PB&J Pie Parfait {Recipe ReDux}

Oh, hiiiii there! Long, loooong time, no talk. I knew I’d make it back here one of these days. It’s been an interesting and exciting past month around these parts. I’ve happily started to find a groove with my schedule, had a great trip home, spent some time with my favorite little girl [.. and the rest of my family], and spent some QT with the hubs.

Playing piano with my girl.

Learning colors.

Happy to go to an Orioles game with 3 of my favorite people!

During Nathan and my 8 mile hike on Nimitz Trail.

One of my favorite things to do with Nathan is take a walk to the farmers’ market every Saturday. The fruit we’ve been getting lately has been out of this world and I knew I had to put some of it to good use for this month’s Recipe ReDux.

Tucked in a crust, nothing says love from the oven like pie. Whether it’s a twist on the all-American apple pie or a traditional recipe from your home country, give a healthy makeover to your favorite savory or sweet pie recipe.

This dessert came together in just a matter of minutes and is the perfect single-serving size. And the best part? Aside from the peanut butter, of course, is the secret ingredient, chia seeds. They serve as a thickener for the filling and are also a great source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids, protein, nutrients that help support bone health, such as calcium and magnesium. Happy dessert-ing!

Single Serving PB&J Pie Parfait

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 5 mini or 1 1/2 regular Reese’s Oreos
• 3/4 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk
• 1 tbsp chia seed
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 strawberries; sliced

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine the cashew milk, chia seed, and peanut butter. Set aside in a small bowl for 1-2 hours and allow to thicken.
2. After the peanut butter mix has thickened, place the Oreos and coconut oil in a food processor and blend until they come together.
3. Press 1/3 of the mix into a small glass and top with 1/2 of the peanut butter mixture and 1/2 of the strawberry slices.
4. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the Oreo mix on top with the other 1/2 of the peanut butter mixture and the other sliced strawberry.
5. Sprinkle the remaining Oreo mix on top and dig in!

Nutritional Information
270 Calories / 18g Fat / 21g Carbs / 7g Fiber / 7g Sugar / 9g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite pie?

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Friday the 13th is a good day. This one in particular happens to be the birthday of one of my favorite baseball partners. He got me started on the game when I was just a wee little one and has taken me to countless games over the years.

He taught me home team first [GO O’S!], and with him being from New York, Yankees second [I might lose some followers over that one..]

He also taught me how to drive stick.. if you consider me being 5 years old and sitting in the passengers seat shifting with all of my strength in both hands to be “driving.” I certainly did! It was the best cruising around, listening to my Sesame Street tape and singing along to Cookie Monster’s theme song. And once in a while turning on 105.7 Rouse & Company for some good oldies. What can I say, we were crazy!

He’s the best dad and grandpa we could ask for!

And in just 1 1/2 short weeks, we’ll be cheers-ing it up in California, just like last year. I can’t wait to see my parents again and have some good times celebrating!

Happy birthday, Dad! I love you!

And happy Friday, friends. Have a great weekend!

Scenes from the Weekend {10/13}

Hi friends, happy Monday! What a weekend it was.. ours was pretty fantastic, aside from a couple Orioles losses. We kicked it off with Friday night pizza, beer, and baseball.

At Sliver, every happy hour drink comes with a sliver of pizza and Friday’s had fresh corn, chile pasilla, mozzarella, feta, lime, and garlic olive oil. It was so good!

Saturday was filled with a little work, lots more baseball, and a dinner date with gelato.

He was so excited that he grabbed the cone and ran! What’s not to be excited about mascarpone balsamic gelato with dark chocolate chunks in a fresh cinnamon waffle cone?

Yesterday was pretty awesome; we’d been talking about going for a serious hike for a while but hadn’t made it yet. We woke up early and drove out to Mt. Tamalpais for a 6-miler with spectacular views of the whole bay area.

The start of the hike.

It seemed like no matter which path we chose, it ended up being the more difficult; steep inclines that seemed to never end, lots of steps, and huge rocks. It was absolutely the most difficult hike we’ve ever done. That said, we had amazing views the entire way up and it was so, very worth it.

Over 2500 ft up!

So worth the sore legs!

Living on the edge 😉

This is normal..

WE MADE IT!

Well deserved brews with a view!

We were totally pooped after our early morning and sweat-breaking hike, but the soreness and drained feeling is one of the best knowing that it’s from such a great experience. We’ll definitely be heading back to Mt. Tam in the future.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Rosemary lamb sausages, roasted kabocha, and asparagus
Monday – Basil lime chicken with mushrooms and green beans
Tuesday – Leftovers
Wednesday – Tandoori-style chicken burgers with potato wedges and side salad
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Out!

Food for Thought

What’s the best place you’ve been on a hike?
What’s on your menu this week?

We’re Going to the ALCS!

If this weekend wasn’t already pretty fantastic, the Orioles swept the Tigers and are going to the ALCS! I may or may not have been jumping up and down. And Nathan may or may not have picked me up as I was yelling “ALCS! ALCS! ALCS!” in celebration. It’s a good thing he’s just as weird as I am..

The weather was absolutely incredible over the weekend. Actually, it really has been for at least the past week, but Saturday was especially beautiful. Saturday was also Yom Kippur but I was not about to let fasting get in the way of enjoy the weather. That said, I really tried to pack in the calories Friday night! I loaded up on beer, brick oven baked chicken wings, salmon salad, a little pizza, and of course, pumpkin pie gelato.

Cheers to the Orioles!

The homemade ranch really kicks it up a notch.

I stole all of the warm ricotta off of Nathan’s pizza 😉

I had to go with the seasonal flavor.

We also stopped for a bit to listen to the awesome live music on the street. They had a pianist, drummer, trumpeter, and clarinetist. So bizarre and so wonderful.

Fabulous live music on the streets of Berkeley!

Saturday we spent much of the day at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. I made a huge effort to explore the area when we first got there and we took a walk over to the Sutro Baths. It was worth all of my strength that went into it for such gorgeous views.

Stunning views.

Couldn’t ask for more beautiful weather.

We made it!

I was also rewarded by taking a nap on the beach afterward. I pretty much laid down and didn’t move for hours and it was glorious! After a few hours, we made our way back home where I took another nap. I swear, I have no idea how people ever fast. I need me some food! And after 23 hours, Nathan convinced me to break the fast.. with a shot of bourbon. Usually in my family we break with a shot of scotch, but bourbon was all we had. What a terrible problem to have, right? Then we went for dinner!

I needed to get my hand in for size reference.

Worth a second view!

You bet that salad bowl was completely empty along with more cornbread for Nathan’s salad. Whoops 😉 I was a happy camper after all of that food though.

Yesterday was pretty quiet with the exception of the excitement of the Orioles game! It was a sports day around here and I had a work meeting [and got to check out the new equipment!] Nathan cooked dinner while I was gone, so I figured I could work my magic with the rest of the week’s menu..

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Cajun chicken with Israeli salad
Monday – Chicken and easy broccoli stir fry
Tuesday – Indian-style chicken satay with curried cashew sauce
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – 20 minute Thai basil chicken with lemongrass rice bowl
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

There’s also a chance I’ll make these roasted sweet potato black bean burgers to have in the freezer. Don’t they look delicious?!

Food for Thought

If you were fasting or even had to fast, what would be your break fast meal?
What’s on your menu this week?

Five Things Friday {8/29}

I figure this post is better late than never and this week has been awesome so I thought I’d share a few highlights.

1. Mom and I got to spend time with Jilly Bean. She’s the best.
   

   Look at those big blue eyes!

   

   She looooves her Bubbie!

2. We got to head to our favorite bar, Max’s, where I had one of my favorite beers, Southern Tier Pumking Ale. And we spent time with my “cousy from another Bube” as she put it 😉
   

   Awkward family photo..

   

   That’s better!

   

   Smells like biscuits!

3. I went to a special lunch with my parents.. CRABS!!
   

   When in Maryland..

4. Spent some time at the happiest place on earth.
   

   Another awkward family photo.. that’s what happens when I say “PICTURE TIME!”

5. And extra Jilly Bean time!!
   

   She was digging those Cheerios.

   

   With her papa 🙂

   

   We were super excited about the place mat!

6. Plus an extra.. Mom’s home cooking. Love it.
   

   I could eat like this everyday!

I can’t believe it’s already Friday and this weekend is going to be NUTSO with wedding shenanigans but I’m so looking forward to it. Have a great weekend!!

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite part of going home?

We’re Home!

This past weekend has been one of my favorite in a while. Friday we flew home for a long weekend and it’s been so great to see everyone again, especially my new favorite person.

We also took the whole mishbacha [<– that’s family] to the Orioles game. Even though it ended up being an O’s loss, it was a ton of fun to be there with everyone and turned out to be a pretty good game!

We made it to our favorite bar after getting some much-needed squeezes from my girls.

And of course, we had to break out the wedding cake. Unfortunately it didn’t make it to California with us, but my parents were nice enough to store it in their freezer for the past 7 months.

It was almost as good as we remembered and we were happy to share it with all of the family that was there.

We head back to California tomorrow but I have to say it’s been really nice to be home and I’m already looking forward to coming back in August!

Food for Thought

Do you live far from home?
What’s your favorite part of visiting home?

Five Things Friday: Family Edition

For my list of things that are important in life, family ranks #1. And maybe I’m biased but I’m pretty sure mine takes the cake.

1. Waking up to pictures like this one make my day.
   

   She really is the cutest.

   Don’t you just want to squeeze her?!

2. I have the best husband. Honestly, I know everyone feels that way but anyone that will drop anything to come be with you—without you asking—is someone worth holding onto. I’m a lucky gal.
   

   He’s cute too.

3. I’m missing my family right now. I wish it were easier to go home but the reality is that it’s pretty darn pricey. Skype is the best and I love that I can see my parents so often.
   

   This was nice too though.

4. I can’t wait till we go home in August. I’m already planning so many fun things.. my parents don’t even know! Labor day cookout? Orioles game? Let’s get to planning 🙂
   

   O-R-I-O-L-E-S!

5. Speaking of baseball, Nathan and I are headed to the A’s game on Sunday. We got some new gear to sport and it’s definitely going to be a good time. Definitely looking forward to the weekend with my best friend.
   

   Hopefully it’ll be a little warmer 😉

Food for Thought

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Link Love #30

The Orioles won yesterday! And that’s not an April Fools joke 😉 Excuse me while I bask in the glow of of a perfect record right now. I’m also super excited because Nathan decided to surprise me with tickets to the A’s game this Sunday. I think watching the Orioles game yesterday really got us extra pumped for baseball season. We have a couple fun things planned for the weekend so I’m already psyched for the next few days to fly by. In the meantime, let’s play a little catch up.

Health

Benefits of Strength Training – Slim Sanity

Benefits of Strength Training – Slim Sanity
8 Tips to Have a Positive Body Image and Stop Obsessive Eating Habits – Trainer Paige
My Addiction to Exercise Permanently Damaged My Body. But It Also Taught Me How to Love Myself – Tara Fuller via Greatist
Antioxidants 101 – Nutritious Eats
How Rigid Diets Threaten True Digestive Healing – Mind Body Green

Fitness

A Core Workout for Runners – Crazy Running Girl

A Core Workout for Runners – Crazy Running Girl
30-Minute Bodyweight AMRAP Workout – Pumps & Iron
10 Advanced Ab Exercises for the Summer – Lifting Revolution
7 Boredom Busting Treadmill Workouts – Run to the Finish
Leg Burnout Workout – Blonde Ponytail

Food

Sushi Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing – The Healthy Maven

Sushi Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing – The Healthy Maven
3 Gluten-Free Recovery Snacks for Coffee Lovers – Cotter Crunch
Lemon Vanilla Brown Rice Pudding with Berries – Edible Perspective
Microwave Breakfast Berry Crumble – 24 Carrot Life
Black Pepper Rub Chicken Fingers with Greek Yogurt Ranch – Half Baked Harvest

Food for Thought

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

It’s Baseball Season!

BASEBALL!!!!! I’m not at all excited though. I so wish I was going to the Orioles opening day game today against Boston. I’ll definitely be missing my O’s this year but I’m hoping to make it to a good amount of A’s and Giants games. And I’m pretty sure we’re going to spend the weekend at the A’s stadium when they’re playing the Orioles. Cannot wait!

I will miss having one of my favorite baseball partners with me this year!

Go orange or go home!

This past weekend was kind of bizarre. I finally caught up on all of my missed sleep [naps were involved.. and quite possibly alcohol-induced] so I’m actually feeling like a real person again. We did have a nice theme going throughout the weekend though.

Beer.

Beer.

Beer.

Yep. We enjoyed our beer this weekend. I had some pretty notable brews too; Tahoe Mountain Brewing Auld Bitch Barleywine, The Rare Barrel Shadows of Their Eyes & Sourtooth Tiger, and Dieu Du Ciel Herbe a Detourne [the Grande Noirceur was awesome too!]

Yesterday morning we went to breakfast. Usually when we go out I’ll opt for eggs benedict because I don’t make that at home but the Cuban breakfast caught my eye.

Black beans, braised kale, eggs, brown rice, shrimp, plantains, & tomatillo salsa.

It was the bomb diggity. Went there. Completely different from anything I’d ever normally order but it totally hit the spot. And the plantains were like dessert! I always forget how much I love plantains. They might pop up again in the kitchen soon..

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Wing it!
Monday – Basil lime chicken with Green Goddess Cauli Rice
Tuesday – Emeril’s Caribbean Chicken and crispy brussels sprouts with creamy dipping sauce [going to change the spices to go with the chicken]
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Chili chicken and basil stir fry
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

I’m starting to get much better about planning out how much we actually need and not planning a recipe for every single night since we do end up with so many leftovers. Practice makes perfect, right? If you’re looking for meal plan help, shoot me an email.

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite sport to watch and/or play?
What’s your favorite breakfast to order when you go out?

MIMM Weekend Photo Dump

Is it just me or do weekend days go much faster than weekdays? I feel like Monday always sneaks up on me.. 26 years and I’m still not used to it! We had a fun, pretty relaxing weekend that we kicked off with my cousin at the Orioles game. Always fun to be at the park, especially for a win!

Pregaming for the O’s game! They poured my beer twice so I got a freebie.. hate when that happens! 😉

HeyOOOOOOOO 😉 [Too much?]

Brian Matusz and Jim Johnson warming up in the bullpen. Fun to be so close to the action!

My cousin Nicole, Nathan, and me. We had a terrible time!

Lunch on Saturday. I added mango and avocado to my chick pea tuna salad and it was delicious! I love all of the colors.

Hit up our favorite bar in Baltimore, Max’s, for an evening brew on Saturday. They have a crazy long list and I decided to go for some samples instead of 1 full beer.. I just couldn’t decide!

Nathan made a killer dinner Sunday. Herbed chicken over pasta with a light tomato, vegetable, white wine sauce. Yum!

Hope you had a great weekend too! Back to the daily grind..

Food for Thought

Are you a baseball or football fan? Or neither? 😉

Do you prefer to get one large drink or a sampler?