What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

I've had a few requests asking what I've been eating, so I figured I would share.

I've really been playing with my diet, mostly because of my reflux. I've found triggers that really bother me and try my best to avoid them.

Meal 1-

Breakfast:

2 eggs scrambled with a handful of spinach cooked in.

Sprinkle of feta cheese, a few tomatoes, & 2 slices of organic turkey bacon.

Matcha Latte with soy milk

Meal 2-

This has been a lovely in between breakfast and before my workout snack!

I just drizzle a little of the plain Kefir, not sweetened, 

over whatever fruits weren't finished at breakfast. 

Meal 3-

Post workout protein shake.

Meal 4-

Lunch today was 2 big red leaf lettuce leaves

-leftover whole chicken from dinner

-mix in a little bit of mayo (I like the evoo mayo) and a little avocado

-some grapes mixed in too with a dash of sea salt

Meal 5-

Dinner:

Tonight was man pleasing chicken thighs & steamed broccoli with sea salt and lemon.

I didn't have any brown rice and I feel like too many carbs bother me.

I'm really listening to my body and if I don't feel like having something, I don't.  I really hate having to watch every little thing at first, but my mood and my physical body feel so much better when I eat like this.  

I still have days where we have pasta or ice cream cake, but I try very hard to keep it to a minimum so that I feel my best.

What are you eating lately?

Sweet Mango Flatbread Pizza [recipe]

I made such a fun pizza the other night!!  

I'll be honest and the kiddos weren't totally impressed, 

but they love the chicken wings, however hubby and I were smitten!

I used Tastefully Simple's new Mango Lime Sauce and followed their recipe. You will also need:

-feta cheese

-sliced onion

-fresh diced mango

-cilantro

-bacon

(it called for jalapenos but I opted out)

For the pizza crust, I honestly used the package of Betty Crocker pizza dough, 

where I simply add water!

I served it with watermelon and some chicken wings. 

{for the wings I use TS Garlic Parm wing sauce.

2 dozen organic chicken wings

on a large cookie sheet

baste with sauce

350 30 minutes

Take out and flip/baste again

bake 30 more minutes}

We just loved the sweet, salty, savory and freshness in every bite!

I could imagine this being the perfect pizza to be snacking on poolside on a hot day.

I will definitely be making this again!

It'd also be the perfect pizza to serve at a party because it wasn't soggy after it cooled down.

YUM!

What are you cooking lately?

Weekly Workouts & Menu

OK.  So my 'break' wasn't much of break, but I feel ready and have lots to write about, so write I shall!  I believe I have come up with a decent calendar of writing ideas and although I may not get to write every post, I have a solid foundation of what I would like to say and use this blog for...so stay tuned!! I hope you enjoy what I plan on using this blogging space as.

Sundays I'm going to stick with trying to keep weekly menu ideas (it really helps me stay on track!) and I'll even share some of my past week eats too.  

This weekend I was so lucky to get some much needed girl time in with some good friends.  Carbs/coffee and girlfriends seem to go hand in hand, am I right? ;) 

It's not often I get to enjoy days like this, so when I do? I cherish them!!

Easy tip:  

Buy butternut squash already cut up.  Toss with sea salt & evoo and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  I sprinkle it in salads, eat it by itself, or you could throw it in a soup & pureé!  Baby boy loves it and he gobbles it right up.

Tuesdays date night was so fun & I totally didn't take any photos because we were sitting at a table with others and I really just devoured the food.  The drinks were too strong, but super fun to try (sips) of.

I'm such a wino and bourbon and cognac just aren't my thing.

I did enjoy this cup of champagne punch.  It was the only drink I really could drink!

My menu this week is fairly simple.  My goal is to eat 90% clean all day, and then eat with Joe for dinner. I hate "dieting" but I do need to up my veggies and lean proteins during the day.  As you will see, I have pasta on my menu a few times. I find nothing wrong with a little pasta; I don't like or use whole wheat, but I do limit how much I eat.  Everything in moderation.



Can I tell you how excited I am to try this Mango Lime sauce out? It's so yummy!!

As for workouts last week?

Kind of lame...

Tues- Upper Fix
Weds- Walked/pushed the kids in the stroller 2.5 miles.


Up this week?
Today (Sunday) I took a nice long almost 2 hour walk with a friend and pushed Bradley.  Tomorrow I am scared out of my mind to start this:

I hope I don't die. Haha.  22 minutes, how bad could it be?  #famouslastwords

What's on your menu & workout plan?

Stay beautiful xox

Valentine's Weekend

It's Monday!  I can totally tell by the looks of things around here.  Mama took a few days off of "housework" aka her job, and this place is a mess! I'll get to it after a little re-cap!

Of all days we had lots to do, it was SUPER cold out on Saturday! It was rather snowy too.

We had a birthday party about a half hour away, and I was worried about the weather, but I'm a good driver, took my time & knew that my truck would be a beast.

A little arm candy came in the mail for me!! I am IN LOVE with this new Ikat and Geo bar.

Brooke's friend Lily turned 3, and I think because of the roads, no one could come! I'm glad we decided to go. It was great for the kids to play together and the Minion theme was super cute.

Before we left another little girl came so that was good.  Brooke loved everything!

We then came home, changed into dance attire and went to dance class. Again, there were only 2 of us, but I'm glad she got to get her boogie on.

Then it was time to rush & try to get ready for date night! We had reservations at 7:30, the sitter coming at 6 so I did what I could while chasing after baby boy...who tried flushing his sister's toothpaste in our toilet. What is the obsession with toilets kid?! Haha

We lined up a sitter about a month in advance, and had no idea where we were going to eat.  Joe had found this amazing restaurant online, but they were full and only had a waiting list. They told us to sign up online, as lots of people tend to cancel. Well, I can't tell you how excited we were when we received a text message Tuesday night stating that we had 15 minutes to confirm our reservations for Saturday 2/13.


The restaurant is called The Kitchen and it only holds about 24 people.  We walked in and were brought to our table, and I'm not going to lie; my heart sank just a little bit when we were sat with another couple at a table for 4.  Now, I don't think I would mind so much if they had told us ahead of time, but as a married couple with two YOUNG kids, quiet dinner time talk, was really something I was looking forward to.

The other couple was nice, but not overly friendly and we certainly didn't have an awesome connection like, oh let's hang out again.  We made it work, but that was one thing that I didn't love.

The rest?

Amazing.

I chose to do the wine pairing with the 7 courses.  If you don't want to do the pairing, you can bring your own wine for a $5 corkage fee.

They brought out this yummy bread, house churned butter & goat cheese stuffed dates---like candy!

We started with "bacon" which was a delicious cut of pork belly and it fell apart in your mouth.  We were so excited to eat it, I forgot to take a photo.

Even though we were sitting with another couple, we did have the best seats in the house--right next to where they assemble all of our food!

The chef was so meticulous and it was really interesting to see him work.  Every course was like artwork.

The beet with some camembert cheese, aged balsamic...YUM!

Cranberry in sugar--so pretty!

Here they were lining up the pickled tomato dish.

Summer. In. My. Mouth.  This was my favorite of all! I love caprese salad and this was a delicate spin on it!  Pickled tomato made into a gelatin; purple basil, infused caviar, mozzarella cheese, olive oil....I'm drooling as I think about!

We had a palate cleanser, champagne granita--forgot to snap a photo---

Next up was the cod--it melted in my mouth.  The butter, garlic, white beans--really rich, but just enough leaving you wanting another bite or two!

The eel course came out with a little cup of miso broth to pour over it.



This dish was sweet and bbq flavor was really unique--once I poured the broth, it essentially became a soup.  I loved that interaction with the dish.

The lamb was pretty earthy and again, quite rich.  Joe loved it, I was still stuck on that tomato dish! It was served over some mashed potato and the olive was tasty!

The best cup of coffee I have ever had.  Local roaster, Glen Edith provided this organic brew and it was heaven in a cup.  They didn't offer cream or sugar.  They didn't need to.   I need to get some of this for home, stat!

Last but not least Creme Bruleé.  I was really looking forward to it, but honestly?  Far too much orange liqueur. I was quite full from everything else anyway, but it wasn't the best dessert to end on.  I did like the cotton candy, but I am just not a huge liqueur fan anyway.

It was really an amazing dining experience and I would go back and try out their summer menu for sure!  It's definitely a pretty price to pay, but you are getting the highest quality of everything.   Even the artwork was very nice!

Sunday we just stayed inside by the fire and munched on chocolates (hubby knows my heart--butterfinger!) and shared our cards.   We decided dinner would be our gift to each other since it was rather expensive & babysitters aren't cheap around here!

For dinner we opted for takeout sushi and of course I had to have the sweetheart roll!

How was your weekend?  I hope it was filled with much love!

KEEP

Stay beautiful xox

Home Talk Tuesday: Comfort Food {recipes}

With the weather really starting to get cooler, I tend to start craving comfort (like most) but also being in the kitchen and cooking. It's a lot trickier now, with two littles needing me, but I feel like I'm getting into the groove with them.  It's not easy, by any means, but I've learned to multi-task and start things earlier in the day than I used to. I figured I'd share some of my cooler weather cravings with you today!

Tried & True:

Better than Takeout Chicken Fried Rice -- I just made this Monday night and it was fantastic! I had no idea what to make, and now that Joe gets out at 8pm Monday/Wednesday, it makes bed time/cooking his dinner a little tricky! Still trying to figure it out, but by the time I got the kiddos tucked in, garbage to the curb, I had about 20 minutes and this was perfect!

Cowboy Casserole -- We love this easy and tasty meal, thanks to Nikki!

Vodka Penne-- "You won't be single for long" Good old Rachel Ray, who really inspired my love of cooking long ago…I remember making this dish early on for Joe and he was really impressed!

Pork Stuffing & Apple Pie Filling-- a Fall favorite from my friend Ann and literally 3 ingredients and no thought.

Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni & Cheese-- something about this just screams L-O-V-E.  My mom made it for us when we were living in our new house and we all just about died over how good it tasted! I still make it every year.  Usually just once though, as it's pretty fatty…but it's ok every now and then!

I have a few dishes I want to try too!  I have my eye on two new cookbooks, [Happy Cooking Giada & Laura in the Kitchen] but until I can get my hands on them, I will just scour the internet.

To try:

Mummy Hot Dogs -- with organic hot dogs, I think Brooke will love these!

Apricot Chicken Stirfry -- It just sounds scrumptious

Chicken Florentine Pasta-- I've never made it and you cannot go wrong with the Pioneer woman!

Chicken Pie -- My friend Amie gave me this recipe and I definitely want to give it a whirl!


On another random note, I still have this urge to host a reoccurring friends & food night.  I am so inspired by this article Friday Night Meatballs, (that I read last year) that I just need to bite the bullet and host! I think a lot of us with young kids really miss getting out and about, but it can be so tricky with sitters and restaurants..and kids! So no more excuses, and more to come on this idea!




What are you cooking this Fall? Please share your delicious Fall favorite foods!

Tasty Thursday: Recipe

If you've been with me for awhile, you know we love some Giada up in here.   Her recipes never seem to fail us, and Joe loves anything pasta…so when I saw this last year, I couldn't wait to try it when I wasn't prego!  I decided to give this a whirl over the weekend. Boy, it did not disappoint!

Giada's Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese 

So yummy!

It doesn't require much, just some simple fresh ingredients.

1 box penne pasta

1 onion

1 butternut squash, cubed and seeded (my store has it all ready in a container!)

1 cup goat cheese (I personally only used 4 oz, as it's pretty powerful!)

it calls for walnuts, but I omitted those since Joe can't do nuts…

I cup packed basil leaves*

1/3 cup of parmesan cheese

425 degree ove-- 

Place sliced onion & squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with EVOO, a little salt & pepper.

Bake 40 minutes.

While they cool, boil a pot of water for the pasta, cook as per directions.

Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.

In a bowl, place goat cheese, basil and add pasta.  

Mix and stir in the pasta water, which should create a creamy mixture.  

Add in the squash/onion.  

Toss with the parm cheese & walnuts if used.

It's a warm, hearty and meatless dish.  Perfect for cool weather in the Fall.  The basil and butternut squash bring a sweet element that mixes well with the goat cheese. 

Enjoy!

*my friend Alison made the suggestion of trying this with sage, as it may be even better!