Spring Produce

I am a girl who plans her weekly meals based on what fruits and veggies are on sale at the grocery store every Sunday. This means that when the seasons change and different produce becomes in season (and therefore on sale) my purchases change as well.

Oh So Fresh!

The warmer weather in Central Florida got me thinking about spring. With the first day of spring rapidly approaching (it’s Saturday, March 20, by the way), I’m anxiously awaiting fresh spring produce!

Of the following spring produce, which are you most excited to enjoy?

• Apricots
• Asparagus
• Spinach
• Avocado
• Vidalia Onions
• Radishes
• Strawberries

(Is anyone going to pick radishes? I mean really… 😉 )

I am definitely most excited for strawberries!

Lunch

Lunch today featured fresh veggies and pasta… Shocking, I know. I never eat this meal. 😉

Lunch Time!

Today’s noodle bowl included:

• Carba Nada egg fettuccine pasta
• Classico four cheese pasta sauce (My new obsession!)
• Steamed broccoli
• Sautéed portobello mushrooms
• Parmesan cheese

I ❤ Parmesan Cheese

Stirred Up

Is it weird that I really think I could eat this every single day for lunch? I am a big advocate for variety, but this is one meal I get really excited to eat every single time.

For dessert I enjoyed a cup of sugar-free Jello and a mini apple pie Larabar that I received yesterday in my race packet for Saturday’s 10k race. Gotta love free samples!

Mini Apple Pie Larabar

All in all, a tasty lunch!

I Wanna Goooo

Do you ever have those days that go by so slowly that you cannot fathom how only 10 minutes have passed since you last checked the clock?

Today is one of those days for me! I think it’s because I’m so anxious to get off work and head south to my parents’ house for the weekend. Ryan and Sadie are coming with me, and my sister is in town, and I want the fun to begin! C’mon, Time… getta move on!

Snack + Lunch

I thought my sweet potato hash wrap from this morning would have kept me fuller for longer, but I was really hungry within and hour and a half of breakfast. (The lack of protein, maybe?)

I dug into my mid-morning snack a bit early and enjoyed a turkey roll up (turkey + Laughing Cow Swiss cheese + tortilla).

Turkey Roll Up

Yum!

When I was filling up my mug with a second up of tea this morning, I noticed something that called to me from the vending machines.

I’m normally not tempted by vending machine treats (perhaps because I never carry cash and rely solely on my credit card?). Today, however, a marketing strategy worked on this Peanut Butter Fingers-loving girl.

I was suckered in by the old “Limited Edition” trick. I rummaged around my purse and found the $.85 needed to purchase a Limited Edition triple chocolate Twix bar. Hey, it could be gone tomorrow, I had to seize the day!

Triple Chocolate Twix

I split the bar with a coworker. We both agreed that it was tasty, but we like original Twix bars better.

Lots o' Chocolate

After snacking my way through the morning, it was time for lunch!

Hooray!

I had a big ol’ bowl of pasta with carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.

Pasta!

Noodle Bowl with Veggies

I topped the noodle bowl with Classico four cheese pasta sauce (aka my new favorite!) before sprinkling everything with Parmesan cheese.

Deeelicious!

Weekend Plans and Goals

Immediately after work I am heading to St. Pete for the weekend. Ryan and I are meeting with the catering manager of the Vinoy (where we’re getting married) to begin wedding planning discussions tomorrow morning.

Saturday afternoon we’re meeting with a woman at a nearby restaurant we’re considering for the rehearsal dinner. It’s a wedding-filled weekend!

The GOAL for this weekend is to finalize the guest list so we can send out save the dates! We have 160 people on our list at the moment and are hoping to condense it to around 120… This could get tricky! 😉

If you are married, how did finalizing the guest list go for you?

Ravioli-Ohs!

Remember that Cheerio’s jingle… “The one and only Cheerios… Oh! Oh! Oh!”

Well, I have that song in my head, but I’ve subbed out the word “Cheerios” for “Ravioli-ohs.”

“The one and only ravioli-ohs… Oh! Oh! Oh!” Weird, I know, but I can’t get it outta my headdd!

I blame tonight’s dinner: Ravioli! (I bet you didn’t see that coming… 😉 )

As usual, Ryan and I grabbed a big ol’ pack of Monterey Pasta Company ravioli at the grocery store on Sunday. Since we enjoyed my favorite flavor last week (lobster ravioli), Ryan got to pick his favorite, spinach ricotta ravioli, for us to enjoy tonight.

Boilin' Ravioli

I topped my pasta poofs with broccoli, portobello mushrooms and roasted asparagus before pouring Classico four cheese marinara sauce on top and sprinkling the pasta and veggies with Parmesan cheese.

Classico Four Cheese Marinara Sauce

This was my first time trying this pasta sauce and it is definitely a new favorite! YUM.

Ravioli + Veggies + Sauce + Cheese

Stirred Up

Such a satisfying dinner!

Dessert

Tonight was a dessert kind of night!

Ryan and I enjoyed Dove vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce.

Dove Beyond Vanilla Ice Cream

Cold 'n' Creamy

AMA Round Eleven

Thank you to all of you who submitted Ask Me Anything questions.

Tomorrow will be my last Ask Me Anything question post, so please click here to submit an anonymous question if you still have something on your mind! 🙂

Do you use a food scale? If so, what kind and how often do you use it?

Yes, I do. I use it a lot because I hate dirtying measuring cups and find it easier to use the scale in most cases. I use my food scale when portioning out oatmeal or other foods that come out of a box. I use a WeighMax scale like this one.

What’s your favorite cardio machine to use?

My answer to this question totally depends on my mood. I probably use the elliptical the most, since I use it on both cardio-only days and days I do strength training for a bit of light cardio at the end of my workouts. I feel like I get the best workout when I run intervals on the treadmill. The stair master really gets my heart rate up! If I could own one cardio machine, I would pick the elliptical.

Your meals and snacks appear to be very low calorie for your activity level (less than 200 calories), especially around your workouts.  Have you ever considered upping your intake or are you just not that hungry after workouts?

I’ve done a lot of adjusting to figure out what meals and amounts of food best fuel my body and make me feel the most satisfied. I definitely eat more calories as the day goes on. I used to force myself to eat a larger breakfast, but I’d find myself just as hungry at dinner time and I’d continually eat larger amounts throughout the day. I like keeping my breakfast light, my lunch a bit bigger and my dinner as my largest meal of the day. I know some people feel famished after a workout or really crave a big breakfast, but I find that many times exercise actually diminishes my hunger level and I have to make myself eat right after a workout. I am generally hungry about an hour after any given workout.

Do you add anything to your coffee and tea, or drink them plain?

I drink my tea plain and my coffee with a little bit of Splenda.