This morning I had some things to do before work so I woke up at 5, headed to [...]]]> Thanks so much for your words of encouragement about the running situation… as of now, I’m still planning to run the half-marathon on the 21st, but I’m going to take it one day at a time.

This morning I had some things to do before work so I woke up at 5, headed to the gym for 30 minutes on the elliptical, and came home to git ‘er done.  I had a delicious breakfast cookie waiting for me when I got home; I made a similar mixture last week and it was so good that I had to try it again!

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 mashed banana
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• splash skim milk
• 1 tbsp chocolate PB2
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• toppings: goji berries, Greek yogurt, pumpkin, dried fig, agave

I brought an orange and apple to work… I’m always paranoid about my apples being too noisy, so today I sliced it beforehand.  Did the trick!

I also had a slice of Gluten Free Bran bread… I love more each time I have some! This recipe is a keeper.

My lunch salad did a good job of cleaning out the fridge…

In the mix:

• mixed greens
• steamed broccoli
• celery
• grape tomatoes
• goji berries
• dried cranberries
• TJ’s Vegetable Marsala burger (I missed these!)
• Goddess dressing (mixed in at work)

Danielle had bought a package of Lemon Poppyseed Heart Thrive bars and wasn’t a fan, so she gave me the remaining bar.   I love these!  They were great snacks when I was in Russia, and just as good today.

Dinner required little planning, but worked out perfectly.

I made SELF’s Creamy Lemon Shrimp, halving the recipe and making a few substitutions:

• Greek yogurt in place of plain yogurt/ sour cream
• celery in place of chives
• agave in place of sugar
• spinach in place of arugula

It may not look so pretty, but I really enjoyed this!  It was healthy, voluminous, and filled me right up.

I packed half for lunch tomorrow; I love when I don’t have to think about what to prepare for the next day.

Dessert was Banana Soft Serve with a melted square of Bakers chocolate.

A superoon may have also sneaked its way in

Off to watch Gossip Girl!  It’s a lovely, lazy night.  Have a great one.

Yesterday I was up at the crack of 4:50 to get my booty to the gym and log 7 miles before work.  I popped an Aleve and grabbed two Clif Peanut Butter Shot [...]]]> Looks like you guys really want to win some nut butter! Keep the entries coming; you have until tomorrow

Yesterday I was up at the crack of 4:50 to get my booty to the gym and log 7 miles before work.  I popped an Aleve and grabbed two Clif Peanut Butter Shot Roks (the company sent these a while back) on the way out the door… I liked them! Not two “protein-y” and just hearty enough to satiate me at 5 AM.

Luckily I was so worried about hurting my knee that I didn’t find myself getting too bored on the treadmill.

Warm-up: 5.8 mph

Mile 2-5.5: 6.4 mph

Mile 5.5-6: 7.5 mph

Mile 6-7: 6.2, 5.8., 5.0, 4.5, 4.0, 3.5

Total time: 1:07:55

I dropped my iPod twice while I was running, and the first time after I had to stop and retrieve it and then start up again it really hurt.  It was pretty sore on the walk home, too, so while I ate breakfast, I iced.

Breakfast was the first breakfast cookie I’ve had in months!

This was a particularly good one.

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• splash of skim milk
• 1 tsp Maranatha No Stir Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• toppings: goji berries, cinnamon, Greek yogurt, pumpkin, dried fig, agave

As soon as I got to work, I go an ice pack out of the freezer and kept it on my knee for most of the day.

Despite my long run, breakfast held me over really well!  I only needed an orange to hold me until lunch (I ate the apple later in the afternoon).

For lunch I had leftover Chopped Coconut Miso Salad and Everything Pretzel Crisps.

One of our coworkers thought Danielle and I were sisters… I don’t really see the resemblance, do you?

In addition to the apple, I also had a Caramel Chocolate Forze Bar in the afternoon.

After work I went to a networking happy hour (hello, $4 Absolut cocktails!) then came home to a delicious meal grace à Daddy-O: sautéed broccoli rabe, roasted tomatoes, octopus braised in red wine, and brown rice.

I also had a small bowl of mushroom and wild rice soup.

For dessert I had a bowl of Ciao Bella’s Blackberry Cabernet sorbet with chocolate sauce… somehow it was a little camera shy   Before I got into bed, I took one of my coworker’s suggestions (she’s run three half-marathons) and took a warm bath, then rolled out both IT Bands and glute muscles.  My calves are pretty sore today and I have a feeling my knee isn’t going to be much better.  I’m instating a “no running until Sunday” rule.

Off to go walk the pooch and get ready for the day.  Have a great weekend!

Yesterday I woke up knowing I was going to be eating quite a bit of soft serve in a few hours, so I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast.   (Oatmeal holds [...]]]> Good morning! I’m glad you enjoyed the virtual tour of The Lite Choice… you can read it here if you missed it!

Yesterday I woke up knowing I was going to be eating quite a bit of soft serve in a few hours, so I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast.   (Oatmeal holds me over much longer than cereal does.) My bowl had Kashi Autumn Harvest, muesli from the Food Co-Op, banana and skim milk.

Over breakfast, I read the March issue of Bon Appetit, and stumbled across this:

What do you think about taking photos in restaurants? Do you do it, or get annoyed with people who do? Does it make a difference if you don’t use the flash?

While touring The Lite Choice, I sampled everything without gorging.   I wanted to try all of the goodies but knew I would feel really sick if I’d eaten all of it (which probably wouldn’t have even been possible!) so I kept my tastes small.  After the tour, I went to Whole Foods to pick up a few things, including lunch from the salad bar.

In the mix:

• spinach
• vegan chicken salad
• edamame
• edamame arame salad
• curried cauliflower
• 1 piece each: bbq tempeh, lemon tempeh, lemon-baked tofu
• corn
• macaroni & cheese- I always have to take a tiny scoop!

When I got home I added some rice wine vinegar to the spinach, and had a Granny Smith apple on the side while I did some reading.

My reading sent me to dreamland for an hour or so, and when I woke up I was feeling pretty hungry!  Even after all of that soft serve, I was craving a slice of whole wheat toast with Maranatha Cashew Butter and mango butter.

I went out to run a few errands and come back carrying five bags!  Show me a New Yorker who doesn’t know the meaning of “schlep” and I’ll be a stunned girl.  More than happy to take a load off, I didn’t feel like going back out to get groceries for the week.  Instead, I looked in the fridge, freezer and pantry for any components that could possibly come together to make something resembling a meal, and ta da! I ended up using up old items in the fridge and things that had been in the freezer and pantry for months.

I almost feel guilty even calling this a “recipe,” but it was so delicious and so nourishing that I’m going to add it to the page!

Ten Minute Vegetable Soup

• 4 cups vegetable broth (I make mine from Better Than Bouillon)
• 1.5 cups carrots, sliced
• 2 boxes/bags of whatever frozen veggies you have around; I used collard greens and an “Oriental” veggie blend with broccoli and mushrooms
• 1 leek
• 1 can of beans, whatever you have (I used red beans)
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Chili (optional)

Heat vegetable broth over medium heat until warm.  Add carrots and leeks and cook until carrots are slightly tender.  Add frozen vegetables and cook until fully thawed and warmed through.  Add beans, salt and pepper, and chili flakes.  Enjoy!

Serves 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side.

I ate my soup with the last of the pesto; it was the perfect cozy meal!

For dessert, I had a slice of cake from The Lite Choice! Each piece of cake has both chocolate and vanilla soft serve with a layer of cookie crumbs in the middle.  This slice was covered with chocolate sauce and peanuts… it was so good, I wish I’d gotten more!

And now, some more Ask Me Anything answers!

If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This one always gets me! I probably would have said “chocolate” or “bread” a few years ago, but now I just don’t know… there are so many things I like! But right now, I’m going to go with sushi.  I could eat it every night and not get bored!

Are you vegan or vegetarian?

Technically I’m a “pescatarian,” which I’ve been for about 9 years.  There was a year during that time when I cut out fish, but I really hate to use any kind of label when it comes to my food habits.  I try to eat things that I feel ethically comfortable with, things that make me feel good, and things that I just like! Read more here.

That’s all there’s time for now! I’m off to go meet Danielle for a long run in the park.  Enjoy your Sunday!

This morning was take number two of 7 miles on the treadmill.  And… I did it!  I was a little groggy [...]]]> Evening and happy weekend!  Even though it was technically a short week, it feels like last Friday was ages ago.  Today was a pretty good day: busy–>productive–> relaxing.  Couldn’t really ask for more!

This morning was take number two of 7 miles on the treadmill.  And… I did it!  I was a little groggy when I woke up at 5:30, but I got myself up and dressed.  On the way out the door, I grabbed a chocolate Clif Shot Rock (sent from the company) to get me through my workout.

It was pretty good! Initially it had a little of that “protein-y” taste, but after a couple chews it started to taste more like a brownie bite or a Milk Dud.  I like that they’re not sticky; they’d be great for stuffing into the tiny pocket of my shorts for a quick energy boost during a long run.  Click here for more info.

The run itself went much better than I’d thought, and I owe that all to my choice of entertainment!  The Upwelling has been listening to Graphic Audio on the road (basically a graphic novel with sound effects), and Ari gave me chapter 1 (about 70 minutes) of Batman.  Although I read comic books and graphic novels, I expected to find this version of it kind of hokey.  I actually got really into it! My heart rate monitor wasn’t working the whole time, but my splits looked like this:

Mile 1 (warm-up): 5.8 mph@ 1% incline

Miles 2-6: 1600@6.9 mph, 800@ 6.2 mph (repeated) @ 1% incline

Mile 6-6.5: 5.8 mph@ 1% incline

Mile 6.5-7.0: 5.2-3.5 mp @ 1% incline

Total time: about 65 minutes

I made sure to get a good stretch in, and even now I don’t feel sore at all and my knees haven’t given me any trouble.  Big success!

When I got back I was pretty thirsty, so I combined a mixture of Clif Shot Electrolyte & Ester-C.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have suffered from pretty low energy for the past 6 years or so, and one of the ways that helps me manage it is to take iron supplements.  Ester-C helps absorb the iron.  It does come in a capsule form, but I bought the powder by mistake… and it tastes awful.  I usually  mix it with orange or POM juice, which are both sweet enough to mask the taste.  (I have about 1/3 of a serving every morning).  Unfortunately I must not have used enough Shot powder this morning, because it still tasted awful.  Better luck next time!

After I showered and got ready for work, I climbed back in bed with a big bowl of oatmeal and relaxed for a few minutes.

In the mix:

• 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana
• pumpkin
• 1 dried peach half
• 1 dried prune
• 1 scoop Maranatha creamy almond butter
• cinnamon
• stevia

It held me over pretty well for a while, but I started to really feel the effects of those 7 miles at work!  I had an apple and a mini Chocolate Chip Clif bar.

For lunch, I had a big salad with leftover buffalo salmon, tomatoes, and goddess dressing.  It was actually too big for me to finish!  (A rare sentence from LVP.)  I did eat the vanilla yogurt, but I waited until I got back to my desk.

And last but not least… an orange.  The people who work next to me must think I do nothing but snack, but no one’s said anything yet!

I was really looking forward to laying low tonight, which is just what I did.

I watched The Hurt Locker and Milk while eating dinner and sipping wine… I found a fabulous batch of pasta in the fridge that my parents had made earlier this week:  pesto with potatoes, green beens, and sundried tomatoes.

Aren’t their new dishes pretty?

I added grated Manchego and a can of Trader Joe’s crab meat.  Definitely didn’t need to take my Omega-3 supplement today! (I usually take two capsules, or one if I know I’ll be eating fish or seafood.)

For dessert, I had Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream with hot fudge and coconut.  There was a second container in the freezer, so I went back for a little more, too!

Before I get into bed, I thought I would answer some of your Ask Me Anything (or “As,” as I miss-typed) questions!  I’m going to keep the form open indefinitely and will answer questions as time permits. So feel free to ask away!

have you always been slender? i’m just wondering because i used to tip the scale at 150lbs but lost 40lbs and have been maintaining for 9 years (i’m 23 now).

Luckily I was graced with a pretty fast metabolism while I was growing up, and got away with eating whatever I wanted without really doing much exercise.  It’s slowed down significantly in the past few years, so to maintain my weight and keep eating the foods I like, I do have to put some effort into it.

hi! I’ve been reading your blog a long time:) I am a huge fan of your foodie and blog I have random question..I am living in NY too. and I don’t know where to get haircut??? (i know its totally random…sorryyy) but I always thought your hair looks so good! could you give me suggestion? that salon that you are going??

Not a silly question at all!  I went to Hoshi Coupe for years; it’s a Japanese salon that’s relatively inexpensive, and you can get a pretty stylish cut for a good price.  My favorite stylist moved back to Tokyo a few years ago so I was floundering around for a while, then got a life-changing cut in May at 526, a salon that houses Bumble and Bumble.  I get it cut there every time I go back to Minnesota!  A friend recommended Bumble and Bumble in New York, and since I was so pleased with the experience in St. Paul that I tried it out here and loved it.  It’s affordable, the stylist listened to what I wanted… and you get free lattes while you get groomed!   If you’re interested, send me an e-mail and I’ll give you more details.

do you estimate/count calories in your head at all? do you know about how many you eat everyday?

No, I really don’t.  There was about a month in high school when I joined SELF magazine’s online diet club (in a moment of adolescent insecurity) and tried to track my daily intake, but it was too time consuming and I didn’t feel like making the effort for something that was just causing me more anxiety.  I’ve gotten to the point where I understand what my body needs, and although sometimes I have a hard time differentiating between boredom noshing and genuine hunger, I don’t worry about it too much.  I do know that it takes a lot of food to keep me full, which is why I like to eat some foods according to their volume (big salads) and staying power (oatmeal).

favorite show?

This is a tough one! I rarely have time to watch things in real-time, so I often stream shows online or order them from Netflix.  My favorite shows growing up were My So-Called Life and 7th Heaven; now I love Californication, Dexter, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee, Heroes, Friday Night Lights, Big Love, Mad Men… the list goes on, but I’m not caught up with any of them!

do you know how many oz are in a cup of yogurt?

It depends on the container, but 6 oz is pretty standard.

More to come! In the mean time, Averie is giving away coconut peanut butter! Does that sound good or does that sound good?

Do you count calories? Have you ever? Why or why not?

This morning I got up at 5:30 to go to the gym and finish some work for the day.  I had a two mile “easy run” scheduled, which I carried out as [...]]]> Evening, Chickadees! Is there snow where you are? I woke up to flurries but came home to slush.  Funny how that happens!

This morning I got up at 5:30 to go to the gym and finish some work for the day.  I had a two mile “easy run” scheduled, which I carried out as follows:

Mile .00-.25: 5.8, incline 1%

Mile .25-.75: 6.5, incline 1%

Mile .75-1.00: 7.5, incline 1%

Mile 1.00-1.75: 6.5, incline 1%

Mile 1.75-2.0: 6.0-3.5, incline 1%

Total distance: 2.0 miles

Total time: 18:46 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 195 (98%)

Average heart rate: 184 (93%)

Calories burned: 238

When I got back home I did some quick ab work before making a breakfast inspired by Julie.

I could have sworn I saw her make a breakfast sandwich with whole wheat bread, laughing cow light cheese, nut butter and a banana.  When I went to check the exact recipe, I couldn’t find it anywhere!  You did make this, right Julie? Am I going crazy?! In any event, it was delicious toasted.  Definitely going to be repeated! I added some cinnamon for good measure.

My bank account was happy when I remembered my lunch today.  I brought a salad (mixed greens, 1/2 avocado, tofu, tomato, dulse, Annie’s lite Raspberry Vinaigrette), orange, apple, Strawnana Chobani Greek yogurt, and the last (:-() of my One Lucky Duck Rosemary Quackers.

I was hungry (and mindlessly eating) all day; I ate all of the fruit before lunch and snacked on a Chocolate Peanut Butter Forze bar in the afternoon.

Tonight was Act III of our Family Dinner series (read parts I & II), and I’m pleased to report it was another success!  We’ve had our dinners on weekends before, so we were all quite impressed we pulled this off on a weeknight.  Christine made salad (arugula, cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots) and asparagus and I made Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers and Peanuts with brown rice. (The tofu was good, but could have used a little more flavor.  I found myself adding salt shake after salt shake.)

For dessert, Ilana made banana splits! Mine had fresh strawberries, bananas, chocolate chip cookie dough & vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge, salted peanuts and sprinkles, served in a waffle bowl.

It was so good, but OOF!  I have quite the ice cream baby tonight

I’ve gotten several questions about the book I’m reading, Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project.

While I’m usually a die-hard fiction kind of gal and would never think of reading anything even remotely resembling a self-help book, this caught my eye.  Gretchen Rubin, a full-time writer, mom and New Yorker, had an Aha! moment when she realized that while she wasn’t unhappy- and was certainly not depressed- she thought she could be happier.  So she mapped out a year-long plan, with overarching goals (or “Resolutions”) for each month, such as Boost Energy, Lighten Up, Make Time for Friends, Remember Love, etc., and sub-categories to help her reach them.

With my busy reading schedule I’m only able to read for pleasure during my commute to and from work, so I’m only about a third of the way through the book.   Thus far, I’ve gotten some interesting ideas.  While much of Rubin’s findings are pretty general (there are many sentences beginning with “Studies find…”), she holds herself accountable for her goals by tracking them with a daily log and monitoring her progress month-to-month.

Two suggestions most appealing to me are:

• Get more sleep
• De-clutter the living space

On her blog, she has a list of Twenty Very Easy Tips For Lowering Your Daily Stress Level. I’ve tailored this a little for my own needs, and come up with:

• Go to bed 30 minutes earlier.  I’ve been going to bed between 11 and 12, but I’m going to try to be in bed at 10 with the lights and computer off at 10:30.
• Before sleep, prepare for the morning.  Pack lunch, lay out work clothes and gym clothes.
• Make a list. Making it now!
• Exercise. I’ve been better about this lately; I’ve been more consistent these past few weeks when I get up early to go in the morning.
• Put a Bandaid in your wallet.  I have a pack in my purse and a box in my desk, and lordy knows I need them when I wear heels!
• Make your bed. This is key.  Coming home to a made bed (or making it even if I’ll be home during the day) makes things so much neater and just gives the day a more positive, organized feel.  I’m grateful to Ari who makes it every morning after he wakes up (he sleeps several hours later than I do) so I’m greeted with a tidy living area when I get home.

I’ve been procrastinating about cleaning the closet; even though it’s not a big deal, it seems like an insurmountable task! But I made a promise to Ari that it’ll be taken care of when he comes home on Saturday, and I intend to keep it.

What are your tips for making day-to-day life less stressful?

Well, I’m off to go make my first point a reality! Night

I made us a quick breakfast of whole wheat toast, almond butter, honey, cinnamon, and half a banana.  I’ve eaten a variation of this before every race, and [...]]]> This morning we got up bright and early to get to Central Park for my first race of 2010, and Ari’s first race of his life!

I made us a quick breakfast of whole wheat toast, almond butter, honey, cinnamon, and half a banana.  I’ve eaten a variation of this before every race, and didn’t want to jinx myself by changing it up!  Right after I took the photo, I misplaced my camera somewhere in the apartment… after a few minutes of mild panic, I found my old one in a drawer.  Excuse the recycled photo and poor quality of the images to follow!

We got to the park and caught up with Danielle, who looked far more stylish than I did.  Good thing I didn’t check the weather- 17 degrees!- but we both layered up anyway.

We stashed our bags and coats and headed to the starting line (where we bumped into Caitlin, who was right next to us!).

As this was Ari’s first race- and the first time he would run more than 2 miles at a time- I looked at today as our first race together, and just a fun way to spend a Sunday morning.  If we had to walk the whole way, so be it!

It was really cold.  My legs were completely numb and my hands hurt before we even started running, but we started off at a steady pace and held it all the way through.  I asked Ari multiple times if he wanted to stop- or even slow down- but he kept moving.  We maintained at 10:39 pace the whole way!!! We finished in 42:38; I was so proud.

Total distance: 4 miles

Total time: 42:38

We made the frigid trek back across the park to claim our bags and catch up with Danielle (who finished in 36:58!)…

… then headed over to Arte Cafe for brunch with a 14 lovely ladies (an 2 gentlemen).

It was fun to catch up with so many bloggers… I don’t know if I’ve been in the company of so many like-minded folk at once since the Summit!

Among them were Ada, Melissa, Heather & Mark, Ashley, Meghann, and many more.  Ari and I got to catch up with our favorite college gal before she jetted off to triathalon club.

Before she left, she gave us Chobani‘s new kids’ yogurt! I can’t wait to try these guys.

Instead of bread, we were given berry muffins.  This was probably my favorite part of my meal (other than the company)… the black coffee wasn’t so great.

I ordered an egg white omelet with spinach and goat cheese;  the muffin really filled me up so I didn’t have any of the toast or salad (quite unlike me!).

Thanks for a fun time, everyone! (Photo courtesy of Meghann.)

After we all went our separate ways (with plans for future meetings), Ari and I made our way home.  We took a little pit stop at Grandaisy Bakery for a small hot chocolate, which we split on the subway ride.

After I was showered and warmed up a bit, the rest of the day was devoted to work.  What else is a Sunday for, eh?   For some reason, I was hungry all day.  Only a little after we got home, I tore into the 18 Rabbits Belle Bananas Foster bar (review to come).

And some grapes to keep me going:

Ari had plans tonight so I ended up eating an early dinner with him.  I made Tomatoey Spiced Chickpeas which has easily become my go-to quick dinner (it requires almost no active cooking time) when we eat together. Ari is a die-hard meat lover, but for some reason he’s really taken to this vegetarian dish. I served it with Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Pilaf and steamed cauliflower (which also was consumed without complaints!).

Later, I made a chocolate peanut butter cup for Ari and a dessert plate for myself using dried fruit, a macaroon from Gina, and chocolate hazelnut spread from Liz (more on that later).

Now it’s off to bed… it’s going to be another 5AM morning for me tomorrow.  Tomorrow I’m going to clean out the closet and find my camera… until then, please be patient with the fuzzy photos!

Hope you had a great weekend, and have a very happy Monday

Before I left I had a slice of [...]]]> This morning when I woke up, I was not feeling my 7 mile run.  I checked the weather: 15 degrees.  It seemed like a much better idea to just lie in bed… but I knew I’d feel better about my training plan if I did it.

Before I left I had a slice of whole wheat toast with coconut butter and raspberry jam.

It was really cold.  I finally got to the point where the wind didn’t hurt anymore, but when, after 5 miles, I popped back into the apartment for a quick pit stop to answer nature, I found that my legs were completely numb! So… it was quitting time.  I may not have gotten 7 miles in, but I made do with 5.

Breakfast was a quick bowl of savory oats; that cute lil’ egg shape is the result by whisking an egg and than microwaving it for 45 seconds.

• 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
• cottage cheese
• 1 whole egg
• Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• black pepper

I also had an orange to help get me through my reading and laundry-folding…

Er… woke up two hours later. So much for that burst of energy!  I made a big salad for a quick lunch…

In the mix:

• spinach
• dulse
• tofu (1/3 block)
• tempeh bacon (2 slices)
• mushrooms
• steamed broccoli stems
• Rosemary Quackers (from One Lucky Duck)
• rice wine/olive oil/mustard vinaigrette

After lunch I made took my grocery list and went to my new favorite supermarket to stock up for the week.   I really could have spent hours in there! Unfortunately there was no time for that… when I got back home and put everything away, I plunked back down to work, snacking on a Granny Smith apple with cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne.  I like this combination! The extra zing! kept me awake this time.

It was Family Dinner night at our house tonight! (Read about our first Family Dinner here.) My contribution was a big salad with Boston lettuce, radicchio, Fuji apple slices, shaved parmesan, dried figs and parsley.

I also made plantains (sliced and sautéed in marjarine until lightly crispy)… they were so good that we all just ate them out of the pan with our fingers! (Forgot to take a photo of these, sorry.)

Ilana made fettuccine with wild mushrooms and parsley…

… and Chrsitine made a delicious strawberry and blueberry pie!  She topped our slices with dollops of Vanilla Chobani.

I’m so impressed with our Family Dinner endeavors… we already have our next date booked.   I’m on entrée duty next time… what is your favorite weeknight crowd-pleasing dinner?

Back to the grind.  Hope your week is off to a great start!