Hello hello! I hope you guys had a fabulous weekend so far!ย I know mine has seen its share of ups and downs, but mostly ups ๐
[Thanks so much for all of your Marriage Ref Friday votes!ย There were a lot of you who thought it was unreasonable, and a lot of you who thought it made perfect sense!ย Turns out my co-worker’s hubby has ALREADY TRAINED the dog to pee in the rocks!ย Way to go, right?!?!]
Just to backtrack a bit, Friday’s eats were a little weird.ย First off, I made a “purple slurple” as Ashley calls ’em:
That bad boy had 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1 small banana, 2 Tbsp milled flax, and 1/2 a packet of NuNaturals stevia.ย I only drank about 1/3 of it though – it was WAY too sweet, and the flax blended in there?ย Not so hot.ย Still, for some reason I was full all morning long!ย Guess that’s what happens when work is super busy…you just forget about hunger all together!
At lunchtime I had the last of the pineapple salsa and a handful of chips, even though I wasn’t hungry:
With a “snack” of Diet Coke, a few Twizzler bites, and a yellow Starburst.ย Hold the phone, this is a healthy/happy living blog?!?!?!
For dinner we had the ever-fabulous Little Caesar’s $5 pizza and a couple of breadsticks.ย Turns out we were hungry I guess!
We ended up hanging out at home all evening and I watched, oh, about 3 hours of Gangland.ย What’s that you ask? Oh, it’s just this little show about real gangs and how they live, complete with interviews and videos of the violence.ย No big deal. I topped those 3 hours off with a little Say Yes to the Dress and Battle of the Wedding Designers.ย That’s a totally normal Friday night, right?! ๐
Yesterday we slept in a bit, and went over to Jason & Stephanie’s to hang out for a bit at their garage sale (they’re having a baby BOY by the way!ย Woohoo!) Then we went to Harpo’s in Boulder to watch the US vs Ghana World Cup match with some friends from work.ย I split some nachos with Nate and had 2 Vodka + Sprites…YUM!
Dinner was one of those frozen dinners that you basically just cook in a skillet…skillet dinner, perhaps?
Bowtie pasta, grilled chicken, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, red onions, and peppers…mmmmmm ๐ย Just the right amount of food too!ย When we were done eating I got started on the 2 kitchen adventures of the weekend: Bell’Alimento Limoncello and Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls (which we’ll talk about in another post)!
When it comes to favorite smells, fresh lemons are right up there on top for me.ย They’re so incredibly fresh and clean!ย And who doesn’t love that bright yellow color?!ย The recipe is simple:ย 1 Liter pure grain alcohol, 10 lemons, 3 cups of sugar, and 4.5 cups of water.ย At first you only need the lemons and alcohol though!
After you clean and dry all of the lemons, take a vegetable peeler and get the rind, but NO PITH, off of each lemon.ย I was a little concerned about this step, but you just have to be gentle with the peeler.ย Once you get all of the rind off, put it in an air-tight container and pour in the pure-grain alcohol:
Put the lid on tight, and store in a cool, dark place (I have mine in my pantry).ย It steeps for about 10 days, and then you add the simple syrup.ย We’ll do that in about 10 days, though ๐ย For now I’m just so glad that Paula‘s such a fabulous cook and has such easy-to-follow recipes!
What did YOU do this weekend?ย Anything fun and exciting?ย Did you watch the World Cup at all? We had a very low-key weekend, but it was absolutely perfect!ย Just makes me wish I could pause time on Saturdays… ๐
P.S. I’m so thankful for ALL OF YOU!ย Thank you for being wonderful ๐
Um, I am totally obsessed with Limoncello. Can’t wait to hear how yours turns out!!
I love low key weekends!!!! The Limoncello looks AWESOME! this weekend i celebrated my bday with my fam and it was super low key and fun!
First off I just want to say that I love your pictures!! They are amazing. ๐
That Limoncello looks equally dangerous and delicious.
Oooh! This weekend we went to 2 Milwaukee Brewer games and to the Comet Cafe, which was on Diners,Drive-Ins, and Dives.
Super cool place…pics on my site ๐
You are wonderful, too, by the way. I have your blog on my favorites list ๐
I have never had Limoncello but it looks so amazing! I haven’t really been watching the World Cup at all, but my bf has been watching enough for the both of us lol!
I definitely watched the World Cup! It was a good game even though we lost. I also bought my first DSLR (a Nikon!) which was very exciting. Since then, I’ve been playing with my camera and seeing how much it can do. It’s amazing how much more control you have over the camera than a P+S!
I’m now finishing out the weekend with some baking b/c what else is there to do when it’s like 90 degrees outside? Might as well go all out and make the apartment REALLY hot. I figure some brownies will ease the pain.
My husband and I LOVE Gangland! Haha in fact one episode was about a biker gang in TX and when I went back home I passed a guy in the freeway wearing a leather jacket with that gangs symbols and I freaked out! Haha I took a picture whilst I was driving and sent it to my husband immediately!
I can’t wait to experiment with your pineapple salsa!
I firmly believe that there is always a place, however small, for a little diet carbonated deliciousness within a healthy eating life. ๐
Oooh, I LOVE limoncello! Yum! And I also love Say Yes to the Dress ๐
Love the purple!! However, I would agree that flax probably leads to an interesting texture! Glad you had a good weekend…I will take 1 cinnamon role please!
Let’s see, Friday I stayed in and was asleep by 11, and Saturday I stayed in and watched Forrest Gump and South Park all night. CLEARLY I live a THRILLING life!! (Also, you know, that time of the month makes me lame)
Love limoncello! How fun – I might have to try this out!!
I can’t wait to see how your limoncello turns out! I tried that for the first time when I was visiting Italy a few years ago. It’s quite the perfect summer drink!
Mmm… not a big drinker but I love lemon… I may have to give the Limoncello a try ๐
we are in the middle of a really nice weekend, pretty low key super fun family + friends for BBQ yesterday… today I’m baking cookies to send to an auction winner from last week.
enjoy your Sunday!
Hi! My weekend has been filled with yoga and family time – a nice change of pace! We had the soccer game on yesterday but scrambling around after 3 nieces who want to swim made it difficult to fully pay attention. ๐
I’m impressed by your kitchen adventure and look forward to seeing how it all pans out!
That Limoncello sounds awesome! I have been wanting to make some after I saw an episode where Giada made it!
I went to Houston for a Qualifier this weekend….katie and I tied for third with another team but still ended up winning money which is nice!
ps. I totally watched Gangland in the hotel on Friday night too!!!!! hahaa
ps can you pleaaaassseee send me one or a whole pan of those cinnamon rolls por favor???? lol
I love reading your blogs Heather…you never know what to expect!
My weekend consisted of, starting on Friday, putting down paver stones (hard work in our heat) off the cement slab we have in the backyard for the grill. Turned out great.
Saturday, had a round robin “Fantastic Finale” tennis tournament…lots of good door prizes and great lunch buffet. Took 3rd place.
Sunday, clean out the house day…need to get ready for a garage sale soon to get rid of the crap we’ve collected over the last year.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Oh my gosh…I love The Battle of The Wedding Designers! Such a fun show!!! ๐ That is a totally acceptable way to spend a Friday night! Totally! ๐
So glad you’re giving the Limoncello a go! The hardest part is the waiting ; ) Ooh how good would a Limoncello glaze be on some of those cinnamon rolls… ๐