Overnight Oreo "Pudding"

I discovered this on accident. But I'm obsessed now! 

I always pack my lunch the night before and I wanted to add some mini Oreos to my greek yogurt because I mean why not? Oreos make everything better. 

So I crumbled three mini Oreos into my greek yogurt and left it in the fridge overnight. When I went to eat it at work the next day, I first thought "ugh, I wasn't thinking when I put the Oreos in last night. I bet they're soggy and gross now." 

WRONG. 

Guys, it tasted just like Oreo pudding! I mixed up the yogurt better and the Oreos had broken up even more overnight and kinda soaked up the yogurt like what happens with overnight oats. It tasted amazing!!

The best part? It's loaded with protein from the greek yogurt. Plus it's simple and includes Oreos. What more could you want in a food?! 

If you're a fan of Oreos, you seriously need to try this out! 

It's really easy. All I did was mix 8oz of plain greek yogurt that was sweetened with a bit of stevia, and added 3 mini Oreos. I also did 7oz of yogurt with 2 mini Oreos yesterday and that proportion worked well too! It's just enough Oreo to distribute evenly throughout the yogurt. 

I let mine sit overnight so it probably gets a good 8-12 hours before I eat it the next day. 

Enjoy and Happy Friday! :)

Move Over Panera! Homemade Pesto Vegetable Soup is Here!

Wow, it has taken me forever to get this post up! It just got pushed back along the queue and I forgot about it...oops. This is the perfect example of the kind of stuff that Amanda has to deal with my memory being terrible and it drives her crazy!

It doesn't bother me in the slightest that 95% of the time I'm forgetting something but I can't believe it literally took me almost two weeks to get this post up. I'm also behind on emails which I'm going to do my best to get to those tonight! Grad school applications are taking up a lot more of my time than I anticipated, yikeeees.

Anyway, fall soups are my specialty and I love, love, love using the crock pot to make them! It's easy, simple, and very hands off. I just throw all the soup ingredients into the crock pot and leave it sit for a few hours. I swear something magical happens in the crock pot because the taste is always so much better than if I were to make it in a giant pot on the stove.

I decided to make my own version of pesto vegetable soup. I wouldn't call it a copy-cat because I didn't model it to taste exactly like the one you would find at Panera. I wanted to make my own homemade version and not to boast or anything, but I prefer this batch to Panera's :)

For the soup you'll need:
3 small-medium yellow squash
3 small-medium zucchini
1 15oz can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 bag of baby spinach
2 32oz containers of vegetable stock
4 medium sweet potatoes
8 large carrots
1/4 cup pesto

The spices I used I did to taste but they included: salt, black pepper, roasted garlic herb mix, dried basil, dried parsley, and fresh garlic.

I used all organic ingredients but that's not necessary at all. 

Also, can we talk about how cool these carrots are?! I got this bag from Trader Joe's because yes there were purple carrots and that's all I cared about. They're naturally tri-colored so there were orange, purple, and yellow/white ones. I wanted the soup to be nice and colorful so I picked out the pretty carrots!

Put everything in the crock pot, minus the spinach and pesto, and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 depending on when you put it in. I didn't start making it until after lunch so I cooked it on high to make it go faster. 

I added the spinach about an hour before the soup was supposed to be done. I didn't want it to get too cooked down in the soup. I also added the pesto at this time and checked again for the spices and probably added in some extra again as well. 

I'm terrible with keeping track of measuring out spices since I just do it all to taste. I checked on the soup about every hour to see how it was cooking, and probably added in spices as I went when I thought they were necessary. 

Ok, so I have this cheesy joke that I have to share but it cracks me up every time. Whenever I go to open the arugula (which is like every night at dinner) I say to my mom and sister "Watch out, guys, you better stand back because the arugula is a little wild tonight" ahahaha I crack myself up! I told you it was cheesy, and Amanda just rolls her eyes at me as I giggle every single time at my own joke. 

I ate my soup with a grilled chicken hummus wrap, and it was the perfect combination! 

Oh, I almost forgot! The macros--

Per cup (makes 18):

88 calories

14g carbs

2g fat

3g protein

Typical Rest Day Sunday

I fully believe that rest days are crucial, and there was a time where I used to hate, hate, hate taking them! Basically, all due to anxieties in my head. But now I look forward to them and don't think I could survive the week without one. 

That's not to say that I don't do anything productive on my rest days, though. Let's not forget that I have an 11-month old puppy which means that there's not always a lot of rest going on, especially if she's in hyper mode. 

So I usually like to take her for nice long walks on Sunday afternoons, given that the weather is nice. Last Sunday we went for about an hour and a half walk around our neighborhood. Sometimes I take her to the park or woods to do some trails but often times it'll just be around our neighborhood. 

Also, important side note: Layla's older half-sister Lola spent the weekend with us! 

This is what I got to come home to on Sunday after church, who doesn't want a double dose of doggy greetings?!

I mean, come on look at that face! Yeah she was clearly done with all my picture-taking but you can't deny that cute looks obviously run in the fam with her and Layla :)

It was literally the perfect fall day! All I needed was my puffy vest and some gloves to stay warm. 

The leaves were absolutely beautiful and it was so peaceful to just walk along together and enjoy the scenery. 

We also started family game night! It might sound silly to some people but board games like this really help my mom with therapy. It involves a lot of steps with her spinning the wheel, moving her car along the correct number of spaces, making decisions like what kind of house or job she wants. She also had to count out her own money, and do simple math. While she was in in-patient therapy, they actually played a lot of board games or card games. Things that might seem inconsequential but really are beneficial while recovering. Plus, it's just a great activity to get her involved and away from just watching the tv. 

Someone else wanted to join in on family game night. She couldn't sit exactly on my lap so she settled for simply having her front half up so she could "help". I know what you're thinking but no, she's not spoiled at alllll...

Guys, I couldn't help it. She's just too cute sometimes! Although she knows that she's not allowed up like this if we're eating. Also please excuse my expression, I clearly was not ready for this picture. You gotta be able to laugh at yourself, though! The important part is that Layla is cute and camera ready...as always.