Life Lately

Hi, friends! I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to kick off this week. Next Monday is Memorial Day so hopefully most of you will have a nice 3-day weekend next weekend. Just a little something to get you through the week 😉 Thanks for sticking with me through my lack of posting lately. I’ll get back to my normal routine one of these days, but for now, this seems to be working for me, so I’m going with it.

I’m still waiting to start my new job so I’m currently enjoying a little extra downtime. It’s nice to only be working at 2 gyms right now. Ha, never thought 2 jobs would be when I got to relax! So, where exactly have I been the past few weeks?

Well, Nathan’s sister came to visit for a week. She was here for his birthday which was spent at the Giants’ game. Birthdays and baseball go together like baseball and beer.. which, of course, we had.

Day 1! Drakes Brewery, straight from the airport. We don’t mess around!

A birthday win!

Finally made it to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Photo-bombing my own picture.

One of our new favorite wineries.

We also celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary last week. It’s so crazy to think that it’s already been 2 years. And at the same time, it’s only been 2 years. I bet you wouldn’t be too surprised to learn that we celebrated with food and drinks.

Surprise picnic at work!

Aperol Spritz to take us back.

Oh, those porcinis and fresh pasta ❤

Holy Margherita!

We try to get back to our honeymoon as much as possible, so an impromptu picnic at Nathan’s office and Pizzaiolo for dinner had to happen. It was named one of the best pizzas in the Bay Area and it was definitely delicious; the crust was the most light, fluffy, tender crust we’ve ever had. That said, Il Casaro still wins for our favorite pizza since Italy. Next month, we’re going to see Book of Mormon. I called that the anniversary gift so we’re also planning on going to a nice dinner that night before the show. Any recommendations around the Orpheum Theater?

We’ve also made a successful foccacia bread at home [and by we, I mean Nathan..] which is HUGE for us! AND I’m dying over the fruit lately. Yogurt + cherries + nut butters [peanut and almond because I couldn’t decide] = heaven.

In the fitness world, I’m finishing up my 30 Day Kettlebell Challenge and have loved it. It’s been so refreshing to change it up and get my butt kicked in 25 minutes or less! Since I’ve just mainly been following that program this month, I’ve cut my cardio back significantly to typically one 30 minute run per week in addition to a quick warmup on the elliptical before my workouts. It has certainly helped me to fit my workouts in between clients. And speaking of clients, they’re picking up too! I’m searching for pockets of time but I’m so excited to have more clients these days. Only up from here, right?

My meal planning has been lacking a little bit lately, so let’s all get back to that, shall we?

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Nathan’s whole roasted chicken with roasted sugar snap peas and [sweet] potatoes
Monday – Coconut Honey Lime Filipino Chicken Adobo Skewers with roasted red pepper and zucchini chips
Tuesday – Balsamic Watermelon Chicken Salad
Wednesday – Jerk Chicken Kabobs with Balsamic Fennel Salad
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

What’s happening in your life lately?
Any restaurant recommendations near the Orpheum Theater in SF?

We Were Just Babies!

Hi friends, happy Monday! I hope you had as relaxing a weekend as I did. Friday kicked off with an awesome workout at a new-to-me circuit gym called Sweat. I went with a few of my coworkers and the trainer took us through 3 rounds of 8 stations of supersets. These exercises hit every single muscle and I was definitely feeling it all weekend, especially my abs! I can’t wait to go back again.. luckily they’re on ClassPass.

Saturday, Nathan and I took it easy and celebrated 11 long crazy years. I can’t believe we’ve been together for so long; we were just babies when we first started dating!

Check. Us. Out.

Saturday night was when we had the big plans for a nice dinner out. We’d been talking about going to Gather practically since we moved here and walked past it the first time. The price point is a little higher than our normal night out on the town so we knew it would be good for a special occasion, and it definitely was! We started out with drinks—a local red wine for me and a local black ale for him—and split 2 small plates. [You’ll excuse the lovely lighting for the pictures, yes?]

Rockwall sangiovese blend and fresh Acme bread

Crispy pork terrine with herbed buttermilk, hot sauce, pickled melon rind

Wild mushrooms with sweet potato, celery root, Treviso, crispy quinoa

Both dishes were so delicious and full of flavor but I think I ended up preferring the mushroom dish and Nathan went more for the pork terrine. No surprises there; boy loves his fried food 😉

There were so many appealing options on the menu for the entrees, one of which would be the amazing looking pizzas, but I couldn’t say no to the black cod. I hardly ever make seafood at home because Nathan doesn’t eat it, so I love to get it whenever we go out. The cod did not disappoint in the least; I ate it flake-by-flake and the skin was perfectly crispy too. I think I “mmm”-ed with almost every bite!

Local black cod with broccoli di Ciccio, celery root, Maitake, lemon

Zooming in for the close-up!

Nathan ordered the burger with fries which may not sound too exciting but he confirmed that it was a pretty damn good burger! And I can confirm that the fries were tasty too. We skipped out on dessert in favor of a couple peanut butter cookies we got earlier in the day; a nice little sweet treat to finish it out.

Yesterday was all about recovery from our big meal. Ha! We watched football, went to a couple grocery stores, and did lots of cooking and prepping for the week. We might have had a messy kitchen, but dinner was awesome!

That chicken recipe will be coming soon 😉

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Herb de Provence roast chicken, gouda smashed potatoes, and roasted brussels sprouts
Monday – Vietnamese pork bowl
Tuesday – Smokey chicken wing chili
Wednesday – Chicken bacon rice bowls
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

If you’re married, do you still celebrate your dating anniversary?
Did you do anything fun over the weekend?

Currently…

Currently I’m finishing up my breakfast—a nice warm bowl of steel cut oats with coconut cashew and maple sunflower butters and a big cup-of-joe.

I’m thinking it’s going to be a multiple big cup-of-joe kind of day. I just picked up my phone to take a sip of coffee.. yea.

I’m thinking I’m really glad I went to the gym this morning, even having not slept well, because I already feel like I’m reaping the rewards. And I know that I wouldn’t have wanted to move later in the day!

Currently I’m looking into when and where I can get my CPR/AED certification so I can take my CPT exam. Exciting. Nerve-wracking. Stress-inducing. Maybe part of the reason I’m not sleeping as well?

I’m also looking into all of the fun perks of my new job at Athleta. I’m only 2 shifts in right now, but I’m really liking it. [And I’m not just saying that because they might be reading!] Also, if you’re in the bay area, follow my store on Twitter.. they’re always posting about events and great in-store deals!

Currently I’m thinking about the anniversary trip. Man, it was fun. And surprisingly enough, we didn’t really overdo it this time. Maybe because wine country is in our backyard now and we can always go back for more!

I’m also thinking about how glad I am to have done my detox before retox week before the trip. This week is definitely about getting back to normal eats again, but in a different way. I mentioned last week that my body was appreciating the lack of grains and starchy vegetables, though by the end of the week, I’ll admit I was feeling tired. Maybe my body didn’t appreciate such a change.

I’m thinking that I’ve had a hell of a time really trying to figure out how to eat lately. That nice warm bowl of oats this morning? I was staying away from that last week, but maybe it’s something my body does want. Am I over-thinking? Yea, probably. It seems like every time I think I have it figured out, things change. I’m really just wanting someone to tell me how to eat. It shouldn’t be this hard, right?

Currently I’m thinking about how ridiculous it is that Northern California apartments don’t have air conditioning. I understand that it doesn’t get into the upper 80s/low 90s that often, but that’s just silly business. We’ve had our fans running constantly.

And I’m thinking about all of the fires in Southern California and hoping that everyone is staying safe.

Currently I’m counting the days till our trip home. I can’t wait to get my hands on this little nugget!

Check out those big blue eyes! Only 43 days and she’s mine 🙂

And currently I’m off for more coffee. That first cup didn’t last long!

Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Kelsey S. Please email me with your shipping information and I’ll make sure you get your peanut butter soon!

Food for Thought

What are you doing or thinking about currently?

What I Ate Wedneday #86: Wine Country or Bust

Have you entered my Peanut Butter & Co. giveaway?

Remember when I talked about my pre-retoxing last week? Let’s just say I’m glad I did that because I very well could have undone all of that with the damage I’ve done over the past few days! That’s what anniversaries are for though, right? Just agree with me here. It was a really great trip and we did our part to eat and drink our way through wine country.

This is before we even started drinking!

There was a breakfast that started with sparkles and complimentary scones..

..and finished with perfectly poached eggs over smoked salmon.

There was a picnic lunch with a bottle of chardonnay..

..beautiful views and a smoked duck salad.

There was a wonderful anniversary dinner complete with amuse-bouche..

..a colorful plate of seared ahi tuna, fava beans & puree, artichokes, and crispy fried noodles..

..and a decadent devils food chocolate cake dessert with vanilla gelato and bruleed banana slices.

There was even more chocolate and cookies..

..though the cookies didn’t make it to picture 😉

There were huge roses and gorgeous sunsets.

And the most appropriate ending to the anniversary trip—a beer sampler, vegan pizza, and baked buffalo wings.

It really was a perfect getaway. And we might have been sad to have to get back to real life, but this is just in our backyard now. Maybe another trip next weekend? Ha!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with some egg whites, smuices, and salads 😉

Food for Thought

What is your favorite way to celebrate a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday?

One Year Already!

I can’t believe it’s been a year already.

While we’ve been together for 10+ years already, and it kind of already felt like we were married, it seems like it was just yesterday that we were cheesing our faces off on our wedding day.

I have no idea what was so funny, but we were pretty much smiling that hard for the entire day!

It’s been a pretty crazy year full of lots of fun, laughter, support, [stress], food, wine, beer, and of course, lots of love.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past year, it’s that I could not have made a better decision. Nathan is my best friend, even after having to live in a hotel with him for almost 2 months! If you want to put your marriage to the test, try moving cross-country 😉 I couldn’t have asked for someone more supportive, understanding, and loving in my life.

So as we run around wine country touring vineyards, tasting wine, chomping away at some cheese, and soaking in the sunshine, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have such an amazing person to stand by me, enjoy each bite of food and sip of beer with me, and put up with all of my crazy [just as I put up with his!]

Cheers to 1 year and forever more!

Happy 1st anniversary, Nath! I love you.

Foodie Friday: Skinny Spinach Basil Pesto

Have you entered my Peanut Butter & Co. giveaway?

For a couple of weeks I was on a serious cottage cheese kick. It started with my cottage cheese oats and didn’t stop there! It’s a great way to add extra protein to your favorite dishes and add a little extra creaminess too. I was really in the mood for a pesto-y kinda lunch but unfortunately it looked like the pesto in the fridge had seen better days. Whoops..  good thing we had everything I needed to whip up my own skinny-fied version.

Skinny Spinach Basil Pesto

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients
– 1/3 cup cottage cheese [I used low fat Daisy]
– 1/2 cup spinach
– 5-10 fresh basil leaves
– 2 tsp nutritional yeast*
– 1 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 tbsp pistachios
– 1 tsp McCormick Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Directions
Put all ingredients into a food processor and give it a whirl until smooth.

I tossed my pesto into a pan with zucchini noodles, roasted kabocha, and a filet of sole. Once it warmed up, the cottage cheese got extra creamy and melty. Just what I was looking for!

*Nutritional yeast can be found on iHerb.com. Use code ZAF482 to receive $5 off of your first order.

Nutritional Information
Per single serving of pesto

113 Calories  /  5g Fat  /  8g Carbs  /  3g Fiber  /  3g Sugar  /  11g Protein

This reminds me, I really need to make this again soon! And with that, it’s about time I get myself ready for a relaxing wine country getaway with my husband of almost 1 year. Can’t believe how quickly time flies.

Food for Thought

Are you a pesto fan?
Do you have any big plans for the weekend?

Link Love #18: My Top 5

Happy New Years Eve!! Wow, I can’t believe the year is over.. it seems like it just began. It’s time to wrap this baby up and look forward to creating new goals [and achieving them!], new experiences, and new memories. I usually use my link love posts to share some of my favorite posts from the blogosphere, but in the spirit of wrapping up this year, I thought I’d share my top 5 most popular posts and my top 5 favorites from this past year.

Most Popular

5. What I Ate Wednesday #4 – 5 Day Slim Down Edition!

That’s a tasty pineapple protein pancake!

I most certainly have some Tone It Up ladies to thank for this being up there in numbers! People seriously want to know about that slim down. It’s no joke.. you need to be really dedicated and if you are, it really works!

4. Spaghetti Squash Kugel

Definitely making this again soon!

Between Passover and all of the Paleo and low carb diets, it’s no wonder this recipe was a hit! And have you ever had kugel? YUM! Give me my kitchen!

3. Recipe Remix: Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes

Ooh baby! I almost forgot about these.

I love my sweet breakfasts and anyway I can sneak a little veggie in there makes it that much more perfect.

2. Foodie Friday: Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Everything is better with peanut butter!

My first attempt at protein bites and they were a delicious success! I definitely recommend this recipe.

1. Minty Irish Powerballs

The perfect mix of chocolatey, nutty, and minty!

How do you make a protein bite better? Use your homemade nut butter 😉

My Top 5 Recipe Posts

Eggy Quinoa Stuffed Squash
Coconut Flour Pancake Variations
Homemade Cashew Butter
Buddha’s Feast
Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Tofu Burgers

My Top 5 Life Posts

Hitched
Dealing With Doubt
I’m grateful for…
The “S” Word
Baltimore Bucket List and Big News!

My Top 5 What I Ate Wednesday Posts

#44: Wine in Italy
Quick Honeymoon Update
#45: The Wedding Food
#59: Ten Years Gone
#64: The First Weekend

Food for Thought

Do you have an all-time favorite post from this past year?
Any big plans for NYE?

Foodie Friday: Cinnamon Raisin Eggy Oats

TGIF! Wait.. do I always start my Friday posts like that? Whoops.. but this is an extra awesome Friday because Nathan and I are celebrating! I know it seems silly to celebrate a dating anniversary after you’re married, but we’ve officially been dating for 10 years. HOLY CRAP! Keep in mind we’ve only been married for 5 months now. I’m super excited for an awesome dinner tonight at Birrotecca and can’t wait to share that with you. I’ve heard such great things about this restaurant.

At my brother’s wedding.. and we’d already been dating for 4 years!

Until then, I’m going share with you a #StrangeButGood breakfast that I’ve been eating this week. In an effort to increase my healthy fats [thank you, Lindsay], I decided to play with some of my favorite breakfast items and I’m loving it this creation!

Cinnamon Raisin Eggy Oats

Serves 1

Ingredients
– 1/2 banana; mashed
– Ground cinnamon
– 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
– 1/2 cup water
– 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
– 1/2 tbsp raisins
– 1 tbsp Sunbutter [or your favorite nut/seed butter!]
– 1 tsp coconut oil
– 1 whole egg
– 2 egg whites

Directions
Place a small pot over high heat and add the 1/2 banana, a sprinkling of cinnamon, almond milk, and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the oats and raisins and cook until desired consistency. Pour the oats into a bowl and top with the nut or seed butter.

Melt the coconut oil in the pot and add the eggs. Sprinkle the eggs with a little cinnamon and cook about 1-3 minutes per side, depending on how runny you like your yolks. When the eggs are finished cooking, slide on top of the oats, sprinkle a little more cinnamon and dive in!

Oh, and don’t forget to post a pic to Instagram, obviously 😉

The runny yolk with the Sunbutter and creamy oats is an unbeatable combination and it’s been a great post-workout breakfast!

Nutritional Information
Per serving with Sunbutter

480 Calories / 22g Fat / 51g Carbs / 9g Fiber / 16g Sugar / 24g Protein

Food for Thought

Have you ever tried sweet eggs?

What I Ate Wednesday #33: Happy Blingiversary!

As I mentioned on Monday, last Thursday was the 1 year anniversary of Nathan proposing, otherwise known as our blingiversary. We decided to take that opportunity to celebrate with a nice dinner. It also helped that it was Baltimore Restaurant Week so that just gave us even more of an excuse to try out The Food Market.

[Breakfast]
Sweet breakfast scramble with unsweetened banana chips and peanut butter. Any surprises here? 😉

[Lunch]
A nice big kale and cabbage salad! I knew I would be indulging for dinner and dessert so I had to behave. I piled on the veggies and used some roasted garlic hummus as my dressing.

[Snacks]
Banana Chobani and an apple. Apparently I love fruit and the new banana flavor of Chobani is delicious. Find it!

[Dinner]
In our attempt to be fancy, we each started with a glass of the “house bubbles.” It was a nice treat to go along with the freshly baked foccacia bread that practically melts in your mouth.

For appetizers, I ordered the Spice Sliced Tuna with chiffonade romaine & crispy wontons, orange jus, & hot mustard. The tuna was perfectly seared and the orange and mustard sauces played so well off of each other. Nathan had the Pickle Juice Brined Pop Corn Chicken with sweet & sour sauce. Any chance he gets, he’ll opt for fried chicken!

For our entrees, I ordered the Seared Mahi Mahi with capers & raisins, cauliflower puree, & almond bubbles. The fish had the absolute best crust; just crispy enough to need a knife, but the rest of the fish flaked apart perfectly. The sauces were a little buttery but very light. Nathan ordered the Duck Breast with brussels sprouts, parsnips, & cherries in cider. This was my second choice, but I think we chose appropriately. The duck was tender and so flavorful; we both love duck and cherry together.. what could be bad?

[Dessert]
Once again, we were both pleased with our decisions. I ordered the Sweet Potato Pie with pecan brittle, torched marshmallow, & creamy maple. I’d never had sweet potato pie before [crazy, right?!] and I loved it! It was pretty darn sweet, I’m sure from the maple sauce, but it was so scrumptious. Nathan ordered the Heathbar Bread Pudding with condensed milk caramel & whipped cream. I thought this sounded amazing but too sweet.. turns out, this was amazing and mine was sweeter. Go figure!

The entire meal was fabulous and I’d love to go back again soon [hint, hint Nathan!]

Food for Thought

If you’re married or engaged, do you celebrate any anniversaries other than your wedding anniversary?

What I Ate Wednesday #21 – The Last Anniversary

*Have you entered my Tropical Traditions coconut oil giveaway yet? It ends tomorrow and a winner is announced on Friday!*

Well, it’s not really the last anniversary, but last Thursday was our last dating anniversary until we get married! We celebrated 9 long wonderful years of dating, and while people really don’t celebrate their dating anniversary after they get married, I think we’re going to have to do something for the big 1-0!

I had some fun with my food so I couldn’t wait to share it with you today! Happy WIAW!

[Breakfast]
In the midst of my dark chocolate cherry protein pancake obsession, but to make it anniversary special, the future hubs and I made sure to cheers each other over a mimosa.

[Snack]
Blueberry greek yogurt. Yet another obsession of mine that I just can’t shake. It’s the perfect bit of sweetness and protein to get me through the morning.

[Lunch]
Salad with roasted pork tenderloin, tons of veggies, roasted red pepper sauce, and a little feta. Hey, I had to get a little fancy..

[Snack]
I’d been jonesing for a banana but seeing as how I was at work, the best I could do was a banana SOYJOY. I popped that baby in the microwave for 10 seconds and was in heaven! To my surprise, it really did satisfy my banana craving!

[Dinner]
A night out at Waterfront Kitchen was in order. We’d never been there but had heard so many good things about this new-ish farm-to-table restaurant in our hood. First question: wine or beer? We opted for beer and went straight to Unibroue! La Fin du Monde is one of our all time faves.

Looking at the menu, we immediately noticed that the dishes were not very complex. We’ve been to restaurants 100 times that have wowed us in their menu descriptions, so the simple preparation of these dishes was a nice change of pace.

As a light appetizer, we shared a warm brussel sprout salad with bacon, onion, and microgreens. It was so tasty and rich! I’m glad we split it.. I don’t know if I could have finished it on my own! What we could finish, however, was our first beer. Onto another Unibroue; next we tried Don de Dieu. This was a new one for us and we loved it, but not as much as La Fin Du Monde.

Nathan order the pork ribeye with wild mushrooms, heirloom peppers, farm fresh kale, and blackberry demi glace. I opted for the monkfish “osso bucco” with stewed cherry tomatoes, onion, sweet potato, and wilted Swiss chard. As I mentioned, the dishes seemed to have a simpler preparation which left it to execution. Spot. On. The dishes were flavorful and perfectly cooked. We couldn’t have asked for more enjoyable bites!

We finished our dinner with some coffee and the dessert special of the night: pumpkin cake with local butter pecan ice cream. Not too heavy and not too sweet; the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. (And a delicious halloween treat!)

Do you see Nathan ready to dive into dessert? 😉 Seems to always happen with dessert!

Food for Thought

Do you prefer to go out to dinner for special occasions or have a romantic meal at home?

We always go out for our anniversary but stay in for Valentine’s Day so we don’t have to deal with all of the craziness!