Hey and happy Wednesday! I’m kind of in a sea of change over here this week and just trying to stay steady. November (which is just days away…how is that possible!?) is bringing the launch of the new Peanut Butter Runner and some big changes to my schedule. It always seems that the universe conspires to make a whole lot of things happen all at one time…which is equal parts exciting and terrifying.
So today I have lots of meal ideas and inspiration to share with you via a recent eats post but first…
A very happy birthday to my mom. I am so grateful for her love, support and guidance. We’ve had a pretty special last few months with quality time and deep conversations, both in person and via telephone. What is it about moms where they have this sixth sense about exactly what’s going on with you before you even open your mouth!? I wish I could be there with her today but I’m glad we got to celebrate a couple of weeks ago on my visit!
Okay, the food.
I cannot stop putting granola on my smoothies. This smoothie combination was spinach, bananas, strawberries, almond butter, plain greek yogurt and vanilla almond milk with Cascadian Farm Apple Crisp Protein Granola. And so much coffee. So far today I am one shot of epsresso and two cups in. Help!
Speaking of help…I bought Halloween candy last night and made the mistake of getting a candy that I love. I have already cracked open the bag. Let’s hope there’s something left for the trick or treaters by Friday.
Add to the list of things I cannot keep my hands out of these Pumpkin Seed Tortilla Chips from ALDI.
Back to the real meals…this is a wrap with salmon, pepper jack, honey mustard, avocado and arugula.
A salad with all the colors of the rainbow thanks to the farmers market. Spinach, arugula, apples, almonds, carrots, avocado, dried cranberries, white radishes, beets, chick peas and goat gouda.
Another salad but this one courtesy of the Whole Foods salad bar. I won’t start to list all of the toppings but the highlight was the chicken fried tofu and the sweet potato biscuit on the side.
The most amazing lentil soup from Luna’s Living Kitchen. This probably goes down as one of the top 5 soups I have ever had.
Vegan, raw carrot cake at Luna’s.
Mahi burger with avocado, arugula and pepper jack on a brioche bun. Roasted sweet potato rounds with ketchup on the side.
Baked Scottish salmon over brown rice with green peas. Although this dinner was insanely simple, it make me so happy. I was feeling really over broccoli, brussels sprouts and all the other green veggies I usually cook when I was grocery shopping and then I saw the green peas…I love peas! Also, Scottish salmon is my favorite variety. I love the taste and texture. This was a healthy and delicious dinner. I made two servings and ate it on two different nights.
And this was my most creative dish of the week. I seasoned a chicken breast with Tuscan seasoning and dried basil and served it over ricotta gnocchi and garlicky kale. I topped it all off with marinara and parmesan. I posted this online earlier this week and received a lot of questions about recipe and inspiration. I came up with the idea for this on my way home from work while I was thinking about what I had on hand and what I was in the mood for. I had kale from the farmers market, gnocchi in the freezer, chicken breasts from the farmers market and marinara in the pantry. It just kind of all came together nicely.
And because everyone loves a good muffin…I worked from Sunflour yesterday morning between teaching a class and an appointment and couldn’t resist a second breakfast featuring one of their morning glory muffins. These things are so good!
What’s your favorite Halloween candy?
mmm, that lentil soup looks the ultimate bowl of comfort.
can’t wait for the new PBR! do you mind sharing who you used for the design?
YUM love your recent eats! I haven’t had peas in forever – agree they are so good! I can’t wait to hear what is in store for you in November! Best of luck with those peanut m&m’s I know I would end up eating way to many of those mini bags!
Moms are amazing~
🙂
I need to pick up the Halloween candy today and still haven’t decided what it give this year! I love m&m’s, peanut butter cups, three muskateers and usually appreciate the Halloween Take5 bars because they are sometimes hard to get! Oh, and the Whole Foods food bar is just the best.
you are making me want to call my mom today !!!
i have been bad with halloween candy this year for some reason. Before dietary restrictions my fave hands down was reese cups. now i love milky way dark or pb m&ms and nothing beats good dove promises !
YES–I am also obsessed with those pumpkin seed tortilla chips…I’m not ashamed to admit I can eat the entire bag in 2 days, or less!
Peanut M&Ms and Reese’s cups 🙂 I remember as a kid, I would throw away all the non-chocolate stuff and then create a hierarchy with what was left.
I LOVE peanut M&M’s. Somebody at work brought in a whole bag of them. I have very little self control right now.
Wait, you mean its not appropriate to have Halloween candy as early as September?
Haha, my weakness is heraheys cookies and cream.
So many amazing eats!!! I love the whole foods salad!! my favorite are reese’s cups… dangerous!
What is Scottish salmon? Is it farm raised?
I am so a muffin girl too…Cannot wait to hear about everything that is happening next month…GAH how is it almost November! And I totally agree…Moms just KNOW! Oh they carrot cake is drool worthy and yeah to eating green smoothies with a spoon and added crunch! XOXO
Reese’s all the way… followed by Twix! Bad news 🙂
That raw vegan carrot cake…wow! Was it delicious? Taste like the original?
Looking forward to the re-launch!
Mom’s are the best! How far do you live from your family? I live pretty far from my parents and always treasure the times I get to spend with them. I’m a huge fan of raw carrot cake too! It’s so good, it doesn’t even seem healthy but it is 🙂
That raw/vegan carrot cake looks pretty darn good considering it’s hard to beat the original 😉 that’s one of my favorite desserts! That gnocchi recipe is so creative!!
Ah I love Reese’s!!!! And that raw carrot cake looks fantastic!
Your meals look beautiful and delicious as always. I totally miss smoothies here in college!
My favorite Halloween candy is Reese’s. Any and all things peanut butter and chocolate. Especially those Reese’s pumpkins with extra pb inside 😉
Oh my gosh!!! AMAZING eats this week. That lentil soup looks to.die.for!! My sister is in town from Dallas and I’m taking her to Luna’s today for lunch – hope the carrot cake will also be on the menu!