Success!

Remember last Friday when my photos didn't save correctly? This was when I made fANNEtastic Food's awesomely yummy Almond Butter French Toast? Well today, I saved myself and made this fabulous dish once more, and I have the photos to prove it.

Last time I used Arnold's whole wheat bread, but I don't think it was thick enough to soak up the french toast mixture. This time I tried a 12-grain loaf from Whole Foods and the thickness was just right. Ryan isn't a french toast fan (I can't believe it, either!) and I made him a mini helping. He LOVED it!

I know I post a lot about leftovers, but I am guessing a lot of you do the same? Ryan and I try to stretch out food out during the week (as best as we can, of course) in order to avoid wasting food. Plus it's just us and that makes life a bit easier when you have your meals ready to go. So yeah, lunch featured Saturday's game-day hotdish, Buffalo Chicken Casserole. I also had a salad with herb greens, cucumber, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar.

Tina at Faith, Fitness, Fun had a compelling post this morning about finding joy in each day. I feel like this is something I take for granted as I get into my daily routine. Taking time out to notice what makes you happy throughout the day should be a natural part of living, right? Anyhow, I thought she made some interesting points, which brings me to what I'm joyful for today: volunteering!

While I'm still feeling the affects of what seems like a never-ending recession and not having a full-time job at the moment, I am using some of my time to get back into the community. I did just this when I was caught in the first round of layoffs at Microsoft in March 2008. I was living in New York City at the time and needed something to intercept the usual job search rigmarole. Fortunately for me, I found iVolunteer (I have their widget listed at the bottom right), which is a non-profit group that places individuals with Holocaust survivors for weekly visits. I had the opportunity to meet with a lovely woman named Ruth up until my move to Chicago earlier this spring and the experience was incredible.

Anyhow, I'm getting carried away here. What I'm trying to say is that volunteering, at least in my experience, provides a positive outlet that's so separate from everything else. And today, I started the Book Buddies Program with Open Books. Here's my joy for the day, people! Book Buddies is a weekly program that provides elementary students the opportunity to meet individually with trained mentors for assistance in reading. I'm a book geek, so this is awesome! The students I met today were fantastic, bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm and bright and wide-eyed for what's coming up this semester. I could say the same for me.

Once walking in the door from my fun-filled hour spent with my two book buddies, Ryan had more leftovers ready for dinner. This time we had our second and final helping of Grilled Salmon with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce and Red Pepper-Coconut Rice. Still so good!

I also had a hankering for some ice cream from Gyood. This stuff is 100% lactose and cholesterol free and low in fat. I enjoyed it, too, as I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine today, plus 10 sets of 10 weights! Annnnnd I went over 10,000 steps on the pedometer, so I'm in good shape.

Another good day for the books, my friends. Thanks again for reading! xx

Have you volunteered before? If so, what was your favorite volunteer experience? Or would you like to volunteer?

Hooray for Friday and Almond Butter French Toast

The weekend is nearly here, hooray! Are you ready for the weekend?

Today was a pretty normal day with my usual email upkeep and list duties. For breakfast, I tried fANNEtastic Food's recipe for Almond Butter French Toast with Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Topping.  I love french toast, but I've never made it before. Anne P. of fANNEtastic Food makes it look so easy, so I decided to give it a try.

Two words: *Truly awesome!*

Unfortunately, my pictures for most of today were deleted! Aaarrrrrggghhhh! I am SO BUMMED! I hope to make this dish again on Monday, so I'll make sure my photos are saved.

It would have been even more awesome, too, had I tried a thicker bread, but there's always next time, right? Anyhow, I served mine with some strawberries and raspberries on the side.

Some of my late-morning duties required a trip to the post office, so I hopped on my bike for part of today's workout. It was gorgeous outside and getting 20 minutes in was exactly what I needed. Once I got home, I added 25 minutes on the elliptical.

Sadly my lunch photos were also lost, but I think you've seen enough pictures of our turkey-style taco salad. After lunch, I snacked on some of my hemp granola trail mix. Love this stuff!

For dinner, we met up with the fabulous Tracey of Veggies, Cake and Cocktails and her husband, Patrick. I had the pleasure of meeting this lovely couple at the Healthy Living Summit here in Chicago in August.

Ryan and I had an absolute blast with them, and as longtime Chicago residents they suggested several cool spots for food and drinks. We met at Firkin and Pheasant for dinner and this little place ended up being a Michigan State bar. WOO HOO! Go Spartans! Ok, I'll pipe down now. Anyhow, we each shared some appetizers, with some popcorn shrimp and the Scotch Egg, per Patrick's suggestion. The Scotch Egg is truly one of a kind and really tasty. For my main entree, I had the grilled chicken wrap with brie and apple, plus some tomato and cucumber salad.

After a few drinks at Crossroads Public House, we ended our evening at The Wiener's Circle. Chicago is famous for their hot dogs and until tonight, Ryan and I had yet to have one of the Windy City's celebrated dogs. Let me tell you, the hot dog we had was out of this world. Topped with mustard, a pickle, tomatoes and hot peppers, SO GOOD! Plus, the waitstaff was a riot with their surly and bossy behavior. A perfect end to a fantastic night!

Happy weekend everyone! What do you have planned? It's more football, cooking, and baking for us. Thanks again for reading!