Back To Work {and the gym}

Monday morning was back to work for me.  I enjoyed 4 glorious weeks off, but still wasn't ready for the craziness that would hit me when I returned.


To catch some of you up, I run the Activities Office at a local high school.  I.LOVE.MY.JOB  Working with students who want to plan events and be involved in school is a godsend.  I particularly love that the dress code for my job is pretty relaxed.  I also run the student store part, so I am constantly moving boxes, bending, etc.  Nice jeans and cute tennies are a must!


I am always busy, but there are certain times of the year that are crazier than others.  The beginning of school is one of those times.  We are busy with registration, Freshmen orientation, club sign ups, sports starting, and before you know it, Football Homecoming has arrived!


Needless to say, I feel like in 2 days I have already worked the equivalent of a week.  Especially today.


I ate really well {aka stuck to the food I brought with me} but because of the craziness didn't find the time to take pictures.


***Please note I am now OFFICIALLY a blogger because I am sad I couldn't take picture of the food I ate.  Totally normal***


So when 3:30 rolled around, I was more than jazzed to head to the gym.  I am starting to look at the gym and the times I run outside as a treat, something I GET to do, not HAVE to do.  Plus it gives me time to get my thoughts together before I come home, catch up with Gary & make dinner.


Once again, I was so out of it, I didn't take a picture of me looking a hot mess!!  You all lucked out today.


My workout today was simple, as I want to work my back into exercising and not jump in head first.


I did a mile jog {constant jog for a 12:47 mile}, worked my legs on the weight machines for about 15 minutes, then did a .5 mile cool down {didn't look at the time, but my pace was 3.5}.  I finished in about 35-40 minutes.


Since I was lame with photos so far, here are a few of my favorite vacation photos!  I will close my eyes when I get stressed and think of all the amazing things we saw in Oregon & Washington!

Happy Tuesday!


***How do you deal with stress?***


***How is your week going?***

Anniversary Dinner

In the midst of all my first 5k craziness last week, Gary & I had a very low key 7th anniversary weekend.  We said we weren't going to do anything special because we wanted to save all of our extra money for our road trip next month, but we did have a few indulgences!


First up we went to Jack London Square and saw a Ben & Jerry's shop.  The closest one to us is over an hour away & we don't buy ice cream for the freezer, so we instantly knew we wanted to find some schweddy balls  to put in our mouths!


I am choosing not to post the pictures of us actually eating it...they could be used for blackmail!

We were really good and shared a kid sized cup....the perfect treat!


Once we got to the hotel, we had already decided to order in some Chinese take out and eat while watching a movie or TV show.  


Well that was before I saw in a local magazine that there was a German restaurant nearby.  I am half German, so I jump at a chance to have some of my ethnic food, especially because there are NO German restaurants near us!  When I asked Gary if we could change our plans he said "this is your weekend, we will go where you want."  What a guy!


So Speisekammer it was!


First up were the Reibekuchen {Potato Pancakes with apple compote}

I haven't had potato pancakes in such a long time and these were worth the wait!  Perfect crispy on the outside, but nice and chewy on the inside.

They didn't last us very long!

Next up was the Spätzle baked with Caramelized Onions, Parmesan & Cheddar Cheeses for the main course!  Gary & I both got the half order, his with ham and mine with bacon.

Freaking amazing!

But since it was a special dinner, I decided to save room for dessert by taking half of my dinner home for my mom & dad to enjoy!

Proof that I didn't eat everything!

We asked to look at the dessert menu and were dumbfounded when they handed us a menu at least 4 pages long.  One page was just for foodie dessert, then one page for drinkable desserts, and two pages dedicated to wines & ports.  Plenty to choose from!

Right away I knew I wanted the Apfelstrudel {Apple Strudel} with a scoop of ice cream and a side of whipped cream.

HOLY MOLY!!  The best part was the whipped cream.  It tasted so fresh that I joked with Gary about them having a cow right out back!

That and a latte for me was the perfect end to our anniversary dinner!

Of course we had to get some pictures of ourselves and not just the food!

If you are ever in the Oakland/Alameda area, I would definitely suggest Speisekammer.  The food is delicious and satisfying and the prices were pretty reasonable.  For all the food I mentioned {and the iced tea & coffee for Gary that I did not} our bill came to right under $50.  

PS - that Monday {our actual anniversary, Gary surprised me with flowers & a card}.  I am a lucky gal!

***What is your favorite food to splurge on?***

***Are you a foodie dessert person or an adult beverage dessert person?***

Roasted Eggplant

Hey there!  The recipe for Roasted Eggplant has moved to my own domain, Organically Mo.

Thanks for heading over there to get this delicious recipe!

To get to this pin directly, you can click here to repin!  :)

Parmesan Almond Crusted Tilapia

Per my last post, you all know about my love for Trader Joe's almond meal.  I also bought some Tilapia during my last visit, wanting to create a new recipe using my beloved almond meal.

The result was mouthwatering.

When serving dinner, I usually load my plate with more veggies than meat/fish and let Gary enjoy a larger meat portion.

Not. This. Time.

I ate my whole tilapia fillet and craved even more!

Parmesan Almond Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients:

3-4 Tilapia Fillets {we only had 3 in our package, but they were good size}

2-3 Eggs {to help almond crust stick}

Parmesan Almond Meal Crust - 1 cup almond meal, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, Italian Spices {Parsley, Basil, Oregano} to your liking, S&P to your liking.

Directions:

~Pat Tilapis Fillets dry using paper towels {set aside}
~Crack eggs on a deep plate and beat until mixed.
~Combine ingredients for crust into a small bag.  Seal bag, shake and once mixed, empty into a deep plate.
~One at a time, dip fillets into egg wash, then dredge through crust mix, making sure each side is coated evenly.
~Add each fillet to a pan preheated and coated with cooking oil of your choice {I prefer coconut oil}.
~Cook tilapia on medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side {checking for color and flakiness}

Serve with roasted broccoli and a sweet potato for a healthy, nutritious meal!

Patted dry and ready to go!

Right next to the stove for ease

1st side is cooking

Cooked perfectly!

 ***Tilapia is my favorite fish to cook.  It is versatile and does not have that "fishy" taste.***

Do you like fish?  What is your favorite way to prepare fish?

{A Late} St. Patrick's Day Meal

Since we spent the actual St. Patrick's Day with Gary's family, I decided to make a traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage meal for us and my parents on Sunday evening.  One thing I love more than cooking is sharing it with my family & friends.

This is only the 2nd time I have made CB&C, so I am far from being an expert.  But if there's one thing I know, it's that cooking meat in beer in a crock pot will turn out to be a success 99% of the time!

~ First, I gathered my basic ingredients:

~ Add the CB to the crock pot and slowly pour the beer over

~ Add half of an onion, cut into 2 sections and a handful of garlic cloves

~ Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours

~With about an hour left, wash red potatoes {I figured about 2 per person, including lunch leftovers}

~ Cut potatoes into smaller pieces and add to a large pot with baby carrots. 

~ Take about 2 cups of liquid from crock pot to add to veggies {make sure to get some onion and garlic for an extra flavor boost}

~ With about 30 minutes left, add cabbage that has been cut into wedges to the veggie pot

~ Cook 20-30 minutes and serve!

We were soooo full from dinner.....

But there's ALWAYS room for dessert.....

Right????

Especially when the whipped cream had Bailey's in it!!

Honey BBQ Meatloaf

Meatloaf.

That word sounds so....gross.  Who wants to eat a loaf of meat??

Me, obviously.

And trust me, this recipe is one loaf of meat I could eat all by myself, in one sitting, if my dear husband would let me.

Which he won't.

Honey BBQ Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 Pound Lean ground beef

1/2 Onion, chopped

3/4 Cup Almond meal {or 1/2 cup bread crumbs}

3 TB Coconut Aminos {or you can use Worcestershire sauce}, divided

1 TB Mustard

1 Cup BBQ Sauce

4 TB Honey, divided

1 tsp. Pepper

Directions:

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~In a large bowl mix together beef, onions, almond meal, 2 TB aminos, mustard, 1/2 of the BBQ sauce, 2 TB honey and pepper. 

~ Place mixture in an oiled baking dish and shape evenly.

~In a small bowl mix together the remaining BBQ sauce, honey and aminos.  Spread half of this over the meatloaf prior to cooking.

~Bake for 45-60 minutes.  Slice, serve, and drizzle with remaining sauce.

You want to know what the best thing about this recipe is?

LEFTOVERS!

I chose to have mine in salad form, crumbled over a lettuce mixture, using just a touch of my Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing and some blue cheese.  It was TO.DIE.FOR!!

Cauliflower "Rice"

10 days into the New Year and I feel like one of the "Celebrity Rehab" people on their 3rd day in.  While I know the changes I am making are good for me, my body feels like it is dying inside.  Not in a bad way, but in a "why are you not giving me fatty, greasy, sugary food?" kind of way.

I did cave a little today.  I MAY have eaten a few handfuls bag of M&M's by myself.  I say MAY because it all happened so quickly that when it was over, I was literally speechless {maybe because my mouth was full}.  But it did make my 24 hour headache go away.  Still - not the best way to deal with a craving.  Tomorrow I shall be better prepared for work.

Since that episode with the M&M's, I KNEW dinner had to be high on the health scale.  So I tried a recipe I have been interested in for awhile - Cauliflower "Rice."

WAIT  WAIT  WAIT  Don't close the screen and flip to Glee quite yet!

Yes, we will turn this:

Into THIS:

What you will need:

1 Medium Cauliflower

1 onion, diced

2 TB. minced Garlic

1 TB cooking oil (I used coconut oil)

Directions:

Heat oil in pan over medium/high heat.

Saute onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes.

While sauteing onions & garlic, rinse cauliflower and cut into about 8 sections.

Place half the cauliflower into your food processor (you can also just chop the cauliflower up with a knife, but it will take a little longer).

Pulse about 3 times. 

Add to pan.

Add second half of cauliflower to food processor and repeat.

Add some salt & pepper to your liking and saute for about 8-10 more minutes.

Serve!

It took Gary a few bites in to realize what I had done, and he was quite impressed, considering he is not a fan of cauliflower.  Score 1 for me!

The process in pictures:

****NEWSFLASH!!  I have joined Twitter nation.  Just getting the hang of it, so follow me!  My Twitter name {is that what you call it} is OrganicallyMo.  Do you guys Tweet?****