doggy and food

Well, Ronia's name is no longer Ronia. We don't know WHAT it is, but Adam and I decided that Ronia is too much like Rommel and the 3 syllable thing just doesn't work for a dog. So we're now trying to think of an Alaska-related name... something like Willow or Sitka or.. I don't know. Ideas?

In other news, I am trying to eat healthy and keep boyfriend eating healthy too. This is hard, as he is resistant to many of the "alternative" staples that I use.... so my mom and I got to talking about Monkey Platters and now I can hardly wait to see how that works out for us!

Last night I made a baked chicken dish with marmalade, soy sauce and bbq sauce, which I marinated the chicken in for a while, then baked in the oven and poured more of the sauce...then flipped the chicken and poured more of the sauce... and then served over brown rice with asparagus and a salad topped with brocolli slaw. It was a hit with Adam, and I like it too. The chicken was super juicy and yummy.

I also made Amish Friendship Bread, but the alternative version. The original recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of oil, along with the milk and eggs, etc. etc. So I substituted applesauce for oil, and splenda for sugar. The result is a little chewier than the other bread (texture reminded me of the crockpot banana bread I made last week) but it still tastes good. I also chopped up an apple and put that in, just for kicks. Next time I'll also try soy milk instead of regular milk, and maybe adding pumpkin.

The puppy formerly known as Ronia is asleep under my desk. I wish I could sleep. She's doing better sleeping throughout the night - I took her out to pee around 10pm, then again around 2am, then again at 4am, then again at 7:30. She peed every time, but doesn't cry in between that now. Phew. She cries the most when I put her in her crate after breakfast in the morning so I can take a shower and get ready for work. Poor doggy.

She's incredibly driven, very smart, and has endless energy. I am exhausted, but she is still cute enough to make up for it. ;) Her and Rommel have struck an understanding....she bounces around him and jumps up to get his attention, and he pays attention when he wants to. I saw him once put out a paw like, "puh-lease, must we?" It's funny. I never realized how BIG he was until I had her for contrast.