Clean Eating's Smoked Salmon Burgers

Last year I thought I had found my favorite salmon burger recipe.  I posted these gingery salmon burgers and truthfully stated they were so good that even salmon haters would love them (Nick, a salmon hater, actually ate and enjoyed the gingery salmon burgers).  Despite the fact that today's salmon burger is not salmon-hater-approved (Nick refused to eat one), I still feel fine stripping the award from the previous burger, and handing it over to this one; The Smoked Salmon Burger.  Oh wow. That's all I have to say.

Clean Eating's Smoked Salmon Burgers

Serves: 4

Modified from a recipe in the June 2013 edition of Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

10 oz. boneless, skinless wild salmon fillets, cut into chunks

3 oz. wild smoked salmon, cut into chunks

1 small yellow onion, grated **

3 cloves garlic, minced, divided **

1/2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs **

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill, divided

4 tsp. Dijon mustard, divided

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper, divided

Dash hot sauce **

1/2 cup plain 0% Greek yogurt

2 tsp. capers, drained

Cooking oil (canola, grapeseed, olive, etc.)

4 whole grain buns, split **

2 cups spinach

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced

Directions

1.  In a food processor, pulse together salmon, onion, 2 cloves garlic, panko, 1 Tbsp. dill, 2 tsp. Dijon, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. pepper and hot sauce until finely chopped; do not over-mix.  Shape mixture into 4 1/2-inch-thick patties.  Transfer to a large, parchment-lined baking sheet.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2.  Meanwhile, prepare aioli; In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, capers, remaining 1 clove garlic, 2 Tbsp. dill, 2 tsp. Dijon, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Cover and refrigerate.  

3.  Heat an outdoor grill (or a grill pan) to medium-high and lightly oil grate with cooking oil.  Mist patties on both sides with cooking spray and grill for about 10 minutes, turning halfway, until a thermometer reads 145 degrees F when inserted into the center.  Just before the burgers are finished, grill the buns if you desire.

4.  Divide spinach, patties, aioli, and tomatoes evenly between buns. Enjoy!

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet omit the garlic and onion and use a Tuscan or garlic-infused oil to cook your burgers.  Also, keep in mind wheat contains FODMAPs, but the 1/2 cup of whole wheat panko shouldn't be enough to cause issues.  The bun, however, should be gluten free (Udis has a low FODMAPs hamburger bun).  Lastly, the hot sauce will contain FODMAPs. You can omit this, or use it (like I did) because a dash shouldn't be enough to cause problems.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 burger and bun
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of fiber, excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium.  Also, this provides ~1100 mg EPA/DHA (long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids).

I attempted to get Nick to try one, but the pink coloring really threw him off. Darn it, he knew it was salmon!  Ok, he's no fool, they smelled like salmon (in the best way possible). I just froze these babies and enjoyed them for a couple weeks on my own. His loss.

Don't lie, my grill marks are perfection. Right? And I used a grill pan (actually I think that's why my grill marks look so perfect.  The grill pan is a must-have kitchen gadget).

QUESTION:  Do you have a favorite recipe for salmon burgers? If you do, please share it!

In other news, my new job is off to a great start.  It's definitely a huge change from being in the supermarket, but I still get to be around great people all day, and do what I love; educate people on how to enjoy healthy and delicious food.

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Have Chicken? Clean Eating's Buffalo Chicken Salad and My Own Spicy Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Who says dinner has to be a huge production? I grew up in a househouse where "frozen meal of your choice" was the dinner plan about two days out of seven.  I didn't mind it at all, but I'd much prefer a very simple, homemade dinner, such as this one I came up with when we had leftover grilled chicken not too long ago.

The price for this entire meal was under $2.50/person (including the frozen green beans and corn.  Frozen veggies, I love them.  They are healthy and often very cheap!).  Not only was the price right on par, but the time to prepare this meal was too; including steaming the vegetables, this took about 10 minutes to get on a plate and ready for some devouring.

Spicy Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Serves 1

Ingredients

4 ounces grilled chicken, seasoned with pepper

1.5 Tbsp. olive oil mayo

2 tsp. dijon mustard

More pepper, and a dash of cayenne

1 whole wheat English Muffin (or bread of your choice)**

Directions

Cut the grilled chicken into medium sized chunks.  Add the chicken to a medium bowl and mix in the mayo and dijon.  Mix well to combine and distribute sauces evenly.  Add cayenne and pepper (as much or as little as you'd like, I added 1 tsp. of each!  I like SPICE!)

**NOTE:  If you follow a low FODMAPs diet be sure to use a gluten-free English muffin.

Estimated Nutrition Facts, with the English Muffin
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights: Good source of calcium and iron

So this next recipe is one of those that a good food blogger would have made again, just to make sure there was a decent picture to show her readers.  I guess I'm not a good food blogger because I'm using an old picture, and I'm not turning back. Last summer I was preparing dinners for my mom, dad, and brother, along with their neighbors who had three kids, about two days a week.  Both families really enjoyed this recipe (including all of the young kids!), so while the picture doesn't do it and justice, I sitll wanted to provide you with the recipe. While it may not quality as food porn, and least you get an idea of what it's supposed to look like (I've gotten better at making food look really tasty since last summer, right?!  Please say yes).

The total price per family (family of 4) for this meal was fifteen dollars.  That's not bad considering I used organic chicken breasts and whole wheat tortillas to make the salad into a wrap!  Who said eating healthier has to be expensive?!  The total time to prepare and clean-up this meal was an hour. You can't beat that.

Buffalo Chicken Salad Wraps

Source: Clean Eating Magazine, June 2012 Issue

(Serves 4)

Directions

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

Olive oil cooking spray

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 sweet onion, chopped **

1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt **

5 Tbsp. low-fat buttermilk **

1-1.5 Tbsp. hot sauce **

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 head red leaf lettuce, chopped

1 yellow or green bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup peeled and shredded carrots

2 ounces crumbled blue cheese

4 whole wheat tortillas **

Directions

1.  Preheat broiler to high. Place chickenon a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Lightly mist chicken with cooking spray and sprinkle evenly on both sides with paprika, chile powder, and salt. Broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until center of chicken is no longer pink, about 6 minute sper side.  Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting into small chunks (~1/4 inches).

2.  In a blender, puree onion, buttermilk, greek yogurt,  and hot sauce.  Taste and add more hot sauce if you want.

3.  Heat tortillas in oven if you want them hot.  Place a hot tortilla on each plate and divide romaine and red leaf lettuces among 4 tortillas and top with bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots and chicken, dividing each evenly.  Serve yogurt mixture on the side and drizzle on top of wraps.  Sprinkle each with blue cheese and serve immediately!

**NOTE:  If you follow a low FODMAPs diet this is not the best recipe for you.  Two integral parts of the sauce are onion, hot sauce, and milk.  It's hard to modify and still keep that buffalo flavor!

Note:  If you want to reduce the sodium, you can always reduce the amount of hot sauce or omit the added sea salt. Most of the sodium from this estimate came from the tortilla, the hot sauce, the obvious sea salt, and the blue cheese.  You do have control over all of these, so modify to your needs.

Nutrition Highlights: Excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium, good source of iron.

I remember getting a call from the family for whom I made this recipe, the day after I had prepared it for them, and they said it was their favorite meal so far.  So, you know, considering it was a "Clean Eating" recipe, I was pretty happy about that.  

I hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday.  I've got a big demo at work today and we're making two different burgers (one turkey and one cod), plus grilled vegetables and a grilled peach and apricot dish with ricotta cheese.  Sound good???  Yeah, I know!  :)

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Summer Turkey Burgers; Martha Stewart's Pesto Burgers and Clean Eating's Mediterranean Burgers

Every once in a while Nick and I are in the mood for a juicy burger (ok, I'll be honest, if I could eat a burger every day and it was healthy, I'd do it, in a heart beat).  I do prefer beef burgers, but for less saturated fat and cholesterol (if you buy the extra lean breast meat) turkey burgers can be incredibly satisfying.  And since it's grilling season you might be interested in the fact that poultry has less heme iron, which may be beneficial when it comes to nitrites and nitrates (apparently the heme iron interacts with nitrates and nitrites, even those found naturally in our food, to produce carcinogens....who knew!?  And, poultry produces less carcinogenic HCAs, which you can read more about here).

The key to a good turkey burger is to make sure it stays juicy.  You see, when you make a beef burger you can eat it medium or even medium-rare, and unless your immune-system is slightly compromised, you aren't really putting yourself at risk for food-borne illness.  With poultry burgers, the story is a bit different, you have to cook it all the way to 165 degrees.  That's what makes creating a juicy turkey burger very difficult.  The meat is already pretty lean with very little fat, especially if you are using the white meat, and then you have to cook it all the way and that can often mean dryness. Blah.

I've got some tricks up my sleeve for how to create a juicier turkey burger, do you?  I like to add ground flaxseed or smashed avocado to my turkey burgers (I add these when the turkey is raw, before I form the patties).  This adds some good fat to make the burgers moist (and when I say "good fat" I don't just mean good for you, I mean tasty!).  This recipe below uses pesto with olive oil and other great flavors to add juiciness and moisture.

Mmmmm.....PESTO!

Pesto Turkey Burgers

Serves: 4

Total Time: ~25 minutes

Modified from a recipe found on MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 cup baby spinach

1 clove garlic **

1/4 cup walnuts

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil (plus more for the grill)

Course salt and pepper

1 pound ground white turkey breast meat

2 large tomatoes, sliced

3 ounces fresh mozzarella

8 pieces hearty whole grain bread **

** NOTE: If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, omit the garlic clove and use garlic-infused olive oil to impart the garlic flavor.  Also look for a gluten-free bread to use with the burgers.

Directions

1.  In a food processor puree the basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts, oil, and 1 Tbsp. water.  Season pesto with salt and pepper (I only added pepper).

2.  Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.  Combine 1 Tbsp. pesto, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper, and turkey and form into 4 patties.  Clean and lightly oil grill.  Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper (I just used pepper).  Grill patties, covered , 4 minutes.  Flip patties and top with cheese.  Add tomatoes to grill and cook, flipping once, until tomatoes are lightly charred and burgers are opaque throughout, 4 minutes.

3.  Assemble sandwiches on bread with pesto, burgers, and tomatoes.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 burger, with bread
Source: CalorieCount.com

Instagam!  Look at those grill marks.  Beautious, no??

Nutrition Highlights: Excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium

In the words of Chef Ramsey "this turkey burger is cooked PERFECTLY!"

Have you ever sent your husband or loved one to the store for groceries, only for them to come back with the wrong thing?  I asked Nick to buy "Extra Lean Turkey Meat", and he made the mistake than many people do; he assumed that all turkey meat is extra lean and that it's all the same. This simply isn't true.  Some of the turkey meat uses different parts of the animal, such as the thigh, and therefore it contains more fat and calories.  There's nothing wrong with it, but I prefer a leaner ground turkey burger because I don't really notice a big enough difference in the taste to warrant such a jump in calories and fat.  So, Nick brought home the wrong turkey meat and I ended up making burgers that were half lean and half extra lean ground turkey. Check out how ugly it is!

So this is what your burgers will look like if you use half lean and half extra lean turkey meat.  Not pretty, but, still delicious.  And let's be honest, that's all that matters, right?  Check out the recipe below.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

(Serves 4)

Source: Clean Eating Magazine (last summer's issue)

Ingredients

1 large red bell pepper

Olive oil cooking spray

1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

2 cups loosely packed spinach

2 ounces low-fat feta cheese

2 tsp. hot sauce **

12-ounces lean ground turkey (look for 1.5-4 grams fat per serving)

1 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 4 1/4-inch thick pieces

4 medium portobello mushroom caps , quartered **

4 whole-wheat rolls **

** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet be aware that most hot sauce contains garlic and/or onion.  You may want to omit this from the recipe, or just use less.  Also, portobello mushrooms contain polyols, so you may not want to eat these (or just have a very small amount).  Lastly, look for gluten-free buns, and be careful if you're lactose intolerant, as the feta and yogurt might upset your stomach, but most people will be able to handle the small amount of lactose in this recipe.

Instructions

1)  Preheat broiler. Mist pepper with cooking spray. Place pepper directly on rack or baking sheet in oven. Broil 10 minutes per side.

2)  Meanwhile, in a food processor, place yogurt, spinach, feta and hot sauce and puree on high for 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy (THIS SAUCE WAS FANTASTIC!!!). Set aside.

3)  Remove pepper from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel, seed and squarter.

4)  Divide turkey patties, zucchini and mushrooms among 2 separate baking sheets.  Spray the vegetables with olive oil (use garlic olive oil for more flavor!) and broil for 10 minutes, until patties are cooked through and vegetables are tender.  To serve, spread 1 Tsbp. spinach mixture onto each half of the whole wheat buns, add 1 patty, 2 slices succhini, 1 piece pepper, quarter of mushrooms, and serve!

Nutrition Facts for 1 burger, with bun and veggies
Source: CalorieCount.com

QUESTION:  What's your favorite type of protein to use for burgers?? I'd like to start experimenting with bison soon.

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Chicken Sandwich with Yogurt Basil Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers

INSTAGRAM!
The Candid RD

Just getting home from work? Not sure what to make for dinner? Grab that leftover chicken in your fridge and get to work on this sandwich recipe, it won't take long I promise.  And, you'll love it.  This was one of those sandwiches that Nick ate and then quickly replied with a "is there another one I can have?".  I love to hear those words.  To me that means, "Gina, that was so fantastic that I can't imagine going on with the evening without having yet another one".  Music to my ears. I especially love it when Nick eats an ingredient that he hates, and has no idea (Shhhh, don't tell Nick he ate yogurt. He'll FREAK!).

Chicken Sandwich with Yogurt Basil Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers

Modified from a recipe found in Substitute Yourself Skinny

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. nonfat mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

1 Tbsp. grated parmesan

4 light 100-calorie English Muffins, lightly toasted **

4 (4-ounce) cooked chicken breasts

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped roasted red bell peppers (add more if you'd like!)

Directions

1.  In a small mixing bowl, mix together the mayo, yogurt, basil and parmesan.

2.  Assemble the sandwiches by spreading equal amounts of mayo mixture on each muffin half.  Top 4 of the muffin halves with a chicken breast, then top each with ~1 1/2 Tbsp. roasted peppers.  Finish with remaining muffin half.  Serve.

**NOTE:  If you are following a Low FODMAPs diet look for a wheat-free English muffin.  They do exist!  Another option would be to just have one-half of the English muffin, because you may be able to handle wheat in small amounts.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1-sandwich
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Under 400 calories, good source of calcium and vitamin C, excellent source of iron.  Want to increase your vitamin A? Add more roasted reds to this sandwich, or on the side.

Serve this with a side of more vegetables, because that would make a perfect plate!  We served ours with steamed broccoli and spinach.  What will you serve yours this? Perhaps extra roasted red peppers? We may have done that too, on top of our greens (they are so good out of the jar, I'm obsessed!).

Question:  Do you love jarred vegetables as much as I do?  There is something about marinated vegetables in a jar, and even vegetables without oil, such as roasted red peppers in a jar, that I just love!

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Crab Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I rarely eat crab, but when it's on sale for half off, I do.  I know fish is best fresh, but here in Columbus, Ohio it's ok to enjoy canned fish.....since nothing is really "fresh" (although the seafood department where I work gets it in probably as fresh as you can find here in Columbus!  I only buy my fresh seafood from our seafood department, needless to say).  Canned crab is incredibly convenient, and actually quite delicious.  When I bought some a few months ago I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with it.  At first I thought crab cakes, but then I thought I should try something a little different ( I love crab cakes, but come on, that's boring).  I found this great recipe online for Crab Stuffed Zucchini, and although it was loaded with FODMAPs, I wanted to try it anyway.  This turned out to be such a fantastic recipe that I know I will be using this year's zucchini bounty to make this again and again (and again).

Crab Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Slightly modified from a recipe on AllRecipes.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Zucchini, ends trimmed

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 onion, finely chopped**

1/2 yellow (or other color) bell pepper, finely chopped

1 pound crab meat

1 tsp. smoked paprika

pepper to taste

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1 cup Panko bread crumbs**

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Slice the zucchini in half the long way, and scoop out the flesh leaving about 1/2-inch thick skins.  Place on a baking sheet.

3.  Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and bell pepper until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).  Gently stir in the crabmeat, and cook for about 5 more minutes (until crab meat is hot).  Season the crab mixture with paprika and pepper.

4.  Place the crab mixture into a mixing bowl, and lightly stir in panko bread crumbs, mayonnaise, and white wine.  Add a bit more mayonnaise to help the mixture hold together, if needed.  Spoon the filling into the prepared zucchini boats, and top each with ~ 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese.

5.  Bake in preheated oven until the cheese melts and the filling is hot (~15-20 minutes).

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet you will need to omit the onion.  Perhaps you could replace the onion with more pepper ( I haven't tried this, but it might be tasty!).  Also, look for a wheat free bread to make your own bread crumbs (although for most people on this diet, the small amount of unseasoned panko in this recipe shouldn't cause any problems).  

In the skillet.  Mmmmmm...crab!

Hollowed out zucchini boats

In the oven.

Nick added sriracha to his boat.  It wasn't a bad idea actually. 

Source: CalorieCount.com

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 2 boats (one full zucchini squash)

Nutrition Highlights:  Under 400 calories, good source of Vitamin A and fiber, excellent source of calcium, iron, vitamin C and protein.

Yes, this recipe is not low in sodium (not even close) and if you're watching your sodium I would suggest.....well.....not making this.  You could look for lower sodium versions of the ingredients, but I tried to use the lowest sodium version of the ingredients as possible (I'm actually not sure how accurate this sodium number is, I came up with closer to 900 mg).  The main culprits were the mayo, panko, and of course, the parmesan cheese (you could forgo the parmesan cheese, and I bet these would still be tasty!). This recipe was very easy to make, and both Nick and I really enjoyed the boats for a couple days (they were great as leftovers).

QUESTION:  What's your favorite vegetable to hollow out and make into a "boat"??  Or perhaps you like to do this with fruit?

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Popped Amaranth and Toasted Wheat Berry Breakfast Sundae

I wear a walkie talkie (of sorts) at work, making it easier to communicate with team members and customers who have questions about products.  During the past year our store was given a major bulk section makeover, which meant carrying many new types of legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, etc.  One grain (or technically "pseudo-grain") that has become very popular over the last year is Amaranth.  I have been reading about amaranth in the blog world for a while, and kept meaning to try it, but it wasn't until last month that I finally bought some and tried it in a recipe.  Amaranth is actually the grain of the month on the Whole Grain Council's website, so please, read more about it here.  I think the main highlights are that it's gluten free, provides a high-quality source of protein, and is the only "grain" that provides vitamin C (who knew?!).  Today I want to share one of my knew favorite breakfasts (yes, I've finally strayed from cereal and Greek yogurt ..... slightly.... and have moved on to popped Amaranth and cottage cheese....on occasion).

Popped Amaranth and Toasted Wheat Berry Breakfast Sundae

Modified from a recipe found on Epicurious.com 

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup raw wheat berries *

1/4 cup raw amaranth

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup plain 0% fat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese **

1 1/2 cups fresh and/or frozen berries (Without sugar added)

Directions

Heat a small, heavy saute pan over high heat.  Add the wheat berries and cook shaking the pan frequently until they start to crackle and swell up (about 2 minutes).  Remove to a bowl.  To the same pan over high heat add half the amaranth and hold a lid over top of the pan with one hand to prevent the amaranth from flying all over the place (because they will!), and stir lightly with a spoon with the other hand so they all cook evenly. Allow to pop for about 5-20 seconds (yes, the times vary depending on what type of pan you have and how hot you have it.  This might take some practice because the amaranth tends to burn easily.  Mine burned a bit but was still very tasty!  Play around with this a couple time and don't be ashamed if it takes a few practice rounds to get to the perfect "popped" amaranth!).  Do the same with the remaining amaranth.  Toss to combine the grains.  Put aside.

Whip the heavy cream with half of the sugar, until soft peaks forms (or until the mixture starts to thicken to your liking).  In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, cottage cheese, and remaining sugar together until fluffy and smooth.  Gently fold the cream/sugar mixture into the yogurt/cottage cheese/sugar, then dollop the mixture into two separate serving bowls.  Top the mixture with the grains and berries

** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet you may want to avoid the wheat berries.   You could always use oats or just extra amaranth instead of the wheat berries. They didn't seem to cause me issues because I'm not very sensitive to wheat (it only causes me problems when I eat large amounts, as in more than one typical serving).  Also, be sure to get a lactose-free brand of cottage cheese.

Estimated Nutrition Facts
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Excellent source of fiber, protein, and vitamin C.  Good source of calcium, vitamin A and iron.

If the fat content is too high, or the sugar, make this without the sugar and heavy cream.  I did that once too (and just whipped the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt with some Stevia drops) and enjoyed it almost just as much!

Toasted Wheat Berries

This is what raw amaranth looks like.  Tiny!

See the raw vs. the popped?  They don't get very big when they pop, but you can tell they are popped because they look like small popcorn.

This is when I turn off the heat.  Almost all of the amaranth has been popped.

As you can see, some of the amaranth aren't popped, but they were definitely toasted and the flavor added a great flavor to the breakfast sundae.

I think the combination of cottage cheese and yogurt, whipped (even without the heavy cream and  sugar) is my new favorite morning-time treat.  It's amazing what a little air can do to the texture of dairy!

This being National Celiac Awareness Month and all, my goal is to keep experimenting with new gluten free grains.  What should I try next?!

QUESTION: Have you tried amaranth?  What about wheat berries?  What's your favorite unique grain (or "pseudo-grain")??

I hope all the mothers out there had a great Mother's Day yesterday.  I can't wait to experience motherhood myself one of these days! I had a nice time with my mom and a close family friend of ours on Saturday night. We drank wine and ate cheese, crackers, and fruit, while just laughing for hours.  Good times.

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd