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?

Evening all! Thanks so much for all your concern about my ankle. It’s mainly scraped up and bruised on the top. Thankfully, not twisted or swollen in any way. Either way, you all really are such great blog friends. 🙂

Tonight we enjoyed the most simple dinner. Simple and healthy – my kind of meal. This morning I tossed a couple chicken breasts into the crock pot with cider vinegar, brown sugar, and a BBQ seasoning packet.

At night, all I had to do was chop up a few red potatoes, toss them in olive oil/salt/pepper, and roast away at 400 for 35 minutes. Peter shredded the chicken, plopped it on a sandwich thin, and then dinner was served. BBQ chicken sandwiches and roasted potatoes.

I love me some BBQ!!! I also loved TBL (The Biggest Loser) last night. Nevertheless, I do have quite a few issues with how the show does particular things.

• Too large contestants. I hate how in recent seasons it was all about “the biggest” contestant with the majority needing to lose 200+ lbs. I was very happy to see this season’s contestants aren’t quite so morbidly obese. Many only need to lose 100-150 lbs, which is much more reasonable.
• Not really educating the contestants. I think there is too much time plugging last chance workouts and sponsored products for their low calories, rather than educating on health and nutrition. Also, I think the extreme workouts and calorie counts don’t set them up for success in the future. It just poses an all or nothing mentality for them to go home with.
• Therapist Jillian. I love Jillian and think she is an excellent trainer, minus a few unsafe moves I’ve seen her pull out on the show. However, when she plays therapist it drives me nuts. I think the contestants would benefit more from regular counseling from someone separate from their workouts.
• Too much expected of the contestants’ bodies. These people have not been physically active in awhile. Expecting them to jump into 8 hour workouts a day is not healthy. I do think the challenges to make it onto the ranch last night were more suitable though. Doing 500 steps or running/walking a mile makes much more sense than riding 26.2 miles on the first day like last year.
• Commercials within the show. They were really minimal last night. Let’s see if that lasts.

I must also say that all the contestants had really touching stories and seemed like they wanted to improve themselves inside and out. I really related to the girl who made the red team and had a bad relationship with food as a reflection of her relationship with her mom. It sounded similar to me turning to food in the past as an escape from my dad. That is why I still watch the show. I still admire people seeking to make their lives better. Even if TBL doesn’t have it perfect, the show still helps people who otherwise might never have made that change.

I’ve rambled enough about that show. Time for me to watch one without as much thought. GLEE!! I will leave you with this 6 month belly shot Peter happened to shoot of me. I should have known he was up to no good when he pulled my shirt up. 😉

Have a great night, y’all! Oh I can’t believe I just said that.

• What do you like/dislike about The Biggest Loser?
• What did you have for dinner tonight?