My heart is completely and totally torn right now. Do I want summer to continue…or am I ready for fall?
I can’t enjoy the jet ski that Mr. Prevention purchased so timely (NOT!) a few weeks ago. Pregnancy aside, the weather so far this weekend has been sauna-like…sans the sun. What the heck, weekend? Let’s keep the temps, shed some of the humidity, and puhhhlease, take the mosquitoes with you. My toes are begging you as they are littered with swollen, itchy skeeter bites and this 2 showers-a-day business really wears a woman out, let me tell ya.
This summer just seemed to FLY by. Next weekend is LABOR DAY, people. How did this happen?!
…How did I survive summer without melting into a puddle? I’ll never know, but there were a few close calls.
Thanks to the intolerable weather yesterday, we spent about 4 hours in Babies R Us. Sadly, that is no exaggeration. Mr. Prevention had gone back and forth on whether or not he was going to tag along and within an hour he was sorely regretting his decision. That said, I am feeling pretty prepared for baby Shea (and super impressed by my couponing skills). Not really prepared, because how you can you ever been 100% ready for a newborn, especially as a first time mom…but at least we have all the essentials. Now it not only looks like a pink bomb went off in the house, but there’s pack-n-plays and swings occupying what used to be nice, empty space that kept our home seeming fairly clutter-free.
That’s all in the past, I imagine.
So with summer coming to a bittersweet end, it’s time to enjoy what summer has to offer. Like blueberries and local greens. In a really unique salad, that is, without a doubt, a little far-fetched…but soooo delicious (500 farmers market-goers tested and approved!).
Because next weekend starts college football. And my chili contest. And a 3 day weekend (!). And September…as in, the month before my due date making me very, very pregnant, very, very anxious to meet our little girl, and at the same time, very, very sad to see another Michigan summer come to an end. We tolerate the winters to savor the summer, guys. That’s no lie. So for a few most days, I’m soaking up summer.
- 5 oz fresh arugula
- ½ cup brown rice, prepared according to package directions and cooled
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade
- 1 oz (about ¼ cup) blue cheese
- 1 oz (about ¼ cup) slivered almonds, toasted
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (I used a blueberry balsamic)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- black pepper, to taste
- In a large bowl, combine the arugula, cooked brown rice, blueberries, and basil; toss well.
- Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients in a food blender, food prep, or cylindrical container to puree with an immersion blender; blend until smooth.
I have a ton of tomatoes and basil, hence the pizza. I have lots of blueberries and grilled chicken from the freezer, hence the fruit & quinoa salad, as well as the blueberry pizza (have the goat cheese that needs to be used up, too!), flank steak in the freezer that is nearing the end of its freezer life expectancy, and 2 dozen farm fresh eggs that will be made into chilaquiles (along with homemade salsa using home grown tomatoes and jalapenos!). I’m a woman on a mission this week!
Weekly Menu: August 24th – 28th
- Sunday: Caprese Pizza
- Monday: Fruit & Quinoa Salad with Citrus Poppy Seed Dressing
- Tuesday: Lemon Pepper Flank Steak Tacos with Cabbage and Mango Slaw
- Wednesday: Blueberry Pizza with Honeyed Goat Cheese and Prosciutto
- Thursday: Chilaquiles and Eggs
Be well,
OK so you KNOW I went to the web-site and am buying alot more than the blueberry balsamic! AND your weekly menu thread is one of my favorites 🙂 WE are all anxious to meet baby Shea too! Enjoy your last days of summer! Also, have you ever been to the Woodward Cruise in Royal Oaks? OMG we watched it on TV last night…The Hub worked in Detroit in the auto industry when we meet, so he’s been there…looked awesome!