Pumpkin Recipe Round Up

I have to be honest, this past weekend may very well have been one of the least exciting weekends in a long time. Nathan had to work, I had to work, and Friday night was spent exploring Costco thanks to our LivingSocial deal. If that doesn’t sound like an old married couple, I don’t know what does! So because the highlights of my weekend included a brief dinner outing Saturday night and sitting my butt on the sofa yesterday, I decided I’d jump on the pumpkin wagon and share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes and the ones I can’t wait to make.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal – Barr & Table

Pumpkin Protein Souffle with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling & Frosting – Barr & Table

Pumpkin Pancakes – Nosh and Nourish

Roasted Pumpkin and Brussels Sprouts Angies Recipes – Angie’s Recipes

Roasted Pumpkin Sage Soup – Skinnytaste

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins – Eating Bird Food

Pumpkin Pie Butter Cups – Healthy Nibbles and Bits

Protein Pumpkin Bars – Moni Meals

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheescake Cups – Ari’s Menu

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies – Ari’s Menu

Pumpkin Pie Protein Chocolate Chip Fudge – Purely Twins

And if you need even more of an excuse to start some pumpkin spicing it up in the kitchen, Taylor from Lifting Revolution wrote a great post last week about the nutritional benefits of pumpkin spice [and included a killer recipe!] My Trader Joe’s hadn’t gotten their pumpkin shipment in the last time I checked but you better believe I’ll be stocking up as soon as they do.. along with everyone else! But hey, I’ve got a list to make my way through and I think you should do the same.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Chipotle balsamic chicken with grilled romaine, caramelized onions, and blistered tomatoes
Monday – Rotisserie chicken [Costco what what!] with maple sriracha brussels sprouts
Tuesday – Greek Chicken Souvlaki and Cauli Rice Plates with Marinated Veggies – Half Baked Harvest
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Roasted chicken thighs & roasted eggplant with turmeric yogurt sauce
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

Have you jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon yet?
What’s on your menu this week?

Colorful Weekend Antics

What a fun weekend! The weather was so nice and, despite our Friday night antics and an early Saturday morning, it was actually pretty relaxing. But of course Friday is our night out on the town which started with a couple brewskis, baked garlic wings [with amazing homemade ranch!], salmon salad, and pizza.. with potatoes~! Plus, outdoor seating makes everything better too.

We decided to walk the streets of Berkeley after dinner and ended up at another bar with cocktails that were only $6.50 a pop! With a deal like that, you can’t say no, right? We also were chatting up the bartender, being another east coaster, so I asked him for the obligatory “look, we’re drinking!” picture. Or 10.

We’ve been meaning to actually explore the nightlife around us and I’m glad we finally started to. We also happened to walk by a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop and after reading a couple of Tina’s recaps from her visit, I had to go in and try the Coconut Seven Layer Bar. It was a good choice. A very good choice.

Maybe I should have said no to the $6.50 cocktails because I had a 6 am wake up call for the Color Run. I did it last year in D.C. and was looking forward to meeting up with another Tone It Upper for this one.

It was so great to meet Lisa and we got a nice, early Saturday morning run in and were done before 9 am! I also stocked up on a couple bottles of ZICO.. I love a good race sponsor 😉

The rest of Saturday was pretty quiet [may or may not have been because of our rowdy Friday night] but we made up for it yesterday. For breakfast we tried Bartavelle Cafe, a small coffee shop next to Acme Bread Company, which just so happens to be our favorite bread in the area. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, and because it’s what they’re known for.. and because I’ve never had it, I got their avocado toast and an egg. The toast absolutely lived up to the hype! In fact, it might just change my breakfasts for a little while.

We also took a little cruise down to the boardwalk in Santa Cruz. The weather was too perfect to ignore and I found a cute spot with outdoor seating, awesome salads, and wine in a mason jar. Right across the street, there was salsa music playing and people were totally impressive with their dance moves. Despite the terrible traffic getting there and home, it was such a great way to spend the day.

I’m loving this weather and I’m so glad I was able to spend so much time outside this past weekend.

Weekly Meal Plan

Monday – Buffalo chicken/tofu, baked onion rings, and roasted brussels sprouts [moved from last week’s menu]
Tuesday – Spaghetti squash casserole
Wednesday – Corned beef with spiralized carrots & cabbage
Thursday – Korean BBQ chicken stir fry
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Cauliflower crust pizza
Sunday – Lentil vindaloo

We had tons of leftovers last week and were able to stretch things a bit more than expected which was awesome. I’m hoping this will be another good week for leftovers too! If you’re looking for meal plan help, shoot me an email.

Food for Thought

Have you ever had avocado toast?
What’s on your menu this week?

Scenes From the Weekend and Meal Plan Updates

This whole weekly meal plan thing is fun! Ok, maybe I’m a little nuts, but what can I say? It’s been fun to actually try out some of the recipes I’ve been pinning. As suspected, I ended up planning on too much last week and had to adjust a bit, but before getting into that I have to share some weekend fun!

Friday night, we decided to hit the town for a quick happy hour and a movie. Not long after we moved out here, I found a LivingSocial deal for The New Parkway. Nathan convinced me to go with him to see The Hobbit and we finally got to use the deal. I love this movie theater! They have some pretty awesome looking food, drinks, and sitting on a love seat is so much more comfortable than normal seats!

My new favorite movie theater.. the love seat is the way to go!

Saturday morning, we went into San Francisco for the farmers’ market at the Ferry Building. We hadn’t been since we moved out here and we had to get Nathan a porchetta sandwich. While he ate his awesome pork, I opted for the spicy avocado veggie lettuce wrap from the vegan stand. Ha what a pair!

Spicy Avocado Veggie Wrap.. very tasty but I found myself hungry after about an hour.

Porchetta sandwich with crispy crunchies!

After the market, we decided to go get some of our favorite bread and take a hike up the hundreds of stairs to Coit Tower. We did it, I just don’t have photographic evidence.. but I swear it happened! And as always, it isn’t a trip for us if we don’t stop for a beer. Mikkeller has some pretty wonderful beer and it was the perfect refreshment after our hike 😉

On the right is my Santa’s Little Helper and Nathan had Anchorage Galaxy White IPA.

Finally it was time for lunch. We decided on HRD Coffee Shop which isn’t actually a coffee shop, but an incredible Asian fusion dive. We went on our vacation in May 2012 and it was such a great experience and the food was so good, we were psyched to go back!

Nathan’s Mongolian Beef Cheesesteak

My Bulgogi Rice Bowl.. I housed that baby!

Not only was the food as amazing as we remembered, the owner, David, remembered us! He sat down and talked with us for a few minutes even though they were mobbed; it’s that kind of experience that will keep us coming back time and again. Not to mention we have to try more food 😉

Meal Planning

Our favorite meal of the week?

Jamaican jerk chicken, fried plantain, & coconut fried quinoa with macadamia nuts.
– Half Baked Harvest

We ended up having the leftover pretzel crusted chicken for dinner on Saturday and made the cauliflower pizza crust for dinner last night. So good!

Cheesed up a ready to go!

And topped with Nathan’s homemade pizza sauce.

Monday – Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowl [using leftover rotisserie chicken]
Tuesday – Paleo Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Wednesday – Healthier Crockpot Butter Chicken with Homemade Naan
Thursday – Mango Beef Stir-Fry [using leftover ginger orange beef]
Friday – Going out!

I think this week will be better in the leftovers department and I’m always happy to use up the rest of our leftovers for something new. I’m especially looking forward to trying the spaghetti squash casserole that everyone has been raving about and I know Nathan is psyched for the homemade naan.. oh and the butter chicken 😉 If you’re looking for help with weekly meal plans, send me an email!

Food for Thought

Have you ever been to a movie theater like The New Parkway?
What’s your go-to recipe for a quick, healthy meal during the week?

A Little Tuesday Lovin’

Just wanted to pop in quickly and share a bunch of links that have caught my eye over the past week. I’m really enjoying putting these lists together; it’s made me realize how many awesome things come out each day on the internet! Hope you enjoy!

Health

Capital Kombucha from Relay Foods

What is Kombucha, anyway? – Relay Foods [Get $30 off your first order of $50 or more!]
Renderings: San Francisco Giants to plant the first-ever edible garden in a major American sports facility – Inside Scoop SF
Which Nut Milk is Right for You? – Integrative Nutrition
Lab-grown meat is here – but will vegetarians eat it? – NBC News
Work It Out: Is Fruit Bad? – Sprint 2 the Table
My take on: Flax, chia, juice cleanses, green smoothies & juicing – Balanced Bites

Food

Greek Farro and Chickpea Salad with Herbed Yogurt – Cookie + Kate

Greek Farro and Chickpea Salad with Herbed Yogurt – Cookie + Kate
Savory Miso Broccoli + Spiced Lentil Power Plate – Lunch Box Bunch
Brussels Sprout Salad with Walnuts, Cherries & Bacon – So… Let’s Hangout
Raw Almond Butter Cups – Oh She Glows

Fitness

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail

Move It Monday: Getting PHAT – Tina Reale
Post Pregnancy Fitness & a Workout – Blonde Ponytail
The Secret to Running Faster – Run Lady Like via Olive to Run

Food for Thought

What posts have been on your radar in the past week?