A darn good weekend (and butterscotch s’mores bars)

Good morning – we’re at the work week again, but it’s short one for me   I’m headed to Boston on Thursday (through next Tuesday) for a wedding and to also see my Bestie Boo   Big smiles on that one!

But this weekend was just plain good.  There’s no other way to say it. 

Friday we met up with our friend K and R for a bit after work to let the dogs play together.  And by “play together” I mean Schaffer and Oscar paw at Naava’s head, while she ignores them.  It’s good for her to socialize with other dogs though..ha!

Saturday morning was spent making these delicious treats:

I started with a recipe from the genius that is Picky Palate and modified from her White Chocolate S’mores and made mine Butterscotch S’mores Bars (for the win!).

These are freakin’ phenomenal…providing you love butterscotch.  The marshmallows make for a ooey-gooey-ness and the sweetened condensed milk (I used low-fat by the way) caramelizes the top nicely. 

Here’s a few more shots of the process a long the way…

I personally think these trumped the Oreo Fudge Bars I made a few weeks ago.

These sweet treats were to be the dessert for a dinner gathering we were having Saturday night with our friends Mojan and Ali.

But before I get to that, I spent Saturday afternoon getting my first prenatal massage with hot stones at Spa in the Park….

Hands down one of the best massages I’ve ever had.  I loved that I was able to lay on my side and hug a body pillow while they worked just the right areas, literally from head-to-toe. 

Ahhh bliss….

Then we had a fabulous dinner, which included Zach’s famous guacamole:

A chilled quinoa mexi salad dish (1+ cup quinoa, 1 can rinsed black beans, 1 can corn, 1 orange bell pepper, 1 small red onion, 1+ cup salsa, ground peppa, splash of lime juice, dash of mexi chili powder, dash of Tapatio):

And pumpkin enchiladas (mmmmmmm):

Sunday I got in another workout, took care of things around the house (ya know, typical Sunday) and then treated my friend Rachel to a pedi for her Birthday (it’s today – Happy Birthday Rachel ).

Did you have a darn good weekend?  What was the best about it?

Have you had a hot stone massage?  What’s your favorite spa treatment?

Tell me you’re going to make the Butterscotch S’mores Bars

PS. I’m now on twitter @Shanlikebanana

Shoes-Day!

Good morning!  Are you ready for some Shoes-Day Tuesday?  I feel like last week’s showcase of flats fell, flat, if you will.  Whether you are a flats kinda gal or a sky-high siren, the heels seem to be more fun to look at via the blog anyway

In honor of the gorgeous sunny mid-60 degree weather we are having here in Northern Cali I broke out the sandals for the first time yesterday.  Besides I just got a fresh new pedi on Sunday and wanted to show off my toes

The last time I got a pedi was 3 weeks prior and wouldn’t you know there is a Marshalls right next to my favorite nail place.  And because I’m obnoxiously early every where I go, I always have a moment to pop in and check out the new shoes.

I found these:

Ann Marino two-toned sandals

I bought them.

They were $25 (retail $50).

Cute enough for going out and conservative enough for work.  Perfecto!

Work wear: Banana Republic pants, The Limited cami, VS cardi

And just to show you the lengths I go to on Shoes-Day to snap a photo of my shoes pre-coffee, I thought I’d include a photo FAIL

FAIL: awkward shot, can't see shoes, cat has devil eyes

Ha!

Is it sandal-season where you live?

What shoes are you wearing today?

PS Thank you for all your incredibly kind words about my Weight Matters series.  As I’ve mentioned previously, I have a hard time blogging up topics that make me feel vulnerable, so I’m grateful I was able to share my personal story in such a positive forum.