M & T’s V-Day

Helloooooooo! It’s Valentine’s Day in our house today!

But, first, check out the scene that I woke up to this morning. Yikes!

This morning, Mal and I spent a good 4 hours packing. We were packing machines! We packed until there were no more boxes to pack!

We made a good dent in what we need to pack before the big move, but there’s still a lot more to do– and we need to find some more boxes!

Breakfast

Breakfast was fun this morning!

While Mal and Murphy slept in, I made a Valentine’s Day-inspired breakfast.

I had a little help from a couple of heart-shaped cookie cutters that the nice people at McCormick sent to me. They arrived in the mail yesterday, so it was good timing for breakfast this morning!

I had a serious craving for pancakes, so I whipped up a batch from scratch.

Banana Pancakes

Serves 2

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 ripe banana

I thought it’d be fun to throw a few broccoli crowns into the batter for some extra nutrients. I figured that the banana would completely overpower the broccoli flavor, but, unfortunately, it didn’t. The broccoli flavor was really subtle, but I don’t recommend adding it to the mix. Lesson learned!

I topped my pancakes with maple syrup and a few shakes of cinnamon. Yum!

Murphy also enjoyed a heart-shaped breakfast.

(He’s still rockin’ the Christmas placemat!)

With breakfast, I also enjoyed an iced vanilla soy milk latte. Mmm! Heavenly!

During breakfast, Mal and I exchanged Valentine’s Day gifts. We ended up buying each other the exact same card– but, Mal labeled the pugs on the front of his. He named the fawn pug “ugly Murphy wannabe” and the black pug “Ellen” (named after Ellen DeGeneres), which is the female pug that I want to own someday.

So, I did alright with the card part of my husband’s Valentine’s Day gift, but I totally bombed his present!

For some reason, I thought that our $10 or less requirement meant that we were buying each other gag gifts. Needless to say, I was really surprised when I opened Mal’s gift to me: Michael’s Pollan’s Food Rules. I’ve been dying to read this book, so I was psyched that he bought it for me. But, I immediately felt bad about the gift that I bought my husband. I also purchased a book, but it was really dumb compared to the one Mal bought for me. I decided that I will return the book and get my hubby something that shows him how much I care. I’m such a bum sometimes!

Thankfully, Mal laughed about the whole thing… and jokingly made fun of me… all morning long.

Lunch

Once we finished packing-up the last box, Mal and I took a break to have some lunch. We finally went grocery shopping last night, so we had all sorts of nutritious foods to chose from. I made a salad topped with guacamole.

And, I also had a sliced chicken breast, Swiss, and buffalo sauce sandwich on whole wheat bread with a pickle on the side. It was a GOOD one!

Salad + sandwich.

After lunch, I wanted something sweet, so I spread some Barney Butter on half of a piece of bread.

Eli’s Cheesecake Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered! Winning a cheesecake is a great prize, isn’t it?

Here’s your winner: 148

#148 Shannon

I would love the Baileys Irish Cream..Perfect for MARCH! and my wedding is March 27th!!

If you’d like to order a cheesecake from Eli’s, they’ve offered a 20% discount on all orders placed from today until February 23. Just enter the code “tinacake” at checkout.

Ask Me Anything

Here are some more questions and answers!

What TV show do you think should have never been cancelled?

My So Called Life.

Was your blog successful from the start or did it take a while to get popular? How long and do you have any tips for new bloggers?

I started my blog to keep me on track with eating well and exercising in preparation for my upcoming wedding. My blog started as a very personal, online journal, and I had no intention of anyone ever reading it. I definitely didn’t think that it would become such a huge part of my life. Like many new bloggers, I started with just a few readers, but over time, my audience has grown. It’s taken me 2 years, blogging 3 times a day, to get to this point.

If you’re a new blogger and would like some tips, check out my So, You Want To Start a Blog post.

What kind of computer do you use?

I have a 13-inch MacBook, and I absolutely LOVE it! I was a PC girl for as long as I can remember, but I am so happy that I switched to a Mac.

What’s up with “holy yum”? Did you make it up or hear it somewhere else?

Holy yum is the perfect saying for a food that is just so delicious. I believe VeggieGirl coined the term.

Murphy is so adorable, I am considering adopting one myself. I heard somewhere pugs can snore loud at times. Is this true?

Yes! Murphy snores like a chainsaw! He sleeps with us in bed, so I thought his snoring would drive me crazy, but I’m used to it now.

Keep the questions coming: Ask Me Anything!

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Mal and I are heading to Harvard Square and then picking up Beth and Corey from the airport. I’m excited!

See ya!

Tagged as: Ask Me Anything