I would like to start this post with a moment of silent appreciation for the weekend. Better yet? I want to scream from the rooftops I LOVE THE WEEKEND!!! You all seem pretty discerning. Can you tell I’m in a great mood today? How could I not be? I truly love my life. Sure, some days downright stink. Yea, I get excited about future possibilities. And alright, things may not be super exciting in these parts with lots of crazy adventures. But I love my life!

Please don’t be scared away…I have a special breakfast to share with you. Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast. Not only Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast…but Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast with a “baked” apple topping. And you know my style so you know this was incredibly easy. I told you you would want to stick around despite my annoyingly peppy opening paragraph. 😀

This morning, after sleeping in until after 7 am (another glorious thing about weekends), I plodded downstairs in my pajamas to make breakfast for my family. Not just any breakfast. But the. best. breakfast. ever. made. in. this. house. EVER! That may not be saying much since my “cooking” is pretty limited. Either way, this is good. Really, really good.

It all started with two spoonfuls of pumpkin, one tablespoon of maple almond butter, and a couple dashes of pumpkin pie spice. Of course slathered between two slices of hearty whole wheat bread.

While waiting for the griddle to heat up I got a sudden stroke of inspiration to do the apple topping. I didn’t have time to bake apples or cook them stovetop. I wanted my apple topping. To the microwave I go! In a microwave safe dish I put one peeled, cored, and chopped apple, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and a few tiny drops of butter.

I nuked this mixture for 2 1/2 minutes, stirring once, while my stuffed french toast cooked. So, back to the toast. I dipped both sides of the sandwich in an egg, milk, pumpkin pie spice mixture before placing it on the griddle and cooking for about 2 minutes per side, until slightly browned. Then, plop the sandwich on a plate. Cover with the apple mixture. Voila!

I tasted this like Giada de Laurentiis does on her shows. Mmmmm….ohhhh…Does anyone else get slightly uncomfortable watching her taste food?

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Well, I don’t really. I do always kind of snicker though because she seems a little too into it, if you catch my drift. Then again, all her food likely tastes better than this and I know I couldn’t help myself this morning. I will no longer snicker, Giada. I fully understand now.

Would you believe me if I said the morning only got better after that? Peter took M with him to run some errands so I had peace and quiet for a few hours. I think I could hear the angels singing. No? That’s just me actually able to hear myself think? Darn. The angel thing would have been cool.

Then, after they got home, we headed out for a walk all together in this stunning weather God has been giving us here.

And now, the rest of the day…a day of family fun at the fair!!! I cannot wait!!

• What is the best breakfast you’ve had recently?
• Any fun weekend plans?

I like to think I follow a healthy lifestyle. I strive to live a life of balance that includes physical wellness as well as mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Focusing on each of these brings me to a place where I feel truly healthy. I am a happy person with energy to enjoy life. My tag line for the blog even states these feelings. That there is more to life than diet and workouts (which I just updated my header to include – check it out).

However, even knowing I live a healthy lifestyle, I admit to forgetting about some aspects of healthy living. MSN put out a list, provided by SELF, showcasing 7 of women’s most unhealthy habits. Check them out:

1. Don’t have a regular doctor.
2. Wear 3 –5 inch heels on a regular basis.
3. Addicted to caffeine.
4. Sleep only 6 hours a night.
5. Don’t floss that often.
6. Listen to IPod all day long.
7. On the phone 24/7, even at the wheel.

I fall guilty to a few of them. I do not have a regular general practitioner. I go to my girly doctor check-ups religiously, but regular physical appointments just don’t happen. I don’t feel the need to go, which is ridiculous. I also succumb to not getting enough sleep. I would say 6 hours a night is fairly standard for me. I know I feel best with 7 or 8, but still tend to get only six hours. Lastly, I am about 50/50 with the caffeine and phone. I do a lot of talking on my phone when driving and will likely turn to caffeine once I’m no longer pregnant. I regularly drank 2 cups per day before pregnancy. I guess this just goes to show that there is always room for improvement, huh? And sometimes on the most simple things too!

One simple thing I do not need help with, however, is cooking. I can manage simple meals. I specialize in simple meals. Did you know I have my doctorate degree in quick and healthy dinners? Yep, sure do! I determined tonight “Sister Sandwich Night”. After making this simple sandwich for lunch one day last week, I knew I wanted to recreate it for dinner. What better night than when I knew I would be getting home late from my dentist appointment.

I used the hummus, tomato, onion, avocado, baby bella mushrooms, pickles, and swiss cheese – pressed between two slices of whole wheat Earth Grains bread. Plated up alongside a pile of my favorite veggie – roasted brussels.

A perfect meal for my post-dental-traumatic-stress-disordered night. Now time to watch The Biggest Loser and do some web searching for a restaurant for next week’s special sister night that is part of a BlogHer review. See ya in the morning!

• Do any of the 7 unhealthy habits listed above apply to you?
• What is your favorite simple dinner?