date night...

hubs and i decided we were due for a date night. we spend A LOT of time together, but it's not uncommon for one of us to be watching a tv show that the other isn't interested in, or one of us will be on the computer, or texting, or reading, or anything other than actually being with each other. so, we started talking about a date night but we didn't want to get dressed up and go somewhere. we decided on a 'slumber party date night'!! obviously we live together, so every night is a slumber party... but i wanted it to have a REAL slumber party feel, like when you were a kid. we wanted pizza, popcorn, candy, pj's and a movie. i was sooooo excited to get in my pj's and eat loads of red vines and watch a movie... until i found out red vines aren't gluten free. ugh, i was crushed. we skipped the 'candy' idea, and made a backup dessert plan. 

here's our slumber party date night (oh yeah, i didn't turn the flash on for the pictures... cause how annoying would that be during our movie?!)

we got food from red brick pizza, and it was sooo good. they have delicious personal sized gluten free pizzas!! hubs decided last minute that he didn't want pizza, so he got himself a fhazani (i had never heard of them, but it looked like a pizza/sandwich/salad all in one. he looooved it) and of course we had to have root beer! :)

this was our slumber party set up on the floor! 6 couch cushions, a california-king sized feather bed, a down comforter, 5 pillows from our bed, and a blanket for each of us to cover up with :) it was super comfy!!!!!!

popcorn, duh!

our plan-b dessert. strawberries, bananas and a bowl of melted chocolate! HEAVEN!!!! (hubs had a plate of other dip-able stuff too, like peanut butter pretzels and shortbread cookies)

yummmm!

we watched 'my week with marilyn'

<3

it was wonderful! no phones, no texting, no emailing... just us :) i can't wait til next date night!!! we've already talked about it. if you thought we were dorks for doing a 'slumber party' date night... wait til you see our next date night! have any suggestions for other cheap/easy date nights for the future?!?

(fyi, we didn't sleep on the floor! haha we're far too old for that. neither of our bodies would've appreciated it. after the movie was over, i put the couch back together, and lugged all the bedding back upstairs. it sucked putting everything back together, but it was well worth it!!!)

frozen banana bites...

this is what i'm obsessed with this week-

frozen banana bites

i wanted to have some little treats in the house for when i'm having my chocolate cravings. so i came up with these little guys. they're so good. they'd be even better on a hot summer day.

2 ripe bananas (make sure they're REALLY ripe. the more freckled, the better!)

peanut butter (of course i suggest all natural pb)

1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

as i've never made these before, this was all trial and error. i lined a miniature cookie sheet (it's really small, it came with our toaster oven) with foil. i sliced the bananas, put them on the sheet and put the whole tray in the freezer. after the bananas had hardened, i tried dipping them in softened pb... that didn't work so well. so, if you're gonna make these, just dab some pb on top of the bananas - and the bananas won't have to be frozen beforehand... but you'll have to freeze them after you put the pb on them. after the bananas and pb are completely frozen, dip them in melted chocolate. i used 1/2 a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips, and had leftover melted chocolate... but i only dipped half of the banana in chocolate. if you want more chocolate, use the whole bag and submerge the entire banana bite in the chocolate. the chocolate will start to harden almost immediately because the bananas are so cold. i lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper and put the completed banana-pb-choc bites in the freezer. after they were frozen solid, i put them in a ziplock freezer bag. they're so easy, so tasty, and the perfect thing to satisfy that sweets craving. give 'em a try!

ok, so, they're not pretty. but who cares... they taste delish!

day 22 of 365...

ok, let's be real. i can't keep up with the 'pic a day' project. this will be my last 'day xx of 365' post. i'll still post pics, but i don't like the pressure of HAVING to post 1 every day.

the past few days i've tried some new recipes i found online. oh my lord, they are both SO good! so, so, so good! too good to not share with you.

recipe 1:

asian slaw with ginger - peanut dressing

since her blog has WAY better pics than i could take, i'll let you get the recipe from her. i stumbled on the recipe a few mornings ago and realized i had all but 2 of the ingredients on hand. WIN! i made the salad for lunch that day (minus the edamame and green cabbage) and it was soooo good. she suggests buying pre-made slaw mix and shredded carrots. i don't agree at all! definitely buy red and green cabbage and shred it yourself. then grate some carrots in a food processor. if you don't have a processor, just use a cheese grater. i find that prepared veggies from the store are always dried out, and flavorless. also, she suggests using 2 green onions, i used 3 and i actually would've preferred more! so add extra, if you are a fan of 'em! anyway, i made the salad 2 days ago, and had some leftovers again today and it's still super good. i can't wait to make this again!!!!

here is my picture of the salad, obviously a lot different looking than her salad... but still delicious :)

recipe 2:

quinoa - stuffed peppers

this is what we had for dinner tonight. yum-o!!! about halfway through the meal, hubs is cramming forkfuls of food into his mouth and he was able to mutter "this is a TEN!". yay!!! even without meat, he loved it! it's such a good recipe. great for vegetarians, vegans (if you leave out the cheese), and gluten-free people. i left the cheese out of mine, but sprinkled a little bit of cheese on the hubs' peppers. the recipe takes a looong time to prepare/cook, but the result is worth it. i was glad i read through a lot of the reviews before hand. somebody suggested giving yourself 2 hours from beginning to end. she was right. some other people said it's a long process but worth it because the peppers freeze/reheat nicely. that's what sold me! the recipe says the filling will fill 4 peppers, the reviewers said it fills WAY more, and again, they were right! (don't you love recipe reviewers? they do all the hard work for you. i always read the reviews before i try something new). i bought 6 good sized peppers, and still had leftover filling. next time i'll use 8 peppers (LOTSA leftovers for when i'm lazy!). i baked mine, let them cool, then individually wrapped them (in plastic wrap and foil) then put them all in a labeled ziplock baggie in the freezer. when i don't feel like cooking dinner next week, i'll defrost 1 in the fridge and bake it in the oven. simple!

this is my pic of the filling as it's cooking.

i added corn. the recipe doesn't call for it, but it was good :)

make 1 of these next week. you won't be sorry!

day 21 of 365...

my family has been bothering me for years to get a smartphone. i'm stubborn and kept saying 'i don't see the point, i can check email on my computer. i don't need to play games. i really only use my cell phone to text. etc, etc'. today i finally caved and got an iphone.

pic by iphone. NOT BAD!

i seriously would've been fine using my crappy old samsung phone forever. that being said, it's kinda fun to get something new :) and i also might be kinda excited to play 'words with friends' ;)

keeping with tradition, i got the white phone. (i've only had white phones for the past 7 or 8 years).

also keeping with tradition, my wallpaper is a pic of jared leto. (did you expect anything different?!)