the weekend overhaul + spill it sundays #1

happy sun[ny]day!

yesterday was quite productive. i am delightfully satisfied. we:

1. had a meeting regarding our "wedding cake." the baker we spoke to was tickled by our request, and will hopefully be email us with the quote sometime today, so that we can finalize our order.
2. had our eyeglasses adjusted. a silly errand, but i am sure you glasses wearers out there feel me on this one. loose glasses are a pain!
3. put in our scone order for the coffee hour that will follow our wedding ceremony.
4. ordered my wedding band!!!
5. had a blast with friends at the foodie fest. it was definitely a cheat day -in all regards- but i kept the unhappy tummy food down to a couple of bites each. and i am keeping my guilt levels solidly in check! this isn't something i do very often. the stomach whoas keep my diet in check in day-to-day life. so, i went in with a decided mind to sample only what i wanted to, with a nod towards moderation.

my nibbles included:

• a bite of the dude's katsu chicken burger. i have never been a fan of battered & fried foods. or mayo, for that matter. one bite was all it took to say, "no." two thumbs down from me.
• a nibble off a white castle hamburger patty. i didn't expect much anything, but wanted to see what all the hype was about. our friend is a die-hard fan. i am decidedly not a fan. swallowing that one corner was tough. another two thumbs down for me. 
• a few bites of what i like to call the cookie dough corn dog, because that is exactly what it looked like. it was battered like a corn dog, but was filled with warm, ooey gooey cookie dough (the edible egg-less kind). i have to admit, the taste was heavenly. i allowed myself three small, delectable bites before reminding myself of the stomach ache and cramps that follow. this gets a thumbs up on taste, but a thumbs down on everything else. 
• another few bites of thai-tea flavored fluffy ice with lychee jelly and custard. the texture was mind boggling. taste, heavenly. again, the thought of the stomach ache to follow stopped me after three bites. another one thumbs up, and one thumbs down. 

the two foods i did allow myself to fully indulge in were:

the sushi "burrito."
lobster, crab, shrimp, avocado, and rice,
all wrapped up tightly inside rice paper.

and . . .

the "ultimate" dole whip.
soft serve pineapple and strawberry dole
 whip inside a fresh pineapple. below the
dole whip top was fresh, raw pineapple.
yum! this bad boy was huge!
we shared it between four people.
this delightful treat was dairy-free,
gluten-free, and vegan. not terrible,
considering we shared. 

this week i am linking up with arman, over at the big man's world.

this week's topic - BREAKFAST!

1. what is your classic go to breakfast of choice?
overnight oats with a cup of tea or coffee. on most days i can be found nosing on peanut butter vanilla overnight oats, although i have been on a vanilla coconut kick since last week.

i apologize for the repeat pic -from friday's post, none the less- but it is the only one i have currently. *blush*

2. favorite sweet style breakfast?
i like to play around with gluten-free stuffed french toast and pancake recipes on the weekend. this super simple pb&j stuffed french toast is among my most recent faves. really all it entails is making a pb&j (i used gluten-free bread, better'n peanut butter, and berry preserves), and then soaking it in an egg and milk mixture (i prefer unsweetened vanilla almond milk). i like it because it's a fun play on breakfast, and on a classic meal from my childhood.

3. favorite savory style breakfast?
i am a huge egg fan, so it is no surprise that my favorite savory breakfast is an egg dish. now don't get all excited here because it is nothing wild. my all-time-favorite morning meal consists of two eggs, over medium, with a side of toast (gf nowadays), hash browns, and a cup of coffee. diner style of course! there is just something mmm, mmm good about a diner-style breakfast every now and then. it's been a while since i have satiated this indulgence, so i don't have a picture at the ready. that is probably a good thing lol.

a mexican-style egg-white scramble is more along the lines of my typical savory breaky.

i believe this is also a repeat snapshot, so again, i am sorry. note to self: take some new food pics! haha

4. share a breakfast recipe you are a fan of - it can be your own or another blogger's!
banana vanilla bean pancakes with mixed berry compote from paleOMG.com. flavor bomb!! i have not made this in quite some time, but boy it is delicious!

this super classy picture, featuring only the best industrial strength paper plate and plasticware, is from the last time i mealprepped this for work. ;)

5. strangest breakfast you’ve ever eaten?
hmmm, i am such a creature of habit that i cannot remember the last time i strayed from the norm. what does come to mind is one of my first attempts at making a green smoothie. this was last summer. i was on a pretty serious smoothie kick, which i am known to go through every few months or so. generally i stick to making peanut butter fill in the blank smoothies, and all is well. on this particular day, i decided to play around with making a green smoothie. after looking at recipe after recipe, and coming up short on ingredients, i promptly and stubbornly decided to wing it. i threw in a little of this, and a little of that. ingredients such as: avocado, cilantro, celery, lemon juice, pineapple juice, etc . . . fruit and veggie after fruit and veggie, trying to roughly mirror the fruit-to-veggie ratio i'd read about on a few blogs. well, at first it was delicious! i could hardly believe it. i, a non-juicer, with no juicing equipment or high-powered blender, had whipped together a taste-bud-exciting delight! and that is where things get hazy. for some crazy reason, i decided that there were not yet enough veggies in my green smoothie. why, i hadn't even utilize the vibrant, leafy kale sitting right in my produce drawer. so, i though, "why not give it a little tweak?" and that is when i mixed my chef's hat up with my mad scientist's hat. the result was, well . . . memorable haha!

6. do you have a typical breakfast routine?
monday through thursday it's pretty easy peasy: wake up about 5:28 am. feed the cats. get ready for work. commute. check emails while drinking tea (usually white/green blend or chai). feel the first hunger pangs around 7:50-8:00 am. feast on my overnight oats at my desk.

fridays i generally have to myself, so they are a lot more laid back. wake up about 6:30 am. get out of bed around 7:30-8:30 am (depending on if i decide to read in bed). feed the cats. take the dogs out. catch up on my favorite blogs. take my time feeling out my food mood. make either: hot oats, egg white scramble, pb banana smoothie, or gf pancakes.

saturdays and sundays are about the same as fridays, except that i wait for the dude to wake. he isn't a morning person by any means, so i generally don't end up eating until well after 10:30-11 am.

thank you, arman, for hosting this linkup. this was quite fun!

well lovelies, the day is ticking by. i have a meal plan to put together, grocery shopping to do, and an afternoon of cooking ahead of me. enjoy your sunday!

peace. love. :)
yay