Frankenstorm Food Shopping Essentials

The last time I went food shopping for a hurricane, I ended up with six blocks of cheese, cheese doodles, a salami, a case of wine and pretty much one of everything from the cracker aisle. This spread was more suited for a party than a natural disaster, but at least we had flashlights and candles, right?

Luckily, Hurricane Irene turned out to just be a really good excuse to eat an exorbitant amount of cheese and watch enough SVU marathons to be qualified as an NYPD detective. But apparently, Frankenstorm will be an entirely different story. According to the interwebs, people are fighting over boxes of elbow pasta in supermarket aisles and there's one loaf of bread left in the state of New Jersey.

So, yesterday, we went food shopping to stock up on some essentials. (There are still a few similarities to last year in the cheese department.) If you have yet to brave your local grocery store, this list may come in handy should Sandy join for dinner...

• A block (or four) of hard cheese
• Crackers and/or chips - I'm obsessed with Trader Joe's Multigrain Pita Bite Crackers.
• Apples, bananas, oranges, dried fruit (any produce that can handle not being refrigerated) 
• Trail Mix 
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Bread
• Cookies (I'm baking a massive batch of these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip favorites). 
• Granola bars and/or protein bars 
• Candles, lighters, flashlights 
• Bottled Water
• Wine (I can't partake this year because I'm preggers, but please have a glass or bottle for me.)

This list is lacking very important safety items. So, check out credible news websites for guidance on stocking up on the right stuff. Stay safe!

What are your hurricane food faves?

Reasons to Love the Weekend

It's a gorgeous Sunday morning, and there's still one more glorious day out of the office ahead of us. Just in case you need a reason to appreciate the weekend, here are seven:

1. Whether you're a person or a dog, it's perfectly acceptable to be incredibly lazy.

Could you be a doll and grab me a water?

2. You may even catch an epic Jim Walsh/Dylan McKay showdown on SOAPnet while doing so. (Someone was not happy about a secret rendezvous in Mexico...)

3. You can leisurely read the paper while sipping a cappuccino.

4. You can channel your inner Ina Garten and shop at the local farmer's market.

5. Flowers are finally in bloom!

6. You can enjoy cocktails in cute glasses and then sleep in the next morning.

7. You actually have time to make the recipes you just look at on Pinterest during the week.

If you need some more inspiration to ward off the Sunday Blues, click here. What are your favorite ways to spend the weekend?

The Pressure to be Productive

Finally, two glorious days where your boss can’t bark orders at you (at least in person), and there’s no threat of a co-worker with poor judgment microwaving fish for lunch in the office kitchen.

But with those leisurely weekend mornings drinking coffee in your PJs, comes the pressure to tackle your at-home to do list, go to the gym, spiffy up the place, run errands, and finally deal with that enormous pile of mail that you’ve ignored for weeks. You know you should be ... productive (ugh).

Personally, I’m avoiding my mail pile like the plague and just spent the last 2 hours watching Marley & Me. Once I’m done crying, I’ll consider going to The Post Office to mail a baby gift that’s been sitting in my living room for a month.

If you’re feeling especially unmotivated today, remember that your weekend “chores” (as my grandma Rita likes to call them) can be rewarded with a cupcake later. If you’re saving your calories for all the cocktails you’re going to have tonight, treat yourself to something else like a manicure, a movie, or coffee with your friends. Self-bribery … works like a charm.

Or you can sleep till 2, watch all three Bring it On movies, and not leave the house until your dinner plans tonight. Whatever floats your boat.

Happy weekend!