$40 for a Rib-eye?!?!

We're in Rockford people, not New York City. At least my bud light was $3. Now that's a steal.

We finally decided to eat this piece of meat after what seemed like eternity of my brother inspecting it to see if it was in fact "medium". Listen buddy, I'm hungry and don't make me stab you with my knife. It was tasty because this guy below can make even stale cardboard taste good.

Good to be back home.

So this salad is all about the iceberg "no nutritional value" lettuce and coleslawed fake lump crabmeat but it was delicious all the same. Sometimes a girls just gotta have her processed foods. At least the shrimp was real. I hope.

I forgot to look at what was on the pizza exactly because I was too busy wolfing down two slices. I know it had gorgonzola cheese and pears with some type of nut on it as well. Perhaps walnut? I knew it wasn't your average London pizza because it wasn't soggy. Yea, I said it. Wanna fight?

You know you're in America when people are paying more attention to the game than their food. If I didn't love to eat so much, I might be one of them. Either way, I love it! By the way, when did Brett Farve become such an oldie... but goodie?

Happy Birthday to my brother Joe. He's turning 29 tomorrow. You're getting so old. I feel like it was just yesterday you were teasing me.. wait you still are.  Nonetheless. Happy Birthday and quit playing golf because it's obviously made you too skinny. :-D

Bored

This has to be by far the most boring lunch I've had. At least it tasted somewhat good.

Sandwich made out of pita, hummus, spinach, and avocado. Carrots and ranch dressing sold separately.

Dessert:

I found these laying around the house. I'm sure they are a bazillion years old since my mom has chocolate out from the early 2000's.

Song of the day: Bruno Mars "Just the way you are"

Lions and Tigers and.. Deer?

I really couldn't believe my luck. I honestly didn't expect to see anything but birds and bugs! I must have squealed when I saw two deer appear slowly from the right corner of my eye. They didn't run off as fast as I thought they would. I swear the one kept looking back at me to see me watching her. Such a magical moment.

Dang. You can't really see them in this picture but I swear they are there.

Important to stay hydrated and well fed. Thank you Jimmy Johns. I heart you.

There were some stairs involved. I'm hoping my booty got a workout as well :)

Legend goes that a young man fell in love w. a woman from a rival tribe and rather than spend their lives apart, they jumped off the ledge together.

I hiked for a total of 3 1/2 hours. Most of the hike was spent alone as there weren't that many people. As I was leaving, more people decided to show up. It was really peaceful to have most of the trails to myself. Near the end, I ran into someone who said something like aren't you glad the the kids are in school? When I looked at her as if she was crazy, she informed me that the path is usually littered with pesky teenagers during the summer days off. Uhm no thanks. :)

I'm using my mom's slooooowww computer and it is driving me crazy. I can't seem to control any of the layout in this post. Needless to say, I am very excited about the UK to US outlets arriving soon. I went everywhere: Best Buy, Radio Shack, Batteries Plus looking for a damn outlet converter. No such luck! I had to order one from Amazon.

Fall is in the air

I ate a big breakfast and had a big idea:

The orange blob to the right would be this:

Pumpkin is a SUPERFOOD and oh golly thank my lucky stars it is because it is so flavorful (and low in fat!)
I mixed pumpkin, yogurt, and blueberries with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of Wisconsin honey. Mmm..

I had the craziest idea afterwards. I wanna see something beautiful and it isn't going to be found at a sweaty gym.

http://www.starvedrockstatepark.org/

Let's hope I don't get eaten by bears. Are there bears? Lions? Anyone?

Peace yo.

Looking through old pictures..

Aren't animals the joy of life. RIP my kitties!! :)

Speaking of joys.. how about a huge washer and dryer.

I can't believe everyone in London haven't experienced the convenience of a separate washer and dryer. It's about efficiency peeps!! Sigh. I'll miss this.

Snack before my workout in the A.M.

I cringed when I first took a bite out of the Odwalla chocolate bar because it tasted too chalky but after a few more lingering bites, I began to taste the chocolate. I had half before the workout and the other half later on my drive into Oakbrook. You'll be seeing more Odwalla's because they were on sale 5 for $5. Rock on cheap deals.

Breakfast post workout:

I have to measure out my cereal for portion control or else I'll seriously pour in half the box. I like Kashi Go Lean because as it says on the box "As much protein as an egg".

Lookin pretty w. the blueberries. I ate this w. almond milk. Double taste bud explosion. Yumminess.

Lunch and dinner were uneventful so no pictures were taken. Could it be because my mom is on a conference for two days? I've lost all motivation to cook myself a unique dinner. Sad face :(. Let's hope for better luck tomorrow.

Happy Labor day

Thanks Mom!

Lots of veggies and seafood for Pajun, a korean pancake.

The drink was made with equal parts of:

I've never actually mixed the two together before but I loved the combo of the fizziness of the sparkling water and the sweetness of the juice. I remembered to look for 100% juice at the store. Mixing the two also cuts down on the calories without sacrificing taste. Yum!

I went and saw this with my mother

I've seen this twice already and cried both times. I suggest bringing a tissue if you're sort of a sap like me.  I haven't read the book so I'm not sure how well the book translated into a movie but I give it a two thumbs up. The only downside is that its pretty long.

I was ravishingly hungry after the movie so I snacked

Sabra aka my favorite packaged humus. Yay for being back in the States!

Dinner once again was made by my momma.

That's a cucumber veggie mixture with some kalbi, sauteed kale, and brown rice.

Dessert:

I reviewed for my French lesson on my downtime today so I think I deserve a little mindless junk aka Real Housewives reunion show and the Bachelor Pad :o)

Beep beep beep...

That was the sound my camera made before it died out. Dang.. At least I was able to upload some pictures of my breakfast.

I finally found unsweetened almond milk at the store yesterday. Hells yeah..

Who knew you could turn almonds into this?! Now if only I could find this in London.

I like this Greek yogurt over my other brand Fage, its creamier.

Yogurt bowl w. sliced almonds and fruit. So refreshing after eating like crap for the past couple of days. I had a burger at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Who does that?

I tried this new spread

It's like dessert for breakfast. mmmm...Even my mom had some on her toast and she doesn't like it sweet. It's more peanut buttery than chocolate.

After breakfast, I ran the same 6 mile path I did a few days ago. It was a bit harder to run today than the last time. I think it was due to all the junk I put into my body. It's so easy for me to eat unhealthy when I'm here in the States. I don't know why. O well. No use beating myself up. Time to get back on track!!

Song of the day: "She is love" by Parachute VA