Well since we all love the random posts here we go.
*Being a former math teacher I am going to give a little math lesson on here today (don’t panic…it’s not real math). Today’s Math Lesson: Common Denominator. If you get along with almost no one and the people that you have problems with only have problems with you and no one else. Guess what? The common denominator is YOU. Not the other people.
*The winners of the Frontera Margarita and Guac books are Carrie who said “I love a good margarita (I even have a shirt that has margaritas on it!) but a rum and coke also hits the spot too. And my fiance likes to mix Calpico and Korean soju, which is a vast improvement on soju’s rubbing-alcohol flavor.” Yes, you can’t go wrong with Rum and Coke…you can do wrong things after Rum and Coke though. 😛
And Julie who “hope to ruin as many miserable lives as you some day. What an honor! I’ll go with Amaretto Sour for all your sourpuss readers.” Good luck with that Julie it takes a lot of commitment to ruin people’s lives especially when not doing it on purpose. 😀
Congrats to you both. I need you to go and send me your address so I can get those out to you!
*A reader asked me on Facebook what I was going to make with the new Carrot Cake M&M’s. I told her I didn’t even know they existed. I looked up that only Walmart carries them and only at certain stores. No store near me had them. So I had to bribe one of MDP’s co-workers to get them for me. Number one they taste good because people have asked. Number two they taste NOTHING like carrot cake. They taste like spice (which is why I made spice cookies). If you can’t find them just use regular white chocolate.
*There are many perks of being a food blogger (especially one that a few people read). I haven’t gotten to the point of certain bloggers who got a free trip to Hawaii to try out the Four Seasons there (but darn you know I am trying to do that!!!) But you can get partial vacation things paid for and you get invited to a lot of events…I’m going to a distilled liquor event next week. But the best perk is getting to meet people in the industry and sometimes make friendships. Which is the case with my friend G. She works for Ruth’s Chirs Steakhouse in Bellevue and I got invited out to lunch. While Ruth’s Chris is a chain each one has a different vibe in my opinion. This one is not stuffy like some feel and they have a happy hour (not all do) and they serve lunch (which not many do). I got to have my favorite Lobster Bisque. This was liquid heaven in a cup! I wanted to bath in it. I got the steak sandwich which I don’t know what I was expecting but holy yum. And I brought the other half home to MDP and he was like “oh steak sandwich” all calmly. Then bit into it and was like “OMG STEAK sandwich” and annihilated that sandwich. And I finished it with bread pudding (which MDP also polished off later).
So if you are in the Bellevue area shopping or what not go there. Get exactly what I did…with bread and butter. But see if the soup comes in like movie popcorn bucket size.
I bought my wedding shoes this week. 🙂
My dad wanted to me to go fire my gun since it has been awhile. After one round I was back to my old shooting self. Which I’m very good at putting the bullet where I wanted it to go. MDP’s sister joked that he should keep my aim in the back of his mind at all times. 😀
Yeah, we still like each other.
So this last one I can’t really believe I am doing but that is me in Pilates clothing. One of my bridesmaids as a pre-wedding gift gave me some classes to Reformer Pilates. I did mat Pilates and was not a fan. Just like yoga a lot of squishing but my friend B loves it and so I thought okay I will give it a shot. I was nervous having never done anything like this but wow I love it. It’s gentle and hard all at the same time. I’m still definitely in the learning phase and smooth I am not but the place is great and it’s very welcoming. And more importantly they are about exercise for health and not for weight loss. If you lose weight fantastic but that should not be your goal. My goal out of all of this is to be more flexible (MDP may like that as well 😉 ).
I’ve been doing a big mental shift away from hard core exercise. I injure myself a lot because I work out too much. My doctor showed me studies about exercise the new theories of how you only need 30 minutes of low intensity exercise (walking, biking, yoga, etc) 7 days a week. And breaking it up into 10 minute increments throughout the day is even better. **Disclaimer I am not a health care professional I am just spewing what I read. And since this shift guess what? My appetite has decreased greatly. The only days I am starving is the days I play hockey. And while I go and burn about 800 calories in a game I eat them all back and them some because I worked out so hard.
Anyway I chose to post a picture because if you follow me on Pinterest you know that I pin a lot of anti-THINSPO stuff. And I have a board dedicated to loving yourself. I post something positive every time I see a “motivation” pin that calls you lazy or fat. Sure I’m thick waisted but my legs were immediately noticed at Pilates for being amazingly strong and defined. That’s the hand I was dealt with. That boys and girls is my body and I love it. You should love your body too. That body allows me to play hockey, do reformer pilates, run a random 15K when you didn’t plan on it…etc. It does amazing things. Sure it hurts from time to time and my knees crack (I would so fail as a ninja I cannot sneak up) but overall there is no reason not to love it! So I encourage you to stop pinning pictures that make you feel less about yourself as motivation and start posting about how great your already are!
Oatmeal Spice Carrot Cake M&M’s Cookie
½ cup shortening
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar
¼ cup molasses, unsulfured mild
2 eggs
2 TBSP milk
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 bag White Chocolate Carrot Cake M&M’s (if you can’t find use white chocolate)
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream shortening , butter, molasses, and brown sugar.
Add eggs one at a time and scrape down bowl after each addition. Add milk and beat for 30 seconds.
Combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and add to the creamed mixture. Fold in the Carrot Cake M&M’s.
Drop by rounded teaspoonful’s 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until done. Yield: 4 dozen.
Adapted from Taste of Home Magazine
Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat says
Looking great! I love your wedding shoes- and as a bonus you may actually get to wear them again!
Peabody says
@Amy- that’s what I was thinking. I was like what shoes do I love to wear, that are economical, and I will get to wear again!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
You are freaking awesome. Seriously. I love your message tonight… it resonates with me completely. Smooch. Oh yeah, and those cookies look good too!!!!!
Allison Day says
See, this is why I adore you. You’re so funny – “run a random 15K when you didn’t plan on it…” – yeah, I just ran 4 miles today and I was DYING. 😉 But I totally agree with the “workout to be healthy, not to be thin” thing. If I don’t work out, I wheeze worse than a smoker just from walking up stairs (thank you, asthma!) and have managed to injure myself laying in bed (my body’s a brat like that).
P.S. I’m totally intrigued by the idea of those carrot cake M&Ms.
P.P.S. You look amazing! Seriously, that is what a strong, healthy body should look like. Plus I bet you could kick my ass with both arms tied behind your back. 😉
B says
You look great – you know I am right with you on the exercise thing. When it comes to exercise – it is all about balance. I know personally when I was going through fertility treatments this is the exact message me and my doctors were discussing, consistent, low-impact exercise is going to be what sustains you, lets your body function vs. constantly be trying to repair itself.
As a side note – those cookies look amazing. Love spice! Must make.
Jo and Sue says
1. I need those carrot cake M&M’s. Have you tried the coconut flavored M&M’s? They are amazing. Unfortunately I can’t get either in Canada so will have to find someone to smuggle them back for me.
2. Love the “love yourself” message. It definitely needs to be encouraged more! 🙂
3. You are awesome.
laurie says
You look amazing Pea! Keep up with the pilates. 🙂
Erika says
Love this post! You look super cute in your yoga clothes and your pigtails!
I’ll have to try the Ruth’s Chris steak sandwich. My boyfriend and I discovered the best beef tenderloin sliders (which were, if we calculated correctly, $3 a bite but worth it), but that restaurant closed 🙁
Chris says
Thank you again…for putting the right words out there that I needed to read today. I keep getting into that stupid all-or-nothing exercise mentality and, of course, it sinks my boat every time. E.v.e.r.y.t.i.m.e. And over-50 means more susceptibility to injury now…so I’m trying to learn that ‘something’ is good enough because ‘too much’ is just stupid.
Also…love the shoe choice! If I ever experience a do-over, I’ll be right there with you on that one! I mean, my Asics come in every color I want, right?!? Life is good! Thanks for the reminder!!!
Becca - Cookie Jar Treats says
More people need to have a mindset like you, Peabody, myself included. I think going to school should count as a workout though. On Friday’s I have all five of my classes, so I counted how many stairs I climbed somewhere between 300-350 stairs…. so many stairs! But I refuse to use the elevator… the elevators are slower than you actually walking up the stairs…o.O
Anyways, I like that picture of you in your Pilates outfit, and how you’re wearing pigtails. 🙂 You’re adorable!
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction says
Peabody,
Your attitude is wonderful. Unfortunately, I’ve gained weight in the last few years and I’m still gaining. I can’t figure out how to stop it. I’m walking 15 miles a week but my job is sedentary. I’m going to keep trying. I have to say that I probably won’t be posting pictures of myself on my blog because I hated taking pictures when I was thin and now, forget it.
Annamaria
KB says
I didn’t know “thinspo” existed. As a former anorexic, I wish I had never googled it. I can’t express how horrified I was at the idea that something like that exists. Peabody, thank you, thank you, thank you for standing up against it. You are ten times the woman that anyone who pushes anorexia as “beauty” is. You’re MY inspiration – to have self-confidence, a warm smile, eyes with life gleaming in them, and the determination to be the best that YOU can be, not somebody else’s “best.”
April says
I’ve been following you for a while, but this is my first comment 🙂 I love your last paragraph! “Real Women” are not curvy, thin, tall, short, ripped, or any other standard! Real women are all shapes and sizes! And I think you’re awesome.
~April
Jessica says
you are my hero.
Sarah says
Carrot cake M&Ms sound. . .kind of gross to me, but I wanted to comment anyway and tell you that I think you look amazing, and I love your shoes. I just recently bought my first pair of Vans, but they were a red glitter pair.
Kristen says
Love your attitude and the way you motivate others 🙂
Still waiting on that Hawaii trip too… someday!
Carrie says
LOVE the wedding shoes! I also went with a practical shoe choice (turquoise wedges) and am so excited about adding them to my regular shoe collection post wedding. 🙂
I enjoy your anti-thinspo board – it’s a great antidote to all the awful messages women receive about their bodies.
Liz (formerly VeggieGirl) says
Peabody, you’re awesome. Can’t say it enough. P.S. – reformer pilates is tough but fun, but I’m sorry you didn’t like mat pilates 🙁
Rebecca says
Peabody.. you are one of my favourite food bloggers.. loved your post about the trolls. Who are these people, and why do they have so much time on their hands?
Anyway, as an avowed hater of all exercise (I was picked last for all sports teams as a kid.. yes, even after the fat kid), I like pilates. I started doing it strictly to stave off decrepitude, and because I hate aerobic exercise..but I do like it now. It’s great to feel stronger and more flexible.. and good for lazy Type B personalities like me, since it’s non-competitive. Stick with it!