Broccoli Slaw Pasta

Previously I’ve hailed the inclusion of broccoli slaw in salads, but the nutritious vegetable mixture is also fantastic in pasta dishes!

Broccoli Slaw Pasta

The long, thin shreds of broccoli blend into a noodle bowl perfectly, adding volume along with calcium, fiber and a slew of healthy vitamins (C, K and A, among others).

Sign me up!

Today’s lunch included a noodle bowl comprised of:

• Carba Nada egg fettuccine pasta
• Eat Smart broccoli slaw
• Sliced Portobello mushrooms
• Marinara meat sauce

Close Up

Food On Fork

This pasta bowl was so good that I think I’ll be making pasta for dinner tonight. A craving has clearly been sparked!

Of Possible Interest

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• Q & A with Jackie Warner: The Challenges of Weight Loss (Time.com)

Wedding Ceremony Brainstorming

Not only have I severely neglected my love of Greek yogurt recently, but my poor beloved noodle bowls have fallen to the wayside as well.

Once again, let’s bring back the ol’ favorite!

Noodle Bowl

Hooray for a veggie-packed noodle bowl!

Today’s pasta explosion contained:

• Carba Nada egg fettuccine pasta (12g protein per serving!)
• Marinara meat sauce
• Eat Smart broccoli slaw
• Roasted Brussels sprouts (the ones that Sadie didn’t eat)
• Small handful of arugula

Mix it up and you’ve got a nutritious and delicious mid-day meal.

Get a Load of This!

Get That Sauce Everrrrywhere

Pasta is so good. Plain and simple.

Wedding Ceremony Brainstorming

When I get off work today, Ryan and I are heading to my parents’ house in St. Pete for the weekend to accomplish some wedding-related to-dos.

First up: Meet with our pastor about our wedding ceremony.

Wedding Ceremony: Renaissance Vinoy Tea Garden

Our pastor has a basic outline of traditional ceremonies he performs, but we want to omit certain aspects and replace other parts with pieces we create ourselves to give our ceremony a more romantic and personal feel.

To me, the ceremony is the most important of the whole day. Of course I am looking forward to the reception and gettin’ my boogie on, but I really want our ceremony to be memorable and signify the commitment we are making to each other.

Ryan and I want our ceremony to convey love, hope and excitement, but also recognize that we’re about to embark on a journey that will require work, nurturing and constant care. By including those sentiments in our ceremony, I hope it will help us to always remember to make our relationship a priority and cherish the love we have for each other for a lifetime.

Being the avid “Googler” that I am, I set forth on a internet-wide search of creative wedding ceremony ideas and boy-oh-boy did reading through vows and words of devotion make me an emotional nutcase.

Must… not… cry… during… lunchbreak…

Ryan and I already created a personalized segment of our ceremony that we love, but I’m still on the lookout for inspiring ideas.

For example, I thought these vows were absolutely beautiful:

Groom
In your eyes, I have found my home.
In your heart, I have found my love.
In your soul, I have found my mate.
With you, I am whole, full, alive.
You make me laugh. You let me cry.
You are my breath, my every heartbeat.

Bride
You are my inspiration and my soul’s fire.
You are the magic of my days.
You help me laugh, you teach me love.
You provide a safe place for me, unlike I’ve ever known.
You free me to sing my own song.
You are more of an amazement to me, each day I rediscover you.
You are my greatest boon.

– Frau Ava, 1160

So romantic.

I don’t want to share our ceremony ideas on the blog because I want our ceremony to be a surprise for our guests and our parents, but I will definitely post a recap after the wedding… which is in 50 days. AH!

Please share any ideas you have to make a wedding ceremony feel extra-special. Any stories from your wedding or weddings you have attended are more than welcome!

Healthy Food On Hand

Since Ryan and I didn’t arrive back in Orlando until around 8 p.m. last night, we didn’t have the chance to get to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week.

Fortunately I assembled a pretty decent lunch using food we had around the apartment.

Noodle Bowl!

Today’s meal featured Carba Nada egg fettuccine pasta with Barilla marinara sauce, steamed broccoli and Parmesan cheese.

Carba Nada

Barilla!

Bowl o' Goodness

For not having a lot of food on hand, this lunch was pretty great!

Healthy Food On Hand

I try to have the makings for a healthy meal on hand at all times, and find that keeping a pantry or freezer stocked with certain items makes this a lot easier. In our pantry you will almost always find:

• Pasta
• Oatmeal
• Barley
• Soup
• Peanut butter
• Protein powder

Our freezer will almost always be stocked with the following items:

• Veggies (edamame, corn, broccoli, etc.)
• Fruit (strawberries, bananas)
• Whole wheat bread (sandwich thins, Alternative Bagels) Note: I freeze bread all the time because it takes me a while to get through a whole loaf of bread or package of bagels.
• Shrimp
• Salmon burgers
• Veggie burgers

Even though I may complain about having no food sometimes, I always seem to have something I can conjure up into a healthy meal.

Question of the Afternoon

What healthy foods can almost always be found in your pantry or freezer?

Everybody’s Working for the Weekend

I really try to enjoy the workweek and make an effort not to wish weekdays away. I don’t want to wish five days of my life away each week, but sometimes I just can’t help hoping  for Friday to arrive a little faster than usual. 🙂

This week was one of those weeks because I have a super fun weekend ahead of me. My mom and sister are coming in town for a girl’s weekend to celebrate my mom’s birthday (which was back in July). Since my dad has a scuba trip planned this weekend and Ryan is off on his bachelor cruise, this seemed like a great weekend for some girly fun!

Just the Girls

The agenda for our girl’s weekend includes:

• Dinner at a tapas restaurant
• Cupcakes and presents
• Wine tasting
• Tea at the Ritz Carlton (Faaancy!)
• Veil shopping
• Church
• Farmers’ Market

Woohoo! Let’s get this party started!

Lunch

When lunchtime rolled around I was a happy camper for two reasons:

1. I love to eat.
2. It meant the workday was half-way over!

My yummy lunch featured a noodle bowl made with Carba Nada egg fettuccine pasta, Parmesan cheese, one Laughing Cow light original Swiss cheese wedge and fresh arugula and spinach leaves.

Yummy Bowl

Close Up of the Cheesiness

On the side I enjoyed a cup of Mott’s natural applesauce for a little sweetness.

Mott's Natural Applesauce

The Spread

As Tony the Tiger would say, this lunch was grrrrreat!

Good news: Only a couple more hours until the weekend officially begins.

Can I get a yahoooooooo??? 😀

Question of the Afternoon

What is your favorite activity to do on a girls-only weekend?

I’m a simpleton and my favorite thing about girls-only weekends is lounging around in my pajamas just chattin’ with my favorite ladies.

Good to Know

It’s good to know 95 percent of you side with Ryan on the Swamp Beast debate. 🙂

Apparently those of us who enjoy splashing around in the bathroom are a rare breed. We’ve got to stick together, Beasts! 😉

Lunch

Hello, loverrr (said in Carrie Bradshaw’s shoe-loving voice).

Noodle Bowl

What is it about a big bowl of pasta that makes me swoon?

I’m going to chalk my love for noodles up to their doughy texture. I just love slurpin’ them up.

Today’s big ol’ bowl o’ pasta included:

• Carba Nada basil fettuccine pasta
• Ragu marinara meat sauce
• Fresh spinach
• Roasted cauliflower and broccoli (leftover from last night)

Carba Nada Basil Fettuccine

Come in Close for the Good Stuff

So satisfying!

I usually take my calcium supplement with breakfast, but I forgot this morning, so I got to enjoy a little sweet treat in the form of VitaFusion calcium gummy vitamins after lunch today.

Gummies for Grown Ups

These things are like candy.

Throw a wrapper on each individual piece and they could rival Starbursts! 😀

Question of the Afternoon

Which do you prefer, Skittles or Starbursts?

I love pink Starbursts, but I also love red, orange and purple Skittles… so I guess my answer would have to be Skittles since I like more of ’em.