POM Pancakes

Woo-wee! Today is flyin’ by.

Slow down, Sunday!

First thing this morning, Ryan, Sadie and I piled into Ryan’s car and headed to Winter Springs where Ryan had a 9 a.m. soccer game.

Since Ryan likes to arrive to all of his soccer games nice and early to have ample time to warm up, I dropped him off at the soccer field and drove to a nearby dog park to let Sadie run around until his game started.

We ended up staying at the park for a good hour and showed up to Ryan’s game about 10 minutes before halftime.

I enjoyed talking to other spectators while watching the game. Sadie, on the other hand, was all business.

She kept her eyes on the ball… and her dad the whole time.

Ryan’s game concluded around 11 a.m. and we headed home to make a big breakfast.

Since we both only ate a small meal before the soccer game, we were oh-so-hungry when we walked through the door.

I headed straight to the kitchen and got to work!

Breakfast

When I arrived home from work on Friday, a large box of POM Wonderful juice was waiting on my doorstep.

The company sent me a sample of their new flavor of juice, pomegranate cranberry to try.

 

After talking with some of my blogging friends on Friday about POM juice, they encouraged me to try cooking with it, as I’ve never really experimented with the juice in recipes.

On Sundays I often crave a big, substantial breakfast like French toast or pancakes, so I figured I would try incorporating the juice into a batch of pancakes this morning.

After tasting the batter, I could tell the POM pancakes were going to be a success!

I ate two small pancakes right off the griddle before plating the remaining ‘cakes.

I topped the pancakes with syrup and dug in!

The pancakes were light purple in color from the juice which made them look nice and purdy!

Both Ryan and I agreed that these pancakes were pretty fantastic. We’ll definitely be making these again!

POM Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 c. POM Wonderful pomegranate cranberry or pomegranate juice
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

• Combine flour through baking soda in a bowl
• Whisk together pomegranate juice, egg and oil
• Pour pomegranate mixture into the bowl with the four mixture and beat until combined
• Spray griddle or pan with non-stick cooking spray
• Pour batter onto pan in individual pancakes, flipping after approximately 2 minutes
• Cook until batter is set
• Top with syrup, powdered sugar, fruit or desired toppings

Today

Today’s plans include laundry, cleaning, the Bucs game, trip to the grocery store and JoAnn’s and a frozen yogurt date with my friend Merri.

I hope your Sunday is going by nice and slowly. 😀 I’ll check back lata!

Pig-Pen

Today’s workday ended on a good note when I got a call from Ryan saying he wasn’t working late tonight. That meant we would have ample time to head to the dog park with Sadie!

It’s been a while since we’ve paid a visit to the ol’ park, and Sadie was ready and rearin’ to go!

Is that the face of a happy dawg or what?

Sadie’s face wasn’t the only happy one at the park tonight…

After I snapped this picture of Ryan he said, “I feel like Pig-Pen!”

 

He wasn’t lying. The noseeums were out in full force tonight!

I can’t wait until the weather cools off a bit and the pesky bugs are gone. They attack me every time I go outside to take pictures of my food in our backyard. Not fun. The only thing I like about them is watching baby ducklings jump into the air to try to eat them with their little beaks. Adorable!

We played with Sadie at the park for just under an hour before heading home for dinner.

Dinner

Tonight was quite the unusual night: I wanted something cold for dinner.

A “throw a little bit of everything in a bowl” salad sounded good to me!

My salad included:

• Cabbage
• 1 large red pepper
• 1/2 medium zucchini
• 1/2 plum tomato
• Large handful shoestring carrots
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 oz. shrimp, chopped
• Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame dressing

It hit the spot!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin Everywhere!

Good news!

Not only are pumpkin spice beverages available at Starbucks now (I have a serious obsession with light pumpkin spice Frappuccinos), but other places are stocking up on fall decorations, treats and more.

Check out the lovely autumn display I saw at Bath and Body Works this evening when I stopped by to nab some soap for our kitchen:

I spent a good 20 minutes smelling all of the fall-scented candles. A new favorite: Creamy pumpkin.

I absolutely adore the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Any candle that combines those scents is a winner in my book.

Here’s hoping grocery stores begin stocking canned pumpkin soon…

Tonight

I’m off to update our wedding registry and add some new dish towels to the list because Ryan someone burnt a hole in one of our nice ones tonight. 😉

See ya on FRIDAY morning! 😀

Won’t He Look Handsome!?

Our weekend checklist included a slew of wedding-related errands, and this afternoon we got to check the final item off our to-do list! 

After lunch, Ryan and I headed over to Men’s Wearhouse to select the tuxes he and his groomsmen will wear on our wedding day. 

Another Day of Wedding Fun

We looked at many different options, including champagne colored vests and ties, but eventually settled on a classic black Calvin Klein tux with a crisp, white shirt, a black patterned vest, a solid black tie and a silk white handkerchief in the breast pocket. 

The Look

I should also mention that the pants they will wear will not  have any pleats, which made me a very happy girl. 

Ryan and his groomsman will all wear the same tux, but Ryan will have a different boutonniere to stand out a lil’ bit. 

Won’t he look handsome? 😉 

Dog Park 

Post-tux selection, Ryan and I headed home to pick up Sadie for a trip to the dog park. 

Earlier in the week I made plans with Meghann to meet her and her adorable dog Maddie at the park. 

Meghann + Maddie

Aren’t they the cutest!? 

I met Meghann for the first time back in May and it was great to see her again. She completed an olympic-distance triathlon today and I loved hearing about her race and playing with Maddie. Sadie really seemed like a total nut job next to Maddie, who has such a sweet demeanour. 

Bloggers and Their Dawgs

After an hour or so of puppy play time, we headed home, but not before giving Meghann a bag of starter dough for Amish Friendship Bread. 😀 

Dinner 

Once we arrived at home, we were ready for some dinner. 

Tonight felt like a no-think-no-fuss kinda night, so we opted for a California Pizza Kitchen frozen margherita pizza. 

CPK Margherita

Slice of Delight

CPK makes the best frozen pizzas!  

I think everyone grew up loving a certain brand of delivery pizza… Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Domino’s or a local pizza joint of some sort. So, I ask you… 

Who makes your favorite brand of delivery pizza?

Shake What Yo Mama Gave Ya

After work we made Sadie smile!

Smiley Girl

Trips to the dog park are her favorite afternoon activity.

When we round the corner to pull into the parking lot at the dog park, she practically hyperventilates because she’s so excited.

Lion in the Grass

She knows she’s about to enjoy an hour of fetching, sniffing, swimming and exploring.

I’m not gonna lie, I get a little excited, too. 😉

Adoring Dog

Happy Sadie

"Just Trrrrry To Get It..."

The lake took precedence for Sadie this evening, and we threw ball after ball into the water for her to retrieve.

BAAAAALLLLLLLL!

After each romp in the lake, Sadie took a minute to shake what her mama gave her.

Shake, Shake, Shake

Sadie shakes even when there’s no water on her. I’m not kidding when I say she probably shakes 30+ times a day.

Our trip to the park lasted for about an hour until our tummies told us it was  time for dinner.

Dinner

Since trips to the dog park usually last longer than a post-work walk with Sadie, we wanted to keep dinner quick and opted for Monterey Pasta Company spinach ricotta ravioli with steamed broccoli, marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Bowl o' Tastiness

Pasta + Broc + Parm

I stirred everything up to distribute the sauce among the pasta poofs and the broccoli.

Thursday Night Dinner

Easy and delicious. That’s all I ask. 😉

Now I’m off to see if I can download all the stuff from my computer to an external hard drive. I am terrified of losing everything and my lap top is being very finicky lately.

(I should also mention that I am beyond thrilled that LeBron will be making his decision in less than 15 minutes. Hallelujah! Now I can have 75 percent of my conversations with Ryan back! 😉 )

Bacon Cheeseburger: Healthified

As usual, the first half of our evening was spent entertaining the dog.

Smiling Sadie

I spent a good 30 minutes in the backyard playing fetch with Sadie before Ryan got home from work.

Playtime

Once Ryan got home, we leashed Sadie up for a 2.5 mile walk around the neighborhood.

All three of us were super hot on this walk. Holy humidity! Sadie’s tongue practically touched the ground about five minutes into the trek.

Dinner

On the menu tonight was bacon and Asiago cheeseburgers with roasted cauliflower.

Ryan tended to the grill (he’s the meat man, afterall), while I prepped the condiments and veggies.

Ryan made our burgers with lean ground beef and we topped them with MorningStar Farms veggie bacon strips, ketchup, mustard, relish, spinach, grape tomato slices and Connoisseur Asiago cheese spread.

Burger

Burger + Broc + Cauliflowaaa

Bacon Cheeseburger: Healthified

Who knew a bacon cheeseburger could actually be healthy?

This meal tasted indulgent, but consisted of fresh veggies, lean meats and whole grains. Score!

I’m off to hang with Ryan and his cousin for a bit and watch So You Think You Can Dance (dance, dance, dance…). 😀

See ya in the mornin’!