Overnight Pull-A-Part Cinnamon Rolls

Todd's parents were driving back from their 2 month vacation in Florida & Hilton Head on last Friday so they stopped and stayed at our place that evening so we could show them our house on Saturday morning. The Kentucky basketball game was on Friday night & I knew I'd be up late plus I had planned on running Saturday morning so I wanted to make something quick for breakfast for everyone. My mom has made these overnight pull-a-part cinnamon rolls before & they're quick and delicious. You can throw them together in about 5 minutes the night before you want to eat them, leave them out all night to rise, and toss them in the oven for 30 minutes the next morning.

All the ingredients put together & sitting out overnight for the rolls to rise

The rolls went crazy overnight

Took a little air out of them before putting them in the oven

Cinnamon rolls out of the oven....again a little out of control...

but you flip them over so the top of the rolls is really the bottom

Now the nuts & drizzle are on top

Ready to eat!

Overnight Pull-A-Part Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pecans
1 package frozen white rolls (about 24)
1 (3 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
6 Tb butter
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Spray Bundt pan with Pam spray. Line bottom of Bundt pan with nuts. Place 1 package of frozen rolls (about 24) into the pan on top of the nuts. Sprinkle 1 package of pudding mix over the frozen rolls.
2. Melt 6 Tb butter. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon to melted butter. Drizzle this mixture over the rolls and pudding.
3. Let rise overnight (covered with lightweight towel)
4. Bake the next morning at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn pan upside down over a plate to remove from the pan.

Baby Shower/Surprise 30th Birthday

On Saturday evening, I went to a baby shower for one of my good girlfriends from high school, Katie. Katie & her husband are expecting their first baby in May (let's just say they had a little too much fun on our wedding night....if you catch my drift) and she also happened to turn 30 last week too. She thought we were just having a baby shower with our high school girlfriends and moms but little did she know, we were also having a surprise birthday party for her after the shower. She was definitely surprised & it was a great evening of celebrations.

Baby shower presents

Diaper cake

Drinks, cake pops, candy, and favors

The spread of food

The guest of honor, Katie

Opening presents

High school girlfriends plus some of our moms

My best girlfriends

Dairy Queen cake for the birthday girl

Weekly Recap: March 19-25

Nothing special to note....taught 5 classes, ran 20 miles, and went to yoga 1x.

Monday: 6 mi (3 x 1 mi @ 7:21, 7:12, 7:00; 7:36 average pace)

Tuesday: taught 1 hr Spin/TRX combo class
taught 30 min Core & taught 45 min Spinning

Wednesday: 6 mi (8:32 pace)

Thursday: taught 1 hr Spin/TRX combo class

Friday: REST

Saturday: 8 mi (ran first 4 mi w/ Todd; 8:17 pace)

Sunday: 1 hr Hot Power Flow Yoga
taught 1 hr Spinning

TOTAL: 20 mi

Wine & Canvas Double Date

Back in the fall, I had bought a Living Social deal for Todd & I to go with another couple to a Wine & Canvas event. The deal was quickly approaching it's expiration date so we made plans & decided to go last night. While the event normally costs $34/person, we paid only $17/person, which included a canvas and step-by-step instuctions on how to create your painting. Unfortunately, the wine was not included but the event we went to last night was at On the Border by Easton and we were able to order drinks & food while painting & socializing. We had a blast & it was a fun idea for a double date.

Arriving at On the Border

Since the weather was amazing yesterday, our class was set up on their open air patio/deck

The painting we were supposed to recreate

The event was from 6:30-9:30 PM and we arrived early & were able to enjoy 1/2 of appetizers for Happy Hour so first up were chips & guacamole

Avocado fries

Empanadas and Quesadillas

Brie & Kevin

Todd & I

Hard at work creating masterpieces

All finished!

So which one do you think is better?

Mine?

or Todd's?

March Madness Weekend

With our house inspection going well on Friday afternoon, we'll be closing on our house next Monday and moving in the first few weeks of April. This past weekend was one of our last weekends to enjoy before the craziness of owning a home begins. Oh, and did I mention that the weather was gorgeous on Saturday for the middle of March in Ohio? And you know you're getting old when you don't do a thing to celebrate St. Patricks's Day and don't even care about it.

After teaching Spinning & running a few miles on Saturday morning, Todd & I ran some errands on his motorcycle (I love my pink jacket & butterfly helmet!)

I wrapped presents for the 2 baby showers I have in the next couple weekends

We watched basketball & I started reading a new trilogy

After watching the OSU basketball game, we headed over to Easton so I could return a couple bridesmaid dresses to Nordstrom (I ordered 3 sizes and styles to see which one I liked best) and to try out a new restaurant for dinner, Flip Side. The majority of their menu is burgers but they also had a few other sandwiches & side items as well as milkshakes. Todd & I both loved what we had & will definitely be back to try it again.

Flip Side

Chef's Shake: Peanut Butter, Pretzels, and Chocolate & Vanilla ice cream

Todd got the Green Eggs + Ham Burger (fried egg, proscuitto, spinach, crispy parmesan, and basil mayo), I got the Flipside burger (cheddar, bacon--on the side for Todd, charred balsamic vinegar red onion, and bbq sauce), and we shared the french fries

I skipped yoga on Sunday morning in favor of sleep after staying up to watch UK win so I decided to do 30 Day Shred Level 3 instead

We packed a few boxes (just trying to get a head start)

I taught Spinning in the afternoon & was still drenched in sweat when I came home....the studio was extremely hot that day for some reason

Tornado sirens, a torrential downpour, and hail began shortly after I got home

Our balcony was covered in hail

The storm didn't stop us from having our weekly pizza night though

We enjoyed our pizza while watching some more basketball & relaxing before another busy week began.

Weekly Recap: March 12-18

I didn't get a chance to get a long run in this week (slept in a couple days, taught an extra class on Saturday morning, etc) so my weekly mileage was extremely low. I did get a chance to do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, which I hadn't done in a couple years, but the thing is, it actually seemed somewhat easy compared to doing Insanity & I was even doing Level 3! Not a bad workout though for something quick (the whole workout, including warm up & cool down is a little less than 30 minutes).

Monday: Insanity Pure Cardio (40 min)

Tuesday: taught 1 hr Spin/TRX combo class
taught 30 min Core & taught 45 min Spinning

Wednesday: 4 mi w/ Todd (8:55 pace)

Thursday: taught 1 hr Spin/TRX combo class

Friday: 6 mi (7:50 pace)

Saturday: taught 1 hr Spinning
4 mi w/ Todd (8:24 pace)

Sunday: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 3 (~30 min)
taught 1 hr Spinning

TOTAL: 14 mi

Oven Baked Frito Chili

Yet another Pinterest recipe that was a success! I decided to lay off the desserts this week & try something new for dinner. While it wasn't the most fitting recipe for our warm 70 degree weather we've been having this week, it was delicious!

Source: sweettreatsmore.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Frito's in the bottom of the casserole dish...genius!

Cooking up the chili

Chili poured on top of Frito's

Sour cream, more Frito's, and cheese added on top

Baked & ready to eat!

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (16 oz) chili beans
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 1/2 cups corn chips (Frito's)
1 1/4 cup fat free sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook ground beef until meat is browned; drain.
2. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, taco seasoning mix and 1/4 c. of cheese.
3. Sprinkle 1 cup corn chips in bottom of 8x8 baking dish or 9x13 dish. Cover with chili.
4. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
5. Spread sour cream over chili. Top with remaining corn chips and cheese.
6. Bake 4-5 minutes longer.

from Sweet Treats and More

House Update

We had a minor setback when we had our house inspection 10 days ago. Since no one had lived in the house for 2+ years, the house had been winterized; unfortunately, it wasn't winterized properly so when the water was turned back on during the inspection, we found that the pipes in the master bath had burst and water was leaking down into the garage. At this point, the inspection was postponed as it couldn't be finished and Todd & I were left wondering what we were going to do. We definitely didn't want to pay to have the pipes repaired but weren't sure what our options were since the house is a short sale. Luckily, the bank was willing to have it fixed and did so this past weekend. We plan on having another inspection in a few days & as long as everything goes well, we will still be closing on our house in just a couple weeks!

With being on somewhat of a strict budget because of purchasing a house, I feel like this blog has become a little boring. Todd & I haven't been going out as much and in fact, spent Saturday evening at Home Depot & hhgreg looking at appliances. This is what we picked out & I'm so excited to purchase these GE Profile appliances!




We also spent some time looking at paint, trying to figure out what color we want to paint some of the rooms. Since this whole process is moving a lot faster than anticipated & we already have a lot of plans in the next 6 weeks (2 baby showers, bachelor party, wedding, and trip to San Francisco), we're looking to save time & hire painters. We also need to get all the carpets cleaned in the house before we move in in the middle of April. Any recommendations for interior house painters or carpet cleaners in the Columbus area?

Weekly Recap: March 5-11

I met all my goals this week: ran 20+ miles, did Insanity 1x, and went to yoga 1x. I didn't have intentions of working out 3 times on Sunday (only twice!) but it was so nice out after yoga, I couldn't resist throwing on shorts & a shirt and heading out for 4 amazing miles outside.

Monday: 7 mi (7:49 pace; went from 8:26 to 7:02)

Tuesday: taught 1 hr Spin/TRX combo class
taught 30 min Core & taught 45 min Spinning

Wednesday: 5 mi (8:14 pace)

Thursday: taught 1 hr Spin/TRX combo class

Friday: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit (40 min)

Saturday: 8 mi (8:10 pace)

Sunday: 1 hr Hot Power Flow Yoga
4 mi (7:46 pace)
taught 1 hr Spinning

TOTAL: 24 mi

Wedding Flowers

After getting our wedding photos back a few weeks ago, there was only one more item from our wedding that I was waiting to get back--our flowers! A couple days after our wedding in August, my mom dropped off my bouquet & one of the the bridesmaids' bouquet to FreezeFrame, a Dayton based business that also has a location in Dublin. FreezeFrame preserves your flowers & turns them into beautiful artwork or jewelry. Since it's a bit pricey, I chose to have the bridesmaid bouquet turned into a Christmas ornament and I had my bridal bouquet taken apart, along with the lace that held the bouquet together (part of my mom's wedding dress) and had them display it in shadowbox. The size of the box I chose was 8x8x3 but there are much larger options available so you can display not only your entire bouquet still put together but also your invitation or any other momentos from your wedding day.

After much anticipation, I finally received the finished products last week & absolutely loved how they turned out! It was definitely worth the long wait! Hopefully we'll be able to display the shadowbox in our new house & the ornament will be a great addition to our tree this Christmas.

The bouquets on our wedding day

Close up of the lace from my mom's wedding dress

The ornament with flowers from the bridesmaids' bouquet

Full view of the ornament

My bouquet with the lace weaved throughout

Side view of the shadowbox