Happy Wednesday! We’ve made it to the middle of the work week!

Last week felt like the LONGEST week to me, even with the extra day off! Hopefully this week finishes out more smoothly / less exhausting. I also have been sleeping terribly which never helps anything! The perpetual challenge of sleeping on the top floor of a 3-story townhouse…  my weeks have felt so thrown off and less than optimal with all that!

In FUN news, Alec and I went kayaking down the Huron River over the weekend. Such a perfect day to be on the water!

We also got breakfast at Stray Hen, a newish breakfast/lunch restaurant in Ann Arbor near campus.

I thoroughly enjoyed the yogurt + granola bowl!! Would for sure order again next time I am there. Granola was really tasty, plenty of fresh fruit, and I felt like it was a good portion for the price! Also plenty of coffee w/ almond milk. Alec had an egg scramble dish w/ chicken sausage + veggies. So fun since we never really go out to breakfast!

On Memorial Day I made some burgers using the recipe in Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow (my latest cookbook obsession). I topped them with a delicious green goddess tahini sauce (soo good!) found in the same cookbook. Served with some roasted sweet potatoes on the side. I loved the flavor combo of the tahini sauce on the burgers! I’m trying to be mindful to eat some high-quality red meat each month to help with my micronutrient levels / overall nutrition.

You can read more about my favorite fat sources here, red meat included!

The next day I had a leftover burger on a salad of arugula, roasted broccoli, chopped cherry tomato + cucumber + green bell pepper, pepitas, and plenty of the same green goddess dressing. This totally hit the spot!

Preparing a veggie stir fry using up a lot of random veggies I had on hand. Mix of hard veggies (carrot + broccoli) with softer veggies (zucchini + onion + bok choy+ bell pepper) for an optimal array of textures! I can’t really remember what went into the sauce I whipped up but it was some sort of blend of tamari, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, gochujang sauce, garlic, ginger, plenty of red pepper flakes, and probably a few other things!  Served over quinoa for some protein. We love our wok for stir frying!

Tahini s’mores bars that you must give a try this summer! (Side note is that I did need to bake them a bit longer than the recipe noted, and some others mentioned this in the comments as well. Just keep an eye on them if you end up making a batch!).

Monique of Ambitious Kitchen is the queen of tahini desserts such as coffee tahini date chocolate chip cookies and this epic tahini chocolate chip cake that I once made for my bday!

Heading out to our friends’ for dinner and brought this delish salad combo of mixed greens + strawberries + chopped dates + crumbled feta + crushed/toasted pecans. Drizzled with dark balsamic. A wonderful summer salad to serve as a side or topped with some grilled chicken!

Loving all the fresh berries lately! Favorite cold overnight oats topped with a drizzle of agave, hefty scoop of peanut butter, and fresh blueberries + strawberries.

Our Keurig is having issues / currently not working, so my coffee game has been rough lately. Making do with some English Breakfast tea and a random cold brew that I picked up from TJ’s. A joyous problem to have when I’ve been extra tired!

One more favorite salad lately that I dreamt up using the leftover green goddess dressing. Arugula with roasted carrot + asparagus (also added the leftover roasted sweet potatoes for an even better version later on) + crumbed feta + pepitas. Eaten with some juicy strawberries and salty tortilla chips.

I made a DIY granola featuring oats, almond butter, maple syrup, chai spices, pecans, and chocolate chips. I liked the flavor but would add some tahini or olive oil next time to help it turn out chunkier (my almond butter wasn’t super thin/oily). A great summer snack with some plain yogurt or on top of a smoothie bowl!

All the watermelon! Maybe a bit much for two people?? Thankfully we managed to consume it all in no time!

One way was via this summer salad with mixed greens, watermelon, feta, toasted walnuts, and chopped cucumber + mint. Other than that we ate it in copious amounts on its own!

Frittata with roasted sweet potatoes + jalapeño + yellow onion + corn + orange bell pepper + shredded cheddar. Served with some roasted broccoli and a side salad. Check out this post for instructions on how to make a frittata using any vegetables/meats/cheeses of your choosing! One of my favorite simple/easy dinners to make regularly.

Some fudgy flourless brownies from Joy Food Sunshine. These were good but probably not my favorite brownie recipe ever. I am on a constant quest for better and fudgier brownies! Leave your favorite brownie recipe in the comments if you have one!! This is usually my go-to which I like, but I feel like there must be an even better version out there!

One more dinner recipe of quinoa + roasted veggies (red bell pepper + red onion + zucchini) + Juicy Kitchen sun-dried tomato hummus + shredded parmesan. One of our all-time favorite bowl meals!!

Some summer recipe inspiration! 

A random mix of summery recipes from some of my favorite food blogs! Hoping to get to a few of these this summer.

Peach salsa chicken
Pasta salad w/ tomatoes, corn, + jalapeño pesto
Black bean sweet potato tacos
Asian broccoli salad w/ peanut sauce
Zucchini choco chip pancakes
Honey strawberry peach pie
Avocado chocolate fudge pops

Everyday Enjoyment: 

Slippers: Loving these new slippers!! I am all about the slippers / comfy footwear life.

Sunset views: We have a large window in our stairway which faces west, so it’s always a highlight to catch the sun going down over the trees. Lots of beautiful glimpses lately!

Meeting with clients / my job! I have been really enjoying meeting with clients lately and seeing growth and breakthrough in people’s relationships with food!

What are your favorite summer foods?? 
What have you been enjoying lately?

Have a good rest of the week!