Meal Plan!

Another short week! I LOVE the Holiday season :)

Sunday:
Breakfast: 2 eggs with 1 slice turkey, 1 slice smoked gouda,  and 1 mini bagel
Lunch: 1/2 cup Harvest Grain Blend & 1 cup chicken curry
Dinner:Honey-Mustard Salmon with Roasted Asparagus
Snacks: Natural Peanut Butter


Monday:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2 whole & 1 white) with 1 slice smoked gouda
Lunch: Salad with salmon & asparagus
Dinner: Rosemary Chicken breast with roasted broccoli
Snacks: Banana & Apple with PB


Tuesday:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2 whole, 1 white with 1 slice smoked gouda)
Lunch: Salad with rosemary chicken
Dinner: Paneer Tikka Masala (thank you very much, Trader Joes!) with brown rice
Snacks: Banana, apple with PB


Wednesday:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2 whole, 1 white with cheddar)
Lunch: Steamed shrimp & veggies
Dinner: On the road, so most likely grilled chicken sandwich
Snacks: Banana, apple with PB, nuts


Then we are off for a 5 day weekend! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Another Fabulous Salmon Recipe!

I LOVE salmon. In fact, I don't remember ever having any salmon that I have not loved. I like to try new recipes, and this one is a keeper! 

Honey-Mustard Salmon with Roasted Asparagus

source: Women's Health-November issue

Ingredients:

4 Wild Salmon Fillets

2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp. Low-sodium Soy Sauce (I use Tamari)

1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. Honey

1 lb. Asparagus, trimmed

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided

1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine butter & brown sugar in a bowl; microwave until they have melted together, about 30 seconds. Stir in mustard, soy sauce, and honey.

2. Toss asparagus with 1 tbsp. of the oil, the parmesan, and salt & pepper. Place the stalks in a baking dish and roast until they are al dente, about 10-12 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in an ovenproof skillet over high heat. Season salmon fillets with salt & pepper, then add to the pan, flesh side down. Cook until browned on one side, 3-4 minutes. Flip the fillets, brush on half the honey mustard, and place the pan in the oven. Bake until fish is firm and flakes easily (but before white solids begin to form on the surface), about 5 minutes. Remove fillets from oven and brush with more honey mustard. Serve with asparagus. 

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 360 cal, 17 g fat (5 g sat), 13 g carbs, 550 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 39 g protein

Meal Plan!

This is another short week as I was away all weekend & Monday, but here it is:

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Frittata (I made a large one with 3 whole eggs, 1 cup whites, with onions, broccoli, mushrooms)

Lunch: Salad with tuna 

Dinner: Chicken curry with brown rice

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Frittata

Lunch: Salad with chicken

Dinner: Girl's Night!

Thursday:

Breakfast: Frittata

Lunch: Salad with chickpeas

Dinner: Salmon, broccoli, and whole grain

Friday:

Breakfast: Frittata

Lunch: Salad with salmon

Dinner: Not sure yet as the girls have dance and I have to get them to the sitter's and back to the movies for Breaking Dawn! 

Weekend Recap!

We had a great weekend! The girls & I hit the road Thursday night to meet hubby in Rhode Island for a mini getaway. On Friday, we drove up to the Burlington Mall in Massachusetts. That mall is a special place for us. When we were going through IVF (2005 & early 2006), we stayed in Lexington for the time between retrieval & transfer. We spent lots of time hanging out at the Burlington Mall (and Barnes & Noble sipping on Starbucks drinks and reading!). We actually received our first embryo report while we were having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and I had told Anand that one day we would bring our kids to lunch there to reminisce. We have brought them there since, but decided to go again. So, we had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and walked the mall with them. We got some of our favorite appetizers to share as a meal: spicy ahi tempura roll (this was my favorite appetizer, but either my tastes have changed or something because I wasn't that impressed with it this time-it had way too much batter.), sweet corn tamale cakes (LOVE these!), and the fried calamari (so good!). We ordered a slice of cheesecake for us all to share back at the hotel. Yum :)

Saturday morning we woke up and weren't sure what we wanted to do. We got ready to head out and decided to drive to New Haven, CT to go to:


We wanted to check out the children's furniture department to get new beds for the girls. Well, the beds turned into a new bedroom! We decided that would be their birthday/Christmas gift-redecorating their bedroom. They are super excited! I think Anand was more excited than them, though! He saw this one set-up and decided that they needed the entire set. We had the car so we knew we would have to go back for the furniture. I wrote everything down to make sure we had everything and we went to town. It ended up being a whole day spent at IKEA. And the next day we went back with the truck to get the furniture. The collection is called "Mammut". It's pink and adorable-reminds me of the Flintstones! I will be posting pictures once we get their room done, but for now here are some images from the IKEA website of what we got:

Beds:


Wardrobe:


Dresser:


Chairs:


Nightstand:


Stool:


Lighting:


Mirror:


Rug:


Area rug:


For bedding, Suri chose the hearts pattern:



Maya chose the vegetable pattern (?!)-the colors coordinate, so no big deal:



We also got the mattresses, comforters (the sets they chose were duvets which is awesome because we can change them if we want), pillows, and some coordinating blankets. Their room is going to be so pretty! I can't wait to see it!

So, that was Saturday & Sunday in a nutshell! Monday morning, Anand had to work so the girls and I got up and headed back home. We stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries and got back home so I could do laundry and prep for the week. It's going to be a fun week! On Wednesday I have facilitation and then Girl's Night (me & the girls go with a couple of friends to shop & have dinner). Friday night I'm going to see this:



Have a great week!

November Birchbox!

I got my November Birchbox in the mail yesterday! Have you heard of Birchbox? If not, CLICK HERE.

I LOVE this month's box!





Here is what the card says:

"Hi there, It's better to give than to receive, but who says you can't do both? This month, we're helping you  get a head start on your holiday planning with a collection of gift-worthy products. Try them and let them inspire your own present plans...and we promise not to tell if you buy them for yourself! Get your spa fix with a skin-purifying Italian mud treatment, then layer on a silky body lotion. Add classic red polish and a splash of Guerlain's timeless scent, and you're ready to take on the world. Even your tabletop gets a treat-chic letterpress coasters."

Here is what is in my November box:

1. Borghese Fango Ristorativo Restorative Hydrating Mud
Sourced from Tuscany's mineral-rich hills, this Italian mud treatment revives dry skin on the face and body with aloe vera, mango butter, and vitamin E. (cannot wait to try this!)

2. Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial
A new take on Guerlain's iconic floral scent, with notes of rose, jasmine, and iris. (nope-not a fan)

3. Thymes Eucalyptus Body Lotion
Put this one on your wish list: skin saving botanicals and shea butter combine in a luxurious lotion. plus Thymes, Kimono Rose Body lotion (sounds good!)

4. Zoya Nail Polish in Sooki
Red nails never go out of style; this polish has a glossy creme finish. (I've tried a few Zoya polishes and love them. This will be a nice holiday color!)

Treat: Two Paper Dolls Ampersand Coasters
Our favorite letterpress studio adds a hip, playful touch to everything they do, from notecards to coasters.


LOVE Birchbox!

Aromatherapy!

I love anything that smells pretty-and if can "boost a mood", then I say why not?! It's worth a shot, right?! Have you heard of Opensky? If not, check it out! There are a bunch of "curators"-some bloggers and some celebrities-who host "sales" of unique items at discount prices. I've purchases a few things from them and they are always handing out credits. Well, this morning I discovered that I had a $10 credit waiting for me-YAY! So, I checked out what sales were going on and found an interesting one. One of the curators I follow is Dr. Frank Lipman-he is an MD who specializes in wellness. He had a sale on these Lotus Wei Flower essences. It's a mini pack of six and they were on sale for $28. I researched them a bit and discovered the retail price for these is $40. Deal! I had a $10 credit, so got them for $18! Of course, my one complaint with Opensky is the shipping fees. I had to pay $4 shipping. Not too bad I guess. So, here is what I got:

I can't wait to try them out! 

Meal Plan

Another short week! YAY!

Sunday:
Breakfast:Mini Whole Wheat Bagel with 2 eggs
Lunch: Vegetable Lo Mein
Dinner:Salad, Baked Chicken Breast, Roasted Carrots, Trader Joe's Harvest Grain Blend




Monday:
Breakfast:Pumpkin Cream Pie Oat Bran
Lunch: Green salad with chicken breast & 100 calorie packet guacamole
Dinner: Cod with spinach puree, Trader Joe's Harvest Grain Blend, Broccoli




Tuesday:
Breakfast: Pumpkin Cream Pie Oat Bran
Lunch: Green Salad with Cod & spinach puree
Dinner: Rosemary Baked Chicken Breast, whole wheat orzo, carrots


Wednesday:
Breakfast: Pumpkin Cream Pie Oat Bran
Lunch: Green salad with rosemary chicken breast
Dinner: Maple-glazed Salmon, mixed vegetables




Thursday:
Breakfast: Pumpkin Cream Pie Oat Bran
Lunch:Green salad with salmon
Dinner: Sushi!


Friday: (not sure yet as we'll be away!)
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:

Pumpkin Cream Pie Oat Bran!

If you have not bought this book, RUN (don't walk) and pick it up NOW. You will not be disappointed!



Seriously, I have read the Peas and Thank You blog for quite a while now and have loved every single recipe I've tried. So, I had to order the book. Best $11 ever spent.

I've already got almost every recipe tagged to try! The first one I tried was the "pumpkin cream pie oat bran". I love oat bran-whenever I make my protein oatmeal I always add in some oat bran-but I've never tried straight oat bran. I also love pumpkin! I've been having eggs for breakfast for quite some time, so decided I'd mix it up this week. This recipe was perfect! It makes four servings and I have four work days this week, so now all of my breakfasts for the week are packed. Win! Try this recipe-you will not regret it!

Pumpkin Cream Pie Oat Bran (from the Peas and Thank You cookbook)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups non-dairy or organic milk, divided (I used organic milk)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
sweetener (I used 1 packet of Nu Naturals Stevia)
1 1/3 cups oat bran
1/4 cup almond butter

Directions:
1. Combine pumpkin, water, 1 cup of milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & sweetener in a medium pot. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in oat bran and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Carefully pour contents of pot into a high-speed blender. Add remaining milk, 2 T at a time, and blend at high speed until mixture is creamy and smooth.  (NOTE:I omitted blending since I wanted more texture and it came out great!).
4. Return mixture to pot (or in my case, just heat) and reheat until thoroughly warmed. Serve each bowl with a T of almond butter on top.

Nutrition information per serving: 234 calories, 13 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 51 mg sodium, 32 g. carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 11 g protein.

Gift for ME!

I picked up this little beauty as a "GO ME!" gift!



Jessica Simpson-retail $98.00. I got it at TJ Maxx for $40!

It will match my new boots perfectly:

Motivation!

I changed up my workout routine a bit this week. I did the Dynamic Fitness class on Monday morning that Tony teaches. I also decided to add in his Wednesday class. This morning, I woke up and was S.O.R.E. I had an appointment to work out with Tony, and wanted to skip it desperately! But, I put on my big girl pants and made my way to the gym. I was honestly hoping that he would be "busy" so I could do a light treadmill workout. No such luck! He came in approximately 2 seconds into my "treadmill workout" and told me I should do the class that was starting up. I looked at him and told him I was SO SORE-he said, "why? (smart ass!) Well, go ahead out there because it's starting". Me, being the ever obedient "student", said "ok" and went out. Yikes. We did circuits with abs at the end. I yelled at Tony at one point and told him I hated him. :)

I got to work and sent him the following email:




I’ll appreciate you later though-I’m sure of it.

His response?

Today was going to be dead lifts and lunges and some heavy rope work… so I’d imagine that either way you’d be hating me at this moment. It looked like you all were getting a real solid stretch afterwards too, hopefully that will help your recovery process from the “bottom” soreness you’re experiencing. J

-Tony

My response:

I say that I hate you, but considering the pants I just bought 2 weeks ago are already loose, it’s actually quite the opposite :)

His response:

Great to hear Nicole! Always a good feeling to fit into smaller pants! Remembah Grasshoppah, you’re doing all the work here, I am merely providing a wee bit of guidance. Keep on rockin!

-Tony

How motivating is that?! 

Sephora Friends & Family!

Sephora had their annual Friends & Family sale recently. 20 % off everything! I wasn't planning on getting anything except THIS Fresh Sugar Lust Set: I LOVE the lip balm. I have the sugar rose one, but wanted a neutral for winter. I had been wanting the lip scrub, so when I saw this set I knew I had to get it!


Sephora recently started selling Origins products. I was SUPER excited about this as I love everything I've tried! There were a few things I wanted to try as well as pick up a new VitaZing since I ran out of it.

I got the VitaZing,


the Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum,



the Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash,



the GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream,

I can't wait to try them out!