipe, because it really can’t be passed up (I know, I know, how many recipes for banana bread do you see on the internet? The answer: LOTS)

photo

Here’s What you Need:

  • 2 c almond flour
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c coconut milk
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1/4 c agave
  • 2 ripe bananas (mashed)

Here’s What you Do:

  1. In a bowl, combine the almond flour, cinnamon, and soda. Set aside.
  2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the coconut milk, vanilla, agave and bananas. Stir until incorporated.
  3. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.
  4. Pour in a prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

You can totally mess up and not let it fully cool like I did then have banana bread bits to toss in your yogurt for later!

——

  • The strength portion of my workout yesterday was a Deck of Cards workout. I wrote up my entire week’s workout plan earlier this week, but I didn’t specifically designate which exercises I would do for this specific workout. Knowing that I wanted to target, ummm, my WHOLE body, I came up with these moves:
    • ♥= Jump Squats
    • ♦= Pushups
    • ♣= Side plank hip dips (each side)
    • ♠= Weighted donkey kicks (each side)

Video Demonstrations can be found here: Jump Squats, Side plank Hip dips, Weighted donkey kicks

  • This is one of my favorite new songs right now. I kept hearing it in the car and tried Shazaam-ing it, but Shazaam doesn’t recognize it. I did the grunt work and found it the old fashioned way (google), and here ya go:
  • (Ok, apparently, the video doesn’t want to appear, so here’s a link: http://youtu.be/gAwj-EuZc2w)
  • WARNING: I am not PROMOTING the following. I am simply allowing you to use my link to get 20% off if you are interested. OK?!

ellie-active-vixen

Ellie, the new monthly subscription program for athletic wear, has just released their March 2013 items and they are part of the LBD Collection. C’mon ladies, (sorry, gents- it’s women’s althetic wear only) we all love wearing black…it’s SLIMMING. And HOT. Anyhoo..check out THIS LINK (you will only get the 20% off if you go to their site through the link OR by clicking on the banner on the right-hand side of my blog page.

K, that’s all. For now..

Thoughts While Working Out: March 5, 2013

Thoughts While Working Out: March 5, 2013

  1. Do I waddle when I walk? People always stare at me when I first walk in the gym.
  2. OMG they NEED to put a curtain or something around the scale in the locker room. Naked lady overload.
  3. Why must the women suffer by having to walk through all the snow/sludge/wet spots since the locker room is downstairs and the mens locker room AND gym floor are upstairs? #sexist
  4. I think I’ll do 10 minutes spin THEN row THEN run.
  5. I am already sore from the deck of cards workout I just did at home. I hope I can get through 30 minutes of cardio.
  6. Oh Shit. Do we have BBQ sauce to go with our dinner tonight? I think I’ll risk it- I don’t want to go back to the store.
  7. Baggy crotch on the bike. How annoying.
  8. The Following is a pretty good show.
  9. Jax Teller.
  10. Did I seriously record that TLC show Myrtle Manor? Yes, yes I did,
  11. I kind of want to drink tonight. I can because I’m unemployed and I might as well enjoy this time off while I have it. But people will judge me. If I tweet something about it, I know at least one person out there is going to sigh and think “ugh, what a lucky alcoholic”- actually, that’s a compliment(?)
  12. I miss my friends. How have I been here an entire year and still not made friends like those I have back home?
  13. I hope guys don’t want to watch me wiping down each machine I use because that’s pretty perverted- especially when I’m cleaning the handlebars.
  14. GUY IN SPANDEX SHORTS!!! AHHHHHHH OLD GUY IN SPANDEX SHORTS
  15. I hope I get a job soon.
  16. Camel toe when using the row machine.
  17. Why does 10 minutes on the row machine feel longer than 10 minutes on the bike? Physics? Probably not.
  18. I’m pretty excited to go to Costco this weekend. Debating whether or not to buy the economy pack of their version of cookie butter. I mean, there is some serious baking potential with that stuff.
  19. Isn’t eating paleo a little more calorie-dense? Almond and coconut flour..
  20. Oh, it’s Tuesday? I thought it was totally Wednesday.
  21. I think this couple walking the indoor track is taking approximately 47 seconds per lap. Crap, Jen, don’t think about that! It’ll make the 10 minutes go by even slower.
  22. Do I look jacked using the row machine? Probably not.
  23. The guy on the treadmill in front of me was totally next to me on the treadmills yesterday. And he had GAS.
  24. Speaking of foul smells, is my dog here or something? I think I swallowed someone’s burp-air or something.
  25. Should I run the entire 10 minutes or do sprint intervals? Hmmmm…..
  26. I hope I have a text message or something on my phone when I’m done. I am way too dependent on social media though.
  27. WHY DO WE HAVE A DIFFERENT MAIL PERSON EVERYDAY??? Inconsistency at its finest.
  28. People must think I have a circulation problem. (I removed my navy nail polish this morning, but the essence of blue is still on my nails)
  29. I’mg glad I planned out my workouts for this week. It totally helps bridge the gap until the next round of Best Body Bootcamp.
  30. Haha, Lisa Vanderpump’s dog name is Jiggy.
  31. Hey, this run is way easier than I thought it was going to be today. But my glutes are tight!
  32. “Shine bright like a diamond……..”
  33. Phew. Glad I ordered the wedding invitations today. They look so pretty. I wonder how many people will actually come. Ugh I hope I still fit into my dress. I hope people have fun.
  34. How many calories did I burn?
  35. That guy looks constipated carrying those weights.
  36. Phew! Done!

So I had about 36 thoughts during a 30 minute cardio session. 36 thoughts that I can SHARE. Bwahaha