Good evening folks! Well it’s been a great week:

I discovered microwave scrambled eggs! Who knew?!? And why didn’t they tell me? After my mom saw the photo of my breakfast she commented that apparently my dad knew…why has he been holding out on me all these years? 🙂 I saw this on a list of easy breakfast ideas last week and finally decided to try it this week.  I just put 2 eggs in a bowl (I would add milk next time) and microwaved for 1 minute then stirred (I would stir after 45 seconds next time) and finished for another 45 seconds.  Stir and then I topped mine with homemade salsa and fresh avocado.  It was a great protein packed breakfast after an early morning 4.4 mile run before work on Thursday.

Thursday after work I needed a snack before we had dinner with friends and opted for a slice of semi-homemade gluten free bread (courtesy of a Bob’s Red Mill mix) toasted and topped with Krema PB and homemade strawberry jam that one of Noah’s co-workers made.  The jam stole the show, but all in all it was a super delicious snack!

Friday night I baked chocolate banana muffins.  I did add a teaspoon of agave nectar for just a little extra sweetness and about a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips because, let’s be honest, you can never have too much chocolate, right? Thanks to Jen at My Kitchen Addiction for a great recipe.  This one’s definitely a keeper in the rotation and I encourage you to try it for a tasty healthy (no sugar!) breakfast or any time of day treat.  Noah said they tasted like brownie muffins – if he likes them it’s a win!

Today we went mattress shopping.  There are about a dozen mattress stores in the Lansing area, but we found our new mattress at the 2nd store we went to. I commented to Noah in the midst of a laughing fit while we were trying out mattresses how silly the whole thing was and that I felt like I was in a movie or something. In the end we got a good deal and hopefully the new mattress will help with some back issues Noah’s been having and keep us well rested as we continue training for our marathon in October.

Probably the best part of the week though was having my family over for the first time in the new house and grilling up some delicious kabobs.  We enjoyed chicken, steak, smoked sausage, onions, peppers, and tomatoes skewered on the grill.  My parents brought farm fresh sweet corn and my brother and sister-in-law brought berries to top strawberry frozen yogurt and vanilla ice cream for dessert. It was great having my parents, Aunt Sharon, brother, sister-in-law, 3 nieces, and my grandma come to Lansing to enjoy an afternoon in our new house and the weather was perfect so we got to be outside as well.

I made quinoa salad to go along with the kabobs and corn as well.  I had made this last weekend to take to Joanne and Travis’ summer barbeque and I liked it so I thought my family would like it as well.  And they did! This comes together really easily; it’s also light and perfect for a summer get-together.

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 C uncooked quinoa

1 C corn kernels (freshly cut off the cob or frozen – thawed, if necessary)

1 red bell pepper, diced

12 oz edamame (frozen – shelled and thawed)

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Homemade Italian Dressing

1/3 C olive oil

3 1/2 Tbs red wine vinegar (white balsamic would work too)

1 lemon, juiced

3 cloves garlic, minced (or use a garlic press)

1/2 tsp basil (dried, more if using fresh)

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Cook quinoa according to package directions. (Though I cook mine in a rice cooker – I just use twice the amount of liquid to quinoa and let the rice cooker do the work!)

Mix cooled quinoa with all veggies and beans in a large bowl.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar or other container with tight fitting lid and shake until well combined.

Mix salad ingredients with the dressing until combined.  Serve immediately (at room temperature) or chill and serve.

Enjoy!