I Love Amanda Hesser

Yesterday's meals for me were well planned. I planned to try a new recipe out of my Cooking for Mr. Latte book for dinner. So I ate pretty light all day long.

I had strawberry yogurt, chias, banana, and Galaxy Granola for breakfast.


And more cucumber toast for lunch! You gotta try it!


Plus more salty cantaloupe. Good thing I like cantaloupe because I've got enough to last me the rest of my life. I'm the only one that eats it in the house!


Like I said dinner was Amanda Hesser inspired. I fall in love with her more and more every time I try something out of that damn book. I can't even imagine reading her actual cookbook!
This recipe was simple. It called for linguine, Meyer lemons, creme fraiche, arugula, and parmesan. Well Miss Amanda, Meyer lemons are not in season and I forgot all about the arugula while I was at the store.

I improvised. I boiled whole wheat linguine and tossed it with a spoonful of creme fraiche. I added a squeeze of regular lemon juice and a little bit of lemon zest. Then I sprinkled it with parm. I paired my pasta with more carbs. Toasted grainy bread brushed with olive oil and rubbed with a garlic clove.

As I was eating I could have hugged and kissed Amanda Hesser. I just might if I ever meet her.

This was SO refreshing. I was really impressed with myself!

You could probably use sour cream instead of creme fraiche. Maybe? This was my first time using it but to me it literally tasted just like sour cream. Maybe sour cream won't stick to the pasta as well? I'll have to try it next time for a cheaper recipe.

Guess who else liked it?

I made that little stinker her own pasta bowl with tomato sauce because I thought there was NO WAY she would eat that. She inhaled my bowl!

When Daddy got home he mentioned "ice cream".

We headed to Boombalatti's in Wilmington.


I went a long time ago and didn't remember it until the husband reminded me that they made their own ice cream. Check it out...


We all had a tough time deciding what we wanted! Check out the husbands intensity. It really was a tough choice!


Thankfully, the ice cream scooper guy directed us to this:


Let me see if I can remember what I got... Mocha Oreo, Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie, Butterscotch Swirl, and Vermont Maple with Walnuts. I could have easily tried the 8 scooper but I knew my belly wouldn't hold it all.

Honestly, I didn't have a favorite. It was all INCREDIBLE! Plus it was under $3! You'd pay twice as much at Coldstone Creamery.

The squirrel and I shared...


See why I ate light earlier in the day?!

I'll leave you with some cute pics of my kiddo. I swear she really is as sweet as she looks!


HEY HEY! Don't forget to enter the Beanitos giveaway!

Beanitos Giveaway!

Last week Mike, over at Beanitos, sent me a couple bags of bean chips to try. He sent me two flavors black bean and pinto bean and flax.


Of course I immediately ripped open both packages to try them.


They are crispy, salty, a little addicting, and good for you! What I like about them is that you can definitely taste the beans in them. It's a nice flavor. I had them with some salsa yesterday before dinner and it was delicious!


They are also kid tested, squirrel approved.

She loved them!

Beanitos boasts being a nutritious snack and a tasty one.

They are corn free, low glycemic, gluten free, high in fiber, have 4 grams of complete protein, and are a great source of Omega 3s.

Compared to Fritos, Popchips, Pringles, Lays, Sun Chips, and Garden of Eatin', Beanitos ranks the highest in nutritional value.

GIVEAWAY

Mike sent me quite a few bags so I figured I'd share them with you!

I'll be giving away four bags of Beanitos. Two black bean and two pinto and flax.

So thats four winners!

Here's how to enter:
Make sure you leave seperate comments for each entry!

• Leave a comment on this post telling me which flavor you'd like to try the most.
• Follow me on blogger (if you are already a follower just tell me you are already).
• Tweet about this giveaway.
• Post about this giveaway on your next blog post.
• Like Beanitos on Facebook
• Follow Beanitos on Twitter.
  

That's six entries!

The will pick 4 random winners through the random number generator on July 7th.

GOOD LUCK!

Craving Cantaloupe

I am really beginning to embrace Mondays. Just because I'm a stay at home mom doesn't mean I don't get a case of the Mondays. Monday is when the husband goes back to work and I go back to being alone with the squirrel. I've heard it before that many people would give anything to stay at home all day. It is nice and I do get to see the squirrel grow up. However, being home alone with a toddler that is literally tearing the house apart can wear on you.

I am starting to enjoy Monday though. I've just made it out to be my relaxed day. I clean the house from top to bottom and stay at home all day.

This morning I made an egg sandwich. Are y'all tired of these yet? They really are delicious!


Plus I had some new coffee.


When we went to Caprice Bistro the other night I had a cup of coffee. I knew it wasn't just regular ol' Folgers so I asked our waiter what it was. It was by Counter Culture and was a special blend made for them. The husband and I immediately went to The Fresh Market and sure enough they carried it! We got a special seasonal blend. The coffee is only harvested two months out of the year.

Wonderful...


The squirrel and I did head to the gym this morning. I just walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill while reading a new food book, Barefoot in Paris. I'm obsessed with French food.

Lunch was an ogre made with Amazing Grass.


Plus I mutilated a cantaloupe. It was my first time cutting one up. I normally just buy the precut.


On my way back from the gym I got a serious craving for cantaloupe. The husband recently told me that my pregnancy cravings were "just a mind thing". I know I'm pregnant therefore I know I should have cravings. I can see his point to some extent. However, pregnancy cravings are something that you just can't shake off. Normally, when I want something I can just busy myself with something else and ignore it. Now when I crave something I cannot stop thinking about it and would probably cry if I didn't have it. It's such a weird feeling.

So for lunch I gave in and bought a cantaloupe. I sprinkled mine with sea salt. I'm a sweet and salty kind of girl. It was everything I wanted it to be!


And for dessert (did you know you get dessert after every meal?) I had a piece of 99% cacao chocolate. The darker the better for me! Even the squirrel eats the 99%!

I bought that plus the World Market sea salt chocolate the other day.

I'd have to say it's better than the Lindt Sea Salt. It's just a darker chocolate and it seems like it has more salt.

What do y'all do about cravings? To you give in?

Gina over at The Candid RD has an awesome giveaway going on!

French Food

Did y'all have a good weekend? Ours actually was perfect! The perfect amount of going, staying home, and getting things done. I love weekends like that!

On Saturday night the husband and I had a date night. We did some google-age and found a local French restaurant near us. It went along with my Cooking for Mr. Latte book. We don't go anywhere anymore without reading google reviews.

I prepared myself for dinner with an Amazing Grass shooter.

This was the berry flavored superfood. I just mixed it with water. Actually... It wasn't bad at all! I knew I wouldn't be trying to get any veggies in during dinner so I had mine before!

My mom snapped a couple pictures of us before our date.



We had dinner at Caprice Bistro in Wilmington. We started with the smoked seafood. Which had a different array of smoked fish, plus scallops, and a potato cake. For dinner I had the chicken “cordon bleu”. And for dessert I had dark chocolate mousse with a cup of coffee.

Everything was unbelievable! I'm not a big fan of fish but I ate most of the smoked trout for our appetizer. My chicken cordon bleu was perfectly cooked and had the most delicious sauce/gravy over the top.

My husband and I both said we left the restaurant completely totally satisfied in every way. Normally, when we leave I want either a) chocolate or b) a cup of coffee. I was comfortably full and every single bite was savored.

We both agreed that we are now in love with French food. Thanks Caprice Bistro!

I think I might become french... Is that possible?

This morning for breakfast was pancakes.

I used my Trader Joe's pancake mix my sister got me but added a jar of sweet potato baby food, chias, and cinnamon. They were the perfect sweet potato pancakes! I topped mine with homemade greek yogurt (I'll show you that one later), honey, walnuts, and coconut. SO GOOD!

Lunch was an unpictured rice bowl. I'm sure you'll see quite a few of those this week. I made a bunch of rice today.

So I'll leave you with a belly picture.

25 weeks! We're getting there!

And some pictures of the squirrel jammin' to my Ipod. Life with this kid never gets old. I can't believe I'm about to have 2!

Amazing Grass and Cucumber Toast

So yesterday after I posted I got hungry! I guess the 2 helpings of mac-n-cheese didn't keep this baby full.

I had a snack of Triscuits and hummus.

Honestly, the only reason I'm posting my snack is because of the Triscuits. Yes, I agree with many people on the fact that "just because it's organic does not mean it's healthy".

I also feel that just because it comes in a box and is a popular item doesn't mean it's unhealthy! Reduced fat Triscuits are actually good for you. Within reason. I've found that they are the best tasting healthy cracker. Next time you are at the store check out the ingredient list and nutrition label!

The hubs flew late last night so I had dinner at my parents. We just did scrambled eggs and toast with Crofter's fruit spread.


And only because my mom loves me... she brought me home this...


Blueberry cake with cream cheese icing. We have a local Greek restaurant here that makes the best darned cakes ever! This is their summer cake. Our favorite is the almond cake but this was delicious too! Real, fresh blueberries with the perfect icing.

Yesterday I got a package in the mail from Teri over at Amazing Grass. Last year I used Amazing Grass all the time. For some reason I stopped. When Teri emailed me it reminded me how much I used to love the stuff.

She sent me a bunch of samples... Including some kiddo superfood for the squirrel.


The only kind of Amazing Grass I've had is the Chocolate Superfood. So for breakfast this morning I tried the Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion.


I made what I haven't made in about 6 months. A lean ogre. Or probably a green monster to you! I combined 1 cup almond milk, spinach, kale, 1 cup of frozen banana, 1 T almond butter, and my amazing meal into the blender.


Oh how I've missed you OGRE!

It was so perfect. I LOVE the amazing meal. And I LOVE the energy I've had all day. Not to sound corny but this stuff makes me feel amazing. Usually around 3:00 in the afternoon I start feeling sluggish and tired no matter what I eat. When I was using Amazing Grass I'd just mix it with a little bit of milk in the afternoon and it boosted me up instantly.

After breakfast the squirrel and I went to the library and hit the gym. I did the bike for 30 minutes while she played.

We came home just in time for lunch. I got a neat book at the library about roasting veggies. My mom gave me some fresh green beans yesterday so I decided to give one of the recipes a try.

I just tossed the green beans with olive oil and sea salt. Then put them in the oven on the middle rack at 500º for 15 minutes. Don't be scared of the high temp. It works! Mine got a little bit too crispy so next time I'll do them for 10 minutes. They were really good though!


I also had a some cucumber toast. Sound odd? Yeah probably but it was so good in this summer heat!


All I did was toast some crusty bread (whole wheat sunflower seed). Then I mashed some feta cheese on top and added some sliced cold cucumber. Then I sprinkled it with coarse sea salt and a little bit of olive oil.

You should try it... I promise it's good!

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! The hubs and I have a date night planned tomorrow so we are SUPER excited!