Best.Drink.Ever

Grande.

Iced.

Coffee.

Vanilla Soy.

Fresh & Light

Nik is out of town so that means one thing - Chicken Salad. He isn’t a big fan, so when he’s gone, I usually make a nice bowl of Chicken Salad and munch on it all weekend. I decided I would try out a new Chicken Salad recipe - a non-mayo recipe. What?! Chicken Salad without Mayo? Oh yes! And it is oh-so-good! Its light and fresh. Granny Smith Apples, Brown Sugar, Fresh Basil, Fresh Mint, Roasted Peanuts, Scallions, Fresh Lime Juice, Rice Vinegar, and, of course, Chicken! If you are interested in this Real Simple recipe, go here.

Saturday Lunch

After Nik and I went for a relaxing walk on the Fairhope Bluff Saturday morning, I started contemplating the lunch I had planned for the day. The pinwheel stuffed with shredded mozzarella, spinach and prosciutto needed a side.  I had fresh mozzarella balls in the fridge, basil in the back yard, but needed to find a fresh tomato. We didn’t want to go to the grocery store (especially on a Saturday) so decided to see if Fairhope’s new Windmill Market at any fresh produce. The new market has been a mystery to us since it first open, so we took the opportunity to see what it was all about. Inside, we found local vendors selling everything from homemade clothes to pottery to handmade pasta noodles. As we made our way to the back, there it was - a small, but wonderful, produce section provided by local farmers. Voila. We grabbed a tomato and a couple small bottles of San Pellegrino and headed home. I definitely know where I’m spending next Saturday morning.

Jamie’s Food Revolution

I watched the first episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution online the other day. Before watching, I thought that it would be a no-brainer for the community of Huntington, West Virginia to grab a hold of what he had to say. Boy, was I wrong. I was completely shocked at the opposition that he faced. Watching it made me so thankful for parents who taught me how to eat well and to understand how important fresh food is for your body. If you haven’t heard about Jamie’s fight to change our nation’s eating habits at school and home, check it out here.

Meal Planning

A new year means to get your butt in gear. Like most of America, Nik and I are headed back to the gym full force and planning on eating healthy. Really, Nik and I do pretty well with this. I really don’t like to make big goals about food and exercise when the New Year starts, because I believe that it should be a lifestyle. And I think everything should be in moderation, especially when it comes to food. So instead of cutting out chocolate, I’d rather just trade up to some dark chocolate. And instead of cutting out carbs, I’d rather just make my portion smaller.

I am really excited, because Nik has started to make smoothies in the morning. So far, so good. Yesterday, we had banana and strawberry. Today we had raspberries, blueberries, bananas and added some flax seed! I hope he keeps it up, because there is nothing like grabbing a glass of yummy healthiness on the way out the door.

I am hoping to cook a little more this year. The key, I think, is to find easy recipes with good, quality ingredients. Let the food do the work, ya know? I’ve been planning out this week’s meal plan, and its got me so excited - I want to leave work, head to Publix and cook and eat all day! A lot of these recipes I have found on Real Simple. Some are super healthy, some are just middle of the road. But, all have really great ingredients. I love to eat. Like right now, I am craving this Cauliflower Soup and Prosciutto Sandwich which probably isn’t the healthiest. But, hey, I’ll just spend a little extra time on the treadmill. (See - New Year goals already out the window. Haha)

Scary Treats

We are planning on hanging out with Ethan & Brodie on Halloween, and then having an adult after-party once its bedtime. So, I’m trying to come up with a scary Halloween recipe that the boys will think is scary & cool, but that the adults will actually enjoy eating (Sonya and I are kind of having a competition over which treat Ethan will like best. Haha). I’ve been researching over the last few minutes, but everything seems like it will take too long OR is too creepy for even ME to enjoy (Insert picture of creepy Witch Fingers)! Any ideas?

Life Made Easier

I have always loved Real Simple Magazine, but they hit a whole new level with their October issue. I don’t have a subscription, but I usually pick up a copy whenever I’m traveling and know that I’ll have time on the plane. They have all sorts of tidbits about organizing, stress reduction, cleaning and cooking. I was standing in the checkout line last night and glanced at the cover which read - “A Month of Easy Dinners.” HECK, YES!  Absolute Genius. They have weekday dinners mapped out with grocery lists for the whole month. The meals vary from tilapia with peppers and olives to steak with potato-parnship mash to creamy rice with roasted shrimp. Yum. I’ve really been trying to get my cooking schedule back in order this fall. I’m tired of grabbing Chick-fil-a on the way home from church on Tuesdays & Wednesday nights.  I’m tired ot throwing the same meal together every week because I didn’t have time to make a grocery list before I went to the store. I’ve been feeling the urge to use my beautiful, new kitchen and cook more often. We deserve good, fresh, hot food no matter how busy we are.

PS - The magazine also has a Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing recipe. I’m going to make these for Becca & Jarrod this weekend. Happy Fall!