We visited Betty Owen’s twins’ school for their 8th grade awards ceremony.

Shout out to Ben…he wanted to be on the blog!

And sweet Sarah, too.

Uncle Bill cooked Indian food…a family favorite!

Mom and I were able to spend a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, along with our friend Margaret (it was Margaret’s first time in NYC).

No trip to Manhattan is complete without lots of great food. We found an awesome (and inexpensive) Thai restaurant in SoHo, then of course ended the day with sweets.

And finally, I towed a Crumbs cupcake (caramel apple…to die for) all the way home to Florida for the Duke to enjoy. Am I the best wife or what?

These pictures took forever to upload! I hope you enjoy. And if you’re the praying kind, please send up a few for my aunt. She needs a miracle to recover…doctors don’t know what’s going on, but are saying her brain is basically “asleep.”

Enjoy your week, and thanks for stopping by.
The Duchess

Since I needed to get to school (which is about 30 minutes away, door to door) by 7:45 this morning, I woke up at 5 sharp to hit the gym. A busy week doesn’t mean I can sacrifice my gym time. My treadmill run wasn’t all that easy this morning. I ran could only run 15 minutes at a 6.2 speed before stopping to walk 5 minutes at a 4.5. I ran another 8 minutes at 6.2, then walked the last two minutes as my cool down. Not my best…probably because I felt hungry during the run.

To cure my hunger, I had a thick slice of whole wheat pumpkin bread topped with low fat yogurt and chopped apples for breakfast.

Oh yum! This is one of my favorite breakfasts. I microwaved the bread so it was nice and hot. This may sound weird, but I like it when the yogurt gets slightly warm and gooey.

This is my new favorite brand of yogurt. It’s a departure from the Greek yogurt I’ve been living off of lately.

Stonyfield Low Fat French Vanilla is the bomb! It’s thinner than Greek yogurt and oh, so good! It’s great with sliced bananas and a drizzle of honey, too.

After our morning activities, I was ready for snack. I munched on some craisins, mixed nuts and original-flavored gold fish. Don’t you love the leftover Valentine plate??

Since I’m in the classroom by myself this week, I thought I’d snap some pictures of our cute setup. Here is Mrs. Brown’s Calming Canopy.

Boys and girls can go to the calming canopy if they’re angry or sad, or just need to calm themselves. They go under the canopy and take deep breaths until they’re ready to go about their day.

Here is some lovely Valentine artwork:

How cute are these puppies? I love how each has its own personality, just like the kids.

And these heart elephants are my favorite:

The trunk is a bunch of little pink hearts. Too cute!!

By the time the kids laid down for nap time, I was famished. I happily dove into my leftover creamy pasta from last night’s dinner. It had smoked turkey sausage, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and peas. The sauce was just melted low fat cream cheese and about a cup of pasta water.

It was a very tasty and healthy alternative to alfredo sauce. It may not have been quite as good as the real deal, but it did the trick for the Duke and I.

So, after my long day of subbing, I got to head to my second job! Joy! In addition to being a teacher’s aide, I work at the aftercare program at our school. It’s just a few extra hours a day, and I get to work with kids from Kindergarten through 9th grade.

Since today is Mardi Gras, I was happy to find the snack at aftercare was good ole Moon Pies!!!

I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten a moon pie, but they’re such a Mardi Gras tradition. Did you know that Mardi Gras actually originated in Mobile, AL? Mobile is only a little over an hour away from Destin, so we get lots of Mardi Gras spill-over.

It’s time for American Idol and Men’s figure skating, so I gotta run! The Duke and I don’t know what to watch first. GO TEAM USA!!!

The Duke and I were very productive today. We got up (albeit against our will) at 7:15, which allowed us to make it to “early” church. Our church has a 9:00 service and an 11:00 service. We always try to make it to the first one, so that we have the rest of the day to accomplish things. Thanks to a hyper-active maltipoo that I happen to know, we were able to attend the first service this morning.

When we got home, I made myself a lovely iced coffee with skim milk, agave nectar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

It was the perfect pick-me-up to get me in the cleaning mood. Our house was filthy, so a deep clean was definitely called for. I tackled the kitchen, laundry and all three bathrooms while the Duke dusted, swept and mopped. I started getting hungry and made myself a taco salad-esque type of lunch. I topped Romaine lettuce with cannellini beans, carrot slices, jalapenos, feta cheese and a dollop of salsa. I had half of a wheat tortilla on the side. What a great lunch!

I got back to scrubbing toilets (joy of joys) and vacuumed the house. After the Duke and I cleaned every inch of our house, I was ready for a snack. I had apple slices with a mixture of chocolate peanut butter, Greek Yogurt and granola. Delicious!

I felt kind of tired after working like a dog all afternoon, but the Duke and I managed to make it to the gym. It was a terrible work out. Do you ever have those days? I managed to run a mile at a 6.2 speed, then did 15 minutes on the elliptical on a level 14….I couldn’t even make it through a full 30 minutes of cardio I hate those kind of days. Oh, well. For every kick ass workout that I have, I’m bound to have a crappy one every now and then.

I think my lack of energy at the gym is due to a lack of protein in my diet today and yesterday. That being said, these little guys are on the menu tonight.

As we speak, they’re marinating in soy sauce and olive oil. I plan to grill them up and serve them alongside a spicy peanut butter dipping sauce with brown rice and sesame cucumber salad. YUM!

On another note, where are the Saints tonight??? They need to pick it up if they expect to be in the Super Bowl in two weeks! Speak of the devil- as I typed that they scored a touch down. WHO DAT!!! The Duchess

We all love the classic grilled cheese, and I think you’ll really enjoy these “prissy” flavors. It’s like a grown up grilled cheese. You could even serve it with a glass of nice red wine. Tata for now!The Duchess

Have a happy and safe Halloween! See you Monday. Oh, and GO GATORS!The Duchess

If all the talk of fried vegetables and pig fat wasn’t enough to wet your whistle, here’s a fabulous recipe that will get you back in the groove of the school year. I’ve been wanting to make something with apples and cinnamon for a while, and these sweet and gooey bars hit the spot! They’re not for the faint of heart, however, because they’re filled with butterscotch and sweetened condensed milk. Since they start with a pre-packaged cookie mix, they’re really easy, too.

I hope you enjoy these decadent gems as much as I did! Paired with a glass of milk, they make the perfect after school snack. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
The Duchess