Weekend Story - Labor Day

3 day weekends are always a double-edged sword. If you work in an office setting you come back on Tuesday and realize you have to squish 5 days worth of work into 4. If you are me and campaign season is gearing up you are slowly starting to get flooded with work and you want to panic. Yay!

Oh and it's SEPTEMBER! In honor of September... 

 

 

My in-laws were out of town this weekend which means Tony and I had the house to ourselves. Most importantly, I had the kitchen to myself to cook anything my heart desired (more about that in a bit). I was ridiculously productive and did so much this weekend!

Friday

Friday my boss let us go home early and I went home and cleaned the bathroom then we met up with my Dad for dinner. After dinner I had coffee with my good friend Jessica. It was so cool catching up with her and hearing about her new students and classroom (she's a 1st grade teacher).

Saturday

Saturday my Momma invited us to breakfast in Santa Rosa! I barely touched my food and I was stuffed. The thing about me after surgery is that if my stomach is really empty before meals I fill up drastically quicker than if I am snacking and munching all day.

Afterwards we came home and did chores! Have a mentioned that I love doing laundry? I love it. When I was single I felt so accomplished seeing all my clothes folded and digging my face in my fresh laundry taking in the aroma of clean cotton. Now that I'm married, that feeling is only intensified because the domestic woman in me takes pride in fulfilling my wifely duties. Okay enough of that, you get it.

Then I cooked, cooked some more, then mixed, waiting, and baked followed by dish washing-kitchen cleaning fun. Let me elaborate:

I made these Sloppy Joes and these Cowboy Beans and I made the BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ever. Everybody that tried them agreed they were fabulous, I will be sharing this recipe soon.

Sloppy Joes? I actually had never had a Sloppy Joe in my life, so naturally, I scoured the internets to find a good Joe recipe and raided my Mom's pantry because Adrian (my Bro) has any possible spice you could need for any recipe. The verdict is in! Although these Joes came out good, Sloppy Joes are not my thing.

Cowboy Beans? They had to cook for so long because I didn't have the burner on hot enough that the Bacon and Jalapeno slices disintegrated by the time I was FINALLY able to get the beans tender. Errrggh. Next time I am making these beans in the crockpot. I'll spare you a picture of the final product.

 

I added Jalapeno Slices to give these a kick

 

We had some pals/neighbors come over for dinner. I also made boxed Annie's Mac and Cheese and a Digiorno pizza. So we had Sloppy Joes, Annie's Mac and Cheese and a frozen Digiorno pizza. Just look at me being such a good hostess and making a super gourmet classy dinner. They ate it all though, so I did something right. Also, I have to reiterate, we had Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and they were the best I've ever had. Have I mentioned they were good?

Our friends left and after cleaning up we watched Dirty Dancing on Netflix.

I've... had... the time of my liiife...

 

 

Sunday

Sunday I woke up early to make Belgian Waffles. I've had a waffle iron that was purchased upon impulse a while ago and only used once. Well I put that baby to good use and made my love and I Waffles and Bacon for breakfast before we headed to the city to check up on my pal Crystal who just had surgery. We stopped by Petaluma to pick up my other pal Connie who was going to carpool with us to SF. After arriving we had Chinese and the food was really good. Yum! Then we went to the beach for a while before going to Crystal's to hang out with her.

We came back from the city in the evening and stopped by my Momma's house before heading home. We watched a few episodes of this before going to sleep:

Monday - Labor Day!

We were up early to hike up Taylor Mountain in Santa Rosa with my Momma. After grabbing Starbucks and Bagels we went home and my Momma made Chilaquiles for lunch. I should have taken a picture of these but I was too busy scarfing them down because they were so freaking good. I would post a picture off of Google images but that just won't serve my Momma's Chilaquiles justice so here's the Wiki definition.

We came home in the early afternoon and I binge watched a few episodes of Revenge. I needed to catch up and finish watching all the episodes in Season 3 before Season 4 starts in a few weeks. Revenge is a good show, it's a little intense and has a LOT going on all the time but if you have some time to kill all 3 seasons are on Netflix right now.

 

After some Netflix action Tony napped while I went to Safeway and then this happened:
 

I made 4 kinds of fried rolled taquitoes: Beans, Chicken, Beans and Queso Cotija and Mozzerella. Topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream, spicy green sauce and a crumbled Queso Fresco... DIVINE! I love when I make magic happen. I'm so amazing.

This is my lunch today, I forgot the Queso Fresco at home!

Tony went to the gym while I drafted players for my Fantasy Football team: 98 DeBrees. I'm the only girl in my Fantasy Football league, I'm going to have to sharpen my smack talking skills if I am going to be playing Fantasy with a bunch of dudes. This is how I felt as I drafted:

Here's my Lineup:

Drew Brees, QB

Joe Flacco, QB

Jamaal Charles, RB

Trent Richardson, RB

Larry Fitzgerald, WR

Jordy Nelson, WR

Martellus Bennett, TE

Anquan Boldin, WR

Seahawks Defense

Phil Dawson, K

Bench

Danny Amendola, WR

Danny Woodhead, RB

Tim Wright, NE

Darren McFadden, RB

Rod Streater, WR

Brandon Pettigrew, TE

Rams Defense

Football season is starting! Oh man oh man, I am so tickled :)

~Mely

 

Weekend Story - YOSEMITE! YOOO SEEE MEEE TEEE!

Can you tell I was super excited to share this post about our trip to Yosemite National Park?

 

Yosemite is quite possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been to in my humble life. It's about 4 hours away from where we live and it's gorgeous and breathtaking. When you are there the scenery looks cut out of a portrait. Last year we went to Yosemite with a couple of my pals and I fell in love with the place. I've never seen a night sky like it. This year we went with our family, and don't get me wrong, I love my pals but it's always a good time when you throw 20 people into the mix and mexican food while camping because that's how my In-Laws roll and that just makes camping more awesome. They literally will make full Mexican dishes while camping.

 

So I had this CRAZY idea to bake up six dozen cookies for the trip Thursday nght. On my cookie menu?

 

2 Dozen Reeses Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

2 Dozen Oatmeal Raisin

2 Dozen Chocolate Chip Walnut

 

So I had to gather round 6 sticks of softened butter, lots of brown sugar, 1 bag of Reeses, 2 bags of Chocolate chips, 1 bag of chopped Walnuts, Raisins, 3 Eggs, Oatmeal, Cinnamon, Vanilla and Flour.
 

Thursday night I was one busy lady!

 

 

Friday we were up bright and early at around 5 AM and headed to pick up a family friend and then to my Momma's house to pick up my Momma and my little sister. We would be driving her CRV which has more space then either Tony's BMW or my Honda. And off we went!

We got there fairly early at which point we set up our tents and then headed into the valley to see all the sites. I found this spot in between a few trees and I demanded Tony set up our tent there. I jokingly referred to it as the site of our honeymoon ;)

 

Our tent locale

I didn't take much pictures because I wasn't particularly in a picture taking mood and I have already been there before at which time I had taken a TON of pictures so I just wanted to enjoy my stay and not fuss over pulling out my iPhone all the time. I did, however, steal some pictures from Tony's phone that he posted. My FIL took video here and there and it will be fun to see what he filmed. He caught me stuffing my face with a mango, I'm sure that will be super attractive to look back to in the future.

Bridalveil Falls

 

Scenic Landscape

 

 

 

Merced River (runs through Yosemite)

 

 

 

El Capitan

 

We didn't take any pictures of Half Dome and I'm kind of bummed we didn't but we have pictures of it from last time. By the way, can you tell these pictures were taken with my husband's Galaxy Note with a WAY better camera than my iPhone?

We came back to our campground after seeing the Valley and waited around for everybody else to get there. First, my In-Laws got there, then Tony's cousin, then we waited for Tony's Aunt and Uncle and waited some more and they would not arrive. It was almost midnight and still no Aunt and Uncle. Tony's Dad, Tony and Tony's cousin's Husband left to the valley to get reception. They didn't arrive back until 2AM. Turns out Tony's Aunt and Uncle had gotten lost in the park at 10,000 feet elevation!

I slept really uncomfortable Friday night and Saturday morning I was up bright and early. My MIL made beans, Chilaquiles and Gorditas for breakfast. It was all quite tasty! Everybody headed off to do their own thing in the valley for a while and Saturday night we had burgers and hotdogs. Later that night we enjoyed some s'mores before everybody called it a night and went to sleep.

Sunday morning it was Chorizo and Huevos for breakfast along with cereal, danishes and coffee. We all cleaned up and packed our tents. For the most part everybody was tired and just wanted to go home. It was 24 of us total so it took a lot of energy out of us to get everything organized through out the whole camping trip.

The trip back was a lot shorter than I expected and I was happy to make it home. We first dropped off my Momma and sister and then dropped off our friend Stephanie. When we got to my Momma's house we had a card from one of my brother's sweet friends to me and Tony. It was a gift card to a Sushi restaurant in Sebastopol. He found out I got married and wanted to send us a nice gift. What a thoughtful gesture! Sunday Tony and I headed to Applebee's for a post camping alone time dinner. I love going out and doing stuff just him and I because we are always with others and we don't get much alone time then the little bit of time we spend every night before bedtime.

Overall I was happy with the camping experience but I feel that for Yosemite in particular, next time I would rather go just Tony and I. We plan on coming every year and making it a tradition. It will be fun to come with our kids someday!

Weekend Story - Monster Post

 

Friday

 

On Friday I called in sick to work. I pretty much hung out at home and did nothing. Later on we went to my Mom's house for dinner. She made Beef Tongue Tacos. So good!

 

This is Chester and I am his favorite Master. This is an Instagram pic of his evil laser eyes.

 

 

Saturday

Saturday we headed to the river with my pals! I brought homemade chicken salad, watermelon, lemonade, chips, pringles and some Pinot Grigio - classy! I didn't take many pictures because my phone was hidden away in Tony's backpack. I managed a couple and my pal Connie took a cute one of Tony and I in the water :) Connie is the official group photographer and she also snapped these other pics!

 

That is my pal Connie, Tony and I taking a trelfie. Tripe Selfie. Yes I just said it.

 

 

This is Connie, myself and my pal Crystal

 

 

 

 Tony and I

 

 

 

 

 

We got home from the River exhausted. We took a shower and rested for a bit and headed out for some Chinese! There's a place walking distance from our house and we took off on foot. I must say I was a bit dissapointed with the food, it had good flavor but was too salty. We probably won't be going there again.

 

 

Sunday

Sunday I was up early and Tony slept in a little longer. I headed out to my Momma's house to hang out there for a while and pick up some Corundas she made, I found this picture online. Corundas are basically tamales without meat and in a smaller rounder form. They usually have green sauce or cheese inside. You serve them with sour cream and more green sauce.

 

 

My mom wasn't home so I just hung out with my sister in law and my nephew. I affectionately call my 6 year old nephew my Sugerplum, he's not too keen on it but I can't resist. I took this Snapchat of him creatively searching through the pantry. I mean he's too cute!

 

 

And I couldn't resist snapping a few pics and making a collage of Chester because look at that face! Love my Ches.

 

After I left home I went to the mall and I got a swimsuit from Forever 21 for $7! I love me a good deal :)

 

Then I stopped by Trader Joe's for some groceries and headed home to Tony. We decided to head out to the Sonoma County Fair!!! We checked out the Flower Show which was "Peace, Love and Fair" themed. Then we saw the livestock, a Sea Lion show and we walked around and grabbed some yummy fair food. On the Fair Menu: Giant Corndog, Chili Cheese Fries, Cinnamon Funnel Cake, Fresh Squeezed Lemonade and Pasta!

 

 

 

The cows were super cute! I felt terrible knowing that they are going to be slaughtered :( I honestly questioned whether I want to eat Beef anymore.

 

I also took this live picture of a cow peeing. Let me tell you, right before I took this picture there was a cow propelling poop a few feet directly in front of me. Once Tony told me to watch out I BOOKED it. My life flashed before my eyes... kidding, but seriously I was terrified of getting poop on me.

 

 

We walked around some more and I took this oh so sexy Snapchat of Tony and I with no makeup, duck face and frowny face included.

 

 

 

We came home around 8 PM and watched a couple of episodes of our current favorite show on Netflix before bed:

My First Home on TLC

 The episodes are old but this show takes you into the homebuying process of first time homeowners. We always crack up when they mention the prices these people pay for full size homes in the midwest and east coast. What's that? $120,000 for a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 1800 Square Feet home? It makes us question home ownership in our Bay Area California where you need to spend at least $450,000 to get a decent 1500 Square Feet home. Jeez.

 

And that's all folks!

 

~Mely

 

 

Cookie Baking Adventure

I recently posted my chocolate chip cookie recipe. Last weekend I baked two batches of Cookies and took pictures along the way to share.

 

I originally wanted to bake Snickerdoodles because I've never baked Snickerdoodles and I am a big fan. I was going to use this recipe but when I got to the grocery store I didn't feel like paying $7 for a bottle of Cream of Tartar because I wasn't going to be baking a ton of Snickerdoodles soon. I also recall seeing a bottle of Cream of Tartar at my Momma's house so I can just borrow it next time I go over. After ruling out Snickerdoodles I browsed the Baking section for other options and I found these:

 

 Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

If you know my husband you know he is a huge peanut butter fan. I immediately thought "Reese's Peanut Butter AND Chocolate chip Cookies. Sold.

 

Then I see this:

Ghirardelli White Chocolate Premium Baking Bar

 Then I thought "White Chocolate Chunk and Chocolate Chip Cookies" YES!

 

P.S. I apologize for the poor lighting. There's bad lighting in my in-laws' kitchen. I guess this is where a fancy camera would have been nice.

 

I already had these chocolate chips that I love using in my cookies at home:

 

Guittard Real Semisweet Chocolate Chips

These are my favorite chocolate chips. A good chocolate chip cookie must have a supreme chocolate chip!

 

Friday night after I let my butter soften for a solid 3 hours my first batch went like this:

 

Ingredients:

1 C. (2 sticks) softened salted butter

1 large egg

1 1/2 C packed brown sugar

1 TSP Pure Vanilla Extract

2 1/4 C All Purpose Flour

1 TSP Baking Soda

1/2 TSP salt

3/4 of a 10 OZ Bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

1/2 bag (6 OZ) Guittard Semisweet Chips

 

(this is simply my original chocolate chip cookie recipe with the chocolate mixed and matched to my liking)

 

I beat the butter, egg, brown sugar and vanilla

 

 

 

 

Then I added my flour, salt and baking soda

 

Then I mixed with my hands and added the chips 

 

 

After I was done making my PB/Choc. chip dough I transferred it to another bowl for later use. Did I mention how much I love my Pyrex bowls? I got a set as a wedding gift and I use them every single time I cook. On the real though, if you don't have yourself a set, go buy one. Click here. No, Pyrex doesn't pay me to advertise on my blog but I really love my Pyrex bowls. I use them for baking, cooking and storing and I want to buy another set when Tony and I purchase our home.

 

 

 

 

Then I used my original bowl to make another batch of dough. This time though...

I added chopped white chocolate chunks and Guittard chocolate chips. I used a 4 OZ bar and the other half of my chocolate chips that remained from the peanut butter chip cookie dough.

I transferred both doughs into large Ziplock bags. On the top is the chcolate chip/white chocolate chunk dough and on the bottom is the peanut butter chip cookie dough. These doughs refrigerate beautifully and I wanted to bake one dozen Friday night and continue the fun Saturday night.

I preheated my oven to 375 then...

 

... Baked for about 8 or 9 minutes.

at the top is 1/2 dozen peanut butter chip cookie and the bottom is 1/2 dozen white chocolate and chip cookies. I let them cook for about 15 minutes before removing.

 

Look at that beauty!

 

 

This is the back of one of my cookies. I don't know what compelled me to take a picture of it but it looked tasty and I just did. Notice the soft buttery texture!

 

And that's it! Phew!

 

~Mely

 

24

I just turned 24 two days ago on February 17th and I truly feel like I get better with age! My sleeve has helped me start enjoying life and savoring things and experiences I didn't before.

I have maintained a slow but steady weight loss of about 5 pounds per month. I know that most people expect bariatric patients to lose like crazy but it's just not that way when you are a year out. I have learned that I will always be a curvy girl but I will be healthy! I can run on a treadmill now and do stairmaster and lift weights and feel strong!

I also eat what I want in moderation. I still indulge in things like good bread, chocolate, croissants (Gasp!), steak, full fat dairy and cheese but I am mindful of keeping my intake of the following foods high: lean protein, water, fruits, veggies and other sources of protein and fiber such as oatmeal, eggs, cheese, and whole grain sandwich thins! One of the things I have learned on my dieting/surgery journey is that it's important to still eat whole foods that you love and make you feel satisfied and not nasty. For that reason I stay away from processed foods, fast food (although I am a sucker for Taco Bell, always will be) and soda.

My birthday celebration was wonderful. I am so lucky to have the amazing people in my life that I do. I have an incredibly supportive family that is there for me at all times. I have a strong (emotionally as well as physically) boyfriend that loves me the way I am even when I am being a complete weirdo and saying random things as well as being a little overly enthusiastic and easily amused. I love him because he is so different than me and really balances me out yet at the same time is so much like me and shares my same values and ideals. I also have an incredible set of friends who I know I will be friends with for years and years to come.

The Sunday before my birthday I had a nice little celebration with friends and family at my house... I didn't get as many pics as I wanted of that but here am I with the boyfriend (Can you tell I was having a good time, it was fun!)

Then the actual Monday of my birthday we went to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. WOW! That place is so amazing! Here are some pics of that...

 

 

 

I've, also taken up juicing... Did you know Beets are such an all around beneficial super food?!

I have been trying to work out at least 4 times a week and do high intensity cardio and running. Here I am post-bike workout at the gym.

Now if I could just get stay away from my Kryptonite food I could finish losing those last 30!

Until next time,

Mely