tears to the weekend

i sure did hate to see this past weekend go!

 are you still running?? the 5 and 10ks have not stopped and neither should you.  the weather is getting warmer and warmer, so stay hydrated out there.  i'm doing a 10k at the end of this month (look for it over there in the sidebar) with my buddy Kara; i'm excited about our running date!

http://thegreen2green.com/

weekend recap:

 i started my saturday with my fav class- 1 hr of total conditioning @ lifetime.  my hubby usually goes to play basketball for his workout, but for some reason everybody took this past saturday off as there were no hoopers in sight according to him!  so, he hit me up for a brunch date right after i finished up.  we tried a new place this time, Otto's Deluxe Grill.  unfortunately, we won't be back as Sonny felt he could have made his meal himself, at home. touche!  kudos to us for trying something different though, right!?

pretty cut and dry, eh? i got their sampler breakfast- scrambled egg whites, ham, one pancake, and hash browns.  ham was the only option other than pork sausage and bacon.  that really is a blueberry pancake.  ultimately, the hash browns were the highlight of the meal for me.

moving on, my east coast boos were in town for a friend's wedding!!

i've never met a woman more giving than Ijeoma (r). as the saying goes 'you can't please everybody',  but this girl sure does try!  i am so honored to be her friend.  she looks amazing, as usual!

this is my fellow blogger, crazy talented, close friend Dami  and i having a grand time @ the wedding.  you MUST check her out (Parchment by Dami) as she is simply incredible at what she does.  she made the invitations for my co-ed baby shower last year, and she is currently working on the invites for my little man's first birthday party next month!

plantain was on the menu so i was super happy. Dams loves me so much she gave me all of hers.  ok i asked first.. she was taking too long O_o

jellof rice, stewed goat, hen, fish, plantains, and a green salad was also served.  Sonny always hints for me to add more Nigerian dishes to my repertoire... workin on that ;)

 i didn't get any of that beautiful cake cause i had to head out early, bummer.

i started my Sunday off with taking Dams back to the airport :( we headed to church when i returned, and then on to celebrate my husband's 10 year reunion with his fraternity (line) brothers and their wives @ Brio.

i stated with their field greens salad that came with tomatoes, gorgonzola, and pine nuts, and balsamic dressing (on the siiiiide)

the shrimp and crab crepes sounded SCRUMPTIOUS so i tried them...very good!

 Sonny sent his plate back after one bite! it was just a fritatta, but that creamy sauce was prolly what did it for him.  he ended up playing it safe and trading it for a tilapia and spinach dish. ( as if we don't eat that enough @ home lol)

i knew our little guy would catch a nice long nap since we had been out all day, and he did just that on our way home.   so i went straight to the gym and got in an hr of cardio while my window of opp was wide open! we ended the evening with some tv and lounging.

ok back to today!  i'm trying a different recipe for dinner tonight so i'll let you know how it goes.  i'm hoping after it sits for a few hours and the flavors marry that it will turn out pretty tasty.  i'll call it a soup for now, we'll see..

sweet jerk soup  (haha)

the stuff:

  • 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • jerk or any type of seasoning you like, to taste
  • 1 carton low sodium chicken stock/broth
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 bag frozen okra
  • 1 med sweet potato
  • bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 1 bag frozen spinach
  • 1 med shallot
  • 1 yellow onion

do this:

chop up the shallots and onions and cook them until translucent (2-3 min).  add your chopped chicken breasts and cook until there is no more pink.

can be found in the bulk aisle @ HEB - thanks, Nkechi!

then, add in your fresh cilantro and jerk seasoning.

go ahead and pretty much add in everything else. your chopped sweet potatoes, tomatoes, okra, spinach,

 and more jerk seasoning.

mix.

once combined, add in your box of low sodium chicken broth.

put the top on and let it simmer for a good 20 minutes.

so far, it's really sweet.  the only thing i'd do different next time is either use another seasoning OR use less sweet potato. the combo of them both is too much.  i'm gonna make some brown rice to serve it with.  have a great night and enjoy your dinner!!

le