From farm to face

Hiiiii ๐Ÿ˜€ Happy Monday! Hope youโ€™re having a great morning <3

Last nightโ€™s fresh-from-the-farm feast was kind of ridiculous.

dinner (2)

The star of the show was the banana peppers.

I de-seeded those bad johnnies, stuffed them with goat cheese and pan-seared on med-high heat until toasty.

bell peppers

I baked them in a bed of homemade marinaraโ€ฆ

marinara

Topped with goat gouda and finished with fresh basil.

pasta (2)

The basically rocked our faces off ๐Ÿ˜€

In between moaning with foodgasmic ecstasy, I munched some mung bean pasta with spinach, arugula and nutritional yeast

pasta

and the pilot had brown rice penne with homemade alfredo sauce (super easy- butter, heavy cream and parmegiano reggiano).

pasta (3)

He also had a Greek salad from the Publix deli.

salad (2)

Faces were rocked ๐Ÿ˜€

We stopped by Jeniโ€™s to take her some of our giant watermelon, came back to the casa for Next Food Network Star (team Aarti!) and called it a night ๐Ÿ™‚

This morningโ€™s bfast was breakfast cookie cereal sans banana. Publix didnโ€™t have any yesterday- the horror!

cereal

Still not sick of it ๐Ÿ˜€

Plan for the day:

-Weights (back and biceps- I havenโ€™t lifted weights in two weeks since I was sick last week)

-Take Viesa to get her Bordatella and heartworm test (and then for ice cream)

-Send out HLS Indian Feast email ๐Ÿ˜€

-Training appointments

-Blog

-More training appointments

-Dinner with the girls

See ya later today!!  <3

xoxo,

Gina

Note: I get a ton of emails, and in the past I havenโ€™t been as great as I would like to be at responding to them. This is not on purpose at all and Iโ€™m so terribly sorry to those of you who didnโ€™t get a response. Since Iโ€™m not home very often, Iโ€™ll often read emails on my crackberry and respond to the quick questions instantly and save the longer ones for later. I fell behind and I know that there are beautiful, wonderful emails that I didnโ€™t get the chance to respond to. I have a new system in place โ€“if I open the email, I am COMMITTED to responding right then and there and will not let 48 hrs go without opening and responding to an email- so if you sent me an email in the past and didnโ€™t get a response, please resend it if youโ€™d like. <3 Is there any youโ€™re working to get better at, too??

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63 Comments

  1. Jessica @ How Sweet on August 9, 2010 at 9:03 am

    I swear the crackberry is the BLACK HOLE of emails! I read about them then totally forget – they just disappear. I have started responding immediately too – total stress relief.

  2. allison @ livingoneday on August 9, 2010 at 9:03 am

    yummm dinner sounds amazing!!! i love homemade marinara and alfredo sauces ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. A Teenage Gourmet on August 9, 2010 at 9:07 am

    I like how you used your banana peppers! ๐Ÿ™‚ We grow millions of them, and I’ve resorted to pickling. You idea looks great, thanks!

  4. Nicole @ Making Good Choices on August 9, 2010 at 9:16 am

    I am not good at listening to my voicemails, I’d rather someone just text me then leave voicemails, but it’s not possible for everyone. I need to get better at listening to them and calling people back.

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 9:25 am

      haha i’m terrible at that too! when i finally do listen to them, some people say “i know you’re not going to listen to this voicemail” hahah

  5. Sarah Jayne on August 9, 2010 at 9:20 am

    MMMMM, I lurrrrrve banana peppers! I bet they were FAB with the goat cheese! I don’t think there is anything better than a roasted/grilled/baked stuffed pepper- of ALL varieties. I don’t discriminate ๐Ÿ™‚

    One thing I would LOVE to be better at is organizing/staying organized. I am the sloppiest person ever- my closet looks like a war zone, my drawer in the bathroom is trashed, my car looks like i live out of it, and my desk at work is uber cluttered. I get about half way done with a cleaning project and get bored/distracted and never finish what I started!!

  6. April @ Crazy Fabulous Life on August 9, 2010 at 9:20 am

    I’m working on getting better at not letting the laundry get away from me and get out of control. I would rather do anything than laundry ๐Ÿ™ lol

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 9:25 am

      girl, me too. i avoid laundry at all costs

  7. Lynn @ My Sweet Season on August 9, 2010 at 9:21 am

    Those banana peppers look so good! I wish they had some over here!

  8. Kat (Bubble Gum Gym Kat) on August 9, 2010 at 9:25 am

    mmmm I love nutritional yeast and that dish looks yummy

  9. Beth on August 9, 2010 at 9:25 am

    Our garden is exploding with banana peppers…I’m going to make these tonight!!!! YUM!!!!!!

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 9:26 am

      you will love them! ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Holly @ couchpotatoathlete on August 9, 2010 at 9:32 am

    That dinner looks great!

    No bananas? I would have cried ๐Ÿ™

    I’m terrible at calling people back — I put it off until the “right time”, well that time never comes and then I forget about it!

  11. Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman on August 9, 2010 at 9:51 am

    I love banana peppers, and stuffed with goat cheese sounds so good! I love the idea of that whole dish. Yum!

  12. Laura J. on August 9, 2010 at 9:54 am

    Holy moses girl– goat cheese stuffed banana peppers?! That dinner looks epic!
    That’s so cute your taking Viesa for ice-cream after her shots. haha My mom used to do that for me when I was little…okay and when I was older too, b/c I’m a big fat baby when I get shots (ie. turning pale and passing out).
    I’m definitely trying to work on not letting my ironing pile up. I loathe it. As I type I literally have 15 of my husbands dress shirts piled up on the ironing board. Ugh. I should probably get on that, huh? ๐Ÿ˜‰

  13. jenna on August 9, 2010 at 10:09 am

    oh my this feast looks amazing!! goat cheese stuffed peppers mmmmm!! yummy!
    I’ve been wanting to try mung bean pasta-what does it taste like? where did you purchas it?

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 10:55 am

      i got it at whole foods- it tastes like regular pasta but has 20g of protein per serving!

  14. Whitney @ Whitinspired on August 9, 2010 at 10:24 am

    That dinner looks so yummy! Hopefully there were some leftovers!

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 10:56 am

      hahah no way! we left no pepper behind ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Teri [a foodie stays fit] on August 9, 2010 at 10:32 am

    Those stuff peppers look awesome! super easy too!

    I was so inspired by your new goal to reply to emails more quickly (did you tweet about it? I can’t remember) that I spent 2.5 hours replying to emails yesterday to clean out my inbox! I’m vowing now to stay on top of it going forward!

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 10:55 am

      yup i tweeted about it ๐Ÿ™‚ that is AWESOME! i’m going to stay on top of it from now on ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. Amanda- The Nutritionist Reviews on August 9, 2010 at 10:39 am

    Yum! That dinner looks so good! I love greek salad too!

  17. Kelli on August 9, 2010 at 10:43 am

    uh, yep – totally making those peppers this week!

  18. Shanna on August 9, 2010 at 10:45 am

    Fab idea for the banana peppers! I wouldnt have thought to pair with marinara

  19. Heather (Heather's Dish) on August 9, 2010 at 10:51 am

    i try to set time aside each day to work on emails. i probably don’t get as many as you, but since it’s important to be communicative i usually say that i’ll work on emails for 1 hour and schedule it like a business thing that i can’t cancel. it usually keeps the email answering to just that hour and then i have the rest of the day to be free!

  20. Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine on August 9, 2010 at 10:51 am

    Ugh, the crackberry makes me so dissorganized too! It’s great for short emails, but I always open longer ones and then forget to give them a thought-out response later. I definitely need to get more organized in that department!

  21. Michelle @ Turning Over a New Leaf on August 9, 2010 at 10:53 am

    I’d like to get better at overall organization. In lesser situations, I’m fine. I can budget, keep a clean house, get things done, but there’s so many things on my plate right now and everything’s pinging around in my head, and I can’t keep up long enough to get any sort of system going. This is why my house is always a wreck, I never have clean laundry, and I’m always getting behind at work.

  22. Frankie on August 9, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Wow – I’ve found my daily foodie inspiration boost with the goat’s cheese peppers! Thanks! Not sure what I’ll sub for banana peppers in the UK tho…

    Don’t you just find that gathering up fresh produce gets the creativity going so much more than wandering into a store? Shame the weather here in England is about as inspiring as a damp cloth! ๐Ÿ™

  23. Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat on August 9, 2010 at 10:59 am

    I have the same problem with my Blackberry – only I have a habit of reading messages in the middle of the night if I see the light flashing, then when I wake up, I totally forget that they’re there! (SUCH a bad habit, I’m really trying to break it!!)
    Glad you’re feeling better! ๐Ÿ™‚

  24. Hilary@coffeeismycarrot on August 9, 2010 at 11:04 am

    anything with goat cheese is a winner in my book. I may have to try those stuffed peppers.

  25. Erika @ Food, Fitness, & Fun on August 9, 2010 at 11:10 am

    A grocery store out of bananas?! I didn’t think that was possible. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 11:13 am

      they were totally out of organic bananas and the conventional ones were completely green. :/

  26. Lauren on August 9, 2010 at 11:26 am

    That dinner looks SO. AMAZING. That marinara is just beautiful ๐Ÿ™‚ I am very intrigued by the mung bean pasta. What’s the flavor like? I do like raw mung beans so I can’t imagine I’d dislike it….

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 12:21 pm

      it’s a lot like regular pasta, with more chew to it. i’m obsessed ๐Ÿ™‚

  27. Liz @ Tip Top Shape on August 9, 2010 at 11:36 am

    that dinner sounds amazing!! But then again, anything stuff with goat cheese would have to be ๐Ÿ˜€

  28. Kat (My fruity life) on August 9, 2010 at 11:40 am

    You are quite the genius with your stuffed peppers and marinara… My mouth is watering.

    *Yay* on the HLS email..I’ll be checking my inbox. ๐Ÿ™‚

  29. Krystina on August 9, 2010 at 11:48 am

    A few weeks ago Publix was out of bananas and I was so out of sorts that I actually drove to Walmart (too late to go anywhere else) to get a couple conventional bananas because I just *couldn’t* live without them.

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 12:20 pm

      i might do that today. life is not the same without bananas

  30. Alicia on August 9, 2010 at 11:53 am

    I am constantly working on my patients. This past week the hubby got the snip and there will be no babies in our future. So, I am trying to truly just enjoy the 3 beautiful boys that I have. I often look for the “next big thing” and stop enjoying the things that I already have. I am trying to live for the now!!

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 12:20 pm

      that is an excellent goal.. it’s so easy to focus on the what-ifs and the future, and forgetting to enjoy the present moment.

  31. Megan (Braise The Roof) on August 9, 2010 at 11:54 am

    Those banana peppers look awesome! Hmm…dinner inspiration for tonight, I think!! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Did you ever end up getting a ticket to HLS? Can’t wait to meet you!

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 12:19 pm

      yes, i did! a girl who couldn’t make it sold me her ticket, so i’ll be there ๐Ÿ™‚ can’t wait to meet you too!

  32. Megan @ Healthy Hoggin' on August 9, 2010 at 12:07 pm

    OMG, reading emails on my phone has done that to me, too! I read it while I’m out, then TOTALLY forget about it by the time I get home!

    I am so jealous of those goat-cheese stuffed peppers! I used to love eating cheese-stuffed jalapeno peppers, so I bet those were SOOOO good! Yum.

  33. Jessica @ Fittalker on August 9, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    Shout out to the Next Food Network Star.

    I’m so happy with the final 3 and would watch any of their shows. Can’t wait for next week!!

    The episode last night was so fun.

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 12:22 pm

      i can’t wait for next week, either! it’s going to be amazeballs

  34. Jackie on August 9, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    At what temp and for how long did you bake the peppers? They look so yummy, I can’t wait to make them! Thanks in advance : )

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 2:01 pm

      350 covered in foil for about 10 minutes; then under the broilerfor 2 min ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Jackie on August 9, 2010 at 4:06 pm

        Thanks a bunch, Can’t wait for dinner tomorrow!

  35. Ilana on August 9, 2010 at 1:13 pm

    I bought a package of mung bean pasta the other day, been trying to decide when to use it…maybe today might be the day?

    when it comes to doing things for others – like work obligations – i’m all up on it, but when it comes to responding to emails/checking my voicemail/doing my laundry i am soooooooo bad. i literally have three months worth of laundry waiting to be done right now.

  36. Cyndi @ Weightless Life on August 9, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    I am definitely craving goat cheese after reading this post. I need to get better at organizing. My desk looks like a disaster area. I need to find a place for everything, and then keep it there.

  37. Paige (Running Around Normal) on August 9, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    That dinner looks fabulous! Lucky lucky pilot! I can get horrible at emails too. Then when it comes to actually emailing back, it only took like 5 minutes! lol

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 4:31 pm

      seriously! it really doesn’t take that long! it’s easy to get overwhelmed though

  38. Nicole @ Getting Back to the Basics on August 9, 2010 at 2:33 pm

    I wish I had the creativity to throw together a yummy dinner like that!

    I’m working really hard right now on trying to make my personality come through on my blog…most days I feel like I just end up writing a boring recap instead of actually TALKING to my readers, ya know? Work in progress… ๐Ÿ™‚

  39. laura on August 9, 2010 at 3:24 pm

    I don’t think i’d get sick of that breakfast either! xx

  40. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) on August 9, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    Girl about the emails….I do the same thing, and I do get tons too. Over and beyond the comments. Everything from raw vegan to lifting to yoga to parenting to poop and breasts LOL. But it got to the point, and this is not to sound mean, but it got to the point people were writing me about really detailed stuff that I was not qualified to answer and I put an autoresponder on my emails giving people the option to check google and that I totally appreciate them wanting me to answer their questions but that sometimes I just dont have the time in my life as a mom, worker, spouse, etc to get to everyone in a timely fashion and that if it’s been a couple weeks and they still feel i am the best person to answer it, to resend. I felt kind of bad but honestly, it’s given me the freedom to not feel obligated to respond b/c i am a GIVER. As you are.

    Anyway, now if only I could somehow let go of commenting guilt. I need Gina School on that one…Teacher, help me! LOL

    ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Fitnessista on August 9, 2010 at 4:30 pm

      hahah i will send you an email! just don’t auto-respond me, mmm k??? hahah just kidding, you always write back ๐Ÿ™‚

  41. Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin on August 9, 2010 at 5:53 pm

    I’m always forgetting to respond to texts/emails too! People must think I’m always ignoring them! ๐Ÿ˜›

    No banana this morning? Poor you! Breakfast just isn’t the same without them!

  42. LisaG on August 9, 2010 at 6:02 pm

    Genius way to use banana peppers. I need to be more organized at home, since I’m way organized at work.

  43. Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter on August 9, 2010 at 7:46 pm

    When school gets rolling my email gets really backed up. There are emails coming in from my sorority, the architecture department, personal email (aka mom, sometimes dad), the blog… it just continues. But it’s always pretty fun.

  44. Carrie on August 10, 2010 at 3:15 am

    Nothing could be better than farmers’ market to table… except for when they’re making shakes too!!! They used to make a peach-date-banana for me with homemade vanilla ice cream at the one down the street from my high school, a verrrry long time ago.

    Of course, they tasted best while we were supposed to be in class…;)

    The feast looked AMAZING!!!!

    • Fitnessista on August 10, 2010 at 8:14 am

      haha! that sounds glorious! ๐Ÿ™‚

  45. Kristen on August 10, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    The banana peppers look really good. So does your breakfast. I think i’m gonna have to try both of those.

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