Making the Most of May

Well, April ended up being an embarrassment.  I only managed to post three times even though I had a month full of family, fitness, and fun activities.

And really great food.

So, I figured I would start this new month off right with a post and a vow to keep up with our May adventures.

And that post just happens to be about last weekend.... how we wrapped up April and got ready for May.

With food, of course.

Saturday night involved "burgers".  Meatless ones.  Portobello mushrooms for me and Boca burgers for Kev.

I had put these on our meal plan almost a month ago with no rhyme or reason... but they ended up being the perfect meal to welcome in summer.  Or at least welcome in our summer-like weather.

The mushrooms were the perfect size for the Ezekiel bread buns and made a pretty good sandwich.  On the side I served Trader Joe's organic/vegetarian baked beans, potato wedges, and deviled eggs.

I have always made my deviled eggs plain and simple.  Mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.  But during a spin class, I was daydreaming about how much I love eggs and how much I love spicy mustard ( I eat it on just about everything these days) and this recipe was created.

I realize that I am probably the last person on Earth to make deviled eggs this way... but I'm so glad that I finally figured it out.  We will never be able to go back to basic eggs again. 

They were fantastic! 

And yes, I spend spin class daydreaming about food.  It's my motivation.

On Sunday, I held a taste testing of dark chocolate coconut water. 

( You can read about how awesome coconut water is here. )

I love the flavor of coconut and I love the benefits of coconut water but I wasn't necessarily sold on the chocolate flavoring ( especially after a workout) until I read that it was similar to a Yoo-hoo.

Kev was raised on Yoo-hoos.  And he can't talk about them without grinning from ear to ear.

It is quite a sight to see.

So, I knew we had to try it - even if I do have to ration it out because the drinks are so expensive.

It was pretty darn good.  But as for tasting like a Yoohoo... Kev says it tastes like a healthy version of one.

I guess that is a pretty good review.

My snack for the day was eaten pool side. 

That's right, folks.  Our pool was (forcefully) opened for business. 

Let's just say that it got pretty hot working in the yard in the direct sun.

And despite Kev's warnings that the pool may be a little cold, I bravely (and slowly) climbed in to the 78 degree water.

It was too chilly for swimming but good for floating on a raft and cooling off.

My snack was more coconut water... but in the form of a La Croix sparkling water with coconut flavoring.  Plus an apple with raisins and sesame cashews.  Such a great snack mix!

And then came the best part of the weekend.  Dinner.  At least it was for Kev.

My dinner consisted of soup....

It was actually very good - especially for a boxed soup.  I ate it cold mainly because it was so hot outside and I wanted something refreshing - but also because I don't really care for hot soup.

I don't have the patience for it.

I have the same issue with coffee.  I only drink it iced.

And don't even get me started on hot chocolate.  Ick. 

Anyway, as I was saying... Kev's dinner was pretty much the highlight of the weekend.  It was chicken and waffles.

The first time that he had eaten them and the first time that I had made them.

We now know what the big deal is!  Incredible!

We had been unsure about the flavor combination...  but once I researched some recipes and Kev recorded a cooking show where the host was making them, I knew we had to give it a try.

I kept it super easy:  I purchased breaded chicken fingers and frozen waffles.

I realize that doesn't make them authentic but I don't know how/don't want to fry chicken and the first (and only) time that I tried to make waffles they ended up being a huge disaster.

Basically, the only thing that I did was cut and saute the peppers and onion.  And then piled every thing on a plate and drizzled it with syrup.

I figured if Kev didn't like it then I didn't spend a lot of time on it and it wouldn't be a big deal.

But then I tried a bite - one big bite with all of the flavors - and I knew that it was a winner!

What on Earth took us so long to try this?

I didn't even see Kev's face for 20 minutes straight because it was in the plate.  He sounded like a pack of hungry wolves scarfing down a crate of fresh meat.

It was ridiculous.

And then he put some hot sauce on it and proclaimed it amazing!

It will definitely be making an appearance in our kitchen again.  Maybe as soon as next week.

I can't even imagine what he will do when he gets a chance to eat the real thing.

It might be best if he is alone.

And that pretty much wraps up our weekend.  A great way to end the month of April.

As for May, it is going to be another busy one.  Plenty of celebrations and family fun times.

I can't wait!