First week of June favorite things

And then it was June! What? I don’t know about you, but the weeks and months are flying by in 2017, and that only started happening since I’ve been feeling better in my second trimester. The first trimester was the longest 13 weeks of my life, and I thought 2017 was going to be the never-ending year. Truth. And now, here we are just a little over four months from meeting the little Baby Goes West. Wow! So exciting and scary at the same time! I have so many things to say on this subject, but for now, let’s keep it light with my latest favorites. Happy Friday to you, my friends! By the way, GOOOO Warriors! We’re in NBA Finals season again, and I was lucky enough to go to last night’s game and will be there on Sunday as well.

My favorite delivery of the week

Fresh flowers, you get me! I never buy myself fresh flowers, but they always brighten up the day. Because I’m working from home most of the time now, it’s really nice to have some greenery in the living areas of our place. Last Friday, this lovely arrangement was dropped by our doorstep on Dave and my fifth wedding anniversary, compliments of my Mom and Dad. 

They are so thoughtful! Our wedding was not only important for Dave and for me, but for our families too — and I love that my Mom always thinks of us on that day! (By the way, I never shared what Dave got me for our anniversary, and that’s because it’s being delivered in a few weeks. Stay tuned!)

My favorite event of the week

On Wednesday evening, I went into the City to attend a healthy foodie event at Cookhouse in the North Beach neighborhood. This was my third time going to an event at this awesome space, and once again, I had a great time playing with food, taking pictures, learning and chatting. The event was hosted by Mann’s Vegetables and the Good Heart Brand, and I was able to bring a guest, so my girl, Jill, attended with me. Yay!

First, we learned that the Mann’s Vegetables company is woman owned, which is a plus in my book. The CEO was even there to hang out with us, and Jill and I sat next to her at dinner. So cool! (She’s a fan of taking barre classes, and Mann’s offers these classes at the corporate office twice a week for employees.) Then, we learned that this Northern California company actually produces many of the private-label brands we see in grocery stores, as well as its own brand, all from the soil of California and many family-owned farms. Love that!

We also heard from the Good Heart team and were taught all about the special high-pressure vacuum packing that they do to keep their all-natural meat fresher for longer.

But perhaps the best part was trying all of the products, of course. 

Local dietitian, Sarah Koszyk, cooked us up a delicious and healthy spread using just Mann’s Vegetables and Good Heart Brand chicken, and everything was so good, and it literally took her less than 10 minutes! My kind of prep process!

Our main meals included two recipes: Southwest Chipotle Lettuce Wraps and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Pasta, both shown below. But we also nibbled on some tasty cheesy cauliflower and beet hummus as appetizers before we sat down.

After dinner and chatting, Jill and I went on our merry way with some huge gift bags full of fresh produce. I carried mine all the way back to the BART station and under the tunnel to meet Dave in Oakland to ride home together. Event success! 

And because so many of you asked, here are the recipes from the two main dishes we enjoyed. I’m sharing these with permission from the Mann’s and Good Heart teams. By the way, the veggies are sold nationwide, and the chicken is sold in Northern California, so keep your eyes out in your local grocery store.

Southwest Chipotle Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1 (10.5 ounce) package Southwest Chipotle Nourish Bowl
• 3 ounces All Natural Hand Pulled Rotisserie Breast
• 1 tablespoon toasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• lettuce leaves
• Optional: hot sauce, extra salsa

Directions:

Over medium heat on the stove, coat a pan with olive oil spray. Toss the Southwest Chipotle Nourish Bowl contents (including the salsa) and the All Natural Hand Pulled Rotisserie Breast in a pan for four minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool. Place two to three tablespoons of the mixture into a lettuce leaf. Top with the pumpkin seeds, cheese and avocado. Serve with hot sauce and extra salsa.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 ounce) package of Mann’s Power Blend
• 3 ounces All Natural Diced Grilled Chicken Breast
• 1/2 cup of pesto
• 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place a bag of Mann’s Power Blend in the microwave to cook for four minutes. Coat a pan with olive oil spray, and pour the microwaved Power Blend over medium heat in the pan. Add the chicken. Add pesto, one spoonful at a time to coat evenly. Continue until all of it is used, and the blend is tender, for about five minutes total. Remove from heat. Plate and top with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

So easy, pretty darn healthy and done in just a few minutes!

Thanks for having me at the event Mann’s and Good Heart! I can’t wait to recreate these at home for Dave and me sometime soon.

My favorite activewear news

Did you guys hear that Demi Lovato teamed up with Fabletics on a collection, and the new looks were just made available online? I’ve been a Fabletics member (and former Fabletics Master) for quite some time, and many of my unique and most-complimented activewear pieces are from the brand.

You sign up as a member, then pay for one outfit a month at a reduced members-only price. It’s pretty simple. If you want to skip a month, you just have to call and tell them you’re skipping. So head over to Fabletics and sign up today to check out what they’ve got going with the new line. (**Referral link!! If you sign up using my link, I get a little credit in my account to get more loot, so thanks for that!)

My favorite links from the week 

A couple of good links I came across …

• OMG! So appreciative of this one by my friend Caity. Here’s a book review of “Fit and Fertile” on her blog. 🙂 
• This is not for the novice weight-lifter. But this post is a very comprehensive way that a more advanced weight-lifter can change up his or her sets or approach to break through plateaus. Good stuff.

And once again, it was a four-post week on A Lady Goes West. Here’s what happened …

• Six-ingredient vanilla healthy protein breakfast cookies
• Long anniversary weekend and my weekly workout report
• What it’s like to get acupuncture and why you may need Traditional Chinese Medicine (personal favorite! This one is LONG, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and hearing your feedback. I got a ton of messages from those of you who are finally going to try out acupuncture based off of reading about my experience, and that makes me SO happy!)

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Questions of the day

What’s one thing you are looking forward to this weekend?

What’s a great article that you read this week worth sharing?