I’m a Big Kid Now!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Girl In Pigtails

It is official! Today, I have my very own medical insurance, dental insurance and prescription coverage. Thank you Safeway, it only took six months but I feel like an adult. Yahoo!  🙂

All grown up

-Girl in Pigtails

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Round 2… Day 1 Done!

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Girl In Pigtails

Yesterday marked Day 1 (round 2) of my P90X program. Let me tell you, Day 1 on any exercise program is PAIN!  We got through about half of the work out, then TMF (total muscle failure). To help us out, we are taking a Pre and Post workout drink. I got mine at Wal-Mart because it is cheaper. The brand is Six Star Pro Nutrition N.O Fury (Pre workout drink) and Creatine X3 (Post workout drink). These help a lot, but what also helps is having the right amount of calories. I got the My Fitness Pal app on my phone and it is awesome! You set up your weight goal and your measurements then, the tracker will track all your food, exercise and water for the day. The best part about the app is the food bar scanner. Instead of manually putting in every ingredient and its nutritional value; the app let’s you scan the bar code.  Just like that, it will bring up all the info. The app will let you know at the end of the day if you ate too much or not enough. It has other cool features, like being “friends” with people. Just like Facebook, everyone connected will see your daily log. I will post my measurements and Day 1 photos within the next few posts! The first week is normally the worst, but it will only get easier from here! 😀

very sore, VERY Sore…

-Girl in Pigtails

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Stone Cold Sick Update!

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Girl In Pigtails

OMG! I am finally getting over my new years cold/flu. Thanks to the help of soft tissues, antibiotics, and Safeway oranges (in all there many forms)! With a low appetite and feeling like poo, I made the decision to hold off on P90X. This Sunday, I will officially start my 90 days of pain, I mean exercise! 😀 I will keep you posted…

Feeling Human Again!

-Girl in Pigtails

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My Big Fat Greek… Dinner!

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Girl In Pigtails

I wanted to try something new and exciting! I wasn’t going to worry about calories and carbs. So, with the help of Miss. Betty Crocker, I found Greek Spanakopita Pie. For those who are not Greek, like me, the pie is a flaky phyllo crust that encases a savory ground beef filling flavored with spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese. I chose to use ground lamb and usually this meal has a ton of butter. However, when I started cooking, I realized I didn’t have a brush for my butter. Improvising, I turned to Pam cooking spray with olive oil. I figured if it was meant to be… it would be delicious!

What you will need:

1lb lean ground lamb
1cup chopped onion (1 large)
1box (9 oz) Green Giant frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/2teaspoon salt
1/4teaspoon pepper
1can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian-style herbs, undrained
12sheets frozen phyllo (filo) (14×9 inch), thawed
1/4cup Progresso Italian style bread crumbs
1cup (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese
1can Pam cooking spray with Olive Oil

How to make it:

1. Heat oven to 350F. Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
2. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently; drain. Stir in spinach, parsley, salt, pepper, and all but 1/2 cup of the tomatoes. Cook and stir until hot; set aside.
3. Cover phyllo sheets with damp paper towel.
4. Arrange sheets, layering 3 at a time, in an X shape and then in a + shape to create a spoke pattern on work surface.
5. Spray each layer lightly with Pam Olive Oil and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the bread crumbs.
6.Transfer all layers of phyllo to pie plate, gently easing dough down sides of pie plate and allowing excess dough to hang over edge.
7. Place beef mixture in pie plate; top with feta cheese.
8.Fold overhanging phyllo up and over filling,leaving 2- to 3-inch center of filling uncovered.
9.Spoon remaining 1/2 cup tomatoes in center. Spray phyllo lightly with Pam Olive Oil.
10. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This was AMAZING! I was so proud of myself and if I could pull it off, so can you!

OPA!

-Girl in Pigtails

greek dinner

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Still Truckin’ Along

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Girl In Pigtails

Hello Blog world! Sorry I haven’t been posting as much. I started the new year with another cold… boo! To boost my immune system I am taking Airborne the chewable tablets. They didn’t stop the cold but I think they are helping me get over it faster. Also, I have been eating the best orange EVER! The Cara Cara orange is awesome! It is like a cross between a grapefruit and a navel orange. It has a pink center like a grapefruit but is sweet and kind of tangy tasting. Of coarse you can get them at Safeway!

Surviving!

-Girl in Pigtails

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Everyday Hot Coco!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Girl In Pigtails

I posted a blog about the best hot chocolate ever! Well, I now have a fabulous everyday recipe. I was inspired by the Safeway O Organics hot coco mix.

What you will need:

3 cups of whole milk

1 cup half and half

2-3 cups hot coco mix

3 tablespoons of corn starch

6 medium size marshmallows

Directions:

Pour milk and half and half into a saucepan and slowly heat up on a medium setting. Slowly stir in the hot coco mix with a whisk. When the hot chocolate is nice and hot stir in the corn starch and whisk fast. Pour into your favorite mug and add the marshmallows!

Tada… yummy hot chocolate! This hot chocolate is not too sweet or too rich. You can drink at least two cups without feeling like you drank Willy Wonka’s chocolate waterfall.

For Adults:

Add 2-4 tablespoons of Baileys Irish Cream and this will be sensational!

Enjoy!

-Girl in Pigtails

hot coco

 

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Happy New Year!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Girl In Pigtails

The eggnog has been drunk and the presents have been opened. It is the eve of the new year and it is a nice time for reflection. This was a good year for learning and personal achievement. My boyfriend and I did well with the P90X program. We lost a combined weight of 60 pounds and feel great. The Holidays have not been too kind to our hips, so we will be starting another round of P90X on Jan.1.2012.

Our SF adventures and hikes have been both exciting and educational. Speaking of educational, school has been a huge success and I finished my second term with two more A’s… GPA 4.0 whoohoo!

My cooking skills have been put to good use and I will continue to post pictures and recipes of my delicious food!

Safeway has been a great experience and I can’t wait to see how far I will go with the company. I will continue to blog about my favorite things I discover at my store.

Thank you to all my Blog readers! It has been so much fun seeing how many people view my thoughts and ideas.

Happy New Year!

x-mass pics

-Girl in Pigtails

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Update to Ultimate Banana Bread!

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Girl In Pigtails

So, in reading my blog, I realized on the Ultimate Banana Bread these was a typo. The amount of apple sauce should be 1 cup NOT 2 cups.  I have fixed the typo, and I’m sorry for anyone who tried the 2 cup apple sauce! The bread must have been super mushy.

Recipe Fixed!

-Girl in Pigtails

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Have You Finished Your Holiday Shopping?

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Girl In Pigtails

It is getting closer and closer to Christmas time, and Starbucks is to the rescue. They have a ton of mugs, tumblers, stuffed animals, gift cards etc. I have a few favorites of my own:

1) The Number Tumbler- It is made for hot liquids and is a nice 16oz size. The best part however, when you buy this item for the entire month of January you can get FREE brewed coffee. Pick that up for your beloved coffee drinker for Christmas!

starbucks tumbler

2) Anyone on your shopping list would love a Starbucks Gift card as a stocking stuffer! We have some really cute winter gift cards- Check them out!

3) There is a Hot Coco trio mix box with three different yummy hot chocolate mixes… enough said! 🙂

4) Starbucks mini cup ornaments are adorable; they make great little gifts for Secret Santa’s. Pair it with a gift card and you will wish you were your own Secret Santa!

Those are just a few ideas to get your last minute shopping complete.

Tis’ the Season!

-Girl in Pigtails

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It’s beginning to look a lot like a head cold!

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Girl In Pigtails

Happy December everyone! I started off this festive month with a head cold. Yuck, So I have decided to write down a few essentials when having a sick day:

1) I think everyone grabs the Quils, DayQuil and NyQuil, when they are sick. I know I do, but I decided to be adventurous and get the new Alka-Seltzer Plus. Come to find out, the Alka-Seltzer Plus was better. SO, the next time you are sick try it! The best aspect about it; it stopped my nasal congestion. YAY!

2) Safeway Soup… they came out with a new soup that is de-li-cious! Beef Stroganoff, enough said. Except, that it tastes homemade and is very savory.

3) Safeway Pumpkin Cheesecake Streusel Pie. It is award winning! No really, it is, it says so on the package! When you are sick having a yummy treat can always cheer you up.

4) A great T.V show. I found an HBO series called Boardwalk Empire. It is on its second season, so if you have never watched the show you have enough episodes to fill your day. It’s a very in-depth show and highly entertaining, once you start watching you won’t want to turn it off. Well, until you take the night time cold medicine then, it knocks you out. Basically, if you like the 1920’s, people fighting, politics, secrets, love and booze; you will like this show!

5) When you are sick you must drink a lot of fluids… I choose OJ. Safeway has a really good brand. Safeway Select 100% PURE Valencia Orange Juice (not from concentrate). Seriously, this taste so fresh; like I squeezed the oranges myself. There is pulp, but it is so fine that it is not noticeable. Tropicana has nothing on Safeway! 😉

So the next time you get sick, try these 5 essentials and you should be better in no time!

Get Well Soon!

-Girl in Pigtails

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