WIAW: Ramen Noodles and the Bachelorette

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Disclaimer: This Wednesday’s eats may not be the most exciting food you’ve ever seen. Hey, I wasn’t even that excited to eat the food (except the ice cream…ice cream always excites me).

I happened to tune into the Bachelorette last night (I know, I’m a day late) while eating my ice cream, and, for once in the franchise’s history, I actually thought it was the “most dramatic episode ever” (finally got it right, Chris Harrison!).

The most dramatic.episode.ever.

The most dramatic.episode.ever.

I always wonder how much I have in common with my loyal SHLB readers, and something tells me one thing that most of us share is a love for cheesy reality television.

So, let’s talk food. Then, let’s have some deep thoughts on The Bachelorette.

Breakfast yesterday was a cheesy egg white wrap. I used Flatout Wraps as the base and topped with generous amounts off eggs n’ cheese.

Mmm. mmm. good.

Mmm. mmm. good.

It was definitely a filling way to start my day!

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Posted in: WIAW \ Tagged: , , ,

4 AM Pinspiration, S’mores Sundaes and Millions of Peaches

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As much as I enjoy writing for my blog, I sometimes find myself dreading Monday posts for two reasons:

  1. It’s Monday.
  2. Summarize. Summarize. Summarize. Clearly, that’s never been my thing. And, I always have a hard time capturing my weekends in one short “ish” post.

So, this Monday, I’m going to keep it simple by highlighting the top 5 Sometimes Healthy moments from this weekend. Let’s start with #5…

5. S’mores Sundae. On Friday night, we took our friends out for dinner. These are the friends who graciously watch our dog while we’re out of town. Not only do they watch our dog, but they send us the cutest pictures ever of how much fun Cole is having.

Cole with his best friend. He hates leaving that little guy :-)

Cole with his best friend. He hates leaving that little guy 🙂

These friends have a dog (Cole’s girlfriend, Lilly) and a baby, which, to Cole, means more people to play with and shower with doggie kisses.

After dinner, our friend said she had passed this kitschy looking ice cream cafe in Poughkeepsie that she thought would be right up my alley. She said it was covered in pink and surrounded by a cool-looking playground. Sold.

This looks like my kind of place!

This looks like my kind of place!

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Posted in: Hudson Valley, ice cream, Weekends \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

A Simple Sometimes Healthy Summer Recipe

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I’m not feeling particularly inspired this Friday, but I do have a nice and easy, light recipe for you that’s perfect for a hot summer night. I also owe you a winner of my Sometimes Healthy Care Package Giveaway, so let’s just dive right in!

I think I’m trying to hold on for summer as long as I can, because yesterday, I was really craving a recipe that showcased some of my favorite summer veggies and flavors.

I started by setting the oven to 450 degrees and cutting up some squash from the local market. To me, nothing screams summer like some fresh summer squash.

Summer's best treat!

Summer’s best treat!

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Posted in: Recipes, workouts \ Tagged: , , ,

WIAW: The Time My Parents LET me Cook Dinner

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Usually I’m in a pretty cheerful mood on Wednesdays. The week is halfway over, and I get to share my wacky eats from the previous day.

However, today, I’m leaving Omaha, and whenever I’m here for a long time, I have a hard time saying good-bye. They say home is where the heart is, and sometimes I think that my heart will always stay here. Maybe, one day, if the stars align, I’ll make my way back to the heartland for good.

In the meantime, let’s move on to a much more entertaining topic: Tuesday’s eats. The highlight of this WIAW will most certainly be the dinner that I cooked for my parents, but let’s start with breakfast.

Coffee Routine

I have a specific morning coffee routine when I stay in Omaha. Around 6 or 7 in the am, I get in my car and drive to Caribou Coffee at Hy-Vee. I love  the coffee at this place, and even more so, I enjoy the service. The people are just so warm and friendly! They represent everything I love about the midwest.

On Tuesday, along with my coffee, I ordered the Raspberry White Chocolate Scone that I had been eyeing since last week.

Creamy coffee and a scone? Don't mind if I do!

Creamy coffee and a scone? Don’t mind if I do!

It was a bit rich for breakfast, but hey, it was my last day in Omaha, so I decided to go crazy! Continue Reading →

Posted in: Nebraska, WIAW \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

Birthday Recap, By the Numbers

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Oh hello everyone! Do I look any different? In case you didn’t notice, I am now officially a 30 year old woman.

When I snap my fingers, you will magically turn...OLD.

When I snap my fingers, you will magically turn…OLD.

I was very pleased to see that a wrinkle did not appear the moment I turned 30, nor did my joints begin to give out. I don’t feel a day over 29. Phew.

Anyway, I’ve only got a few more days in O-Town to catch up with my friends, so I need to make this birthday recap post short and sweet (seriously, I’m really going to do it this time. Shorter is one of my renewed goals for the blog after all!)

Last time I recapped a B-day on the SHLB, I did a birthday recap, by the numbers (along with the stages of Sometimes Healthy Hangover, which of course, I experienced again), and the post was one of my most popular!

Here comes the birthday recap!

Here comes the birthday recap!

So, if it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it.

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Posted in: Birthdays, Life Changes, Nebraska \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

30 Things you Might Not Know About Me and a GIVEAWAY!

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Howdy from Omaha y’all! (Nobody actually talks like that here, but let’ s just go with it).

After more than a year, it feels great to be HOME. I don’t live here anymore (and maybe never will again), but Omaha will always feel like home to me. There is nowhere else in the world that I can go and be reminded of such fond childhood memories, from standing in front of that giant crowd on Friday night and cheering for our high school football team to walking to Hy-Vee with my friends (before we could drive) to chow down on some of their signature mac n’ cheese.

Birthday shot from 2011

Birthday shot from 2011

Every time I come to Omaha, it’s just one big shot of nostalgia. And I love it. I feel so lucky to be celebrating such an important milestone with nearly all of the most important people of my life (and copious amounts of margaritas and Mexican food).

I’ll try to recap the birthday shenanigans on Monday, but until then, I thought I’d give the newer SHLB readers a chance to get to know me a little better. In honor of the 30th b-day, here are 30 things you might not know about me. 30 things is a lot of information. So, to bribe you all into reading this post, I’m hosting a giveaway.

Please leave a comment on this post with 1 thing I don’t know about YOU, and you’ll be entered to win a Sometimes Healthy Living Blog Care Package with the following of my “favorite things:”

As Chris Harrison would say, "The BEST giveaway EVER."

As Chris Harrison would say, “The BEST giveaway EVER.”

  • Goldfish (Cupcake, French Toast, Brownie, Pretzel, Pizza and S’mores flavors)
  • Swedish Fish
  • Blue Diamond Almonds Variety Pack
  • 1 Year Subscription to SELF magazine
  • Cupcake Secrets Book

You can enter until next Tuesday, July 23. I’ll randomly pick a winner and announce in my post on Wednesday.

So, here we go! Continue Reading →

Posted in: Hudson Valley, Random \ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

WIAW: The Early Bird Catches the Coffee?

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In today’s “What I Ate Wednesday” WIAW post, I will attempt to do something I rarely do here on the SHLB: keep it short and simple!

Tonight, I’ll be getting on a train to NYC to stay with my brother and his wife, and tomorrow morning, I’ll be getting on a plane to “Home-aha,” where I’ll be until next Wednesday. I couldn’t be more excited, but of course, being gone for a week means there are many things today before I leave!

So, let’s start with breakfast. Yesterday, me and the BF woke up at the ridiculously early time of 4:30. He had a 6:00 plane to catch to Dallas for work, and I stupidly volunteered to drive him to the airport. He’ll be flying straight from Dallas to Omaha, so I’m looking forward to seeing him on Thursday.

After dropping him off at 5:15, I had one thing on my mind: coffee. Thankfully I have discovered that everywhere I go on the east coast, somehow, a Dunkin Donuts will just pop up out of nowhere. It’s like a coffee miracle.

You never let me down...

You never let me down…

I parked my butt on the couch to watch some old Food Network shows and wake up while drinking my cinnamon iced coffee and nibbling on an old favorite, the DD reduced fat blueberry muffin.

"What Am I drinking??" Lots of coffee today. That's for sure.

“What Am I drinking??” Lots of coffee today. That’s for sure.

Yeah, I forgot to take a picture before I started eating the muffin top. Ooops.

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Posted in: WIAW \ Tagged: , , , , ,

A Trip to the Mediterranean and Bucket Lists

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I’ve got big plans scheduled for next weekend (more on that later), so this weekend was full of rest and relaxation. Whenever we can, if we know we have big plans coming up, we purposely try to keep it low-key for the week leading up to the big plans.

Our weekend included an early morning hike up a nearby mountain.

The bugs and humidity were so worth it once we saw this view!

The bugs and humidity were so worth it once we saw this view!

And a “trip to the Mediterranean” through a meal cooked up on Saturday night. The meal included homemade hummus, tzatziki sauce, baked pita chips, a Greek salad and smothered chicken. I promised the BF we’d be transferred to the Mediterranean, and I feel like I delivered!

greek collage

Here are the abridged recipes I used to make this meal. I highly recommend that you give them a try, because everything was delicious!

Feast fit for the Greek Gods

Feast fit for the Greek Gods

  • Pita Chips: Cut pitas into 8ths, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes
  • Hummus: Blend together 1 can chickpeas, 1/4 cup liquid from can, 1 tbsp tahini, 2 garlic cloves, 5 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil and salt to taste
  • Tzatziki: Mix together 1 cup greek yogurt, 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 finely chopped cucumber, 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp lemon zest and top with olive oil and mint for flavor
  • Greek Salad: Chopped romaine, feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers; dressing = 10 tbsp olive oil, juice from a lemon, 1 tsp red wine, 2 cloves minced garlic and oregano
  • Mediterranean Smothered Chicken: From my girl, Kristen at Iowa Girl Eats (sans pasta)

However, instead of talking about food and fitness, today I’d like to talk about goals and bucket lists. Why am I getting so deep, you may ask? Well, because, my friends, next weekend we’re headed to my hometown, Omaha, to celebrate my 30th birthday!

And, like any milestone birthday, turning 30 makes you think a little deeper (which I don’t often do!) about what you’ve achieved in life so far and what you’d like to do next… (settle in with your lunch folks, this one’s a lengthy post!)

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Posted in: favorites, Healthy Living, Life Changes \ Tagged: , , ,

Kitchen Adventures: Healthified Bacon French Toast Cupcakes

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Confession.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been on a Cupcake Wars BINGE. I have a new routine. Every night, I watch two to three episodes of this show. Usually, I eat a bowl of ice cream or nibble on some S’mores Goldfish as I sit in front of the tv, transfixed on all of the crazy cupcake creations. (I have a subscription to Amazon Prime, which allows me to watch all of the old seasons at no cost). It just boggles my mind how these people are able to make a great-tasting cupcake out of weird flavors, like cheddar cheese and green beans.

cupcake-wars2

As old Sometimes Healthy readers may know, cupcakes hold a very special place in my heart.

I heart cupcakes and frosting!

I heart cupcakes and frosting!

When I lived in NYC, I would bake a different cupcake every week and bring them to my lucky coworkers, who served as my taste testers.

I was the most popular girl in the office on Cupcake Mondays!

I was the most popular girl in the office on Cupcake Mondays!

Here in the Hudson Valley, both the BF and all of our friends are cookie eaters. So, recently, I’ve been baking up some tasty cookie recipes. They’re also not big fans of healthified treats, so I’ve been baking with all of that full fat goodness.

However, after watching Cupcake Wars one too many times, I could no longer sit on that couch in cupcake envy. Nope, I needed to make my own cupcake concoction. And, just for kicks, I’d try to healthify it….

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Posted in: cupcakes, Kitchen Adventures, Recipes \ Tagged: , , , ,

WIAW: Everything Avocado and Wacky Ideas

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Yesterday, as I was about to make breakfast, I had a thought, “What if I try to feature the avocado in all of my meals and snacks today?”

I think I’ve been watching way too much Food Network Star, Chopped and Cupcake Wars, but I decided to run with my avocado inspiration anyway. So, this edition of What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) will star a delicious food that most of us know and love: the avocado.

The possibilities are endless, my little green friend!

The possibilities are endless, my little green friend!

As we all know, avocados are extremely nutritious. But, whenever I think of avocados, I can’t help but think of the show, Weeds. I haven’t watched it in years, but one of the most memorable lines for me came from the character U-Turn, who was supposed to be a scary drug dealer. Though he was clearly a formidable force, the first time one of the characters met him, he rattled off a bunch of frightening threats and then stated, “You want a piece of avocado. Got that goood fat.”

Get you some of that good fat!

Get you some of that good fat!

For some reason, it cracked me up! Now, whenever I eat an avocado, I think to myself, “Mmmm, gotta get some of that goood fat.” Here’s a link to the clip, in case you’re interested (if you don’t like curse words…don’t watch this clip)

So, let’s dive right into the meals that feature some of that “goood fat.”

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Posted in: Quick Dinners, Recipes, Snacks, WIAW \ Tagged: , , ,