Operation Beautiful and A BBQ

Hi lovelies!  Well, here we are at Monday already and I’m back to work tomorrow so I guess vacation is over.  That makes me sad!   We didn’t do as many day trips this year as we usually do, but LOTS of R&R was enjoyed and I truly savoured every bit of it.  Maybe now I’ll get back to some regular posting! 
Friday was a bum day but in a good way.  We made a trip to Costco and I had groceries to do.  Other than that I just chilled.  Breakfast was a new (to me) hot cereal that I bought at Wegman’s:
Funnily enough, after eating this I read an blurb about it in Prevention magazine!  For me, raisins just seem to go well with the flavour of chai so as you can see I added some.  There was also a drizzle of cream. Lunch was some leftovers thrown in a bowl; steamed broc, a little bit of chicken and cuke slices with roasted red pepper dressing and a bagel thin LC cheese on the side: Googly eyes!!!  LOL  I bought the LC in the US, but I think I can find this flavour here in “green” packaging. 
We enjoyed dinner outside again!  Grilled pork chops (from Costco…they were so thick that my hubby cut them in half cross wise and we froze the rest), grilled zucchini and a side of cantaloupe.
There were cherries, too, enjoyed while reading the newest edition of Clean Eating magazine.
I spent the rest of the evening getting food ready for our deck “christening” BBQ!  More on that in a wee bit….when darkness fell we started a fire in the fire pit and sat around chatting about our vacay.  The kids have really been enjoying the later nights!
I had one of DS, too, but I think the little bugger deleted it because it’s not on the camera anymore!  Grrr…
I hit the kitchen as soon as I got out of bed Saturday to finish chopping, mixing and blending.  I finally sat down about 9ish for some eats.  I’ve really been enjoying the bagel thins so I toasted one and topped it off with almond butter and homemade zucchini jam (recipe to come); Coffee was also a must!
Early in the afternoon DD and I went to the mall in hunt of the new Operation Beautiful book!  I went online and saw that the Canadian release date is August 10, but I was determined so I went to the bookstore and inquired about it,  turns out there were 2 in back, one of which ended up in my greedy hands!!!
Excited much?  LOL  Before I could get it home I HAD to stop to get a picture of me, the book and “Canada”!!
I just noticed that although I randomly picked this sign…AKA, it was the first one we drove by…..it’s actually very fitting as it was taken at the “Food Research Centre”!  HAHA!  I’m just about done reading it and so far I think it’s fantastic!  Caitlin did an awesome job!  The real reason I wanted this book kicking around the house, though, was so that it would fall into these hands…
BINGO!  She actually sat down with it as soon as we got home and I know that some of the notes in there spoke to her because she read a few to me.  She really liked how creative some people were.  We’ve decided to make sure we have post it notes on all all the time so we can leave messages together.   While she read that I ate a late lunch. 
A simple lunch of granola, raspberries and this yogurt:
By 4pm I was putting the finishing touches on dinner.  I made a HUGE Caesar salad (of which there were no leftovers!!):
A Hungry Girl recipe called “I Can’t Believe its Not Potato Salad” salad; I’ve made this one a few times before and it never fails to be a hit.  It’s in the second cookbook; 200 Under 200.  I also made a quick quinoa salad by combining 1 cup cooked quinoa, 1 each red and orange bell pepper, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, 1/2 cup chopped feta, 1/4 cup walnut pieces and to dress it was a mix (I didn’t really measure) of olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, chilli powder, honey, salt & pepper:
My hubby grilled burgers and sausages and some Yves veggie burgers for me.  The next picture shows everything all together, but part of it is in shadow…oops!
I loaded my plate with a burger, quinoa salad and “potato” salad:  TOOT TOOT!  All aboard the delicious train!!!  LOL  For dessert I made a orange creamsicle cake (recipe to come, too!)
 
Again, this is something I’ve made before just like this and with different variations.  I haven’t met someone yet that didn’t like it as it’s the perfectly light end to a meal.  Here’s a closer look…
A little later on we enjoyed coffee, tea and a bowl of these crisps that I found at Costco:
 
Katie eats these so I knew they would be good!  All in all, everybody had a great time and really enjoyed the ambiance of our new outdoor space!!
DS (with KC) and my parents down the left, DD and my in laws down the right and my hubby at the end.  :)
It was a late end and DS had an 8am soccer practice that we had to get up for.  Not fun, my friends, not fun.  Long gone are the days that I can survive on 5hrs sleep!  I won’t go through all my eats for yesterday because most of it was leftovers!  Imagine that, eh?  I did enjoy a package of Nature’s Path Apple Cinnamon porridge with a few walnuts before we left for the field:
Here’s my little man in action!
After practice we drove out to the farm with a pit stop at Knapp’s for a peach nectarine pie.  I enjoyed a small piece:
AMAZING!  I’m loving peaches now that they’re in season.  I also found a new jam that they’re making and just HAD to buy it:
Oh, yes they did!  I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure it’s da bomb.  How could it not be???  Lunch and dinner were odds and ends of the BBQ so I won’t post them again. 
I had meant to get this out last night but the kids were invited across the street for a swim so that became my priority.  I’ll be leaving today’s “fun” for tomorrow’s post so this doesn't get any longer.  Plus, I want to quickly do a post with the zucchini jam and cake recipes for you. 
Have you bought the Operation Beautiful book yet??  Please share your thoughts with me!!
Bye for now!!