And the sun came out...

Thursday Recap:

6:45-7:15am:  Dance/weights with "11's"/stretch

Almost didn't make it yesterday!  I was BEATJ

8:00am:  Hot Lemon Water

9:00am:  Life cereal

Doused with FALL flavored nutmeg & pumpkin pie spice, natchJ

12:00pm:  Banana Cream Smoothie

So of course it only took until high noon yesterday to bust out the NINJA & let her stretch out her legs...

After adding all the ingredients and being met with a FLASHING Power button ( = no go!)... 

...a quick consult of the 'getting started' guide revealed the VITAL (apparently!) step of aligning the lid & base arrows.  Don't forget this peeps or it's "Do not pass go, do not collect $200." 

A few quick pulses and my smoothie ingredients didn't stand a chance!  I wouldn't want to meet this thing in a dark alley. 

In the mix:

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• Banana cream Oikos yogurt
• 1/2 scoop protein powder
• Frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• cinnamon...lots of cinnamonJ
• 4 ice cubes 

YAY!  So excited to have a smoothie without having to pray my blender wasn't going to set on fire!J hahahahaha  Can't wait to see what I'll whirl up todayJ

1:00pm:  Coffee with creamer (the gloomy weather got the best of me)

3:00pm:  Trader Joe's White Cheddar Corn Puffs

I knew a 'salty snack' was going to be the order of the day...hmmmm...around 10amJ  These little cheddar nuggets hit the spot, and for only 140 calories for 2.5 cups!  That's A LOT of cheddar nuggets for your calorie buckJ

6:00pm:  Lasagna Soup

So after yesterday's threat of day-long showers & thunderstorms led my mind from my previously planned "summer dinner" (it's already on the menu for next week) to something more on the cozy side to combat the dreary day.  (thanks FB peeps for help with the final vote!)

Only problem?  By the time I went to cook, not only had the humidity been kicked up 400%, BUT THE DAMN SUN CAME OUT! 

At least it was only for a brief spell and by the time the soup had finished it's required 30 minutes of simmering, it was back to doom & gloom...ya know, which is only an acceptable reason to be happy when soup is simmering on the stoveJ

After taking a quick inventory and realizing we had everything on hand to make this soup (minus the fresh basil, I ended up just using some that I had frozen), I made the recipe the exact same as last time.  I found this sausage in the freezer and figured why not add ONE more layer of cheese to the soup???J

Ya know, along with the "surprise" layer at the bottom! 

This is seriously one of my favorite recipes of all-time.  The soup is SO hearty and comforting, and who could beat a hidden layer of gooey cheese????  It's just cozy 101.

We also turned someone into a new fanJ  This made me laugh because while I was still carrying Katie, there was one night where every time we said the word "soup," she would KICK like CRAZY!  So when I asked her last night if she wanted more soup and all limbs went flying with a big smile plastered on her face, all I could think was 'well, I knew that was going to happen even from back then' J

Sentimental story over, as that wraps up todayJ.  There won't be tooooo much cooking in my house this weekend since we'll be seeing my niece off to semi-formal dance tonight and celebrating her graduation from middle school (eeee!) on Saturday night.  But I'll be back in the kitchen on Sunday to whip up Scott some good treats for Father's Day!  I told him to pick from a category of his favorites and I would make a breakfast & dessert to matchJ  We'll see if he picks:

• Blueberry
• Coffee
• Peanut Butter & chocolate
• Nutella
• Carrot Cake
• Cake batter
• "Candy Bar"

As of last night, he was still in a quandaryJ hahahahhahahaa  Hope you guys have a great weekend and happy Father's day to all the dads out there!

ENJOY!