So I did go out and find Dunkin's pumpkin coffee today ...

But I was completely unimpressed.  I drink my coffee black (it looks light because that's the color it brews), and it tasted like there were 20 teaspoons of sugar added.  I took a couple of sips and was done.  Ick.  I'm just going to have to invest in some pumpkin flavored ground coffee to brew at home =)

Mid-travels I snacked on an apple in the car.

And when I got home I literally snacked on 1 baby carrot dipped in hummus (my all-time favorite hummus flavor of roasted red pepper), and also a bowl of popcorn (obviously). 

Then I had a really relaxing afternoon.  I spent a lot of time looking up recipes online, and have actually planned out the majority of our dinners for the upcoming week.  It's exciting to go forward with a plan, but to be honest, it's a little intimidating knowing I'm going to be cooking all of these things this week!  But I owe it to myself (and my blog!) to get back on track with well-balanced dinners.  I miss one day of cooking, I miss two, and it's so easy to get caught in that rut.

Tonight the rut was broken though, and I cooked fried chicken cutlets (redundant but homemade) with chicken flavored rice and broccoli.

I ate what's photoed, plus another chicken cutlet.  Mmm so good.

I also ate an after dinner cookie.  The black and white cookies from Shabtai were to die for, but these not so great.  Not something I'd buy again.  Still, a sweet treat's always welcomed. 

Now Ryan and I are gearing up to go bowling I believe.  I love group activities that double as exercise! Enjoy your nights!

Whew.  It sure has been a long one today. 

Lunch was fairly typical ... a hummus and baby spinach sandwich,

with a banana with peanut butter and baby carrots on the side.  I still never got around to that apple ...

After work I went straight to Wild By Nature .. which is no where near where I work.  But I stocked up on a lot of staple items like breadcrumbs, soy yogurts, frozen waffles (all products I'm planning to feature on my allergies and sensitivities page), and other miscellaneous items like dates, Earth Balance, and Virgil colas (for Ryan, his favorite).  I was ready to pick up some good meat for dinner tonight, but nothing was really popping out at me as worth the money ... so I didn't.

Back at home Ryan and I were close to starving.  So we headed out to run a few errands together and snagged Moe's on the way back. 

I had my usual salad with my own chips and salsa on the side. 

Really I'm craving some good home-cooked meals ... like meatballs with pasta, pork chops with sweet potatoes, etc.  I'm finding I need to better organize myself on the weekends so I have the necessary ingredients on hand during the week to prepare creative, wholesome dinners.  Work can be so draining, and it's so easy to let the weekends slip me by ... but a little extra leg work can go a long way.  Home-cooked meals and variety sure seem worth the extra efforts to me.

For dessert I tried out this dairy-free chocolate bar.

It basically tasted like a Mounds bar.  A little too sweet for my nature though ... I was never a big candy bar person to begin with.  Fun trying new treats anyway.

Because of the timing of things, I intentionally put off my run tonight.  Now I'm just not sure how to best alter my exercise schedule.  Saturday is usually my off day, but it doesn't seem like it should be tomorrow.  I'm thinking of maybe doing a fairly long walk in the morning ... and then just resuming my schedule per normal on Sunday.  I'll have to see what time I wake up to make the final decision!

To be continued!

Mission fluorescent rod lighting accomplished.  Not having to do things in a kitchen dimly lit by a stove lamp is actually 10x easier ... who would have thought ...

Because Ry and I were already out and about tonight, we decided to pick up dinner from one of our favorite fast food places (and practically the only take out/restaurant I can confidently get food at without having to worry about a reaction); Moe's. 

I had a salad with chicken, black beans, salsa (obviously Pace's put on by myself at home), and hot sauce.  Delish. 

Afterward I thought it would be nice to try out a ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookie...

and while it tasted pretty good ... my stomach didn't seem to like the idea too much.  I feel like a little kid with a belly ache =o  I guess I won't be eating the other 5 that came in the package!

And oh no ... the dreaded beeper has already gone off tonight, and it's only Friday!  I really hope that's not an omen for how the rest of the weekend is going to pan out ...

Off to bed, I have to be up way early in the AM.