A few weeks ago (in May actually) I had the opportunity to attend the Blend Retreat and it was sooooo much fun! I think I mentioned that at the closing raffle, I had won the entire Smooth Sensations Cream Cheese Spread line from The Laughing Cow :
I'm not gonna I was pretty stoked! Within days, this arrived at my house:
FABULOUS, right?
All the flavors are great, but so far my faves are the Garden Vegetable and the Cinnamon Cream! Sooo good! Love them on toast! But, there are so many other ways you can use them! Here are some links to some great recipes, using The Laughing Cow products:
Have you heard of Rugs Direct? If not, you need to check out their site! They have a FABULOUS selection of rugs at great prices! Rugs Direct, has generously offered to send me a rug to review, and I couldn't be more excited! I have been looking for a rug for our dining nook, and found just the perfect one, on the Rugs Direct site:
What do you think? It's a light silver/gray color. I think it will go great with the changes we are planning in our kitchen this summer!
Rugs Direct is having a "Proud to be an American Sweepstakes" right now, and will be giving away a rug valued at $300! You can enter the sweepstakes by clicking on the Raffle Copter link below!
Now, go do it! You won't regret it! Who doesn't want a new rug!
We stopped by a new spot in Salt Lake called Granary Row, on Saturday night. Pretty cool place! I will blog about it later on this week. Yesterday, we spent some time laying by the pool, which is always GOOD!
I want to tell you about a restaurant we discoverd last weekend. I've driven by Bistro on Main a dozen times, and I always make a mental note to try it out, but for whatever reason we haven't until now.
On Saturday morning, my husband and I took our little Mal-Shih for a walk up high on Bountiful Boulevard (fabulous views). After a nice hour long walk were starving! I remembered Bistro on Main, and knew they had outdoor seating so I suggested we give it a try, even though we had our dog with us.
I went inside when we got there and asked if it was okay if we dine outside with our dog….they happily said YES! We found a great shaded table on the front porch and checked out the menu.
The menu isn't too large, but does have a nice selection of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes. One of the specials of the day was the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and fries (waffle or sweet potato). My husband chose this! I decided on the Citrus Grilled Chicken Sandwich, with cheese, bacon and avocado, also served with fries. I am not eating white bread at the moment, so I asked if I could get the sandwich sans bread. They were more than willing to comply!
While the Pulled Pork Sandwich was messy (as it should be!), my husband said it was fabulous! He loved it! We even snuck a few bites to our Mal-Shih under the table!
My sandwich arrived without the bread (as I requested) and it was delicious! So tender and great flavor! I liked the sweet potato fries as well, and the service was great!
There was a sort of boutique happening on the front lawn, and one of the vendors happened to be selling healthy doggie treats. How lucky for us! He brought our dog a nice sample up on the porch, and she loved it!
We really did have a great experience at Bistro on Main! I noticed they had an alcoholic drink menu as well, which is always a plus in Bountiful!
We will be back!
Have you tried any new restaurants lately?
Do you have a favorite restaurant that is pet friendly?
Happy Friday Friends! It's been a long week, and I'm ready for the weekend!
As I mentioned yesterday, I have put together my 2013 Summer Bucket List:
There are a few duplicates on this list from last year. Either things we didn't accomplish, or things I want to do every Summer!
I've alrady got plans in place for some of these things, and some others might be a bit far fetched, but you never know, right? Should make for a fun summer!
Happy Thursday! One more day closer to Friday, right?!?!?
Last year I posted a Summer Bucket List of all the items/activities that I wanted to accomplish by the end of the summer. Well, how did I do? Let's see:
It looks like I had 20 items on the list, and managed to check of 10. 50% isn't too shabby, right?
So, some of you may remember that I lost a little bit of weight and went on a quest to get fit. Then again, I have been so sporadic with my blog the last year, I probably don't have any readers out there anymore! :) Anyway, you can read about my quest to get fit HERE. Go ahead check it out…..at least take a look at the photo! YIKES! I still can't believe I posted that picture for the blog world to see!
So, back to my quest to get fit. I found Zumba and I fell in love with it. And then I started GPP, along with Zumba and life was good! Unfortunately, last November life threw me a curve ball, and I ended up having to have ACDF Surgery 3.5 weeks ago. My activity level has dropped dramatically since getting injured back in November. For the time being, all I am allowed to do is walk. Either outside or on the treadmill. I can also do the elliptical, but that's not really my thing. I found this great app called Walkmeter, to map my walk, track my distance, and track my calories burned. I know that it might not be perfectly accurate, but for right now, it is working for me and keeping me motivated!
My walks over the last week:
Pretty consistent, so far! I guess I need to get walking a bit further! Ha! Bottom line is, I am getting out there, counting the minutes, steps, walks, etc. until I am released to get back to Zumba and GPP!
I've got a high school reunion coming up in a few months as well! Gotta get on it!
Have you ever had an injury setback? Had to scale back workouts, or stop working out all together?
If so, I would love to hear your story! Maybe get some motivation from you!?!?!
A few weeks ago, I was asked to be a Yelp Elite Squad Member, which I thought was pretty cool! I have been using Yelp for quite some time, looking for new restaurants/hotels/services to try in my city and when I am traveling, as well as posting my own reviews of places I have visited.
Last week, I was invite to my first Yelp Elite Squad Event. I had the opportunity to try out a new East India Restaurant, Saffron Valley.
I've tried Indian Food before (basically curry and naan), but had never eaten at an Indian Restaurant, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say I was very impressed!
Saffron Valley is located in the Avenues area of Salt Lake City, in a location that used to house the Pagoda Restaurant. I took my friend Kristyn with me to sample Saffron Valley, since it was my first Yelp Event and I was a bit nervous! When we arrived we were able to mingle with other "Yelpers" and grab a drink from the bar. The event was held in the lower "banquet room" of the restaurant. It was nice to be able to chat with everyone and get to know people before the food was served.
The menu that night consisted of two appetizers to sample, three Entrees, two side dishes and dessert.
We started with a Chicken Tikki Wrap and Dahi Puri. Both were delicious! The portion size of the wrap was very generous! It was a full meal portion, rather than an appetizer portion! The chicken was so tender, and once again I loved the taste of the added cilantro!
I was also surprised by the light taste of the Dahi Puri. The dish had a light cilantro flavor and the chick peas and yogurt sauce were delicious! For some reason, when the Dahi Puri came out, I thought it would be a hot dish! Not at all! It was like a cold soup.
Saffron Valley has a variety of Kebabs, and I was please with both the lamb and chicken! The chicken was very tender, as was the lamb. So good!! I didn't get to try the paneer, but I learned that it is very easy to make!
The Naan (leavened flatbread) was served warm and was delicious as well. I am not a huge fan of dessert (I know, I'm weird), but the portion of Gulab Jamun (similar to a donut hole soaked in sugare syrup) was perfect. Just a small portion, that was served warm! It is very sweet (to me), so the small portion was perfect. For some reason I didn't get a photo of dessert. My bad!
We also had a belly dancer and henna tattoo artist to entertain us, and a nice raffle of prizes as well. I will definitely be eating at Saffron Valley again in the very near future. If you like East Indian Cuisine, please give them a try! You won't be disappointed! They also have a location in South Jordan.
I'm excited to attend more Yelp Events in the future! It was a lot of fun, and I met some great people!
Do you Yelp?
Have you ever tried a restaurant based on a Yelp review?
Three weeks ago yesterday, I had ACDF surgery. Basically, I have several bulging discs in my upper back/neck. The neurosurgeon went in the front of my neck, and removed the bad, dried up discs, and the space was replaced with cadaver grafts, then strengthened with titanium plates and screws. Crazy, huh?
So, 3 weeks post surgery, how's it going? Well I am back at work, full time. I tried to go back after 1 week, but it just didn't happen. I needed one more day at home. I was able to work the last two days of the week, but I was so glad for the weekend. I think I tried to do too much, too soon!
We did get out to see Daniel Tosh, I was worried I wouldn't be able to sit through a whole show, but it was okay! And Daniel Tosh? Oh my! HILARIOUS! But so, so, bad! And don't you love my see through shirt (Hello BRA!) ? Hmmmm….didn't really notice that until the photo. I'm classy….what can I say!
I've been trying to get as much rest as I can, and I never have to worry about cooking! I swear, my family and Zumba girls took care of me! The delicious meals Carl and I had……oh my! I am so thankful!
My neurosurgeon told me that I could begin walking after a week or so, as long as I felt up to it. I went on a nice long walk during the second week, but I think it was too soon. I took the second weekend super easy, wore my neck brace and laid low. It was well needed! Once again, what can I say? I'm classy! Sharpies on my neck collar! š
I was still having trouble sleeping. It seems to be the worst side effect of this whole thing. I wasn't able to sleep much before surgery, and sleeping after surgery wasn't much easier! It was hard to sleep on my back, propped up with pillows. I just couldn't get comfortable! Ugh!
Week three started a little bit better! I think the weekend of rest, really did me some good! I was able to go on two really nice walks and burn some good calories! Important, right?
Last night I had to run to Costco for a few things and found this pillow:
And for the first time in months, I could sleep on my side and get a good night's sleep! It was amazing! I am praying tonight goes just as well!
My follow up appt. with my neurosurgeon is next week. I am hoping that that x-rays show that my neck is "fusing" nicely and I am on the mend! This whole experience has been trying!
I hope you all have a happy Thursday, and THANK YOU so much for your support, as I go through this crazy time in my life!
Seriously, I cannot believe it is already June! I'm loving the warm weather though! Summer is here! Since I barely posted during the month of May, I thought I would just do a little recap with instagram photos. If you don't follow me on instagram, please do (I'm alimoll).
Anyway, the month started off with a visit home from my favorite son, Tyson!
A bunch of his friends were graduating from the University of Utah the first weekend in May, so he came home for 2.5 days for all of the festivities and parties! We had a great time hanging out with some pretty fabulous friends celebrating. It was great to have Tyson home, if only for a short time!
This photo was taken on a Saturday morning in May, a week and a half prior to my neck/back surgery . I woke up feeling so good! I actually got some sleep the night before and I wasn't in too much pain. I went for a nice long walk at Sugarhouse Park with some great friends and then out to lunch. It was nice to feel good enough to get some exercise in!
We celebrated Mother's Day by having my Mom over for dinner on the patio! A quick photo of the girls, including our Mal-Shi, Chloe!
The highlight of the month was being able to attend BLEND with my daughter Madison. We had such a great time! Even though I wasn't able to really participate 100% due to my back, it was fabulous to spend time with Madi and meet so many wonderful women! I came away from the retreat feeling so optomistic about my surgery and getting back to working out and being back to myself again! You can read about my Blend Retreat Recap HERE. I am so thankful that I met Janetha and found out about Blend!
We were also able to get the patio furniture out, and get some flowers and pots of flowers planted. I knew I wouldn't be able to do any work in the yard post surgery, so getting it pretty was a priority! Even though the weather was a bit iffy in May!
Finally, it was Surgery Week. I have been in pain since last November, and finally realizing that I might be pain free was almost too much to imagine! I was nervous, a bit apprehensive and scared, but mostly I was excited and optimistic!
I handled the surgery really well, and immediately felt relief. My arms and hands had been going numb daily, and the pain in my neck (LOL!) was almost constant. Waking up from surgery and finally coming out of the anesthesia fog, I could already tell a difference. It was crazy! I am almost 2 weeks post surgery and I am doing so much better! Praise God! One odd thing – I'm not a real jello lover (except jello shots, holla!)…but I couldn't get enough jello in the hospital. Every hour throughout the night, when the nurses would come in to check my vitals, I asked for ice chips and jello! My throat was so sore from the tube down my throat, as well as the agitation from surgery, and jello just tasted sooo good and was so easy on my throat! I couldn't get enough. Smile.
Finally, I have to give a shout out to my Zumba friends, who along with my family made sure we were well fed, and I was well taken care of, the week after surgery! I really am the luckiest girl!
And so the month of May has come to a close. It was a great month, and I am looking forward to summer and what the month of June holds for me! I am back to work, and feeling so much better! I'm not able to exercise much yet, but I have been taking some nice long walks! Trying to get those endorphines going and burn some calories!
Happy Monday Friends! And Happy June! I hope it's a great month for us all!
Last weekend, Madison and I were lucky enough to attend the 2013 Blend Retreat at the Canyons Ski Resort! We registered for the retreat before I knew the extent of my back/neck issues, so I wasn't sure how much of the weekend i would be able to participate in.
We arrived on Friday afternoon, and checked in to the GORGEOUS Hyatt Escala Lodge. It was so beautiful. We shared a beautiful 4 bedroom suite with these awesome girls:
They were all so awesome, and I am so happy to have met them all!
Friday night started out with a Cocktail Party, sponsored by Silk. In addition to having a full bar set up, Silk had a few signature cocktails made with their soy and almond milk. I stuck with my trusty Chardonnay, but Madi tried the Strawberry Mint Slush. It was delicious!
After the Cocktail Party, we had a fabulous 4-course dinner buffet in the ballroom. The dinner was delicious, and we got to spend time mingling and getting to know the other "blends"!
The next morning, GPP led a group workout, which was awesome. With my back/neck issues, I wasn't able to do much of the workout (only the squats and push-ups), but it was still a great workout for me!
The weather over the weekend was rainy and wet. We had a hike scheduled for late morning, but with the weather, we weren't sure if it was going to happen. Fortunately, the rain subsided to just a drizzle and we were able to get our hike in. Living in Utah, I sometimes take the beauty of the mountains for granted. I live a short 20 miles from The Canyons, and we don't make it up here often enough. The hike was gorgeous. I wasn't sure how well, I was going to do, but I'm so glad I just went with it. Even though my arms were numb most of the time, it was worth it. GORGEOUS! The hike was sponsored by Pro Bar. Fabulous protein bars and chews! I could seriously, eat those chews like candy!
The rest of the day we were on our own. Madi and I did a little shopping at the outlet stores and stopped by downtown Park City for a bit. By the time we were done around 5:00, we were exhausted. Madi felt like she might be coming down with a cold, so she crashed for a few hours. It was nice for both of us to be able to just chill in our suite. We did grab a takeout pizza from Drafts, which was really good! We called it a night early!
On Sunday morning, GPP hosted another workout which I didn't make it to. I was sooo sore from Saturday and knew that I wouldn't be able to do much of the workout with my neck issue, so I slept in. From what I heard, Neil put together another great workout!
Breakfast on Sunday was sponsored by Chobani, which is a FAVE of mine!
I can't even begin to explain how fabulous this breakfast was! Omelet stations with all the fixin's and Chobani yogurt sauce, Chobani Smoothies, Chobani Pancakes (YUM!), and Oatmeal with Chobani too! Plus a huge assortment of Chobani yogurt, including their new Flips! So good!
After our awesome breakfast, we all packed up our rooms, etc. and headed to the last event of the weekend. The Raffle, which was sponsored by Blue Diamond. Have you tried the new flavored almonds? If not, you should! The Coconut Almonds are amazing! I can't believe how many fabulous items were raffled off! Everyone went home with at least one raffle item, and sometimes two!
I won the entire Smooth Sensations Cream Cheese line from The Laughing Cow!!
Love that stuff! I couldn't be more thrilled!
After the raffle, it was time to say Good-Bye to everyone. What a great group of women, and a super fabulous weekend! This was exactly what I needed the weekend before my neck surgery!
