Banana Treats

The weather today was fantastic.  Even though I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of the heat this month.

And I'm sure that if I asked Kev - who is sitting right next to me- he would tell me that he has researched and charted the weather for the rest of the season and that I shouldn't put my flip flops away just yet.

But seriously, do South Carolinians ever need to put up their flip flops?

I don't even own a coat.

Kev is not necessarily a fan of the Fall... mainly because it leads to winter.  And winter brings the cold.  The only thing that cold weather does for him is cuts his yard work in half.

I, however,  welcome the crisp, Fall weather with so much enthusiasm!

There are so many reasons why- that I could waste an obnoxious amount of time telling you each and every one of them.... or I could just summarize by saying FOOD + CLOTHES. 

That pretty much sums it all up. 

It's time for hearty food and boots and scarves.  Except for I have been wearing boots and scarves for the past month.  So, I guess I should say that it is time for me not to sweat while wearing boots and scarves.

It will be nice not to stick to my car seat.

My morning started with walking lunges.  Gnat free.  Heat free.  Humidity free.

Perfection.

Three times a week I hit up my back yard for a "fence to fence" lunges.  Eleventy billion feet of ground to cover.  Or 220 feet if you ask Kev - who is still sitting right next to me making sure I tell the truth.  

 Sometimes I even do my boxing punches while I am lunging.

But just sometimes.

I'm self conscience that the wildlife is watching me and wondering why "that crazy human is punching the air".

I'm not going to lie.  The workout is tough.  But so worth it.

And more fun than standing in front of a mirror doing lunges.

I make intense, angry faces.

Sometimes I scare myself.

Anyway, enough about that... this post is about banana treats.  A treat that was specially requested upon my arrival home from work.

A treat that, after 20 years of togetherness, I finally  made for Kev a couple of weeks ago.  And he was floored that I had never made it before or even spoken about it.

I've learned it is important to keep your marriage interesting by withholding recipes for as long as possible.

OR it could have just been that I had forgotten all about it until I realized we had a plethora of bananas that we needed to eat.

My Mom taught me how to make this treat while I was in Girl Scouts.  We used to make them all of the time... even over campfires.

It is versatile, I tell you.  Versatile.

So, you start with a banana (duh!)

 Leave the skin ON!  And cut the banana down the middle.  Be careful not to cut through the banana.  You want to create a "bowl".

 Then STUFF the banana full of insanity and goodness!!  This is where you can get creative.

As a kid, we used to use chocolate chips and marshmallows.  But I decided to make it as healthy as possible but filling it with crunchy peanut butter, chopped walnuts, and dark chocolate chips.  ( I realize that our love for nuts is a little over the top)

 Then wrap it up in foil.  Bake it at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

 Or until it gets melty.  Just keep an eye on it.  You want the banana to be warm and gooey as well!

 Then just serve with a spoon.

It is a banana, peanut butter, chocolate EXPLOSION!

And good to the last bite!

Not only does it make a perfect late night snack... but it would be something fun for kids to make ( because it was for me when I was a kid ).  You could have all kinds of toppings and let each child make their own.

It sure sounds like a party that I would like to go to.  :)

And now I am off to bed... I've got an early morning and I want to make sure I've picked out the appropriate amount of layers to keep me warm. 

Have a great Saturday!

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts

Can you tell that I just finished watching the SERIES finale of Friday Night Lights?

Boo Hoo!!  I sure am going to miss that show.

It has been in my DVR to watch since the beginning of time.  I have dreaded this day because I knew that it would really make the show be over in my mind.  In fact, I went ahead and read the outcome of the finale before I watched the show.

It's that weird issue I have about needing to know the end without wanting the end to really happen.

The funny thing is that I was thinking of Coach Taylor as I was running today.  He is what motivated me to keep going.

That and watching the movie Invincible in the cardio theater. 

Great football movies and shows are SO inspirational to me.  Which makes it bananas that I have no clue what anything means in football.

Thank goodness Kev never feels the need to discuss the game.

Anyway, I needed all the inspiration I could get today.

Basically, this time of year brings on a weird sinus thing.  It's almost like I have allergies.. but I don't.  I'm exhausted and stuffy and exhausted.

And may or may not have had a Parmesan Potatoes hangover.

My early morning rise for yoga didn't happen.  I was still so tired when my alarm went off... and due to the fact that I get sleep so few and far between... I opted for the sleep.

I headed to the gym early afternoon.  Dreading it the entire way.  Thinking of reasons that I shouldn't go.  Trying to put it off until tomorrow.  I even sat in the parking lot for five minutes trying to decide if I should go in.

That's when I realized my IPOD was dead.  Running without my music is like my food without hot sauce.  Like Kev without a chore to do.  Like my bathroom without a mess in it.

It is just ridiculous to even think about.

But then Coach Taylor's voice spoke in my head.  "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts".  And I knew that I just had to stay focused and get my tail in the gym.

That and the fact that I had just driven ( WHICH USES EXPENSIVE GAS!) 30 minutes to the gym.. and I might as well go throw some money down the storm drain if I didn't make it worth my while.

Rumor has it that I used to do that back in the day.

I chose a treadmill next to a girl that was running a speed pretty close to the one I run at.  Just a little bit less.  And I decided that I would try to keep her pace for motivation.

Having a running buddy makes all the difference!! Even if that running buddy has no idea that you are running with them.

I'm kinda creepy like that.

And you know what?  Between my "buddy" and the extremely motivational movie - I did all right.  I felt great.  I kept a good pace.  I got in a rhythm.

At least until I accidentally hit the "stop" button instead of the "average pace" button.

UGH!!

Then I had to start all over.

I've decided that my plan for the half will be to find someone running a good pace ( for me) and stick with them.

Hopefully, they won't leave me in their dust.

After running, I went and picked up some insoles for my new running shoes ( thanks to Kohl's EXCELLENT back to school sale!) and now I believe that I am all set.  I will be running in a pink and black outfit - courtesy of my Aunt Sandi.  And will be wearing a Spibelt ( which is NOT a fanny pack!!!) to hold my phone/camera and Gu.

I only have one more day off until I leave for Orlando....so, it is important for me to get it all situated today.

On another note.... I never really recapped all of the working out that I did while we were in Atlanta.  Not that you have been sitting on the edge of your seat to find out if I did.  But I feel the need to document that I have finally found a nice balance between a healthy lifestyle and having fun. 

It sounds crazy ... but it used to be all or nothing.  One extreme or the other.  And really, that is no way to live.

Moderation is the key.  Unless it involves eggs, or hot sauce, or avocados.  Those don't count.

The Hilton had a state-of-the-art gym.  Meaning that it "blew my socks off".  I felt like a movie star working out in there.  I basically just did cardio... every day but one... and had every intention of working out with the weights but there was always some guy using them.  I don't have the confidence for that yet.

One day, I even ran on a track on top of part of the hotel.  It was an awesome track because it had a hill in it - which kicked my tail but prepped me for outdoor running.  The only issue that I had was that downtown Atlanta does NOT smell so great right before lunch.  Kind of like a Chinese buffet, sewer, vat of grease, dirty diaper, and plate of onion rings all rolled up in to a stink cloud.

But I still managed to crank out 3 1/2 miles.  In humidity. 

Not too shabby.

And on yet ANOTHER and extremely random note....

I just wanted to give you an example of a (VERY BAD) picture that I took of one of Kev's recent meals.  A meal that he insisted on me getting a picture because it looked so fancy.  <= I talked about him doing this in one of my recent posts.

I just made a basic bowl of spaghetti but added in fresh basil and shaved parm.  And then stuck some parmesan breadsticks around the bowl in a pattern. 

It makes me laugh every time that I see this picture.  But Kev acted like it was a work of art.  :)

And just in case you were wondering.... the "breadsticks" are ridiculously easy but apparently trick the people eating them into thinking that you have been slaving away in the kitchen.

Parmesan Breadsticks:

1 puff pastry sheet - thawed ( I use Pepperidge Farm)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 ts paprika ( OR Cajun Foreplay spice if  you are lucky enough to know someone in Syracuse)
1/2 ts cornstarch.

Preheat oven to 375

Sprinkle half of the cheese on work surface ( I use a cutting board)
Roll out the THAWED puff pastry sheet on the cheese.
Combine the remaining cheese, paprika, and cornstarch.  Sprinkle on the top of the pasrty.
Keep rolling cheese mixture into dough until dough is 1/8 thick.

( I forgot to roll the dough thin this time... which resulted in the breadsticks being very "fluffy" and they were still good!!)

Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough in to 1/2 inch strips.  Cut strips in half.  Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 13-15 minutes.  Until browned.

And you are done. 

Leave it to me to include my running inspiration, a recap of my vacation workouts, and a recipe all in the same post.

I'm just like a box of chocolates.... you never know what you are going to get!

Eggs

I bought four dozen today after work.

FOUR dozen.

I usually only get two dozen at a time.  But they were on sale. 

In case you didn't know... I HEART eggs.

But you do know.  Because I talk about them all the time.

Kev is still in shock that I was able to go four days without eating them... when we were in Atlanta.

It probably helped that I had a picture of one in my wallet that I could pull out whenever I got the craving.

Yikes.  Did I really just type that?

Speaking of Atlanta.... I've got more pictures.  And lucky for you they will probably be the last...

This one is for you, Bethany.....









I can't believe that I had the courage to take this one.  Jason does just happen to be ( and still is!) my number one enemy!  And this guy played the part well.  Except for the sign, of course.  As a matter of fact, I think the sign is what helped me get the courage to pose with him.

And yes, that is supposed to be my "scared" face.

I never claimed to be a good actress.

The Old Spice Guy....

Wayne's World.  Party on.

and Bert from Mary Poppins...

I can't tell you enough how amazing the costumes were!  Such a fun night!

Enough about that... this post is about eggs, after all.  And there was a reason that I bought four dozen of them today.

 We were having breakfast for dinner. 

Because I needed another reason to make these potatoes.  For the seventeenth time this month.

Except for it has been more like three.

I just wish it was seventeen.

Because they are just that awesome.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.

 They are sooooo good.  And super simple. 

And really, really good.

And did I mention yummy.

You can pretty much use them as a side with anything.

Or just eat a bowl of them by themselves.  Like Kev is doing tomorrow.

The ONLY thing that I do differently is instead of paprika... I use this...

 Only the greatest seasoning I have ever met.

It's from a place in Syracuse.

A place I've mentioned before.

I'm going there soon.

To Syracuse.

To meet a precious angel.

But that's a story for another time.

I've served the potatoes multiple times with multiple main dishes.... but never as "hashbrowns".  And they suddenly sounded like the perfect accompaniment to eggs.

Specifically, omelets.

Because I also needed an excuse to use my new toy that Kev surprised me with.

Behold the omelet maker...

 Is it just me or are omelets extremely hard to make.  The whole flipping thing gets me every time.  And then they end up just scrambled.

You basically pour three beaten eggs in to the dish.  Microwave it for two minutes.  Throw in the toppings.  Microwave it 45 seconds.  Close it up and dump it on the plate.

Voila!!

I put sauteed green pepper, green onions, fresh spinach leaves, and salt and pepper inside.

And served it up with my favorite potatoes.

A winning combination.

Please make these potatoes.  You won't regret it.

Especially, the crunchy bits that stick to the pan.

Well, enough about that... I've got an early morning date with a yoga mat.

And a date with a  mid night snack of potatoes.



More Reasons.....

To love Kev.

(Not that I needed any more.)

1.  He lets me take crazy pictures of him....

With a Norwegian Storm trooper.

With Elvis and KISS.

 With the "Slim Jim" guy and Rowdy Roddy Piper.

 With a random Tiki girl.

( Pictures courtesy of our trip.... and there are still more to come.... )

2.  He randomly unloads the dishwasher for me. 

I know that seems simple.  But as much as I wash dishes..... it is such a nice surprise to open the dishwasher to emptiness and be able to check that chore off the list.

Especially, when he does so many other chores around the house.  Every.Single.Day.

3.  He listened to my reasoning on why we should become Vegan.  ( for health reasons) And actually contemplated it!  Like really thought it over and stuff.  And then got back to me the next day on his thoughts.  I was baffled because I was sure that it just went in one ear and out the other.  :) 

In case you were wondering... we decided not to.  Even though we have cut back on meat and dairy considerably... we still eat it.  And we are just not willing to give that up quite yet. 

4.  He makes sure I've taken a picture of our dinner before he takes a bite.  Even if I don't like how it turned out..... he encourages me to photograph it.  And then acts like it is the best meal he has ever eaten.

Tonight we had Ezekiel ( complete protein whole grain goodness... if you haven't tried them yet - you must!) tortillas.  Spread with a black bean, corn, jalapeno concoction that I simmered on the stove.  Baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then topped with fresh tomatoes, mixed greens, and freshly made guacamole.

5.  He is my biggest cheerleader.  No matter how far I run or for how long or at what speed.. he thinks it is awesome! 

Let's hope that he is still thinking that when it is 1:30am on October 2nd... and I'm still running my half. 

17 days, folks.  17 days.

Let the count down  begin.....

The Food

Because that is really what it is all about.

At least for me.

Ever since we planned this trip to Atlanta, I had been researching restaurants and trying to decide where we wanted to eat.

There was one catch, though.  We didn't want to leave the hotels.  The three main hotels where the convention is held are connected.  Every thing you need in one place.  We just wanted to park and be done with it.

Driving in Atlanta traffic is not one of our talents.

Actually, driving anywhere is not one of MY talents.  Which is why Kev usually drives us when we are together.  It keeps him from having to gasp loudly, tell me to watch out, and curl up in the backseat and suck his thumb because I am making him so nervous.

Anyway, I researched and made reservations using this awesome site.

Open Table is free, informative, and gets you reservations WITHOUT having to call and be placed on hold.  It was so easy.  AND I also received an alert on my phone reminding me about the reservation.

Not that I would ever need reminding about a meal.... but I thought it was a great perk.

I had also packed a TON of food for the room.  We planned on eating breakfast, lunch, and snacks in our room and just dinners out.  Not only is it (obviously) cost effective BUT it gives me control over eating healthy, clean foods without having to feel like we were completely getting off track.

Especially, because our first night's meal consisted of this....

UGH.  We also had wings and fried mozzarella sticks the size telephone poles. 

I'm not even joking.

My original plan was to order a salad and some hummus.... but I decided last minute to follow our strategy of trying different foods and enjoying the overall experience instead of analyzing the health content of the meal.

Which was mostly a bad decision all around.

Only because the food was very mediocre and your average sport's bar fare.  We didn't even eat the guacamole because it tasted fake.  And we have NEVER not eaten the guacamole.  The good thing about our meal is we sampled some of everything and then took the rest "to-go".  No need to over stuff ourselves or go crazy.  And Kev was able to eat it for lunch the next day.

I was able to use the mozzarella sticks as walking canes to help me get around with my HUGE blisters.  Darn shoes.

Night two was at Trader Vic's.  It was on the bottom floor of our hotel.  This was the place I was looking forward to the most.  I had been drooling over their menu for MONTHS.  And their food was right up our alley.  New flavors.  Polynesian cuisine.  Lots to chose from.

We started off with their "World Famous" Mai-Tais.

For the record... Kev was not embarrassed in the least to take these pictures in a public place.  He really wasn't.  In fact, he suggested most of them.

I guess that is what life with a blogger does to you.

But then the menu came out... and it was different than what they had online.  At least with the appetizers.  We are such an appetizer family and prefer to order several things and share them... instead of one big meal.

I had picked out so many things for us to try.... even planning to come back another night so we could experience all the amazing food. 

I guess the good thing is that it made it easier for us to choose. 


So, we got the prawns and polynesian rice...

And the sampler plate... with crab rangoon, pork, and more prawns....

It was pretty good.  It definitely was a fun atmosphere... and of course the company was fabulous.

And watching people order the Bananas Foster was entertaining..

It also marked the last time that I wore heels that weekend.  As it was all I could do to maintain composure while my feet were falling apart. 

Did I mention that we stayed on the fifth floor...so, we wouldn't have to take the elevators.  (The place was so packed and there was ALWAYS a large crowd waiting for them).  So we climbed five flights of stairs every time that we went to our room and left our room.  Which was a TON!

Heels + Humid Hot Atlanta + Running up and down stairs = Sad feet and Sore quads.

But a good workout.  :)  Especially after eating those two meals. 

And that is where our restaurant experiences ended.  Without being "WOWed" by anything, we decided that the food I brought would be our best bet. 

Plus you don't have to sit up straight and act ladylike while eating in your hotel room.  Not that I do either of those things in public... but I feel like I at least have to try. 

Our hotel food consisted of hummus, carrots, fruit, granola, healthy chips, and yogurt.  And then we would grab some sandwiches from the deli... turkey for Kev... veggie for me. 

It worked out perfectly.

The perfect hotel room breakfast....

Yogurt + Granola.  I made the granola myself the night before we left.  It actually turned out pretty good.  In fact, we are still eating on it because it made a ton. 

So, overall, I think we ate pretty good ( health-wise, cost-wise, and taste-wise)... it is just that the food did not end up being the highlight of our trip. 

But that's ok.  Because we have the food and wine festival coming up in less than thirty days.  Which means that I will be running 13.1 miles in less than thirty days.

And now I'm going to go hide in a corner and wonder what the heck I have gotten myself in to.

 

Nerd Alert!

Thank you, Laura, for the title!  :)

I'm sure you are wondering what our trip was all about.   I mean.. it is not every day ( or year even) that we actually get out of the house and go do something.  

It must be a pretty big deal.

An "over 30,000 attendees BIG DEAL"!

And if you consider movies, television, celebrities, costumes, parades, more television, references to our childhoods, pop culture, and more celebrities... a big deal... then you should have come with us!

IT.WAS.AWESOME!

At least for nerds like us.

It was a convention.  A HUGE convention.  That showcased just about every thing that we love. 

It is held in downtown Atlanta amongst five hotels.  Five HUGE hotels with 30,000 plus ( it felt like a million) people = insanity.

There are non-stop activities, contests, meet and greets, discussions, classes, shopping, and just about anything else you can think of.  Including the "walk of fame" that was in the hotel that we were staying in. 

Has anyone seen Loni Anderson lately?  She looks absolutely incredible!

Oh... and the cast members of Harry Potter and True Blood...so friendly and down to Earth.

Kev even brushed shoulders with Pam from True Blood while we were in the hallway.  He was oblivious... I WAS ECSTATIC!!

I want to be Pam when I grow up. 

Back To The Future, Incredible Hulk, WKRP in Cincinnati, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and just about every Sci Fi show was represented.

Even Sharktopus.

It was a haven for film and tv geeks like us.

Even if we did try to be "cool" and blend in... meaning that we did not go in costume. 

Which ended up making us "uncool".

The costumes we saw were not just your run of the mill online purchase... they were detailed.  They were handmade.  The people that wore them stayed in character the entire time.

I was blown away.

And felt the need to tell people that I was a character from the hillbilly reality show named "Gaston, SC"....just so I would fit in.

And that's where my flip flops came in handy.

Here are a couple of my favorites....

My hero, Wyatt Earp.

He called me "Ma'am".  Tipped his hat.  And made me wish I was a saloon girl.

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE men from the Wild West?

I promptly told Kev that he MUST acquire a duster coat in the near future for our relationship's success.  

He then reminded me that he has one.  And I remembered that that is probably one of the reasons that we first fell in love.  Because he was leaning up against his red 260Z with his duster jacket ( aka TRENCH COAT) blowing up in the breeze.

Those were the days.

And then there is my childhood hero.....

Who knew that her son was Captain America?

And her husband was Space Ghost?

Regardless, she looked incredible.  I LOVE Wonder Woman with all of my heart and soul.  I only dressed up as her for Halloween seventy-seven times.  I never looked liked that gorgeous lady in the picture, though.

Would it be weird if I showed up for work tomorrow in this outfit?

I could be the "Aging (Un)gracefully Wonder Woman".

That has a nice ring to it.

And then there is my Superhero heartthrob.....

WOLVERINE!!

I sure could use him in the kitchen! 

Because I'm sure he could chop a lot of veggies pretty quickly.

I've always loved Superheroes.  Mainly because of the Super Friends ( best Saturday morning cartoon) ... but I've fallen in love with the X-men.  Specifically Wolverine.

I mean... how could you not?

Should I stop typing now?  I have a feeling that I am freaking some people out?  :)

I'm more of a nerd than I would like to admit. 

I blame it on my Dad for introducing me to Star Trek at an early age.

And the fact that I grew up wanting to be Princess Leia.

Did I mention that I got to see Carrie Fisher??

Because I did.  And it was pretty awesome.

And now for Kev's hero.....

I forced him to get this picture.

Even though he pretty much is in love with cookies.

Don't worry... he has other pics.

All of which I forced him to take.

They are awesome.

Getting away for a weekend and living in a fantasy world is... PRICELESS.

Even if my feet are covered in blisters and I'm exhausted beyond belief.

Getting to see Elvira was totally worth it.

And just know that I'm not done yet.... still more pics and recap to come.....



We Survived!

Even though there was MUCH mayhem involved....



I originally planned to blog in the moment.... telling you about each day as it happened.  With an event so big, it is usually less overwhelming that way.  However, our hotel had other ideas and wanted to charge one billion dollars for Wi-fi service.... even in the common areas.  So, recap blog posts it is.  And I will try to get them done in a timely fashion.

Right now, I'm trying to get back to reality... by doing laundry, cleaning,  and checking Twitter for updates from the convention.

It's going to take me a least a week. 

Oh... and just in case you were wondering.... only two pairs of those heels that I packed saw the light of day.  It seems walking around downtown Atlanta in a wedge shoe wrecks your feet...so much so that it is too painful to put on any other high heel.

Good thing I brought ONE pair of flip flops.  I just wished I had known that would happen in advance and I wouldn't have had to bring such a big suitcase.

Oh well... at least Kev got to say "I told you so!"