Dinner Three (or more) Ways

Happy Thursday afternoon Friday Eve! I can feel the weekend approaching!

As promised, a quick and easy meal idea! Last night, I hit up yoga after work (my weekly schedule is a little off…I’m doing my timed 5K tonight instead) and got home a little later than expected.

When the Bean and I arrived home, we could see, and smell, what the Sweetheart had cooking!

Some of the dinner fixin’s. Yumm!

Mmmm! Half a grilled bacon-cheddar cheese burger on a whole wheat bun, with carrot sticks, tomato, avocado and a couple of fries!

Super fresh, super easy, super delicious!

You can totally mix this up to suit your own taste buds, no matter what your food personality might be!

1. Season and grill up a small chicken breast instead of a burger. Put the chicken in a Ziplock bag with your favorite Italian dressing for 30 minutes before grilling and it will come out perfectly seasoned with nearly no effort!
2. Try a veggie burger recipe instead. One I’ve been wanting to try is from Angela at Oh She Glows. You can find it here.
3. Rub a Portobella mushroom with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put it on the grill for about 4-6 minutes, flip it, and grill for another 4-6 minutes. Yumm…perfection!

Happy Grilling!

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday …any fun plans for the weekend yet?

Walk, Swim, Play!

Hello! I hope you’re having a great morning! I don’t want to forget to share a super-fun outing I had the other day…

…but first, an introduction!

This is my Dad, Dad CYL to you.

Dad CYL is a pretty amazing guy.

He loves his only Daughter…

…And his Granddaughter Bean. (She’s think she looks really cool in Grandpa CYL’s glasses!)

He is a remarkable hand-bell player and director….

…A pilot…

…And a retired Lt. Colonel in the Air Force.

Plus, Mom and Dad CYL have been married for 36 years. Pretty cool stuff!

Moving on…last Monday, after my bike ride, Dad CYL called and asked about a walking trail near my house. Mom CYL is out of town and he was looking to take their pup for a walk. I told him that there is a beautiful walking trail just about 2 blocks from my house and that if he could wait a couple of hours, I would love to go with him.

After I had some time to catch up on some things, (i.e. get some chow and recover from our bike ride) Dad CYL came over with his Pup and we headed out.

Of course, I took our Sweet Boy with us too.

About 2 blocks from my house is this awesome walking/nature trail, which is actually pretty new. When I moved to the neighborhood about 3 years ago, I thought, “that is a beautiful area, I wonder why no one is doing anything with it.” Now, it’s gorgeous…thanks to the Rushmore Lions Club!

Amazing light coming through the trees. Love this place!

Well taken-care of, this 1 mile loop-trail is perfect for walking or running, and because of the trees and the creek, is always about 5-10 degrees cooler than anywhere else in town.

Plus, in the middle of the loop is a perfect spot to fish, set up a picnic, do some stretching after a run, or in our case, for the pups to play in the water. This was one of the first times that Pup CYL had ever been in the water!

Pup CYL and our Sweet Boy are very different dogs.

Dad CYL with the pups.

We had so much fun! Thanks for the walk guys!

Now, off to work!

Check back later for a quick, easy and delicious dinner idea…perfect for your busy Thursday night!