{Friend Makin' Monday - Winning the Lottery}

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Feel free to add your links there too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

 Winning the Lottery

What’s the first thing you would do for yourself if you won 100 million dollars?  Note: this question is specifically for you…what would you do for fun after the family and the bills and the obvious stuff was taken care of?

I have to say that I am so very bad at doing things just for me.  So, just thinking quickly, I would be able to name just a few things....

• LONG vacation with my husband
• Buy a home at the beach and/or mountains
• Put away the rest and continue on my merry little way and live off the interest

I get that it isn't terribly interesting, but I also just don't feel the need to go on a crazy spending binge.

{Friend Makin' Monday - Quick and Random}

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so everyone can see your FMM questions and answers.  Please add your links there too so everyone has the opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

 Quick and Random

1. Choose three songs that would be on the soundtrack of your life. "My Way" (Frank Sinatra); "Stronger" (Kelly Clarkson); and I can't figure out a third 
2. Share the details of one project that you’re currently working on.  I am a tad bit pre-occupied by various activities - coaching Girls on the Run, preparing for a work conference, and prepping for my upcoming surgery!
3. If you could learn to do one thing overnight what would it be? I’d learn to a foreign language - probably Spanish
4. If you could be a fictional character which one would you be? Oddly enough, I'd like to be "Anne" from Anne of Green Gables for a few days.... I loved how wild her imagination was.
5. What’s your favorite thing about the month of October? I love that it gets cooler and my running (usually) gets a little easier.  I also love that it means it is even closer for holiday decorating!
6. Share one TV show that you’re embarrassed to admit you watch.  I have no shame in admitting that I "watch" (more like background noise) of mindless TV, including but not limited to: Real Housewives of (name the city); Bridezillas; House Hunters; Lizard Lick Towing; Parking Wars; etc.
7. Name one friend that you’re thankful to have in your life today.  Every single day, I thank my lucky stars for my best friend, Margaret.  We have known each other since she was 6 months old and I was about 14 months old.  Been best friends forever - literally.
8. What was the most relaxing part of your weekend?  Sitting outside at World of Beer with our buddies!
9. Do you like to dance?  Uh no... I look like an absolute idiot.
10. Share one thing that you’re looking forward to before the end of the year.  I am so very excited for "Operation Fix Me" to take place on November 28.  I am looking forward to having my body actually look like it should after I have worked so hard to lose so much weight!

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Take a moment to answer the questions on your own blog, and don’t forget to link up in the comments!

{Weekly Menu}

It's been a little quiet around here this week...  I am preparing for my work annual conference and I feel as though my butt might be on fire.  Just think - 500 municipal officials, 300 vendors, 50 staff members, volunteers, spouses/guests - sounds awesome right?  Yeah.  The conference is three very full days of craziness, but I love seeing our municipal officials...

Here's our plan for the week:
Saturday: Dinner with friends at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe (kudos to Tobacco Road for having a gluten free menu)
Sunday:  Out at new restaurant in town, Yard House
Monday: Jambalaya
Tuesday:  Grilled Pork; Roasted Sweet Potatoes; Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday:  Chicken Bacon Casserole; Sauteed Spinach (from Liz's blog, one of my favorites!)
Thursday: Leftover Jambalaya

I still need to write a few posts about restaurants and meals.  Whoops!  Seriously, sometimes work just gets in the way of fun stuff ;-)

{Friend Makin' Monday - Inside your Home}

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers.  Add your links there too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Inside Your Home

1. Do you live in an apartment/condo, townhouse or house?  Condo
2. What is your home’s coolest feature? I love all of our paint! We have decorative paint in most rooms (foyer - black/gold stripes; guest bath - red-ish walls with red-ish/green stripes on ceiling; kitchen - painted "tile" and textured paint ceiling; master bath - clouds on ceiling, etc.).  The paint makes everything so awesome!
3. Do you enjoy DIY projects?  If so, what are you working on now?  I would love to do for DIY/craft projects, but I usually lose interest before beginning the project.  
4. When using the dishwasher do you use powder detergent or liquid?  We use the little Cascade Complete pods.
5. Do you have a TV in your bedroom?  Yep
6. Is your range gas or electric?  Gas. The hubs bought the condo just before we met. When I moved in, I had one hell of an adjustment as far as cooking.
7. How often do you sweep/mop/vacuum?  We have someone clean our condo every 3 weeks. She does the big sweep/mop/vacuum and I go over it if needed.
8. What is your favorite place to shop for home furniture and accents?  We tend to gravitate to Z Gallerie or Crate & Barrel.  
9. Do you decorate for holidays?  We do!  We change our dining table decor for most holidays and seasonally.  We decorate some for fall and pretty dang extensively for Christmas.  Love it!
10. If you could have HGTV come in and redo one room in your home which room would you choose?  That's a good question...  I think if I could really choose, I would have them do a quick "refresh" of our condo.  I don't think any one room needs a complete overhaul, but some refreshing of accessories, etc. would be nice.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to link up in the comments.  Happy Monday, friends!

{Weekly Menu}

The weekend has been pretty dang good thus far.  On Friday, we spent the early part of the day moving Jason from one office on his floor to another.  The new office is going to be so nice for him - it has 2 windows!  I firmly believe that windows at work make a huge difference in how you feel while you are at work.  After moving his office, we grabbed a bite to eat at MoJoe's and headed to the Farmer's Market for our produce.

So, funny story... We got to the Farmer's Market and I was walking just a few steps in front of Jason.  Not long thereafter, I heard him yell "...What the f**k?!..."  I turned around and saw that the back tire had completely come off his wheelchair!  What the heck were we supposed to do??!!??  Luckily for us, a couple Good Samaritans walked by and offered help.  We got the tire back on and immediately went to the local wheelchair place to get it fixed.  They were just as perplexed as we were about what happened, but they were able to get the tire back on and us on our merry way.  What an adventure!

Our menu for this week looks like it is gonna shape up to be pretty yummy:
Saturday:  We had dinner at Mura with friends (post to come)
Sunday:  Paleo Pizza Soup from MyPaleoCrockPot (I am really hoping this turns out well.  I miss pizza so much!)
Monday:  Shepherd's Pie (I am kinda experimenting with this one, using a recipe from Elana's Pantry as my "inspiration".  I am going to top ours with sweet potatoes instead of cauliflower.)
Tuesday:  Big salads with sauteed shrimp (I coach Girls on the Run on Tuesday/Thursday evenings.  Our dinners our usually easy or leftovers on these evenings.)
Wednesday:  Butternut Squash Lasagna from Health-Bent (I am gonna add some additional veggies to this to give it more "umph".)
Thursday:  Leftover Shepherd's Pie

{New Recipes 32, 33, and 34 - Chicken and Yam Noodle StirFry, Easy Shredded Beef, and Dijon Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts}

I am bound and determined to reach my goal of at least 52 new recipes this year.  I've got some ground to make up though...  Here's several of our recent new recipes.

Chicken and Yam Noodle StirFry (adapted from: EverydayPaleo.com)
1 lb. chicken breast, diced
1 package Sweet Potato/Yam Fettuccine
1 small onion, diced
4-5 zucchini and/or summer squash, diced
1-2 bell peppers, diced
3-4 carrots, diced
A few splashes of coconut aminos
1 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 cup chicken broth

Saute chicken and onions until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the rest of the veggies and saute until cooked through.  Once the noodles are done, combine the noodles, chicken/veggies, and sauces until well-combined and warmed through.

The hubs and I both liked this a lot.  The yam noodles have a slightly awkward texture for the first few bites. Once you get used to it, they are pretty good.  I had the leftovers for lunch and they tasted even better the next day!  (For those that want to try sweet potato/yam noodles, you can find them at your local Asian grocery.)

Easy Shredded Beef (from PaleOMG)
2-3 pounds London Broil
2 large yellow onions, sliced
1/2 cup beef stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Toss it all in the crockpot.  Cook on low for ~8 hours.  Shred the beef and leave in the crockpot to soak up a little juice for about 1 hour.

We both loved this recipe too.  There's nothing better than tossing meat in the crockpot and coming home to a delicious smelling meal.  I prepared some roasted veggies (cauliflower and carrots) with bacon and roasted sweet potatoes to go along with this.  The shredded beef would probably be really good on a salad too!

Dijon Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts (from Fast Paleo) 

1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3 chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup chicken broth, divided

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

12 ounces Brussels sprouts

Preheat oven to 425°.  Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle chicken salt and pepper; add to pan. Cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken; place pan in oven. Bake at 425° for 7-10 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Heat the same pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup broth and cider (Just realized as writing this post that we omitted the cider.  Oops!). Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer 4 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in mustard/

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add Brussels sprouts and saute 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add remaining salt and 1/4 cup broth to pan. Cover and cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Serve sprouts with chicken and sauce.

This dish was a hit in my books, but not so much for the hubs.  He's been really good about eating veggies that he isn't fond of, including Brussels sprouts.  However, they just weren't good to him in this particular dish.  We both loved the chicken and the contrast offered by the Dijon mustard.  The chicken is a definite "make again", but probably with a different veggie on the side.

{Infographic - Health-care versus Spending}

I saw this on a blog the other day.  This fairly simple info-graphic from the Bipartisan Policy Center, as published in the Washington Post is pretty telling...  It's also pretty damn scary.

Simply put, "...The health-care system isn’t what makes us healthy. It’s where we go once we’re sick. And it’s where we spend all our money..."  

The Bipartisan Policy Center has no reason to fluff the information, since there's no politics involved.  But, really....  Look at their recommendations. Their recommendations focus on changing farm and agriculture policy; creating/growing healthy communities, healthy families, healthy schools, and healthy workplaces; and ensuring public awareness.

As I look at this infographic, I realize exactly how true it tends to be... Case in point - my recent diagnosis with Celiacs disease.  For years and years, I have been suffering with stomach/digestive issues, anxiety/depression, hormonal issues, etc.  Seeking a diagnosis from the traditional medical community (from my early teens through the past couple months) resulted in tons of appointments with specialists, many tests (that may or may not have been needed), and lots of prescriptions that never really did much for my issues.

Then, low and behold, I go see a different type of doctor.  She recommends significant changes in my diet, even before bloodwork is completed.  Once the bloodwork confirmed her suspicions, she gives me clear guidance on how to basically change my life.  In just over one month, my health has changed dramatically.  I am no longer feeling like crap, taking unnecessary prescriptions, etc.

What are you thoughts on this?  Do you think the infographic is a fair representation?

{FMM - Uniquely You}

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at Kenlie’s blog so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Add your links there too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Uniquely You

1. Do you prefer to talk or text?  I am definitely more of the email/text type, except when it comes to conversations with my best friend.  For some reason, I can talk to her on the phone forever!
2. How often do you make your bed? Every single morning....The day just doesn't start off right without the bed made!
3. What sounds do you hear right now?  The hubs is listening to the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Orioles game and the TV is on really low for background noise.
4. List three things that you always carry with you.  iPhone, wallet, water bottle
5. What are your favorite TV shows?   I don't watch anything religiously, but you can always catch me watching mindless shows like: Real Housewives, Bridezillas, Say Yes to the Dress, etc.
6. Is there a hobby that you’d like to devote more time to? If so, what is it?  I have no clue!
7. What is your favorite drink?  I drink water and hot tea daily.  If I had to choose an alcoholic beverage I would choose a porter or a stout (beer), but those are a no go because they make me sick. :-(
8. Share a couple of cool facts about your family.  (I am stealing this almost verbatim from my cousin's blog.  My comments are in italics.) My dad Daddy was one the oldest of six kids and he and all of his brothers all only had one child (3 girls and one boy).   I find that so interesting considering they all had siblings!  (It would be interesting to figure out if there was some common reason or if that's just how it worked out.)  His family also changed their last name somewhere along the line which ultimately determined my last maiden name.  (The name change was kind of a fluke.  Our grandfather was given his mother's last name when he was born, as opposed to his father's last name.)  My last maiden name was really common, but the name prior to them changing it was really cool and different.
9. List one thing that you will do for yourself today. I ran some errands after work with no agenda - meaning, I wandered (somewhat aimlessly) in a store.  I never do that!
10. Share something that you’re thankful for today.  My amazingly supportive husband, best friend, family, and other friends that have put up with the crazies of the last month or so.  Not only have they helped me keep a positive outlook, they've made choices when out to eat, etc. that make things easier for me.  Support will get you through anything!

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to c link up in the comments on Kenlie's blog.  And try to say something to someone new this week. There are some pretty cool people connected here.  Happy Monday, friends!