Sweet T and a Honey B
Food, Fitness, and the Adventures That Make Life Sweet

Vegetable Paninis with Pesto Mayo

It’s Fri-Yay! We are merely hours from signing off our work computers for the last time for a solid three days. This Memorial Day weekend involves picking up some flowers and iced coffee from the local farmer’s market, barbecuing with friends, and spending some much needed relaxing time with my husband. In true Memorial Day fashion, we have some rain in the forecast but I am hopeful the sun will decide to peek his head out-even if only long enough for Bryan to grill up those burgers. Before getting this weekend kicked off, I wanted to share a quick idea for a great weeknight meal to keep in mind when doing your grocery shopping this weekend. 

This past Monday I rushed home from work for a number of reasons. This was mainly because, let’s face it- we’re all glad when 5pm on a Monday rolls around. Though, there was a little extra anticipation this particular week because the new season of the Bachelorette was premiering. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was looking forward to meeting this season’s crazies all weekend long. 

I couldn’t throw my sweat pants on fast enough and wanted to make a quick dinner so as not to miss the first introduction (I’m already impressed with Kenny the pro-wrestler from Las Vegas). Using minimal fixings and my beloved panini maker, I made a vegetable panini so delicious that it deserves the final rose. 

Vegetable Paninis with Pesto Mayo – Makes 2 Paninis- 11 WW SPs each

Sandwich:

  • 4 slices of sourdough bread
  • 2 tsp  EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
  • 1/2 cup sliced zucchini
  • 1/2 cup sliced yellow squash
  • 1/2 cup sliced red pepper
  • 1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
  • 2 slices (1 oz. each) Havarti cheese

Pesto Mayo:

  • 1 tbs basil pesto
  • 1 tbs mayonnaise (I use mayo made with avocado oil)
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • In a medium sized frying pan, heat EVOO over medium heat and add all veggies to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Vegetables are done when soft and begin to blacken.
  • Place 1/2 slice of Havarti cheese on your sourdough and add your cooked vegetables, then your other 1/2 slice. Close your sandwich and place sandwich gently on your panini press (you can easily make this right in the frying pan if you do not have a panini maker). 
  • Using a fork, whisk pesto, mayo, and lemon juice in a small bowl. 
  • Once your panini is done, add 1 tbs of the pesto mayo to each sandwich and enjoy! I like to serve with fresh fruit or tortilla chips. 

 

 

A Little Sunshine Goes a Long Way

Normally I do not write weekend recaps, but this particular weekend was so beautiful it deserves it’s own shout out. It may have been the spectacular weather or the lack of plans Hubs and I had to stuff into a 48-hour period (come to think of it-it was definitely a combination of both), but this was a very welcomed couple of days. After recent weekends of parties, showers, and plans with family and friends, we were sure to take advantage of slowing it down this weekend. 

There was ONE plan I made sure was on the agenda for Saturday. This weekend began the annual Downers Grove Farmers Market held every Saturday morning from the middle of May through the middle of October. This certainly isn’t the biggest market I have ever been to, but absolutely my favorite. There is something about my routine of buying massive sized sunflowers, enjoying a vanilla iced coffee from Door County Coffee, and picking out some delicious fruits to enjoy during the week that excites me every time. My cousin, Kaitlyn, and I make it a point to attend together most weeks and this is a tradition that has become very special to me. It’s still a little early for most flowers and a lot of fruits, but you can bet I came home with a bag of goodies nonetheless. I was most excited to try my Blueberry Lemon Biscotti from Gallery’s Choice with my coffee this morning. 

Hubs decided to attend with me this week and we met up with my Aunt Lynda and Kaitlyn to share in the rest of the town’s excitement about the market and much-anticipated sunshine. 

Post-market involved some various Mother’s Day errands (my part) and fixing a broken sink (Hub’s part. I stayed far away). My list of errands included a stop at Target (naturally) and it seems like it’s every week I find a reason to raid the dollar spot. Is anyone else as drawn to this as I am? I purchased an adorable carafe with a Pineapple on it. We planned on making our signature wedding drink this weekend so this was more of a NEED than a want…right?

I came home to get ahead of some tidying and waited for Bry to finish the sink. All week we had wanted to try a new-to-Downers Grove restaurant called ‘3 Corners‘ so we had been planning this for a date night. I highly recommend the jalapeno poppers as an appetizer. The food was delicious and the company was even better 🙂 .

Mother’s Day began with abundant sunshine again. It was hard for me to stay in bed because I wanted to enjoy every moment of it that I could. I began the day with a long walk around my neighborhood. Afterwards, Bryan and I had plans to stop at Brewpoint for Iced Bartolomes, and bring a cup to my mom at the hospital. Unfortunately, she was scheduled to work this Mother’s Day but I had to see her, if even for fifteen minutes. Luckily there was a lull in patients when we went to visit around lunchtime because Bry and I walked as one of her friends was teaching her how to design her own Bitmoji. I’ve already received three and my favorite is of her as an avocado…. =P

During the evening we celebrated my beautiful Mother-in-Law over a delicious grilled chicken dinner made by my Father-in-law. She requested “something chocolate” for dessert so I made some brownies with chocolate chip cookie dough frosting. After a glass of blueberry wine, way too much caesar salad, and a brownie, we moved to the couch to relax, play with their pup, and laugh at some of Bryan’s bad jokes. I am so lucky to have my in-laws in my life and it was a perfect way to end the evening. Hubs and I went home to take a short walk to enjoy the last few minutes of sun and sat down to enjoy a ‘Honey-B’ (drink recipe coming this week) while we watched our shows.

I feel so much more refreshed going into Monday after weekends like these and I find that I need to be reminded of that once in a while. I hope you too got to enjoy the sunshine with your loved ones these past couple of days and that everyone’s weekend was a happy one. 

Happy Mothers Day!

“Everything I am, you helped me to be”

 I consider myself incredibly lucky that I can confidently say that all of my favorite childhood memories involve my mother. Saturday mornings included library book readings and stops at the local Busy Bee Bakery. The soundtrack to every car ride included Fleetwood Mac or Phil Collins loudly on cassette tapes. Sleepovers with my girlfriends always ended with running up the stairs from the basement to the smell of her incredible french toast and bacon. I will be forever thankful that she made herself present in every aspect of my life growing up.

 While every day as a child was filled with comfort, love, laughs, and the greatest hugs anyone could imagine, I think my relationship with my mom as a young woman is dearest to me. Anyone that knows the infamous Patti, knows she is special. Though I don’t know I could ever convey in words just HOW special she is. After my Dad passed away in 2004, I watched her devote all her time and energy into making sure her pre-teen daughter had every single thing she could have ever needed and wanted. She became Superwoman and the best role model any daughter could have ever asked for.

 Her concern for others, ability to overcome any and every obstacle thrown at her, and infectious ‘wheeze laugh’ when she or my Uncle Mike say something hilarious, are my absolute favorite things about her (as much as I hate to admit it – I also really enjoy her crude hospital humor). To this day, my favorite part of each day is hearing her call me’ Bunny’ on the other end of the phone- followed by something hilarious about a crazy patient she had at work. 

 

For as long as I can remember Mom has told me, “If I could give you half of the happiness I had as a child, I am doing a good job”. I will never be able to properly thank my mom for the life that she gave me but I want to spend each day trying. She is my biggest cheerleader, confidant, and best friend. She has taught me true kindness and compassion, how find a reason to laugh when it’s difficult to find one, how to be a good wife (and one day, a mother), the important in teasing my hair, and the joy of making sure a Starbucks Barista knows me by name.

Mother’s Day may be special to her and all of the moms out there, but it’s special to me too because I certainly have the greatest one there is.

 

Happiest of Mother’s Day to all of the mama’s out there. I hope your day is filled with love and being surrounded by your favorite people!

Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Happy Friday! This upcoming weekend is a very welcomed one. With two wedding showers, a baby shower, and a bachelorette party, these next couple days are going to be filled with lots of celebration for some very special people in my life. It will certainly be busy, but I am excited to spend some time with some great friends, enjoy the sunshine (it’s about time – is Chicago the new Seattle?), and eat some yummy treats. Whatever your plans are, I hope they are filled with your own special people this weekend!

Before my long weekend ahead, I wanted to share a delicious meal hubs and I made this week. Admittedly we were a little thrown off by the rain and chilly temperatures as we covered our grill back up again after the 70-degree weather a couple short weeks ago. I was looking for something warm to fill us up and nothing does that better than sweet potatoes. A few other blogs I’ve read recently combine sweet potatoes with other meals in such a creative way so I thought I could do the same. With some leftover shredded chicken and a never-ending supply of taco toppings in the house, it was super easy to whip up some taco stuffed sweet potatoes. 

Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Makes 2 servings – 1 potato per serving. 9 WW Sps per serving

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
  • 6 oz. shredded chicken
    • I had a lot of shredded chicken leftover so that’s what I used. At the beginning of the week I threw 1 lb. of chicken in to the crockpot and cooked on high for four hours with a little olive oil, cumin, chipotle chili powder, and a pinch of garlic powder. It makes for your own taco seasoning 🙂
  • 4 tbs salsa
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium sized avocado – sliced
  • 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. After rinsing off potatoes, puncture holes all over each potato using a fork. Wrap lightly in tin foil and place in oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until potatoes are soft. 
  3. Slice an ‘X’ in the top of each potato and ‘smush’ (a technical term) each side to form a pocket perfect for toppings. 
  4. Top potato with chicken first, and then toppings. 
  5. Enjoy! 

 

Happy Weekend’ing!

Nutty Halo Top Milkshakes

I’m going to admit something that to most people would consider sacrilegious- I was never a huge fan of the chocolate peanut butter combination growing up. Reese’s Peanut Butter cups never excited me while every other kid was desperately searching for them in their trick-or-treat bags (I was always trading those for Jolly Ranchers or Skittles). They say your taste buds change as you get older and it has to be true because within the last few months I can’t get enough of the heavenly combination. For example, I’ve found myself requesting a scoop of peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream as opposed to my all time favorites like pistachio or birthday cake. Or, my most recent post-dinner treat is a graham cracker topped with a tablespoon of of Justin’s creamy peanut butter and a little melted dark chocolate. 

One night after a good workout, I found myself standing in the kitchen with the jar of Justin’s Vanilla Almond butter and a spoon (it happens on occasion..). Hubs and I had a sweet tooth and wanted something to cool us down, so along with my beloved jar of Justin’s, and some different flavors of Halo Top on hand, my Halo Top Milkshake concoction was born. 

I’d like to take a second to preface this recipe with a very important public service announcement. If you don’t have a pint of Halo Top in your freezer- you’re absolutely missing out. Packed with protein (you heard me, ice cream with protein), and ZERO artificial ingredients or softeners, one would think this ice cream tastes like many other ‘healthy ice creams’, AKA: not tasty. This could not be further from the truth. It tastes like real ice cream people. I look forward to treating myself to my scoop or two of Halo Top each night and there’s zero guilt associated with it. 

This milkshake was decadent and REALLY filling. I used two different Halo Top flavors based on me and hub’s personal favorites (Peanut Butter Cup for him and Chocolate Almond Crunch for me). You can easily use whatever flavors you like. Though we did not add it this time, you can easily bulk your shake up a bit by using a scoop of your favorite vanilla or chocolate protein powders, chia seeds, or flax. We made another Halo Top milkshake a while back but used some Vega One Chocolate Protein Powder and PB2. You can read about that one here. This one was strictly for sweet tooth purposes 🙂

Nutty Halo Top Milkshakes

  • 1 Cup of your favorite Halo Top Ice Cream (Peanut Butter Cup or Almond Crunch were delicious!)
  • 1/2 Cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 Tbs Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter or Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 2 tbs light whipped cream for topping
  • 1 tbs melted peanut or almond butter for topping
  • Additional add-ins: 1 tbs chia/flax blend, 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein powder, 1/2 frozen banana, or replace the 2 tbs of nut butter in the shake with  tbs PB2 or Chocolate PB2.

Combine Halo Top, Almond Milk, and 2 Tbs of Almond/Peanut Butter in a blender and blend for 12-15 seconds. Pour in to your favorite glass and top with whipped cream and melted nut butter.