Friday Favorites #4

Happy Friday! I'm trying to get back on the ball for sharing Friday Favorites on a regular basis. Some weeks I share products that I love or recipes that are popular on the blog or just things that I'm loving in my everyday life. Don't forget to comment and share some of your favorite things from this week!

Zucchini everything. One of my friends grows an organic garden every year and every year her zucchinis get massive. I have no idea what she does to grow them that big, but one day they're normal size and no quite ready and the next day they're 10 pounds or more (not even kidding). I have zucchini coming out of my ears right now, but seriously I've been grilling, baking, you name it. On the plus side I have a delicious blueberry zucchini muffin recipe to share with you next week!

Panera strawberry poppyseed and chicken salad (minus pecans). This salad is the bomb! Last week I went to Panera for the first time in a very long time (I rarely go out to eat) and got this salad. I love all the fresh summer fruits paired with the dressing, which is surprising for me because I never use salad dressing. A few days ago one of my friend showed up at my door with Panera in hand, I didn't ask questions I just enjoyed good food and great company. Seriously though try this salad, it's amazing. 

Lake days. This one needs no explanation because in my opinion nothing beats spending a warm summer day at the lake. I've been doing work by the lake, swimming, boating, paddleboarding and everything in between. Not to mention that water has been over 80F degrees so it's felt like bath water- it's not a tiny or shallow lake by any means so the water being this warm is awesome! 

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This doggy meme. I literally busted out laughing at the gym when I saw this. I was running on the treadmill and was laughing so hard I thought I was going to go flying off the back. That poor dog and his haircut, but he really does look like a bobblehead😂😂😂

Lastly, I love this picture! It's actually a canvas but I took the picture at an adorable shop I stumbled into awhile ago. I came across this picture this week and shared it on my instagram because it was too cute not to share. Plus, it's a fantastic reminder to be joyful in all situations even when it's hard. I think it's all too easy to become angry with whatever situation we are in, but if we chose to be joyful about the situation and view it as a growing opportunity I think it says a lot about our character. Besides joyful people are much more pleasant to be around!

Your turn! What have been some of your favorite things from this week? Anything- products, moments, quotes, etc.

What's your favorite thing to bake/cook? 

WIAW

Happy hump day aka halfway to the weekend, whoop whoop! I've been pretty bad about doing WIAW posts, but sometimes life gets busy. Plus, I'm a creature of habit and I don't think you want to look at me eating the same thing every Wednesday. 

Since I've been working with Katie (of Katiesfitscript) she's been tweaking my macros continuously to find what works for my body. I also meal prep because it makes life easier, but it also means I eat a lot of the same foods which I'm honestly fine with. I'm a repeat meal offender I know. 

Breakfast was my usual oats. I've learned that oatmeal mixed with 2 tablespoons of protein powder (I prefer Bob's Red Mill protein powder) topped with fruit keep me full longer than any protein smoothie. I almost always have 1 egg mixed with 4 tablespoons of egg whites on the side for extra protein, I cook them up like scrambled eggs. This breakfast keeps me full for hours.

I've still been going strong on my usual lunch, but recently I met up with a friend at Panera to catch up and have lunch. Their strawberry poppyseed and chicken salad is the bomb! Let alone it's so macro friendly, more importantly it's incredibly delicious. I got it without the pecans and dressing on the side because I rarely use salad dressing and when I do I use very little- I hate when a salad is swimming in dressing. I've found that my local Panera is incredibly accommodating to my dietary restrictions, so never be afraid to ask if a restaurant can accommodate you more often than not I've found restaurants and managers to be very friendly and happy to help. 

During the summer I grill a lot because I'm not big on grilling when it's a snowstorm outside. I grill just about everything, but one of my new favorites this year is grilled sweet potato. Everyone thought it was strange, but then they tried it and realized how good it was. All I do is slice the potato into wedges/strips, spray with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil (SUPER IMPORTANT so it doesn't stick to the grill), season with greek seasoning and grill on medium/high heat for 3-4 minutes a side. BAM done. I like to top grilled potato with a little bit of vegan butter, so good! I've also been having tilapia more recently, that cooks really nice on the grill as well. I added a golden plum on the side. It was the first time I'd seen a golden plum at the grocery store and had to try one- they're really good and a tad sweeter than regular plums.

What's your favorite thing to grill?
Do you have a go to meal that you stick with? What is it?

Vanilla Coconut Energy Balls

Happy Monday everyone!! I hope you had a good weekend, for the first time in a long time I had a calm weekend. Saturday was rainy so it was the perfect excuse to stay inside and test some new recipes. First up on my list was a new energy ball recipe. It's been awhile since I've posted an energy ball recipe so that needed to change pronto.

If you've never had energy balls you are seriously missing out. They're a great pre-workout snack or on-the-go snack because they're small, pack well, and loaded with protein. Plus, they're ridiculously easy to make, like ready in 5 minutes easy. A healthy, quick and delicious snack, what could be better?! 

Vanilla Coconut Energy Balls

• 1/4 cup coconut peanut butter or almond butter (I used EarthBalance)
• 6 dates
• 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 3 Tablespoons vanilla protein powder

In a food processor combine peanut butter, dates, chia seeds, and protein powder.

Process until everything is combined, but not so long that the ingredients have formed a paste. 

Scoop out 1/2-1 Tablespoon sized bites of dough and using your hands roll them into balls. Repeat until all dough is gone. 

Store energy balls in airtight container in the refrigerator.