Morning, all! Well, our house is finally rested and recovered after Katie 'generously' shared her cold with Scott & I. So there wasn't too much cooking (or much activity, really) this weekend, except for Katie getting into making a crumb cake for Daddy on Sunday morning...
(she was VERY proud of her crumblesJ)
...and downing as much chicken broth & these "Vitamin C" smoothies as we could manage.
The above made with as many healthy ingredients as I could find around the house including fresh squeezed oranges, non-fat yogurt, carrots and....I actually don't even remember what elseJ It's all a bit foggyJ
Anyways, it was back to normal for all of us come Monday morning and thus ushering us BACK to WEEK 1 of the Bikini Series after completing all 8 weeks! (OK, OK...week 7 went a bit awry, but the rest were pretty solid!) And in the 8 weeks, give or take due to the 'current situation', I still weigh less than I did on Easter over 2 months ago, and for THAT, I'll chalk it up as a SUCCESS at the momentJ.
I decided to go back to the beginning of our list, but subbing in a few of our favs from the last 2 months (THOSEBREAKFASTTACOS!) and trying to work in 'our own' recipes in between a few Tone it Up-specific ones during the week just to keep it fun and seasonal with all the great produce and summer recipes lately. As usual, it's all about PORTIONS and trying to eat as much healthy stuff over processed stuff as we can. Anytime those scales tip towards HEALTHY= Win. Win, win all around.
Monday Recap:
*Still drinking coconut oil coffee and still finding it to be very 'calming' for the brain. Almost as much so as yoga & meditation, which is WILD. Just FYI. I'll keep ya updated.
Workout: 2 sets arms & squats
Breakfast: Toasted Oats with Strawberry chia jam, coconut milk + caco nibs
...cause I am OBSESSED with putting caco nibs on as many things as I can. Tis' a superfood, afterall!J
Fresh out of the oven, I just HAD to try one of these as snack. Admittedly, I still have not mastered 'alternate flour baking' at ALL just yet. The recipe called for brown rice flour, but I subbed in coconut flour cause I just thought WHY NOT? Well, Why NOT is because I still can't get the ratio of flour to liquid right in coconut flour baking. The TASTE was just fine, but the texture wasn't quite right. (forgot I coulda used oat flour or even REGULAR flour if you wanted), So these, PLUS the frosting (that called for SOY LECITHIN...an emulsifier which I was, ummmm, plum out ofJ) had to be pieced together a bit, but AGAIN, they were pretty tasty (and they're not being brought to a potluck!J) so who really cares?? I have since put them in the fridge in the hopes of them 'firming up' a bit. We'll see. I'm about to go grab one ASAP.
Lunch: Salted caramel crunch yogurt
Snack: Outshine Pineapple Yogurt Bar + 6 almonds
Blame this snack choice on the fact that I had just come home with them from the grocery store AND that by the time I got home, it was about 20947203952093 degrees outside (give or takeJ). We've been LOVING these 90 calorie bars and so has Katie, which I figured was a win in the toddler department. Between these bars & freezing some of those Stonyfield yogurt squeezers and letting her think they're like an 'ice cream treat', she's gotten plenty of her fill of yogurt lately. I'll take it.
Dinner: Polenta Caprese Bites + side salad
Chalk this recipe up as the first "TOO HOT TO COOK" dinner of the season, that thankfully required barely ANY 'hands on' time and came together in under 20 minutes. Not to mention my first CAPRESE dinner of the season, which I was sooooooooooo excited about! I had spied a log of fresh mozzarella at Whole Foods the other day and it never left my mind till I got my fill last night in this light, but cheesy dish! I had made these as a side dish about 500 years ago (aka- 5 years & pre-KatieJ), but last night they starred as the MAIN EVENT and were completely satisfying.
First up, slice up some polenta (got mine at Trader Joe's) and toss em on a medium-heated skillet (or on the grill) for about 5 minutes before giving em a flip...
Once they were flipped, I topped em with some reheated roasted cherry tomatoes (I had roasted these a few days ago and kept em in the fridge for a quick 'reheat & eat.' They are ALWAYS great to have on-hand.) and a slice of fresh mozzarella & a sprinkle of sea salt. I tented them with aluminum foil to melt the cheese and finish crisping up the bottoms.
And then once they were off the griddle, I topped em with a sprinkle of Parmesan and a TON of diced fresh basil...
...which I'm OH-SO-EXCITED to say came from my own little 'porch garden!'
It's been WELL documented on this blog that I have ZERO green thumbs, but after finding this nice little sun patch on my front porch (along with the added reminder to water them givin I walk by them daily), they've actually managed to thrive for about a month. Which is BEYOND a record in my house. ....even if it took plenty of tips from my gardener friend PLUS a youtube tutorial on how to trim basil before I actually embarked on said 'adventure.' I mean...THIS is what we're dealin with here people: YOUTUBE TUTORIALS ON TRIMMING BASIL, it's THAT badJ hahahahahah
ANYWAY, keeping with the theme, I topped my salad with MORE diced basil, Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil & sea salt....
This whole dinner was sooooooo nice, fresh and a great way to kick off the fresh-produce/caprese season. And, oh yeah, let me mention again how it came together in under-20 minutes and had barely any 'hands on' time. THAT is what is VERYYYYY much needed in these WAYTOOHOT months ahead.
Alright...well, I feel like I've written my word quota for the day PLUS Katie's current activity is painting her nails while I type this blog, so I better get back and see what's goin onJ
Have a great Tuesday!J
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