I am not a food blogger. Yet, I still take pictures of most things I eat because I never know when I might want to use something in a post. I snap two or three quick shots and move on my merry way. I like having photos of meals I deem worthy of sharing…but you better believe I’m not letting it get in the way of my eating. No cold food or sparing my precious dining seconds around here, people!

I could just not bother…but more often than not, I find myself thankful for my quick photo snapping. This morning, I appreciated the photo habit because, when uploading my pics, I realized I had quite the delicious day yesterday.

“Delicious” being code word for “my favorite fall foods”. I should be orange by now! Or at least not so ghostly white. When can I expect that beta carotene to kick in?

I bet you think that means I started my day off with some pumpkin oats. Oh ho ho! You are sorely mistaken. I actually didn’t have oats at all!

I had a savory craving…more accurately a hot pepper jelly craving…and I obliged.

I put together a sandwich with an egg, pepperjack cheese, hot pepper jelly, and spinach on whole grain and seed bread.

Does that not look like perfection? It sure does to me! Just as Honeycrisp apples scream perfection to me as well with their perfect crispiness and sweet, yet tart, bite.

When lunchtime rolled around I continued the fall theme unawares, as I pulled out leftovers from our dinner the previous night.

Tonight's dinner features quinoa, butternut squash, and apple goods. Gonna be good!

October 24, 2011 7:05 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@TinaFFF

Tina Reale

It doesn’t look incredibly appetizing (especially straight from the tupperware) but I promise you this combo kicks butt.

The mix:

• regular ole quinoa cooked in vegetable broth for extra flavor
• a Trader Joe’s apple chicken sausage
• cubed, roasted butternut squash
• a dollop of Daisy Spiced Apple Chutney

Such an easy, fast, and FLAVORFUL dinner! With good leftovers too! #drool

Now onto snack…a mix I promise you will want to get your hands on, if you haven’t already that is!

You all already know my undying devotion to this company.

Love Grown granola became the apple of my eye (stomach?) yet again.

I took a plain container of Oikos Greek yogurt and tossed in a whopping spoonful or two of canned pumpkin. I swirled that all up with some Cocoa Bean NuNaturals drops and grabbed my bag of Cocoa Goodness granola.

After a couple greedy handfuls straight to  my mouth, I topped my pumpkin yogurt and had the perfect harmony of flavors.

The only thing missing? A side of my pumpkin hot chocolate. Oh me, oh my…imagine that coupling for a snack. Forget happy hour with a beer…I want snack time with this! Is it 3 o’clock yet?

• What’s the last thing that made you say “yum”?

Good morning! Did you all have a fabulous weekend? I sure hope so! We had a great time around here. Although, exhausting!

I kicked off the weekend with one of my final long runs before Savannah. That means in less than TWO WEEKS I will be running my first half marathon!!!!! 

The run went really well. I did 12 uneventful miles.

Uneventful is a wonderful thing. I dressed well enough for the weather so I didn’t die of cold in the 40 degree weather (go ahead and mock me, you Northerners!). I kept a steady pace. I had no pain and didn’t battle any mental walls to finish. I just trod along until I finished and it felt fab-u-LOUS.

The only downside I had was that I think I tied my shoes too tight. The top of my right foot hurt – no stabbing pain, just tender – for the rest of the day and part of Sunday. So, odd.

Do note, however, that running 12 miles and then having to turn around right away to prep and throw a toddler birthday party is no small task. I had just enough downtime for breakfast, an ice bath, and a shower, before I had to break into party mode for the birthday girl.

I didn’t have too much to do because I managed to pick the perfect snacking arrangement. We had:

Flower Cheese Crackers (wheat thins with cheese cutouts using a mini flower cookie cutter and finished off with a mini pepperoni)

Fruit & Pink Dip (berry Chobani Champions yogurt with grapes + strawberries)

Princess Party Mix (random assortment of kid loves – popcorn, pretzels, and pastel colored marshmallows)

Spinach & Artichoke Dip (my mom’s special dip she offered to bring – OH. YUM!)

It turned into the perfect spread for the perfect birthday party day at the park.

The kids snacked, ran around, and fed the ducks.

Then, came time for the special cake!!! Sadly, I didn’t get a great shot of it…but it was a princess with a cake dress made to look like Belle’s on top of a cake “stage”.

Makenzie was in love. Go figure.  

All in all, it was a perfect party and I had such a great time! But, man, it wiped me out! I literally crawled into bed right after laying the kids down. Then, promptly slept for ten hours straight. Oh, how I would love to sleep ten hours every night!

• What was the most tiring thing you did this weekend? And, then…what was the most relaxing?
• What is your favorite kind of dip? Mine is my mom’s spinach & artichoke dip by far!!! I ate two very hefty servings on Saturday and wish I had more!