Happy weekend! The short week flew by and I can’t believe it’s already Saturday. I just got home from my Sweat, Strengthen and Flow event and it was a sweaty good time. I will share all the details with you once I get the photos back from the event but I’m so grateful that Premier Protein supported me in making such a great event happen for such a great cause. <3

Meanwhile…here are some food and life pictures from the week.

Running and walks with the girls were my saving grace this week after long days of sitting at the computer. It feels so good to move my body a little bit to transition out of work mode and into relaxation mode.

I’ve been super into headbands lately. I used to be a hat girl (I still love them but don’t wear them nearly as much), then I just did plain ponytails and now I’m loving headbands. They’re great for catching sweat, adding a fun pop of color and covering gray hairs that pop through my ponytail (if we’re being really honest! ha!).

On Thursday I did a segment on Charlotte Today to promote my Sweat, Strengthen and Flow event and I also talked about lower body bodyweight exercises. You can watch the clip here.

Back in dog land, Zoey pushed her tennis ball under the bed and then went on a retrieval mission. It took her a good five minutes to figure out how to get out from under the bed. She’s special.

And this sweet girl is totally rotten. I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to go teach on Thursday and found her on her bed using a pillow from our bed under her head and on top of Tanner’s pajama pants.

Now for some food shots…

Breakfast

I was back on sweet potatoes this week but I mixed them with mashed banana, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for a fall-ish treat.

Lunch

I tried to vary from salads a bit and used leftovers here and there. This bowl was awesome. Massaged lacinto kale with leftover couscous and one pan roasted dinner. Topped with tahini turmeric dressing.

Avocado, sauerkraut and scrambled egg toast but with smoked salmon added. I didn’t think this combo could get any better….and then it did!

Salad with arugula, leftover shredded chicken, dried cranberries, pecans, avocado and tahini turmeric dressing.

Here’s another lunch bowl creation using leftovers with arugula, one pan roasted dinner, couscous, avocado and hummus.

This was a fun salad combo of spinach, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives and chili-lime cashews with leftover mahi. I dressed it with a splash of rice wine vinegar and this honey-lime-ginger-infused olive oil that I have.

This was a salad fail. I went to lunch at Peculiar Rabbit last week and ordered the grilled peach and avocado salad. 1) The portion was tiny. 2) It was expensive ($20 with tip!) for being so tiny. 3) They used CANNED PEACHES in the middle of peach season. I was so disappointed…they even tried to pass them off as fresh by grilling them but it was no bueno. Womp, womp.

Dinner

Fresh corn polenta with pesto meatballs. This dinner was really special. I loosely based it on this Blue Apron recipe.

You can never go wrong with Ina’s Perfect Roast Chicken. I always think, “oh roast chicken…I don’t know if I’m in the mood…it seems so plain.” Then I make it and it’s heaven and comfort on a plate. I always cook my potatoes and veggies under the chicken and they’re to die for. I use whatever I have in the fridge…this time it was squash, eggplant, onions and potatoes.

Grilled filet topped with garlic herb sauteed mushrooms and served over pureed cauliflower. Someone on Snap (username: jendecurtins) asked how I get my mashed cauliflower so smooth and the secret is the VitaMix! My parents got me a refurbished Vitamix 5300 a few years ago and it’s still going strong. All of the refurbished blenders come with a 5 year warranty and you save so much.

Last dinner to share is this Chicken and Apple Skillet from Cooking Light. I “cooked the cover!” This recipe was super simple and so delicious. I served it with roasted red cabbage and squash.

Speaking of apples, I am loving the mountain apples I’m getting at the farmers market. They taste so different (in a good way) than the ones I buy in the store. The only problem is that apple season is SO short!

Quick reminder…if you’re doing any shopping this weekend, remember you can get 40% off your first HYLETE order with code PBRUNNER.

Have a great weekend!

Hat, headband or nothing? 

Best thing you cooked last week?