A Weekend with Kristen & Peter

Our Canadian buddies, Kristen and Peter, came down for a long weekend from Toronto. This is their fourth annual trip down to see us. We always eat WAY to much, laugh a ton, shop even more, and plan for the following year for more New England travels.


We started on Friday with a trip to the Cambridgeside Galleria for a quick trip to jcrew(they don't have one in Canada), then met Dave for lunch at the Cambridge Brewing Company.

I had their butternut squash soup, and shared the “local” Jambalaya
(Butter Brook Farms Organic Chicken, Maine Shrimp, House Chorizo, Peas, Rice and Shrimp-Tomato Broth) with Kristen.


The delicious jambalaya. It really hit the spot!



We then hungout and got ready to head over to Kenmore Square: Red Sox vs. Blue Jays.

As per our tradition, we went to Boston Beerworks for dinner.

I had El Paso chicken salad. It had grapes, toasted pecans, avocado, corn, and mixed greens.
I ate about half, and was too full to finish!




Kristen and Peter at Fenway Park. It was the first game we had all gone to together, that the Sox didn't win! Argh!



Saturday was shopping day! We headed up to Maine to the Kittery Outlets. We all did very well. Note: the multiple bags!!



We stopped at Bob's Clam hut for a late lunch. I definitely couldn't find much that was gluten free. I got their clam chowder, which was delicious and was a better choice than others ;)

Can you tell this weekend is FULL of eating... We have decided for next year, to only go out once for a really nice dinner, and cook at home and travel around the rest of time.

But, on to the rest of the weekend...

On Saturday, we came home and hung around the house, and went over our packages(I did very well) before going out to a late dinner at Garden at the Cellar.

We ordered the tater tots(not gluten free), chickpea fries(gluten free- woo hoo), and bacon wrapped dates for appetizers. They were all so delicious and beautifully presented!




I had their tomato soup for dinner, which came with a grilled cheese that I had to have a bite off. I was slightly concerned that the soup wasn't gluten free, but I really wanted it! It was totally worth it, and I didn't have a bad reaction later.


This morning, I had my bridesmaids all over for brunch. I made a strata(gf brioche bread, eggs, milk, red pepper, onion, garlic, goat cheese, and parsley) AND


a gluten free cinnamon coffeecake.



I also had cut up peaches, strawberries and watermelon, yogurt and granola, and mimosa's for the ladies.


My plate



Kristen and Peter are off this evening back to Toronto. We will miss them, but know another trip is around the corner ;)

Wednesday

Argh, Picasa REALLY doesn't like me tonight!
Another sideways picture, another breakfast that looks sub-par because of it's awful picture! Well, it was delicious- red lentil and coconut soup with leftover roasted veggie gf pizza with goat cheese. Yummy!




For lunch I had leftover spaghetti squash greek yogurt alfredo- lovin' the leftovers today! ;)



Luna and I went two wonderful walks around the neighborhood today! How great is this cool weather!!!

For dinner I made chicken healthy fried rice with zucchini, red peppers, edamame, butternut squash, carrots, and peas with brown rice. A perfect fall meal!

Veggies, yoga, oh my...

Today's To Do List:
- yoga at Be
- walking Luna around Fresh Pond
- writing the introduction to my thesis(oh yeah!)
- eating tons of veggies
- 20 minutes on my spin bike
- homework for my three other classes
- cooking ;)

My co-pilot today!



Today's lunch was zucchini, red peppers, carrots, and spaghetti squash in greek yogurt alfredo.

Veggies


A delicious meal with plenty of leftovers for tomorrow



After a walk around Fresh Pond, and some literature researching, I decided to start roasting the veggies for our dinner. I peeled and roasted butternut squash, beets, and onions.

Roasted veggies on pizza with goat cheese(on my side) with arugula salad on the side.


My plate

Weekend In VT

I am just getting back from a wonderful weekend in Quechee where I was celebrating my cousin Biz's upcoming nuptials! The company, the food, the laughs- it was perfect weekend!

But, let me start at the beginning...

My friend Carrie, my cousin Hilde, and I drove up Friday afternoon. We hit some MAJOR traffic but got to the house right before the others got there.
Hilde had brought some beautiful salad fixings from Wilson Farm to accompany our dinner.


We ordered pizza from Fire Stones. I ordered a salad: grilled chicken, bacon, gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes & mixed greens, chopped & tossed in a mustard vinaigrette.


On Saturday morning,Hilde and I made granola parfaits for all the ladies with Butterworks yogurt and my homemade granola.


After morning yoga and spa treatments for some, we stopped at the Trap Door Bakehouse- Cafe for lunch. They had a delicious hen and vegetable soup. It was the perfect meal to have before walking down to Quechee Gorge.





We then started the evening early with some mojitos! Delicious & gluten free...




Then, we were off to Simon Pearce to have our celebratory dinner. Our waitress, Dawn, had an entire list of gluten free selections in her pocket. It made the night that much better ;)

I started with a tomato and mozzarella salad. The tomatoes were a perfect summer end in the crisp Vermont air, and the cheese was delish!



I then had the Maine Lobster risotto, which was amazing! Can you tell I like cheese!?!


For dessert the table shared the flourless chocolate cake and creme brulee. A perfect end to the evening... well the evening at the restaurant... ;)


The ladies ;)



I can't wait to see these ladies again at Biz's wedding in October...if not before... ;)

A little secret...

I'll let you in on a little secret. Dave Matthews Band is and will probably always be my favorite band. Tonight, I got home from class in time to watch the NFL kickoff and DMB just happened to be playing a pre-game concert. What a great way to end my day!


I started off this morning with a couple training sessions and a muscle class, which I took and did not teach! I then scooted home to make my lunch and dinner.

I remembered I had a spaghetti squash that I had picked up at the Truro Ag Fair on Sunday.

I decided to make a greek yogurt alfredo sauce with veggies. It turned out unbelievably creamy and delicious.

The ingredients:


Recipe:

1x small spaghetti squash(cooked and forked out)
2x large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. of brown rice flour
1/2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 tsp. of butter
1 shake of nutmeg
1 small contained of nonfat greek yogurt
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of 1% organic milk(nonfat milk would be fine)
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese or Romano(I used Romano)
1/2 cup of frozen peas and carrots
1 red pepper diced
1/4 cup of fresh minced parsley

Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet on medium to high heat. Add the garlic and cook for around 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir. Next add the milk and whisk in to not allow clumps to form. Turn the stove down to medium to low heat. Next add the peas and carrots, as well as the red pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the frozen veggies are cooked through. Next, add the yogurt,nutmeg, and then the cheese. Cook for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add the spaghetti squash and the parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Voila!

My mouth-watering end product


I ended up having this for lunch at the hospital and for dinner at school tonight. It kept me going all day.


I also brought:
nonfat plain greek yogurt
slices of watermelon
apple


I came home tonight to Dave making about 5 cups of rice for Luna to accompany her meals. I stole about 1 and 1/2 cups(sorry baby Luna) to make a rice pudding of sorts for my breakfast. My ingredients: 1% milk, raisins, agave nectar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Breakfast post workout tomorrow!

Tacos and Cookies...oh my...

My legs are SOO sore from teaching muscle on Tuesday. I taught a spin class this morning and thought that this would help. Alas, it did not! I then took Luna for a nice walk and she got sick, so I had to set up an appointment for her at the vet. :( Poor little one...


Then, Dave came home and we took Luna to the vet! We found out she has a lower gi bug, and were told to give her probiotics! How amazing is our vet!!

I also did some cooking for my cousin's bachelorette that is this weekend in VT. I made granola and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip cookies



1 1/4 cup of Bob's oat flour
1 cup of Bob's brown rice flour
1 cup of organic brown sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of cinnamon
1 cup of Bob's gf oats
2 cups of chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mixer, whip the sugar and butter together. Then add one egg at a time. In a separate bowl, mix flours, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until Incorporated. Add the oats and the chocolate chips. Makes 3 dozen cookies.





For dinner I made pulled pork tacos. I put two pieces of butterflied lean pork meat in the crockpot mid-afternoon with a little more than 1/4 cup of bbq sauce(Trader Joe's has a great gluten free one) and left it on low for 2 hours. I then took a fork and shredded the pork and put it back into the crockpot for 1 1/2 more hours on low with a couple more tablespoons of bbq sauce.

In my two tacos I put- one red pepper slice, one small slice of avocado, one tablespoon of red onion, two tablespoons of sharp cheddar cheese, one tablespoon of peach salsa and about 1/4 cup of mixed greens. They were delicious!

Tuesday after Labor Day

This morning, I went in to train a couple clients and due to last minute change ended up teaching a Total Body Conditioning class as well. I haven't taught a strength class in over two years, but it all came back to me pretty quickly. We did a lot of lower body exercises and I had them sweating TONS! It was fantastic!

I came home and made a easy stir fry for breakfast with 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 tsp of olive oil, one red pepper, 1/2 cups of peas and carrots, and one egg. It was delicious and a perfect post workout meal. But, I forgot to take a picture of it! Oops!


Luna had has a very long night, and was sick all night long, so it was nice to be able to stay home and watch her for the rest of the day. She is now on the poached chicken and brown rice diet for two days.

I made myself a leftover turkey hot dog and some red quinoa salad on top of mixed greens for lunch. Both were leftover from our bbq last night! :)




I tried to take Luna for a walk in the afternoon, but she wanted to sleep instead. Poor little one...



For dinner I wanted to use some of the leftover pesto pasta(from the bbq) so I made a sauce with veggies, Bell & Evans chicken sausage, and tomato sauce to put on top.




Dave and I didn't really like it, which was a bummer! But you win some and lose some!

Off to read Savor, I finished The Hunger Games this afternoon.

Labor Day Weekend on the Cape...

We had a wonderful weekend in Eastham.

Saturday, after breakfast, we all went to the Orleans Farmer's Market to collect some delicious treats for our day.

Aren't these flowers beautiful?


Redberry Farm has wonderful tomatoes.



We then came home and had lunch. Leftover chicken salad, mango bean salad, fresh salad greens and tomatoes from the market- what a perfect combination!



We then went shellfishing at Elise and Stefan's beach during low tide. It was awesome to be able to dig for your own food in the sand. Dave and I walked along the sandbars for hours.


After our adventures in the sand, we headed down to Chatham to
Chatham Fish and Lobster for dinner. They are known for their gluten free- corn flour fried- delectables.



The fried part of the menu



I had the fried haddock. When can a gluten freer ever order fried ANYTHING without being worried about gluten being mixed in!

The fish was crispy, and had a great flavor! I didn't like the 'normal' fries or the onion rings that came with it very much though, but they were gluten free!



We also ordered the sweet potato fries, they were delicious!


To end our evening, we went to Nauset Light Beach for a fire on the beach. We made s'mores, and hung around the campfire. I had dark chocolate with a marshmallow in between instead.

Our fire...





Then, this morning, we went to the Truro Ag Fair.


The largest pumpkin on the lower cape!


One of the farmer's fares...



We had a wonderful weekend on the Lower Cape. Thank you E & S!

Eastham Weekend

Yes, we did it! We came to the Cape during the Hurricane Earl. Thankfully, it ended up to not really be a hurricane but just some killer rain and good strong wind.

We got to Eastham around 12:30 and Elise had set up a wonderful lunch filled with goodies :)
Menu:
Curry chicken salad
Tarragon chicken salad
Black bean, corn and mango salad
Kettle Chips(we stopped at Whole Foods on the way)
Fruit


My plate ;)


We took a trip into Wellfleet and stopped at Hatch's Marketplace.



I do love these Buy Fresh Buy Local signs!



Elise and Stefan then took us to Mac's Shackfor dinner in Wellfleet. I was excited to go, since my last experience at the Shack was so fantastic. Our waitress was SO helpful. She checked with the kitchen about a large number of items on the menu for me !

I ended up picking clam chowder and it was so delicious. I can't remember the last time I had chowder. It always has a flour base, and Mac's doesn't! :)

Don't you want a bite...



For my main course I had the mussels special! A wonderful warm summer dish on a windy night!



We came home and played cards and laughed all night long... a fantastic evening.

Last Day of Summer Vacation

My last day of summer vacation...

I started the day with teaching a killer spin class! I was toast afterwards! Phew!


I came home and made some leftover polenta stackers with two poached eggs on top. I was starving...


Then, UPS showed up with one of my textbooks, school must be starting.


I then drove out to Princeton, MA to pick up a spin bike for home. I am excited to have a bike at home for the winter!

My new(to me) bike



Tomorrow night I have my first class of the semester... do you think it's bad that school is starting right when a hurricane is coming?