Challenging Myself and an Awesome Broccoli Salad

Happy Friday my friends! This week was a short one for me and it's flown by. Life/Work continues to be crazy busy, so I'm looking forward to putting my feet up and doing some relaxin' this weekend. Hopefully the weather is warm and sunny (they're calling for rain, but I can always hope!), so that I can finally pull out our patio furniture and soak up some rays.

Yesterday I saw a post by one of my bloggie friends, Kelly. She did a recap of some challenges that she set for herself at the beginning of May and then updated us on how she did. I like the idea of putting my plans in writing, so that I can keep focused on the things that I'd like to accomplish. To keep myself on track, I'm going to share my June goals with you.... 

source

Ahem, obviously there a couple of reasons why I'm drawn to this image ;-)

Here goes.....

1. Eat a salad a day. Angela has started this challenge and I intend to eat my greens every.single.day. If you think this is a challenge you'd like to do, check out Ange's post and join in the fun! It's always more fun to do a challenge and get healthy with friends to encourage and support you. Follow My Salad a Day Pinterest board for some ideas too!
2. Practice using my new camera - you may recall that Derek got me a new Canon Rebel T3i for Christmas. For some reason, using it intimidates the hell outta me. I took it with me when we visited my family last weekend and some of my pictures are phenomenal. My goal is to use it everyday, so that I can get more comfortable with the settings and create much better photos for the blog.
3. Create a vision board. Listen, I have been trying to do this for months but I just never get around to it! I have the board and I have some images, so all I need to do is put everything together.
4. Implement a weekly workout routine that I can stick to that incorporates both cardio and weights. Another thing that intimidates me?? Using the weights at the gym. This is one of my 'issues' that I'm determined to overcome. I'd also like to get into the habit of working out before work at least 3 days per week.

So there you have it....easy peasy right?! I'll keep you updated on how it's going and then make sure you check back at the end of the month to see how I did.

...Are you guys still with me???? I know this post is a bit on the lenghthy side, but I hope you're still here because I also have an amazing broccoli salad to share. If you think you're going to participate in the salad a day challenge, this will definitely help you to start off on the right foot.

Mediterranean Broccoli & Chickpea Salad

Serves 4 to 6

6 c chopped broccoli

2 c chickpeas

1/3 c sliced black olives

1/2 c thinly sliced red onion

1/2 c of the best dressing ever - recipe here

sundried tomatoes & goat cheese (or feta) for topping

Add the broccoli, chickpeas, black olives & red onion. Toss with the dressing and refrigerate for at least one hour. Top with a sprinkling of sliced sundried tomatoes and cheese.

This would be great to serve at a barbecue with family & friends.

For a total 'party in your mouth' experience, chop your broccoli into quite small pieces so you can get a taste of everything in each and every bite :)

This is a great salad to make ahead and take for lunch or serve it as a side.

Last night I had it with the best quesadilla combo on the planet.

(Patience peeps...quesadilla recipe to come)

Do you have any goals or challenges this month?

Do you have any newbie photographer tips? All of these pics were taken with my Canon --- I love using it and can't wait to get better!

T.G.I.F.! 

Andrea

xoxo 

Best Scramble Combo EVER

I love going out for breakfast. It's my favourite meal to eat out and Derek & I often go on the weekend to our favourite greasy spoon spot. I especially love going when we're on vacation in the US because I love biscuits, shredded hashbrowns and fried apples.

When we were in Las Vegas we only got up in time for breakfast twice! Let's just say we vacationed like rock stars and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning almost every single night. The first morning we had breakie was the day that we took a roadtrip to California. We stopped at a 50s-themed diner called Peggy Sue's Diner and had a traditional Southern breakfast. It was delish! 

We also got up early on our last day of vacation. We asked around about where a good place to eat was and were sent off to Hash House a Go Go in Harrahs.  If  you're planning a trip to Las Vegas and you're looking for a place that is rockin' awesome, Harrah's is it. We love to spend time at The Piano Bar, the Carnival (an outdoor bar) and Toby Keith's Bar & Grill.   The Hash House is yet another reason to love it there!

The menu at the Hash House is outrageous and the portions are HUGE. I ordered a scramble combination of eggs, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and goat cheese. It was soooooo gooooooodddddd!!!! I knew it was something I was definitely going to have to re-create when I got home. What I didn't expect was that my scramble was going to be amazing! I'm pretty confident in saying that mine is the absolute best and I promise that it's going to leave you weak in the knees.

Tomato Basil Scramble with Goat Cheese
Serves 1

2 eggs
1/4 c almond milk
4 sundried tomatoes, sliced
2 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 - 3 tbsp creamy goat cheese
pinch salt & pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and almond milk. Add the tomatoes and basil.

Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add your egg mixture and cook until scrambled. Once the egg mixture is cooked, fold in your goat cheese. Add salt & pepper to your preference.

Serve immediately.

The Cast

I served mine with some homemade shredded hashbrowns.

{DROOL}

{EAT}

{SWOON}

What's your favourite scramble combo?
Do you have a place you love to visit when you're on vacation?

Happy Thursday!!!

Andrea

Lemony Penne with White Beans & Spinach

Happy Monday!! Sadly our gorgeous sunny weekend has sped by and we're back into yet another work week. Are you still enjoying warm weather in your neck of the woods? It was warm and humid here and our office building was so hot! I struggled to keep my eyes open all afternoon because it was so warm. It felt great at the end of the day to step out into the cool breeze and get some fresh air. It's supposed to cool off into single digits tonight but I really hope the Spring weather is here to stay!! (I'm knocking on wood right as I type this :-))

This morning I woke up and thought to myself "I have no idea what I'm going to blog about!" I've been trying to decide what recipe I wanted to feature next and nothing has been exciting me....that was until I started catching up with all my favourite blogging buddies to see what everyone had been up to over the weekend. There were so many fabulous recipes posted over the past few days ~ I think I have inspiration to last me at least a week or two. I've bookmarked several new recipes that I must try in the very near future!

Lemony Penne with White Beans & Spinach
Adapted from The Healthy Apron

This is a fresh lemony pasta that tastes great and packs a healthy dose of beans and greens! Make sure you put the full half cup of reserved liquid into the sauce at the end. I thought 1/2 c would make it watered down, so I used 1/4 c and I can see that my leftovers are going to be drier than I would have liked.

2 1/2 c dry brown rice penne (your fave penne will do)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 orange pepper, sliced
2 handfuls baby spinach
4 green onions, sliced
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch black pepper

Cook your pasta according to the directions ~ remember to salt your water ;-)  Reserve 1/2 c of cooking water for the sauce.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and pepper and saute for 2 - 3 minutes. Add sundried tomatoes and spinach. It was at this point that I found 4 green onions tucked way back in my crisper, so I sliced them up and tossed them in as well. They were a wonderful addition!

Once the spinach has wilted, add the beans and pasta.

In a small separate bowl, combine lemon juice, reserved cooking water, tahini, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste. Toss with pasta mixture. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.

Serve and enjoy ~ garnish your dish with a lemon wedge - it tastes fantastic with a fresh squeeze of lemon right before digging in!

PS - Happy Birthday to my sweet hubby. Yesterday we went out for dinner with friends. I got my Bellini. He got a Ceasar...or two. We even got to enjoy our dinner on a patio. Life is good.

Even the dogs got in on the birthday celebrations. Don't they look impressed ;-)

Have a wonderful evening!

Andrea