Newport + Other Weekend Things

Hello and happy Monday, friends!

Did you have a nice weekend? We spent part of our weekend down in Newport, Rhode Island for our annual family trip.

Fun fact: Even though Qman is only 2 years old, this year was technically his 4th annual Newport trip. Figure that one out! 🙂

When we arrived, we did our usual Friday evening routine: Lugging way too much stuff inside, building a fire, and then ordering take-out Thai food for dinner.

Our trip always starts out kind of like this, and I know I definitely look forward to a low-key Friday evening in Newport.

On Saturday morning, we were all awake bright and early. As some of you know, vacation with a toddler is not really a vacation, so we headed straight to Empire Coffee & Tea Co. #coffeeme It was pouring rain when we left the apartment, but I was more than happy to break out my Hunter boots! 🙂

After that, we headed home to relax and get ready for the day. Breakfast was at Ocean Breeze Cafe Lorusso’s, which is another annual tradition that we all enjoy. But, this time, we were rather disappointed with our experience. The food– while it sounded delicious– was not fresh. We ordered the fruit plate to share and a bunch of the grapes were MOLDY… like, legit moldy. Not like “on their last day,” but rotten. And it wasn’t just one or two grapes. It was pretty much all of them. Eww. I ordered the frittata and it tasted like it had been sitting around for days. It was rubbery and flavorless. Boo. Quinn’s pancake was quite tasty as well as the breakfast potatoes, so I guess it wasn’t all bad.

After breakfast, we headed out to explore Newport.

It was still lightly raining, so we headed straight for the arcade!

Qman had so much fun and hit the jackpot with tickets. We still have no idea what he did to win so many, but they just kept coming out of the game he was playing. I think he had like 100 by the end! Haha!

Quinn cashed-in his tickets for some pretty cool toys! 🙂

After the arcade, we wandered around Newport some more. It was just about nap time and Qman was starting to get tired, so we switched strollers so he could lay down. He ended up falling asleep, so Mal and I took advantage and grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant. The food was actually much better than expected and Quinn slept for quite a long time, so it was a win-win for everyone!

On Sunday morning, I busted out 10 miles and actually felt pretty good– much better than my first 10-miler when I thought I was going to die of thirst!

Sunday afternoon involved a small-ish meal prep for the week:

• The Easiest Chicken Fajitas You’ll Ever Make
• Breakfast Potatoes
• Egg Bake made with broccoli, sausage, and Brie cheese (Sorry, no recipe. Just threw it together!)
• Pumpkin Protein Balls
• Zoodles

Our dinners this week are pretty easy, so I didn’t have a ton of prep to do. Plus, one is a new one-pot recipe that I’m testing out. I’ll definitely share on CNC if it turns out well! 🙂

Also, just a quick FYI: The Easiest Chicken Fajitas You’ll Ever Make are even easier when you use a bag of frozen peppers and onions. (I like the fire-roasted ones from Trader Joe’s.) You literally just dump the bag on top of the chicken breasts, add some butter and fajita seasoning, and then pop it all in the oven. So. Frigging. Easy. I usually serve this meal over cauliflower rice mixed with regular white rice.

I’m on a mission to find the best pumpkin yogurt. So far, I’ve tried the Oh My Yog! pumpkin pie from Stonyfield, which was excellent, and the one from Trader Joe’s, which wasn’t great. The flavor was just eh, and I think I remember reading “modified corn starch” in its list of ingredients. I tried the pumpkin pie flavor from Green Mountain Creamery yesterday, and it is SO GOOD. I actually think it’s my favorite right now. The flavor, consistency, and ingredients are all awesome. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for this one!

Omggggggg, I’m still dying over this Snapchat filter!!!!! LOL!

Question of the Day

What’s your favorite brand of pumpkin yogurt?