Season Change Antsy

This weather is quite depressing. As soon as I thought the sunshine was here to stay, the weatherman reports snow is a comin'. Yep, more snow. It's not uncommon for it to snow in March in Kansas, but people were seeding and fertilizing their yards just last weekend!

Man is it frigid. I had to dig deep inside my closet to pull out my already put away heavy winter coat.

Will spring and sunshine please come back?

I'm much prettier in the Spring/Summer season. Let's face it, that's what a sun kissed tan and cute dresses do for you:).

I'm ready for the season to change. And I mean full-circle. Not just a few warm days here and there, I want the real thing, baby.

I've been ready for a few weeks. And so have my new dresses and open-toed heels that are anxiously awaiting to leave their hangers and storage boxes.

 

Love this little number. I have tried to wear it out a couple times already until Brian reminded me how ridiculous I would look wearing a dress this early. C'mon 80 degrees, I need you!

Don't the colors just scream summer? Found at one of my fave stores.

This one is from Express. I'm typically not into floral prints or ruffles, but I really love this one. The floral is quite subtle and abstract. My kinda print.

I plan to pair it with this nude belt and nude heels.

In other new finds, a pair of knock-off aviators and some new products I'm obsessed with.

I've been telling myself to drop the cash on a nice pair of Ray Bans or sunglasses, but I just can't do it. With as much as I break them, my cheap-o's will do. I picked these up last weekend for $10 at a little knock-off shop at Crown Center. I'm pleased with my purchase:)

Introducing my new friend, Lola. I'm in love.

I took a chance on Lola, opting for her over my other go-to scent, Armani Diamonds. She was a good choice. Thanks to the recommendation from my brother's super stylish gf.

Another new find: Kenra blow dry spray. My hair stylist turned me on to this protectant spray. I'm hooked.

Once you smell this stuff, you'll be hooked too.

My BF told me about this line of nail polish, Essie, now sold at Target. This color is Mink Muffs, a smoky plush taupe.

LOVE the color, but didn't find it to go on as smooth as usual. Maybe it was user error:), I wasn't feeling too well yesterday. I think I'm still partial to OPI, but I'll definitely be trying other Essie colors.

Have you found any new Spring attire you're dying to wear? Or any new products worth sharing? Tell us about it.

I'm on a restaurant kick...or...I wanna be.

In my opinion, Kansas City has a lot to offer when it comes to restaurants.

With multiple areas around the city that offer innovative, unique, delicious and affordable dining options, the list is endless.

This city is obviously no NYC aka the most glorious destination in the USA for dining, but we have lots of areas to choose from: Plaza, Downtown, The Northland, Midtown, Brookside/Waldo, West Bottoms, Legends and the ginormous ever-growing Johnson County.

We're doing pretty good if you ask me.

I've lived here nearly four years and my taste buds don't have much to show for it.

We go out to eat every once in awhile, but we rarely try new places. We always tend to flock to our favorite spots, where we order the same things we always order and know we will leave pleased.

There's nothing wrong with that, but I have this unbearable desire to venture out and experience all the dining Kansas City, the city we live in, has to offer.

It does help that I work downtown. My co-workers and I have discovered some pretty amazing eats.

Some of our favs are: Happy Gillis, Farm House, Lulu's, Grinders West, The Mixx, Ingredient, Cupini's, Blue Bird Bistro, Blue Koi, Cafe at Briarcliff, Filling Station, Bristol, La Monde, Gorozzo's, Grand Street Cafe, Classic Cup, Trezomare and Kona (for Happy Hour).

Now, that's quite the list, but can you believe my list of Restaurants to Try is just as long!?

It's because I can't keep up. The second I try a new place, two more open

Restaurants to Try
Avenues Bistro - Brookside or Mission Farms
NoRth - Leawood
Michael Smith - Downtown
77 South - Leawood
Ra Sushi - Leawood
La Bodega (been here once, but not when I lived here) - Leawood
Gennessee Royale Bistro - West Bottoms
Justus Drug Store - Smithville
Julian - Brookside
Starker's - Plaza
Il Centro - Plaza area
J Gilberts - Overland Park
801 Chophouse - Downtown
JJ's - Plaza
Room 39 - Mission Farms or Midtown
Trezo Vino - Leawood
Blue Grotto - Brookside
Cafe Sebastienne - Kemper Museum of Art
Gaslight Grill - Overland Park
R Bar - West Bottoms
Blanc Burgers + Bottles - Mission Farms (Just went here this weekend!)
BRGR - Prairie Village
Tavern in the Village - Prairie Village
*List has been slightly modified after suggestions from great bloggers!

Any that I should add? How about ones that aren't worth it? Please tell me. My wallet would appreciate it:)

First adventure in Operation Restaurant List - dunzo!

We crossed off Blanc Burgers + Bottles. I had heard great things about it and have been carrying around the Groupon since September. I even blogged about it here.

See...major suckage on trying new places...even with a Groupon.

This place was super tasty! A little pricey if you are looking to kick back a few beers, but the overall experience was totally worth it.

I ordered the turkey burger. Oh man. To. Die. For. And don't even get me started on the truffle fries displayed in the cute little shopping carts. Delish!

Tip: Don't sit next to your girlfriend and put your husbands on the opposite side of the table if you don't want the waitress to think they are a gay couple. Oh yeah, she asked if they were "together". It was hilarious. 

Mmmmmm...now I'm hungry. I love food.

Out with the Yellow, In with the Blue

Whew. What a wonderful Thanksgiving break! I just love long weekends.

I will post about our hosting experience soon, but I had to get in a quickie about my newest obsession.

As if my sweets addiction wasn't already bad enough, I had to finish off a bag of these in midst of my turkey coma. Well, Brian helped a little, but it was mainly me.

Source

Meet M&M's newest member: Pretzel M&M's

Oh. My. I never thought M&M's could come up with anything more delicious than their Peanut member. And I've never been a big fan of the regular or peanut butter, but when there was a yellow bag in my site, half of it was going for sure.

Well, the blue bag now trumps the yellow. These round little guys are oh so tasty.

Pretty sure this obsession will not be helping out with the "Maintain, Not Gain Challenge" at work. All I have to do is not gain any weight over the holidays and I get a gift card!

Fat chance of that happening (pun intended).

Dig Deeper

My motivation to workout has been extremely nonexistent lately. To be candid, I haven't had a true workout since I finished my triathlon back in August. Sad I know.

And I'm not really counting biking because other than the BikeMS ride and a few long training rides, I didn't overdo myself or anything.

I would love to say that taking Jake for walks/runs counts, but it really doesn't when both you and your lazy, out of shape dog can't handle anything more than a mile of running.

So, since I've been feeling soft around the edges, I had this bright idea to workout tonight.

Due to the depressing, way-too-early sunsets, I decided to just mosey down to the gym at my work. Trying to decide what to do -- elliptical, run, weights, -- I stumbled across Insanity.

I'm sure you have heard of this program. It's quite popular. I have heard about it, talked to several people about it, but have never been crazy enough to try it out.

For some reason, I thought I would give it a whirl. I thought to myself...

What do I have to lose?
I might as well start it off with a bang.
I mean, c'mon, the CEO and President of my company do this everyday (not kidding). And I'm way younger than them, I can totally handle this.

Let me just go ahead and say that I have no intentions of strictly adhering to this program. I'm not much of an every day worker-outer, and P90x only lasted about 2.5 weeks for me. I like programs such as these simply for the good workouts.

So, I popped in the DVD, and hoped the next 45 minutes wouldn't be hell.

Boy, was I wrong. I was so very wrong.

Dig Deeper. That's what Shaun T was asking me to do.

The only answer I had for him was, "This is absolutely insane. Screw this."

And that was only the first DVD of the program. The people in the video couldn't even keep up without looking like they were going to die.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did it, and might consider trying another one, but it is INSANE!

In my opinion, at least 10 times harder than P90x.

Well, Shaun T, thanks for pushing me to dig deeper tonight. I was sweaty. I was exhausted. And I hated you.

But, for now, I will enjoy digging deeper into my carton of Haagen-Dazs Fat Free Raspberry Sorbet. Yes, please.

Source

Casting My Ballot

I added yet another television show to my already lengthy list.

I couldn’t help the addition of this one. I felt like I was the only one that wasn’t tuning in.

Everywhere I would turn, I would hear something about this show, see the stars in a magazine not knowing who they were, or hear my friends singing a rendition from the show.

This popular, widely talked-about show is none other than GLEE!!

Since I am freshly new this season, I wanted to give it a little time to marinate before I gave my opinion. However, after last night’s episode…

I. Am. Sold.

This show has a lot to offer: highly entertaining, witty, makes you feel good, and awesome one liners.

Last night was all about Britney. Who doesn’t love Brit Brit? She’s hot. She’s got moves. Her life is drama, drama, drama. And she keeps you wanting more. What a comeback she has made!

The cast is so talented!! I couldn’t believe how much the girls sounded like her. And I am totally loving Brittany S. Pierce (cast member Heather Morris). I did a major double take during her fantasy “Slave 4 U.” Brian even said, “Is that her?!”

Brittany S. Pierce

Britney Spears

It brought me back to my dance team days. We had a dance to Slave 4 U and we thought we were the Shiz-nit while performing it. Oh Brit, thanks for bringing out the sexy in all of us. "It’s a Britney Spears Sex Riot!" LOL!

Did anyone catch Rachel’s comment after she woke up in the dental chair? “Is this real life?” I believe it was taken from the popular circulated video of that little boy riding in the car after he went to the dentist. Too funny! David After Dentist

Can’t wait to catch up on Season one via Netflix and continue watching this season. What a fun, quirky and entertaining show!

Uh-Oh

Oh crap. I have a big problem.

Tonight, I tried Nutella for very the first time.

I think I might have just died and gone to heaven.

I have always heard this stuff is great to spread on toast, pancakes, graham crackers or pair with a banana. I have just never tried it.

Brian helped me out by going to the store tonight and Nutella was on the list for the Protein Pancakes I plan to make Saturday morning before the Triathlon. It's a recipe I got from another Tri participant.

Apparently, these healthy pancakes are really yummy and her kids even crave them. I know Nutella isn't all that healthy, but it's all about the good fats, right?

Anyways, I opened it up to try it on a piece of toasted bread. OMG. It is to die for. It's like a chocolate, nutty surprise in your mouth.

I proceeded to eat two spoon fulls after my slice of bread. Oops.

It is so tasty! Such a yummy goodness that it is taking everything out of me to not march up to my kitchen right now and devour the entire jar.

Here's the fine print:
Nutella: 2 tbsp., 11 g fat, 200 calories
JIF Peanut Butter: 2 tbsp., 16 g fat, 190 calories

The good news is that both are good fats. The bad news is the "in moderation" part.

Uh-oh, I think I'm in BIG trouble...

Summer Shandy

Time to introduce one of my most recent addictions.

I first found out about this beer from a friend when she brought it over for a bbq. I was then re-acquainted with it over 4th of July weekend when my brother brought home two cases of it.

It is amazing. I haven't been this much obsessed with a beer since Bud Light Lime came out.

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy = Simply Delicious.

Doesn't it have a refreshing ring to it? A medium beer with a refreshing lemonade taste. This beer is perfect for hot summer days. You should try it.

Off to enjoy one of these because boy do I need it after a day like today!!

Happy Friday!

A Little Added Crunch

I am so excited to tell you about my newest breakfast food obsession. It is that good. At least to my taste buds:).

Pretty much everyday (except weekends), I have yogurt and a piece of fruit for breakfast. I am either...1) Always running too late in the mornings to fix myself something, so I have to take it to work with me, or 2) Working out before work so I have to pack something anyways.

Therefore, it has to be fast, quick and easy.

I love yogurt. Always have. My two favorite flavors are Yoplait Light Strawberry Orange Sunrise and Berries n' Cream. Yum! But I do get sick of it sometimes. So, I found something to spice it up a bit.

 Special K Low Fat Granola

Kashi Go Lean Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble Flavor

Man, are these both scrumptious mixed with yogurt. And, they are both new to the cereal grocery shelf! Pair them with your favorite yogurt and a fruit. I have actually never tried them just as cereal:), but I'm sure they're great that way too. Now you can enjoy a little crunch to your yogurt. I just love it!

Plus, I always find coupons for Special K cereals on Coupons.com. And if you're like me, I buy Special K regardless, so you might as well use a coupon!

Check it out. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Most Recent Indulge

I think I just found my newest sweet obsession.
Check 'em out.

That's right. No Pudge! Fudge Brownie mix.

It might just be the greatest invention ever. You just add low fat vanilla yogurt.

These even beat my applesauce low-cal brownies. No fat, and just 110 calories per brownie (the box makes 12), so that's a big brownie! Well worth it in my mind. I had three the first day.

I found out about these from a co-worker. She used to live in St. Louis, where Trader Joe's exists. If you don't know what Trader Joe's is, I've heard it's awesome. I've never been, but apparently it's a grocery store comprised of great value natural food products where you can find impeccable prices.

Well, since I am the over-obsessive, sweet snatching, always prowling, sugar addict at the office, she brought me back a box. Couldn't. Be. Happier.

They were delish. The hubs loved them too. Not gonna lie, they definitely aren't the best brownie I've ever indulged, but very good for a low-cal brownie.

Guess it doesn't help when you eat damn near the whole pan though. Oops.

Only problem - where do you get them in KC since we don't have a Trader Joe's?

Well...ding ding ding, you're in luck! I found them at Wal-Mart. Not sure if every Wal-Mart has them, but the Shawnee Wal-Mart did. They were on the baking aisle and sort of hidden, so just look carefully!

Even though I absolutely despise hitting up Wal-Mart, especially after a long day of work, the hassle and annoyance of Wal-Mart is simply worth it for these.