How Almonds Saved My Life

Monday was, well, a "Monday." 

After being at work about 10 minutes, our internet went down.  Since EVERYTHING is on shared drives, I was basically at a standstill. So, I called my boss to see if it would be okay if I ran an errand, and she obliged.

My valve stem/tire pressure monitor and new tire were both in, so rather than waste my afternoon at Sam's, I figured I would take leave from not working and get it done.

My breakfast wasn't all that hardy (a chocolate and coconut butter green monster).  Since I wasn't in my normal routine, a morning snack slipped my mind.  From 10 AM to 12 PM, I was at Sam's, aka the land of excess.  My stomach was growling and I contemplated buying 26 Clif bars just so I could have 1.  Then, I remembered.  Almonds!  In a ziploc in my purse!  Score!  Vapors avoided.

For lunch, I had a salad of spring mix, boiled egg whites, and white beans.  Random, but I didn't want to buy lunch, didn't have anything cooked, and was in a hurry to get back to work.  It was filling enough, or so I thought.

The afternoon at work was hectic.  We had a retirement party for a colleague (with cake and punch, with I skipped, thankyouverymuch.), I had to watch the front desk because our secretary was out, and my stack of work piled up while the internet was down.  An afternoon snack wasn't even a thought.  While watching the front desk, a woman came in and said someone parked outside had a flat tire.  Doh!  I knew it was me immediately.

It was too flat to drive on. :(  So I called Sam's and chewed them out and told them I was on my way as soon as I put on my spare.  Then, called my dad aka my knight in shining armor, who drove over 20 miles to come change my tire for me. :)  I love him! Don't think I was playing damsel in distress; I called to see if he was still in Lake Charles, and when he said he wasn't, I tried my best to convince him I could change it myself. But he wouldn't have it.  I did lower and free my spare all by myself, which rubbed black tire nasties all over my hands.  "Good," I thought, "Those jerks who screwed up my tire will think this poor helpless girl in heels had to change that tire all by herself!"

Needless to say, I spent another hour at Sam's.  And I was famished again.  As I sat at a set of cast aluminum patio furniture, fairly priced at $1400, and stared up at the end aisle display of Clif bars, also fairly priced at $18 for a box of 26, my stomach growling and my anger growing, I remembered my almonds!  Luckily, I hadn't eaten them all earlier in the day.  11 little almonds.  Not only did they, once again, save me from the vapors, they saved those boys in the tire department from lots of hangry ranting!  (Come to find out, they did not put the valve stem on correctly and it caused the tire to lose all of its air.) 

Moral of the story: For your sake and the sake of others, keep snacks in your purse at all times.


Do you carry snacks?

Craving, Hankering, Yearning, Pining, Desiring...I WANT IT!

The prospect of fall weather has me obsessively craving cinnamon. 

I have been sprinkling it on my toast, in my oatmeal, in my smoothies.  All things cinnamon in my belly all the time!

My cinnamon craze led to the creation of

Cinnamon Apple Dip

A very simple, nutritious dip to be served with apples, pears, or any other fruit of choice.  The perfect fall snack!

ingredients
-1/4 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
-1 tbsp cinnamon
-1 packet splenda or sweetener of your choice

directions
- Mix together all ingredients and eat with an in season, perfectly ripe sliced apple.






I enjoyed the dip with a delicious Braeburn apple.

What are you craving this fall?

What I _______(blank) Wednesdays, Vol. 6

I am leaving for vacation today!!! I am going to Punta Cana, Domincan Republic to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday with her and 4 of her friends.  We are spending tonight in Houston because our plane leaves from there at 6:00 AM, which means getting to the airport by 4:00 AM. 

In honor of my vacation, today is:

What I Packed for the Dominican Wednesday

1. swimsuits & cover ups

2. hats

3. dresses, dresses, & more dresses; one romper; & a skirt and a bunch of shirts

4. sandals & accessories

5. gym clothes

There is a gym at our condo.  I am going to take advantage of having a treadmill available and try to get in some incline running to prep for the dreaded bridge. 

6. Pajamas

7. Festive Island Jewelry

8. peanut butter, oatmeal, nuts, coffee, snack bars & homemade snacks

We opted not to go the all inclusive route, but rather rent a private condo.  This way, we can experience more of the country's culture and dine at some local spots.  We will also try to cook at the condo some to save money.

Since I won't be blogging from vacation, I have scheduled some posts for y'all! :)  I will be posting all my recipes of the snacks that I packed.  They are great, healthy snacks that are easy to take along, even internationally!

Check out this FitSugar article about how to prevent weight gain on vacation. I will be using some of these tips over the next week!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and could only pack one thing, what would it be? (Of course you would want to bring loved ones/pets, so let's assume they will be there)