Barney Butter + Apple Walnut Slaw

Good Afternoon!

I hope everyone is having a lovely Friday afternoon.  I am so glad to be home and think it is so cool that I already feel like Portland is home after only being here a month.  Everyone has settled in and we really enjoy living here. 

I finally got some rest and was also able to workout this morning so life is going well so far!  I have got to tell you that I finally got a Kettlebell and have been shaking up my weight circuit a bit by doing a Kettlebell workout.  Wow.  The Kettlebell is so much more efficient and I was a bit skeptical at first.  I read in the new issue of Women Health magazine that researchers found that people who did a 20-minute kettlebell workout torched almost 300 calories- and  that's just for starters.  When you factor in the muscle-sculpting impact (the calories burned after you you exercise as your body repairs its muscle fibers), the total expenditure could increase by up to 50 percent.

So far, I have got to agree.  I did a 20-minute kettlebell session this morning before heading out to Spin Class and was a bit shakey on the walk over.  I needed to change up my routine and I think Kettlebells might just be the ticket.

I started off my morning with my usual warm glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon juice and then opted for total comfort food-- AB & Banana.  I am so psyched because I finally live in an area that sells Barney Butter.  Barney Butter is Almond Butter and there are many brands on the market but I have to say Barney Butter is one of the best.  What makes Barney Butter different from other almond butters?


Jennifer: Taste, texture and locally produced as well as the convenience of no-stir. No oil to stir back in and no need to refrigerate makes it easy to spread and keep in your cupboard (or office desk). Barney Butter is made exclusively from roasted California almonds harvested from nearby orchards. It has an amazing fresh roasted flavor you don't get from other almond butters

I love the Crunchy kind and made my favorite Almond Butter & Banana on Ezekiel English Muffin.



For lunch I made the best salad and could not wait to share with you.  I made a crunchy Apple Walnut Slaw salad topped with a Citrus Vinagrette.  It does not get much better than this.

Combine above ingredients in a bowl and then toss with dressing and garnish with walnuts.  Enjoy!


Dressed with 1 tbsp Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, 1 tbsp Grey Poupon Mustard, 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I love this Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar.  I am using it as my base for salad dressing now and it is fantastic.  The touch of citrus really makes the dressing pop and it was fantastic on this salad.

Steve just got home from taking his first law school exam.  He has started off his class work with a two-week intensive Legal Elements Class that concluded with a Pass/Fail Exam today.  Phew.... he is done with that and I am sure that he passed and now it is time to celebrate.  We are just formulating our plans for the weekend but I am dying to go and check out the Oregon Coast and go to the beach so I think we will spend one day going to the beach (it is only and 1 1/2 away) and then taking it easy from there.  We all need to catch up on our rest and get ready for school.  We are planning on going out for dinner so we shall see where we end up.

I am sure there will be some cooking or baking involved this weekend as well so please check back. 

Have a great Friday!