From Spring to Winter to....Fall:)

So I put my leftovers to work grabbing & going with a container of my Three Grain Porridge for breakfast yesterday morning....

...and I had such a good and SUPER filing lunch yesterday!  A friend had shared with me her DELICIOUS red lentil & carrot chili (thinking all the while that my Grandmother must be somewhere CRACKING UP because lentils were my #1 most HATED food as a kid:) and I paired it with the NEW Larabar flavor on the block:

OK...not my SUPER favorite, but it's HARD to compete with the likes of Peanut Butter Cookie and Cashew Cookie:)  But, like all Larabars, this one had another ingredient list that can't be beat:)

I think this might have been one of Scott's favorites, though;)  He's the true Blueberry fan of the house.  But complete with an apple, this lunch kept me super full until dinnertime!

And speaking of apples, it played a key roll in the dinner I whipped up last night:  Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Apples Cider sauce! ....

Can't you just hear the leaves rustling & see the jack o' lanterns flickering??? :)

I gathered up all of my ingredients to create my sauce:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Apple Cider Sauce

• Sweet Potato Gnocchi, fresh or frozen
• 2 apples, diced
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 slices Prosciutto
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup grated cheese 

1.- Start by crisping up the prosciutto in a frying pan.  Once it was smoking up the kitchen crisp, remove it from the pan, set aside and crumble when cool....

2.- In the same pan I added a drizzle of olive oil and then tossed in the garlic & onions and allowed them to soften for a few minutes...

3.- Next, add in the apples, ground cloves and salt & pepper.  Allow to cook together to a few minutes....

4.- While the apples & onions are cooking, heat up a pot of salted water and cook the gnocchi per package directions (or around 7 minutes if you're using fresh).

5.- Next, deglaze the apple pan with the apple cider and stir everything together.  Toss in a handful of grated cheese and 2 ladles of the starchy pasta water.  Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes to thicken up.

6.- Finally...drain the gnocchi, toss with some cider sauce, top with apples &onions and the crumbled prosciutto....

Wallah!  A dish that will remind you of FALL in all it's apple spiced glory:)  I was REALLY afraid the cider was going to be too sweet for the sauce, but the little handful of cheese and sprinkle of prosciutto really balanced it out.  LOVE this one!

And keeping with our fall theme, we finished off the night with a little pumpkin bread pudding ALSO from my "lunch fairy";) hahahahhahaha....I threw in a few chocolate chips for good measure:)

Anddd...to wrap up my workout week:

Thursday Morning:  3 mile Walk Away the Pounds with 8 pound weights

Friday Morning:  1 hour Bob Harper Yoga for the Warrior

After my "weak week" last week, I am on FIYAH this week!  I jumped out of bed damn near EAGER to work out every morning.  However, that yoga wiped me out today:)  I caved for a half a cup of coffee this morning for an extra BOOST:) hahahahahahhaha....

And I'm sooooooooooooooo very happy it's FRIDAY!!!!!  And since they were my favorite thing of the week, I'm ALSO adding my White Chocolate Coconut Pretzels to Ekat's Potluck today:) 

Those things were just TOO GOOD aka. -they're already gone! :) hahahahhahahahaha 

Well, I'm SUPER excited about all the Valentines plans for the weekend, starting tonight with even a Valentine's GHOST ADVENTURES!  Oh yeah!  (although, I somehow don't think Jersey Shore will be quite so romantic;) 

Enjoy your Friday everyone! :)