Super Bowl Football Oreo Truffles

With the big game fast approaching, football Oreo truffles are literally the perfect addition to any Super Bowl party. They're super easy to make (really you don't even need an oven), and they are just too cute. I mean who doesn't want to eat a little chocolaty, cream cheesy, mini football?!

I assume I've convinced you all to make these so here is what you'll need:

1 package of Oreos

2 large Ziploc bags

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

milk chocolate almond bark

vanilla almond bark

piping bag

Wilton No. 2 or 3 round tip

Empty entire package of Oreos into Ziploc bag then double bag. You'll want to use the entire Oreo (cream included). I've always used original Oreos in the past, but with all these fun flavors coming out maybe you want to be a little more adventurous! Double bag and grind Oreos until they are a fine crumb. If you want an arm workout you can use a rolling pin to grind. Usually I find it more effective to put the bag on the kitchen floor and do a little jig. It's much more time efficient, and your arms won't be sore the next day. :) ...or you could use a food processor. I'm just not lucky enough to own one of those.

Once the Oreos are crumbled, empty into a large bowl and mix with an 8 oz package of cream cheese. Once "dough" has formed roll into mini footballs and place on a cookie sheet. I've found that the footballs are much easier to coat in almond bark if you place them in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes or so.

While the footballs are chilling melt milk chocolate almond bark in microwave in 30 second increments. Make sure to stir between each time to make sure you don't overcook the chocolate. Coat footballs in milk chocolate. I usually get two small spoons and kinda transfer the football back and forth between the two to remove excess chocolate. Place back on baking sheet, and let cool for a few minutes. Melt white chocolate almond bark in the same manner and place in a decorating bag with a Wilton No. 2 or 3 tip. Pipe laces and seams on football, and viola! You now have THE cutest Super Bowl dessert ever!

Friday Funnies

Happy Friday! Time for your first 2014 edition of Friday Funnies!

*~*~*~*~*~*

What kind of fish does he hunt?

Do you have a really padded bra on? Your boobs look big, and I know they're not. [note 
to self - buy more of these bras because THREE different people 
essentially said these same words to me]

I'm not sure there's anything that makes me happier than Instagram likes.

I looked like a stumbling, baby giraffe in that class. I literally rolled my ankle three times.

My jowls were like cow udders on my face. 


If that's how long you want your marriage to last than go for it, but there's a reason women have engagement rings. They're like the modern day dowry...and women need dowries because we're signing up for a LIFETIME of dealing with men so tell him if you're expected to put up with his BS forever then you expect a diamond that's going to last an eternity.

YOU GUYS. IT. IS. FUN. [overly excited and referring to Candy Crush]

I tried Christian Mingle. Those girls were all skanks.

I'm not being a smart ass. I'm just being factual.

The #hotgirlwithgun hashtag is disappointing.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 23

It's Thursday! I thought this day would never come! Here are my Thursday Thoughts for the week:

1. Fellow cat ladies, does anyone have or know of anyone who has a CatGenie?! I saw an infomercial yesterday, and I'm very intrigued. I'd never have to touch cat litter again?!? I thought I was going to have to get pregnant for that to happen, but no! $248 is a small price to pay...and definitely a better alternative than getting preggo!

   

   photo courtesy of petco.com

2. Is anyone still with me, or did I lose everyone when I led with cat litter? I probably should have started with a more universally appealing topic like cupcakes or ice cream. However, since I can't eat either of those things right now we shall forge on and pretend like I'm not craving them every waking minute. 14 more days. 
3. Speaking of food, if you are going to Instagram pictures of your food, here is your recipe for prettier food photos. Please, please at least make the food look appetizing. Otherwise, why bother? No one is going to like that photo, and then you'll just feel sad and pathetic. 
4. These people knew a thing or two about food photography. I want grilled cheese so bad now.
5. You know what else I want so bad? This breakfast "cookie dough". Seriously it was so delicious (and healthy)! If you want to try it out yourself, check out my Instagram for the recipe! 

   

   See this? I held the camera above my food, and let the food be the "star".
   I didn't even need to read that article :)

6. Does anyone else find that 5 lb hand weights are too light, but 8 lb weights are too heavy?! This is a major first world problem. Would it be that hard to have 6 or 7 lb weights available?! I feel like I'm hardly getting anything out of my group fitness class when I use 5, but if I attempt to use 8 the entire time I look like a little wimp when I have to start taking breaks at the end. Such issues I have.
7. So let's talk Valentine's Day. Do you love it? Hate it? I'm somewhere in between. I absolutely adored it as a kid. Decorating my shoebox for all my cards was probably the highlight of my Spring...unless of course I had a school project where I got to make a diorama. I promise I wasn't nerdy at all. ;) I've gone a little crazy on Pinterest, and I'm hoping to try out some of these fun ideas this year.I'm thinking Minion Valentine's are a must. Hopefully my friends like Twinkies! 
8. Has anyone taken this Which Decade Do You Actually Belong In quiz? I got the 50's. Apparently I "yearn for a simpler time when people were polite, curt, and followed the rules. Maybe people say I'm a conformist, but I know I just like things to stay a certain way. Home in where the heart is." Take it, and let me know where you belong!
9. Lastly, I will leave you with this fantastic video. I think it's been around for awhile, but it's new to me and when my roomie showed it to me on Monday night I about died. Too funny!

Fruity Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

So I'm trying this new thing where I actually eat protein, and don't sustain myself entirely on carbs and sugar...

I've never been a huge meat eater. I'll order it when I go out to eat, but as I've mentioned before, I hate to cook it myself. Last week I went to my parents' house on Sunday night and had my dad grill me up a package of chicken breasts. While they were quite tasty the first few days, I was so sick of chicken breast spinach salads come Wednesday. They were just too bland and boring so yesterday I decided to get creative, and I whipped up some healthy chicken salad. Needless to say I am much more excited for lunch this week...and I even cooked the chicken myself!

Fruity Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

1 pound cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced Gala apple
2/3 cup green grapes, halved
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cook chicken breasts in a baking pan in a single layer at 400 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes until no longer pink. Shred with two forks and place into large bowl.

Add red onion, apple, grapes, dried cranberries, and almonds. Mix in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. By my rough estimation I calculated the entire recipe is probably around 1,100 calories so if you divide it into four servings that's about 275 calories per serving. Not too shabby.

Serve on your favorite tortilla for a delicious wrap or even on a bed of lettuce. The options are endless!

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 22

Thursday Thoughts are back!

1. This is too perfect. Seriously. Evie probably thinks a majority of these things all the time! My mother would be ashamed by how infrequently I make my bed. 
2. Memory foam mattresses and polar vortexes and/or winter are not compatible...at all. My bed has been as hard as a rock the last few nights, and don't even get me started on my pillow. I'm pretty sure if I threw it on the ground it would break in half. 
   
   

   

   Not comfortable. Not comfortable at all. 

3. Does anyone else still wear their retainers? Please say yes. I recently took a mini hiatus from wearing mine, and you guys, oh the pain. I've woken up in the middle of the night the past three nights because the bottom one hurt so bad. Straight teeth just might not be worth it.
4. Spinning class may be making you fat?! Say WHAT!? Ok so maybe that is a little misleading, but it's a good reminder to keep up that strength and resistance training if you want to lose weight. I've been trying to attend at least 2-3 strength classes a week at the gym in addition to my daily cardio. Feel the burn!
5. Speaking of being sore, isn't it the greatest feeling ever when you wake up and can hardly move after a work out? Do other people feel this way, or am I just crazy? It keeps me a little more motivated when I can actually feel it working.
6. Oh my gosh. Can we please bring back 3D Doritos and Sprinkle Spangles?! This list of 35 Foods From Your Childhood is making me hungry!
7. I'm trying to go a month without sweets which basically means I have to avoid Pinterest like the plague... and apparently Buzzfeed now too. Gosh I shouldn't have read that list of childhood foods. I'm really craving Butterfinger BBs now. I've made it 10 whole days without any cookies, candy, cake, or ice cream. This is a serious feat for me. My dad went and got donuts before church on Sunday morning, and I turned them down. You heard me right. I said no to a donut. Must. Stay. Strong.
8. So I know I said I've made it 10 whole days without sweets, but I have been munching on these Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough protein bars. I'm sure C thinks this is cheating since they contain chocolate, but they have 21 g of protein and no added sugar so I say they don't count. Have you guys tried any of the other Quest bars? I'm kind of obsessed with all of them, but this one is by far my fave. 
   
9. Does anyone else still watch The Bachelor? Even though Juan Pablo's accent drives me absolutely bonkers, and even though I already read Reality Steve's spoilers, I keep coming back for more. Every. Single. Monday. It's like a train wreck I just can't turn away from. Victoria was such a hot mess Monday night. I think I like watching because it makes me feel so very, very normal. ABC you've hooked me yet again. 

Funfettti Ooey Gooey Cake Bars made with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™

C and I are going on a little tropical vacation the first week in March so I'm attempting to give up my beloved sweets until then. Beach body here I come! Obviously this is going to be difficult so I decided I needed one last hurrah before saying bye bye to sugar for a few months. These ooey gooey cake bars were the perfect treat to satisfy my sweet tooth for a few months.

Rather than using regular butter in this recipe I decided to substitute I Can't Believe It's Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™. I know the ol' healthy eating New Year's resolution gets a bad wrap - why do you need a new year to start eating healthy? - but between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and NYE it's just too dang hard to start any other time. Deliciously Simple™ is something I could enjoy every day (without feeling guilty), and what makes it even better is it's made with ingredients I recognize like non-fat yogurt and vegetable oil. It worked wonderfully in this recipe, and would be a great topper for my morning English muffin with it's creamy, buttery taste. Now let me give you the recipe so you can try these out for yourselves!

Funfetti Ooey Gooey Cake Bars

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™

1 egg

2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9x9" pan with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, Deliciously Simple™, and egg in an electric mixer. Mix until a dough forms, and stir in 1/3 cup sprinkles. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle white chocolate chips and remaining sprinkles over the dough, and pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Flatten remaining dough evenly in the pan.

Bake bars for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown. Make sure you cool the bars completely before you slice or they will be too gooey to get out in one piece. I was a little too impatient and destroyed two bars, but let me tell ya, they tasted so good warm, right out of the pan!

Seriously. These little bars were so ah-maze-ing. My friends were absolutely raving over them! I think Deliciously Simple™ is going to be a new staple in my kitchen! Check out this fabulous product here!.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter® through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write a post about I Can't Believe It's Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™, all opinions are my own.

Move it Monday

Hi friends! Now that the holidays are finally over, I'm hoping my life should have a little bit more order which means two things - more blogging and way more working out.

The holidays are always so tough for me. I usually have high hopes of working out every day and saying no to cookies, but then the weather turns crappy, family comes in town, and I become one, big giant coach potato with an insatiable appetite. It happens every single year.

However, now that C is back home and I'm back at work it's time to get serious. This year for Christmas I got a Fitbit Flex, and I'm hoping it's just the thing to get my butt back in gear. If you've never heard of Fitbit, it's this handy little band you wear that tracks everyday activity like steps, distance, calories, stairs climbed and active minutes. It even mesaures how long and well you sleep. You can also log your food and weight to get a more complete view of your health and fitness. I'm kind of obsessed. It has really motivated me to keep moving the last few days.

It's fun because each day you can have a competition with yourself to be more active, take more steps, and you can even see how active your friends are. Have I convinved you to buy one yet? Because you really need to! Then we can be friends and motivate each other. :) Do you all have any other pedometers or activity tracking tools you use? Has anyone tried out the Nike Fuel band?