Bad Blogger

Apologies for the absence! It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post...No worries though. I'm not going the way of Hopsy over at Monograms and Manicures or Alice of Summer is a Verb, who are taking a little bloggie break. I will miss reading their posts every day, despite the fact that I still have 300 unread posts in my Google Reader! And I am, without a doubt, going through Pinterest withdrawal... So, what exactly have I been up to???

After Five

A couple of weeks ago I went to Banana Republic for their After Five event, where I picked up a seersucker jacket. It's a versatile piece that's become a staple in my sping/summer wardrobe. Pair it with coral pants, skinny jeans or white shorts for three totally different looks.

In addition to the 30% off sale on the blazer, BR had a free gift with purchase, its new Wildbloom Vert fragrance that Fragrantica described as, "violet leaf enriched with fruity aromas of pear and pink lady apple. Delicate peach blossoms, gardenia and magnolia form the heart of the perfume, wrapped with the base of coconut wood, teak, sandalwood, and silky musk." Fresh and green and free! As if that wasn't enough to keep the shoppers happy, the After Five event also featured Godiva Chocolates, Starbucks coffee, wine tasting and hors d'oevres. It was heaven on earth on a Wednesday night.

Landlords
Yup, that's us in front of the nuevo casa. We closed on our first home last week, but we're renting back to the former owner while contractors are finishing her new condo. Tick-tock. I'm ready to be in the new place! 

Here's a sneak peek at the inside... Consider these the "Before" photos. "After" pics to come! 

Veggie Paradise

We put in the annual garden this weekend up at the lake. Crossing our fingers that our tomatoes don't get the blight that ruined our little crop last year. We planted both Big Boys and another heirloom variety. 

We also planted pickling cucumbers, beans, lettuce, brussels sprouts, dill, rosemary, parsley and basil. 

Speaking of veggie lovin', I stumbled upon a recipe for the Green Monster smoothie on Iowa Girl Eats. Has anyone tried it? [Incidentally, if you haven't been to the IGE blog, don't miss it! She has incredible photos of healthy food (some not so healthy food too--i.e. baked crab rangoons) and a mouth-watering collection of recipes.]

It certainly doesn't look appetizing, but the ingredients sound like they'd make one yummy and filling treat... 

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 frozen sliced banana

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt

1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or other kind of milk)

4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional stats:

350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

I nearly drooled when I saw this pic of the bananas and peanut butter...I can't wait to try this once I'm off the Ideal Protein diet kick. 

Meanwhile, as I'm writing about healthy eating, the Sailor is emailing me recipes for big-time indulgences like Oatmeal Cherry White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Personally, I would prefer a Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar. 

Nothing like butter, sugar and chocolate though! I'd probably even whip up a batch of both treats for his sailing race this weekend...if we hadn't already packed up the mixer in anticipation of the big move. Sigh. Guess I'm sticking to the diet.