Happy What I Wednesday my dear faithful readers and welcome newbies. I’m so glad you decided to join me today, and I’m even more excited for those who want to be a part of my Boy Push Up challenge. We can totally do this thing. For those of you who are skeptical or struggling, you should know I could barely do five push ups a couple of weeks ago, so don’t give up hope. I’ve got your back, and if you keep it up, pretty soon you’ll be able to hang on your own (literally, since that’s the whole point).
Before we get to the real reason for today’s post (the food, obviously), we need to give a great big shout out to Ms. Jenn at Peas and Crayons. Not only is she a rock star, but her soup was literally my dinner on Sunday night. Yep, I stole her recipe, and it was oh so good. You can’t get a healthier holiday meal than one from the Queen Bee herself. 
Before I jump right into dinner (because that would be awkward and a terrible waste of food), let’s start with a little breakfast.
My day began with a Citrus Zinger and a cup of coffee in my appropriate Christmas mug. I’d like to tell you I just busted him out for the holidays, but that’s simply not true. You see, he makes the perfect size cup of coffee…not too big, not too small…he’s just right. So Goldilocks and I use and abuse him all year round; I just don’t photograph him in the offseason (oh, the horror of using a Christmas mug in July).
Since a girl can’t live on coffee alone (at least not this girl), I followed up my cup of joe with some Nature’s Path cereal, Sunrise Crunchy Maple to be exact. When I nabbed this particular box at the Bin, I thought I was grabbing Maple Pecan Crunch, which is very, very different. However, it was a great mishap because this cereal might just be my new favorite (Shh, don’t tell the Pecan Crunch).
The Crunchy Maple is chock full of rice, flax, quinoa and buckwheat, which is strange for a breakfast cereal, but also damn good. It was uber crunchy, and I like my food to have some snap and sizzle. It reminded me of the old school Kix (“Kid tested, Mother approved“), except instead of just one size, there were balls of multiple shapes in my bowl. Crunchy balls in a variety pack gets a thumbs up from me.
Lunch turned out to be leftovers from Saturday’s night’s dinner. The Hubby and I went to Carrabba’s, once a favorite, but no longer an ideal restaurant choice for me. In our defense though (I always have a defense), we had a gift card, and free food is something I can handle, so I took one for the team.
I ordered pasta with artichokes, Kalmata olives, and sun-dried tomatoes in a garlic aioli. It was alright on Saturday, but it was way better on Sunday after I added a half can of artichokes to it. C’mon Carrabba’s: no need to be stingy with the ‘chokes. Hell it was the reason I ordered the dish.
Despite the back to back photos, dinner was hours later. It started with one of my favorite winter salad and a pretty solid runner-up for healthy holiday recipes.
Finely sliced Bosc pears drizzled with a tablespoon of blue cheese and topped with a handful of toasted walnuts. The trick is to wait until your pears are almost ripe enough to burst. Talk about a salad of spot on flavor goodness. Best part: no lettuce was involved nor harmed in the making of this magnificent creation.
My final meal of the day is one of Jenn’s very own: Cauliflower Soup with Asparagus Pesto. She posted it this weekend and grabbed my heart and stomach with her delectable pictures. We all know (or we do now anyway) I have a soft spot in my heart for anything cauliflower. It’s underused, yet so versatile. Although in this dish, the cauliflower is not the star of the show (She was being such a Diva!). Hands down, the winner is the Asparagus Pesto, which is ridiculously addicting. I’ve been putting it on everything this week.
Thanks Jenn. This one is Kid tested; Meghan approved.
What did you eat today (or Sunday, or Monday, or Tuesday)? I want to hear about a day of your eats. Haven’t signed up for my Boy Push Up Challenge? You should do it. You know you want to….
I find that sometimes leftovers are even better the next day, or even two days after. Love your soup bowl too btw. It’s adorable girl =)
Thanks Jessie. Happy WIAW.
I see you’re still loving the citrus zinger….such a clever gadget! And that soup looks scrumptious, how clever is the asparagus pesto? Happy WIAW!
What’s not to love?! I’m going to be hooked to that thing until the day I die. Asparagus pesto is genius.
The pasta looks incredible as do the pears!! Yum…now I’m hungry and it’s too early to eat breakfast…I’ll survive! 😉 Have a great day, Meghan!!
The pears were soooo good. Packed with flavor and fiber; you can’t go wrong. Happy WIAW.
That’s a beautiful bowl–never seen that shape before!
Oh right, the food. Thanks for the link to the Asparagus Pesto–when it’s in season for me I envision a pizza topping!
Yes you would love it. The recipe calls for asparagus, arugula, and some dried basil. I used asparagus, fresh basil and since I had no arugula, I went with a spinach and CSA radish combo for the win. Score!
Wow, your pictures are truly stunning, especially the pear, cheese and walnut salad – looks so delicious! And your Christmas mug does look the most perfect size for coffee, I’d use it all year round too ;). Wish I had a festive mug!
Aw thank you. I love comments like yours; they make my day. Thanks for stopping by; I really appreciate it.
You have to buy yourself a holiday mug; I got this one as a gift, and it’s now my “go to” cup.
love that pear and gorgonzola combo – sweet and tangy saltiness!
Yep, it’s the bomb. I tore through that salad.
Lovely pics! The pear looks so pretty!
Thank you! The pears really were delicious. The perfect ripeness.
I’ve tried the crunchy vanilla sunrise but not the maple. I might have to do that… That pasta looks right up my alley too. Anything with olives, artichokes and olive oil is like a dream come true! Take me to Italy!!
They have Crunchy Vanilla too….oh my, I have to try it. If you go to Italy, I wanna come. That would be a dream vacation.
Cute Christmas mug!
Love your fancy schmancy pear salad. Looks so elegant and pretty 🙂
And I can’t even do one push-up, so I’ve failed at the challenge before it even started. Lol.
I love hearing the phrase fancy schmancy!
It’s ok if you can’t do one; that’s even more reason to join the challenge…your goal can be to do one by the time we’re done.
I love accidentally buying the wrong thing. I feel like a doofus when I first get home, but then I realize it makes me change my habits/try something new. And duuude, free food. I’ll take it too, ideal or no. (I also use Halloween drinking glasses year-round. They’re the only drinking glasses I own.)
I didn’t even realize it until I poured the cereal. I was all skeptical at first wondering what was chilling in my bowl, but damn it was tasty. Ideal or no, I can’t pass up free.
I love that you only have Halloween drinking glasses. We need to get your place furnished.
I’m not usually a fan of pears but I really want to eat your plateful here! Yum! 🙂 And I loved Kix as a kid…the different sizes sounds fun 🙂
If you liked Kix, you’d dig this cereal.
I pretty much love all fruit, especially when it’s in season.
Everything looks so good, especially that cereal! If I could eat cereal for every meal, I would. 🙂
I used to eat cereal all the time for dinner. What’s your favorite?
Your pear salad looks so good! Today, I ate leftover coconut pancakes with almond butter and banana slices on top for breakfast, No Oat Oatmeal with spinach and pumpkin added for lunch, homemade trail mix for a snack and Kaluha pork and cabbage for dinner, that my husband made!
Those pancakes sound fabulous. I love dinners made by the husbands. It’s so nice, and I need to know what’s in your homemade trail mix. Is the recipe on your blog?
Obsessed with feasting on leftovers! Sometimes I swear I barely eat my own food at restaurants so I can savor it the next day! Blah! Restaurants need not to be so stingy bring on the veggies! You have inspired me to buy some cauliflower this week, that soup looks tasty! Love and shine Court
Thanks for stopping by, and you should make cauliflower. When cooked correctly, it can be scumptious and it’s so low calorie, you could eat the entire head guilt free. In fact, that’s my favorite way to have it: roasted with some blue cheese vinagarette. Mmmm.
Your pear, blue cheese, and walnut snack looks so gourmet! My week of eats has been pretty boring…bananas, coffee, hardboiled eggs, rice crackers with jelly, salads with chicken, roasted veggies….repeat!
You say boring, but it sounds good and nutritious to me. I’d take that, especially the roasted veggies.