Oh The Places You’ll Go

My  living room this past weekend looked like a wedding central galore. Now, everything is put together and will be boxed today ready for Puerto Vallarta.

Besides our luggage and possibly 2 boxes we are checking in, I will be carrying-on my wedding dress on the flight on Friday. I’ve got to make sure it’s safe and doesn’t leave my side 🙂

Since I brought home the dress last week, it has been taking up a lot of room, a whole sofa on it’s own.

This morning started off early, I’ve been beating my alarm clock all week.

I brewed the last of my cocoa coffee. I love this flavor and will replenish once we are back from our trip.

I did a cardio session at the gym this morning. 30 minutes on the treadmill for my HIIT workout and then 15 minutes on the elliptical reading a magazine. I covered 4 miles total in 45 minutes.

I’m still feeling the soreness from the Body Pump class I took this weekend so I felt a little stiff this morning. I had to get the muscles moving again so I can move freely again and feel like myself.

French Toast was for breakfast this morning.

Dakota bread (slowly using up the frozen loaf) dipped in egg wash. The egg wash consisted of egg mixed with stevia and cinnamon to add sweetness and flavor.

Caramelized banana layer.

Topped with chia seeds for crunch and maple peanut butter.

Drizzled maple syrup (maple syrup + coconut oil melted together) to top it off.

It was delicious. I cooked the remaining egg wash and ate it on the side.

Quinoa Makes It Special

Every time I add quinoa to my dish, it automatically makes me think that my dish is special…short of fancy, but still special.

I guess I’m used to making brown rice and eating it all the time so whenever I change it up and cook a batch of quinoa, it feels special.

I mixed leftover roasted broccoli with plain quinoa and sprinkled some Garlic Gold nuggets on top. It’s so simple, but it really makes a difference when you want to change things up so that food doesn’t get boring.

So nutty and chewy. I took my time enjoying each bite, unlike when I eat brown rice when I usually just inhale it.

Whole Grain Quinoa is the most nutritious of all grains. It’s high in fiber, a good source of iron, and has all the eight essential amino acids.

I bought a huge bag of Bob’s Red Mill quinoa at Costco and it has lasted me a long time, more than a year. It has a long shelf life and I keep mine in a sealed glass jar.

Stir fried tofu on the other side of the plate. My favorite way to prepare tofu, still to this day. I’ve tried cooking it with different oil, but I always go back to using coconut oil for this dish.

My goal is to have at least 30 quick go-to dinner meals on hand that Chris and I can whip up on week nights. This will be filed as one of them.

I like quick meals or semi-homemade meals for week nights and save the more intensive recipes for weekend where I have more time in the kitchen or when I do my batch cooking on Sundays.

Wedding Ceremony Reading

This is not a traditional wedding ceremony reading, but then Chris and I are not traditional either. We have one serious and one not so serious reading during our ceremony and I was thinking of using this for the fun part.

Oh the Places You’ll Go – Dr Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the couple who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “We don’t choose to go there.”
With your heads full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down, any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.
It’s opener there
in the wide open air,
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.
OH! THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to great heights!
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have all the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang, and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because sometimes, you won’t.
You’ll get mixed up of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with so many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with great care and great tact
and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will indeed!
KIDS, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!,
You’re off to great places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So … get on your way!