I woke up to a gorgeous Sunday — no clouds, no wind and oddly, no chill. (Did I somehow sleep until summer?) I still had a hankering for a hot breakfast despite the warm weather, so I made “banana bread” oatmeal with:

• 1/3 cup each of Bob’s Red Mill 5-grain rolled whole grain hot cereal plus flaxseed, water, Living Harvest hemp milk
• half a banana
• 2 tablespoons walnuts
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• sprinkle of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

I couldn’t believe how much this tasted like fresh-from-the-oven banana bread…definitely making this again! I brewed a pot of coffee for JD, and decided to have a cup too, with a couple of tablespoons of Coffeemate Belgian Chocolate Toffee creamer. Yum…

Love this mug — it was a birthday gift from my mother in law. The other side says, “Hey, cutie, could I get a refill?” Ha Ha! Thanks, Linda! JD and I weren’t going to waste such a beautiful day inside, so he suggested taking Tex to the dog park. We had never been before, so it was a great time to try it out!

That’s one happy pup!

I mixed 2 ounces of canned tuna with Sabra red pepper hummus, then added lettuce, mushrooms and cucumbers. A big pile of veggies, another tablespoon of hummus and four cheese cubes completed the meal. I love leftovers — especially healthy ones.

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football, napping and shopping. I used birthday money, and added a bit to it, to buy a few sweaters (even though I definitely couldn’t wear one today), a button-down camel-color skirt and an adorable dress that cost a mere $13. And the best part…it was a size smaller than what I normally wear! I know clothes run differently, but I’m going to celebrate it anyway…I’ve been working so hard, and actually wearing results of that is such a motivator to keep it up. I think I’m going to save the dress for my friend Jessica’s bachelorette party this weekend…I’ll be sure to share some pics!

Dinner was simple and light:

We threw together a veggie stir fry with shrimp, and JD made the absolute best sauce. The ingredients are “secret,” but I can say pineapple chunks and hot sauce were involved. I also wanted to try my hand at cooking tofu, (first timer here) so I pan seared a couple of servings with two teaspoons of sesame oil. So good! I halved it so I could take some to work for lunch tomorrow.

Does that bowl look familiar?

Getting up in the morning is going to be tough if I don’t get my buns to bed! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and a successful new week. A big shout out to my mom and sister, Tiffany, for starting their own food and fitness plans. I’m so proud of you guys!