San Fran Trip

I know I've been major MIA lately, but hopefully this will be a lengthy post and make up for it! I never get to travel for work, but I found out a few weeks ago that I'd be visiting our California office in San Ramon (about 45 minutes from San Francisco)...and I was super excited! I had never been to this area before, so it would be a great way to check it out and not have to use my own money :) It was AWESOME and since Dustin has never been to the area, we will definitely be putting this on our trip list for some point soon!

We arrived Sunday afternoon and a very sweet lady that works in the CA office came to our hotel and drove us into San Fran for some quick sightseeing and dinner. We only had about an hour of daylight, so we didn't get much in. We started out with a cable car ride-- it was a great way to experience the CRAZY hills and see some of the city.
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We got off the trolley and went to Ghiradelli square- sampled some wonderful chocolate!

You can see Alcatraz in the distance here.

And if you look real closely you can see the golden gate bridge in this photo....I know it looks small, but I promise it's there and I could see it!

We then walked around Fisherman's Wharf and ate dinner at Scoma's. The menu was HUGE, but there was like 2 things that were not fish or beef (which I don't really eat)-- mozarella sticks or a BLT. I went with the BLT and was some of the best bacon I've ever had!

Monday was our first day at work and it was so great to meet all these people that I've worked with for like 7-9 years and NEVER met before! We just had a blast and I am so lucky to have such great co-workers.

On Tues evening, some co-workers took us to a nearby area called Walnut Creek. The downtown area was basically a huge outdoor shopping mall and I seriously felt like I was in heaven...and I'm not even a shopper! They had everything from local stores to chain stores...and it was every single store you could ever think of- Crate & Barrel, BCBG, Tiffany's, Urban Outfitters, Williams Sonoma, etc. For dinner we went to the San Francisco Creamery and I just ordered a fabulous Hot Fudge Sundae for dinner! Man vs. Food filmed an episode here where he attempts to finish the Kitchen Sink which consists of 3 sliced bananas, scoops of up to 8 flavors of ice creams, 8 servings of toppings, mounds and mounds of whipped cream, chopped toasted almonds and cherries. I also ordered a basket of Funnel Cake fries-- best invention ever! Looks like french fries, but was just strips of funnel cake...YUM!

On Wednesday evening a bunch of people went to play Bocce Ball and eat dinner. I couldn't believe how many people had never played bocce ball before- it's such a great game for any age and you can just play in your yard at home.

On Thursday for lunch they took us to Bridges, which is where Mrs. Doubtfire had a scene filmed-- the food was really great here also.

And how could I have almost forgot this-- the HIGHLIGHT of my trip was going to In-n-Out Burger!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been waiting years to try this and had really high expectations and the burger exceded those expectations! It was hands down better than my beloved Big Mac! The menu is very basic- hamburger, cheeseburger, fries, shakes, soda. However, they have a "secret menu" that my co-workers were so kind to make sure I reviewed ahead of time! I got the Animal Burger- which basically means they grill the burger in mustard, and add grilled onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and spread (which is similar to thousand island dressing). I went a little overboard and also got the Animal fries- which is basically all the same toppings but with melted cheese. If I did it again I would just have the fries plain cause it was a little too much of the same flavors. Oh yum, I gotta quit thinking about this!

In a nutshell, that about sums it up!

Warm cookies...at any time!

I'm not sure why I didn't think of this sooner, but thought I'd share my latest evening snack! So I had some coupons and there was a super special on Pillsbury Cookie Dough- the kind where you just gotta break apart, plop on a cookie sheet, and throw it in the oven. I think I ended up with 6 packages total! Then I got home and thought what will I do with all these cookies cause the husband does not like chocolate and just isn't a big sweets fan....and I can't eat all of this myself! Well, I could, but probably would not end well. So, I opened each package and broke apart the dough into the cookie pieces, and I rolled into a ball. Then I put them in ziploc baggies with labels and stuck in the freezer. At night, I just take out one frozen dough ball, put it in my toaster oven, let it cook, and presto- I get a warm cookie to enjoy! And I don't have to worry about over-eating. Yum, can't wait for after dinner tonight!

Good Target deal this week!

I've been slacking lately on using coupons at the store and trying to find great deals, but I will have to get to Target this week and take advantage of some offers. They have a promo where if you buy any 7 frozen items, then you get a $5 gift Target card. If you are not in the St. Louis area, then check your Target ad online for your area as they may have this deal or one similar to it.

I am hooked on Lean Cuisines or Smart Ones when I need a quick meal and want it to be low-cal. Here's how to get a great deal on the Smart Ones at Target:

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Entrees $1.80
Buy 10
Use $5/10 Smart One- Target Store Printable Coupon
Plus
Use $3/10 Printable Coupon HERE
Pay $10
Get $5 Target Gift Card
Final Price = $.50 each wyb 10

Would be a great time to stock up on frozen veggies-
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers, Select Varieties $1.27
Use 7 $.50/1 Printable Coupon HERE
Final Price = $.06 each wyb 7 participating products

Or maybe you just want to get junkfood, you can use it on that too!
Tony’s Crisp Crust Pizza 5/$5
Buy 7
Use $1/2 Printable HERE
Pay $6.00
Get $5 Target Gift Card
Final Price = ALL 7 for $1

Dippin Dots $1.02
Final Price = $.31 each wyb 7 participating products

So get on over to Target and gift your gift cards!

Cold day treats

So up until a few days ago, we've been hit with some killer cold weather in St. Louis...topped with a nice dose of snow/ice. So for several days we did not venture out and just worked from home-- so nice to just stay in my PJs, grab my laptop to do work, and have some winter treats!

I got in the habit of making myself some dynamite hot cocoa! Had some Swiss Miss packets in the pantry that I heated with water to make the hot chocolate, then topped it off with some large marshmallows....pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to start melting the marshmallows...then enjoy! So simple, yet so tasty!

I just happened to also have all the makings for a smores in the pantry also. These were heavenly!!!!! Topped a graham cracker with some chocolate chips and then 1 large marshmallow. I microwaved for just a few seconds and the marshmallow would expand HUGE! I couldn't get enough of these...once I finished off all the ingredients, got to the store and bought more!

Kitchen Tips

I'm no longer sick, so really don't have an excuse for not posting...just been lazy or busy! Once I get some pics downloaded, I have several posts that will be coming your way!

Until then, here are just a few kitchen/cooking tips to share:

1. To easily remove garlic from the skin, pop a clove in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. The skin will EASILY fall right off and then is ready to use!

2. When I have recipes that call for fresh lemon juice, don't just squeeze the lemon and throw it out. Cut the peel into several chunks and stick in the freezer. You can later take a piece out to run through the garbage disposal and it makes your kitchen smell fresh-n-clean!

3. Can't get a jar open? Grab a rubber band and put around the lid and it will surprisingly usually open up easily!

4. I re-use those plastic food containers, but if it starts to smell, fill it with newspaper to deodorize it. After a couple days, wash and will be ready to use again!