Skinny Dip Love

Earlier this year, I came across a fantastic recipes site called Skinnytaste.com. Gina makes some yummy Weight Watchers recipes with Points included. For the game last Sunday I tried out her Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip. I've never even made a hot dip before so this was a first but it turned out great!

 

Here is Gina's Recipe, and you can also see it on her site HERE. 

Ingredients:

• 13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 4 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• olive oil spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the garlic and shallots.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away.

Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Makes about 3 3/4 cups.  

Pin Love

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Tis the Season

I don't know about anyone else, but I get so excited to decorate for Christmas each year. We have a collection of things and ornaments from when we were little, and then some decorations that we have picked up in the last few years as well. Usually Thanksgiving evening I'm on it!














When do you start holiday decorating?

Turkey Time!

Haven't posted in a while...lots going on in my life but not many things too good right now, so I try not to post about the bad things.

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Did everyone go into a food coma like I did? :-)

I contributed somewhat to my mom's Thanksgiving:

I used Terry's "secret" recipe...



But I did cook a little too.

 



I promise, even with my mild breakdown of throwing a potato on the floor when my potato peeler failed to work in a time crunch, I did in fact cook these and make some awesome mashed potatoes.

Hope everyone had an AWESOME Thanksgiving!

Run Like You Stole Something

Somehow, my coworker talked me into running a 2K in December. I came into work all prepared to just be in a bad mood because the Falcons lost, then I get talked into running. Geez, and it's Monday, how much stress can you give one person?

Here are some of the reasons she gave and I may have given myself when I thought long and hard about it:

1) My boss is sponsoring the run so in not-so-many words if I'd like to keep my job a long time I'd better get my booty out there. Plus he might be proud of me or something but I'm not exactly the top pick for winners in the office so that's a wait and see.

2) It's only a 2K, which I come to understand is a mile and a quarter for us here in America. Yeah, yeah. Only a 2K.

3. I actually weighed myself this morning for the first time in a while and the news was not good.

4. Then I ate a cookie for breakfast.

So you see why I have to. I came home and sent a picture and rude note to my coworker of my beginning "training":

 

I have a treadmill at home. I don't use it. We had to move stuff off of it for me to use it. Surprise. Notice the inhaler. I could have been killed.

 

I ran and walked a mile in record time. What I mean by record is the longest time ever in history to get through a mile. Not really, but I only started liking it toward the end. I actually love running, but after a bad knee excuse, a fat girl excuse, and an asthma excuse, I always talk myself out of it. I just need some inspiration.

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Loving on Pinterest

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BAHAHAHA!!!!!

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I can never think of a good post title...

So I guess you don't get one.

How was your week? Mine was pretty much spent being deathly ill until Saturday. Or at least it felt deathly. Some may say it was the common cold.

I did not get to dress up on Halloween like I planned...which was really just going to consist of green eyeshadow and a witch hat...which some of you funny folks may think I could pull off any day, anyway.

There was this lunatic in my office who wanted to sell everybody insurance:



The boss didn't dress up but we think we might be the Three Stooges for next year. Oh, Lord.

On Thursday I dragged myself an hour's drive away to help my dad with his dentist appointment. I was pretty excited:



But really, I wanted to take him since he couldn't drive and I'd do it anytime. I was just a little nervous that he'd throw up in the car or something on the way home. Ask me how I handle vomiting people. But maybe it's because my husband threw up on me within the first week of marriage. I can handle vomiting, if i have some warning. Sudden, projectile, or child vomiting I'm not so great with. I do ok with dog and cat vomit.

So let's move on from that lovely subject to discuss lunch on Saturday.

Mom and I drove to Winder again:



Looks like the most backwoods place ever. I can't argue. But I like the old timey look of everything, and they are building it up.

Back to lunch. We went to Locos on a search for a Chicken Salad Sandwich that I assured my mom they would have so I could stop whining about it. They had like 7 different types of chicken sandwiches. But not chicken salad. They did have cheesy rice.

 

If can't already see from the picture, Locos Cheesy Rice is about the best thing ever. i know I say that about a lot but it really is. I only ordered Cheesy Rice. It's that good.

Mom got a Reuben and we got some Fried Pickles as well, those were pretty tasty too.





We went to Kirklands, TJ Maxx, and Aldi as well, which is pretty cool that one is so close.



If you haven't heard of Aldi, look at it here. I'd recommend it for your budget.

So anyway, now D is sick so I can't really clean the house today, so I'm bumming around for the most part. Check out this awesome sign I got yesterday:



Yes, I did.