Case of the Mondays

Happy Monday, yall!

Sad to say, but I’ve definitely had a case of the Mondays all day. I don’t know what my deal has been! I was totally NOT ready to wake up when my alarm was going off and all day I felt like I was in a fog. Am I the only one that has days like this??! Something was just not right. Oh well…tomorrow is a new day!

When I finally pulled myself up this morning I made my new favorite breakfast to date: 1 cup greek yogurt with 2/3rds cup cinnamon puffins, 2 tbsp-ish Udi’s granola, a banana and a spoonful of peanut butter.

I packed the usual lunch fare: a turkey and hummus sammie on fiber bread—-

And carrots, string cheese, a pear, a rice krispie bar and a pure protein bar.

I ate the string cheese mid-morning (was still full from my filling breakfast!) and saved the carrots, pear and rice bar to have with my sandwich for lunch. I didn’t end up eating the protein bar.

I was going to go to the gym straight after work for weight lifting, but decided to come home instead. That was just my mood today I guess! I snacked on a vanilla oikos yogurt with a little Udi’s granola in it around 3:00~

And then I looked at the front door and my mood instantly got better because I saw this!

A HUGE package of goodies from the folks over at Quaker! I think I’m set with oats now for awhile! This really gets me excited about my oat-filled weekend in Chicago in a few weeks! 🙂

Since I really wasn’t in the mood for weight lifting and it was so gorgeous outside, I decided to go on a beach walk for my exercise today. I walked for about 45-50 minutes and it was splendid. Exactly what I needed. Walking on the beach is great for your lower legs because the sand causes you to work your calf muscles more than if you were just walking on the sidewalk. Definitely great cross-training for running and good for my shins as well!

When I got home, I was feeling a little more motivated so I did some abs in the weight room. I did 2 sets (on each side) of half bicycle crunches on the stability ball—20 reps each set. Then, I did 2 sets of cross legged crunches—-20 reps each set. I demo how to do these “cross legged crunches” in my abs video. Trust me, you will feel the burn.

I had a big salad for dinner with a mix of spinach, romaine, a tomato, dried cherries, goat cheese and grilled chicken breast with a light balsamic. On the side, I had a wedge of freshly baked olive focaccia (!) and a small glass of pinot noir.

For “dessert” I had my last rice pudding with two almondina cookies. I use the cookies as spoons–it’s perfect!

Now, on to my work day! I swear—I was just OFF! I thought I was going to have a migraine but after a feverfew pill (an herb that works wonders for me and my migraines!) and a big cup of coffee, I didn’t get one. That was a relief! I still just felt weird all day though. Bah hormones! When I got in this morning I set out to finish the project that I started on Saturday: Amish Style Soft Pretzels.

Unfortunately they were a bust. They didn’t get all golden as I anticipated and they just sort of sucked in general. I guess I’ll try again later when the mood strikes me.

After that failed attempt, I made something I KNOW works: chocolate melties:

Apparently these are all the rage at the club right now! I had a bite and could see why. Can you say holy fudgy chocolate??!!!

After the cookies, I made yet another apple oat tart:

And PUMPKIN CHEESECAKES with a pecan graham cracker crust!!!

I’m sorry in advance because yall know I can’t reveal any of Adam’s “secret” recipes! They did turn out well though! 🙂

Meanwhile, Adam worked on more olive focaccia loaves sprinkled with fresh herbs, olives and sea salt.

Lucky me, Adam gave me the “ugly one” to take home! I assure you it still tasted great and was wonderful with my dinner (the “parents” enjoyed it as well!)

I also put together another key lime pie:

And two creme brulee tarts (I hadn’t “bruleed” them yet):

Since the culinary guys are featuring empanadas for a starter for a function later this week, guess who had to make the dough from scratch?!

And last but not least…..16 lbs of garlic herb compound butter for the focaccia bread:

This butter is AMAZING. First, I “poached” two bulbs of garlic in about 2 cups of evoo in the oven for about 35 minutes. When it was done, I took the then roasted garlic out, smashed it into a paste and drizzled the garlic infused oil into the 16 lbs of butter in the mixer. While that was churning, I chopped a TON of fresh parsley and took the zest and juice of a dozen lemons and mixed it all together, with the garlic and sea salt, into the butter mixer. Voila! Garlic herb compound butter!

I hope yall had a good day today. Tomorrow is going to be very busy because we have a HUGE function tomorrow night and all day long I will be prepping super fancy desserts (like petit fours!) for it. Expect a ton of photos tomorrow night! I’m off to soak in a bubble bath and read. I need it!

Oh! and a note from our friends at Arnold Bread~~they are hosting a really cool contest that I think yall might be interested in……….you can win $2,500!!! Who WOULDN’T be interested in that?!?:

Arnold Select Sandwich Thins are a unique sandwich-sized flatbread that are thinner than a roll, healthier than most sliced bread, and more practical than a pita. The latest creation from the Arnold brand can best be described as rolls which are flattened to a skinny size, then sliced, featuring a new shape that is not skinny on taste! Arnold Select Sandwich Thins are available in three varieties: 100% Whole Wheat, Multi-Grain and Whole Grain White.

Because the bread is completely new….its not a Panini, a Hoagie, a Muffeletta…what is it!?!?!

If you go to http://www.arnoldnamethatsandwich.com/ you can enter the contest to name the sandwich bread. The winner will receive $2,500 and will get another $2,500 to donate to their favorite charity. The winner’s name could also be trademarked and featured on Arnold’s packaging!