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Hello, friends!!

After a brief blogging hiatus thanks to this little beauty: 

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!! 

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Pesto Meatballs with Baked Spaghetti Squash


Serve on top of Baked Spaghetti Squash!

For the Baked Spaghetti Squash


In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except mozzarella cheese.

Serve topped with Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Pesto Meatballs! I’m so happy it’s Wednesday!!!! Why??


(Okay, I get it in an envelope tomorrow, will give it to my fabulous baker who is making us red velvet cupcakes with a pink or blue center and I get to find out with some of my most closest friends on Saturday if baby is a boy or a girl. But either way…I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!)

I’m also excited because I prepared my eleventh (really, eleven already, wowzers!) What I Ate Wednesday post yesterday. Technically it’s What I Ate Tuesday, but ya know, tomato, tomatoe.  A big thank you to Jenn at Peas and Crayons as usual for hosting this fabulous link up!

On to the foods!

Breakfast: Yum and a half! I had two pieces of my leftover quiche! I didn’t take a picture, because my office was dark and ugly yesterday morning because it was early and snowing out. But here is a pretty one I took when I made the quiche! I also had some decaf earl gray because that’s what I do. Snack:  Snack time hit me right at 10 yesterday. I had a S’More Luna Bar and some more decaf earl gray in my Maurader’s Map Mug. Then I snapped a selfie because I felt like it…and obviously you guys can’t get enough of me on here, right? 😀 Lunch: First thing is first – naan bread is delicious. It is not, however, a suitable replacement for pita bread. Wegmans was toooooootally sold out of any whole wheat pita bread when Johnny and I got out groceries on Monday. *womp womp* “It’s okay, Jen,” I thought, “I’ll just get this whole wheat naan instead!” Welp, my lunch yesterday was tasty – buuuuuuuuut  I had to eat it with a fork and knife. It was some whole wheat naan that I toasted and spread with a little of this fancy new avocado hummus I bought on sale. (Avocado hummus tastes like regular hummus, in case you were wondering). I had a Morning Star Farms Mediterranean Chickpea Burger with some feta, spinach, roasted peppers, and red onion. Delish. Not as good as the Spicy Black Bean Burger that I love so much in my opinion, but I’m much more of a “spicy” gal than I am “Mediterranean”. Snacks: Soon after lunch I had myself and adorable lil’ clementine and two Hershey kisses that have been sitting in my desk drawer for waaay too long and tasted like I may have kept a really ripe banana in there with them at some point in time. Oh well. Chocolate fix achieved. (P.S. Like my new pink planner?! I picked it up over the weekend. I really find that I remember things better when I write them all down. I’ve been using it to log my food and workout summaries, too! Let’s hope I keep it up!) More Snacks: Boy am I a hungry monster lately. I picked up some of the new simply balanced sunflower and flax crisps at Target over the weekend. They’re pretty tasty. I love the crunch!! I think they’re a bit too sweet for crackers, though. I had 5 of them to munch with 5 baby slices of cheddar cheese and about 1/2 of a suuuuper ripe pear. (It was so ripe I could only eat half of it…because the other half was mush. Oh well!) I also had another mug’o decaf earl gray. I can’t help it. I love it so much. It was also super cold in my office! Dinner: Well my dinner plans went in a few different directions yesterday. I had planned on stir fry because it’s healthy and quick and we go to the gym on Tuesday and aren’t usually home until about 7ish. I was sooooo sad to find out that the gym decided to close at 1:30 because of the snow. It was supposed to be leg day. *sigh* I love leg day! So instead…I made mac & cheese…because that’s definitely not a post-workout meal! And stir fry is out of the question for the rest of the week now, too, because I accidentally knocked the bottle of sesame sauce off the shelf and it shattered all over the floor whilst making dinner. Oh life. Cleaning it up was a family affair. I felt less bad eating mac & cheese after mopping the entire kitchen floor after my hubby and MIL picked up all of the glass pieces and sopped up the sauce. I also made myself a quick salad with butter lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots, peppers, red onion, and a few croutons to eat before I sat down with my mac. I filled myself up with salad first so I didn’t eat half a pound of mac & cheese. I think that makes sense, right? It was probably closer to 1/3 of a pound instead. But ya know – progress!  Also, I’m growing a human sooooooooo imma get my mac & cheese on if I wanna.  Quincy reaaaaaallly wanted to share. I’m afraid not this time, Q! I can’t believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!! 5 Cheese Pancetta Mac & Cheese

Let sit for about 5 minutes before digging in!! Kale and Pomegranate Salad

For the Pomegranate Vinaigrette

For the Salad 


That’s all for now, folks!!

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!


Greetings, ya’ll! As promised, I have returned with a delightful new recipe to share with you.

Now, I mentioned in my post Monday that with this baby on board, I’ve started to be a bit less fond of chicken. It’s so weird!! I can still eat a little bit once in a while, but I’ve started seeking alternatives for my quick post-workout meals.

This particular recipe is one I’ve had in my arsenal for a while and just kind of forgot about. Do you have any recipes like that in your repertoire?  I used to make this all the time with ground turkey or shredded chicken, but I decided tonight that would make it meatless! If your husband is anything like mine…the idea of a meatless dinner (unless it’s Mac & Cheese) may not be his favorite thing. Lucky for me, top anything with Jiffy Corn Bread and he’ll manage through with a smile on his face.

Starring a hearty combination of black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans…all you really need to make this recipe is a can opener and a skillet! This recipe is fantastic for any mom-to-be who is experiencing any meat aversions or anyone looking for a meatless, high protein recipe! Future mommies should make it a point to try and incorporate beans and whole grains into their diet daily… your baby (and digestive system) will thank you later!

Three Bean Tamale Bake

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in an oven safe skillet. Add the onion, peppers, and tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the remaining ingredients (except the cornbread) to the skillet and stir well until combined.

Pour prepared corn bread mix on top of the bean mixture. Top with cheese and place it in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Let sit 5 minutes before serving (You don’t realllllllllllly have to wait if you’re impatient like me… it just will stay a bit more together this way and you are less likely to burn your tongue!!)

Here it is fresh from the oven….gosh I can’t wait to have a camera again (instead of my camera phone!) Annnnd heeeeeeeeere it is all delicious and served up with some shredded cheese, fresh slices of avocado, scallions, cilantro, and a little squeeze of lime. It’s not the prettiest meal I’ve ever made, but boy is it delicious!