Ever have one of those days that includes a lot of goodies? And you enjoy each and every one that calls to you? Then go home that night overly full and wake up hankering for a bowl/plate/cup full of health? I just ask out of curiosity. I have absolutely no experience in that scenario. 😉

Yesterday after our donut breakfast, outdoor walk, and Halloween bark production, we had a fall party to attend with a group of friends.

I could not ask for a better group of friends to spend a Saturday afternoon with. Many hours can quickly pass while just hanging out, sharing a meal, and playing with all of our (many) kids. That is exactly what we did yesterday. We started off with lunch.

I had about 2/3 of the hamburger, plus some veggies + spinach dip, and a scoop of Apple Butter Sweet Potatoes (recipe below). I think I would have been happy with just a large plate of those sweet potatoes and the spinach dip! I can’t forget the few pieces of Halloween bark that made it into my mouth as well.

We spent a good chunk of time doing crafts with the little ones. Makenzie created a handprint spider and a field of palm-print pumpkins from finger paints. Then, she decorated some pumpkin shaped sugar cookies with icing.

We finished our time at the party watching some SEC football action before heading out to Babies R Us. We wanted to get an idea of what we will need before he arrives. I don’t think we will need too many things for Braedon. He’ll look cute in Makenzie’s old pink clothes, right? 😉

Based on the title of this post, you can probably figure that we ended the night with more food. We were in the area of an old favorite Chinese food restaurant that we haven’t been to in at least a year. It sounded so good. Sadly, something has changed over the past year and the meal totally let us down.

We shared an order of steamed pot-stickers, which lacked much of the taste and texture they used to hold. We also shared an order of black pepper beef. Disgusting. Normally, the meal contained way more vegetables and the beef was never fried. What came out this time was a mound of fried beef with a few carrots, water chestnuts, and baby corn thrown in. We both had a minimal amount before deciding we could not stomach anymore.

To make up for dinner, we broke out a Groupon for some frozen yogurt. Self-serve frozen yogurt is one of those blog crazes that I totally get. I chose a combo of cheesecake topped with toffee bits and pumpkin topped with graham cracker.

What could be better than yogurt and a wide choice of toppings? Definitely not black pepper beef, that’s for sure. 😉 Now, for that recipe I promised you. Thanks to my friend, Krista, for sharing!

Apple-Buttered Sweet Potatoes

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium Granny Smith or other tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
• ½ cup dried cherries or dried cranberries (optional)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup apple butter
• 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a 3 ½ or 4-quart slow cooker combine sweet potatoes, apples, and, if desired, cherries/cranberries.  In a medium bowl combine whipping cream, apple butter, and pumpkin pie spice.  Gently stir apple butter mixture into sweet potato mixture to combine. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high heat setting for 3 to 3 ½ hours.

• What would be your dream frozen yogurt creation?
• Do you like arts and crafts? I’m not crafty but I love doing those things with Makenzie

Bloggers of the Day (randomly from yesterday’s comments)

• Veganism For The Win – Sava talks about her life, interests, and (obviously) vegan food
• Embrace Your Skin – Camille shares her life after disordered eating and enjoying all the fun it offers, with good food along the way
• Sassy Molassy – Lauren is a fabulous runner and openly gives her thoughts about it along the way

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Last night my sister and I set out for a sister date night. The traditional dinner and a movie! Although with a slight twist.

After sitting in traffic, because its everywhere in Atlanta at 5pm on weekdays, we made it to our restaurant of choice. Parma Tavern in Buford.

While shooting the above picture, some of the workers from the restaurant saw me through the windows and came out to see what in the world I was doing. They seemed excited (and confused) when I told them that I’m a healthy living blogger. We had fun talking and joking with them for a few minutes and grabbed a seat.

Before ordering, we learned all about Parma’s approach to food. They use all fresh ingredients with an emphasis on using local and quality food instead of mass produced products found in some other Italian joints. My sister and I both have the same tastes, so we opted to share an appetizer and entree.

We started with a spinach & artichoke fondue, made with Gruyere cheese and white wine. And lots of garlic.

The fondue tasted excellent with bold flavors. I only wish that it was served with something other than tortillas, which is why I mainly dipped my bread after our meal was served. We shared the Penne Bosco, which had chicken, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, basil, garlic, scallions, Marsala wine, cream, chicken stock, and Parmesan Romano cheese.

Split between the two of us, these dishes made for a satisfying meal and surprisingly didn’t feel too heavy or rich. Thanks, Parma for a delightful dining experience!

After dinner, we headed to the movies for a preview screening of Disney’s new movie Secretariat.

I didn’t expect it to be quite the big deal, but there was a loooonnnggg line of people to get in. We received this opportunity thanks to BlogHer and after the Disney representative checked for us on her list we were sent right in. I felt kind of like the chicks in movies who cut the lines at bars. Kind of strange. LOL Especially when we realized we had reserved seating.

The whole experience proved different than I expected, including the movie. These thoughts are all my own. I thought the  movie would be cute and make for a fun night, but nothing too amazing. I ended up loving it!! Secretariat basically shares the true story of Penny Tweedy, who after her mother’s death, helps run her father’s farm and race horses. She ends up completely involved and grows to believe in one horse born shortly after her mother’s death. The story unravels as he becomes one of the best race horses of all time and she shows strength and determination in doing more than expected of her in the day’s society.

It was so, so good! All the actors portrayed their roles exquisitely. The story line drew you in. The passion and fire in Diane Lane’s character, Penny Tweedy, had me rooting for her and that horse the entire time. Even though, I’m not quite sure I feel so good about horse racing in general.  To me, the most powerful aspect of the movie lay in the determination of Penny Tweedy. She would not stop pursuing her passions and doing what she loved, which was providing for Secretariat and rebuilding her parents’ farm and worth.

Her belief in herself and everyone she worked with just proves that with determination great things are possible. It actually inspired me a pretty good bit. To keep living life to the fullest and working hard on the things I love. Who knows where they will go? I personally believe God has plans for me, but I’m still responsible for going after them wholeheartedly, even while gaining my strength from him. I love when Diane Lane’s character says something along the lines of she will win, but even if she doesn’t she still won because she tried. Pretty good way to look at life, no?

• What’s your favorite inspirational quote?
• Do you like Italian? What’s your favorite dish? I’m not a huge Italian fan, despite being married to one. I prefer basic pasta with bit of sauce and lots of flavorful veggies over the heavier dishes.