Weekly Recap & Ramble

Happy Friday lovelies! 

I took a a few days off from the blog this week. A lot was going on and I just really had nothing fun to ramble about. I also had a small case of writer's block, which I'm sure a lot of us experience from time to time. In my case, it starts to stress me out and I decided to just take a break and focus on other things this week. 

My week looked something like this:

#1: Moved into a brand new office building on Wednesday which is gorgeous. I'm not super happy that I had to downsize from an office to a cubicle but the space is modern and comfortable so I'll get accustomed to it.

#2: Started brainstorming for my new blog design. Woop woop! 

#3: Snuggled with Lola and watched TV in the evenings...while she snored. 

Here's proof:

#4: Got a mani and painted my nails this pretty pink OPI color (of course I can't remember the name now).

#5: Stuck with our healthy meal plan for dinners this week:
 ~ Chicken & shrimp kabobs

~ Baked salmon with broccoli

~ Skinny turkey fajitas

~ Chicken tossed salad

Felt like this at other times. #pms

#6: Enjoyed some red wine & blogging to top off my Thursday night.

#7: The most exciting of all is that we booked our trip to Vegas for 4th of July weekend!! I'm so stoked about this! I went for the first time last year January for a work convention and have been itching to go back. This time it won't be for work and we can do a whole lot more of the shows and fun stuff.

Any recommendations for shows while I plan our trip to Vegas?

Joining Amanda for Friday's Favorites & Tif for High Five For Friday.

Enjoy the weekend ladies!

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

 

Ingredients: 

1.5 lb ground turkey

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup of ketchup

3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 cup of milk

1 cup shredded cheese

Black pepper to taste

What To Do:

1. Grease baking dish and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the two eggs and then mix 1/4 cup ketchup and the remainder of ingredients. Use your hands to mix and blend everything together well. Transfer turkey mixture to baking dish and press firmly into the bottom of the dish.

3. Bake for 45 minutes and then remove. Top with remainder of ketchup spreading evenly. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

 

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2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Foodspotting & Friends Weekend

Another play-it-by-ear weekend, which turned out to be fun-filled with good food, friends and puppy love.

Friday:

We did our usual Friday date night ~ dinner and drinks followed by a relaxing night at home with movies...

And, of course, snuggles with Lola. Our new slogan for her is "that tongue tho"

Saturday:

We took Lola to her puppy training class and then I headed to the hairdresser to get my hair done. I decided to add a burgundy/purple streak in my hair just for fun!

On Saturday night, K and I went for dinner at an Asian tapas restaurant which was amazing! After dinner, we met up with my "Emily-squared" girl friend for some drinks and to plan out the details for our trip to Vegas this summer.

Sunday:

We went to my favorite brunch spot downtown with friends and brought the pups along to play.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Always Welcoming the Weekend

Happy Friday lovelies!

Other than busting my ass at work, this week was pretty uneventful but I guess that's not a bad thing. I actually feel well-rested despite increased work hours + unruly cute puppy that's potty training + rain & fog causing my commute to almost double (don't even get me started on stupid drivers). Either way, this weekend will be used to sleep in and de-stress with a small chance of productivity.

I'm know I'm late to the party but I signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime this week. I've obviously been in the dark about everything this membership comes with (other than 2-day shipping). I'm still figuring out all the perks but I'd love to hear from those that use it, mainly:

(1) What do I need to take advantage of during this 30-day trial?
(2) What really makes continuing with the $99 membership worth it?

 Joining the lovely Amanda and Tif for their Friday linkups. 

Favorite Accessories:

My growing Alex and Ani bangle collection. It's been fun customizing my collection around the things I love and being gifted some new beauties from K & friends.

Favorite Recipe:

This healthy Chicken Chickpea Salad from Ambitious Kitchen looks amazing!

Favorite Fashion & Hair Looks:

Favorite Funnies:

 

Have a great weekend!!

Sushi Hot Spots in Orlando

Shari Sushi Lounge
621 E Central Blvd
Orlando, FL 32801

Shari is my #1 pick for sushi restaurants in Orlando. I've been frequenting Shari for over 5 years and it's a great spot for girls night out or even date night. Their rolls are delicious and the best part is they have happy hour 7 days a week from 5 to 7 pm offering their specialty rolls for only $4.25 along with select wines and cocktails. The volcano roll and JB roll are a must try!

Sushi Pop
310 W Mitchell Hammock Rd
Oviedo, FL 32765

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Kabooki Sushi
3122 E Colonial Dr

Orlando, FL 32803

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Amura Japanese
55 W Church St
Orlando, FL 32801

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Seito Sushi

4898 New Broad St
Orlando, FL 32814

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Izziban

1700 Sand Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32809

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Sushiology

6400 International Dr, Ste 130
Orlando, FL 32819

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Giveaway Winner: Bose Headphones + iTunes Gift Card

Sarah and I are excited to announce the winner of our Bose SoundTrue Headphones + $25 iTunes Gift Card Giveaway randomly selected by the Rafflecopter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We will be in touch with the winner today to get your prizes on the way! You will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

Thank you to everyone who participated!

 

Crockpot Skinny Chicken Pot Pie

Skinny Mom posted this Slow Cooker Pot Pie recipe late last year and I just had to try it. I love making use of my crockpot plus finding ways to cut calories in hearty recipes such as this one is always a win. I made a few small changes to the original recipe but overall I give this recipe 5 stars for being super delicious, fairly healthy (other than the biscuits) and easy to whip together.

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless, boneless chicken breasts
7 red potatoes, peeled (optional) and cubed
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
1 small yellow onion
2 cans Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 bag Birds Eye Frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 cup celery, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
Black pepper (to taste)
Red Cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 can Pillsbury Flaky Biscuits (optional)

What To Do:

1. Place the cubed potatoes at the bottom of crockpot and layer chicken breasts on top.
2.  Evenly layer diced onion, celery and minced garlic over chicken.

3.  In a bowl, mix together the soup, milk, water and chicken stock. Stir in spices and seasonings and pour over the celery, onions, chicken and potatoes. 

4.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 4 hours).

5. 30 minutes before serving, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and shred with fork. Return to crockpot and stir in mixed  frozen vegetables. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
6. Optional: Make biscuits according to directions on the package.

Enjoy!

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin. 

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

January Weekending

After the busyness of the holidays, quiet weekends in January are always welcomed. Time to take the holiday decorations down and snuggle up at home to unwind. 

On Friday night, K and I went to Bonefish Grill for some dinner and drinks. Eating out on Fridays is something I always look forward to since we cook healthy dinners at home during the week.

On Saturday, we took Lola to her first puppy training class which went well. She learned different commands and caught on quickly but she was definitely the most rambunctious in her class which had a pitbull and two miniature collies.

We went for lunch after training at a dog-friendly restaurant and enjoyed sitting outside on the patio in the sunny 60-something weather.

Saturday night was spent at home watching Taken 2 and snuggling with Lola. Since Taken 3 just came out, I wanted to get up to speed before we go see the newest movie.

On Sunday, we headed to a friend's baby shower to celebrate the soon arrival of her son. It was a fun afternoon spent with friends and showering the mom-to-be.

The baby shower had a Dr. Seuss theme with green eggs & ham and lots of Dr. Seuss food and decorations and of course, she got tons of amazing gifts. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.