Get Your Mojo On!

So, my last posting had me singing the praises of a local cupcake establishment, but since then, I have come across another fabulously delicious and sweet cupcake shop right here in Weymouth, Massachusetts:

CUPCAKE MOJO!

My first introduction to the Mojo was when I saw these lovely ladies compete on the Food Network show "Cupcake Wars."  At the time, they did not have a store front, but a few months later I saw in the local newspaper that they had set up shop in my hometown.  Being the baking nerd that I am, I had to check them out.

I am SO glad I did.  From when I first entered the store, Maureen, the owner, made me feel welcome, almost like an old friend!  And on every visit since, she welcomes me by name and knows my girls as well.  The other staff that work there are just as friendly and kind, and have a great rapport with all their customers.

And I haven't even mentioned the star of the show yet...the cupcakes!!

They have a rotating menu of cupcake flavors daily.  Some flavors are more frequent than others, and they also have a great selection of seasonal cupcakes as well.  I have tried many of their flavors so far; their carrot cake is devine.  Many times carrot cake can be dry and mealy or overly spiced, but Cupcake Mojo's carrot cake is perfectly moist with a great carrot flavor and just enough cream cheese frosting to compliment the cake, without overpowering.  I have also especially enjoyed the seasonal Pumpkin Mousse cupcake (pumpkin anything rocks!),  the "Joyous Almond" (their take on the famous candy), and the Apple Cider.  They even recently made a "Hurricane Sandy" cupcake, to commemorate the coming hurricane, by topping a chocolate cupcake with a smooth peanut butter butter creme, covering that with more chocolate butter creme, drizzling it with even MORE peanut butter and chocolate, and topping it off with cut up candy bars!  Needless to say, I had to partake of this creation (what?  I needed the sugar energy to prepare for the storm).  I was not disappointed.

Learning to decorate (and eat!) cupcakes at at Cupcake Mojo in Weymouth, MA.

Cupcake Mojo also caters and has a party room for birthdays and other events.  I even had my daughter's 10th birthday there, where the kids learned how to fill and decorate cupcakes.

So, the next time you are looking for a sweet treat, get your behind over to Weymouth Landing and into Cupcake Mojo!

These Cupcakes are Wicked Good!

Despite my 140 by 40 plan, I do have a major, major sweet tooth.  I find it hard sometimes to resist that old friend of mine when he comes knocking on my door with his decedent, come-hither look.  I have been for the past week pretty good at keeping to my meal plan, avoiding the ice cream and chocolate that are my usual downfalls.  However, the other day I was done in.  Done in by a small, hand held tread wrapped in a pretty little package.  Done in by a Wicked Good Cupcake!

Oh, before you judge me, you need to know all the facts.  This wasn't just any old little  Betty Crocker cupcake with canned frosting.  This was a special, once a year event cupcake.  This was a Chocolate Guinness and Bailey's cupcake made by Wicked Good Cupcakes in Cohasset, Massachusetts in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  A dense, dark and moist chocolate cupcake baked with Guinness Extra Stout and topped with a swirl of Bailey's Irish Cream infused cream cheese buttercream frosting.  Aren't you drooling as we speak (or read, as the case may be?)  Wait, just take a look at this picture:

 

You had me at alcohol!

Yes, that is some stout and Bailey's goodness!


What is best about Wicked Good Cupcakes is that you don't have to live on the South Shore of Boston to get them!  They ship their cupcakes in a cupcake-in-a-jar fashion nationwide!  Holy buttercream!!!  They have a plethora of drool worthy flavors to choose from, like  Natalie's 24 Karat Kake, Hummingbird, Peanut Butter Surprise, and Cuckoo for Coconut.


So, if you have a hankering for a sweet treat, don't delay.  Get your behind to Wicked Good Cupcakes in Cohasset, MA, or order online and have them shipped direct to you.  It's eatin' time!

One Motivation Method

I put this sign on my freezer to try to remind me of my goal, and keep me from sneaking my girls' ice cream!

What do you think?   Does motivational techniques this like work for you?

So Much Food, So Little Time

So, the nutritionist that I am working with gave me a meal plan to follow on my 140 by 40 journey.  It is a 1600 calorie a day plan, spread out over 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.  It should be pretty simple, right.  Wrong!

I am actually kind of overwhelmed by my options and choices at this point.  I don't know which direction to go in.  Who knew that trying to fit it all my meals and snacks would be as difficult as it is turning out to be.  For example, today I got up and made my breakfast: 1 Whole Foods Oat and Flax instant oatmeal packet with 1/4 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup blueberries, and 1 stevia.  Cool.  Then, I was supposed to have a snack in between that and lunch.  However, that never happened.  I ended up jogging 10 miles on the treadmill while watching Celebrity Apprentice on Hulu, and then had to run to the store to get a gift for my niece's birthday.  By the time I got home I still had to take a shower and whip up a batch of veggie curry with bean to have as my dinner for the week (on the plan!).  By the time that was all done it was time for lunch!!!

So, no morning snack.  Lunch however was 1/2 cup egg whites with sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, green beans, and spinach topped with 4 tablespoons of salsa.  Yummy!  I also threw in an apple to kind of compensate for the lack of morning snack.

Now I just need to make sure to have my afternoon snack (veggies with 2 tablespoons hummus) before my daughter's get home and we go to the gym so I can do my 45 minute weights workout.  Ugh! Oh!  And I did manage to also clean my family room in between all of that.

I am actually doing pretty good with my meals during the day, but I am still having major sweet cravings after dinner.  I have to think that those cravings are more out of habit than need to eat, as most of the time I am not hungry after dinner, but will still give in to the cravings.  I am going to do my best to up my will power to resist the temptation of cookies, chocolate, and mostly ICE CREAM!

Keeping my fingers crossed.....

140 by 40!

Ok, ok,  It has been a little while (well, a few months, actually) since I  have posted on my blog.  As with most people, the holidays derailed me and my regular schedule.  Even after the holidays were over, I had a difficult time getting back into the regular swing of things and kind of forgot about this blog.  Boo hoo!

However, I am back!  And with a purpose!

This year I am turning 40 years old.  While I know 40 is just an arbitrary number, it gets into my mind a little bit that it is still a milestone.  And with any milestone, it begs for a goal to be reached.  So I decided on one -- a goal I have had for a while, but have not had sufficient motivation to really push myself to reach.  And what is that goal you ask?  Well, I kind of dropped a spoiler in this blog's headline, but here it is anyway:

140 by 40!!!

Yes, I want to weigh 140 pound by my 40th birthday (July 19th to be exact).  While that is not far off -- I weight 148 pounds now -- as most people know, especially women, it is those last few pounds that seem impossible to get rid of.  And, especially now since I am getting older, with the inevitable slowing of the metabolism, it is just going to get more and more difficult.

To that end, I have really taken the bull by the horns.  I am upping my workouts and even went to a personal trainer at my gym, The Weymouth Club, to boost my workout intensity.  I am also meeting with the nutritionist at the club to tweak my diet and really try to get my food and nutrition the best it can be.

I have also started using a great tool to track my nutrition and calorie intake:  My Fitness Pal.  I love this tool!  I especially love the mobile app so that I can instantly record what I have eaten instead of trying to remember it later in the day when you can have the tendency to fudge your numbers a little bit.  (By the way, if any of you out there use My Fitness Pal, let me know and we can link our accounts and be fitness friends!).

Anyway, I will keep you posted on my progress, good and bad.  Support is one of the most important things in any weight loss goal, whether it is 8 or 80 pounds you are looking to lose.  And I thank you for your support!

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Orleans Crawfish, Randolph, MA

Orleans Crawfish at Hearth Stone is a restaurant in Randolph, MA that specialized in what they call "Asian Cajun" food.  This has been a restaurant that has been on both my and my husband's radar for a while, as we are both big fans of Cajun style food (our dream is to eat our way around New Orleans).  A few weeks ago I was able to snag a Groupon to this restaurant, and finally, this past Thursday we grabbed the girls and headed over to Orleans Crawfish for dinner.

We walked in on a Thursday evening about 6:15pm, and were immediately seated in the small dinning room.  There was only one other table occupied, but during our meal there seemed to be a steady stream of take out orders coming in (and going out!).  After checking out the menu, both the girls ordered chicken tenders (a small children's menu, but kids are able to choose a side for their meal from the generous list of sides).  Paul decided on the jambalaya while I ordered crawfish etouffee.  We also decided to order some hushpuppies for the table.

The kid's meals were typical kid's meals.  Nothing special, nothing terrible.  A good portion of chicken and well cooked.  Ellie ordered a side salad and Maggie got garlic bread for her side choice.

The hushpuppies were tasty, but did not come with any kind of dipping sauce, which left them a little dry.  One of them was also undercooked, with raw dough in the middle.

Paul liked his jambalaya, but didn't love it.  He thought the taste veered toward the asian, and not a typical flavor you would find in a traditional jambalaya dish.  Tasty, but not what he was expecting.  My crawfish etouffee however was very good.  The server had warned me upon ordering it that it was quite spicy, and as a spice lover, I was fine with that warning.  The dish did have a great spicy kick to it, but nothing that burned my mouth.  It was loaded with crawfish and came in a thick and flavor filled sauce.  The portion sizes of our meals were perfect, and both Paul and I cleared our plates totally!

While we weren't blown away with the meal, we were satisfied enough to comment we would come back to try other items on the menu.  I look forward to our next outing at Orleans Crawfish!

I Got a Christmas Card!

I did it!  I completed our family's Christmas Card already, using Shutterfly. I absolutely LOVE Shutterfly.  I use their service not only to get prints made but also to make fantastic photo books, cards, stationary, and loads of other fun stuff.  Check them out!  You will be hooked, too!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.