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hold off on that side-eye because no, i don't always cook or eat totally clean. that's no fun. at all.

making something from scratch is not for everybody. some find it way too much work, some find pleasure in measuring, adding,  and mixing each ingredient, one by one.  you don't always have time for scratch though.  so, buy a box mix and spruce it up a little. i. e. semi-homemade.  sometimes you need something quick and/or next day and you might not have all the needed stuff. it happens (which is cool cause then i can go back to my happy place, HEB).  by adding the simplest of ingredients you can transform a plain box mix into something pretty darn close to homemade. i know, i've been doing it for years and you prolly have to:)  here is my fav 'semi-sweet' dessert to make when i just don't have the time to take my time.

[b]est [b]oxed [b]rownie

the stuff:

• 1 box fudge brownies (fudge, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, you pick.)
• 1/2 cup of roughly chopped chocolate chips (semi sweet, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, you pick.)
• splash of real vanilla
• 1/2 cup of toasted nuts (pistachios, walnuts, pecans, almonds, you pick)
• icing (if you want)

do this:

chop up the chips (size depends on you..i've left them whole before)  and add them to your dry brownie batter along with the splash of vanilla.

come on, at least toast the nuts. again the size is up to you- i prefer to break mine up first by hand. throw them in a low-medium heated pan and shuffle then around every few minutes for about 10 min total or until they are visibly toasted on all sides.  makes a huge difference in the bite of your brownie.  my parents have a pecan tree in their back yard, so i always have a freezer full of them. however, i wish they had a pistachio tree cause that's my fav. and they are so darn expensive per lb.

follow the regular instructions on the box (yes, you still need the eggs, oil, water and/or milk). then, fold in the toasted nuts. i used to bake with my mom a lot when i was younger. i used to think to myself  'man, when i grow up and bake on my own, i'm just gonna eat a whole bowl of batter by itself (especially when we made cookies). i see why that's not such a great idea now, but you know you still lick the bowl like i do. i am not ashamed.

 bake and SHARE.

after they cool, add some icing on top; it's your call. i do some with and some without.  i don't care for super thick, extremely sweet icing, but rather the kind that tastes more like cool whip.  i'm still perfecting my homemade icing recipe, so i use the canned stuff every now and then.  i only get the whipped varieties cause it's fluffier and lighter though.

i don't do well around a whole pan of anything.  i've had to whip out the liquid soap before and destroy a brownie or 3 cause my will power is shot.  i normally don't even make an entire pan unless we are headed to a family function or have company coming over- so dangerous.  however, there is a time for everything.  so, add a scoop of ice cream or a cup of almond milk, pace yourself, and enjoy.

le

1st 5K of the year

my goal was to finish under 27 minutes, and by the grace of God i did just that.  chip time: 26:29! my brother totally took me by surprise a few days prior to the race and mentioned that he was interested in running.  he finished strong around 31 min. or so. not too shabby for his first 5k ever.  so proud of him.

which leads me to my inspiration for this post. people share with me all the time their desire to run a race (5k, 10k, half/full marathon, etc.).  what or who is stopping you? ok if it's your Dr., then sit down somewhere. however, if you are good to go physically (even if you aren't an elite runner-- i am far from it), GO FOR IT ALREADY.   you are stopping you...yes, you.  sometimes when people ask how far i ran and i say 5k, their jaws drop. remember:

5k = 3.1 miles

10k = 6.2 miles

half marathon = 13.1 miles

marathon = 26.2 miles

start small and work your way up. also, most people are under the impression that you must run the entire time or somehow you'll be disqualified or penalized or something crazy like that. if that is your goal, sure, proper training must take place. however, if you need to take a break, take one! start back up when you're ready. my brother's goal was to finish, and he did that with a combo of walking and running and got it done.  pick a race, sign up, and go for it.

an hr before go time, i had a hand full of almonds and blueberries.   very light breakfast. immediately after our race, i snagged a free banana and a small cup of vanilla ice cream. it was free, i had to. then, we headed to Le Peep for  a celebratory brunch.  i had an egg white (6) turkey and vegetable scramble with a side of roasted potatoes and fruit.  that was accompanied with a wheat pancake. i also had a cup of hot chocolate!

i ate like i had just run the full marathon!

everything except the fruit! took it to-go

the banana and ice cream satisfied my sweet tooth for the moment, so i took the fruit home to snack on for later. great run, great day.  congrats to all runners!

le

first sunday

we got up early and attended early service this morning.  we were running late, so i had a banana and a handful of almonds in the car.

when we don't go out to breakfast after church, i usually make a semi-big breakfast before our early afternoon dinner.  for some reason i can eat one time on sunday and be fine for the rest of the day. so weird.  this morning we all had egg white omelettes with garlic and herb cheese, turkey sausage, and ranch new potatoes.  chiso and i also had prune infused oatmeal; sonny can't stand the texture of it, so none for him.

i must have lots of cheese on my eggs! i use a particular cheese i will devote a future post to. so, you'll have to just check back for it! it gives my food flavor but keeps it light on the fat and cals.  once my omelette is done on one side, i flip it, then add the cheese so it can melt while the other side finishes up. then i fold it in half. you can add so many things to your omelette (onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, whatever) but when i'm pressed for time i just keep my egg whites solo.  i usually do 3 eggs whites- that's pretty filling for me.

i have an on/off relationship with coffee. sometimes i think i just like the smell rather than actually drinking a cup. however, when i do save my starbucks money and make my own at home, it's more like adding coffee to my cream and sugar! it's gotta be sweet. i found this little treasure at HEB last week and had to test it- pretty darn close.

a nap sounds good right about now. happy sunday!

le

quick WF stop

i'd rather go grocery shopping than to the mall any day. HEB (plus) holds a very, very special place in my heart. whoever introduced the idea of sampling stations all across the store just gets IT. the more you let people snack and try things, the more likely they fill their baskets up with stuff they never even planned on getting. i voluntarily fall for this every single time. before HEB, my fav store was Whole Foods. i don't frequent WF as much anymore as it has become more of a specialty foods store for me. i usually go there for their prepared foods (pizza, sandwiches, soups, sweets), or items that aren't sold in HEB of course. i received a gift card for Christmas that i have been waiting to use, so Chiso and i stopped by WF on our way home this afternoon.

as usual, i spent the majority of our time in the bulk isle. is it really cheaper to shop this way?  sure i'll do the calculations sometimes, but other times i just don't want to. i just like the idea of scooping out however much i want, and writing the plu number on the twist tie. it just makes my grocery shopping experience so much more interactive and cool. if i don't want to buy a whole box of something, i'll get a small amount of it first and see how that goes. never made quiona before, but i saw it and scooped away.

 they had hummus on sale for 99 cents ( i couldn't believe it either) so i got two new flavors along with some chips for dipping.  i usually eat my hummus with vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes) but Sonny likes chips.  i had never seen the cocoa flavor and the limited time only tag made me go for it. they were on sale 2 for 5 anyway.

by the way, WF has THE best key lime pie.  every aspect of it is just right. slighty sweet, crunchy crust..tangy, velvety filling...topped with a cloud of homemade whipped cream. yes.

 after doing a two a day (1 hr of total conditioning at the gym that morning + a 4 mile run after getting home from the store) you bet i ate and enjoyed every last morsel of that pie.

le

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one word.  Lululemon.  i adore everything about this fitness haven of a store..the colors, patterns, the high quality material, and especially the cuts and designs of the clothes.  the clothes shape and conform to your body and make it look more awesome than it already is.  when i walked into my group fitness class and discovered that my members had surprised me with a gift card for christmas, you bet i was one happy woman.

i took the entire store to the dressing room with me- it was so hard not to! i knew i would go over my gift card limit and it was so worth it. check me out.

beautiful day to be outdoors taking pictures.

i'll definitely be going back for more.  however, any other time, i'm more of an academy or discount outlet girl myself. you?

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le