Dinner with another summer boost...

Thursday Recap:

9:00am:  Breakfast- Mango/Cherry/Blueberry Smoothie

I can't say this was my favorite smoothie AT ALL, so I'm not even gonna share the 'recipeJ  Most of it went to Katie, who seemed to enjoy it at leastJ

10:30am:  Snack??-  Leftover Zucchini Noodles with White Beans 

Just enough to tide me over after my less-then-filling breakfast.  This was SO good reheated...lots of SAGE flavor!

12:30pm:  Lunch- Pasta with butter 

The irony is never lost on me that the SECOND I say certain things on this blog (like how I NEVER MISS A WORKOUT CAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH! or KATIE LOVES KALE SALAD), it never fails that THE. VERY. NEXT. DAY something happens to throw a wrench in the plan (I didn't want to go to the gym last night/Katie cried through kale todayJ)

So, yes, OF COURSE the day after I proclaim my LOVE FOR SUMMER, I have FALL noodles for lunchJ  Don't get me wrong, I'm still LOVIN the summer (whhhhhaaaa???), but HOW CUTE ARE THESE NOODLES??? 

Too hard to resist...even in JuneJ

1:00pm:  Snack- 1/4 Protein Bar (not pictured)

Knew I needed just ONE MORE THING after lunch that was gonna help hold me over a bit better than that small bowl of noodles.  This kept me satisfied until dinner.

6:00pm:  Dinner- Blueberry Chicken with pepper medley & Gorgonzola Garlic Grits!

Mmmmmmmmmmm...one of my favorite meals of the summer!  Usually I make this with STRAWBERRY SAUCE, but since Scott is NOT a strawberry fan (I KNOW!) and the Jersey strawberry season was RIDICULOUSLY short (and not all that taste...ekkk!) due to the DRENCHING Winter/Spring season, I made this meal with another summer (and Scott-approvedJ) favorite: 

BLUEBERRIES!

Ya just boil 1 cup of berries with:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (or water)
• Sprinkle of cardamon

Once it's boiled and the sugar is all combined, let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the syrup is thick and reduced by about half.  The more this sits, the more it thickens up as well.

Meanwhile I worked on the chicken, wrapped in prosciutto (which I crisped up in the pan after wrapping it around the chicken) and topped with Gorgonzola and fresh thyme (a theme of the week, if you haven't noticedJ) 

Just delicious!  Try it out during this summer blueberry season...yum!

And because I'm a 'creature of habit,' much like the OTHER times I've made this dinner, I rounded it out with a pepper & corn medley (sauteed corn, diced red pepper, a diced onion and yup...fresh thymeJ)....

...and CHEESE GRITS! 

This time flavored up with fresh thyme (do I sound like a broken record yet?) and GORGONZOLA & garlic powder...mmmmmmmmmmmm!  Awesome dinner...the only problem is that it's a 4 pot on the stove kinda mealJ  Oh well...it's worth it for all this deliciousnessJ

8:00pm:  Dessert- 

OH...so we (obviously) didn't have that 'classic summer dinner with fresh corn' that I mentioned yesterday because I was DETERMINED to make another meal 'from the pantry.'  (Sometimes this becomes my weekly obsession just to see how long I can go before I NEED to go shoppingJ)  HOWEVER, a sale on (Edy's Slow Churned) ice cream was BUY 1, GET 2 FREE this week and since last night was the LAST day, I just KNEW I needed to head outJ

And with 3 gallons of ice cream & 5 fresh corn for next week securely in my basket, I also splurged on these bad bears (2 for $5 was just BEGGING me too, right??J) 

These made me DELIRIOUSLY happy with their 'old school' flair & at 160 calories a pop, it's really not breakin THAT much in the bank.  I already told Scott that OLD SCHOOL ice cream sandwiches are on my next shopping list.

Because I NEED to make these kind of proclamations.  They are serious business.

Well, it looks like another busy/crazy Summer weekend is ahead of us.  I'm sure I'll be talking about how it all flew by in a blink in about 12 secondsJ

Until then...ENJOY!!J

Confession time...

Wednesday Recap:

9:00am:  Breakfast- Flax Protein Pancake with peanut butter & syrup

Morning Workout:  Power Yoga

1:00pm:  Lunch- Cherry & Mango Smoothie 

Mmmmmmmmmmm...sooooo good after SUCH a HOT workout!  In this easy mix:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 frozen cherries
• 4 slices frozen mango
• 1 scoop protein powder

5:00pm:  Dinner- Thyme Ricotta Flatbread

Ohhhhhh...this may have been our favorite dinner of the ENTIRE month!  Just looking at the pic makes me want to dive in the screen and have anotherJ.  And as 'fancy' as the title, is as quick as this came togetherJ

Well, that might have been because I had a little help from my sous chef, who got involved in all things FLOUR.... 

And promptly covered herself from head-to-toe in the white stuffJ

Annnnyyywayyyy...We/I patted & rolled out small handfuls of pizza dough until they made little rounds... 

...and tossed em on my pizza stone in the oven (preheated to 400 degrees) for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  (would have grilled these, except I felt bad sending Scott back in the heat after a HOT day working outside for him yesterday)

While the dough was baking, I mixed up some ricotta with Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper and a TON of fresh thyme... 

Once the dough was out of the oven, I popped some ricotta on top, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with a bit more salt & pepper and fresh thyme... 

Oooooooooooo...these were SOOOOO GOOD!  I am NOT a fan of HOT ricotta on pizza, but biting into the hot dough with the COLD ricotta on top couldn't be beat.  Not to mention all of the fresh thyme (and that yummy drizzle of olive oil) made this BURSTING with flavor.  SO simple, but soooooooooooo good!

And I planned to serve a salad on the side, only to find we were out of lettuce (OPPS!).  So I just made a salad of what I had on hand, which was shredded carrots (more on those in a sec) and some diced cucumbers (served with a little light Ranch dressing) 

I thought it made for some pretty plates last nightJ 

Definitely try this one out AND remember that "salads" can be made with whatever veggies you have on hand!  Who woulda thought carrots & cucumbers would have worked so well???  NOT ME, till I tried itJ

Evening Workout:  Body Jam
ANOTHER HOT ONE where I walked RIGHT into the door and then RIGHT into the shower.  Seeeesh!


8:00pm:  Dessert-  Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Oh, did I mention those shredded carrots??  Here's where they originally came into play with THIS RECIPE.  (or a HALVED version, making our 'infamous half cake'J)  After Scott's aformentioned HOT week, I thought he needed a little mid-week BOOST from his favorite cakeJ

While the SPICED cake was baking and giving my kitchen the scent of FALL (swoooon), I got to work on the frosting....which had the special little touch of BROWNED BUTTER (MMMMMM!!!) AND, since I didn't have any cream cheese on hand, I swapped for some HONEY GOAT CHEESE...

I figured cream cheese and goat cheese weren't toooooo far off from one another (And I didn't feel like running to the grocery store SOLEY for cream cheese...and yes, let's just acknowledge how weird it is that GOAT CHEESE was the one of the two I had on handJ), I added a touch more honey & about 2 & 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to the frosting batch to sweeten it up.

And, of course, Katie got in on the frosting actionJ

Spiced carrot cake topped with nutty brown butter & sweet/tangy goat cheese frosting made this cake a pretty big hit in this house.  I didn't do to shabby usin up what I had on hand yesterday, huh??

And as much as I don't want to so since I've done so well just 'pullin from the pantry' so far this week, I think I'm gonna have to make a quick trip to the grocery store this morning, since we're having a 'typical summer dinner' tonight and I've been wishin for some FRESH CORN somethin FIERCE!  Can anyone even HANDLE that it's almost CORN SEASON in JERSEY....aka- July 4th is NEXT WEEK???  I can't even deal.

Not to mention, my dear readers, I have something to confess.  I fear as I may be suffering some sort of identity crisis as I tell you this news.  Are you ready??


I don't know if you can handle it, but here goes:


I'm actually REALLLLLLLLLLYLOVING summer this year!

I KNOW!!!!!!  MANY (MANY!) YEARS of HATING these 3 months and all the heat & humidity they bring and this year I seem to be EMBRACING IT.  Who am I, and what have you done with Donna?  AMIRIGHT??

Siiiggghhhhhh....this phenomenon DID begin last year with Katie's LOVE of the beach and ALL things "OUTSIDE" (I hear that word about 986 times a day) which probably has about 400% to do with this change of heart, but it is so quick & drastic that I don't even know how to handle this news.  Well....except to get to the Jersey Shore as much as possible any chance I can getJ hahahahhhhhahah

Don't worry.  I'm sure my LOVE of all things CRISP, COOL and FALL will be on it's way soon enough (as my heart DID still swoon at the smell of that baking spiced cake)J  My heart will always still beat for foilageJ

OK, Confession time over!  Have a great Thursday, everyone!J

Aces without a whole lotta effort...

Tuesday Recap:

Workout:  20 Minute Tone it Up HIIT routine

10:00am:  Breakfast- Waffle with butter & roasted flax

+Watermelon

12:00pm:  Lunch-  1/2 flax wrap with peanut butter, 1/2 banana, honey & granola

Mmmmmmmmm...after realizing I had ZERO protein for breakfast and that I was HANGRY by high noon, this peanut butter wrap hit the spot.  Plus I loved the added texture from the small sprinkle of granola.

2:30pm:  Snack- Banana Smoothie

• 1 cup almond milk
• (leftover) 1/2 banana
• 1 scoop protein powder
• Cinnamon & nutmeg

5:30pm:  Dinner- Coffee & Garlic Pork with Roasted Garlic Potatoes

I can't even THINK of the last time we had a 'meat & potatoes' dinner, but this felt very OLD SCHOOL & super cozy...even in the heat of summerJ  Although I managed to keep the kitchen on the cool side with the help of my slow cooker AND toaster oven!  Weeeeeee!

This dinner all came together after I spied this at Trader Joe's...

Coffee & Garlic??  That's like Scott's favorite foods on earth so I knew I had to get it and try it out SOON!

I gave the pork roast a GENEROUS coating, added the pork and about a cup of water to the slow cooker and cooked on low for about 7 hours.  You didn't even need a knife to slice up this bad bear.  

I also made a QUICK BBQ sauce...

1. Add a good amount of the pork drippings to the sauce pan and add an equal amount of water.  Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until reduced in half.  Skip as much fat off the top as you can.
2. Add:
1. 1 cup ketchup
2. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3. A generous shake of the seasoning/rub you used
3. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.

YUM!  ACES without a whole lotta effort!  My favorite kinda dinnerJ

And on the side, I had a bag of mini potatoes sliced in half and coated with olive oil and a good handful of fresh thyme... 

While the potatoes were roasted for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees, I also added a couple bulbs of garlic to roast right along with it... 

I squeezed 1 bulb of garlic into a bowl (saving the other for ANOTHER idea...MWAHAHA!), before mixing in the roasted potatoes... 

...so that every few bites, you got a nice hit of roasted garlic to go along with the fresh thyme.  Ummmm...yum!J 

8:00pm:  Dessert- Coconut Macaroon Brownie from Emery's 

And after one bite, I knew it was going to be FAR too rich (and tempting) to polish off the whole thing, so I promptly wrapped up the second half and tossed it back in the fridge for another night.  As I've said before, out of sight/out of mind has always worked really well for me.  (At least SOMETHING does!  Hallelujah!J) 

Alrighty, well I better get ready for my WEDNESDAY YOGA!  I never fail to get REALLYEXCITED for this class for some reasonJ  Probably has a lot to do with breakin up the middle of the week with some much-needed OMJ

Have a great Wednesday!

All in one weekend...

Morning, all!  Hope you guys had a great weekend!  I had a crazybusyfun one that included a trip to Asbury Park beach on Friday with this little watermelon...

...and not 1...

...but TWO trips to Tuckerton, NJ for my family's annual "Cousin's Weekend" at my cousin's beautiful shore house.

It's such a fun time that I didn't mind the 2 days worth of crazy running around and traversing what felt like the entire state of NJJ  Ya can't beat it for moments like this...

There was also a girl's night painting class at Dragonfly Farms in Hamilton with ma ladies...

And our annual Film Screening from Beyond Expectations at the local AMC theater..

...and again-not 1, but TWO (theme of the weekend??) trips to the beloved Delorenzo's pizza, including Katie's 1st ever trip!  (well, unless you count that one when I was 8 months pregnantJ)

#sacredJ

And somehow there weren't too many food pictures, even though we ALL manage to always eat like KINGS at Cousin's weekendJ  The only picture I managed to capture was one of Katie eating rice for 1 of the .2 seconds she sat still and actually ateJ... 

...and this (swoooon) blueberry cheese danish I had picked up for Sunday morning breakfast from Emery's Blueberry farm in New Egypt, NJ on the way home from the shore... 

...and that all swoops us back to Monday for the start of my weekly recap.  Albeit with 'healthier choices', all with visions of multiple slices of rum cake from the weekend still swirling in my headJ

9:00am:  Breakfast-  Peanut Butter Ezekiel Toast

+ Watermelon

Morning Workout:  Cardio Kickboxing

Week 3 and still going strong with this one.  It's CRAZY intense, but feels REALLY GREAT...when you're doneJ hahahahhaha

1:00pm:  Lunch- "Happy Salad"

3:00pm:  Snack- Chocolate Sugar Free Carnation Instant Breakfast

I try to space these out and not have them too often, but on a day where something COOL & CHOCOLATY seemed divine, I dubbed it appropriate for the day.

5:30pm:  Dinner- Taco Salad 

And since I mentioned I don't know why we don't have this weekly LAST week, I have since filled my weekely quota THIS weekJ  In the mix:

• Taco-seasoned ground turkey
• Kidney Beans
• Roasted Corn
• Peppers & onions
• Lettuce
• Carrots
•  1/2 stick of cheddar cheese

Evening Workout:  Beginner's Power Yoga

Which included about 8 gazillion vinyasa flows....wooooosh!  I had some EXHAUSTED arms by savasanah.

8:30pm:  Dessert- Pretzel Smore

Not necessary in the SLIGHTEST, but very hard to pass up.  At some point I'm just gonna start eating melted marshmallow & chocolate mixed together, since that's the part I CRAVE the mostJ

Alright, I better get started on this Tuesday!  Hope you guys have a good oneJ