Swinnyinthecity: I'm addicted to green juice...

Hey Y'all!

How is everyone doing? I had a fab morning and slept in until 9:30 :) You know you're getting old when 9:30 seems late! As usual, I feel like I have a gazillion things to catch you up on. My week has yet again been crazy and I haven't had a second to sit down and blog :( Wah.

In my last post, I forgot to include a recipe for the Cedar Plank Salmon I made on Monday night. My mom has been making this fantastic fish for a few years now, and last time I went to see her she gave me a pack of cedar planks as a parting gift! SCORE. The deal with this type of salmon is that when you put the cedar plank with fish on the grill, the cedar infuses the fish with a smokey flavor. DELISH. You can put the plank in the oven, but you won't get that same smokey essence to the fish. I know this because I put mine in the oven :) My mom advised against it, however the walk down to my shared apartment patio to fire up the charcoal grill seemed like too much work! Despite lacking some of the taste my mom's cedar plank salmon has, my oven did a pretty good job and PJ and I both enjoyed the fish!

Grilled Cedar –Plank Salmon

1 Cedar Plank

1 Wild Salmon Fillet (with skin) (I use a 1 1/2 to 2 pound whole side of salmon to

feed 4-5 people

Dijon Mustard (there are many herbed/flavored/ whole grain mustards ~Choose

one that sparks your interest)

Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

1 lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Soak cedar plank, submerged completely in water for 2 hours prior to grilling. (Weigh plank down with pot filled with water to keep it submerged)

Feel the salmon for pin bones that usually run along the length. To remove them easily, invert a bowl on your counter. Lay the fish over the bowl and it will help expose the pin bones, making them easier to remove. (Your best tools to pull them out with are needle-nose pliers or your trusty eyebrow tweezers, sufficiently disinfected before and after, of course.)

Set the fish on a plate, skin side down. Squeeze 1-tbsp lemon juice over the fish. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the fresh rosemary over the fish…use a good amount. Spread the fish with a layer of mustard. (You can even sprinkle a small amount of brown sugar over the top if you like that flavor combo). Let fish sit at room temp for 20 minutes before grilling.

Preheat grill to medium high temp. If your grill has 2 zones, heat one side to high and one side to low.

Remove plank from water and dry. Place fish on plank (if you have a piece of fish that gets very thin down toward the tail, double it under itself to make the whole piece of fish an even thickness.

Tuck a few thin slices of lemon under the fish and if desired, place some sprigs of rosemary and/or thyme over the fish.

Place plank directly on the grill grate (the low temp side if dual zone). Cover grill. Grill until internal temp of fish is 125 degrees. (app 20 minutes) You should be able to see the white fish proteins beginning to emerge from the top of the fish.

Remove plank with fish to the table. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Mine.

Roasted sweet potato side

Yummers. This is such a quick and easy meal to make. I plan on making it again this weekend when I have access to a real grill :) Note** My mom got me a pack of cedar planks for about 10 bucks at costco, however you can find them at the fish counter usually ! :)

OK, moving on. Another quick and easy meal I whipped up this week (and kind of made up!) was this awesome quinoa,kale, and chicken salad. I made a zesty mustard dressing to top the salad which I think made the dish. Sometimes I think I eat salad just because I love the dressing so much!

Bad photo, I know. The important part is that is tasted fab and the leftovers were perfect to pack for lunch the next day!

Quinoa and Kale Salad

(adapted from pcc natural markets)

**Note** I didn't make the quinoa the way they suggested in the recipe. I cooked the quinoa according to the package and close to the end of cooking, I stirred in some garlic and tumeric.

Random beautiful picture taken my my momma. Hydrangeas make my heart sing.

I had to snap a photo before work on Thursday .I was wearing my fave seersucker pants, and I'm pretty sure that this was the last time this summer I can get away with sporting these fashionable duds. PS- I have had these pants since sophomore year of college which speaks to the fact that investing in high quality, classic pieces is the way to go! :) My mom has been telling me this since I was very small. Smart woman she is.

Thursday was an interesting day. I again ended up at DOCO (the juice bar and organic market I wrote about on Wednesday) to slug down another green juice. I am going to go broke stopping here every am, but the juices give me so much energy and I feel so good!

The adorable owner and her staff.

Samples

Display :)

my juice. nom. nom nom

complimentary macaroon from the owner. DELISH. Note** Macaroons are one of my FAVORITE foods EVER.

Thursday proved to be another interesting day at "the office". I had a lunch presentation with one of my customers, and when I walked into the lunch room this big contraption was there. I asked about it, and apparently it is to help release tension in your back. Well, I just had to hop on. Wouldn't you want to?! They strapped me in and back I went. It was such a cool feeling! On a side note, I think that I have moved to a new level with this account! They may now just think I'm a wierdo-which is kind of accurate :)

Random pic from the week: These are my best friend's doggies Emma and Milo. I love these two little muffins with all my heart- and clearly they love each other :)

One of my favorite views taken from the end of my street.

Okay, enough with my random photos :) Thursday night, PJ and I went to dinner with another couple to Madame Claude's Cafe ( I have blogged about this little gem in previous posts!). We enjoyed a fabulous meal and some great company!

Clearly, we had the escargot app again- it is the best escargot I have ever had.

Adorable couple dancing to Manouche' Bag (gypsy jazz) .On second thought, maybe this couple isn't all that adorable as our table took note that this dude danced with every woman at his table throughout the evening. Energizer dancer man.

I have been really feeling yoga this week, but last night I was in the mood for some seriously loud music and to work up a crazy sweat. Like I said in previous posts, I only spin 1x per week because it is hard on my body and I find that I look forward to it more. Last night, my favorite instructor was leading the pack, so I hopped on the bike for a Friday night ride. It rocked.

Something to discuss:

If I am not taking a soul cycle class (which requires major coordination), I tend to close my eyes in spin class. I find that it has really improved my riding experience as I can visualize whatever I choose instead of staring at the nasty, sweaty person in front of me. I sing with the music and float off into my own little world. Something I have always disliked about spinning is that you are gazing out into nothingness and it totally bores me. Take away: try closing your eyes and see how it works for you :).

Last night after class I made some bangin' fish tacos: