The Meat Man Strikes Again

Dinner

I call Ryan my meat man because anytime we prepare a meal on the grill he’s my go-to guy. I am grill-averse and he does such a great job and accepts his meat man title with pride.

Tonight he grilled up some tasty BBQ chicken breasts. After our family fun run this morning, I placed the chicken in a bag with BBQ sauce and let it marinate all day while we were at work, allowing the BBQ to infuse the chicken and make it extra flavorful.

Dinn-ah

Of course he made my chicken breasts a little burnt – just the way I like it!

While he was being a grillin’ machine outside with Sadie, I chopped and roasted brussels sprouts in the oven at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (flipping halfway through). Before roasting the sprouts, I tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Dinner was a double-threat of “icious” – nutritious and delicious!

My Plate

Wedding Venue Fun!

This evening after work Ryan and I headed to The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne in downtown Orlando to check out a potential ceremony and reception site for our upcoming wedding.

The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne

I loved the pictures on the Web site and couldn’t wait to see it in person.

The man who greeted us was very friendly and gave us keys to use to tour the property. The ceremony sites outside were beautiful. The main house on the property was built in 1893! It was neat to be in such a historic home.

Outside the Big House

Unfortunately the layout inside of the two houses where the reception would be held didn’t really fit our style. It seemed like certain tables would need to be set up in separate rooms, which we weren’t too sure about. We want all of our guests to be together in one giant space.

Inside of the House

The property was definitely gorgeous, but I don’t think this is the right venue for our big day. Back to the drawing board…

Pizza Burger!

Today’s lunch was as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Arnold’s whole wheat sandwich thin

2. MorningStar Farms tomato and basil pizza burger

3. Fresh spinach

Pizza Burger

This Italian burger was a veggie delight! Full of flavor and lots of vegetables.

I love veggie burgers and this is one of my favorites. Mozzarella cheese is found throughout the patty and the seasonings are fragrant and tasty. Not bad for a break room lunch!

Thanksgiving Potluck

Today we received an office email about the annual Thanksgiving potluck. This year it’s taking place on the Monday before Thanksgiving. Since I wasn’t here last year, I am quite excited to taste the goodies and make a delicious dessert to bring. I signed up to bring a turtle pumpkin pie.

(Picture from WomensDay.com)

I found the recipe last month in a magazine and tore it out, thinking I’d make it for a holiday gathering. This seems like the perfect opportunity!

What do you typically make for holiday potlucks?

Flax Hot Cereal and a Family Fun Run

Today began with a family fun run! Ryan and I leashed up the pup for a 5 mile run at 5:45 this morning.

Ready to Run!

Sadie was awfully chipper and kicked our sleepy lil’ butts. I think she could have easily run double the distance. What a champ.

Kisses for Our Star Runner

The run was great and I loved having Ryan along to keep me company (and make sure I was okay when I fell on my butt… stupid bumpy brick streets!). Though it was dark when we set out, the sun was up by the time we were done. I am loving the time change!

Sweaty Smiles

Running always revs up my appetite for the rest of the day, so I prepared a bowl of hot cereal. I ordered butter pecan Flax Z Snax cereal from Netrition.com and was anxious to try it!

Butter Pecan Hot Cereal

To make the cereal, I just added hot water and let it sit for approximately 2 minutes. Of course I added a scoop of peanut butter for some creaminess and a few chocolate chips for sweetness.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips!

This was a winning combination! I expected it to taste like oatmeal but it didn’t quite have the same consistency or flavor. It was thick and creamy, but smoother than oats. Very tasty!

The Proposal

After our yummy lobster ravioli dinner last night, Ryan and I watched The Proposal. Great movie! We both really like Ryan Reynolds (Ryan has a man-crush on him & I just have a plain old crush) and think Sandra Bullock is hilarious. The movie was very funny and also very sweet. Great recommendation, Mama!