Gotta make this quick… it’s past 10 pm already. Yikes! To make up for my lack of creativity tonight, here are a few giveaways for you to check out…
Heather and Mark are having a giveaway for almond butter… yum!
And Kelly is having another book giveaway. I want both!! 
BEST MEAL OF THE DAY
I give all credit for today’s meal of the day to my sister and her boyfriend, who brought us the best strawberry balsamic vinegar and basil infused olive oil EVER (from Old Town Oil in Chicago)!! I tried the strawberry balsamic here and raved about it the first time, but today I actually added fresh strawberries to the salad which brought out the amazing balsamic vinegar sweetness and strawberry flavor even further. The vinegar + oils turned a delicious salad into an extraordinary, lick the plate clean amazing meal (and yes, I did in fact lick the plate after I was done … no joke!).
In today’s salad I used baby spinach, grape tomatoes, fresh strawberries, goat cheese and pecans – all dressed in 1 tsp of the basil EVOO and 1 T of the strawberry balsamic. OMG, strawberries and goat cheese in a salad… how did I live for over 26 years without ever trying this combo??!!
Pre-dressing closeup:
On the side I enjoyed 4 crackers with some Trader Joe’s olive bruschetta. It was a really great lunch!
OTHER EATS
For the dish above, I followed this recipe found on Lara’s blog. I added extra mushrooms because we love mushrooms in this household 7.5 oz of dry pasta, 1 lb of raw chicken, a broccoli head and a big handful of fresh mushrooms + sauce made 4 HUGE servings. In fact, I couldn’t finish this bowl so I had dessert instead…
Total calories for the day: 1678
WORKOUT
I had a great workout today! I was actually really excited about it which made a very vigorous bootcamp class (recently renamed to “extreme core training” and yes it was extreme) very enjoyable. I started with a 15 minutes of abs, followed by 40 minutes of a bootcamp class (we alternated between jump rope and crazy exercises for 1 minute each) and finished with 20 minutes of pilates. I was actually going to do the whole pilates class but my legs were shaking so much after 20 minutes I thought it may do more harm than good so I left in the middle of the class. The instructor was a little upset, but whatever. She’ll get over it 
By the way, I’ve been using my Ab slide 3 times a week (I didn’t do it today… I just figured I’d mention it so you guys know I’ve been complying with the Sexy six pack challenge rules ). I’m up to 60 rolls already!
And that’s all I’ve got for you today! I have a little dinner + movie date with my friend Katie tomorrow so there may be no post tomorrow night… or a really short one! I’m just warning you 
Oh my gosh, everything looks scrumptious – waffles!!
mmm your salad looks delicious! I am definitely trying that combo soon!
all of your meals and snacks look especially good today! I love the combination of goat cheese and strawberry – perfectly sweet and tangy =)
Hehe…”I couldn’t finish this bowl so I had dessert instead.” Love that logic
Ok, your version is so pretty! It looks great with the shells.
Great dinner last night! Can’t wait for my leftovers
Wow that salad look amazing. And what are those sweet sloops? Where do you get them? They look intriguing
That totally looks like a winning combo! Yummy
Oh well about the instructor! Don’t push yourself too hard, that’s how injuries happen. You made the right choice!
oo i have strawberries in my fridge i know what i’m having tonight! im so glad you tried the balsamic/ oil together they are divine
everything looks great! love the waffle sammie! and 60 rolls on the ab slider??? you are going to have some rockin abs!
I’m already jealous of your developing abs…better get started myself! And this dinner is definitely going into our recipe pile…
Inna (not sister Inna
) the sweet sloops are from a local company in Salem called Harbor Sweets. Here is a link to their website – the sweet sloops are their most popular candy! http://www.harborsweets.com/sweetsloops.html
Yeah Katie, my abs will develop as long as I keep the diet in check. I don’t know if I’ll be ready for my “reveal” by the 17th. I may have to postpone it. I know you got some awesome tricep moves to share with us, right
Oh goodness- I love fruit as salad toppings. I have no idea why I don’t do it more often- this looks great!
I second the love of strawberries and goat cheese in salads! That’s my favorite salad at Tossed in the Pru. The make this salad called the “Summer Salad” with both strawberries and goat cheese and a super yummy strawberry balsamic on top. It’s my usual.
why am i too lazy to make meals that look that good…i guess i did cook this week and they were healthy.. that just looks yummy!
ooh, strawberries and goat cheese… devine!
Amanda, the meals you prepped sounded awesome. I have to make mine slightly more presentable since I’m taking pictures of them, but I’m sure yours are just as delicious (and just as important – healthy!)
Love the strawberry goat cheese combo. So good. And that pasta dish looks great too.
That salad looks delicious! Of course, I’d remove the tomato and replace it with peapods, but that’s only because I’m a big peapod fan and raw tomato makes my stomach rebel against the rest of my body :/
And this miracle balsamic has grabbed my attention. Must search it out now.
The salad looks delicious, like something off a wonderful cafe menu!