Monster Bars

Austin and I headed out of town this past weekend for a much needed break from everyday life.  We drove down to Moab, UT on Thursday after work and planned on coming back Monday afternoon.  That was the plan.

The weather was really nice all weekend - 75 and sunny.  So we were a little surprised when we got on the road and tried to cross the Rockies and found out that it was a literal no-go.  I-70 was closed because of an accident and highway 40 was closed for avalanche danger.

Austin's first reaction in this situation was to call his brother (aka "Human Google") and get a detour.  My first reaction was to inventory the car and make sure we had enough food.  Luckily, we had been camping, so we were pretty well prepared for whatever happened.  Seriously, my first thought in every situation is, "do I have enough snacks for this??!?!?"

We ended up detouring and staying with Austin's grandparents, but just in case it didn't work out, I was really glad we had some of these monster bars left in the back!

Greyhound

My dad introduced me to this very simple, yet very satisfying cocktail.  When I was home for Christmas, he had some grapefruit flavored vodka around (don't know where that came from), so he mixed one up.  I think I was drinking a beer at the time so I almost passed up taking a sip.  So glad I didn't.

First of all, I like drinks with names that don't give you any hint of what's in them.  When I hear "greyhound," I think dirty buses and unsafe places at night and I also think of fast dogs.  I don't think of vodka or grapefruit juice.  Never enters my mind.

Second of all, this is tasty and so easy to drink.  Enough said.

This is the type of drink that should be added to the list with mimosas and bloody mary's.  That's the list of cocktails that are acceptable to drink at breakfast.  And until I figure out the perfect recipe for my "breakfast beer" (I'm working really hard on it), we will have to settle for citrus/alcoholic beverages before 5:00.

GREYHOUND
5 oz. grapefruit juice
1.5 oz. vodka

1.  Stir well and serve over ice.

Vanilla Macaroons

Austin is starting this new diet.  His Crossfit gym is kind of hosting it.  This morning he had to go to the gym, be dunked in a tank, get all his measurements taken, and in the next couple of days, he will get his prescribed diet for 30 days.

After he was dunked under with no oxygen, they let him come back up and asked if he had any questions, then they asked him, "do you live with other people - any roommates/family/wife/girlfriend that could help you stick to your diet?"

Do you see the problem?

His answer was, "my girlfriend is actually a foodblogger who writes mostly about baked goods...so, no."  The woman's response: "oh."

I'll see if I can help him out and be supportive, just because, but as soon as I need a cookie, I'm going to have a cookie!  I didn't sign up for any diet :)

Project 365: Week 14

April 1 | I don't even remember why we went to Costco, but I'm sure it was a good idea.

April 2 | Tuesday was the best day at the gym!  First of all, the TVs on the treadmills are working now and more importantly, Nicki Minaj radio was on MTV!!  Doesn't get better than that.

April 3 | My sister shared her really delicious recipe for Confetti Quinoa so this was waiting for me after I got done teaching yoga.

April 4 | My new pumped up kicks came!

...And I made the Dingo some homemade Tuna Fudge (yes, I'm that dog-owner).

April 5 | Friday was my sister's birthday - I wish I could have been home to celebrate with her.  Unfortunately, this sunrise was the only good thing about this day.

April 6 | I fell asleep in the field and woke up to this :)

April 7 | The winds have picked up and apparently they are bringing in 12 inches of snow with them tomorrow and Tuesday.

Banana Cashew Smoothie

Yesterday, I got some new pumped up kicks and instantaneously I felt inspired to be healthy.  Then I quelled that feeling by eating a Snickers Egg (thank you 1/2 off Easter candy).  Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Anyway, I guess I didn't completely squash the feeling, because last night I was inspired to take the Dingo out for a run.  It was probably about 5 minutes in that I got a killer side cramp.  That didn't stop me though!  I woke up at 5:30 this morning and gave it another go.  Again, side cramp!

Even though I really want to use my new fancy shoes, I also think my body/lungs are giving me some pretty straightforward signs here.  Maybe it would be best to just start filling up mason jars with smoothies and walking around, pretending like I'm healthy.

When I was in middle school, I remember making banana "smoothies."  More accurately, I should have called them banana milkshakes, if we're being real.  I used one banana and about a pint of ice cream.  Blended it together and felt good about myself for the rest of the day.

Now that I'm an grown woman (ha!), I make my smoothies with cashews that have soaked overnight, bananas, and maple syrup (I still want it to taste like the milkshake!).  These are good, and they're extra good because you can feel good about drinking them.

Blueberry Pear Buckle

Say the word buckle over and over again to yourself (or someone else if you're with someone else).  Keep saying it.  Keep going for about a minute...

Buckle is just about the weirdest word I've ever heard, and if you've been saying for the past minute (as instructed), you'll think so too, I'm sure.  Yes, any word (including your own name) repeated will start to sound weird, but I still think that buckle takes the cake (pun intended).  

What's even weirder is that buckle can be the name of a delicious cake with a crumble topping or it can be a fastener for your belt.  I don't understand how these things happen.  Apparently, because the tops of these coffee cakes, bend, fold, or buckle, they got the name.  Don't overthink it, just eat it - it's better that way.

Hot Toddy

I remember back when we first moved to Utah.  I was 11.  It was April 1st and I thought I had come up with the best prank!  My family was out skiing for the day and I thought it would be funny if I pretended like I broke my wrist.  So I laid down in the middle of the run, called out over the walkie talkie and waited for my family to find me.  It wasn't funny...so I was told.

This year, I swear I am the one being punked.  And I'm not being punked by my sisters or Austin.  I am being punked by The Weather Channel.

Yesterday, it was 70 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, today they are calling for snow!  Again, this is not funny.  I keep waiting for them to issue an apology statement.  Telling us all, "we were just kidding and we realize we ruined many people's days because of our so-called joke."

In case they're not joking, here's this: