Weekend Sunshine XXIX

/

Hayyy everyone! How was your weekend?? First, I'd like to give a huge congratulations to all of those that ran the Boston Marathon yesterday. Year after year, I find myself in awe (and full of emotion) of the runners and their strength and determination. With any race, there are obstacles to overcome - usually personal, sometimes weather-related, sometimes physical. Yesterday, the weather was not in favor of the runners, however, the spirit of the race and the perseverance of the runners won that battle. Rain and a 20-30mph head wind didn't stop them. Congrats and well done!

Secondly, today marks my parent's 32nd wedding anniversary. Needless to say, your commitment to each other and our family knows no bounds. Thank you for being such incredible role models. I am wishing you both 32 more years of health and happiness!

Moving onto weekend sunshine... this weekend was a nice 3-dayer and filled with fun activities. Let's get right to it, shall we?

On Friday, Rob and I grilled for the first time! We had bunless homemade turkey burgers, peppers & onions, and asparagus. (I ordered a little grill stand for my mini grill - it came on Saturday!)

We enjoyed our avocado/egg toast so much last Saturday that I purposely bought sour dough bread to make it on again. Deeeelish!

On Saturday, we ended up having Rae, Tim, Dev, & Janet over for the game. We ended up at Local for some additional beverages. Needless to say, that ended up turning into a fun little night.

On Sunday, after running some errands and taking a serious nap... I decided that I should probably pull myself together and go for a run. I have this to say -- exercise is medicine. I had a bit of the Sunday blues and a mild hangover... I headed out thinking that I'd do 3, maybe 4 miles. I felt good and decided to just keep going, I even did G st (for non-locals - G st is a very, very intense and steep hill). I ended up going 6 miles.  Never underestimate the power of the mind - I felt like a new woman when I was done.

Then, I made easy-peasy fish tacos with a ridiculous spicy mayo that I created. Ready for this? Organic mayo, siracha, dijon. OMGAHD. Plus, homemade sweet potato steak fries. Just delightful.

In typical marathon Monday fashion... we started the day at Andres & Rebecca's for a delectable brunch complete with bagel casserole, fruit salad, lemon-poppy seed bread (omg), mimosas, & coffee! Then, continued on to the sox game, got drenched, drank copious beverages and met Rob and his fam at Jillians for an afternoon of bowling.

This is how I felt about the rain.

... but, as the ever-optimist... we still had a BLAST!

Hope you all had a great weekend, too! xo

QUESTIONS:
WHAT DID YOU DO FOR MARATHON MONDAY?
DID YOU RUN?
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF TACO?

Coconut, Dijon, Fig Salmon

/

Oh hayyy! How was the day? I had a typical Tuesday - nothing too crazy. My workout this morning was intense and I was already super sore from yesterday's class (um, we did 30 suicides at the end of boxing). Sooo, tomorrow is looking like a rest day. I find that Wednesday is typically a smart day to take a rest day even though I don't usually want to rest on a Wednesday. Does anyone else go through that same thought process?

Moving on, I had a craving for salmon which worked out nicely because Rob isn't around tonight. I'm fairly certain that the only food that Rob doesn't like that I LOVE is my beloved salmon. Tonight's recipe was gooood, so I'll try this one another time to see if it'll cause a turn! (we'll see)

This recipe is (kind of) a take on the recipe that made me love salmon back when I was in high school. My mom started making salmon way before it was trendy and created this whole-grain dijon mustard/brown sugar glaze that made it taste absolutely divine. I used to ask for it all the time.

Not only is this meal ridiculously easy to make, it's also incredibly healthy. Here's what's needed:

Coconut, Dijon, Fig Salmon, Serves 1-2 based on spread and size of salmon

Need:
- Dijon mustard (1-2 tbs)
- 1 part Coconut butter (if you are in a pinch and don't have coconut butter - you could try mixing equal parts coconut oil with shredded coconut) (1 tbs)
- Fig jam (1/2 - 1tbs)
- WILD salmon

How:
- Mix all three ingredients in a bowl 
- Spread on salmon
- Broil on high for 5 minutes
- Bake in a 415 degree oven for another 5-7 minutes
- Serve & Enjoy!

Photos for reference...

I paired the salmon with roasted asparagus and roasted sweet potatoes. For the asparagus, I drizzled them with evoo and salt and put them on the same pan as the salmon so they cooked along with it. For the potatoes, I tossed them in evoo and chopped rosemary. Then, I started them in a 415 degree oven for 10 minutes before everything else and then moved them to the rack below the salmon for the rest of the cooking process.

Done and done. This glaze was INCREDIBLE -- that coconut butter is already becoming a favorite of mine in the kitchen. This salmon wasn't as much coconutty as it was dijony/figgy goodness, but, the coconut made it all work. Plus, it provides some added health benefits. Enjoy!

QUESTIONS: DO YOU LOVE/HATE SALMON?
DO YOU LOVE/HATE REST DATES? (I have a love/hate relationship with them)
DOES TODAY FEEL LIKE WEDNESDAY OR IS IT JUST ME? 

xo

Weekend Sunshine XXVIII

/

How is it Monday already? It's practically Tuesday! Time really does fly. That being said... can we all agree that this is, by far, the best Monday we've had in a while? (well, if you live in the northeast) 70 degrees, opening day, Tom Brady throwing the first pitch, Pete Frates signing a one-day contract with the Red Sox, Spring outfits, Red Sox win? HELL YES. So much goodness happening all around. Also, if you haven't seen it yet -- the Mayor has declared Wednesday "One Boston Day".  A day to draw neighbors together and display humanity, give back, reach out, remember and reflect. Do you know what you will do on Wednesday to honor this day? I am putting together a one mile walk at Legacy and asking guests to bring a canned good for our local food pantry. Personally, I'm not sure yet -- some random act of kindness. I just love this idea that our Mayor has made into an official day. We need to see more kindness and humanity in this world. Boston will make it happen.

Whew. I didn't see all that coming so let's get moving onto the sunniest parts of the weekend. What were yours? Here's a glimpse into mine :)

Sometimes, all you need is a bowl of real pasta with sauce and a nice glass of Zinfandel. This was the perfect Friday night meal after a long week. (*Note: you may have noticed that I was dabling in the gluten-free world for a month or so... I was just dabbling... trying to figure out some stuff with my body, BUT, good news is I'm 100% certain I am not gluten intolerant. Whoo! More on this another time)

On Saturday, the SUN came out, I went to the gym, basked in the glorious sunlight, made a light lunch of avocado toast, and started the chili prep with Rob. Gah! Words cannot describe how happy the sun made me (and the rest of New England). Ecstatic!

B T Dubs... this was amazing. (Sour bread toast, smashed avo/parm/crushed red, HB egg, siracha.

Then, it was time to make the chili for our "Chili Cook-Off" on Saturday night.

Janet hosted and had the BEST details! There were four chilis: "Short Rib Chili", "There's beer in it Chili", "Tropical Explosion Chili", and "Meat Lovers Meaty Spicy Chili". We went on the roof deck for a couple hot minutes and then headed back to the kitchen to dive head first into all the chili, Janet's homemade cornbead, and snacks!

It was a close match-up, but, Rachael's classic chili with beer in it... WON! It was so good!

On Sunday, I went for a wonderfully warm run and took in all the sights. Guys, I took a picture of this thinking that I would read it later. I JUST read it. Do you see what it says??? "One step closer" "Spread kindness" "Have a Happy Day" "Live at the Sea" "If you can dream it, you can do it". Whoever did this...wow... awesome... thank you for spreading so much love to Boston in Southie!

Line so long at Sullys <3.

After my run, I walked down the beach... took a couple selfies... laid in the sand and then went back to my house. I grabbed a chair and a book, went back to the beach and stayed there for 3 hours. #lovesthesunandthebeach

I HOPE YOUR WEEKEND WAS FAB!

Questions: HOW WILL YOU PARTICIPATE IN #ONEBOSTONDAY?
DID YOU SPEND THE WEEKEND OUTDOORS?
DO YOU HAVE A FAV PLACE TO RUN?