Memorial Day Hike

Since sleeping in is basically unheard of in this household, we were up bright and early on this lovely holiday.

Ryan, my sister and I started our day with an easy and delicious breakfast by Van’s.

Van's French Toast Sticks

The Van’s cinnamon French toast sticks were a hit all around. All three of us enjoyed the crispy sticks topped with syrup.

Memorial Day Breakfast

Since we wanted to take Sadie hiking before the real heat of the day set in, we changed into our hiking clothes and hopped in the car.

While on our way to Weikwa Springs State Park, I drank a strawberry smoothie made with ice cubes, frozen strawberries, strawberry protein powder and ice cold water. I wanted a little protein in my belly to keep me full on our hike.

Strawberry Protein Smoothie

When we arrived, we decided to do a large loop, which we figured would take us around two hours to hike.

Sadie, Leslie & Ryan

Ready for Hiking

The Hiking Gang

Not even a half of a mile into our hike, we came across a deer!

Though he ran before I got a chance to snap his picture, I did manage to capture a little of his hiney!

Find the Deer!

We also stumbled upon a small tortoise, which Sadie wanted to make her new best friend.

Sadie + Torty

Hikers

Hot Dog

I wore my Garmin on our hike to see exactly how many miles we covered.

We ended up hiking just shy of six miles in a little less than two hours.

Hiking Stats

After a morning full of activity, we were ready for a filling lunch.

Lunch

To me, Memorial Day = BBQ time!

Ryan threw some hot dogs on the grill which we enjoyed with cucumber and sliced green and red pepper.

Memorial Day Dog

Peppa

My Plate

After lunch, we headed out back to soak up some sun and read our books. We didn’t last long though because it is H-O-T!

Now it’s time to run some much-needed errands, including a trip to the grocery store.

Question of the Afternoon

What’s your favorite food that’s traditionally served at a BBQ?

I love corn on the cob and watermelon. Yum!

Move Over, Cinnamon

Cinnamon may be my favorite spice. I adore everything about it, from the taste of the spice to the smell of it. I even love the soft brown color.

Within the past year I’ve become quite friendly with another spice… Perhaps the only other spice that holds a candle to cinnamon in my book: Nutmeg.

Today my breakfast included both spices in a battle over which spice was more delicious.

Cinnamon made an appearance first in the form of Van’s cinnamon French toast sticks.

This was my first time trying these French toast sticks, and let me just say a beautiful new relationship has blossomed.

Lovers and Friends

Van's Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Cinnamon came back for more before nutmeg even got in on the goods.

I mixed several shakes of cinnamon into two large dollops of ricotta cheese, along with a squirt of honey.

I placed the cinnamon-ricotta-honey mixture on top of the French toast sticks before adding a freshly sliced pear to the mix.

Then, it was nutmeg’s turn to make an appearance.

I sprinkled copious amounts of nutmeg over the entire dish for a punch of flavor.

Cinnamon vs. Nutmeg

Pear and Ricotta Topped Cinnamon French Toast

Monday Morning Breakfast

Oh how I wish I had syrup for on top of this bad boy! Unfortunately we used it all up on Saturday morning. 😦

Still, syrup or no syrup, this breakfast kicked major boo-tay.

Though cinnamon was prominently featured throughout the dish, and tasted fantastic, the nutmeg really stole the show. It upped the flavor of this breakfast and made it look a little prettier, too. 😉

Workout

Pre-breakfast, Ryan and I hit the gym for an early morning workout. While Ryan went off to kick his own butt in the weight room, I stuck to the cardio machines and pounded out a sweaty workout that looked like this:

• 20 minutes stair master
• 20 minute treadmill blast
• 10 minutes elliptical

My 20 minutes on the treadmill was spent alternating running with super-fast walking. Here’s the breakdown:

20 Minute Treadmill Blast

The hardest part of my time on the treadmill was the last 5 minutes. I was haulin’ hiney at a pretty decent incline. It was tough!

Save the Dates

Wedding news!!!!!!!! Last night Ryan and I brainstormed a bit about our save the dates. We selected a do-it-yourself project and placed an order for a whole bunch of paper and stamps which should arrive within the next couple days.

I can’t wait to get started!

Tonight we’re going to attempt to get to know the self timer on my camera really well as we try to snap a picture of us to include on the save the date cards. We want it to look classy, romantic and loving without looking super cheesy. Should be interesting!

Question of the Day

Did you make your own save the dates or purchase them from a professional? If you are not married, are you planning on making your own save the dates?

I love being crafty and figured making our own save the dates would be a fun way to show our personalities and save some money at the same time.