Greek Chicken Pasta & A Happy Anni Wish

 Well HELLOOOO there! I know. I've been M.I.A. for 9 whole days. Crazy pants. I hated it. I missed you guys. I took a few days off to catch up on life. I apologize.

Lets begin this post with what I ate today, because that is fun, right? Food is oh so fun.

Working backwards, dinner began with a big 'ole salad of romaine, cherry tomatoes, carrots, sliced cucumber (from my friend's garden!!), and topped with organic honey dijon dressing.

 Main course was my Greek Chicken Pasta, and it is soooo delicious. Easy too! And mysterious! 

Why mysterious, you ask? Because the chicken looks like tuna and there is zero sauce involved, but it is still somehow moist. See, myysssteeaaarrrriioouusss.

 Greek Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 package whole wheat penne pasta
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/2 cup green olives, chopped
• 1/2 chopped sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed, not dried)
• 4 cups shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• lemon zest of 1 small lemon
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
3. Saute shallot until soft.
4. Add the remaining ingredients (except the cheese!) and heat thoroughly.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer until pasta is finished.
6. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
7. Add skillet mixture to pasta bowl, add cheese, and toss.

 Lunch was a big bowl of mixed veggies, black beans, pinto beans, and sweet potatoes. Mmmm, health food.

I washed it down with a Kit Kat. Ooooops.

 And now the highlight of my day...BREAKFAST! 

I ATE A WHOLE JAR OF ALMOND BUTTER FOR BREAKFAST!!!!

Just kidding. I meeeaannn, I wouldn't put that past myself, but it did not really happen...in case you were sincerely concerned.

It was overnight oats in a half almost empty Justin's Maple Almond Butter jar.

 This stuff is like crack. Not that I would know, but fo reals. Pick up a jar TOMORROW.

Forget tomorrow, go tonight. Whole Foods is way more fun at night. Goooo.

Overnight oats is equally addictive. By far my favorite breakfast.

 Now time to wish my incredible sister and bro-in-law a happy happy happy one year anniversary!

I can't believe this shindig went down a whole year ago, but it was a blast and I am SO proud of you guys. I love you and I love your love! Congratulations!

Seester pic :) Look at those chompers! 5 years of braces = worth it. You should have SEEN this grill 15 years ago. Ho-ly smokes.

Happy Monday! Have a fantabulous week!!!

Pushed To The Brink

 Happy Saturday! It is GORGEOUS outside today here in Houston! Super sunny and actually a wee bit..chilly? Yep. Crazy. Love it.

Let's start this sunny day post with recapping yesterday's food/workouts. After an hour of spin from 5:30AM-6:30AM, I headed to work and enjoyed two pieces of Great Harvest Pumpkin Crunch, toasted and topped with Chia Charger and Wild Squirrel.

I froze this bread this past Thanksgiving and pull out a few slices from time to time. It is SO good! When toasted, it tastes and smells exactly like a freshly fried donut! I have no idea why this is, but it's amazing.

I grabbed a plain jane turkey sandwich for lunch while running a boatload of errands. 

Simple, but always delicious.

Dinner was at BRC Gastropub for a sweet friend's birthday dinner.

I ordered the BRC Pub Burger and it was incredible! Definitely recommend this place. Great atmosphere, excellent food, and an extensive beer and wine list. Perfection.

 Today began at the crack of dawn. My mister, my sister, and my sister's mister are riding in the MS150 today and tomorrow! 85 miles today, 65 tomorrow. No big.

I'll be picking them up in Austin, TX tomorrow afternoon at the finish! Can't wait to hug their sweaty, tired necks! Love my family and LOVE their commitment to riding for a cause. Such a great accomplishment.

 And my hubs looks smokin' hot in his cycling gear, so I'm not complaining :)

After leaving the M150 drop off, I was so tired and all I could think about was a NAP, but my morning DEFINE class was calling my name!

All joking aside, DEFINE is life-changing. I take Spin class 3 times a week, BodyPump 2-3 times a week, and throw in some elliptical work if time permits, but DEFINE pushes me to the brink every time! My muscles always leave shaky and fatigued. Amazing.

Unfortunately, I can only go on the weekends because the studio is about 25 minutes from my house, but my body appreciates every class it gets!

 After DEFINE, I grabbed lunch with the birthday girl from the night before at Tiny Boxwoods. We are both ob-sessed with Tiny's. There will never be a need for an alternative lunch place :)

I ordered the Tiny's Summer Salad, and like everything else on the menu, it was fantastic. Greens, chicken, blue cheese, candied pecans, and dices apples tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette.

White wine mojito for sipping! Tasty and refreshing!

Now I am home, parked on the couch, blogging, watching the Food Network, and going back and forth on whether or not I want to take a nap or just push through and go to bed early....

I'm thinking the latter...unless this episode of Triple D is lame...then it's nap time. 

I hate to waste this beautiful day on sleep, but I can barely hold my eyes open! We will see what happens :)

Happy Weekend!

Raising The Bar

 There are approximately 150,000 kinds of protein bars out there, and I think I have tried 148,000 of them. In the effort to narrow down your choices the next time you are standing in the protein bar aisle of Whole Foods, completely dumbfounded and in everyone's way, just choose between the ones from this post :)

Here is my list of what I believe are the BEST nutrition bars out there!

Going from very good to knock your socks off, let's begin with Odwalla. I really love their Superfood bar, and although a little high in sugar, has a pretty impressive ingredients list.

 Next, Two Degrees bars. A little sticky, but amazing in texture, taste, and nutrition.

 Getting to the good stuff...Clif Bars! My favorite flavor is their sadly seasonal Spiced Pumpkin Pie.

 I also LOVE how they make minis! So cute and the perfect pre-run snacker.

 Next, Clif Mojo! These bars are PACKED with goodies.

 Coming in at second place, Clif's lady bars, or Luna bars.

 You know how much I love these guys. The only flavor that I am not super jazzed about is the Lemon Zest. Other than that, I'm tempted to buy stock. I can't imagine what I would do if Sam's carried these in bulk...oh heavens.

 The blue ribbon of bars??? HUNGRY BARS! :)

 I know that I am biased, but I still love these so much. Even after munching on them daily for 2 years straight, I still find myself craving my beloved Hungry Bars.

Are you a protein bar freak like me? If so, which kinds do you like? I'm always up for new suggestions!

Happy Monday! Hope it was a great one!

Giada Madness & Fruit Tart Toast

About one year ago today, I had a celebrity encounter with my one and only, Giada.

Well, it was more like a structured book signing where two of Williams-Sonoma's finest guarded the book signing table where Giada sat and signed. I waited 3 hours for this:

Giada: Are you Emily?

Me: YES (loudly...like awkward loud)

Giada: Great.

My thoughts while she signs: Should I compliment her on how amazing she smells?? Should I ask if I can be her new assistant?? Should I just go ahead and declare my love?? Maybe I could reach over the table now and give her a big bear hug. Would that get me arrested?? IS A HUG TOO MUCH TO ASK???

Me in real life: *crickets*

It.was.awesome.

Needless to say, I still love me some Giada and have watched more Food Network reruns than I care to report. I also have a deep, unwavering love for my in-laws who surprised me with this insane basket of Giada-dom for my birthday last month.

I mean...I just...I can't....ughh, I'm just so happy.

I broke out the Farfalle, Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce, and Herb & Lemon Dipping Sauce for tonight's dinner...in a pot...that I plopped on the table...in SO NOT Giada-style.

 Hey, after 2 hours of Spin, 1 hour of BodyPump, and 1 hour at DEFINE, this girl was tired. Slapping a pot 'o' pasta on the table was all my shaky arms could manage.

 For bread dipping! I threw a Pillsbury Simply French Bread in the oven and it was perfection! Super soft and doughy on the inside and cripsy on the outside. Yum.

Ok, now let's talk about breakfast because I need to mention ONE MORE food product before I let you go.

I almost always use pumpkin butter when making my yogurt toast, but I grabbed this Clearbrook Farms Strawberry Rhubard spread the other day at H&H, thinking it would make a nice alternative to my pumpkin butter.

OMG. Seriously good. Probably because it's practically dessert, but whatever. 

Love.

It's right up there with the PB.

I hope you had a great weekend! I can't believe the weekend is already over. Lame. 

 

Well, let's make it a good one!

Goodnight!

BOBS & Broken Mugs

Like my new mug???

I hope so, because it's the THIRD one that has seen my work desk in the past week.

I accidentally dropped an adorable mug that I bought from Anthro a few weeks ago in the staff kitchen at work, so I brought a new mug from home the next day and I DROPPED THAT ONE TOO!!!

So I went back to Anthro and purchased my third mug of the week. 

I'll never let go mug...I'll never let go.

 Breakfast this morning, with my delicious cup of coffee in my unbroken mug, was cinnamon raisin toast with Wild Squirrel on one slice and Chia Charger on the other. So good.

A sweet coworker of mine surprised me with a bag of "Bunny Bark" during last week that I am slowly finishing off. White chocolate bark with peanut M&Ms, pretzels, Oreos, and what I think were sprinkles. OMG. It's everything that I love in life in one seriously delicious cluster of goodness. 

More please.

 The Mr. and I decided to do our respective workouts after work today (golf for him, gym for me), then met at Goose's Acre for some pub grub and adult beverages.

Apologies for the poor quality photos. I'll bring back the Nikon soon!

I have been craving mozz sticks, so I immediately ordered them as our app before even consulting the hubs. Oh marriage :)

 I selected the Pesto Chicken Pizza for my entree, which was a white pie with basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, capers, and chicken. INSANE. Definitely not your typical "bar food". So yum. And double yum when paired with my glass of Riesling that I drained in no time.

 After returning home, these guys were practically begging me to devour them. Hellooo Red Velvet.

I think cream cheese frosting should be it's own food group. Gulp.

(image)

Ok, now let's talk about something ridiculous. I love TOMS and tromp around in my pair daily, but have you seen the advertisements for BOBS? Sketchers shamelessly jacked the idea behind TOMS by creating their new line of shoes called BOBS. I mean...yes...I support many cupcake bakeries out there who have attempted to replicate the Sprinkles cupcake phenomenon, but really? TOMS? Crazy.

Hey! It's the weekend! I hope it's amazing for you and that you get to eat lots of cupcakes and wear TOMS and shake yo booty and kiss the ones you love!

Goodnight!

A Fashion Show & Cupcake Crawl

Wow, what an amazing day!

I was invited to join a few friends at the Tooties Fashion Show at River Oaks Country Club in Houston! My friend, Haley, works for a company that purchased a table, so I gladly helped in filling a seat!

The besties, starting from the left: Tara, Haley, and Me! Tara and I have been friends since the 5th grade and Haley and I, since Jr. High, so we all go way back. Love these ladies :)

 Lots of cups on the lovely bright orange table cloth.

The show began around 11:15 and included an amazing set of designers.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces:

This is Brent's new golfing outfit. He doesn't know it yet...but it is. 

Yeah, right. In my dreams. 

My seer-suckered, monogrammed, plaid blazer dreams :)

 

My favorite piece overall was this orange pantsuit. Amazing. I'm on a huge orange/cobalt blue kick right now.

 After the show, lunch was served! Bread and salad that unfortunately left much to be desired. 

It looks pretty though, right??

After my 5:30 AM BodyPump class and 45 minutes on the elliptical this morning, I needed something a wee bit more substantial. But the pimento cheese sandies hit.the.spot! I forgot how much I love pimento cheese. Nom.

 After cleaning my plate, we were presented with these cute little cupcakes...

 The theme of the show was Marylin Monroe, hence the big 'ole diamond ring made of white chocolate on the top. So good.

This was a dark chocolate cupcake with caramel filling and a marshmallow-y frosting. Very good.

 Champagne was flowing, which was also a nice touch.

Ya know, my Maserati waiting for me at the valet pickup. No big... :)

 After this LOVELY event, Tara and I decided that the diamond cupcake at the show just wasn't enough and that a cupcake crawl was in order.

First stop, Crave Cupcakes!

 Crave has some of the best cupcakes I have ever had, and Tara is a huge fan as well, so stopping here was a must. Red Velvet, Strawberry, Dulce De Leche, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip for this cupcake queen.

 

Next stop, Celebrity Cupcakes!

Remember when I said that this place was on my list of bakeries that I wanted to try? Well, Crave just happened to be .2 miles away from Celebrity, so we stopped in.

 Tara doesn't know that I got her in this pic, but I did :) She's just too cute to leave out of pictures.

I fell in love with this little bakery the second we walked in. It definitely has more of a "homemade" feel than Crave. The cupcakes also have the perfect cake/frosting ratio. Yum.

 

Another great thing about Celebrity was that every flavor for that day comes in regular size and minis!

 I decided to get the Key Lime, S'mores, Vanilla Bean, and Hummingbird minis.

These little guys barely made it back to the car. Tara and I traded bites of the S'mores, Key Lime, and Hummingbird minis. Each one was tasted AMAZING.

 The Key Lime was definitely the most unique, the S'mores was just incredible (graham cracker crust!), and the Hummingbird tasted like a super moist banana nut muffin with cream cheese frosting. You just can't go wrong.

 Confession: Once I got these babies back home, I was still dying to try the Vanilla Bean, so after one tiny bite I totally lost control and finished off the rest of my minis, bringing my total cupcake consumption for the day to 5 (4 minis and 1 regular sized).

Holy sugar coma, Batman. 

Maybe all of this sugar will still be in my bloodstream for tomorrow's 5:30 AM spin class. Watch out!

Have a fabulous night and a spectacular Friday!!!