Hi guys. What a week. The news out of Vegas continues to stun and shock, the situation in Puerto Rico seems to be a mess and Tom Petty has passed. American Girl will always be a song that brings a lot of nostalgia and good memories with it. I hope you’re all seeking peace and presence and getting a lot of fresh air and gratitude. Hugs to everyone.
Last week’s eats.
BREAKFAST
I am happy to have Greek yogurt back in my life. I have been using it in so many different ways and in so many different things. I’ve been buying plain full fat yogurt and it’s delicious! My favorite brand is Fage and I love that one cup has 20 grams of protein. This yogurt was topped with honey, Purely Elizabeth granola, bananas, sunflower seed butter, strawberries and chia seeds.
Sweet potato breakfast bowl with scrambled eggs and strawberries.
LUNCH
Arugula, leftover rice, apples, shredded chicken breast, pistachios, beets . and avocados with Tessemae’s Green Goddess dressing.
Front: open faced salmon salad melt with avocado and cheddar. Back: fig preserves with cheddar. Both on sourdough and cooked under the broiler until bubbly and brown.
Kale/quinoa/beet salad, avocado, hardboiled egg and Green Goddess dressing.
Arugula, shredded chicken, avocado, dried cranberries, avocado, apples, pistachios and some kind of creamy ranch dressing.
DINNER
Last week I had this awesome meal plan all put together…and then on Monday night I ordered Viva Chicken from Postmates instead of cooking. It was delicious but the saddest thing was that they forgot the sauces. Their sauces are what truly make it Viva Chicken so we were a little bummed.
We ate the Viva Chicken leftovers on Tuesday night. The whole chicken and three sides combo is only $22 and for our sides we got rice, green beans and chicken soup. We saved the chicken soup and added the leftover rice green beans to it. I also added more water and stock and then topped it with avocado, lime and crushed tortilla chips. I ended up also adding a spoonful of plain greek yogurt to make it creamier. I can’t remember but I think I ate the soup again on Wednesday night because Tanner was out at a meeting.
I finally got it together on Thursday and cooked. We had cast iron sauteed bone-in pork chops with braised red cabbage and apples and a really delicious rice side that I’m going to post the recipe for soon. This was my first batch of my braised red cabbage since last cold weather season and YUM. It’s one of our favorite sides.
ETC
Vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips and strawberries.
#2000SQUATOBER
It’s not too late to join us. My 30-day 2,000 squats in October challenge started yesterday and I’d love to see you all squatting with me. Head over to Instagram for all the details on Squatober.
Favorite Tom Petty song?
Most comforting routine/ritual that you turn to in time of confusion/suffering?
What have YOU been eating lately?
In times of grief or trauma or sadness, it helps me to talk about it with friends and also to make a small donation to the cause. So far this year I’ve donated to Planned Parenthood, a fund for Hurricane Harvey victims, and Everytown for Gun Safety. Talking about these issues helps my heart but making any sort of donation helps me to feel like I can make a difference.
Food wise… I’ve been loving full fat Greek yogurt too! I add whatever fruit I have on hand, Purely Elizabeth granola, and almond or peanut butter. I could also eat avocado toast on sourdough everyday of my life.
Hi Sarah – thanks for sharing this. I really appreciate you sharing how making a donation helps you feel like you are doing something. And it’s totally valid and wonderful that you do that.
Thank your sharing Jen– your words are always a guiding light for me in times of tragedy.
I’ll keep this a bit lighter and share my favorite Tom Petty memory… when I was at UGA I was out one night in Athens with a friend and we stumbled across a Tom Petty cover band giving a free concert. So much fun!
Thanks for the kind words Amanda. I love your Athens memory. So many good times in downtown Athens and those “stumbled upon” nights always seem to be some of the best.
Its a tie between Marys Janes Last Dance and American Girl. but ive been know to sing/yell a horrible rendition of free falling a time or two 🙂
Ha, love this! 🙂