Mal and I had a nice little Friday night. It started with a CrossFit workout and ended with us lounging on the couch watching a movie, drinking wine, and eating chocolate. It definitely wasn’t a bad way to spend a Friday night!

Workout

Yesterday’s WOD wasn’t super challenging, so it was a nice break from the past several workouts.

Strength:

Handstand Push-ups

3-3-3-3-3-3-3

WOD:

In 12 minutes

Row 2000 meters

In the remaining time AMRAP

Knees to elbows

Score = # of K2E

We started with Handstand Push-ups, which I do with the help of resistance bands. I did 7 sets of 3, no problem, and then attempted a couple of unassisted handstands. I couldn’t press myself up—mostly because my arms were tired—but I was so close! I could feel it! Next time for sure!

For the WOD, we had 12 minutes to do a 2,000 meter row followed by as many Knees to Elbows as you could do for the remaining time. I’ve just started to get the hang of kipping, so I did 5 actual Knees to Elbows + 10 pretty close Knees to Elbows. Hey, I’ll take it. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t even do one!

Snack

Mal and I were starving when we got home from CrossFit, so we immediately broke out some hummus + veggies to snack on. I had cut up a ton of veggies the other day for just this reason, and we ended up plowing through all of them! At least it was a healthy snack!

Dinner

Once dinner was ready, we parked ourselves in front of the TV to watch Super 8. (Super 8 reminded me a lot of The Goonies, so I really liked it. The kid actors were really great, too!)

On the menu for dinner: Veggie Patch Chick’n Nuggets, kale chips, and white wine. I had a coupon for the Chick’n Nuggets, so I bought them on a whim. They were actually pretty good. I’m not sure I’d buy them again because they have a super long crazy list of ingredients, but for a lazy Friday night dinner, they worked out great.

After dinner, I enjoyed a mint Lindt truffle.

And a couple of handfuls of Peanut M & M’s.

And, of course, more wine. Happy Friday to me!

How was your Friday night? Did you enjoy wine, chocolate, and/or a movie?

I can’t believe Mal and I are flying to the West coast again! We were just there less than two weeks ago, but, this time, our visit is for something fun: skiing (me)/snowboarding (him)! Neither of us have ever skied/snowboarded on the West coast, so we are PSYCHED. We’ve heard it’s totally different than the East coast.

Somehow, I managed to fit all of my ski gear (including my helmet) and clothes for five days in a carry-on. I’m still impressed with myself. Just call me the Queen of Packing!

Snack

Murphy went back to bed after eating his breakfast, so Mal and I took him for his morning walk around 10:30. I snacked on a banana while we walked around the neighborhood.

Workout

Our CrossFit was closed today, so Mal and I created our own WOD and did it our basement. No CrossFit? No problem! We cleared some space, turned on some tunes, and got down to work.

WOD

10 rounds for time:

• 10 Push-ups
• 10 Sit-ups
• 10 Air Squats

Murphy didn’t know what to make of the activity in our basement.

Although, he thoroughly enjoyed licking us during the workout.

Mal finished the WOD in 10:15, and I finished 60 seconds later. (Mal can do push-ups a lot faster than me.) In less than 12 minutes, I feel like I got a pretty good workout: 100 push-ups + 100 sit-ups + 100 squats. Woohoo!

After our workout, Mal and I put away our Christmas decorations.

Took down the Christmas tree.

Put our patio furniture in the basement for the winter.

Cleaned the entire house and did three loads of laundry.

We were rock stars today.

Lunch

After all of that, I was more than ready to eat lunch. On the menu: a Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger and sweet potato fries with buffalo sauce.

I finished off lunch with a chocolate from our Advent calendar. (Somehow, we got really behind, so there are still five or six chocolates to eat.)

Hanging with M & m tonight and then catching a super early flight to Seattle in the morning.

See ya on the West coast!

…and the terrible titles continue!!  But, my post title explains things pretty well. I enjoyed two really great snacks this afternoon.

My first snack of the afternoon was a homemade granola bar.

Followed by a yummy surprise!

On my doorstep this afternoon, I found a fun, little package.

Inside was a special something from Stonyfield. I’m not going to lie, I loved the adorable packaging right away. Check out the cute cupcake-like containers!

Inside the box was a 4-pack of Stonyfield Oikos Greek yogurt in chocolate and caramel flavors. Holy yum!

Even though I had just eaten a snack, I couldn’t wait to break into the caramel flavor. I have a weird caramel yogurt/ice cream obsession.

I have to admit, I really don’t like yogurts with fruit at the bottom. No matter how much mix and stir, I can never quite get it right and then the last few bites are super sugary sweet. Ick. So, when I discovered that the caramel-flavored OIkos had caramel at the bottom, I was sort of bummed. But, of course, I didn’t want to jump to conclusions about a potentially decadent dessert-like yogurt.

Well, this yogurt was really, really, really tasty! The caramel was smooth, rich, and sweet, and blended surprisingly well with the thick, creamy yogurt. Each bite was truly a treat! I could definitely see myself enjoying one of these as a dessert after lunch or dinner. The caramel flavor is perfect for a sweet tooth like mine!

I may or may not have used my finger to lick the container clean. Mmm!

Mal had a rough day at work, so I’m taking him out for sushi. Hopefully, an impromptu “date night” with some good conversation and delicious food will lift his spirits.

Oh my gosh, this Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf came out so well! I’m so pleased! It’s super moist and chocolately, almost like chocolate cake, but with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. It would make the perfect dessert after Thanksgiving dinner, especially with a warm cup of coffee or tea.

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 can (7.5 ounces) pumpkin
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Grease loaf pan.

2. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; blend well.

3. Once mixed, pour batter into loaf pan.

4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until top is firm and a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Allow loaf to cool for 15 minutes; dust with powdered sugar (if desired).