Fancy Up Your Water + My Plan for the Week

Hi guys! I have missed you SOOOO much!

Derek and I had an awesome vacation away in Nashville and then at my parents for an extended Easter holiday! (I'm hoping to do a great big photo dump for you from our time away ----stay tuned!!)

As much as I love vacationing, it's always good to be home ----- we love going away but we always miss the dogs so much and my body always thanks me for getting back into a normal food and workout routine.

When we got home, our refrigerator was E-M-P-T-Y. I didn't have time to get groceries until Saturday, so we lived on egg white scrambles, cottage cheese and any other scrap of food we could find. As you know, I have a weakness for groceries and hate having an empty fridge, so on Friday night, I worked out our menu for this week and I was up and at 'em first thing on Saturday morning, to rectify our food situation. I think it's safe to say that we are replenished. We can't fit a single thing in the fridge right now; especially after we had a family birthday dinner last night, which resulted in lots and lots of leftovers for Derek.

I've planned out a week of healthy clean meals --- here's what's on the menu this week:

Monday - Leftovers from Sunday's dinner (Derek) - Asparagus & Swiss Egg White Omlet (Me) 

Tuesday - Caprese-style Crustless Quiche (recipe on its way y'all) & Mixed Greens

Wednesday - Mixed Greens with Roasted Sweet Potato, Pepitas & Goat Cheese (me) - Stuffed Chicken & Baked Potatoes (Derek)

Thursday - Out for Derek's Birthday!!! xoxoxoxo

Friday - BBQ Tofu with Roasted Turnip & Sauteed Greens

In addition to my clean eating goals, I'm also going to focus on my water intake this week. As you know, I constantly struggle with this, so I'm going to try "fancying up" my water with some fruits and herbs in an attempt to tickle my tastebuds with a little more of the wet stuff. My yoga instructor recently posted this cleansing combo on her facebook page, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Combine 3L of water with 2 sliced lemons, 1/2 a cucumber and 10 - 12 fresh mint leaves. Infuse overnight and then drink up! Today is the first time I'll be trying this combo, so I'll let you know how it goes.

With respect to this week's workouts, I'm planning to try some new lunchtime classes because my evenings are busy. My workout schedule's going to go a little somethin' like this:

Monday - Zumba

Tuesday - Trying a new lunchtime spin class

Wednesday - Trying a new lunchtime yoga class

Thursday - Zumba

Friday - I'm going to try a new lunchtime bootcamp class

Saturday - Kundalini Yoga

I'm really hoping that I'll like the lunchtime workouts because it's so nice to have the evenings free in the summer. It's also nice to switch things up once in a while to keep my workouts interesting.

What do you have on your schedule this week?

Do you ever infuse your water? If you do, please share your favourite flavour combos.

Have a great Monday my friends!!

Andrea
xoxo

What I Ate Wednesday - LiveFit Trainer Continues On...

 Happy Wednesday!

Are you surviving the heat?? Yesterday set new records here in Southwestern Ontario --- I'm told (& I really hope) that it is expected to be the hottest day of the year! It was SO HOT! Don't hate me for saying this, but I am really looking forward to the arrival of Fall -- warm days and cool nights is my favourite kind of weather! 

I know some people don't have a big appetite when the temperatures spike, but heat won't keep this gal down. In fact, I really can't think of any type of circumstance that stops me from wanting to eat!

 

I can't believe I'm already in the middle of Week 3 of Jamie Eason's 12 Week LiveFit Trainer. I'm really starting to notice a difference in the way my body feels since I started eating clean 17 days ago. I always ate fairly healthily, but my nighttime snacking has definitely been cut way back and I have really reduced the amount of processed food that I eat on a daily basis.

Let's have a peek at what I've been noshing on this week:

Breakfast

I've been eating lots of protein pancakes and egg white scrambles for breakfast. A couple of days ago, I decided to stuff a tortilla with the egg white scramble and then added some mashed avocado to create my version of a breakfast quesadilla. It was pretty freakin' yummy! I mixed a little taco seasoning with some non-fat plain Greek Yogourt as my sauce on the side.

After my workout is done, it's off to work I go. A large coffee with milk is my morning drug :-)

 

Snack

My snacks have mainly consisted of some sort of conction that involves non-fat Greek Yogourt. I recently won some granola from Boulder Granola (new fave!!), so I've been mixing in a bit of that together with a peach chopped up into chunks.
We got some local peaches on the weekend and they are scrumptiuous!

 

I've also been eating raspberry cheesecake protein popsicles like crazy.

*Teaser - I have a new popsicle recipe coming for all you chocaholics out there! Stay tuned....  ;-)

Lunch

Most of my veggies are consumed at lunch. Large salads and boatloads of water are the norm.

This salad was awesome--I combined a baby arugula/spinach mix with broccoli slaw, raw almonds, shredded carrots, yellow pepper & marinated tofu and then added some light spicy peanut dressing.

{drool}

Dinner

I actually had time to put together a nice dinner for Derek & I on Sunday --- it was nice to relax and have a leisurely meal together! I had marinated kabobs loaded with veggies & tofu, some whole grain brown rice and a side of roasted beets from our garden. Ok, so they're from Derek's uncle's side of our garden, but we're family, so we share so he won't mind that I scooped some while no one was there on Sunday morning hehe ;-)

Fitness

My workout plan has increased from 4 days per week to 5. We still have 2 weeks of no cardio, but I've really started enjoying the weight training and I'm not missing the cardio as much as I did in the beginning. We've also increased the weight from 60% of our maximum to 80%. Let's just say that my body hurts. Most of it is a good muscle hurt, but yesterday I couldn't raise my arms above shoulder level without some serious effort!

If all goes according to plan, my workout schedule this week is going to look a little like this:

Monday - Chest & Triceps
Tuesday - Legs
Wednesday - Back & Biceps
Thursday - Shoulders & Abs
Friday - Chest & Triceps
Saturday - Yoga
Sunday - Rest

My upper body is definitely where my weaknesses lie, so instead of doubling up on the legs workouts, I've decided to double up on chest & triceps this week and then maybe back & biceps next week.

Whew, I've written quite the WIAW post this week! If you have any questions or want any more information about my experience with the LiveFit trainer, my clean eats or workouts, please feel free to email me anytime. If you're looking for more food & fitness inspiration, head on over to visit Jenn at Peas & Crayons and see what other bloggers have been up to this week.

What is your fave body part to work out at the gym?

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Andrea
xoxo



What I Ate Wednesday ~ Clean Eats & LiveFit continued...

Happy Wednesday! And how are you on the gorgeous day? Things have been going pretty fabulously around here. I'm very proud to say that I'm in the middle of LiveFit Week 2 and I am feeling really, really good! The clean eating is going very well (the only time it's challenging is when I get the munchies right before bed) and I'm really enjoying the workouts - much to my surprise!





  

Since this is What I Ate Wednesday, I'm going to start with my eats and then give you a quick rundown of my workouts. Remember, clean, mindful eating and exercise are the two essential components to getting healthy and staying that way! I truly believe you need both in order to live a long, healthy life.

Here's a peek into my eats this week:

Breakfast

I have finally found a protein pancake that I cannot live without. On the weekend, I tried a banana bread protein pancake (recipe by PJ Fingers) with a cup o' joe on the side, of course! It was dense and pancake-y and totally delicious. I ended up making 2 extra batches, so that I could have some for this coming week. All you have to do is freeze and toast. Mmmm....weekday pancakes are a treat around this house!

Lunch

I am still swooning over sprouted whole grain toast with smashed avocado. Add a little sea salt and you have the best snack on the planet. On the weekend, I had some avo toast with an egg white scramble on the side. In my scramble was tempeh 'bacon', green onions & some grape tomatoes. Yummers!

Snacks

I can't keep out of my raspberry cheesecake protein pops. They are so freakin' good! I'm also eating tons of Greek yogourt mixed with Truvia and unsweetened cocoa. I'm thinking I need to nickname myself the "Queen of Sinless Treats" :-)

Dinner

This was one of the lonely girl meals I had when Derek was away this past weekend. A lightened up version of sweet potato homefries, marinated honey dijon tofu & sauteed kale with mushrooms was on the menu. A rainbow on the plate is a major dose of healthy in the belly!

Are you weak in the knees over all that amazingness up there?! haha

You might recall from my posts last week that I am currently in Phase 1 of Jamie Eason's 12 Week LiveFit Trainer. Right now we are doing 4 days of weights and still NO cardio. The no cardio part is taking a bit of time to get used to and so is working out only 4 days per week. I was starting to feel restless over the weekend and considered going to a step class, but I didn't. I do have plans to go to a yoga class on Saturday with a friend, so I'm hoping that will fill my workout gap. My workout schedule this week is going to look a little like this.

Monday - Chest & Triceps

Wednesday - Back & Biceps

Thursday or Friday  - Legs

Saturday - Khundalini Yoga

Sunday - Shoulders & Abs

Not too shabby right?! I know I shouldn't complain at all about the workouts at this point because they're a total breeze compared to what's coming up! Remind me that I was wishing for more when I'm complaining that I can't move from sore muscles mmmmkay?!

If you're looking for more meal and fitness inspiration, head on over to Peas & Crayons and check out Jenn's What I Ate Wednesday pages.

What is your favourite summertime snack?

If you could do just one workout per week, what would it be?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

What I Ate Wednesday: Fun, Food & FITNESS

I am ridiculously excited about this month's WIAW theme! The timing couldn't be more perfect because I just started Jamie Eason's 12-week LiveFit program, so food & fitness (and always a little fun!) is pretty much my main focus obsession right now! 

My current plan focuses on several small meals per day

 and some seriously clean eats.

Here's a peek into my eats this week:

Of course, I'm focusing on the amount of water I'm drinking each day.
My goal is to drink at least 64 oz per day, not counting what I drink while at the gym.

Breakfast

Egg white scramble with veggies (I used sundried tomatoes, mushrooms & red onion) with sugar-free salsa.

<Insert workout here - I like to hit the gym before work>

*more on my workouts below*

Mid-Morning Snack

Non-fat plain Greek Yogourt with stevia, cinnamon and fresh berries.

The addition of cinnamon was AWESOME!

Lunch

I had a kale & shredded brussel sprout salad with chickpeas. The dressing was a combo of extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard and fresh lemon juice. I made this up the night before and layered it in a mason jar. Around 10 a.m., I gave the jar a shake so that the kale leaves could marinate before I dug in.

This was SOOOO good!

I'm thinking a recipe post might be in order ;)

Afternoon Snack

One thing about this program is that the majority of protein options allowed are animal proteins. I plan to use egg whites, tofu, tempeh and protein shakes to supplement some of that and I also made a batch of Jamie Eason's lemon protein bars.

They're really easy to whip up and I was happy to find that they're quite tasty too! One batch made 16 squares and I froze the majority so I could snack on them all week!

Dinner

One slice of sprouted 16 grain bread with mashed avocado, tempeh 'bacon' & sliced tomato with a side of stirfried kale & crimini mushrooms.

Hello plate of awesomeness <3

Delicious, filling & satisfying.

Fitness

I am doing something that I NEVER do.....I ventured into the free weights area of my gym. I was shaking like a freakin' leaf because for some reason I am so self conscious over in that area, but I rocked the workouts for Week 1, Day 1 and Week 1, Day 2 and I feel awesome for getting over my insecurities!!

Oh, and I.AM.REALLY.SORE.

(a 'hurts to lift my arms to type this' kinda pain)

Wanna see what other bloggers are eating and doing to keep active?!
Check out Jenn's WIAW page for all kinds of motivation.

 

Do you have any insecurities when at the gym?

What is your favourite post-workout snack?

Have a great day!

(...and Happy Independence Day to all my American family & friends!)

Andrea

xoxo

Weekend Ramblings & Meal Plan Wk #3

Good morning! Happy Monday. Did you have a great weekend? I had an amazing weekend. It was sunny, busy (I just wrote busty haha), productive and thoroughly enjoyable. Here's a snippet of what went on in our neck of the woods.

1.  I gave myself a pedicure and used Turquoise & Caicos by Essie.

2.   After yoga yesterday, I had an amazing shopping trip with the girls. We checked out a local hotspot called Dess911. If you love indie, retro or vintage style dresses, you have to check out this site. I bought 3 new dresses because I just couldn't choose between them!

you can`t tell how awesome these are from the pic....they are all on the site....

the 2 on the right are minis.....the two on the ends have pockets --- love!!!

3. I have officially become a Costco addict. I got my membership on Wednesday and I`ve already been there twice. On Saturday I got some great deals on Liberte Greek Yogourt and goat cheese.

4.  On Saturday, we had "Make Your Own Pizza" night.....sadly, everyone was pooped out (dogs included) and I was the only one who actually made a pizza. Derek passed out as soon as he got home from work and never got up until 8 a.m. on Sunday morning!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............

veggie awesomeness

5. I am in love with this 40 minute walking interval workout.

6. You shouldn't  do an upper body workout on the same day as you plan to do some serious gardening. All I can say is I am in pain.

7. My fave garden decor. $2 at the Dollar Store. WIN!

look carefully....we are dog lovers to our core :)

8.  GCB makes for some kick-butt Sunday night TV.

I know some people find this show controversial, but I don`t take it to seriously

and get some good belly laughs out of it....

I also wanted to update you with how my eats and workouts have been going.

First of all, my right knee is still aching like crazy, so I  have scaled back the intensity of my workouts in order for my knee to have time to properly heal. This week, my workouts went a little like this:

Monday - Zumba

Tuesday - 25 minute run, 15 minute ab workout

Wednesday - 34 minute yoga/pilates workout from MyYogaOnline

Thursday - Rest

Friday - Rest

Saturday - 90 minute Kundalini Yoga

Sunday - 40 minute walking interval workout, upper body weights

For once in my life, I am actually listening to my body and trying to give it the time it needs to heal. Frustrating? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.

My meal planning/grocery budget is also going really well. I love knowing what's on the menu, so that I don't have to figure something out each night. I also love extra cash in my bank account :D

This week, our eats are going to look a little like this:

Breakfast
Green smoothies, Greek Yogourt with honey & granola, veggie omlets

Lunch
Wraps, salads, soup, leftovers

Dinners
-Make your own pizzas - I still have one crust left, so I'm thinking this will work for a lonely girl dinner
-Spaghetti (Derek)/Spaghetti Squash (me!) with marinara & sauteed veggies
- Barbecue - Meat and Taters for Derek; Portobellas and Sweet Taters for me & grilled local asparagus
- Bacon & Eggs/Egg N Cheese Sammies
- Chicken Nachos for Derek; Sweet Potato Fry Nachos for me
- BLTs with Caesar Salad
- Eat Out

Whew! What a post for a Monday morning....I guess I had lots to talk about :)

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Have a great day,

Andrea
xoxo

What I Ate (When It Felt Like Summer But It Wasn't) Wednesday

Hiya! Happy Wednesday and Happy 2nd Day of Spring! :)

It feels great to actually be in the season that we've been enjoying the last couple of weeks. Whatcha think----are we smooth sailing from here on out or are we still going to get another cold blast before Spring really arrives?

I've noticed that our eats have been slowly changing to suit the season. I've had a lot less hot tea and been sucking back kegs of ice water, vitamin water and Perrier with lime. Our meals have also become a lot lighter. Derek's been doing meat and taters on the barbecue and I've been having tons of salads, sammies and green smoothies....I've also been finishing up the popsicles that I bought where Derek was sick. As soon as I get home from a workout, I break one out. I figure I deserve it {wink wink}

So, now that I've rambled your ear off, let's get to the hot topic of the day. What I Ate Wednesday! We're still adding lots of greens to our meals, right?!
Here's a peek at my recent eats.

Breakfast

I'm the kinda gal that loves a grilled cheese for any meal.

These days, I have been in absolute love with a grilled avocado tomato swiss sandwich.

Avocado is one of my all-time FAVE green foods!

I even got Derek to eat one of these [WIN!]

Lunch

I know it's a huge surprise but I am still on the green smoothie train.
I've have one every day. This green smoothie has
spinach, strawberries, banana, Vanilla Almondilla Vega Shake N Go and water.

Tastes like dessert!

Snack

Our boss was in South Beach last week and he brought us back a little treat.
A big bag of Ghirardelli chocolate squares. How lucky are we?!

Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Square with Salted Caramel Filling has my heart.

source

{SWOON}

Dinner

Spinach Mushroom Pie with Roasted Sweet Potato Bites

I'm still tweaking this recipe, but quiche screams Spring to me, so stay tuned.....

Another Wednesday, another week of great eats. If you're looking for more foodie inspiration, head on over to Peas & Crayons to find lots of other bloggers who are creative and amazing in the kitchen.

And as always, thanks to Miss Jenn for hosting our Wednesday bloggie shindig! 

What is your fave green food?

What do you love most about Springtime?

Have a great day my friends, 

Andrea

xoxo 

Cheesy Spinach Quinoa Patties

For me, warmer weather screams burgers and barbecue. Before I became a vegetarian, cheeseburgers were one of my fave foods and I must admit that the aroma of barbecuing burgers still makes me drool. Now that I no longer eat meat, I am constantly searching out new "burger" and "patty" recipes to try to fill my 'cheeseburger void'.

I found a recipe using quinoa recently and I tweaked it a little to make it my own by adding two of my all-time fave ingredients: Spinach & Cheddar  Mmmmmm.....

Now I personally wouldn't serve these on buns (they're pretty carb heavy on their own), but they are perfect-o with a side of roasted veggies or a great big green salad. I've made a couple of batches now and I love topping them with dijon (big surprise right?!) or tzatziki. Another bonus is that they're a great source of protein! 

Cheesy Spinach Quinoa Patties
Inspired by the Peachy Palate
Makes 4 patties

1/2 c quinoa
1 c water
1 c baby spinach, thinly sliced
2 green onions, diced
2 eggs
1/3 c bread crumbs
1 c shredded cheddar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cajun seasoning

Cook your quinoa according to the package directions. Once the quinoa is done, remove from heat and mix in the spinach and green onions. Set mixture aside until cool enough to handle.

Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, add in the remaining ingredients.

Mix well and then form into 4 patties. Press together as much as you can.

Pre-heat a skillet to medium heat. Spray it with non-stick spray and then add your patties. Cook your patties for 6 to 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and serve.

Add your greens to the warm quinoa.

To cool the quinoa, throw it in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook your patties for 6 - 7 minutes and don't flip any earlier because they WILL fall apart!

YUM

Tastes awesome with tzatziki :) ....

...or with honey mustard parsnip fries on the side....

...I even topped a salad with a leftover patty that I crumbled...

FILLING & DELISH!!!

What foodie aroma makes you drool?

Do you have any good  veggie burger recipes you'd like to share - link it up in your comment below!

Have a great day my friends,

Andrea
xoxo

What I Ate (When I Got Home from Vacation) Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!!

I hope you are doing amazingly well because it's been a long time since

I visited you on a What I At Wednesday!

As you know, I've spent the last week with my family in Tennessee and Kentucky. Derek had to work, so sadly I had to leave him and the dogs behind. It's safe to assume that I was absolutely gluttonous during the time I was away....because I was :-) All I wanted when I got home on Monday night was some fresh fruits and veggies. All I found was some old chicken wings, cheddar cheese and some very overripe pears.

Ugh!!! What the heck was I going to eat????

Luckily, I had picked some things while I was away that aren't so easy to find in Canada. They helped to tide me over until I had time to hit a grocery store.

For breakfast I had chocolate peanut butter Puffins. Can you believe that this is the first time I have ever had Puffins??  LOVE THEM ~ especially the peanut butter ones!

I also scored some Key Lime Larabars. Best flavour ever!!! And really, really hard to find! Thankfully I've now stocked up.

For dinner, I improvised and ended up with something pretty delish. In a wok I combined a package of Green Giant Vegetable Rice Primavera (whole grain rice, zucchini, broccoli and red pepper), a can of chickpeas, 1.5 cups of diced tomatoes, a pinch of cumin and tumeric and salt and pepper to taste. I let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes and then served. For a quick on-the-fly dinner it was really, really good!

And I absolutely CANNOT leave without giving some honourable mention to something my neice and I made while I was away. I found it on my beloved Pinterest. This Popcorn Cake is a fun dessert to make with the kiddos in your life and it tastes as sweet and sinful as it looks!

So there are some of my recent eats. What have you been munching on lately? If you're looking for more foodie inspiration head on over and visit Miss Jenn at Peas & Crayons.

What kind of eats do you come up with when the fridge is totally empty?

Happy Wednesday. I hope you enjoy your day!

Andrea

What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Wednesday once again!

I'm so glad we've finally hit mid-week because this work week has been so loo-ooong already! I don't know what's going on with me but the minute I step foot into work, I feel exhausted and I can't seem to shake it until the minute I walk back out the door that afternoon. I think part of my problem is that Derek and I have lots of fun plans in the coming weeks and the last thing I want to do is work! I want to skip the work week and head straight for the fun!!! If only!!!

My eats have reflected my lack of motivation. I've focused on easy, filling meals. Check it out.





For breakie I've been LOVING Michelle's Chocolate Steel-Cut Oatmeal. I topped mine with some blueberries and fresh mint from my herb garden. This breakfast tastes absolutely divine!!

As you know, I have been loving my zucchini lately, so for lunch I whipped up an old family favourite. My dad's version of Goulash. There are so many variations of this, but ours is really simple. Melt a little Earth Balance in a skillet and stirfry some zucchini, tomatoes, sweet onion, garlic and 'shrooms. All of the veggies were local and this had such a fresh summery taste to it! Usually I would top it off with some parmesan or nutritional yeast, but since I'm out of both I settled from some shredded cheddar. Mmmmm.

For dinner, I had me some baked sweet potato fries and a burrito stuffed with refried beans, sweet onion, portobello mushrooms and you guessed it....zucchini!! Oh and of course we had to add a bit of cheese to the mix! This dinner took 10 minutes to make, 25 minutes to bake and about 2 minutes to consume. It was awesome!

Snackages this week have been lots and lots of local fruit and maybe a few slices of the best zucchini bread ever. I actually had to put half the loaf into the freezer because I could not keep my fingers out of it!! If you haven't made this yet, I'm begging you to go do it Right.Now. You will thank me for being so bossy :-)

Peaches, watermelon and plumcots (plum/apricot hybrid) have also been some of my faves this week! Sadly I'm out of blueberries, but a little birdie told me that my grandma's sending home a new supply with my hubster tonight - can't wait!!!!

So that's my eats in a nutshell. What have you been enjoying this week? For more inspiration head on over and visit Jenn to see what all her other bloggie buds have been whipping up.

Have a great day!

Andrea

Grilled Portobello & Gouda Burgers

Happy Happy Joy Joy ~ the weekend is finally here!! Sadly, I have to go in to work tomorrow, but I'm still doin' the happy dance for the rest of you lucky folks!

It looks like we have a bunch of  nice warm weather on the horizon and with warm weather comes barbecues!! I saw this fabulous recipe at How Sweet It Is and I knew I just had to try it. The only difference was that I did mine entirely on the barbecue grill - it's been getting way too hot and humid to have the oven on; especially when we don't have air conditioning!

Grilled Portobello & Gouda Burgers
Makes 4 'burgers'

This recipe is phenomenal. It has all of my favourite components: mushrooms, cheese, roasted garlic and balsamic --- a combo for champions if I do say so myself!! Derek is away this weekend, so I got this all to myself, however when he's home I would use the same toppings on his meat burger  - I think this would be a hit for meat eaters and non-meat eaters alike.

4 English muffins (I used whole wheat but you can use your favourite kind)
4 portobello mushroom caps
2 heads of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 thick slices of gouda cheese
1 onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
greens (I used baby spinach)

for mushroom marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced

At least two hours before you plan to eat,  combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish and add mushrooms. Lay them top down and spoon the marinade over the bottoms, so it can soak in all that balsamic-y goodness. Cover and refrigerate.

Start up your barbie and turn it to medium heat. Slice off the top of the heads of garlic and drizzle with a bit of olive oil on top. Wrap in foil and place on barbecue grill for 40 minutes. Let cool completely. Once cool, squeeze the garlic out of the head and mash it up in a small bowl. Set aside.

Brush 1/2 tablespoon olive oil onto your onion slices. Place them on your barbecue grill and let them cook for 5 - 7 minutes per side (until softened).

Add the marinated mushrooms to the grill. Cook for 5 minutes per side. Be careful because the oil may cause your barbecue to smoke and flame up a little. Have a glass of water handy just in case. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add your gouda and cover just until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

Toast the English muffins. Spread the mashed garlic onto each English muffin.Follow with the mushroom, grilled onions, tomato, avocado and spinach leaves.

Serve and enjoy. You'll see I also grilled up some sweet potato wedges as my side....and I maybe also had a glass of my favourite red wine  ;-)

DELICIOUS!!! I LOVE BARBECUE SEASON :-)

I am full. I am happy.

What's your favourite burger combo?

Have a great weekend - get out there and enjoy some sunshine!

Andrea