A Fail....and then a BIG Win!

Hello there, I'll bet you wondered if I was going to post this week. I can't believe it's Saturday and the week got away from me without posting about the Bachelor...and to be honest, this post isn't totally about that. (skip to the end if you want to read my short thoughts on this week's episode.) It's about...you guessed it, diet food!

In my quest to loose about 50 pounds before March (that's a joke, people) I have been scouring the internet for good diet options, ones I can actually follow, because, as I pointed out before, I can barely stand up during the day, let alone get on a treadmill (baby wakes up about 5 times a night.) Anyway, I ran across the Hungry Girl website. I thought I was so clever finding this site and then the next day I turned on The View and she was their guest. Whatever. Anyway, she had a low calorie cake recipe, mixing a cake mix (any flavor) with a can of diet soda (any flavor). I decided to give it a whirl, but when I went on her website to get the baking instructions, I saw that she also suggested a can of pumpkin. Genius! A can of pumpkin is so good mixed with a spice cake mix for pumpkin cookies...it MUST be just as good with a chocolate cake mix, right?? Right?? WRONG.

Big. Fat. Fail.

If you are even considering mixing a chocolate cake mix with a can of pumpkin in an effort to cut calories, STOP RIGHT THERE! Back away from the cake mix. Put the pumpkin DOWN!!!!

Instead, do what I did (after throwing out the entire batch of moist yet disgusting pumpkin/chocolate cake) and buy a Devils food cake and mix it with Greek Yogurt. Yes, this was another suggestion on her site, and it sounded much tastier to me, so I went with it and it was a big WIN! Delicious! The best part is that a 'serving' of this is double what is considered a serving on the box normally (1/12 of the cake instead of 1/24). So you get double the cake for a lot fewer calories, and it is Yum, yum, yummmmmmy!

Okay, now I will say a few words about the Bachelor this week. Let me start by saying that my DVR failed me so I missed most of his first date with Chantel, but I caught the end and they looked nice enough together, and I really didn't mind her...until it was time for Michelle's date and she was so rude to her! Okay, listen. I get it. Michelle is obnoxious. She can whine and be annoying and yes, overconfident, and completely ridiculous with her sense of entitlement. But do you know what I hate even more than that? A bully. And I really felt like Chantel was completely stirring the pot with Michelle when she was waiting for her time with Brad. It was unnecessary, and to me that shows a HUGE amount of immaturity. It takes a much bigger woman to be able to let things go, and to not have to jab, jab, jab at someone. I lose a lot of respect for that.

Anyway. Moving on...the group date was a bit ridiculous with the hot Dentist, she needs to get some self confidence quickly or I fear she will find herself packing soon. Why can't she pull her head out of her bottom and see that he is going above and beyond to prove his love for her??

Michelle, well, I have to admit it felt sorry for her and her repelling date. My WORST NIGHTMARE right there, people. I have an insane fear of heights, and I would not have been able to do it. She rocked in that moment. Don't worry, I am definitely not rooting for her, but as she was dangling off that ridiculously high building, I was on her side for just a moment.

Next week....really?? Taking Emily to the races, huh? ANY CLASS AT ALL, ABC????

Surprisingly Good!

So, in an effort to blog about something OTHER than the Bachelor, I wanted to pop on here and share my new find. You may know that I am feverishly trying to loose weight via diet alone right now. We are off to the Bahamas next month and I want to try to look halfway decent...as decent as you can look being 3 months post partum. Anyway, since my baby insists on waking up every 2-3 hours throughout the night, I am not even close to being able to hop on the treadmill (I wade through my days bleary-eyed, sipping the life back into myself one diet coke at a time...), hence the 'diet only' weight loss strategy...mostly calorie counting.

ANYWAY. I decided to try the new Lean Cuisine steambag meals...and they are actually really good! So far I have tried the Shrimp Scampi and the Chicken Alfredo, and both were tasty, and both were portioned really well. So if you have been wondering if you should try them out, go for it! I am excited to try the other flavors.

Vampiress has a Heart.

Didn't I say I wasn't going to Bachelor blog this season? Or even watch it? How did it suck me in???? Somehow it did...it really did.

Can I just jump right into the middle and tell you how much I cried my eyes out as Emily was telling her story to the other girls? The way she kept whispering 'sorry' every few seconds...just broke my heart into tiny little pieces. Picture me...melting....all.over.the.floor. I was aching for her to tell Brad immediately (A little bit horrific that the first thing she had to do was hop on a private plane with him. Um, how did she not flip out?) and it was SO awkward when she was very obviously keeping the story from him. I am so glad she opened up to him. Chemistry....may be just a tiny bit lacking? What do you think?

Apparently he and Chantel have lots of chemistry, though, or at least they keep talking about it. I am not sure how I feel about her. As much as I CANNOT stand Michelle, it really annoyed me how snide she was to her at the rose ceremony. Everyone knows I can't stand a bully, and it really made me feel bad when she was poking fun at her, even though Michelle was being obnoxious. Michelle situation aside, though, it seems that Brad and Chantel really have some kind of connection going on, I am interested to see how their one on one goes next week.

Back to Michelle...I keep reading about her on Facebook, about what a nice girl she is in real life. Why is she acting like such a crazy nutso on the show? I mean, 'creative editing' can only go so far, she is definitely giving them plenty to work with. She seems a bit 'single white female', wouldn't you say? Why doesn't it annoy Brad how she is constantly inconsiderate of his time with everyone else?

Finally....It turns out that Madison has the softest heart of all! I am really impressed that she looked into herself and knew that she was not nearly as into Brad as the other girls. Since we are on the subject of girls leaving, the other girls he sent home...fine with me. I mean, OF COURSE I wish he would have kicked Michelle to the curb, but since he didn't, I felt his choices were good.

I still really like Ashley and Emily, along with Allie and Lisa. I wish I could see him alone with Allie or Lisa. Apparently Ashley-the-dentist goes nuts next week- can't wait for that!

I'll Cry if I Want To.

Okay, so last night I got all my kids to bed, sat down to watch Brad do his thing...turned on the DVR and....I wasn't recording it! So I missed the first date with Ashley at the carnival. Never fear, I just caught up on it online (not easy with 3 awake children!) and I do have a few thoughts.

First of all, Ashley's date was pretty darn cute. I felt like they related well to each other, however as I was watching them interact, especially when they were talking about their dads abandoning them, I started to see, um, real sincerity in Brad. He seemed to be very real about his feelings and emotions, and he may have just won me over a little bit. Ashley seemed a little too peppy, but that could have been because she was trying not to let the mood get too depressing? She just rubbed me the wrong way a tad when she was smiling and laughing through their conversation. Still, she is pretty darling.

The group date...wow. So, have you heard? It's Michelle's birthday. Her Thirtieth birthday. Not twenty-nine. Not thirty-one. Her thirtieth. Imagine the horror of sharing her thirtieth birthday with 15 other women. Sharing time with Brad on her birthday. Her thirtieth birthday. Probably she should storm off and pout in a corner. Good work, Michelle, way to get some pity attention. Brad, you idiot, why give her a rose when she is acting like such a little snot? Oh, because it's her birthday.

Seriously, though, Michelle is acting crazy.....acting to be the main word here. Looky looky what someone sent me:

INTERESTING.
As a side note, I have had my hair done at the salon Michelle works at, by another FABULOUS stylist (Tara Snarr for anyone who is looking for a great stylist! She did an amazing job and I loved my hair soooo much!) Funny little coincidence!

Anyway, the other girls seemed normal, except for Melissa (cougar girl) who busted into the soap opera scene...that was bizarre. I noticed a few girls who I thought were pretty cute that I hadn't really noticed before: Alli and Lisa M. Both girls look super cute.

The last one on one date is absolutely my dream come true. A full day of pampering, followed by a room full of any gorgeous dress or shoes she would like to pick, followed DIAMONDS, followed by a romantic dinner, followed by a private concert by Train! I am going to be seriously disappointed if my next anniversary does not mimic this date exactly. (Just kidding, stop sweating, Mike). Jackie seems really really cute. She was not on my radar at all, in fact I was curious when her name was picked for the date. She was pretty darling, though.

Rose Ceremony: Melissa, seriously? I guess I missed where Raichel was being so awful to her, um, dissecting her words (what?) to make her look crazy...but it definitely worked against her, and poor Raichel, I'm afraid. This kind of proves to me that maybe ABC can't force Brad to keep people around for drama? He got rid of them just like.that. Didn't even bat an eye. Another move that impressed me. I felt bad for Keltie but the show must go on without her. It's too bad she is such a dating disaster...poor girl. It's a good thing he kept Madison, though, because really, who wouldn't want a girl with fangs? What the heck?

I am excited for next week, I am sure I will be bawling along with all the other girls as Emily shares her story, and I cannot wait to have her share it with Brad! I also can't wait to see Michelle's crazy stalking in the corner, I wonder if he will cut her next week? Can't keep the crazy around for too long. Do you think she is the one who leaves the rose ceremony and he has to go out and get?

PS: Props to ABC for bringing in Ali and Roberto. Cutest couple ever.

Yum, yum, YUM!

*family blog updated

I am always on the lookout for new recipes for our family dinners...and not just any recipe. It must be healthy, kid friendly, and delicious! I have been trying out new recipes all month, and while most are good, this one is GREAT! I found the recipe on Our Best Bites, which is one of my favorite recipe sites. It is their Tortellini Sausage Soup, and it is DIVINE!

(Photo courtesy of Our Best Bites)

So, the best thing about this soup? The Zucchini. Now, I am NOT, I repeat NOT a zucchini lover by any means. I am very medium on it- but for some reason, it *makes* this soup. Here is my theory why: The texture of the zucchini is very noodle-like. It tastes like I am eating a hearty noodle soup. I could easily leave the tortellini noodles out of my bowl and make this a very diet friendly soup for myself. When I was making it, I noticed that once I was done shredding the zucchini...it looked like WAY too much. I almost didn't put it all in. Now I would easily add another one in to make it even 'noodlier'.

Try this one...you will love it!

W T F...

As in....What the FANGS???

Really?

Fangs?

Brad?

FANGS?

BRAD! This is your second chance to find love...don't be an idiot!!! All of America already hates you, don't mess around with girls who wear fangs, for pete sake. Sheesh.

Okay, so I have been a bit harassed today for a Bachelor Blog. I know that I let the ball drop. I also have a new baby who is very naughty at night and barely lets me get any sleep. To be honest, I found myself nodding off a few times last night because it comes on later here (8-10) and by 10 I was dying for it to be over so I could go hop in bed, there was no WAY I was going to be able to blog about it! Maybe by the time this season of the Bachelor is over, my baby will be sleeping through the night? We can all hope, right?

Anyway, I hadn't really planned to blog about it this season, for the reason mentioned above...however I am trying to convince my SISTER to blog about it. She and I have pretty much the same opinions on all the episodes and she is definitely a witty writer. Until she agrees, though, I will make a few comments. Please forgive the lack of 'wow' factor in this post, I just don't have it in me to upload ALL the girls pictures and comment on each and every girl he kept.

First, can I just say that I think most of the girls they chose for this season are cute. I think it's kind of unfair that he has so many darling girls to choose from. Besides Vampire girl, I can't really think of any other crazies (besides the dentist that they portrayed that way in the season previews). The fact that he kept the Vampire girl really has me perplexed. It's one thing to be into Twilight, it's another to tell someone that they look delicious enough to eat...and mean it. Brad needs to give her the name of his therapist.

Speaking of therapists....I am so glad we heard from Brad's that he is ready to be back on the show. (eyeroll). And if that didn't convince you, what about the whole opening of the show, with Brad talking about his commitment issues, seeing the therapist...scenes of Brad shaking his head shamefully as he watches the finale of his season over and over...contemplating his life over a solitary bowl of cereal...I mean, wow. WOW. That was almost enough for me to turn off the show and quit watching this season. SO. LAME.

Even lamer? Deanna. I really can't believe they brought Deanna and Jenni back to 'confront Brad', and even worse, I can't believe they agreed to do it! The thing that really annoys me is how jilted Deanna is about the whole situation. He dumped Jenni, too...about 5 seconds before he dumped you, Deanna, and you don't see her freaking out to everyone who will listen. Isn't Deanna engaged?? She needs to MOVE ON! I hope this is the last I ever have to hear about Brad not choosing Deanna ever EVER again.

Oh wait. Every single girl who gets out of the limo is going to bring it up. Well, sweet. I guess I can spend the next hour hearing the same conversation over...and over..and over...Won't any of you ladies figure out that the LAST thing he wants to do is explain himself all night long? FINALLY Ashley gets the idea and talks about something other than Deanna. Congratulations, Ashley! You deserve that first impression rose, girl! Way to get a brain and the good sense not to bring up his shameful past. The rest of you ladies...seriously?

One more thing- are we really to believe that the ladies did not know that Brad was going to be the Bachelor until they got out of the limo? We really think that they came up with all those lines as they were walking the 5 steps from the limo to Brad? You think that the first girl really came up with the idea to slap him in .2 seconds? I am going to call BS here. I think they knew. I think he knew that slap was coming. Just my opinion.

So, as I said before, I liked the majority of the girls. You all know I was bawling my head off at Emily's story. Her fiance dying just days before she found out she was pregnant...naming her daughter after him....sob, sob, soooobbing into my pillow. Of course I wanted her to win from that moment on. However, MIKE picked her, so I am going to make my pick ASHLEY, since she was the only smart one to not bring up Deanna.

As for Dark Horses... I am going to pick Lisa M. from Kansas. Why? Because of her ruby slippers. Genius.

Mike is picking Michelle...I think because she's from Utah. Nice.

The 'Scenes from this Season' make is seem like one of the girls isn't sure she can commit to Brad- I think it's Emily. They also make the hot dentist (Ashley) look like she is crazy insane. Interesting. They make Michelle seem really sketchy. I am excited to see the drama unfold. What's with Brad getting back into the Limo during the final proposal-rose ceremony? Hmmm......