Happy Friday Eve, lovely people! I hope this day finds you very well. I have some fun meals to share, but first I’ll begin by sharing a new favorite product: Chobani squeezable yogurt. It doesn’t always come out perfectly, but if you gently massage the bag so as to mix the yogurt, it is fun to use in topping sweet and savory dishes. You’ll see some of the ways we’ve been enjoying it.

Also, I picked up this yogurt on a whim, and while I haven’t eaten Yoplait in a while, this was very tasty. I love any and all things citrus!

Breakfast

This morning I paired two fluffy scrambled eggs over wilted greens with a serving of the Lemon Blueberry Quinoa Bake warmed and topped with squeezable yogurt and maple caramel almond butter. I’ve found myself getting more hungry later in the afternoon and evening, so I decided to try adding more to my breakfast. Perhaps my body is signaling it needs a little more noms. 🙂

One Wednesday I had toasted Van’s waffles with banana, cinnamon, yogurt, maple, and pb over wilted greens to soften the waffles. Also, we just love greens and add them to many dishes.

I redeemed myself! I made a savory oatmeal muffin topped with melted aged sharp white cheddar, avocado, and fresh blueberries. Finally I satisfied my craving! Looking forward to making it again soon.

Another Wednesday, another plate o’ waffles. This time I topped one with maple caramel almond butter, grapes, and yogurt while topping the other with tahini, blueberries, and yogurt. Loved these flavors!

I purchased several of these Green Giant Bowls on sale, and we enjoyed incorporating them into breakfast, lunches, and dinners.

We split the Rancheros Bowl and topped the heated vegetables with an over easy egg and the sauce. I had the last of our Dr. Praeger’s carrot potato tots with ketchup. I believe I also had an apple on this day because I wanted something sweet.

Lunch

Aside from the above bowls, I had veggie Domino’s pizza one day thanks to the Clinic Manager providing lunch. We went through our mandatory three-year State Survey, and we passed with flying colors! My individual interview started out a tad rough, but the surveyor quickly expressed how impressed she was by my answers. She ended by saying I was one of if the best RD interviews she’s conducted. She told my manager that I was a great RD who exhibited an “assertive” demeanor. I was grateful!

Dinner

One evening I put together a somewhat random bowl that we ended up loving: Wilted greens, steamed-from-frozen artichoke hearts, canned green beans, cooked black eyed peas, roasted potatoes, seasonings, and tomatoes.

I bought the Aldi frozen wild caught shrimp taco meal that we topped with, you guessed it, squeezable yogurt. We ate cucumber, avocado, tortilla chips, and salsa along with it + a Jax photo bomb!

I have to say these roasted seasoned potatoes turned out really well, and we had them with ketchup, sweet apple chicken sausage, roasted vegetables from my MIL’s garden, and cabbage + onion + garlic sautéed and then simmered in chicken broth. I batch cooked those vegetables early in the week and incorporated them into a number of meals.

Same potatoes and sausage with mustard, sauerkraut, last of our cooked quinoa, and canned no salt added green beans with everything bagel seasoning, Italian seasonings, and garlic herb blend.

Last dinner was baked salmon with yogurt and the aforementioned vegetables.

Matt makes me the best tea! I have been enjoying Stash Lemon Ginger herbal tea with honey every evening.

Wishing you all the very best day! If you will, please share some of your recent fav meals. I would love some inspiration!

Happy Monday! I hope you you had a restful and rejuvenating weekend. Despite Monday getting a bad rap, I hope it serves as a fresh start for all the positive possibilities this week may bring.

Friday

I started Friday by finishing the last of our berry crumble that I thawed overnight. I had frozen it to save, and I topped this serving with Chobani squeeze yogurt and roasted peanuts.

I just want to kiss her squishy face!!

I brought Jackson back upstairs to wake up Matt before I hopped into the shower. The flash got him!

I had a nice work day and was able to get out on one walk and then another short one before leaving. I met Kaci at our Barre3 studio for their last free summer Friday class. It was amazing! The studio owner led it, and I loved her humor and prompts.

Kaci suggested we get dinner at Whole Foods together, and I’m so glad she did! We had so much to chat about, and it truly helped me to clear my mind of the clutter.

I tried their roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, Jerk chicken, okra, a taste of mashed potatoes, delish steak with blue cheese and caramelized onion, pickled cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli salad, and black olives. I will say my one pet peeve with WF’s hot bar is their use of paleo. “Paleo Roasted Sweet Potatoes” aka freakin’ roasted sweet potatoes. Can we just stop with the dang labels?!

Post dinner and twin therapy sesh photo! ❤

Once I got home, I promptly went outside to snap a photo of the beautiful sunset out front.

I also received our Golden Girls book! We’re admittedly obsessed and watch at least two episodes at a time. I love the illustrations!

Once I was clean, I noshed on yogurt with grapes, vanilla clusters cereal, and pb while watching, you guessed it, GG.

Saturday

After a restful night sleep, I got up excited to make a savory oat muffin that I had been craving. I went against listening to Matt (when will I learn??), and I used 1/2 t baking soda instead of powder. It sadly had a bitter taste, and y’all, the sodium in this was unreal. Whoopsies. I had topped with it melted cheddar over wilted greens, garden fresh tomatoes from my MIL, and green grapes for that sweet component. I’ll be having a do-over tomorrow!

We didn’t have much coffee left, so I *had* to visit K brew. It had been too long! I enjoyed their newest drink, The Golden Spice Tonic: turmeric, orange, cane sugar, Fevertree tonic, signature espresso. That foam top was dreamy, and it was super refreshing!

After I finished, I swung by Kaci and Drew’s then went to the salon for a much-needed haircut. Sadly, after attending the funeral recently I realized I did not have a little black dress in my wardrobe, so I went by JCP and found a few that didn’t quite work. I did buy a black and white polka dot wrap dress that I’m wearing today. It’s at the bottom of this post. 😉

Back at the house, I enjoyed a lunch bowl consisting of warmed leftovers: quinoa, simmered cabbage and onion, and roasted vegetables drizzld with CFA avocado lime dressing. This was so good!

I then enjoyed an apple with maple caramel almond butter and Chobani squeezable yogurt.

As I thought over one of the black dresses I had tried on, I realized I had jumped the gun in discounting it. I called over and had it put on hold. Lol, I’m a mess.

I showered, cleaned the house, and finished some laundry before making our dinner. I’ll be including these salad bowls in my Thursday Eats post this week! This one had a tahini dressing that was so so tasty. We enjoyed it with leftover baked salmon topped with the Chobani yogurt (yea, I’ve been putting it on everything), avocado toast, cucumber, and tomato from my MIL. This meal was a winner all around. Tons of great flavors and textures.

Matt and I chose to buy Avengers: Infinity War on the Xbox, and it was really entertaining! Although it ended with a clifhanger, so we’ll have to wait for yet another one to see how it ends. Also, I’m an old lady, and these 2+ hour-long movies are pushing it. Hahaha.

Despite it being around 10pm, I decided to have a snack because those stupid food rules around time and eating are wrong. Multigrain Cheerios and some Grape Nuts with thawed wild blueberries, cinnamon, cardamom, pb, and milk hit the spot.

Sunday

Staying up to midnight to watch our movie didn’t change my internal alarm clock. My pesky wiring had me awake at 6am. Oof. I got up for a bit and then laid back down to rest. I then enjoyed a banana, Grape Nuts, cinnamon, cardamom, roasted peanuts, and milk out of the nearly empty pb jar.

After lounging with my coffee, I got up and took care of more laundry and such. Lunch was a snack plate with chips, pickles, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes, carrots, and hummus. I then had Neapolitan Joe Joe’s over yogurt for a sweet finish.

I ran several errands, including buying the LBD I had put on hold, went by Walgreens to get a new natural deodorant (Schmidt’s hurt my underarms so bad!), Goodwill to drop off a tiny donation, the battery store to recycle + purchase batteries, then to yoga. I took a restorative 90-minute class that felt so good on my muscles and joints! Something I want to work on is turning off my mind/wandering thoughts during class.

Once I made it back home, I put together our lunches for today and then built another bowl. This one was topped with tuna, cheddar, and the last of the tahini dressing. I apologize if it’s boring to see some of the same ingredients, but what I love about batch cooking is that we can morph carbs, vegetables, and proteins into different meals for days!

I had planned to make Anne’s Berry Lemon Quinoa Bake for Sunday’s breakfast but decided I didn’t feel like doing so first thing in the morning. Instead, I made it yesterday evening for the week. The kitchen smelled so good as they baked! I chose to make them in individual dishes for even more effortless mornings.

I realized I still had one final small slice of cherry pie in the freezer from my birthday, so I polished it off over yogurt. Yum!

Monday

I tried to pipe on the squeezable yogurt, but it came out in blobs. Haha. Topped with chopped almonds and a drizzle of maple syrup.

And here is my polka dot dress. It’s so comfortable AND it has pockets!

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Good morning! I hope this day finds you all doing very well.

Friday

On Thursday, I attempted to make date pecan butter, and while it is more of a paste (similar texture to a Larabar), it’s very tasty. For Friday’s breakfast, I made spiced oatmeal and topped it with banana and spoonful of the butter.

I will continue to share so many screenshots from Natural Life because they are always so on target and uplifting!

Do yourself a favor and buy a box of Neapolitan Joe Joe’s from Trader Joes! They’re delicious. One side is a vanilla wafer, the other side is a chocolate wafer, and they are sandwiched together with a strawberry cream filling. Yum!

I made a salad with artichoke hearts and Italian chicken sausage for lunch, but I conveniently forgot a fork. So I ate it with a spoon. When push comes to shove. Lolz.

I was so happy to get out on an afternoon walk! It had rained just a little bit prior, and then the skies opened up to sunshine. The clouds were a mixture, though, and I loved it.

Jax demanded snuggles, so I had to hold him like this. Squish!

Dinner was so good! I sautéed fresh greens beans with TJ’s frozen seasoned eggplant and peppers. I removed the vegetables from the pan, heated olive oil, added spices and herbs, then I sautéed TJ’s frozen GF cauliflower gnocchi. I combined it all together in the pan then served it. Quick and tasty! Thanks to Alexis of Hummusapien for sharing about the gnocchi product.

Kaci and Drew made us this gorgeous blanket ladder, and I ordered two throws from TJ Maxx that I just love!

Hahaha this is fabulous. There is such controversy on how to spell dietitian, and I always say there has to be a “tit” in there.

Dessert was Fage with kiwi, ground flax, sweet spicy coconut, and Honey Nut Cheerios.

Saturday

Even though Matt and I both didn’t sleep well, we started the day in good moods. I brought up an apple to split, and I topped my half with cinnamon and pb, and Matt requested the date pecan butter. Enjoyed in bed while still groggy, ha.

Even still, we got ourselves ready for a fabulous brunch at Scrambled Jake’s. They were celebrating their one year anniversary/birthday. Of course we had to take our typical selfie out front!

Scrambled Jake’s Bloody Mary Bar was quite impressive! So many add-in choices.

We got ourselves coffee while we waited for a table. Cue the photo shoot.

A nice gentleman offered to take our photo after Matt did so for their group. Love my husband!

Flourish Flower Truck was there to help celebrate. I’ve seen this ah-dorable truck but had not yet bought a bouquet. The owner is the sweetest, and the entire thing is just so unique and fun! Matt loved chatting about the vehicle, which the owner said was perfect for many men and their interests while the women love the flowers. Win win!

She put together this perfect arrangement for us.

Love this mural next to our table!

I chose the garden omelet that came with potatoes, and I definitely finished every delicious bite. The omelet contained three whipped CF eggs, grilled asparagus, mushrooms, tomato confit, baby spinach, and melted creamy brie cheese. So good!

Matt had their quinoa bowl, which contained quinoa cooked in coconut milk, mushrooms, broccoli, braised kale, tomato confit, summer sausage, two CF eggs, and herbs.

They also gave out complimentary slices of cake! It was so light, fluffy, and tasted almost like classic vanilla wedding cake. It was such a lovely sweet finish to my meal.

Here is the bouquet set-up in Mason’s honor. ❤ He deserves all the recognition pawsible!

I decided to wear one of my grandmother’s diamond rings that Kaci and I had cared for by Jared’s Jewelers several years ago. ❤

Target runnnn. I love alltheplanners, but I already have one on deck for next year, so I snapped a photo. It was kind of crazy there for back to school. Glad that’s not me anymore!

Once home and settled, I had avocado toast and took care of some chores.

Then I made dinner, which included sautéing cooked black eye peas in seasoned heated olive oil, leftover vegetables that I kept aside from our gnocchi meal, and spinach wilted in at the end. This may not look too appealing, but we loved it. I didn’t quite finish my plate, so I saved the rest to enjoy with my lunch today.

We got the kitchen and ourselves cleaned up, then I we made hot tea and snacks. Old people at heart, and I’m not even mad about it. No shame! In continuation of my old lady status, here is a mug of Grape Nuts with banana and milk. I love Grape Nuts and hadn’t enjoyed them in forever. Jaxxy photo bomb!

Sunday

We both had a glorious night of sleep and slowwwwly woke up and just laid in bed for a while. The best way to start the day, and I wish every morning could start that way!

Clearly, I hadn’t had my fill of Grape Nuts yet, so I had a small Gala apple with cinnamon, a good helping of cereal, pb, and milk. More Jax!

While I am not very DIY-handy, I decided to try to jazz up this wooden chest a little. I use it to store my Barre3 weights and resistance bands, and so I adhered some of this Pioneer Woman shelf liner to the front. Voila! So fancy, I know.

I splurged on a t-shirt from the Flourish Flower Truck, and it’s so comfortable! I sported Sunday afternoon after completing Barre3 and showering.

I ran an errand with Kaci, and then Matt and I headed up to his mom and step-dad’s for some time by the pool finally!

Isn’t her headband so cute?!

My love forever and always. No matter if we have some “bumps in the road”, disagreements, what have you. He’ll always be my favorite, and I’m so thankful we’re stubborn because we’ll never give up on each other. Okay, done gushing now.

Poolside snacks are the best kind of snacks. GF veggie crackers and carrots to split plus a slice of salami for me. Matt had several as well. Despite it raining on our drive up there, the sun came out, and it was such a pretty day!

They have quite a phenomenal garden. Diane planted seeds from the mini peppers she had eaten, and they’re producing mini peppers!

As we waited for dinner to cook, we relaxed in the living room. My MIL snapped this of us. ❤

Diane made us each a lovely salad to start our meal.

I found a recipe for sheet pan buttery chicken, potatoes, and green beans. We used all fresh herbs from her herb garden!

She had an assortment of refreshing fruits to choose from to make a dessert bowl, and I sliced mint from her garden as well. A slice of Ghirardelli bourbon caramel chocolate and hot lemon ginger tea with honey completed it.

 

Monday

This morning I made cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla oatmeal topped with the rest of my peach, heated frozen blueberries, maple caramel almond butter, and maple syrup.

Diane was so sweet and surprised us with this quilt rack! The polka dotted quilt came from Matt’s family, and I added my quilt and our quilt coverlet to complete it.

She also gave us this super cute wall clock in one of my fav colors too!

That they will!

Lastly, I *finally* framed these two pieces of artwork from Etsy and have them displayed in my clinic office.

 

Have the best day and week ahead!

Happy Friday Eve to all you of you amazing people! I have some recent meals that I hope spark some inspiration in you to get creative with some foods you have on hand!

Breakfast

I was in the mood for eggs, so I cooked two farm fresh eggs sunny side up and enjoyed them on lightly wilted spinach with freshly shredded sharp white cheddar, everything bagel seasoning, and freshly ground pepper. I had avocado and a warmed raspberry muffin with blackberry jam on the side.

Clearly I was on an egg kick, and this savory oatmeal was in-credible. Although I did an awful job cooking my egg, yet it still turned out well! I prepared one packet of instant oatmeal with milk and everything bagel seasoning before wilting in spinach. I topped with a sadly cooked egg that stuck to the pan, freshly grated sharp white cheddar, artichoke sauce, and local grape tomatoes.

I love breaking up a muffin and enjoying it over yogurt! This was another raspberry muffin with both peanut butter and maple caramel almond butter and half a banana.

This breakfast sandwich was so egg-ceptional! Sorry, but I had to go there. I’ll tell ya what ya gotta do (a Lucy reference for any ‘I Love Lucy’ fans out there!): warm two thick slices of bread with spinach and aged sharp white cheddar, mash avocado on one side, cook an over easy egg, and then devour! I had farmer market grape tomatoes halved and sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning.

We are out of waffles (the horror!), so I had a fruit and yogurt bowl instead. I added a handful of each Love Grown Comet Crispies and Nature’s Path Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla Cereal and then a good sized spoonful of maple caramel almond butter.

Lunch

I only have two lunches to share. This was a Luvo cauliflower macaroni and cheese entrée. Usually, a frozen meal doesn’t fill me up, and I need something else with it. But I felt full after this, and it was satisfying.

While it may not look very appetizing to some, this was a tasty meal. It was also quick and simple, and it’s a nice reminder that not all meals need to be a gourmet experience. I cooked the last of our mushroom quinoa with low sodium chicken stock. I topped our bowls with canned no salt added green beans, organic canned cannelini beans, and artichoke sauce. I added shredded aged sharp white cheddar to our bowls for today’s lunch.

Dinner

Matt was so awesome, and he cooked our meat spaghetti sauce the night before we planned to enjoy it so that the flavors would develop. He always makes the best sauce! This was browned lean ground organic beef that we had bought on sale, and he always adds Worcestershire sauce. He then used the jar of arrabiata sauce I had bought plus added some brown sugar and a can of mushroom stems and pieces. We enjoyed it over a combo of brown rice angel hair GF pasta and frozen carrot sprials.

I made this meal for us one evening, and I really enjoyed the prep. Sometimes it feels like a good way to unwind! Baked lemon and Italian herb chicken thighs, roasted sweet potato wedges with ketchup, and roasted seasoned local eggplant and zucchini plus peppers and onion.

I picked up a package of each Italian chicken sausages and apple chicken sausages from Aldi one day after work.

We enjoyed the Italian flavor with roasted cauliflower and mushrooms, cucumber and avocado, slaw made with raspberry acai dressing from a salad kit plus Greek yogurt and extra virgin olive oil. I had enjoyed a slice of Aldi’s organic seedsd bread with artichoke sauce before making this meal.

Snacks

I was so grateful to win these in a giveaway by Rachael! They are really refreshing, and I love the different flavors.

I picked up several plums from Kroger, and all of them were absolutely perfect. Tart but sweet, juicy but still a good bite through the skin. I need to get more!

One of my coworkers and friends was kind enough to give me this Clif bar. I loved the banana flavor in it!

I sipped on some of the pear reishi juice and noshed on aged sharp white cheddar and seeded crackers.

What have you really enjoyed lately?

Well, here we are, y’all. Another Monday, and another week. But I’m thankful for a great weekend where my heart and stomach felt full, laughter was plenty, and we are blessed with another day.

Friday

I started my Friday with this tasty yogurt bowl that I topped with thawed fruit, Honey Nut Cheerios, Love Grown Comet Cripsies, and a puddle o’ peanut butter.

A little outfit shot for ya. These are my one of two pairs of floral party pants. 😉

This!!

After lunch, I went on such an enjoyable walk! It wasn’t hot, so it made it refreshing. I decided to splurge a tiny bit and walked down to Starbucks and back to the clinic. I was in the mood for a half caf iced latte, and I stopped on the side of the little road that leads up to the shopping center where our clinic is located to take this. Typical blogger, right? But when you see the right backdrop, you do what you gotta do, including holding my wallet between my legs while I snapped this and looked like a basic girl. Hahaha

When I went by Kroger after work, I saw this and had to try hard to resist! I took a photo and had to move along. Avocado everything because it makes me think of our sweet Mason!!

Matt and I went to look at a house after work, but unfortunately, it was just too dated and in need of more reno work that we feel comfortable with at this point in our lives. We got home, and I combined two salad bowl kits, used the avocado buttermilk ranch from one of the kits, and had toast with it. Easy and quick!

My sweet dad called to Facetime, and when I went outside to show him our view, I caught a rainbow! I waited a few minutes to snap a photo, and it was already fading. But it was gorgeous. I’ll miss a lot about our place when we do move one day.

Apple “nachos” for dessert with Greek yogurt, cinnamon, graham cracker, and sweet spicy coconut.

Saturday

My friend, Brittany posted her green smoothie the other day, and I realized it has been forever since I have enjoyed one! I blended a chilled ripe banana with spinach, yogurt, and milk before topping it with vanilla cereal and peanut butter. It was so nice.

After getting my bangs and neck trimmed and then running a few errands, I swung by Chick-fil-a and ordered their Southwest salad. Once home, I ate part of it and felt satisfied, so I saved the remainder.

Matt had cut his hair that morning, and once were loaded up, we finally made our way to the lake house! Of the three crepe myrtle bushes out front, this is the only one blooming. So weird, but it’s super pretty!

I noshed on roasted lightly salted almonds and a date, put on my swimsuit, and lathered on my sunscreen. Matt was a sweetheart and used an electronic pump to air up our new avocado float.

Tada! It’s 5′ 7″ of summah fun in the sun!

Bahahaha this was Matt’s idea.

Just livin’ my best lake life! There’s just something about this water. As soon as I get into it, my fears/anxiety/frustration just melt away.

Later we both split a delicious apple with granola.

In case you didn’t know, it makes for a great lounge chair too. So damn cute!

We went on a fantastic walk and then came back and played Kings in the Corner per Matt’s suggestion. We hadn’t played in a long time, and it was fun! We had leftover spaghetti and roasted vegetables that we had made several nights prior. This was the photo I took of the first night that we enjoyed it.

Sadly, we had to load up and head home after dinner. One weekend soon we’re planning to stay a night or two. It’s really needed!

I showered and then made myself a quick fruit, yogurt, and ground flax snack to enjoy while we watched The Golden Girls. Yes, we’re obsessed, and yes, we can be like older people. Lolz. No shame!

Sunday

I got up to feed Rachie and Jax so that Matt could sleep more. He’s had a cold sort of trying to take shape, but I think it’s going away. I, on the other hand, sort of feel it now. Womp womp.

Anyway, I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I had the rest of a chilled apple with cinnamon and peanut butter then cozied up with a hot mug of coffee.

I made Alexis’ Berry Crisp with Super Seed Crumble finally, and Matt enjoyed his after eating cheesy scrambled eggs over wilted spinach.

I enjoyed mine with Greek yogurt. Delicious!

Gosh, Jackson just warms my heart! He is so floppy, and he *loves* to snuggle. I got up and put him down, and he stayed all scrunched over (bottom right photo). Too cute!

I got ready quickly after dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, and starting a load of laundry (I got a burst of productivity and motivation!). Matt and I went to look at another home, but it didn’t quite do it for us. Thankfully, this whole process has honestly caused some huge arguments that in turn, has helped us to grow tremendously. We’re definitely stronger now, and we calmly discussed our likes and dislikes later that evening. Onward and upward! I know our home is out there. We (I) just have to be patient.

I ate the remainder of my CFA salad and then a mug of cereal that hit the spot. Matt snapped this gem for me. 😉

Matt and I attended the funeral for my cowoker’s precious twin babies, and Rachel decided that Matt’s dress shoe box was a great place for a nap.

It was a beautiful service but so very sad. One never wants to think of losing a child, let alone two at one time.

Matt and I had received a complimentary coupon from Bonefish for a buy one entrée, get one free, so we had a date night. I did love being dressed all nice together! He’s so damn handsome in a suit. We both started with a house salad.

I chose their Ahi tuna with mango chutney, whipped garlic potatoes, and broccoli.

Matt got their rainbow trout.

Decaf coffee for me / Jameson and ginger for him on the patio.

I had Greek yogurt with graham cracker and a date later for a snack. Two episodes of The Golden Girls later, and we called it a night.

Monday

This morning I made oatmeal topped with banana and sprinkled with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. I then drizzled molasses and peanut butter over the top and added roasted peanuts for crunch. It was awesome!

I hope everyone has an amazing day! Remember to do something kind for another person, and maybe that’s just a genuine smile as you pass by. You never know what that could mean.

If you’ve never shopped at TJ Maxx or HomeGoods for fun food finds, then you’re in for a treat. When I briefly worked at HomeGoods before sitting for the RD exam, I always used some of my breaks to browse the section!

I had not tried illy coffee before, but it always seemed like a quality brand. Funny story: it comes as a pop-top and plainly states on the lid to open slowly so as to release the trapped gas from the grounds. Yours truly did not and only read that after some exploded out as I removed the lid. Lol!

I love Tazo’s tea concentrates, and this one is really refreshing! It has flavors of melon in it, and while sweet, it isn’t overwhelming.

The maple-caramel flavor is prominent while still allowing the delicious flavor of almonds to come through. It’s amazing! I love the crunchy texture too.

I’m always on the hunt for different sauces, and both of these sounded fabulous. The artichoke sauce has peanuts in it, and it has been perfect over vegetables, savory oatmeal, meat, and fish!

I love that these are pre-portioned so that we can just grab them and head out the door or leave them in our cars as an emergency snack. They’re so soft and flavorful!

I love these crisps style crackers, and the rosemary pistachio combination is perfect with either sweet or savory foods. I’ve had them at breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

I chose one of each flavor for Matt and I to try, and we each had ours with leftover cooked shrimp for lunch one day. They are so convenient and delicious! I’m hoping to pick up a few more soon.

I first discovered Pereg products at HomeGoods, and they are always a winner. This cooked up effortlessly, and I love having it cooked on hand for a quick meal.

We’re pho-lovers, so I, of course, had to buy this for us to try!

GF pasta is so tricky, so I’m always happy to try different types. The brown rice angel hair did start to clump quickly after straining, but it has held its texture better than others!

While not a find, my favorite Barre3 classes have been those offered for free at fun places around town. Last night they held a tough but rewarding class at Post Modern Spirits. All of the teal and turquoise was so pretty and perfectly my colors! I love these experiences

Please share in the comments any of your favorite products or new finds!

This past weekend was low-key for my family, but my work family has suffered immense loss. One of my coworkers received the devastating news that her twin babies, a son and a daughter, nearly two years old were involved in a tragic accident. They both gained their wings far too soon. Sadly, it is these instances that cause me to sit back and really evaluate all that I have to be grateful for. While I have become frustrated by and downright defeated during Matt and my home search, I realize we have each other, our babies, and a nice roof over our heads. Things can change in an instant, so I hope to push myself more to be patient and positive. Please keep my coworker, her partner, and their family in your thoughts.

Friday

I began Friday with scrambled eggs over wilted spinach, a warmed nectarine heavily sprinkled with cinnamon, and delicious fig pistachio crackers that I will be sharing in this week’s Friday Favs post.

Jax loves our PW quilted placemats, and he just zonked out while I was sipping my coffee! Draped over Matt’s keys and all.

After enjoying some of my leftover Cruze Farm pizza along with coleslaw, I sipped on Tazo’s green tea latte concentrate mixed with milk. It was a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up.

Before meeting Kaci for a twin Target run (the best!), I stopped at Yassin’s Falafel House and ordered a side of falafel with tahini sauce. Sometimes snacks are yogurt and fruit, pb and crackers, a bar, etc. or sometimes they are a dish like this. Yep, I ate pizza and then fried falafel in the same day, but I felt content, blood sugar balanced, and I could comfortably shop and then cook dinner once I got home. I am not perfect, I still overly think some choices. But I appreciate my journey towards better honoring my hunger and cravings.

I have no shame in finding this display pleasing to the eye, ha!

Dinner was quick, simple, and enjoyable. I layered mushroom quinoa with leftover reheated roasted eggplant and onions, steam-in-a-bag fresh green beans, avocado, and an artichoke sauce I found at HomeGoods. I’ll be sharing it in my Friday Favs post too!

The thunderstorm was quite brutal and intense! Our power flickered several times and then went out completely. Matt was already prepared with a candle, but then soon after lighting it, the power returned.

I thought this was pretty with the candlelight glowing through my glass.

My evening snack included yogurt, thawed blueberries, and a sprinkle of granola.

Saturday

Our kitchen overhead fluorescent light bulbs had burned out, so I had to take my photo in the dining room. Unfortunately, it is not lit well. I had Van’s GF blueberry waffles with frozen banana blending with Greek yogurt, milk, cinnamon, and cardamom enjoyed in a nearly empty pb jar. I added too much of the spices, but otherwise, it was a delicious meal.

I FINALLY got around to making Erin’s Raspberry Muffins! I had to buy xantham gum because I mistakenly bought Bob’s Red Mill’s GF all purpose flour instead of the one-to-one. The texture of them isn’t quite correct, but they are really enjoyable still. I love that they aren’t super sweet and can be enjoyed sprinkled with sugar, drizzled with nut butter, or broken up over Greek yogurt. Matt was sweet and suggested we take the photos outside in the sunshine, and he was a big help!

Trying to be artsy.

I did some stretches but didn’t feel like exercising. I enjoyed a muffin with maple caramel almond butter and a sprinkle of powdered sugar before showering.

I met Kaci at the Market Square Farmers Market, and we saw this sweet kitty just chilling on a leash! I wish we could’ve trained our babies so that they could calmly go places with us. 😉

Before entering the square, a homeless gentleman was handing out the free newspaper. I did not have any cash on me, so Kaci gave some change. I had brought two muffins to give to her and Drew, but I decided to give them to him. He was so thankful and immediately began eating them. While I know they were only going to do so much for him, it felt good to help someone in need.

I bought some nice produce from two stands and enjoyed the atmosphere.

We then went to Stanley’s Greenhouse for two hanging plants for Kaci and Drew’s front porch, and I bought another succulent. I’m determined to gain more patience and understanding in caring for plants.

Kaci was super sweet and offered for me to have lunch at their place! I made a simple green salad with some of the local tomatoes I had purchased and TJ’s guacamole. A slice of gouda, part of a large apple, and seasoned popcorn completed my late lunch.

I spotted this guy scaling one of their living room windows.

Their gorgeous new plants! Drew was awesome and hung them up for Kaci.

Axl is understandably proud of his ah-dorable home.

Kaci gave me the remainder of their bag of TJ’s GF granola, so I promptly ate this huge and delicious cluster plus a few more once I got back home.

I added my succulent to the bathtub planter, and I hope they both grow really well!

Look at the damage that Friday night’s storm did to our crepe myrtle. Management said they’re going to remove them soon, though. Sad as they just needed to be tended to more, Instead, they have allowed them to grow to large, and as such, they’ve become problematic.

Late afternoon cold brew with milk – so refreshing.

I bought a set of three floating shadow boxes for Mason’s memorial, but we chose not to hang them until we move. I decided he deserved to be celebrated at our home, his home. The roses were from the sweet arrangement that the Animal Hospital sent us, and while I’d give anything to have him back, this brings us joy and comfort.

Look at his adorable paw print and sweet, soft fur. I had to display his pb spoon too!

I vacuumed, did the dishes, and cleaned the kitchen. I need to get into the habit of dusting and vacuuming more often because a clean home feels more relaxing. 🙂

Dinner included mushroom quinoa, green beans, tuna, artichoke sauce, purple pepper from the farmers market, and corn chips.

Matt was so sweet and asked if I’d like to go on an evening walk, to which I enthusiastically answered, “yes”! Had to get our cliché selfie out front.

Once home and cleaned up, I had a small mug of Greek yogurt with thawed mango, roasted peanuts, and square of chili dark chocolate.

Sunday

Since we have so much eggs, it made me realize I haven’t made French toast in forever. I used Kath’s recipe and drizzled my two slices with maple along with maple caramel almond butter; thawed blueberries on the side. It tasted very nostalgic!

My body was craving movement, so I completed a 30-minute Barre3 routine then showered. For lunch I had Sargento tomato basil cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, hummus, avocado, and fig pistachio crackers.

The same friend of Matt’s who gave us the egg gave us these Tate’s brand GF cookies. They’re a thinner, more crispy texture, and while I love a gooey cookie, this was really tasty.

I went by Kaci and Drew’s to drop off two muffins for them and hung out for a bit. I love hearing about all of their house projects and seeing their house come together more and more!

I grocery shopped at Kroger and then wiped down the inside and outside of my car. Just as I said before, I need to include this as part of my more frequent cleaning routine.

Dinner was simple and quick (it’s been our trend lately!). I bought a bag of Dole salad mix for only $1.99 that included toasted quinoa, shredded parmesan, and a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. I added thawed wild caught shrimp that I sautéed in garlic herb seasoning and smoked paprika sprinkled over the warm olive oil. I also bought a container of pre-cut jicama on sale, so this was an inexpensive but satisfying meal.

Later on, my snack included Greek yogurt, frozen banana, Love Grown granola and Comet Crispies, and tahini along with blackberry cinnamon herbal tea with honey.

I signed up for a free Hulu trial just so that we can watch The Golden Girls. I’ve never seen it, and I love it! Matt and I were laughing pretty hard, and even Rachel loves it!

Monday

This morning I made a packet of original GF oatmeal with goji berries, a date, and milk then topped with spicy strawberry coconut and maple caramel almond butter.

I hope you all will find the happiness and positivity in today and through the rest of your week!

 

Hello lovely people! In case no one has said this to you yet, you are doing an amazing job, you are where you need to be, and you can do wonderful things. ❤

Let’s get down with some recent eats that have been giving me life and happiness, starting with breakfast!

Breakfast

One morning I went with the classic oatmeal (old fashioned blended up finer and cooked with milk and spices) then topped my bowl with banana, puddle o’ pb, fruit spread, and a sprinkle of chia. So good!

I wanted to try frozen GF pancakes with Matt since we always do waffles. Welp, waffles would’ve been a better choice. These were rather mushy and not pleasant. Not awful as in gross and couldn’t be eaten, but I won’t buy them again. I had mine with thawed mango and Greek yogurt mixed with pb powder, maple syrup, and spices. The “frosting” was delish! So it carried the pancakes and still made this a nice breakfast. Ya never know unless you try!

Please look at Jax standing on his very tippy toes trying to get to Rachel’s bowl! As an update on Rachel: ALL good news on her blood results!! The well-educated doctor said that with her fructosamine being so low, he’s hesitant to think she’s ever been a diabetic. Say wha? After 1.5 years of a prescription diet, he thinks it *may* have been a clinical mistake in interpreting her levels. We’re slowly transitioning her back on the Wellness brand food. Praise all that is good that our sweet princess is well!

Alright, this bowl contained Fage Greek yogurt, that same puddle o’ pb (y’all, Kroger Natural is the bomb dot com), Honey Nut Cheerios (hello nostalgia), Love Grown Comet Crispies and their new granola, and half an apple leftover from Matt’s snack the night before.

Snacks

This matcha green tea whole milk yogurt from TJ’s had the perfect sweetness and flavor of green tea! If you’re a green tea lova, grab you one or twelve. I kid, or not.

Also, you will need to stock up on this flavor too!

I finally made these energy balls that Kylie has raved about for months! She just posted her own variation that I will need to try next. They didn’t hold together super well, which may have been an error by me in not chopping the oats and nuts enough.

I found a box of Pro Bars at HomeGoods that had a great flavor and texture. It did tide me over rather nicely, more so than an RX Bar.

I had a coupon for a free GoMacro bar! So I swung by Kroger and snagged this flavor. Mmm mmm mmm, so tasty. I don’t subscribe to counting macros or anything, but this brand I do love. I also have a fondness in my heart because the first time I tried it was on my wedding day before our ceremony (thanks to my sister!), and it kept me so comfortably full.

Lunch

I only have one lunch to share. Whoopsies! I made my sister-in-law’s recent Corn, Cucumber, Avocado Salad that epitomized summer. I packed it with slaw made with TJ’s Champagne Pear Gorgonzola Vinaigrette and roasted vegetables with hummus.

Dinner

While Matt made us the best salmon salad from a can of wild caught salmon, yogurt, mayo, fresh lemon, mustard, capers, and spices, I plated yellow tomato, red pepper, carrots, jicama, pickled carrots + bread and butter pickles, and hummus. I had found these GF ciabatta rolls at Wal-Mart of all places, so we each ended up slicing ours in half and eating them open-faced with the salmon.

A quick weeknight meal of Creamy Marinara Modern Table Meals kit with added spinach and roasted eggplant + onion.

Avocado toast to calm the stomach growlies.

I didn’t time the chicken right, and it was still raw, so I had to make it do more time. Not all things work out perfectly, but all things work out in the end! Big life lesson here, y’all. Side of slaw, tomato, and sauteed green beans with everything bagel seasoning.

Lastly, Kaci and I finally got our tooshes to Cruze Farm’s Pizza Barn!!

Drew snapped this gem of us before we left. This fireplace is in their master bedroom. I know, I’m jealous too.

They call it the Pizza Barn in honor of their farm located on Asbury Road, the street name of their ice cream house and pizza shop. All of K-town came out to support, so the wait was long but worth it!

To tide us over and calm our hunger, we split the new chocolate pb cup with sprinkles. Always sprinkles. Who says dessert can’t come first?

Caesar salad with house made Caesar dressing.

We chose their “Dumb Blonde”, a Dolly Parton song, which comes with shredded mozzarella, grana padano, ricotta, garlic, and a dash of salt, We added house made fennel sausage and a side of marinara. Enjoyed in the sunshine with so much sisterly love, advice, and fun chat.

Post dinner happiness with that evening sunset glow. ❤

Kaci is a doll and asked me to guest post on her blog! I shared Matt and my DIY project to revamp our vintage coffee + tea cart. You can read about it here!

I hope you all have a great day and weekend ahead! What have you enjoyed lately?

Good Monday afternoon! I know “good” and “Monday” don’t normally mingle together, but today has been quite a lovely day so far. I really hope it’s been the same for you!

Thursday

Kaci and I were fortunate to get to take the free Barre3 class offered at Elkmont Exchange on Thursday evening, and while incredibly demanding and tough, it was an amazing class! Tough and challenging don’t have to mean you feel defeated or frustrated. I love that each instructor reminds us that just showing up for ourselves is an act of self-love and that breaks are advised so one can come back stronger.

Love my girl! Even five to ten years ago I would’ve never seen myself taking these exercise classes or being so outgoing. I was shy and a bit withdrawn sometimes. Not anymore!

Kaci and I walked over to the food truck park and enjoyed the perfect meal while chatting, people-watching, and soaking up those late evening sunrays.

Kaci’s mouthwatering meal.

My sandwich along with the green beans side dish that we split.

I adore their turquoise tables!

Friday

Friday morning began on a delicious note. Mashed avocado toast over wilted spinach and topped with an over easy egg, sliced local tomato, and a plum.

My step-mom, Karin text this to me, and I admittedly cackled about it! That owl falling would be me. Hahaha

Mid-point break in preparing our monthly lab reports, so I figured I would take some SnapChats. They never get old.

My twinklet is now a fellow blogger!! Follow all of her amazing fashion tips, decoration ideas, and lifestyle posts at www.basickeesh.com

Just a sweet girl and her banana.

After finishing laundry (does it ever end? No, no it does not), I heated the last of our Indian pork chops over rice with roasted butternut squash, and very small amount of wilted spinach. This was the meal that kept on giving!

Dessert was a Gala apple cut up and topped with yogurt, pb puddle, spicy strawberry coconut, and a side of Jax!

Saturday

I had plans to join Kaci and our friend, Carla for brunch, so I had this cucumber, watermelon, mint yogurt with pistachios before getting ready. Matt loves melon, yet he wasn’t a fan. I don’t love melons, yet I loved it. Go figure! I say try it! I loved the flavor combo.

I had to sport my ‘avogato’ shirt because brunch and reppin’ Mason!!

We dined at Tomato Head, and I chose their Fernando bowl, which included spinach, scrambled eggs, roasted potato, cheese, jalapeno peppers, pineapple, spicy apple salsa, chipotle crema, and I chose the baked tofu over the chorizo. I love me some heat, but I had to remove a lot of the jalapenos because holy guacamole my mouth was on fiya! It prob didn’t help that I tried rinsing it down with hot coffee…genius! The super sweet waitress also gave me a bowl of tortilla chips on the side at no additional cost!

Carla was so dang sweet and got our meals for us as a birthday gift, and I appreciated it so much! After a ton of fun conversation and laughs, Kaci and I went to Val’s Boutique so that I could get some arm “cannies”. Click over to her recent post to check out her collection of beaded bracelets! I chose to just get one and a dress.

After reading Mackenzie’s latest Friday Favorites post, Kaci and I knew we wanted to visit Aerie! Have you seen their new campaign? They are genuinely celebrating body diversity, and I’m not just talking a professional model in a larger sized body. Girls with insulin pumps, missing an arm, a gap in their teeth, birth marks, etc. I adore this and was so excited to support it by shopping there! Even their dressing rooms are full of positivity. They left a marker and sticky pad so that you can add your own empowering message.

My contribution ❤

From the moment we walked into the door, we were greeted by the most inviting, sweet staff! The Retail Manager noticed my t-shirt, and we were able to share some of Mason’s story, which warmed my heart. When we checked out, I asked the cashier about her engagement ring. This sparked a conversation about her upcoming wedding, and she showed us her engagement photos. They were beautiful, and she’s going to be such a lovely bride! I told her I need to come by in January to ask her how it all went. 🙂 I love getting out and making connections with people!! I am not very shy anymore at all.

I had to try one of these organic lollipops at the register. The flavor was super amazing, but the fun thing is that sage seeds are within the biodegradable stick. So you are supposed to plant the stick, water it, and then you should get a sage plant. How cool is that? I’ll keep you all updated on if I can manage to grow it!

Kaci and I went back to her and Drew’s home and did chores together like the old days. I ate a bowl of cereal on their pretty back deck, and it hit the spot.

I shopped at Aldi for a few things, and then made my way home. This was a purchase I could not pass up at Aerie. I even text Matt with what I was set to spend, and he told me to still get it. Well, okay then! I can’t wait to take it out to the lake house soon! Give me avocado everything.

I began to get hungry before it was time for dinner, so a thick slice of bread with hummus and tomato did the trick.

I found a frozen wild caught shrimp fajita mix that sounded perfect for dinner. I simply sautéed the green beans with everything bagel seasoning, and then wiped out the pan before sautéing the shrimp and vegetables. The seasoning packet was more than enough, so I just sprinkled maybe a third or so of it. I also sprinkled some of it over our cucumber/tomato/avocado salad. Matt munched on tortilla chips with his, and we both agreed this was a quick, awesome meal.

Dessert was ginger, turmeric, and black pepper stirred into yogurt then topped with thawed mango, Love Grown Comet Crispies, and roasted peanuts. I discovered from Alexis that the pepper helps to release the nutritional benefits of turmeric. I’m always learning!

Sunday

I have to say I was quite pleased with this oatmeal creation! I have been really into chopping up our oats to make my oatmeal more porridge-like and creamy. I made it with cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla, and milk. I then added frozen berries and heated through before drizzling with molasses and topping with roasted peanuts and date paste simply from blending a date with enough water to create a paste consistency.

Rachel loves this spot in the house and is often catching some sunrays. ❤

She helped me with my Barre3, and then I got cleaned up to sadly take her to the vets. We’ve noticed she’s lost some weight, and with her blood sugar levels, I get really nervous. Sadly, they were unable to draw blood for her senior blood work, so we’re scheduled to return tomorrow. Per their records, she has lost 0.7-1.0 pounds, so my heart sank. Please keep our princess in your thoughts! My heart can’t handle any of my babies not being well.

I am really grateful that Matt is a nurturer and can bring my seemingly dead plants back to life. He poured a lot of water over my gorgeous hanging plant, and it sprung back beautifully. I need to try harder!

My succulents are going strong.

Our crepe myrtle is in full bloom and is such a gorgeous color.

My aloe plant that Matt also rescued. #plantwhisperer

Lunch was my leftover sandwich from the food truck park along with green beans and tortilla chips.

I finished this chocolate bar, so now I need to find a new one to try. Any suggestions?

I tried my hand at a little DIY project, and let’s just say I won’t be quitting my day job. Lawd. Thankfully, Matt is also handy (is there anything he can’t do?), so he’ll be helping me to finish it. I can’t wait to share the final before and after!

I had to go by Wal-Mart, and I never can avoid buying something new from the Pioneer Woman collection. I finally upgraded our salt and pepper grinder situation. Blue on blue on blue, but I love it! Matt asked if I plan to get everything PW one day. I almost want to, ha! Her lines all coordinate despite the pattern. But I don’t want to make it look almost tacky. What are your thoughts? Do you fall hard for a certain brand or look, and if so, then how much do you like to decorate  with it?

Up close and personal. Aren’t the etched designs super pretty?

Dinner was random but tasty: organic canned pinto beans, steamed vegetables, cooked sweet potato, avocado, and TJ’s champagne pear gorgonzola vinaigrette. I packed this for our lunch, and my clinic manager jokingly gave me a hard time for such a weird bowl. Any fellow odd food combo peeps out there?

Dessert was yogurt, frozen banana, Love Grown granola, and sweet spicy coconut.

Monday

I was in the mood for eggs, and thankfully, we have a ton! Matt’s friend gave us two dozen farm fresh eggs, and we already had almost two dozen. I made fluffy scrambled eggs with Sargento tomato basil cheese over wilted spinach, Dr. Praeger’s carrot potato puffs with ketchup, and plum with cinnamon.

This is my dress from Val’s that I absolutely love! I love the vintage vibe. If you can’t tell, I love vintage everything.

Wishing everyone the very best week ahead!