Wonderful Wednesday!

Can I start off by saying that I slept like a rock last night? No joke - I usually get up at least once to empty the bladder, but nothing last night! Needless to say, I woke up with an intense urge to use the bathroom (sorry - too much h2o) - but I was more than well rested.

There was once a day when I was afraid to try overnight oats. Why you ask? I don't know - maybe I was "scared" to go outside of the realms of my usual bowl of oats. I am starting to get into another rut with these overnight oats, but I honestly cannot get past how good it is. I want NEED this bowl of oats every morning. Any suggestions on how to change up this bowl of overnight oats?

i tend to change the bowl by the way the bloobs are positioned - yes, i know.. pathetic.

This morning, like most mornings, was spent running around while the kiddos (the sister's, not mine!) were off my hands for a few hours. I managed to spend far too much money in a short amount of time. I also did some speed work this morning! I forgot my stop watch, so I have no splits, but I can assure you, I probably did not get any faster than before. When I got home, I needed to take a quick shower and a snack because I was STARVING!!

zucchini bread, grapes (there were more than 3 haha), and some unpictured almonds.

Lunch was a huge spinach salad with some zucchini, carrots, and hummus on the side.

The kids were super wet from a water game they played this morning, so I didn't want them on the couches, so we took a walk (3 miles round trip!) to go get ice cream.

it was this melted in about 1 minute - over 90 degrees today!!

On the way home, I heard a few of the following phrases:

• "It's sooooo hooooooot!"
• "My feet aren't working!"
• "The next time you go get ice cream, if we walk, I'm not coming!"
• "I might diiiieeeee before we get home!"
• "Why isn't the outside air conditioned?"
• "If I do die on the way home, are you just going to leave me on the side of the road?"

Whine whine whine... complain complain complain.

we stopped to look at some frogs in the creek

When we got home, I also made sure to throw my hands in the air, look up at the sky, and scream, "CAN YOU BELIEVE WE MADE IT HOME ALIVE? YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" Sometimes, my niece and nephew think I am insane. They were not amused.

Snack time was a big juicy apple..

At about the time I was eating this, I found out my friend (and future cousin) Mandi had her baby today! Travis Luke was born around 12-1 p.m. (I have to find out the real time) and was a 9 pounder! Mommy and baby are doing just fine - I spoke with her around 4:30. I didn't think she was going to answer he phone, I really just wanted to leave her a voicemail. Needless to say, I was in tears all afternoon and am so excited to meet this new baby boy! I can't believe she's finally a mommy! I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

I am sorry to report that I do not have a picture of my iced coffee from Starbucks or my dinner when I went out with my parents. Mom and Dad wanted to get pizza tonight, and they asked me if I would like to go. I always love to go out to eat, but they just don't have much for me to eat. I went anyways, got a huge chopped slads (I think I have OD'ed on veggies the past couple of days) and a side of steamed broccoli with marinara on top.

We went by my house to check out the paint progress - it looks great! When we got home, I needed a snack...

chocolate protein muffin, raisins, pb spoon

I also have to show you how I eat raisins and peanut butter.

don't judge me - it's delicious.

Question: Is there a food you have ever "od'ed" on before? Believe it or not, I once ate so much peanut butter in one day that I couldn't eat it for over a week! :gasp:

Bon Appetit! Chickpea Salad and Homemade Pesto

I'm going to get right to the chase here. My dinner most likely kicked your dinner's butt tonight.

I had a craving for Italian food today - Italian food is not very gluten free friendly though. So, most of the Italian food I have is at home.

It started with a cold Chickpea Salad:

In the mix:

• 1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

This was absolutely delicious. Quick, fresh, and different than your run of the mill green lettuce salad. It was nice for a change.

Up next... Easy as Pie Vegan Pesto

TJ's brown rice pasta with Easy as Pie Vegan Pesto

What you need:

• 1/2 cup fresh basil (mine came from my basil plant - yum!)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

How it's done:

Put all ingredients into your food processor. Grind until smooth.

This was amazing. I have never made my own pesto before, and I cannot honestly remember the last time I had pesto. To be perfectly honest with you, the measurements above are a rough estimate. I don't measure when I cook. I never have - I just "eyeball it". The pesto was too runny at first, so I added more walnuts. If it was too thick, I would have added more oil. That's just how I roll. My mom is on the verge of tears every night because she knows very very soon I will not be cooking for her anymore. :) I had that bowl x2.5 - no joke. My mom and I ate an entire box of brown rice pasta tonight. Ridiculous.

I went out for ice cream tonight with FH and Mandi/Kyle. Mandi is 3 days over her due date and she is itching to have that baby of hers! She goes to the doctor tomorrow - I hope she gets the Okay to go to the hospital!

I obviously couldn't eat ice cream, so when I got home, I whipped up a late night snack: protein muffin, raisins, and Sunflower Seed butter!

this guy is oozing all over the place

My momma taught me not to lie - so I won't. I did not wait until tonight to try the sunflower seed butter like I said I would. I snuck a taste this afternoon in between lunch and snack time (which was an apple by the way). It's... different. I like it, I really do - it's just something I have to get used to. Amy warned me it was more savory than sweet, and she was so right! It is very delicious though, and I love it! I'm not sure how I will feel about it in my oatmeal though. Question: What do you put sunflower seed butter in?

I came to the overhwelming realization today that I am getting married in 21 days - that is THREE WEEKS PEOPLE! I am not freaking out - it's just not my thang, but it's all becoming so real. We have been talking about it since December, but it was all just "in theory" - nope, it's really happening. I'm starting to envision it, and I know it will be perfect. Not because everything will go as planned, but because it will be our wedding day. I think that is the perfect way to plan a wedding - realizing not everything will be absolutely pristine. At the end of the day, I will be married to the most wonderful man and that is the most important part of the day.

My 23rd birthday is also on the 23rd!! Yay for Golden Birthdays! Question: What is the deal with Golden Birthdays anyways? What is so special about them?

Until tomorrow mes amies - bon noir.

ps: there were totally 2 different languages going on in this post.