a few steps forward, a few steps back

i'll just come right out and say it: i didn't lose any weight this week. i'm a little bewildered by that, as i felt pretty good about my food choices. (all that kale.... and for what? sigh.) something seems amiss, and i'm beginning to suspect that it's time to amp up my workouts. but here's my problem. as a wife, mother, and full time employee, my window of opportunity for working out is limited to 5:00-6:00am. and i'm cool with that. i'm extremely faithful in dragging my butt out of bed at such an ungodly hour and hopping on the treadmill. BUT there's only so much gumption i can muster up at that time of day. so my workouts tend to be a little lackluster. maybe my body is in a rut? i've considered trying a jillian michael's dvd, but eesh... that early in the morning, her style of motivation just makes me want to punch her in the face.  so i dunno.  something's gotta give, but i'm not sure what.

aside from the scale disappointment, i've got some goooood recipes to share. at least it was a happy belly week! :-)

• friday: toasted quinoa and pear salad
• saturday: we were at a wedding for dinner, but i created an awesome kale, egg, and ricotta sandwich for lunch
• sunday: oktoberfest lager stew
• monday: sausage, kale, and spaghetti squash boats
• tuesday: kale and quinoa salad with lemon vinaigrette
• wednesday: buffalo chicken quesadillas with roasted peas and corn
• thursday: jessica alba's turkey meatballs with kale and quinoa salad

last friday's much anticipated toasted quinoa and pear salad was great. toasting the quinoa before boiling it definitely added a noticeable, nutty depth of flavor. the citrus dressing was fresh and pleasant. the addition of pear was perfect. the only thing i didn't like about this recipe was the arugula. in the interest of trying new things, i included it, despite the bitterly offensive smell. i tried to keep an open mind, but ew -- gross. had to pick it all out. otherwise, the salad was amazing. will definitely make it again, although i'll substitute kale or spinach for the arugula. :-)

i made a kale, egg, and ricotta sandwich for lunch on saturday. it was pretty great. definitely kept me full through the wedding ceremony we attended later that day. i sauteed a finely sliced onion and garlic in a little olive oil, then added the kale until it just wilted. toast some hearty multigrain bread, smear on a bit of ricotta, and then add a fried egg with the kale mix. so good!

sunday's oktoberfest lager stew was out of this world. i'm not even exaggerating when i say that i could eat this every.single.day. it's not super low calorie, but it's not outrageous either. oh, i did use turkey sausage in place of regular sausage to try to "healthify" it. saved me a few calories and was still full of flavor. please, just do yourself a favor and make it. 

monday's sausage, kale, and spaghetti squash was my second attempt at spaghetti squash. annnnnnd, it was wildly successful! it's a MUCH better idea to treat the squash as squash instead of trying to think of it as spaghetti. this meal was so flavorful. the roasted pine nuts were a nice touch too. steve was SO into this meal. couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was. isla was less enthusiastic, but she did eventually taste the squash and (though she wouldn't admit it) i think she enjoyed it. or at least tolerated it. :-) if you are on the fence about spaghetti squash, give this recipe a try!

tuesday's kale and quinoa salad with lemon vinaigrette was something i quickly whipped up as a result of steve going out to dinner with some of his guy friends. the salad (and ciabatta roll) were plenty to fill me up as a complete meal, but if steve had been joining us, i likely would have make something else to go along with it. i thought this salad was truly remarkable. this could possibly turn a non-kale lover into a fan. (i'm talking to you, KERI ALTLAND!) ;-) i didn't have an avocado on hand, so i used a yellow pepper instead. i'm sure this created a whole different flavor than was intended, but i loved it! dried cranberries or cherries would also be a nice touch. and that lemon vinaigrette?  it's perfect. literally perfect. i cannot wait to make this again!

wednesday's buffalo chicken quesadillas have quickly become a favorite in our home. with all the cheese, it's not something i will make all the time, but it's a tasty treat for sure. you can read my review of this recipe here.


on thursday, we tried jessica alba's turkey meatballs with kale and quinoa salad. (see, i told you i was excited to make that kale salad again!) :-) this recipe was a major win for ground turkey! these meatballs were super tasty and packed full of carrots and zucchini (which i pulverized in the food processor to try to hide from isla... but that eagle-eyed child still spotted the flecks of green and orange...) it was a nice touch to simmer the meatballs in chicken stock. this kept them from drying out and added some great flavor. added bonus: you'll feel like a movie star when you eat these. :-)

have a great weekend, folks! happy cooking. :-)