I am home from my yoga teacher training weekend Tennessee and happily settled in at home with Finn, Zoey and Benji. It was such an incredible weekend of learning. The days flew by and things were flowing so well that I felt like we could have gone for another 10 hours. Love this work so much.

I was missing Finn and the pups a little extra this weekend and it must have been a sixth sense because I got a text message from my dog sitter while I was teaching Ashtanga at 8a this morning that Zoey was not feeling well.

I scrambled to make arrangements to get her to the emergency vet and long story short, she has a skin infection on her right hind leg and into her groin area. It’s bothering her so much that she’s having a hard time going up the stairs. I was so worried and upset I couldn’t be there but she was in good hands. Zoey is on a hefty dose of topical and oral antibiotics and steroids for the next little bit. She’s also in a cone which is not her favorite but at least it’s a soft one and will keep her from licking the area so it can heal faster.

We have no idea what caused it. She’s prone to hot spots (common for goldens) and they seem to come on fast and grow quickly. I’m guessing that might be how this started but I just don’t know. Sweet girl, I hate this for her.

Switching gears, I have some recent eats to share in this post.

BREAKFAST

This is the breakfast I ate both mornings in teacher training. Chobani Less Sugar Greek Yogurt (one day I had the vanilla cinnamon and the other day the Willamette raspberry) topped with sliced bananas, this cherry vanilla walnut granola and a packet of Justin’s maple almond butter. It was my first time trying Perfect Granola (I picked it up at Kroger in Kingsport) and it was really good. The flavor was delicious and it has a bit of a softer texture to it. It’s also full of nuts and dried fruit.

LUNCH

I picked up a frozen Publix Greenwise quinoa blend a week ago that had squash, carrots, kale and sweet potatoes mixed in. It made for an excellent lunch salad/grain bowl when served with spinach, avocado, feta, pistachios and dried cranberries. The second day I had it I swapped toasted pecans for the pistachios. I topped it all off with my homemade honey dijon balsamic dressing. I would definitely buy this one again.

Chicken and avocado wrap from Au Bon Pain with tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine, basil aioli and lemon vinaigrette. This inspired me to bring more lunch wraps back into my regular rotation. I used to make them all the time. Remember my pressed wrap tutorial?

Butter lettuce (all about mixing up my salad greens right now) topped with chopped ham, avocado, strawberries, toasted pecans, goat cheese, dried cranberries and the same balsamic as above.

Turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a sun-dried tomato bagel with a side of kettle chips. Love this bagel sandwich that I get from the bagel shop next to the yoga studio so much!

Salad with a mix of butter lettuce and spinach, hearts of palm, pistachios, avocado, feta, carrots, dried cranberries, cucumbers and a can of Blue Harbor salmon. Same balsamic on top (I’ve been on a kick with it for the last few weeks).

Quiche + salad is basically my dream lunch. I’ve also been craving quiche for a few weeks so it made this extra delicious. I walked down to The Mustard Seed Cafe with some of my TTs today on our lunch break and had a slice of spinach and cheddar quiche with their “kitchen sink” salad. Will 100% be eating this same meal the next time I am there. How in my 22+ trips to Kingsport have I never eaten here!? They also have homemade cakes.

DINNER

Grilled ribeye with sautéed mushrooms, roasted asparagus, an au gratin potato and a really yummy side salad with mixed greens, butter lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, carrots and a caesar vinaigrette.

Salmon sheet pan dinner with brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes.

Salad with butter lettuce, kalamata olives, carrots, pistachios, hearts of palm and creamy caesar dressing along with some air-fried spanakopitas from the frozen aisle at Whole Foods that I dipped in hummus. I also ate quite a lot of the mac and cheese I made Finn earlier in the night. These spanakopitas are really good, FYI!

Grilled shrimp, grilled veggies and couscous.

Homemade old-fashioned chicken and dumplings (must try!) along with a side salad.

Veggie burger salad with chopped romaine, cucumbers, hearts of palm, carrots, toasted pecans, feta and ranch dressing.

Panera You-Pick-Two is a staple hotel room dinner.

ETC

Ice cream from the hotel lobby.

I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I tried a new recipe. Not my fave but delicious nonetheless.

And that wraps it up. It’s getting late (always takes me a while to wind down from these weekends even though I’m exhausted) and I’ve got to get rested up for a big day with my little guy tomorrow. I have to teach one yoga class but other than that I’m going to try to spend most of the day with him. I try to take Mondays easy after these weekends.

Alright friends! I’ll see you back for more this week and definitely give you an update on Zoey.

QUESTIONS

What’s your all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe? 

What’s your go-to fast casual restaurant? 

Any recent Trader Joe’s, ALDI or Whole Foods frozen aisle finds to share?