What I’m Loving Wednesday 8.22.12

1. Sometimes you just need a damn cookie, right? Last week, Dane and I went to Great Harvest during our lunch break for a much-needed treat. These frosted sugar cookies hit the spot. Aren’t they pretty?

2. I have been needing a lot of cookies lately. I don’t recommend this as a healthy breakfast, but I do recommend it as a delicious breakfast. Breakfast of champions or breakfast of children? Don’t answer that.

3. My best friend and I bought each other very similar birthday presents: a bag of goodies that included wine, something sentimental, something girly, and of course, candy. I bought her an old-school favorite, Jordan almonds. It was only natural that we pose with them.

We quickly remembered that Jordan almonds are not that great.

4. Black Bean Co. has some really good e-mail specials. On Monday, some of their wraps were half off, so Danielle and I went for lunch. You know that I got two wraps. Why wouldn’t I at that price? They’re big enough to split between lunch and dinner, so yes, I ate Black Bean Co. four times in 2 days.

On Monday I had the Baja Style: turkey, spicy goddess sauce, green onions, mixed greens, jasmine rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole. This is another favorite.

On Tuesday I had the Beach Burrito: roasted chicken breast, black beans & rice, mixed greens, sprouts, fresh guacamole and mango salsa. This one was good too, but I preferred the Baja because of the spicy sauce.

Can you tell I’m on a mission to try every single wrap?

5. I’m also on a mission to try every single Voskos Greek yogurt. I’ve only got a couple flavors left, but so far I like the honey vanilla bean best. Have you had Voskos Greek yogurt before?

6. Problems? Pick yourself up, eat a cookie, and move on. Everything will be okay.

Guest Blogger: My Best Friend Nancy

Hey y'all!! I am super excited about being a guest blogger—VERY out of my element! So I will start with a little bit about Christina, a little bit about me, and then I'll get to the real post...

I have known Christina for 13 years. We met in middle school, were completely insane in high school (no, really-it was bad), went off to college together, and even lived together for a hot minute. We seriously never see each other (boo) but we are in love 'til the end. You can read more about our love story here. As her oldest friend, I feel obligated and entitled to embarrass her, so I will! Here are some things you may not know about our fabulous foodie:

1. There was a brief period in her tween years that she REALLY liked the Teletubbies. Po, if I'm not mistaken.

2. She used to eat pickles wrapped in American cheese with mayonnaise spread in between. No, this is not a joke. I am positive that this does not occur anymore.

3. If you like your life, do not get in a car with this woman. You'll be praying the whole way to your destination.

4. She dated Sk8er boys in high school. ha.

5. In our college dorm, when most 18 year old girls would have posters of half-naked men on the walls, she had posters of half-naked Britney Spears on the wall.

OK, OK, five things are enough. :)

My turn. My life is NUTS. I work full time, I go to school full time, I am married to the best husband ever, and we have three kids. Ryley is 5, Grayson is 3, and Camryn is 21 months.

As you can imagine, it's literally everything I can do not to go crazy. IF I have a spare moment to myself, I love shopping, the beach, having a drink or two or six (oops), and really just hanging out with my friends and sisters. Ryan and I LOVE food. We will cook an awesome meal, and sit down and watch food network. This is our idea of fun! My favorite foods are Southern-American, a good steak, Mexican, and Japanese. Not exactly the best things for you in the world. But I believe in balance, and I try to eat really well all week long if I know I am going to a barbeque or the hibachi grill on the weekend.

And here comes my dilemma:

I will admit, ever since I went back to school I have been eating fast food WAY too often. Like twice a week on average. This is not OK. Good thing Lent started on March 9^th. So, for Lent I have decided that I am going to give that crap up. I will pray to the Chick-fil-a Gods to forgive me later. I'm also not sure if its OK to talk about Lent and Chick-fil-a Gods in the same sentence...but I digress...

Time for me to find some healthy, family friendly meals that can be made super duper FAST. The answer? SLOW COOKER!! Here are the ones that I found online and can't wait to prepare:

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken - With some fresh, blanched broccoli or zucchini on the side, my kids will love this!

Slow Cooker Braised Pork with Salsa - I'm definitely going to go with some quinoa on this one!

Do you give up anything for Lent—even if its for more of a restraint or cleansing reason than religious? What will you do this year?

Do you do a big binge before a fast? I definitely had a Spicy Chicken Deluxe with pepper jack and extra pickles on Tuesday night. Oh no! Does that mean no drinks too? Ugh....I will miss you diet lemonade.

I love you, Nina, and hope you have the best time ever in New York! EAT EVERYTHING!!!!!!

<3, Nancy