You know what? I have so many different, random things to share with you guys about my day today, that there’s really no way that I’ll be able to make it all flow together and make any sort of sense.
So you know what that means…it’s tangent time! It’s been a while, but we are on to:
Full of Tangents, Take 7!
(You can read Tangents Take 1, Take 2,Take 3, Take 4, Take 5 and Take 6, if you’re bored and feel like it).
Okay, so here we go!
- Cody sat on the couch for the entire morning, right up until the morning sunlight that comes through our front window went away. I think it’s so funny how he can go from looking adorable and playful…
to old, wise, and mad, within seconds.
- After taking yesterday off from exercise, I jumped right back into it today and got myself a great workout. 30 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill (20 seconds @ 9.0mph / 40 seconds @ 6.0mph), some nice upper body work, courtesy of the Tone It Up Lean Arms workout below, all followed up with some planks, bridges, and prone cobras. Gotta work that core!
- Whenever I don’t think I’m going to be photographing a meal, I put extremely little effort into making it look good. I didn’t think I’d end up taking a picture of today’s salad, which really just looks like one big ‘ol party. Mixed veggie salad + tuna fish = awesome.
- I can’t get enough protein this week. I love it. I want it all day long. And because of this, I ended up making myself a protein shake right after this morning’s workout that tasted exactly like a vanilla milkshake. I’m not kidding. And I was so excited about it that I had to text Jay and tell him…
The secret? I added in 4 drops of vanilla stevia. WHY have I not thought of this sooner? 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (creaminess) + 1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior + vanilla stevia. It was amazing.
- I had to make a pit stop at the grocery store this morning, resulting in a couple fun purchases. Ever since a quick discussion with Talia in the comments section of yesterday’s post, I’ve been thinking about Cara Cara oranges, so I was super excited to have found a bag. I’m sure I’ll be trying one tomorrow, if not later tonight.
- I also had another rare sighting while walking down the baking aisle today…Cinnamon Chips were stocked on the shelves! My mom has been looking for these for months, so I made sure to pick her up a couple bags.
Of course, I picked up a bag for myself, too…I’m thinking a batch of Cinnamon Chip Scones may be in order soon???
- I have a short evening shift at work tonight, but I’m hoping it goes by FAST because I’ve got a very special dinner waiting for me in the crockpot this evening…
Finally. I’m going to get my stuffed peppers (yes, from a crockpot, no less! You can find my recipe inspiration HERE on Corey’s blog).
- And last, but not least, the winner of my Four-Course Valentine’s Day Dinner has been chosen! To see if you’re the winner, head on over to the original post to find out. And also, don’t forget that you can still print out your coupon for some complimentary champagne or dessert by clicking HERE.
Alright, I think that’s all I’ve got for tonight. Now it’s YOUR turn…
What tangents do you have on this Thursday evening? 
Crock Pot Stuffed peppers… YUM! Cara Cara oranges sound awesome.
Yum!!! Where did you get/what brand is the vanilla stevia?
I’m currently using NuNaturals brand, which you can actually get from iHerb.com: http://www.iherb.com/NuNaturals-Stevia
Plus, if you use my coupon code, SAZ564, you can get $5.00 off your first purchase! :)
Did you do 30 full minutes of HIIT or did that include warm up and cool down?
That included warm up and cool down: 5 minutes warm up, 20 minutes HIIT, 5 minutes cool down
Cinnamon chips are really good! :)
Those stevia drops sound like they make it the bomb! Mmmmmm!
Sweet! I am so glad you are giving them a try :) I hope you love them as much as we did :) Seeing them in your post is making me want to make them again tomorrow! hehe YUM!
Random question. I’m interested in trying almond milk for the health benefits and the creaminess you mentioned, but I HATE almonds! Does it actually taste like almonds? TIA!
Every once in a while I might get a whiff of almond, but when comparing an actual almond to the milk, I think they’re very different. I say give it a go!
your vanilla “milkshake” sounds amazing!! i’m usually always a fan of chocolate over vanilla, but when it comes to milkshakes and/or ice cream, i love vanilla. do you think regular vanilla extract + regular stevia would give it the same affect? hmmm…
Hmmm, I’m not sure…never tried that one. Let me know if you do!
I have been looking for cinnamon chips ever since you posted your cinnamon chip scones and I haven’t been able to find them anywhere :(
Those stuffed peppers look like they’re going to be so good! I think my entire life is lived on tangents, so I don’t even know where to start lol
Yay for stuffed peps!
Yay for your stuffed peppers!
This may be a weird question – but what do cinnamon chips taste like? I saw them on clearance in Target after the holidays and almost got a bag but I wasn’t sure what they’d taste like or what I would do with them… What else do you make with them (beyond the scones that you mentioned)?
Oh my gosh, Carolyn, they taste like HEAVEN. They’re kind of like the filling of a cinnamon roll :)
you should do a giveaway with vanilla stevia!!
Haha, I don’t have any to give away! ;)
that text exchange is so funny – you guys are cute. i definitely wouldve texted my bf about it too!
ive actually never tried cinnamon chips but i see them all the time at my local shaws. sounds yummy!!!
I’m at a hotel right now, and as I was laying in bed and listening to my stomach growl, there was a knock at my door. A HUGE cookie was being delivered to me! It was perfect timing and super delicious!
I can’t wait to hear how the stuffed peppers turn out! I love using my crock pot and with all your talk of the peppers, it makes me want some too! lol
Those stuffed peppers look amazing!!
I’ve done that arms workout a bunch of times since seeing it last week. Love how quick and easy to do at home it is. Just curious, did you do multiple sets or just once through?
I just did it once through but that’s because my arms were sore (re: today’s post) but otherwise, I’d probably give it a go twice.
I have been seeing so many rice cooker and slow cooker recipes lately. I thought they were only good for stews and roasts, didn’t know you could make things like pepper! I need to start experimenting more.
I love that Jay got excited about your smoothie :)! My fiance and I text about food all the time…I think other people think we’re weird :).
I love Jay’s reaction about it tasting a milkshake :)! I tried to convince my mom that yogurt+pb+sunwarrior tastes like cookie dough- she wasn’t buying it!
Haha, I hear ya. My parents don’t buy half of what I eat on here ;)
I love that cat! This is in good timing, I suppose to have a plan to have some body work outs. Thanks!
Loving the look of that workout.. will definitely give it a go! Your smoothie sounds so easy and delicious too :) Yum!
I love that arm workout. I did it today in fact!
Hehe, cute pets are the best tangents of the day. Cody is so cute!
My dog Vanna is all sorts of funky, but that’s what I love about her!
my whole day was one BIGBIG tangent.
the most WHO KNEW? for me was a sighting of POM selling the POM seeds :) in a plastic container so we didnt have to, uh, harvest them ourselves.
who knew?
Really? That’s amazing! I’ve been wanting POM seeds forever now, but just never want to deal with harvesting them myself!
I love stuffed peppers! Making them in the crockpot sounds awesome. I bet they came out amazing :)
Cara Cara oranges are THE BEST!! My dad got them a couple of weeks ago and now that’s all we get in the way of oranges. Sort of like a grapefruit/orange mix and So pretty inside. Tell me how you like it, ok? :)
Those peppers look super yummy. I usually just back mine in the oven, but I’ve always wanted to try cooking them in the crockpot. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!
I had a cara cara orange with lunch yesterday! I first had them in a delicious salad…might be something for you to try!