My week...phewww!

Hey everyone...long time, no chat!  This week has been a WHIRLWIND of:

...cookie baking...(Although NO MARATHON sessions for me this year!  I made Scott's favorite Espresso Crinkles & my beloved "Peanut Sitting Pretties" and called it a year this year!)

...finishing off "secret Christmas projects" which took up nearly every. single. moment. of my waking hours...while SOMEONE wasn't around/sleeping!J...

...and squeezing in yoga every. last. chance. I could (even sneaking in ANOTHER "Christmas Yoga class" thanks to a friend!!)

And with one last burst of energy today, I can say all of our presents are wrapped...

...surfaces are spotless... 

...and the entire house is about to go into full blown Christmas relaxation mode!  And not a moment too soon, I might add!!! J  I'm beat! 

In the midst of all of this "week before Christmas business," there was also some cooking.  And while one of my dinners was a nice bowl of Strawberry Yogurt Cheerios, I WILL show you our most decadent AND most healthy dinners of the week.

First up:  The decadent... 

No kids, that's not your Grandmother's Spaghetti with gravy...as this dinner was inspired after watching an episode of "Best Thing I Ever Made."  And as soon as I saw this recipe for Bucatini with Bacon Sauce, I knew I had to make it ASAP!

Especially since I had picked up some huge bacon slices on our trip to Lancaster! 

The sauce starts out how any fantastic dish does:  by crisping up a few (ahem *6*) slices of bacon... 

...along with a diced onion... 

And I figured if I was going to make this dish, I was going to make it RIGHT. (ummm...hence my OVER bacon usage!!)  I even went out to find the "appropriate" canned tomatoes that were suggestedJ 

When the sauce had simmered for over an hour, I cooked up my HEARTY bucatini (can you argue with pasta that 'catches' sauce on the INSIDE??!!) 

And topped it off with that hearty, beauuuitful sauce... 

Served up with some baked meatballs and I fear I may have created a monster with this dinner, as Scott proclaimed that it's gonna hard to have any sort of regular (aka: non-bacon) gravy from now on!  The bacon just gave the entire sauce a smokey, meaty & fabulous flavor.  Not surprising...this dish was too dieeee for! 

But DEFINITELY on the "CAPITAL D: DECADENT" side!  Certainly a "treat" dinnerJ

Annnnddd to balance out all of that bacon goodness, our dinner tonight was on the OTHER end of the spectrum.  Necessary, no?? J

First up were an attempt at Spanikopita burgers.  Buttttt....thanks to a few supplements from my fridge, they sorta turned into a Greek/Mediterranean hybridJ

• 3/4 pounds ground turkey
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
• 1/4 cup Tabbouli
• 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves

I mixed all of that together, formed them into patties, cooked em on the griddle till cooked through and topped em off with a little more diced red onion and...  

Soooooo good, especially with the Tzatziki.  And much like I might always add bacon to my tomato sauce from now on, I also might always add spinach to my burgers.  It keeps them super moist, creates bigger burgers...and obviously: healthy bonus! 

And we figured a night of 'skipped french fries' in lieu of roasted garlic broccoli might be a better idea for the nightJ hehehhehehe....

Well hope you enjoyed my week long recap!  I'm off to go join Scott on the couch and watch more of the Ghost Adventures marathon.  Yes...that's how we party the day before Christmas EveJ hahahhaaha...have a good night, everyone!  I just may have one. more Christmas oatmeal recipe for you in the AM...stay tunedJ