[That song by Gwen Stefani will forever remind me of my freshman year of college.]

Sunday night, I looked over at the fruit bowl and proceeded to panic. We were completely out of bananas. ButIhavetoeatabananaeverysinglemorning.

I had no choice but to go to the grocery store at 9 PM. Problem #2: My car is not worthy of parking in the garage, so it was sitting outside covered in ice.

I had no choice but to walk to the grocery store at 9 PM…in the snow/ice/drizzle. The things I do for bananas is well, quite frankly, bananas.

I bundled up, plugged in my charged iPod and went on my merry way. I got there in one piece and whattdya know, I was rewarded with a shelf full of discount bananas!

Weeee weee weeeeeeee!! Leave it to me to get excited about discount bananas. By the way, have you seen the new weee weee weeeee commercial? Love that pig.

I practiced some self-control and settled for 3 bags of bananas, instead of swiping ALL 7 off the shelf. After all, I had to carry them back home and all those chatarungas I did earlier in the day with Dave Farmar were haunting my arms.

I came home and immediately chopped + froze 4 bananas. Well, 3 1/2 since 1/2 ended up in my belly. It is physically impossible for me to chop bananas without popping a few slices in my mouth. That is a fact.

Just on the cusp of overripe is my preferred level of banana ripeness! What about you?

AND with all those frozen bananas, I broke out the Yonanas machine that I received from OpenSky to help me start 2012 on the right [healthy] foot.

This machine basically turns frozen bananas/fruit into soft serve. Someone had to capitalize on the banana soft serve idea, right?

It works like a juicer—stick frozen fruit inside and push down with a plunger.

I usually make banana soft serve in a blender/Magic Bullet. I have to add a splash of milk to get the blades going, which gives it less of an ice cream texture. Also, it takes awhile so by the time it’s ready for consumption, it’s partially melted. This machine, however, does not require any milk. The soft serve comes out super thick and frozen.

I can’t wait to try it with some other ingredients.

The machine came with a recipe book. My eyes immediately landed on…

I’m totally regretting NOT getting all 7 bags of discount bananas now.

What’s really bananas is unlike a juicer, you actually WANT to clean the machine…because look what’s waiting for you inside? Yum.

What’s really really bananas is I just ate soft serve and I’m about to go for a run. That would be impossible with ice cream.

What’s really really really bananas (last one, I promise) is I’m about to run in 55* F and sunny weather…in shorts? Really?

Yessiree. I’m going to pretend like it’s almost spring time.

This past weekend, we celebrated my Momma’s birthday, which is actually not until next week (don’t worry Momma, you still have a week left at your current age). She’s taking a trip to visit her family next week, so we celebrated early.

Instead of having Peter whip up a feast, Lo the Bro and I treated the ‘rents to a nice dinner out. Man, you know you’re all grown up when you start paying for the dinner bill! It feels good to give back .

We headed over to a new-to-us restaurant, Travinia Italian Kitchen.

We had high hopes for this place. The restaurant had a nice rustic, homey feel to it and well, it was packed! We waited nearly an hour for our table. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the greatest experience, in terms of both quality of service and food (and that’s coming from people who are very very easy to please).

We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company though!

Oh but wait, one positive thing…Peter was thrilled with their beer prices. $3.75 for a draft beer.

I ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna with avocado, mango and mixed greens. Surprise surprise!

Whenever I spot ahi tuna on any menu, I just can’t resist.

Served with honey-lime vinaigrette.

The birthday girl woman got a Margherita Pizza with roasted tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. She said she would’ve preferred way more cheese.

Lo the Bro ordered the [peanut-sized] sea bass. I mean, really? That’s an entree? They could’ve at least thrown a scoop of rice on there to fill the space. Or served it on a smaller plate for Pete’s sake! That’s just sad looking (it was even sadder looking in person).

And that’s what Peter ordered too. Yep, we got burned twice.

Well, at least we can say Travinia is not contributing to the obesity epidemic in this country.

Some of us had to fill up on bread. Lo the Bro ate 5 whole eggs after we got back home .

As always, we walked out of the restaurant wishing we had opted for colossal shrimp and lamb curry from Peter’s Kitchen. Lesson learned.

For dessert, we enjoyed a carrot cake (with cream cheese frosting <–best part), freshly purchased by Lo the Bro from the Whole Foods Bakery.

I gave my mom an iPad case, courtesy of JAVOedge. She absolutely loves it. She says it was the perfect gift because she was just thinking about visiting the Apple Store to look for a case.

JAVOedge contacted me to see if I’d want to review a camera strap. They asked if there were any other accessories I was interested in trying out. Initially I looked for a hard shell for the back of my mom’s iPad.

Instead, I found this iPad case with the whole shebang—magnetic sleep/wake cover AND hard shell.

She especially loves the stand-up feature, so she can watch movies on her iPad without having to manually prop it up.

Now her iPad is all protected for her trip next week!

Onto the DSLR camera strap. Over a year ago, I got myself a fabric camera strap on Etsy. I adore it and I will never go back to using the Canon strap that came with the camera.

I love the pattern/color of the camera strap from JAVOedge. It’s not quite as comfortable as my Etsy one, but it’s smaller and more professional looking.

The strap is well-built and can handle the weight of my heavy camera. A huge thank you to JAVOedge for the presents!

Have a great MLK day!

Hi there! How’s your weekend going so far?

I’ve gotta work tonight, so I spent the afternoon doing laundry and baking Peter’s birthday cake (we’re officially celebrating tomorrow).

Lots of buttercream icing and slivers of cake were consumed in the process (hey, I had to level the cake!).

I took a shortcut and used TJ’s Golden Yellow Cake Mix. SO GOOD. It was my first time using this mix and it will not be the last.

It tasted like it was made from scratch!

Peter loves cake…especially from a box. We used to have boxes of [expired] cake mix sitting in our pantry. Occasionally, Peter would leave a box on the kitchen counter, hinting to me that I should bake a cake. I wanted to, but I figured I’d make one from scratch instead since the mix contained trans fat…and then I never got around to it.

Anywho, TJ’s cake mix is free of trans fat. Finally, Peter can have his cake and eat it too!

Cake baked in the toaster oven, of course. Just how Peter prefers it .

The time I saved using a box mix for the cake, I devoted to making buttercream icing.

Powdered sugar (1.5 cups, sifted), butter (1 stick) and vanilla (2 tsp). Simple, though sifting the sugar took forever.

(I only had salted butter on hand, but it turned out just fine.)

Have you read the book The End of Overeating? I read a few chapters last year and learned that we as humans are most drawn to foods that are sweet, high in fat, and salty.

Ummm, yeah. That would explain all the spoonfuls of icing I just consumed (3 in 1…triple threat)!

Eat all the cake you want because the world is coming to an end!

While baking, I watched a History Channel program on what the world will be like in 2100. It was followed by a program on the Mayan Doomsday Prophecy, which predicts the world will come to an end on 12/21/2012. Um, yeah. Say your goodbyes now, folks!

Kidding…not really. I’m kinda scared. Google it…at your own risk.

The program talked about the Mayan calendar found at Chichen Itza in Mexico.

Remember when I visited Chichen Itza last year? Good times.

Alrighty, I gotta go!

Tell me…the birthday cake of your dreams!

Have you ever tried a Lindor Truffle? Please say yes. If not, you are seriously missing out. I still remember the exact moment I had my first red Lindor truffle. I was instantly smitten. It was unlike any milk chocolate I had ever tried. The smooth center made me weak in the knees. It’s no secret that I’ve been a chocoholic from an early age…

Last week, I received a package of Lindt Lindor Truffles for the holidays. While I could’ve easily consumed each and every one all by myself, I figured it’d be nice if I shared them with friends and family.

Remember Camille (my French friend)? Along with our mutual love for sushi, we both love chocolate. She once told me her absolute favorite type of chocolate was Lindor truffles! I’m going to share some with her and the kiddos at our next playdate.

I’m also going to put some in a pretty dish to give to Miss. Kat Lobes. When I told her I received a package of Lindt Lindor Truffles, she said (I kid you not), “Give them to meeeee.”

As for myself? I’m going to stash some in my purse, you know, in case of emergency. The kind of emergencies that happen every day, of course.

Tell me: What would you do with a bag of Lindor Truffles?

Nothing tastes quite like the Lindor Truffle. Created only by Lindt’s Master Chocolatiers, it’s exquisite chocolate filled with a smooth chocolate center. When the irresistible center starts to melt…so will you. Smooth. Flowing. Luscious. Chocolate like no other.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Lindt via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of positions of Lindt.

What do you think? Future husband material?

According to our guide, there are 3 requirements to be a “macho man” in Turkey:

#1 A big belly, or “Turkish Muscles,” like I mentioned in my post on Turkish Cuisine.

A man without a belly is like a home without a balcony. Having a balcony is very important in Turkey because people use it for everything year round…storage in the wintertime and dining/relaxing in the summertime.

#2 A mustache

#3 Drink Raki

Raki is liquor made from grapes that tastes like anise. It’s referred to as lion’s milk because when you mix it with water, it turns to a milky-white color. Also, when you finish a bottle, you become strong like a lion.

Yep, that’s my Momma. Double fisting Raki and red wine. See the milky color?

This is the Turkish equivalent of Vera Bradley. Not really, but kinda.

Attending university in Turkey will set you back just 400-500 Turkish lira per year (~$220-275 USD). Per year!!

My to-make list is growing rapidly. Stuffed grape leaves and yogurt with eggplant mixed in are the most recent additions.

Goat’s milk ice cream kicks cow’s milk ice cream’s bootay. Like freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, it is readily available in Turkey…even at gas stations!

(The macho man you saw at the beginning of the post was actually scooping goat’s milk ice cream at a rest stop. See? He’s a catch!)

Goat’s milk ice cream is extra thick, extra creamy and extra delicious. My mom got a scoop of pistachio and I got chestnut (!!). Mmmm!

It rains cats and dogs in Turkey…literally. I took a photo of every single cat I saw wandering around The Ruins of Ephesus.

There were many many many cats just hanging out and looking pretty.

If I were a cat, I’d live at the ruins too.

Dogs like living there as well. However, they prefer The Asclepion of Pergamum, one of the world’s most famous ancient medical centers.

It

Ducks prefer the hot springs at Pumakkale.

Bottoms up!

Perhaps I’ve found a new hobby…animal photography.

Alrighty, I gotta go make space on my hard drive for my photos. I’ve taken 2,347 photos thus far. It’s a miracle my right pointer finger is still functioning properly.

Have a great weekend, y’all!

What I Learned in Turkey, Part I

What I Learned in Turkey, Part II

I get my intense love for traveling from my parents. From a young age, it has been ingrained in my head that you should save up your money so you can see the world. Fancy cars are nice, dining out is delicious, and a new wardrobe is fashionable…but traveling is priceless.

Remember back in June when I not-so-suddenly got the urge to travel somewhere? Well, friends, the time has finally come for me to break out my passport again.

‘Cuz I’m going to Turkey tomorrow for 12 days!

I got an incredible deal on Travelzoo for airfare/hotel/meals that was way too good to pass up.

I’ll start in Istanbul and travel to about 9 other cities. To say I am excited would be a complete understatement. I have been looking forward to this trip for months. I’ve only heard amazing things about Turkey and cannot wait to experience it for myself.

Please bear with me as posting will be somewhat unpredictable for the next week and half. There will be a few giveaways, guest posts and hopefully some updates from yours truly (depending on my internet situation).

***

It was another busy day with the kiddos for me. The highlight was going out for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. I got pumpkin ice cream with toasted pecans mixed in.

Mmmmmm! The pumpkin flavor totally blew me away. Let’s not even start on those perfectly toasted pecans.

Can you believe I ate this outside in a t-shirt?! It was SO warm outside today.

Alrighty, I hear a full laundry basket and an empty suitcase calling my name!

I ventured to Arlington, VA today to attend the Take Back Your Health Conference.

At the conference, doctors and health experts discussed topics ranging from boosting immunity and beating cancer to the benefits of eating raw/vegan.

Overall, it was a great reminder of why I strive to take care of my body day in and day out. It wasn’t exactly an eye-opening experience for me because I took back my health a few years ago and have done plenty of research about health and nutrition ever since.

However, hearing the speakers’ stories made me incredibly grateful that I learned to live a healthy and active lifestyle at an early age.

The take home point today was that too many people wait until it’s too late to do something about their health!

The last few conferences I’ve attended were all blogging conferences. It was a nice change of pace being one of the few people snapping photos and typing on my laptop!

I mean, why take notes when you can photograph? Below are some slides I found interesting enough to document.

Good, because I eat almonds by the handful these days…

That was all presented by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

My favorite speaker of the day was Victoria Moran. I didn’t realize until I arrived that she was THE Victoria Moran who wrote one of my favorite books, Fit From Within.

She was awesome. An amazing speaker. She may have convinced me to start meditating, too. She mentioned a study that proved meditating for 10 min. a day can add 12 years to your life. Really?!

For lunch, I got a box of Garlicky Kale and Mediterranean Crunch Salad from the Whole Foods booth.

This was eaten literally 20 min. after listening to Dr. Furhman talk about the benefits of eating kale!

Quinoa cookies for dessert.

They were decent considering their healthiness. <–apparently that’s a word!

I also had a few pieces of vegan banana nut bread from the WFs booth.

I’m not sure what was in these bars but they were good. Super healthy stuff. All I cared about was canceling out my garlic breath…

Health is wealth, right?

Well, on the way home I took my newfound wealth and spent it all .

Alrighty, it’s been a long day of sitting and driving. Time to take a walk around the ‘hood. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

Toto, we’re not in Virginia anymore!

I was blown to Oz and back this morning on my 6 mile run. ‘Twas wiiiiiindy out there! I contemplated saving my run for tomorrow to avoid the wind, but I desperately needed some time alone to zone out and think…so into the wind I went!

It ended up being a great run. I was going to stop after 5 miles, but my [mom's] lucky marathon shirt pushed me to go another mile. I swear, it has magical powers.

Even with the cool temps and crazy gusts of wind, I was a sweaty mess by the end.

I try to avoid washing my hair the day after a haircut to preserve the perfect blow out, which I cannot for the life of me replicate at home! There was NO possible way I could go without washing it after a 6 mile run though.

***

I haven’t photographed my food in quite awhile, huh? I blame Pinterest, busy days and the early setting sun! I tried today…kinda sorta.

I don’t know what I’m going to do in the winter when it’ll be too cold for smoothies. I must drink one after every run. We didn’t have any fruit in the house other than bananas, so I added a Naked Mighty Mango. Mmm!

What else was in there? Spinach, protein powder, 1/2 banana, and almond milk.

For lunch part 2, I made a black bean burger and fried egg salad.

My mom got these from Costco last weekend and they’re pretty stinkin’ good as far as store-bought veggie burgers go. Although, the ingredients list is a bit long and complicated.

I was on my own for dinner, so I quickly put together a salmon salad with sweet potatoes and goat cheese.

I swung by the store to pick up some spinach because I knew we were all out of leafy greens. I opted for leaf spinach because it was cheaper than the baby variety.

I was surprised to see such HUGE leaves! I mean, I’ve had regular spinach before, but it did not look/taste like this.

Dessert time!

I received a box of Love Grown Foods granola this week. I was chosen to be a part of the Love Bloggers team. First task? Get to know the product!

No problem. As you can see, the bag of Cocoa Goodness has taken quite a hit. Something has to get me through all those miles, right? Hopefully they’ll last longer than last time!

Okay, it’s laundry time over here. Or else I’ll have to wear stinky clothes to the gym tomorrow. See ya!

I was gone with the wind this weekend…literally. The wind blew me away from my computer and out of the house.

Weeeeee!

I hit up the tennis courts yesterday with the ‘rents. It had been awhile. Now that the sun is setting earlier and earlier, there isn’t enough daylight to play after work. Boo.

At long last, I got in a 5 mile run under the sun this morning. The first 10 min. were rough and I started to seriously question my running ability. It wasn’t until I turned the corner when I realized just how strong the wind was blowing against me!

Hills + Wind…brutal.

It won’t be long before it’s too cold for smoothies…drink up, buttercup!

Green is good.

This is the current state of my nails. I’m as indecisive as it gets. Apparently, I need a few days to decide which color(s) I want. It’s an important, life-altering decision, you know.

I found these at Target! Yes, these pumpkin spice almonds were photographed on the hood of my car. Some things just cannot wait…

They’re as addicting as you’d imagine…

I went on a pumpkin picking adventure with Kat Lobes and her boyfriend Doug today.

I came home with this little guy. More photos to come!

Afterwards, we stopped by the brand spankin’ new Pinkberry in Leesburg. I finally had a good excuse to go.

Kat Lobes and I got original (the best!). Doug got mango. I was SO bummed they didn’t have pumpkin!!

I guess that just means I’ll have to go back again.

I’m about to go on a neighborhood stroll with my Momma…in the gusty wind. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Tell me: What did you do this weekend?

You are currently reading the first blog post ever published from my new Macbook Air!

Just as the Apple guys assured me, it is more than fast enough for my blogging needs. Dare I say it’s faster than my mom’s Macbook Pro…?

I forgot to mention that besides the bigger screen size, I chose the 13″ over the adorable 11″ because it has an SD card slot (the 11″ does not!).

I have an SD card reader, but having the slot means I have one less thing to carry around with me.

I am slowly but surely making the transition to using my new Macbook full time. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between my mom’s and mine while I transfer all my photos, files and software programs.

Last night I deleted 23,000 photos off my mom’s Macbook. It was a frightening 3 min. when I emptied the trash bin. They are [hopefully] all safe on my external hard drive! Eeeps.

Before we get to the food, I must tell you about Remote Disk.

Like most (all?) netbooks, the Macbook Air doesn’t have an optical drive (CD/DVD drive). BUT I learned that I can use the optical drive on my mom’s Macbook Pro to get files, install software, etc. on my Macbook Air…wirelessly!!! It’s called Remote Disk. Incredible!

I installed Lightroom (which I still need to learn how to use) in 5 min. flat on my Macbook Air this morning. I am in awe.

…END NERD TALK

BEGIN FOOD TALK…

I had a great workout this morning at the gym: 30 min. elliptical + 30 min. full body strength training. My appetite post-lifting is 10,000x that of my appetite post-running. Good grief! I’ve been ravenous all day long.

Less than an hour after chowing down breakfast, I was hungry again…

I made a salad using leftovers from the feast Peter whipped up last night for our dinner guests.

I topped a humongous plate of romaine and spring mix with…

• Shrimp, corn & black eyed pea salad (similar to this one)
• Red peppers
• Avocado
• Tomato basil hummus

All devoured while watching The Pioneer Woman’s new Food Network show!!!

Followed up with a microwaved peach (my first of the season!). I’m allergic to raw peaches, so I typically opt for plums, apricots and pluots instead.

I wasn’t kidding about my insatiable appetite…

I’m now watching Me, Myself & Irene on TV…as it starts to rain cats and dogs. How ironic (especially because I’m home alone right now!).

Time for me to put away (err…finish?) the chocolate and get back to my blogger to do list!

Stay safe/dry!