Friday Favs

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Goooood morning and Happy Friday! Friday Favs is back this week! This doesn't mean that "Weekend Sunshine" is going away, it just means I've been better about taking photos (finally). You can thank the improvement in the weather for that one. Anyway, I have a fun little weekend ahead of me and I'm looking forward to a nice balance of relaxation and good times... just the way I like it. Hope you all have a great one. Here are my favs of the week!

Years and years ago, my mom cut off a piece of my Nana's Christmas Cactus for me to take care of. I've only ever had 1 or 2 blooms at a time so I've been WAITING for the day that it would look like it did at my Nana's or the one my mom currently has at her house. Finally, it does and I've enjoyed looking at this for a solid two weeks now. I think it's my Nana's way of bringing a little sunshine to the gnarliest winter ever. Thanks, Nan!

Daffodils and Tulips to spread a little cheer to my neighbors.

The perfect date night with Rebecca and Rachael last night.

Haha, it wasn't until I just blew up this picture that I noticed the tears streaming down my face - LOL. It was SOOO SOOO WINDY this morning that as I started to run down Castle Island into the beautiful sunrise, I had to immediately turn around because the wind gusts were so strong and causing my eyes to water LIKE CRAY! I'm perfectly happy in this picture, for the record.

Is this not everything?! EVERYTHING! Gah!

Have a great weekend! xo

Protein Stuffed Peppers

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So, my mom has been experimenting with some new flavors and dishes in her kitchen lately. She and I used to both equally and wholly dislike quinoa, however, we are both starting to find some recipes where we can actually not only stand, but, enjoy it. This enjoyment mainly comes from the fact that the flavor of the quinoa is masked with herbs, spices, and vegetables. It works and it's healthy so we both have been going with it. For three weeks now, she's been raving about THIS RECIPE. I finally made it last night (with a few little adjustments, of course) and I agree it's a winner. 

Instead of ground turkey, I used organic, grass-fed ground beef. I have no problem using turkey, however, I didn't have any readily available. I also used white quinoa instead of red quinoa and diced tomatoes (cooked with the meat) instead of tomato sauce. I also used Parmesan instead of mozzarella. My mom thinks the sauce is a MUST --- soooo do as you wish!

Fill and cook baby cook.

Mission complete.

Rob and I loved these little peppers! They were incredibly flavorful and JAM PACKED with nutrients and a whole lot of protein from both the quinoa and the beef. Yesterday, I brought a leftover half for lunch and it was awesome. A perfect protein/carb/fat balance. I see why my mom has been making them weekly - I might need to do the same and keep experimenting with different veggies/meats. These would also be sure to please a crowd and are easy enough to prepare in advance of a little dinner party. Enjoy and happy eats! xo

Bits & Bites

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Heyyy everyone! How about this seasonal weather?! Pretty amazing how warm it feels, right? Luckily, I had a decent amount of outdoor "to-dos" to take care of at work today so it could not have worked out more perfectly. I made sure to take it all in with a few deep breaths to really absorb it all. Then, I noticed $2 bunches of daffodils at Whole Foods (Yeah!!) so I picked some up to brighten my condo and share with my neighbors. It's been a long winter - time to spread a little sunshine and light!

Moving on, it's time for another edition of "Bits & Bites"! This one mostly consists of lunches and quick dinners. Nothing fancy here - just straight up easy. 

Random lunch. I have to say that the rice cake/hummus/avo combo was surprisingly delicious. I will definitely start making this more often.

Dinner: Leftover chicken thighs with tomatoes and spinach in a organic corn tortilla.

Beef tacos with guac, veggies, and jalapenos! Can you even go wrong with tacos? Also, we always use organic corn shells and we don't use sour cream or much cheese at all when we make our tacos so that are actually quite healthy. 

I forget what I paired these with, but, man they are awesome. Crunchy faux fried green beans.

Dinner: quick gluten-free fish sticks, roasted sweet potato, and arugula salad.

Whole foods lunch: kale, shredded beats, chicken salad, and a lot of lemon juice drizzled on top. Let's be serious - the chicken salad MADE this work.

Lunch: Raspberries and Whole Foods "Mom's Chicken Soup". Give me allll the berries.

Dinner: Arugula, sweet potato noodles, feta, and grilled shrimp. I made a tastier version a couple weeks ago that you can see on my instagram. It included brown butter and sage, I think that's all I have to say.

Lunch: blackberries, Whole Foods "Dad's chicken soup", and skinny pop. (I thought I'd like the "Dad's Chicken Soup" better than the "Mom's Chicken Soup" due to the ingredient list. I must say that the "Mom's" was much better. Makes sense considering they have two pots full of it available for lunch every.single.day.

Lunch: Mango/Salmon/Lettuce/spring rolls.

Weekend breakfast: Gluten-free buckwheat berry pancakes and cara cara oranges. (This is actually Rob's plate - I put almond butter under the berry compote and didn't add syrup.)

QUESTION: What do you bring for lunch? I'd love some additional options. I like healthy, fast, light, and protein rich. 

Have an awesome Wednesday! xo