Important Questions about Dessert Temperatures

Hello hello! If you're reading this post on Wednesday, happy first day of autumn! Yay! I'm eager for cooler temperatures and the ability to wear clothes that aren't just items I throw on knowing I'll get sweaty immediately.

After our quick trip up north, I enjoyed a productive day yesterday during Marshall's three-plus-hour nap(!). Jenn and Justin joined us for dinner to give them a night off from cooking as they patiently await the arrival of their little bundle. I'm so excited to bring them some freezer meals and other goodies once baby boy makes his debut! And I swear it's not only because I want to snuggle a newborn again. :-)

So I told Jenn that if she wanted to bring something for dinner she could, and she brought over these super delicious and surprisingly nutritious muffins (the recipe apparently called them brownies, but that was a lie; still, they tasted fantastic). Jenn tried them right out of the oven and didn't care for them, but then liked them once chilled. I actually find myself feeling that way about most desserts, believe it or not! I might like a piping hot berry pie with some ice cream, or a warm croissant, but overall I think baked goods taste best around room temperature or even cold. Frozen-and-then-mostly-thawed brownies are THE BEST. Cookies cooled for about 20 minutes out of the oven (so they're barely warm but the chocolate chips are still melty) are awesome. Room temperature cake is the only way to go. Is it something to do with letting the steam settle down? Has this phenomenon been studied?

If you need any more advice about the temperature at which to eat your desserts, please contact me.


More photos from the beginning of this week:

My lunches the last two days have been a lettuce-wrap burger with guacamole. YUM.

Marshall enjoyed one of the aforementioned muffins Jenn brought us.

Then he brought Scout two coasters. As one does.

We spent the morning with Jenn--a walk plus a stop at Dunkin' Donuts (we resisted the donuts!)--and then another LONG nap from Marshall. This afternoon we made these brownie bites from Fitnessista--SO good! They were our dessert tonight with some milk.

My little helper! As he gets older it's so fun to have him "help" in the kitchen! We mostly make smoothies together, because he loves pushing the buttons or holding the lid to the blender. 

Once Terry came home we all headed out for a family walk/jog. We walked maybe ten or fifteen minutes, plus six rounds of 2 minutes jogging/1 minute walking. At the end we let Marshall out of his stroller to walk on his own, which he loved!

Almost running!

Daddy and Marshall

After Marshall went to sleep, Terry and I tackled Day 7 of 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene, which was one of my favorites so far. Challenging and a bit faster paced but still only 30 minutes so not too crazy. Then we ate nachos for dinner. Balance.

And now we're settling in for some down time before bed. The nights go so fast, don't they? Happy first day of fall to you; hopefully it's cooler where you are!

What's your preferred dessert temperature? Don't worry, we can still be friends if you like your food fresh from the oven.

Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks

Hello and happy almost-end-of-the-week to ya! Hope you've had a great week so far. Today Terry didn't have to go in to jury duty until late again, so we ventured to the Santa Monica Pier for a little walk!

And then we stopped for a donut. I get weird cravings for donuts all the time, but I usually just ignore them and eat other delicious things. Plus, most of the time when I eat a donut it's not as good as I was hoping, and then I'm let down and the craving just comes back. So anyway, I don't remember the last time I went to Dunkin' Donuts, so we stopped on the way home in an effort to find the best donut.

I chose chocolate sprinkles because Tina from Carrots N' Cake always posts photos like these and makes me drool. 

And actually, it really was delicious. Worth the stop, for sure. :-)



I mentioned yesterday that this week has felt strange, and yesterday we went ahead and completely shook up our routine, just to keep the strange train going. For dinner, we went to Islands!

Islands contacted me recently to see if I'd be interested in trying their summertime specials and "Paradise's Bikini Beach" menu items. I've been to Islands a few times but always think of it as a burger place, so I agreed to give these non-burger items a try!

Terry, Marshall, and I arrived at Islands Manhattan Beach at 5 pm on Wednesday. We don't brave restaurants very often nowadays because it's easier to eat at home with a 14-month-old, so we figured an early time would be best for all of us. The restaurant wasn't crowded, but it was busier than I expected for a mid-week early evening. We were seated right away and offered drinks and water, including a cup with a lid and straw for Marshall.

The manager greeted us and offered to start us out with a few appetizers. He admitted they really don't have much in the way of healthy appetizer options, and I appreciated that honesty, but if you're really aiming to eat healthfully it would be best to start with a small salad or wait for the hearty entrees! We were there to get the full experience, so we got set up with spinach-artichoke dip (pretty good, more than enough for four people to share, nothing too out of the ordinary here) and house-made onion rings. Oh man, those onion rings were KILLER. Extra-crunchy and pure delicious. One of our favorites of the night and the best onion rings I've ever had!

The manager also brought us over a "sampler" of some drinks, which turned out to be five full-sized (and full-strength!) mixed drinks: Big Island Iced Tea, Margaveza, Mai Tai, Mixed-Berry Cooler, and a classic margarita.

Ha! We couldn't finish all of them, but my favorite was the Big Island Iced Tea and Terry's favorite was the Margaveza. It sounds like drinks vary based on location, but you'll certainly find something you like because they're known for awesome drinks!

On to the main event! We each ordered an entree from the Paradise's Bikini Beach menu, but the staff insisted on bringing several other options for us to taste. 

I went with the veggie tacos, which were awesome. Packed full of vegetables, plenty of avocado topping, and a crunchy vinegar slaw on the side. The corn tortilla was soft and tasty, too.

Terry chose the Turkey Burger Lite, and we agreed that the turkey was seasoned perfectly (we both hate when turkey is over-seasoned, so it was a nice surprise), and the wheat bun was soft and delicious. The veggies on it were crisp and fresh. It's a simple burger, but a great choice.

The other lighter option they brought out was the Sleek Greek Salad, which is full of chicken and tons of toppings. It's one of those salads that has a lot of stuff in it, so if you're like me and love hearty salads you would be a big fan.

Next we tried the Sandpiper chicken sandwich with a lettuce "bun." I've never seen so many mushrooms on a plate! (My mom, who LOVES sauteed mushrooms, would have been in heaven.) The chicken was cooked well, and the Swiss cheese melted with the flavors of the mushrooms. Another awesome healthier choice.

Look at all those mushrooms! (This was after Marshall had eaten half of them, too. :-)

Our final entree was a special, Hanahou, a spicy burger with delicious fries on the side. We both liked it, but it's definitely more indulgent than the other items we sampled. Hey, enjoy some balance.

 Marshall had a feast! We obviously couldn't eat everything, but this kid went to town. He loved it all!

Our embarrassing spread:

Naturally, we made room for dessert when they brought out the Kona Pie. Are you kidding with this thing? It was SO good. Definitely a treat. :-)

I can't say enough about how wonderful the staff and food were at Islands. I'd go back to order those veggie tacos and onion rings again, and I'd certainly go with that Greek salad if I was in a salad mood (which I almost never am). I have always liked their burgers, so of course I recommend those. Islands is fun, relaxed, awesome for families (kid-friendly for sure!) and groups. It'd be a good spot for happy hour, especially with their huge portions for appetizers! Terry and I went there once on a lunch date, so I suppose it can be a fun date spot, too!

But I'll admit this was my first time really enjoying Islands from a healthier perspective, and I was surprised to find plenty of options (and not just salads!). As always, if you're really looking to be healthy while eating out, focus on vegetables (veggie tacos, salads, lettuce wrap burgers), go easy on drinks and appetizers, and maybe save that Kona Pie for a special occasion. :-) Oh! And all their burgers can be substituted with a turkey patty or veggie patty free of charge, which was a nice change of pace from the usual extra fees I see at most restaurants.

Thanks SO much to Islands Manhattan Beach for hosting our little family and for the incredible service and delicious food! We had a blast and will certainly be back!

Cheers!

Have you been to Islands? What looks good to you?

Do you prefer appetizers or dessert? If you know me at all, you know my answer. Dessert all the way.

What's your favorite kind of donut? I'm a chocolate old-fashioned girl!

Quick Little Catch Up

Today I ate like a six-year-old. Peanut butter and jelly for lunch, Oreos (well, the Whole Foods version) for dessert, and a few Annie's Cheddar Crackers thrown in for good measure. 

Fun fact: I like Oreo-type cookies but really hate the cream. Are there cookies out there that have just the chocolate? (I guess I should just make some?)

I thought I should share some cute photos from our Sunday outing to UCLA:

Marshall walks a little at home, but he always has something nearby to grab and help him balance. We thought taking him to more open areas regularly will build his confidence, and sure enough, he walked a bunch on the grass! (Naturally, I didn't get any photos of his walking...)

 We dressed Marshall in a little UCLA baseball onesie and realized it'll be the only time he wears it because it's already too short. But it was cute, and if he becomes a baseball player someday I'll pull it out to embarrass him.

We also stared at the fountain during lunch. Marshall kept trying to crawl into the fountain, so it was time to go. Fun trip!

And on an unrelated note, dinner tonight was fantastic: grilled salmon (Terry smothers it in brown mustard and sprinkles brown sugar before grilling), roasted broccoli, and homemade biscuits. Delicious summer meal, and Marshall loved the salmon!

After dinner and bedtime for the little one, I used a small burst of energy to do a little bit of core and leg strength. I just set a timer to go off every minute and switched exercises each minute, focusing on inner and outer leg strength and core. I do these kinds of mellow workouts when I don't want to jump around after dinner but still want to give my muscles some fire. So I did things like: 

Plank (regular, side, reverse)

Alternating side bends

Alternating bird dogs

V-ups

Crunches

Leg lowers

Scissors

Clams

Inner thigh leg lifts

Side-lying knee-toe touches

Plus, while I was working out a solicitor rang our ridiculously loud doorbell (completely ignoring the note that COVERS the doorbell that says, "Please do not ring bell. Baby sleeping!") and made me jump seven feet in the air and got my heart racing. So it was essentially a HIIT workout, right?

Tonight we have the TV off and have been reading together since we're both near the end of our books. I'm finishing The Silkworm (second detective novel by J.K. Rowling under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith), and Terry is near the end of Girl on the Train, which my mom lent us after she finished it. I really love mine and am excited to see how it ends. Nice, mellow day over here. 

How do you feel about Oreos (or similar cookies)? (If you're a Double Stuf person, I may need to reevaluate our friendship.)

Are you nice to solicitors? (We were kind, but if he had woken the baby it would've been a different story.)

Have a happy Wednesday!

Some Saturday (and Sunday) Stuff

This week really got away from me! Each night, by the time we had finished cooking dinner, putting the baby to bed (there were some long, rough evenings), and cleaning up the kitchen, it was already 9 pm. I chose to spend a little quality time with the ol' husband instead of burying myself in my computer, so BLWB got a little hiatus. But I'm back!

We're super close to the end of June, and we have five miles left to run before July 1. As long as we don't get injured, we'll be able to take the day off tomorrow and then squeeze in those last two runs just in time. I'm glad we challenged ourselves, but I'm also ready for some variety in my workouts again! As I said before, the priority this month was simply getting into the groove of working out regularly again, making it a priority even when we aren't in the mood, and finding time to be active despite very small windows of opportunity. But now we see that it's pretty easy to fit in thirty minutes of exercise after Terry gets home from work, and Marshall happily chats away in his stroller 90% of the time we're jogging. At home, Marshall finds it hilarious to watch us do strength/circuit workouts, so we can fit those in before dinner, too. No excuses, I guess, huh?

We did skip one scheduled run this week because we had an impromptu date! We found ourselves with about 90 minutes and took advantage of our unexpected babysitters to run to the grocery store (romantic, I know) and to grab drinks at happy hour. It was quick but fun and a nice way to recharge in the midst of Marshall's crazy sleep patterns lately. We need more of those, so we're working on finding more babysitters to help us keep the magic alive.

Meanwhile, we have charcuterie boards after baby goes to bed.

Speaking of which, not to jinx ourselves, but Marshall slept from 7 pm (and didn't even fight going down) until 4:40 am last night. Granted, he didn't go back to sleep after that, but we're making some progress! Everything I read and every mom friend I talk to says earlier bedtimes help combat those early wake ups, so we're easing our way toward a full night of sleep over here, which we had given up on for the last few weeks.

More importantly, we're quickly approaching an age when Marshall will be able to earn his keep around here. Yesterday he practiced vacuuming with me. Vacuuming before he can walk? I'll take it.

In other important news, I just tried out this quick Yoga for Runners video, which did a nice job of helping me stretch some neglected tight spots, especially the IT band. The only bummer was the mid-video interruption for an ad, but I can't really complain about free videos, right? (Right?)

Today's lunch plans were canceled, so we're trying to think of something fun to do as a family. If we hang out at home, we generally end up just doing chores all day or feeling the need to "be productive," whereas if we head out we find ourselves relaxing, soaking up Marshall's hilarious personality, chatting with each other. Hopefully we can find a family-friendly neighborhood event or something!

It's funny how little things about our new place have started some positive habits in me. We did a fantastic job of eating at home last week, and I'm motivated to do it again, likely because we have carpet here and I can sit on the floor with my giant chalkboard to write out our weekly menu and meal plan while we watch TV at night. And now that we can do laundry anytime(!!!!), it's done before Terry gets home, so we have extra time in the evenings. This place has really been an incredible decision for us!

The next day...

Yeah, I had excellent intentions of finishing and posting yesterday, but life somehow carried on without a post. So I'll include a few updates through Sunday morning:

We did get out of the house yesterday for a fun family outing. We hit the grocery store, my eye doctor to pick up new contacts, and an ice cream shop. I had coffee ice cream with chocolate sprinkles and Terry chose two flavors: honey goat cheese and brown butter walnut. YUM. I actually think mine was better, which never happens! We let Marshall have a tiny taste of the brown butter (obviously no walnuts), and he seemed less than enthusiastic.

Marshall helped hold the umbrella.

During Marshall's second nap, Terry and I sat on the couch and read our respective books. We never do that kind of thing, but it was a little dreary outside and it felt like a lovely afternoon for some tea and reading. No regrets.

And then I got some snuggles!

Dinner was pita pizzas using whatever we had on hand: frozen spinach, mozzarella, and goat cheese. Delicious and super quick, especially because I forgot to roast up some broccoli. Oh, well.

And then last night we just watched a few episodes of Happy Endings and called it an early night. Good thing, too, because Marshall has us up quite often (see, I knew I had jinxed myself). I know it's all two steps forward and one step back, so I'm trying my best to be patient as he gets closer to sleeping through the night.

Speaking of development, the most exciting news of all: Jenn is pregnant!!! She's six months along, due in September. They're having a little boy! We're so excited for Jenn and Justin's new arrival. :-)

Congratulations, Jenn!

Hope your week starts off great!

Monday Miscellany

Happy Monday! Hope you're enjoying this last week before the time change. I'm sort of dreading it, because I love our evening walks so much. Terry usually gets home from work between 5 and 6, so those walks will need to shift around a bit. No way am I walking with a baby in the dark around here--the speed limits near our place are way too high for that.

Still, we plan to get creative with our workouts to stay in shape for the winter. Here's what we did at my parents' place over the weekend (we visited them in Palm Desert, so the problem there was that it was too hot outside--over 90 degrees one day!):

*Notes:

• (3-2-1) Squat: Lower down in three increments, then stand up in one count.
• Squat (3-2-1): Lower down to a squat in one count, then stand up using three counts.
• We rested at least a minute between sets. 

We're definitely still feeling that one three days later. We also did a quick and fun family workout, and my parents even joined. Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes, we did 5 push ups (100 total). (We agreed we could do any style of push up we wanted, so tricep, incline, wide-arm, clapping, etc.) It wasn't too crazy challenging, but I am surprisingly sore today! My core and chest are really feeling it. I liked the workout because after the 5 push ups we had a lot of time left to rest, so we all scattered after each round: Dad played with Marshall, Mom cooked breakfast, Terry and I packed. I need to do more workouts like this on busy days. Think of the possibilities! EMOM burpees might me in my future...

I'll share more about our little getaway later this week, but it was lovely. Now we're glad to be back home and not planning on going anywhere (unless I'm forgetting something, which is more than likely) until close to Christmas. But can you believe how soon that is? Less than two months away already! Yikes! Sadly, a lot of our Christmas decorations are up in northern California in a storage unit, and I don't know how feasible it is that we'll procure them before the season begins, so it might be a bit of a lighter Christmas around here. Either that or I'll suddenly feel the need to make our apartment into a Winter Wonderland for Marshall's first Christmas, and HomeGoods won't know what hit it.

Speaking of decorations, my brother is ridiculous with his, even for Halloween:

Crazy, right? Children on his street are going to have nightmares for sure.

Tonight when Terry came home from work I mentioned that I needed a few items from the store, so we all walked down to Trader Joe's. I made one of our new favorite super easy dinners, Nutty Noodles from Kath Eats Real Food. I had two bell peppers on hand (thanks, Mom!), and I was able to prep the peanut sauce and the peppers before Terry got home from work. We even ended up eating dinner before Marshall went to bed! I can't remember the last time that happened.

We drank sparkling wine with it. Why not? There's always something to celebrate.

While Terry put the kiddo to bed, I whipped up a batch of my favorite brownies and also decided it was a good idea to make some homemade whipped cream. I didn't even have any berries on hand, so I can't begin to pretend this dessert was anything but an indulgence. But it was awesome. Perfect for a Monday night. Or any night.

And on the other side of the health coin, have you heard about the gallon of water a day challenge? I saw it on Facebook a while back and, while I didn't participate in the actual 30-day challenge, I started upping my water intake. I love drinking from my 32-ounce Nalgene bottle, and I really do drink a lot (especially while I feed Marshall), but some days it's easy to just forget or not drink enough. I try to push myself to drink one full bottle by 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm. That's about 8 ounces per hour, which is totally doable. I really feel a lot better on days I drink a lot (of water). Maybe this will help make up for the lack of sleep to which I am probably permanently doomed.

What's your favorite indulgent dessert?

Do you go all out with holiday decorations or keep it simple?

How do you encourage yourself to drink more water?

Catching Up

First Monday of the year: Back to a normal blogging schedule! Since I'm not teaching full time this year, I'm starting to realize that I actually prefer a bit more structure in my days. Lovely as it is to sleep in a bit, take my time in the mornings, extend my workouts, I think I'm much more productive when I have a tighter schedule because it doesn't allow me to procrastinate. Does anyone else experience the same thing? Anyway, I'm going to try to tighten up my own schedule. Hopefully I can manage to wake up with Terry, work out right away, and then carry out whatever chores and errands I need to accomplish that day. (I say "hopefully" because I'm trying to be a little more relaxed and less Type-A now that I have a little person in my belly.)

Today was not an awesome example of tightening up the ol' schedule. I went to sleep much later than usual, thanks to working on my 2013 in Review post, so when Terry woke up at 5:30 I just rolled over and went back to sleep. But eventually, Scout convinced me rather rudely that I should get up to feed him, so I got my tush in gear and whipped up some blueberry pancakes. (I used my Buttermilk Pancakes recipe and added frozen blueberries to the batter.)

A delicious start to the first Monday of 2014!

I also got to drink tea out of my new mug, a gift from my mom. I love it so much!

Today I'm not subbing, but I am working at the store for a few hours this evening, so I won't be back to write later tonight. Instead, I thought I'd share a few highlights from the last few days.

Before we left for northern California the other day, we used up some leftover ham to make croque monsieur sandwiches. The recipe was surprisingly simple and not nearly as indulgent as I expected.

I also whipped up a batch of oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip cookies. The recipe I liked best (least amount of sugar, simple ingredients) was actually from Oceanspray. They've been a hit!

Our trip to the Bay Area was a blast also. It was much shorter than our Thanksgiving trip, but it somehow felt less hectic. We dropped off all our Christmas decorations at our storage locker, took a long walk with my dad, and went out to dinner before staying the night at my parents' apartment. The next morning Terry and I went for a jog/walk and then enjoyed my mom's famous breakfast casserole. We all went to the movies (Saving Mr. Banks--good not great), and then we headed up to my brother and Ashley's house for our belated Christmas celebration.

The puppies were excited for our gift!

Some highlights from the night:

• Mom always says it'll be a "light Christmas" but then inevitably goes overboard buying us gifts, which I think just means she can't help but be generous. We're all totally spoiled.
• Last year, Chris wrapped our gifts super obnoxiously (boxes within boxes, and multiple layers of duct tape). This year, to get him back, we sent him on one of our scavenger hunts all over the house.

• Dad grilled lamb, and Terry and I contributed with our favorite grilled veggie kabobs. 
• Mom suggested a cake for Ashley's January 5 birthday, so I found a super simple recipe online. Let's just say it was a hit--we could not stop talking about how delicious it was! So easy, one bowl, and perfectly moist. Here's the recipe. You should make it for the next special occasion (or Tuesday) in your house.

Before leaving on Saturday, Mom and I went shopping for some more maternity clothes!

Success!

We had a blast, but Terry and I had to head back on Saturday because we had tickets to the UCLA-U$C basketball game! We joined our friends Katie, Corey, their baby Ainsley, Heidi, and Ed for the game, shopped at the store, and grabbed some lunch. It was such a fun day!

Bump's first visit to campus!

Terry and I walked to campus for the game and stopped on the way home for the ingredients for one of our new favorite super easy meals: Daily Garnish's Crunchy Sesame Vegetable Noodle Salad. It took less than 30 minutes to make, and we essentially doubled the recipe, so we have plenty of leftovers for lunches this week. (Note: TJs was out of cabbage, so I subbed their broccoli slaw with carrots, and it worked perfectly.)

 

Terry also made me a fancy mocktail: sparkling apple and sparkling pomegranate, perfect for the end of the weekend!

And I think we're all caught up! Scout's begging for some attention (I could have sworn we adopted a cat, not a dog), so I'm off to play a few rounds of fetch and get some laundry done. Happy Monday to you!