I have the BEST job!

I love being a mommy but my "real" job - the one that pays the bills is working for the City of Farmers Branch as the Special Events Manager.  I am very fortunate as this is my DREAM job, planning city events and festivals.  It is crazy and fun!  We just finished up our biggest event of the year, Liberty Fest, last weekend.  It was a ton of work and I have great coworkers and bosses that helped support me and make this event successful.  We had the bands Gin Blossoms and Styx and they both ROCKED!  Here is a picture of me and the other staff with Styx :)  Please don't make fun of the Britney Spears microphone...it is the only way I could hear anyone when we were backstage. 

This week has been my recovery week - there were lots of long days and nights to pull this off.  I am going to get back to running this weekend (which I've missed) and back to blogging more often.  Stay tuned!   

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Family Fun!

The weather over the last few weeks has been so nice! We have taken full advantage with lots of fun family time.

Mike & Addi - First fishing trip at Fishin' Fun in Farmers Branch

For Mother's Day - Mike, Addi and I spent the afternoon at the Lake Dallas Carnival.  Addison had a BLAST riding all the rides and bouncing in the bounce house.  

Riding in the helicopter!

Flying high in the airplane...she talked about this all week!

Bouncing - Bouncing - Bouncing

Addi and I had a fun playdate at the Fort Worth Zoo with Carrie and Emily.  We enjoyed a fun day looking at all the animals and finished with a lunch overlooking the alligators.  Her favorite...the Alligator even though it scared the crap out of her.  The second picture is her and Emily in their beautiful princess crowns - this was the best picture I could get because the girls kept giggling and looking at each other :)

We spent Sunday afternoon playing in the fountains in Flower Mound.  We took Addison for a surprise ice cream at Rita's Ice and fun in the fountains.

We have had some really fun weekends with many more to come!  I love SPRING!



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The Jog Blog - Week 3

It's HOT!!!  I'm trying to stay on track with running but summer is coming early for Texas.  I managed to get to 3.25 miles this week but I'm about a half mile off my goal.  I'm going to have to step it up but I think I'm going to have to keep my runs really early in the morning or really late in order to make it through. 

I'm tracking my runs on my iphone with the app Runkeeper and I love it.  You can set it to inturrupt your music and tell you miles per hour, distance, time, etc.  It helps me keep on pace and push myself a little harder.  Here is the app:

Here is my progress this week -

Saturday (4.28.12) - 3.08 miles @ 00:37:04
Sunday (4.29.12) - 2.20 miles @ 00:27:18
Monday (4.30.12) - 3.25 miles @ 00:36:41
Wednesday - Insanity Pin It

Skinny Copycat Wine A Rita

I love a frozen, fruity drink on a warm spring or summer day.  When my sister and I were in Canton we saw Wine A Rita's and fell in LOVE!  They are very yummy :)  Unfortunately, they also have tons of calories and are full of sugar.  120 Calories and 31 grams of sugar for 1 serving plus 150 calories for the wine.  One drink is 270 Calories - and I can drink several they are so good - YIKES!  And they retail for $12 for one blender package of mix. 

So this sent me on a quest to find a SKINNY and INEXPENSIVE Wine A Rita Copycat Recipe.  Someone online suggested Crystal Light so I thought I'd give it a try.  The combo I tried (Lemonade and White Zinfandel) was AMAZING and only 155 calories!!!  See below for other combos.   

Skinny Copycat Wine A Rita's for 2

2 Servings

1 Single Serve Lemondae Flavored Crystal Light Mix

16 oz White Zinfandel or Blush Wine

32 oz Ice

Other Combos: 

• Moscato and Raspberry Peach
• Merlot and Raspberry Ice or Cherry Pomegranate
• Chardonnay and Margarita Mocktail (Yes they have mocktails now...Skinny Margarita anyone?)
• Riesling and Appletini Mocktail

Directions:

1.  Pour Crystal Light mix into pitcher.

2.  Pour in Wine and blend until mix is dissolved.

3.  Add Ice and blend until smooth. 

Pour into a wine glass and enjoy! 

Calories (according to my count): 

1 - 8 oz Glass - 155 calories Pin It

Yummy Pinterest - Garlic Chicken

Pinterest has become a new obsession for me!  I even found a way to add a Pin It button on my blog :)  I especially love the links to all the new recipes - here is one we tried this week and it was pretty yummy.  It is only 7 ingredients and takes 35 minutes from start to finish - which is always a plus in our house.   

Garlic Chicken

4 Servings

2-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

4 Cloves of Garlic - Pressed or Minced

3 T Olive Oil

4 T Brown Sugar

Salt & Pepper

Cooking Spray

3 Cups Hot Steamed Rice

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 500°F

2.  Cover a casserole dish in foil and lightly spray with cooking spray (helps with clean up).

3.  Cut all fat from chicken and pound out to an even thickness.

4.  In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender about 4-5 minutes

5.  Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

6.  Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and salt and pepper to taste.

7.  Cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

8.  Bake uncovered for 18 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.

9.  Serve with hot steamed rice.

This would be great with a veggie on the side too but I just didn't have anything in the refridgerator tonight. 

Calories (according to my count): 

1 Chicken Breast - 486 calories
1 Cup Rice - 204 calories

Recipe courtesy of http://www.food.com/.

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The Jog Blog

I've decided to register for the Dallas Running Clubs 10K Race on July 7 - hopefully having all of you follow me will keep me on the track with a 12 week plan to run 6.2 miles. 

Mike and I recently got a jogging stroller which has been the best investment.  We typically run 3-4 times a week and anywhere between 2 miles to 3.5 miles a day.  Here is what I ran last week:

Monday (4.9.12) - 2.56 miles @ 00:28:37
Tuesday (4.10.12) - 2.71 miles @ 00:29:29
Wednesday (4.11.12) - Boot Camp
Thursday (4.12.12) - 2.51 miles @ 00:28:55

And let me mention that Mike is MUCH faster than me....he typically pushes the jogging stroller and still is much faster and has to circle back for me to catch up. 

Tomorrow I begin my 12 week training program for the 10K on July 7!  Here is the official plan for running - stay tuned for my weekly progress.

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Easter Fun

We had a GREAT Easter - full of family time, eggs and tons of CANDY!  Addison was super excited for Easter this year and she had a blast doing 5 egg hunts.  She was not your typical kiddo rushing from egg to egg and getting all she could...she took her time and opened every egg before moving onto the next one.  Here's a couple photos from our fun weekend!

Addison loved the Easter Bunny...she was so excited to sit on his lap.

Addison grabbing eggs and opening them BEFORE they went into the basket.

Dying Easter Eggs...I think this was her favorite part.  She dyed each egg at least 10 times and forget about the scooper - her hands were black when she was done.

Easter Morning and she is SUPER proud of her eggs...they turned out really pretty.

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Welcome to My Loves!

I am an foodie, drinker of wine, runner and best of all Mommy! This blog is an account of all the wonderful things in my life.

Mike - Meredith - Addison

My passion for food began at a very young age...I loved being in the kitchen with my mom and grandmothers as they cooked.  I took cooking classes when I was in elementary school, went to cooking camp in Junior High and even did my own cookbook of family recipes when I was a pre-teen.  I am by no means a sophisticated cook but I LOVE cooking and especially EATING!!!

Wine is a newer passion of mine and one that I enjoy experimenting with...again I mention I do not have a sophisticated palette but love trying out new wines.  My newest favorite wine is Moscato - I think I'm in love :)  My favorite time of day is when everyone is in bed and I get to have a glass of wine and relax!

Running...to keep off all the pounds from food and wine:)  I haven't always enjoyed this sport but just recently fell into it.  Now I really love getting out and clearing my mind with a good run.  I completed my first 5K in November of 2011 and really want to try out a half marathon by the end of the year.  My hubby Mike and I run together 3-4 times a week so it's time we get to spend together too!

Dorothy's Dash - First 5K

Being a Mom!  This if my absolute FAVORITE thing in the entire world (besides being a wife).  Mike and I got married in April of 2006 and started our family in December 2009 with the birth of Addison!  We are so in love with our little girl and she is the light of both of our lives.  She is spunky, funny, sweet and very loving!  

Addison - December 11, 2009



Enjoy the blog!





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