A Love-ly Weekend

Gooood morning! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and hopefully a nice Valentines Day too [if you celebrated.] Friday was a bit crazy for both of us and by the time we got out for dinner, all we wanted was something cheap and easy. Mexican it was!

Baja Grilled Vegetable Black Bean Guacamole Rice Plate

It was the last dinner of my 2 week vegan experiment and what could be a better way to finish it off than with grilled veggies, rice, black beans, and lots of guacamole? Oh right.. fresh tortilla chips and salsa, too 😉

Saturday was all about taking it easy. In all of the running around that we’ve been doing lately, we decided that pulling the married card out and relaxing all day sounded like the best way to spend Valentines Day. We hit up the farmers’ market bright as soon as they opened to get the main star of our dinnerrotisserie duck l’orange. I guess we cheated a little bit in a way by not making the main dish like we usually do, but hey, it was hard to pass up! And such a gorgeous day, too. Which is why we took the opportunity to spend more time outside and walk over to the nearby rose garden.

Rose Garden Nathan Brittany

Too bad we forgot that it’s still winter [yep, 75 degrees in February!] and there were only about 10 roses to be seen. Ha! We’ll have to make our way back over there in a couple of months.

The rest of the day was spent watching movies and having a few drinks on the couch.

Kirkland Prosecco

Only the finest in our house! The perfect apertif while we were cooking up some roasted brussels & potatoes to go with the duck. We also popped open a bottle of Black Zeppelin, a 2009 Syrah blend, that we bought in 2012. It was surprisingly better than we had remembered!

Brittany Nathan Valentines Day Wine

Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in on the rest of the food on Wednesday. Except for dessert.. a homemade personal pan blueberry square topped with Tahitian Vanilla gelato from Lush, down the street.

Blueberry Squares Smitten Kitchen Lush Tahitian Vanilla Gelato

Sunday was for workouts, working, errands, and the start of the new day bed for all of our guests! Ikea is the best.. ish.

Nathan Ikea Day Bed

Don’t worry Mom and Dad, the room will be a little more put together in a week and a half when you get here! Looking forward to this week being a little quieter. And actually being able to do some real meal planning. I missed meat and seafood!

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday20 Minute Thai Basil Turkey and Lemongrass Rice Bowls
MondayKung Pao Salmon and Chicken with Sweet Potato and Broccoli
Tuesday – Leftover duck l’orange with citrus fennel and avocado salad
WednesdaySmoky Chipotle Beet and Quinoa Burgers
ThursdayBurrito Bowls
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

Did you celebrate Valentines Day?

Link Love #21

Today should be an interesting day. They’re shutting off the water in my building from 9am – 2pm. I get back from the gym after 9 so I guess it’s a good thing Nathan doesn’t have to be home with me haha. I think that makes for a perfect plan to take a walk to Trader Joe’s, yes? It’s trouble being walking distance now but I love it 😉

I know I only choose a select few posts to share weekly on my blog but there are so many awesome posts daily that I share on twitter. My recipe posts are getting even more selective these days as I’m really looking for things that I’m going to put on my weekly menu or things that I can make now that I have the right tools [hellooooooo nut butters!] What can I say? I’m addicted!

Health

Real Life Issues: The Sitting Disease Kills Lifting Revolution

Real Life Issues: The Sitting Disease Kills – Lifting Revolution

Real Life Issues: The Sitting Disease Kills – Lifting Revolution [This hits close to home now but definitely gets me out of my seat!]
What Does Sugar Free Mean? – Sarah Kay Hoffman
Common Nutrition Mistakes – Sweat Like a Pig
My FAT to FIT Fabrication – Carla Birnberg
The 10 Must-Know Tips to Stay Hydrated During Your Workout – Greatist

Fitness

Crazy Cotter Work Out Round Up Cotter Crunch

Crazy Cotter Work Out Round Up – Cotter Crunch

Crazy Cotter Work Out Round Up – Cotter Crunch
Love Your Body with Kettlebells! – Tone It Up
The 10 Side Effects of Running – Olive to Run
Elliptical Running – Happy Fit Mama
20-Minute Upper Body Interval Workout (No Equipment Needed) – Pumps & Iron [This inspired my new favorite move to do at home!]

Food

General Tsos Cauliflower Bakeaholic Mama

General Tsos Cauliflower – Bakeaholic Mama

General Tso’s Cauliflower – Bakeaholic Mama
Flourless Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Muffins – Runnings with Spoons
Homemade Salted Dark Chocolate Almond Butter – Ambitious Kitchen
Peanut Butter Mug Cake – Kiss My Broccoli [I’ve been loving this one!]
Craving > Pork Belly Sliders and Superbowl Bites – Foodie Crush

Food for Thought

What was one of your favorite posts from the past week?