Happy Monday, friends!
And yes, Monday can be happy. Today, we’re going to ignore the fact that it’s cold, cloudy, and we have to go back to work, and focus on some marvelous things instead. Sound good? I thought so too 😀
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Marvelous… is the fact that I can taste my food again…
Mmmm. Tasty. My nose was only stuffed badly enough to make me lose my sense of taste for about 1.5 days, but that was 1.5 days too long for me. You would think that not being able to taste my food would make me less willing to eat it, but I actually found the opposite to be true – I ended up eating more because nothing satisfied me and I kept picking away at things hoping to be able to detect the slightest taste. Thankfully that nonsense is over with because…
Marvelous… were the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that I baked this weekend…
It was -20°C (-4ºF) here on Sunday, and I wasn’t all that willing to go outside and have my nose fall off so shortly after regaining my taste, so I decided to hole up at home and get some baking done. I used this recipe because I was craving something a little healthier after the crazy sugar comas I got around Christmas, but I increased the butter to ¼ cup and used a mixture of semi sweet and milk chocolate chips. And speaking of which…
Marvelous… are milk chocolate chips in baking…
I’ve always used semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks when I baked cookies, but I couldn’t help grab a baggie of the milk chocolate ones when I saw them in the store and holy.wow are they good. I know that most people in the healthy living community tend to gravitate towards dark chocolate, but you can’t deny the deliciousness that is melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate. Still…
Marvelous… is chocolate in general…
Milk, dark, white… doesn’t matter. I’ve been craving chocolate like crazy lately, and I have no idea why. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a woman. Or maybe it’s simply an issue of chocolate just being so darn delicious. Whatever the case, I haven’t been able to get enough (and believe me, I’ve tried).
Marvelous… is a weekend spent completely unplugged…
Total coffee shop visits: 5
Total movies watched: 4 (Dumb & Dumber, French Kiss, The Devil Wears Prada, The Illusionist)
Total treadmill workouts: 6 (over 3 days, in spurts of 20-30 minutes)
Total boardgames played: 1 epically long one
I barely spent any time on the computer the Internet this weekend (I played some WoW), and it felt so good to unplug. Unfortunately, coming back after a few days of being away is always a little overwhelming, which is why…
Marvelous… is this button right here…
Sometimes, certain measures have to be taken to to keep one’s sanity in tact. Pushing that button is one of my measures. I hope I didn’t miss anything important, but I’ll be catching up with you guys again shortly 🙂 And speaking of certain measures…
Marvelous… is using cookies to fuel a workout…
Red Bull Cookies give you wings. No joke. But on a healthier note…
Marvelous… is fruit…
… but that’s a whole other post in itself – tomorrow’s, actually. For now, I hope your week is off to a great start!
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Do you like milk chocolate or dark chocolate? Be honest!
What’s your favorite thing to eat before a workout? Don’t tell me you’ve never gone the cookie route!
Tell me one thing you did this weekend!
Hell yeah! “Mark all as read” button ftw! My mind has been wandering so far from the blog world recently that I need this lovely button every time I log on and see the 300-600 new posts about somebody else’s life. Sometimes we have to focus on our own life for a change, right? 🙂
Cookies are my secret weapon. They make me invincible 😀 And dark chocolate. Or cookies with dark chocolate! This. Is. Heaven!
Dark chocolate all the way … I usually just have a preworkout supp drink before I exercise or chocolate… eek bad habits I know :S
I’ m more of a dark chocolate fan myself, because milk sometimes make my stomach sick. Those cookies look amazing and I may just need to bake some this weekend :p
I unplugged this weekend too! I’m considering the read all button myself…. Dark chocolate for the win!!
Eee! I spy a few squares of Ghiradelli Sea Salt Soiree! Girl, chocolate infatuation (err, addiction? 😉 ) is something I deal with on a daily basis, so I completely understand where you’re coming from. The cravings never go away, so I’ve found the best way to deal is by giving in. I eat chocolate after nearly every meal. This works well because I’m content with one or two pieces at a time, knowing that more will be enjoyed a few hours later. As for the milk vs. dark debate: BOTH! I always have a bar of each on hand, and alternate between the two. Have you ever tried adding dark chips and milk chips to your cookie dough? It wasn’t until I read this tip on The Food Network, and gave it a go myself, that I realized how much I’d been missing out. Each bite delivers maximum chocolatey-ness! 😀 (And yes, I’ve definitely gone the pre-workout cookie route…multiple times).
It sounds like your weekend really was marvelous! I completely unplugged as well, and it felt SO good. xoxo <3
Agreed, marvelous most definitely is chocolate in general. I truly am a dark chocolate fan though, I’ve always been that way. Ever since I can remember I have eaten baking chocolate straight up, and still do. 🙂
Hehe. As a kid, I remember eating baking chocolate squares when we ran out of everything else and I got desperate, but milk chocolate was always my first choice.
Love this post! I am a big fan of dark chocolate. I even love 99% dark choc for a real chocolaty hit.
I honestly prefer dark chocolate–I was that weird little kid who liked the Hershey’s special dark bars and even some exotic super dark bars that my dad bought one time. Now I love dark chocolate with things added to it, like mint or orange peel or almonds and sea salt.
I’m bad when it comes to workout meals because I just eat whatever pre and post workout. It doesn’t really seem to affect me too much, as long as I stick to smaller size meals, so I’m glad that I don’t have to plan things out too much.
Cookies and chocolate are the most marvelous things in the world. Glad you’re feeling better!
Milk chocolate all the way!!!! So nice to unplug once inawhile!!
I really enjoy dark chocolate, but I have to admit.. Milk chocolate will always hold the key to my heart over any type of chocolate. There is just something about the way it melts in your mouth. Oh gosh, now I want some. Thanks a lot, Ha Ha 🙂
Sometimes I eat during a workout. Usually a homemade protein bar or shake. Is that weird or counteractive? Oh well! 🙂
I literally got up to grab a some chocolate after reading this post!
Chocolate and coffee heal my soul 🙂 I like all kinds, but mostly dark(>70%)… don’t forget about white!
mmmmmm chocolate. I do have to say I’ve always gravitated toward dark (just like my momma), but sometimes you just gotta have milk! White chocolate grosses me out for some reason and I have no idea why :-(. I’ve never seen milk chocolate chips before though, that’d be baller!! I feel like chocolate tastes better when it’s baked into things….maybe I’m just crazy. Anyway. LOVE the sound of your weekend! The Illusionist was SUCH a good movie, and nothin’ beats board games. I really wish I had more friends out here so they could come over and play board games with my cripple self lol! And five coffee shop visits in a weekend? Yeah that sounds like juuuuuust enough to me 😀 Happy monday!
Hahaha I love that you increased the butter in a healthy cookie recipe. LOVE IT. But your weekend seriously sounds awesome. Any weekend involving cookies, chocolate, movies (love The Devil Wears Prada!), and unplugging sounds good to me.
I like both milk and dark chocolate. And white chocolate! All chocolate is good in my books. 😉
One thing I did this weekend was go out for my friend’s birthday… which involved standing in line in the cold for 30 minutes. I was SO not impressed haha. But it was fun once we got in the bar!
Well 2 Tbsp of butter sounded a little ridiculous! I wanted them to be healthy, but not that healthy 😉
I like both kinds of chocolate, honestly. Yum (speaking of yum… what was it you were eating in that first picture. It looks amazing!)
I like to eat a frozen waffle with a little butter or peanut butter.
This weekend I ran 18 miles (training for my first marathon) and it is the furthest I’ve gone. Love it!
Can’t wait to read more of your blog! 🙂
The first picture is my typical breakfast. It’s just a bowl of plain Greek yogurt mixed with a banana and some blueberries, Kashi Cinnamon Harvest, Puffins, and roasted almond butter. And congrats on your 18 miles! That’s really, really impressive!
I loveee me some dark chocolate! Milk chocolate is good, but I prefer the more bitter taste with the dark. I read your comment above about eating raw cacao, I would love to hear more about that if you have time to maybe fit it into a post sometime!
I’ll have to do a little bit more research first, but it’s definitely something I can address 🙂
That’d be great! Thanks!
Dark chocolate all the way! My family is full of die-hard milk chocolate fans, so I am the odd one out. I have even been known to munch on unsweetened chocolate at times. Crazy? Maybe, but I honestly love it!
I like eating post-workout more, since I have a sensitive stomach, but pre-workout, I’d probably go with a smoothie or something that goes down relatively easily and that provides some good, quick carbs. On that thought… maybe cookies would be a good idea too!? Hahah.
One thing I did this weekend was celebrate my 18th birthday! Ack. Such a milestone. I can’t believe I’m considered a legal “adult” now. It’s a little scary, but very exciting at the same time. It was a great weekend. 🙂
!! Well Happy [belated] Birthday, Katie! Glad to hear it was a good one 😀 And being an adult only sounds scary – it’s really not that bad once you get used to it 😉
I definitely loved your “mark all as read” comment… I agree on that one! When I first came back to blogging after the long break, it was up in the 1000s! Yikes, all as read was immediately pressed
I do enjoy dark chocolate especially with almonds (aka chocolate covered almonds) but let’s be honest here, MILK chocolate is the way to go! I know it’s less cocoa, more sugar, blah blah… but mmm so much more sweet 🙂
Hi Amanda,
A delurker and person who enjoys your blog here.
Jealous of your treadmill 🙂 Its terribly viciously cold where I live now and the wind tips the scales on the cold. Not that I work out anyway. I wish.
Chocolate is hard for me to talk about. I eat way too much of it way late at night. I have a big problem with night time eating that is borderline out of control. Anyway, I really like your blog and wonder if you’ve any suggestions for a beginner blogger’s phone choice? I want something really NOT expensive but something that can be found easily (walmart, ha). But I still want to have decent pictures. Thanks. (I don’t have iphone and stuff so that’s not option).
A phone choice? Sorry girl, but phones are definitely not my area of expertise. I’ve been using an iPhone forever so that’s pretty much all I know 😕