We had another gorgeous weather weekend over here! We are trying to soak it up while we can, so we got out for another hike on Saturday morning.
Back to Potomac Overlook Park, our local fave!
Riese is becoming quite the hiker – so glad she likes it as much as we do. 🙂
We were starving after the hike so decided to get an outdoor lunch at True Food Kitchen in Ballston. I missed this place – hadn’t been since March! It was a little chilly to sit outside but we made it work.
We got all the things – a pizza for Riese which we helped her eat, green juice, edamame guacamole to share, and I had a yummy salad with farro, dried cranberries, apples, dates, almonds, cheese, and salmon. Everything was delicious!
I don’t remember what we did for dinner Saturday night – I think just an assortment of random leftovers that needed to get eaten. 🙂
Sunday morning, I had a fun treat – a run date with my friend Kathleen!
We met up at Hains Point in DC, which is always a nice spot to run. It was supposed to be kind of a gross morning but it ended up being beautiful out!
I had been missing my run dates, so I’m glad we finally made one happen – it really lifted my spirits to get out and move and see a friend.
Post-run refuel at home was rice, black beans, rotisserie chicken, and hot sauce:
Plus a big salad Matt made for us.
We used the rotisserie chicken bones to make homemade chicken stock – just tossed in a pot along with some water, onion, carrot, garlic, celery, and herbs (Italian seasoning, whole black peppercorn, etc.), then simmered on medium-low heat for a few hours and strained to get the broth.
I’m not sure yet what we’ll use the broth for – probably just a simple chicken and veggie soup!
Speaking of soup, I’m excited some of you have already tried and enjoyed my Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup recipe that I shared Friday – yay!
As for dinner Sunday night, it was super dreary outside and we decided ordering pizza sounded like the right call. Our local fave is Monterey’s in Alexandria. So good!
Plus some string beans on the side for some veggies – I love these, just steam in the bag in the microwave for 4 minutes and they are perfect. Riese LOVES them too – she will eat a ton in one sitting and that’s definitely not the case for all veggies. 😉
A few other yummy meals we’ve had recently are this cozy spaghetti and meatballs (it was so perfect for a rainy, cold night last week – and we had leftovers to enjoy it again the next night which was nice, too.
I also ended up making my old fave Creamy White Chicken Chili Soup this past week – not the best photo but it’s SO good. Try it if you haven’t!
And we’ve also been enjoying some yummy dinners from my ongoing sponsor, Blue Apron, as usual! One of our favorites recently was this delicious seared salmon. Blue Apron’s salmon dishes are always on point – I tend to get stuck in a rut with salmon and make the same few variations so I love that they get us mixing it up.
I also love that Blue Apron sources only sustainable seafood recommended by Seafood Watch®. Their salmon (and other fish options) are always really fresh and high quality!
This dish had farro (love that chew), kale, pickled peppers, and a super flavorful homemade salsa verde on top of the seared salmon. It was made by mixing chopped parsley, chopped capers, the juice of 2 lemon wedges, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a little garlic paste. Yum, yum!
If you haven’t tried Blue Apron yet, give it a shot! It helps make weeknights so much easier to already have everything you need for 3 dinners ready and waiting in your fridge. Click here for $60 off over your first 3 orders.
Also, just an FYI that today is the last day to order Blue Apron’s Thanksgiving-related meals for next week! In addition to their usual weeknight meal offerings for Thanksgiving week, you can also select Thanksgiving-specific dishes. They are offering a full turkey dinner option with 5 sides and dessert that serves 8, or you can mix and match with a la carte sides and desserts (and a pork roast option, if you aren’t feeling the turkey or want some extra alternative protein in the mix). For all the details on Blue Apron’s Thanksgiving, click here (and yes, their Thanksgiving meals are also included in the $60 off over first 3 orders deal for new customers).
I will leave you with this picture of some pretty white roses Matt clipped from our backyard! Our rose bush isn’t going crazy like it was in spring/summer, but there have still been a few blooms here and there. Gorgeous!
And now, I’m off to continue to tackle my to do list. I hope you have a nice week! It’s looking gorgeous here so I’m going to take Riese on some more outdoor adventures before the weather turns.
I’ll see you back here on Wednesday with some recipe fun!
What’s the most delicious thing you ate last week?
