Take me home country roads…

Well, Brian and I are driving down the highway now on our much anticipated road trip to wild and wonderful West Virginia!

As I’ve been telling my friends and coworkers about this trip, a lot of folks have been asking… why West Virginia?

A lot of my family lives or has lived in the beautiful state, so it holds an extra special place in my heart.  You see, my great great grandfather (I think that’s how it works… my grandpa’s grandfather), Caesar Barbera, immigrated to this wonderful country from Italy and went to work in the Coalfields of West Virginia in 1900.  According to my late grandfather, George Barbera, “When he landed on Ellis Island, he was asked if he wanted a job. He said, ‘yes.’ He hopped a train and came to Thurmond. He had to walk to Glen Jean where the coal company gave him a job loading coal.”

My family has been rooted in West Virgina for a long time and in a way I still feel very rooted there as well.

I used to visit my family down is southern W.V. at least twice a year.  All of my first cousins, except two, lived there… Here’s us taking a really awesome photo.

Dorks.  I’m really rocking that sweet vest.

We were/are all a tight knight group.  For almost as long as I can remember my grandpa and grandma were the rock and foundation of our little clan.

(Here they are centered, holding hands at our Barbera family reunion)

After their passing, it always felt a little strange to be going back without them there.

Now time has gone, and it’s been almost 3 years since I’ve had a proper visit… so I’m incredibly excited to visit the place that has given my so many wonderful memories.  I’ll be staying with my cousin Leah and her family tonight who live on the Ohio/West Virginia border.  Tomorrow, we will be packing up again and making the trip down to gorgeous southern West Virgina to stay with my Aunt Connie and Uncle Ron.

I’m sure we will be visiting all the old favorites like the restaurant my Uncle used to own, Dirty Ernie’s Rib Pit.

Brian and I are being treated to a white water rafting trip and zip lining in the canopy which will be awesome!  What I’m looking forward to the most, however, is just spending time with the family… reminiscing about the good times and the great times to come 🙂  Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, y’all!

Zucchini Noodle Lasanga

Good morning!

There are a couple things that made me really happy this morning:

1. Blooming flowers in my apartment.

1. My upcoming trip to West Virginia over Labor Day weekend.  I will be visiting/staying with my relatives and they are treating Brian and I to a white water rafting trip on the New River Gorge and zip lining through the canopy.  Needless to say, B and I are super pumped.  I need to figure out what I will be wearing on all these outdoor adventures… ie: I should probably buy some shoes that are suitable for rafting.  Hopefully I can find something inexpensive and not have to splurge on a pair of Chaco’s.

2. FOOTBALL SEASON!  I just marked all the Bears games down in my calendar last night and got super nerdy excited about it.  Football season means chili and cornbread season which is one of the best seasons of all!

Last night after work, I met Brian at Whole Foods so we could do our grocery shopping/meal planning for the week.  Here’s what’s on deck:

Monday: Zucchini Noodle Lasagna

Tuesday: Local Trout & Salad

Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas

Thursday: LH dinner with a friend; BS leftovers

Friday: Garlic Mustard Drumettes with Quinoa

Saturday: Takeout

Sunday: Dinner at my parents house

Produce

• 3 medium zucchini
• garlic
• cucumber
• bell peppers (2)
• broccoli
• avocado
• jalapeno (3)
• Lemons (2)
• Blueberries

Meat

• trout (2 portions about .8 or .9 lb)
• ground turkey
• chicken drumettes

Dairy

• shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 small container of ricotta (15 oz)
• Greek yogurt (4)

We had a lot of staples in our freezer/pantry for our meal plan this week, so our overall price was under $70.  Win!

Once we got home and unloaded everything, I got straight to work on making the lasagna.  There is something so comforting to me about lasagna, but I always feel a little too full when I order it at restaurants.  I stumbled across Skinnytaste’s Zucchini Lasagna and knew it would be a crowd pleaser in my house.  Plus, this is a wonderful recipe for the summer when everyone’s gardens are bursting with fresh zucchini!

The only real modification we made to her recipe was that we used ground turkey instead of ground beef and we used my mother’s homemade family marinara sauce instead of canned tomatoes.

Although the recipe is a little labor intensive…

 

The end result is SO worth it.

Oh and don’t be like me and forget to take a picture of the lasagna and gooey, hot and delicious… right out of the oven.  Fail.  Use your imagination, people 🙂

Be sure to check out her recipe here and give it a try!

Italian Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

It’s been a loonnnngggg two days.  Between recovering from Lolla and catching up on a bunch of work stuff, I have been craving a good, hearty and homemade meal.  Since my heating habits were not exactly perfect this past weekend, I wanted to make something relatively clean and nutrient-filled.  I browsed a couple recipes online and landed on PaleOMG’s recipe for Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.  The meal looked excellent, however, I was also really craving Italian so I improvised a little from the original recipe.

Italian Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from PaleOMG’s recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbs. fresh basil, minced
• 1/2 tbs. red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. organic ground turkey
• 1 cup canned plum tomatoes, diced with juice
• 2-3 cups fresh spinach
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Crumbled goat cheese, for a garnish
• Aluminum foil

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

2.  Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a sharp knife and wrap in aluminum foil separately.  Bake in oven for 50 minutes to 1 hr, depending on size and width.

3.  Prep your ‘Mise en place’, a French phrase which means putting in place or prepping for your meal.  Dice your yellow onion, mince your garlic cloves, mince the fresh basil, pull out your spices and spinach and separate everything so they are all ready to go when needed.

4.  With 15 minutes left for the sweet potatoes to cook, drizzle the olive oil into a large saute pan and add the onion.  Cook the onions over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes or until they are translucent.

5.  Add the ground turkey, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Cook until turkey is browned.

6.  Once browned, add the plum tomatoes and fresh basil and simmer until turkey is cooked through, about 3-4 more minutes.

7.  Turn off the heat from the saute pan and add the spinach.  Stir until spinach is wilted.

8.  Pull the sweet potatoes from the oven when done and cut open down the middle.

9.  Add turkey stuffing to potato and garnish with a sprinkle of goat cheese.

10.  Enjoy!

 

Ceres’ Table

I’m back-tracking a little bit from yesterday’s post…

This past Friday, Brian and I decided to go on an impromptu date night at a new local restaurant called Ceres’ Table that features “Regionally Inspired” Italian cuisine.  The restaurant used to be located just north of us in Ravenswood, but the owners decided to snag the open lot where Frog N’ Snail used to reside due to heavier foot traffic and a larger and more sound-proof dining space.

After reading a bunch of great reviews, I knew it had to go on my must-try list.

When I walk into an Italian restaurant there are two things I want to see: 1. a wood burning oven and 2. a warm rustic atmosphere.  Ceres’ Table fit the bill.

The hostess immediately sat us down at a table for two which featured over-sized love seats and gorgeous wood tables.  The menu while impressive, but not overwhelming like many Italian restaurants can be.  I like when chefs know what they make best, offer a small variety of seasonal dishes and deliver on them consistently.

To start, Brian and I ordered a round of drinks – beer for him and a gin cocktail for me.

As we perused the menu, we could not help but stare at all of the delicious looking dishes that were coming out of the kitchen.  We were STARVING and wanted to order so many different things, but limited ourselves to just 3 dishes to share:

The funghi (mushroom) pizza

The charred octopus

And the spaghetti nero with cuttlefish

Everything was divine.  The pizza was perfectly crisp on the bottom with fresh vibrant ingredients on top and the perfect amount of melted cheese.  We had no problem finishing that off.

The charred octopus was light and tender and the spaghetti nero was fabulous.  Fresh homemade pasta at it’s finest.

Our waitress was wonderful in that she let us take our time to nibble our way through or meal and didn’t make us feel as if we were being rushed.  When she brought out the dessert menu it only took us five seconds to proclaim that we were really in the mood for a more liquid type dessert 😉  Brian ordered a local homemade grappa, while I ordered a cool and crisp glass of rose as my finale.

Our dining experience at Ceres Table was phenomenal and we will definitely be going back to try more of their signature cocktails and homemade pastas.

Happy hump day peeps!

Wedding Weekend & Big Updates

Hi!

Wow, it has been a while since my last post – so much has happened!

Let’s try to start where I left off:

Thursday (… wow)

After work on Thursday, I met some girlfriends for a drink on Michigan Ave.  It was an absolutely gorgeous evening, and we took full advantage of enjoying some cocktails alfresco by the bean!  The outdoor party was short-lived, as I met some of my other girlfriends for dinner at this new restaurant in River North called Central Standard.

The food was pretty decent!  We ordered a standard Meat and Cheese board to start, and the portions were pretty good, however, I did not like the smoked trout spread that we chose – it was too fishy.

For my main course, I chose the al pastor tacos which were yummy and just the right amount of food!  One of my friends ordered the goat cheese gnocchi which pretty much stole the show of the evening – so good.

I went home after dinner because the next day Brian and I were driving 8 hours deep into Wisconsin for our friends wedding!

Friday/Saturday

The drive was surprising not that bad.  We took turns driving up, and had no traffic problems (mainly because we were in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin).  I had made a pit stop at Whole Foods before getting on the road and picked up some healthy snacks that we munched on the whole ride up.  This consisted of organic beef jerky, trail mix, pop chips and a turkey sandwich that we split.

Our final destination was Bayfield, WI which greeted us kindly 🙂  We got to our hotel at about 5:30 p.m. and immediately changed and headed out to dinner.  Yelp recommended Maggie’s Restaurant since they served fresh Lake Superior Whitefish, which was exactly what Brian and I ordered!

Plus a couple New Glarus Moon Men – a Wisconsin craft beer specialty (you can’t get it in Illinois!).

The food was so delicious, it was the perfect meal before we headed back to the hotel for the wedding welcome happy hour!  The hotel we stayed at was called the Bayfield Inn and I highly recommend it if you ever visit Bayfield.  The rooms were HUGE and updated with all new furniture and electronics.  Their king sized bed was heavenly – oh my gosh I miss it so much.  The happy hour was a success, we pretty much drank the hotel bar dry and definitely showed Wisconsin how Chicagoan’s party 🙂

The next morning was a little rough…  We tried to sleep in past 9:00 a.m., but by then my stomach was growling and I needed food STAT.  Luckily there was a good restaurant in the hotel that was literally 200 feet away from our room – how convenient!

Post breakfast, Brian and I tried to go on a run, but Bayfield is SOOOOO hilly.  This is no joke, after one hill that lasted 10 minutes, I was out of breath.  The run quickly turned into a two-hour hike.  It was really fun going up and down all of the hills and finding hidden creeks and waterfalls.

Before we knew it, it was time to head home and get ready for the WEDDING!!!

The wedding was absolutely beautiful.  The ceremony took place on a boat and was so special.  Our friends have been dating for over 7 years, so to say you could feel the love in the room was an understatement.  I was a bit of a lush.

Right after the ceremony ended, the captain took us around the Apostle Islands and we celebrated with champagne and some appetizers.  Once we were docked again, we partied away at the hotel pavilion 🙂

Sunday

The weekend went by way too fast – in part because we spent half of it in a car.  We made it back to Illinois just in time to do a little ‘Father’s Day’ celebrating.  This consisted of hanging out by my parents pool and enjoying a delicious home made Italian meal by my mother.

A perfect end to a fabulous weekend!

Side note:  I am attending an HR conference in Chicago this week so I have literally felt like I have been going non-stop for the past week.  This is also why I am posting this ridiculously early -hopefully my lack of sleep does not catch up with me.  The conference runs from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and then there are usually night activities like big parties or concerts.  This leaves very little room for me to squeeze in workouts, however, I do have BvB practice all week and the conference only goes until Wednesday.

ALSO – I am happy to say that I am officially registered for the ‘2013 Healthy Living Summit‘ this fall!  I can’t wait to meet all my fellow bloggers and healthy enthusiasts!

Until tomorrow!

Currently

Happy Friday, Y’all!

A couple weeks ago I read a similar blog post from two of my favorite bloggers Tina and Julie.  Their idea was to list what they are ‘currently’ loving and I thought it was so clever, I’m gonna share it with you 🙂

Current Music
Of Monsters and Men

I’ve been on a serious kick ever since attending their concert last week

Current Indulgence
Strawberry Shortcake my coworker brought in.

So delicious and light – Tis’ the season for strawberries!

Current Favorite TV Show
Game of Thrones. Hands down.  Daenerys is so badass, I want to be her!

Current Nail Color
Essie East Hampton Cottage

Current Toning Exercise
The Tone It Up! tummy tuck and Sunkissed Abs Workout.  Love how motivational these trainers are and that all their workouts are free!

Current Favorite Restaurant
This one is tough, we all know how much I love to eat out.  I’m going to have to go with Hopleaf in Andersonville.  Delicious craft beers and phenomenal mussels & Frites – what more could you want?

Piccolo Sogno in the West Loop takes a close second – I’m a sucker for fantastic Italian food, especially when dining on a killer patio.

Current Chicago Activity
Going on walks with Bailey and Brian and stopping at restaurants to grab an alfresco drink.

Current Blessing
My sister.

She just returned from an abroad trip in Italy and Greece.  I’m so glad she had an amazing experience and can’t wait to catch up with her and hear all her stories.

Current Drink
Coconut water! Can’t get enough of it – Zico is currently my favorite brand.

Current Wish List
A Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch

… My birthday is coming up, just saying 😉

Current excitement

Running the ‘United Run for the Zoo 10k‘ this weekend with my best friend and then celebrating at Chicago’s German Maifest!

Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.

Your turn!

What are your current favorites?

And We’re Off! … sort of

You probably know by now… Chicago/the burbs was hit pretty hard by severe storms last night.  Our flight is supposed to leave MDW at 1:20 p.m. … we shall see what happens.

I’m all packed… sort of (shoes, bobby pins and swim suit are all set!).

I blame the fact that I had to drop off Bailey at my parents house last night and got side tracked by watching the Sabres vs. Bruins game 🙂  It was definitely an emotional game to say the least.  The national anthem was sung by the crowd and I was tearing up the entire time.

My parents had dinner ready for me upon my arrival which included homemade Barbera Family pasta sauce, whole wheat linguine, turkey meatballs, salad and squash.  YUM.  Bailey obviously was searching for any fallen items 🙂

Oh yes, and a glass of red wine in my very special ‘Lindsaybird’ glass.  That is a family nickname that my father started and is really only used between my intermediate family and close friends.

The Sabres came off with a win in the shootout, which I was happy about, but the hockey game really showcased the unity between the players and everyone in the stands.  Boston Strong was seen everywhere, which made me proud since I am a Bostonian at heart – born there!

After the conclusion of the game, the players – both Sabres and Bruins – saluted the fans which once again made me really emotional.  It’s amazing how the love for sports can bring people together.

Keep your fingers crossed that I don’t have to sit through any MAJOR delays, although I am expecting the worse.  I’m off to sunny North Carolina!  Until next time, friends.

Italian Egg Wrap

It’s a beautiful SUNNY day! The temperature outside doesn’t match the aesthetics… but I’ll take it.

The office should be pretty dead today since the majority of my team took off to go watch the NCAA Tournament.  I wish I could have joined them, but I’m trying to save my PTO days for some upcoming vacation time (VEGAS?!).

Last night I had my first indoor soccer company game.  It was an excellent workout – I played the entire game because not enough girls showed up.  Needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home around 9:00 p.m.  I knew that after the game all I would want to do was shower and go to bed, so I made a quick and easy dinner once I got home from work.

I didn’t have a lot of time to make something, but I  really needed something substantial that would fuel me during the game.

Two ingredients stuck out to me: Eggs and Marinara Sauce.

Italian Egg Wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole wheat tortilla
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1 tbs shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbs marinara sauce
• 1/2 a red bell pepper
• 1/4 of an onion
• Olive oil spray

Directions:

1. Julienne 1/2 of a red bell pepper and slice 1/4 of an onion
2. Spray a small saute pan with olive oil and cook the vegetables until translucent.  Set Aside
3. In the same pan, add more olive oil and cook your eggs over medium-high heat (I scrambled mine)
4. While the egg is cooking, warm up the tortilla on top of the stove or in the microwave
5. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese once the eggs start to set and let the cheese melt
6. Top the tortilla with the egg, marinara sauce, vegetables and wrap that baby up!
7. Enjoy!

You could pretty much add any toppings you want to this wrap, but bell peppers and onions were the only thing I had in my pantry.

It was really odd for me to eat this at 6:00 p.m… A. because it was still light out and B. because I usually don’t eat dinner until 8:00 p.m.  After I made this and told Brian all about it, he replied, “you know the average person would call this a breakfast burrito, right?”  … No comment 🙂

I am so incredibly happy the weekend is here!  Today is my “rest” day so instead of working out after work, I will be going to the salon to get my hair cut.  Lululemon and Francesca’s are both next door to my salon so I may or may not have to make a pit stop 🙂

Until tomorrow, my friends!