Date Sandwich

Remember how I told you I would tell you about our Saturday? Well, clearly the week got away from me so I'm getting to it now. Better late than never, right?

Saturday started bright and early in the Rapp house! We hopped in the car for an hour and a half drive east to watch John's brother compete in sectionals. The great news: they won! The not-so-ideal: we were driving back to Indy to turn around and drive back a few hours later. Enter date sandwich, aka cramming a date in the middle of this busy day.

We headed to RAM to enjoy a beer and some good food. We were at the Illinois bar, but since they were already out of the Big Ten Championship (like us, boo) we thought we'd get right in. Not so...unless, of course, you happen to have serious city girl skills and know how to stalk for a table and parking spot. John ran to the bathroom and I snagged a booth by the time he got back. Sweet!

We ordered two of my favorites: Amber Ale Cheese Dip (ohmygosh) with flatbread and Hefeweizen, a beer I strangely enjoy. I usually stick to wine, but for some reason I really like this. Go figure! I also had a sirloin salad with dressing on the side, while John got some wings.

We headed back to the apartment for a bit to give the puppy some snuggles and take a quick cat nap. Before we knew it we were back in the car heading to see JB's second game. This game was nerve-wracking. I kept thinking, this cannot be JB's last game! Even though they were ahead the whole time, you felt like the other team could come back. Luckily they didn't, and we ended up beating them by almost 20 points! Go JB!

The whole gang! John and I, JB and his girlfriend Kelsey, Leslie, Lauren and her boyfriend, Ryan & John

Welp, I'm off to get in a workout before we go to dinner with John's family tonight. (We're getting Italian tonight - yum! - and JB's semi-state basketball game is tomorrow!) I'm thinking of doing a yoga video, or enjoying this day and doing the outdoor-friendly circuit I came up with. I took my students on a nature walk today, so either would be a nice compliment. Happy Friday!

Outdoor-Friendly Exercise Circuit

I don't know about where you all live, but it has been so warm and beautiful here in Indy! It has made my kids extra energetic, but I can't really blame them. I've been itching to get outside, too! So much so that the thought of driving to the gym and starting out the windows at the sun and warmth has been unbearable.

I didn't want to miss out on my workouts and this weather, so I came up with an outdoor-friendly exercise circuit! It was so easy to do, and I knew I had to share it since it does a nice job of targeting legs (running - but only for 10 minutes at a time so don't worry you non-runners!), arms and abs. Best part? You'll be done within 45 minutes, and you could easily do this at a gym if you're not enjoying nice weather.

Happy Fit Fridays!

Outdoor-Friendly Exercise Circuit

Run for 10 Minutes

Complete the following: *50 Russian Twists *20 Push-Ups *30 V-Ups *20 Reverse Push Ups *30 Plank Toe Touches

Repeat for a total of 3 sets!

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Sweet & Spicy Citrus Tilapia

This was a super tasty dish. Honestly before this recipe, I never really made tilapia. Call me silly, but I was pretty intimidated by it. Turns out? There's no reason to be! It's a light and versatile fish, and requires little effort to make something fantastic. Example: this recipe!

Don't be intimidated by the ingredient list. All you have to do is put all the ingredients in one bowl, pour it over the fish and cook it. Anyone can do that! That means you. :)

I am so glad Jourdan posted this recipe on her blog because it was absolutely delicious. It was light yet full of flavor and filling in a "I'm so content and happy but not bursting out of my pants" kind of way. I will definitely be making this again. I hope you try it because there's no way not to love it. The flavors are perfect!

Final note, I was heating up the third filet for lunch, and one of my favorite teachers walked in and said, "What is that? It smells so good!" I told her (Susan!), and she immediately said, "Is it on your blog?" Love her (you, Susan!). And here it is. :)

Sweet & Spicy Citrus Tilapia
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, via My Recipes
Serves 3
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Ingredients:

*3 tilapia fillets

*1/2 cup fresh orange juice (2 oranges - go for cara cara!)

*3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 lime)

*1 tablespoon brown sugar

*1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil  
*2 teaspoons soy sauce
*1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
*1/4 teaspoon chili powder
*1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
*2 garlic cloves, crushed

Preparation:

*Arrange fish in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan. Combine all ingredients and pour over fish. Let stand 15 minutes (or more).

*Preheat broiler (at 500 degrees). Broil 15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Drizzle sauce over fish.

beautiful citrus...tilapia all ready and marinating

"I am beyond tasty!" said the tilapia. (Seriously.)

WIAW: Date Day!

Since I've shown you what I eat on a typical week day, I thought I'd share some eats from my weekend. Because you've been losing sleep over not knowing, right? Riiiiiight.

Thanks for hosting What I Ate Wednesdays, Jenn! Total lack of greens, but a good day nonetheless. It was the weekend, so that counts too, right? No, this was not a cheat day. I don't believe in those. This was a fun, beautiful Sunday, and I don't feel guilty about anything.



So, let's be honest with each other. I may or may not have stayed up until 3:30 a.m. watching the third and final season of United States of Tara. Why? I have no idea. Did I mention that 3:30 a.m. was before the "jump ahead" time change? Needless to say I overslept...by a lot. Hello late morning...Oh boy.

By the time Hoosh and I dragged ourselves out of bed (she overslept with me!), John was ravaged and ready for some food. I, meanwhile, was ready to get out and enjoy the gorgeous day that awaited me. So, we compromised. We decided to make the almost 2-mile walk to one of our favorite spots - Yats! Yats is Cajun Creole, and is delicious! It is simple, and tasty and never disappoints.

Before and after
Whatever you do...order the Chili Cheese Etouffee with Crawfish!
Served over rice with amazing garlic bread. Yummmmm!

I wish we could have taken this girl, but dogs aren't allowed inside, and she would not wait patiently for us to eat at a restaurant. But look how cute?

After lunch we took a walk to the Indiana War Memorial. We walked through the memorial and the museum. When John was an Eagle Scout he cleaned the statues in the memorial room, but neither of us had been through the museum. We saw some fun stuff in there, and it's nice to take advantage of some local treats.

Some notes...September 17 is my birthday! Yay for signing the Constitution that day...
the room John polished as an Eagle Scout...
The nurse uniform...I bet Maggie  or Shae could totally turn this into something awesome!
Look, I'm in Paris! (or...not)
Ernie Pyle...My alma mater's building (go Journalism School) is named after him!

After we walked home, we were both pretty pooped. I ate a yummy Greek yogurt for some dessert, though I was really craving the frozen yogurt we passed after Yats. Darn you, full stomach! The yogurt was might tasty though.

After some relaxing and watching 24 (thank you, Netflix, for John's new obsession) I decided to get started on dinner. After browsing the fridge and pantry I decided to make some Spinach, Caramelized Onion & Chicken Quesadillas! They turned out awesome. I absolutely loved them - and so did the hubby. Score!

I also nibbled on some roasted Kale that I made...a little salty, but good.

After all my nibbling I was still craving that darn frozen yogurt...Lucky for me John took me to get some! We drove this time (it was almost 10 p.m.!), so we brought the puppy with us. She watched me snack on my delicious cheesecake, tart and mango sorbet...plus gummy bears and sprinkles and strawberries. Exactly what I needed to end my day.

Spinach, Caramelized Onion & Chicken Quesadillas

Plus some other goodies that didn't fit into the title! Such as...goat cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes (if you dare)...mmm.

I threw this together Sunday night after John and I had a great date day. I knew we wouldn't need too big of a dinner - late lunch at Yats will do that to you. I checked out the ingredients I had in my fridge and pantry, and decided I would do something a little different. My good friend Jourdan seems to make amazing Mexican dishes all-the-time, and when she posted this I was inspired to do something myself.

John absolutely loved these! He told me to "add them to the list" and said he loved all the different flavors. I was a huge fan as well. There were so many great flavors in these, plus it was a snap to put together. Who doesn't love fast, easy meals? Besides, this is crammed with whole grain, protein, veggies and...cheese! How can you go wrong if cheese is in it?

Spinach, Caramelized Onion & Chicken Quesadillas
Recipe by Call Me Mrs. Rapp
Yields 2 quesadillas
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Ingredients:
*2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded (see this post for directions)
*4 whole wheat tortillas
*4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly or shredded
*1.5 oz goat cheese
*handful of baby spinach 
*1 onion, sliced thinly
*1 tbsp brown sugar
*3 tsp butter, divided in thirds
*1 oz sun-dried tomatoes (optional, but so yummy!)

 Preparation:
*Melt 1 tsp. butter in small saucepan. Add onions and brown sugar, and cook on medium to medium-high heat until caramelized.

*Spread half of goat cheese on one side of a tortilla. Melt 1 tsp butter in medium saucepan and place tortilla in the saucepan. Add half of: mozzarella, chicken, caramelized onion, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Top with goat cheese tortilla.

*Cook until golden and crisp, then flip quesadilla until other side is golden and crisp. Remove from skillet.

*Repeat with remaining ingredients for second quesadilla.

*Cut into fourths and serve immediately!

Goat cheese...plus mozzarella, chicken and onion...plus spinach with the top on

Look. At. Those. Middle has no sun-dried tomatoes*

Feisty

Helloooooo, friends! I don't know about you, but this Monday has been long. I think the whole, jump-ahead-an-hour thing really hit me today. I could not get going this morning! I managed to forget to take my vitamins and heartburn medicine. I forgot my computer charger at home (and my laptop was dead). I didn't ask John for his singles for the soda machine (yes, I have to have one in the morning), which meant no caffeine and a subsequent headache...Gah!

That face might have made an appearance...but fortunately for me, and everyone else who I am around, I have a wonderful hubby. John is on spring break and brought me everything I forgot, plus some ibuprofen for the headache. I don't even want to know what this day would have looked like without him. (One guess: pretty horrible.)

My day actually went very well after that. The kids were their adorable selves, and we learned a new vocabulary word, feisty, which happens to be one of my favorite words. They were hilarious creating scenarios and ways to use the word. "When I ate half my Halloween candy in one night, I was running around and got pretty feisty." How cute is that?? How about, "My brother is definitely very feisty. He always has energy!" I tell you, I love these moments.

After school I ran to Nordstrom to exchange a pair of shoes John vetoed - sparkly pink TOMS (perhaps it was an impulse purchase...). He rarely does this, but when he asked me if I bought them to wear to a 7-year-old's dress up party, I knew they would never last in this house. So I brought them back today and exchanged them for...sequined black TOMS. They have to ship them because they're sold out in my size, so I'll let you know if they make the cut.

Source

Next stop was the gym, where I got my sweat on with 45-minutes of some intense elliptical intervals and then some incline power walking to wrap it up. Rounding out my afternoon errands was a trip to Trader Joe's to stock up on some veggies and food for meals this week. Check out this haul!

Whole wheat mini bagels, green beans, onion, garlic, crescent rolls (impulse buy),
cara cara oranges (obsessed!), carrots, eggs, babybel cheese, yogurt,
champagne (I plan to enjoy a glass during The Bachelor - judge away), broccoli, cauliflower,
asparagus, strawberry banana orange juice (love) and skim milk

As of now, here are my planned meals: Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia, Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage with Bell Peppers, steaks on the grill with John's family (I'm in charge of dessert and am thinking of bringing this or an adaptation of this), Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Casserole, and date night! I may or may not substitute one of those for Quinoa Fried Rice ala Katie. I like to keep my options open. ;)

Anyway, I'm off to make that Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia. I'll post the recipe this week, along with some other goodies. Got to get ready to watch The Bachelor finale tonight! Not going to lie, I am more interested in the After the Final Rose to see if they're still together, because I'm pretty sure he chose Courtney aaaaand she hasn't played out too well on camera. You care about this equally, right? Of course you do...


I plan to post about our date days later tonight or tomorrow, depending on how engrossing The Bachelor is. Again, judge away.

Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce

I did a little blog catch up this week  - I didn't have time to keep up when I was away last week. I saw this recipe from The Pioneer Woman (love her) that I knew I had to make, especially since I had all the ingredients on hand - minus the wine, though that was easy enough to pick up and enjoy a glass of while cooking...hello, $2.99 Charles Schwab and thank you Trader Joe's.

This. Was. Fabulous. I've noticed I tend to use phrases like that when trying Ree's recipes -> just see here, here, here and here for evidence. She has an amazing ability to combine simple ingredients and transform them into easy-to-make and utterly delicious dishes. I love it! How do I acquire those abilities? I will do almost anything...except, you know, move to a ranch like her...I'm a city girl at heart (hello, Chi-town!), so Indy is about as country as I go! ;)

Like all of The Pioneer Woman's recipes (see links above), this dish was rich. I decided to do my best to lighten it up, so that is the recipe I've shared below. Honestly, this was still delicious and filling, and, while I've never had the original version, I didn't notice anything missing from this awesome dinner. Please make this! I promise you will not regret it. YUM.

Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Yields 3-4 small chicken breasts with sauce  
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Ingredients:
*3 small, thin boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 2 regular/large chicken breasts)
*1 tbsp olive oil
*1 tbsp butter, plus 1 tsp
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1 cup white wine (I used chardonnay)
*1 tbsp (heaping) dijon mustard
*1 tbsp (heaping) grainy mustard (I used stone ground)
*1/4 cup nonfat half and half
*1 tsp flour
*salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
*Salt and pepper both sides of chicken breasts. Note: If using large chicken breasts, cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you have four smaller, thinner chicken cutlets. 

*Heat oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets on both sides until nice and golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and keep on a plate.

*Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the pan and saute it for a minute, stirring to make sure it won't burn. Next pour in the wine (being careful if cooking over an open flame). Let the wine bubble up and cook until it's reduced by half.

*Throw in the mustards and stir to combine, then pour in the half and half (note: the nonfat will create spots in the sauce; nothing is wrong with the dish, it is the lack of fat in the milk). Add flour and 1 tsp butter and mix. Taste sauce and adjust whatever you think it needs.

*Add chicken breasts back to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Allow sauce to cook for another few minutes, shaking the pan if needed to move things around.

*Serve chicken with a green salad, spooning the sauce over the top of both. YUM!

My chicken breasts

Cooking up!

Sauce...and chicken cooking in the sauce

All done! Delicious!

Core Circuit Workout

Fit Friday is here! I hope you didn't think I would leave you hanging two Fridays in a row. Of course not! I'm back and feeling good after my workout yesterday. So great that I am feeling the burn like whoa today. Looks like a week off from strength training took its toll. I also realized that my body was seriously missing the strength training. Even though I'm super sore, I feel so much better. I think my body is trying to tell me something...keep exercising!

Anyhoo, these are some of my favorite core exercises, one of which I was introduced to last night! I've included links and descriptions below for any that you might now recognize or know. If you have any other questions feel free to leave a comment!

Let me know what you think of this circuit! I really do love to hear from readers. Happy Friday!

Core Circuit Workout

30 Stability Ball Crunches

60-Second Plank

30 Russian Twists with Medicine Ball

30-Second Up-Up Down-Down Plank

30 Stability Ball Crunches w/ Resistance Band

30-Second Plank Toe Touches*

Complete each exercise with little to no rest. Rest for 60 seconds after completing the set. Repeat 1-2 times.

Call Me Mrs. Rapp http://laurenbrapp.blogspot.com

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Links to exercises: Russian Twists with Medicine Ball, Up-Up Down-Down Plank, Stability Ball Crunches with Resistance Band

*Plank Toe Touches: Start in a plank position, with feet together. Move your right leg to the side to touch right toes to side, and then bring it back to center. Do the same with your left side, alternating sides for the full 30 seconds. This video shows a variation but the same form (I don't use the stability ball). 

For more exercises head on over to In Sweetness and in Health!