Soup

WIAW 11.7.12 // Rain to Snow?!

November 7, 2012 by Allison · 20 Comments

I can’t believe that it’s already November 7th. I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is in 15 days and Christmas is only in 48 days.

But what I reallyyy can’t believe is today’s forecast… Rain to snow. Really?! Where did fall go?

I wholeheartedly am happy that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner [I'm dreaming of all the holiday eats, treats, decorations, and celebrations], buttt I don’t think I’m ready for snow quite yet.

If I was still living in Boston I wouldn’t be so surprised, but I’m in Virginia [aka "the south" as most people call it], and I’d like another week or two of fall.

I’d like to continue enjoying the beautiful fall foliage, the reasonable temperatures, and all things pumpkin…

But that’s not looking very promising so I guess this weekend it’s time to unpack my boots with the fur and my puffy parka.

Stay warm y’all! A bowl of tomato soup sounds perfect for dinner tonight, I hope it’ll warm me up from the inside out.

One of my girlfriends just teased me saying that it’s supposed to be in the 70′s today down in Texas… I may have to start pushing Ryan to move more south

XOXO,

Allison

P.S. I probably should have used winter weather pictures to go along with today’s rant, but it’s Wednesday so I stuck with the traditional WIAW [What I Ate Wednesday] theme and used my food pictures to comfort me through this cold transition into winter… Just go with it, haha!

Question: Have you seen any snow yet this season?! It’s not raining, nor snowing so I’m doubtful we’ll actually see anything today…

Question: What’s the tastiest thing you’ve eaten recently?

— Allison

Feeling Freaking Fabulous

March 27, 2012 by Life's a Bowl · 10 Comments

If only it was Friday, I could say “It’s been a freaking fabulous Friday”- talk about a tongue twister! I don’t know if it’s the brisk chilly weather I woke up to, or because I wore my sweet new sneakers to work, or the tasty hummus and vegetable wrap I packed for lunch, but I have been feeling freaking fabulous all day! And I’ve also been going at hyper-speed all day. I swear, my coffee was decaf this morning…

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Fabulous #1: I made pizzadillas last night for dinner [think: pizza meets quesadilla]…

Served up with a small salad, a few veggies, and a bowl of Campbell’s Select Harvest Light Italian-Style Vegetable Soup.

whole wheat tortillas

Alouette Light Spinach Artichoke Spreadable Cheese

shredded mozzarella cheese

turkey pepperoni

spinach

tomato sauce on the side for dipping [Classico's Tomato and Basil is a family fave]

***Katie over at Dashing Dish shared a similar recipe yesterday that reminded me of my pizzadillas!***

Fabulous #2: Today is my half-birthday and I’m a whopping 2_ 1/2-years-old I’ll let y’all guess how old I am… Hint: I graduated from college last year. I am a huge fan of birthdays and think birthdays should last a whole month! If anyone wants to bake me something, I’d love one of these beauties…

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Fabulous #3: A mom of one of my lovely students offered me two tickets to the Caps game next week [their last home game]! This is the same mom that gave me tickets to the Caps vs. Bruins game for Christmas AND is bringing me lunch on Thursday, just because she wants to [too nice].

Fabulous #4: On my way into work this morning I was listening to the radio and heard that tonight is the mega millions drawing… So guess what, Ryan and I are buying a lottery ticket! This is my first time buying a lottery ticket [not counting those scratch and win tickets] and I’m feeling lucky… 180 MILLION DOLLARS after taxes, I think that’ll do!

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Fabulous #5: The headache that I had Sunday afternoon and all day yesterday was gone when I woke up this morning AND my insides don’t feel like they’re doing somersaults inside of me… Healthy = happy!

Fabulous #6: I spent my lunch break stumbling around Pinterest and scrolling through emails and found a fabulous article on Shape.com with the “25 Most Deceiving Exercises.” I definitely want to incorporate more of these moves into my routine but first, can someone please explain to me the proper way to do a burpee?!

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Fabulous #7: Our STDs [save the dates, I don't want to know what you were thinking] arrived this afternoon! My momma, a family friend, and I are planning to have a girls date to address them all- in reality, I’ll be cooking and they’ll be writing…

Fabulous #8: I realized yesterday when I was at the gym that the picture of the sneakers I shared yesterday are actually not the shoes that I bought. Both pairs are cute IMO, but I like the neon pink on mine more… But that’s not to say I wouldn’t mind having both pairs [heyyy Nike]

Fabulous #9: Ryan is joining me at the gym tonight and we have one goal: to turn our mush into muscles!

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Fabulous #10: I used up the last of the PB this morning so guess what’s for breakfast tomorrow… OIAJ! Yes, I’m already psyched about tomorrow’s breakfast

Daily Memorable Moments

March 26: It was a super productive day at school and home, exactly how it needs to be for the next couple of weeks.

March 27: It has been an all-around a freaking fabulous day!

Question: What makes you feel freaking fabulous?

Question: Have you ever won anything? Money? Lots of money? The lottery?!

— Life's a Bowl

Bombastic Beans

January 15, 2012 by Life's a Bowl · 6 Comments

Growing up, we didn’t have beans all that often because my momma isn’t a fan, but whenever hot dogs were on the menu, baked beans were served on the side. My momma did the cooking and my dad did the singing…

Beans, beans, the magical fruit

The more you eat, the more you toot

The more you toot, the better you feel

So we have beans at every meal!

[although I think we said something like "So let's have beans with every meal!"]

BTW, did you know there are other versions of the bean song?!

Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart

The more you eat, the more you fart

The more you fart, the happier/better you feel

So let’s eat beans with every meal!

and

Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart

The more you eat, the more you fart

The more you fart, the more you eat

The more you sit on the toilet seat!

In summary, they all have the same message… Beans make ya fart!

For Christmas Eve dinner, I made a black bean dish that I’ve wanted to recreate since ["Christmas Black Beans" because of the addition of bell peppers and tomatoes]. Thinking that it would be tasty on top of a salad and easy to pack for school lunches, I made a quick stop by TJ’s after work on Wednesday to pick up a can of the Cuban Style Black Beans. Somehow a few other things managed to hop into my cart, including a carton of the Latin Style Black Bean Soup. After unpacking the groceries, my plan to make Christmas Black Beans was forgotten about and black bean soup quickly became what’s for dinner…

Black Bean Soup with Corn and Peppers

1 can Cuban Style Black Beans

1 carton Latin Style Black Bean Soup

1/4 cup chili style diced tomatoes

1/2 cup frozen bell peppers and onions

1/4 cup frozen Fire Roasted Corn

Pour all of the ingredients into a pot on the stove and let it simmer on medium. When the soup begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook until ready to serve. Super simple and super satisfying on a cold winter night!

We served it with a side of roasted zucchini and tortilla chips- some veggies for nutrients and chips for dipping… Next time, a dollop of Greek yogurt and some shredded cheese probs will be added for some extra creaminess.

And sticking with the bean theme, a Mr. Bean clip [haha]…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J5xs2ukksE]

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Ryan made a fire this morning and we have no real plans for the day so I’m not sure when we’ll eventually head out to brave the freezing cold- it’s the coldest weekend we’ve had in the past year!

P.S. Week 2 of Successes Sunday is gonna have to wait until tomorrow, I’ve got something fun to share later tonight… Thanks Candice from Forever is Composed of Nows!

Daily Memorable Moments

January 14: Meeting my momma for a relaxing pedi! I got a new color [can't remember the name] that I love- tons of sparkles!

January 15: Enjoying a relaxing morning with Ryan and Charlie- laying on the couch with a cup of coffee and a crackling fire…

Question: What’s your fave black bean recipe?

Question: What’s the best way to clean a dog bed? Charlie got sick last night and we wiped it down but there’s a stain and kinda smells- can it be thrown into the washer?

— Life's a Bowl