Lots of GOOD Home Cooking

Today I woke up to chirping birds and I sort of loved it...I wasn't mad at all. I got out of bed headed to an early breakfast meeting at Whole Foods. Who knew that Whole Foods had an incredible breakfast spread. They have everything eggs galore, fresh fruits, crepes, quiche etc. I settled for a breakfast burrito and some fresh fruit. I did do some research when I got home and found out my breakfast burrito had over 500 calories...yikes. I am so glad I didn't eat the wrap I may have saved myself a few hundred calories. The breakfast was delicious and the meeting was even better. :) FYI be careful this can get very spendy after all it is Whole Foods!!

After a great meeting I headed home to go for a 4 mile run and it was awesome. The weather was perfect and it felt good to get moving and get rid of most of those calories I just put into my body. :)

The remainder of the day was spent organizing my kitchen. I was so happy my mom was able to come over and help me organize because she has this ability to calm and focus me. It is super strange but true...I just love my mama. She also surprised me with a veggie patty sandwich from Subway which made me smile because she knows me to well.

After we organized the kitchen my mom had to leave and I was faced with what to make for dinner. I had seen a recipe in my Cooking Light Cookbook that sounded super interesting: Lemon Garbanzo Salad with Feta. I had trouble finding bulgur at the store so I simply substituted quinoa for bulgur. This salad turned out so tasty and light. The lemon dressing with the dill and quinoa was so flavorful and all the veggies added lots of amazing textures! I totally recommend this salad for the summer and even a great dish for a BBQ or potluck. I paired this salad with leftover halibut and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/3 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1/3 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped peeled cucumber
• 2 tablespoons chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1) Combine 1/2 cup boiling water, bulgur, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes. Add chickpeas, cucumber, celery, diced red onion, 1 1/2 tablespoons feta cheese, and dill; toss gently to combine.

2)Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over bulgur mixture, and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

Tonight I got caught up reading tons of blogs and I came across a post from one of my favorite blogs Peanut Butter Fingers. She posted a shockingly easy Peanut Butter Granola recipe that I couldn't resist trying. It seemed to easy to be true...so I tried it. Julie doesn't lie...that woman knows her peanut butter.

The granola turned out the perfect golden color and made the house smell delicious. I was so excited about it I had it for dessert. Dessert included a small scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt, small handul of peanut butter granola and a handful of fresh blueberries. It was soooo good...I had to restrain myself from going back for more. I can't even wait for breakfast tomorrow because that granola is going to make my tummy so happy!

Isn't my dessert BEAUTIFUL???

Best dessert since Barcelona!



I have to be honest that I am really loving trying new recipes and cooking at home. I have been doing a lot of it lately and it feels so good to be making wonderfully healthy meals!! Nighty Nighty...