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!

All the berries...

Thursday Recap:

Breakfast:  Avocado toast with honey & sea salt

So, I took this as a breakfast option and ran with it this week, huh??

Snack:  Coconut almond milk yogurt + strawberries + unsweetened coconut 

Lunch:  2 Wasa crackers with peanut butter & jelly + strawberries

Couldn't get ENOUGH strawberries yesterday...they were sooooooooooo sweet!  Tis' the strawberry season.

Snack:  Skinnygirl Mini bag popcorn

Dinner:  Avocado & chipotle mayo topped turkey burgers + kale chips

It was SUPPOSED to be stuffed burgers (al la this recipe), but we...oppps...didn't have enough meat with our leaner portionsJ  TOPPED burgers worked out JUST fine.  Loved the cool & spicy combo.

Which brings us to....sigh...the weekend.  SO. VERY. HAPPY!  Quite a few fun things on tap and I know at least ONE delicious splurgeJ  Hope you guys have some great plans and ENJOY!

1993 Reunion...

Thursday Morning:

Breakfast:  Belgian Waffle with butter & flax + protein shake

Since this was Katie's breakfast choice of the day, I thought I'd join in the fun.  These waffles were thick, sweet, savory...and 160 calories for one.  Which isn't BAD, but I knew one (or even 2) of these waffles wasn't going to keep me full for very long.  As much as I love waffles, cereal & English muffins for breakfast, all of them keep me full for about .3 minutes....fail.

So since man can't live on yummy waffles alone, I whipped up this small spinach-cherry protein shake to help 'fill in the gaps'...

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 scoop protein powder
• handful frozen cherries
• handful frozen spinach

Lunch:  Avocado toast with arugula + apple & peanut butter

And even with the added protein shake, I can't even lie that the lunch time bell rang at 11AM yesterday morning!  One more moment longer and I would have gnawed someones arm offJ

I swear there was a mashed 1/2 avocado under that pile of arugula salad (mixed with lime, olive oil & salt) and topped with a drizzle of...swooooon...honey.   

Even the honey was smiling about thisJ

So I had my toast, tried to take a beat and give myself a chance to feel full.  But to be honest, my non-filling breakfast was still wreaking havoc, as my brain was still swirling with ALLOFTHETHINGS I still wanted to inhale after that toast (aka-whatever crunchy & salty snacks I could get my hands on...followed by a sweet snack...and you know what happens from there).  So I took this as a sign that I was still ACTUALLY hungry and cut the 'over snacking' binge-to-come off at the knees with a sensible snack... 

1 spoonful of peanut butter + a drizzle of honey + a sprinkle of cinnamon = tricking my brain into thinking it was eating 12 snacks, given all of those flavors rolled into one!  And it actually worked!  This kept me satisfied for the rest of the afternoon.  Snack crisis = be on your way...you have no powers here!J

Workout #1:  2 mile Walk away the pounds with 7 pound weights (combo-ed my 4+3 pound weightsJ)

Dinner:  Mandarin Orange Chicken + Chicken Su Mai 

This was NOT my original dinner plan, but on learning it was Chinese New Years yesterday, I knew we had to 'celebrate' with the excuse to have this little number for dinnerJ  (I knew Scott wouldn't let this favorite last TOO long in our freezerJ)

We 'filled out' our stir-fry with:

• broccoli
• peppers & onions
• carrots
• water chestnuts
• green onions 

I don't mind the excuse for getting to have a bigger portion since the portion is rounded out with low-cal veggies (and brown rice)J

And in some last minute weirdness, I remembered I had these little chicken shu mai leftovers in the freezer from God knows when, so I thought they'd be a perfect way to round out the meal.  6 for 160 calories is NONE too shabby in the 'Chinese sides' department.  Plus they go freezer to plate in under 3 minutes.

Workout #2:  Zumba

So how's this for a funny story:  I found out one of my good friends from GRADE SCHOOL had joined my gym recently and has been going to Zumba classes on Thursday nights.  So after not seeing her since our 8th grade graduation in 1993, we are back exercising together and sweatin away in Zumba the last couple weeks!  Isn't that awesome??!  Thought it was such a fun & cute way to reunite for something POSITIVE after over 20 YEARS!  She emailed me yesterday saying she was going and it was JUST the motivation I needed to get up & get out, despite the FREEZING temps last night.  Lucky for us, we warmed up in about .4 seconds thanks to our AWESOME teacher, JennaJ  Thanks, ladies<3 nbsp="">

And the only dessert I had for the night was a bottle of water I GUZZLED as soon as I walked in the house.  OK, that's a lie.  I was actually DYING for pineapple and scoured the cabinets thinking we had some rouge can of slices SOMEWHERE.  Sadly, this was not the case, but once I pounded that water I felt a zillion times better.  (oh yeah...I also REALLY wanted a cherry SLURPEE, but didn't think that really matched well with the outside high of 15 at the timeJ)

OK...so remember how yesterday I said this week was going slow??  Well, I totally set myself up since I DO believe yesterday was one of the ABSOLUTE slowest days on record (prob didn't help that I had breakfast before 8am and lunch + snack before noonJ)  The minutes CRAWLED until Scott got home.  So much so that Katie & I were watching one of her shows and I would have SWORN it had to be an hour-long special since I felt like we were watching it for ages.  I looked up at the clock and, I kid you not, it had been on for 23 MINUTES.  Man, that was painful.  Here's hopin today goes quicker:  Starting with some morning Power Yoga & meeting Scott for lunch at Chipotle for our FIRST EVER Chipotle experienceJ hahahahahhahaha  (and nah-I didn't text my friend last night at 10pm asking her what I should order as to not anger the hungry masses and get thrown to the back of the line, along with my indecision & inexperience in Chipotle knowledge.  Nope-that didn't happen at all!)

ANYWAY...I should have LOTS of good stuff to show you guys on Monday and hope you have a GREAT WEEKEND!J

Valentines Recap: 2015...

Morning...well, AFTERNOON, all!  Hope you guys had a great weekend.  Happy to say ours is extended by one more day, thanks to ye ole PresidentsJ  But before the day gets away with me, I thought I'd give you an update on our Valentines Weekend: 2015.

Which started off with red pancakes (which Katie is STILL requesting to be 'shaped' like Rudolph...which may or may not have anything to do with the use of whipped cream and M&M'sJ...)

...and learning about the beauty of candy jewelry, courtesy of a little Valentine's exchange at dancing school... 

...and then it was off to our "road trip"...aka.-40 minutes south of usJ  We've had our eye on "The Kibitz Room" menu since mid-January and KNEW it was going to be our "Valentines destination du jour."  Cause what else says "I love you" rather than a Jewish deli???...

(photo source...since I didn't get a photo in the snowJ)

I'd suggest perusing their menu before heading in, since you have to order at the counter and your head is likely to spin from all of the options if you aren't well prepared...

Thankfully, we knew just what we wanted when we headed in and hit up the pickle bar while we waited for our order to be brought to the table (by Peggy, the awesome waitress)...

Not that it was even in the SLIGHTEST sense of the word 'necessary,' but we just HAD to start with the brisket fries since I'm deeming Scott & I the 'somewhat connoisseurs' of meat-topped fries.  I know.  Don't be jealous by my self-given honors....

Tender brisket + melted American cheese + caramelized onions + crispy fries.  Can this even be bad??

And next it was time for the big guns.  And OK, I lied a bit.  I was TOTALLY torn between 2 options for a main course, but given that THIS selection of stuffed cabbage came with a choice of TWO sides, I had to go with this pick...

I'm not sure how this became part of my Italian Grandmother's repertoire, but stuffed cabbage is and has always been one of my ALL-TIME favorite foods since she used to make them for me as a kid.  This variation was a bit on the sweeter side, but STUFFED with meat, rice & spices.  FAB!

And as for those sides, they did NOT disappoint!  Potato pancakes was a no-brainer.  These were SO crisp and heavenly.  As good as I had hoped...

And my second side pick was one I was just DYING to try:  Kugel.  I went with the cheese variety (rather than the fruit) and was surprised to find that it was still sweet and.. 

...COMPLETELY out of this world DELICIOUS!  I was OBSESSED.  Truth by told, I only ate 1 of the stuffed cabbages so I could throughout enjoy both sidesJ

Kugel was tasted just like our Italian Easter tradition of Pastia/aka. noodle pie.  It's so interesting that cultures & nationalities all sorta have the same traditions, but with different names.  Pastia is to Kugel, as Dumplings are to raviolis and to pierogies.  It's as interesting as it is delicious.

And Scott went the traditional deli route with their corned beef sandwich... 

I stole a couple bites and it was just DROP DEAD DELICIOUS, as the bites just kept getting better & better as you got more & more flavor.  We both agreed that it's something neither of us would rarely select (except when in MontrealJ), but definitely worth going out of the comfort zone.  DI-VINE.

And after lunch, it was time for even BIGGER guns, given the fact that The Kibitz Room's dessert cases were OUT OF CONTROL... 

We all made our selections, Katie's being the MOST clearJ... 

...and when the (very nice and helpful!) guy handed me the cake prepped in a take-out container, I could barely believe the WEIGHT!  And once I opened the package, here's what we were met with... 

I mean...clap it up for great parenting, AMIRIGHT??  Everyone that stopped in after couldn't stop cracking up over the little pigtailed girl with the HUGE slice of cake!  It was enough cake for about 19 people.

And despite it's INSANE proportion, it was actually REALLY delicious.  I sometimes think LARGE desserts are more novelty, without any attention to taste, but not here.  The vanilla cake really had great flavor, while still staying moist with allllll those layers of frosting, so ya really got a great cake/frosting ratio....which is really the most important thing on the planet, no???J

I was also surprised to find out all of the cakes (except for one) were baked in house, giving this deli even MORE of a home-y feel knowing all of their recipes were classic and traditional.

And because we're idiots lovers of 'samples', we still each got our own slices cause we're ridiculous curious... 

Scott's carrot cake was absolutely beyond.  The cream cheese frosting helped balance out the sweetness of the cake...which was packed full of carrot shavings, raisins & walnuts... 

...but I must say my choice of German Chocolate Cake was slightly a bit of a flop, only because it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sweet.  Like, WAY too sweet.  As of my typing this post, I think I've still only managed about 4-5 forkfuls.  It might have to be divided and shared with some friends, cause it's seriously just a bit TOO much. (says the girl who ordered her own GIANT slice...so I think that's saying a lot!)

Probably also didn't help that Scott thought that German Chocolate would have been my LAST choice, given all the cake options, since I'm not normally much of a chocolate cake person.  What can I say?  That coconut frosting was calling at the timeJ

But we both gave The Kibitz Room thumbs up as big as those slices.  The home cooked food combined with the friendly (and a few classic 'rough around the edges' characters) service made this places feel so warm & welcoming, along with being traditional and delicious.  Definitely give it a chance if you're in the market for CLASSIC deli fare...in epic portionsJ

And in Valentines day, Part 2 on Sunday night- our other tradition of me cooking a dinner with some sort of memory had to take a backseat this year to something that my stomach could tolerate.  And in bucking tradition, part 2- Scott had to make this one since I was just too queasy to stand over the stove last night to make dinner.  BLEH. 

Thankfully this dinner of chicken parm and Parmesan polenta hit the spot...especially since I got to lounge on the couch while it was being madeJ  Now THAT says L-O-V-EJ 

Alright...that was a LOT for one dayJ  Hope you guys liked our weekend recap.  The goal for today was to go quite a bit LESS, but we'll see what today brings since it's sort of a weekend extension.  I know ONE thing it will NOT include:  CAKE!  And one thing it definitely WILL:  THE GYMJ

Have a great Monday!