I discovered something this morning. Apples no longer reign as my favorite fruit. The crispy satisfaction of chomping my way through a pile of apple slices no longer commands my attention on a daily basis. And although I will always welcome them back with open arms mouth every summer, berries and mangoes inevitably let me down when that chill starts to creep in the air. So if they can’t play nice, I can’t play nice and call them my favorite. Enter banana.

After I realized an entire container of strawberries had turned rotten on me before ever getting my hands on them, I had to resort elsewhere for my daily bowl of oats. So, I did the inevitable and scooped up a banana to slice over my bowl with the standard blob of peanut butter and sprinkle of raisins.

And then, I entered tasty heaven. That banana made my bowl more filling and literally left me mmmming out loud on more than one occasion. I’ve had banana with my oats before, but something about today solidified banana as my favorite.

What makes banana gain the title of “Tina’s Favorite Fruit” even more solidly? I can’t get over how versatile they are! Bake with them. Eat them straight up. Gulp them in smoothies. I only wish my already finicky…”regularity” shall we say…could handle numerous bananas every day. Alas, I will have to choose. Oatmeal or smoothie? Oatmeal or smoothie? Oatmeal or smoothie? Or banana muffins??? As you can see, endless possibilities for a happy belly!

Today’s lunch also featured endless possibilities for a happy belly.

But more on lunch in a second. My good friend, Nikki, came up to my neck of the woods for some shopping, girl time, and lunch today. We met up at a local outdoor shopping area around 10 am to beat the heat for a gentle stroll while hopping in and out of the shops. I’ve mentioned my touchy relationship with shopping before, so I tried to reign in the wallet today. But LOFT always gets me with their special deals – like $6 basic tees that I live in. I love LOFT!

After walking around for about an hour, we headed in to the sandwich shop Which ‘Wich to pick up an easy and delicious meal. I have three favorite foods: 1) pizza, 2) ice-cream, and 3) sandwiches! So, I cheat and pick foods that you can have in a million different flavor combinations. They’re still my favorite. :p <--- that would be me, being mature and sticking my tongue out at you

I mean how can I not love sandwiches? Look at this bad boy!

Every time I have gone to Which Wich I end up with a different sandwich and every time I cannot get over how good it is! Today’s sandwich included a black bean patty, hummus, black olives, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Talk about a flavorful combination. Let’s take one more look, shall we?

Yes. Versatile food delights me. Versatile food wins my complete adoration. I heart you, bananas and sandwiches! Now, where’s my pizza and ice-cream?

• Tell me your three favorites: FRUIT? FOOD? STORE?

How is it already Saturday late afternoon? I feel like I was constantly busy today, but can’t even remember what I exactly did. I hate that feeling. I know I grocery shopped. I know I did my long run. I know I played with my precious little ones. And I stopped at the gym to snag a few pictures for an upcoming exercises post. Well – I guess that does all add up to a busy day! But I still want my Saturday back.

Thankfully I had fun plans yesterday so today’s “just-another-day” feeling doesn’t have to bother me too much. I hung out with a good friend who I haven’t seen in way too long. In fact, Em and I haven’t seen each other since our boys were not even a month old!

And now just look at them…

Time goes so fast! Yet even though we somehow managed months without getting together – those dang busy schedules – we picked up like we saw each other just last week. The true mark of a special friendship, if you ask me. We talked and talked…until particular little boys got hungry and sleepy and we wanted to avoid metldowns. So, Em, thanks for a special day! Love you!

Tiiiimmmmeeee for this week’s features!

Featured Post: Reaching the Happy Weight Goal

Featured Workout: Circuit Training Work

Featured Meal: My Entire Tuesday Eats

Featured News: Fitfluential Ambassador – I Applied (& You Rocked Helping!)

Featured Cuteness: Baby B and Green Beans (made by mama!)

Featured Reading: This Week’s Strengths Out Loud Women!

So many great women with different strengths to motivate and inspire. Show them love!

• Do you ever have days where you can barely remember what you did?
• Can you go awhile without seeing someone and it still feel like normal when you do get together?