A peek at balance, week 3...

Hey, guys!  This was one of the most fun weekends in recent memory, so I had to share some quick snaps with you guys before we get to the food today...because I just can't help myselfJ

It all started on Friday with a vision board making party with an awesome group of ladies...

(a reminder to myself to throw some Disney World Mickey ears on that board ASAPJ)

...a birthday party with my girl on Saturday...

...and a night out (OK, we ate at 5:30J) with my oldest girlfriends...

...and my FAVORITETHINGEVER of the day:  Celebrating the Olympic year at Katie's 1st gymnastics show!...

...and even Lily got in on the funJ

And, thanks to my Mom for taking the kids on Sunday afternoon, Scott & I got to take naps.  NAP.  Glorious NAPS.  AT THE SAME TIME.  I can't even pretend to remember the last time that happened.  That may or may not have even trumped Olympic gymnasticsJ

Kid.  I kid.  SortaJ

ANYWAY...back to a peek at my attempt at balancing the week on the food front...

Monday:  Kale salad with Maple Almond Vinaigrette

Tuesday:  Croque Monsieur + broccoli

Just a fancy word for ham & cheese sandwich covered with bechamel sauce, but I've wanted to make this recipe for approximately 950 years and FINALLY got around to it (much in thanks to the leftover Gruyere from the French Onion grilled cheeses from a couple weeks ago.)  The bechamel was made with thyme and a sprinkle of nutmeg and was just so divine.  It will NOT be another 950 years before we make this again!

Wednesday:  Turkey and bacon lettuce wraps with basil-mayo

The basil-mayo really lifts these from standard lettuce wrap to O.M.GSOGOOD status.  

Plus bacon.

Thursday:  Pea ravioli & brown butter garlic sauce + salad 

More on this recipe coming soon...J

Friday:  Beef Puttanesca with garlic bread + salad

I was SOEXCITED to make this recipe from Andie Mitchell's Eating in the Middle cookbook that I even made a special stop at the Amish market on Friday for fresh ground sirloin and even texted Scott this picture...

Is my life sad?  

Probably.  It's OK.

Anyway, beef & beans replace the pasta in this recipe for a full-on burst of protein, but still all swirled together with all of that briny, salty goodness.  And just enough of a carb kick with mmmmm...fresh garlic bread.  Swoon.

Saturday:  Family-style dinner at the same Italian restaurant I blogged about on WednesdayJ   (ps-and I paid a fair amount of attention and left just barely full...hallelujah)

Sunday:  Caprese bake + salad

Splurges:

Wednesday:  Bites of Katie's Reese's Bunny...thanks, Easter BunnyJ

Friday:  2 SMALL scoops of this little number I picked up at Trader Joe's

Saturday:  Mmmm....bites of creme brulee & a double chocolate brownie from our Italian dinner.  And ummmm...my favorite part?  The strawberries mixed with vanilla ice cream and balsamic drizzle.  I don't even know who I am anymore.

Sunday:  Mixed bites of THESE...

In honor of Katie's gymnastics show, we had our Moms and niece over for lunch (that Caprese bake)  But, in reality, we were all WAYYYY more excited to crack open the dessert box from Nino's Pastry Shop aka-the best place for cannoli in central Jersey.  The chocolate mousse-raspberry cake wasn't really my jam, but a sliver of that carrot cake and maybe one too many bites of those cannoli cream-stuffed lobster tails were had and SAVORED.  Holy hell, worth every calorie!

Other yummy recipes from the week:

Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad

A leftover, lingering bowl of quinoa in my fridge was saved and turned into this dish, which gave Scott & I lunch for 2 days each.  SOOOOOOO fresh & yummy.

Homemade breakfast sausage

Since I was already at the Amish market, I figured I might as well also pick up some ground pork to quickly whip up this quick homemade sausage recipe for fast breakfasts during the week.  I pretty much just had a repeat of that exact dish a few minutes ago because it was SOGOOD (and put together in under 3 minutes!  BONUS)

Ham & Cheese Hashbrown Waffles

Sunday breakfast dejour!

Exercise:

Tuesday:  Tap class

Wednesday:  TEACHING Vinyasa yoga class (and, again, shaking like a leaf until I started my classJ) + Body Jam

Thursday:  Teaching a private yoga session...we even tried chair yoga!  That was kinda funJ

Friday:  Gentle yoga

Saturday:  Vinyasa yoga

Sunday:  NAPS.  POWER NAPSJ

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As always...thanks for reading!

A little help from Oprah;)

Monday Recap:

Breakfast:  Go Lean Triple Berry with unsweetened almond milk + strawberries

Love this flavor of cereal, especially at springtime (and on sale for $2.99 a boxJ)  The protein in the cereal + the bulk of the strawberries actually kept me full all morning long.

Lunch:  Pina Colada Cake Batter Smoothie 

OH YEAH!!

• 1/4- 1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta
• 1-2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder  
• Drops of coconut & butter extract
• 1 tablespoon sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
• 1 1/2 cup water
• coconut water would be a good base here too!
• 5 ice cubes
• 3 canned pineapple slices + 1/4 cup of the juice (NOT SYRUP!) 
• can also use frozen pineapple, I just didn't have any on hand

Blend, blend, blend and DEVOUR!  Yet another GREAT variation on this low-cal recipe.

(<~and I'm surprised I mentioned that you could taste the spinach in the original green recipe.  I don't notice it here or in the cherry cake batter variations AT ALL.  Just like I can't taste it in any OTHER spinach smoothie for that matter)


Snack:  Cheese Nibblers + a few crackers

Dinner:  Grilled Chicken Club Salad with Guacamole Dressing 

One of our VERY favs that we've made a zillion times, filled with spicy chicken, smokey bacon and cooooooooool avocado dressing (made simply with 1 avocado, 2 tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt, juice from 1/2 a lime & a sprinkle of sea salt).  It just can't be beat.

This was the first time we mixed it with shredded kale, which gave it a hearty base...not to mention BULK!  The salad was mounded on my plate....and I'm OK with thisJ

Workout:  Power Yoga class

The last few Monday night classes have been....vigorous to say the leastJ  Definitely broke a sweat and got in a good workout.  

And in other 'yoga-esq' news, before I settled in to watch "Dancing with the Stars" when I got home last night, I settled in to 'work' on Day 8 of the 21 Day Deepak Chopra & Oprah meditation for "Manifesting True Success."  Meditation was always one of those things I wanted to explore further, but always found excuses to 'put it off for another day' (you know how that goesJ)  So when one of my yoga teachers posted the link for this series on her Facebook, I figured now was as a good of a time as any to try it out.  I love that it's GUIDED (in case you're not sure what to do/how to get started), 20 minutes (accessible, which means you'll actually stick to it) and FREE.  Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone wanted to dip your toe into the meditation world, with-ya know, OPRAH to hold your handJ   

Alrighty...now that I've potentially frightened you thoroughly, hope you guys have a great Tuesday!J

I even organized socks??...

Morning, everyone!  Hope you guys had a great weekend.  Now that I think of it we barely left the house the last 2 days and that was A-OK with me.  We still managed to have a lot going on around here, starting with our traditional "Winter Wine & Cheese" (think HOT DIPS being B-I-G business) on Friday night...

...where my favorite highlight was my BFF's Pinterest-worthy cheese, fruit & nut plate...esp. since these are some of my most FAVORITETHINGSEVER.  Just skip any meal EVER and hand me THIS and I'll be a happy girlJ

Saturday brought our only venture outside of taking Katie to dance class and very soon after we walked in the door, the snow started falling and didn't stop until way past sunset.  The snow canceled the plans I had for Saturday night, but lounging around the rest of the day in PJ's with Scott & Katie was a pretty damn awesome way to take its placeJ  We even made one of our all-time favorite dinners of Spinach Meatballs with Parmesan sauce over egg noodles... 

...butttttt I guess the baby wasn't too crazy over it just yet.  We'll leave it at thatJ  I think I probably maxed out my weekend cheese quota around 7pm on Friday night and the sauce on this dish didn't do me any favorsJ

Sunday's meals proved to be a bit more of a hit, starting with our breakfast of...

Bacon in the oven for 20 minutes = check.  Potato Pancakes in the oven for 10 minutes = check.  Breakfast = Complete!  (topped with a little sour cream & chopped dill) 

These little babies were exactly what I was dreaming of in December.  Crisp, full of onion flavor (my fav!) and ready, sans standing over a frying pan.  I have a feeling this will be a new staple from Trader Joe's from here on out.  Scrumptious!

And they must have been pretty filling, because short of a yogurt & 22 COUNTED OUT CRISPY BLACK BEANS (cause portioning them out is a MUST), I was full for the rest of the day and managed to have one of the most productive Sunday afternoons in AGES.  I'm chalkin the CRAZY amount of energy I had yesterday up to the fact that I've been eating pretty well/balanced + getting in a lot of exercise.  After Scott & I banged out a 2 mile walk before 10am, I tackled a 'to do' list and got things done that I have been putting off for MONTHS (like, ummm, organize Katie's SOCKS...???)  I just never stopped moving and it felt GREAT!  As much as I love a nice, loungy day (like SaturdayJ), a day where you feel SUPER productive is also at the top of my LOVE LIST.

Another item checked off was also tackling my first ever attempt at Swiss meringue buttercream...  

Me & whipped egg whites don't usually get along very well, but I somehow managed to temper them, whip them up into perfect peaks and add butter, vanilla and salted caramel without it all falling to pieces.  If I did nothing else for the rest of the day except THIS, it would have been a miraculously accomplished dayJ 

Back to the frosting in a sec, because first: DINNER!  Since my SIL & I are Pinterest ADDICTS, we decided over a year ago to have a monthly dinner where we alternate dinner & dessert duties and 97% of the time, the recipes are usually coming from our dueling overflowing boardsJ  So for her dinner pick of the month, she made us a chicken quinoa enchilada bake (complete with homemade enchilada sauce...yummm!!) 

I haven't had a stomach for quinoa since October, but here was a GREAT re-introduction to it since you could barely taste it under all the other fab flavors of pulled chicken, black beans and spices.  None of us could get enough!

Andddd of course that brings us back to the frosting, which was tucked between the layers of my HALF-A-CAKE of Salted caramel chocolate fudge cake topped with whipped chocolate ganache & MORE salted caramel... 

The cake was delicious (albeit, VERY sweet) but I was SO focused on the frosting that I didn't really notice the oddity of the actually chocolate cake portion of the recipe.  It called for nearly equal parts flour and liquid, resulting in a ...well, fudgy layer I suppose, but it also had that weird 'not completely set' texture, even though it baked for nearly an hour.  Strange...but we still managed to make do somehowJ 

Well...that about wraps up my post for today.  Ready to get today started since I have lots of odds & ends to tackle this week to get ready for:  KATIE'S THIRD BIRTHDAY!  Wow...I can't even handle it.  I was all fine with the thought of her turning 3 until we hit the 'two weeks till the day' mark and I nearly started freaking out.  Crazy how time flies, but her birthday is always one of my favorite day/weeks of the year, even with that slight twinge of bittersweet...as I'm sure all Moms can relateJ  Off to start compiling piles of PINK decor for the weekend...J

Have a great Monday, everyone!J

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!

Garlic-lovers fantasy come true...

Morning, all!  Hope you guys had a fun one.  I'm trying to run off to the gym a little earlier this fine morning, so here's a quick recap of the weekend...

Friday started with a stop here...

...with a fabulous delight known as the GARLIC BOMB!

...a cheesesteak topped with garlic spread and DEEP FRIED ROASTED GARLIC!

"DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN" is the only way to describe this garlic-lovers fantasy come trueJ

Oh yeah...and there were also a little number known as FARM FRIES... 

...which were fries topped with pork gravy, provolone and BACON!  Oh yes!  The more gravy, the BETTER on these babies!

Then it was time to walk off ALL that goodness by spending the rest of the day at the Philadelphia ZooJ

...which was an obvious HITJ

And then we tried to reel it ALL back in, with an early morning stock up at the farmer's market for the week ahead (complete with THIS adorableness...)

...power yoga + a GREEN SMOOTHIE BOWL (which I WILL admit, was not as appealing as their pretty pink counterpartsJ Green Smoothies in a GLASS from here on outJ)....

..and some GREEK NACHOS for a "light bite" dinner...

Baked pita chips...or, since it's all we had on hand, 100 calorie multi-grain sandwich thinsJ...sliced & baked at 350 for about 10 minutes...

...a layer of crumbled turkey breast seasoned with diced onions, oregano & Greek seasoning... 

...and assorted coooool toppings...

...oh yeah, and a layer of creamy & tangy tzatziki sauce which I whipped up in the food processor within minutes:

• 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 shredded cucumber
• 1 clove of garlic
• couple handfuls of feta
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• salt & pepper to taste 

Nice & light, but BURSTING with flavor...I have a feeling these will be seeing their way to our plates a lot this summer, especially with the cool bites of cucumber & bright green onion... 

And Sunday followed up with a 'sample party' of doughnuts from Beiler's...because, even though Reading Terminal Market is FILLED with a gaggle of exquisite goodies, I JUST CAN'T HELP making a stop at my FAVORITE doughnut stand every time I'm there... 

Maple bacon, vanilla cream and a blueberry fritter joined the party.  Those pieces were actually even smaller than they look in that picture, I SWEARJ 

...because, TRUST ME, someone wanted to make sure they got their fair shareJ  She's just like Mommy & my Grandmom:  we LOVE ourselves some doughnutsJ   

 ...and the rest of Sunday was spent walking in honor of my Uncle at the annual NJ Kidney walk...

...and celebrating my friend's ADORABLE 2 year oldJ  (How CUTE is this cake & cupcake stand that she made???)

So yep, that wraps it upJ.  And since I loved that pilates class so much from last week, now I'm off to try to get there THIS morning.  Especially since the last few weeks I've been getting up earlier to get my workouts in...which Katie must have caught wind of and is NOW getting up at the SAME. TIME!  Sighhhhh...hopefully it's just a phare OR I'll have to start getting up even EARLIER to get in some "ME/EXERCISE" timeJ  Such is lifeJ  Not complaining...just laughing at the ironyJ

Hope you guys have a great Monday!