WTF: I ate a kale and plantain salad and I'm still not skinny

Happy April y'all! The pollen is assaulting me in a way that I wish I could file a restraining order. I coughed all night last night so I've got gorgeous dark circles under my eyes that make it look like I was in a fist fight.  It's fine thought, whatever. When I weighed on Saturday I was the same weight as last week. I saw this as a victory because I had a couple residual Reese's Egg issues and had a late night Mexican food binge on Friday night.  Plus, I had been bloated and retaining water all week.  Slowly but surely I have chipped away at the Easter candy so it shouldn't be a problem anymore.  I'm in a positive mood about food this week. An unexpected German festival popped up on Saturday and I had a baby shower yesterday but hopefully no random temptations will hinder me this coming up weekend. I'm really focusing on food planning in order to have balance.

Yesterday, my mom came over and helped me give a makeover to my little flower bed in front of my house.  Thanks Mom! It looks so much better already. We picked the weeds (top left picture is the "before") and then added mulch and a planter.  At some point, I'd like to add more cute things but I don't want a lot of flowers to have to keep alive.  It was the first time I'd ever done real yard work at a place I call my own.

So, thanks to Nish, Ian and I were able to receive one free week of Blue Apron meals. If you've never heard of it, it's a meal delivery service where you are the cook but they send you all the fresh ingredients you need to make a delicious meal. The only thing you have to provide is olive oil, salt and pepper. They also give you an approximate calorie count. I will be sharing those meals over the next few weeks. Blue Apron is expensive but I'm obsessed. At some point, I'd love another delivery but I'm trying to save a few bucks first.  It's not terribly outrageous if you consider the amount of groceries you get for the money. The first meal we made was delicious! They sent us all the ingredients for Cuban sandwiches. Ian and I both HATE pickles.  Since they sent us cucumbers and the ingredients for pickles, I just ate the cucumber as a pre-dinner snack.  We seared and baked the pork roast they gave us, then then sliced it and added it to the bread. On the bread I added the grainy mustard they sent and the swiss cheese. We popped them in the skillet and used a cast iron skillet to make them all flat and crispy and gooey and delicious.

Ian is a very picky eater and some of the dishes from Blue Apron include lots of different veggies. He would't touch kale with a ten foot pole but I am pretty much always willing to try things. I had my reservations about a kale and plantain salad. I despise bananas and had never had raw kale.  I tossed together the kale and the plantains that I had sautéed in olive oil with a bit more oil, garlic and lime juice.  Somehow, some way, the combination of flavors made it taste pretty good. The lime juice gave it a zesty pop and I actually ate the whole salad.  Ian and I had a blast making the Blue Apron meals.

Class are canceled Friday so I get a three day weekend. It's the little things!

Also, I get to see Mumford & Sons on Saturday and I'm super excited!

I hope y'all have an awesome week!

Until next time...