Mouth Watering Springtime Salad { Guest Post: Katie Elizabeth }

Hey everyone!    I'm Katie from the Katie Elizabeth blog, where I write about a variety of topics including - but not limited to! - life with my husband, Golden Retriever puppy and baby girl on the way here in Michigan, my favorite beauty products and my love for online shopping (it's a real addiction ;)).  I'm so excited to be here on P!nk Persistence today!
Totally beyond jealous of the amazing trip Pinky is on right now and I can only imagine all of the mouth watering, drool worthy food she is feasting on.  Today I thought I'd share with you guys one of my favorite spring time recipes.  It is so delicious, healthy and easy - my three requirements for a weeknight dinner.  Not pictured is the balsamic vinaigrette dressing which I highly recommend making yourself because it's that good (and easy, too!).  
Enjoy! Salad Ingredients 4 cups spring mix salad 2 hard boiled eggs, diced 1 chicken breast 1 avocado, diced 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup mozzarella balls (we love to use Feta instead, too) Salt and pepper
Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tbsp dijon mustard 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp dry basil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup olive oil Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions 1.  Mix garlic, mustard, lemon juice, basil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Slowly stir in olive oil, whisking until oil and vinegar are combined.  Set aside. 2.  Coat raw chicken with salt and pepper and any other additional seasonings. 3.  Grill chicken 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through, 170 degrees. 4.  Divide spring mix, eggs, avocado, tomatoes, mozzarella and sliced grilled chicken into two bowls. 5.  Top with balsamic vinaigrette.
Thanks so much to Pinky for having me - hope you all have a fabulous day and stop over and say hi sometime! :) Oh my yum, this looks DELICIOUS, Katie. Just the thing I'll need to munch on after over indulging the past 30 days. Thank you so much for guest posting, sweet friend!

The Purging and Goodbyes Have Started

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Good morning, beautiful friends. I hope y'all had a great weekend and your Monday is going well so far. I'm in need of that EXTRA LARGE cup of coffee this morning because our weekend was extremely full and it was go, go, go. I am incredibly proud of how much I got done regarding our move and am glad I was also able to schedule some down time with good friends. Kind of sad the goodbye brunches/dinners/lunches/drinks have started, I don't even want to think about April. 

Okay, moving on. This weekend I… 

… was inspired by the gorgeous weather on Friday so I used this recipe and whipped up a deliciously light shrimp salad. It was everything I wanted it to be and tasted FANTASTIC! #springandsummerperfect

*serve it as is, on a salad or in romaine hart leaves*

… found one of my college shirts and was surprise by how well it still fit. Decided to wear it out Friday night.

… met friends out at a bar to dance to an INCREDBILE COVER BAND! #soooogoood

… had a blast dancing the night away with some of my favorite soccer ladies. It brought me back to my 20 something days and I had a nostalgic moment on the dance floor [thanks wine]. So thankful soccer brought such great people into my life. 

… stayed out till midnight and then my night in shining armor picked me up. #solucky

… woke up super early to get in a CXworks class and then some cardio and booty work. #sweatingalcohol

… hustled back home to get ready to meet a good friend for brunch. We have known each other 24 years and I'm so grateful we've stayed so class. It was a great few hours catching up on her life and talking about my big changes. The food was amazing [hello french toast with marshmallow brûlée] and I am still dreaming about the fantastic french press coffee.

… came home and started the purging process. 

… was suddenly laid up with an AWFUL headache and got derailed while I rested on the couch. 

… thankfully kicked the headache and started the purging of closets. It was actually quite cathartic and I was pretty ruthless using the Spark Joy method. I admit I am quite sad to get rid of this beautiful piece because it no longer fits. Honestly I'm at a loss of what to do with it because I don't just want to give it away, anyone need a birthday dress?

… texted with the sissys and Biana when I came across a maybe. #thanksforyourhelp

… cleaned up quickly and met another friend for an overdue sushi/sake dinner. #wehousedit

… went home, cleaned out my part of the linen closet then went to bed.  #neededmoresleep

… woke up and went to church for Palm Sunday. Enjoyed the processing of the Palms and wondered where our next Palm Sunday will be celebrated. CAAAAHRAZY line of thinking. 

… met my parents for an impromptu brunch after church at our favorite diner. #traditionsIwillmiss

… arrived home and tackled more purging. Anyone want some books? If not where should I donate?

… treated myself to cup of cocoa for a break. #isntitsupposedtobespring

… moved on to paper purging and recycled old recipts, policies and birthday cards. 

… made an old t-shirt into a bag. #newwaytorecycleoldshirts 

… had to document how much I got rid of this weekend. This doesn't include two other bags already at my parent's house and two boxes of books and linens we no longer need. #somuchstuff

… finally dropped my car of to get fixed after the hit and run. 

… indulged in a cereal dinner for the first time in months. #iblamelehusband

… caught up with my bestest on the phone and created an event for our going away party. #eeek

How was your weekend? Do anything fun?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies whoop 

Middle of the March Friday Faves

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Hey there, I got you flowers :)! I guess those flowers should be green with St. Paddy's yesterday, but you know me, I like em pink. Hopefully your week has gone well, mine was busy and all over the place and sadly my weekend is jam packed so no rest for the weary. I have workouts, brunch plans, purging/packing plans, dinner out, night out with the girls, Palm Sunday service and of course more packing. #thetripandmoveisgettingreal! Moving on to the faves of the week.

Favorite quote of the week: Time to slough off the old and become new. Time to get rid of what is weighing me down as we venture to a different period of life. I am quite excited to become magnificently transformed.

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Favorite meal of the week: We brought back one our favorite healthy meals when we saw Mahi-Mahi on sale. To make: Add salt, pepper and a little squeeze of lemon then cook on a stove top grill cast iron for 6 minutes on each side then finish in the oven for 3 minutes. Fish should be flaky when done. Super tasty, healthy, filling and easy. #getyousomemahi

Favorite outfit of the week: Busted out the green for St. Paddy's day and LOVED the overall look. Le Husband's grandmother gave all the female grandchildren this scarf to wear on the holiday [cheers to marrying into an Irish family] and I was super excited it worked with my skirt. #kissmeimirishbymarriage #youcantpinchme #glamourgreen

Favorite evening of the week: Thursday after I taught BODYPUMP the sissys and I met up for dinner at Pollo Rico. Le Husband and I eat there almost every Thursday because its healthy, cheap and quick which is what we need after I teach. The three sissys hadn't been together in awhile so it was wonderful catching up and FINALLY getting Sportyspice her birthday gift. Gotta get the lil get togethers while we still can. #lovemysissys

Favorite funnies of the week: All aboard the chuckle train.

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Have a fabulous weekend, beauties! < 3

**linking up  Here  here , here, here and, this week**

Recipes To Try This Month

We survived Snow Storm Jonas, y'all. I'm finally back at work -- although schools are still out, possibly until Friday -- and while the roads aren't normal they are safe enough to navigate to work [drat].  I totally enjoyed my snowed in weekend with all the treats and down time, but my body is not happy with me right now.

So it's time to get back on track with workouts and healthy eats. Obviously I'll be turning to my tried and true clean eats, but I thought new year, new recipes too. Cue Pinterest and blogs for inspiration.

Paleo Squash Ravioli: This recipe is probably the most involved, but it is also the most intriguing. I'm a huge ravioli fan but find when I ate more than three pieces I can feel it in my body before dinner is done. I'd love to enjoy the taste of ravioli without the after effects. Fingers crossed my mandolin can slice thin enough.

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Cauliflower Fried Rice: First we had cauliflower pizza crust and now we have cauliflower rice. I was not a fan of the pizza crust, so I am a bit wary of the rice. Is this something people rave about because everyone is raving? Or does cauliflower rice really work? We eat a lot of cauliflower with our meals so I'm trying to find something new this month.

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Avocado Chicken Salad: If you've read for awhile you've realized I'm not really a sandwich person after Whole30. So, I'd add this to chicken to a salad or just eat it on it's own or on cucumber pieces.

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Sweet potato & Zucchini fritters: These sound perfect for a side dish with protein [I'm gonna take out the butter] and looks quite easy peasy with prep. I bet they would be a great addition to any breakfast routine too.

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Cauliflower Tater Tots: Non guilty tater tots? Yes please! The recipe calls for butter and bread crumbs which I'll probably cut in half but the rest of the ingredients makes my Whole30 heart smile. I'm not a huge spice fan but I bet these would taste awesome with a sirachia ketchup or a delicious guacamole.

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What are some of your go to detox recipes? Any new recipes I should try? Have you tried any of these?

Linking up  here & here

#SnowStormJonas in Numbers {#Snomageddon2016}

Hi, fabulous friends! I am alive and warm and working from home today. We survived #snowstormjonas quite well and thanks to all of you who checked in with me. I don't know anyone who lost power and apparently the main roads were cleared quite well. That can't really be said about the side roads, so I'm very happy to be working from my couch today.

This weekend was spent bunkered down inside eating lots of food, relaxing while watching tv and of course, enjoying the beautiful white snow dumped on our doorstep.

Our weekend in numbers looked like this...

95  :: emails read/answered in my pjs from the couch Friday.

60 :: minutes spent as a student at a lunchtime BODYPUMP class with Le Husband.

8 :: tracks done at normal non teaching weight. #realweightisheavynow

14 :: meatballs made and eaten Friday night.

Homemade Friday

6 :: episodes of NCIS & Elementary watched.

3 :: neighbors my dad helped Saturday during the storm. #snowplowforthewin #weneedone

3 :: guys joined Le Husband to start shoveling during the storm Saturday afternoon.

3.5 :: hours spent in the kitchen cooking up Julia Child's beef bourguignon. #amazing #worththetime

1140 :: minutes slept collectively over the weekend. #ilovesleep

5 :: layers worn to shovel on Sunday morning.

You know you love my outfit ;)

60.96 :: centimeters of snow that feel in our area. A few friends had three FEET!

12,600 :: seconds spent shoveling the snow.

5280+ :: feet walked while shoveling our half of the parking lot. 

1 :: snow balls thrown at Le Husband.

0 :: hills sledded. #sadface

6 :: deliciously gluttonous meals eaten. #funfettipancakes #nachos

5 :: the number of yahoos yelled when I received a text my morning class was canceled for Monday.

4 :: cups of hot cocoa enjoyed with whipped cream. #bothwhippedcreambottlesaregone

2 :: NFL games watched.

4 :: rooms I anticipated cleaning over the weekend.

.5 :: the number of rooms actually cleaned this weekend. #illgetitdonethisweek

How was your weekend? Friends that experienced the #snowblizzard how did you fair?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies whoop whoop 

Funfetti Cheesecake Cookie Cups {Recipe Files}

I love to bake. A lot. It's a lil crazy how much I like to bake because I also like to be fit. #random. I used to be able to just BAKE and not eat anything -- except to taste -- but now enjoying a treat or two is part of the process. When you're on Whole30 you can't taste baked good so my baking took a bit of a back seat this year. Well, guess what, the baking is back and I'm stoked.

Whenever I'm looking for a new sweets recipe I head to Sally's Backing Addiction because home girl is uber talented in the baking and candy world and her recipes never let me down. While on my last Whole24 I tortured myself by randomly checking out her website and grabbed four recipes to try once Whole24 was done. The first recipe I tried was her Funfetti Cheesecake Cookie Cups and they were incredibly delicious and actually quite easy to make. Sally does a phenomenal job of describing her creations step by step, so if you want a more thorough account head to her website.

Ingredients:
Cookie Cups
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3*4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 granulated sugar *I did not have granulated sugar [shocking!!!] so I just did a cup of brown sugar*
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sault
1 and 1/4 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Funfetti Cheesecake Layer
16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 heaping cup sprinkles [not ball sprinkles you don't want your sprinkles to bleed]

Directions
In large bowl [or Kitchen Aid mixer bowl] cream together sugar and butter until fluffy then mix in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients then slowly add to wet ingredients. Once combined stir in chocolate chips [dough will be thick]. Press 1.5 Tablespoons of dough into muffin liner. I wasn't particular about pressing the dough down and everything was fine, but if you want a more DEFINED look you'd want to pay attention to this step.

Place in oven for  10 minutes. Dough will not be cooked but you will be putting everything back in the oven so don't worry.

While cookie cups are cooking, get started on your cream cheese filling. In Kitchen Aid or with a handheld mixer beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in the sprinkles but do not over mix so the color starts to bleed. After you remove the cookie cups from the oven, place 1 heaping Tablespoon of the cheesecake batter onto the cookie cups, making sure you cover the entire cookie.

Place back into oven and back for 18 more minutes. The cups are done when the cheesecake topping no longer jiggles when you shake the pan. Remove from oven and allow to cool before you enjoy.

I loved the combination of cookie and cheesecake and found these to be A LOT simpler than expected. I brought them to a friend who just had a baby and to work and everyone LOVED them. I bet they would be fun with holiday sprinkles at a party, too.

Let me know if you give them a try and definitely head to Sally's website for more fun creations.

Linking up here & here !