Friday Favorites: Summer edition...

It has been WELL (x's infinity) documented on this blog that I am NOT a fan of summer.  In years past, I've been known to close my eyes, bow my head and pray for it to speed by till my beloved FALL rolls in.  And while I'm STILL not a huge fan of walking out of my house at 7pm and the temperature still reading 96 degrees (This actually happened last night) or standing in ONE PLACE and feeling like you're doused in sweat from the 100% humidity rating (ALSO yesterday), summer & I have been changing our tune about each other.  Well, we HAVE been since Katie's 2nd summer where we realized the beach was her absolute happy place, but now I am waving the white flag for making time STOP.  The kids are just at such fun ages, I don't wish one moment away anymore (ok, ok...SOME days are still a crawl-through-barbed-wire till bedtime, let's be realJ) and have really tried to EMBRACE ALL THE SUMMER THINGS and enjoying all it's perks as much as possible.  (I sure as hell ain't hatin' on the late sunsets...a fan of pitch-dark at 6pm, I am not)  

Not that I'm not compiling with Katie's wish to still listen to the $5 Kohl's Disney Christmas CD on the near-daily....and maybe or maybe not letting it play even if she's not in the car.  But, ya know, TOTALLY embracing the restJ

And with that said, we've also been (OF COURSE) embracing all of the good summer eats.  From cool lettuce wraps to bacon-stuffed smores (WHATTT??), it's all-day-everyday seasonal around here!  So I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite recipes we've been making lately and a few more I just CAN NOT WAIT to tryJ


Favorite Burgers: (yes, plural)  Cheddar & Bacon filled burger & Cream cheese & green chili burger

Friday nights have been "summer classics" in our house since Memorial Day...where we get to have ALLTHEBURGERS&HOTDOGS and side salads in the name of summer.  I tried this tradition a few years ago and it lasted...hmmmm, 3 weeks?  This year, however, we are GETTING IT DONE (#lifegoals) and here have been 2 of our favorites thus far.  (until TONIGHT'S!  Tonight's should be EPIC!  More on that later...)

Favorite way to eat the rainbow:  Couscous Salad

A long time favorite in our house for both taste and because it's SO DARN PRETTY!  This Southwestern version is ACES too.

Favorite frozen:  Easy Strawberry Marshmallow Pops

Katie & I have been making Popsicles almost weekly since summer began and these babies are still the favorites out of the bunch (especially when we used our fresh picked strawberries...swoon!)  We also made these with blueberries, but the strawberry tops the charts for me.  Other favorites include these Cappuccino pops (Scott's favs) and these secretly healthy fudge pops.

Favorite healthy breakfast (or snack):  Tone it Up Berry Bright Chia Pudding

This is such a coooooooool way to start the day on a hot morning.  I've made this in both strawberry (for me) and blueberry (for Scott), and we both LOVE it.  Especially while blueberries are at a SEASONAL $$ LOW right now.

Favorite TOOHOTTOCOOK:  Watermelon Caprese

This isn't rocket science, but you'll forgive me once it takes .4 seconds to make dinner and your oven stays O-F-F.  PERFECT for these dog days.

Favorite FAVORITE FAVORITE:  Lettuce wraps

Lettuce wraps.  Lettuce wraps ALL DAY.  I LOVEEEEEEEE em.  I truly do and could eat them 4-5 days a week.  They're light, usually fairly healthy and pretty quick.  MY FAVORITE right now is this chicken satay variation, which we've eaten 3 times in as many weeks.  We also LOVED this Jamaican Jerk Chicken variation.  And to keep your kitchen even cooler, throw all the ingredients for these Honey garlic chicken wraps in the slow cooker in the AM and have a full cooked meal ready by dinner time (sans stove!).

Favorite sneaky way to get healthy:  "The Life Changing Magic of the Veggie Box"

I'm trying my best to keep this as a permanent fixture in our fridge.  All it takes is under-15 minutes of prep to chop up a week's worth of veggies so you have em at your disposal all week.  I can't even tell you how many times in the last few weeks that I've snacked on veggies & hummus, PURELY because they were THERE.  And they make an awesome pack & go snack for your busy days (yes, I'm the gal in the parking lot eating veggies with hummus while going from gym to gym to teachJ)  Now is as good a time as any to customize it with ALL of your favorite summer fresh produce.  Last week we had cherry tomatoes, radishes & pea pods (which I don't even LOVE, but DID like them with hummus) and this week it's rainbow carrots, celery & pepper slices.  A little prep work always goes a long way in eating healthy.

Favorite dessert:  Dirt cake

I've had Oreo dirt cake probably less than a handful of times in my life, but that didn't stop me from DYING for it last night and then proceeding to leave my house at 7pm to get all the ingredients (hence, why I noticed it was still 96 degrees) and come home to whip this up for Katie lickity split.  She actually squealed when she tasted it and yelped "I LOVE THIS STUFF!" (#worthit)  I just bought some gummy worms to add to it tonight to really make her crack upJ  PS- This was all an experiment in my 'eat what you want when you want it,' and I definitely felt satisfied and complete with my small portion.

CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE:

Brazilian Lemonade

This has been on my list to make for a couple years and what better excuse than the OLYMPICS IN RIO for finally putting that recipe to use!  Weeeeeeeeeeee....  (I'm not excited at allJ)

No-churn Sugar Roasted Peach Ice Cream

Once peach season is in full swing, IT. IS. ON!  

I also want to get on board with this homemade ice cream business with this honey ricotta version for decadence & this Tone it Up Mint chip ice cream for health (that may or may not also be breakfast one dayJ)

Let me know what you guys have been LOVING cooking and, of course, ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

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A peek at prep...

Hey everyone....and collectively EXHALE.  You've made it to FRIDAY!  Weeeeeeeeeee!  Any good plans this weekend??  

So I've had this post floating around my head all week, and I wanted to talk today about menu planning for the week.  Sure, there have been more than my fair share of weeks where I just throw caution to the wind and see what winds up on our table.  But more times than not, I ALWAYS try to go into the week with a plan and (for the most part) stick with it.  I've always made meal planning a priority, and feel it's been a big factor in our weight loss and trying our best to stay on a healthy path.   Not to mention it's honestly, about 94% of the time, my favorite "chore."  I just love putting together a list of dinners I'm excited to make and/or I just love making lists in generalJ  I try to balance out the specifically healthier meals (aka- salads & lettuce wraps) along with the fun-ner meals so we don't get bored or too boring for that matterJ 

  

First things first, I take an inventory of everything we have in the fridge & freezer.  Here's a peek at the madness...

Lately I've been OBSESSED (capital O!) with keeping a running list of all of the items that need to be used up within the week or 2, as to waste as little as possible.  So anything that needs to be used, I figure out recipes or ways to incorporate them into the week's meals.  Nothing grates my nerves more than having to throw out 1/2 empty jars or wasted produce that didn't get used up.  So I try my best to not let that happen....(or face the wrathJ)

ALSO!  THE FREEZER!  Me & my freezer are BFF's and I WILL freeze anything that I can that I won't use right away and don't want to go to waste.  My freezer is currently stocked with a leftover lunch-sized portion of chicken stir-fry, a few cupcakes (I'd rather spread em out for desserts than throw them out or feel like I need to eat so many within a week, ya know), 1/2 a vegetable lasagna, a container of chili, leftover homemade cornbread and slices of sourdough bread among the frozen meat, fruit & vegetables.  My freezer rule goes like this:  if it's something you're going to cook with (aka- that sourdough bread for grilled cheese or basil to bake on top of a pizza), I think it's fine to pull them out of the freezer.  But if you're going to have those things fresh (aka- a side of Italian bread with butter or fresh herbs sprinkled on a salad or to finish to a dish) do the damn thing and buy it fresh!  There's not much better than freezing a meal you've have had enough of at the moment, and then pulling the leftovers out of the freezer a month later as a quick meal that all you need to do is reheat.  We ALL have those nights that are too busy or we JUST don't FEEL like being in front of the stove, and freezer meals can always save the day.

ANYHOW, once I have a list of all the ingredients that need to be used (jarred artichokes, kalamata olives & wonton wrappers were on last week's list), I get busy looking for inspiration.  I will fully admit I admire anyone who can take the contents of any fridge and whip up an amazing meal on the spot.  I'm so not that person!  I can do it if needed, (and/or default right to a fab dish of spaghetti with garlic & oilJ) but I'm much more of a person who likes a little inspiration.  Hence, THIS:

And in our modern times, consult my Pinterest board....which I psychotically keep mostly in seasonal categories because I need help love cooking around the what's in season...(asparagus & lemons....I'm looking at you right now...)

See also:  I'm crazy but LOVE IT!

Then it's onto picking all of the meals and setting the menu for the week (here's a sneak peek of this week's).  I also always try to balance EASY and super-quick meals with maybe 1 or 2 that I know might take an extra minute.  DO NOT go into the week thinking you're going to have any desire to stand over the stove for an hour.  KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Nearly all of these meals were made with less than 20 minutes of 'hands on' time.  Don't make healthy harder than it needs to be!  (It's hard enough as it is, ya know??J)

The bottom is also a rolling list of all of the breakfast & lunches I want to make with some of the ingredients we have laying around along with a few recipes I want to have/try in the very foreseeable future.  Because lists.

And finally, as I'm going through the recipes I want to make for the week, I make a running list of all the items I'll need from the grocery store.  And I'm TOTALLY this person...

Know thyselfJ

In proper Trader Joe's order.  Anyone want to guess what we're having next week... J 

ps-I also LOVE to keep this list AS SMALL as possible and I already kinda hate myself that this one is MUCH longer than I like.  But I had a few Cinco de Mayo recipes burnin a hole in my pocket, sooooo....viva la one too many ingredientsJ

And one more note:  I ALWAYS try to have vegetables at each meal (unless vegetables are the main component of the meal, like lettuce wraps).  And to be honest:  I usually always try to keep it simple.  Salads & steamed or roasted broccoli are staples.  As much as I love a 'fancy side' (and I ironically DO have one planned in the coming week) most of the time, that just seems like ANOTHER plan and more pots & pans to clean.  Keeping a huge bin of lettuce in my fridge for quick side salads is just as good...and even better, when we finish the WHOLE THING by week's end!  It's the simple things that make me VERYHAPPYJ  But I will swear by the fact that having those side salads (especially with more decadent dishes like pizza & pasta) will keep your portions of the 'main stars' small while still helping you feel full and satisfied.  Oh yeah...and it's also worth mentioning I usually always eat them last.  It kinda helps my brain shift from eating slice after slice (after slice) of pizza to helping me put the brakes on and move on.  Whatever works, amIright??

ps-I keep this dry Italian season mix in a jar in my cabinet and mix 2 tablespoons of seasoning with the standard olive oil, water & vinegar.  I made it a few months ago with seasons I already had laying around in my cabinet and still have PLENTY to go round....

So I hope that helped give you a peek into how I plan my week and try to keep things exciting around here on the food frontJ  Having no plan usually makes me feel bored, uninspired and too easily reaching for that phone to order pizza from down the block (a real problem here in NJ, where we have not one, but THREE amazing pizza places within 30 seconds of our houseJ), but having a healthy & new/'exciting' menu makes me feel reenergized and inspired for the week ahead to stay on the healthy path. (and yes...one that may or may not also include homemade dulce de leche donuts because ya gotta live!J)

Hope you have a great weekend and see you on the flip side!

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Friday fun...

So, I've been liking how this blog is evolving and what features are falling into place so far...

• Monday:  My weekly attempt at food balance.
• Wednesday:  A challenge in mental weight loss.  These posts take a lot out of me since I feel like I put my whole heart & soul into them...so one a week might be my limit for the momentJ  I'm going with the quality over quantity ideaJ

And I was thinking maybe we'll have a little fun on Fridays!  Maybe weight loss motivation like last week.  Or a fresh recipe made with light, seasonal ingredients (I might have an exciting update about a project regarding this very soon!J), or maybe one of my most enjoyable Friday features to read on other blogs:  Friday favorites.  But for TODAY, I thought this might be fun:  FITNESS FRIDAY!

Even though I'm FAR from a fitness expert, I thought I'd give you guys a quick little tip that I took from my earliest days of my yoga journey.  Try this exercise a few times a day and you'll feel the changes in your arms in no time!  It helped lead to one of those moments of "I might not be the skinniest girl in the room, but I'm starting to feel STRONG."  I'll take itJ

Or Click here if you can't see the video above!

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No Regrets...

Um...how's this for a start of a "No Regrets" post??

First of all:  HI!  How was your weekend??  Mine was a crazy/wild/busy mix of lots of family fun and a crazy amount of yoga, which was both relaxing, overwhelming & intense.

In short:  A complete mess of emotionsJ

But I guess I should back-track back to Friday where I said "there weren't going to be too many zucchini noodles" involved & I was right about that one!  Especially when a trip to Uncle Dood's Donuts in Toms River is how you start off the day...

photo source

We had full plans to 'just get a few to sample,' but after the INCREDIBLY FRIENDLY staff led us through all the donuts + a few 'menu additions,' we were pretty much dying to get on our hands on as many as possible.  So we ordered up our box of (COMPLETELY OBSCENE FOR 2 1/2 PEOPLE) NINE donuts (EEK!) and headed outside for the benches to give em a sample...

"Only a bite or 2 of each" was my mantra as we sat down:  Till I took my first bite.  HOLY SHMOLY these donuts were OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD!  Crispy, hot & fresh, HAND DIPPED TO ORDER and not to mention:  light, not greasy in the slightest and WAYYYYY to easy to sneak too many bitesJ  (or at least that's gonna be my excuseJ)

I didn't sample either of the top left ones or the middle one (they were Scott's pick of Twix & specialty coffee/mocha varieties), but I had a bite (or 2...or 3) of the rest.  Including the cinnamon & cream cheese frosted (top right), the blueberry & basil (Katie's pick...TO DIE FOR!),  the samoa (bottom left...do I even need to tell you how much I liked that one???) and the two biggest surprise favorites:  The peanut butter iced/chocolate sprinkles one ("you're gonna die" was my preceding bite warning for Scott) and the FRENCH TOAST...

Again, back to that friendly staff:  the guy convinced us to order 2 French Toasts cause they were his favorite and they did NOT disappoint.  Maple frosted, dipped in cinnamon & sugar...they probably were actually the family favorite of the whole box.  Can't say enough great things about this place, the staff and those CRISPY (yes, I'm gonna emphasize that again cause it's a FAV) donuts.  We left with....um, not as many as we thoughtJ), but some of them DID INDEED survive our on slaughter and made it home somewhat in tack.   ...till Saturday.  More on that laterJ

After stuffing our faces, we headed over to (the original plan from my birthdayJ) the Popcorn Zoo,  in Forked River.  

The zoo is actually an animal sanctuary for abandoned or injured animals.  So on top of it being a fun place to visit with kids, it's also nice to see these animals being SOOO well loved & taken care of by the friendly staff.   A very sweet experience.

And the place gets its name from being offered popcorn to share with the animals throughout your visit...

...even if someone snuck in a few bites of her own.  OY!

I'm not sure I've ever seen some of these animals as up close as the Popcorn Zoo is set up....

...which may or may not have been a good thing, considering this tiger was eyein Katie up like a nice steakJ

But needless to say my little animal-lover (except for Polar bears!  She DOES NOT like polar bears for some reason) had an absolute BLAST at this place and couldn't run around fast enough to make several visits to ALL the animalsJ

Only "problem" with this place??  It felt like it was built on the surface of the sun.  ...or at least that's what my 8-month pregnant self felt:), so after our visit, Momma needed to sit down and RELAX for a sec!

So we headed over to Point Pleasant and to one of our all-time favs:  Frankie's Bar & Grill for some of thier AWWWWWWWWWESOME nachos and a salad with ranch that sounded like THEGREATESTTHINGONEARTH at that momentJ 

And in an effort to, ahem, keep it SOMEWHAT together, we split one of their PERFECT burgers, complete with fire-burnt edges on a poppy seed bun.  Oh the joy of it all... 

And of course, after we had to head East.....where we went from 'the surface of the sun,' to a cooooooooool & breezy beach.  Scott deemed the ocean 'like ice'...

...but that didn't stop SOMEONE from headin in!

....which lead to a SOAKED dress, a lack-of change of clothes and THIS LOOK (in one of Daddy's shirts) on a traditional stop at Hoffman's on the way homeJ

#WAYMOREMEMORABLE!

And after 2 LONG, INTENSE days filled with yoga school, we headed out to Mafalda's restaurant on Sunday night to cap off Mother's Day weekend with a fine dining bang.  Starting with these sausage & cheese filled "Italian Spring Rolls" (which Katie HOUSED!)

...a blue cheese, walnut & strawberry salad... 

...and even though they had an exquisite Mother's Day menu of delectable & unique treats, I ordered what just sounded like THE most scrumptious and delicious choice at that moment:  The classic Vodka Rigatoni.  Momma needed some comfort after a loooooooonnnnnnnggggg day. 

Creamy, comforting and delivered to our table PIPPING HOT, I honestly couldn't have enjoy this more at the moment.  A fabulous night out with my Mom, Scott & Katie to end a wild weekend.  (we also had a round of dessert, but I was too exhausted to even reach for my camera again at that pointJ)

Of course, these weren't ALL my eats of the weekend....just the more decadent onesJ  I can't say I always made the SMARTER choices (ummm...9 donuts??), but I never really got overly full and enjoyed ALL my splurges VERY MUCH and I don't have ONE ounce of guilt this morning.  Just ready to get back to our Bikini Series:  Week 5!

I'll have my more VIRTUOUS selections from my weekend of EdoFoods eats, as well as my healthier Monday recap for you tomorrow!

For now, I'll leave you with my hilarious dinner selection from Saturday night...where I walked in the house and realized NOTHING ON PLANET EARTH was going to sound better (or be any more or less caloric, really!J) than the last few bites of the remaining donuts.  And I sided up those bites with my EdoFoods green juice (more on that tomm!) and called it a day...

 

If THAT is not THE portrait of balance, I don't know what isJ

Hahahahahaha...here's to a healthy Monday, everyone!

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

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!