Well, there it is.  The bag of mixed vegetables that changed the world.  Or at least the world as I know it.  How?  Because it represents the end of an era…well, maybe.  I say ‘maybe’ because I’m leaving that decision in your hands people.  So although many of you have been too shy to leave a comment below, I’ll definitely need for you to weigh in this time!  The fate of the world depends on it!  The future is in your hands (no pressure eh?  Lol)!  So what happened?  Okay, allow me to explain.

So I’ve always prided myself on getting all of the groceries into the house in one trip.  It doesn’t matter if I break every egg, squish all the bread or my arms fall off, every bag comes with me!  And sure, I’ve had a few close calls over the years.  Like the time that I was donating a bunch of canned goods and bottled water to this local food drive so each bag felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.  Or when I had to carry all the groceries in my left hand because I had a pizza in the right (#priorities lol).  I’ve also had a few times after training legs in the gym that I could barely even get myself up the stairs in one trip so I nearly abandoned all the groceries to curl up in the fetal position and pray for a neighbor to carry me up the second flight of stairs.

But each time I persevered and came through like a champ!  That is until this tiny bag of mixed veggies ruined my life (lol melodramatic much?).  The undefeated record has finally been shattered…maybe.  I still say ‘maybe’ because this wasn’t some Amanda Nunes one-sided beatdown where I was knocked out decisively.  No, somehow this bag slid under the car seat so I didn’t even remember it was there until I got inside!  Did I technically have to make a second trip to the car to get the bag?  Yes.  But it’s not as though I couldn’t have carried the bag had I spotted it!  I just didn’t see it!  I also couldn’t avoid the second trip to the car by just leaving the bag outside because the weather has been all over the place lately (seriously, 3 days of rain followed by a blizzard and now it’s 70 degrees outside? I’m so confused lol I have no idea what to do with the thermostat anymore.  I currently have the heat on with the ceiling fan running…). But C’Mon Man!  (©ESPN MNF lol) that shouldn’t count right?!  And wait, before you answer that, just know that it’s YOUR fault anyway.  Yeah, that’s right, yours lol because the only reason I even went to the grocery store in the first place was to buy stuff for the food segment later in this post.  So if I did unintentionally break my streak, just know that I did it for y’all lol but okay fine I rest my case.  It’s now in the hands of the jury.

So with that said…

Did the frozen veggies break my undefeated streak???  Comment Yes or No and why in the comments section below.

 

So in my last post, I told you about the fourth cup of coffee that I ever had which prompted many people to ask what led to me having the first 3 cups.  Unfortunately, the first 2 weren’t all that exciting.  Long story short, I had a coworker who bought the first cup for me.  Light and sweet (her or the coffee eh? Lol).  Since it was such a nice gesture, and she literally sat next to me, I had to at least sip on it and pretend to enjoy it…which is why she bought me the second cup as well.  So that’s cups 1 and 2.  Like I said, nothing too exciting.  The events leading up to that third cup however?  Ha now THAT is a story!

Picture it, Sicily 1922… lol just kidding, this sad tale actually begins at the Middletown, New Jersey train station during my NJ Transit commuter days…

Okay so back in the day I used to commute to NYC for work along with a group of friends.  I was dead tired this particular morning though because I was running on an hour of sleep after staying out way too late partying the night before.  I also had a hard time finding a parking spot so I had to do an exhausting full sprint across the lot just to make it to the platform before the train pulled off.  I was able to spot my friend Allison and we managed to find a 3-seater next to this older woman who had already claimed the window seat.  I ended up in the middle next to her and Al was to my left.  The last thing that I remember was telling Allison how tired I was when we sat down but then my memory gets a bit foggy from there lol.

Now before I continue, I should provide you with a fun fact that moving vehicles often make me tired.

Another fun fact is that I often fall asleep while hugging my pillow.

And fun fact number 3 is that the older lady to my right had big fluffy arms…like a pillow.

(I think that you can see where this story is going lol).

So all of a sudden I hear the train conductor announcing that we had arrived at the Newark, NJ station and my eyes shot open.  It was at that moment that I realized that I had both of my arms fully wrapped around the older lady’s left arm (yes a full bear hug!  #DoubleFML indeed) with my head on her shoulder!  I don’t get embarrassed easily but yeah this situation was pretty rough lol.  Especially since people in the surrounding seats were laughing at my reaction…including Allison who’s excuse was that she thought I knew the woman!

So I start apologizing profusely and here’s where it gets even weirder.  My stop wasn’t Newark.  I was going all the way to NYC which was another 20 minutes so she’s like “Oh, it’s okay sweetie” and pushes my head back down onto her shoulder!  Now, don’t get me wrong.  When I had no idea what was going on, that was probably one of the most comfortable naps I’ve ever taken.  Seriously, those mattresses with the people jumping on one side with the wine glass on the other have nothing on the comfort of her left shoulder.  But now that I was awake it was just awkward lol.  The problem was that I didn’t want to offend her by moving at this point so I didn’t know what to do!  The creeper had now become the creepee lol.  So for the next 20 minutes I laid there with my head like half on half off her shoulder while she occasionally patted my head like I was a puppy with Allison smirking at me.  Man I’m glad this was before camera phones were a big deal yet (I find myself saying that a lot) because that would have definitely made Worldstar or something!

So where does the third cup of coffee come in?  Well, that happened once I got to work because we had a big meeting that afternoon and I was clearly delirious so I couldn’t risk falling asleep again and wake up spooning my boss or something.  So I made a huge disgusting cup full and sipped on it throughout the rest of the day.  True Story lol. Yes, my life is basically a sitcom but hey, at least I keep things interesting eh?

Swedish Fish?  Delicious.  Oreos?  Delicious.  Swedish Fish Oreos?  Hmm…I dunno man.  Candy and chocolate together?  Sounds gross.  That’s why I thought it was a joke when I saw them on Facebook but nope, they really do exist.  Now, normally I wouldn’t go anywhere near these because I consider myself to be a purist when it comes to Oreos.  Just give me the regular ones and I’m good.  I don’t even really like Double Stuffed so I was definitely not on board with alternative flavors.  But like they say, don’t knock it until you try it so today, I’m going to taste test these Swedish Fish Oreos and let you know what I think! 

Oh yeah and I grabbed a pack of Red Velvet Cake Oreos as well because I’ve also been wondering about those.  I tend to be extra critical with red velvet cakes because my aunts make the best ones I’ve ever had (seriously, I had so much during Christmas that when I sweat in the gym it still smells like frosting…) but if Oreo can manage to come anywhere close with these, I’ll be impressed. 

Of course, you can’t have cookies without some ice-cold milk.  We can save the dairy debate for a fitness segment another day but generally speaking, I stick to almond milk.  But hey, this is a special occasion so let’s break out the real deal! And since the expiration date is the 23^rd, let’s go with my Michael Jordan Space Jam 23 mug for the win!

Okay, without further ado, let’s get on to the tasting!

The Swedish Fish Oreos: 

First Impressions:  Okay, it definitely smells just like the candy.  The smell literally punches you in the face as soon as you open the bag.  Obviously it’s not going to be chewy like Swedish Fish are, but they definitely nailed the scent. 

The Taste:  Well, they nailed the taste of Swedish Fish as well.  It’s just as strong as the scent and it takes at least a few seconds of chewing before you even taste the chocolate.  Once that flavor kicks in, it’s essentially what you’d expect if you were to take a Swedish fish and place it into your mouth at the same time as you were eating an Oreo.  The question is, who does that?  And why?  As many of you know, I’m all about wild flavor combinations but I’m still not sold on this one lol.

The Verdict:  I tried to keep an open mind because I’ve already stated my traditional Oreo bias but even with that said, this one is a thumbs down for me.  I’m not sure who the target audience is for this one but apparently it’s not this guy!  If I ever wanted both Swedish Fish and Oreos, I’d rather just eat them separately (and then go for a blood sugar test).  As for these?  If you’re near Atlanta, you can have the rest of my bag, I’m good after that first one lol. 

The Red Velvet Cake Oreos

First Impressions: Oh wow, just like before, they nailed the smell.  The filling is cream cheese just like actual red velvet cake icing so these smell pretty legit!  While the smell was overbearing and oft-putting for the Swedish Fish bag, these smell delicious.  They even went for a reddish look for the cookies so yeah, we’re off to a much better start here. 

The Taste:  Oh wow… okay these are pretty good!  While the Swedish Fish version tasted worse as you continued to chew, these just keep getting more and more awesome.  They did a pretty solid job with the taste, especially replicating a cake with a cookie.  I’m actually impressed!

The Verdict:  If you like red velvet cake you’ll love these.  They’re a little sweeter than regular Oreos but they are really good!

Overall:  Oreo did a solid job of nailing their flavors in both which leads me to believe that the rest of the alternative flavors are probably very accurate too!  So if you like cinnamon buns and lemon cookies, there are other flavors for you to try. The Swedish Fish Option is a limited edition however, but from my perspective, that’s a good thing!

Have another food item or restaurant you’d like for me to try?  Let me know in the comments section below!

Okay, remember, when I talk about these crazy foods it’s only for cheat meals and special occasions, so with that said, let’s get back on track with a fitness tip!

Nutrition really is 80 percent of the equation when it comes to reaching your fitness goals (strength training and cardiovascular exercise are the remaining 20 percent).  So you can eat actual fish every day but Swedish fish?  Not so much.  Most of your meals should consist of healthy non-processed foods with a balance of proteins, carbs and healthy fats.  The Oreos and the pizzas?  Save them for a chosen day or meal each week and try to stay focused and active the rest of the time.  This approach will allow you to improve your health, push towards those goals and still enjoy the fun foods that you crave as well!

Feel free to drop your fitness questions in the comments below.

Today’s Soundtrack:

Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne  

The Choice is Yours – Black Sheep (“Engine Engine Number 9 on the New York Transit line….”  classic song plus that Kia commercial with the dancing hamsters cracks me up everytime)

C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train) – Quad City DJ’s (lol wow, only the 5^th post in this blog’s existence and I’ve already used 2 songs by the Quad City DJ’s and 2 Space Jam references?  haha what year is this again?  Lol)

Hey Soul Sister – Train (making the ukulele cool again, well done Train)

Pump It – Black Eyed Peas (the peas that jeopardized the streak were actually green but whatever…)

Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings – LL Cool J (and the cookies were red but whatever…oh yeah, plus the word Crushed in the title gives me the excuse to use the following…)

Crush – Yuna ft. Usher (baby making music lol great song currently on the radio – check it out!)

Have another song that fits today’s theme?  Tell us in the comments section below!

Well it’s time to go brush my teeth since I still have nasty Swedish Fish Oreo remnants in my mouth making me gag.  But again, know that I did it for you so when you vote on the streak in the comments section below, please keep that in mind and have mercy lol.  Oh, and if anyone knows the lady from the train (I can only imagine how many times she’s also retold that story!), tell her that I apologize again lol.  Okay, thanks again for reading, liking, commenting, sharing and helping to grow this blog.  I appreciate you.  I’ll see you again on Thursday  with another post!  Until next time…

“Gotta go, gotta go, see you later by the cat. And you can’t beat that with a bat…”

-Darrell