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Weekend Happenings in Iowa

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Happy Monday to ya!  While you are reading this, I am probably making the five-hour drive back to Nebraska this morning.  It is always rough rolling into work at noon after driving five hours because driving makes me so exhausted, but it’s worth it to have an extra night back home!

I had a wonderful weekend spending time with my family, friends, Jeremy, and my puppy dogs.  This, my friends, is small town Iowa:

Weekend Happenings in Iowa

Fireside_WineI got into town around 6:30 and Jeremy and I headed over to our friends’ house.  Eric and Ashley have a killer back deck with a gas patio fire pit.  It was a rainy night so we all sat fireside and drank wine and beer.  Jeremy hooked me up with some Fireside wine (how fitting), and I was able to try several new-to-me varieties.  This Firefly was my favorite of the three bottles we opened.

Hannah AshleyAshley was my wine drinking partner.

The GangWe tried getting a shot of the four amigos, but Eric was a bit of a cheeser in all of the pictures!

Cards_Against_HumanityWe eventually made it inside a little after midnight to play some Cards Against Humanity.  That game never ever gets old.

Synergy_kombuchaJeremy and I woke up around 11:00 on Saturday morning.  After being out until 2:45 the night before, we were tired.  Being awake past 10:00 at night normally does not bode well for me.  Neither does drinking a lot of wine.  We both woke up with headaches, though I am grateful because I could have felt much worse.  I started out my late morning with a strawberry kombucha.  Kombucha is definitely a pretty darn good hangover cure.

scrambled_egg_saladOnce I felt like eating food, I made myself a super random salad for a late lunch.  In the mix was Romaine lettuce, onions, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, yellow peppers, raisins, scrambled eggs (weird, but good), and homemade ranch dressing.  It felt so good to get plenty of veggies in after a night of being not so kind to my body.

sadie and ruby 2I spent the afternoon hanging out, watching movies, relaxing, and spending time with my puppy dogs.  Ruby thinks she’s so special when she plays keep away from Sadie.

bbq-salmonThe first move Jeremy and I watched was Big Eyes.  We both really enjoyed it.  I have to say that it is one of my favorite movies that I have seen in a while.  After the movie was over, we got to cooking.  We made BBQ spice rubbed salmon and served it alongside some super tasty veggies.  This meal was perfection.

jeremy and hannah 2I then (sort of) forced my mom to take our picture.  Every time that I am home, we take this identical picture in the exact same spot.  I am proud to say that my mom’s use of the DSLR camera is improving, too!

McDonald's_ice_cream_sundaeWhen 8:00 rolled around, Jeremy and I were both craving something sweet after a day of healthy food.  I originally wanted some coconut milk ice cream, but my hometown is a little too small to carry it at the grocery store.  Instead, we settled for sundaes at McDonald’s.  I cannot even remember the last time I purchased food from McDonald’s, but I felt safer ordering something from there since they have a detailed ingredient list on their website and I could be pretty certain it was gluten-free.  Jeremy chose a caramel sundae, while I went with the hot fudge version.  It was just as delicious as I remember it being back in my high school days.

We ended our night by watching This is Where I Leave You, which we both enjoyed.  I did not think it was quite as good as Big Eyes, though.

sweet potato fries and eggsIt was another lazy morning for us on Sunday.  We rolled out of bed around 10:00.  I cooked myself a tasty, savory breakfast using everything that I was craving.  I fried two whole eggs in coconut oil and topped them with a bit of yellow mustard.  I also baked up sweet potato fries and dipped them in Sun Butter.  I cannot wait to make this breakfast a million times more.  It’d also be pretty darn awesome for brinner!

grill_foil_packetsAfter spending hours and hours relaxing during the afternoon, my dad and I got to grilling!

Hannah foil packetsWe whipped up some tasty and healthy chicken and veggie foil packets.  I was pretty darn excited about making foil packets for the first time.  I learned from the best!

grill_veggie_chicken_foil_packetsIn the mix was chicken, onions, carrots, red peppers, potatoes, zucchini, and summer squash in a lemon/Dijon marinade.  It was delicious!  We also ate some of my favorite summer berries on the side.  This dinner made me even more excited about the fact that summer is right around the corner.

I hope y’all had as great and relaxing of a weekend as I did.  Let’s make this a fast Monday!  Just remember, most of us have a three-day weekend to look forward to after these five days of work!

What were you up to this weekend?
What is your favorite thing that you ate?

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{ 17 comments… add one }
  • Erin @ Her Heartland Soul May 17, 2015, 10:12 pm
    That is a weekend of good eats! I love that picture of you and Jeremy! And your puppies are the cutest!!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl May 18, 2015, 12:24 pm
      Aw, thanks so much Erin! :)
  • Kristy @ Southern In Law May 18, 2015, 4:02 am
    Cards Against Humanity is so much fun! Your post is making me miss spring/summer! Kristy @ Southern In Law recently posted...Recipe: Healthy Caramel Stuffed Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese FrostingMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl May 18, 2015, 12:25 pm
      Isn't it such an awesome game? It's so wrong, but so fun!
  • Ashley May 18, 2015, 7:57 am
    That fire pit!! I want a fire pit so bad!! haha someday we'll make it happen :) And what a fun weekend! Totally worth the drive back this morning! Ashley recently posted...Strawberry, Cucumber and Mozzarella Phyllo CupsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl May 18, 2015, 12:25 pm
      It was awesome! It makes me want a back deck with a fire pit someday when I have my own house :)
  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine May 18, 2015, 9:54 am
    Always good eats! What a fabulous weekend! I love grilling (or baking) foil packs! Whatever you put it always comes out so perfect!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl May 18, 2015, 12:26 pm
      They were so good! I'll have to start baking some up here at home since I don't have a grill at my apartment :(
  • Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks May 18, 2015, 12:20 pm
    Lots of good eats! I can't wait to use a grill this summer. Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks recently posted...Triple Green QuinoaMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl May 18, 2015, 12:27 pm
      I wish I had my own grill at my apartment, but I don't :( I'll just have to use my parents' and friends' grills whenever possible!
  • Nicole May 18, 2015, 12:57 pm
    Looks like a fun Weekend. Love cards against humanity! Nicole recently posted...Blog Giveaways Week of 5/16/15! List Your Giveaways! Enter to Win!My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl May 18, 2015, 4:42 pm
      It was a great weekend! And yes, that is SUCH a great and entertaining game!
  • Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate May 18, 2015, 6:28 pm
    Too funny- I had a sundae from McDonalds this weekend and haven't had one of those since I was 12! And I have wanted to see Big Eyes for some time now- glad to hear you guys enjoyed it! Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate recently posted...Power Protein BitesMy Profile
  • Megan May 19, 2015, 9:24 pm
    Love how personal you get with both the reason you love the food you do and your life in general. I like getting to know you and your cooking! Jeremy and you are super cute...get married already! Ok enough of the Jewish mothering thing. That was weird cause I'm neither a mother nor Jewish LOL Sorry for the rambling....just love you blog and how much you embrace the food you make. No apologizes, just you and the food...love love love it!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl May 20, 2015, 9:23 am
      Haha! Thanks so much for your kinds words, Megan, and for the laughs! :)
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