Why I'm never home on the weekends...

So, I meant to upload photos of my weekend first and then pictures of what I accomplished yesterday, but because blogger is acting weird, I'll start with yesterday and go backwards. LOL

Because I start my new job today, I did some preparations yesterday in order to make my week go by a little more smoothly.

First, I made a fruit tray. My husband is always telling me that if he could see the fruit, he'd eat it. So, I am taking my chances of the fruit possibly going bad...
I also prepared and planned a weeks worth of dinners. On the menu:

• Monday: Enchiladas
• Tuesday: BBQ with all my new coworkers
• Wednesday: Chicken salads
• Thursday: Whole Lemon/Citrus Chicken
• Friday: Chicken Quesadillas
• Saturday: Soup and Sandwiches

To prepare, I cooked two chicken breasts and chopped them up for easy chicken salads and chicken quesadillas.

Because my meat is all cooked, all I have to do the night before for the salads is chop the lettuce, tomatoes and carrots, and shred the cheese. For the quessadillas, I'll just shred the cheese the night before.

I also cooked some ground beef for Josh's enchiladas and for other beef dishes later in the month.

I forgot to take a picture of my enchilada stuffings, but it included rice, pinto beans and a little ground turkey. I actually made Josh enough enchiladas for two meals (lunch and dinner) and for me enough for dinner and two lunches.

My whole lemon citrus chicken dinner will just be thrown into the crock pot the night before.

Oh and I also made homemade granola...

On to why I'm never home for the weekends

I'm never home, 'cause I have more fun elsewhere!

This weekend, Brittany invited Michelle and I over for a Bed and Breakfast (at her home). We actually stayed two nights. I didn't take too many photos. I just forgot. Plus all I had was my phone and the pictures are not the best.

The first night Brittany prepared for us a whole bunch of assorted goodies. She made stuffed mushrooms, prepared humus, bean salsa, spinach dip, fruit, veggies, etc.

Breakfast the first morning was homemade pumpkin bread, spiced peaches and vegan bacon.

After chatting over coffee, we then ventured to Ashland, and had lunch at the Greenleaf. Britt and Michelle got salads.

And I got a pita pizza, which I meant to upload, but forgot to. It's too much hassle to load it now. Sorry. The pizza was so delicate and light. It was just enough to hold me over until...

We made our way to Rising Sun Farms, where we sampled about 15 different Cheese Tortettes. I bought a small sample one...
OMGoodness, talk about delish!

We also went to Eden Valley Orchards. I had a sip or two of complimentary wines, but gave the rest to Michelle. I'm just not that in to wine. Though, I still had a blast!

The view was beautiful. And check out these flowers...

After visiting the different creameries and wineries, we went to Jacksonville for dinner.

Isn't that sign cute. I had to take a picture...you know since Brittany is Britt. LOL This is actually for the Britt Festival in Jacksonville.

We ate at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. My meal seriously cost $3.45 and I got stuffed. I had a side taco and a side of rice. Amazing.

Brittany bought some organic chocolate, so I had a piece. Mmmm chocolate.

Breakfast the next day included egg beaters and homemade bread pudding, while we watched Rachel Getting Married. Good movie, though a little depressing.

Thank you Brittany for a beautiful weekend!

Well, sorry that post didn't give much in the way of creativeness, but I had to hurry. It took 10 minutes longer than I had planned. I'm now off to go for a morning run. Then I have to get ready and head out for my first day at work! Wish me luck.

--Shawnee

P.S. What did you all do this weekend?

My Weekend Review and a Rumor of a Givaway??

Finally, after taking forever to edit and load my photos, and the Internet going down, I am ready to make this post!

But, before I do I just wanted to mention that I heard from a little birdy that I might just be doing a really awesome giveaway in the next couple of days. That's right, come back soon to find out how you can win a really amazing cookbook!

And now, my weekend review.


Friday:

Josh and I headed up to Longview to sell some junk at his parent's garage sale. We ended up making $60 a piece! YAY.

I went out to lunch with my mom and grandma at the Country Folks Deli, aka Cow Deli.

I had half a Grilled Avocado Sandwich with Swiss cheese and a side salad. Their Sun Dried Tomato Basil Dressing is to die for. I think I figured out all the ingredients.
I went for a run that evening and then shopping with my cash! I got a complete outfit at Ross for $22.50.
I already owned the purse and necklace. But, guess how much I got the shoes for?? $.50, they were originally $50! A total score. :)
I also bought new bowls to go with the plates I purchased a month or so ago. I wanted to do the mix and match thing. Doesn't my set totally look like a flower?
I also bought the cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, Every Day Chance by Max Lucado, and the newest addition of Real Simple Magazine. The other book in this photo and the utensils are gifts from Brittany and Michelle. I'll share about those later.

Saturday:

Josh and I made our way to the Oregon Coast on Saturday for my mom's wedding.
Maddie wanted to say hi.
The ceremony was super laid back, short and sweet. That's mom and her new hubby below.
The whole new family, including my new little siblings (weird huh) lol. But they're nice. I am an only child, so it will take some getting used to.
Me and Mom.
Mom's reception was totally non traditional. We had lunch in Manzanita...
at the Pizza Garden.
There were about 12 people total in and at the wedding. We all ate out on the deck and watched the two bald eagles fly around their nests.
The inside was really cute too, and...
...pizza was amazing. I was super impressed that they had gluten free crust!

Sunday:

After church on Sunday (back home in A-Town), I drove south to Eugene to meet up with my best girls.
Brittany and Michelle.

We had lunch at the Midtown Marketplace.
I loved the atmosphere. You have to see it for yourself to understand.
We each ordered a different salad. They were all amazing. I got the Pene Pesto Pasta on top of a bed of greens. To die for. It had big chunks of artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and more. So good!
Then we exchanged gifts! The occasion?: Britt's birthday was July 17th, Britt brought us souvenirs from Disneyland, and Michelle brought me a belated b-day gift!

Britt brought me the Mickey/Disney cooking utensils (in the photo under Friday), and she got Michelle Jack Skellington Mickey ears. Michelle absolutely adores A Nightmare Before Christmas.
I bought Brittany a super cute polka dot apron and a copy of Deceptively Delicious.
Oh, and for my belated b-day present Michelle got me The New Handmade, a really awesome book with tons of modern sewing ideas! I am so inspired.

After lunch, Brittany was in the mood for a smoothie, so I suggested we go toward the University of Oregon. I kind of remember there being a bunch of places to eat and hang when I was at a journalism conference there.

We didn't really find it, but we stopped to walk around the campus and check out the Hayward Field.
Then we intentionally got lost and found our way to the Fifth Street Market...
...and La Velle Vinyards.
Michelle talked us into wine tasting. It was seriously like 3 tblsps worth of wine. I did really enjoy the sweet Rieslings.
Below is Sam, they nice man who put up with us! Hi Sam. :) If you're ever in Eugene, you should stop by the Fifth Street Market and go to La Velle Vinyards, and say hi to Sam.
Finally we found a place to have a smoothie. The LN. LN stands for something, I just can't remember what. Nor can I find it on Google.
Michelle and I indulged in the peach and Brittany treated herself to the strawberry. They weren't too sweet, which is good 'cause it makes me feel like I am not eating a bunch of sugar.
Whew! That post was exhausting. :) Until next time my faithful nine followers!

--Shawnee

P.S. Don't forget to come back often to learn more about my amazing giveaway.

P.P.S. I got sick of looking at myself every time I viewed my blog, so I designed a new header. It may change a bit from time to time in the next few days. So bear with me.

Miss me? Probably not

Recap of my life since I last posted...

Ashland, Oregon B&B and Shakespearean Festival with my mom.

This is the Bed and Breakfast we stayed in.

I know! Totally not bed and breakfasty at all. Very spa like.

Each room had their own private bath. I absolutely love this bathroom.

Check out that sink! Beautiful. :)

For breakfast the first morning we had individual bread puddings with fresh fruit, and a blueberry scone. For day two, we had individual pans of eggs Florentine, fresh fruit and an amazing blueberry muffin. They also had complimentary bottles of water, soda, and fresh homemade cookies for any time of the day!

I will totally be visiting again. www.peltonhouse.com Check it out. :)

Here are some good eats on our trip...

Standing Stone Brewing Co.

Black and Blue Grilled Steak Salad.

Very delicious, though I had to ask for more blue cheese.

Mom and I enjoyed the outdoor seating at the Standing Stone.

Pasta Piatti's

I had the minestrone, mom had pasta with marinara and chunks of mozzarella. I ordered us a side of bruscheta.

The bruschetta was amazing, with big fresh chunks of cherry tomatoes and basil. Mom really liked adding a little balsamic vinegar.

Zoey's Cafe and All Natural Ice Cream

I had the peppermint stick ice cream. A childhood favorite!

Activities in Ashland

We saw two plays: Don Quixote and Much Ado About Nothing. Both were well done. I really enjoyed the puppetry in Don Quixote. And the way the director set Much Ado About Nothing in post World War II Italy was phenomenal!

We also had a picnic and went swimming at Emigrant Lake.

All of our lunches were packed from home. I grilled a few pieces of chicken breast for sandwiches and wraps. Of course we used my homemade bread and tortillas. We also brought a bunch of fruit and veggies for snacks.

We also walked around Ashland's historical cemetery.

We were going to do this tour thing with people dressed up like historical figures, but we decided it might be boring. so we just looked at the stones and such.

We also did a ton of walking, and we went to a few garage sales. I found a really cool vase and a free Martha Stewart book. :)

On our last day (the day we drove home), we stopped at the Rogue Creamery in Central Point Oregon. We tested a bunch of amazing cheeses.

Then we walked across the parking lot and went to Lillie Bell Farms. They had some of the best chocolate I've ever tasted. Including some chocolate covered...
...bacon! Actually pretty good. I only had a little sliver.

Below is some of my lute from the creamery and chocolate factory.

I got a small wedge of Smokey Blue cheese. The smokey-rich flavor of this cheese is to die for! I also got a small four pack of Lillie Belle's Dark Chocolate Carmel infused with lavender. OMGoodness They put a tiny dab of salt on the top. All the flavors are heaven. I also purchase one Chocolate covered Smokey Blue Cheese Truffle.

This is the inside of the truffle. I was really scared to try it. I thought it was going to have a big hunk of blue cheese in the middle, but the blue cheese was infused in the chocolate. I savored every bite. The combination was near Ecstasy.

Cheese is my favorite food. Dark chocolate is my favorite dessert. Put the two together: like a party in the mouth. Woot!

Here are some of my creative meal ideas from this past week:

Smokey Blue Cheese and Pear Salad

I used my blue cheese in a couple different meals this week.

In this salad:

• 1 cup Romaine
• 1 whole ripe pear (cored and diced)
• 1/4 of diced red onion
• 1 oz Smokey Blue Cheese
• 1/8 walnuts
• My own homemade honey balsamic dressing (1 tbsp honey, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt to taste)

I actually ended up adding the walnuts after I took this photo. I forgot them at first.

I enjoyed this salad so much, I had it two days in a row for lunch.

Quinoa with Lemon Zucchini

I got this recipe from the Whole Food's website. It called for crumbled feta on top, but I didn't have any, so I used my blue cheese. I think this cheese didn't go too well with the lemony flavor. Very good dish though.

Banana, Blueberry and Walnut Oatmeal.

In this bowl:

• 1/2 cup cooked oats
• 1/2 cup of Vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 blueberries
• 1/2 banana
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Light Smart Balance butter

Cook oats. Then in a small frying pan, melt butter, add sugar, and saute fruit and nuts for a few minutes. Add almond milk to oats and top with the fruit and nut mix.

So delicious!

I hope to blog tomorrow morning, to get back on track.

Have a good weekend everyone.