Midweek Confessions

                              

+ Work has been crazy lately with a big accreditation coming up. I have really been feeling it these past few weeks and today my boss surprised me with a gift card and a "don't think everything you have been doing has gone unnoticed". While I love the gift card, the acknowledgement means the most!

+ This is the first week both Tim and I have been home together in three weeks. I must say it has been a little odd having both of us home in the mornings.

+ I made a large purchase earlier this week. I have been eyeing a new area rug for the living room, something larger that will go under the sectional.  I found this guy on Overstock for $100 less than Home Depot.

When they emailed me a 10 % off coupon the next day, I knew it was meant to be. I ended up scoring this 10X 8'6 rug for under $300. It shipped today and I am excited to see what it looks like in the living room.

+ Last night I made Fajita from 100 Days of Real Food. AWESOME and super easy...my favorite kind of meal.

+ I didn't have it in me to cook dinner tonight. I mentioned this to my mom and she delivered a hot plate of chicken cutlets. LOVE that woman!

+ I have been off my exercise game this week. I have consistently been working out 5-6 days per week for the past several months now. This week I have only gone twice so far and the couch is calling my name again tonight. I am not sure where this laziness is coming from...

Vacation Recap

Tim and I left last Monday around 8:30 am for our drive down to Miami. Everything was going well until we entered into the Miami-Dade area then the traffic became horrendous! Luckily, we made it to the ship with plenty of time to spare.

We checked our luggage and I tipped the man well, hoping that my luggage would be one of the first to arrive at our cabin (Seinfeld anyone?). This was our first time cruising with Royal Caribbean. Since we JUST booked the cruise about 10-days ago, we opted for an interior room to save money, another first for this girl! The room was smaller than what I am used to but was comfortable enough for 2 people! As soon as we got to our cabin, we took a Bonine, just to make sure we wouldn't get sick. I then realized I left my camera in the car. Since we were not allowed off the ship, we decided IPhone pictures would have to suffice!

Tim's luggage arrived right away but my bag was no where to be found. Tim and I went up on deck to enjoy the sun and a fruity beverage but frequently came back to the room to see if my bag had made an appearance.

 When no bag showed up by 7pm, I checked with our room attendant who stated all bags had been delivered and sent me to guest services. My bag was located in a locked glass room and I was told I needed to wait for security. Turns out my bag was searched and flagged for "containing a rice cooker". I love rice as much as the next person but I can assure you that I did not feel the needed to bring a rice cooker on a 4-day cruise. When the security officer asked me to open up my bag to she could confirm this, she spotted my travel coffee pot and confiscated it. I love cruises by the coffee is AWFUL! Tim and I have been on numerous cruises and ALWAYS bring a coffee pot and Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla coffee. It was never an issue but apparently this a big NO with Royal Caribbean.

Between the stress of the lost luggage, the motion sickness medication, the fruity drinks and the dark cabin...Tim and I fell asleep at 7:30pm in our regular clothes and did not wake up till 8 am the next morning!

Tuesday we were docked in Nassau, Bahamas. Tim and I had been there before but noted that things were much cleaner then out last trip there in 2007! We shopped, went to the Atlantis Resort and ate at a fabulous little Greek restaurant in the main downtown area. Yes, we ate Greek in the Bahamas. There were Greek restaurants EVERYWHERE. Apparently, a high population of Greeks immigrated to the Bahamas in the early 1900's...who knew? We boarded the ship around 4pm....worked out and relaxed on the main deck.

For some odd reason, we were assigned to 9pm dinner...Who eats that late? Tim and I typically eat around 6pm so this was not feasible for us! We were only able to get into the 7pm dinner one night so we skipped formal dining and opted for the buffets at a more reasonable time.

Wednesday was spent at CocoCay, Royal Carribeans' private island. It was gorgeous but they nickle- and- dimed you for EVERYTHING. We rented a paddle board and a floating beach mat and enjoyed the shallow, crystal blue waters! They ran out of food this day so no lunch for us until we returned to the ship. We both got a little too much sun this day!

That night, Tim tried out the rock climbing wall on board!

Thursday we docked in Key West. This was the best port day in my opinion! I had never been to Key West but there is SO much to do! You can walk/bike to just about anything. I would love to visit the Keys for a vacation! We walked Duval street, shopped, visited all the popular bars for their trademark drinks, and ate at a fabulous little outdoor restaurant, Fogarty's.

Tim at Fat Tuesdays!

We stopped by a little shop called Key West Tea & Spice Trading Company owned by a husband and wife. She gave my a sample of her Organic Sweet Tea and it was easily the best tea I ever had! I bought a glass to walk around with and ultimately had to come back to the store to buy some loose leaf tea to take home. She shared her recipe with me and I am seriously hooked!

Friday we walked off the ship with our luggage around 7:30 am. We were then sent to security to obtain my contraband ( aka: coffee pot). Then headed out of Miami. We made a quick stop by the Miramar Outlets in Naples then headed home to pick up our girls from Grandma's house. It's strange how much we missed them!

Easy Pre- Vacation Dinner

This weekend went by so quickly! It consisted of the gym, laundry, giving the dogs a bath and finishing up some work stuff in preparation for my week off. Tim and I are leaving tomorrow for a 4- night cruise so I didn’t have all the typical “prepare for the week errands”. Meaning, I got to skip the grocery store! Not wanting to overindulge BEFORE the cruise, I wanted to whip up a simple yet healthy dinner at home. I turned to an oldie but a goodie, Vegetable Tortellini Soup. It is SO simple yet so delicious! Not to mention it is one of the husbands' favorites!

Ingredients:

      1   Large can crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (I use whatever I have on hand)

5 cups stock ( I used my homemade)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 crushed garlic cloves

Green Veggies- 1 zucchini, chopped, a handful of kale, a handful of spinach ( I use whatever is in the veggie bin)

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 tbsp basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 package fresh whole wheat tortellini

1 tsp oregano

2 Bay leaves

1     1)  Heat the oil. Add all your veggies. Sautee until soft.

2    2)  Add the stock, basil, bay leaf, tomato base. Bring to a boil until blended. Add the tortellini. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and let it summer for 5-6 minutes or longer. Add the pepper and salt to taste.

This soup is filling on its own but I decided to made a small batch of Garlic Knots on the side. For an experimental recipe, it turned out delicious! 

 I used a can of mini biscuits I had in the fridge ( A 4 pack is only $1.94 @ Walmart).

I rolled the biscuits out until 3-4 inches in length.

 Roped two of the biscuits together, forming into “knots” tucking the ends under. Repeat with the rest of the biscuits.

 Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.

 In the mean time mix, 1/3 cup oil, 3 tbsp fresh grated Romano, 1 tsp each of garlic, oregano and parsley. 

When the knots are done, coat them in the mixture.

Believe me, they taste as good as they look! :) And I was so proud of myself for not taking the easy road and ordering out! 

I am off to finish packing. Here is our itinerary for the week! I am pretty excited, I have never been to the Keys!