Sunday, March 28, 2010

My Favorite Kind of Sunday


Such a great Sunday! 

Some how, I was lucky enough to score a "free" weekend, meaning no plans, no commitments, no priorities….just 2 days of doing what I please. 

Don't you just love when that happens! 

After my Trader Joe's trip yesterday, naturally, I've been sampling nearly ever single item I bought within 24 hours of brining them home.  It's nearly impossible for me to not open and try at least a little bite of every new product I buy.  Anyone else have this problem? 

Some of the highlights that I am loving…..

This is just as good as everyone says! I love that there is a HUGE amount of nutty flax and salty goodness overflowing throughout this entire jar.  Definitely a new nut butter favorite. 


These didn't even make it home.  I immediate tore open the bag as soon as I left the store.  Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Walnuts!  Wow, these must be from the gourmet line of Trader Joe's bakery.  They tasted as if they were just baked from my grandma's kitchen.  One of the best Oatmeal Cookies I have gotten from a store ever! 


Yeah…you can only imagine how good everything in this title must taste together in your mouth.  Trust me, it's even better than you think! 

I still have so many more products to try and I am savoring every single thing.  Of course, I did restock my staples items, but every time I go there are always new things for me to try.  Trader Joe's is seriously one of my favorite places on this earth.  I could make a vacation out of it. 

I woke up this morning feeling very ready for yoga.  I was so thrilled to jump out of bed and turn on my On Demand Yoga Sculpt workout, but irritatingly, as soon as I turned on the TV, the "On Demand" feature was not working.  Gah! So frustrating.   I decided to try a free Runners Yoga Download instead.  Even though it would be annoying watching it on my MAC, it was better than nothing.  But then, the download wouldn't play.  I was quite pissed at this point. 

Finally, I settled for my Core Body Fusion Workout DVD.  I ended up doing 4 out of the 5 workouts and ended with a wonderful 10 min full body stretch that really delivered.  It wasn't what I had in mind, but it ended up being quite enjoyable. 

Toly woke up a little later, and I started on Sunday Morning Breakfast! 

It was a pancake day…..



Blueberry Banana Pancakes Topped with Almond Butter, Pecans, Fresh Blueberries and Bananas

Amazing batch of pancakes this morning! 

After breakfast, I decided that I wanted to walk to the store.  Since we really didn't need much other than some produce and eggs, I thought it would be nice to take the 3 mile walk (1 1/2 each way).  Silly to drive, waste gas, and pollute the air when I could easily just do the noble thing and walk myself there. 

I packed my reusable bags, strapped on my Garmin and I was off. 

It was a little chilly but the walk there was lovely.  Unfortunately, I had to call Toly to pick me up because I underestimated my produce need for the week.  A pineapple, a big cantaloupe, a pound of apples, and a gallon of milk was just a little too much to attempt to haul back on foot.  

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing the thing I love most on Sundays.  Domestic activities! 

Cleaning, Cooking, Prepping for the week, Organizing, Blog Work….

I made a big batch of Irish Steel Cut Oats to keep on hand for breakfast this week. 

After seeing Ashley's recent love affair with Irish Steel Cut, I knew it was way too long that I went without trying them. 

 I made them in advance because the cooking time is a lot longer than regular rolled oats.  The oats take about 40 min total to make, so I doubled the batch and added a whole banana, 1 TBL chia seeds, and 1 TBL of flax at the end. 

Wow, the texture of these are so thick and luscious.  I, of course, snagged a few licks and had to stop myself from downing the entire pot.  YUM!  Steel Cut Oats are awesome! 

I was getting pretty hungry at this point so I heated up another slice of pizza leftover from last night for lunch.  Veggies and Hummus were also eaten. 

And fruit…..


The pizza tasted even better today.  I still have another slice left which will probably be lunch tomorrow. Just to warn you. 

After more chores and cleaning, I finally sat down to relax with some Gossip Girl later in the afternoon. I never realize how tired I am until I actually sit down.  After being on my feet all day, the couch and my DVR are god sends by this time in the day. 

After a few hours of vegging, I started dinner. 

Obviously I am having no problems digesting vegetables anymore because they are consuming my life once again.  

I made a big pot of Homemade Vegetable Soup.  The soup had onion, garlic, zucchini, carrot, asparagus, tomatoes, white beans and bunch of herbs and seasonings. 

It turned out fantastic! 


But even more fantastic was the salad I made to go with it. 

Roasted Beet, Sweet Potato, Apple, Walnut and Feta in a Rosemary Dijon Balsamic

What an incredible salad!!!  The sweet potatoes were like candy and fresh roasted beets are just a true wonder.  So happy I did all the work of prepping 2 pounds of beets this afternoon.  My salads will shine all week. 

Dinner was such a delight, despite the awful lighting in this picture. (Sorry about that) 



Whew, I'm exhausted.  I adore Sundays like this, but they really do take so much out of me.  For not having any plans, I feel like I spent the entire day on my feet and working away.  But I can't tell you how satisfying it feels to have such a prepared and relaxed mindset going into the week.  

How was your weekend?  Please tell! :) 

Night friends. 





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13 comments:

  1. My weekend was great, minus the fact that I just finished my last Oikos:(

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  2. Oh my gosh girl!!! I love your finds and your description of them. ESPECIALLY those cookies! Yumyumyum. I'm so glad you're feeling better these days :) But with those delicious eats and all the love and support you get + your super character of course you will! I hope you have a wonderful week (with lots of yummy steel cut oats hehehe). Love you to the moon and back, gorgeous!

    XOXO

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  3. I think that ab is similar to Naturally More--I LOVE THAT STUFF! I love the popping crunch.

    I HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE to sample everything immediately after purchasing. I sometimes open stuff in the car on my drive home...sometimes while I'm still in the store :)

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  4. So glad to hear you are getting back to your old self again!! :)
    My weekend was good!! Mellow but good!! Looks of yummy food!! :)

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  5. glad you had a wonderful weekend - i did too. those cookies sound amazing, i want some!

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  6. Yes- I always sample all of my TJs goods- I get too excited to just let them be! Josh's mom is sending me a big package from there later this week and I cannot wait. That toffee sounds so yummy. Love walking to the store, but I usually end up calling Josh to pick me up too haha. Your vegetable soup looks fabulous (maybe more like a "stoup" in the words of Rachael Ray). Hope your Monday treats you just as well

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  7. TJ's is like a vacation for me too...too bad the one in Manhattan is a zoo!! You can barely walk around in there, so I save my beloved trips for home. A little tip on speeding up overnight oats- I always microwave my milk before pouring it into the saucepan so that the oats start cooking right away. It saves a few minutes!!

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  8. I made beets yesterday too! I actually ate one this morning... weird but oh so yummy!

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  9. Oooo that almond butter sounds amazing!

    Girl, now this is what I'm talking about, your eats look amazing! And definitely more Lauren-esque. How are you feeling girl?

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  10. PERFECT WEEKEND. those are my absolutely favorites - when you can just hang around, do lots of cooking, enjoy the weather and just be. ahhhh...perhaps next weekend for me :)

    anddddd i LOVE the looks of that dinner salad. the fusion of all those ingredients looks PHENOMENAL lady - i love how creative you get with your concoctions.

    my weekend was lovely, thank you for asking!

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  11. oh so many good things in this post! that almond butter is THE BEST! and i had pancakes yesterday too, sunday is the best day for flapjacks i decided :) the veggie soup looks so delicious. you have convinced me to buy some steel cut oats. you light up my life, lady!

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  12. I just need to come to your house for a weekend and it would be an amazing weekend of yummy eats!!!!

    Love the blueberry pancakes!! yummy!!

    And that Trader Joes PB I heard was delish! I need to get some!!!

    Have a wonderful night girl and thanks for the beautiful comment!!!

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  13. yum, we love the almond butter! :) wish we had a TJs closer. We have to ration everything!

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