February 20, 2014

Viva Las Vegas- Part Two

Why is sleeping in impossible on vacation?  It’s vacation.  We are supposed to sleep in right?

I was up at 6AM.

Six…. A…. M….

Internal Alarm Clock is a b!tch sometimes.   Or it could have been the Red Bull still going strong in my system and a killer headache I had started to sport.

Aleve, water, a few more hours of dozing in and out of sleep and magic: headache be-gone.

On the agenda: The Forum to shop with my girl, Cyndi.

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Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Armani, Gucci, Tiffany and Co. and I all rubbed elbows for the day.

And, after witnessing the shopping styles of the rich and famous, we soothed our egos and slimmer wallets with Fat Tuesday Slushies.

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Vodka Red Bull Slushie for Cyndi, Rum and Fruit Punch Slushie for me!

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Next up, Cyndi took me through the Bellagio to check out the Botanical Garden.  Truly amazing to see the extensive displays of flowers, plants and scenery.

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Each horse was covered entirely with grass, moss and other types of greenery.  No green thumb here, so don’t ask for descriptions beyond a kindergarten level.

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On our way out we checked out the Fiori Di Como, a glass sculpture that hangs above the 18 foot ceiling.

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On our walk back to meet the men in our lives, we caught a quick look at the Bellagio fountains, Eiffel tower and I had to throw in a pic of Planet Hollywood where my girl Britney is living for the time being.

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I am very sad she and I couldn’t match up our schedules this trip.  I’ll catch her next time around. 🙂

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Once we caught back with the husbands, we all decided to take a walk to the Harley Davidson Cafe.

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The cafe had a conveyor belt that circulated the room.  Pretty cool to see a handful of Harley’s floating above your head.  We decided to stick around the Cafe and sit outside on the patio.  It was GORGEOUS that afternoon and it served as a good meeting point for the rest of the group.

Our bill was impressive!

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The afternoon soon slipped by and soon we found ourselves in a limo headed to Fremont Street!   While there we ate some great food, listened to decent music, drank a lot, gambled a little and had ourselves a great last night in Vegas!

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Limo Shenanigans

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Fremont Street

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Cyndi and Shelli.  End of night and adorable as ever.

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After Fremont Street we headed back to the hotel and ended our night in varying capacities.

But, a weekend in Vegas wouldn’t be complete without random cots in elevators and someone getting arrested a few doors down from us.

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I’d say this was the perfect ending for a Vegas weekend.

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February 19, 2014

Viva Las Vegas- Part One

It only took me 33 years, but Vegas is finally checked off my Bucket List.  Oh what fun we had in the 48 hours that we were there.

Friday the 7th, Clint and I boarded a plane at 6AM for our connecting flight in Denver. We don’t look too shabby for that hour, eh?

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Omaha is apparently super lame in the direct flight department.  Once we hit our layover in Denver we headed straight to the bar.

It’s Vegas weekend!  Why wouldn’t we get started right away with Bloody Mary’s and Beer?!

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A few cocktails later and we were on a plane to VEGAS!

Our weekend accommodations were at The Flamingo.  This is where we met up with the rest of our crew who had all gotten in on Thursday.   The Flamingo provided us a decent stay.  Nice large room, comfy bed, big bathroom mirrors (every girls needs those).  What more do you need while in Vegas?

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Pink blankets and curtains.  But of course!

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The view from our room.

Once we checked in our group walked over to the New York, New York to hit up some tables and do a little shopping.  All with Vodka Red Bulls, of course.  Those seemed to be the choice of drink for the group over the weekend.  I have a copy of the bill from Saturday to prove it.

I was completely impressed that you can walk anywhere with a drink.  Um, awesome.  And the shopping was over the top fantastic, not only for the shops, but for the scenery as well.  How cool is this interactive ceiling?  Apparently, it thunderstorms at certain hours.  I missed that show, but I can see how much of a head trip this would be with a few too many cocktails.  😉

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 Clint never takes off this HyVee sweatshirt.  I know.

That evening we went to Zumanity.  What I can offer to you regarding the show is to keep an open mind.  It is very explicit in nature, but the athleticism, dedication and artistic expression that these individuals exude was out of this world.  I was truly impressed and entertained.

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After Zumanity we split and went different directions.  Some of us gambled, some hit up the bar, some called it a night.  Clint and I took off and walked around the Strip long enough for me to capture a few night pictures.  I wish we had spent more time out and about because there is SO much I didn’t see and my pictures are incredibly disappointing, but shoe choice and sleep deprivation started to catch up with us around 2:30am.

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Saturday night adventures include hefty bills and cots in elevators.  Stay tuned!

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We are just THAT special, folks.

February 17, 2014

Drunken Italian Noodles

I hope everyone had a great weekend and a Happy Valentine’s Day!   We spent the evening at home on Friday and it was absolutely perfect.  I am fighting a crack-your-ribs-coughing kind of chest cold so having an evening at home was overwhelmingly welcomed.

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For dinner, I chose an Italian recipe. Normally we do lasagna each year (it’s just the perfect dinner on Valentine’s Day, ya?) but I wanted to shake it up and go a different Italian route.

Enter: Drunken Italian Noodles.

A recipe incorporating booze and pasta?

Ya, I’m in.

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Clint joined me in the dinner making process.  We are a great team when it comes to making a multiple step meal.  I am impatient and cook everything on high which either ends up burning or drying out the food.  He is very patient and cooks things slowly.  His task: browning the Italian sausage and cooking the veggies.

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Drunken Italian Noodle Recipe

Drunken Italian Noodles Directions

Step 1:

In a large heavy bottomed pan, heat 2 Tbsp. Oil over medium heat.  Remove sausage from casings, crumble and brown.   While sausage is browning, slice onion and peppers into strips.

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Step 2:

Remove sausage from pan, leaving drippings behind.  Add onions to pan and allow to caramelize then add salt, seasonings, garlic and pepper.  Saute until peppers are soft (or at your own desired consistency).

Step 3:

Take a pull from the wine bottle.  Then add 1/2 cup of wine to pan and allow to reduce.  Feel free to take a few more swigs of wine while you wait.

Step 4:

Add can of tomatoes (with juice) and the set aside sausage back into the pan.

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Step 5:

Once the juices have further reduced, gently incorporate cooked egg noodles.  Serve with your choice of bread (we chose a garlic bread ring).  Enjoy!

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February 15, 2014

MNB February Challenge Week 2 Recap

Week Two of the Move Nourish Believe Challenge is complete!  The focus word for week two was Nourish.  It challenged me in different ways as it pushed me out of my food comfort zone.  I really enjoyed trying out new recipes, going vegan for a day and testing a raw food recipe.  Thanks to Lorna Jane and Fit Approach Sweat Pink Sisters for this great challenge.

Week 2 Day 1: Monday, February 10th

Challenge Topic: Go Meatless! Skip meat today!  Try vegetarian/vegan meals.

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Fruits, veggies, hummus and Clif Bars during the day (easy grab and go as I traveled all morning and had meetings through the afternoon) and a Mushroom Veggie Burger with steamed veggies for dinner.  Highly recommend hot sauce on the veggie burgers.  Yum!

Week 2 Day 2: Tuesday, February 11th

Challenge Topic: TYLTW!  Take your lunch to work today.  Choose a recipe from MNB to inspire your packed lunch!

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I chose the Mediterranean Frittata to make and take.  I tweaked the recipe slightly from MNB by using only egg whites, subbing spinach and adding Feta Cheese.   This frittata was good for lunch, breakfast and dinner, which I proved by eating it multiple times over the course of a few days.  Definitely worthy of a re-make.  A friend suggested dropping  in sun-dried tomatoes and I agree that it sounds like the perfect addition.

Week 2 Day 3: Wednesday, February 12th

Challenge Topic: Write it down!  Journal your food today and share your WIAW with us!

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I track my food on MyFitnessPal on a normal basis.  I have actually been a MFP’r for many years.  I started using it to try and track down the source of my stomach troubles long ago.   MFP has been my friend and will remain my friend for as long as it’s around.  It has helped me find certain stomach trigger foods as well as being a heck of a reality check.  You put HOW many empty calories in your body??

My WIAW wasn’t anything spectacular, as you can tell.

Week 2 Day 4: Thursday, February 13th

Smoothie Day: Happy Thirsty Thursday!  Make a healthy smoothie today!

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One of my all time faves is a Chocolate PB2 Shake.  Coming in a close second is my Vanilla Protein with Pistachio flavoring shake.  Yummo!

Week 2 Day 5: Friday, February 14th

Challenge Topic: Go Raw Friday!  Choose a recipe from MNB and go raw!

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Since it was Valentine’s Day on Friday, I was very happy to find a recipe on MNB that fit perfectly into the theme of the day.  These cookies were really good.  Surprisingly! 🙂  You could definitely tell the lack of sugar from a ‘normal’ cookie, but the banana and strawberries were so refreshing.  One word of advice: make sure to cook them long enough.  Mushy banana oats aren’t appetizing.

And that, my friends, closes out Week Two of the Move Nourish Believe Challenge.  Week One Recap can be found here.

Up next for Week Three: Believe.  

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with the last 5 days of the challenge!

Make sure to also connect with:

Lorna Jane Facebook

Fit Approach Facebook

Move Nourish Believe

Fit Approach

Cheers!