My Wedding Dress & Veil

Let's do some wedding posts, shall we? It is, after all, the biggest thing that has happened in my life thus far, and the planning and execution of (among other things) is what kept me from the blog for so long!

This is a model in my dress. She clearly didn't rock it to it's full abilities, so I had to show her how it's done.

Consider it rocked, random model. It was an Oleg Cassini and I got it at David's Bridal. Believe it or not, that's off the rack. I was really, really pleased that I didn't have to spend any money on alterations. I was going for the "cheap-as-possible-free-is-even-better-budget" while planning.

The only thing I did to the dress was add beaded straps for $18 because I didn't want to pull my dress up all night (huge pet peeve). Great investment because I felt secure all day and I danced my tush off all night.

Wedding day started with some pictures of the dress, solo:

 

Then it was time for me to get in the dress. This is my cousin, Anne-Marie (aka my Maid of Honor) zipping me up!

After some photos, I realized we had a big static problem. Nothing a little static guard couldn't fix! Thanks for the favor, Anne (I owe ya one)!

Since my dress didn't have a train, I knew I wanted a cathedral length veil to drag behind me. Have you seen the prices on those suckers, though? David's Bridal wanted like $200. For tulle? Not gonna happen.

I found mine on Amazon for $29, even splurged a few more dollars for the fancy, beaded edge to match my $18 beaded spaghetti straps.

This is my brother's girlfriend, Claire, placing the veil ever so lovingly on my head. Claire is a cosmetologist and she did my hair and makeup for the big day. She rocks. I love her, and I love that she played such a huge part in my wedding day and will forever be in the "getting ready" photos with me.

Here's a good "showing off the veil" shot.

And one of us, at the altar fireplace, with the full attire in all its glory.

All professional photos were taken by Alex Kaplan.

Stamp Out Hunger!

It's that time of year again! The past two years I've reminded my readers about the National Association of Letter Carrier's fundraising effort to provide local food banks with food.

This year's pick up is on Saturday, May 12th. Just fill a bag or box with non-perishable food (no glass containers, and no expired food please!) and leave it out by your mailbox. When your mail is delivered, the food will be collected for families in need. Simple, easy, and almost zero effort required!

Just a few facts from their website:

• This is Stamp Out Hunger's 20th anniversary!
• It is the nation's largest single-day food drive. 
• 2011 marked 8 consecutive years that over 70 million pounds of food were collected each year.
• 1 in 8 Americans is currently being served food via Feeding America efforts. 
• As of 2011, 49 million Americans are facing hunger, including 16 million children. 

I really love food. All of us in the food blogging community do. I think hunger is a great charity for our community to back. Every day we create and share healthy, filling meals, and it's easy to take that for granted. It's horrible to think that there are families out there that are unable to do the same. 

Go to your pantries and find an extra box of pasta, an extra carton of oatmeal, a bag of rice, a bottle of salad dressing, or a can of mixed veggies. Any effort will help, no matter how small!

Fancy Sloppy Joe (aka Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich)

Ok, really, this started out as Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich, compliments of Pioneer Woman. But, I took so many liberties with it, it's pretty much a different sandwich. Both Johnny and I thought it was very sloppy Joe-esque, but fancy, so thus- a new name was born!

2 small yellow onions, sliced
1.5-2 lbs. cubed steak
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp grill-style seasoning of choice
1/4 cup barbeque sauce of choice
toast, bread, buns

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil and butter, and add the sliced onions. Let them cook a few minutes until softened and slightly brown. Remove from the pan, and set aside. While the onions are cooking, slice the cubed steak against the grain into about 1" strips.

Add the second Tbsp of oil to the same skillet, and add the cubed steak strips. Let the meat sit for a few minutes to brown. Stir, then add the pepper and grill seasoning. Most seasonings contain salt, so be careful not to double-salt the dish. I used .. wait for it, wait for it ... Cowboy Blend! Ahh-ha! On Marlboro Man's Sandwich? Get it?

Once the meat is browned all over, pour in the barbeque sauce and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions back in, and let everything simmer for a few minutes for the flavors to come together. Taste and adjust seasonings.

I dry toasted bread (some dummy forgot the rolls) on our panini press to give it more strength to hold the sandwich. But you could use any of your favorite breads, rolls, toast, etc. to make the sandwich with.

Spoon the meat mixture onto the sandwich, making sure to get some of the yummy juice. Enjoy! Be careful, those little onion ribbons are hot! (Says the girl with the burnt roof of the mouth.)

My Fitness Pal

If you have an iPhone, or hang around people that are somewhat health-conscious, chances are you've heard of My Fitness Pal.

It's an app that allows you to track your calories and meals conveniently on your phone. You can also use it on a desktop (and see progress charts and graphs), but it's the app features that made me fall in love, and have me using it regularly.

First, it has you enter your height, weight, goal weight, age, and sex. You can also select how many pounds you want to lose per week, or if you want to just maintain your current weight. It will then calculate your daily calorie allowance based on this information. I'm assuming because I'm short and I want to lose 20 pounds at a rate of 2 pounds per week, my magic number is 1200 calories per day.

The first few days were miserable for me. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've gained double digits since the wedding and gotten hooked on meals that are handed to me through a window or served in a little cardboard microwave tray. It was a hard adjustment to go from over 2,000 calories of junk to 1200 calories. But, I went shopping, I planned ahead, and I found my groove. I'm now able to meet my calorie goal, and satiate myself on healthy, filling, nutritious meals.

One of my absolute favorite parts about this app is the ability to scan your food labels. I actually have a tattered, worn copy of a calorie counting book my mom gave me that she used to use. It lists major food companies and their label contents. I tried this and lasted maybe a meal or two in a journal. I suck at math, so trying to read the labels or websites and calculate by the serving size didn't work either. With My Fitness Pal, you scan the bar code of the product, it lets you select the serving size or amount, and when you hit "Add" the math is done for you and it's magically added to your day! (Please note: candy used as just an example, I haven't eaten it ...yet!)

You can also add recipes the same way, then let the app know how many it serves, and just select the meal and your serving size and the information is magically added! All of these food entries are saved, so you only need to do it once. So those peanut butter Cheerios I ate for breakfast? I can just tap on them, entering them with one magic touch of my finger next time I eat them- be it tomorrow or next Thursday!

The other awesome thing about My Fitness Pal is tracking your exercise. Of course, the calories burned is an estimate most of the time, but it's still helpful to see. It records them as calories "earned" and they are added to your daily calorie allowance. You already know that my calorie number for the day is 1200. So, let's say I walk the dog at a moderate pace for 30 minutes, I've "earned" 107 calories- taking my daily allowance up to 1307 calories.

Seeing calories so simply displayed this way - as a "fuel" (essentially what they are, for your body) is really eye opening and helpful. My cousin and I are probably using the whole system backwards. We actually see what we can eat, based on how much we move our asses. Almost like bartering with calories, or earning extra sides with dinner. But hey- whatever way you can find motivation, right?

Which brings me to the last great part- it lets you add friends! I currently have 5 friends added (including Mara) and they're great at congratulating my good days and offering support for moments when I'm frustrated. With or without adding friends, you have the ability to keep all of your information private and viewable for only your eyes.

So, why all this talk about My Fitness Pal? Well, to be honest- I'm really enjoying it. It's something I've found that works for me, I've already seen results on the scale, and it's free. I hope to "check-in" here periodically to hold myself accountable. I'm going to add a progress badge on the side so you can follow along also!

Our Keurig

One of the first wedding gifts we received was from Johnny's good friend, Scott and his family. They generously got us the Keurig coffee maker from our registry, and we could not be more thrilled. We might have even broken a Miss Manner's rule and set this bad boy up and started using him before the big day! (shhh)

Johnny and I both like coffee, but we're not huge drinkers. We don't need it to start our day, or every day for that matter. If we make it, it's usually just 1 or 2 cups, and we enjoy a wide variety of flavors. I wish I had a picture of our old "coffee and tea" cabinet from the house in Illinois. Literally, it was an entire cabinet devoted solely to coffee and tea. There were bags and bags of caffeinated, decaffeinated, mild roast, dark roast, flavored, seasonal offerings- you name it!

That's why I thought the Keurig would be perfect for us. It heats up in a few minutes and is ready to make individual cups of coffee in a few seconds. Instead of a cabinet with a gazillion opened, half-used bags of coffee, we could just select different K-cups based on our mood.

Which brings me to the next awesome wedding gift we got, from a family friend, Arlene! After the wedding as a congratulations/house warming gift she got us the K-cup holder we had registered for! It matches the Keurig machine perfectly and holds many cups, so you can rotate and pick your favorite flavor to brew!

Do any of you have a Keurig machine? If so, what is your favorite K-cup flavor?? I'm currently loving Dark Magic because of it's boldness and Jamaican Me Crazy for it's unique, but subtle flavor.

Broccoli Cheese Bites

It was past midnight. I was mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest (follow me!) on my phone, while laying in bed. Then I saw these and stopped dead in my tracks. It took me less than 30 seconds to get out of bed, put my shoes on, throw open the fridge and start making these. No exaggeration. I was like a tornado in the kitchen on a mission. I even dropped a 10" chef knife on the floor (jump back!) in the process. The only thought in my brain was "must make these fast, so they bake fast, so I can shove them in my face fast."

Original recipe can be found here. I had to alter it based on starting the recipe without checking all my ingredients first (because I was trying to make it as fast as humanly possible).

~3 cups broccoli florets, washed and cut in small pieces
~1.5 cups shredded cheese of choice (I used extra sharp cheddar)
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (I used reduced fat)

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using your hands to mix thoroughly. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and roll the mixture into golf ball sized portions, spacing them evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through. Makes about 30.

Try to let cool a few minutes before chowing down, otherwise you might burn the roof of your mouth! (ow.)

These were so good, which I'm excited about. I feel like the possibilities are endless- you could make with any fresh veggie on hand - spinach, beans, corn. You could use different cheeses or spices each time, too.

They'd be great as an appetizer or finger food while entertaining, or even as a side for dinner. They kept well and reheated nicely in the toaster oven. The second time I ate them I dipped them in low fat sour cream.

Johnny even enjoyed a few. Except he hates to get his hands dirty and greasy (computer geek phobia, having to work with keyboards and all...) so he used the tongs from flipping them. I thought it was funny when I turned around, especially since by now it was like 1am and we're both in the kitchen snacking away.

Annnnnnd, thank you for being patient-- the winner of the $25 Wal*Mart gift card was comment #21, Wendy from The Coupon Queen! Congratulations! Please send your mailing address to christina (at) dinneratchristinas (dot) com and it'll be on it's way! Thanks for playing everybody! Glad to see I'm not the only one who loves her sugary kid's cereal!

Cereal and Yogurt Parfait (Giveaway Post)

Hello everybody! I have a special treat to share with you and a chance to win a $25 Wal*Mart gift card, so stay tuned for the information at the bottom of this post!

Pillsbury has created a new site, Bake-Off.com, which showcases over 100 recipes chosen from recipe contest finalists across the country. I was asked to peruse the site and choose a recipe to share with you, and I chose a simple, low-fat dessert.

Of course I changed it up, but the original recipe can be found here.

2 cups Cheerios cereal (I used the new peanut butter kind!)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp butter, melted
whipped topping of choice
2 containers Yoplait fat free yogurt (I used Boston cream pie mmm)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large zip bag, using a rolling pin, crush your cereal to resemble a coarse crumb. Add the sugar, water, and melted butter to the bag and reseal. Move everything around until it's fully incorporated and moistened.

Grease a baking sheet and pour the cereal mixture in the center. Lay a piece of wax paper over the top and use your rolling pin to roll the mixture out to about 1/8" thickness. Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until browned. Watch closely, the edges can start to burn quickly near the end. Remove from oven and let cool, then crumble.

In a pretty glass, layer cereal crumbles, Yoplait yogurt, and whipped topping. Garnish the top with a few extra cereal crumbles. Enjoy!

This was really, really good. A nice after-dinner snack for me when I made it. My favorite part, by far, was the Cheerio crumble. After baking, it got nutty and crunchy and delicious. I'd love to make a pie crust or experiment more with other cereals.

Ok, now for the fun part! I have another $25 Wal*Mart gift card to give to a lucky Dinner at Christina's reader. Giveaway will end Monday, April 23rd at midnight. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, April 24th.

 

To enter, just leave a comment answering: What is your favorite cereal!? 
 

Mine is a toss-up between Golden Grahams and Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. We always have both on hand. We also usually have Lucky Charms or Froot Loops too! What can I say? We like sugary kids cereal more than the healthy, bland stuff!

Giveaway packaged provided by MyBlogSpark, General Mills, and Wal*Mart. The opinions, photos, and recipe adaption are my own.