Weekend Sunshine: O'Rourke Wedding Edition!

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Hey guys! I hope most of you had the day off and were able to take in some sunshine. It was beautiful here in the New England area! 

I am happy to share a little recap of Brendan & Mal's Wedding from this weekend. I've been looking forward to this wedding for a while as it took place 4 hours north of Boston in "down east Maine". We stayed in the cutest little cabins on a mountainside over looking the water. We shared our cabin with James & Lauren which was so much fun. And finally, I've been so looking forward to celebrating Mal & Brendan. I got to know them best when we visited last year in Portland. It was one of my favorite weekends. Enjoy the recap -- 3 words per picture!

Rehearsal - Wedding Party.

Standard couple-photo.

Empty gym workout.

The ceremony venue.

My mom's hydrangeas.

Here comes bride!

Fancy wedding party.

The newly O'Rourkes!

Love this girl.

Let's stand here!

Couple caught kissing.

The Hanover boys!

Lovin' our girl!

Brendan & Mal -- we are so happy for you! Have the very best time in Aruba, I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back! Thank you for letting us be a part of your very special day. xo

Want to Knock out Cancer with me?

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Because I seriously hate cancer and I'd like to punch it. And guess what? New Balance will be giving us that opportunity next Thursday the 15th at the next NBGNO!

As many of you know, my sister Stacy was diagnosed with the horrific disease last year. I am very happy to report that after a very rough year of surgeries, chemo, radiation, and hospital stays... Stacy is doing great and she RAN the Komen Race last week. She RAN it.

Dr. brastianos is pictured in the back row... third from the left.

I'll be back next week with the incredibly brilliant, inspiring, and kind-hearted, Dr. Brastianos. If you haven't already heard Dr. Brastianos speak, just wait and see - she is truly incredibly. As a side note, she really helped me with some tough questions I had during this event last year. NBGNO happened to fall during a week when Stacy was having a big set-back in her treatment; Dr. Brastianos was able to provide me with some key information that helped me relax a little bit. Anyway, I really appreciated her help.

This year, as the theme states... we'll be "knocking out cancer" with both Eliza and Susan from The Club by George Foreman. I'm especially excited about this as my main form of exercise is fighter conditioning classes. This event is going to be INCREDIBLE!

Per usual, there will be sips, apps, cocktails, juices, snacks and SWAG! Who is joining us!?

SIGN UP HERE TODAY! These events typically fill up in less than 12 hours.

See you soon! xo

Pesto

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Where in the world did this week go? I'm not going with "Friday Favs" today because I promised I'd share my Pesto recipe THREE weeks ago and I haven't done that yet. We've had way too many other things to talk about, right? Anyway, my 'deck garden' is still plentiful of all-the-herbs. Especially my little friend, basil. I have 3 giant basil plants that have been very good to me, but, there's only so much caprese a girl can eat, right? I need to use ZE BASIL! What's great about pesto is that it can be frozen and used for future months. Let me tell you, when the dead of winter hits and you've shoveled your billionth snowflake, there's nothing better than whipping up a quick bowl of pesto pasta. Not only is it delicious, but, it also serves as a reminder that yes, the summer will come and the color green does exist.

Now, let's get to that recipe, shall we?

I've shared a pesto recipe in the past. Admittedly, this one is not that much different but, that's kind of the point. In case I don't say it enough, adapt recipes as needed. If you're missing an ingredient, try something new. In this recipe, I've replaced pine nuts with pecans. My reasoning: 1) I don't often have pine nuts in the house 2) I've read some bad things about pine nuts 3) Pecans have more antioxidants than any other nut 4) They taste good.

The ingredient list is simple:
- 2 cups of basil
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbs (or so) of pecans
- 1/4 cu or so of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 cu of Parmesan cheese

Throw it all in the food processor and let it spin until it's the right consistency. Be sure not to overblend.

And that's all, my friends. 

That night, I made a bowl of zoodles with sautéed organic chicken, tomatoes and used the pesto as the sauce... delish!

Have a great weekend! xo