Did you have plans this weekend?
Most of the people I spoke with didn’t, and I think it’s because this was a hidden weekend tucked between Memorial Day and June. So rare!
The BOY and I started our weekend Friday with date night at Cooper’s Hawk followed by an uneventful game of Monopoly.
We slept in Saturday morning and woke to a cool, stormy day. I planned to go for a run and figured that I’d wait for the sun to come out in the afternoon. The day progressed slowly with a trip to the grocery store, lunch at home, LOTS of wedding talk and decisions, baking a beautiful banana bread (recipe below), and a trip to Kohl’s for more outfit options for engagement photos. It is so hard to figure out what to wear so that we don’t match but don’t clash for a 52 degree spring day. Ugh!
By the time we left Kohl’s after 4pm, my stress levels were elevated. Sadly, the sun never showed up and the rain was still pouring so an outdoor walk was out of the question. I decided that the best thing to do would be to head to the gym to burn off some negative energy. The combination of a long and exhausting work week with wedding plans and lack of exercise/yoga had be feeling edgy. I knew I’d feel so much better after some laps around the indoor track!
And I was right! I did a track ‘Tabata’ workout consisting of 6 minute runs and 3 minute intervals (10 seconds on/20 second recovery x6 times). Each sprint got faster and faster as I felt better and more energized. When I got back home, the BOY was making beer can chicken for dinner, which turned out fantastic! We had a quiet night at home watching the Blackhawk’s game (which they won…woo hoo!).
Sunday morning, I was excited to go to yoga. I haven’t been in a few weeks due to illness and scheduling, and I knew I needed a tough physical and emotionally cleansing class. For breakfast, I used the leftover sweet potato from last night’s dinner to whip up some 2 Ingredient Pancakes (+ flax).
I was winging the portions a bit but they turned out absolutely delicious!
My yoga class was positively fantastic! The teacher talked a bunch about giving to ourselves so that we can give to others and slowing down to connect with our breath. It was exactly what I needed to feel more grounded and ready for the day ahead.
When I got back home, the BOY and I made breakfast for lunch (brunch?), and then I tried on no less than 23 outfits for our engagement pictures. I ran out of time to make a decision because I needed to run out the door for my scheduled mani/pedi. When I got home, it was time to finish my hair and get my make up done.
Man, I wish I had someone to do this every weekend! The BOY and I took our pictures at the park near our house where we play tennis. We took a few fun ones on the swings and tennis courts and then the more ‘serious’ ones near the prairie at sunset.
After freaking out about these pics all week, I ended up in jeans and a white shirt I’ve had for years. Go figure! Although it was freezing, we had a lot of fun! Afterwards, we grabbed a late dinner of beer and pizza. I couldn’t let that awesome make up go to waste : ) It was another wonderful weekend, and I can’t wait to see ALL of our engagement photos! And…I can’t believe that our wedding is just 131 days away!
What did you end up doing with your forgotten weekend?
Chocolate and Walnut Banana Bread
From Hoosier Homemade
Ingredients
- 2 cups MINUS 2 tablespoons Flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Oil (I like Safflower oil)
- 2 Eggs
- 3 very ripe Bananas, mashed
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ cup Walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add oil and eggs, one at a time. Beat after each addition. Add mashed banana and vanilla, beat well. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.
Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees – regular loaf 50-60 minutes or mini loaves 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
2 Ingredient Sweet Potato Pancakes (with flax)
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- 1/2 medium sweet potato (about 100g)
- 15g ground flax seed
Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender/food processor or blend in bowl with hand mixer (this is what I did) until mixed well.
Pour onto preheated skillet with coconut oil or cooking spray. Cook about 5-6 minutes. Then flip for 3-4 minutes.
Top with nut butters, syrup, or fruit!
