Treat Yo Self

Have you ever seen Parks and Rec? Please tell me you have.

I have seen the episodes on Netflix so many times that I can use it as background for working or while falling to sleep. (Does anyone else do that?)

A recent episode I listened to was the one where Donna and Tom celebrate Treat Yo Self day. It’s one day a year where they, well, treat themselves. Massages. Mimosas. Pedicures. Extravagant shopping. Delicious cookies that say “Treat Yo Self.”

It sounds quite amazing if you ask me.

The thing is, we don’t have to wait for a specific Treat Yo Self day to do nice things for ourselves. You don’t have to pile it all into one day either, and the treats don’t have to be huge.

The point is, take time to put aside your to-do list and worries and..

Treat Yo Self.

Becky is with me on this and even does a link-up once a week (on Tuesdays…today is Wednesday…doh) where everyone can showcase their treats.

This weekend Dave and our friend Chris took a trip to the Mall of America and there were many treats. 

The treats started the day before with new nail polish and an Amanda manicure. I am pretty obsessed with the color AND painting that ring finger with sparkles.

 

[ that picture with the tea was taken on Tuesday and you’ll note the nails are already chipped because of work haha. ]

Dave and I started out Saturday with some yummy and healthy waffles! We haven’t used the waffle maker in quite some time, but since we had some Kodiak waffle/pancake mix from Blend Retreat this year, I decided to give it a go.

This Spiced Banana Power Waffle recipe has already made its debut on Instagram, but I thought I may as well post it to the blog as well (it’s been eons since I’ve posted a recipe!).

 

That topping is simply 2 parts creamy PB + 1 part pure maple syrup. Yum.

Upon arrival at the Mall of America (which was totally packed since it was super rainy on Saturday) we were all famished (it had been a few hours since breakfast), so we headed for pretty much the first restaurant we saw on the dining floor…the Cantina.

 

I was excited about the possibility of margaritas and tacos, what can I say? Although it was only 2 o’clock I ordered a mimosa. Treat Yo Self, right? Dave and I split the steak tacos with one fish taco so I could try it. The fish taco was pretty disappointing. The coleslaw on it was a funky flavor and I didn’t end up finishing it. I did enjoy the steak tacos especially with some tomatillo salsa and some of the guac from our delicious chips and guacamole appetizer.

With our bellies full, we started walking. And walking. And walking. I don’t think we went into a single store until we saw the second (yes, there are multiple) VS Pink store and I saw some cute dresses I wanted to check out. (Okay I went into a couple of other stores, but every time I came out going “holy crap $80 for a bikini bottom?? or something similar.)

 

I ended up being persuaded to buy a couple of items there. Dang sales people working on commission. 😉 I also got super excited when I saw a sparkly headband while I was in line and immediately snatched it off the shelf. Who can resist sparkles?

 

Dave and Christoff (his official name) were off buying coffee and I was greeted with a delightfully hot soy latte with sugar free hazelnut and vanilla syrup from Caribou Coffee when I came out of the store.

It’s funny with shopping how once you pick up one item, it’s so much easier to continue picking things up. Or when you’re in the mall, it’s easy to go into other stores to buy things.

New flip flops. Seriously these are almost more comfortable than my running shoes.

New jewelry. I turned into a giddy teenager when I walked into Icing.

 

Soon it was time for dinner! We decided to hit up an old favorite (as in Dave and I had been there once and LOVED it) and dined at Twin City Grill. We were again delighted with mouthwatering comfort food.

 

Chris got the same salad I ate last time (the Cobb Salad…the amazingness of the chicken cannot be described). Dave and I split the Cod with some mashed potatoes and coleslaw. We were told the Cod there was to die for and our server was not wrong. We also got a side salad beforehand and even that was decadent. I added avocado and subbed goat cheese (and thought of Lindsay who just discovered goat cheese at Blend this year).

I think we spent 7 hours at the mall total. Crazy, right? We were all going to try to catch a movie there as well, but were all exhausted. It’s a pretty big mall…Dave and I got about 12K steps on our fitbits! Well, I left mine at home…but would have gotten that many steps. That’s over 4 miles of walking!

We all came back to the apartment and watched Orange is the New Black since we are all addicted to it. Another show on Netflix you should all watch. (disclaimer: it is extremely crude and shocking. you’ve been warned.)

 [Tweet “Treat Yo Self at Mall of America! #treatyoself #shopping #foodie”]

Welp, time to get started on the rest of the to-do list today! Hopefully the internet will stop being so wonky…I started this post Monday!

PS Be on the look out for a treat I have for YOU! [ Giveaway coming soon!! ]

 

 

Tell me….

Have you been to the Mall of America?

What is your favorite store to Treat Yo Self? 

 

Linking up to:

What I Ate Wednesdays with Jenn at Peas and Crayons

Treat Yourself Tuesday with Becky at Olives n Wine 

and maybe some of my other favorite link-ups.

 

PS I’m all about Pinterest this year, so I would LOVE IT if you could pin one (or two!) of these images. Use the handy dandy buttons at the bottom and top of each post to display the whole list of pins. If there is a link below the image, make sure to use that link to pin.

Also follow me so I can check out YOUR Pinterest account! 🙂
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