Ellen Slater

Thinking Out Loud #65

in Thinking Out Loud on

Hey there! It’s a chaotic week, but I still wanted to pop in to update you on what’s happening in my life and mind on this Thinking Out Loud Thursday. So let’s skip the rambly intro and cut to the good stuff. Thanks for the link-up, Amanda!

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1.) On Friday, I made more brownies than strictly necessary for 3 people to consume in a short period of time. Like, 2 square pans of super-rich brownies.

And I can tell you that Michele at Paleo Running Momma is a brownie genius. The Flourless Caramel Chocolate Chunk Frosted Fudge Brownies and the Double Fudge Almond Butter Brownies are both completely incredible. Sooo rich, chocolatey, and fudgy. The kind of brownies where you say that because they’re so rich, you only need one, but they’re actually so delicious that you need them ALL. While I definitely did plenty of damage on them myself, my dad did take some of them to share with his coworkers so I’d avoid sugar overload.

2.) I am usually excellent at ignoring people’s ignorant and/or obnoxious Facebook posts. I have no issues hiding posts and even unfriending people. No biggie. But on Sunday I let one get to me a little too much and I was in juuuust the right kind of mood to respond, albeit intelligently and politely. I regretted it, since I ended up engaged in a stupid conversation I didn’t want to be engaged in with people I only know from a few classes several years ago. Lesson: even when you’re feeling kinda feisty, don’t engage.

3.) Because Fit University is awesome, you can try ClassPass for $1 for the rest of September! If you want to try new workout classes in your city, this is the deal for you! Check it out here.

4.) On Sunday night, my mom and I did a photo shoot in the park nearby. They recently added a ton of tall wildflowers and she’s had a vision for this shoot for a while. It was fun! I ended the evening kind of covered in mulch and pollen, but it was fun. I’ll show you pics as soon as she goes through them all, but I’m excited about some of them. You might be seeing some picture updates around here. 🙂

5.) Plain and simple, my mom is the goddess of packing. And of efficiently using space in the car. I’m not going to lie, I was kind of crammed into a small-ish space in the car on the way to Chicago, but that’s just because I packed a lot of stuff. But it all made it here and so did we!

6.) I’ve mentioned that my family likes to play Catan. Well, we also tend to get mad and pouty and the like while we play Catan. Because we’re competitive and playful and a tiny bit childish. You understand.

thinking-catan

Anyway, on Tuesday night we were playing in the hotel room and my dad basically blocked anything my mom and I wanted to do within 10 minutes. We proceeded to complain and asked if we could just stop. But then I got some magical cards that allowed me to sneak in a win. Lesson: when it appears all hope is lost, it’s probably not.

7.) We got the whole car unloaded and all my boxes out of storage within an hour yesterday, and managed to go grocery shopping, get lunch, relax a little, and get me pretty organized in another 6 or 7 hours. I have some finishing touches to go, but it was a pretty easy process.

8.) Except I had a small mishap at Target.

thinking-red-pepper

I was trying to get red pepper flakes, knocked a jar down, it shattered, and they went everywhere. Also, I already had some in my cart and didn’t realize it.

9.) I have training this morning for my role next week (registering first year students) and then an appointment with my new sports medicine doctor this afternoon. Maybe he’ll tell me I’m less broken? Probably not. I’ll keep you updated!

10.) And now I want to leave you with some of my favorite recipes + reads from the week.

Life lately: brownies, board games, and broken glass. #bgbcommunity #fitfluential Share on X

Your turn:

Fudgy brownies or cakey? I think you know I’m fudgy all the way.

Do you get competitive when you play board games?

Anything else I should know?

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Comments

  1. Brie (@LeanCleanBrie) says

    Those brownies look SO good! I really need to do some more baking this weekend since it is one of my favorite things to do as the temps cool off (finally!) and I am sure my family would be happy with whatever I make 😉

    • EllenSlater says

      It’s so nice to be able to bake and not be dying in the heat ? And of course – people always accept baked goods!

  4. sweetandstrongblog says

    I am all about the fudgy brownies, both those recipes look delicious, I pinned them to try later. I love Class Pass and being able to try new fitness classes. Wish it was a little more affordable though, but I get it.

  6. Morgan @ Managing Mommyhood says

    Those browniessss though! I cannot even. I’m sitting here at 8 am like.. how can I justify making brownies right now? Good luck at the doctor!
    Also, as far as the red pepper flakes – seriously once a week that happens to me. In my defense (or maybe it’s a mark against me and my bad parenting, HA!) Ryan reaches over and knocks something over. Just be thankful it wasn’t a giant jar of PB. That would have bee embarrassing…

  7. My Healthyish Life says

    What a deal for ClassPass! A photoshoot sounds so fun! I guess we did a mini one in Colorado…but with iPhones and my mom just randomly staged me places haha. I call my dad the “king of packing” because the man can decompress my, let’s be real, abnormal amount of stuff into one trunk. I don’t get these people but I’m glad we have them 😉

  8. Emily Swanson says

    YES Michele’s paleo baked goods literally don’t taste different from normal ones; I’ve found that my family likes them the best! 🙂

    And what a blessing that your mom helped you pack; aren’t parents amazing?

    I’m sometimes in the mood for Catan, and sometimes, well maybe I just need to play it so I can learn to be a good loser.

    • EllenSlater says

      Hahaha I should probably learn to be a better loser, too… I used to not really care but now I totally get wrapped up in games.

    • EllenSlater says

      One of my favorite games! And yes, I have NOTHING against muffins, but if it’s a muffin, don’t call it a brownie 😛

  10. Jill @ RunEatSnap says

    I did a photo shoot last Friday and got destroyed by mosquitos! Ironically they only bit me on my legs – the parts that were covered by my running capris and did not bite the exposed skin. Weird!

  11. Miss Polkadot says

    First the mani-pedi dates, now a fun photo shoot in nature – it sounds like you and your mum had a wonderful relationship. I’m the same in that my mum is definitely one of my best friends. Though we’re also different in some ways but that’s why you have more than one friend :).
    Do you play board games as a family on the regular? I wish we still did and I’m not even winning all that often.
    Also, those brownies sound amazing! Are there ever too many?!

    • EllenSlater says

      My mom is definitely one of my best friends!
      We do play board games pretty regularly. It’s fun, even though my dad wins more often than the rest of us.
      No such thing as too many brownies. 🙂

  12. collegeceliackc says

    I’ve always been a cakey brownie lover, mainly because that’s what I grew up on. But that fudge version looks amazing!

    • EllenSlater says

      You might be the first cakey brownie person I’ve met! I certainly don’t turn down any brownies, though 🙂