Yesterday was a day FULL of food prep for the week.  I prepped a bit more than usual in hopes of saving some time in the evenings so that I can focus on some non-food related tasks on my to-do list.

I prepped lunches in little plastic containers that are divided into three compartments.

I also whipped up a batch of How Sweet Eats Autumn Mac and Cheese.  If you like mac and cheese at all, then you must try this recipe!  It is chock full of fall veggies like brussel sprouts, butternut squash, onion, and apple.  Instead of using regular cheddar, the recipe calls for smoked cheddar.  This time I used a light gouda cheese, and the mac dish came out just as delicious as I had remembered it.

I am hoping that it reheats well for quick dinners throughout the week.

In the midst of all of my cooking, cutting, and prepping, I also managed to do a bit of experimenting.  And my experiment turned out pretty dang good if I do say so myself!

A couple of close friends of mine have recently discovered that they suffer from a gluten intolerance.  When I found out (literally within a week of each other) the wheels in my brain instantly started churning to see what kind of gluten free recipes I could come up with to help them out.

After purchasing some extra almond flour and reading gluten free recipes, I thought that starting with a tasty muffin would be a good intro to gluten free recipes for me.

The result was a success.  Not your run of the mill fluffy muffin, but still tasty and a great snack between meals.   They are even great with a bit of peanut or almond butter on top!

**I think that these muffins may also be paleo friendly too!

Gluten Free Almond Honey Muffins

Yields:  8 muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped dates
Directions:  
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 8 muffin tins with paper liners.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond meal and baking powder.  Once combined, add in all of the ingredients except the dates.  Once the batter is thoroughly combined, add in the dates.
Spoon into muffin tins.  Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes.  Then, dig in and enjoy!
After I was done in the kitchen, I went to prepare for the week and get ready for the group fitness classes that I teach this week.

 Brian’s dad always makes Sunday dinner.  Yesterday, he made pico de gallo, guacamole, and mexican style chicken.  I am pretty picky when it comes to eating meat, but he threw on a piece of organic, free range chicken for me.  Mmmm…this dinner really hit the spot!

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Moving on to this morning.  This morning, I was just not feelin’ it when my first alarm went off and slept an extra half an hour.  Brian and I were pretty tired but motivated each other to get our butts to the gym anyways.

With the new Body Pump release just around the corner, I spent the morning working on the new release and Brian followed along.  Boy were we sweatin’!!

 I still wasn’t feeling 100% as I left the gym, and I was kind of dreading going into work and starting the week.  Then, I saw this.

Such a beautiful sunrise!  It just proves that today will be the great start to the week!

Let me hear from you!

How did you start your morning/week?

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