Sunflower seeds + feta + dijon = wrap heaven!

Yea, this happened last night

The baked apples were so warm & yummy (my mouth just watered typing that, so not normal) — topped with brown sugar + cinnamon and baked at 350F for about 30 minutes just wrapped in some foil, easy peasy

and served over this guy

The contrast of warm/cold + vanilla/cinnamon/apples was just delicious!  I curled up on the couch next to my honey and watched some football (or at least tried to understand it haha).  His team is the Packers, however found out today that they lost, sorry honey :/  Ah well, life goes on!

Onto more important things — lunch!

Today’s was THE BEST we have had so far – hands down.  From this place – never even heard of it before?

This combo of flavors tasted just as superfab deelish as it sounds!! Love love loved the sunflower seeds in the mix and the feta + honey dijon was to die for

Happy girl!!

Check out my buddy’s meal too — he wanted to make sure it got into the blog! Some kind of chicken wrap?

So tonight I am going to check out the YMCA near my training center, since it’s on the other side of town thought I’d give it a whirl.  Also my new friend from class is going to join me and we are gonna get our cardio on!  We will probably check out a class or two in the future, however today we are gonna stick to surveying the place and doin’ some basic elliptical/treadmill goodness.

Dinner tonight is not completely decided, it’s between Mexican food options that’s for sure!!

Here are the choices:

• Mexican fiesta:  a Cookinfanatic blend of Goya spanish rice, diced chicken, fresh picked poblano peppers all covered with enchilada sauce and some shredded cheese 
• Tostada cups:  wheat tortillas baked in muffin dish to make tostada shells, filled with beans, salsa, cheese, peppers and topped with sour cream

Which would you choose?!  I am feeling indecisive today

Alright bloggies, gotta get back to the grind…. gonna be a long one!  I hope you ALL have a wonderful & fantastic day!

Yoga = positivity

Good evening bloggin’ sensations   snazzy eh?

Hope everyone got their week off to a good start!  I know that I had a very long day but am really looking forward to some QT at the homestead with The Man tonight…. which leads me into this lil’ lovely:

Thanks to the fab PBJenny’s awesome inspiration, I have decided to take part “Make It Happen Monday” because (1) she rocks and (2) this idea is fab and (3) I know the perfect place for this opportunity in my life right now!

My goal this week?  To spend more quality time with my boyfriend and less time with technology (i.e. computer/tv) each and every night.

See friends, this week is a very long week at work for me, and I know it’s going to be very tight with time each night when I get home…. therefore between exercising plans, meal prep, tv shows and blogging…. I know that time may be crunched to fit everything in – and first and foremost I think that sometimes we, or at least I, forget that the ones we love in our lives should always come first and choosing to neglect that and prioritize differently can sometimes be the wrong decision overall.

Of course this does not  mean that I won’t be cooking, blogging (no way!) but what it does mean is that meals are going to be simple this week, blogs may be a bit shorter and some tv shows may have to go to the back burner….

…. so for tonight I have decided to curl up with my handsomest and watch his fave football team play instead of tuning into Gossip Girl (gasp!).  Since I have to get to bed early I don’t want to spend my whole night upstairs watchin’ tv by my lonesome, but instead curled up on our couch with him.  So that’s that and I’m loving it already!

Onto workout time — which was a superfab sesh of Yoga.Fitness.Plus. with Elise Gulan.  It was simply this:  amazing. 

Yoga really centers & calms me, I don’t know how I lived my life without before I started.  Really.  Coming from a very “type A” personality & someone who really has a tough time “just relaxin” – yoga offers me more peace of mind than anything I can imagine.  And not to mention the excellent toning benefits!  You can actually do this practice right online with Elise! Check it out here.

Then I got crackin’ on dinner!

• Apricot curry pork chops (thin)
• Fresh picked green beans
• Sauteed banana peppers w/ mexican cheese (last minute addition!)

First I sliced up a few of the 900 banana peppers that Stine gave me from her garden whoop whoop!  Then sauteed them in some EVOO until they got tender and started to ‘char’ a bit. 

After this I topped them with some shredded cheddar/monteray jack blend. HOLY YUM… best last minute side dish ev-ah

On a side note, does anyone have a recipe suggestion for the mountain of banana peppers I have acquired? I really hate to see them go to waste, they are so gorgeous! Any help would be much welcomed

Then it was time to make the apricot curry pork… recipe from this guy which I randomly found this weekend

Easiest. Recipe. Ever.

Key players

Curry powder, apricot spread, balsamic, salt, pepper

All you gots to do is sprinkle the curry powder, salt and pepper on both sides of the pork.  Then cook them in a skillet (coat with cooking spray) for about 4 minutes each side til done — mine were thin so it was fast.

Then combine the balsamic and apricot spread (I also added a touch of agave).  Remove the pork from the pan, add the jam mixture so it heats through (about 1 minute).  Place the chops back in the pan and coat with the sauce — voila!

Lastly came the fresh beans, which I just steamed in about an inch of water for  3 minutes (covered)

Here was the final product!

Overal verdict??? WINNER!!!

• pork recipe was awesome, the tangy curry + balsamic with the sweet apricot and agave was perfect! plus soooo easy
• green beans were awesomely fresh and deelish
• banana peppers w/ cheese will be made again promptly haha bc it was soooo good!

Now we are baking up some of the freshly picked apples in foil packets w/ brown sugar and cinnamon, thanks to the superfab idea from my homegirl over at LeLe Lurves Plants!!  Probably gonna drench some vanilla ice cream with these guys

Life is sweet   Time to go hang out with my man…. I’ll get ya’ll a pic of the apple goodness tomorrow, don’t worry! Night everyone!