It was nice waking up in my own house this morning after spending the weekend at our parents’ houses. I love crashing at my the rents’ place (who wouldn’t love getting spoiled half to death??) but there’s something about cuddling up in my own bed (the most comfortable bed of all time) and in my own sheets with my favorite comfy pillows. It’s like that bed was made for Mike and me. We bought it more than three years ago and still talk about how comfortable it is. Best purchase ever.
Annnnnyways…..
A 4 mile run and a quick ab routine started my day. After a cold shower, some breakfast and goodbye kisses to Mike I got my grocery shopping and laundry done with my over-tired little sidekick. What a HANDFUL she was today!! She hates the grocery store so I’m always prepared for a little meltdown here or there but today was a different story. Let’s just say that when we got home she couldn’t even muster up the energy to argue with me about “taking a rest” in her bed for a little bit. She ended up falling asleep for more than 3 hours!! Now THAT’S what I call proof of a jam-packed 4th of July weekend!!!
I’ll admit that I even took a little snooze while Keira was in dream land. My rumbling tummy woke me up and I scrounged around the kitchen looking for something to shut the darn thing up.
One of my all-time favorite snacks is a sliced granny smith apple and a handful of almonds. It is just enough to fill me up without making me feel like I just ate a whole meal. Perfect to hold me over until dinner time.
It was HOT out today but once Keira finally woke up, we were itching to get outside. We went downtown and did a little window shopping before stopping into Whole Foods to grab a couple items I had coupons for (anyone ever watch Extreme Couponing??).
Dinner tonight was pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself. The best part about it was how easy it was to throw together and it is certainly not a meal that looks like it was made in 15 minutes – but it was.
On the menu tonight was baked salmon with a side of asparagus and couscous. Yikes this was delicious. Let me tell you how I made the salmon:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Season the salmon and asparagus with salt and pepper and put both the salmon and the asparagus onto a baking sheet with a touch of cooking spray so the skin doesn’t stick to the sheet.
Bake the salmon and asparagus for 12-15 minutes. I set my timer for 14 minutes and it came out just perfect.
While the fish and veggies are baking, cook couscous according to the directions on the package. I used whole wheat couscous which I thought was bland but tasty when eaten with the fish and veggies.
A generous squeeze of fresh lemon completed this salmon. I thoroughly enjoyed this delicious and nutritious meal for one. (I made Mike a t-bone steak but I find that pictures of meat just don’t look nice and pretty so I decided not to snap any. The salmon’s where the money’s at ;))
Though my salmon dinner hit the spot tonight, I was craving something sweet to top it all off. I decided on a small dessert of nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt, a “bean brownie” and a touch of whipped cream.
What’s a bean brownie? It’s a healthified version of the regular chocolaty brownie we all know and love. The best part is, believe it or not, they taste just the same as the original only these are actually pretty healthy for you.
They are super simple to make and only require 2 ingredients: the brownie mix of your choice and a can of black beans.
Hear me out on this – I promise you will LOVE.
First preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Dump your brownie mix into a medium bowl and set aside. You can use any brownie mix you like – just ignore the recipe no matter which one you choose and just follow this one. After trying a number of different ones for this recipe I find that the No Pudge Fudge Brownie Mix tastes most like a regular “non-bean” brownie that you’re used to.
Drain and rinse your can of black beans and pour into a food processor. Blend it all up until it’s all smooth and add it to the mix. It might be a little tough to incorporate it all together but keep at it and it will all blend nicely.
Add the batter to a baking dish that you would normally use to bake your brownies. Bake for around 30-40 minutes depending on your oven. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
The end result is a batch of delicious brownies with zero guilt. In fact, if you use the No Pudge Fudge and cut your brownies into 10 pieces, they are each only 50 calories a piece!
Looks (and tastes) just like the real deal!
You know how I know they taste just as good as the original? My husband didn’t even notice when he had one and he’s the king of sniffing out suspicious eats!
Enjoy!
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