Before my good friend Mandy left this morning, we made sure to fit in a girls’ dinner out. It was just what I needed!

I love doing the mommy thing, but going out with a good girlfriend sans kids is necessary at times. We had to dine somewhere close, so I knew just the place. Where else than my favorite Mexican joint? Cheeky!

The restaurant had a 45 minute wait, but we didn’t mind. It gave us plenty of time to chat and catch up. And to get hungry. Chips and salsa were consumed…

I opted for 3 of their little tacos for my dinner. One pork; one fish; one crab cake.

Yum! It had been too long, Cheeky. It had been too long. And I certainly hope it doesn’t have to be too long for me to see Mandy again!

Here’s a little interesting fact some of you may not know. Mandy & I are great friends…and we met online in a fitness forum. The first time we ever met in person, she and her family came to stay with our family for a long weekend. We instantly hit it off in person, just as we had been for a couple years online. Our husbands said we were basically the same person…and we laugh at our husbands’ numerous similarities. Also, Makenzie & her daughter love all the same things. It was a friendship meant to be. It just goes to show that our relationships and friendships we develop via the Internet (hello…so many fabulous bloggers!!), are just as real as any friendship elsewhere.

I certainly value my friendships with people like my sister, my pals from church, and friends I went to school with…but those people I have grown close to online still mean just as much. In all honesty, you all probably know more about my life than others since I’m sharing here twice a day, almost every day. In short. I love you guys and you are very real friends to me. And thank goodness for Mandy, because if not for her Peter might still think its all “so weird to have friends online”.Then I would have missed out on meeting so many awesome people!

Question of the Evening – When & how did you start building relationships online? Summer 2007 when I joined the Oxygen Magazine’s fitness forum.

Thank you all so much for the thoughts on my internal dilemma. I’m still processing it all and will let you know my final thoughts soon. I certainly appreciate that all of you continue to believe in me and don’t see it as losing credibility. I can tell its a topic many feel strongly about and your continued support means a lot. Thank you.

On to more fun topics. Like food. Check out my fridge right now…

I wish I was kidding. Actually, no I don’t. I love this stuff! You see…I typically shop for my groceries at Kroger. They had Chobani 10 for $10 this week, so I bought 10. Then, I heard from my sister-in-law that Publix also had a 10 for $10 sale. They have all the good flavors! So…*cough cough*…I made a little pit stop after the gym to check what they had available. NEW FLAVORS!!!

Yea. I bought more. I don’t go to Publix often so I had to take advantage of new flavors for sale. You know you would do the same thing. Don’t deny it! Then…the very next day…a package showed up on my doorstep. It was from Chobani. They sent me the new flavors to try, as well as some of their new kid flavors for M.

And although it tempts me to just eat Greek yogurt for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I have managed to consume regular meals. I even discovered a couple new dishes to love in the process. Like this sandwich I tossed together for lunch yesterday…

An egg with a blue cheese laughing cow wedge, tomato, and spinach on my favorite 9 grain bakery bread. When I don’t have leftovers for lunch I usually turn to sandwiches. I discovered that eggs totally beat turkey for a sandwich filler.

I also found a new recipe to whip up for dinner. I made it Tuesday night and it was a total hit! Cooking Light inspired me with this recipe.

Spicy Honey Chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 TBSP honey
• 2 tsp cider vinegar

Cut the chicken breasts into one inch chunks.

Wash hands thoroughly and prepare the spice rub by mixing the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, cumin, paprika, and red pepper in a medium sized bowl. Put chicken in bowl and toss to coat in spice blend.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a teaspoon of oil. Cook chicken 5-10 minutes in the skillet until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, mix the honey and cider vinegar together in another small dish. When chicken finishes cooking, pour the honey/vinegar mixture over and toss to coat.

Serve it up! Roasted brussels always make an excellent side.

Question of the Day – What flavor combos are you loving right now?