Since I worked the weekend, I had Tuesday off this week, woo-hoo! I used the time to get my holiday gift shopping 100% purchased, wrapped, and packed for shipping, woo-hoo x2!
daytime eats
This week’s tea – Chestnut. This was my favorite flavor yet; not as good as coffee, of course, but still pretty sweet and roasty. And the smell is unbelievable, I got a yummy whiff every time I opened my desk.
With an almond cookie from my co-worker.
Or s’mores trail mix.
Wheat squares cereal, salted brown butter dark chocolate, sweet and spicy pecans, and these fancy marshmallows my aunt and uncle sent me for Hanukkah.
That s’mores box was gone within 24 hours.
This week’s coffee:
Also I enjoyed a Winter Cheer (Stumptown cold brew with mulling spices!) with a cocktail grapefruit (a mandarin and pomelo hybrid that has the tang of a grapefruit without the bitterness).
And one morning I made us pink smoothies – plain Greek yogurt and orange juice with frozen grapes, blackberries, and pomegranate.
I only have one work lunch photo this week, we have been slammed and I ate hurriedly at my desk while I worked so I mostly stuck to pizza.
But Tuesday at home I did eat a tasty yogurt bowl.
Plain Greek yogurt with the last of the cranberry sauce, fresh pomegranate, chia seeds, and Maple-icious Pecan Granola. I’m going to miss that sauce.
nighttime eats
First things first – I started almost every dinner this week with an appetizer of a big hunk of ciabatta schmeared with Smart Balance.
Also cocktail hour with this dream team:
Adam bought me those ridiculously exciting Luxardo cherries for my birthday and I’ve been hoarding them for winter cocktail hours ever since.
Monday night we harnessed the power of the soft-cooked egg yolk and made easy but amazing bowls.
Mine was roasted green beans, maple chicken breakfast sausage, and a sunny side up egg on top. Best meal of the week!
The leftovers weren’t half bad though, scrambled eggs with chopped sausage, frozen spinach, and TJ’s sticky toffee cheddar cheese.
Speaking of, I know it sounds a little a lot weird, but if you see that cheese a Trader Joe’s, buy it, the sweet and savory combo just works. Full disclosure though, it does have dates and raisins in it.
Wednesday and Thursday we ate giant Chipotle-style salad bowls.
Baby romaine base // sautéed onions and peppers // sautéed chicken that was marinated in ginger, garlic, chipotle, lime, honey, and canola oil // avocado // shredded cheese and sour cream.
If I could figure out how to make those fabulous lime-y chips at home we’d be able to stop going to Chipotle!
P.S. Happy birthday to my (funny, handsome, smart, kind) husband!!!
Eating Chalk 
Not a bad cook here, but somehow never mastered that dreamy looking soft-cooked egg. Love eating eggs over cooked veggies and other “bowl” type meals, but need to master that egg to get the lovely yolk drippings all over the rest of the meal. Please give a tutorial for the ovo-challenged!
I actually only got the hang of eggs very recently and I’m still too afraid to try poached! For sunny-side up you just have to make sure the pan is very well oiled so you don’t mangle the egg when you go to plate it. I like to do one egg at a time, in the middle of the pan; I cook it over medium-high heat and I’ve found that covering the pan with a lid helps get the white finished quickly without ruining the yolk. For soft-boiled I swear by Eat, Live, Run’s recipe – http://www.eatliverun.com/how-to-make-perfect-soft-boiled-eggs-eggs-soldiers/