Laundry and PB2

Happy Friday!!! It's been a busy day around here. I started it off with Asylum 2 Back & 6-Pack. That is 40 minutes of some tough core work! Afterward, I made myself a quick Shakeology shake and headed out the door.

After our morning errands, baby girl and I came back home to some major laundry. My husband went to put this shirt on the other day and noticed that it looked like someone had tried to draw a picture on it with an ink pen. I have my list of suspects....

Regrettably, I did not think to photograph this until I had already sprayed the vinegar.

Anyway, I was sure it would never come out, but being the dutiful wife that I am, I knew I had to make some attempt. I used my latest favorite laundry treatment: vinegar + dish soap.

I rubbed the marks really well with a toothbrush that has been designated for such purposes, then threw it in the wash.

To my surprise, almost all the ink came out! Vinegar is quickly becoming my go-to cleaner for everything!

Lunch today included cheese quesadillas on tomato basil tortillas with salsa and a clementine for dessert.

Later this afternoon, I found myself hungry again. While I was out running errands this morning I purchased my first jar of PB2. Have you tried this? It is a peanut butter powder made from crushed peanuts that have essentially had all the oils squeezed out of them. As a result, it has 85% less fat calories than regular peanut butter.

Actually, this is the second jar of PB2 I've owned. My mom gave me a jar yesterday. It expired June 11, 2009. (Love you, Mom!)

Notice the old-school packaging!

In spite of the fact that it was well past its expiration date, I thought I'd give it a try. I opened the jar and smelled it. It smelled just like wet paint. But I wasn't sure...maybe this was normal? So I tasted a little bit. It also tasted like wet paint (at least as I imagine it). I decided to invest in a new jar.

My friend Rachel told me that PB2 is great mixed with vanilla greek yogurt, so I also picked up a container of that this morning. I decided to give this combo a try.

Rachel usually mixes it with 2 Tbsp. of PB2, but I decided to start with just 1.

I mixed it really well with a whisk.

And OH MY! It did not disappoint! I am not ashamed to admit that I licked the bowl clean. Now I wish I had gotten more greek yogurt this morning.

This evening the boy had a baseball game. By the time we got home, I was starving! I whipped up a veggie burger and topped it with pickles, banana peppers and red bell peppers. And another clementine for good measure. It definitely hit the spot!

In unrelated news, should I be concerned that I found baby girl's Barbies in her room this way?

Question of the Day:

Have you tried PB2? What's your favorite way to use it?

Best Ever Brownie Icing

I was on my own today with the kids while Jeff was out of town at a meeting. I knew it would be a long day, so I prepared by going to bed at approximately 9:30 p.m. last night. After a good night's sleep, I was up in time to send off the hubby and then get things going with Asylum 2's Power Legs.

After my workout, I volunteered at school for a couple of hours then headed home to make these.

This icing recipe, friends, is how you take a box of ordinary brownie mix, and make it something extraordinary. It was handed down to me from my grandmother who got it from my great Aunt Evelyn. Anytime a recipe comes from Grandma, you know it's going to be good. And unhealthy. There isn't one redeeming quality in this recipe. So save it for a time when you're going to give most of it away!

Here's the ensemble.

First take your butter and melt it in a medium saucepan.

Next stir in the sugar and evaporated milk.

Bring the butter/sugar/milk mixture to a boil. Boil it for 3 minutes, stirring often or it will scorch. Boil a half minute more if it's humid. I live in the south. It's always humid. As a general rule, I boil it a whole extra minute.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add your vanilla and chocolate chips.

Stir until everything is melted together.

Pour the icing over warm cake or brownies.

Now it's time to lick the spoon. And the bowl.

Seriously. Ordinary to extraordinary.

Besides licking the bowl after I made Grandma's icing, I did eat a few other things. I had my Shakeology for breakfast. Lunch included quesadillas on a tomato basil tortilla with my favorite salsa and some grapes.

Dinner was a hodgepodge. When Jeff is out of town, that generally translates to a no-cooking night for me. I had a veggie burger on a whole wheat sandwich thin and some leftover cauliflower poppers.

After dinner, I played a little Just Dance with the kids. Apparently, the Running Man is my signature move. And I destroyed them all.

We concluded the night with studying, reading and prayers. Not necessarily in that order.

All in all, not a bad day. Although I much prefer to have my helpmate here with me!

Grandma's Chocolate Icing

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. vanilla

~Combine melted butter, sugar and milk in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes (1/2 - 1 minute more if humid) and stir almost continuously. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Pour over warm cake or brownies. Let cool for several hours so the icing will "set up." It should be a fudge-like consistency.