Recaps

Hola! I didn't get a chance to take a daily outfit pic, but this was something I wore last week to work. Here are the details...

Green knit sleeveless - Banana Republic Outlet

Black pencil skirt - Arden B

Black wedges - Target

I should have thrown on some accessories, but in my mad rush to get to work, I just didn't get the chance.

I thought I'd take this time to recap on a few things I've blogged about and answer some questions...

Mystery Shopping

Back in July, I posted this about going off to my first mystery shop. I've now done a couple (only restaurants so far) and I have another one coming up. Many of you were curious and had questions about it. So here's what I think about the whole process... Details, details, details... You really need to be able to pay attention to details. The first shop was a small eatery. We were in and out in 20 minutes. It was a breeze, the food was actually good, and we got our reimbursement within 2 weeks. We were pleased and looking forward to our next assignment. Our 2nd shop was a popular overly priced themed restaurant. We were required to buy a drink at the bar, an appetizer, 2 entrees, a dessert, and something from the gift shop. Wow, this shop required a lot! It took me a hour or so just to prepare for it. Our list of things to look for were so long, I had to make checklist on my phone. We had to time everything, check the cleanliness of the bathroom numerous times, and write details about every employee who we interacted with (what the looked like and everything they said). It took HOURS to fill out the survey. In the end I thought this type of shop was not worth a free meal. We should have been paid for that one. Even though I probably won't be signing up for anymore themed restaurants, I thought the experience has been interesting. Will and I will continue to be mystery shoppers.

Tex-Mex Mac n' Cheese

Last week I posted this and got a lot of requests for my Tex-Mex Mac n' Cheese. In my attempts to remake this and take pics for you to follow, we had a power outage. So the only pic I got before the outage was on the ingredients. Here is the whole recipe...

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of uncooked 100% whole wheat macaroni
• 1/3 c chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 8 oz of 2% evaporated milk
• 2 c reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese (divided)
• 1/2 c of diced green chilies (if using fresh) or use 1/2 of a small can
• 1 tsp of thyme
• dash of salt
• dash of pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs of lean turkey or lean ground beef (optional)

Cook macaroni as instructed on the package and set aside.

In a large pan (I use a wok) add your onions and garlic on medium heat. Add meat and cook thoroughly. Set aside.

In a sauce pan on low heat, add milk and 1 1/2 c of cheese. Stir slowly until cheese melts. The sauce will seem watery, but it will thicken over time.

Add the green chilies, stir, and then mix in macaroni and meat.

Add thyme, salt, black pepper, and 1/4 c of shredded cheese. Mix.

Add remaining cheese to the top.

Enjoy!

Mod Cloth and the Prize
On my last post, I asked you to vote for your favorite prize from Mod Cloth. So far it looks like the Peggy Pencil is winning. There is still time to cast your vote. Bianca asked if I've ever bought from Mod Cloth. No, I haven't yet. This prize will be my first purchase, but I will definitely give a full report once I get my order. If anyone else has ordered from them, please let us know what you thought.

Motivation

Last weekend, I finally checked my mail and saw a package from the super fab KT! She knew I needed some extra motivation so she sent me a copy of her music selection for her incredible Swap-n-Shop. BTW, If you are ever in the Columbus OH area, you really need to check this out on October 3! You can bring your old clothes and swap them out. She also has some awesome goody bags, door prizes, and giveaways. KT, thank you so much for helping me get my butt moving. I looove the CD. I downloaded it to my shuffle and have been groovin' during my workouts. My fav on the list is this.

Oh and going back to motivation... my 24 Hour Fitness Success Story got posted up at the gym. Here is a snapshot of the flier. Sorry, it's not the best quality. I only had my phone with me at the time. In any case, I'm proud of it :)

Okay my blogger friend, this will be my last post for the week. Will and I are going out of town. Our last summer road trip to the beaches in Corpus Christi (home of Selena and Whataburger). My goals for the trip (besides have fun) is to workout and watch my diet. I always gain weight when I go out of town. My plan to to keep up with my regular workout routine for the remainder of the week...I'll just be in a hotel gym instead. Actually I found out that the hotel we are staying at has a "Get Fit" room. It comes with a workout mat, dumbbells, resistance bands, and healthy snacks. For an additional fee I can get a treadmill. I'm going to pass on the treadmill, but I am definitely going to see if I can get the other stuff. If you want to know what I'm up to while on vacation, follow me on Twitter!

Have a great week!