For being a Monday, today really hasn’t been too shabby. How ‘bout that??
It must be the amazing dinner I just finished…
Or maybe it had something to do with the kick-butt workout I started my day off with this morning. Only 2 hits of the snooze button allowed me a little extra time than normal (maybe I’m making progress!?). So I took advantage with a quick, 1-mile warm up on the treadmill, at a 6.5 – 7.0mph pace.
After that, I followed things up with another sweaty session of Jillian Michael’s No More Trouble Zones. I’m totally loving this workout lately, and have actually been enjoying it in place of BodyPump. I’ve been going through a “BodyPump is boring” phase, so I’m glad I’ve been able to find something to take its place for now!
Breakfast
Needless to say, my workout definitely left me with a grumblin’ tummy! Once I walked out into the kitchen, I couldn’t believe that I had almost forgotten about THIS…
Empty peanut butter jar!! You know what THAT means…
OIAJ BIAJ! Yes, Buckwheat in a Jar!
I used the same combo as Saturday (minus the carrot cake cupcake) and I am happy to say that BIAJ is just as enjoyable as my beloved OIAJ. It’s definitely a mighty fine substitute. PHEW!
Lunch
I kept things pretty simple today, but was still enjoying my little rainbow of color I was able to incorporate. Call me crazy, but I just love colorful meals!
In addition to some celery sticks and an orange, I packed up a small portion of leftovers from last night’s Mac & Cheese dish. We only finished about half of it last night, so we’ve still got a good amount to go!
And for a little sweetness to round out the meal, an always-delicious strawberry Chobani. Lunch was actually broken into 2 parts (as usual) today: mac & cheese + celery sticks first, followed by orange + Chobani around 3:00. Perfection!
After work, I had a couple quick errands to run, including my first round of immunotherapy. Things went smoothly, and there’s really nothing to report on, except the fact that I get to have 4 shots every time that I go…how did I get so lucky??
So by the time I got home, I was feeling a little pick-me-up was in order…
Two Nutella Chocolate Chip cookies definitely did the trick. I made sure to enjoy them now, since they’re off-limits after dinner! Luckily, I don’t think I’d be craving them much tonight anyways, after the incredible food I just consumed…
Tonight’s dinner was inspired by a recipe I came across in the March issue of Cooking Light Magazine…
Homemade White Pizza with Tomato, Basil, & Pesto.
We started with a Trader Joe’s garlic & herb pizza crust (which Jay did an amazing job rolling out…I can’t stand rolling out pizza dough, I’m terrible at it!) then topped it with some store-bought basil pesto, fresh tomato slices, and a few dollops of reduced-fat ricotta cheese.
Next, we added a mix of part-skim mozzarella + 6-cheese Italian blend.
I couldn’t believe that this was baby was homemade!!
Once it was out of the oven, I topped it with some fresh sliced basil leaves and some cracked black pepper.
Holy delicious! I’ve actually never tried making a pizza with pesto before, but I can definitely foresee this happening again in my future. It gives the pizza a completely different flavor…it will totally rock your socks off!
I devoured two slices and I’m currently trying my very best to hold off on digging into a third…
We’ll see how successful I am with that.
I’m actually hoping to have a little extra time to read more of my book tonight…I honestly haven’t gotten very far since the last time I mentioned it!
Question for the Evening:
What rocked YOUR socks off today??
fsugirl! says
This fabulous recipe! Mmmm…. how do you have the energy to make creative and delish(no doubt!)recipes? I’m tuckered out by the evening and eat the same old boring stuff: salads, sandwiches, Green Monsters,blah blah blah. :D
Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles says
The pizza looks fabulous!
By the way, I tried a new (to me) tea that you might like for an after dinner treat since sweets are off-limits: Mango Black Tea from Trader Joe’s. It has a wonderful flavor, with the perfect amount of natural sweetness from the mango. When you’re at TJ’s next time, you should try it – or we can do a foodie swap since there’s one a few blocks from me! :)
Darcy Pogue says
Eating dinner with my hubby and 2 amazing girls rocked my socks off today! AFter a down day yesterday, it was great to see them and talk to them about our days. I am so lucky to have the 3 of them in my life!
Courtney says
Awww I’m so glad you had a nice dinner with the 3 of them! Hopefully you’re feeling better now! :)
Stefanie @TheNewHealthy says
Mm, you just made me want pizza for dinner – but only pizza with pesto!! :)
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
That pizza looks absolutely heavenly!!! I love pesto on pizza!
Lauren @ Hungry Dancer says
YUM! All your eats today look amazing!! So jealous!!
Melissa (MelissaLikesToEat) says
I love pizza. It’s probably my favorite food ever. Your pizza looks to die for. I’ve never tried the herb version of Trader Joe’s crust. Looks delicious!
Jenny says
Such a cute blog! I have major pizza cravings sometimes so I’m always a fan of the homemade version. They always taste sooo much better. Today I got a taste of an Mexican Chocolate that was slightly spice and grainy, and to put it in your works – “rocked my socks off”! Helloooo monday
Courtney says
Wow, that sounds intriguing!!
Thanks for stopping by, Jenny! :)
Faith @ lovelyascharged says
I’ve been writing about immunotherapy for mesothelioma patients for work, but luckily you just have allergies – not cancer! I’m sure you’ll make it through just perfectly!
Jess says
Um, that pizza looks amazing! I may or may not be copying your pizza recipe in the near future ;)
Great blog by the way! I love it.
Courtney says
Thanks, Jess! :)
Tara @ The Game of Life says
I am so doing your pb jar idea once my jar is complete! That looks great, plus I am always scraping every last but of pb out of the jar!! Oh and your pizza looks great!!!!
Melissa says
I got totally jealous when I saw your empty PB jar! Why are OIAJ so much better than oats with just PB mixed in? What is that???
My tofu stir fry that I made for dinner rocked my socks! And the Malbec I had with it was 100% delish, too! Happy Monday, indeed! :D
Stacie says
I made pizza tonight too – unfortunately mine was not as pretty as yours and tasted kinda awful. Oh well, live and learn…
Jess@atasteofconfidence says
I had crepes today which definitely knocked my socks off!
Lauren says
Wow, that looks amazing. I love TJ’s pizza dough!
Marcie says
The concept of OIAJ … What!? Amazing idea. I just threw out an “empty” jar too… Next time!
Khushboo says
I started packing for my upcoming trip to Singapore. That totally put me on a high :). Yummy eats!
Jenny (Fit Girl Foodie) says
Sounds like you had a fabulous day between a great workout, breakfast and that delicious pizza! I love oiaj so biaj must be equally as delicious ;) Love that pizza btw!! Yummm :D
Holly says
Oh my gosh- that pizza does look soooo yummy! I LOVE fresh basil- I love putting it in sandwiches too- like turkey, tomato & basil- mmmm!
CaSaundra says
Wow–I agree..that pizza looks divine! I love the short ingredients list too :-)