Hi and how is it already Thursday? This week flew by. I have lots of little life stuff to catch you up on but first…for the first few hours that yesterday’s BarkBox post was up, the link to get a month free was incorrect. For those of you who missed it, here is the correct link. Remember, they’ll add a free month onto any plan you sign up to with code PEANUTBUTTERRUNNER. Plans start at $19/month with free shipping on 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions! 🙂
I spent the first half of this week fighting off a summer cold which luckily never turned into much. I credit tons of rest, good food and lots of vitamins (including this D-Hist that a pharmacist recommended a few months ago for sinus stuff that I’ve come to love.) in avoiding it taking a turn for the worse.
I have been soaking up summer over here…especially all the summer food! I’ve been including peaches and tomatoes in as many dishes as possible.
This was an open faced avocado, tomato, deli chicken and white cheddar sandwich on sourdough with lemon basil mayo.
Tomato sandwich on sourdough with lemon basil mayo, avocado and gouda. Sweet potato pop chips and watermelon on the side. This is my favorite lunch of the whole year! Tomato sandwiches are the best ever.
Leftover roasted chicken breasts topped with a peach, vidalia onion and herb sauce with roasted okra.
Beautiful summer salad with bibb lettuce, arugula, heirloom tomatoes, blueberries, dried cranberries, almonds, cucumbers, avocado and turkey.
Snack plate with cheese and saltine crackers, deli chicken avocado wraps and watermelon.
Sriracha lime salmon with sauteed spinach and steamed brown rice.
Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken. It was my first time making this recipe and YOU ALL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE! It’s that good. Definitely the best (and simplest) roast chicken I have ever made! I posted a picture of my beautiful chicken on Instagram and tagged Ina in hopes she’d give me a “heart” but no luck.
Oh well, I’m still team Ina. She has NEVER led me astray. I have so many favorite recipes from her.
Homemade blackberry yogurt cake with salted caramel ice cream. Pretty sure this is what kicked that cold right out. 😉
Sushi lunch waiting on me when I finished teaching my 12:30 lunch class today. I have to say it’s pretty amazing to have a sushi bar in the cafe at the studio!
You know what else is awesome? A wine bar in the cafe! We just got our liquor license yesterday! Earlier this week we had a really fun tasting with Fine Wine Trading Company to select the wines we would offer by the glass and by the bottle. We picked a selection of small-production wines from family-owned vinyards around the world. Since we are a small business, we feel that it’s important to support other small and family-owned businesses. Next up, I’m working on sourcing local beer delivery. We have a ton of amazing breweries right here in Charlotte! We also have a partnership with Magnolia Coffee Co., a local roaster who sources his own beans directly from farmers.
Zoey has been eating…cucumbers. This girl goes cray cray for veggies. We have yet to find one she won’t eat.
So far the list includes tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, brussels sprouts, mushrooms (aren’t dogs supposed to know not to eat these! she stole a whole portobello cap from the counter!), okra, carrots, parsnips and many more. I’ve lost count at this point.
Sullie is like, “Zoey can have all the veggies…I’ll take the cuddles.” It’s been a good week over here! 🙂 Have a great evening everyone!
What summer foods have you been enjoying this season?
Do you like or have you ever tried tomato sandwiches? (The ones in this post were “loaded” but I also love them super simple with just untoasted bread, mayo and salt.)
Does your dog eat veggies?
I’ve never had a tomato sandwich, straight up! It’s always been with chicken or cheese, I must try one tomorrow!
If you have good tomatoes, it’s a must!
mmm – I have bee lovin’ on heirloom tomatoes, too.
Sushi looks bomb!
I LOVE tomato sammies! I put whipped cream cheese in mine instead of mayo 🙂
Yum!
Every time we try to give my dog a vegetable he spits it out and makes an evil face. He is such a carnivore it’s not funny! My favorites lately are peaches, watermelon, tomatoes and zucchini. Wine + sushi? Can I move into your yoga studio?
Watermelon has been one of my favorites lately too! Can’t get enough!
I’ve been LOVING all these juicy summer berries – especially the even juicier prices! 😉 And I’ve never been a tomato fan, but recently loved a big slice on my turkey burger, so maybe I’ll give a tomato sandwich a shot! Looks delish!
It’s delicious! I recommend trying it for sure!
My one year old golden loves loves loves veggies too! She eats all of them except for celery… (texture thing I think). Her favorites are kale, brussel sprouts and radicchio! Maybe it is a golden thing…
So funny! Zoey went crazy for brussel sprouts when I gave them to her.
I’ve never had a tomato sandwich and gosh I feel like I’ve been missing out! I love tomatoes! How have I never heard of this before?! I will have to try it sometime soon! I love to add tomatoes to everything from my bfast sandwiches to grilled cheese. Oh my yum!
ps. Wow. I just realized that I pretty much ended each of my sentences with an exclamation point. Sorry about that. :/
Tomatoes on a grilled cheese is pretty hard to beat, but definitely give a tomato sandwich a shot!
All three of my dogs love veggies! They swarm around me like bees when they see me cutting some up. They love carrots, spinach, cucumbers, and green beans.
My yellow lab loves all veggies as well, but summer fruits almost make her lose her mind. She LOVES cantaloupe, watermelon and strawberries (as well as pineapple). You cannot consume any of these within 100 feet of her without sharing. I always try to give her the fruits on hot days to help avoid dehydration, but she’ll take them any day.
Ha! That’s like Sullie and peanut butter. I can’t even open the jar.
Fresh slices of tomato on a hummus sammie would be perfect for me 😉
When I was younger I used to love cucumber sandwiches!
Sounds delicious!
My dogs have always enjoyed obvious choices like green beans and carrots, but they usually snub leafy greens. A few weeks ago, I dropped a piece of cauliflower on the floor and was astonished to see one of the dogs practically hoover it! Probably better for our household if we limit their consumption of the cruciferous veggies, though… 😉
Ha! Zoey’s a fan of anything green or leafy as far as I can tell.
My little dog Dave goes bat crazy for cucumber. As in completely crazy. He gets confused if we take zucchini out of the fridge & turns his nose up at it. Other veggies he loves are peas, edamame & kale chips. Charlie the big dog wont touch cucumber. Spita it back out, but will eat raspberries as they are picked. I fed him 5 last night as i was picking them off the plant in the garden.
That’s funny he knows the difference when you get it out!
I’ve been reading your blog for a whiiiile — a couple of years probably? — and I just wanted to say how awesome it is to see you looking so happy in this post. (Not that you weren’t happy before… but you are absolutely glowing in that picture with Sullie!) You’ve alluded to some emotional peaks and valleys over the course of this blog, and it just makes me super happy as a longtime reader to see you in such an awesome place 🙂
Jennifer – THANK YOU SO MUCH! This comment means the world to me. I am happy and I’m happy to share my happiness with you all! At the same time, I really appreciate where I’ve been and what I’ve learned through the process. <3
I love that I found you and you’re in Charlotte!! My brother lives in Sherrills Ford loves yoga and sushi. So, next time I am in town, I am bringing him to your studio!! I also am thinking of going to Lenior Rhyne for my RD internship!!
LOVE tomato sandwiches. It was pretty much all we could afford growing up.
Yum! Your meals always look delicious, and I love that they aren’t too complicated. Any chance you could share that recipe for sirracha lime salmon? If it’s not a recipe, just approximate measurements you used. I eat a lot of salmon and am always looking for ways to mix it up besides marinades from trader joes! Thanks in advance!
Yum! I always love seeing your meals! Any chance you could share your sirracha lime salmon recipe? Even if not a real recipe, just approximate ingredients you used? I eat a lot of salmon, and am always looking for ways to mix it up besides the bottled marinades from Trader Joe’s. Thanks so much in advance! Love your meals!
Hey Laura – I need to type out the recipe because I make variations of it all the time but it’s basically the following…lime juice, lime zest, maple syrup, sriracha, soy sauce and a little chicken stock. Fresh ginger and garlic if I have it. I let the the salmon sit in the marinade for about 30 minutes and then bake it. The sauce thickens up as it cooks. I usually sprinkle some sesame seeds on it after it’s cooked and some fresh cilantro if I have it.
Ina is one of my “girl crushes” and I prepare her roast chicken ALL the time!! Soooo good! And I’m with you on tomato sandwiches . . .one of the best things of summer!
Haha! I agree! She’s awesome. I bought another chicken at the market this week and think I’m going to make it again this week!
Just had a tomato sandwich today! On toast with mayo, salt and pepper–got the tomatoes at the farmer’s market. My dog loves broccoli and carrots. I started giving them to him when he was a baby and he prefers the veggies over dog treats.
Do you make any changes when making ina’s roast chicken recipe?