Things I Like: Martin + Osa Skirt

Oh my, I am in love with this skirt. I'm especially fond of its length and its giant pockets. Perfect. I tried my best to include a picture of it on this post, but the only size image I could import was the size of my thumbnail.

I'm hoping Federer has a big win on Sunday. If the husband is in a good mood maybe I can convince him to make a stop at Martin + Osa ...

Last night, just after 1:30 am, our little friend next door decided to revive her screaming tantrums. This great fun lasted until around 2:15, when a car alarm started blaring in the parking lot. We tossed and turned and complained about it for several minutes. Then G commented that the horn sounded like the Green Demon's (my car). I sprang out of bed and ran into the living room. I looked out the window and saw the Green Demon's light flashing. I was shocked that my little car was causing the chaos. I asked G if he was going to go outside and take care of it (I'll be the first to admit I was a little scared), to which he responded that his foot hurt too much and he didn't think he should leave the apartment.* Now, I am not the friendliest or most understanding person in the morning. Especially at 2:20 in the morning. As I threw on the first coat I could grab and my red Crocs (which complemented my Snoopy boxers and tank top very nicely, I might add), I told him that was the lamest excuse I'd heard in a long time and stormed out the door. I managed to get the alarm turned off and made my way back to our apartment, where I found my husband peeking outside through a crack in the blinds in our bedroom. I think he was scared, too.

After breakfast this morning, I did a little investigating on the interweb and found a few other people who own Neons made in the same year who have experienced similar problems. One of them made it sound like it happened almost every night. Looks like we could have lots of fun nights ahead of us..

*I have always hated being outside at night by myself. Being outside while investigating what tripped the Green Demon's alarm system was a less than ideal situation for me.

Chicken Enchiladas

Shortly after we moved to MN, I made enchiladas using a canned sauce that was horrible. And by horrible, I mean difficult to even put in our mouths. I tried a new recipe - and a new brand of sauce - last tonight and the final product was awesome. Here's the link to the recipe. And here are the changes I made:

* I substituted extra virgin olive oil for vegetable oil
* Chili pepper instead of Mexican spice blend (does that even exist?)
* 4 teaspoons canned chopped green chilies (I omitted all other peppers)
* The corn provides a nice sweetness, so I added a little extra

I should also mention that I used 1/2 the amount of chicken and spices, but all of the stewed tomatoes. I started with one can (14.5 ounces), but there wasn't enough liquid so I added the extra can. That decision resulted in way too many tomato chunks. I think next time I'd use one 14.5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes and a little (1/3 cup?) chicken broth. Maybe.

Julie and Julia

I've wanted to read Julie & Julia for a long time (blasted school books!), but have yet to track down a copy. I think a trip to the library is in order asap because the movie adaptation of the book is going to be released on August 7th. I must see it! Does anyone else think the trailer looks good?

The Lunch Cube

When I started packing lunches for G, I looked around for an alternative to plastic baggies. I figured we'd go through a lot of them (and we do - especially on the days I work) and thought if I could find a different way of wrapping food we'd ultimately save money and some space in a landfill.

Today I stumbled across these BPA-free storage containers:
The lunch cube (on the right) is pretty inexpensive. In fact, it costs just a little more than a box of ziploc bags.

I got to thinking that it probably wouldn't fit in our lunch bags, so I poked around the interweb searching for carrying cases. I liked what I found:
Unfortunately, the lug lunch bag is a little too expensive for me. It's cute, though, isn't it?

We'll still try the lunch cube...just need to figure out how to keep the food cool without having to invest in special, expensive lunch cube accessories.

News Quiz

Check out this current events/news quiz. The average person in my age group (18-29) ranks in the 28th percentile. What's your score? I managed to get all of the questions right, but for two of those questions I had to make some educated guesses.

I'm off to my research site for the day. More later!

Menu Monday

For the last week, we've been trying to up the protein we consume during breakfast. It's a bit more time consuming, but the longer it's part of routine, the easier it will be. At least that's what I tell myself.

Monday
Breakfast: G = one slice Canadian bacon, one slice cheddar cheese, one scrambled egg sandwiched between a toasted wholewheat English muffin; A = yogurt with flax, 1/2 bagel
Lunch: A + G = Pasta salad (3/4 cup mini penne, chopped tomatoes and feta tossed in light Italian dressing), pear and string cheese. G also had cookies and a juice box.
Dinner: G= Turkey burger, A= veggie burger, steamed broccoli and carrots, roasted potatoes

Tuesday
Breakfast: Same as Monday
Lunch: Same as Monday
Dinner: G= Turkey burger, A= veggie burger; veggies

Wednesday
Breakfast: Same as Monday
Lunch: Same as Monday
Dinner: Chicken enchiladas (from the most recent Food Network magazine)

Thursday
Breakfast: Same as Monday
Lunch: G = tuna fish sandwich, yogurt, chips and salsa, apple, cookie; A = leftovers
Dinner: leftover enchiladas

Friday
Breakfast: Same as Monday
Lunch: Same as Thursday
Dinner: Salad and pizza

Saturday
Breakfast: Fiber One raisin bran