Last night I went shopping with my friend Britt to pick up a few more items for our Memorial Day Weekend extravaganza. I know I mentioned it to you guys briefly, but allow me to give you all the full run down of details. Friday morning around 7:00 am, I will skip my morning workout in order to head over to Britt’s house (which is right by the dog park, only a mile away) where we will embark with our other friends Jess, Megan, Lauren, and Turk (nickname) to Dewey Beach, DE. There we will meet up with our New York friends, Kristen, Megan, Catrina, and Victoria. We will be there from Friday through Monday and will be hanging out on the beach with a ton of people we know from college. A lot of my coworkers will also be there, so it’s going to be a ton of fun!

Although Fabio is not coming with me on this trip (he is going up to NY for a friend’s graduation party and is taking care of Jack), he is planning to do a similar trip with his friends in July which should be a good time. It’s important to have our separate friend time after all!

Dewey Beach is located right in between Ocean City, MD and Bethany Beach, DE. Ocean City is known as more of a hangout for high school kids and Bethany is more for families. Dewey, however, is basically a bar town on the beach and we will be having fun all weekend. We will also be venturing into Ocean City on Saturday via a large bus that is taking us to Seacrets, a huge bar in the water on the bay. Can’t wait!

Seacrets, Ocean City, MD

Source

Anyway, by the time I got home from shopping with Britt, it was already 9:00 so I quickly made dinner. By the time I was done it was too late to blog, but I snapped some pictures so I could share this awesome recipe with you guys today. But, first things first….

Workout

Yesterday’s workout was another good one. I have been loving waking up early to run with Jack and then jumping into an Insanity DVD. It’s so amazing how the warm-ups kick my butt every day even though I’ve done them a million times. It is pretty much guaranteed that I will be drenched in sweat by the end, no matter what. I love it!

After Insanity I spent about 5 minutes doing some extra ab exercises (I do have to be in a bikini on Friday, after all) and then hopped in the shower to begin my day. It was a great workout, as usual!

Recipe

When I got home from shopping last night I was pooped! I wanted something quick and easy for dinner that would be filling and comforting. I looked in the cupboard to see what I was working with and I saw two sweet potatoes that I knew needed to be used soon. I looked through the recipe list I keep on my phone and saw a recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen for twice-baked sweet potatoes with feta. I had made this recipe back in the fall and remembered loving it, so I decided to give it another go! Here’s how it came together.

First, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then I washed two sweet potatoes and cut off the pointy ends. Using a fork, I poked holes all over the potatoes and microwaved them using the baked potato setting until they were soft (about 8 minutes for two).

While the potatoes were “baking,” I started getting together the filling. First I mixed feta (I used fat free), goat cheese (I used chevre), garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, and olive oil together in a small bowl. Then I julienned (basically chopped, see video here) a few basil leaves into long strips and mixed them in with the cheese mixture.

Kalyn’s original recipe suggests letting this come together in the fridge for about an hour, but I didn’t have time so I nixed this step

Once the sweet potatoes were done cooking, I sliced them down the middle and removed the insides to a separate bowl. Be careful, they are hot!

Then I took ¾ of the cheese mixture and mixed it up with the insides of the sweet potato until everything was well combined. I then put the cheesy insides back into the potato skins.

Then I divided the remaining cheese and sprinkled it on top of the potatoes.

Then I baked the potatoes for about 10 minutes until the cheese started to get bubbly.

I served these potatoes with a small piece of grilled chicken and some asparagus.

Yum! This weeknight meal was so easy and delicious! I loved the flavor of the sweet potatoes with the salty, garlicy, cheese. You must try this!

Sweet Potatoes Stuffed With Feta, Goat Cheese, & Basil (Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen)

Serves two

Ingredients

2 small sweet potatoes or yams
1 oz. of crumbled feta (fat free)
1 oz. of crumbled goat cheese (could omit and double the feta)
1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
¼ tsp. paprika
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. olive oil
6-7 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash potatoes and cut off pointy ends, if desired. Poke all over with a fork. Microwave on baked potato setting, or for about 4 minutes per potato, until a fork enters potatoes easily.
While potatoes are cooking, mix together feta, goat cheese, garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a separate bowl. Julienne basil leaves and add them to the cheese mixture. Stir to combine.
When potatoes are cooked, slice in half and use a spoon to remove sweet potato insides to a separate bowl. Mix ¾ of cheese mixture in with sweet potato insides.
Place cheesy sweet potato insides back into potato skins and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

This recipe was simple and delicious and made the perfect weeknight side dish. I love mixing sweet and salty flavors, so this one was right up my alley. Yum!

So, do you guys like sweet potatoes? During Thanksgiving I like them in a casserole topped with marshmallows, but during the rest of the year I like them to be paired with savory flavors. So good!

By the way, I am looking for someone to guest post on my blog on Sunday while I am at the beach. I will be able to post on Friday and Monday, but if anyone wants to write a guest post for me on Sunday, I’d appreciate it! Send me an email at chelseaeatstreats@gmail.com if you’re interested!

Good evening! I hope you all had an amazing Friday! It was beautiful here in DC, sunny and in the 70s. I always forget how much I love the spring weather. I think summer is my favorite season but that humidity can be brutal! There is just something so nice about these warm days and chilly nights. I love ‘em!

Workout

Today’s weather made my workout wonderful. Jack and I jogged up to the dog park together while Fabio met up with some coworkers for happy hour. This gave me some time to zone out with my iPod while running and I enjoyed using the Shuffle setting. It’s always fun hearing old tunes come on that I completely forgot about. Some old school Britney Spears had me in a great mood as we tackled a big hill. Bring on the elevation! Anyway, it was a great run today and I felt so good when we finished.

To keep with the Fashion Friday theme, I’ll show you guys what I wore to run today. I actually wanted to show you this not only because it’s Fashion Friday, but also because I did NOT match at all, and I decided I just didn’t care. I took a picture because I wanted to get some opinions- is it a crime to not match completely clash your colors for workout clothes? I’m thinking it’s probably not a good look but these are the clothes that were clean so I went with it! Tell me what you think:

Orange shirt + teal and green shorts = fashion fail? Probably. Oh well it didn’t bother me!

Recipe

Ok so now for today’s recipe. I know what you are thinking. Salad? Bo-ring. Who would want just a salad for dinner. Well people, I’m here to tell you this salad will probably change your life. Ok maybe not your life, but it definitely changed my opinion on salads forever. You see, I have never been a salad eater. When I was kid and the rest of my family would get side salads at a restaurant I would always say “ICK!” and order the soup instead. Even when I got older and would go out to dinner with friends and I felt like I should order a salad, I was always disappointed and usually wished I had just gotten a sandwich. And making a salad at home as my entrée? I NEVER thought I would do that. Until one day about a year ago my college roommates showed me the light…you can make a salad sweet! With fruit! And since then my life has never been the same…(overly dramatic? Maybe, but I love the salad that much!).

Here’s what goes in my Best Salad Ever:

My Best Salad Ever is made up of baby spinach leaves, romaine lettuce, an apple, walnuts, craisins, feta cheese, chicken (not pictured) and dressing! It’s super easy to make and comes together in minutes. Plus with all the different flavors and textures, your mouth won’t be bored. I promise!

It’s pretty self-explanatory to make, but I’ll show you how it came together anyway. Start by cooking up a boneless, skinless, chicken breast however you prefer. I like to use my George Foreman grill to quickly cook it up and I just sprinkle some lemon pepper seasoning on top. Plus I love that you can put the chicken straight on the GF from the freezer. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

While the chicken cooks, I get the rest of the salad together. Start by putting a handful of baby spinach leaves in a large bowl. Then chop the romaine lettuce and add it in with the spinach.

I always like to keep fresh romaine lettuce on hand, as it comes in use for so many recipes other than just salads! I like to top my sandwiches with it and use it for Asian chicken wraps (my favorite!). They are so handy and bring a great crunch to this salad. The spinach also provides more nutrients than the romaine alone, so I like to use half of each. Spinach is also a staple in my fridge and I always am cooking up some yummy sautéed spinach. It’s so easy, delicious, and good for you! So although this is the lettuce base that I use for my salad, it’s also just really convenient for me. You can use whatever type of lettuce you like, in fact I bet some peppery arugula would be good!

Jack likes romaine just fine too (the only human foods we let him have are veggies. We want a healthy pup!).

Once the lettuce is ready, I start adding the rest of my ingredients. First I chop an apple using my nifty apple-cutting tool that I bought for a couple of dollars (I don’t remember where but it was probably TJ Maxx or Home Goods. I LOVE their home utensils).

This tool makes chopping the apple super easy and then I just cut the slices into smaller pieces. Once the apple is cut, I add it to my salad bowl along with a handful of walnuts, craisins, and feta cheese. I usually just eyeball the amounts, and it always turns out great. Just add as much of each as ingredient as you think you’ll want.

Here’s the type of feta cheese and dressing that I use. Even though the dressing has some feta cheese in it already, I like to add more to balance out the apples (that salty/sweet combo gets me every time).

By this time the chicken should be finished cooking and you can slice it up and add it to the salad.

Once the chicken is in, I add the dressing on top. Then I toss with tongs to combine.

Then it’s time to eat! See how easy that was? And look how awesome it looks. Yummmmm. Now tell me that salad doesn’t look delicious?? What do you think??

And yeah ok, maybe I still can’t have just a salad for dinner. Maybe I still need a whole wheat dinner roll on the side. But hey, baby steps people. Baby steps.

The Best Salad Ever

Ingredients

Baby spinach leaves
Romaine lettuce
1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast
A sprinkle of lemon pepper seasoning
1 small apple, chopped
1 handful walnuts
1 small handful craisins
A sprinkle of feta cheese
1 tbsp. dressing (I used Kraft Greek Vinagrette)

Instructions

Cook chicken (I used a George Foreman grill) and season with lemon pepper seasoning. Take chicken off the grill when cooked and set aside.
Chop romaine lettuce and toss with spinach in a large bowl.
Chop an apple into bite-size pieces and add into the bowl with lettuce.
Add in walnuts, craisins, and feta cheese, as desired.
Chop cooked chicken and combine with the rest of the ingredients in the large bowl.
Add in dressing of choice and toss to combine.

Serve with a whole-wheat dinner roll if you are like me, and still can’t eat just a salad for dinner Winking smile . Enjoy!