Ari, Author at Ari's Menu

Skinnified Sunday: Peppermint White Mocha Cupcakes

November 6, 2011 · by Ari ·

Hi friends! I have been waiting for Starbucks’ official Christmas launch to make the cupcakes that have been on my mind since October! I would just like to say that with all the promoting I do, Starbucks should sponsor this blog or something haha. Hey there Starbucks execs…want to pay me to turn your delicious drinks into healthier baked goods? Let’s make that happen. I woke up yesterday bright and early (shocker…the idea of sleeping in is completely lost on me) and ready to bake!

Let’s pretend those extra laugh lines up there are just because it was early and my skin wasn’t quite awake yet. Oh well, at least they’re not frown lines. Anyway, moving on! Steve and I headed over to the bux to get some fresh coffee and via for the cupcakes and some coffee for ourselves. My recent order now that it’s cold outside: Grande bold coffee, 1 pump sf mocha, 1 pump sf peppermint, 2 pumps sf vanilla, steamed soy. Not a misto–that is like half milk, just with soy milk that is steamed and foamy. Tastes just like a peppermint mocha! Delicious. You have to get over the embarrassment of a complicated order, but it’s worth it 😉

We came home and got right to the baking, while Winnie and Clem got right to their business: being cute.

“Mom, where are my cupcakes?”

Clementine lately has been really into humping Winston. She really wants to be the boss these days and it always cracks us up because he is so much bigger than her!

Winston is just like “yeah, okay, do what you want. I’m still the boss around here.”

Okaaayyyy, onto the cupcakes!

White Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes from Cake on the Brain

Skinnified Peppermint White Mocha Cupcakes

yield 36 mini cupcakes

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup Splenda
1 1/2 packets Starbucks via (or any instant coffee)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 oz grain sweetened white chocolate + 36 chips
1/4 cup strong coffee, + extra for brushing
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, line 36 mini muffin tins and spray inside liners (otherwise they will stick).
2. In mixer, combine flour, sugar, Splenda, via and salt.
3. Melt chocolate with coffee. Allow to cool slightly.
4. Add melted chocolate mixture to flour mixture and mix lightly.
5. Add yogurt, vanilla, peppermint, baking soda and egg whites and beat for 2 minutes.
6. Fill muffin tins 1/2 way to top, place 1 white chocolate chip in center, then fill up until they are 3/4 full (I pour it all into a freezer bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner).
7. Bake for 24 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
8. Using a toothpick, poke several holes in each cupcake and brush with coffee.
9. Cool completely and frost with peppermint cream cheese frosting.

Original Frosting

from Gimme Some Oven

8 oz. (1 brick) cream cheese, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar (depending on the thickness you’d like)
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

My Swaps:

Low fat cream cheese for regular (-fat, -calories)
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar for 3-4 (-sugar, -calories)
2 tbs light whipped butter for 4 regular (-fat, -calories)

Skinnified Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

yield frosting for 40-50 mini cupcakes

8 oz. (1 brick) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs light whipped butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and extracts.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar, scraping down sides of bowl when necessary.
3. Transfer to freezer bag (or pastry bag if you’re fancy), cut small hole in the corner of the bag and frost!

C is for Clementine, W for Winston, S for Steve and A for Ari! Steve didn’t figure that one out right away 😉 and the heart is for love–duhhh! Yeah, I’m a cheeseball

Oh yeah, top with sprinkles! It makes it more fun! Pink for peppermint, brown for chocolate. I am so original 😉

They were soooo yummy! We had to take them immediately to our friends at the Bux and my mom so that our whole kitchen didn’t look like this

I also made regular peppermint mocha ones which I loved ALMOST as much. I just love white chocolate. Recipe coming soon. And before the season if over, you know there will be gingerbread latte (prob my fav Starbucks drink!), eggnog latte and caramel brulee latte treats coming your way. Stay tuned friends!

State Fair

November 5, 2011 · by Ari ·

You know what else happens here in the Fall that I love??? The state fair!!! Ever since I was really young, it was a tradition for my dad to take me every year. I remember playing all the games until one of us (well let’s be honest–it was never me) won the exact prize I wanted. I remember my dad carrying around huge arm fulls of stuffed animals. I remember always taking home the delicious fair fudge. For some people fair food is about deep fryers. For my family, it is the fudge. Last year, schedules did not work out and we never got to go together. Booooo. This year we tried to go, drove there and then realized it was closed on Tuesdays. Double booooooo. But luckily, last night it all finally worked out!!! Hooray!! Hermano and I were stoked.

The weather was pretty awful (of course the ONE night is is windy and rainy in Phoenix is the night we go to the fair) so Steve left his camera at home, and all of these horrible quality photos were taken from my cell phone. We’ll all live with the bad photos. The world will not end 😉

As soon as we walked in we walked right up to my least favorite part of going to the fair with Hermano and my dad…

They will seriously spend HOURS at the basketball games sometimes!! Luckily (for me, anyway), this one was ridiculous and lame, so they each tried once and then we were able to be on our way.

You were supposed to make 8 shots in 15 seconds. Can you even TAKE 8 shots in 15 seconds? Well I can tell you who definitely can NOT: My Dad. He still has some moves on him, but they are ssssslllllooooowwwwww moves. Speed is not his forte 😉 Hermano either, but I think he at least took 8 shots haha.

Then we came right up to my fair weakness–the fudge stand!! Did I mention that a long run day may not be the best day to be surrounded by tons of tempting food? I’m always a bottomless pit on those days! And of course, they had PUMPKIN FUDGE. Yummmm. I was going to just pass by and let it be, but my dad offered to get a piece so that I could have a bite because all I really wanted was a taste. Couldn’t say no to that! He ended up getting the black forest flavor and Hermano and I split a half slice of pumpkin which the nice lady cut into tiny bite size pieces. It was sooooo sweet that all I ended up even wanting was a small piece, but it did the trick!

We also did a couple of fun houses. Yes, they are a little lame, but they are still fun to me!

Obviously Hermano is a pro.

After posing for this shot, one of the fair guys came up and tried to help Hermano. He thought he had actually fallen and was hurt. Nice to know those fair people are there to help! Better than the carnie with no teeth that told Steve I should put out because he won me a stuffed animal. Yikes. That was a few years ago, I was much more impressed with the carnies this year 🙂

One of the best parts was this entertainment show we stumbled across. First I thought it was sword swallowing, but then it turned out to be torch juggling

This guy was not only talented, but pretty hilarious. Also, the drunkies around shouting ridiculously were pretty entertaining.

There were blades! Just not being swallowed. Instead, they were juggled on a unicycle on a tight rope. I was only mildly afraid of one of them flying out and chopping my head off.

After the show, we all did the bumper cars which were….ummmm…well they were okay. We had fun even though the cars themselves kinda sucked.

Steve kept complaining about the steering and technical capabilities haha. He’s such a car nerd. Steve and I also did one of those dress up antique pictures where we dressed as pirates, and Hermano and I went on the ride where it takes you up in the air and drops you.

Then we had an amazing dinner that I took no pictures of because I was too hungry at our family’s favorite restaurant–Avanti’s!! It is seriously the best Italian food in the world. I am not the biggest fan of Italian these days, but it sounded amazing last night. I ended up with some delicious salmon with a lemon sauce and taking bites of the real amazing stuff–everyone else’s pasta. I just can’t eat a whole dinner of pasta anymore. I don’t like the way I feel after, but that doesn’t stop me from sneaking bites from everyone else’s! Then Hermano played piano–on weekends they have a live pianist, but they always let Jacob play! It’s so awesome!! He did amazing and even got $20 tip from a stranger! Sweeeeeet!! I was also coerced into singing with him which went better than you would expect at 10pm after a glass of wine haha.

All in all, amazing night with my amazing family. 🙂

Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?

November 4, 2011 · by Ari ·

I have been geeking out over the fact that we would be running a movie title for weeks now. I still haven’t watched the movie, but I have a new found desire to drop everything and curl up on the couch with the puppies and watch it with popcorn in hand. I even thought about creating an exclusively Eminem play list for the occasion. What can I say? I like themese 😉 But a home girl got busy and that never happened. I will give you this, my very fav Eminem song. I love love love it.

Now the part you’ve all been waiting for. Or the part that I’ve been excited to share!

Confession: At about mile 7, we did pause Garmi and go into McD’s for a glass of water. We also seemed to hit every single stop light on the last mile which I always pause Garmi for because it doesn’t seem fair to have my time ticking away while I can’t run! But I think those extra pauses made it a ~~little~~ lot easier to pick up the pace. Still, I feel Fing ecstatic about that time. I almost used the real word, I feel so excited, but keepin it PG for the kiddos up in here. Except I posted Eminem which is full of expletives. Whatev. I ran 8 freaking miles with an average pace of 9:54. And in case I haven’t bragged enough this post, I will show you my next favorite part…the splits!:

Nooooo silly, these splits!

Mile 1–11:06
Mile 2–10:40
Mile 3–10:20
Mile 4–10:00
Mile 5–9:58
Mile 6–9:44
Mile 7–9:11
Mile 8–8:16!!!!!!!

Ok, yes, mile 8 is where all the stars aligned and the traffic lights made my life easier, but I have never in mylife seen an 8:16 mile, so we’re going to pretend that was all me. And Kara. Kara even had serious achilles pain the last few miles and stuck it out and ROCKED it!!! There is no way I could do this without her!!

After our run I made us pumpkin pie smoothies (so yummy) and had to rush to my first physical therapy appt. I finally saw a dr for the pain in my hip and mentioned how my achilles pain is worsening and she recommended physical therapy–3x a week for 4 weeks., Oy! It wasn’t too bad. My right hip is def super tight right now and my range of ankle motion is pathetic. My right foot only barely gets to neutral which is not great. Hopefully this will help. There is nothing that I’m going to let hold me back. I am running this race!

Now I’m in my sweat pants and all I want to do is sit here and drink my delicious hot coffee

Fall is here, I think~~~ YAY!!!! Also, on my rush out the door, I realized this loveliness was waiting for me on the fridge

Most wonderful supportive husband ever. I’m so lucky 😉 I love that he knew the fridge was the place to catch my attention. Haha.

Okay, so here’s what I learned on my run today

1. No matter what happens, long runs are the BEST part of training. 2 out of 2 of us agree 🙂 Few things in life feel better than completing a long run!
2. The days of no food before a long run are no longer. I ate dinner at about 5pm yesterday and never eat before a run because I have to wait 30 minutes after I take my thyroid meds, and then the idea of waiting more time for my food to settle just does not work for me, but I have to figure something out. Today I actually felt myself run out of fuel at about mile 5.
3. The time to start mild carb loading the night before long runs is here (yay?). Nothing crazy, but if you see above, my dinner yesterday was not working for me this morning. I had eaten out at lunch and felt like my calories were probably pretty high so I had a lightish dinner (about 350 calories) which was long gone this morning.
4. I need to get that gu crap. I’ve been avoiding it because it sounds gross and I don’t want to carry it around, but I need the extra burst of energy to get me through now.
5. The time for ice baths is definitely here. I know for seasoned long distance runners, 8 miles is nothing, but before October, I had never run more than 3. Ever. This is an adjustment.
6. When we started, Kara and I both could only run 3 miles (repeat myself much?) leaving a total of 10 miles to train for essentially. Today we reached the half way mark in our training. The last of the half way marks and we really are almost there.
7. If I had eaten, and Kara hasn’t hurt herself today, we could have gone an other mile or 2. I had it in me. I can do this. I can do anything.

Well I guess I have to change out of my sweat pants to go to work. What’s up with dress codes? I can put them back on before I teach voice this evening 😉 The joys of working from home!

Today, I feel really good. I don’t feel overly exhausted. I feel excited and proud and capable. Annnnndddd my last piece of exciting news…!!!!

I’M FINALLY GOING ON VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!

Dec 28-Jan 2: Boston

Jan 2-Jan 4: NYC

I have 2 fabulous friends who have agreed to run with me in NYC–specifically Central Park 🙂 Anyone wanna run with me in Boston? I’m planned my trip around being able to get a long run in before I leave (judge away), but I could use a friend to get me through a couple 3-4 milers in the cold or help me not die of boredom on the treadmill. Let’s make that happen!

I hope everyone’s Friday is going as amazingly as mine!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Skinnified “Spaghetti” and Meat Sauce

November 3, 2011 · by Ari ·

AKA Spaghetti and Meat Sauce gets a huge make over!

Normal Spaghetti and Meat Sauce:

thick starchy carb loaded spaghetti noodles
fatty ground beef and pork
bland tamatoey sauce

My swaps are simple, and they make a HUGE difference in this recipe nutrition wise, but do not lack any of the flavor or comfort of the original dish. Here they are:

Spaghetti squash for spaghetti (-TONS of calories, +vitamins and other good stuff)
99% lean ground turkey for beef/pork (-fat, -almost HALF the calories)
Extra spicy seasonings to give a diablo flair (+yum)

“Spaghetti” and Meat Sauce

yield 5

2 large spaghetti squash, cut length wise and seeded
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 packet spaghetti sauce seasonings
1 1/4 lb 99% lean ground turkey
cayenne pepper (or any spicy seasoning), Italian seasonings, salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (opt)

Directions:

1. Rub olive oil evenly between 4 squash halves.
2. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.
3. Place face down in sprayed baking dish and roast for 40-50 minutes @ 375.
4. Brown turkey in large sauce pan.
5. Add tomato paste, seasonings and water (see packet for water measurements).
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened and squash is fully cooked.
7. Remove squash from oven and using a fork, scrape out “spaghetti” strings.
8. Add “spaghetti” to sauce, stir well.
9. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired.
10. Enjoy!

**Some words on spaghetti squash**

When the squash is done, the spaghetti like strings will easily come out when scraped with a fork.
The texture is not the same as regular spaghetti, so if you’re expecting soft, melt in your mouth noodles, I’m sorry, it just isn’t so. It’s more like an al dente pasta–a little crisper, but the taste is seriously amazing.
I made this dish for an all male audience and one of them (Hermano) is 14 and picky. They all loved it.
Just TRY the spaghetti squash–this entire meal cost about $15 and has about 250 calories a serving. A FILLING serving. Just try it!!

The Great Blogger Cookie Swap!

November 2, 2011 · by Ari ·

I am ohhhh so excited!!! I found this on Courtney’s page and knew I had to join in!

The way it works is you go to the info page, sign up and then you send 12 cookies to the three people you’re assigned and you will receive a dozen cookies from 3 other food bloggers! Fun fun fun fun fun!!! I LOVE COOKIES! And sharing! And surprises and presents and HOLIDAYS!!!! Hooray.

Now to figure out what I’m going to make! Heath, you would love this–you should sign up!!!

Cardio, Cardio, But Not a Dumbell in Sight

November 2, 2011 · by Ari ·

Hi friends! Well, Winston had a pretty great 2nd birthday I think. He started his morning with a treat and ended it with a walk around the block. Walks are his favorite. All I do is say “Go for a walk?” and he starts actin a fool! I started off yesterday with an abs/upper body work out and Spin with my fav teacher Linda! Class was awesome as usual except for one thing! She got off her bike about half way through and started checking everyone to make sure they were at the gear she thought they should be at. She walked around and checked every single bike in the room except for mine! I’m in the corner and I just got skipped. Of course me being a total teacher’s pet wanted to raise my hand and say “Wait wait wait!! Check on me check on me!!! Validate me, my spinning, and my gear!!” But luckily I have some social grace and just kept spinning haha. I was always that kid in school raising my hand super annoyingly so I could get called on and show off how smart I thought I was 🙂 Anyway, I ended spin feeling really good and getting in some decent mileage.

Came home to some delicious oats in a pumpkin butter jar! Sooooo yummy

This morning I went on a 3 mile run all alone since Kara has a lame schedule today, but I maintained a pretty good pace!

Came home, dip 50 dips and called it a tricep work out. I really suck at the strength training lately. Someone please say something motivating so that I can get my butt back to the weight room! I was also surprised with a skinny peppermint mocha from my fabulous husband! I love surprises and coffee surprises are often the best ones! Off to drink more coffee because I’m addicted. Have a fabulous day everyone!

Our Halloween

November 1, 2011 · by Ari ·

Hi friends! How was everyone’s Halloween? Ours was perfect. I had been so bummed thinking I was going to have to work on Halloween, but it all worked out and we were able to cancel rehearsal and I was able to spend a relaxing night with my fav guys which was exactly what I needed! Steve, Hermano, Winston and Clementine left around 5pm to head over to Jason’s. “Winston! Clementine! Wanna go for a ride to uncle Jason’s?!” Winston knows English better than Clementine and started whining and running around in circles. So cute. We have to spell things like ride, treat, and walk in front of him if we’re not actually planning to make it happen. Learned that lesson the hard way. As soon as we opened the car door, they both jumped right in, tails wagging.

Once we got there, we put Steve and Hermano on trick or treater duty and Jason and I headed to the store to buy some things we needed for dinner. We made “spaghetti” and spicy meat sauce

with a spinach salad

and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Everything was delicious and I will be posting recipes ASAP!

After dinner and once trick or treating died down (Jason gets sooo many! We ran out of candy. Whoops.) We played with the puppies and Winston got to spend some quality time with his girlfriend Nico.

You can’t see it too well in the picture above, but this year, Winston dressed up as a rooster!

And Clementine was a bee!

One of my students suggested we take them trick or treating and that people should pass out dog treats! Brilliance. Unfortunately, I don’t think the rest of the world has caught on, so we gave them our own treats.

Does it make me an old lady is my perfect Halloween is staying in watching movies, cooking dinner, and dressing up my puppies?

What’s your favorite part of Halloween?

Happy 2nd Birthday Winston!

November 1, 2011 · by Ari ·

Today is a very special day in our house! Today, Winnie turns 2 years old! We don’t know his EXACT birthdate, but when we got him, we were told he was 10 months old, so we decided on November 1st as the day to celebrate his birthday. He got a treat first thing this morning to celebrate 🙂

This little puppy (yes, I still call him a puppy) means the world to me. Remember Winston’s First Year? If you haven’t read that post, it is probably my favorite one I’ve ever written. I love this little guy and can’t wait to spend the day making sure he fully enjoys his birthday!

When we first met him

I’m so glad we were able to rescue the greatest dog on Earth!

Massages Necessary

October 31, 2011 · by Ari ·

Whoo! Except for the recipe for Bethy’s cupcakes, I am finally caught up on blogging from my crazy weekend! I started this morning with a run around the lake–the one with the duckies–with Kara. I’ve felt pretty motivated to work on speed in these shorter runs lately, so check this out!!!

Hiiiiii YA! I felt pretty fantastic about that, aaaaannnndddd you may ask “What was your time on your last lap?” Or maybe I just want you to ask because it was 8:41!!! We had all negative splits and our first mile was the only one averaging above 10:00. Not sure if I’ll be able to make that happen again any time soon, but I’m glad it happened today!!

After our run, we hit up Sprouts because apparently my skeptic attitude about chia seeds has done a 180 and all the sudden I couldn’t imagine being out. Weird. Also, my amazing friend John told me that Sprouts had them $2 a lb cheaper than Whole Foods! Sweeeeeet!

Clearly, I have a problem. Look what else I found while I was there!

Same calories as a bagel thin, but they are thick and fluffy! And they have tons of protein and fiber! Score!

Then I grabbed an iced coffee and came home to the breakfast I’d been dreaming about for like 3 days since I used the last of my PB & Co cinnamon raisin swirl–oats in a jar!

After breakfast, I had an appt for a massage! I have a hard time making appts like this for myself because I get stressed out making time, but it was much needed. I’ve been experiencing pain in my right hip and left heel since my long run on Saturday, and I also get serious tension head aches usually at least twice a week. Turns out, the massage therapist agrees and I am a hot mess. She gave me some new stretches for my achilles tendons, worked the crap out of my neck and enlightened me as to why my right hip was probably bugging me–Uneven sidewalks! She suggested I switch up which sides of the street I’m running on and try going the opposite way around the lake to even things out. Apparently, my neck, right hip, calves and heels are kind of a hot mess. Oy. I will definitely be going back and trying to take more time to give my body the thank you it deserves for carrying me all those miles!

When I came home, I decided to try my new bagels out for lunch. Toasted, topped with sliced tomato and reduced fat muenster cheese then stuck it under the ~~burner~~ broiler until the cheese was melty. Delicious.

Now I’m off to my really annoying 2 hours of work (couldn’t I just have the ENTIRE day off??? Pleasssseee??) and then celebrating Halloween with Steve, Jason, Hermano and the puppies. I have an amazing surprise for you tomorrow. I’ll give you a hint: it involves really cute puppies looking extra cute in funny costumes. 😉

Skinnified Pumpkin Pie French Toast

October 31, 2011 · by Ari ·

When I saw Nicole’s recipe for pumpkin pie french toast, I wiped the drool from my mouth and began day dreaming about how I would make it myself. With all the plans and business happening in my life, I’ve been eating out a LOT. I used to love going out to eat, but let me tell you, after this weekend I am really pretty sick of it. I just want the time to make the food I want to make in my own kitchen, and have someone else clean up after me. Is that too much to ask?! 😉 I have tons of recipes doggy eared and book marked that I am just waiting to try out. Now, ask me by the end of December and I will tell you “Uuugghhh, I’m so tired of cooking and baking and hosting. Just take me to Chipotle!” Balance right? Unfortunately my balance is like weeks of one thing followed by months of an other. Haven’t quite put them together…yet.

Anyway, Sunday morning I actually had the time, after laying in bed for a spectacular hour watching Grey’s Anatomy–I NEVER lay in bed in the morning–I’m always busy busy, must get up and be productive, but it was seriously the most amazing hour!–to make a real breakfast! Hooray!! I knew I had to give this French toast a try! Hit up Nicole’s page to find this original recipe and so many more amazing ones!

Her original recipe isn’t super unhealthy, but here are some swaps I made

1/2 recipe
Unsweetened vanilla almond milk for regular (-calories)
More vanilla and spices (+yum)
Egg whites for whole eggs (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 sugar free maple syrup for brown sugar (-sugar, -calories)
+ protein powder (Gotta have my protein!)
Ezekiel bread for regular (Have you tried it? It’s a complete protein! Whatever that really means…)

Skinnified Pumpkin Pie French Toast

serves 2

1/4 cup + 2 tbs (or don’t be picky and just use 1/3 cup 🙂 ) pumpkin puree
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup + 2 tbs (same rule applies) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tbs sugar free maple syrup
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Pinch of salt
4 slices of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread
chia seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients (except bread and chia) together well.
2. Soak bread for 5-30 minutes, depending on patience/hunger.
3. Place in a sprayed nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat.
4. Sprinkle with chia seeds if desired
5. Flip when bottom is golden brown.
6. If you’re like me, drizzle any remaining soak mixture onto the bread and top with more chia seeds (Note, if you do this, you will have to flip again. It’s worth it.)
7. When both sides are finished cooking and golden brown, transfer to a plate and top with pumpkin yogurt topping.

Pumpkin Yogurt Topping

serves 1

1/4 cup non fat vanilla Greek yogurt
3 tbs pumpkin puree
1/2 tbs almond butter (or any nut butter)
1 tbs sugar free maple syrup
If you’re like me and want to make sure you’re full for the rest of your life, you can add even more chia seeds

Directions:

1. Whisk together and lay it on that toast!

Yummmmmm

Steve is less cool than me, and only tops with sf maple syrup. Good thing it’s sugar free because boy loves his syrup. I always ask if he wants some toast with his syrup. Then he just gives me a dirty look. Oh, marriage.

This French toast was A-MA-ZING!! I will make it again and again and again! Thanks Nicole for the delicious inspiration!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

More Than Half Way!!

October 30, 2011 · by Ari ·

Let me tell you, Saturday was a CRAZY day! I didn’t get to bed until almost 1am on Friday after the Fez fiasco, and I really thought my planned long run was going to be ruined because of it. But I got my butt out of bed at 5:40 and told myself I was going to make it happen. I must say, having the blog is fantastic for keeping me accountable. I tell everyone about my long runs in advance. Anyone who reads regularly expects a long run/new distance recap at this point. I am a people pleaser, so I have that extra kick when I would really rather sleep in. And the thing is, I am ALWAYS happy I did it. Always.

By the end of our first mile, I was already happy we had gone out and feeling pretty good. Then we got to mile 4 and I thought “Really?! I still have 3 miles to go?! Uuugghhhh.” But then something amazing happened! Once we hit mile 5, my attitude changed, I pumped it into gear and thought “Two miles?! Pssshhh, I’ve got this.” And I picked up my pace! Then we got to mile 6, and I got so excited about the idea of being done that I picked up my pace even more! We finished at T.C. Eggingtons in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 23 seconds. I am totally good with that time!

So at this point my fabulous husband took all sorts of pictures of us and celebrating completing our mileage and our delicious food. And then my fabulous husband deleted said photos because he thought he had transferred them. He hadn’t. At first I was super disappointed when I found out this morning, but then I got creative, drove to Starbucks and insisted to Kara that we do a reinactment of the moment.

“Grrrrr, you deleted our photos!”

“Wheeee, we ran 7 miles and are much less sweaty this photo shoot!”

“We are sooo hard core!!!”

“Look at our time! Pretty sweet, right?”

“And in case you didn’t realize how awesome we could be on 5 hours of sleep, check out our last mile! Why yes, that is an 8 in front of that 59!”

Unfortunately, this was the first time I felt a significant amount of pain after a long run. My right hip was really hurting and so was my left heal. Plus my achilles are always sore after. I was really worried and limping a little. I downed some meds, iced EVERYTHING and forced myself to get waist deep in the pool trying to simulate an ice bath since apparently there is no stopper for our tub. The good news is, I woke up this morning feeling totally normal! I just need to continue to be really careful and take good care of myself!

After our run and breakfast, I showered (you’re welcome), cleaned up the house and was off to sing with Jacob at Superstition Springs Mall, from which I headed directly to the theatre for Aladdin! It was definitely my fav of all of the performances. A good day to have 8 people there for me! My mom, Hank, my dad, his girlfriend Janie, my grandma, Steve, Jason, Liz and Bethany all came out to support me! And as if a great run wasn’t enough, during the Q&A the kids totally embarrassed me by answering a question (which complimented my ‘ography!) pointing me out and talking about how great I was. Totally blushed and all kinds of shy, but also I love to be told I’m wonderful 😉

Steve got some more family pics.

Bethy’s birthday celebration followed pretty much immediately. Let me just say, this weekend I have consumed about a week’s worth of iced coffee, but it has been so worth it. I’m tired and a little cranky, and I forget what free time actually feels like, but I love my life. My husband, my family, my friends, my career, my puppies. All of it. Hope you all are feeling as lucky as I am this evening 🙂

Best Friends

October 30, 2011 · by Ari ·

October 30th is one of my favorite days of the year. Why, you ask? My very best friend Bethany was born! I have a few friends that fall under best friend status, but I only have one Bethany. We’ve been friends for about 12 years. She has been there with me through all of my crazy times. She was there when I first experienced true loss. We experienced it together and because of her, I was able to get through it. She understands me in a way no one else in this world (not even Steve) does. We have watched each other grow up, change, evolve and become newer, better versions of ourselves. We have lived across the country, we have lived together, we have had fights ending in tears, and we have laughed harder than I ever knew I could laugh together. She is my rock. My person (for you fellow Grey’s Anatomy lovers). We get each other, and with Bethany I can always just be myself. I never have to pretend or put on a happy face or pretend I’m not excited about something nerdy. I can’t imagine my life without her.

Last night, we went out to celebrate! We started at Valle Luna where apparently the “tall” beer is the size of your head!

Whoops.

There was food. It was okay. Nothing special in my opinion. Well, Jason’s pollo fundido that went in the deep fryer and was then smothered in cheese was pretty delicious, but nothing else that I tasted had me all that impressed. But we sat outside next to the lake with the ducks that Kara and I often run at, which was lovely.

After dinner, we returned to mi casa for present opening, cupcakes and games!

I’m not a good person to share cards with, I took up all the space.

Bethy had been looking for a grey purse, but hadn’t found anything she liked, and she never splurges on nice things for herself, so Steve, Jason, and I pitched in together to get her this super cute grey Coach purse, with just a little color pop!

She loved it!! I was so happy! I LOVE gift giving!!!!

On the way home, we had stopped at Whole Foods for more beer. I definitely did not need more beer and in my tipsiness ended up spending $15 on Larabars and Mojo bars. Whoops. I was done with alcohol for the night 😉 The rest of the group got a few beers to try. Some we knew would be a success