food prep, weekend so far & he is one!

You best believe these cookies happened and I LOVE them. Love them. Soft. Chewy. Plenty of Chocolate and don't forget the SEA SALT on the top!

Ok - the last couple days has been on the go - but all good stuff (can you tell? um...I mean I did start with COOKIES!)

Food Prep, Weekend So Far and He is One!

I shared a few of my favorite tips for my idea of cookie perfection over on instagram - and I'll share them with you too!

1. Use unsalted butter! Bring that AND your eggs to room temp before you start 
2. Don't over mix the flour in - it should be JUST until it's combined
3. ALWAYS parchment paper - easy cleanup and even baking!
4. Chill the dough overnight...It might feel hard to wait but it is so worth it. SO MUCH FLAVOR
5. The cookies will look under baked - and that is ok! Pat them down lightly with a spoon and then sprinkle on some sea salt....let them cool on the cookie sheet for about 3-5 minutes before moving to the cooling rack
6. Don't forget to add plenty of chocolate to your dough - I like to mix semi sweet and dark chocolate. Chopping up chocolate bars is amazing too!

What are your favorite cookie baking/making tips?

I went back home Friday and one of my work friends was back in her hometown nearby too! So what are we to do on a friday off? Well...meet up for a bloody mary in my small hometown of course!

So fun to catch up, enjoy a cold one and enjoy the small town life! There was us...and MAYBE four others in the whole place...

The rest of the afternoon I spent with mom and dad. I've been trying to get back home on my day off! Mom and I worked on this puzzle, drank coffee, went for a walk all while dad worked out at the farm!

Made it home by six and relaxed with B for awhile! We watched American Sniper and then ended up going to the bar and grill down the street and meeting up with some friends. I was nearly sleeping on the floor BUT sucked it up and went anyway! 

FRENCH TOAST was on my brain when I woke up in the morning. Can't believe it but I didn't get out of bed until 8!

​Here is how I made it!
- 1/4 cup egg whites, a pinch of stevia, cinnamon, almond extract, 1 T Vanilla Shakeology and a splash of unsweetened vanilla cashew milk! Whip that all together and I used a piece of Sara Lee Whole Wheat Bread to soak it all up and then cooked like french toast! (duh!) Topped it off with almond butter and raspberries...the best! And of course I had to have some eggs too!

Spent the rest of the morning working on a coach things! Getting a new client started right in her workout program and nutrition regimen and answering facebook messages and emails. Had to also get the present wrapped that I got for my favorite and newest ONE YEAR OLD! One of my besties' little man turned one :) So me and B went to his party for a bit in the afternoon!

We didn't stay long, but little man DEFINITELY loved his cake! Has been SO FUN to see him grow up although it's happening way too fast!!!

When we got back to town B had a golf outing planned with a few friends and for some reason I really felt like going for a walk/run. So I just went! I downloaded the latest Tony Robbins podcast episode that featured Gary Vee - talking about investments, gratefulness and other randoms. The best multi-tasking! Do you have any favorite podcasts?

Nine years ago today was my first half marathon! Today I have no idea how far I went, how fast I went and man that wind today was killer! (welcome to ND. ha!) - but you know what? I can honestly say that it felt good to just go out and MOVE. THAT is what activity should be about people. No obsessing over numbers, times, distance - but just a celebration of what we CAN DO.

Gotta love that the basketball hoop in the background toppled over into our yard. (see what I mean? ... wind!)

Tomorrow on the agenda: some meal prep and a baby shower!

Prepping some side salads, roast some broccoli, marinate some duck, sloppy joes and homemade paleo buns too!

Will post more about that later...

How is your weekend so far?
​What have you been up to?