Picture Overload!

Ok! So I have lots of updating to do. I'll try and keep it short as I know how I tend to ramble when a keyboard is at my mercy......

Ok, so what's on the agenda today? Court, new foods, work and some other random things.

I'll start with court. On May 25th hubby and I left for Ohio. My little sister Sophie was with us also. I'm not sure if I mentioned it in another post, but my sister came back with us the last time we were in Ohio. She stayed with us for about a month. Anyway, we left for Ohio because we had to be in court on the 29th. We took our last renters to court because they didn't pay the last months rent or any of the utilities. I'll get right to the point. We won! :)

While we were at home we saw our parents and also drove up to Pennsylvania to see my Grandparents. It was nice. Oh, also, instead of driving the 24 hrs without stopping, this time around we got a hotel in Missouri (lovingly nicknamed "Misery"). We looked for a place to eat dinner and found a Japanese restaurant called Kyoto Restaurant. It's in Rolla, MO so look it up. We got the same hotel on the way back so we could eat there again. Yum! Here's a picture I took with my cell (left).

Ok, time for food! I started Weight Watchers last Friday and I love it so far. I'm tired of being fat and gross so I'm making a change. I haven't officially weighed myself yet, but I've been doing my Wii Fit everyday and have lost about 4 lbs. The reason I love it is because I really don't have to give anything up. I can have it, just as long as it is in moderation. Well, I'm Italian and I like good food so I've been tweaking recipes (and finding recipes) that allow me to eat more while still being healthy AND keeping the food tasting great. Ok... that sounds like a commercial. What inspired me to update my journal today is the most amazing brownie recipe. It's so weird you'd never believe it until you try it.

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES
Yes... black bean brownies. So easy and super good. You'd never know the difference. All you need is:

  • 1 box brownie mix (1 lb)
  • 15 oz can of black beans

Open the can of beans and rinse the beans; keep the can. Put the beans back in the can and fill can with water. Pour beans and water into a food processor and puree. Mix bean puree with dry brownie mix. DO NOT ADD OIL OR EGGS. Coat a 13x9 or 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and fill with batter. Bake according to directions on box.

I used a 9x9 baking dish because I like my brownies thick. I also cut my brownies into 16 squares. Each square is 3 points. If you use a 13x9 inch dish you can cut them into 20 squares -which would be 2 points each.

I found this recipe on Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes blog: http://weight-watchers-points-recipes.blogspot.com/

What's next? Work! Well, yesterday hubby and I went down to the office to drop off some beer we had gotten our boss (Yuengling) and so that I could fax something. We chatted for a bit and my boss said that he would be putting us back to work soon. YAY! Today, while we are at Wal-mart he calls and says I'm going out tomorrow and he needs hubby tonight! Double YAY! When we talked to him yesterday he said things wouldn't be back full swing but it's steadily picking up. I'm so happy (though I really don't want to go back to work LoL)

Ok, on to random things. We got a kitten. I don't like cats but I find myself liking the fluff ball a little more each day. Here's a recent picture of her all cuddled up with hubby.

Also, I planted a garden! It's small right now- I wanted to see how things would grow in New Mexico (as I am from Ohio originally). Because it's so hot during the day I was afraid the plants would die quickly. I found a tip about gardening in the desert and it has helped a lot actually. I put my garden on the west side of my house so that it is shaded during the hottest period of the day. I've been watering it 3-4 times a day because the heat dries the soil up so fast! Anyway, it's been doing pretty good. I bought 2 roma tomato plants, 1 banana pepper plant, 1 chili pepper plant, 1 jalapeno pepper plant, and 1 red pepper plant. I also planted seeds and they are as follows: Eggplant, Scallions, Spinach, and Basil. See the humble beginnings of my spinach and basil plants. :)











Ok, that's about it for now! I'll try and update in a few days with garden and food updates. :) Ciao!





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