Sunshine and Good Friends.

This morning I woke up with a smile on my face and came as close to jumping out of bed as I get. If you usually have to wake up around 4:45 every morning, then you understand my excitement! I got to sleep in today! 8:10 is a beautiful time to wake up! No alarm needed! The sunshine coming through my shades was enough to motivate me out of my comfy bed. I was also excited for the jam packed day I had to look forward to! Today involved, food, gossip, volunteering, running, gardening, baking, and best of all some of my favorite people! Since everything is sort of a mesh I'm going to put together my food diary with some resolution updates and random photos(I took a bunch today, which is a resolution)!

Food Diary: Day Seven

My pregnant Best Friend, Ashley!
We've been besties since kindergarten!
Her and her husband are expecting the little boy in July!
I can't wait to be an Auntie again! 

Breakfast: I made a deal with myself that if I stuck with this food-picture thing I would earn pancakes on Sunday morning! I used an all natural whole wheat mix called Kodiak Cakes. AMAZING! I want to try some of their other products. I added some Chia seeds and bananas to the mix, after easter I'll have to add chocolate!

Quick lunch! Half sandwich with left over BBQ tofu, spinach, and an egg! I felt like I need a lot of protein before I worked out after yesterday's shaky situation.

Trail mix (Date, dried apricot, and almonds)

Here is my "give to get" update!
My friend Ryan and I volunteered today at a local park!
These are some of our fellow volunteers, kids from the elementary school's honor society! By this time the sun was already gone... but I have hopes it will make an appearance tomorrow!

Ryan= Good Friend/Volunteer/Running buddy

I planted that one! 

After our work in the park, Ryan and I headed out on a 3.8 mile run. We did some exploring and literally ended up running through a mudflat, over a tree and up an embankment! Once we were on solid ground again I felt pretty good about our run. Running with someone else is alway such a different experience, talking adds another challenge!

Have I told you about one of my favorite snacks?! Not the apple, although I do love those too, but kale chips!
They are a fantastic substitute when you are craving something salty and crunchy!
Kale was a new veggie for me this year, but after I got over my fear of it, I fell in love!
It is good steamed as well!

Recipe for Kale Chips:
Preheat over to 375
Wash 1 bunch of kale extremely well
Remove leaves from stalk
Put into salad spinner to remove ALL excess moisture, really important!
Cover a cookie sheet with cooking spray and the kale
Mist kale with cooking spray and sprinkle salt and pepper over it
That is all I like on top, but parmesan cheese is good or any spice you like
Bake for about 15 minutes until you shake the pan and you can hear the kale shifting
Enjoy immediately!

Half a z bar while Carly put Callen to sleep!

Cute Nephew Alert!

My favorite soup.... maybe my favorite dinner! I discovered it in a 2008 Real Simple and it has been a regular on my menu ever since!

Recipe for Squash and White Bean Soup
Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a dutch oven over med/high heat, add one chopped onion and stir, until soft, 5-6 min
Add one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juices cook for 3 minutes
Stir in one small, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces, of butternut squash
add 5 C water
add 1 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper 1 Tbs thyme
Bring to boil
reduce heat to simmer until squash is tender, about 15 min
stir in one 15 oz can rinsed cannellini beans and 1 bunch spinach (4 cups)
cook until beans heat up and spinach wilts
Enjoy! Serves 4-6 and freezes well!

Carly's delicious feta, spinach, strawberry, walnut salad!

Such a filling, delicious, healthy, and colorful dinner! Half a brown ale to water it all down (home brewed and on tap at my brother and Carly's house!)

I'm almost there! I think I may have it almost figured out! I tweaked a recipe a bit to create this concoction! The bottom is a crust made out of oats, little bit of flour, touch of sugar, applesauce, cinnamon, and surprise! Greek yogurt! So random, but it worked! I need to experiment with the exact amounts, but I do believe I'm on to something!
Topped with a berry-vanilla mix and walnuts.

Bestie, gardening partner and sister-in-law, Carly! 

Look at how well our crop is coming! Carly is doing all the work to keep them alive, but today was day three of planting! This is only one of the windows in her house that our seed starters have taken over! 

Pumpkin Seed coming out of a shoot! We've already learned so much! I can't wait for all the adventures this garden is going to bring us!

Seven days of photo-food proof completed! I have to tell you that I am really proud of myself, something it was tough to get the camera out and snap the shot and explaining and sometimes it was hard to share!!! I'm also proud of the fact that I prepared almost everything I ate. Just a few short months ago I would have had a hard time believing I could do it. It takes more time but the reward is so big! I never once felt bad about what I ate and you may be surprised to hear this, I cut down on snacking! This week I went from being a mindless eater to a conscious food consumer! I'm also excited because I forgot before to check of "Running a 5k" from my bucket list!