There is a restaurant along 30A (a beautiful scenic highway that runs right along the Gulf) that hosts trivia every Friday night. Tables compete against each other, so it gets really crazy. Each person at the winning table is entered to win a trip to Vegas to be given away at the end of the summer. I’ll let you know if I win.

Jessica, Laura and Damon were on our team.

Jessica is one of my best friends…she was in our wedding. Isn’t she gorgeous??

Before the competition really heated up, Jessica, the Duke and I split some fried pickles.

These bad boys were perfectly seasoned, but pretty greasy. I could only handle a few, since they main course was a good ‘n healthy PIZZA!

The Duke got pepperoni on his half, while Jess and I split the veggie side (which only consisted of green peppers, olives and mushrooms).

After three rounds of trivia, we were the top team. We sent Jess and the Duke up to go head-to-head with another team. There were a few tense moments with some serious questions (i.e. Who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird?)

We won!! Way to go, Jess and Duke!

After the competition, we headed back to Laura and Damon’s for games. We played a few rounds of Scattergories before breaking to make S’mores. Laura has a nice gas range, so we roasted marshmallows right there on the cook top. Genius!

It was such a fun night! It’s time to hit the books hard today. Only three more weeks of my LAST classes for teacher certification. Woohoo! Lots to do between now and then, though. Have a great weekend.

The Duchess

Happy Fourth of July weekend (almost)!! I hope you all are having a great week. We’ve got company coming in town tomorrow, and lots of family time planned for the weekend. We’re headed to the Duke’s Grandpa’s house on Saturday for a cookout, and on Sunday we’ll probably watch fireworks on the Duke’s parents’ boat. Fun, fun

I know July 4th is all about America, but I’m sharing a guacamole recipe today. I mean, these days, tacos, fajitas and guacamole are pretty darn Americanized, don’t ya think? Anyhoo, I’ve got a really easy (and not at all traditional) recipe for you that you can take along to your gathering this weekend. Even though it’s not traditionally American, I doubt anyone is going to turn it down.

I could eat avocado in some form or another everyday for the rest of my life and not complain. True story. I’d also have flawless skin and perfect hair.

I call this White Trash Guacamole because it is so incredibly un-gourmet that it makes me laugh. It tastes reaaaaaaaaaal good, though!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

The Duchess

I was supposed to be blogging about a Tuscan Tuna Salad today, but I created these scrumptious little gems yesterday and just had to share.

Spinach Sliders with Marinated Veggies. Oh Yeah. Seriously. This little sandwich packs a serious punch. I passed the marinated veggie counter at the grocery store the other day and just had to scoop up some of the mushrooms, olives and feta cheese. Note-these are all foods that the Duke wouldn’t touch with a 50-foot pole. That’s perfect…more for me!

Easy peasy, right?? Sometimes the smallest and easiest things in life can be the best. And don’t you ever forget that.

Make this for your next Ladies’ Lunch and you’ll thank me profusely. Have a great weekend, friends! The Duke and I are off to see Le Grand Cirque tomorrow night with my parents. It’s like a knock off Cirque du Soleil. Should be fun.

Tata!The Duchess

This past week I was doing the nanny thing. These two little guys are really picky eaters, so their dad has asked me to attempt to get them to try new foods. I thought of doing a pepperoni pizza muffin. All kids love pizza, right? And don’t most kids like muffins?

I found this whole wheat all-purpose baking mix and I was stoked!

It’s the same concept as Bisquick, but much better for you because of the whole grains. I prepped it for muffins, and stirred in Italian seasoning, turkey pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Here they are ready to go into the oven.

The whole house smelled like hot and bubbly pizza while these little cuties were baking.

My super picky guys did not want to eat these, but I tasted them and thought they were awesome! Some kids don’t like pepperoni, so you could easily omit that and add more cheese. Either way, I thought these were delicious, especially dipped in marinara sauce.

My favorite pizza topping is sausage, and I know these muffins would also be delicious with crumbled Italian sausage.

You should definitely try to find this whole wheat all-purpose baking mix. The mix, along with the skim milk and turkey pepperoni make these muffins a fairly healthy snack. I had two of the muffins with a big green salad for dinner last night and was totally satisfied.

Well, I’m off to hang with the boys and start our Spring Break right. Have a great Friday!! The Duchess

The American Heart Association prints lots of great resources for schools to use. Exhibit A:

A chart of healthy snacks. What kid doesn’t love bright and colorful pictures? They had so much fun saying which of these snacks they like to eat. Incase you were wondering, here are some other healthy options:

Yogurt, broccoli and potatoes. Potatoes aren’t considered healthy in my world. That’s probably because I drench them in butter and/or sour cream and/or cheese any time I can. But I imagine four-year-olds don’t do that, so it’s probably a healthy choice for them.

Did you know that a turkey and lettuce sandwich is also a healthy snack?

I prefer mine with cheese and mustard…does that negate the health factor? Cheese provides calcium, which is good for you, right??

And Mrs. Carter’s favorite healthy snack of late is Peach Chobani. Hands down, it’s my favorite flavor of greek yogurt. The tangy sweetness of the peach goes great with the creamy yogurt.

Top it with some raisins and a few graham crackers and you’ve got yourself a might fine snack, if I do say so myself.

Keep on keepin’ on and have a great week! Remember, if Pre-K kids can make healthy food choices, then so can you! 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!!!

I was really looking forward to sleeping in this morning, but this furry little thing was not going to have it.

I mean, who can resist that precious face?? I just love Ruby the maltipoo, but I really don’t love her 6:30 a.m. weekend wake up calls.

Since I woke up so early I was able to clean the kitchen and get some laundry done in no time flat, which allowed me to make it to the gym before lunch. I wasn’t feeling all that energetic, but I did some killer sprint intervals on the treadmill. I did the following on a 1.0 incline:
1 mile @ 6.2 speed
1 minute @ 5.5 speed
1 minute @ 6.0 speed
1 minute @ 6.5 speed
1 minute at 6.8 speed
repeat four times (for a total of five times through)…whew!
This equals a 30 minute workout that’s just over 3 miles. It’s a great calorie blasting treadmill plan when you don’t have much time at the gym. Even though it’s only 30 minutes, it’s very intense and exhausting. I always feel great after completing these intervals. Intervals also make the time fly! It’s much better than running at the same speed for 30 minutes.

I headed to Walmart for my weekly grocery run after the gym. Going there kind of drives me crazy (Lots of people. Lots of slow-moving people. Ugh.), but honestly, the prices can’t be beat. By the time I got to the checkout line I was starving.

I was craving veggies, so when I got home I made a beautiful salad of spring mix, sliced salami, carrots, cucumbers, low fat feta, dried cranberries and some low fat Triscuits on the side. It really hit the spot!

My sweet tooth really kicked in after lunch, and I created the best ever healthy dessert! I topped bought a bag of frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries at the store. I topped a small bowl of berries with a dollop of lite Cool Whip and a drizzle of sugar-free caramel ice cream topping. I’m going to have this more often! It was fantastic.

I was walking through our bathroom to get to our closet when I noticed a funny site. I promise I didn’t move a thing before snapping these pictures. Here is the Duke’s side of the counter:

Did you know a man could have so many hair products (and a blow dryer)?? And here is my side of the counter:

Nearly spotless! I got a chuckle out of this. Is the man in your life like this? The Duke is certainly not a slob. In fact, he hates germs and being dirty. He just doesn’t always tidy up his things. Men. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.

At this point, my early puppy wake up call was catching up with me, so I took a nap with the Olympics on the background. Saturdays are made for naps, right?? I love a good cat nap. I woke up hungry, so I snacked on about 1/3 of a chopped apple tossed in a mixture of peanut butter and sugar-free maple syrup. A few pretzels on the side for a salty crunch, and this was a great snack! All of my favorite flavors wrapped into one bowl.

The Duke and I are meeting some friends for Mexican food and karaoke tonight, so I guess I better peel myself off the couch and get my rear in gear! I hope you all have a fabulous Saturday night and a romantic Valentine’s Day with the ones you love. Tata for now. The Duchess

Have you started making goodies for Valentine’s Day yet? I’ve been baking here and there in anticipation of Friday’s Valentine party in our classroom. If you need something quick, yet very cute, try these precious pink pretzel bites that call for three, count ‘em, three ingredients: Tiny pretzel twists, pink candy melts and Valentine sprinkles. Think you can handle it?

Preheat the oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay pretzels on the sheet, then top each with two candy melts (you can use red, white or pink candy melts, or a combination of all three). Pop the sheet in the oven for 2-3 minutes, just until the candy begins to get soft. Remove from oven and top with sprinkles. And that’s all there is to it! Pretty easy, huh?

I love the sweet/salty combo, so these pretzels really hit the spot for me. You can also top some pretzels with a pecan half if you’d like. These treats take a grand total of 7 minutes to do, from start to finish, so why not add them to your lovey dovey holiday spread?

Today is my hell day, so I’m off and running. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!! Hugs and kisses. The Duchess

Since our beloved Saints will be playing in this year’s championship, the Duke and I will be heading over to my parents’ house for a Cajun feast like none other. I’m making muffaletta bites (the muffaletta is the signature sandwich of New Orleans) and my mom is making crawfish etouffee. Ever had etouffee?? Oh, it’s so amazing. Crawfish, onions, peppers, Cajun spices and heavy cream. Yeah, I thought you’d like the sounds of that. A party in honor of New Orleans wouldn’t be complete without some Zapp’s potato chips (the Cajun Crawtater variety) and a king cake, so we’ll be having those, too.

For those of you that won’t be eating Cajun food at your Super Bowl party, I thought I’d share some of my favorite munchies and bites that are perfect on any sideline. Whether your group is going to be large or small, young or old, these tasty treats are sure to please every fan.

If you can’t find something for your Super Bowl party from that great line up, then something must be wrong with you! All of these dishes are very easy and packed with tons flavor. Pull the whole family into the kitchen and pre-game around the oven. Have a great weekend, and GEAUX SAINTS!!!

So, the Duke and I had a pretty lazy day. We went to church for the first time in a month (it felt so nice to be back, Praise the Lord!), then got some stuff done for my classroom. After having lunch of Mexican takeout leftovers and taking a cat nap, we reluctantly decided it was time for the gym. It’s been so cold lately that my motivation has been non-existent, but I’ve been so inspired  by Meghann at the Inner Workings of a College Graduate. She has a great blog about her weight-loss journey and running obsession. She just completed the Disney marathon TODAY and it was in the 30s!!! Incase you didn’t recall, Disney World is in Orlando, FL…it’s usually like a million degrees there. Anyhoo, I figured that if Meghann could run 26.2 miles outside in the freezing cold, that I could most certainly run 2-3 miles on a treadmill in the comfort of a temperature-regulated gym.

I started getting hungry for dinner, but wasn’t really in the mood for a proper meal. Instead I dined on a small bowl of Blue Bell Country Vanilla Low Fat Yogurt topped with almond butter, sliced bananas and some granola for crunch.

In my humble opinion, it made the perfect post-gym light dinner. The best part is, now I don’t have to have dessert! I think I may sneak in a cup of hot peppermint tea, though. It’s just too good on a chilly winter night.The Duchess