food on the table
Andrea
Oh, I'm glad today is over. Things are slooooooowwwww in landscape design world right now. It seems that with a faltering economy there aren't a whole lot of people who want to throw money at creating beautiful outdoor spaces. I guess they are more worried about keeping food on the table, etc. And because things are slow in the office, that's what I spend significant amounts of my day thinking about too, food on the table. Not that I'm worried about my job security, although I probably should be, I just like to think about food. On my table. And what fun new recipe I'm going to try that will get said food onto said table.
But before I jump to the dinner recipe I thought about all day and then crafted when I got home, lets start with breakfast.
Breakfast: Oats! And Vanilla Honey Chamomile Tea. This was a typical bowl of oats that I l.o.v.e. I'm in a bit of a rut with my oats, but I don't mind at all. :)
Lunch: Veggie Wrap with
This combo was FABULOUS! I will definitely be repeating tomorrow...sorry in advance! I also had a navel orange (the one whose zest graced my bread last night) with 1/2 cup of Fage 0%.
Snacks: C'mon...did you expect any different? How could I resist this bread?!? I nibbled on 2 slices throughout the day. I think this is my favorite bread that I've made so far on the blog. Fav-or-ite.
Last week I saw this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust on Running With Food. I love Jen's blog because not only is her photography gorgeous and her writing entertaining...the girl can cook! Her recipes are the kind of down-home, simple comfort food that we crave regularly in our household. After freezing for most of the day at my drafty desk in a slightly boring job (these days anyway), comfort food was exactly what I needed.
Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust [recipe here] with a side of Collard Greens, and a glass of cabernet.
The pot pie recipe is deliciously easy and I followed it nearly to a tee. One step that Jen forgot to mention is when to cook the chicken. I chopped it up and tossed it in the saucepan with the veggies to sauté for 5-7 minutes before adding the Cream of Mushroom soup mixture. I also added fresh parsley to the filling. After the filling simmered for about 10 minutes, I added one tablespoon of cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water) to help the mixture to thicken up a bit.
I dropped dollops of cornmeal batter across the top of the filling to make "biscuits", and baked the dish for 20 minutes at 425*.
While the pot pie was baking, I quickly prepared the collard greens by removing the stems and rinsing the leaves. I then sautéed some garlic in olive oil in a big soup pan. Once the garlic was fragrant, I added the damp collards to the pot and covered it. I let the collards steam for 5-7 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Dinner was EXCELLENT!!! This pot pie recipe is definitely a keeper. I was hoping to be able to try Jen's stuffed acorn squash recipe with the leftover pot pie, but there isn't much left!!! My hubb REALLY liked it. :)
I hope you've all had a great day and evening! I was able to do a little baking tonight for a friend's birthday, which I will share with you tomorrow. Not my own recipe, but VeggieGirl's Fig Blondies! They are sure to be a hit, the last VeggieGirl recipe I tried was amazing. Goodnight!
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- 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, pinch of salt, splash of vanilla and sprinkling of cinnamon
- 1 small mashed banana
- 1 tsp ground flax seeds
- 1 spoonful of natural peanut butter (I used up all of my almond butter! But must thin out other condiments before replacing...)
Lunch: Veggie Wrap with
- 2 tbsp roasted garlic hummus
- 1/2 cup of roasted spaghetti squash
- red bell pepper
- baby spinach
This combo was FABULOUS! I will definitely be repeating tomorrow...sorry in advance! I also had a navel orange (the one whose zest graced my bread last night) with 1/2 cup of Fage 0%.
Snacks: C'mon...did you expect any different? How could I resist this bread?!? I nibbled on 2 slices throughout the day. I think this is my favorite bread that I've made so far on the blog. Fav-or-ite.
Last week I saw this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust on Running With Food. I love Jen's blog because not only is her photography gorgeous and her writing entertaining...the girl can cook! Her recipes are the kind of down-home, simple comfort food that we crave regularly in our household. After freezing for most of the day at my drafty desk in a slightly boring job (these days anyway), comfort food was exactly what I needed.
Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie with Cornmeal Crust [recipe here] with a side of Collard Greens, and a glass of cabernet.
The pot pie recipe is deliciously easy and I followed it nearly to a tee. One step that Jen forgot to mention is when to cook the chicken. I chopped it up and tossed it in the saucepan with the veggies to sauté for 5-7 minutes before adding the Cream of Mushroom soup mixture. I also added fresh parsley to the filling. After the filling simmered for about 10 minutes, I added one tablespoon of cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water) to help the mixture to thicken up a bit.
I dropped dollops of cornmeal batter across the top of the filling to make "biscuits", and baked the dish for 20 minutes at 425*.
While the pot pie was baking, I quickly prepared the collard greens by removing the stems and rinsing the leaves. I then sautéed some garlic in olive oil in a big soup pan. Once the garlic was fragrant, I added the damp collards to the pot and covered it. I let the collards steam for 5-7 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Dinner was EXCELLENT!!! This pot pie recipe is definitely a keeper. I was hoping to be able to try Jen's stuffed acorn squash recipe with the leftover pot pie, but there isn't much left!!! My hubb REALLY liked it. :)
I hope you've all had a great day and evening! I was able to do a little baking tonight for a friend's birthday, which I will share with you tomorrow. Not my own recipe, but VeggieGirl's Fig Blondies! They are sure to be a hit, the last VeggieGirl recipe I tried was amazing. Goodnight!
I've loved the different swirl breads I've seen pop up over the holidays, but have never attempted one myself. I thought about banana bread with a cranberry swirl...yummy for sure, but I had no overly ripe bananas on my counter. Cinnamon bread with a cranberry swirl? I couldn't find or come up with a plain cinnamon bread recipe to modify. Sweet potato bread with a cranberry swirl? Now we're talking, I just happened to have a baked sweet potato sitting on the top shelf of my fridge. But wait...Sweet Potato Apple Bread with a Cranberry Swirl? Ding Ding Ding!
I started with the recipe I came up with for 
I was pleasantly surprised when I peaked in the oven after 45 minutes and all seemed well. And the smell...oh. my. goodness. It took me right back to the holidays. I gave the bread an additional 5 minutes to set up then pulled it, placing it on a rack in the pan to cool for 10 minutes. It fell a bit after sitting, I'm sure the cranberry goo contracted as it cooled and lost air bubbles, causing the bread to cave in a bit. I was absolutely terrified to flip the pan and release the loaf.
Another pleasant surprise...it released perfectly.
After letting the loaf cool on the rack without its pan for 40 minutes, I couldn't resist slicing it to see how successful our swirling method had been.
I wouldn't call it a swirl, per se, but the CK added a lovely touch to the sweet potato apple bread, both visually and orally. I will DEFINITELY be making this recipe every year, along with the cranberry ketchup. :)
Sweet Potato Apple Bread with a Cranberry Swirl
Ingredients:
I hope you all had a fabulous Monday!
Lunch: Roasted spaghetti squash, steamed broccoli and leftover lentil salad (the last of it!).
Even though I had a big breakfast this morning, when the clock struck 12:30 my body was ready to eat. This is a big pyrex container, 8" x 6" x 2". That's 1/2 a spaghetti squash, 1 cup of lentil salad and 1 broccoli floret. Apparently I wasn't as hungry as I thought because I only ate about 1/2 the contents. I thought about having the rest as an afternoon snack (or second lunch) but just wasn't feeling it. My tum's been a bit iffy today, perhaps all of the cheese last night and this morning? You'd think I'd learn...but I love my cheese too much.
Afternoon Snack: Cashew Cookie Larabar.
This was my first experience with the cashew cookie flavor. The taste was great, but it was drier than other Larabar flavors I've tried...more crumbly. Has anybody else tried this bar? Was mine a textural dud? The peanut butter cookie flavor I had last week was SO much better, much softer and more cookie-like.
For dinner I was planning on making Tofu Veggie Masala, but the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was cook. When I woke up from my nap, my hubb had ordered the perfect dinner to help my sore throat and queasy tummy...Egg Drop Soup.
Dinner: Egg Drop Soup with some crunchy noodles and an Egg Roll. It wasn't my 
I'm feeling better than I was earlier, but I'm going to head to bed so that I can get a good night's sleep before my 5 MILE RUN tomorrow!!! I can't believe that tomorrow morning I will be at the halfway point in my 
When I bit in, I was hit with an intense freezer-burn flavor and had a really tough time chewing the old bread. Into the trash it went, and off I was to a cafe' down the street for some oatmeal. What a waste of almond butter and cran ketchup (if you want the recipe shoot me an email, its straight from a cookbook so I can't post it).
Breakfast: a cup of oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, golden raisins and chopped apple.
Morning Snack: a grapefruit that was supposed to be part of breakfast, but my oatmeal was pretty filling.
Leftovers for lunch make me pretty happy, especially when the leftovers are Thai!!! Thank you all for the great suggestions of places to find good Thai recipes. I have a feeling you'll be seeing some experimentation on the blog. I'm especially excited about Ellen's suggestion to check out 
Mid-Afternoon Snack: 1/4 cup of mixed nuts and dried fruit (cherries and figs, my favorites!!!). My hubb also brought me a few fries from his lunch, 'cause he knows what I like. :)
The hubb and I went for a run after work tonight...2-3/4 miles. I kept up with my love as best I could which resulted in a speedier than normal run for me. There were also hills. I've discovered that you can't go further than 2 miles in Charlottesville without hitting a decent hill. When we got home I stretched for a long time, I even did a few Vinyasa flows. My hips have been really tight (maybe because of all the hills?!?) so I spent extra time with poses that would help to release some tension. Hmmmmmmm....I feel so much better! :)
For dinner tonight I wanted to make some kind of cheesy, veggie-ful casserole thing. I wasn't sure where it was going, but I thought that this spaghetti squash might be a good start.
The hubb disagreed (don't worry, I'll try it eventually) so the squash was delegated to fill my belly at lunch tomorrow. I love getting the next day's lunch packed the night before, it makes my mornings so much easier! I'll save the picture of my packed lunch for tomorrow's post though... :)
Instead, we went with our classic mexican dip night. This is now a once-a-month favorite of ours, and typically corresponds with new episodes of Grey's Anatomy. We used to eat it at least once-a-week...I think we've come very far. I even went so far as to dip raw veggies into the cheesy goodness rather than tortilla chips...yay me!
Dinner: mexican dip with one whole carrot and 1/2 a cucumber. I caved in and had a few blue corn tortilla chips too, but not NEARLY as many as I would have had if I hadn't chopped up some veggies.
This dip included:
Lunch: More 
Snacks: Clems and Stoneyfield Yogurt. I only ate one clem, after my run.
Dinner: Take-out Thai!!!! Yay! My fave. I picked the tofu scallion soup with bean sprouts, and ordered some rice noodles on the side to throw on top. The broth was absolutely amazing! I really need to start cooking Thai food...
I also had a small pile of the hubb's tofu pad thai and a few veggie spring rolls dipped in their amazing spicy pineapple sauce.
Does anybody have a good resource for Thai recipes? I'm looking for a book, or website, or chef I should watch out for...
Before rushing off to the bath I must write about my run. I'm so excited to be past the 3-mile mark and getting in 30+ minute running workouts multiple times a week! While at dinner with our friends last weekend, Kelly and I chatted about starting to run together again occasionally. She was my first running partner in Charlottesville, we 
Perfect combination. I truly loved this breakfast. Have I mentioned that the CK is good on EVERYTHING? I know you're probably sick of reading about it, but I've got just over one jar left to finish up before it goes bad so I'll happily continue to experiment over the next week. In fact, this morning I made my hubb a brie, apple, spinach and cranberry ketchup sandwich on honey wheat bread. He LOVED it, as did I when he brought over a bite for me to taste.
After solving my breakfast and the hubb's lunch, I was at a bit of a loss thinking about what I wanted for lunch. I thought about more meatball soup, but decided I should give it a rest and add some variety back into my meals and my blog. There are a couple of sweet potatoes on the counter that I thought about baking, but didn't have time. Same with the spaghetti squash. I finally settled on a bag of dried french lentils in the pantry that I've been meaning to make a salad with for quite some time. It seemed that I had enough time to quickly simmer them soft, but I wasn't altogether sure since it had been awhile since I'd made them.
I brought 1 cup of french lentils to a boil in 2 cups of chicken broth, reduced the heat and simmered for 40 minutes, 10 minutes longer than I had anticipated which resulted in a very rushed salad prep. They are still slightly crunchy, which I like. I'm not a big fan of lentils when they turn to mush.
Tossed with chopped bell pepper, cucumber, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and creole mustard, this simple salad turned out pretty well. I'll be experimenting more though because I've had many better lentil salads at restaurants around town.
Lunch: Lentil Salad with 1/2 a whole wheat pita and a pear. I meant to sprinkle some crumbled feta on top of the salad, but in my rush I forgot. Maybe tomorrow.
For snacks I brought: 2 clementines and an Iced Gingerbread Clif Bar, I only ate one of the clems.
This was my first experience with any of the holiday-flavored Clif Bars. I know, I'm way behind. I wasn't sure what to expect as I've read many mixed reviews about them, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I nibbled on the bar a bit before lunch. It was quite tasty! I saved the rest for an afternoon snack and enjoyed it immensely. Looks like I'm in for a hunt around town before they are all gone for another year. Now if I could only remember where I found them...
I also had two more 
I discovered a new love for dried figs.
They are perfectly sweet and soft, and the seeds provide a wonderfully satisfying crunch. Love.
The chicken is broiled in the oven until the outside is delicately crispy and the inside still moist. The figs are simmered with honey, white wine and spices until a thick glaze forms, then drizzled over the chicken. Paired with one of my longtime favorites, sautéed kale, this meal was a sure winner.
We sautéed the kale in olive oil with some garlic, salt and pepper until the leaves wilted slightly and turned bright green.
Before serving, we squeezed a bit of lemon juice across the kale. Perfect.
The hubb and I were pretty happy with the results. If we make the chicken recipe again we will make a few changes...
And now, its bedtime after another long post. I hope you've all had a pleasant day, and that tomorrow brings better weather for those of us that have been plagued with rain and cold for the last 24 hours. Good night! :)
This delicious bowl contained:
I thawed out a loaf of 
Snacks: One slice of Pumpkin Cranberry Bread with 1 tbsp almond butter and two clementines.
And I may have had a couple of dark chocolate covered potato chips...but I don't have any pictures to prove it. :)
I just love coming home to leftovers! I know you all are probably getting tired of seeing this soup on the blog, but I am definitely not getting tired of eating it. Its just so delicious! And it was especially helpful tonight to have dinner ready to go for us with minimal prep since we didn't get home from our run and stretch until about 8:30.
Dinner: Another bowl of Mexican Meatball Soup and a lovely salad.
My salad consisted of:
And for dessert: three 
Alrighty, shower and bed time for this little lady. After my long run Saturday, intense yoga yesterday and speedy run tonight, this foodie's body is t.i.r.e.d. Have a great night and day tomorrow!
After being up for a couple of hours it became clear that the hubb still wasn't ready to roll out of bed so I decided to go ahead and have breakfast without him.
Breakfast: A 6oz cup of 0% Fage topped with 1/4 cup TJ's pumpkin spice granola and a sliced banana.
Ahhhhhh...Greek Yogurt, how I missed thee. I still prefer Oikos because it is organic, but until they work out their manufacturing problem and get it back on my Whole Food's shelves the Fage will suit me just fine. Plus...its cheaper! :)
Sadly, my hubb emerged from the bedroom just after I finished my breakfast. I snagged a cup of coffee and a piece of his bacon while sitting with him through his meal.
At lunchtime I went to my favorite 75-minute Vinyasa Yoga class at Studio 206. It had been three weeks since I'd been and it felt great to be back. Man oh man, Hilary kicked my bootie! It was a wonderful, intense class that had me drenched by the end. I was worried that I would be too sore from my run yesterday but the yoga really helped to loosen me up. I love the combination of running and yoga and what it does for me both mentally and physically.
My hubb picked me up at 2pm and I was ravenous so I helped him finish the french fries he'd picked up while running errands. Once home I made myself a quick, late lunch before heading out into the yard to plant some bulbs.
Lunch: 1/2 an almond butter and sour cherry preserves sandwich on whole wheat bread and a sliced pear.
I planted 150 spring bulbs in hard Virginia clay for 2+ hours this afternoon. I really hope that they come up, they should have gone in the ground a month ago but I just never got around to planting them. The bulbs I planted two years ago are already peaking up above the mulch, so we'll see what happens with my newbies. The yard work was another workout in itself...2+ hours digging in hard Virginia clay will leave you t.i.r.e.d.
Snack: I was starving again when I came in just before dark (its been such a snack-filled day!) so I grabbed this Kashi Cereal Bar sample I got in the mail the other day.
I've seen these on the my grocery store's shelves but they are kinda pricey so I haven't picked any up yet. It was pretty good...reminded me of a Fig Newton or Nutrigrain bar. The blackberry filling was quite tasty, and the texture of the bar was nice and soft.
It only contains 110 calories, but just 2g of protein so I know it wouldn't stick with me long for breakfast. But as an afternoon snack I think it could be very satisfying. Along with the sample I received a stack of coupons that I'm supposed to share with friends...
The recipe is originally from Bon Appetit. Kristin made a few changes, and I made a few more. This soup is delicious and hearty. The hubb and I enjoyed it VERY much. There is just one change that I will make the next time this meal meets our table and I've indicated it below. Warning: This soup requires a LARGE pot. I started it in my standard soup pot and had to transfer everything to a large stock pot when the meatballs went in to prevent it from overflowing.
Mexican Meatball Soup
inspired by The Kitchen Sink, originally from Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
We used more meat than the original recipe called for so we of course had a few extra meatballs. The hubb took care of these by pan-frying them in a little olive oil.
Dinner: A bowl of Mexican Meatball Soup with 7 meatballs, a side of roasted veggies (carrot, brussels and broccoli), two additional pan-fried meatballs and a cornmeal muffin.
The soup is soooooooo filling. I am still completely stuffed and oh so happy. :)
Whew! That was a long post. I was planning to bake tonight but don't know if I have it in me. The bathtub and a book may be calling my name instead...
Have a great night! :)
I'm ready to use up this cereal. Its good, but it has more calories per serving than I typically look for in a cereal and doesn't keep me full for very long. I'm getting close... The hemp milk is really good. It is thinner than soymilk, and has a slightly sweeter flavor. I still think that I prefer soymilk but the hemp is nice to keep around because it doesn't have to be refrigerated before opening. Its my back-up milk.
Lunch: Leftover black-eyed peas on brown rice and the last of the roasted veggies.
Mmmm. Warm and satisfying. Have I mentioned that my office is freezing? Actually, we blast the heat, but I sit right by the really old and poorly-insulated windows that let every 35* draft in. So one side of me sits in a sauna all day while the other side of me turns into an ice cube. Its miserable, but my boss is working on getting the windows replaced so I'm trying to be a good sport. There are some days when I never take off my wool winter coat and scarf all day long...
Snacks: I spread 2 clementines and a peanut butter cookie Larabar throughout the day. I also had 3 brazil nuts and 2 mugs of Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea (to try and thaw myself out).
Oh. My. Goodness. Now I know why you all have been raving about the PB Cookie Larabars!!! I couldn't find this particular flavor for the longest time, but while searching for some gifts the week before Christmas I happened to run into a store I don't visit often and found this beauty on their shelf. It was amazing!!! The only ingredients? Dates and peanuts. I'm in love. I had every intention of eating just 1/2 the bar but couldn't stop once I started. These could be really dangerous...luckily they are good for me!
Dinner: Another bowl of black-eyed peas on brown rice. Shockingly I haven't tired of these yet! Don't be surprised if you see a repeat tomorrow, but after that I'm freezing the remainder. They'll make a great lunch in a couple of weeks.
I also made a big salad with romaine, spinach, cucumber, yellow bell pepp, green olives and feta cheese. I added a glob of roasted garlic hummus on the side because it sounded tasty, and drizzled the salad with 1/2 tsp grapeseed oil and 1 tsp moscatel wine vinegar.
Dessert: Our dear friend Kelly, whose husband Steve was the guest of honor at the New Years Eve Surprise Birthday Party we unfortunately had to miss, brought us a plate of leftover birthday cake today! My biggest weakness in the whole culinary world is cake. I LOVE CAKE. Who doesn't? Cake tops cookies, pies, brownies and ice cream on my list of favorite sweets.
I started off with just the 3 bites you see missing in the photo above. I promptly put the plastic wrap back on the cake, slid it to the back of the kitchen counter and turned off the kitchen light as I went to the living room to join my hubb for some Friday night t.v. watchin'. I thought I was safe. Then, the hubb disappears to the kitchen and comes back with the plate of cake and a fork. I was powerless to stop him from handing me the fork after every third bite of his. I just can't help it. We did scrape off most of the icing because it was too thick and sweet, so I feel slightly better about the whole thing. But now I have mega motivation to get out the door tomorrow for a run. :P
Exercise: Before dinner tonight I pulled out my favorite yoga DVD for 30 minutes of intense stretching. I wouldn't call it a power yoga session because I wasn't sweating, but I was definitely working my whole body and feel so much better now for it. It had been two weeks since my last yoga practice and I was really feeling the need to get back into it. Afterwards I did 10 minutes of ab work in various positions.
Tomorrow is a long run day and I feel stretched and ready to go. I'm nervous because my longest run in the last 3 weeks was 2-1/2 miles while in Florida. Eek! I didn't realize it had been that long since our 3-1/4 mile run. Now I'm really nervous. We were supposed to run a 5k on New Years Day but weren't up for it after all the traveling and dog sickness etc. I think I'm going to plan on a 4 mile run tomorrow, a 4-1/2 mile run mid-week, along with a couple more shorter runs and then hopefully be back on track for the 5 mile run scheduled for next weekend. Scary!
Alrighty, I have a date with my hubb and a movie. Anybody have any exciting plans for this weekend or are you all just recovering from the holidays like we are?
The hubb and I lazed around the house most of today, it was lovely. I caught up on some blogs, but not nearly as many as I need to! Maybe tonight I can finish up... Before going out for some errands today I made a quick lunch to keep me from stopping for something I would regret.
Lunch: A big ol' salad with romaine, spinach, yellow bell pepp, cucumber, dried cranberries, some crumbled feta cheese and light ranch dressing.
On the side, a Stoneyfield Farm yogurt. I can't wait for my Oikos to return to the shelves!!! I did pick up some Fage yesterday but want to finish up the last couple Stoneyfields I already had in the fridge before they go bad.
Snack: One of our errands today included a stop at Target. I was feeling light-headed and a little nauseous so I picked up a Luna Peanut Butter Cookie bar. It tasted ok, but did help me feel much better.
Has anyone else ever heard that eating black-eyed peas on New Years Day will bring good luck in the upcoming year? I can't remember when or where I heard this, but yesterday as I was making our grocery list I thought that black-eyed peas sounded like a fantastic idea. Who can't use a little extra luck in the new year?!?
Dinner: Black-Eyed Peas on brown rice, maple roasted beets, carrots and brussels sprouts and oil-free cornmeal muffins. Say goodbye to my lovely tree...I think this post will be its last appearance. :(
I soaked about 1 pound of dried black-eyed peas in water for about 4 hours this afternoon. After rinsing the peas, I returned them to a large stock pot and covered them with 8 cups of chicken stock (about 1" of stock over the peas). I added
For the roasted veggies, I chopped
They weren't quite as maple-glazed as I would have liked for them to be...I'll add more syrup next time.
The Oil-Free Cornmeal Muffins are a recipe I adapted from one of my favorite baking books, 
The muffins don't crumble like traditional cornbread, but they are wonderfully flavored and very moist. I will definitely be making them again!
I enjoyed my muffin with a bit of Earth Balance spread.
Oil-Free Cornmeal Muffins [adapted from Sweet & Natural Baking by Mani Niall]
makes 8 muffins
Ingredients:
Lunch: My momma and I went to Olive Garden while our hubbs were out fishing. Olive Garden is a tradition for us...we loaded up on the all you can eat salad, soup and breadsticks, my fave! We also had calamari to start. It was a fantastic lunch! :)
Snack: Another piece of pumpkin ooey gooey butter cake (unbelievable, I know).
Exercise: I went for a run this evening! It was so much more pleasant at 5pm than at 9am...we had a great breeze coming off the ocean and the sun was set behind the trees and houses. I only did about 2-1/2 miles running with some walking warm-up and cool-down. I'm REALLY proud of myself...I ran 4 times while on vacation and am planning a run tomorrow morning before we get on the road. Last year at Christmas, even though I was training for the 10-miler then too, I only managed to run once on our week-long vacation. Yay for progress!!! :)
Dinner: The hubb and I brought my stepfather sausages from our favorite farmer in Virginia, 
I had 1/2 a hot italian link and 1/2 a bratwurst link. We also had some homemade nectarine preserves on top of the sausage after I took this picture, which was very tasty. My stepfather gave me a jar to take home to Virginia so you'll be seeing it prominently featured I'm sure...
Dessert: Another piece of pumpkin ooey gooey butter cake (they are tiny pieces, but this is really getting embarassing...).
After dinner my stepfather taught me how to can preserves!!! I'm so excited, I want to be able to can this summer when we get our 
So I'll be on the road a good part of tomorrow and Wednesday. We've decided to get a hotel on the way back to break up the trip a bit (yay!) so depending on internet availability I may or may not have a Tuesday evening post. Rest assured, the eats won't be all that interesting as we hit Subway on our way up the east coast... :) I am going to be thinking about some resolutions during the long car ride so stay tuned for some breathtaking, soul-defining thoughts when I'm back in VA......kidding. :) What are you all thinking about for New Year's Resolutions?
The hubb and I went for a run after our smoothies. We were a little late getting out the door this morning and it was a bit warmer, a bit more humid and a LOT sunnier! I forgot how big the sky is in Florida and how brightly the sun shines. In Charlottesville we have narrow, hilly streets and tall trees that pretty much block the sun on our morning and evening runs. This morning we were squinting the whole time, our route was straight, flat and boring...it just wasn't fun. We were supposed to run 4 miles for the training program and we only did about 3 miles total, with some walking in the middle. I've decided that as nice as it is to not have to bundle up for my Florida runs I do miss the hills, variety and shade of Virginia...
Lunch: A hodge-podge of green bean casserole, sliced turkey, cranberries, carrots and citrus. It was just what I needed to hold me over until our 3pm feast.
I also munched on a few crackers with Asiago Cheese spread while my lunch was heating...it was really tasty.
Afternoon Feast #3: We had a variety of wonderful foods...
Fried Squash Cakes - These are a family favorite that my grandfather makes...they are to-die-for. I don't know how to make them and I'm not going to ask because I don't want to know. I'd make them ALL the time...
Steaks, for those who like that kind of thing...(not me!!!).
Ribs, for those who like that kind of thing...(me me me!!!).
A huge salad (yay!!!).
Roasted Veggies (double yay!!!).
We also had a yummy Indian dish with potatoes and cauliflower...I can't remember its proper name but it was so good. Here's my plate with two ribs, a pile of salad, potatoes + cauliflower, roasted veggies and a few squash cakes. Also, a glass of vino. Sadly I did not get a picture of the fabulous chianti we had after I finished this glass, so so so good.
And my trio of desserts...
Oh, and my cousin's birthday is coming up so of course we had cake...
Aaaahhhhh....I will definitely be running tomorrow.
Finally, here is the hubb, the "kids" and I in our annual holiday photo in front of my momma's house...I just can't resist 'cause the kids are so cute!!! :)
Alrighty, time for bed. I can't wait to catch up with all of your blogs! I've been so absent, my google reader is getting more and more full...scary! Thanks for continuing to read mine and for putting up with my inconsistent posting this last week! :)
Joe's Meatloaf (a fabulous, healthier version of a classic favorite...)
makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
Momma's Mac & Cheese (I did a slightly healthier version 
It was a very happy evening... :)
Lunch: My daddy took us to my favorite Mexican / Cuban restaurant, 
We also shared a couple of great glasses of wine while waiting for the sun to set so that we could check out my dad's fabulous Christmas lights display. I have to brag...my dad's lights are the best I've ever seen. He wins the neighborhood contest every year that he is eligible (only every other year). These pictures don't even do them justice, but they'll give you an idea. He had hundreds of visitors on Christmas Eve walking through his yard to see all of the details...
After seeing the lights we went over to my step-grandparents' house for some chili and Christmas carol singing. Sadly, all of the pictures were taken on my stepsisters' and dad's cameras so I have none to post right now. :(
Today my Momma and I had a spa day! We got up early for some breakfast...
Breakfast: Egg white omelet with sauteed veggies and a biscuit with homemade tangerine preserves. I was craving veggies since I hadn't had any in a couple of days...
Then we went to 
Alright lovelies, I'm hoping to have some recipe posts up tonight and tomorrow. Its so hard to get behind the computer when you're around family! Have a fabulous weekend! :)
...the "kids" getting a chance to swim at the end of December...
...a Christmas Feast on my parents' back patio because the weather was so lovely...
...which included a very tasty Honeybaked Ham...
...and roasted cauliflower and onions dusted with smoked paprika (along with green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and cranberries)...
...a feast that concluded with one of my all-time favorite desserts, Coconut Mango White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce [recipe to come]...
...along with the most amazing chocolate mousse I've ever experienced [recipe to come]...
...and most of all, an afternoon spent with some of my favorite people. :)
Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Tomorrow the hubb and I are driving 45 minutes north to hang out with my dad and stepfamily...I'm really looking forward to seeing them! And Saturday we'll be back at my mom's so that she and I can enjoy one of my Christmas gifts...a day at the spa! :)
Dinner: We were with my stepfamily in Daytona for their Christmas Eve tradition. This was the first time that the hubb and I participated because we typically spend Christmas Eve with my dad and other stepfamily (the hubb and I have 4 families total...). There were all kinds of goodies coming out of the kitchen that I munched on throughout the evening. We don't have a set meal, people just graze...its lovely. :) Here's a small sampling, I wasn't on top of the food pictures for the evening:
antipasti tray
crescent roll wrapped sausage
homemade chicken tenders (unbelievably good...I had several!)
cream puffs (also amazing...)
And the family
It was a lovely evening, and we were exhausted by the time we got home. I wrapped up a few last presents and then crashed!
Christmas morning was supposed to start with another run, but I just could not drag my bootie out of bed and when I thought I hit snooze I actually turned my alarm off. :( Oh well. We'll go later...or tomorrow...
Breakfast: The tradition in our family is to have panettone french toast [recipe to come]. I'm sure you've all seen the boxed panettone loaves in the supermarkets, they've become very popular. When we first started making our Christmas breakfast my stepfather had to search the state to find a loaf, and now they are everywhere! I guess we're trendsetters... :) Panettone is a fluffy Italian bread that contains candied orange, citron and lemon zest.
I think this may be my all-time favorite breakfast. I look forward to it every year. We spent last Christmas with the hubb's family and we had to introduce them to the tradition because there was just no way I could go a year without it. I realize I could make it on other days around the Christmas holidays, but its just not the same for me if I don't have it Christmas morning! This morning I also had two slices of bacon and some orange and tangerine slices.
After breakfast we opened presents! So much fun to be with my hubb, momma, stepfather, stepbrother and sister-in-law. I received some wonderful, thoughtful gifts, but I think my favorite is my new KitchenAid Mixer!!!!!!!!!!!!! My current KitchenAid is a 28-year old hand-me-down from my Momma. Its almond-colored...oh yeah. It only has 3 of its original 10 speeds and puts off an interesting electrical smell whenever I use it. It almost died while I was making marshmallows last week and I was nearly in tears. So, needless to say, I am SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!
My hubb gave me some fantastic new bread baking tools that I opened while we were still in Virginia so I don't have any pictures to share now, but I will because they will go so well with the new mixer!
Lunch: Our second Christmas food tradition (we have lots of food traditions...I told you, my family is ultra food-oriented!) is to make Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo [recipe to come]. My family has a very strong love for New Orleans (the hubb and I even got married there!), which I will write more about when I post the recipe for the gumbo.
Christmas food (or drink) tradition #3 is MOJITOS!!!! My family does live in Florida, and when you have 80* Christmas' mojitos are completely appropriate. Trust me. :)
There are so many wonderful smells coming from the kitchen right now...we are going to have a fabulous afternoon meal here in a couple of hours that I will post later tonight. For now, I'm going to fulfill Christmas tradition #4, which is the afternoon nap! :)
This was easy, I just combined:
Next time I'll remember my larabar...
Lunch: I never expected my errands today to take 6+ hours, so come 2:30 I was STARVING! I stopped in my favorite gourmet specialty food store, 
Dinner: We needed something quick and easy. The hubb ordered a pepperoni, onion and black olive pizza, of which I had two pieces minus the pepperoni and the crust. I also made a leftovers salad with napa cabbage, broccoli slaw, celery, hearts of palm, alfalfa sprouts, dried cranberries and light ranch dressing.
And a glass of cabernet.
Oh! While I was out and about today I found a few exciting things...
FINALLY! The holiday-flavor Clif Bars, PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE Larabars, and a Cashew Cookie Larabar!!! Yay! Now I feel like I'm part of the club! :)
The hubb and I have been busy this evening with Christmas prep as is typical these days. Here's one of our activities...Homemade Marshmallows! They are going in gift boxes for friends and family. I'll post more about them tomorrow when they are finished.
Have a fabulous Sunday!
Several of you have asked for the cranberry ketchup recipe, which I got from 
(image from 
Snack: I'm in fridge/freezer/pantry clean-out mode, and it was driving me crazy this morning that I had just a little Kashi H2H left in the pantry but didn't want cereal for breakfast. So, I added it to the trail mix that the hubb made me last week and brought the tub to the office to live.
It contains: Kashi H2H, mixed nuts, dried cherries, pineapple and pears, and crystalized ginger. I had about 1/2 a cup of the small stuff and one dried pear.
Dinner: Veggie Bean Chili a la 
Well, I officially have 3 full days left before leaving for Florida Tuesday morning!!! Soooooo excited, but this weekend is going to be ridiculously busy so my posting may be minimal... Here are a few To Do's:
