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I hope Friday has been a good day for you guys so far. I couldn’t sleep last night and found myself thinking of my brother and today the sadness has stuck around. I don’t really know what to say other than that grief definitely seems to come in waves.

I skipped last week’s recent eats post due to Thanksgiving so I’ll jump back in this week. Let’s begin with food burnout.

Egg and Avocado Toast with Sauerkraut and Smoked Salmon

Dear scrambled egg, smoked salmon and sauerkraut toast….we are officially on a break. It’s been a fun run but we need to take some time apart. I ended up picking all the smoked salmon off of this as it just wasn’t tasting very appetizing and I still felt like I was choking it down. I also added chopped artichoke hearts. Possibly I’m overcomplicating something that should stay very simple.

This is a great transition into my next topic…food blogging behind the scenes.

Egg and Avocado Toast

Dinner is usually plated nicely and a nice, balanced meal. And then sometimes it’s buttered sourdough with mashed avocado and scrambled eggs. I ate this at 10:30 p.m. after getting home from an event. I can safely say that the stripped down version of my favorite toast was delicious. I ate a sugar cookie with frosting after that was in my goodie bag from the event.

Smoothie Bowl

I have received so many comments over the years about how my smoothies are always so pretty and you guys feel like yours are ugly and brown. MINE TOO sometimes! How about this army greenish brown concoction we’ve got here?

Spaghetti

What spaghetti night (recipe) really looks like in our house…complete with soupy spaghetti squash and grated parmesan all over the table.

Food Blog Outtake

And finally, I have a lot of help in the kitchen and Zoey gets especially excited when I decide the light is best to photograph my food on the floor under the window. So far we haven’t had any incidents but I watch her like a hawk and I’m waiting for the day her  snout ends up directly under my lens and in my food!

Now, here are your normal “pretty” photos. I really strive for something between what you see above and unrealistic. I don’t think that magazine quality, stylistic food photos are super relatable on a day to day basis, ya know?

Breakfast

Pink Smoothie Bowl with Granola

How’s this for a non-brown smoothie!? The key here was no spinach and lots of berries. This smoothie bowl was incredibly think and so yum. Here’s what went into it.

1 frozen banana
About a cup of frozen mixed berries (with some strawberries added in)
4 frozen figs (small)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 scoop Premier Protein Chocolate Milkshake Whey
Big spoonful of almond butter
Granola on top

Paleo breakfast

Two scrambled eggs, fruit and a paleo pumpkin banana muffin with cashew butter.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls

Sweet potato breakfast bowl with almond butter and granola.

Lunch

Kale and Quinoa Salad

I mixed my brussles sprout and kale salad with quinoa and topped it with avocado.

Soup and Salad

Soup and salad. Lentil soup and a salad with arugula, pears, avocado, artichoke hearts, cranberries and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Namastay Kitchen Beet Burger

Lunch at Namastay Kitchen. Salad topped with a homemade beet burger. (<– obsessed)

Salad with spinach, bibb lettuce, sun drop cherry tomatoes, radishes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, avocado, pine nuts and falafel.

Salad with spinach, bibb lettuce, sun drop cherry tomatoes, radishes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, avocado, pine nuts and falafel.

Namastay Bowl at Namastay Kitchen in Charlotte

Another lunch at Namastay Kitchen. I’ve been at the studio a lot this week. This is our Namastay Bowl with a brown rice/quinoa salad, cucumbers, shredded cabbage and a carrot tumbleweed. I topped it with pan-seared salmon and it comes with a ginger dressing.

Dinner

Pita Chips and Leftovers

Leftovers from La Shish Kabob. I took the soft pita they gave us and made chips with it. I cut the pita into strips and then arranged it on a baking sheet. I sprayed it with olive oil and sprinkled it with a mix of spices. Baked for about 10 mins on 350. Made for a great dip for the remaining hummus and babaganoush.

Bone-in pork chops with spaghetti squash and peas

This was the best pork chop I’ve done in a long time! I bought bone-in pork chops and seasoned them with a mix of a rosemary-basil sea salt and Dizzy Pig Raging River. I browned them in my All Clad stainless steel deep saute pan and finished them in the oven at 400 (just stuck the pan in there). I pulled them at 140 and let them come up to 145. I served the pork chops with leftover spaghetti squash with salt, butter and a bit of parm and a mix of sauteed peas. I call this side dish “peas on peas.”

Acorn squash, chicken sausage and kale

This dinner should probably move up into the food blogger outtakes dinner. This was called I had not been to the grocery since before Thanksgiving and assemble whatever you have on hand for dinner. I roasted acorn squash and added some chicken sausages to the pan. I made sauteed Tuscan kale on the side that I cooked with a little olive oil, white wine, garlic, salt and bacon.

That wraps up the highlights of what I’ve been eating lately.

Last time you burned out on a food? And what was it?

What kind of food photos do you like to see on blogs? More styled or real life?

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