Has anyone tried a Barre class? If not, I highly suggest it! I started my Saturday with a 7:30 am class at a new studio in Granger, IN called B Present Studio. It was the perfect way to start the weekend! The studio space is so inviting, the workout was hard enough to make your legs shake (err... tremble), and the owner and instructor Tammy is so positive and upbeat. She always makes sure there is a modification for beginners while still keeping the class challenging for the more experienced. I left feeling refreshed and motivated! I will definitely be back!
After Barre, I stopped at the Granger Farmers Market and picked up some fresh produce for the weekend. Local food just tastes better!
My husband has been in Hershey, PA for the past week working an RV show. The house is not home when he is gone! One of our favorite things to do together is cook so after he got home we relaxed with a bottle of wine and spent some quality time together in the kitchen. I am convinced food not only nourishes our bodies but our spirits as well.
I was planning on being able to share a chicken recipe with you but it didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped! The recipe idea started with a banana! As much as we eat bananas I always seem to have one or two that start to brown faster than we can eat them. Instead of a smoothie or banana bread I thought I would use it as part of a sauce. I recently saw a recipe in our local newspaper that called for banana, jalapenos, and ketchup blended together. I was hoping the outcome would bring an equally sweet and spicy sauce but the banana was a little too overwhelming. We tried to like it, I really wanted to, I thought maybe I would have a change of heart after the second or third bite but I just couldn't bring myself to like it!
With all things in life we have to look on the bright side! The bright side of this chicken fail is that we realized how much we love garlic mashed red potatoes, I got to use my immersion blender for the first time (it has only taken me 11 months to take it out of the box), and I was able to use up the bananas! Plus, by the time we got to the main course we had already filled up on antipasto from Whole Foods and salads put together with the goods from the Farmer's Market.
Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes:
8 red potatoes, skin on salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup skim milk 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 1/2 cup good parmesan cheese (not pictured above)
Put clean potatoes and chopped garlic cloves into a large pot. Put enough water in pot to completely cover potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 25-30 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce potato.
Drain potatoes and garlic. Cut potatoes in quarters. Add potatoes, skim milk, plain greek yogurt, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese to mixing bowl. Mix until you have reached desired consistency.
Unless you are channeling your inner monkey I would suggest trying the mashed potatoes before you try mixing banana, jalapeno, and ketchup together! The mashed potato recipe is a trustworthy side dish that uses ingredients that most people will have on hand.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Magic. That has now become "his spot". Even though we have only had him for about 6 months I couldn't imagine life without him. He keeps me company while Cody travels and never complains about being a guinea pig for my new recipes!
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