Don't knock 'em til you try 'em!

Happy Monday Afternoon!  I hope you had a nice weekend.  I had a lot of fun over the last few days but I didn’t do much resting so it’s been a long day.  In case you don’t remember, we are in the middle of no weigh May.  It’s a good thing too because I ate entirely too much food this weekend.  Also, this is my birthday week and ever since I’ve been on Weight Watchers, I try and catch up on the food I don’t normally eat because I’m dieting and chow down during the week of my birthday.  I’m already feeling the effects because I’m bloated and my stomach is all puffy.  I will have a fair amount of work to do to lose the weight from my birthday binge but to me it’s worth it.  I make myself all sick on my favorite foods and then I am good for another year.

 The recipe this week would be great for a party.  It’s another one from the Hungry Girl.  I know that when you hear the phrase “98% Fat Free” associated with a hot dog, it’s not necessarily an appetizing thought.  I love hot dogs though so I eat the Hebrew National brand from time to time.  There is no comparison between the Hebrew National 98% Fat Free hot dogs and a meaty one you can get on game day but it is satisfying enough...even with the odd after taste.  It’s especially satisfying with paired with chili, or mustard and ketchup or cheese, or made into pigs in a blanket…or in this recipe.  This is super easy to make and would be great for a cocktail party where people are conscious about their weight.  All you do is wrap them up in a low fat tortilla, add fat free cheese, heat them up in the oven and cut them into bite size pieces.  I put toothpicks in them even though I totally ate them all.  Party for one, I guess.

I think I’ve mentioned before that you should always watch serving sizes at restaurants because the portions are generally far too big.  Make sure that you also pay attention to serving sizes at the grocery store too.  Sometimes, even food that comes in packaging that looks like it’s single serve has two servings in it.  This happens a lot with smaller bags of chips and candy.  I find it to be the worst in soups.  I picked up the soup that can be heated in the microwave directly in the container…it definitely looks like it’s made for one but it has two servings so just be careful because you may have to double the nutrition facts to be completely accurate.

I started off my weekend heading to Nashville for a ladies night with my roommate and some other girls.  We had a great time just hanging out in downtown Nashville.  I woke up the next morning and headed to Birmingham to spend the day with Jordan.  We ate good food, went and saw a movie and then played Monopoly.  It was good to spend time with him.  Sunday, I got burnt to a crisp going for a walk outside (put sunscreen on people…even if you are just going for a walk).  I don’t know when I went from a kid that could turn into a tan little gingerbread in the summer to a lily white girl with the skin of an infant but I am I will be smarter next time and make sure to lather up.  After that, I made dinner for my parents.  It was their anniversary meal.  I had help from my brother and his girlfriend which is always nice.  I made a stupid error when it came to amount of sauce in relation to the amount of pasta so it was not as saucy as I would’ve liked but it was still OK.  Plus we had bread with garlic butter all over it.  YUM! It was a great weekend and the upcoming one will be awesome too.  My Dad, brother, his girlfriend and I are headed to Nashville (I am going to own that place soon) to see a concert on Friday and then Saturday, I am going to a graduation party for my brother and some of his friends and then out for my birthday.  Mom and I are splitting the festivities on Sunday because it’s my birthday AND Mother’s Day.  So, it’s another exciting weekend!

I want to give a birthday shout out to my friend Nish! Happy birthday, friend!  I hope it’s a great one!!! (It’s actually on Friday) May is full of birthdays!

I also want to tell my mom Happy Mother’s Day.  Even though I pretend that my mom is trying to steal my thunder because Mother’s day fell on the same day as my birthday, I really think it’s cool.  My Dad is making dinner so neither of us have to do anything on Sunday.  My mom deserves a day off!  Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! Love you!

That’s all I’ve got for now.  I’m sure I’ll have pictures for you next Monday! Have a great week!

“Working hard for my dream life to be my real life…” Dream Life-Colbie Caillat