Friday, April 17, 2015

TGIF!

Happy Friday everyone!  Another week is *almost* behind us.  I can't believe we are in the second half of this month already - time is a-flying!  Here's a recap of my week!

The high of my week was spending Tuesday night with Phil.  It was a beautiful night so we went for a run and then made dinner, and watched an episode of Anthony Bordain's show, The Layover.  Specifically, we watched the Paris episode which has me missing that city even more! My calendar is filling up fast these days so I savor these quiet nights in with Phil.

The low of my week was awkwardness at work.  Everything is fine, but suffice it to say that my team/work environment is not exactly ideal/fun.  My boss would not be surprised if he read that, by the way.  He knows the team environment leaves a bit to be desired.

A book I am reading is Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay.  It's a collection of essays about topics such as feminism, politics, and pop culture.  I don't agree with some of Gay's opinions but it's been an interesting read. 

A recipe I made was Spiralized Mexican Sweet Potato and Chicken Casserole.  It was really good but kind of a putzy recipe.  I made the sauce and shredded the chicken ahead of time, which helped.  I'd recommend the recipe, but I'd suggest using 2-3 10 oz. cans of enchilada sauce instead of making the sauce (unless you've got a lot of time to make the recipe) and sauteing some cut up chicken breasts instead of boiling the chicken and shredding it.  That said, it was very good and something we'd make again, and it's great as leftovers!

Spiralized sweet potatoes

All ready to pop into the oven.  I forgot to take an "after" photo as we were starving so dug into it right away!

A podcast episode I loved was the latest Happier podcast with Gretchen Rubin and her sister.  I think this was my answer last time I did a TGIF post.  I like the format of this podcast - it starts with a small recommendation for how to invite more happiness into your life (this week's advice was to always give warm hellos and goodbyes to everyone in your household), then Gretchen poses a question that is supposed to help you get to know yourself better, they answer a question from a listener and then they share a moment when they either succeeded or failed at bringing more happiness to their lives.

For my workouts, I completed a strength training workout and speedy walk in my neighborhood on Monday, runs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and another strength training workout on Thursday.  Today is my rest day and tomorrow I will run 14 miles with my club.

The best money I spent was on dinner with my book club last night.  I love our monthly meetings!  This month we discussed Euphoria.  I can't say I loved it but it did have an interesting twist at the enD and it made for a good discussion.

My plans this weekend include dinner tonight with a family that I met through my church years ago.  I haven't seen them since I moved back from Charlotte so it will be great to catch up with them.  On Saturday I'll run with my club in the morning, get a recall fixed on my car in the afternoon, and then we'll spend the evening with Phil's high school friend and his wife.  Sunday morning we'll meet up with Amber and her husband for brunch (can't wait to see her!!) and then the rest of the day is unplanned which I am excited about!! That said, showings are starting to get booked so this might be an awkward weekend of not being able to be in my home during the day on the weekend.

What is the best recipe you've made lately?

13 comments:

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

I can't wait to see you too!! We've got quite the group going to brunch as of now so it should be fun!!!

Becky said...

Haha I love the word "putzy," I've never heard it used before!

Give Amber a big hug for me this weekend!

I have been so NOT cooking lately I can't really remember the last thing I made (it's been all pasta and crockpot meals around these parts).

Happy Friday my friend!

Marlys said...

Love the look of that sweet potato casserole - that spiralizer does an amazing job! I bet it was delish!
I hope your apt. sells super fast so you don't have to keep showing it and can start boxing things up! April is speeding by so I'm sure moving day will be here before you know it!

Nora said...

Have so much fun on Sunday! Give Amber a big hug from me :)

And agree with Becky, the word putzy is awesome and it made me laugh out loud.

Cooking... um. Last weekend D smoked brisket and it was really good, but I had nothing to do with that. I'm 100% off my cooking game. I need to get back into it.

Jeanie said...

Sounds like a great week, Lisa. Love the casserole look. Haven't cooked a lot lately and nothing new -- we've been on the road. SO, I'll opt in with LAST week's macarons!

San said...

14 miles... that's so impressive. I don't know if I'll ever get there... (I am not very patient when it comes to running and running for more than an hour already sounds awful *LOL*)

Do you have to be outside of the apartment when they show it? That is lame.

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Ugh! I hate work awkwardness! Glad the week is over, mine was exhausting!

This weekend is supposed to be beautiful so I'm going to enjoy as much of it as possible outside. Plus my college roommate is running the marathon on Monday (and Caroline) so we are going out to dinner tomorrow night and she's staying with me tonight and tomorrow. I will obviously be watching on Monday :)

Have fun with Amber!

Stephany said...

I am loving the Happier podcast, too. I love how it's short & sweet, but packs in so much good information, too.

Last week, I made this super easy dijon & lime chicken dish from Skinnytaste. SO easy to prepare (took me maybe 5 minutes? No joke!) and was sooooo good. It's been added to my dinner routine, for sure!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Same can be said about my work environment. I've been liking grilled chicken and then putting it on top of a slad with tortilla strips, black beans and southwest ranch alongwith other veggies. Yummm.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

I've been savoring the quiet nights in too - it's so nice not to have anywhere to go or anywhere to be. The spiraled sweet potato looks so pretty :-)

J and A said...

That casserole sounds awesome. I am sorry work life isnt' the best, that makes it hard. I hope it gets better!

Abby said...

I love those simple evenings!!

That recipe looks awesome!! Did you like it? I know you're not a sweet potato person. I adore sweet potatoes, so that's up my alley!

I'm sorry your work team is less than favorable. :( That makes it really tough

Sounds like a perfect weekend!

Amber said...

I really love the Happier podcast as well! One thing I've been trying really hard to stick to that I heard on there is not to procrastinate on something that will take you 5 minutes or less to do. That really has helped me out with dealing with pesky work emails sooner!

I feel like I haven't done a TGIF post in sooo long. Must get back to it this week!