That was a fast week!

Wow...I didn't realize it's been a whole week since my last post. Seriously, where does the time go? This past week I have been super busy. Monday I had to take a class for ServSafe certification and then Tuesday - Saturday I was busy babysitting and running errands. Today has been a day for stress-relief and I did that buy shopping and buying myself pretty things :) And that was exactly what I needed to do because now I feel relaxed and ready for whatever the week may bring. While I won't bore you over my meals during the past week, I'll just recap over the past 2 days.

Saturday I finally got to experience oats in a jar. Boy does it really make a difference to the flavor in the oats. I feel like every bite was infused with nutella-y goodness. I was about at the end of my jar of Nutella so that's the jar I used for my oats. It was definitely chocolately delicious!

I spent the morning mulching and gardening so when 2pm rolled around and I realized I hadn't eaten yet I grabbed a quick PB&J. It was on the German Dark Wheat Arnold's Bread (which I think might be a new favorite) and toasted so the peanut butter (Crazy Richards 100% Natural Chunky) melted right into the mixed berry jelly. It definitely hit the spot!

That afternoon I ventured out on a walk with my friend Sarah to get some physical and mental exercise. It was nice to get out and enjoy the day before it started to rain. When I came home I was ready for dinner. I really wanted to try the Eggplant Parmesan that I saw on this blog. I sliced up an eggplant and then put the slices on a salt covered plate and then covered them with more salt and a paper towel. This was to eliminate some of the moisture from the eggplant. After about a half-hour I rinsed off the salt and started the breading process. I dipped the eggplant in Egg Beaters (~1c.) and then Panko Bread crumbs (~1.5c). Then I placed them on a baking sheet and cooked them at 375 for 10min, flipped them and cooked them for an additional 10 min. After they finished cooking I poured some tomato sauce in a shallow bowl, then placed half the eggplant in the bowl and topped it with more sauce and mozzarella cheese. Then I placed the bowl back in the oven on broil for about 3 min to melt the cheese. Boy did it come out goooood! I seriously loved this dish and definitely recommend it!

After dinner Sarah came over and we made funfetti cookies. These are one of my favorites :) After a few cookies and hanging out with some reality tv it was time for sleep because I was exhausted!

This morning for breakfast I had a some more oats. This combination contained ~3/4c. rolled oats, some pomegranate flavored cranberries, sliced almonds, and a squirt of honey and cinnamon made with ff vanilla soymilk. I loved this combination. I was trying to get some new flavors into my oats and I definitely enjoyed this one.

I also had a slice of pumpkin bread that I had in the freezer and topped it with some of Wegman's almond butter. Yum :)

Then as I already mentioned I spent the majority of the day shopping spending some hard earned money. haha Sometimes I wish I didn't love to shop so much because then maybe I would be a little richer. However, I don't think it's a hobby I could give up. When I got home from the shopping excursion I was starving so I whipped up the leftover eggplant parmesan. Definitely just as good today as it was yesterday.

After dinner I went for a quick run around the neighborhood. For some reason my body was ready to go so I just went with it and ran until I was tired. Now its time to relax for the evening and maybe nibble on a funfetti cookie or two. They are dangerous to have in the house because they are soooo good.

Tip for the day: If you have a food you enjoy try to mix it up a bit and eat it in a different way. This not only keeps you from getting sick of food but allows you to be creative in the kitchen.