Weekly Balance, week 6...

Hey, everyone!  I know I'm a day late & a dollar short on my weekly wrap-up, but I'm trying to get back on track after a couple weeks of 'inspiration roadblock.'  I have plenty of things I WANT to write about, but haven't been able to get my thoughts together enough to write a 'deep thoughts' post and really don't want to half-ass it!  But I should have a couple posts this week to get back in the swing.

And in getting back in the swing....weekly wrap-up post comin at ya NOW!

Monday:  Taco dip with tortilla chips, apples & guacamole

This recipe needs to be the poster child of how I LOVE to cook, but trulyreally at the end of the day CAN NOT.  I mean, honestly!  I swear I just fake it on a wing and a prayer most daysJ  

Example #905048:  This recipe called for rice and we were out of white rice and I just wasn't feelin the brown rice that day (although, honestly, you probably wouldn't have even noticed the chewy texture around everything else going on in the 'dip').  So what do I do???  Add what we had laying around the kitchen,  Which was...wait for it....BLACK RICE.  And guess what BLACK RICE does to a pot of tomato-based red chili??  So yes, that is how we came to eat black/purple taco dip to kick off the week.

*shakes head in exasperation*

At least it tasted good....and even the purple-hued leftovers were really good, but...

*still shaking head in exasperation*

MOVING ALONG!

Tuesday:  Sundried tomato chicken + lightly glazed rainbow carrots

From black rice to rainbow carrots & I SWEAR they are SUPPOSED to be that color!  I'm currently LIVING for those purple/yellow/orange carrot bouquets.  Not to mention this entire dish is 'last meal on earth' contender worthy.  I actually told Scott if we had this same meal for an entire week, I'd be fine with that.  AKA- TRY NOW!

Wednesday:  Chicken puffed tacos 

I tried the Pioneer Woman version this week where you stuffed the chicken in the taco BEFORE taking them for a dip in the hot oil...but then you could barely pry them open enough to top them with all the good stuff...hence that pile of lettuce sitting on TOP of the taco in the frontJ  (oh yes, that IS a taco.  I know...J)  So I nixed that plan for our other 'cos in favor of giving us plenty of room to add ALLTHECHEESEANDGUACAMOLEANDLETTUCE.  I truly love the LETTUCE.

Again, I know....

Thursday:  Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce 

This meal came about because the day COMPLETELY got away from me (although with what?  At this moment I have ZERO CLUE.  #momlife)  But after flipping through my Pioneer Woman cookbook for those above tacos, I found this recipe and realized we had all the ingredients and that this meal was going to come together in .4 seconds.  I countered that cream in the recipe with replacing 3/4 of the spaghetti with zucchini noodles.  They all played nicely together in the pool of creamy, dreamy sauce.  

Hashtag Balance.

Friday:  Lunch/dinner at Palace of Asia

2 yoga classes and a terribly rainy & blustery day to end a week of terribly rainy/blustery days led to a craving for Indian food could NOT be ignored for one more moment.  The BEST part of Palace of Asia (besides it being a GORGEOUS restaurant) is their weekday lunch buffet, where you can try ALLTHETHINGS.  And for someone who does not know too much about Indian cuisine, this is a great introduction.  And even after going more times than I can count, I STILL have no clue what my veryfavoritedishes are from there, but I'm always willing to go back as much as possible to try to figure it outJ

Saturday:  Take-out baked ziti + cheesey garlic bread + salad

NEEDED.  At least Scott & I shared the entree with leftovers still lingering in our kitchen.  A great way to portion & 'keep it all in check.'

 Sunday:  Homemade Ravioli + meatballs + salad

I'm not sure anyone enjoyed our Mother's Day feast as much as LilyJ  This coming off the fact that I swear she ate a quarter pound of that ziti on Saturday nightJ

Splurges:

Vanilla Joe-Joe's:

Katie's "If you're good, I'll get you these" bribe impulse purchase of the week.  I had 2 of these a couple nights last week.

Wednesday Lunch:

I wouldn't even call this a 'splurge' as much as I would call it a 'better way to eat not-so-good-for-you' food.  My friend had told me about these and I was SO glad I had picked em up when a RANDOM craving for a hot dog took over.  And rather than another trip to Stewart's, I tossed one of these in the toaster.  And for 150 calories & 4.5 grams of fat, ya really can't do much better on the 'dog front.  

There was also cake on Mother's Day...and in true "I can't cook" fashion (see above), I managed to make the thinnest cake with the gooey-iest frosting the world has ever known.  I can't explain myself.  

Exercise:

Monday:  Vinyasa Hatha yoga

Tuesday:  Taught vinyasa yoga + tap class

Wednesday:  Power yoga + Body Pump  (THAT was all fun & games till it wasn't...hahahaJ)

Thursday:  Taught 2 gentle yoga classes

Friday:  Gentle + power yoga

Onward to a new week!

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As always...thanks for reading!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner....

Tuesday Recap:

Breakfast:  Apple with 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Lunch:  1/2 can of tuna with mayo & capers on sprouted grain wheat bread

 Snack:  Trader Joe's Chocolate Chip Brownie & Oat Bars

These little babies are soooooo yummy.  Much more brownie than granola bar and studded with chocolate chips.  Perfect for a mid-afternoon chocolate fix for 120 calories.

Dinner:  Slow Cooker Italian Pulled Chicken + broccoli

Talk about a yummy dinner with MINIMAL EFFORT.  Into the slow cooker went:

• 1 pound chicken breast
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• Oregano
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Dried Basil  (didn't measure any of those, just sprinkled em on top)

Let that cook on low about 5 hours and then add:

• 1 cup shredded kale (mine went in frozen and cooked up fine)
• 3 diced roasted red peppers

Let everything cook up for another hour and you're good to go.

Well, sort ofJ These were supposed to be sandwiches topped with melted mozzarella, but since we were plum out of sandwich rolls, I just laid the chicken out on non-stick sprayed foil and topped it with a sprinkle of parm and lots of mozz and popped it in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese was melty.

Extra step = WORTH IT!  The cheese made it extra gooey and all of the flavors of the chicken just powered on through. All the flavors, and who can't use an excuse to cut back on carbs for dinner here and there.  Try this one out.  It was def a winner, winner, chicken dinnerJ

Dessert:  1 Smore  (not pictured)

Not pictured cause I was JUST TOO EXCITED to eat it to stop and take a pictureJ  Made with Trader Joe Grahams and pieces of one of the THREE Lindts chocolate bunnies that Katie got for EasterJ  Poor bunnyJ

And sigh...another day and no workout.  As excited as I was to get to movin, I actually had a doc appointment yesterday morning and after a few 'signs,' she suggested it I take certain 'strenuous' exercises a little easier ....and that I need to drink a LITER of water for every HALF HOUR of exercise???  (even though I admittedly HAVE been really thirsty this time around) So in an attempt to give my body one extra day to heal an ache I had had, I rested for another day and am going to try to get on a regular/not so strenuous routine....which means:  probably more walks/less zumba/and paying more attention in power yoga (cause I'm NOT givin up that one yet!).  We'll see how this goesJ  Just gotta pay more attention to the 'signs' at this momentJ

Alright...that was a lot of yammeringJ  Have a good Wednesday!

The stuggle is real...

Thursday Recap:

Breakfast:  Brown rice cake with 1/4 avocado

...anddd those crumbs from the bottom of the bag that are sprinkled on top signal the end of my rice cake supply.  Who'd a thunk they'd be at the top of my latest shopping list???

Snack:  Easter bread

#Can'tStopWon'tStop

Lunch:  Apple with peanut butter, honey & cinnamon

This thing really is a cravings killer.  Again, I'm gonna credit the fact that it has ALL THOSE FLAVORS.

Dinner:  Three-cheese skillet lasagna

This thing has been on my list ALL winter long...so leave it to me for it to FINALLY make its appearance at my table on the first 70 degree dayJ  At least it was raining....so there's thatJ

And I'm not sure what took so long for me to make it considering it's a ONE POT WONDER, making both the meat sauce... 

...AND pasta in the SAME PAN! 

Top with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella and tossed in the broiler to give everything a quick melt and dinner hit the table in less than 30 minutes....WEEEEEEEEEEE! 

Could this possibly even BE bad??  Three cheeses + pasta + one pot to clean + EXTREME coziness!  Winner all around.

Workout:  Zumba

OK, so maybe the only place the pasta wasn't so great for, was having it BEFORE heading to this classJ  My near-7 month pregnant self doesn't exactly feel as 'light & dance-y' as usual anymore, so throw in heavy pasta and I felt like I was barely lifting my feet by the end of the class.  Still, I shuffled around and moved my arms enough to get a good sweat and that was as good as I could do last nightJ

"Dessert"- Water, water, water

At least I broke my sweet tooth for one night!  By the time I got home, there was enough time to chug some water, meditate and hit the hayJ    ...not that I wasn't thinking about CHOCOLATE before ZumbaJ

So, I'm thinking tonight might be the night I pull the "NJ Lenten Friday" card and call it pizza night around this house.  So listen to this:

-I initially wanted Pappa's (which has now relocated to Robbinsville, NJ), for their simple, classic tomato pie topped with fresh, whole garlic.  

-THEN I happened to see a featurette on our well-loved South Jersey fav Bricco on Facebook this morning, reminding me JUST how OBSESSED I was with this place in late December/early January.  I think we ate there three times in so many weeks....one time being two days in a rowJ  I just couldn't get enough of their crisp pizza and outrageously good Cesar salad.

-THEN I remembered Scott's favorite Federici's has been on BOTH of our brains since my birthday trip for thin crustJ

-THEN I remember there was also a place in Bordentown that I had been wanting to try.

-THEN I remembered we have THE best Sicilian pie for take-home from Nino's and a ANOTHER new place around the corner that has a pretty cheap one in the area.

#JERSEY PROBLEMS!  THE STRUGGLE IS REALJ  I mean, our options for FABULOUS pizza are really insane.  And that's seriously not even a quarter of our options.  I could def add to that already obnoxiously long listJ

Oh, and wondering why my beloved Delorenzo's isn't on this list??  Because unless we're ready to go to dinner at 4, I'd prepare for a LONNNNNNNG wait to get into this place....esp. on Lenten Friday.  Hell, ANY Friday in that placeJ  I actually went on a random Wednesday night not too long ago and by the time we were done eating around 8pm, a waiting crowd had formed near-round our table.  Craziness.

Now that I think of it, 4 o'clock dinner doesn't sound TOO badJ

Soooooo....we'll see what wins outJ  Hope you guys have a great weekend!!!

And by fun, I mean horrifying...

Morning, all!  Hope you guys had a great weekendJ  I had the best one I could think of in a long while since it was PACKED with fun stuff from beginning to end, including...

...dinner with family on Friday night, complete with homemade cupcakes by Katie...

...followed by seeing my niece's band play at half-time (oh, those ole high school days)...

...Saturday brought some dancing school for Katie...

...and some Halloween fun at my friend's party on Saturday night.  (this costume's more appropriate than you'll ever knowJ)

And by fun, I mean completely horrifying since THIS happened all night...EKKKKKK!

And we rounded out Sunday with a little Harvest Festival...

...and a visit with friendsJ

...oh yeah, and teaching my FIRST EVER Yoga practice 'class' with 2 friends!  Oh, was I terrified before it started but very proud when it was OVAJ

Oh yeah, we also had some good eats mixed in there too, starting with our traditional German Apple Pancake for breakfast on Sunday morning...

...Pre-flip...

...POST flip...

This one may have been one of my favorites of all-time since it spent a LITTLE less time in the oven, leaving the center more custard-like.  Mmmmm...just divine.

And COLD FALL OFFICIALLY came to Jersey Sunday morning, as the weather went from mid- 70's to LOW 50's!  Brrrrrrrrr...that was a quick change, but not an unwelcome one after that mid-80 degree day last week.  And with that change, we knew WARM & COZY was on the menu in the form of chili cooked low & slow all day in the crockpot...

Scott created this Chipotle-laced variation and I hope he remembers the recipe for next time since it was sooooooooo delicious.  PACKED with lots of goodies with just a little kick of spice at the end, definitely one of our favs.

And, oh yes, cornbread also came to the party in the form of...

Mmmmm...I finally found the TJ's Pumpkin cornbread mix and I'm so glad I did.  It was moist and dense with just an extra little flavor kick from the pumpkin.  It was sooooooooooooooo hard to resist another piece.  The only thing that stopped me was knowing THIS was in my future...

Browned butter apple cutard pie?  Ummm...yes, please!  Still trying to use up ALL our apple pickin and pie just HAD to happen this weekend and this recipe was a pretty damn good one.  Give it a try!

And not long after my final bite of pie, I hit the hay for an EARLY bedtime after alllllll that busy-ness this weekend.  Hope you guys had a great one and are ready to start the week.  Me thinks SOUPS gonna be hittin the table quite a few times this week since it's going to be a BRISK one.

Have a good Monday!J

FALL kiss...

Thursday Recap:

Breakfast- 1 1/2 biscuits with gravy + turkey sausage from Cracker Barrel

...where I usually get a workout thrown in the mix since Katie LOVEEESSS to run around the Cracker Barrel store and see (and play!) with 'all the stuff' (and EXTRA running when she heads for anything made of GLASS...eekkkkkk!)...

And after a visit to the mall...

...and a visit to the little play area...

...we had a rather UNconventional lunch, since my Mom & I had been DYING to try the ice cream from the Godiva store at the mall..

We split a small cup of vanilla and a twist cone among the three of us and, aside being surprisingly a little icy, this was some of the most flavorful ice cream EVER.  The vanilla almost tasted like it was made with browned butter from its deep flavor and was speckled with vanilla beans (which I LURV!).  While the chocolate, well, I didn't expect Godiva to mess THAT up.  Creamy, smooth and decadent, it tasted like melted chocolate.  Every flavor was a winner here, I must say.

Dinner- FALL nachos with caramelized apples, smoked gouda & warm maple drizzle

Ooooooooohhhhhhh yes...I've had this variety of nachos on the brain for nearly a YEAR and I finally was able to make them come to life last night.  

First, into a heated pan went some onions to caramelize.  This was probably the 'hardest' part of the whole dish because you have to let them cook on medium-low for nearly 30 minutes.  Ya just gotta give em a quick stir ever so often, but caramelized onions are definitely a labor of love.

Once the onions had about 5 more minutes, I tossed in a diced apple...

...and then went in 3 diced links of this...

Let everything cook together while you crisp up the 'chips...'

Slice 2 burrito sized tortillas into 8 chips and place on a sprayed cookie sheet and pop in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until they begin to lightly brown.  Once they are done, load each chip with a pile of the onion/apple/sausage mix...

...and top with your cheese de jour.  For me, it was this smoked gouda, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand/or feels FALL-Y to you!

Pop em back into the oven to let the cheese melt.  Meanwhile, I poured about 1/4 cup of maple syrup into a small pot and brought it to a boil for a few minutes to warm & reduce a bit.

Once the melty nachos come out of the oven, give em a little maple drizzle for the ultimate FALL kiss...

Sweet & salty, crunchy & creamy....you get it all in these pretty little nachos.  Not to mention all of the yumminess of FALL.  You MUST give these a try this season!

Hope you guys have a great weekend.  Mine is going to be ALL-CONSUMING and OVERWHELMING!  I'll share on MondayJ

Workout:  Hatha Yoga

Until then...have a great weekend!

Loads of apples...

Morning, everyone!  I feel like it's been a minute & a day since I did a 'recap' post.  You may notice a running theme through today's (and this week's) posts, given that were trying to use up all of our bounty from apple picking a couple weeks ago...

Since last year was a bust on the apple department, we thought we'd get an earlier jump this year and head out in late September.  The only problem THIS time?  The BEES were out in FULL SPLENDOR.  I don't think I'd seen a bee all summer, but they are making a grand appearance in the FALL...BOO!  I'm still kinda shocked we all somehow made it outta that orchard un-stung.  Guess they were more interested in the apples then us, THANKFULLY.

So anyway...back to that recap, shall we??

Monday Recap:

Breakfast- APPLE with peanut butter

+ ACV shot

So I think the stevia, rather than the ACV, was the cause of my migraines last time I tried these.  I've had a few in the last few weeks and thankfully, all seemed fine going into the evening...soooooo, we're back to incorporating these into the day.  (even if I wouldn't have minded the excuse to skip themJ)

Lunch- "Happy salad"

...oh yeah, and I did add some leftover diced apple from one Katie was noshing on.  Cause...well...APPLES!

Snack #1-  

OK, I am OBSESSED with these things!  They are Greek yogurt crafted to taste like cheesecake.  I was COMPLETELY skeptical at first, but found the consistency (and the lack of 'yogurt tang') to be pretty spot on.  Not the healthiest of yogurt options out there, but if you want something sweet in the afternoon, this isn't a bad place to spend your 180 calories.

Snack #2-

I didn't want to do it, but I was STARVING by 4pm.  So I reached for HALF of one of these delicious Pumpkin 'poptarts.'  They are crumbly, filled with spiced pumpkin filling and just a kiss of icing.  ONE clocks in at 200 calories, so I usually try to stick to 1/2.  (I remember the days when I used to eat a 2-pack and call that breakfast back in the day...ekkkkk!)

Dinner- Autumn Salad

In the mix:

• Dressing (makes enough for 2+ salads...the + being KatieJ)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vineger
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• salt
• Salad
• Lettuce (obv)
• diced apples (there I go again)
• shredded cheddar cheese
• broccoli slaw
• crumbled bacon
• crispy sage

Crispy sage is having a well-deserved moment, especially in THIS house, since we LOVEEEEE it.  All ya do is toast up some torn sage leaves in a tiny pat of butter or olive oil and allow them to crisp up.  They. are. awesome. and perfectly FALL-y.  (especially in THIS recipe)

Workout:  Beginner's Power Yoga

Dessert-

Ummmmm...and as GIDDY as I was to find these and finally try them last night was as UN-impressed as I was when I bit into them.  The chocolate was thick and glossy, the sea salt was flavorful and well...saltyJ, and the caramel broke through in the perfect pool of gooey deliciousness...except that it wasn't.  The caramel flavor is barely detectable over the spice, which was WAY too heavy and didn't really blend with the caramel taste at all.  I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do with the rest of the box since I don't know if they're worth any more of the calories.  Sorry, Trader Joe's.  Ya lost me on this one...

But maybe the caramels were 'OFF' since I ate them while trying to prevent myself from bashing my head into the wall while listening to Teresa & Joe Guidice on their post-sentencing interview on WWHL last night.  Oy, those two.  But I still watched, so who's really the foolJ

Alright food AND NJ Housewives chatter concluding.  Hope you guys have a great Tuesday!