Hello hello! Happy hump day. We’re going to be a little bit all over the place today, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
First, if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you may have seen a delicious photo that looked something like this a couple of days ago:
If you didn’t see it, you should probably double-check to make sure you are following me on Instagram and Twitter. 🙂
Besides putting a little TLC into creating the zucchini “pasta”, this dish came together pretty quickly with the help of some leftover Thai turkey meatballs from the freezer.
For the zucchini: I was too lazy to pull out the mandolin to thinly slice the zucchini and I figured it would be just as easy for me to cut it all by hand anyway, so I thinly cut two fresh farmer’s market zucchini, put them into a strainer over the sink, sprinkled them with a little bit of salt, and let them sit for about 20 minutes to help remove some excess water. I then placed them into a pan on the stove top which I had coated with sesame oil. I let these cook on low for about 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Towards the end of the cooking process I added a couple of splashes of coconut aminos, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and at the very end I added chopped fresh basil and cilantro.
Turkey meatballs: You can check out the recipe by looking back at this post if you are interested. I took the meatballs out of the freezer, let them defrost, then placed them on a baking sheet under the broiler. I broiled them for approximately 8-10 minutes until cooked through and slightly browned, turning them halfway.
Onto the plate:Â Once the zucchini and meatballs were done, I first plated the zucchini pasta, next the turkey meatballs, and finally a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Voila!
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Moose is still loving doing his night time yoga stretching. He took over the yoga mat completely the other night. In his offense, I wan’t yoga’ing too intensely so naturally he thought he should probably take over.
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Breakfasts
I’ve been changing up my breakfasts from the usual smoothies. I’ve been rotating between my old favorite of banana and nut (almond) butter, over-easy eggs, fruit and nut “cereal” bowls, and smoothies.
Lately the cereal bowl is my jam. In it is blueberries, strawberries, chopped almonds, chopped cashew, almond milk, and a touch of honey. So refreshing and so fun to me because I feel like I’m eating cereal.
Love it.
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Dresser Turned TV Stand
For the longest time, Dana and I have been on the lookout for a new TV stand. The one we had been using was from Dana’s college years and was just that—a TV stand appropriate for a college apartment. It just didn’t look right in our living room now. Neither of us were willing to fork over hundreds of dollars for a new one though, so I decided to get crafty . With the inspiration from my beautiful friend Haley as well as Pinterest, I was going to make my own TV stand and I was going to make it from an old dresser. Project renovation.
It wasn’t an urgent project, so gradually I began looking at second hand stores and garage sales for decent priced dressers. Â The one I found was at a garage sale right in my neighborhood. I spotted it while I was driving home, just click to see the pictures here it looked like the perfect size, was in great shape, and was only $20. Sold. You’ve got to love the butterfly drawer knobs too. I mean come on.
To renovate:
- We gave it a good scrub down.
- Slathered three coats of paint on it (letting each coat dry in between of course).
- Placed a painted piece of plywood on the top shelf to serve as a resting place for the cable box and DVD player.
- Cut a hole in the back of the top shelf for the cable wires.
- Put new knobs on (I kept the butterfly ones just in case—they’re so adorable).
- Moved it into the living room, reconnected the cables, and that was that!
It was a two day project which totaled out to be about $50. Not bad if you ask me! I may have found my calling. 😉
The color we picked out is a little more purpley than I had thought it would be, but it actually looks just perfect in our living room. It makes the space look more homey and inviting. I love it!
I could continue on this randomness but I think I will stop at that.
I have some super fun plans tonight and I am very excited to share them with you all in the next few days. Be on the lookout!
Are you enjoying the abundant zucchini as much as I am right now?
What’s your favorite breakfast right now?
Have you gotten crafty lately?
I love what you did with the zucchini! I do a lot of spaghetti squash, so this post was a definite favorite…thanks! 🙂
My breakfast varies but eggs are the staple mmmmm!
Lawrence recently posted…Exercise Factoid – Can certain music improve my fitness?
It’s a nice change of pace from the spaghetti squash and it’s well worth a little effort! I hope you like it!
You are amazing – that looks so good! I love craft projects like that. So much fun and so much more exciting than just buying something somewhere because now when you watch TV you will think about the awesome story and project behind making that piece over!!
Katie @ running4cupcakes recently posted…Summer Running
It’s so true! You are adorable. See you soon!!
That TV stand looks great–awesome job! I am all about protein pancakes for breakfast. I think I have eaten them for about 3 months straight now–yum!
Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate recently posted…Apple Cider Turkey Burgers
I tend to get into breakfast “ruts” although I don’t always like the term “rut” because that sounds so negative and many times I am totally okay with the “rut.” For a while it was Greek yogurt and fruit, then it was bananas with peanut butter, and lately it’s been smoothies. Whatever it is, it just needs to be delicious and last me a few hours until I have the chance to eat again!
Love this zucchini pasta idea! I cannot wait to try it!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com recently posted…Mango & Apricot Yogurt Scones
I hope you enjoy it!
The tv stand is so cute, it looks like you guys made a huge improvement to it, it looks more modern. I love the idea of these zucchini noodles.
Nicole @ FruitnFitness recently posted…WIAW – couldn’t stop
Thank you! It really makes the room feel so much more cozy.
Confession: I actually am not the biggest fan of zucchini unless it is cooked and I don’t know it is in a recipe like meatballs. Something about it and summer squash just doesn’t settle well with me, haha! I do love the veggie noodle idea and might try that with carrots or asparagus 🙂
Becky @ Olives n Wine recently posted…#1 WIAW – Healthy Hair, Nails & Skin Edition
What?! Like I always tell my clients, “Don’t give up on it…keep trying it. Eventually you will like it.” That’s what I keep telling myself about beets though and so far I’m still not a fan. Although, I rarely try beets so maybe it’s my fault. Rant, rant, rant. SEE YOU TOMORROW!!
Wow, that TV stand turned out SO good! I need you to come decorate for me! 😉
cleaneatingveggiegirl recently posted…WIAW: August 7, 2013
Okay! I would love that. 🙂
The Zucchini pasta looks really great, Mel! I’m going to give it a try!! Also, love that Moose does yoga with you! What a cutie.
It’s a fun substitution for pasta! Spaghetti squash is good too but it’s nice to have something else to add into the rotation! Love ya!