Tindora

 Since I'm just now coming alive after working I'll wrap up the weekend:

 Friday during the day I made lots of food to last us through the weekend and into the beginning of the week. I usually don't have time to cook when I'm doing the nightshift work-sleep-work cycle, so I cook beforehand. Meals I made on Friday included:
Minestrone soup

Coconut curry rice:

Hummus: 

I also made a pasta salad to bring into work for a carry-in we had:

The carry-in at work was cook-out themed, so there was a hotdog buffet spread, with cheese and chili and other toppings. Most of the other dips and side dishes ended up having cheese and meat in it, and the desserts had eggs, so I brought this easy and healthy pasta salad. Everyone said they liked it and when I went to get my container to take home, it was wiped clean. 

 Something new we did try was a vegetable we had got at the farmer's market. The Boyfriend actually bought it and brought it home in a bag:

 He said it was called "tingra". We googled and searched everywhere online for any information on it but nothing turned up. I emailed a few friends and they were clueless as well. He had said that an indian lady at the farmer's market had said to slice it up, sprinkle with cumin and fry in oil.
 Into the pot went the mysterious vegetable with some spices:

We then mixed it with red beans and served it over quinoa:

This was okay. I wasn't even sure if we were eating it the right way. Note: this is the only recipe I will ever post that isn't 100% satisfaction guaranteed. (I'm only posting about it because I know you won't be able to find/buy this vegetable, so no harm no foul)
 The next time we went to the farmer's market we saw this veggie again, and I made sure to read the sign of what it was. Perhaps we couldn't figure out what it was or how to cook it because we weren't looking up the correct name. Oh that silly boyfriend! :)  It's called Tindora, and once I plugged that into google it was easy to find recipes. It's a vegetable kind of like zucchini in the sense that it's full of water and low in calories and easy to add to any dish. Most of the recipes put it on the stove with some oil, curry powder and mustard, and then served with potatoes. We'll try that next time!

 In addition to being a busy cooking day, Friday was also a girls night out with two very special ladies:

  We went to the most cozy, comfortable, and cute wine bar I have ever been to! We all shared a bottle of red wine and had an olive and cheese plate for an appetizer. Nothing like some good girl talk to soothe the soul :)
  Before we went out, Kemry and I worked out together at the gym, then got ready at my place where she fixed my hair in big, loose curls:

It looked great, and the more it fell out the more it looked like loose, beachy waves!

 Our girls night was the perfect start to a long, drawn-out weekend at work.

 This morning after getting home from work I made a green smoothie:

Then I took a nap for about four hours. Following a nap was a workout with Kemry. Today was an outdoor run, then lifting weights at the gym. We lifted quads, glutes, and a few arm exercises, then wrapped up with a long session in the steam room. It should be a sunny, beautiful week so stay tuned for delicious recipes and outdoor adventures!