I’m a stalker

No I’m not talking about a Facebook stalker.  Or a Google stalker.  Or a Single White Female kind of stalker.

I am, however, a menu stalker.

Yep, someone mentions a restaurant that we may go to and my fingers fly to their website so I can scope the menu.  And I don’t look at it just once.  No I creepily keep looking, letting the appetizers entice me and the entrees make me drool.

I pick favorites.  I go back and forth deciding which one I will select upon my visit.  I rationalize the heavier dishes by promising a light lunch the given day. 

My stalker-esque behavior isn’t because I’m creepy.  It’s because I like to not only know what I’m getting into, but I especially like having something to look forward to.

In fact, I think I thrive on anticipation of something good to come.

We could be going to Subway or Spago’s and I’ll give equal attention to the menu.

Tonight, we’re headed to an Italian restaurant we haven’t been to since 2004: Don Giovanni’s.  And of course I’ve been stalking the menu all week debating on my entrée. 

Below are my top contenders:

Capellini D’Angelo al Pomodoro
Angel hair pasta in a fresh basil, garlic and diced tomato sauce.
Spaghetti al Pollo Piccante
Pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with chicken tenderlions.
Parmesan Chicken
Chicken breast breaded and topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese baked until bubbly. Served in a bed of fresh linguini marinara.
Pollo Ripieno
Oven roasted breast of chicken stuffed with herbs, ricotta cheese, roasted sweet peppers, served over garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed swiss chard and roasted sweet pepper cream.

Are you a (menu) stalker?

What should I order?

PS Loved your thoughts / feedback on the scale.  I think we all agree that we have to do what works for us, right?

Date Night

It seems like most of you are creatures of habit and prefer one side of the bed over the other.  I myself prefer the left side (meaning, my hubby lays to the right of me).  The cats prefer the top side..as in my pillows.  And the dog prefers her bed to be wedged between the hubby’s side and the wall.  Now you know way more about our sleeping habits than you ever cared to know

But I have to tell you, as of late,  my hubby and I seem to be ships passing in the night.  I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but our schedules do not line up.

• I wake up at 6am.  He wakes up sometime after 8a.   (The weekends I wake up at 8a and he wakes up at 10a)
• I need to be to work by ~7a.  He arrives at work around 930a.
• I don’t take lunch at work so I can get home faster.  He buys his lunch every day (thereby “taking a lunch”)
• I leave work around 430p.  He leaves work around 7p.
• My commute is about 5 minutes.  His is up to 45 minutes at times.
• I’m starving for dinner by 615p or 630p.  He can eat at 9p no problem.
• I’m ready to wind down at 8p.  Sometimes he is just arriving home at 8p.
• I like to read before bed around 9p.  He refuses to get in bed any earlier than 10p…ever.
• I’m passed out by 10p (need those 8 hours!).  He often will stay up until 1a.

Sigh.  Does anyone else have this problem?

Because of our unaligned schedules, we need to schedule midweek Date Nights.  A night where we have to leave the house (no distractions of tv, email, laundry, dog, cats…) and go out to dinner.  Tonight is one of those nights.  And while I do love them, they also make me a bit anxious.  Mostly because I never eat out during the week and I fear I’m going to totally blow my calorie intake.  Hubby wants to eat Italian tonight and that’s never a light meal  

So when all is said and done, I’d rather spend a little extra time at the gym than miss out on the very little time the hubby and I have together!

This pic is nearly 7 years old! Holy moly!

Eats:

• 730a–16oz travel mug of maple nut home-brewed coffee with 1 tbsp creamer
• 9a–1 TJs instant oatmeal packet (apple-cinn) with 1 45cal box of raisins mixed in
• 1145a–1/2 Togo’s turkey sandwich, with all the mayo scraped off (yuck!) — my proposal team had lunch catered today
• 245– handful of carrots and 2+ tbsp spicy hummus
• 4p -1 small bag of Sunchips (from catered work food) — 210cals
• 7p–300 cals of popcorn with vino (this is my comfort food!) and 2 cut up smartdogs with spicy mustard

Exercises:

• 20 minute walk with Naava
• 20 minute elliptical (half forward / half reverse)
• 20 minute Precor (half forward / halfreverse) - hill track
• 10 minute treadmill at 4mph, 1deg incline
• 10 minute abs and tricep dips

What time do you get home versus your hubby (significant other)?

Do you have to schedule date  night?