Cool Weekend

It has been a ridiculously hot summer since the beginning of May. If I remember correctly, we had precisely 3 days of spring. This weekend we got a major break in the heat - lows around 60 and highs around 80. We took well advantage of the cool weekend.

We celebrated our Millie - five years old. It doesn't seem possible.

My weekend started unofficially with this gigantic cupcake. My sister surprised me at work with this caramel chocolate cheesecake monster. Good thing I hadn't eaten that candy bar yet. Who knows how many delicious calories were in the cupcake. At least, I made it last the rest of the day.

We had a Friday night date night. We tried the burgers at a local ice cream/burger place. We both agreed we'd be back - hopefully not for awhile though :)

The weekend was a balancing act food-wise. More treats than I had planned, but the rest of the meals were on point and I was definitely proud of myself for not allowing a total free-for-all. Saturday lunch was a delicious turkey veggie wrap with hummus.

Loads of yard work helped balance the treats too.  We worked for hours each morning - three truckloads of yard waste gone. We took down part of the fence, trimmed bushes/trees, cut down the weed trees that keep growing in our back fence, weeded flower beds. I started each day with a quick fried egg sandwich on wheat bread - slightly more healthy than the white bread version I loved as a kid.

We took advantage of my in-laws being out of town and used their truck to haul away the yard waste.

I can't believe we ended up with with this much stuff. It is going to make quite a bonfire!

I was pleased with my energy and stamina for the yard work. I am pretty sure I didn't start complaining until the second day and that was mostly because I hate weeding. Although, I haven't started exercising regularly, eating right has already made my whole body feel better.

Saturday afternoon my sister asked me to go to Whole Foods with her. I haven't been there in forever, so even though I was exhausted I jumped at the chance. It was fun to look around at items I don't find in my local grocery stores.

I have never thought of produce as food you would buy in a "party pack", but why not?

I couldn't resist trying a couple of these blueberry sausages, especially after I heard the guy behind the counter tell another customer they were his favorite item in the case. They were good, but I don't need to rush back for more.

I brought my hard-working husband home a little treat. I appreciated all the signs with the calories. One of my pet-peeves with calorie counting is trying to guesstimate calories - I want it to be exact or it feels like I am cheating.

I bought one serving of this Golden Beet salad which I had for lunch today. It was good and again I was very glad to know the calories. It almost stopped me from buying it because 200+ seemed a little high for a salad to go with my lunch.

 A fun little wedge salad bar. Again, above where the calories for each item.

 I got a little bit of this and that - a tasting menu of sorts.

It was fun to see and taste new things. I really wanted to bring home a hunk of goat's milk Gouda they had out for samples. I sampled and I might have circled back for a second taste - don't judge. But at $18/pound it was too extravagant to take home a hunk.

Sunday afternoon my mom and nephew came over for the watermelon tasting. See here for details.

It was a very good weekend. A nice balance of productivity and relaxation. A nice balance of treats and healthy choices. I am looking forward to living my life more like this weekend.

Watermelon Tasting

In addition to all the ridiculously hot weather, this has been the summer of the flavorless watermelon. I finally got one that deserved to be celebrated.

From left to right:

1) Double Serrano Watermelon Bites  I have been excited about these since I found the recipe in my Cooking Light magazine. A watermelon cube is simply wrapped in Serrano ham, then topped with a slice of Serrano pepper. basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. The balsamic glaze is a substitute for the pomegranate molasses that I couldn't find. Since I was using the balsamic, I decided to use basil instead of mint (as called for in recipe). My one criticism is the finish. The watermelon disappears quickly as you chew. Then you are left with a glob of the chewy ham at the end. The flavors combination is tasty. I just wish you got the taste of everything all the way through.

2) Watermelon Feta Salad I used the flavors of the recipe, but cut way back on the olive oil. I am not always the biggest fan of mint and was tempted to substitute. However, in the end I used the mint. It was really nice in combination with the salty feta and sweet juicy watermelon. The lime juice pulled it all together with a bit of tart.

3) Watermelon sprinkled with Pico de Gallo seasoning. I found the seasoning at a Mexican and Honduran restaurant with a little shop attached. I'd only known pico de gallo as the fresh tomato salsa that I adore. I was intrigued by the seasoning and later learned it is used to season fruit. Super simple and a nice pop of heat with that cold juicy watermelon.