Rug Sizes {Living Room}

Rug sizes have been a bit tricky for me because I obviously don’t know what the heck I am doing when it comes to picking out a proper size. Too small, and it can make a room look cheap and uncoordinated, too large and it can make your room look kinda funky. As you all know, especially if you’ve heard me whine talk about it on Twitter, I painted the wood paneling in the living room. I am pretty comfortable, yet a little unconfident about my color choice for the wall because our sofa is tan/beige, our carpet is beige and our fireplace is a tan mix as well. It looks like beige vomited in our room.

See?

Keep in mind that we are DEFINITELY replacing the carpet next year, hopefully in the fall, with dark hardwood flooring. Well, laminate/engineered hardwood flooring. This one to be exact:

From Floor & Décor Outlets

So, I made the decision to go with gray walls, which sort of remind me of a prison cell for now. Sigh. I am not changing the wall color- ever. Too much work.

Therefore, for now and for later, I thought it’d be great to break up the beige-fest with a nice rug. Then I kept debating between what size of rug. And instead of trying to visualize it, I drew out my floor plan in Publisher using basic shapes (and it is all to size 1 inch=1 foot) to see how my rug picks would look. But now I need your help deciding which rug looks best both in color/style and size.

Option 1:

It’s 5x8 feet and from Overstock.

Option 2:

This one is 8x10 and is from Rugs USA.

Option 3:

This one is about 9x6 I think… It’s from JCPenney.

Option 4:

This one is 5x8 and it’s from Pier 1 Imports.

Let’s keep in mind I want it to look good on both the carpet for now and the dark flooring for later. Must be versatile ALL YEAR long.
What’s your favorite rug and why? I purposely left prices off so that no one would be influenced by price, so…what’s it gonna be?

Also, if anyone has any suggestions for furniture placement, let me know, maybe I am missing something obvious. I will say the sofa/sectional/chaise combo only makes sense in the current configuration, so that part has to stay like that. I wish I could break up the set, but it looks weird if I do.

Can’t wait to hear from you all in the comments section!

Oh and I forgot that we are 99% sure we’re going to be buying this coffee table/ottoman in the near future- it’ll be placed in the area in front of the sectional.

Skinnygirl Margarita {Review}

First off, I paid for this drink/cocktail myself, which is great since that means my opinion won’t be skewed or influenced by free stuff.

This evening, my hubby took me to Blockbuster and then to the liquor store, which is pretty much my idea of a fabulous evening. I am easy to please and I love to drink & be at home. Cheap, fun, safe.

I was surprised to see a margarita with the word “Skinnygirl” on it, because let’s face it, margaritas usually pack in a ton of calories. Oh and the salt? Yeah, stretchy pants are needed the next 3 days after having one. Usually, I’d be all for normal margaritas, but now I am in the Weight Watchers groove and lost 3.6 pounds this week, and I don’t want to negate my hardwork and effort, so I bought it. The bottle was $14.29 plus tax and would probably make about 5-6 cocktails if using rocks glasses or skinny pilsners.

This cocktail is made/pimped by Bethenny Frankel.

Here’s the bottle. Pretty, cute, simple.

On the back is some boring drivel about not wanting the guilt, yada yada, it’s all natural, yada yada.

I got a smidge of kosher salt ready and cut up a lime. (Tip: to get lots of juice out of the lime, roll it around on your counter first!)

Push lime all over rim of glass, put glass rim into bowl of salt, pour ice into glass, and squeeze lime juice into glass.

Pour cocktail mix into glass.

Garnish with lime, add a straw and away to Mexico you go…

Yeah, away to Mexico you go for a BETTER margarita.

This stuff tastes like crap. I ended up adding a splash of Sprite Zero to it to give it some sweetness & fizz because honestly the cocktail on its own tastes like Alka-Seltzer and tequila. I knew it was all natural with agave and tequila, but holy moly, this stuff is awful. Didn’t Bethenny taste this drink before selling it? Because this tastes NOTHING like a margarita. At all.

I give this drink 2 thumbs down. I do have an idea of how to use this as part of a low-calorie cocktail, and I’ll bring that recipe to you within a week or so after I perfect it. Because, hey, I have a lot of this junk left to finish.

Have any low-calorie beer or cocktails you rely on to keep you buzzed and healthy? Do share!

FYI: 1 serving of this is 100 calories/2 Weight Watchers points.

Weight Watchers {Week 3}

I don’t think that the past 36 hours of my life could be any better than what happened to me during them.

On Black Friday, I went to Wal-Mart and found all I was looking for, with the exception of the steam mop. And I had a blast doing the whole Black Friday at Wal-Mart with the crazies in full force because I was with my 3 co-workers and my hubby. We had FUN. So yeah, good deals always put me a in a peppy mood. My 2 fave purchases have to be my teal Cricut and my new sewing machine. I once bought the Cricut at Wal-Mart and had no luck with it, so I am hoping this newer version is better.

But, things got better. Like WAY better.

My wine labels were featured on HGTV. Yes, I’ve already gushed that they are on the HGTV website, but people, they were on TV. Don’t believe me? I have pictures here to prove it. I’ll have video to prove it soon, too. Squee.

And then this morning I had my weigh-in. I’m going to be perfectly real with you all on this- I did NOT count points this week. Nope, not at all past last Sunday. Monday-Friday were just me eating in what I feel was moderation. I didn’t obsess over points at all because I was obsessing over painting my wood paneling in the living room. I worked my ass off. Quite literally. Painting is HARD. I am still sore from painting the wood paneling, and I haven’t finished the trim yet, so there is still more painting to be done in the next week or so. You know how tennis players get tennis elbow? Yeah, well, this DIY-er has painters body. I am sore, tired and still finding random splotches of paint on myself even though I keep scrubbing it away.

Basically- I didn’t count points this week, but barely had time or energy to eat. And I only technically exercised for 65 minutes though I spent hours upon hours UPON HOURS painting the walls of my tacky living room.

You want to know how my weigh-in went, right? Well, I am proud to report that during this week of Thanksgiving (filled with pie, stuffing and rolls…) I lost:

3.6 pounds!

Isn’t that amazing?! I think so. I always do well Thanksgiving week. Don’t know why, but it’s never a week that stresses me out.

Let’s look at the totals:

Week 3 Weight Loss: 3.6 pounds

Total Weight Loss to Date: 5.2 pounds

Week 3 Exercise Minutes= 65 minutes

Total Exercise Minutes to Date*= 346 minutes

*=These numbers represent a cumulative total

Weight Watchers Virtual Bank Balance= $100.00 ($50 from weight loss, $50 from exercise)

I’m halfway to my iPhone 4! I’ve been wanting it so very badly so I can finally be one of the cool kids. I have the original iPhone, which I’ve heard is considered vintage.

I told myself, and you all, that I was going to look at this weight loss deal in 5 pound increments, so I’ve lost 1/20th of the 5 pounds I need to lose for a total of 100 pounds. I actually don’t think I’ll want to lose the full 100, I think I’m going to look at how my BMI and body look at 80 pounds and go from there. I don’t want to look like a stick- I love having some curves.

Onto week 4 now, and on Monday I go back to work, which is where I think a lot of my temptation lies. I’ll have to make time for actual exercise this week since painting won’t be my excuse to not exercise. For those that had weigh-ins this week, I’d love to know about your successes and struggles in the comments section (make sure you leave a way for me to reply- e-mail/blog address), or you’re always free to e-mail me at MonicaWantsIt@Gmail.com

And finally, since I am still on my HGTV high, I wanted to share with you all my 2 favorite items (besides mine) from the episode. It will be reairing December 3rd at 2 pm if any of you want to set your DVRs.

Red Dahlia Dog Collar

Bird Nest Sachets

To see more of the products featured on the HGTV episode, click here.

Um…I was on HGTV. {Wine Labels}

I am far too excited to type much, so I’ll just insert the 3 pictures I took on my TV to prove that my item was on TV. And my item was touched by Taniya Najak who I love!

You can buy the labels here in my Etsy store.

And yeah, I am FREAKIN’ OVER THE MOON.

HGTV is sending me a DVD, which I’ll happily post on here. And whenever anyone comes over. And when I feel like a loser. And when I am bored. And when I am hungry.

HOLY HELL! I WAS ON HGTV PEOPLE!

Be back tomorrow with weigh-in results.

Thankful. {Living Room}

We are almost done…almost! All that’s left to do is paint the built in shelves and paint all the trim a nice, bright white. In the meantime, I wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I feel honored to have readers besides my husband and well, myself. I also am blessed to have many things that I know others don’t have- so let’s never forget to be humble, be grateful and to be generous with what we have. Nothing’s worth having if we can’t share it, right?

Except for underwear. That’s just gross.

And since I’m in the giving mood, I wanted to share with you all 2 sneak peeks taken with my iPhone. Excuse the poor quality and all that jazz that comes with cell phone pictures. I can’t wait to show you all what 20+ hours of hard labor gets you in regards to wood paneling.

What do you think?

Well, I’ve gotta run to get ready for the Wal-Mart midnight sale. In the meantime, peace, love and peppermint bark. It’s my fave holiday treat.

Wood Paneling Is Evil {DIY Rant}

I just know that somewhere in this vast world of ours, a person has a secret product idea in their briefcase on how to get rid of wood paneling in a home. Maybe it’s a Magic Wood Paneling eraser, or Wood Be Gone… I am convinced it’s out there, somewhere. But until then, I’ll just silently curse whoever thought the idea of putting wood on walls. A big screw you goes out to that fool.

About a week or so ago, I took to the masses via Twitter and my blog to ask you all what I should do with my circa 1970s, hardcore wood paneling. You all said, “Paint it!”

And since I am a glutton for punishment, I listened to a bunch of strangers on the internet. So, I cleaned, spackled, and primed the largest wood paneled wall in our living room. And then I looked at it, and thought to myself…I should probably get the primer INTO the grooves, right? Yes. I know I should.

But just in case I didn’t need to be that anal about the process, I tweeted the lovely couple over at Young House Love with my question.

And they replied:

Then I thanked them for replying and silently said a few curse words and got to work on the grooves.

And I cursed some more. This is going to take me forever. In YHL’s how-to they say this can be done in an afternoon. I beg to differ. Maybe they have a lot less walls with wood paneling, but this project sucks balls and is TIME CONSUMING. I keep telling myself the end result will be worth it. So in other words, painting wood paneling is a lot like being on a diet- you have to torture yourself and go through hell for it all to look pretty at the end.

I know this will all pass, and that I will relish in my beautiful living room once it’s done and it’s pretty and more me, but until then, there are curse words and oil based primer induced headaches. Everything I have eaten today tastes like oil based primer to me- it is that strong.

So, dear interweb pals, say a little prayer for me that this will all become easier and be worth it. Pics and my how-to directions should be up later this week along with a few curse words.

If I survive.

And like always, I like to end with pretty pictures, so here are some more people who have painted wood paneling that makes me wanna swoon.

Source: House of Turquoise

Source: Room Polish

Now, it’s time to get into the grooves.

Monica’s Favorite Things {Exercise Edition}

Well, if Oprah has a list of her favorite things, why can’t I? I must admit I never watch Oprah’s favorite things episode because I am jealous that her audience gets all that expensive crap while I sit at home munching on 100 calorie packs WATCHING them get all the cool stuff. It’s like gluttony for materialistic people, and I want no part in that mess. Unless I am in the audience.

Moving on.

This blog is a hodge podge of exercise, recipes, random rants, and DIY/home stuff, so I figured I’ll break up my lists as such. These are all going to be things I already have and love that I thought you might want and love, too. Today’s list of Monica’s Favorite Things is all about gadgets and DVDs that help me stay on track with an exercise routine to make it fun and manageable for me. And none of them will break the bank, promise.

First up is exercise accessories. I’m not all into fancy sports bras or yoga pants- I exercise in my XL t-shirts and sweatpants. But every girl does need a few things up her sleeve (or under) to get the job done.

In 2008, when I started exercising/dieting to fit into my wedding dress because I ordered it 2 sizes too small, I ordered a heart rate monitor. Mostly because I didn’t know if I was exercising hard enough or too hard, and I wanted to keep track of my target heart rate. There are oodles of online calculators, but this is the one I use. As always, consult a doctor before doing this sort of thing because ya never know.

I didn’t have a ton of money to spend, so I spent $30 and ordered this one from Amazon. It only shows the 3 negative reviews right now, but if you click on it while searching, you see the 163+ reviews that make it a 4.5* product. I don’t know why the product page is all wonky, but anyway…

It comes with the watch and the strap that measures your heart rate. The strap is super stretchy so one size does fit all and it is removable so you can wash it. And you’ll wanna wash it, trust me. It goes around your chest- ladies, I put it under the band of my sports bra. As with all HRM chest straps, you gotta wet it a bit on the underside for some reason for it to work properly. I usually use the moisture from my water bottle. The watch is easy to use- it tracks HR, time spent exercising and gives you a summary of your average HR & time at the end of the workout. If you ever jog/walk/run at night, it also does have an indiglo button:

In terms of features, it is very basic, but for me it does what I need it to do- show me my heart rate so I can know if I need to simmer down OR burn it up some more.

I am considering upgrading to a Polar model that can give me a calorie reading, but for now, this works perfectly.

Another thing I absolutely have to have while working out is music. I luckily have an iPhone for this reason, but I don’t want to carry it in my hand nor stick it in my bra or pocket. Therefore, I bought a nifty iPhone holder that goes on my arm. I LOVE THIS THING. It’s made by Marware, and at $10 including shipping, it doesn’t get much better or cheaper than this. Note that the $10 model is for iPhone 1G users. I may be the only person who still has the original iPhone. Hhmm.

It’s quite simple to put together and slip on/off. And once it’s on, it is not moving from your arm- it is SNUG. Also, the iPhone portion is super tight so it is impossible for your iPhone to fall out. But even better, the protective screen on the case allows you to still use the touchscreen, which is fab. As you can also see, the case has little markings where the buttons are to make it easy. Other features are a key pocket so you can slip in your key while doing your workout and it can even become a clip on case. I can’t sing enough praises about this product- it has been worth every cent I have paid. I even used it outdoors one day when it started to rain as I was walking and had no issues whatsoever.

My $3 hot pink ear buds from Wal-Mart. Hubby broke the ones that came with my iPhone, so I grabbed these at the last second during a recent Wal-Mart trip by the checkout lane. They’re not fancy, but they get the job done and you cannot beat the price.

Tweetdeck! If you ever want to avoid a workout, do not tell the people on Twitter because they will tell you to workout. Need motivation to workout? They will do that, too. I have lots of columns in Tweetdeck, but for weight loss cheerleaders, inspiration is just a hashtag away with any of the #SFCFit, #Fitblog and #WeightWatchers tweeps. And Twitter/Tweetdeck= FREE.

Now that I’ve covered my favorite exercise accessories, what are my favorite exercises? The answer is simple- stuff I can do at home. I despise going to the gym because I feel like I need trendy clothes, makeup, a nice hair do, spiffy shoes and honestly, that is just exhausting. And expensive. I don’t have anything against joining a gym, but for me, I prefer to do exercises in my home. The exception would be Zumba or Jazzercise type of classes, because those are not as intimidating as the gym, usually.

I’ve done many a workout DVD in my day…and I have a cult following (in my head, anyway) over on Amazon for a review I did on one of my exercise DVD purchases. Go read it right now. I’ll wait.

Seriously, did you read it? You should.

Last chance.

Ok.

If you have an exercise on demand TV channel like I do, they are filled with free videos for you to try. That’s how I learned about disco abs, and it is one of my favorite workouts of all time. ALL TIME. This says a lot because I soooo don’t like Cheryl Burke. But she’s motivating and easy to follow in this video series she created so you can have Disco Abs like she does.

If you love dancing and can do some basic steps, this is for you. I have a dance background from Jazzercise, Zumba and general dance stuff while growing up, but if you don’t this might take you a bit longer to catch onto. It is easy though, and like most dance videos, everything is done in sets of 8. Time flies, you can make it high or low impact, and it’s effective. You also can’t beat the price tag for all you get with the set.

The other exercise DVD constantly used in my house for the past EIGHT years is Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds. When I first did Weight Watchers back in 2002, I had her VHS tapes in the 1 and 2 mile lengths, and that’s all I did along with counting points to lose my first 20 pounds or so, which took me about 2 months/8 weeks. People look at me like I am looney when I say I do WATP DVDs at home because they always think/say the same thing, “So, you just walk in place?”

Um, no. Yes, but no.

Yes, the main point of the DVD is walking, but it is POWER walking. Add in some knee lifts, kicks, kickbacks, side steps, double side steps, jogging, marching forward/backward and some really fast music and you are EXHAUSTED at the end of the workout. I just got back into the swing of working out & counting points, so this DVD is perfect for a beginner. I also remember that when I got into great shape before my wedding, I’d really pump it up by kicking higher, doing the full 2 minutes of jogging at the end of each mile, etc. You’re going to get out of it what you put into it. This is a DVD I firmly believe ANYONE can do- yes, anyone.

You can choose how many miles you want to do. Some days I will do all 5, others just 2 or 3 or maybe a set amount of minutes. Each mile is about 12-13 minutes long and the last 2 minutes of each mile are “boosted walking” AKA- jogging segments. I don’t jog just yet because I am still trying to ease back into exercising. Overall- so versatile and SO AFFORDABLE. You don’t need any fancy bands or equipment- just some walking shoes and a little bit of space. As much as I love Leslie Sansone, I’ve done this DVD probably hundreds of times, so I just mute the DVD and build a playlist that I listen to during the workout. By now I know what is coming up next, so that’s something I don’t need to listen to again and again.

Speaking of playlists, I thought I’d share with you all every Sunday my weekly playlist to listen to during my workouts. My playlist is about 2 hours long, and all songs are available on iTunes.

Yes, I know there’s Christmas music on there. Sue me.

What are some of your favorite things related to exercise? Tell me in the comments, and leave a way for me to find you in case I have more questions!

Weight Watchers {Week 2}

I woke up this morning with a big smile on my face. 

Threw off the robin’s egg colored comforter I love so much, gave my dog a kiss on the forehead.

Walked down the cold, dark hallway of my house, disheveled, but excited.

Open the door to the bathroom, tinkle, and then prep myself to step on the scale. In those 30 seconds, nerves and excitement run through my veins. It’s a rush that you can only know if you’ve ever weighed-in for a weekly weight loss kind of thing. You know the feeling, right? I know you do. It’s terror and hope all in big, fat emotion.

I step on the scale. I breathe in and hold my breath, because well, air weighs a ton, don’t ya know this?

I look at the number.

I look again.

And then one more time. Now it’s permanently in my head.

I step off the scale, put my clothes back on, walk down the hallway again to the bedroom, still disheveled.

Lift the comforter, give my dog a kiss on the forehead, lie back down.

My husband asks how my weigh-in went.

I tell him I gained 1.2 this week.

He asks how, and I don’t think I answered. He starts going on about how I am on my period, and I kind of tune him out.

I close my eyes, think about the number, and I tell myself not to cry.

But tears fill my eyes anyway and a little bit trickles down my face. Trying not to let my husband notice because then he’ll tell me it’s ok and I’ll say, “yeah, I know” and I simply am not up for that bit of convo at the moment. Don’t wanna hear it.

Then I lay there. Just lay there, for about 5 minutes.

Could this be happening? Should I workout and try again? SERIOUSLY? No fucking way. A GAIN?!

I start constructing this post in my head. I wonder if it’s because of the 4 bottles of water I drank after 6 pm yesterday. I wonder if it’s the 10+ mini reese’s peanut butter cups I ate this week. I wonder if it’s that I only exercised 128 minutes this week. And then I realized this wondering is getting me nowhere, because it is what it is.

I get out of bed, grab a bowl of my favorite cereal and now I sit here with you.

And I am over it. I am moving on.

Why? Well, simply put I have no other choice but to move forward. Week 2 just seems to be awful no matter what you do sometimes. There’s never been a time on Weight Watchers where I don’t gain in week 2. Never. I know many probably do lose during week 2, but I never have.

But week 3. Well, I am gonna make week 3 my bitch. This week and I are going to rock so hard, the sound of my screaming words of joy will be deafening when I step on the scale because I am going to lose weight next week. It is not up for discussion. Yeah, I know it’s Thanksgiving, and I also know that my first time on Weight Watchers, I got my 25 pound star the week of Thanksgiving. It’s possible because I have the power to make it possible.

So, yes. Week 3 will be a charm because I have the power to make it such. What will you do this week to help you achieve your goals?

Week 2 Weight Loss: None, +1.2 pound gain

Total Weight Loss to Date: 1.6 pounds

Week 2 Exercise Minutes= 128 minutes

Total Exercise Minutes to Date*= 281 minutes

*=These numbers represent a cumulative total

Weight Watchers Virtual Bank Balance= $50.00 ($10 from weight loss, $40 from exercise)

And because I like to end on a positive note, this Glee mash-up seriously made my week.

You can stand under my umbrella-ella-ella…

Yeehaw! {Holiday Hoedown}

I’ve grown to dearly love and enjoy The Hood over at Shrinking Jeans. Seems like they have challenges all the time to help keep us focused, motivated and entertained. Well, during the holiday season is no different- they have created a challenge that I am super pumped for… the Holiday Hoedown! <cue country music>

I am very proud to be on team Hot Holiday Hunnies (holla!) with some very fantastic ladies I met on Twitter- yup, Twitter! I feel like I really instantly clicked with them, and I can’t wait to lean on them for support the next few weeks of this challenge. I want to introduce my hunnies/teammates, and feel free to follow their blogs or Twitter pages. They are total sweethearts who are there to motivate you, laugh with you and tell you it’s not appropriate to play Christmas music until after next Thursday. Hmph.

<Drumroll please>

The Hot Holiday Hunnies consist of:

Alicia:

twitter: @acurls
blog: www.thebravenewgirl.com

Laurel:

twitter: @Laurel16
blog: www.agoodbuild.wordpress.com

Sibrana:

twitter: @sibrana
blog: http://sibrana.blogspot.com/

Ashley:

twitter: @ashes41
blog: http://findingashesway.blogspot.com/

Erin:

twitter: @erbearr
blog: http://erbearr.blogspot.com

Staci:

twitter: @leelee3003
blog: http://stacilee09.blogspot.com/

Jennifer:

twitter: @jajaptc

And of course me!

The first week started yesterday where we officially weighed in, and I am really committed to this challenge both for myself and for the terrific ladies I have as my teammates. This week’s fitness challenge is to log as many minutes as we possibly can of TRUE exercise. Not parking extra far at the grocery store, but like real, makes you sore for days, have to wash your boob pits kinda exercise. Yeah, boob pits, I said it.

Yesterday, I logged in 65 minutes for my team, and today I hope to knock out another 36 or so. Tomorrow is the day before my official Weight Watchers weigh-in, so I’ll be doing a last chance style workout that will probably last about an hour maybe an hour and a half. I know many of my hunnies are runners, so I think our team is in great shape to be successful.

Now, fitness, of course, is a key component of any weight loss/health challenge. That is a given. However, we also have non-fitness goals we must accomplish. I would like to lose 10 pounds during this challenge. Will it happen? Probably not. But I am going to do everything in my power to try and meet my goals. Another goal I have is to fit into my “summer” pants that no longer fit at the moment. I swear I have a whole other wardrobe waiting for me if I were to just drop about 10-15 pounds or some major inches. Ideally, I hope that this challenge can help me create habits that will last far longer than the challenge. Healthy habits that can take me into the new year ahead of the game and ready to drop some major pounds next year.

So, with the holidays upon us…will you be gaining, maintaining or trying to get a jump start on those new year’s resolutions that I know you have on your mind? Whatever you decide to do this holiday season, just remember there’s no better time than the present.

Oh, and can I get a Yeehaw?

And just as extra motivation, I’d really, really like this dress for our 2nd wedding anniversary dinner.

Monica’s Apple Sizzler {Recipes}

I used to frequent Bennigan’s Irish Pub & Grill a lot when I was in high school because it was right around the corner from my high school and right across the street from the movie theater. The food was yummy, the atmosphere was fun, but mostly we’d all go to partake in girl time all while delightfully gobbling down an Abbey’s Apple Sizzler. It’s served in a little black skillet and it’s essentially an apple cobbler with a HEAPING scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel.

It’s simply, sinfully good. And an insane amount of calories.

I remembered my friend Jackie made this awesome dish when I went up to visit her in Delaware last November, so I modified it a bit to create a healthier version and I am naming it Monica’s Apple Sizzler. Because this recipe sizzles in both taste and in points values! Oh, and it’s cheap and easy, too.

The ingredients:

1 pound of apples (I used 2 HUGE apples- Jonagolds to be exact)

3 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/4 cup of light brown sugar

Dash of salt

3 cups of low-fat vanilla ice cream (I used Dreyer’s Light Vanilla Bean Ice Cream)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Peel and core the apples, slice and place into a bowl.

Add in the cinnamon, light brown sugar and dash of salt. I think I ended up adding more cinnamon than I stated, so feel free to be liberal with it if that’s what you prefer.

Mix it all together.

Then place onto a cookie sheet or similar kind of pan. I lightly sprayed mine with cooking spray to prevent apples from sticking onto the pan. Cover the pan with foil, and place into oven.

Set your kitchen timer for 10 minutes. When it beeps, take your ice cream out so it’ll thaw a bit and leave your apples in for an additional 5 minutes. During those 5 minutes, get your mugs ready! I prefer mugs to bowls for this recipe, but use whatever floats your boat. This recipe makes 6 servings, but it’s just Daniel and I, so I only served up 2. Here’s the yummy ice cream I used.

A tip for ya- if you want to prevent the nasty frosty/icy ice cream, cover the carton with saran wrap. It works, I promise!

I served up 1/2 cup servings of ice cream into each of our mugs.

Take the apples out of the oven… the cinnamon and sugar should have created a nice caramelized effect. Yum.

Pour 1/6 of the apples on top of the ice cream.

Mix the apples with the ice cream and enjoy!

Total servings: 6 as shown or serve double the amount and it makes 3 generous portions or multiply the ingredients for larger numbers of servings.

Total Weight Watchers points values: 3 as illustrated in my recipe or 6 if you serve double the portion. This recipe is super easy and quick to whip up! While the apples were baking, I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen a bit. The fact that it’s fast means you can easily, quickly and affordably whip this up during last minute dinner parties and such. Easy peasy!

Enjoy! If you try this recipe out, I’d love to know what you think of it.